Love it or leave it?

[christa94]

do you love your band or do you wish you would not have gotten it?

i was thinking about the band and the journey over the weekend:finding a doctor in mexico, getting it financed, getting my then fiance/now husband on board with it all, the actual surgery, immediate weeks post op, learning the band, losing weight,pb's, etc. then i saw a couple of church members that have had the gastric bypass and i thanked God for letting me get the band. one person has lost like 200 pounds in a year. one had lost alot of weight from having the surgery some years ago, now she has regained it all then some, then another girl had it 2 years ago and lost, but has stopped and she is still pretty big. i thank God for giving me an alternative that i think is great--for me. unlike with the bypass, i can control my weight loss years from now. if i begin to plateu, i could get a fill and just start my losing again. and i don't have to worry about malnutrition.

i didn't think it would be as hard a work as it it. let me explain, portion control has always been an issue for me. i knew with wls your portions HAD to be altered. planning a complete meal in only 3-4 ozs was hard. how do i get in everything in 4 oz meals: protein and veggies and carbs. i got it down now. handling cravings was easy at first. i didn't want to eat any of the wrong stuff that might hurt the band. bread is still completely out. but now, i realize cookies and cake can make it through the band. so, that self discipline has got to kick in and I HAVE to make the right choices. the band can't do that for me. then there is exercise. at first, the weight was coming off without exercise. now, i have incorporated it in my journey experience. what a dunce i was for not doing it sooner. but, i find it easier to do 36 pounds lighter than before! pb's. had never heard of this before the band and still didn't really understood it till i had one! if there is anything i can take away from the journey, it would be those and slimes! but, they help remind me to slow it down and chew and enjoy food-something i didn't really do when i was wolfin' it down before

[HeatherGurl]

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!! I wouldn't trade my band for a million bucks!

[PhotoNut]

Hey Christa :)

I was banded in Jan of this year and I've had fairly good success but I could have had a lot better success had I only exercised that restraint you spoke of. I too avoided all the dangerous "trigger" foods for the first six months of my band journey. But slowly, over time, opportunities arose which led to me sampling some of those foods. I was without a fill for a couple of months which I wouldnt recommend for anyone unless it's necessary. It was during that time that I found my desire for the dangerous foods returning. It was also during that time that I had a more active social life, which typically means food and alcohol.

Anyway, it has taken some real self control over the situation to get back on track. The first step was being aggressive about finding a good level of restriction. Now that I have that, I'm being forced back into better food choices. I am also being forced to eat much slower, which gives me time to realize I really am saited and don't need that next bite of food. Yes, there are still times I want to eat that next bite, even if I know I don't need it, but the band steps in with a firm "Oh no you don't!" and I have to stop.

I figure I goofed around and wasted three months of weightloss, and at 8 pounds a month (which was my average) that puts me 24 pounds behind. However! I look back on Thanksgiving of last year and I marvel at the gift of life my band has given me. I was literally dead inside and my outsides were suffering from aches and pains to the extent that I was having trouble walking. I had a hernia just above my bellybutton that had to be repaired when I got my band. I had stopped caring about my looks, my health, and my life. I had finally reached the point where I had given up all hope of ever being healthy again. But here I am, one year later, wearing a size 12 jeans rather than wearing soft stretchy pants because my size 26 jeans no longer fit. I weigh 205, not 307. I not only have hope of a healthy life, I am living a healthy life!

I know this is getting long, but I have one more thing to say. *chuckles* The band does NOT do it all for me. As I said earlier, I had to take control of things. This means I can feel good about my ability to make better choices rather than feeling like a loser who had to have all control taken away and my life run by a piece of plastic. I LIKE that I still have those choices. I LIKE that I can still screw up. I LIKE that I can waste 3 months of weight loss. Why? Because I LIKE that I am learning to deal with the slip ups and not end up heavier than I was when I began, which was my usual scenario. Each time I would diet, I would lose a bunch but gain back even more! I LIKE being able to work past the pitfalls that, in the past, have stopped my progress. I truly think this is the first time I have ever come out on the "other side" of a pitfall, backslide, whatever you call it, and have continued onward toward my goals. It is THAT achievement that helps me believe, wtihout a doubt in my heart, that I will live life at a normal, healthy weight and no longer be bound emotionally and physically by almost 200 pounds of excess weight.

Yes, its a good thing that the band doesn't do it all for us. What would we learn? How could we stand on our own if we ever lost the band? That IS certainly a possibility for each one of us, isn't it? I thank God for my mom who paid for my band. I thank God for the timing in which it all fell together for me. And, I thank God for the lapband. This wonderful tool inside of me that is helping me stay on the right road, even when I lose sight of my goals and wander a bit.

Thanks for listening. And thanks for this thread Christa!

[Jachut]

I love it, would never be without it by choice.

I've found the same thing - weight loss is not automatic for me with the band any more. It was at first when I had more to lose. But my weight loss over this second six months has been incredibly slow. But of course now every kilogram makes a big difference. I lost about 20 kilos in the first six months and only about 9 in the second, but so be it.

Now, if I dont actually count calories, I dont lose at all. I really probably need another fill but I really want this band in me for life and I'm not sure I want to risk being tight - because by bandster standards I've always been rather loose (that sounds bad, lol). I started weight watchers last week. I have to fight head hunger but I still cant eat an overly big meal, so I find when I'm not being "good" I no longer gain. I've had a rush of social functions, parties and the next four weeks are looking truly insane in terms of socialising but I can do all that and not gain - with a bit of effort I can even lose some more. This band is a blessing!

I've come so far but I really really really want to get off this next 10kg.

And Pnut, what you said really sums it up for me. I like having to do the work. I made that point once in a Band v Bypass thread over on the other side and got absolutely caned for it. Perhaps I said it in a less than tactful way because I was addressing to a particularly sour person, but the point remains. I dont feel like this band has done anything but helped me, its me that's done the work and had I had to have had all control taken over by totally rerouting my insides, I would not be feeling as thankful for the opportunity I've had, I'd be feeling really really sorry that it had come to such drastic measure. Perhaps it did anyway, but it doesnt feel that way does it?

[Mrs Sabre]

I love it, and wouldn't trade it for anything!

[Stitchy]

I love it, too. I was one of those that wanted magic. And to me, it is magic. I had a portion control problem. And, I still want to eat MORE! I haven't eaten bread and sticky rice cuz' I'm scared, but have found that I can have anything else that I want. But the band keeps the portions down. I went to a pub the other night to hear my daugher sing and had a beer. I nursed it all night long. No denial, just portion control. Over all lately, I've been losing about a lb a week. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

A former coworker had gastric bypass a couple of years ago. She lost a lot of weight and has pretty much kept it off, but she had a lot of health issues with it. I know that she knows that I had lap band surgery, but she hasn't ever said anything to me about it. Or about my weight loss (which is obvious, now). I wonder if she regrets it?

[christa94]

susan, girl i love ya! i always enjoy reading your posts and you are just inspirational! in street lingo or ebonics-you are cool people! i know i posted originally, but i am in awe of this journey. i am learning more and more each day to listen to the band. not be controlled by "the hard plastic band around my stomach", but to listen to the signals that say "stop". last night after i exercised, i kept waiting for the hunger signals to come to me to tell me to eat dinner. they never came, so i didn't have anything. i had a snack before exercising and water while i exercised. the old me would have never skipped out on the opp. to eat. but, now i am listening to my body so that i will be successful over this battle. i want to win the war. permanently.

[Hope]

Hi Christa,
I loved your post. It comes at an extremely opportune moment. I am being banded on 11/30 and am a nervous wreck. I keep questioning my decision, am i doing the right thing, will I be able to deal with the life style changes required?? Your post and the replies helped me to realize that I am doing the right thing for me, my health and to live a healthier, happier life.
Thanks,
Hope