donali

Whoo hooo! I am no longer 100+ pounds overweight! Only 99 to go, and I've lost almost half my excess weight, at -69. Geez, hard to believe my excess weight alone equaled my recommended weight plus an additional 33 pounds - 168 excess pounds. Sobering. My BMI has gone from 48.9 to 37.8. With no co-morbidities, I no longer "qualify" for this surgery by most insurance standards. Wow. Still huge at 5'6", 234 lbs, size 22/24, at least I am no longer wearing 30+ pants. There are actually clothes in my size that do not include elastic, lycra, or stretch knit! My newest interest is metabolism. Since I no longer diet, I am looking for ways of eating (WOE) (not sure I like that acronym - lol) that are nutritious and also feed my metabolism, which has undoubtedly been suppressed after years of dieting. *********** Some interesting things I have read (where have I been all these years?!?!) - for what it's worth. Does anyone REALLY know if this works? lol 1. Calorie intake should not be less than what your basal metabolism requires, or the body goes into "starvation" mode. Basal metabolism is the number of calories required simply to keep you alive at your current weight - breathing, heart beating, bodily functions. Basal metabolism is determined by your height, weight, and whether you are male/female. www.fitday.com shows your basal metabolism under reports "Calories Burned", "Where am I burning my calories?". At my current weight, my basal metabolism requires 1783 calories. With my sedentary lifestyle, the total calories I burn each day should be 2586 - so meeting my basal metabolism calorie requirements gives me a deficit of 703 calories everyday. A pound of fat = 3500 calories, so I should lose a pound of fat every 5 days. Your basal metabolism should be reviewed every 10 pounds. 2. How do you kick-up your metabolism? Eating-wise: Spicy foods (ginger, cayenne pepper), dark greens like broccoli, celery, spinach, Water,WATER,WATER (look up "thermogenic foods") Body-wise: build muscle - muscle is the #1 burner of calories **************** I don't know if all the above is true, but I will say that earlier this week when I started kicking-up my calories, 2 pounds came off right away. I also have not been eating refined/prepackaged foods or starches/sugars (except for my morning Protein drink, which I imagine must be considered "refined"). In my mind, there is definitely a fine line between "dieting" and "WOE" - this is something I struggle with. I think I am finally coming to terms with the fact that it is the mindset that makes the difference between "dieting" and "WOE". With dieting, certain foods are forbidden, no-no, wrong, bad, restricted, etc. With "WOE" you CAN eat anything you please, you just may choose not to eat certain things most of the time. Knowing that you have a choice, and that whatever you choose is absolutely, positively OKAY! has made it much easier for me to choose mostly nutritious foods. Reading more and more about what happens to your body when sugar/refined carbs are consumed makes me less and less inclined to eat them, even though I adore chocolate and bread and rice and Pasta and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, and pizza and cake, and donuts... (you get the picture - lol). Knowing that my insulin is spiking, running around converting calories to fat, plastering it to the inside of my arterial walls, creating plaque and changing my body composition to an acidic state gives me pause. I no longer worry about gaining weight with these things, I worry about my HEALTH. Wow - I was never worried about my health before, only my WEIGHT. I was willing to do anything, no matter how dangerous to my HEALTH (actually, the more dangerous to my health, the more appealing the approach ), just to lose weight. So, armed with ever increasing knowledge, my appetite held in check by my beloved buddy the band, I am finally choosing a WOE for life, a WOE for health (emotional and physical). Don't think for one minute that I'll never have my sugars/refined carbs again - they will always be among my choices in my WOE - but they no longer seem to be a mainstay in my lifestyle. I'm not quite sure, but I may be having a break through moment... Peace and joy to you all on your journeys, and wishing everyone joy, love and happiness through the upcoming holidays, and beyond.

And so the saga continues... Here are some of the links I've found interesting. If by chance any of them are selling anything, please do not take this as an endorsement by me - I have bought nothing from any of these sites, and have no personal interest in their financial gains. I used them for my informational purposes only. You can find sites that will endorse just about any way of thinking - this is just the direction I have been interested in. I do not claim that this is the "right" way, the "only" way, or the "best" way, or even that any of these ways even "work" - these are just the ways my personal biases and interests have taken me. I personally am not interested in supplements/diets/programs, anything with that kind of structure. I take what I like from what I read, and leave the rest. Okay, disclaimers over! Here are some links: Love this gal’s site – here’s her explanation of basal metabolism: http://www.countcarbs.com/advice/LCG_CountCarbs_CountCalories_WhatGives.htm More articles about low carb findings: http://www.lowcarb.ca/ Are you getting enough Protein calculator: http://www.healthscout.com/template.asp?page=protein&ap=1 All kinds of calculators for inquiring minds… http://www.active.com/calculators/ http://www.countcarbs.com/tools/basal_metabolism.htm Look up nutrition in all sorts of foods: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000020.html http://www.caloriecountercharts.com/chart1a.htm Thermogenic foods and spices: http://members.shaw.ca/myatkins/thermogenic.htm Keep your metabolism humming: http://viewnews.com/2003/VIEW-Mar-26-Wed-2003/SWest/20918156.html http://www.weight-loss-i.com/weight-control/bmr-facts.htm Exercise: http://www.couplescompany.com/Advice/Chris/Womens_Fitness.htm Have fun, everyone!

Thanks, Alexandra, for all the kind words and mushy stuff {blush} . As far as your questions about basal metabolism, I personally do not say anything, but I've read that you should not eat less than the calories required to support your basal metabolism. So if fitday says your basal calories burned are 2045, then according to them you should not eat less than 2045 calories a day, and as a woman, you should be able to eat up to about 200 calories more than your basal requirements and still lose weight and keep your metabolism alive and well. Mine is 1795 or something like that, and for the couple weeks where I conscientiously hit that mark or slightly over I initially lost 3 pounds, and have kept it there. I'm not very good about tracking, and in principal do not believe in it as I think it keeps me focused on food and eating, which isn't what I want to be focused on, but I think it's justifyable when learning what your current patterns are, and seeing ways to adjust if necessary. I am clueless about the optimum carb ratio, but must say that my gut feeling is that it really is different for everyone. Since diabetes is a well-documented fact, no one can argue that carbs effect everyone in the same way - it's obviously not true. That fact presents problems for our "formula" based society - we all want the "recipe" for success. We don't want to hear that it's different for everyone, because then we "waste time" searching for what works for us. I know that for me, I have always seemed to do better on the high protein/high fat/low carb WOE. The problem with that is that as a carb addict, the diet mentality made carbs ever more seductive. Now, since I no longer have anything off limits, I try to choose for the most part the Atkins way, bearing in mind that if I choose to add some high carb things (mainly sugar/white flour products - basically anything besides meat/green veggies - lol - then health-wise I could be doing some damage with the combo of high carb/high fat. Weight is no longer the issue for me here - just the basic chemical reaction of my body to what I put in there. Geez, I'm running late for work again! :cool: I'll look up some of the links where I read the metabolism stuff so you can have your own them.

Congrats!! And I know you are absolutely right on the carb spiking thing - something I noticed back in junior high when I had been following Atkins super, super closely for months and months, and had stalled. I binged out on some Cookies one weekend, and dropped 5 pounds!! I just haven't been scientific enough to figure out the exact ratio that that kind of spiking needs to be done in order to be effective and not detrimental. The manual sounds very interesting, and I may just become motivated enough to check it out! Congrats again on your milestone - I can't wait to have less than 100 pounds to lose!

I found the 500 results, which go back to 1/03 in the 2001-2003 grouping. 500 is the greatest number available, and there are too many to show, and no way to get the others without narrowing the search (according to the MAUDE database). It would be quite a task to read each of the 500 reports - there is no easy way that I can see to see the contents without opening each report and scrolling down to the bottom. Perhaps you could successfully narrow the search by using "lap-band" and then another problem you were interested in, although when I combined "removal" with my "lap-band" search I only got one result, which I know is not correct. There have been many removals, for various reasons. The percentage of bands that need to be removed is reportedly a small percentage, but I have no idea what that figure is. Thank you, Antonio, for posting the information to get to the database. You STILL have not answered my question, though - Who was your surgeon?!?

Hi Mary - I never really "set" mini-goals, but I guess my personal milestones are: 1. Having less than 100 pounds to lose 2. Getting under 200 3. Losing 100 pounds Once those three happen, I'm a little in limbo, I guess. 135 is not a concrete, must have goal, more just a reflection of what the weight charts say I should be at my height. I've never been 135, so I'm intrigued, but would be thrilled (for at least a while!) to be at 185, and then when I get tired of that, anything in the 145-160 range would be swell. Of course, every time I drop into the next 10 pound range I feel like having a party! And although I did not lose weight over T-day, I didn't gain any either - how cool is that? And I got to eat some of everything, and was full and satisfied. Okay, overly full... Right now I consider the surgery a success. Even if I never lost any more weight (God forbid!! lol), to know that as long as I keep my band and restriction I will never weigh more than what I do now is a huge emotional relief.

Sue, I've been wanting to write a clever story using unique acronyms, but haven't had time. I love yours! Here are some I was toying with... Food Aversion Therapy Dabbling In Endangering Thoughts Sudden Thoughts Of Puking lol - I'll keep working on these. No, that wasn't a threat... lol

Antonio - You still do not say who your surgeon was. Also, I notice in your first post you say, , but in your next post you claim, So, you already KNOW you are not the only one, assuming your claims are true. May I ask how exactly we can help you? You seem to have plenty of collaboration on the bad side effects of banding from your 35 people support group in Florida, so certainly you do not need more evidence that the band can have complications. Do you just need to vent? Are you trying to educate? We would all like to offer support to all bandsters/ex-bandsters, and we're all willing to be educated, but I'm interested in learning what exactly you are hoping for from this board. Wishing you all the best.

lol - Michelle and Sue, I think we were all answering at the same time! Sue, I have to agree with you: I am on troll watch alert as well...

The link you list does not take me anywhere. I went to the main site, http://www.ssat.com/ and searched on 97ddw. That took me to the 1997 abstracts, http://www.ssat.com/cgi-bin/1997_abstracts.cgi?affiliation=. Here is the article you are referring to, I believe: http://www.ssat.com/cgi-bin/97ddw/ddw67.cgi?affiliation= This study was conducted on the ASGB, for a time period between 3/17/92 and 5/1/95 on a total of 40 patients, and concludes that of those 40 patients, 32 reoperations had to be performed, and also includes this info, "...and two had an ASGB removed and a LapBand implanted at the same operation." Although I do not discount the results reported, I make the following observations: 1. The study is extremely small. 2. The study is old. 3. There is no information given about experience level of the docs, or the maker of the band. 4. The study does not follow the FDA approved Inamed LapBand. I do not know if you are doing research for your upcoming lawsuit against your surgeon, or the maker of your band, or both, or if you are just venting. I don't recall if my surgeon brought up possible complications himself, but I had researched the procedure and asked him about complications, and he discussed them openly with me. As far as your statement that "89% OF PATIENTS EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ONE SIDE EFFECT", I am surprised it is only 89%, as most studies consider PBing "a side effect", and I would guess that most banded people have PB'd at least once. Of course, 89% is "most", but I would have thought that number even higher. I am truly sorry that you were not aware of the possible side effects of the band. I agree that should have been discussed with you prior to your surgery. Undoubtedly it is very frustrating to find out this information after the fact. I am grateful I was able to do my research prior to making what I feel was an informed decision. I knew all the things you are finding out now, and still felt that this was the safest and most effective WLS available to me. I am well aware that I may experience further complications, up to and including losing my band. I hope I am able to keep my band always, but if not, I do not regret this decision.

Antonio - I am so very sorry you and your daughter are experiencing such problems, and that you have/had to have your band removed. I am very curious - were all 35 people in your support group banded by the same surgeon? Who did your surgery? One of the groups I belong to is a local group that meets once a month. There are about nine of us or so, and out of that number who have been banded from about two years to present, there have been two cases of port revisions (I'm one of those), a band slippage, and a stoma obstruction (food was stuck) out of three different banding surgeons (CA, TX and Tijuana). There may be additional complications that I am not aware of, or have forgotten. I have also met a person who had to have her band removed in an emergency procedure from vomiting due to food poisoning. She was rebanded about a year after her unbanding. Her original banding was done by a surgeon in Mexico City, I believe. At my doctor's office I have met at least two people struggling with reflux who have had to have their fills removed multiple times, and then been refilled after they've had a chance to heal. I believe that most of us have PB'd at least once, but as far as I know it is not the normal occurence for any of us. It is unfortunate that there does not appear to be any kind of reliable information on the complication rate/success rate with the band. Bandsters will tell you that certain problems are "rare", but I've read posts from people (and met some live) who've experienced these "rare" problems, so they certainly do exist amongst the small handful of people I know personally, as well as in the larger subset of the people who are online and have joined the groups I belong to. I know there are people who do not have access to the internet, and undoubtedly there are those who have access, but do not join these support groups. Except for my port revision, which was required because I tore a port suture 7 months out from surgery stretching for something, I have had no complaints about the band. I do have the occasional weird pain that I blame on the band, and my first couple of bites must be done cautiously or I experience some pain, but these are all minor inconveniences to me on a daily basis. What I have gained from the band has been worth these minor side affects. I have had 3 incidents of mild reflux (two weeks ago), and have PB'd 5 times in the past 10 months. I am aware that reflux tends to be a problem, particularly in the second year and on - I intend to follow the suggestions made to avoid that from happening, and will seek medical attention if I am not able to control it. Best of luck to you, and again, my condolences. I agree with others here in that it sounds as though your daughter is too tight, and may likely need a slight unfill.

Thanks, Nancy! I like ATF much, much better than WOE, but I doubt I'll be able to remember what it means... lol It is so strange to have this feeling of peace about food... My psyche is still not completely convinced that the diet rollercoaster is really and truly over forever, but I feel more and more secure everyday. Thank you, band! Thank you, therapy! Thank you, support group!

Zhanna, yes it is normal to not feel restriction once the swelling from surgery goes down. Remember the mantra - the first 6 weeks are about HEALING, not losing. Any weight lost in the first 6 weeks is a bonus, not an expectation. The true journey begins once you start getting fills. It is true that some people are tight enough with an empty band to lose, but they are the exception, not the rule. Don't think about weight loss until you're ready for your first fill, usually about 6 weeks out at the earliest. Eat healthy as much as you can, practice your chewing, don't drink with meals, don't drink sooner than 30 minutes after a meal. Practice, practice, practice. Then you'll be ready when you get restriction with your fills.

Meet your new, vocal friend... lol Yes, it's normal to suddenly have very loud noises. Once your swelling goes down, it is likely that you won't hear anything again until you get restriction with fills. I'm very tight these days, and everything gurgles - very loudly. Almost like a drain sucking the last part of the Water down the pipes. Wheee!!

Because we're not losing and we're always hungry.

Hi Mimi - At 330, 5'7", you are NOT exceptionally large (in MO terms - lol). I am 5'6" and started at 303. I know of people well beyond the 300's (I'm talking 400, 500 pounds, even) that have been banded. Some surgeons are not comfortable banding these larger patients, but my impression is the surgeons who do the lapband almost exclusively as their WLS do not bat an eye. And Sue is 100% right - the surgery the doc is most comfortable with is the surgery they're going to recommend (push). Find a TRUE lapband surgeon and I think you'll find them very supportive of your choice. You MUST be aware that most lapband patients do not have the weight just "fall off" of them, like bypass patients do. You MUST understand that proper restriction is key, and until you have possibly several fills, you may not feel as though the band is working for you. There are banded people where the weight just "fell off", and people who got to goal without fills, but they are the exception, not the rule. You also must be aware that your banded journey will be very, very individual, and you cannot compare yourself to others, but only try and learn from their journeys, and take what you need and leave the rest. We are all bandsters, or bandster wanna be's, so of course we are going to tell you that this is THE best WLS available today. It is, of course (lol), but that is our own opinions after our own intensive research. You must do enough of your own research to feel that way, too - once that happens, you would not hesitate to educate the surgeon who told you that you were too heavy to be successful with the lapband. Good luck in your journey!

Thanks for the congrats, all! Bright, thanks for the chuckles - you make me laugh out loud. I'd love to read anything anyone else finds interesting about metabolism. I'm not 100% dedicated to researching it (I'm not 100% dedicated to anything, except maybe love...:knockedou :knockedou :knockedou lol), but do read anything that crosses my path. My new low is 233 (forgot to change my sig line ) An even -70... whew! :cool:

I second Vera's caution about the quickness of weightloss. Please do not set yourself up for disappointment by thinking you will continue to lose 20 pounds a month. I'm not saying it's not possible, I'm just saying it is unlikely. But fast or slow, you will end up where you want to be. The journey is more important than the destination!

Congrats, Nancy! Good for you on your commitment to avoid the golfball and for working on your emotional issues. It does become easier, I promise - on both counts!

Hi Misty - Yes, the band helps tons, but for me doing the emotional work is what has made my journey peaceful. I posted a tool I learned in therapy for dealing with emotional hunger - click on the "search" button (between f.a.q. and home) and type in: A Tool for Dealing with Emotional Hunger Good luck!

I've told everyone/anyone (big surprise! lol) At 42, I don't think I know anyone among my friends, family or acquaintances who hasn't experienced my dieting, so I'm sure it would never occur to any of them to recommend that to me. For those who don't understand I try to explain to them that I think some people are just built differently - some people can't tolerate sugar (diabetes), some people never feel full (obesity). Of course, I always admit to the emotional part of it for me, as well. I have not encountered any negative responses, and I do not feel as though I am being "watched" - for once in my life! lol This is a very personal thing, though, and I read many, many posts from people who do not intend to tell anyone, and many, many people who never have told anyone.

This has certainly been one of my issues as well. At about 230 lbs, a really thin guy I worked with really wanted to go "out" - I freaked. He wasn't my type, I wasn't attracted to him - but rather than say that to him in a nice way, I kept pointing out how big I was, and what would people say, etc. He said "Who cares?" Finally the best I could muster was "It just wouldn't work out." That night I had a dream re-living that uncomfortable situation, and in the dream I was not able to daunt him with any of my good "excuses" about why we shouldn't go out. Finally I screamed, "Good God, man! I weigh almost 250 POUNDS. What MORE do I have to do?!?!?!?!" Talk about an eye opening moment... lol After that enlightening dream, I reflected on my past relationships, and could see how I was the agressor in all of them. I would start out overweight, and when my advances were accepted, the weight started falling off naturally. lol Unfortunately that wasn't the case with my current boyfriend of 9 years, but now I have my band buddy. When I discussed the dream above with my counselor, she made it a point of doing an exercise where I said "No." to someone, without excuses/explanations. We role played, and it was virtually impossible for me to just say "No." I always tried to couch it with some plausible excuse, some reason why the answer was no... I felt if there was not some GOOD reason, I should not say "No." This is something I still need to work on. It is okay to say "No." It is okay to say "No." We are not obligated by invitations - "No." is an acceptable response. Maybe one day that will sound true for me... lol I believe it to be true for others.

Hi Michelle - I don't know how it's been with your other fills, but perhaps this one will just take a few days to kick-in? Perhaps you're just having one of those unexplained loose days? My fills take about 4 weeks to kick-in. My last fill was 10/4, and only this week am I really, really tight. It has been a struggle to get in all of my Water, which is very unusual for me. My stomach feels... tired, I guess is the best word. Full, and tired. lol Hopefully you'll tighten back up "au naturelle."

Michelle - I hope all is well with your boyfriend. Please keep us posted.

Hi Al - this is one of those things that the post-op "directives" do not agree on, simply because of the carbonation factor. Many docs say absolutely no carbonated drinks again EVER - some put them off limits for a set amount of time, others say "as tolerated." Banded peoples' tolerance of carbonated drinks vary just as widely. Some of those whose docs actually "allow" it find they cannot tolerate carbonated beverages. My doc says NEVER, so I don't. I used to drink a lot of diet soda, and can't say that I miss it. Pre-banding I did on very rare occasions crave an ice cold beer on a very hot day, or in conjunction with a greasy burger, but I consider that to be a thing of the past, and I don't regret it. You are right that drinking alcohol is basically the same as eating candy as far as weightloss goes, so that can make your weightloss journey challenging. Check w/ your doc regarding his "requirements" in regards to carbonated beverages, and bear in mind regardless of what is recommended, you may not be able to tolerate carbonation post-banding.