finallythin@34

I'm considering lapband and GBY in Utah and I'd like to hear from people who have had the surgery done by a Utah doc. I'd like to be able to ask questions to help me choose the right one. Thank so much!

Dr. Mckinley was great! Consider having him do it. I wouldn't change anything for the world. Good luck. I have 2 boys 10 and 8

50 lbs is nothing to sneeze at in one year. When did you have your last fill? How much Fluid do you have in your band? Getting a fill will help you tremendously to jump start you weight loss. It sounds though that you have a lot on your plate. I'm not sure how much weight you want or need to lose but perhaps right now you should just focus on getting a fill and just maintaining. You have enough stress and stressful things that are more important at the time then your weightloss. My weightloss has slowed down to an almost halt. However, when I look back at my life I am satisfied with my weightloss to date because it is just that a loss! I'm not gaining uncontrollably for the first time in my life and that makes me feel fulfilled. When your life slows down you can start to lose again. Start back by concentrating and focusing on eating meats and veg's and avoiding carbs. You can also work into your busy life some walking or exercise that will help boost your weight loss. Hang in there your going to make it! Lori

I am now 35 and have two kids 10 and 8. I've been without birth control for 8 years and no luck. 2 years ago I went through a year of infertility medications trying to conceive. At that time I weight 275 way too heavy for my 5'5 frame to carry. Even with all the fertility drugs my doctor told me I really needed to lose weight and a lot of it. After one year of trying the infertility drugs I gave up and gained 15 more lbs. Then I chose to change my life. I quit drinking diet coke (which was at least 90 oz or more a day) and chose to have lapband surgery. I paid out of pocket the 15,000 it cost for the surgery. It was the best money I ever spent on myself. Now just over one year later I am down nearly 75 lbs and I love myself again. My periods became more regular - no I'm not pregant yet, but perhaps I will be soon. I've nearly given up the dream to have more children, but it just could happen. I've never heard you have to wait 2 years. With the band I've hear 1 year to heal, with Gastric Bypass I've heard 2 years. Trust me, after 8 years of infertility 1 - 2 years is nothing to wait. You have to make the decision that is right for you about whether or not you can afford it. I'm not sure how old you are but if your younger than me you should have plenty of time to start a family. I think the problem most of us have in this life is we want instant gratification when the only real solutions take time, sometimes lot's of it. Lori

I'd be glad to offer you advice or answer any questions you might have. Lori

I was banded 6/11/07 and it was the best thing I've ever done for myself. I'm from Cache Valley but you can contact me anytime! Lori

That is a beautiful temple! My husband served his mission in Snowflake Az. We haven't visited there but have visited Eagar and Springerville. It is very beautiful there as well!

I just wonder if your wife might reconsider. I was a HUGE drinker at meals. I'd go out to eat and drink 4 sodas and still eat every bite of my meal. I thought that would be so tough...now I don't EVEN think about it...or miss it. Keep encouraging her to consider the band. It has changed my life and 65 lbs down after 7 months I feel wonderful. :wink2:

I was banded 6/11/07 and I'm down 60 lbs today. I'm really stepping it up and setting a heafty goal for 10 lbs a month until my band-a-versary! I want to be at 175 by 6/11/08. I haven't weighed that much since in 20 years! I'm glad to see there are other members on this board. This is the best thing I've ever done for myself and it's great to share it with others who believe the way I do.

Name ..... start wgt .... current wgt ...goal .... To go Dakota1984 ..... 246 ....... 242 ....... 234 ..... 8 MJSafari ....... 237 ....... 234 ....... 227 ..... 7 Wombat712 ...... 162 ....... 161.4...... 150 ..... 11.4 SueMagoo ....... 243 ....... 243 ....... 230 ..... 13 Missrhondalynn.. 255 ....... 255 ....... 235 ..... 20 MM ............. 211 ....... 211 ....... 199 ..... 12 BeckieT ........ 248.8 ..... 248.8 ..... 240 ..... 8.8 Suzzzie. ....... 312.1 ..... 312.1 ..... 299 ..... 13.1 HUNTERSMOM...... 170 ....... 170 ....... 165 ..... 5 LULUC .......... 182 ....... 182 ....... 170 ..... 12 SWEETY ......... 188 ....... 188 ....... 180 ..... 8 Joeygirl........ 226 ....... 226 ....... 220 ..... 6 FarmerE......... 182 ....... 182 ....... 172 ..... 10 Finallythin..... 235 ....... 235 ....... 220 ..... 15 I really want to be 199 by my 35th birthday the end of January. I haven't weighed under 200 in 13 years!!! I'm really going to have to crack down this month and next in order to get there by Jan. 30th! Best of luck everyone!!!

I know many people on this board have gone to Mexico. I was a self pay at 15,000 and it was worth every penny. I don't know if I'd go to Mexico but it is always an option. I've been banded for a little over 5 months and I've lost 53 lbs and the band saved my life. The band is not a cure all. It is a tool you have to use to change your eating habits. You can eat around your band if you want to. You just have to change your mind frame about food. Some days I do struggle but for the most part I love it and would not change a thing.

My weighloss have come to a drastic halt since my last fill. I have no idea why!? I'm eating relatively the same way and exercising the same way. I've only lost 2 lbs since my last fill and I typically lose at least 10 lbs a month! I go back for my next fill on 11/15 and I really wanted to be down to 227 but I'll be lucky to be down to 237! I really could use some ideas on how to jump start my weightloss again. My hubby thinks the doc didn't give me a fill but let some out just to fool me. On Sunday I felt like I could eat the house out of food and I haven't felt that way since before I was banded! Any ideas???

I hadn't really thought about water. I try and drink, drink, but I'm sure I can cram more in. I have trouble eating breakfast. I have never ever been a real breakfast eater and I did pretty well the first 2 months after the band at eating breakfast. Perhaps I need a protein boost in the morning along with more water- I'll try that. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

How long have you had your band? I've had mine since 6/11/07 and I've lost 50 lbs. Thanks!

Are you following the 2-4oz a meal rule? Are you eating slowly chewing every bite to mush? If you aren't doing these 2 things you will have pain, I know I do. I've had 3 fills and they are painless- the first 2 weeks for me after a fill I can't eat really anything but after that I'm back to 2-4 oz. I had major pain when I ate bread or fried foods. I cut those out and things are much better. Best of luck

I watched the 1st episode the week before I had my lapband surgery. I was very uncertain if the band was the right way for me to go. I weighed in at 290 at my pre-op visit so I had a significant amount of weight to lose. I had my surgery 108 days ago and I've lost 46 lbs. I have a 10 cm band and it holds 4cc's of Fluid. I had my 3rd fill one week ago and I'm at a 2.5cc's. I can only eat about 1/4 - 1/2 of food at a meal. Since last thursday I have lost 7 lbs. I feel really good and this is the best I've felt after a fill. I hope I'm in my sweet spot. I wanted to give you some background on myself- to show you that every experience is different. I'm curious as to why you don't know if you got a fill or not. Trust me, I'm so into losing weight that I ask for a fill every time I go in (once a month) I know exactly how much they remove and how much they put in. Perhaps you need to be *more* proactive with you fill/weightloss. I thought the weight was going to just drop off but I've learned that of course it is NOT that easy! I have to every day focus on what I'm eating, how much I'm eating, how much exercise etc. If I were you I'd be knocking on my dr's door and making that band work for me!

I try and set a goal to reach before my monthly fill apts. I love this idea! Name....Challenge start wgt....current wgt.....chall. goal.....To go. Huntersmom... 174...................174................159...... .....15 SWEETY.........202...................202.......... .....180............22 MJsafari..........268...................268....... ........238............30 captdanbo.......211....................211........ . ....185............26 PaulaD............216....................216...... ........199............17 Stefanie42467..206...................206.......... .....175............31 Suzzzie. .........346....................346......... .....315............31 glindab............277....................277...............250............27 MM.................242....................242...............227............15 finallythin.........254....................254...............225............29

Ok, I'm finally ready. I'm determined I'm going to get off my butt and exercise this month. I believe they say if you do something for 21 days straight it becomes a habit. I sure hope they are right!! I am going to commit to 600 minutes of exercise in September. This will be a huge challenge for me because my life is so hectic I will need to re-arrange and re-program my life and brain to include 20-30 minutes of exercise a day. I sure hope this will help boost by weight loss. I'm at a plateau and feeling deprived and sad that my weight has not dropped below 250 yet. My goal was to get to 240 by 9/20 but I do not see that as feasible at this time. Today I'm at 254....Anyway... is anyone interested in the exercise challenge? Your moral support and butting kicking is appreciated!

I had my second fill a week ago today. I went from 1.2 cc's to 2 cc's in a 10cc band. On Sat I had my 1st solid food and after 4 bits something was stuck. It took me till Sun night to realize nothing was getting stuck when I ate it was just that 4 or 5 bites is now all that I can eat! I finally know what full and restriction feels like. I've lost 5 lbs since Thursday. I'm hoping for 15 more before my next fill. Wish me luck!

I believe the amount of the fill totally depends upon whether or not you can swallow water after they put the fill in. I went for my 1st fill and they put in 1cc and I was fine they tried 2 cc's and I couldn't swallow water. If you can't swallow water you won't be able to swallow food. Who did you surgery? My 1st year of fills is included with my surgery. I'm from Utah... I don't think the dr's care how much you have for your fill..if your body will take more they give you more. I've always heard the last thing you want is to be overfilled...in pain... and have to return to have some taken out. Best of luck!

It is difficult to judge exactly how you will feel at 3 weeks post op. I'm now 8 weeks post op and feel great. My DH and I took our kids to Disneyland when I was 6 weeks post op and I felt great. However, the biggest problem I had was meals. I found it extremely difficult to eat in the park. Just about everything came with bread, a bun, etc. If you can live on a salad you will probably be ok because most places do have salads. (I just can't do a salad every meal!) I tried the first day to eat scrambled eggs in a crosaint (sp) and I got one bit in and it got stuck. So I bagged that and went for fruit and yogurt. Perhaps you can take things in with you that are easy to eat, yogurt, pudding, jello's etc. You'll probably be fine to ride the rides (consult your dr before you go) but meals could be quite a challenge. Good luck!

I've been reading posts all over this website and others and I've come to the conclusion that I'm a failure. I have only lost 15 lbs since I was banded. I lost 5 lbs with my pre-op diet I've gotten to the point that I'm not really measuring my food and I know that is a big no no. I'm not eating nearly the amount I was before surgery but the big thing is our lifestyle.. we eat out at least 1 meal a day. I do not drink any calories as recommended by my doctor..I have absolutely no restriction but I do get my 1st fill tomorrow and I hope it will give some restriction. I try to only eat 3 meals a day and I walk 2 miles every other day but still no real weight loss. My question is... have I blown it already? If I start over tomorrow after my fill will I get back on track? Maybe I should have had the GNY. I feel lost...:think

When I did my pre-op diet I too struggled with being hungry so I chose to have a slim-fast at 8, 12, 4, 8. on day 1, 3, 5, etc. Then on the other days I'd have a slim-fast at 8, 12, 4, and a salad after 6 or so. If I did not have 4 slim fasts then I'd die of hungar. For some reason the 4 meals helped me feel more full and drink as much Water or crystal light as you possibly can- this will also help with the hungar. I'm not an expert but if you can break the snacking/munching habbit now- it will make it much easier after the band. I'm 8 weeks post op and I eat four smaller meals a day and it seems to do much better for me.

It is so nice to see that we all at one time or another feel the same way. I've set mini-goals for myself and so far I'm on track to hit my second goal. I know they are pretty ambitious- 15lbs per month between fills but so far so good. I get my second fill on 8/16 and I'm so looking forward to it. Right now I feel so hungry between meals I want to eat everything around. I'm praying I'm getting closer to my optimal fill so I wont feel HUNGRY!!!! Thanks everyone- let's all keep losing because we are all winners!

I got my 1st fill last Thursday and began regular foods on Saturday. Since then I've PB'd twice and nearly every meal I've eaten I feel like something is getting stuck. Is this normal? Am I eating the wrong foods? I chew and chew but still things feel like they are getting stuck. Is this the feeling of restriction? Or is restriction the feeling of being full. I still don't really know when I'm full. I don't want to make my band slip- do I need to avoid PB'ing as much as possible or do I need to get my band unfilled a bit? Thanks for the info-- i'm still really new at this stuff!