Discovery Home & Health

Hi there

I had a gastric band fitted in December after years of yoyo dieting. I'm hoping that this will finally be the answer to all my prayers. My problem isn't losing the weight, it's keeping the weight off afterwards. So being able to maintain is my main reason for opting to go down the surgical route.

Anyone else got a gastric band? I would love to hear from you.

Nina

Hi Nina

I have a friend who had a gastric band op about 3 years ago and I think she is doing fine. I considered it myself but decided to give vlcds a try instead.

I think most people here are taking the diet route and so you might not find many who have a gastric band. But although we're all using different methods, I think we have probably all gone through (or are going through) similar frustrations about being overweight and wanting to reclaim our inner slimness! So I hope you feel welcome here even if you can't find many fellow banders.

Hazel
x

Hi Nina

I havent had one either, but will consider it if I keep yo- yo ing the way I have been the last few years. I reckon the risks of surgery would outweigh potential heath detriements of the yo yoing and the strain that must put on you?

Did yours go ok? where did you go?

How much can you now eat?

Have you lost much already?

Good luck with it, hope you get to where you want to be

Lisa xx

Thanks for your replies! I tried LL and CD, they both work but as soon as I started eating again the weight piled on again! I wish you both the best of luck!

The problem was once I'd hasd a taste of being slimmer I felt really bad about myself and embarrassed when people saw me having put the weight back on again. I felt so unhappy that the idea of surgery reared it's head again and I finally decided with my husbands support that I should go for it.

In October last year my weight had reached 18st 8 and I'm 5ft 4, so that's really quite big. I felt that my weight was actually quite drastically affecting my health. I joined the gym and then arranged with BUPA to see them. I had to lose at least 5% of my excess body weight before they would consider operating. By the time I'd lost this and gone on a strict liver shrinking diet prior to surgery, I was 16-10. I now weigh 15-2 and that's 4 months after surgery. So the weight loss isn't fast, I'm losing about 1lb a week, though when I saw the dietician ast BUPA yesterday she told me I wasn't eating enough calories which is probably why my weight loss is quite slow. So I'm going up to 1200 calories a day now .

I eat approx a cereal bowl of food or ready meal sized portion per meal and that satisfies me, which still amazes me now!

The operation was fine. I was quite uncomfortable for a week or two afterwards. The worst pain was on my side where they attached the port (where the do the band fills). Which is attached to the muscle so takes a while to heal, but now I hardly ever feel it and I certain ly don't get any pain from it. I've never had any side effects like being sick after eating and can eat pretty much anything I like. I think I must be lucky.

Anyway, I'd better get on, work to do!

Nina X

Good luck. Next week I'll post a blog that I read at work about someone who had a band fitted.

Sick at home today and can't find the link on google.

Thanks Sandra. I'll look forward to reading it.

Nina X

Hope you're feeling better!

Here's that link...

http://www.5incisions1bandandabdy.blogspot.com/

Thanks Sandra. Makes for some interesting reading.

Hi Nina,
I am not banded myself but its been in the running for a while now and i am trying something else first if not i will be a bandster i dont know if this will be of help but there are loads of befores afters and in between with a mine of information i found invauable its mainly american but with an english sub forum too ! It's www.lapbandtalk.com hope its of help and keep us posted .
Lotsa love Kandy xxx

Wow thanks for that Kathy!

I've looked and looked and not been able to find a forum for people with gastric bands. the problem is that I don't know anyone else who has had one.

I take it you're on a VLCD - I wish you all the luck with it. I tried them and the results are fab! I just wasn't very sensible once I started eating again and piled all the weight back on again, plus some more! Then each time I tried to get back on CD I'd struggle and then feel like a failure. I never thought I'd opt for surgery but in the end I just got so desperate to get the weight off and keep it off!

Thanks again! Gonna go and have a read now!

X

Good Luck Nina, a pound a week doesn't sound much but its 52 pounds in a year!!! Now that does sound impressive.
Also you are in no pain and feel satisfied with your eating, its a win win situation surely.

Personally I would like a couple of feet cut out of my intestinal tube. This would flatten my belly and the food would pass quicker with less calories being taken up and turned to fat.
Do you think anyone will do this operation for me........... Only Kidding.

Angie*

Thanks Angie . That does make it sound much better. I know I'll get there in the end. At least now, I know that it will be much harder for me to put the weight back on.

I think that operation does kind of exist. Gastric bypass or duodenal switch are similar but they also reduce the size of your stomach. Sounds horrific to me! I was scared to have a band put in - well a little bit. I'll update you on my progress. I'll probably keep this thread going.

After upping my calorie intake to 1200 as advised by my dietician I lost 1.75lbs this week, taking me to 14st 13.25. I feel soo much better now I'm in the 14stones!!!! plus I tried on a pair of jeans I tried on a frew weeks ago and they actually fit now! They wouldn't go over my butt a few weeks ago!!!

Only 3 weeks until my holiday and want to get as much off as i can before then. Was watching that Size 00 programme klast night and wondering whether to try the lemonade diet. - ONLY KIDDING! One of them managed to go from a 12 to a UK 2 though in 5 weeks!!!! makes you wonder.....

That was seriously scary - that programme! And she was still a 'healthy' BMI at the end!
Congrats on the extra weight loss.