Cassy

Try salad greens, feta, blue cheese, or gorgonzola, a sprinkle of dried cranberries, walnuts or almond slivers, balsamic dressing. Yummy! ...and chicken breast

For anyone needing to do cash pay, I highly recommend my surgeon, Dr Kirshenbaum. He is in Denver (a 45 minute plane ride away) and he's been doing gastro medicine since 1977 and laparoscopic medicine since it started in the early 90's. His cost for everything included (pre-op, operation, surgery center, post-op check) is $9,950. His complication rate is miniscule and his aftercare is free for 3 months post-op and $15 per visit after that. Yes, that's $15. I have been doing my fills through FillCentersUsa with Dr Ricciardi here in Las Vegas and couldn't be happier (I needed fills every month to get me to the sweet spot so it was cheaper to go with a doc close by) These fills run $130 or you can do a annual package for a little cheaper. I decided to go with Dr. K because the $26-$30K cash pay price here in Vegas put the surgery out of reach for me. You can check out Dr. Kirshenbaum by running a search on this website...there are tons of threads about him and his patients. Also, www.lapbandrockies.com

Hey rockstar! I just saw your YouTube videos and I am so jealous of your 127 pounds. You are going to have to write down what you are eating for me. I am hovering around 70 in 8 months...although I haven't been working out so I guess I'm my own worst enemy. I have your stat books and we need to have a get together. Can we set something up for mid June? I see some newbies on here that are interested in joining.

Hi BioTeacher! Have you ever been testing for Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or Metabolic Syndrome? Based on what you have experienced I would say that you might be experiencing a difficulty that I have also experienced. I had a hell of a time in the beginning because the band books I was following said to go low fat and low this and that...it wasn't working and I didn't have any restriction for the first 6 months (6 fills). It wasn't until I got a new fill doctor and my 7th and 8th fill that I really started experiencing success. I knew I had PCOS but I didn't realize that if you have any kind of metabolic syndrome that the low fat approaches will not work. This new doc told me that I had to get in enough protein and fiber to kick start and fuel a metabolism that was completely headed in the wrong direction. He said one gram of protein for each half pound of body weight. So basically you can figure out how many grams of protein you need every day by divinding your weight in two. Mine was 230/2 =115 grams per day. Try it and see if it works for you. It did for me. I highly recommend the following items that will help you kick start your metabolism: 1.) Week 1 and 2 - reduce your carb intake to less than 50 grams per day eat only vegetables, meats, cheeses, and low carb shakes or bars with no sugar- gradually work your way up in protein intake by 20-30 grams per day until you are at the amount you should be taking in based on your weight calculation. Put your fork or spoon down in between bites and chew 12-15 times per bite. Don't bother bringing a drink to the table when you're eating...this prevents you filling up on liquid. Steer clear of all sugar in fruits, no yogurt, no processed foods with any sugar, honey, etc. Only splenda or stevia. Also, watch our for cured meats and items with nitrates. These will interfere with your kick start. Get some Atkins shakes, breakfast bars...these really help a lot! Russell Stover makes great low carb candy that will carry you through this so you don't freak out about not having your sweet fix. Have nuts and seeds on hand to give you fiber and energy. 2.) Go see your doctor about another fill. I had to be at 8.1 in a 10cc band before I had any restriction whatsoever. You might be having the same issue. My doc told me that if you are overweight and overeating for most of your life that you can often have stretched the top portion of your stomach as well so it takes more tightening before you get to the sweet spot. IF your current doc is unwilling, consider fillcentersusa.com - I have had great success with the doctor they recommended. He listens and only does fills...so he knows what he is talking about. They have centers all over the country and more added every month. www.fillcentersusa.com 3.) Week 3 and 4 - continue to limit yourself to less than 50 grams of carbs per day...try to go closer to 20 grams if you can...this will really kick start your metabolism and you will start losing weight if you haven't already. Do not eat anything with sugar in it. IF you mess up, get back on the horse and get on with it. You are still eating less than you were before...also if you want a freakin diet coke then have one...depriving yourself will mentally throw off your whole effort. Just don't make it a habit. 4.) After 4 weeks...see where you are. Are you losing? Do you have restriction? IF not, go visit the doc again for another fill. You can ask for one every month until you get where you need to be. Fill Centers has a policy that if they overfill you - then you can come back within 72 hours for an unfill with no charge. Some even have an underfill policy within 72 hours so you don't have to pay again if you aren't happy. After you start losing, you can experiment with adding a few more carbs to see where you stop losing weight. When it stops then back off the carbs a little and you'll find your spot where you can eat some carbs you like without ambushing your loss. This is how I'm doing it. Very little bread and fruit, lots of meat, cheese, vegetables (not so much on the carrots, corn, etc) but green veggies and salads, lots of nuts and seeds and protein shakes.) Also, there are some very high protein shakes out there called NewWhey. www.newwhey.com or at health stores. They are about 4 oz each (three swallows) and they have 40 grams of protein. I put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes and then drink it...you are more than half way done with protein for the day with these. Also, Atkins shakes and bars are very high in protein. Almonds are always good to have around. Let me know how this works for you. I'm very hopeful that you'll be able to enjoy success with your band!

I think this last fill brought me to the sweet spot. I am now at 8.3 in a 10 cc band and I have been losing steadily for a month without any exersize. (Bad...I know). I have been working at last 14 hour days and I really haven't had a few minutes to even think about it...plus it's already almost 100 degrees every day here which isn't particularly motivating for a nice sweaty walk at lunch time. I have been watching my carb intake and am making sure I'm getting my protein although I was definitely slacking in March and April on the protein. I made a new mix which is almonds, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, and a few other nuts and mixed up in a huge batch. Then split up into bags and put one every where I spend time so that I can snack on something high protein and fiber and relatively low in carbs. (keep the number of choc chips and dried fruit to about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total mix. This helps me stay away from the bad stuff. I am 9 pounds away from wonderland and I can't wait. Just cleared out another 50 pounds of clothes that don't fit me from the closet. IT's crazy! I find myself wanting to talk about my weight loss and most people just give me a crazy look. I realize that they don't care but I do!

I think this last fill brought me to the sweet spot. I am now at 8.3 in a 10 cc band and I have been losing steadily for a month without any exersize. (Bad...I know). I have been working at last 14 hour days and I really haven't had a few minutes to even think about it...plus it's already almost 100 degrees every day here which isn't particularly motivating for a nice sweaty walk at lunch time. I have been watching my carb intake and am making sure I'm getting my protein although I was definitely slacking in March and April on the protein. I made a new mix which is almonds, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, and a few other nuts and mixed up in a huge batch. Then split up into bags and put one every where I spend time so that I can snack on something high protein and fiber and relatively low in carbs. (keep the number of choc chips and dried fruit to about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total mix. This helps me stay away from the bad stuff. I am 9 pounds away from wonderland and I can't wait. Just cleared out another 50 pounds of clothes that don't fit me from the closet. IT's crazy! I find myself wanting to talk about my weight loss and most people just give me a crazy look. I realize that they don't care but I do!

I think this last fill brought me to the sweet spot. I am now at 8.3 in a 10 cc band and I have been losing steadily for a month without any exersize. (Bad...I know). I have been working at last 14 hour days and I really haven't had a few minutes to even think about it...plus it's already almost 100 degrees every day here which isn't particularly motivating for a nice sweaty walk at lunch time. I have been watching my carb intake and am making sure I'm getting my protein although I was definitely slacking in March and April on the protein. I made a new mix which is almonds, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, and a few other nuts and mixed up in a huge batch. Then split up into bags and put one every where I spend time so that I can snack on something high protein and fiber and relatively low in carbs. (keep the number of choc chips and dried fruit to about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total mix. This helps me stay away from the bad stuff. I am 9 pounds away from wonderland and I can't wait. Just cleared out another 50 pounds of clothes that don't fit me from the closet. IT's crazy! I find myself wanting to talk about my weight loss and most people just give me a crazy look. I realize that they don't care but I do!

Any of the Atkins chocolate variety very cold are great and also, there is another product at health food stores or at www.newwhey.com that is a bit thick but tastes good and comes in lots of flavors. IT is only about 3 swallows and 40 grams of Protein. Put it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes and you are done for the day...easy. IT comes in grape, fruit punch(my fave), blue raspberry (ok, I have two faves), other flavors as well. Also, for after you pass the mushy stage...another trick is to go to a store that sells bulk nuts and seeds and get the following: almonds shelled pumpkin seeds cashews mini chocolate chips dried cranberries mix in a huge batch, split out into large (quart or gallon size) bags and put one everywhere you spend time. It has around 15-20 grams of protein in a handful and it makes you feel full, gives you Fiber, and gives energy and a sense of having had something "bad". I eat it when I wake up, around 3pm when I start to get hungry, and on the way home or before bed. It only take a little and I don't have to feel bad about it. Plus it isn't another shake...those get old fast. Try it and see what combinations of dried fruit and nuts you like. Ensure that you have more almonds than anything and go light on the higher fat nuts and very little dried fruit and chocolate chips. They are only there to give you a little "sweet" fix. Enjoy!

Hi there, What can I do to help? What questions do you have? What are your surgeons pre-op instructions.... I had a very good surgery experience and I have lots of tips. Feel free to private email or reply and let me know what you're interested in knowing. It's very exciting to be a few days before surgery. Take time to think about your feelings, hopes, plans, etc. Write them down now.

Well, for those of you with PCOS wondering if you will ever get back to normal... I have a small win to report...not pregnancy but at least some semblance of normalcy. I just finished by second normal period in more than 5 years after losing 60 pounds. I am 6 months post-op. Prior to this I bled nonstop for two years (we're talking a whole box of tampons a day bleeding which I thought would never stop). I can't wait to see what happens next...

I just thought of a few more things someone told me ahead of time that really helped. Bring a pillow in the car so you can hug it...it helps you stay in one place on the ride home. Otherwise when you move it feels like you just did 400 crunches. Also, I was told by a friend who went before me on the lap band path to pick up some Clorhexidine soap from Walgreens and start using it 7 days ahead of time. Use it all over your abdomen, chest, and front of your legs to kills bad bacteria. Continue using around your bandages on a daily basis and again when your bandages come off. IT will ensure you do not get infection in the surgical sites. IT comes in a green bottle and might go by another name but when you look at the label it will say Clorhexidine or similar. IT is red liquid. You might also want some cloraseptic spray or sore throat lozenges for after surgery (from the tube in your throat). I didn't have a problem with this but I was sooooo thirsty when I woke up. It felt like I had swallowed sawdust. Slippers for walking after surgery that are easy to get on and off are a blessing and also clothes that are easy to slip on and off...you will not want to be bending or working to get dressed. All in all, it was a memorable experience but not in a bad way because I was prepared. I hope your experience is as good as mine was!

One more thing I just thought of...it really does matter who you choose for your surgery. Surgeon error can cause a higher incidence of slippage and other issues, so too can their instructions to you before and after surgery. Do as much research as you can on your surgeon before you choose. I chose mine because his complication rate was second to none and he'd been doing gastro surgery for 30 years...was a pioneer in the field of laparoscopic surgery and he has a ton of surgeries under his belt. I have had no issues at all (outside of my own not following rules.)

Based on my experience and knowing several people with different experiences when compared to mine...I think you have to know the following and be ok with knowing this for yourself. 1.) The surgery is a personal decision and if you decide you are ready to go for it because you have to make a change for your life then you are ready to do it and do it right. 2.) You must understand that while it sounds like magic, it is not. It will not be magic...waking up and all your weight is gone overnight. It takes time. The normal weight loss with no working out and barely eating right is about a quarter to a half a pound a week at best. IF you eat good but don't exersize much then you might get double that. IF you exercise and eat better at a gradually increasing rate then you will hit the one pound to two pounds a week rate. Even with all of this you are going to be working on changing your metabolism as well. The longer you've been obese - the longer it will take to change this. (IN my case it was 25 years of being over 100 pounds overweight). 3.) The longer it takes you to learn how to chew and manage the band rules - the higher your changes of causing yourself problems associated with eating too much, too fast, the wrong things, wrong combos, etc. (i.e. all the things people are complaining about...) Many are caused by user error. 4.) Your health care provider will probably seem like they are slow to fill you and they will tell you that you are doing fine. This will be infuriating because you will compare yourself to what you thought would happen or to what others experiences have been. You have to realize that just filling you up to let nothing through will cause more damage than not having a band at all because you have no re-learned eating and timing and choices yet. IT takes a great deal of time, trial and error, trying and re-trying in different situations to re-learn how to live and eat in a healthy way. 5.) When you first get your band, your mind will not be changed like your stomach...again, it takes time to reset and unlearn bad behaviors. 6.) Somewhere around the 6-8 month mark - you will start to view food differently. This is about the same time that your fills should be catching up with your brain to have the tool working to help you think about food differently (i.e. food is not a reward system or something to do when you're bored). You start to only eat because you know you need to or because you really and truly do feel hungry. 7.) Somewhere around this time you will have a bad episode with alcohol that will teach you that you no longer have tolerance for a lot of it. NEgative reinforcement of what you have already been told re-establishes the new eating pattern...just like the PB'ing that you see people talking about here. THe only time I have trouble is when I blatantly disregard the rules and then you know I remember it next time or the time after that when I have a bad episode. It's all learning. You just have to commit to it taking time and effort. What I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt is that the two years of saving money so I could pay for my surgery in cash (insurance wouldn't pay) was the best decision I made and I think it made me more dedicated to making it happen because it wasn't given to me on a silver platter. (At least for myself I think this has been a contributing factor). Best of luck on your journey!

My doctor told me to take the liquid lortab regardless of whether I was in pain or not and I did...it helps you sleep better so you can regain strength. Extra strength Gas X Strips are a must have! I bought the biggest box I could find and took it at the max dose until they were gone. THe only time I had pain from anything was when I forgot to take the gas x on time. Keep taking the strips until they are gone (several days) and you'll be fine. I only used half of the pain meds though... Liquid Tylenol also works good afte the 3rd or 4th day if you're not wanting the cloudy feeling the lortab will give you (it makes you want to sleep) I had surgery on Wednesday, slept nonstop for two days except for meds and walking and went back to work the following Monday without issues. I do recommend not trying anything more than straight liquid after surgery for at least 3 days. I tried cream of wheat and it hurt like hell. I chewed up about 5 papaya enzyme tabs and it finally went away so I'd highly recommend having some of these on hand as well (get them at GNC)

Thanks, I never know why my therapist and doctors are telling me to write things down. I think...what am I supposed to get from this...I already know I'm eating things I shouldn't and eating too much. This makes it a little more fun to tabulate how many times I'm eating for a certain reason and then I can think about it the next time I go to write it down. Cool

I am now past the 6 month mark and I'm down close to 60 pounds. (55 to be exact) I am starting to get comments from people about looking like I've lost weight and I'm down to a size 16 on bottom and a 14 on top. I tend to struggle the most with stopping when I'm starting to feel full and also not drinking calories...must remember to stay away from high calorie alcoholic beverages and to keep my Starbucks drinks to a minimal amount of calories. I tried eating more protein as my doctor suggested which prevented me from losing and stopped the hair loss...as soon as I stopped eating as much protein then I started loosing again and my hair started falling out again. It's a Catch-22... I am looking at old photos to see the difference from now to then and I do see some but not as much as I'd like to see. I really don't think I'm going to be really pleased until I get below 200...17 more pounds. My goal is to lose this by my birthday...July 28th. I am a little concerned because I'm up to 8.3 cc's in a 10 cc band and I've barely just gotten to the point of restriction. I still can and have always been able to eat more than the 1/4 cup so...I am the proof that you have to use the tool correctly because it is only a tool and not a be all end all. I also started going to a local support group so I can remind myself to stay on track and give back to other people who are just starting out. Aside from that...I'll check in next month.

I am now past the 6 month mark and I'm down close to 60 pounds. (55 to be exact) I am starting to get comments from people about looking like I've lost weight and I'm down to a size 16 on bottom and a 14 on top. I tend to struggle the most with stopping when I'm starting to feel full and also not drinking calories...must remember to stay away from high calorie alcoholic beverages and to keep my Starbucks drinks to a minimal amount of calories. I tried eating more protein as my doctor suggested which prevented me from losing and stopped the hair loss...as soon as I stopped eating as much protein then I started loosing again and my hair started falling out again. It's a Catch-22... I am looking at old photos to see the difference from now to then and I do see some but not as much as I'd like to see. I really don't think I'm going to be really pleased until I get below 200...17 more pounds. My goal is to lose this by my birthday...July 28th. I am a little concerned because I'm up to 8.3 cc's in a 10 cc band and I've barely just gotten to the point of restriction. I still can and have always been able to eat more than the 1/4 cup so...I am the proof that you have to use the tool correctly because it is only a tool and not a be all end all. I also started going to a local support group so I can remind myself to stay on track and give back to other people who are just starting out. Aside from that...I'll check in next month.

Hi Mumof2boys! I am almost 6 months out and I'm down 50 pounds. I have had 7 fills for a total of 8.2 in a 10cc band. I have restriction but not a lot so I tend to get hungry often. I am eating well (I think) but I'm hoping you wouldn't mind sharing a typical days worth of meals and Snacks with me. I need some ideas of what it should be vs. what my doctor is telling me because I think he is recommending too much Protein. He says one gram per half pound of body weight. When I follow it I don't lose, when I don't follow it...I lose but I'm wondering if I'm losing muscle mass. What do you think?

Hi all! I haven't been around in a while. I've been stuck in a plateau for almost a month and I finally figured out that my new doctor told me to eat more Protein and maybe that is causing my problem. He told me to eat one gram of protein per half pound of body weight...so I did...any my loss stopped. As soon as I stopped shoveling the protein then I started losing again. I have no idea if I should be following it or not. I guess maybe I'll go for a quarter per pound and see how that works. Other than that, I am amazed that I am solidly in a size 16 from LB and fit into a size 14 jacket yesterday. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I have to go into a skinny girl store. I'll probably freak out and have a panic attack. Whenever I go into those stores I always feel like they're looking at me and thinking why is she here? None of that will fit her. I don't see myself as smaller even though I know I am. Anyone else feeling this way? I was happy also to get into a plane seat and have 4 extra inches on the belt. I used to try to kill myself getting into the buckle because I didn't want to ask for an extender. That was a nice surprise! Aside from that...I am plugging along.

My story is almost exactly like yours except I've had doctors tell me to take Glucophage/Metformin, spironolactone, BC, etc. None of it worked! I was bleeding for two years straight from 2006 til my surgery. Once I hit the 40 lbs lost mark (December 2008) the bleeding finally stopped. Normal periods haven't started again yet but I do notice that I get spot bleeding every other week or so which I think is the cysts dissolving from my ovaries. It's kind of exciting! The hair has not slowed at all but I read from other PCOS gals that it won't for some time if at all. I have it everywhere as well and dark brown....awful! I did learn recently though that there is a home laser that just came out that is the exact same laser that is used in the dermatologist office and it is made for dark hair with lighter skin tones. It is $1,000 (just saw that they reduced the price by $200 so now it is only $800)but easy to do if you can find 3 other friends who want to split the cost and everyone gets one week a month to laser as much as they can. In 3-6 months you will be hair free. I just found me three other ladies and we are ordering toward the middle of this month. They say you can't use it on your face but I think that is a safety thing because they don't want to be liable for someone shooting it in someone's eyes...if you get the goggles, I don't see why you couldn't use it there too. Otherwise, you could go to the Derm for your face and use the home laser for everything else. It is www.triabeauty.com In the meantime...I'm wondering how long it will take to get my periods back and how long until I could get pregnant...I am down 55 lbs in 6 months at the end of April so I'm hopeful that it could be soon. Keep me posted.

Hi there, Just curious...what did you or your doc notice that made you suspect that you had a leak in your band? I am wondering if that might be my problem as well.

Hi there - first of all I am amazed! Can I ask what your exersize routine has been and how much you have in your band. I've been losing steadily and exersizing but not anywhere near the success that you are seeing. I"m guessing I need a better plan. Any help is greatly appreciated!

I do have some fairly new clothes that I'm willing to send to someone for $8 per piece with a minimum of 3 pieces. The only reason is because they are fairly new and Lane Bryant so I'd like to recoup some of the cost for them. I also have a 22/24 long evening gown in case anyone has occasion for it...It's been worn once. I also have a blue suit that is 18/20 from Nordstrom that has been worn to one job interview. When I get back from vacation, I will post some photos of what I have and you can let me know if there is anything of interest. Also, have some relatively new jeans.