Ok before I found blogging I was on a band forum/chat room. Once I found all of you inspiring awesome people I pretty well stopped going to the chat site but I still get emails from there. The last question I posted before I found blogging was... What makes the band successful?
Well today I got the email of all emails this person said she was banded and wasted her money and it doesn't work and that people are only screwing with you on the sites and not telling you that the band doesn't work she had 17 fills and didn't lose weight - is this possible? She said there is no restriction it's a myth and she called the clinics 'band mills'.
Ok I'm a pretty smart person and don't usually let 1 comment throw me off but it was one of those messages you can't ignore. I'm a bit stressed out now - I am spending our entire savings on this and really I can't be fat anymore. This email has scared me and now I'm afraid that I will fail too.
Help from you guys please? I can do all the reaserch in the world but until I get it I won't know what is the key to using it to be successful?
Please any advice would be welcome.
Thank you
A banded person can't expect the band to be a magic wand, cure-all, instant fix for their weight problem. They have to be willing and able to change the habits that caused them to be over weight in the first place. It will not fix their mental/emotional issues with food.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't work for everyone, for probably as many reasons as there are people who have it.
Bottom line, you will have to follow the band "rules", you will have to change your eating habits, and you will have to exercise to be successful.
I would encourage you to go to a support group in your area, speak to your surgeon, or the psychologist who did (or will do) your psych evaluation about your fears.
Best of luck to you.
I agree with Sarah. There are people who think the band is magic but it isn't. You can definitely eat around the band and take in too many calories. The band helps with portion control. The brain still fights it tooth and nail. You have to commit to changing what you eat. If you live on junk food and drive-thrus and won't change then of course you won't lose weight. But if you make this about health and changing your habits slowly but surely, the band gives you that help. Don't let anyone scare you either way.
ReplyDeleteI have not yet gotten surgery (my goal is June of this year) so my take on this may not be that accurate. It is amazing how that one negative comment can be so much more impactfull then many positive ones. I'm sure you've done the research and understand that the band is an effective weight loss tool for many people. It is a tool though and not an easy fix. If you are willing to do the work it could be very helpful. As you know there are always risks of various kinds, but the benefits for most people outweigh those risks. You have made this decision after careful consideration, you are not going into this blindly (at least this is the impression I get from reading your blog). There are no guarantees but with determination and hard work you can be one of the success stories you've been reading about in all these amazing blogs.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what that person's motivation was in writing that post. Did she think she was being helpful? She didn't mention if she was following her diet and exercise plan. And seriously making a blanket statement (okay, I admit to doing that once in awhile too) about everyone lying is not even factual. A statement like that resonates with my fear of failing once more after an expensive and invasive procedure. The last two posts had some great advice, it might be good to explore why that person's post created these feelings for you.
hang in there!
The issue I have with banding is that (from what I understand from reading blogs) you have to change your diet before the band and then there is restrictions afterwards.. and you have to exercise. So, my question is, if you are prepared to make those changes to your diet anyway and start exercise, why get banded? You would lose weight anyway.
ReplyDeleteI followed someone else's blog who ended up canceling the surgery a week before because they had lost a lot of weight on the run up to the date.
I've never considered banding because I know the science to losing weight for a person without certain medical issues is simple. Eat less, eat well and exercise. If I did not have the will power to do that, then why would I go through surgery just because I was mentally weak?
I am not suggesting that you or anyone else is mentally weak, I was just giving my thought process about myself.
"Bottom line, you will have to follow the band "rules", you will have to change your eating habits, and you will have to exercise to be successful. "
See, this is the bit I don't understand.. and I mean this sincerely, not trying to be an ass or anything. If you do the above, your going to lose weight anyway?
A GP I met told me, 6 weeks before my surgery, that I would be better to get a bypass because you don't have to make choices in the same way to mean you loose the weight. I knew I wasn't ready to go down that route but if I could give up smoking with a pack and a half (yes an open half) one day then I could make those choices even though I couldn't loose the weight and keep it off by myself.
ReplyDeleteWe all read about 'slider' foods and logic tells us that soft, runny, smooth foods will get through the small gap more easily. If you eat saucy, wet foods then you won't feel restriction in the same way. The other thing it doesn't stop (or hasn't for me) is the all day grazing.
It does make me wonder whether she is sticking to her eating plan and exercising but also what her clinic is doing to help her. After paying all that money, if it isn't working and she is doing her bit, she should be kicking up one mega stink!
The band will not "make" you lose weight; you will do that. BUT the band WILL help you eat less and be satisfied. Yes, you can eat around the band, but if you follow the rules you WILL lose weight.
ReplyDeleteYou need to be committed. If you are, you will succeed.
I understand that you will be doing the things everyone does to lose weight; I tried to before and succeeded for awhile but the weight always comes back. Having the band is different, it gives you more control.
I love my band and how it has helped me change my life.
The best two pieces of advice I can give you are: listen to the nurses at the clinic and, without fail, do everything they tell you, and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Always always always ask yourself before you eat "am I actually HUNGRY?" There is a big difference between "I'm stomach-growling hungry" and "I could eat". Learn it. KNOW it!
ReplyDeleteI promise you, with the band in, you will not feel hungry like you do now. And when you're hungry, a very small portion will make that hunger go away. And I guarantee you, there will be days that you'll wish that the band acted as more of a barrier...just as there are days that you'll curse it for not letting you eat more of that delicious (insert sinful junk food here). As Robyn said above me: Follow the rules and you will succeed. You will. You WILL!!!!
Well, I can tell you restriction isn't a myth and as to Bzybee's comment that if you're willing to make those changes anyway, why get the band? Becuase the band makes making those changes EASIER. It's a lot easier to cut out snacking if you aren't hungry. DUH! But the reality is the band doesn't work for everyone. It just doesn't. You need to examine your lifestyle and commitment and determine if you can make it work for YOU.
ReplyDeleteAs to whoever sent you the email. It IS possible that she's had 17 fills and isn't losing weight. Did she ever mention what she's EATING. I got news for you...ice cream, liquid calories...band doesn't do ANYTHING to help with that. She's obviously not doing her part.