labwalker

Can you join a gym and do upper body workouts? Planet Fitness is only 10 bucks a month, and they often run specials that offer cheaper yearly rates. I pulled a tendon in my heel, and I've been off the treadmill for the past month. My weight loss is at a standstill. If you can do upper body exercises they may help.

To be honest, after knowing what I know now II would have gone with the sleeve. My doctor pushed me towards the lapband. But, I still wonder, I'm now 65... what if the lapband needs to be removed in 20 years? Do I really want to undergo surgery at age 85 to have a band removed? The doctor told me surgery was risky at my age... will it be less so 20 years down the road? Plus, the band needs almost constant attention for at least a year or two after surgery. Fills, unfills, follow up barium upper GIs, etc. A fill in my doctor's is 400 bucks. That is not small change. He is a good doctor, but if I was self pay without insurance I'd be screwed. My wife had the sleeve, after I had the band. I am far more impressed with the results for the sleeve versus the band. Don't get me wrong, I have the band, and I intend to make it work for me. But, the person asking this question has to determine what works best for her/him and go from there. LW

He is rude and mean. Your PCP should be supporting you, and helping you to reach your goals. Making mean and negative comments is only counterproductive. I hope you can switch to a doctor who is more sensitive and caring for his patient's mental and physical needs. I feel bad that you were exposed to such treatment.

Wow, sorry to hear about your problems, but glad to see you are healing and doing better.

Terrible news!!! So sorry to hear about your band. I hope everything turns out well.

Wow, sounds a bit tight to me too. Have you tracked calories and protein intake? I'd make notes and log your food intake for a week and take them to your surgeon to prove what is going on.

I have to disagree. A person with a very high BMI may lose tons of weight when their BMI is in the high 40s or into the 50s. But, the same amount of calorie restriction may not have effect once they've shed a hundred or so pounds. As body weight drops, the number of calories required to maintain that weight also drops. I hear alarm bells when folks start asking about Doesn't the FDA guidelines for lapband surgery start at a BMi of 40?? Or 35, if co-morbidity is present? When we go out for lunch it is usually with several other people who have had WLS, so being a social gladfly is not an issue for us. My wife had the vertical sleeve and many of our friends have also had the lapband, as I did. As an aside, I am very impressed with the weight loss my wife was able to achieve with the vertical sleeve. It really controls her appetite. Before that she lost over a hundred pounds by dieting.

I log my food intake. I was told to eat proteins first at each meal, and then if I had room I could add some veggies or fruits. You might try keeping a food log for a week to get some idea of how many calories you are eating, and if you are meeting the minimal amount of protein intake that your doctor advises.

Don't second guess, liver disease is serious. You need to know exactly what the biopsy revealed. Fatty liver disease can be controlled by diet and losing weight. But if there is more than that involved, you really need to know asap.

The only time I'll eat rice is when I buy the stuffed pepper lunch special at our local restaurant. I take them home, and split them into several meals (one cup portions) and freeze them. I love stuffed peppers, so having them on is a treat.

You may still be a bit out of the green zone. It took four fills before the feeling of being satiated started to turn into "Gee, I really don't wanna take anudder bite."

I have severe sleep apnea, and the anesthesiologist were both well aware of my condition. Anyone who goes into elective surgery knowing risks involved should be a bit scared. It wouldn't be normal not to be a bit apprehensive!! But, once you wake up in the recovery room you will realize that the worst is behind you, and a new beginning awaits....

I'd suspect anyone who had a low BMI to begin with will have a hard time losing weight without putting some serious effort into it. And, obsessing about what you can eat and get away with, to me at least, is a clear signal that you may be setting yourself up for failure. Let the band do its job. Once you're in the green zone you won't be worrying about what you can eat. It should be a matter of eating healthy and getting the proper nutrients--not about having wine or cake. Yes, you can cheat a bit in moderation... a glass of wine or a bite of cake isn't the end of the world, but it should be a rare treat for very special occasions. But, 99% of the time concentrate on what the dietitian recommended for meal plans.

Everyone is different. I can tolerate both. I can tell you that after my fourth fill, I have to be very careful to eat salads slowly, and to chew thoroughly. It is a learning curve that we all go through.

Banded in December of 2012... I had my first fill in March 2013, and this week I had my fourth fill. What a difference! I'm not sure if my system needs to adjust a bit, but for the first time I am having problems with some foods. Salads cause discomfort... and I only need to eat about 1/2 of the amount of food I was eating previously to feel stuffed. I may have to go to four meals a day just to keep up my Protein and a minimum amount of calories. Hopefully this will get me off the plateau I've been stuck at for the past month. I can really feel the band working. What a different feeling.

I couldn't sleep on my side for a good month or so!!!! Doing so would bother the incisions. I ended up on my back most nights.

25 pounds is a good start. I've read many posts where folks have gained instead of losing. Look on the bright side, and get back on track.

It sounds like their bands may have more of a restriction due to the fills.

Just curious... I've been as high as 365, and the band is finally kicking in and working. My weight is coming off--down to 333 now. I've been as low as 290 in the past just by dieting and exercise, but I am hoping the band will allow me to keep the weight off that I am now losing. My goal is to get to 250 or 240. Have any of the guys on here had problems with sagging skin after losing a similar amount? And, how did you deal with it??

If you are losing weight, and your hunger is under control, I'd hold off on any further fills. It sounds like you are in the green zone. I've had three fills, but in the past month my hunger has increased, and as a result my weight is holding steady. I'll scheduled for a checkup this week, and I will request a fill when I see the APRN this time around.

Look at it this way: You lost TEN pounds in under three weeks. Is it really realistic to see a ten pound loss in a week, and then expect more losses in the next several days? Give it time. You will see periods where the weight goes up and down, but over the longer run there should be a downward trend.

Do try and take in enough liquids... in the short term you can do without food, but you must keep your body hydrated!

My doctor had a problem placing my band, and time under anesthesia was longer than expected... that set off a chain of events where the insurance was billed for extended operating room time, and I had to argue to get the extra time approved. They may cover the hernia repair, but they also probably also base payment on a fixed amount of time in the OR. This is something you have to be careful about, and research carefully. So sorry to hear that you were denied!!!! That seems so unfair.

Does your doctor's office do fills using a fluoroscope? It took three fills (almost three month's past surgery) before I started losing weight and feeling restriction. I also notice that my band is becoming less effective now that I have lost 50 pounds--I suspect I need another fill to get back on the wagon. Right now I am holding steady.

I gained post op, until my third fill. Everyone is different. I lost a bit of weight, but I notice that the weight loss stopped, so I am going back for another fill next week.