Slow Users-Banded a year or more

Jenn · 04-17-2008, 05:49 PM

I am almost a year out and have only lost 33 pounds. I feel your frustration Gina. However, explaining your problem to your doctor will help. They do this for a living and will know what to do. My doc doesn't care that I have a slow loss just that I have a loss.

Hang in there you will find a happy medium.

ginabobeana · 04-17-2008, 07:16 PM

Thanks ShortGal. I appreciate your response.

Oregondaisy · 04-17-2008, 08:18 PM

For some people, there is no weight loss without exercise. I know I would be one of those people. I exercised and basically ate the same way I am eating now, for 3 years and lost no weight. I got the band which makes my portions much smaller, so I was able to lose weight. If I didn't exercise at all, I am sure I would not have lost anywhere close to what I have lost.

If you are throwing up, you do need to chew more, take smaller bites and wait a long time before taking another bite. If that's not helping, then yes, you need a little bit taken out. Not so much that you can eat as much as you want though.

SPEED RACER · 04-19-2008, 12:07 PM

To the person that said maybe the surgeon left something in me. Thanks for your tip but, I think during the 2 laporoscopies they would have discovered that but thanks for your input I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to go for the bypass I was really against it when it was offerred after the one year mark but, seems to be my only option. I just don't want to be fat anymore I can't stand it. I've gained weight back and now my back shoulders and right ankle are starting to hurt. Amazing what a few pounds can do to your body down and or up. Has anyone gone this route? If so do you really need to take a bunch of pills and vitamins and get vitamin B12 injections? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Thanks again for everyones input it was very much appreciated I'll keep you posted.

:confused2:

nanaof5 · 04-19-2008, 05:02 PM

Dear speed racer. I am also like you except for I have only been banded once. I had my surgery Oct 28 of 2006 and lost 20 lbs on my pre opt diet and 42 lbs since for a total of about 62 lbs. I still have another 40 lbs to go. I have not lost anything for the last 8 months. I have had since surgery about 8 fills and am now at the limit. I to am so frustrated no matter what I do I cannot seem to lose any more weight, and yes I do execise. My doctor said I may just have to except the fact that this may be all that i will lose. Yes I do feel better and am a little smaller but I was hoping to be at least 139lbs. Right now I would be happy with 150lbs. I weigh now 170 when I started I was 235. The doctor also suggested that I might want to get the bypass surgery, which I to wish I had done in the first place. My friend had it a year before I had the band and she was 245 and now weighs about 130lbs and is a size 6. I also know my son had the bypass and has gained most of his back, their also is so many people who have gained back their weight even with bypass. Look at Roseanne Barr and Carnie Wilson. I guess what I am trying to say is that nothing is for sure and that no matter which one people have it is something just to help us, and if we do not work with it and eat right & exercise it will not work. I know I could go and have the bypass which is permanent and loose 100 lbs but what is to say that I will not put it back on in a few years. We as banders have the fur balls as some put it and some have slimming, but their is also other things that bypass patients have such as dumping and also throwing up. So for me I am not going threw anything eles I am just going to have to work with what I now have and hopefully someday I will lose at least another 20lbs. Good Luck to you with what ever decision you make.

SPEED RACER · 04-19-2008, 05:18 PM

Dear Nanaof5 thanks for all your words. We have so many similarities I was banded 11/06 started at 230 weigh 182 now have not lost anything in 8 months. Do you live in Massachusetts? If so we should get together or talk sometime. I just can't believe how are stories mirror eachother. Oh well, I don't know what I'm going to do but, I really am getting tired of the left sided discomfort.

Take Care,

Speed Racer

nanaof5 · 04-19-2008, 11:23 PM

Hi, no I am not from massachutsetts but have always wanted to visit their. How long have you had the pain in your side and does anything make it worse or better. I too have trouble eating the right stuff and no problem at all eating all the bad stuff, which I do because I am hungry and it is good.lol But it seems like even when I am good and whatching what I eat I still do not loose weight. I walk almost everyday and if I did not I probably would gain weight. I am thinking about maybe seeing another LAP-BAND® doctor for a second opinion but I hear it is hard to get someone to see you if they did not do the surgery. I too keep thinking about bypass because people loose so much weight so fast. But I have already gone threw this and my surgery was very hard for me. I did not have any problems but it took me along time to recover and was very painful. I do not know if it is because of my age or what. So you see I do not want to go threw another surgery if I do not have to. Also like I said to you before their is not gaurantee that in a few years I won't gain it back, their is another site called livingafterwls.com it is a site where people talk and discuss things something like LAP-BAND® but most of the people have had bypass surgery and have or are gaining it back and they discuss it all on this site. So you see even people with bypass have problems to. It has been nice talking to you write to me anytime and keep in touch.

Oregondaisy · 04-20-2008, 12:47 AM

It's definitely true that people gain their weight back. I know a lady that had the bypass surgery. She weighed 425 lbs. and got down to 145 and had all the plastic surgery to remove skin from her stomach, arms and thighs. Now she is over 300 lbs again.

Speed Racer, I am sorry about your left sided pain. I do know some people that have had their bands removed because of left sided shoulder pain, but I have never heard of anyone that still has pain
on their left side any place other than in the shoulder.

Best of luck on whatever decision you make.

SPEED RACER · 05-05-2008, 08:26 AM

Where is everybody????????????? Speed Racer here. Saw my bariatric surgeon last Tuesday she was very upset felt like she has let me down. I told her to stop that or she's was going to make me cry. She said she would be more then happy to switch me over to the bypass but the insurance companies have stopped paying.??????????? She said they are cracking down on patients that want to switch. She said I would have to gain weight to be considered go figure. I don't want to gain weight for any reason at all. Anyways, she wanted to try something with me and see what would happen. What she did was took all of my fluid out. If I was pain free after then it would mean it's the band and she would go back in and put another one in a better one with softer edges (I need to get more information about it). If still in pain then she would just go in and take it out. Well, guess what people??????????????? Speed Racer is pain free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I see her tomorrow and will go from there I will keep you all posted.

MonAlexM · 05-29-2008, 09:31 PM

I'm really glad to know that I'm not the only one with this slow loss problem. I don't feel like that much of a failure anymore.

Oregondaisy · 05-29-2008, 11:32 PM

When I feel like complaining about being a slow loser, I remember that
I would be way heavier by now if I hadn't gotten the band.

mtnpainter · 07-05-2008, 09:29 PM

what is a defill. and what is the purpose of it. i have wondered if i should get all my fill taken out and start over.

Oregondaisy · 07-06-2008, 06:58 PM

Usually you get a defill if you are throwing up a lot or having a lot of heartburn or problems in general. If you're able to eat small portions and
not feel hungry for 3-4 hours, you don't need a defill.

The only way I got to goal was by working my butt off at the gym. Walking is good, but it may not be getting your heart rate up to the
level it needs to be for weight loss. You can take your pulse and find out. Take 220 minus your age and multiply that by 70% and you will find out if you are in the target heart rate. Take your pulse for
15 seconds and multiply that by four to see what your pulse is for one minute. It needs to be in the 70-80% range for weight loss.

I hope this helps someone.

Crummy78 · 11-02-2008, 01:52 AM

Im doing a slow loser check in, Im 14 months out.....and FAR from the amounts that others on LBT have lost.....
I have had som e set backs with having to be unfilled a few times.....but its still frustrating...
I think Im going to kick up the excercise again this week.....

skhopp · 11-03-2008, 02:35 PM

Hi all! I am 18 mos from surgery and the only weight I've lost was the 12-15 pounds preop. I haven't lost OR GAINED anything since surgery. SOOOOO FRUSTRATING. I'm not a perfect eater, though I do considerably better during the week than on the weekends. And, I don't exercise at all, outside of the usual go to work, come home, clean house, fix supper, do laundry (thank God my washer and dryer are in the basement, at least I have to go up and down the stairs), get the kids in bed and start all over the next day. I really need to kick up the exercise, and get more protein in. But, the real reason for my post is I feel like I have given up a lot with this band, and should be seeing more results than I am. I got to thinking about the medications I take and reading on the internet about them. It appears that both of them have been shown to cause weight gain, and I wonder if that isn't part of my problem??? Just wondered if anyone on here has actually found that medications were part of or all of the cause of their lack of losing or possibly gaining, despite the band? I'm not blaming the medications on my entire lack of success, because I know I have not been as faithful as I should be. In case anyone's interested, the medications I'm specifically wondering about are Apri (generic birth control) and Paxil. Let me know if anyone has come across this, or think that this could contribute to my problem. thanks