jjsmiles

Hey Andrew, I saw from another thread that you have had your plastics initial consult. I am in Calgary too and was wondering if you had any advice on how to get on with it, since I am thinking there are probably long wait lists. Did you see Dr. Perron? What did you think of him? Will you be able to get any of your plastics done through Alberta Health Care?

Hi SphinxMama, I am one of the people that managed to get banded through the CHR this year. I haven't actually seen anyone else on this forum admit to being banded by the CHR, so I might be in a really small minority. I seem to have gotten through the program at light speed :wink_smile: in that it took me only 6 months to get into the program (from Dr.'s referral) and then about 10 months until I got banded. I think I got lucky in that I got referred before the publicity for the band really got out there. I think that Gaffer is right that you want to consider all of your options. What I really like about the CHR program is the support I can get through Psychology, dietician, endocrinologist, surgeon, etc all at no cost to me. I met with my psychologist last week and she didn't say anything about the program being cancelled, although she did say that the program has backed away from their promise to increase her hours to full time because of budget problems. While you are researching your options, I would suggest that you go to your Dr. and get at least a referral to the program so the process gets started. You can always say you don't need the service at a later date. Good luck to you!

Congratulations Andrew on progress. You look terrific and we all know you will get to 150! You have been very generous with your support and advice and I want to thank you for the gracious and humerous way you have helped many of us as we began our own journeys :wink_smile:!

You absolutely need to make sure you have access to after care and fills BEFORE you get the surgery. I am also Canadian and I have heard that there can be a lot of problems with getting a fill dr. if you didn't have your surgery in Canada or the states.

I would. Does your current surgeon know about your lap band? Is he/she familiar with the lap band in general? Do you need to get a defill before surgery? How are you going to handle nausea after your surgery? (I know I find it almost impossible to vomit now that I have a fill). You need to make sure you take care of yourself and that means making sure that all the right people can help you by having all the information they need. Good Luck!!!!

Thank you Juli. I know that I keep lurking and reading through this forum because I get inspired by all sorts of people here (including you - I really appreciate your straight forward approach to life).

I went to my WLC yesterday and saw the dietician as part of my visit. When we were discussing my diet, she was really clear that I should be aiming to get all of my nutritional needs met and indicated for the most part, I should be aiming to NOT go lower than about 1200 calories per day, in order to eat a well balanced, nutritionally sound diet. According to the poll results here, more than 45% of respondents are eating less than what is nutritionally sound. I have also read over and over again that people have been told not to eat more than 800-1000 calories per day by their WLC. I have to admit that I have been trying to stay around 1000 to 1200 a day myself. My WLC does not do self pay and is totally funded by provincial health care (I am Canadian but as far as I can "read" am in the only province in the country that pays for the surgery and after care for some patients). I wonder if that impacts the information given by the clinic about diet? For example, because my clinic isn't self-pay, they are not invested in "as quick" weight loss, so therefore focus more on getting all your nutritional requirements met. What do people think?

I have to say what a great thread and what great words of advice so far! Sadie - I am inspired by your confidence and generosity of spirit. I have always said that whether it be a blessing or a curse, I have always felt "well treated" by those surrounding me. That is not to say that I opened myself up for other kind of treatment though. I think Julie did a great job of verbalizing something I always did - made sure people could describe me in such a concrete way that my weight became somewhat secondary (not in the romance category - but that is totally different). As a kid I was alway's the "nicest" person around. I was always friendly and approachable and kind towards everyone and that worked very well. As a professional today I am known as ethical, competent and smart. In my field, all very good words to be known by. I think that for many years I have not let myself think of myself as anything other than nice, competent, ethical and smart. So far, what I have really noticed is the change in me and my self- confidence. I don't think I will ever turn into "super bitch", but I actually see myself a little clearer now (I don't think I have actually "looked" in a mirror for at least 20 years) and don't always define myself as the mask of nice and smart anymore. People around me have been very supportive (although sometimes their version of support makes me laugh and shake my head). In the last month, I have seen a lot of colleagues (and I work mostly with women) that I hadn't seen in the last year, and I have never heard so many compliments in my life!! I know that I don't want to define myself by my weight, but I have to tell you that I do feel much more confident and the outside validation doesn't hurt. In the past, if someone told me I looked good, I know that I would always find a way to deflect or detract (I bought the outfit on sale, I've owned this outfit for 20 years) and I am trying to stop that and just smile and say "thank you". Because I am more confident now, I am noticing that I am looking people (and in that I mean men) more in the eye and they are responding in kind and while it scares me - it also is very exciting. I really think that people treating me differently has a lot to do with how I am looking at myself and how I project myself in the world. I know that there are people who may struggle with my weight loss, and if they are important to me I will have to think about how I can help them, but on the other hand, I am still me and I have to be true to the me that is right here and right now. I think this journey is one of the greatest of my life, to date, and I want to embrace it and take the people I care about with me. I do recognize though that I may not be able to drag them with me and I may have to set some people free as our paths diverge.

RedRockGirl- I have 2 closets full of beautiful clothes that I have "collected" over the last 20 years and now have nothing to wear :tt1:. I wore the same clothes from about 409 pounds to about 280 pounds - I never could figure out when people talked about changing sizes every 20 or so pounds (I still haven't wrapped my head around it). All my old clothes look ridiculous now and I have taken on the challenge of finding cheap, cute clothes that would tide me over different sizes. Wal Mart has become my friend (I used to not fit into their clothes). I have also been lurking in consignment shops. In fact, my first set of smaller clothes is approaching "way to big" now. Over Christmas I took on the challenge of cleaning out part of a closet so that I had room for the new stuff and came up with 4 huge garbage bags of clothes, and still only got a little more than half of one closet empty. I haven't quite taken the next step of figuring out what to do with the stuff. I have to admit that I was kind of sad (and mad) when I looked at all my clothing, but taking it out of the closet was also very "freeing" in that I started to think of new opportunities and looking for clothing that didn't just fit, but also looking at color and style to suit me, and not just any fat person. I am actually enjoying this way more than I thought I would (I actually bought an underwire bra - :tongue: - I bought a pair of jeans that did not include elastic in the waist band - gasp!). Give yourself permission to be the new you and reward yourself for the progress you make. Your old clothes were a comfort and part of you (at least you looked good even if you didn't feel that way), but you also need to embrace your journey and the changes you are making for yourself and clothing is one "outward" measure of success (I have to admit I still hate shopping for shoes).

Beyond the needing to follow the post surgery diet, I know that I continue to explore my attitude towards food. Food is just food and my choosing to eat certain foods is not "cheating", it is just a choice. Almost everyone in this world chooses to eat higher calorie, higher fat foods at times- the difference is that obese people tend to choose them more often and in higher quantities (hence our being here). I don't think it is realistic or hopeful for me to say I will never eat chips or sausage or pizza again (I know that it isn't true). Where I have always failed in the past is my "all or nothing" attitude. In the past, I have either been "all involved" in the current diet or, once I had cheated I was "all uninvolved" in the current diet, reverting back to eating anything I wanted. The panic and disgust of the "cheat" was all encompassing and I just gave up, time and time again. That hasn't worked for me, so I have to change it. The way I am trying to see it - I will make healthy choices as I often as I can (aim for 80%), I will journal everything I eat (so I am really aware of my choices), and if I really want something, I will have it, but be very conscious of my decision (am I really actually hungry?) to eat it as well as the quantities I am having. For me, this journey is about being mindful and purposeful in all my decisions around food, something I lost sight of before (or maybe I never did have that sight). If you want to have a successful journey, you need to look at your past behaviour and look at ways that you can interrupt your unhealthy cycles, or you can choose to eat your way around the band. I have been losing weight for 6 months now (4 months banded) and this is the first time, EVER, that I have lasted this long. And guess what, I am as confident today that I can be successful as I was at the begining of this journey. :tongue:

How is it going? When I read your post, I got a little concerned that you may be going towards a bowel obstruction (been there, done that and have the ilestomy to show for it becasue I couldn't be unblocked). I had many of the symptoms you are talking about, but was still "pooping" a little, so it didn't occur to me or my dr. that I might have an obstruction. I never had the tight feeling in my chest, but I was not banded when I had it and I am thinking that the band may be kind of forcing your gas and other stuff down, causing pressure and pain. Please go get this checked out. One word of warning, tell any and all medical professionals that you have the band. A standard treatment for an obstruction is the insertion of a NG tube and I have been told that you should not have this done "blindly" (as is routine) because your band has restricted the size of opening into your stomach.

I had been taking Metformin (4 pills a day) for about 10 years and Avandia (4 mg/day) for about 5 years to control my blood sugar. I have been gradually decreasing my meds and for the last month I have not been taking any diabetes medications and my blood sugar has been testing normal. I also have stopped taking Nexium (for acid reflux) and am now only taking a synthroid pill a day.:hurray:

I don't know if the weight management clinic in Calgary will sell it to non-patients, but I bought mine through the clinic - 943-2611. I have seen other people on other sites refer to slim fast, low carb/ high Protein shakes. You might also want to look at some of the Protein Shakes, sold through health food stores and see if you can find one that is comparable to Optifast, although I think the reason that dr's ask for optifast is that is meets all your nutritional needs. In each pkg of optifast you get 225 calories, 22.5 g protein, 7.5 g fat, 2 g Linoleic acid, 0.5 g of Linolenic acid, 16.8 g carbohydrates, 16.8 g of aspartame, 500 of sodium, 750 of potassium and a whole wack of Vitamins and minerals. I would recommend you contact your clinic in Mexico and ask for their advice on what to do. Have you made arrangements for a fill Dr. here in Canada? I would strongly advise you to make ongoing arrangements for who will be doing your fills BEFORE you go to Mexico. Good luck!!!

Until recently, I had been on Metformin (4 pills a day) for about 10 years and Avandia (4 mg a day) for about 5 years, both common drugs for diabetes. I am proud to report that I have been off all diabetes medications for the last month (I had been slowly reducing dosages) and my blood sugar has tested normal the entire time. I looked at the study, that was entirely comprised of "lower BMI - between 30 and 40" and as you can see, I started at a significantly higher BMI. The proof is in the pudding (or in this case - the cottage cheese) :biggrin: Hopefully the insurance and medical establishments will see more of the long term health benefits and make getting the surgery easier!

Ok - I just read your post again and realized that you were just banded on January 4, 2008. I think you need to go back to basics and remember when you were told that post surgery time was for healing and not for weight loss. You are likely not experiencing any restriction at this point and are entering the time period called "bandster hell". Most of us have experienced it. As you recover from the surgery, it is important that you get all your nutrients and eat a healthy diet. If you lose weight, great, but many people do not, until they start getting restriction through fills in their band. It may not be realistic for you to stick to 1000 calories per day with not restriction. Have some patience and take care of yourself.

I am not sure about your Protein drink - how many calories does it end up being? I am thinking that along with your skim milk, you are likely consuming 200-300 calories just with one glass of liquid. My weight loss clinic indicates that you can have three meals and three Snacks and actually encourages it, in order to get all the fruits and vegetables you need as part of a healthy diet. What they do not encourage is drinking your calories (with the exception of milk for calcium). I was told to not use Protein drinks as part of my regular diet, as they will go directly through the band as soon as you drink it and you will not have the sensation of being full that the band can give you. It looks like you are able to tolerate and eat and drink a variety of things, so you don't need to rely on the Protein shakes to get your nutrients. Maybe try not drinking them for a while and concentrate on your calories being actual food.

You would probably need to consider some of the following: 1. Travel Insurance - check into very carefully - most insurance will not cover "pre-existing" medical issues, particularly if you have had any treatment in up to the last year (and the insurance company would consider a fill a treatment and would likely consider a dr's appointment with a specialist a treatment) 2. Vomiting - I don't know about the rest of the world, but I can PB very easily, but I have not been able to vomit since being filled. I would be worried that if I ate something that disagreed with me or got a parasite or something I would not be able to get sick. 3. Is there anyone in the area I am visiting able to help me if I get into trouble? - if you are going to visit family, maybe they can help get you some information before you go. I don't know - I think I would seriously think about getting defilled if I were spending a significant period of time in a third world country if I couldn't ensure that I could be helped if I got into trouble. One thing to note (and it is kind of gross), but if you end up with a bowel obstruction or some other kind of gastrointestinal issue, if your lap band is filled, you cannot receive an NG tube (a tube they stick up your nose and snake down into your stomach and attach to a suctioning device) blindly. That is to say, with your restricted stomach opening they need to do the NG tube (a very standard treatment) with a flouroscopy or something similar. If the country does not have the equipment available or does not understand your issue, you could have severe complications, if they go in blindly, which is normal practice. I have an ileostomy and have had to have an NG tube a couple of times and I have to tell you it is incredibly unpleasant at the best of times.:biggrin:

Edmonton has a "Weight Wise" program, which is run by the Capitol Health Region. My understanding is that this program does both gastric bypass and lap band surgeries. Calgary has the Weight Managament Clinic, run by the Calgary Health Region. Calgary only does the lap band surgery and has four general surgeons associated with the program (DesCoteaux, Church, Mitchell and Debru). Calgary only started doing this surgery in the last year or 18 months. My understanding is that both programs are funded through Alberta Health Care, so you cannot access the programs by self-pay. The wait lists for both programs are very long, and I am not sure if either would consider out of province patients. You would need to get your family physician to check it out. I was one of the lucky ones who was banded (free to me) through the Calgary health region on September 25, 2007. When my doc referred me to the Weight Management Clinic, it took about 6 months to receive my "inviation" to go to the clinic. From there is took me about 9 months before banding. This may sound like a long time, but in our current system, I think I negotiated the system at light speed. I am not sure if this is true, but I have heard rumors that the process is now looking at at least 3 years (both Edmonton and Calgary). A few years back I was referred to a Dr. in Medicine Hat who was doing Gastric Bypass - it took me about 2 years from referral to initial appointment and I have to tell you that I wouldn't recommend that process to anyone. It was very humiliating (the doc's clinic didn't have a scale that went above 250 pounds so I had to take a side trip to the local hospital and go to one of the wards and explain my situation to a nurse, so I could get weighed). He also wasn't doing surgeries for people above a certain BMI - at the time I weighed in at 365 and I was about 65 pounds above the BMI I would need to be in order for him to consider me. All in all a horrible experience that traumatized me for quite a while. The good news is that there are Dr's in Calgary who may do your fills if you choose to get the lap band done in Canada (don't know about foreign) if you can get them all of your history and surgical info. I am not sure if there are any fill docs in Edmonton, if you don't get surgery there. Word of warning - don't get lap band surgery if you haven't made prior arrangements to have a fill dr. Good Luck!

I think that night eating and cravings are pretty common. I know for me it is very much a habit of many years and that for the most part I am experiencing the horror of horrors "head hunger", which the band will not help with. Here are some of the strategies I use: - I have a good Breakfast - freaky, but it does help slightly. I will eat a package of oatmeal, or if I have more time, I will have an egg white omelette with a piece of whole wheat weight watchers toast - Exercise after work - before dinner. For some reason I am less "ravenous" and am satisfied with less - delay dinner until about 7:00 pm - less time until bedtime and I know that I am actually not physically hungry - eat a bag of 100 calorie orville redenbachers smart popcorn - I can eat one kernal at a time and it takes me a long time - a psychological trick, but then again my hunger is psychological too! - cook up some edamame Beans in the pods - again, as per above take a long time to eat (high in fibre and protein) - keep busy in the evenings - I find "lurking" on-line to be quite helpful

If you have any asian goroceries in your area, you can usually find the edamame Beans in the frozen section (both shelled and in the pod). I find they are way cheaper in the asian market than in the regular stores. If you buy them in the pods, bring Water to a boil, add the edamame beans, bring back to a boil and cook (do not cover) for the minimum recommeded time (about 3 minutes) to keep them crisp. Rinse in cold water, sprinkle with sea salt and voila you have a great easy dish. Please note that you are not intended to eat the pods - rather you squeeze the bean out of the pod into your mouth (and lick the salt off the pod).

I started with WW last June as I was in the process of getting approved for the band. For me, I really needed something to kick start me into committing to the journey. I personally needed the accountability of going to meetings and getting on a scale in front of somebody (no matter how geeky - I was even proud of the gold stars) :ohmy: I haven't been going to meetings since the surgery (September 07), but I am still following the plan, keeping a food journal and counting points. Like Julie, I am going with 20 to 25 points per day (although I am still allowed 29), for the most part. What I do like is that I can feel reasonably confident that I can go up some points and not gain weight! Would I go to meetings again if I was struggling - ABSOLUTELY- I want to do everything I can to continue with my success. I have 6 cc's in my 10 cc band, but don't really feel any restriction. I really am doing well with following the WW flex points plan - it helps me feel accountable, helps me keep my portions reasonable, helps me choose healthy foods and best of all I am losing weight (so far I have lost a total of 75 pounds since June). One of the things that I am most proud of (besides the actual weight loss) is that I have been choosing a relatively healthy diet at least 80% of the time (probably closer to 90%) for over 6 months now. I have never done that in my life and I have been obese my entire life (including childhood). My doc is so impressed with my progress that we have decided to not do any more fills until I start to plateau or I find that my hunger is getting too difficult to manage. I won't claim that I don't have head hunger - I do just about every day, but I am able to recognize what it is and cope, for the most part. Even my "slips" are relatively innocuous. I go back and forth on my feelings on not being filled to my sweet spot - then I read about people eating only 1/4 or 1/2 cup of food at a time and think maybe I shouldn't be so anxious to get there . I do think that the band is working for me by keeping me "satisfied" for longer periods of time, but maybe that is just me too. Who knows.

I have been reading various threads from people who say that they feel they got their lap band under false pretences. The general theme is that they were told they wouldn't need to diet after the surgery and that they could eat everything they ate pre-surgery, but that the band would make them eat less. They also thought that the band would force them to stop eating bread and sweets. Now, post surgery they are not losing weight and are feeling "sold up the river" because they still have to watch what they eat or they won't lose weight. I have to say GET REAL PEOPLE- you were probably not given inaccurate information, rather you have decided to interpret it in your own way. The science of the day indicates that in order to lose one pound of fat, you need to use 3500 calories more than you take in (this is the current science and you can choose to not agree, but until something else comes along, it is the prevailing wisdom). Science also says that the average woman needs 1800 calories per day just to maintain her current weight (those of us who are much more than average need more calories). Given this information, in order to lose 1 pound per week, this average woman would need to cut out 500 calories per day and eat only 1300 calories per day. OK - now think about us. I think that we generally accept that we are obese because we eat too much (quantity) and some of us make the choice to eat high fat and/or high calorie foods (quality) rather than vegetables, fruit and lean Protein. So now I have had the lap band and I think I only need to eat less of the same stuff as before and I will still be losing 5 pounds a week. How did I get to be the weight where I needed the surgery? Have I hisotorically been gaining weight every year? Have I been maintaining my very unhealthy weight every year? As I answer these questions for myself, I need to then ask the following question. If I only eat less of the foods that made me fat in the first place, how will I be able to cut out 500 calories EVERY SINGLE DAY in order to even lose 1 pound every week? Just think about it, in order for me to lose 1 pound a week I would need to cut out the equivalent of a Big Mac (or 9 oz of boneless skinless chicken breast) out of my current diet every single day. I don't know about you, but even with the lap band, that is a lot of food to NOT eat every single day in order to lose 1 pound. When I looked at my pre-surgery diet, I don't seen how I could eat the same things, only less of them, and still lose weight reasonably. I think the amount of restriction you have (or don't) will help, but that still means eating a LOT less. I currently have 6 cc's in my 10 cc band, and don't feel a great deal of restriction, although I am satisfied on much less and find myself less hungry (surgery did not stop my "head hunger" though:eek:). I think that there are people who have been banded and who have been very successful and have said that they don't diet and don't count calories. I think if you really talked to them though, you would find that the food they choose to eat is of very high quality, generally lean, and of small quantities. As people have said over and over and over again in this forum, everyone has different abilities to tolerate foods - and some of us (including myself so far) can eat anything. The other message to get before surgery is that "junk" food (candy, cake, ice cream and potato chips) invariably are still edible after the band. Please do not make the decision to get the lap band because it will stop you from eating some things, because you just can't count on it!

I agree with you totally Mrs. Smartie Pants. If I want a cookie (or several - but not the whole package anymore :welldoneclap:) or a piece of pizza I will have it. My reaction was to the people who keep writing that they feel deceived by their WLC/ doctor as they had the impression that they should be able to eat everything they want and that it is/was up to the lap band to stop them or restrain them. I want people to be informed before they get the band that it is totally up to them what happens after banding. The band is a great tool, but it doesn't change our personalities or solve our issues for us. The band also doesn't erase the "math" of what it takes to actually lose weight -which is simply that we MUST eat less calories than we expend. Just having the band will not cause weight loss (I wish). To me that means being accountable by documenting everything I eat, so I can ensure that I am not eating "mindlessly" and by trying to chose "quality" foods about 80% of the time. Even when I chose to eat "junk", I am trying (not always succeeding) to go for quality junk (i.e. really good dark chocolate or homemade baking versus the packaged stuff from the supermarket that is full of fat, sugar and preservatives). I am also enjoying experimenting with newer foods (vegetarian, edamame beans) for the first time in a very long time, and am discovering that good for me foods can actually taste good). Now I just need to convince myself that I like fish :wink:. My committment and promise when I started this latest journey was to do all the work necessay to help myself and to value myself. I am very proud of what I have achieved so far and for the first time in my life I know that I can be successful long term. We all face our individual journey and no-one is right or has the magic answer (or the one size fits all that I am determined to fit into at some point). I just ask that people try to be as realistic as possible and as prepared as possible, before going to the pain and the expense of the lap band surgery.

Have you taken your measurements previously? You might find that you are not losing weight, but you are getting smaller. I am noting that you are working out quite a bit. Could it be that some of your fat is converting to muscle? Muscle is heavier than fat, so that might account for the lack of movement of the scale. I am having a somewhat similar issue and I measured myself yesterday and realised that I had lost 1/2 inch each off of my bust, my waist and my hips, even though the scale said I hadn't lost any weight. That made me feel a little bit better (I still would rather see the numbers go down on the scale though)

Hi Julie By my calculations, a ww point is approximately 50 calories (or less if it is high fibre). According to my weight, I should be able to eat about 30 points per day. I try to stay under 25 (about 1200 or 1250 calories). I find that I am a bit stalled right now when it comes to weight loss, but I am not sure that this isn't due to the Christmas baking and the New Year's feasting :embarassed: finally catching up to me. I find that the points help to keep me on track, especially as I am not really feeling restricted with 6 cc's in my 10 cc band. If I wasn't really careful about documenting and keeping track, I am sure that my night eating (mindless eating) would reoccur.