ReneBean

Hey Guys Just FYI - even after a year - if I wear the wrong girdle or pants and the waistband hits the port just wrong - I still get a little tenderness. Think of standing on a rock. It puts a dent in the bottom of your foot after a while - but it still irritates you. That's kinda how the port is when my waistband has been pushing on it all day. Nothing excruciating - just irritating. Breathe deep. If you see oozing or the port area feels "hot" to the touch - call your doc. If you just feel it pulling at your abdomen, you are probably ok. Happy Trails...

Don't you worry, Sugar. I would hazard a guess that you won't have nearly as much trouble meeting Miss Right as you might have in the past. Smile a lot. Look women in the eye. Flirt. You can do it! Just remember - the worst they can say is "No". You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find your Princess. No reason you can't enjoy the process.... Good Luck!!

yeah - just keep the pace nice and easy to begin with and you should be fine. Walk - yes. Run - maybe not. Good Luck!

Hi Deb!!! I'm with Kat - calling you Loser just seemed wrong, somehow... We have lots of Super Mom's on this thread - and some Super Grandmas, too. What to eat is always the question - and it comes down to whatever kind of foods that you like - that fall within the guidelines. Do you like chicken? Can you eat it? When DH doesn't want to cook, I stop off at Tom Thumb and pick up a roasted chicken or a Turkey Breast. They taste delicious and are good solid Protein. I eat lots of raw veggies with severly portioned dip**. **Dip is dangerous. It's only in the last month or two that I have figured out how to control it: 1/2 cup gladware containers. I make a whole 1.5 - 2 cup batch and portion it out into 5 or 6 of these little containers. When I make the dip, I measure everything conscientiously and add up the calories for a batch total. Then I divide the total by the number of containers that I use. So, when I go to work, I can grab a back of sliced veggies and a container of dip and know that I have "X" number of calories in that container. Even when I make it myself using low cal ingredients - dip is high calorie stuff... so portion control is crucial. Aside from poultry and veggies, I have been known to just pick the meat & veggies out of whatever DH has cooked for the evening. He has been trying to accomodate me by not putting potatoes and turnips in everything - but if he does, I just pick around them. If you don't want to go low carb (not everybody does) I would suggest that you drag out whatever your most successful diet plan was and take recipe's from that. Alas - we still have to "diet" to some extent. It just doesn't hurt as much as it used to. :] Right now, I am counting both carbs and calories. I still say 1500 is a good number - but that's just me. Pick a calorie number that you have been successful at before and use that. Eating 1500 calories a day - and keeping my carb count low (I can't give you and accurate number. I think I am realistically getting about 40 grams a day) I have been losing .3 to .5 pounds a day. **IF** I exercise, too. 30 minutes at the gym at least 3-4 times a week is absolutely required. This is just my most recent experience. I am an expert at how easy it is to lie to yourself about how many calories you are eating - so I have become very strict with myself. Nice to meet you~!! Good Luck with the whole diet plan - and with those darling bambinos!

Wow Jackal!! Just a little improvement... LOL! You look GREAT. Hugs! MusicalMomma - yeah - those insurance charts suck. I heard somewhere that your bones get more dense when you carry weight for a long time - and the insurance charts just don't take that into consideration.

Hey Folks - I am LIVING PROOF of this statment... Surgery Weight - 331 on 2/06/06 1 yr follow up - 295 on 2/06/07 Current weight - 290 on 3/02/07 Now - track this people. I lost 36 pounds in the first YEAR - not because the band doesn't work - because I didn't work. I ate whatever I wanted, didn't exercise enough - basically just flaked off for the first year. Now - I have been eating low carb and exercising more diligently for the last 24 days (minus a week of travel when I was BAD) - and I have lost another 5 pounds. 5/36 = 14%. In ONE MONTH - I have lost 14 % of my total annual loss for 2006. At that rate (and that isn't even me being REALLY diligent) I am on task for 60 pounds in 2007. So, it's the same old story. Garbage In - Garbage Out. Effort is required. It's not a magic bullet - but it's pretty close. I really did eat whatever I wanted in 2006 - I just wanted less. So, every day that I exercise, every day that I successfully avoid temptaion - I am seeing results. Good luck!! Oh - and I am 5' 4.5". I beleive that the insurance charts put 150 at the top end of my range - but my doc says I will be skin and bone at that weight, according to my body fat & lean mass ratios. I am so much more comfortable - even at 290 - that I am pumped every day. I look pretty good for a fat babe. :]

Howdy All! I am having some pretty serious Pre-Vacation Short-Timer's Syndrome (PVSTS). I so don't care about being here today. Of course, it's hard to care when there is so little to do. So, I have updated my airline miles, signed up for the Hilton Points thing and cleaned out my e-mail... yes - that much excitement. Tomorrow morning we head out to my Mom & Dad's house in Tucson. It's a two day drive - unless you are a psychotic and feel the need to drive for 18 hours straight. So, we will meander across TX, NM and into AZ. No big plans once we get there - just a visit - but I am excited, anyway. I haven't seen The M & P for ages. Cindy - (see Irene's chin hit the floor) 52 miles?!? You ROCK. I kneel before the Queen of Exercise! Wow! Are you tracking actual miles? Or did you just exercise ALL of the days in February? NJ Loser - Hi!! Welcome to LBT and the Jersey Chat. Pull up a keyboard and tell us your life story. In terms of food - try to avoid McDonalds as much as is humanly possible. Even their "healthy" choices leave an awful lot to be desired. Try getting some sliced meats from your local deli counter - they will be a big step up from anything you can get at McD's. If you are on solids - you want them to be just that - solid. Grilled chicken Breast, Turkey, Fish (grilled or steamed), Lean Roast Beef - and cheese, in moderation are some of my favorites. Avoide sauces If you have tight restriction in the AM - try SF yogurt or a low-carb Protein shake with your coffee. Trust me when I tell you - I have done all the wrong stuff, and I have the slow weightloss to prove it. Since I have been behaving better, I have lost a full 15% of my total loss for the last year... in less than a month. Good Luck! Mandy - How you feelin'? Hope you are getting better. Sherry - so, you're saying Chrispy is a good judge of character? I think she just might be. She decided YOU were a keeper. Maybe we will let her make her own decision on Andy... LOL! And hey, don't make me sharpen up the old size nines... Get Thee to the Gym!! Chrispy - don't get all excited. Andy still has to pass muster with Sherry. Eileenie - so you might get to travel to Dallas? That is totally cool. Of course, if you are travelling, we will probably miss each other MORE because of conflicting travel schedules. *sigh* So you would be stuck with Boss Man - but you would be able to escape HIM once in a while, huh? Sounds promising. More money, right? I mean, travel and responsiblity are nice and all... but it's all about the money. Kat - I can pick you up as I fly by... it's a detour, but heck, DH will understand... I have to get out of TX before the cold weather comes back... Oh my. That's a hard one... but if the city is threatening to shut them down - you might want to take it over to them. Pretty embarrassing - but better than being without hot Water... Darcy - How will I EVER live up to Cindy's example? Geez - that would be 26 days out of the month for me... THAT just isn't going to happen! But at least March is a longer month. So, did the doc's think you were Exaggerating about FIL? When will they learn. I hope he is doing ok. Hugs! Well - the scale continues to reward my good behavior - which makes it SO much easier to be good. We'll see how the whole Vacation thing goes. Today my home-scale + 4 is 290. That is pretty darned exciting. I will have to see if I can just MAINTAIN that while I am on Vacation. Well, I have to run to the bank. I will check in again later. xo

OMG! I see PAT~! (well, she was here for a minute... maybe the Monkey's took her.....)

I started the whole process at 358 thinking I had to lose about 200 lbs... my doc thinks my goal should be closer to 170 than 150 - so I guess I am aiming for somewhere in the middle. It seems like such a huge number when you start.... so break it down into mini-goals. Doable numbers like 25 pounds and go from there. I have also decided that if I can get anywhere under 200 lbs - I will be just fine - so if for some reason I stall out at 199 - I will be OK with that. I know that prior to hearing about the band, I had basically given up on weightloss, since I could never even get the weight all off, and I could never get it to STAY off. I had decided that the YoYo thing was worse than just being consistently fat. The band is a miracle for me, cause it is really designed to stay with us for a long, long time - if not forever. Maintenance is the hardest part.... I think the key is to try and be as realistic as possible. I figure any weight I lose and keep off is going to benefit my health - so even after only about 61 lbs, I am a winner! Y'All are doing great!! Keep up the good work and stay positive.

I was about starving after week 2-3 also. You just have to tough it out until you get back to real food - and in fact it stays tough until you get that first fill. Then it gets easier. Stay Strong!! You can do it!

I have never heard anything Bad about Benevides. I love my doc (Louis Fox) and I love the Surgery Center of Richardson staff - but I have only ever heard good things about your doc. Good Luck!

Oh yeah. WAY. I think it's a combination of being smaller and being more confident. You may have just crossed into a place where people find you to be within their "acceptable range" of human body sizes... so they are treating you like they treat everybody else. Enjoy it. :]

Just FYI - Self pay, it would have cost me $15k to have the surgery... but the insurance billing was something over $40k. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.... The docs way overbill the insurance companies. :]

Oh Jess - this was the hardest time for me, too. Each fill helped a little bit - and by now I have had MANY fills - I have 8.8 in my Vanguard Band - I am pretty close to the "Sweet Spot" on my restriction - but it has taken an awful lot of time to get here. Your 20.5 pounds in 2 mos looks pretty good to me... I have lost very slowly - but it's my own fault. I just haven't worked very hard at this since I got the surgery. It's like, after fighting the insurance company for so long, I just gave up for the first year. I am a little back on track, now.... You can get more info by reading my journal. (a button on the blue bar at the top). Journals are a wealth of information. I was pretty good about journaling for the first few months - but now it's pretty sporadic. Try not to go completely insane on your food choices - and just know that once in a while you are going to screw up. So long as you don't make a habit of it - it will be ok. 10 lbs a month is just about right - especially with no restriction - so take a deep breath, and do the best that you can. So long as you don't just give up - you haven't failed. Hugs!!

It varies wildly - I have seen it from $12,500 to $17,000 or more... but that's about the range. It is pretty available at about $15k including a year of fills - but it will depend on where you live and stuff. If you have the surgery in Mexico - it can be lots cheaper... Just research your doc really well - with life-altering surgery, cheaper is not always the best option. Good Luck!

Yeah. Ok. I suck at journals. It has been AGES since I made an entry - but since have passed my first year, I thought I would make some observations and mark some of the things I have learned: 1) I am incredibly spoiled and lazy. The urge to continue on letting my band do all the work is strong - but my inclination to immediate gratification is leading me toward a better path. Exercise will have to be more frequent and desserts will have to be more infrequent... The same old crap I have been hearing since birth... but for the last few weeks, the scale has been rewarding me for good behavior. I can't knock it if it's working. Between February 6, 2006 and my annual appt on Feb 6, 2007, I went from 331 to 295 - a loss of 36 pounds. Since my annual follow-up in 2007 - I have lost another 5 pounds. My unofficial weight this morning - 290. 2) I used to eat a HECK of a lot of food... I had somehow convinced myself that I wasn't eating much more than your average joe - but I know now that I was. I had no concept of what a portion size ought to be... and really, I am still struggling with that - but I am getting closer. It has taken over a year - but my eyes/head are finally starting to sync up with my band. Now, I only think my portion should be twice as big as needed... LOL! I find that if I plate up HALF of what I think the portion should be, I am satisfied and don't need to eat more. 3) I am starting to recognize the point at which I should just set my fork down and stop eating. Now, this doesn't mean that I actually DO stop all the time (Damned Pizza!) but at least I can tell when I should. At this moment, restriction is not such that I am forced to stop, or that I have pain or anything like that if I eat past the satiation point - but I am hoping for a more punative effect with my next fill. I am not very disciplined. (see #1 - spoiled and lazy) 4) Exercise is really not optional. If I don't go to the gym, I don't lose weight - or at least not much - even if I am trying to "diet". For me, eating perfectly is much less important that hitting the gym for 30 minutes at least 4 times a week. 5) I need to figure out how to eat more Band Effectively in restaurants. I travel for a week every month - so I spend the week of travel eating like a huge monster pig - and the following week (or TWO) getting back to where I had been before the trip. That means that AT BEST, I am only working toward goal for two weeks of the month - and I don't really do well on the weekends - so that means about 10 days a month of active dieting. It's not exactly shocking that my loss has been slow. If you factor my loss into 120 days instead of 365 - it makes total sense. I lost about a 3rd of a pound for every day of active dieting in my first year - very much what my docs told me to expect - a 3rd of a pound a day, or about 2 pounds a week. I guess that is about all that I have learned so far. I know I still have a great deal of learning to do. I also have a great deal of work to do yet. At a third of a pound per day, I still need to do 375 active dieting days to get near to goal. But my goal has actually changed a bit. My doc referred me to the "Aftercare" program at AIGB. The gal there measured my body fat on her little magic zinger scale and found that I have a body fat percentage a bit over 56%. (ICK) According to her calculations, I need to lose another 125 pounds. I was thinking 140 lbs - but if my lean mass is anywhere close to what she calculates, I would be beyond skinny with only like 5% body fat or something like that. I am never going there. So, my new goal is to weigh 168 lbs - and as ever, I will be happy with anything under 200. My true goal is to wear a size 14, or *gasp* maybe even a size 12. It doesn't sound very ambitious - but I haven't worn anything from a "normal" store since I was 18 yrs old. For now, that's the most that I can imagine. We'll see how it goes when I get there. The other part of the After Care program was exactly what you would expect - grilling on my daily & life habits with some gentle persuasion to reform. I guess it was more a way for me to focus in on what I need to do. If it keeps me from totally losing control - then it's worth taking one afternoon a month off. Besides, I had pretty much already come to the conclusion that reform was necessary to satisfy my Immediate Gratification urge. I am ready to work the band, again. NSV's: 1) Airplane travel without extenders - not always - but sometimes. 2) Wearing clothes that have been hanging in my closet for months or years cause I loved them, but they were too small. 3) Walking without pain & with no trace of the fat lady waddle. No longer uncomfortable or afraid to swing my hips and walk like a girl. 4) Fitting into chairs - mostly. I still hit the side of the chairs at the theater - but at least it doesn't HURT anymore. 5) Not choked by my seatbelt anymore. I can actually pull a good foot of excess belt away from my body! So, after a year + 23 days - that's all I know. Onward! Maybe I will journal again a little sooner. We'll have to see how that goes, too.

Yeah. Ok. I suck at journals. It has been AGES since I made an entry - but since have passed my first year, I thought I would make some observations and mark some of the things I have learned: 1) I am incredibly spoiled and lazy. The urge to continue on letting my band do all the work is strong - but my inclination to immediate gratification is leading me toward a better path. Exercise will have to be more frequent and desserts will have to be more infrequent... The same old crap I have been hearing since birth... but for the last few weeks, the scale has been rewarding me for good behavior. I can't knock it if it's working. Between February 6, 2006 and my annual appt on Feb 6, 2007, I went from 331 to 295 - a loss of 36 pounds. Since my annual follow-up in 2007 - I have lost another 5 pounds. My unofficial weight this morning - 290. 2) I used to eat a HECK of a lot of food... I had somehow convinced myself that I wasn't eating much more than your average joe - but I know now that I was. I had no concept of what a portion size ought to be... and really, I am still struggling with that - but I am getting closer. It has taken over a year - but my eyes/head are finally starting to sync up with my band. Now, I only think my portion should be twice as big as needed... LOL! I find that if I plate up HALF of what I think the portion should be, I am satisfied and don't need to eat more. 3) I am starting to recognize the point at which I should just set my fork down and stop eating. Now, this doesn't mean that I actually DO stop all the time (Damned Pizza!) but at least I can tell when I should. At this moment, restriction is not such that I am forced to stop, or that I have pain or anything like that if I eat past the satiation point - but I am hoping for a more punative effect with my next fill. I am not very disciplined. (see #1 - spoiled and lazy) 4) Exercise is really not optional. If I don't go to the gym, I don't lose weight - or at least not much - even if I am trying to "diet". For me, eating perfectly is much less important that hitting the gym for 30 minutes at least 4 times a week. 5) I need to figure out how to eat more Band Effectively in restaurants. I travel for a week every month - so I spend the week of travel eating like a huge monster pig - and the following week (or TWO) getting back to where I had been before the trip. That means that AT BEST, I am only working toward goal for two weeks of the month - and I don't really do well on the weekends - so that means about 10 days a month of active dieting. It's not exactly shocking that my loss has been slow. If you factor my loss into 120 days instead of 365 - it makes total sense. I lost about a 3rd of a pound for every day of active dieting in my first year - very much what my docs told me to expect - a 3rd of a pound a day, or about 2 pounds a week. I guess that is about all that I have learned so far. I know I still have a great deal of learning to do. I also have a great deal of work to do yet. At a third of a pound per day, I still need to do 375 active dieting days to get near to goal. But my goal has actually changed a bit. My doc referred me to the "Aftercare" program at AIGB. The gal there measured my body fat on her little magic zinger scale and found that I have a body fat percentage a bit over 56%. (ICK) According to her calculations, I need to lose another 125 pounds. I was thinking 140 lbs - but if my lean mass is anywhere close to what she calculates, I would be beyond skinny with only like 5% body fat or something like that. I am never going there. So, my new goal is to weigh 168 lbs - and as ever, I will be happy with anything under 200. My true goal is to wear a size 14, or *gasp* maybe even a size 12. It doesn't sound very ambitious - but I haven't worn anything from a "normal" store since I was 18 yrs old. For now, that's the most that I can imagine. We'll see how it goes when I get there. The other part of the After Care program was exactly what you would expect - grilling on my daily & life habits with some gentle persuasion to reform. I guess it was more a way for me to focus in on what I need to do. If it keeps me from totally losing control - then it's worth taking one afternoon a month off. Besides, I had pretty much already come to the conclusion that reform was necessary to satisfy my Immediate Gratification urge. I am ready to work the band, again. NSV's: 1) Airplane travel without extenders - not always - but sometimes. 2) Wearing clothes that have been hanging in my closet for months or years cause I loved them, but they were too small. 3) Walking without pain & with no trace of the fat lady waddle. No longer uncomfortable or afraid to swing my hips and walk like a girl. 4) Fitting into chairs - mostly. I still hit the side of the chairs at the theater - but at least it doesn't HURT anymore. 5) Not choked by my seatbelt anymore. I can actually pull a good foot of excess belt away from my body! So, after a year + 23 days - that's all I know. Onward! Maybe I will journal again a little sooner. We'll have to see how that goes, too.

Hi All. Newbies... take heart. It all gets better. The pain goes away and the appetite gets smaller - and suddenly you find yourself horrified at the amt of food your Sister is eating for Thanksgiving Dinner... I had to laugh at myself - cause the year before, I would have matched her bite for bite. I pretty much slept (sitting up on the couch) for the first 2 days. It got better after that. The port pain will last the longest - cause it is attached to the muscles in your belly. Lying down was problematic for the first 3-4 days - after that, I could sleep in my bed - and that made ALL the difference in how I functioned during the day. After a year, I am finally under a BMI of 50. I am currently at 49.5 I have to say that it took at least 6 fills to get close to good restriction. I have the Vanguard band "The big one" and I have 8.8 cc right now. I am VERY close to the sweet spot. I haven't lost very FAST - mostly because I haven't dieted at all until 2007. I did exercise (sporadically) and I tried to eat sensibly (except when I didn't) but for the first year, I pretty much let my band do all the work. I lost 36 pounds that way - which is great, considering the fact that I really did eat pretty much everything - just in smaller amounts. Now that I am working a little more - eating low carb and exercising a bit more - I am seeing much faster results. If you have the motivation to follow the rules - to work with your band instead of dragging along behind it, you will succeed. I managed to lose 36 pounds by without great restriction and without very much exercise. How cool is that? Good Luck and Happy Healing to all of you!

I would say that you don't have to reveal all to your personal trainer. My Advice: 1) good shoes are important. make sure they fit properly, and are comfortable. Pretty is so not important in an exercise shoe. LIGHT weight is important, good arch support and good fit. 2) Don't skimp on the abdominal work. It won't actually do anything to make your belly fat go away faster - but it WILL support your back and save you agonizing pain. If you have ever thrown out your back, you know what I mean. If you haven't - TRUST ME on this. Do your abdominal work. They have cute little machines for that at the gym and it isn't nearly as hellish as the countless crunches you may have done in the past. Good Luck! I hope you find something that is not too agonizing for you and that you can stick with it. I suspect that after a few weeks of acclimating to the whole concept, you will drag a little bit less. :]

Yes - if there is only one surgeon on the approved list for your insurance - then go for it. Schedule with him. If you need to do more, then he will tell you. Good Luck!!

Oh Yeah. LOVE the spicy food. We eat lots of curry and mexican food. No problems here. I drink occasionally - but not often since I favor rum in sugary punch... or pina coladas. NOT exactly lo-cal delights... Just avoid the Champagne. I took a SIP on New Year's Eve... and lived to regret it. Carbonation is very uncomfortable. Research all the choices and make the best choice for you and your life. Good Luck!

So far as life-saving surgeries go... I beleive lap band to be as safe as anything! If you have ever been under anesthesia before, you should be ok. That is why you have to do pre-op testing.... to be sure that you can withstand the surgery, itself. If your pre-op tests are clear, you will probably fly right thru, with no problems. I was over 300 lbs at surgery, and certainly NOT in anything resembling good health - but I came through OK - and so will you! I felt that it was certainly worth a small risk to gain control over my eating.... and if I was so weak that surgery would kill me, then I was going to die soon, anyway. Hugs and good luck!

Hi One65! Welcome to LBT! Slow seems to be the order of the day, for me... but it's alright by me. I am just thrilled to be losing anything at all while eating pretty much whatever I want. More restriction WILL help. Good Luck!

Hey Court Welcome! I would say the first step, after reading here a whole bunch, would be to go to a local doc's informational seminar. If there is a local center that specializes in LapBand nearby - they will surely have regular seminars. The seminar gives you the chance to ask questions of doctors and usually at least one prior patient. They will also discuss costs of surgery if you self-pay. I did a lot of research here - and obviously continue to hang out here - but the seminar was really the first official step. From there, I scheduled my first consult with the doc and got started on my pre-op testing. Good luck!!

Go, Julie, GO!! What a deal. I wish my Daddy was a PS. :] Good luck with the 10 lbs. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you! Oh - and GREAT JOB on the 150 lbs~!! :]