Gastric ByPass/VSG/LapBand

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Arthemise1
Arthemise1 Posts: 365 Member
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I had LapBand surgery two years ago. I lost 50 pounds right off the bat, but then we went on vacation and I started having junk food again. Ever since I've maintained my weight but haven't been able to lose anything. I'm carb addicted. So I'm starting again. I'm finding that writing down everything I'm going to eat for the next day really works, at least so far. I'm also very goal driven, so I'm going to book a cruise after I lose 20 pounds, and then I'll have the cruise as motivation too.

My insurance wouldn't pay for the sleeve at the time. I really wish I had waited (they pay for it now), but at the time I hadn't heard about any people failing with the LapBand. Now I've heard about a few. I guess if your problem is carbs, you can still suck them down with the LapBand. I can eat most things fairly well and eat a fair amount. Tightening the band won't help because I tried and got nighttime reflux. It's more about my choices now and using the band as a tool, not as a complete fix.

So wish me luck!

Replies

  • nmeh1020
    nmeh1020 Posts: 5
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    Goodluck! You can do this! Keep us posted on your progress!
  • Reba723
    Reba723 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm the poster child for lap band failure. I had mine 4 years ago, and, though I initially lost about 25 pounds, I weigh the same today that I did then. I blame myself and my choices, but I have to give some of the blame to my doctor. He was an abusive jerk, and his "style" didn't work for me at all. I found myself trying to out maneuver him. I've found another doctor who is much more supportive, but I've still got to get myself under control mentally. I'm really trying to do this now, and I'm hoping MFP will help me stay focused. Carbs and eating in front of the tv at night are my problems.
  • LittleRiverSoon
    LittleRiverSoon Posts: 6
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    Glad I found a group who have had the lap band. I had mine two years ago and reached goal, yippee! However, I'm finding maintaining very hard. Anyone else out there find that some days you can actually eat like a normal person then wham! the band kicks in and shuts your eating splurge down? Is this normal?
  • Arthemise1
    Arthemise1 Posts: 365 Member
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    Every now and then the band refuses to allow something it's allowed before. It's puzzling.
  • PeggyWoodson
    PeggyWoodson Posts: 337 Member
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    I had GB 18 years ago. I just found a site that reminded me that I am not supposed to drink 30 minutes before or after a meal. If you drink with your meals it makes a slurry and it washes right through. Made sense to me. It always allowed me to eat more. The article said that if you don't drink before a meal or after, the food stays in your pouch longer and you actually can feel that little bit of "fullness" discomfort. That feeling that makes you want to drink.

    I started doing this three days ago. I can definitely feel a huge difference. I also increased the protein to include protein at each meal and that keeps me from being hungry and the cravings are gone. I hope this helps.

    Oh, by the way, I was three pounds lighter this morning.

    Friend me if you want to. I welcome new friends.
  • Arthemise1
    Arthemise1 Posts: 365 Member
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    I can't drink with meals at all. It stops up the band and makes me feel like I need to purge. I have a few sips after, which my doctor said was OK. I don't really watch the time for drinking, but I should probably do that.

    So far I'm trying low carb (50-80g) and high protein. I'm not eating all the calories MFP says I should, but my doctor said I could do low calories. I never go below 900 calories. This week has been fairly easy. I'm excited again!

    Congrats on the 3 pounds!
  • PeggyWoodson
    PeggyWoodson Posts: 337 Member
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    Thanks!! good luck to you.
  • gspea
    gspea Posts: 412 Member
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    I am currently going thru the 6 mos monitored weight loss with my doc. I am hoping that surgery for the Lap-Band will be late summer. I am both excited and scared. Excited because I need the tool - that Lap-Band will offer. I am excited to finally lose and keep OFF the weight. To be healthy and able to move better...

    But I am scared I will go thru this major major life change and will be a failure. I have 5 friends who have had LB\ GP or the sleeve. And only two have been successful. I want to make this work!!!
  • LittleRiverSoon
    LittleRiverSoon Posts: 6
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    I also know people that had both the bypass or band and failed. I just don't understand it, you have to work hard in order to get it done in the first place. I have the band and it's my best friend:o) If you are determined to lose and keep it off, you will succeed! I force myself to get on that scale every week, and that is what is keeping me in check. I also follow a high protein low carb diet (with my doctor's blessing) which keeps me on track too.
  • Reba723
    Reba723 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm not looking for holier-than-thou judgment. This forum's title is "Starting Over". If you've been successful from Day One, it probably doesn't relate to you. I could velcro the scale to my feet, and it would have nothing to do with my situation.
  • cemetaryrose
    cemetaryrose Posts: 6 Member
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    I really do need to start over. I got the lap band 3 years ago and lost 90lbs within the year and then i just got stuck. I know why too. My family is infamous for frying everything and eating steaks and baked potatoes almost everynight. (God bless the south but it seems our food drowns everything in butter and bacon grease...thankfully I am not that bad). But i noticed my portions kept getting bigger and bigger, and I usually would reproduce a lot of the food back up. I'm just worried that I stretched out that pouch because Now I can eat a full meal, just a lot slower than most people do and I do drink with my food because it just makes the food go down my throat easier (dry foods seem to get stuck so the juicier the better). I just wish I could have learned these eating habits when the band was still new... but I fell off the wagon really early with the mentality of "I can eat whatever I want because I just have to do a small portion so this medium well cheeseburger in this half cup portion should be fine!"...I have definitely learned the hardway. Time to relearn. All I want is to get back under 200lbs and relose the 20lbs I have gained back in these 7 months.
  • Reba723
    Reba723 Posts: 9 Member
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    Cemeteryrose, I see a lot of myself in your post. One of my food issues is that things that are good for you (chicken, many vegetables, fruits, etc.) get stuck while ice cream, pudding, mashed potatoes, etc. go right down. If I'm really hungry, it's hard to pass up foods that I know I can enjoy. I've also found that all shrimp and most fish will usually go down. This is a good thing depending on how it's cooked. Like you, I'm in the south, and fried catfish is a staple. :-) I'm very motivated right now. I'd like to hear how others handle going out to eat. When I'm in a restaurant, I'll take one or two bites, it gets stuck, I have to go to the restroom to get it up. Then I'll usually pack the food up and take it home where I have no trouble eating it. Does this happen to anyone else?
  • Merideth1
    Merideth1 Posts: 19
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    Hello All,

    I had my lap band about 4 years ago. I lost 51 lb's my first year and since then managed to gain 15 back. My last fill was about two years ago and have not been back since. I was at max 4cc. I would imagine that some fluid could be lost or evaporate but as far as I know I'm still at max capacity. I have been tracking my food because I couldn't figure out how the heck I had gained and just stayed here. I began excercising in November, pretty hard core pilattes, zumba, walking, cycling(spinning) and some yoga. Still no weight loss. I then came to MFP and what an eye opener. If you log everything and I mean everything that touches your lips, you will be surprised at how everything adds up. It's really helpful to see where your getting the carbs, sugars, protiens, etc. from. I ate a bag of m&m's one day and wished I could purge, I couldn't believe how bad they were, more than lunch and dinner put together. What a shame when you fall off the wagon, but you just have to keep getting back on, and stay away from the m&m's:blushing: I think this is a great tool and now that I have been logging my food for about 3 weeks I am down 4 lbs so I guess slow and steady is the way to keep it off.

    Keep up the work and be honest on your log and the pounds will "slowly come off".
  • cemetaryrose
    cemetaryrose Posts: 6 Member
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    @Reba I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles at the restaurant. It's really embarrassing, (especially since my current relationship started with a trip to buffalo wild wings at their request and I had to excuse my self on the first date. @_@ Thankfully they knew before hand there was a risk of that and were VERY understanding. They are currently my rock when it comes to this weight loss journey and helping me along.) and I feel like I'm wasting money when that happens. But I will eat until I have hit that "satisfied" point and then go home. I do find that I'm less likely to PB (productive burp) at home than I am at a restaurant, BUT i do know I get full faster at the restaurants, probably because we sit and talk and it gives time for the pouch to send the messages to the brain.
  • cheekymonkeyface
    cheekymonkeyface Posts: 46 Member
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    I had a GB in June 2010 and within the first 5 months was 56lb down and then it stopped. I curse my RNY friend who told me the little bit of naughtiness i had was ok, because i then gave myself permission to eat the naughtiness a little bit more often. Also the mentality that 'little & often' was okay.

    I'm now about 84lb down ( i don't weigh so not sure exactly what my stats are right now) but today i noticed my jeans which i hadn't wore for a little while were a little snug and so decided to come back here. I've been and brought a low carb protein shake and intend to up my protein intake with shakes and food.

    Although i can eat more carbs i still don't manage huge portions of meat/fish so the shakes will up that.

    I hate the diea of calorie counting but realise that tracking makes me more cognisant of what is going through my mouth.

    Bander/sleeve/bypass it makes no difference. Our surgery is only a tool, okay initially it may work no matter what we do, but eventually you have to use the tool and give it what it needs to succeed...

    Good luck to all of you fighting the eternal battle of the bulge, i hope we all end up somewhere we are happy in our own skin.

    Julie x
  • Tinalu69
    Tinalu69 Posts: 13 Member
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    I had banding 3yrs ago. I did well my the first 9 months and then for whatever reason I began to stick/vomit/slime all my meals. I had 6.5cc of fluid in at the time and the doctor removed all but 2. I had upper GI testing twice to check for slippage, but nothing was wrong. 3 months later (after healing and gaining back 10lbs eating the same bariatric diet and exercise) he put 1cc back in. Almost instantly I experienced the same thing with ANY type of food. It's really bad when cottage cheese sticks! He again removed fluid to about 1cc in band. Have not had a fill in 2 yrs!! Gradually it's turned to pain and pressure for the last 2yrs when I eat or even just walking down the hallway at work! As of January of this year I finally have had it and convinced the doctor to take this band out, but you know how insurance is, I have to go through the whole 6months of dietary consults etc. again to possibly be considered for revision of surgery.
    I don't regret have the banding surgery because all in all I'm healthier then I was 3yrs ago even with all the weight I've put back on. Anyone who says that WLS is an easy out is SOOOOO wrong! I don't think they believe me that food is more of an obsession now then before I had surgery! Constant thoughts of what I can and can't have to eat. It's exhausting! I'm hoping that by July I'll qualify for my surgery, but until then I'll keep doing what's asked of me!
    Thanx for letting me rant and tell a bit of my story!
    Tina
  • Reba723
    Reba723 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm back. I've been going through a major family crisis this past week. Seems like every time I start a diet exercise routine, something happens. However, even though I've missed my exercise, I've stuck to my calorie count and little or no sugar. Therefore, I've still managed to lose about a pound. My head is in the right place with this right now. I'm actually eating about 1000 calories a day. I've allowed myself 1200, but I just don't eat that much. I don't know how long this trend will last, but I'm trying to make the most of it for now. If I stay out of the sugar, I do much better. That's key for me.

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