SuzanneG

I was BMI of 35.1 on my first consult and as you may have guessed, I was denied. I appealed with all the letters of support from every one of my doctors and while I was gathering all my info and writing my letters, I was eating like there was no tomorrow. When I submitted my appeal, my BMI was up to 36.7 and that was one of the deciding factors in my subsequent approval! It was totally worth it. Only bad thing was, once I let the monster out of the cage, I couldn't get him back in. I gained even more by my surgery date, but I'm below that now, so no harm no foul.

Thanks. I'm going to ask my doc about it. He's really strict, but I have yet to figure out how to get 60 grams of protien in 12 oz of food per day.

I agree the weight issue for kids is multi-faceted. When we were kids, we would go outside at daybreak and play all day until dinner time. When my kids were little, John Walsh's kid was snatched right out from under him and kids in my county were being snatched out of their yards. My kids had to come home and lock the door and stay in until I got home at 6pm. Not much chance to excerise. Then there's video games, super sized portions, commercials, computers. Simply put, as my doctor once told me, we have a lifestyle problem. Well, lapband helps up alter our lifestyle, so we now a problem and a solution. mamato3, if you and your husband have struggled with your weight and you daughter is already struggling, perhaps she's right, maybe surgery is a viable option for her. As for her maturity showing in her dieting efforts, well, I guess I'm imature too. Its easy to get discouraged when you try and try and nothing works for you. Sure I could lose at my best, 25 pounds before I was fed up with my diet that I was ready to chew the legs off the table. Toward the end, I was just like your daughter, I'd try for a while, then give up. It seemed like I wasn't even eating as much as my skinny daughter or my normal sized husband, yet I was the fat one. I was fed up and to this day can't even entertain the idea of a "diet". For these reasons, I felt the lapband was a good solution for me. I can eat, but I don't have to jump through all the diet hoops.

I agree that the kids with WLS were having to defend themselves. Personally, I was a skinny kid, but how many on here have been overweight since they were children? If I had been, I know my mom would have done whatever she felt was needed to get me help. As for the cheeseburgers, I was suprised by that too, but like Oprah said, these kids aren't just eating at home. When I went to my WLS seminar, they gave out some statistics and one of them was that 95% of all diets fail. One statement they made was that a person can only push that rock uphill for so long before they finally give up. If these kids have been overweight their entire lives, what do you think the chances that they would have the epiphany that the last girl did? She was the exception, not the rule. Why not give these kids a chance at a normal childhood? <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I tried adding unflavored unjury to oatmeal and Soup. Yuck! My doc says no liquid calories! Where could I get the Isopure and is it palatable? Do you just drink it straight like the liquid Vitamins? How many ounces do I have to drink to get 20 grams of Protein?

First of all congratulations on your loss, that's amazing! You might try the ole' Weight Watcher trick, go back to measuring your food. My doctor only allows 4oz of food 3 times a day. He preaches about always measuring because it's so easy to fool yourself with your eyes and slowly 4 becomes 6 and 6 becomes 8, etc.

I don't know about you guys, but this really offends me. Don't get me wrong, my BMI was 37.8 when I was banded so I'm not talking about those who need the surgery but get told they aren't fat enough (this happened to me). But I hate it when someone who is 20 pounds overweight at the most tells me that they want to get it done. I think they're probably just trying to show support, but it makes me feel like they're making fun of me. Is it just me?

I've heard the same as abeaher, but so far I'm doing OK. I'm drawn to salty foods, so nuts and chips are my weakness. I normally avoid them, but for the super bowl, I had a few corn chips and tortilla chips with cheese dip and salsa. I think for someone who has a serious sweet tooth, you may want to research gastri bypass. My mom had it 1997 and lost 165 pounds. The difference there is that if you eat bad foods with gastric, you'll either have dumping syndrome or you'll throw it back up. It has its downside though, since there is malabsorption, you have to worry about losing your hair, etc. Personally, I have found that fear of messing up the band is a power motivator. Good luck to you.

I understand what you're saying and I have seen people post on here with BMI below 35 who want the surgery. I always say that Mary Chapin Carpenter said it best, "The stars might lie but the numbers never do." I was in a plus size 20 when I started my pre-op diet. I opted for the surgery because I was having health problems, BP, joint problems, blood sugar, not to mention I was slowly losing my ability to do the things I love, yard work, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth for these people that I'm talking about. I know it's all relative, but I'm talking about people who are normal sized - litterally. As in not Plus Sized. The example from today probably wears a size 12. I really felt like she was poking fun at my choice to have the surgery.

Pix - You're post really made me laugh. I made hubby give up soda so I wouldn't have to suffer alone too! (He lost 11 pounds in the first 13 days while I was sipping my liquids!) Don't give up coffee, just caffine. I drink decaf every day and I don't notice the difference.

The most important thing for not feeling hungry is PROTIEN. Make sure that your liquids include 60 grams a day. I used unflavored unjury mixed with the sugar free CIB (I used these for taste as I didn't like any of the protien supplements that I tried). If you're just consuming soups, broths, and CIB alone, I can see why you're starving.

I really enjoyed having my own PJs and slippers on. I'm big on that. Also, it helps if your going home shoes are slip on. Good luck!

I did the exact same thing and it resolved itself the following week. You can read my thread "I gained 2.5 pounds on MUSHIES!" for more info.

I'm not speaking from personal experience, but I've seen many on here say that they are "tight" in the am. I think drinking something warm first thing in the am is supposed to help.

I'm getting my first fill on Feb 15th and I'm nervous. I live an hour from the doctor and work 2 1/2 hours from the doctor. I hate to be conservative and cheat myself out of good restriction, but my doc recommended we take it slow so I will be less likely to need an unfill.

My BMI was 35.1 when I went for my consult appointment. BCBS turned me down and said unless I had sleep apnea, heart disease, or lunch disease, I didn't qualify. I assembled an appeal package including letters from every one of my doctors, gyn, gp, gastro, pediatris, and surgeon, all stating that weight loss would correct/benefit my condition that they treat me for. I also wrote 2 letters myself, 1 medical, 1 emotional. Meanwhile, I ate like there was no tomorrow and by the time I submitted my package my BMI was 36.7. Based on my letters and my larger BMI, they approved me. I'm happy with my decision.

I made it! Even though I am at the beginning of my journey, this was a mini goal for me and I was very happy to get here!

ja9va, It is a small world. Maybe we can get together sometime. I was thinking about trying to get a few of us in the area together one day. I actually ran into another person from this thread at my doctor's office. I'm doing great. Just got back from Great Lakes, IL where my son graduated Navy boot camp. I ate pretty much the same thing everyone else ate. A couple of times, I pushed my limit for quantity and felt a little iky after. I had a doctor appt the day before I left and again the day after we got back and I lost 2 pounds in 1 week. Considering that we were celebrating, I'm not complaining. I get my first fill 2/15/08. I'm a little nervous about it.

I'm so upset. I lost 20 pounds on my 2 weeks pre-op and 1 week post-op liquid diet. Then on Friday, 11th, I started mushies and I gained 1.5 pounds. I tried to tell myself it was Fluid (I did notice my rings were tighter), then I tried to tell myself it was because I wasn't going potty like I should, but I fixed that with Milk of Mag and still NOTHING. Tomorrow is 1 week on mushies. I am eating three 4oz meals a day. That's it! No cheating, no sugar, low carb, high protien. What gives? Did this happen to any of you?

leeanghadn, I think you hit the nail right on the head. Things have started to turn around for me. The funny thing is, we went on a trip last week and I ate out 3x a day for 7 days and lost 2 pounds! I even splurged a little as we were celebrating and had some things I would not normally have like chips and desert. However, I'm now paying the price since introducing more carbs into my diet, my blood sugar is unstable (I'm hypoglycemic) and I'm hungrier. Had a post-op appointment yesterday and everything is going well. I'll get my first fill 2/15 (with you I think, what time is yours? Mine is 1:30).

Hey, Welcome. 1. I was told no pill larger than an M&M 2. I don't know the answer to this one. I went from no burping to constant loud burping. 3. I'm the same as you. My diet calls for 4 oz meals and I stop at 4 oz, but most of the time, I'm practically licking the plate and would eat more if fear and sanity didn't stop me. Getting my first fill 2/15. When were you banded? Hope this helps.

I'm new to this, but based on other posts I've read on here, it sounds like you may be too tight. Have you had many fills? Maybe you need an un-fill. Sorry to hear about the divorce, etc.

I'm so upset. I lost 20 pounds on my 2 weeks pre-op and 1 week post-op liquid diet. Then on Friday, 11th, I started mushies and I gained 1.5 pounds. I tried to tell myself it was Fluid (I did notice my rings were tighter), then I tried to tell myself it was because I wasn't going potty like I should, but I fixed that with Milk of Mag and still NOTHING. Tomorrow is 1 week on mushies. I am eating three 4oz meals a day. That's it! No cheating, no sugar, low carb, high protien. What gives? Did this happen to any of you?

I'm still on mushies, but things are better. I'm slowly starting to lose again. Now, will I gain again when I move to stage 3?

Me too. I was on 40mg Nexium 2x day and now I take nothing!