How much weight can be lost with a band?

[LBD]

I have read that on average banders will lose 50%-65% of their excess weight.

My concern is that if I only lose 50% of my excess weight I will still be 'obese'. I guess this must be the case for a lot of banders.

I know that any weight loss will be better for my health than none at all but I am worried that I could still end up being obese and retain all the health risks that go with obesity.

From your experiences, do you think this percentage is a true average?

Lisa x

 

[babyflower]

MY surgeon told me that the true average for weight loss with a band is actually nearer 25%. However it varies with everyone - some have lost 100%, some people have gained.

Just remember the band is a tool, not a cure and requires dedication and willpower. Sweet foods like chocolate and ice cream can still be eaten by most bandsters, so you need to be sure that you can stay away from foods like this.

The band can and does work for some people - you just need to be sure that you have checked out all the possibilities before you make your decision.

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

I have read that on average banders will lose 50%-65% of their excess weight.

My concern is that if I only lose 50% of my excess weight I will still be 'obese'. I guess this must be the case for a lot of banders.

I know that any weight loss will be better for my health than none at all but I am worried that I could still end up being obese and retain all the health risks that go with obesity.

From your experiences, do you think this percentage a true average?

Lisa x

i was just over 20st before banding today i weight exactly 13st, i have another 7llbs to re reach my original lowest weight loss with my 1st band which still keeps in the overweight catogary, i know it will be pretty hard going for me to get any where under 12st 7 as it was very hard to maintain it long term. getting to target is hard but even with a band maintaining still takes a lot of hard work & dedication.

 

[Silversurfer]

I have read that on average banders will lose 50%-65% of their excess weight.

My concern is that if I only lose 50% of my excess weight I will still be 'obese'. I guess this must be the case for a lot of banders.

I know that any weight loss will be better for my health than none at all but I am worried that I could still end up being obese and retain all the health risks that go with obesity.

From your experiences, do you think this percentage a true average?

Lisa x

Your currently about 14.8 stone (according to your details) - what would be your ideal weight ?

 

[serenitylove]

i can only go on personel experience i was 25st pre op im now 20 st so i think that 20% after 7months im really happy and it still coming off how easy it will be as my weight gets lower i dont know but like everything you get out of it what you put in

 

[LBD]

Your currently about 14.8 stone (according to your details) - what would be your ideal weight ?

I am 14st 12lb. My ideal/healthy weight is between 8st and 9st although I think I would very happy if I could maintain at 10st.

 

[Silversurfer]

I am 14st 12lb. My ideal/healthy weight is between 8st and 9st although I think I would very happy if I could maintain at 10st.

So for arguments sake lets assume you need to lose 5 stone to get to that 10 stone, and with a band statistically speaking you'll lose an average 45-55% of your excess body weight, that puts you around 12 stone ish - thats the facts!

Now you could be really successful with your band and lose everything, even going beyound 10 stone, or you could be like others and really struggle with it, these are the things you need to consider.

With all this in mind i think if you wanted to go down the SWL route a band is your only option, as i'd be supprised if you could find a surgeon willing to do a bypass on someone with a BMI of 36 as you are !

Good luck though with whatever way you choose to go.

 

[quetiapina]

I think it is important to remember that averages are fairly meaningless for the individual - it just means that maybe some people have lost only a little and other people have lost a lot and the average is in the middle. I was told by my surgeon that I could expect to lose 75% of weight over x 2 year period. I suppose it is down to the individual how much effort we put into it - it is afterall, just a tool - a powerful one but a weightloss tool none the less. I'm pleased with my band so far and I've obviously got a long way to go.

You have quite a low BMI for WLS as SS said. Particularly By-pass. But that is only my opinion so maybe talk it over with yr Doctor. Good luck to you x

 

[Silversurfer]

Yep your right, its all down to the individual, but as any of the banders here will tell you its by no means the easy route, and its going to be a slow plod, if your commited and determined like some of the ladies here, then you can lose the weight, if you cheat the restriction, dont follow the rules and fail to eat healthiely then you wont lose the weight you want, i'm not sure the exact stats, but lots do fail to lose with a band.

Personnally (and this just my opinion) if i had started with a BMI of 36 needing to lose 4 or 5 stone, i'd have considered other weight lose methods, as it was i started at 25 stone with a BMI of 50 needing to lose 13 stone to get myself to a reasonable weight, no conventional dieting method would have helped !

 

[babyflower]

I know someone with a BMI of 31 who had a bypass, so I don't think that a BMI of 36 would necessarily be an issue (more so if you have co-morbidities). The band is hard work though, but it can work - depends how ready you are to work with it, how prepared you are to give up slider foods (like chocolate) and if you can exercise etc to get to your goal weight. The band alone will NOT do this.

WLS is a hard decision, and presumably you have tried dieting. A BMI of 36 is still morbidly obese, so I don't think that you should feel unable to have wls because of this. It comes down to personal choice at the end of the day.

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

thats why the nice guidelines are there so WLS doesnt get abused, as i said on another thread surgeons doing ops for ppl with a bmi of 35-39 with co morbilities yeah great, but when they do it for ppl with no co morbilities with that bmi range then they are out of order as a surgeon.

 

[baby jayne]

My BMI is 39 and people say to me that I should not have surgery as I don't look the weight I am, but to me I am very overweight. I am 93lbs and just to get within the guidelines of a healthy BMI not even in the middle which would be approx 22/23 as the recommendation is 18-24 (healthy BMI) so I ask myself how will I lose the weight that I need to lose other than doing this when I have tried everything.
I can understand that the NHS shouldn't pay for the likes of me, but do think that Surgeons should operate on people with BMI's of 30 or more that have tried everything and are prepared to fund themselves.

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

sorry to disagree with you but in my opinion people that have a bmi of 30-35 with no co morbilities should not be operated on as WLS is a very last chance thing for very very large people, this is where "in my opinion" WLS would be severley abused and be seen as the easy way out with no effort required. thankfully theres rules there for a reason.

 

[LBD]

Believe me I have tried just about every diet going. I can lose weight and have done on many occasions. What I fail to do is maintain and that is what I think WLS will assist me with. I have been overweight all my adult life and my weight is going up every year and after every diet.

I appreciate that many people will not consider a BMI of 36 as being particularly high. However, whatever you think, I am still 6 stone overweight and am considered morbidly obese. I am at risk of serious health issues. It is as simple as that.

I have high blood pressure, GERD and high cholestrol. Both my parents are overweight - both have high blood pressure and my father has Type 2 diabetes. These are serious conditions that need to be addressed and it is for that reason that at the age of 40 I HAVE to do something permanent about my obesity. This is not a vanity thing.

I am well aware that a band is a tool and by no means is it a quick and easy fix. I know that it will be hard work but I feel I am at the last chance saloon and don't want to spend another 10 years gaining more weight and reaching the age of 50 with more serious health conditions.

 

[fat-girl-slim08]

HiYa LBD,
I was only 10lbs heavier than you and I had a Gastric Bypass,
I had it done privately, and was exactally the same as you, I had tried every diet and yes lost the weight, only to pile it back on and even more,
If you really want it go for it!!
Its been the best thing I have ever done and in only 5 months lost 5 stone and nearly at my goal,
I agree with the others, That you have to work with it,
I didn't want the band as I knew I would have struggled with it, thats why I chose the bypass.
What ever you decide Good luck!

 

[lucyannp69]

I had to reply to this as i had a gastric band in February - at my own expense - when my BMI was only just 32 and i have no co-morbidities. I have struggled all my life to lose and maintain weight and have been considerably heavier. The emotional impact of this 40 year rollercoaster has been devastating and since my surgery I can truely say i'm starting to feel in control of my life and i'm finding confidence in myself that i have rarely ever had. I thank god every day that i was able to have this operation and this chance to change forever, I'm not belittling anyone who has felt this, whether they have 3 or 15 stone to lose, the dreadful feelings of failure cannot be quantified. It was my money and my body, thank the lord for surgeons who will take the risk of public disaproval.

 

[AA1234]

NICE guidelines are just that "Guidelines" they are not srtict rules. the NHS can choose to use their own criteria. How can you say that any one with a BMI between 35 and 39 should not have WLS when they are classed as morbidly Obese? (without other conditions)

At the end of the day it is down to the consultant to make sure that the patient is an ideal candidate whether they are privagte or NHS.

We should not be telling people on here that they should not be having surgery just because they have a BMI under 40.

They are plenty of people that are having WLS so that they don't get out of control and develop other problems. They should be comended for this not rediculed because they are not "FAT" enough.

Sorry - but it is really bugging me that people keep going on about the NICE guidelines like they are the law.

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

sorry if i bug you sue, but this is a forum and not everyone will agree on every topic, thats just how it is everyone has the right to there own opinions and i respect that, but it doesnt mean that i cant put my opinion in on the off chance of "bugging" someone.

 

[AA1234]

sorry if i bug you sue, but this is a forum and not everyone will agree on every topic, thats just how it is everyone has the right to there own opinions and i respect that, but it doesnt mean that i cant put my opinion in on the off chance of "bugging" someone.

You have every right to voice you opinion. I was just doing the same. That way we get a balanced view which is what this site is all about.

Just to add, there are no hard and fast RULES when it comes to WLS. Only guidlines that organisations can choose to use to determine their own criteria for WLS.

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

i agree a balanced view is what its all about.