missmudd

Banded Aug 2012 (10 months) and down only 17 pounds with another 42 to go. Thought I would be farther along than that! A little upset but not totally discouraged.

Yoga is awesome!!! It makes my band feel tight for the rest of the day every time I do it! Congrats!

You lost 28 already??? Wow. That's great. I am out of surgery 10 months and not down even that far. I have trouble comparing my loss too. Laurel

Who knew!! I downloaded a couple Yoga apps to my phone and have been doing them sporatically over the last few months. But in the last 2 weeks I have completed 8 Yoga sessions and have noticed a crazy side effect... My band feels tight! Tight like it is a week after a fill. Feeling full is a sensation that is over powering now kind of like when I was first banded. Of course, it could be that my abdominals are getting tighter around the band and that is causing the sensation. I have also been told that Yoga raises awareness to your body signals. Maybe I am being a better listener? Either way, I am happy for the side effect as it is helping me use my tool better. Thought I'd share. Have a great Friday!!! Laurel

Oh I so needed to see this!!! You're not alone on the slow weight loss part. I started at 194 and am 9 months out, only 16 pounds down. I have another 38 to go. So that is only a 1.78 pound loss per month! Progress, right? I don't have the same tightness issue as you. I learned a trick, well not a trick really, that helped me to stick to the 1 cup portion size at every meal. I dished up in a measuring cup, spred it out on the plate, divided to 4 equal sizes, worked on one quarter of the plate every 5 minutes. So really small bites, lots of chewing. I watch the clock when I eat like this and am full, truly full, at the 17 minute mark. Then I quit and dump the rest. See if that works for you. Also, don't eat Breakfast first thing in the day if you aren't hungry. I made that mistake and got stuck everytime. Try eating at 9:30 in the morning and see if you have better results. Watch those calories BTW, I researched true weight loss percentages by the FDA studies done on gastric banding. The average is 2 years to lose 60-70% of the excess weight. Could be why the rate of loss seems so minimal to us lighter folks.

Fiiinally got to the green zone where I am *satisfied* for 3-4 hours. Woot!!! So I was cruizin the forums reading others' posts and found a link to Dr Simpson on Restriction and found his information very VERY useful. He says, "food that I spread out over 20 minutes. (Methodical, no? LOL) So while i'm trying my hardest to work with this tool, I'm wondering if stopping at this so-called soft stop would make it work better. Curious if others have a Soft Stop too? and what is yours? Laurel

I have that problem too Shellee!!! But last night I noticed the hiccup thing and gave the rest of my measuring cup to the dogs LOL And I didn't end up hungry after about 3 hours so it must be my body giving me the 'it's okay to stop now' sign. I'm so glad I asked this question!

That is awesome!! I too have a large band and just now, today, have 7cc in it and hope this will get me to the green zone. Since they filled it that way during your surgery, I'm sure they checked the fit and thought it safe Good luck to you!!! Laurel

Soooo frustrating! Seriously, not a single pound. Not strict on counting calories. I manage to do that about 3 days a week. The problem is that I don't feel full or satisfied... I have 7cc in my 11cc JJ band. When is it that restriction will kick in??? I can feel it after about 1.5 cups of food but it's gone from the pouch not long after my meal and i'm hungry again. Maybe I need another fill already? Changes i've made: avoiding soft foods and dips in general, there are too many calories. Skipping Breakfast at 6 or 7 am because i'm just not hungry, so why eat. I eat at 9 or 10 instead and it's a Protein. dinner is half a plate of meat, carb, and veggie, and half the plate is vegetable so I keep it all in proportion to that. Now that i write this maybe it's what i'm drinking that is getting in extra calories. Ugh, what a process. But I do wonder if I need another fill if I can eat nearly 1.5 cups of food in one sitting? Or am I going to wake up one miraculous day and I get restriction? I'm struggling with the learning curve... Laurel

Soooo, since I made this post nearly 2 weeks ago, I am down nearly 6 pounds!!! Changes made are eating MORE at a meal and feeling FULL. Yay!! Turns out I was eating about 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time and then snacking all the time. The snacking was what would equal out to about 1.5 cups of food for a meal. No wonder I never felt full or lost any weight. Thanks for the tips. I needed a portion check and now have a measuring cup in my bag LOL. Counting calories happens 5-6 days a week now instead of 2 or 3. What a change! Thanks for the help. ~Laurel

G2K on the measuring cups! My definition of restriction is I feel satisfied, not hungry, and i'm not hungry for several hours. But this is not what is happening, i'm not in the green zone.

I'll toss a measuring cup in my bag then. I really don't want to cause problems for myself later on. And yeah, I'll have to quit with the drinks with calories. I was a diet soda drinker, hard core, and can't have the carbonation now.... This has been a struggle. I also don't drink fruit juices. BUT i did find that sweet tea really quenched the thirst this summer. I'll switch that to the non-sweetened version because I do like the tea. Just can't stand water. Crystal light is okay - I'll get more of that

Do you keep a measuring cup in your bag? A lot of the eating is done away from the house.

I had 4 ccs and no restriction. Just got back from my 2nd and now I have 7 cc in my band. But I had also gained 3 pounds after my first fill. However, I had no restriction whatsoever. I could eat a whole plate of food at meal time over 20 min and feel satisfied. My doc said i'm only supposed to be able to eat 1/3 plate of food over 20 min and feel stuffed.

G2K I go in for my first fill in a couple of hours.

19 days post op and the soup and liquid yogurt and protein shakes do not satisfy me! I'm glad I get to have real food on Friday. I'll have to watch my portions for sure. But is this what is called Bandster Hell???

HA! I was just like that, full on about 1/8 cup of broth, and then my stomach became less swollen.

i'd DIE for a scrambled egg and peaches! protein shakes make a difference for me since the carbs always make me hungry. but the liquid diet is mostly carbs!!! this process is making me crazy. hope the shake works better for you tomorrow.

It's torture! My doctor must hate me I'll have to try that yogurt. I've been watching the John Stamos commercials and drooling... Not sure if it's the yogurt or John Stamos...

Mine were stuck on good for about 10 days, which is also how long the dissolving stitches last. I think you're okay.

I had BS of ID and was denied because I had no official diagnosis of Diabetes even though I had gestational diabetes twice with both pregnancies and high cholesterol. They required certain 'comorbidities', not just the ones listed on the FDA website, in addition to BMI 35+. And I was also denied because I had not fulfilled 2 yrs of doctor-supervised weight loss with proven weight loss. I was just tired of trying to jump through the hoops to have it covered. I even work for them! Anyway, i'll be able to claim the expense on taxes as non-covered medical since I meet the FDA criteria. I'd suggest filing your 'appeal' with supporting documentation (submitted by your surgeon/pcp) and go from there. Have the doc write a letter also. This is taken straight from the BCBS of IL website for providers regarding medical policies in place for certain procedures that require preauth. This is for bariatric surgery. http://medicalpolicy.hcsc.net/medicalpolicy/home?ctype=POLICY&cat=Surgery&path=/templatedata/medpolicies/POLICY/data/SURGERY/SUR716.003_2012-02-01#hlink NOTE: Check member’s contract for benefit coverage for bariatric surgery. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA FOR COVERAGE For a member to be considered eligible for benefit coverage of bariatric surgery to treat morbid obesity, the member must meet the following two criteria: 1. Diagnosis of morbid obesity, defined as a: Body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 40 kg/meter² (* see guidelines below for BMI calculation); OR BMI equal to or greater than 35kg/meters² with at least two (2) of the following comorbid conditions related to obesity that have not responded to maximum medical management and that are generally expected to be reversed or improved by bariatric treatment: Hypertension, OR Dyslipidemia, OR Diabetes mellitus, OR Coronary heart disease, OR sleep apnea, OR Osteoarthritis; AND 2. Documentation from the requesting surgical program that: Growth is completed (generally, growth is considered completed by 18 years of age); AND Documentation from the surgeon attesting that the patient has been educated in and understands the post-operative regimen, which should include ALL of the following components: Nutrition program, which may include a very low calorie diet or a recognized commercial diet-based weight loss program; AND Behavior modification or behavioral health interventions; AND Counseling and instruction on exercise and increased physical activity; AND Ongoing support for lifestyle changes to make and maintain appropriate choices that will reduce health risk factors and improve overall health; AND Patient has completed an evaluation by a licensed professional counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist within the 12 months preceding the request for surgery. This evaluation should document: The absence of significant psychopathology that would hinder the ability of an individual to understand the procedure and comply with medical/surgical recommendations, AND The absence of any psychological comorbidity that could contribute to weight mismanagement or a diagnosed eating disorder, AND The patient’s willingness to comply with preoperative and postoperative treatment plans. COVERAGE STATEMENTS FOR SPECIFIC BARIATRIC SURGICAL PROCEDURES (Gastric Restrictive and Gastric Malabsorptive) NOTE: For a member to be eligible for benefit coverage of any one of these procedures the member must meet the Patient Selection Criteria described above AND the member’s contract or certificate of coverage must allow coverage of bariatric surgery. Adjustable gastric banding (open or laparoscopic), consisting of an external adjustable band placed high around the stomach creating a small pouch and a small stoma, may be considered medically necessary as a surgical treatment option for patients with morbid obesity who meet the eligibility criteria for surgery, including lack of response to the required conservative measures. NOTE: If the original adjustable gastric banding procedure was a covered benefit, it is not necessary to request documentation for refill and maintenance procedures.

I was allowed to schedule my surgery as soon as I paid the deposit.

Thank you, Bon Bon and Mis73!

Hi! I'm Laurel, 28 from Idaho, and am coming here from the OCC forum. I'm a recent bander and am 2 weeks post op today. happy to find such an active Forum!

I would have asked for Pepcid and Gas-X sooner!!! Pick up both of those at the store Buy a BUNCH of G2 Gatorade. Put an extra pillow on the bed in case you have middle of the night heartburn and need your head raised to help keep it down. Research ways to season your postop broth if you have to drink it. Good luck!!