Anyone have any experience with the Lap Band Procedure?

[jady]

Well, I am honestly considering this surgery. I have 2 friends who have had it done and They have had great results.

I am at 315 lbs. I have been dieting for 5 weeks and lost 13.5 lbs in the first 2 weeks by eating very little processed food and keeping about 1200-1500 calories/day.

Here is the problem. After the first 2 weeks I have not lost any more wieght. This happens when I go to the gym as well. i will loose 10-15 lbs and then stop losing. My 2 friends ( a co-worker and an old college friend) have had the same experiences and had the surgery. They say it changed thier life dramatically.

Has anyone here had any experience with this procedure?

[NJL]

how much water are you drinking (this is crucial)?

what are you doing at the gym?

what are you doing in the morning?

specifically what are you eating?

do you have a heart rate monitor? do you know your target heart rates for fat burning?

do you understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic?

and quit "dieting" - that doesn't work, change your lifestyle, that works..



remember, all it is - calories in vs calories out THAT'S IT, and you don't need the lap band to do that for you, because that's all it's doing along with losing your muscle..

you can do this on your own and life a more rewarded life with all the hard work you do on your own.

i'm not trying to be a dick, i'm giving you my point of view..

[jady]

Originally Posted by NJL

how much water are you drinking (this is crucial)?

what are you doing at the gym?

what are you doing in the morning?

specifically what are you eating?

do you have a heart rate monitor? do you know your target heart rates for fat burning?

do you understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic?

and quit "dieting" - that doesn't work, change your lifestyle, that works..



remember, all it is - calories in vs calories out THAT'S IT, and you don't need the lap band to do that for you, because that's all it's doing along with losing your muscle..

you can do this on your own and life a more rewarded life with all the hard work you do on your own.

i'm not trying to be a dick, i'm giving you my point of view..

DICK!!!!


Just kidding man. I drink a lot of water (4-6 32oz cups a day).

I am doing 30 min or so of cardio and some light wieght training.

In the morning I have 2 pieces of low cal bread with 2 veggie sausage patties and a slice of fat free cheese when I get to work. For lunch I have a can of progresso soup or a 6" sandwich from quizno's (turkey cheese and pesto, no mayo) and for dinner it depends but I am trying to limit my portions to as small as I can.

I use the heart rate moniters on the machines at the gym. I have also met with a few trainers.

I do feel a lot better and am healthier but the gut (my whole family has it, even my cousins who are firemen and were star football players in college) never goes away .

I am 37 now and it seems harder and harder to lose any weight and I know it will not get any easier.

I agree totally with the not dieting thing. I went into this with the idea ofchanging my eating habits forever and for the most part I have. It just doesnt seem to be enough.

[TallLankyBastyd]

Try not to...



...over do it!!

[lowendmafia]

Originally Posted by jady

Well, I am honestly considering this surgery. I have 2 friends who have had it done and They have had great results.

I am at 315 lbs. I have been dieting for 5 weeks and lost 13.5 lbs in the first 2 weeks by eating very little processed food and keeping about 1200-1500 calories/day.

Here is the problem. After the first 2 weeks I have not lost any more wieght. This happens when I go to the gym as well. i will loose 10-15 lbs and then stop losing. My 2 friends ( a co-worker and an old college friend) have had the same experiences and had the surgery. They say it changed thier life dramatically.

Has anyone here had any experience with this procedure?

As a personal trainer, these procedures make me cringe... Honestly the best results that I have seen people get is from kettlebell training. It is super easy to learn and extremely effective yet safe for your entire body at the same time. Cardio blows, weight training can get monotonous, but kettlebells are fun and workouts are short. Check out this website
www.dragondoor.com.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by jady

DICK!!!!


Just kidding man. I drink a lot of water (4-6 32oz cups a day).

I am doing 30 min or so of cardio and some light wieght training.

In the morning I have 2 pieces of low cal bread with 2 veggie sausage patties and a slice of fat free cheese when I get to work. For lunch I have a can of progresso soup or a 6" sandwich from quizno's (turkey cheese and pesto, no mayo) and for dinner it depends but I am trying to limit my portions to as small as I can.

I use the heart rate moniters on the machines at the gym. I have also met with a few trainers.

I do feel a lot better and am healthier but the gut (my whole family has it, even my cousins who are firemen and were star football players in college) never goes away .

I am 37 now and it seems harder and harder to lose any weight and I know it will not get any easier.

I agree totally with the not dieting thing. I went into this with the idea ofchanging my eating habits forever and for the most part I have. It just doesnt seem to be enough.

Your problem might be that you are eating too few calories. When you aren't eating enough, your body turns what you do eat into fat so that it doesn't starve. Talk to some of the trainers and a nutritionist about what you should be eating. It could be what you are eating as well. Eat lots of fish, chicken, FRESH veggies and rice. Stay away from red meats, potatoes, pasta and anything that is starchy, it is harder to burn off when loosing weight.

Also, try eating five small meals a day, not three big ones. Your body will burn the food easier if you you eat more smaller portions, as it wont turn it into fat as fast. Your goal is to never have you body start to go into starvation mode, when you start feeling a little more than hungry. When this happens, you start to store everything as fat.

You should also take a multi vitamin and some omega 3's. But first off, talk to a nutritionist, they can tell you how many calories a day to eat. I suspect that you aren't eating enough. I eat 3000 a day to maintain weight (I work a very physical job) and when I am not working, I drop that to closer to 1900 to 2100. If it is a day that I play squash, I eat an extra 500 or so.

lowsound

[IconBasser]

jady, I'd suggest getting that band. You've only got one life, make yourself happy!

[NJL]

Originally Posted by lowendmafia

As a personal trainer, these procedures make me cringe... Honestly the best results that I have seen people get is from kettlebell training. It is super easy to learn and extremely effective yet safe for your entire body at the same time. Cardio blows, weight training can get monotonous, but kettlebells are fun and workouts are short. Check out this website
www.dragondoor.com.

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

Your problem might be that you are eating too few calories. When you aren't eating enough, your body turns what you do eat into fat so that it doesn't starve. Talk to some of the trainers and a nutritionist about what you should be eating. It could be what you are eating as well. Eat lots of fish, chicken, FRESH veggies and rice. Stay away from red meats, potatoes, pasta and anything that is starchy, it is harder to burn off when loosing weight.

Also, try eating five small meals a day, not three big ones. Your body will burn the food easier if you you eat more smaller portions, as it wont turn it into fat as fast. Your goal is to never have you body start to go into starvation mode, when you start feeling a little more than hungry. When this happens, you start to store everything as fat.

You should also take a multi vitamin and some omega 3's. But first off, talk to a nutritionist, they can tell you how many calories a day to eat. I suspect that you aren't eating enough. I eat 3000 a day to maintain weight (I work a very physical job) and when I am not working, I drop that to closer to 1900 to 2100. If it is a day that I play squash, I eat an extra 500 or so.

lowsound

+1's

kettle bell is the bomb and they are now selling them at sporting good stores

vit's and min's are a MUST as well

also, try kickboxing, thai boxing, boxing or some type of combative sport training (this in no way means you need to fight or even spar) - Jady you went through a divorce like me, right? Boxing saved me from that horrible experience in many ways, not that it's your cup of tea, but it may be something new.

as well, be careful about the whole weight thing, remember food in your system and hydration levels effect your weight level through out the day.. when you weighin, make sure you are CONSISTENT with the time of day you weigh yourself..

buy a tape measure use that, too..

as well, DO NOT LOSE MUSCLE
muscle is key to losing fat.



be strong and dig deep - main thing is to remain very active and watch what you eat.

[NJL]

Originally Posted by IconBasser

You've only got one life, make yourself happy!

and this is the exact reason you should really think against the lapband - it doesn't really make you healthy (happy) - cholestorol, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

being active and working on your conditioning can greatly reduce the above and will make you feel "better" and more happy, the lapband just forces you to take in less calories.

something to think about, jady.

[machine gewehr]

Originally Posted by NJL

and this is the exact reason you should really think against the lapband - it doesn't really make you healthy (happy) - cholestorol, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

being active and working on your conditioning can greatly reduce the above and will make you feel "better" and more happy, the lapband just forces you to take in less calories.

something to think about, jady.

I agree.Nothing better then a nice&hard workout/match/swimming then going home,taking a shower and hugging your snuggie.

[Ericman197]

Unfortunately, 99% of the tips and strategies out there to help you lose weight don't actually work. At the end of the day, as NJL said, it's calories in - calories out.

PERSONALLY, I find low carb dieting to be the most effective. But the best thing of all is to find a diet that you can tolerate, and stick to it for life. Unfortunately, when you lose ten pounds by reducing your caloric intake, you can't go back to your old ways of eating - you'll gain the weight right back. You won't have to eat 1,200 calories a day for the rest of your life, but if you used to be at 3,000, you may need to cut back to 2,500.

One thing I think is very effective is to lose weight gradually. For many people, dropping to 1,200 calories a day can only be tolerated for a few weeks until it drives you crazy. Try to find a balance between what is tolerable and effective. If you only end up losing 3 pounds a month, you'll get to your goal eventually!

As for lap band surgery, I think it is sometimes a good idea for patients who absolutely cannot (or will not) lose weight, and are morbidly obese. There are so many potential complications to the surgery that I would only consider it as a last resort - about 40% of patients who receive it suffer from complications (mild to severe), and 0.2% die. Of course many more of those patients lives were saved by the surgery, but I think anyone would agree that dieting and exercise are preferable to surgery.

And regarding your current weight loss: congratulations! Keep in mind that it's a very gradual process, and unfortunately, there will be ups and downs. First, you tend to lose weight very quickly in the beginning. That is because your body was using up its glycogen stores (which you may have now depleted). Burning fat takes considerably longer, and a bit more effort as well. You may even gain weight on some days where you only eat 1,200 calories. For example, many low calorie foods are LOADED with sodium to make up for the lack of taste. When you eat a lot of sodium, you put on water weight. You'll lose it in the long term, but expect to be disheartened from time to time by a steady, or even rising weight. But as long as you eat less calories than you did before - whether you're cutting 2,000 calories or even just 200 - you WILL lose weight!

[vene-nemesis]

I think that you diet lacks of complex carbs, your metabolism wont help you lose weight if you dont eat carbs.

I, however, dont think the surgery is the best option, it would leave a scar, stretch marks, and would make you look like an empty trash bag... And in the end you will gain weight once again because the way you live hasnt changed.

Listen to NJL and lowendmafia.

[vene-nemesis]

Originally Posted by lowendmafia

As a personal trainer, these procedures make me cringe... Honestly the best results that I have seen people get is from kettlebell training. It is super easy to learn and extremely effective yet safe for your entire body at the same time. Cardio blows, weight training can get monotonous, but kettlebells are fun and workouts are short. Check out this website
www.dragondoor.com.

Im interested, but that site is pure marketing, have you got any other that shows facts and how it works, i hate that american add thing of "changes now with no suffering" cos i know that in the end its all a lie...

[NJL]

Originally Posted by machine gewehr

I agree.Nothing better then a nice&hard workout/match/swimming then going home,taking a shower and hugging your snuggie.

aw shucks!! you said snuggie!

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by jady

I am at 315 lbs. I have been dieting for 5 weeks and lost 13.5 lbs in the first 2 weeks by eating very little processed food and keeping about 1200-1500 calories/day.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're losing weight that fast, you're overdoing it and losing muscle just to make your numbers look smaller. I was under the impression that 2 lbs. a week or so was as much fat as a person could realistically lose. But that could have been water weight, and maybe you took a big dump before weighing yourself, so it's not so bad.

It sounds to me like you're dieting hard as if it's something you're going to to temporarily and then stop. IMO, you'll get better results and keep the fat off if you view it as a lifestyle change, and choose a diet you feel you can stick to for the rest of your life, rather than one so skimpy as to be counterproductive.

Anyway, it's way too early to be considering surgery. In 5 weeks, you've lost nearly 15 lbs., which is some darn quick weight loss. You're making progress as quickly as anyone could expect to. Don't give up so fast, but do consider that you may be asking too much of your body. Slow and steady wins the race.

I've never gone from fat to thin, but I was never fat in the first place, so I must be doing something right.

[NJL]

John, btw, about how tall are you?

[jady]

I am 6'1".

Most of the weight came off in the 1st 2 weeks. 9 lbs the first and 4.5 the 2nd.

i am pretty sure it was water weight from reducing the sodium by not eating fast or processed foods.

Lemur, the reasoned I am concerned is that I havent lost any weight since, I have weighed in at plus or minus 4 lbs in the last 3 weeks.

[Eric Perry]

I have nothing to add here, as I'm too chunky myself.

[MakiSupaStar]

I have no experience with lap bands, but I'll add another +1 for the lifestyle change. Still, my buddy's sister did the stomach staple deal. It really changed her life and she kept the weight off. Still, with that said, I have extensive experience with lap dances. PM if you need more info.

[Kenbuntu]

I'm not chunky enough. im 17, weigh around 120 lbs (N), and am around 6 feet tall.

How the HELL do I gain weight?

I eat rice 7 times a week ( I'm indian so that means curry_____ if that means anything). Chicken atleast thrice a week. Fish twice a week. Cheese, pasta, bread, and i try to have 2 hard boiled eggs each day. I don't have that much junk/fast food. Just the odd burger few times a month.

Vegetable wise, I don't really have any. But veges = energy not weight. (I think). I wake up at 6:30 and leave the house at 7 on most days to go to school, so most of the time im too lazy to eat a breakfast. But as soon as i get home at 2:30 i eat whatever i can. Then I have dinner anywhere from 9:00-10:00 PM (like I said, Im Indian, we eat firggen late, and it posses me off). Now my friends tell me i shouldnt eat so late, as it doesnt give my body a chance to burn that stuff off, but that should be a good thing in my case right?

As for activities. I'm an active guy. 5 times a week i play soccer, hockey, cricket, ride my bike etc. However I don;t lift weights. I dont have any, and am broke. That means Gym membership is out of the question.

Anyway, if one of you guys can help me out, that'd be great. And to the OP, sorry for the thread semi hijack, but since this threads about weight stuff, I just thought I'd throw it in here.