PiperLeighIsMe

I'm deciding between Wilkenfeld and Collier (I don't think Collier is w/ True Results though; he is up in Conroe.) I have heard good things about both. I have an appointment with one of them this week. Still need to make up my mind. It's nice we live near a big enough city that there are a number of reputable surgeons to consider.

I'm set to see my surgeon for the first time next week. I'm curious if most people set a goal weight for themselves or whether the doctor gives them a number. I am currently 230 lbs/BMI of 35. I'm 5'8" and would love to set a goal of 150 (which I don't think is terribly unrealistic because it is a BMI of 22.8, in the higher range of "normal" weight). I am wondering if I should expect the doctor to set a higher number for my goal. I've heard a million times that average is losing 50-60% of the excess weight, though many folks can and do achieve a greater % loss. I figure whatever I lose makes me healthier than I am today. That would be a good thing. I am not going to be mad if I don't hit 150, but you'd better believe I'm going to give it my all to get there! I know commitment to sticking to my nutrition plan and follow up visits for fills/check ups are critical to my success. So friends, tell me. When you refer to your goal weight, does that line up with what your doctor thinks is achievable/maintainable for you? Did your doctor caution you to not set overly-optimistic goals?

I hope I might be able to join your group. I'll meet with the surgeon next Friday and since I'm self pay, I'm hoping for a quick surgery date! I will hop on over to your thread as soon as I find out if I might be getting it done in January. The pre-op liquid diet is something some doctors ask their patients to do to help shrink the liver to help aid with the ease of putting in the lapband. I've noticed not every doctor requires it. My sister is a doctor and she said it's a good idea., so even if my doctor doesn't require it, I think I will probably do 2-3 days liquid prior to the banding.

Wow- That is so fast! I'm kind of hoping for a fast turn around, if only so I dont sit around obsessing over the waiting!

Oh my goodness. How in the world have you hide the scars from him and explained the liquid diet? I can't imagine! That's a bummer you haven't been able to have his support. I live just a bit north of Houston.

Sounds like good timing to have been able to get through Christmas first. What an exciting way to start out the new year. You can do it!

My consult with the surgeon is next Friday. I understand the surgery can be within two weeks of that because I will be self pay, but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet. I'm not sure what requirements he will have for me before he will schedule it.

Hi! Sounds like not too much longer until the big day. Congrats!

Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Piper and have been reading this forum for a long time. I'm finally ready to jump in and participate. I just got my financing lined up to get lapband. I've done the yo-yo diet thing for way too long. My BMI is bouncing around just under and just over 35, and I have no major health issues, so my insurance won't cover it. My sister is a doctor (neonatal) and my mom is a nurse practitioner; they (in addition to my husband) are very supportive of me taking this step to have a tool to help me with my weight loss. Over the past couple years I've read everything I can about it...the good, the bad, and the really ugly...and I still feel confident with moving forward. My sister's husband had the RNY, but I'm not ready to take that step. I know there is more after care and maintenance that the band requires, and I am okay with that. I know in my heart that I will not be able to successfully lose and keep it off without intervention and a strong support system. I have the latter, so it is time for the lapband to help me achieve my goals. I'm only 35 years old and have three wonderful young daughters. I don't want to wait until I gain another thirty pounds to start. I can confront this and work hard to lose now. There is no reason for me to wait until I'm another ten years down the road with more health complications. I'm ready to get healthy and maximize my potential for a good quality of life. I have a cnsut with a surgeon picked out for next week. I am an incredibly jumbled ball of nervous and excited. Anyway, hello! I look forward to participating here. Nice to meet you all! Are there any other lower-BMI people started out?

My sister's husband had RNY and she is supportive of me getting the lapband. (She is a doctor herself.) The very first thing she told me when I told her I was considering bariatric surgery was that the first couple months would be hard and depression does happen in some folks. She has encouraged me to make sure I have a strong support system, to seek out good after-care to help me adapt to all the changes, to remind myself regularly that it will get easier, and to talk to my doctor if I feel like I'm dealing with depression. There are things they can do to help, but you have to let them know what you are experiencing. So just to echo what everyone is already saying...go talk to your doctor. They can help. Good luck! ++

The jawbone UP is officially off the market. The CEO of jawbone wrote all the people who bought one a note of apology and offered a prompt full refund, even if your device was still working. (Jawbone is an awesome company, but they never should have released this product.) My husband and I bought two the first day it came out. Thousands of people had theirs not work straight out if the box. Mine lasted a bit longer than many others before failing-7 weeks. it was a cool product, but not reliable. I expect they will try to figure out what went wrong and release a second version in the future. It did not do much in the way of tracking calorie burn (no heart rate monitor, for example) but it did vibrate to remind you to get up to move and give a neat little graph of how active you were during the day. It also told you how well you slept (light sleep vs. deep sleep). It also only interfaced with iPhones (not the web or any other type of phone.). It was a neat gadget until it broke though. I did enjoy using it. Maybe the next version will be better. But for now, I plan on taking my refund check to buy the FitBit.