J3sus ******g Christ, people!!!

I never addressed it b/c it was never the issue. However if u want me to address it, I will.

~But anytime somene brings up the fact that the band is helping you MAINTAIN your weight loss that you lost-through-diet-alone, you bru**** off or never address it.   ~

I don't know that it is helping me MAINTAIN. Other than the first 2 wks. after surgery, it has not helped me lose at all.

~THe BIGGEST deal for me is that I'm KEEPING the weight off.  If the band didnt do anything else but THAT, isnt that  good thing?    I don't expect you to suddenly see my impeccable wisdom and go off cheerleading the band  but....can you at least acknowledge that you have had this benefit from the band?  ~

If it is or is not helping me keep the weight off (which I don't think it is) again is irrelevent. I PAID for the Lap-Band to do what Allergan ADVERTISES it to do: Help me get full quicker, help me stay full longer. That NEVER happened!

So what has the band done for me? It helped me lose weight for 2 wks. It forces me to eat slower as to try to aviod some of the stuck incidents. That is all! I did NOT pay $15,000 for that!!! I EXPECTED it to work AS ADVERTISED! No more, NO LESS! I did not expect that "magic bullet" that I have been accused of expecting, I did not expect a "miracle" as I have been accused of expecting, I did not expect the band to do ALL the work as I have been accused of expecting. I EXPECTED IT TO WORK AS ADVERTISED! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?!?!?!

And yes I am hurt every day that I come on here and post b/c I have to listen to some of the band cheerleaders rude, nasty accusations (I am not referring to you!). Believe me........it would make my life so much less stressful to say to hell with OH and never return again. But I continue to post b/c there are pre-ops out there that are researching the band. Most are NOT being told everything they need to know by their Drs. offices. They have a right to this info BEFORE they get the band..........NOT AFTER! So if I have to listen to more accusations and insults from some of the moron band cheerleaders on here that think that all you have to do is follow band rules and it works for everyone then I will..............SO I CAN HELP PRE-OPS TO HOPEFULLY AVOID GOING THROUGH WHAT I, N.M., PUMPKIN, WASABUBBLEBUTT, LYNN, HISLADY, REDBABE, SFNATIVE..............AND SO MANY OTHER UNFORTUNATE BANDSTERS HAVE GONE THROUGH!

So in closeing, just to clarify for everyone out there. I give the band credit for 2 weeks worth of weight loss. I give it credit for making me eat slower. It did to that for me. However that is NOT what I paid for, and had I known that was what the "tool" consisted of...........I NEVER WOULD HAVE GOTTEN IT!

That being said, I am glad you love your band, and I hope you have no issues with it. Good luck!

Thank you for your reply, Maria. I really do understand where you are coming from.   One last question though... before you ever had the lapband, were you successful at maintaining a weight loss?  For me, the answer is no.  I've tried most diet out there (like the majority of you Im sure) and *did* lose weight but it always came back.  This is the first time in my life that the weight is staying off.  For me, that is a treasure.   Again, I count my blessings that the band was agreeable to my anatomy and that I am having no issues so far.

I hope you get the revision you want some day or come to a place of peaceful co-existence with your band should you never get it removed.   

Peace
Jolena

that was my problem to Jolena, I never had problems losing weight , my problem is it wouldn't stay off

that is one of the reasons why I got the band also was to help the weight to stay off that I lost .  The last 7 weeks I have not been eating the best of foods.  I have been eating foods that I wouldn't dream of eating  the first 6 months of my surgery and that is a big reason why I haven't lost weight , my choice of foods and my lack of exercise big time.  Wrong choices of food, no exercise no weight loss and that is where I am right now in my journey.  I am having a heck of a time to get back where I was six months ago right after surgery .

The one thing though that I'm so thankful for that even though I have had these issues the last 7 weeks I have not gained no weight . I did my weigh in today and I am still stuck at 285 .   If I hadn't had this band in me I would be close to 300 pounds again if not over it . 

I never thought about it that way till you posted those questions and I was sitting here discussing them questions with my husband and once again you opened my eyes up on things :o) 

I'll answer your question. But I have a question for you as well. Why are you and so many other band cheerleaders determinded to try to prove that I am lying? It's very insulting to have ppl on here insinuate all the time that I am lying about my band not working.

I can not win for losing on this forum. The ones that don't know my story say I am pissed b/c I am not losing or haven't lose any weight. Then when they find out I have............then they accuse me of either being pissed off b/c I'm not losing fast enough, or b/c I'm pissed that I didn't lose more weight. So then they find out how much I've lost...............then they want to change it to "see! Your lying! Your band DOES work b/c u lost weight!"

And what happens when I post a new pic??? I get some genuine compliments and well wishes. To those that have done that, I thank you. But what else happens? "She's lying! She lost all that weight and she keeps telling us her band doesn't work!" "You've lost a lot of weight for someone who's band doesn't work!", "how'd you lose all that weight if your band doesnt work???" (Nevermind I have stated that on this forum over and over!). THERE ARE ACTUALLY EVEN 2 SMARTASS COMMENTS ON THIS VERY POST BY 2 BANDSTERS ABOUT MY PIC. I chose to ignore the comments about it, but since you all want to continue to insinuate I am lying, I'll point that out now.

Then you get the ones pretending to be nice. Like Kristy. "how much weight did u lose?" "You look good". Only to see her post some sarcastic comment to someone else on the forum a week or so later............."she's lost 70 pounds...........but her band doesn't work!"

I feel the need to ask you, and those other bandsters.............WHAT WOULD I HAVE TO GAIN BY LYING ABOUT MY BAND NOT WORKING??????????? Why would I want to come on here and go up against the band cheerleaders and face all those insults when I say my band doesn't work...............just for the hell of it?!?!?!

On this "support" forum I have been insulted and judged constantly. I have had threads started about me bash me at the very same time that they started the post in protest of "bashing"! I've been told I'm "not motivated/too lazy/just want to stuff my face/want a magic bullet/looking for a miracle/looking for a quick fix/expect to lose weight and not diet.expect the band to do all the work/don't want to get off my ass (hey at least that one is true, I HATE exercise. But of course that has nothing to do with my band not working..........and when they say it they don't even know that I seldom exercise! They just make **** up as they go along!)/and one of my favorites from Jean, your one of your favorite band cheerleaders..........my "fabeled" lack of restriction"! etc...........etc.........etc...........



Now as far as if I was successful with maintaining prior to the band. First of all it would not matter IFI only maintained b/c of the band. That is irrelevent! I did NOT get the band to starve myself and be hungry all the time and make myself miserable trying to lose weight to get healthy! If that was my intention....I would have saved thousands of dollars and not wasted my time with the band. I got the band b/c I believed the claims that Allergan made that the band would make me get full sooner and stay full longer. This is what they advertise................this NEVER happened. The Lap-Band helped me lose for the first 2 wks. and it slows down my eating. I NEVER would have gotten it had that been in their advertising that that is what the band would accomplish for me!

Now have I maintained weight loss before? For the most part no. I had never maintained more than a 10 pound loss for more than a couple of weeks previously.............UNTIL the 7 months BEFORE my band surgery. As I have stated on this forum manyy times. I married someone at that time that was diabetic. When I moved in I quit buying sweets and having them around the house all the time like I was used to. I didn't diet. I ate sweets whenever I ate out. I just didn't want to bring them in the house to tempt him. During the 7 months (BEFORE THE BAND) I lost 30-40 pounds and kept it off w/o dieting.

After getting banded then I started doing high protein, lower carb and fat in addition to the lower sugar I was at that time already doing. This is the same thing I have said on here over n over.

So at this point I could care less what you ppl think! As long as I am honest.............and the ppl that matter know I'm  honest...........then what the band cheerleaders want to think is of no concern of mine.

Maria, I am sorry you still have so much hurt. Have you ever heard the saying "can't see the forest because of the trees?" Sometimes when we're neck deep in a problem, we can't see an answer until we step back from it...look at it from another angle. Thats ALL I've ever attempted to offer you..just a different perspective to see if it helps. It has never occurred to me that you are LYING about your experience. I just think your bitterness and disappointment has made you so anti-band that you aren't able to objectively see its benefits to you. I personally don't think the majority of people here think you are lying. I've seen the two posters you mentioned reach out to you kindly. They've never called you the names that you have called them.

And I think you do care...otherwise it wouldn't be hitting such a nerve.

Either way, I *do* care and I bet you there are many more that will say they care too. It just gets
weary after a while when such anger is around.

Sincerely
Jo

," I HATE exercise. But of course that has nothing to do with my band not working..........and when they say it they don't even know that I seldom exercise! "

hmm. Some might disagree with you here,. I really think my plateau was so long because I don't regular exercise.   Anther bander here thought her band was a failure until she added exercise.
Group A can lose weight just having an empty band- Group B people have to exercise. But without the band, both groups would gain the weight back.  (JUST MY OPINION :) )

 

Omg! U just DON'T get it! I could exercise 20 hrs. a day. Would I lose weight? Hell yes I would. Would my band be making me lose weight? NOOOOOOOOOOO! I gladly admit my faults. I have never complained about NOT losing weight. Nor have I complained about NOT losing enough. Nor have I complained about NOT losing quickly enough. Would exercise help with weight loss? Of course! THAT IS NOT THE FREAKING ISSUE! The issue is actually losing b/c of the band working as advertised.

And for the record, I am familiar with the post you are referring to. She has posted on here numerous times about the amount of exercise she does. I had thought all along that she wasn't as successfull a bandsters as she claimed to be, but I did not throw it in her face and judge her. It is nice there there is starting to be more honesty on this forum from some. And I appriciated her posting honestly that she did NOT lose weight the first year b/c of her band. She only started losing weight AFTER she started  exercising hours a wk. (I'm thinking she said 9?). So she now admits she did NOT lose the weight b/c of the band. She does however state that it helps her maintain.

Maybe it hasn't occured to you that I'm lying. It was not meant to you specifically, but to all the similar comments I get. When I am frequently asked how can u do it now and u couldn't before............did u ever maintain before...........or hear the she "claims" her band doesn't work.........well that clearly implies that I am lying. It just gets old after awhile. As does the constant ASSumption on the band forum that this is a "support" forum so therefore any negativity anyone has had with the band should not be discussed. I have always tried to be fair. I have always said BOTH sides of the band need to be conveyed. So do I tell the possitive side of it on OH? NO! I tell MY side of it...............b/c there are other bandsters here to tell the possitive side. I tell the realistic side to try to balance things out so pre-ops can know BOTH sides of the band issue. Now on my blog, since I am the only one posting on there.......I have published BOTH sides of the band. Is it appriciated? Hell no! B/c I am always told on here I am a "band basher". This forum seems to have a major problems with "band bashers". However..........."bandster bashing" seems to be encouraged strongly on here! Go figure!

I guess I really don't see all the bandbashing you speak of..nor where it is encouraged. 
You take it as people accusing you of lying...I guess I didnt see it that way...The definition of lying is:  deliberately untruthful; deceitful; false.  I don't see intentional falsehood on your part. What I seeis people offering a different perspective to HELP you. It is human nature to reach out to people that are hurting..why do you assume we reach out in attack and not from a place of wanting-you-to-feel-better-cuz-we-care? 

~I guess I really don't see all the bandbashing you speak of..nor where it is encouraged. ~

Well for instance the post a few days ago from lowcountry. He insulted ALL of us with failed bands and told us it was OUR fault. It was an extremely rude, insulting, judgemental post! Extremely! It was a slap in the face to anyone who has had a failed band. And what kind of response did he get??? Other bandsters that seemed to be cheering him on!

And the post from ****light a day or 2 later. She goes and starts a post to all the bandsters with failed bands calling us "cry babies"! Excuse me but that's like starting a thread and telling all those with migrains that they are just "cry babies" and have caused the problem theirselves!

So really Jolena? Really you don't see the bandster bashing and encouragement?!?!?!

~It is human nature to reach out to people that are hurting..why do you assume we reach out in attack and ~

As far as this statement, I had some wonderful ppl reach out to me from OH. Most do it privately, some do it publicly as well. I have gotten some very touching responses, both from failed bandsters and successful bandsters. There are a couple of successful bandsters I am very much looking forward to meeting at the OH convention. One is even a band cheerleader! Lol. But she realizes that it is not always a matter of doing the right thing, that in some cases, there is luck involved.