Sue Magoo

Hi: I'm Sue. I was banded 7/26/07. I started dieting 4/23/07 and as of this morning have lost 105 pounds! I've been walking my ass off, literally! I'm averaging about 2.5 pounds per week. I had some slow-down, so I kicked up the exercise and it's working. I started at 324, so I'm bigger than most that are getting banded. I'm shooting for size 12 or 14, can't wait to get there. Hopefully this summer. Sue

Yippee - scale was 219.4 this morning. Nice to be out of the two-twenties. Almost on the onederland watch. Thanks everyone for the challenge and support. Name............starting#......current#.......goal#.....to go Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............226..........220.......6 TxArcher...........360............346..........345.......1 Candle.............218............209..........207.......2 Cerrin.............350............350..........325.......25 chickatee..........188............179..........175.......4 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............264..........261.......3 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............171..........166.......5 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............194..........189.......5 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........228..........220.......8 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............175..........175.......0 Mandyjo............191............179..........180.......-1 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............237..........238.......-1 Rainer.............264............252..........248.......4 Redtulips3.........248............231..........226.......5 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............187..........180.......7 Stacy73............230............223..........222.......1 SueMagoo...........230............219..........220......-1 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............209..........205.......4 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........147.8........140.......7.8 __________________

cheri52: You are right. I increased my exercise by a half an hour per day with the new total walking of 2 hours per day 6 days per week. It seems to be helping because I've lost 8 pounds since 1/16 which was my last visit to the doctor. I was getting into a rut and losing and gaining back the same 3 pounds for weeks so I decided another half hour of exercise would help and it has. I'm fortunate that I can do most of my exercise walking around the building at work. I take two 15 to 20 minute breaks during work to walk, plus 50 minutes straight during lunch. So, it's just part of my routine now and I walk no matter what the weather is. Then, I add 40 to 50 minutes at night to make sure I have 2 hours. I'm going to have to start some strengthening exercises soon - yuck! I don't have any young kids, and my house is empty all week while my 20 year old is away at college. So, I have alot of "me" time which allows me to focus on my exercise goals. Take care. Sue

Countrygirljtl/Janet: It can and does work. You just need to get to the right fill level. Night time is the hardest for me too. Load up on sugar free Snacks if you can. Sometimes I have four sugarfree popsicles at night when I can't stop that head hunger. I sometimes crush ice in the blender and add crystal light and eat it with a spoon. It's kind of like a sugar free snow cone. Talk with your doctor if this fill doesn't get you to the restriction level that you need. He should be able to give you a fill after a week if it doesn't. You don't want to wait longer between fills if you're not restricted and not losing. If you are losing, then you should be okay. I've been walking my ass off, and it's working! Good luck with getting restriction. Sue

Congratulations! Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and quick recovery. Here's to a thinner you. Sue

cheri52: Thanks for the compliment. A typical day for me is as follows: coffee w/FF cream 7:30 to 9:30 Instant oatmeal 10:30 Hard boiled egg or half Protein bar around 12:30 sometimes fruit too if I can fit it in Fruit or 100 calorie popcorn at 4:00'ish Half a porkchop, or chicken, (something w/protein) and frozen veggies around 6:30 SF Popsicles, rice cakes, low calorie for snack while watching tv Exercise - 15 to 20 minutes walking 9:15 am 50 minutes walking at noon 15 to 20 minutes walking at 3:00 30 to 50 minutes walking at 7:30 So far this is working for me. I recently added 1/2 hour to my exercise because I was plateauing. Between kicking up the exercise and my last fill I'm good for now. I have one of those bands that holds 4cc's. I'm at 1.5 cc's now and it feels pretty good. Occasionally I pb and/or slime if I eat too fast, or don't chew enough. Best wishes to you for your future weight loss success. Sue

Paula: Congratulations! I am so envious, but I hope to be there too soon. Well done - 18 months! Sue

Trystelle: I feel badly about this problem you're having, but on the bright side I've heard that when this happens sometimes insurance will cover the tummy tuck. I was joking with my Sister the other day that I hope that I get a recurring rash there, and if not, get me some brillo pads! Actually though, you might want to start seeing a plastic surgeon now so that you can see what the possibilities are. In addition, it will be good to have medical records supporting this problem you're having if there's a possibility to get your tummy tuck covered. Hope you have some relief soon. Take care. Sue

Kimberly: I am one of the Glasgow's patients too. I think they are fabulous over there. Maybe I've seen you at the support group? I've been going every month since September 2007. I wish I had been banded back when I was 30 instead of when I was 47. I had the biggest appetite and I got through the ten day liquid diet. I dieted starting in April 07 (kind of a modified weight watchers plan) and lost 38 pounds before I got banded on 7/26/07. Since then I've lost 65 more pounds and feel like a new person. I started at 324 and I'm down to 221. I'm 5' 7", and I'd like to be a size 12. Right now I'm in 18's. I was so ready to get banded. I did the ten day liquid pre-op without a problem. It bothered me a bit the first few days, but then it just became a habit. Drink, drink, drink, and then drink some more, and oh I was eating sugarfree popsicles so often I was going through a box every two days! I never cheated on the pre-op diet because I have a daughter who depends on me and I didn't want any extra risk going into the surgery. The lower risk was the reason why I chose lapband. I think that it's all a mind game. If you need to discuss it, send me a private message here and I'll be glad to send you my phone number. Best wishes to you for a quick ten-day liquid diet, and a very successful surgery. I hope to see you at the March support group meeting. Take care. Sue

My medical team was great. Drs. Adam and Arthur Glasgow in Norwood, MA. They do surgeries at Caritas Norwood Hospital. They are both caring, experienced surgeons. They're a Father and Son team. Their office staff is fabulous and they deal well with the insurance companies. They have monthly support groups in their office too. They definitely are a great part of my success so far. Check out their website glasgowandglasgow.com. Take care. Sue

Filole 78: I'm hoping that someone in the know responds to your question. I'm looking to see what might help too. Although I'm pretty sure that plastic surgery will be my only solution because I'm planning to lose 164 pounds total. I'm proud of losing 103 pounds, but I'm also mad at myself for letting things get so out of hand! Your weight loss is fabulous in such a short period of time. Congratulations. Sue

Cowgrrl: I buy my clothes at thrift shops. I've gone from 26/28 now to 18, and XL for tops. Last week I got two bags of clothes for only $30. The pants were only $2.99, and some of the tops were $1.99. I have some stuff in my hope chest that is down to a size 14. I think that should get me through the summer. I don't skimp on bras, panties, socks, or sneakers. I am walking alot, so the footwear is very important. I love my cushiony socks. They cost about $5 per pair, but they're so comfortable. I usually wear a thin, tight pair of socks, with my cushiony socks over them. I used to have alot of foot pain - who wouldn't at 324 pounds! My piggies are very happy at 221. We just got a brand new salvation army store last year. I go there a couple of times a month and look to see what bargains are there. End of season clearance sale shopping is great too. Do you have a Kohl's near you? They have some nice stuff in their clearance racks now. You could plan to buy the size you will be at goal from the clearance racks and put them away in your "can't wait to wear" pile in your closet. You'll notice a savings from not eating out often, and also your weekly grocery bill should be going down too. I know mine has. Best wishes for your banding. Sue

Way to go! Congratulations. Sue

Edie: Congratulations! Can you please tell us about your year of maintenance? How is it different than when you're trying to lose weight? Sue

Hi Mary: I'm from Norwood, MA. Can you please keep us posted on your plastic surgery? I have a few questions. I will probably need this surgery too. Does your insurance cover the panni? If not, how much is your surgery going to cost? How much recovery time is involved - meaning how long do you have to be out of work? I'll pray for your quick recovery. Take care. Sue

Laura: Because you are this doctor's first band patient, I highly recommend you find another doctor with more experience because of the trouble you're having. You might want to ask your primary care doctor to recommend someone. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi: I was banded last July. I dieted for 3 months before surgery, including the liquid diet for the last ten days pre-surgery. I almost fell on the floor when three days after surgery I had gained 9 pounds! I hadn't cheated at all. You might be retaining fluids like I did. The scale's been my friend since. I've lost 102 pounds since last April. Hope you feel better soon and start seeing the scale going down, down, down. Take care. Sue

Sades: At least you saw the famous "199". Congratulations. I'll join you in April. Sue

bjo: I know that the colposcapy is a bit uncomfortable, but not too bad. I don't know about the LEEP. Best wishes for a good outcome. Sue

Hi: I'm down 2 more. Yippee. I know that somebody with o.c.d. will straighten this out. Thanks. name.............starting#......current#......goal#.....togo# Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............232..........220.......12 TxArcher...........360............346..........345........1 Candle.............218............211..........207.......4 Cerrin.............350............350..........325.......25 chickatee..........188............182..........175.......7 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............265..........260.......5 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............171..........166.......5 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............194..........189.......5 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........231..........220.......11 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............177..........175.......2 Mandyjo............191............187..........180.......11 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............241..........238.......3 Rainer.............264............252..........248.......4 Redtulips3.........248............233..........226.......6 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............190..........180.......10 Stacy73............230............223..........222.......1 SueMagoo...........230............222..........220.......2 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............211.5........205.......6.5 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........148.6........140.......8.6 __________________ __________________

Hi: I'm 48 too, and had full hysterectomy, but think I'm post menopausal because I get hot flashes every night. Anyway, I've lost 102 pounds since last April. I was banded in July. So, let's see what that does to your doctor's stats! Good luck. Sue

Hi Everyone: This is my first superbowl since going to band land. I got through the holidays fine, but I'm bugged about the superbowl and knowing that I can't chow down on this "holiday". Any suggestions for low calorie superbowl Snacks? Sue

Suzanne: I was confused about this too, so last appointment I asked my Dr. He said that I have a 10 cc band, which means it's 10 centimeters in length. The 10 cc band only holds 4 cc's maximum for fill. He told me that he hasn't filled anyone yet over 3 cc's and he's been banding since 2005. At my support group they brought this up too. The other Dr. said that they're using only the bigger bands now because they've found that on some people the smaller band is too tight and you can't go backward. If it's too loose you can fill it, however if it's too tight it's a problem for the patient until they lose some weight, or have the band removed if it's way too tight. I think that one of the benefits of the smaller band is that you don't have to go so many times for fills to find your sweet spot because there's less area to fill. The Dr. said it's more difficult to find the sweet spot in a larger band. Good luck with your band. I have only 1.5 cc's now and I think it's good for me for now. Take care. Sue

Sades: I have the same problem with grazing at night time. I try to chose the lowest calorie things I can find, like sugar free popsicles. Sometimes I eat five of them! Sometimes I crush ice in the blender and mix in crystal light and eat it with a spoon. I think of this as my head-hunger beast. Sometimes I just have to go to bed early, or take a hot shower, or anything that can't involve eating. That's how I tame my beast. Good luck. Sue

The last time I was stuck I sat in a chair and bent as far down as I could and reached as far forward as I could. I did this about four times and up came the offending food. Hope you feel better soon.