Foofy

Great data ladies. I'm going to make a table and maybe more people will sign in. _______________________________________________________ ARM DATA TABLE Name....... Start (in) .....Now (in) .....lbs lost .........lbs to go Foofy ...........16.................14.5............31.............. 86 Zannie ..........23.................18 ............100...............84 Nurseamy.......15 .................9.5............ 82............... 0 Sweethot...... ? ..............12&13.5 ...........81 .............26 Jachut...........?................. 10.5 ..............?................0 Luluc........... 15.5 ..............11.9 .............38 ............37 Steph_co...... 16 ................14.5..............45.............58 JulieNYC .......19.5 ...............9.75*..........217..............5 *Brach Saturday update! Thanks for responding and congrats on the weight loss!

Thanks. It's what my DH calls me and what he put on my license plate. He also drew the picture of me for my avatar. Good luck.

Breakfast - 3 oz 1% cottage cheese mixed with 2oz (half of a 4-oz Dannon Activia yogurt - favorites are vanilla or blueberry) sprinkled with half an ounce of Kashi Good Friends high Fiber cereal. Yummy!!! 161 cal, 4gms fiber, 14 grams. Sooooper fast. lunch - One 3 oz packet tuna, 1Tbs low fat mayo, half an ounce of feta all mixed together. Eat on 1 ounce of "food should taste good" multigrain chips (from Costco). 311 cal, 3 gms fiber, 27 gms protien. Favorite snack - low sodium V8, or half an apple sprinked with cinnamon. Also love Laughing Cow cheese lite wedges (35 cals each!!!).

Using a "Center of Excellence" was a requirement of my BCBS policy. I was approved in one try in less than 4 days after my surgeon sent on the paperwork.

KAT and Shortgal are right. To be below 50 BMI at 5'8" you have to lose 23 pounds and at 5'9" you have to lose 13. Either of those are doable if you really try. You'll have to be making lifestyle changes anyway, once you get the band, so you might as well make them now. Losing weight will also make the surgery safer. See this as a challenge to be healthier and not as a defeat or a conspiracy against you. Good luck!

I have the AP standard size band (10cc). I had my first fill on 1/2. My surgeon put in 3 ccs. I couldn't get the test Water down, so he backed out a cc. The water went right down and I felt great. I could tell I had a restriction, and (after a few days) I could still eat real food. I lost 4 pounds the week after the fill! However, after a few weeks, the restriction seemed to wear off. I've lost about 8 pounds since the fill (7 weeks), but most of that was in the first two weeks after the fill - really no loss for the last 4 weeks. I am going in next week for a little bump. We'll see what happens. I don't want to be one of those folks who live on liquids and slime up solids. I'd rather lose a little more slowly and have a somewhat normal life.

That's terriffic. Does he drink beer by any chance? My DH is a brewer and is 120 pounds over his ideal weight (he's 6'4"). I would sure like to talk him into a band, but the thought of giving up beer for life is making it impossible....

I was supposed to be on liquids for two weeks. I "cheated" only with solid protien (usually lowfat cottage cheese, chicken, or venison) until two days before surgery. Then I just did the liquids. I never cheated with other foods, and I didn't go over my 1000 calorie limit. I lost a lot, and my doctor said my liver was fine. BTW, I read that the diet is not so much to make the liver smaller as it is to make it less slippery. They have to retract it with a paddle and a fatty, slippery liver is harder to retract. I did NOT cheat on my post surgery diet!!!

Great data ladies. I'm going to make a table and maybe more people will sign in. _______________________________________________________ ARM DATA TABLE Name....... Start (in) .....Now (in) .....lbs lost .........lbs to go Foofy ...........16.................14.5...............31........... 86 Zannie ..........23.................18 ..............100........... 84 Nurseamy.......15 .................9.5.............. 82............ 0 Sweethot...... ? ..............12&13.5 ...........81 ...........26 Jachut...........?................. 10.5 ..............?................0 Luluc........... 15.5 ..............11.9 .............38 ............37 ___________________________________________________

I missed it too, Wombat. But a loss is still a loss. I'm trying again.

I just bought a pair of the tummy tuck jeans (Not Your Daughter's Jeans) at the Presidents sale at Macy's today. Screaaaaaming deal. Normally $108 - I paid $29 (plus got another 15% off for using my Macy's card). They fit GREAT, but I would NEVER spend $100 on jeans. I may have to go back and get another pair while they are on sale.

Zannie - congratulations on that 100 pound loss girl!!! What a great difference in your before and after. It sounds like your arms are shrinking. Maybe we'll hear from more folks who can tell us what to expect. NurseAmy - also a fabulous loss. You give me real hope that I could one day have 10 inch arms! Good luck on the exciting PS next week!!! Anyone else out there who wants to talk about their arms?

Way to go Maincat. 60 pounds without a fill is great!

Awwww, smooches (and congrats) to all you guys!

Okay. I've just been just lurking for the past few weeks, because I set a goal that was (apparently) too optimistic for me. The scale hasn't budged for a few weeks, and I didn't make my goal. I wasn't going to sign in. But, then I realized that's exactly the kind of thinking that got me in this mess in the first place.... Shoot, I LOST 6.5 POUNDS. That's an accomplishment! I am going to take credit for that. Yay! Plus, I am confident that bigger loses are on their way. Life is good! Foofy ................249............242.5 (yay!).............237............5.5

Thanks Luv2laugh. I just hate to see people getting upset about a few weeks without losing. BTW, I noticed I goofed in my original email. I meant to say 1 to 3 pounds a week, not month. Congrats on that 50 pounds!

I had Dr. Roher. I have no complaints. I live in Helena and have only had one fill to date. I think I have seen him a total of maybe 30 minutes (not counting surgery when he saw me but I was in lala land). My advice is to read up on the lap band as much as possible and be a regular visitor to this site. It's the best way to know what to expect. The staff at Benefis were very nice when I had my surgery. I stayed overnight, since I was from out of town. I haven't gotten much use from the nutritionist at Benefis, and the psych evaluation took just 3 minutes - so I think it was just a formality rather than a real evaluation. Good luck.

It varies with everyone. The important thing to remember is that it will slow down and even stop for varying periods of time. But, you may notice that you lose inches during this time (hurray). It is important to relax and not try to compete with other people. They may be heavier to begin with or have faster metabolisms or be exercising more. It doesn't matter what happens to other people. The literature says to expect 1 to 3 pounds a week overall! You have lost alot up front, so prepare yourself for some weeks without any loss. It's okay!!!! You are in this for the long run. Good luck!

I totally agree with Steph. Change that name! Think positive! Even though your heart is still healing from your loss, love will come again. My good friend lost her husband to a heart attack in October 2006 (she was 45). She had no interest in even dating, but fate had other plans, and she is now engaged to a great guy whom she met at a charity fundraiser. One door closes and another opens. Think how great it will feel to enter the next phase of your happy life at a healthy weight. You can do it!

OMG. Eat something! Most people on this thread are eating between 800 to 1200 calories a day. IMHO, 500 calories is not enough food. Your weight loss (on the scale) is going to start and stop no matter what you do. You have lost something like 5 pounds a week (that's amazing). The band literature says to expect a 1- to 3-pounds a week loss. Give your body a chance to catch up. Relax.

Haha Make33. I HOPE I learn, but one never knows. I just thought I was super out of shape, and I did three sets. I couldn't lift my arms over my head for four days. I guess reading glasses are now a necessity for me.

I've lost 11% of my starting weight and am 33% to my goal. All in three months. That's an average of 2 pounds a week, which isn't "fast" enough for a lot of people, but is plenty fast for me. The last time I lost 30 pounds, it took me two years to do it. My husband is an Eagles fan and said last night "I never thought I would cheer for the Giants". As the saying goes "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Football is okay, but all the hyperbole and hoopla is mind numbing. Blech. It should just be a game. Congrats to all of you on your weight loss!

I had my only fill a month ago, with no restriction that I can feel. I haven't scheduled another one (90-mile drive) because I am still losing and I am not very hungry. I really don't want to be one of those people that PB all the time and have a giant list of things they can't eat. I would be happy to lose an average on 1 to 2 pounds a week and have fun doing it.

Eating out in restaurants is not a problem. You just have to have the mind set that you are going to eat healthfully. I don't have any restriction (that I can tell) so I COULD eat anything, but I don't. My band doesn't control WHAT I eat so much as it cuts my URGE to eat. I can play with a small amount of food for quite some time. As for drinking (not with meals but in a "drinking situation"), I usually drink iced tea when others are drinking beer. If it is more of a cocktail situation, I ask for non-sparkling Water with a few lime wedges and some ice. No one can tell that I'm not drinking. Sometimes I have cranberry juice on the rocks with a lime wedge. Keeps people guessing. Just don't fall into the trap that many obese people find themselves in of worring about what other people think of what they are eating. It doesn't matter and it makes people make crazy bad choices. My two cents.