leatha_g

It'll all be SO worth it when you get to start buying smaller clothes and you can climb stairs without needing CPR. One problem, however, the weeks post-op are much longer than a few days before. I hope you're ready for that. Have jello, broth, popsicles ready and waiting for when you get home.

I have been banded only one month less than you and in all that time I have not PB'd over 6 times. No, it is not a good thing to be pbing on a repeated basis. My loss has been slow also, due to a less than aggressive 'diet' approach. I have not really deprived myself of anything and most definitely have eaten too much of what made me fat in the first place. I, too, am having that head hunger problem and have decided that I need to seek some counseling if I want to win this battle. Thankfully, I have been able to stave off any serious weight re-gain, but I definitely watch the scale and sometimes fight the same 5lbs over and over. This has been happening especially since Labor Day. How long has it been since you had your band checked under flouroscopy or Upper GI? That esophageal tightness you speak of sounds normal to me. It may be that it is your band signaling that you have had enough to eat? I don't know for sure. Is it during eating or while not eating? The only time I would get my band 'loosened' would be if I were having severe symptoms such as reflux, pbing excessively or inability to swallow anything. Otherwise, if I could eat a few bites of Protein and not feel too hungry, I would say it's doing what it is supposed to do.. ?? You are not alone. I think most of us go through the moments of weakness and wondering if we'll be the one person the band does not work for. The only thing that concerns me is that recently I've heard Jessie Ahroni stating that even though we don't have that 'window of opportunity' that bypass patients have, it is pretty clear that the best weight loss period is proving to be in the earlier stages of being banded. This means if I wanna 'get what I came for', I need to get busy.. lol. Definitely keep posting. You need all the support and encouragement you can get. Not only that, but reading what others are doing right or wrong may also plant that one seed that you need to make this a success. It's proven that the support is very valuable, so don't cheat yourself out of that. Good luck !

By now you've undergone your surgery and hopefully are home resting. I sincerely hope everything went well and they were able to get you back on the road to weight loss. Please let us know how you are doing when you feel up to it.

I think that's pretty common for heading into mushies. You're right. Most bandsters, except for a few lucky ones who have great restriction right outa the box (or men) generally slow in the losses or even gain during this re-introduction of solid foods and that is when they start to react, thinking this thing is not going to work for them. The 'real' weight loss begins once there is restriction and that person begins implementing the rules for bandster weight loss. Proteins first, veggies next, and anything else IF they still have room. Sounds like you're doing well and you have one of the most acclaimed docs on your side so you'll do fine! Those ice cream sundaes go down WAY too easy. I've had to ban it from my house. lol. Good luck!

Newlapper, The average weight loss with the band is 5-10lbs per month. You will not consistenly lose this EVERY month, but one year out you will have lost at least 5-10 lbs per month AVERAGE. Now, remember, you're not even restricted for the first 6-8 weeks, so technically most people don't even start counting until their first fill, which makes you well into the average or above. Not counting the 6-8 weeks, you've lost an average of 6.6lbs per month so you fall smack dab in the middle of average. How much were you losing BEFORE the band? lol. You will not lose like the bypass folks, but I can promise you that if you do what you are told to do, which is eat Protein first, veggies next and anything else IF you still have room. Keep your portions to 1 cup or less - total. Exercise 30 minutes, 3-5 times per week and you drink your Water (not with meals or 1 hr after) you WILL lose at least 50-100lbs the first year. If your BMI started out lower, you may have a slower weight loss. Many larger BMI's start out losing very quickly, but even their bodies catch up and slow down as their BMI drops. Try not to be so hard on yourself. How is your restriction? Are there foods that you are having a hard time staying away from? Like ice cream? chocolate? Desserts? chips? Are you exercising? (I'm not accusing, I'm just relaying the problems I, myself am having to come to terms with.) Click on this link and answer this quiz to yourself. http://bigolalaskan.com/lapband/fills.htm Chart your daily intake on www.fitday.com to see where your food falls in the way of protein, fat, carbs, calories. Change up your exercise routine. If you go to Curves 3 days a week, add some walking on the other days. If you walk, maybe you could add some weight training or exercise bike? If it makes you feel any better. I ONLY lost 55lbs in a year. 10 years from now, no one will care if i lost 55 or 155, all they'll care about is that I'm still around (hopefully) because I did lose SOMETHING. lol. You're doing fine, but if you want to do any better, try some of the things I've mentioned, see if they help. Let us know how you are doing! Whatever works for you might work for me.

Welcome Lucky!! How is your band journey going?

Congratulations Ryan! Welcome to the rest of your life!

********************************************************** One: You CAN still physically drink milkshakes, but you are correct that it is too calorie dense to be doing it on a regular basis. Otherwise, you're here asking why you're not losing weight like you thought you would. lol. Unfortunately, the band does little to stop soft/liquid foods, so it's up to you to make better choices if you are really serious about losing weight. Two: Your pouch is merely a narrow passage that fluids will still flow through pretty freely. If you have problems with water, then you're probably too tight. The water will flow into the lower stomach with no problem otherwise, which allows you to get in as much as you need. And, yes, it is more filling. Hopefully this will help in keeping you from over-eating. Then, per normal, the water makes it's way pretty quickly through your kidneys and flushed down the drain so as to make room for more. Three: Yes. You can still have milk. In fact, milk is one of the only liquids with calories that you are encouraged to have ONE 8oz cup a day. Any more than that and you're probably sabotaging your weight loss. Once you are past your initial liquids/soft foods phase, you are encouraged to NOT drink any calorie laden liquids/juices etc, due to their high calorie content. Four: Cottage cheese with bananas might be okay in small amounts. Probably no more than 4oz at a time - again once you've past that soft food stage you'll not want to make this a staple of your diet. You'll be focusing more on 'hard' proteins such as fish, chicken, etc. Five: Two Flintstones vitamins a day is perfectly good for your vitamin needs. You'll be perfectly capable of chewing them instead of crushing. You'll also be pretty capable of taking any medications you might need unless you become super restricted. Keep researching. There is lots and lots to learn and be prepared for with banding. The band is great for restricting portion control with the right foods, such as hard proteins, quality veggies, but you can definitely sabatoge your weightloss if you get into what is called the 'soft food syndrome' by eating too many desserts, ice creams, high calorie/high fat/high carb foods. This method of weight loss is one that you must meet halfway. It will not force you to lose weight. It has to be your choice. It will only really help you with portion control. The rest is up to you. Welcome aboard! Please tell us more about yourself and read, read, read, there is so much experience and knowledge here for the taking! Good luck to you!

Hi natalie. I'm sorry to hear you're having problems. Who was your doctor? It sounds as if you've had one close enough to do fills, but how could he/she have missed educating you on what you were supposed to be eating? Firstly, you should be trying to get no less than 48-60grams of Protein per day. Secondly, the only carbs you should be taking in are high quality vegetables. (not potatoes) Thirdly, if you have room after your protein and veggies, then you might have a bit of 'something else' IF you still have room. You might try documenting everything that goes into your mouth with www.fitday.com just to see where your protein/carbs lie. This would give you some clue as to what your diet is providing, nutritent/calorie - wise. Most of us avoid bread, rice, Pasta products, not only because they are glutenous and tend to dough up and stick in our stoma, but also because these are high in starch and basically turn to sugar in our systems which is not really conducive to weight loss (which is why we get our bands). I'm including the link to Inamed's Patient Handbook as it has some great information regarding maintenance of your band and guidelines for eating. Is it possible to ask your doctor to provide you with his particular guidelines for eating also? Besides these highlights, your Water intake is another major point that helps with weightloss. again, you need to try to drink at least 48 oz, but 60 is better, per day. EVERYDAY. That, in addition with at least 30 minutes of exercise - 3 to 5 times per week should help you to get back on track with your band. Please keep us posted how you are doing. http://www.inamed.com/products/obesity/us/patient/lapband/information.html#booklet

hahaha. i love that one.. lol

Hmm. I see the post up there, but sometimes this board does weird things. lol. Tylenol - I've taken with water alone, however, you don't want to let it sit in your pouch. Drink enough water to wash it through thoroughly. You might even consider keeping liquid Tylenol on hand as it's much easier to wash through.

I do know of one other lady who had reported her band had come open. She posts on BayBandsters on Yahoo Groups. I believe her handle is 'sofiesmom'.

Cigna approved my surgery within the first week also. The hoops I went through were significantly less than some I've heard of too. However, I don'tthink we can really blame it all on Cigna as a company because each employer choose what coverage they will or will not pay for. Some have Cigna but choose to not cover WLS at all. Some have Cigna and have chosen to pay for WLS coveraged based on medical necessity. It's really our employers who have set the rules. I'm really glad you were fortunate enough to have one of those who chose to take the risk of allowing this great chance to their employees.

Chrissy, I am so sorry to hear of this. I really do hope that you get some support from Inamed. I would continue to correspond with them. They seem to be really nice folks. When I had slippage they wanted to know everything that led up to it and what I went through to resolve it. Unfortunately, there was no monetary help as far as replacing the band, but I have heard in the past they they did do this. It doesn't hurt to ask, right? Maybe you can take a 6 month break and have it replaced? This is a very personal issue and I know a hard one to go through. Please know that you'll be in our thoughts and we definitely want you to keep us posted on how things go.

Welcome Cat! Be sure to read, read, read all the posts so you'll be familiar with things that may or may not come along with being banded. That 'wretching' thing you are describing is quite common with the band. Sometimes I get it whether I have eaten or not, but IF I am eating at the time, it's one of my first signs of fullness - so be aware. I have heard about the 'straw' rule, also . It's been said using straws causes more gas/air bubbles. Personally, I use straws all the time and find that I can consume more liquids IF I do use them. Either way, ask your dr for his/her reasoning and always follow their rules. Good luck and welcome to LBT, your dr was right. There are some great, caring folks here and it is a very 'down to earth' place to share and support one another.

Oh Michelle I'm so sorry to hear this. I am, however, very glad that you have probably one of the best band docs and he is available to you so readily. You're very lucky in that sense. Please do keep us posted. I'm definitely going to be praying it is only something very minor. You've done so well. I sure hope nothing slows that down. Good luck to you.

It's one day and it will help you NOT have too much tummy troubles immediately following, maybe. I do hope you understand that immediately following, probably WEEKS, you'll have to adhere to liquids and soft foods too??? It's imperative that you follow these rules so that your band can get itself seated in scar tissue which helps to prevent slippage later. If you feel you can't do ONE day before surgery, how are you going to cope with weeks afterward?

Sounds like some good goals, Taylor! The time is drawing near now. We'll be thinking of you and hoping everything goes smoothly for you!

Welcome home Paula! I'm really glad everything went well. I'm even more glad your MIL noticed YOUR weightloss. That's a score for you! Congratulations!

Sultana, Be careful with those pills. You said something about taking 10 at a time. I take about 5 every evening, but I take them as I eat, one at a time. I don't do well just trying to swallow them with a drink or I think I would get into trouble. I do take them with my food, making sure one goes down, then later trying another. I have one that is particularly bad for hanging. Luckily, it hasn't been hung one time since banding. I hope everything is all better. Good luck!

There are laws against email harrassment, aren't there?

aww, garsh... what a nice thing to say. thank you for making my evening. Happy Holidays to you and yours also.

I need all your help! My brother and sister in law were both denied by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and told they must do the 12 month dr supervised weight loss thing. My sister in law wants me to write her an appeal letter to see if we can get this reversed and she can move on. She is at her largest and in pain physically and basically sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was wondering if some of you who had to appeal might have appeal letters that you'd pass on to help us construct one that will work for her and my brother. I realize we'll have to personalize it to their own issues, but seeing other people's who were reversed will help immensely. Please feel free to post it here for others or you may email me privately at leatha_g@hotmail.com. Thank you so much!

Can't hurt to be doubly protected, Betty! lol

Welcome luv2bthin! We're glad you have found us! Please feel free to search through all the previous posts for loads and loads of great information. Arm yourself with all you can learn before your surgery, so that you'll know what to expect after. Also, we'd love to have you go to the 'Introductions' forum and tell us a bit about yourself, who you are, how you came to find us, your decision to be banded, anything you can think of! We're neighbors, by the way. I'm in Plano. Good luck with your surgery!