Help!!

[Katiekins78]

Hi there,
I'm a 40 year old mum of two wonderful teenagers who feels a total failure in all my weight loss journeys over the last 20 years.
I had a gastric band fitted November 2010 thinking this was going to be the answer to my prayers after a roller coaster of failure diets after having my kids ..... Little did I know that it was gonna become a total nightmare, after suffering for nearly 8 years the NHS agreed to remove the band which I had mixed emotions about, happy because I wasn't going to be sick anymore but apprehensive as I knew I would be able to eat what I liked...
1 year on post removal and I'm heavier than I've ever been. I'm struggling with confidence and I think my next step to get some control of my weight and life is to looking into having a gastric sleeve.
I would love to hear from people who have had this procedure done and the highs and lows along the way???
Thanks
Katie xx

[Betty99]

I had a gastric band in 2012 and was the same thinking it would solve all my problems. although I did lose weight it slipped and turned and I ended up being in pain, sick and miserable for about 2 years. I too had it removed on the nhs in 2016 and I did put all the weight back on after but it was worth it not to be in so much pain anymore. I had the sleeve in July and don’t regret it at all. It’s honestly so much better than the band!! Have lost just over 5 stone in just under 9 months and feel really good, definitely the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m at the stage now where I really need to think about what I’m putting in my mouth to keep the weight coming off (am at a big stall at the min!) but with the sleeve your mentality changes (in my opinion). With the band there’s so many textures you can’t tolerate I just ended up eating around it all the time and eating all the bad stuff as it was all I could tolerate.

[Sandra3]

Hi there,
I'm a 40 year old mum of two wonderful teenagers who feels a total failure in all my weight loss journeys over the last 20 years.
I had a gastric band fitted November 2010 thinking this was going to be the answer to my prayers after a roller coaster of failure diets after having my kids ..... Little did I know that it was gonna become a total nightmare, after suffering for nearly 8 years the NHS agreed to remove the band which I had mixed emotions about, happy because I wasn't going to be sick anymore but apprehensive as I knew I would be able to eat what I liked...
1 year on post removal and I'm heavier than I've ever been. I'm struggling with confidence and I think my next step to get some control of my weight and life is to looking into having a gastric sleeve.
I would love to hear from people who have had this procedure done and the highs and lows along the way???
Thanks
Katie xx

Hi Kathie,

Everybody failed with a band!! it's not you!! most surgeon actually don't even do that surgery anymore, or only to take it out!

My husband's cousins just had a band removal followed by a sleeve a few months ago, and they are doing great with a sleeve so far, the band was a real waste of time and made them miserable.

I hope you will be approved for the sleeve!! for me it was not always a walk in the park, but I never had any regret, only not to have done it ten years before!
Good luck and take care!

[Sandra3]

I had a gastric band in 2012 and was the same thinking it would solve all my problems. although I did lose weight it slipped and turned and I ended up being in pain, sick and miserable for about 2 years. I too had it removed on the nhs in 2016 and I did put all the weight back on after but it was worth it not to be in so much pain anymore. I had the sleeve in July and don’t regret it at all. It’s honestly so much better than the band!! Have lost just over 5 stone in just under 9 months and feel really good, definitely the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m at the stage now where I really need to think about what I’m putting in my mouth to keep the weight coming off (am at a big stall at the min!) but with the sleeve your mentality changes (in my opinion). With the band there’s so many textures you can’t tolerate I just ended up eating around it all the time and eating all the bad stuff as it was all I could tolerate.

Hi Betty,

No worries, stalls are normal and expected. I was a slow loser and it took me two years to reach my surgeon's projection. So you are fine! no worries!
But the right nutrition is very important, because regain can start really early as 9 months out if people eat the wrong things.

I was eating a moderate low carbs, but did notice that for example corn is the worth thing for my metabolism. It's not only about calories in and calories out, but also about finding out how your body react to what.

Also, around 9 months I started to really exercise more, since I was lighter, my joints were better, it was easier. Start with more water, more exercise...result will follow!

[Betty99]

Thanks! I’ve been off work for the last few months which hasn’t helped in terms of routine etc - my eating habits have really slipped as a result. Back to work again next week and am actually looking forward to the routine again - I never realised how important it was to weight loss! It’s so easy to fall into bad habits being off work and out of a proper eating routine. My surgeon estimated I would lose about 7-7.5 stone in 18 months and I’ve lost just over 5 stone so far so am more than happy and on track. As long as it comes off I’m happy to wait as long as it takes!!

[sraebaer]

Band to sleeve will do the trick! My surgeon stopped doing the band 5 years ago because of all the complications he was seeing. It just didn't work. We have all been failures with our weight loss over the years, that's why we are all here! So please don't feel alone. The sleeve works!

[Bellagirl]

I had a band in 2009, lost all my weight and then it slipped and I never had the same restriction again. All the vomiting and reflux that came with it were unbearable. I gained all the weight back and then a bit more. I’m only 2 weeks out with the sleeve but I can already see the difference. All the stories I’ve heard on this forum make me believe I made the right decision.

[Christie13]

Welcome Katie. Your story is one I have heard frequently from lap band patients. So many people are very ill with the lap band and often do not even get to their goal weight. There have been many people on here who have converted and I have only heard them say positive things about their conversions. As for my sleeve journey, I absolutely love living my best life as a sleeved person. The journey is exciting and relatively easy. The hardest part for me was the first week post op but it goes get easier and better every day. I knew I would have some issues, though, as I have a hard time with anesthesia. Good luck!