Exercise after having a band fitted.

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hi, I wonder if anyone with a gastric band can give me some pointers regarding exercise after having a band fitted.

I am 53 and weigh around 20 stone...for some reason me and the scales don't get on and tend to avoid each other! Anyway, I am having a consultation next week with the view to having a band fitted. Given that I have type 2 diabetes, High Blood pressure and a BPI of around 44, I tend to think its now or neither. Indeed, my GP told me 2 years ago that if I didn't get my weight under control I would be dead within 5 years. Well even that hasn't worked as despite dieting and losing some weight, I have just put it back on. I can't keep weight off.

Given the above I feel a band is right for me, although I know it won't be easy I need to give it a try. Turning to my question, currently I do a reasonable amount of cycling: about 4 hours or 50/60 miles a week. In the winter, I tend to swim twice a week for an hour each doing 800 to 1200m a time. I am worried that with a band fitted, I won't have the energy to carry on doing this, or indeed, to increase my mileage: I would love to do LEL in 2017 but doubt that's possible!

Are there any cyclists/swimmers/ other exercisers out there who can put my mind to rest and who would like to share their experiences.

Thanks.

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Providing you cut back on the Carbohydrates which you would do as a NIDDM diabetic..(Type 2) this can help with the weight loss.. the GB is for people who over eat.. and eat large meals.. overeat.. it wont stop what you eat.. if you eat Icecream which is loaded with sugar with a band is a soft food easy to get down you won lose. If I were you I would go for the options available such as stomach Bypass operation which will be permanent and you wont put the weight back with this and the bodu will shrink down as time goes on..The GB is less invasive however and works if managed properly. but does cost with the fills you would have .. so in all about £5000 APPROX with after care. But it is very slow.. and is a lottery as to the care you get.

    Cycling and swimming are two of the best forms of exercise as well as walking. Take a holiday with Hikinging and orienteering.

    This Scale issue seems to be more apparent these days.. is the junk we eat.. Learn how to read the Labels on foods and wahtch the carbs only no more than 30-50 grams of carbs a day..take off the fibre giving you a net carb. 

    Look up gary Taubes on Utube he is a Journalist who has written books on Lo Carb diets and states that Fat is not the issues as as humans we dont metabolise it..

    take your weight off in small amounts 

    and give yourself a treat each week on a Sunday..

    Record your weight weekly and write a diary.. it may help with your record.

    Good Luck..

    :0)

  • Posted

    HI - i was a similar age and wgt to you when i had a band 7 yrs ago - i was told i could expect to lose betwen 40% to 60% of my excess wgt - I slightly went over the 60% however i have regained 2 stones so my overall wgtloss is at the lower end of the predicted amont - i was never promised that i would lose all my wgt but i was content to lose some of it but for somebody with a lot of wgt to lose such as myself it was recommended that an RNY would be a better option as this not only works by restriction but also malabsorption so a double whammy however i was too scared of the more invasive surgery - i didnt like the idea of having good tissue removed and so i went with the band - the band is the 'tortoise' of the wgt loss surgery world and the wgt loss is slow in comparison to the other surgeries however this is not necessrily a bad thing as you wont suffer from hair loss and probs will not need to take supplements to nourish your body - however, i now need to work really hard to get rid of those 2stones and whilst no form of wgt loss surgery is guaranteed - they all have their disadvantages and advantages - at the end of the day they are all just a tool to aid wgtloss and it depends on how we use that tool as to how successful we are - there is the possibility of regain with all types and none of them are a magic wand - those who are very successful are working very hard watching what they eat and exercising - i have never been one for gyms etc but i did do aquafit at least once a wk and swim a couple of times too - i trained to do the great  north   swim a few yrs ago but sadly it was cancelled a few days before the event so i never actually got to do it (that consisted of swimming a mile in lake windermere) so in the run up to this event i was swimming a mile every day - ive not been able to commit to it since - but having the energy to swim has never been a prob for me and i dont know  of any of my bandster friends who have been suffered from lack of energy either - they are all going around their normal lives working fulltime, looking after their families and in many cases being able to do lots of things they could not do previously cos they have lost wgt.  To be honest thoughm i think the thing you should look at is whether a band is the best way forward for yourself as one of the other types of wgt loss surgery might be more appropriate butof course you should discuss this with the consultant when you get an appointment - dont rule out the other types is what i am saying - do some research and look at all the negatives and positives for each surgery as they all have them but what is an advantage to one person could be a disadvantage to another and vice versa - the band has been partially successful for me cos i am under no illusion that for all i have regained some of what i initially lost if i had never had the band in the first place i would have put on even more stones on top of my starting out wgt - and as one gets older this is def not a good place to be as health issues which were not there in younger  yrs can develop later in life.  You do not say whether you are self funding or going down the NHS route however one think you need to look at if you do go ahead with wgt loss surgery is the aftercare and with a band you will need to have several fills over the course of a year or so before you get that ultimate level of restriction and you need to know how many fills are inc in your aftercare package or even if you have an aftercare package. Have you thought about going to a support group where you could chat to people face to face and get first hand accounts which might be useful or look online and do some research - a good place would be WLSinfo for this type of thing - your local hosp which does wgt loss surgery might also have a group where you could go.  good luck
  • Posted

    Hello, I was too worried about this but my dietician suggested I take multi vitamins every day and also ones that contain minerals, also although you can't eat much, just making sure you eat foods that have slow releasing energy will keep you going and give you that boost. I do the above and I never have any troubles with energy levels. Good luck smile
  • Posted

    Providing you talke a Multi vitiman you should be okay and a glass of Full fat milk daily. which will help with calcium levels.. for Bones Hair and Nails. Protien will give you energy in replacement to Carbs.... Veg Iron.. Green leafy veg like Spinach and Dark Green Cabbage.
  • Posted

    this is something you could discuss also with the dietician as you wil undoubtedly have an appt with him/her at some stage before surgery - they would be able to give you some pointers as to how to combat any deficiencies in your diet but to be honest you are just going to be eating less and you can still chose healthy options to get the best for both you and your chosen op

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