newbie with questions

I just received my date, February 15th, and am very excited.  My dr. and I are still discussing LapBand or Realize.  I am wondering if anyone can tell me why he or she chose Realize over LapBand.  I know that it has been in Europe for some time but is relatively new in US; do you believe the results in terms of weight lost and comfort are equal/better? 

In addition, I am preparing for how to deal with colleagues who have entertained themselves by watching my weight go up and down over the past ten years.  I am wondering if anyone can give me a ballpark as to when I might start to look different.  Will it be immediate? drastic? minimal? over time?  I KNOW that each person has a different experience and realize that there is no way for me to know how my experience will proceed, but I am just trying to have an idea of how the "after" will be in terms of weight lost in a few months; this way, I can better prepare for questions, comments, etc.  I am 5'4" and weigh 240 now, and I have just started a pseudo-pre-surgical diet.  I know what all the official statistics say but am more interested in some personal responses.

This site is amazing, and I appreciate any help.  Thank you in advance!

 My doctor actually only does Realize banding. He said it's the newer technology and because  of it's construction there is less of a chance for slippage. Also the port is a smaller size.  But if you google the realize vs lap band you will find a ton of sites telling you the differences.  

Congrats on your scheduled date!  woot! 

I do think the bands are equal, it's all in how YOU work it.

The loss and changes are different for everyone, but they shouldn't be drastic to people who see you every day unless you would loose like another surgery, but that is not the norm and typical.  While there are fast losers, there are also slow and average losers.  So, however you lost weight before when you dieted is probably how you will loose weight now.  With the pre-op and post op diet you'll probalby drop a good bunch, then hit a plateau and stand still and then start to loose 1-3 pounds a week for the AVERAGE person.  I think how tight you follow the rules and how much you exercise will play a huge part of that.

I remember when I was pre-op that your so excited to get this new life started and get the loss moving and going.  However, that should not be on the forefront and really you should be educating yourself on the eating habits post band.  I can tell you the band does not work magically so you will have to put forth the effort.  Start reading about the post op liquids and get familiar with how people feel during them so you can get prepared, read about the post op weight stalls and bandsters hell so when it happens, while disappointing, you know everything is OK and your just going through it at the moment.  Just educate, educate, educate...it's the bes thing you do for success.  :) 

Congrats to you btw, you are about to start an exciting new journey.  :D

Boo

going for a blah response and will say agree 100% with Boo. :)

As for my weight loss, I have lost 27 pounds.  Most of that was from the pre-op diet.  It was basically like the Atkins diet.  At least 70g protein and no more than 30 carbs.  No fried or fast foods and no candy.  The rest was up to me to figure out.  I followed that sucker to a tee and lost 15 pounds in two weeks.  The rest of the weight was from post op but seriously, you are on liquids for a week, then pureed foods for a week it is just pretty darn hard NOT to lose.  But come the middle of that second week post op my weight stalled.  I have since started working out at the gym again (yay) and I have lost two more pounds.

As for how I look, I can see it in my face.  I am two pants size smaller but I can't visually see a difference in my body.  I haven't done measurements so I don't know about that.  My friends all say they can see a difference, especially in my face but yeah, it isn't drastic or anything.  It is a gradual weight loss and you should expect such.

Good luck with getting your band.

Oh and I got realize b/c that is what my doc prefers but she does do both.

I chose the Realize due to the design of the band and the lower port profile. Also my doctor said that it is easier to hit the Realize port when doing the fills.

I was one of the few that really get to loose right after surgery. Most loose after they find their sweet spot after a few fills. But I had some swelling issues around the band, which created a 'sweet spot' and was able to loose about 35 pounds in the first 2 months. after that, I have been loosing about a pound or so a week. For most, tho, weight loss is slower with banding than the other surgeries.

I chose surgery to help me break the cycle. I have severe sleep apnea and the bipap was not working for me. Plus, I would loose a good 20 pounds, then wake up 3 weeks later having put on 25 pounds.  Right before surgery, I was around 270 and am just a tad over 230 this morning. I am one week short of my 3 month surgerversary.  I am now starting to get a goodt nights sleep, still using the bipap, but am getting some good REM sleep. I have some energy to do things in the evenings after work and on weekends, something I haven't been able to do in 4 years.

But even with a band, sucess is only with portion control and proper eating habits. The band does not prevent food cravings or sneaking into the pantry for cookies. Those issues still have to be dealt with or they can sabotage the weight loss. Most Banders are banded because of the huge amounts of food they eat at a time - before I started talking to my surgeon, I would put down 2 full big plates of food for every meal. I now use a smaller plate and do not fill it full of food and eat each bite slowly. I have been working with a health coach along with my NUT and have been working on a book "How to train your brain to think like a thin person".  I think sucess is not all what you eat, but also about how you eat.

Good luck on your journey. I know that I am about 1/2 way to my goal and surgery had turned my life around in 3 months.

Randy

All information expressed is just my opinion, and result may vary – With that said:

 

The reason I went for the Realize band it because it’s been around longer than the Lapband (started out as the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band), and in Europe it had better results than the lap or mid band (which isn’t done here).

 

Weight loss with either band will be dependent how stringent you stick with your Doctor guidelines. Neither is the magic pill that will do it for you. You need to be diligent.

 

Difference depends on what you’re looking for: health and/or appearance? Of me, I my weight loss was that of a bypass patient, however it took close to 120 pounds before people really noticed (don’t forget I started at 435). I was off all my meds within 3 months.

 

The entire process will be take. Maybe a lifetime. Remember it took a lifetime to put on the weight, so it may take that long to take it off. Remember, this isn’t a race. “Slow and steady wins the race".  We are a generation of instantaneous results, however remember we didn’t put all the weight on at once, it took years. So don’t you think losing it would take just as long? This isn't one of those miracle instantaneous weight loss programs. We all know types of programs always fail. This is a way of life

 

Nowhere does any of the literate state you will lose x amount of weight in x days. Think LONG TERM. If it takes you 2 – 3 -5 years to lose all the weight, WHO CARES!!! How long did it take you to put all those pounds on? Try to remind yourself that even if I lost only 1 pound per week, in year’s time I’d be 52 pounds lighter. Many doctors believe the slower you lose weight, the better chance you have of keeping it off. 

 

Many folks are hung up on the number. It’s not the number of pounds that someone loses in a specified period of time that is important. It’s how you feel.

Hope this answered your questions. Good luck on your decision, and journey !!