Jodi_620

I agree Jachut. Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9. I weigh 133 with a BMI of 22.8. That is mid-range normal. I am in no way a stick, I have curves and breasts and do not look at all sickly. My husband who has never been overweight is 5’5” and 152 pounds. He has little love handles and a little bit of a belly but is muscular too and I don’t mind saying looks damn fine I have not reached the lower end of normal BMI and don’t intend to. To do so would require me to weigh 108 pounds. When I was around a 20 BMI (120 pounds) my face was a bit sunken and I did not think I looked well. At higher-end normal (145 pounds) I was within the healthy BMI range and still looked a little “chunky”. Only a 12 pound difference from where I am now but at normal weight 12 pounds lost or gained is much more noticeable. The BMI chart is not ideal and does not work for every body type. Just saying that at least for me, I can be within the healthy BMI and still have the ability to choose to have a little bit of meat on my bones or no meat at all.

As a fellow shorty, I completely feel for you. It is much harder for us to shop but if you can be persistent hopefully you will be able to find enough to get you through. Goodwill is on my way from work so I checked there 2-3 times a week because they are constantly getting new stuff in. I learned that Salvation Army got their truck in on Wedesday morning so I would swing by there every Wed after work. There are a few church-run thrift stores that I would hit up on the weekends, yard sales brought some luck too. I never went in expecting to get a big haul and sometimes came out empty-handed but I just checked regularly and managed to get by and save a lot of money. I just thought of another thing you may want to check. My surgeons office at one time had a clothing swap thing going I am not sure how well it worked out because by that point I was nearing the end of my loss but I thought it was a brilliant idea!

If you are like me you will set more than one goal. There was no official goal set by my doc but I was asked by my psych what my goal was and I said 150. When you have been overweight your whole life like I was, it is hard to imagine going all the way with weightloss and actually I was afraid to set the bar too high and fail. I chose 150 because in my many attempts to lose weight, I did once reach 170 for a brief time and figured with the LapBand I could probably top that by 20 pounds. I couldn't imagine myself ever being any smaller. She told me that I could do better and I should aim high which I now think is good advice. At the time I looked at her stick-thin frame and thought..."yeah , that's easy for you to say." Although I didn't think I could or even needed to, to satisfy her I set my goal at middle-normal BMI which is 137 then didn't give it much more thought...If I hit 150 I was going to be very happy with that. While losing weight I set mini-goals...hit one-derland, lose half my excess weight, lose X pounds by this date. Then before I knew it I hit 150 and happily settled in there for a good while. After months at 150 I gained a couple pounds and decided to go in for a maintenance fill. That got my weightloss moving again and before too long I found myself at 137 and though in the beginning I would have never imagined that or expected it, I have to say my 5'3" frame looks pretty good at that size! I am now comfortably settled in at around 130-135, meaning I don't have to obsess about every calorie that crosses my lips and as long as I am mindful of what I am eating and keep active I am easily staying within this range.

I spent the first 9 months buying (or I should say renting ) my clothes from Goodwill. I was in and out of sizes too fast to waste my money on new clothes. My local Goodwill sells all jeans for $6.00 and I found some nice designer jeans that I actually hated to give up when I would shrink down to th next size.

I don't think there is an issue in this thread, the OP refers to Eric in the subject line and in the original post.

I have (had) PCOS. It absolutely did not inhibit my weightloos and my PCOS symptoms and need for meds stopped very quickly after surgery.

$375.00 It was to collect all of the pre-op results, submit to insurance. nutritionist, and a lifetime of aftercare guideance (a big joke considering the surgeonrecently pulled up stakes and moved to Florida)

Only now the quack that Pinnar left his practice with found out about Phil's new practice and threatened litigation, scaring away Phil's partner and making it legally impossible for him to keep this practice open and help Pinnar's forgotten patients. I would happily join in any legal action for his failure to provide lifetime follow-up care that was promised to his patients. I realize he had a good opportunity to move on but he had an obligation first to ensure that a reliable person took over to offer continued care to all of his Virginia patients. I am still trying to get my medical records. Apparently, according to the answering service for Merchia, Dr. Pinnar has them now. This whole thing is a mess!

My surgeon explained that we do not have any nerves in the stomach tissue itself so you cannot feel the actual band around it. You will feel new sensations, typically while eating but most of that is felt in the esophagus.

I will eat the low-cal frozen dinners in a pinch. It seems like the Weight Watchers is all Pasta and starchy foods and Healthy Choice is pretty good but most of my favorite meals just have too much food for me. I usually go for the Lean Cuisine meat and veggie options, they are not like my own home cooking but they are not awful either. Not to be preachy but I agree with others that although there may not be any visible problems from your hubby's current diet, all that processed chemical laden food is likely causing problems you can't see just yet. If it were me, I would try and start making fresh meals and encouraging him to eat healthier which will benefit both of you in the long run. It is cheaper too!

I "CAN" and have eaten regular hand-tossed style pizza but it can be uncomfortable which takes the enjoyment out of it. I have no problem with thin/crispy type crust. Most times we buy whole wheat tortillas or flat bread and make our own using healthier ingredients; we prefer our own homemade pizza anyway. Before adding the toppings, I lightly spray both sides of the tortilla or flat bread with olive oil and it crisps up nicely rather than getting soggy, making it easy for me to digest.

No, that is the first time I've heard that warning. As a matter of fact, I was instructed to carry Water with me everywhere and sip all day to keep hydrated. In the beginning you certainly want to be mindful. But as time goes on you will adjust to band life and learn to read your band. Sometimes I am tighter and know to be cautious not to chance it in a potentially unsafe or inconvenient situation. I am not sure if you are saying that you were told that you can't lift for a year but that certainly was not the case for me. I was told no lifting for six weeks but basically to listen to my body and stop doing anything that was uncomfortable or painful until the sutures healed. After about 4-5 weeks I was back to my old self and able to pretty much do anything I did pre-band. I was only told that most people can't tolerate bread. Sometimes I can and sometimes I can't but most times I find that it just isn't as enjoyable with the band. food that you may or may not tolerate well will vary from person to person but bread definitely is a common one.

I agree, and also the top of your stomach where the band is placed is behind your liver. Your liver actually had to be moved out of the way in order to place the band. Not sure you could possibly be feeling your band through your liver.

I wasn't required to quit prior to surgery. How long it takes to clear from your system varies a bit depending on how much and how long you have smoked. And the type of test differs too. If they are doing a urine test, you would test clear of nicotine in 3-5 days being smoke-free. If they are doing a blood test, it could still show in your blood a month or more after quitting. I think urine tests are typical in this situation but a blood test is possible.

Thanks for adding more pieces to the puzzle jj_1403. Nice to know where my records really are. I am just going by what was in Dr.Pinnar's goodbye letter (which was all misleading) and what was offered by the answering service (who told me my records were with Dr. Greene). I am not familiar with Dr.Merchia (never needed a sleep study) and was not aware of his part in this mess. I am still waiting to see where I will go from here, don't want to travel to Rockville.

I think the band helps us physically which leads to mental changes. I also think that part of the mental change comes from the fact that I did something so drastic and expensive and I just couldn't let myself fail. Like most people I was overweight not only because I ate things I shouldn't and didn't exercise enough but because I ate too much and ate all the time. I don't do that anymore and THAT is the band not me. At proper restriction I can't graze all day and pig out at my meals anymore. The band is about no longer being hungry. But for me it is also about no longer being able to overdo it. It does take away any enjoyment or comfort in overindulging (if there every truly was any). As a lifetime dieter I also think that the fact that I lost faster with the band played a huge role in it. Many times I had sucessfully lost some weight pre-band but besides being hungry on most diets, the loss was slow and eventually I would get frustrated and give up. With the band I lost most of my weight in the first 9 months. The smaller I got the more encouraged I was to go on. Not eating foods I shouldn't is pretty much me not the band. I was a lot more restrictive on types of food during weight loss phase; to be sucessful you have to be. Again as a lifetime dieter, I knew which foods I needed to avoid. Now that I am at goal I still avoid the processed unhealthy stuff but I eat most anything now within reason. I have learned that the bad stuff just makes me feel bad and my body is more satisfied on the good stuff. Excercising is me, not the band but going through the surgery gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get off the couch. As the weight went away the energy increased. And I have learned that a good workout makes me feel good.

It sounds crazy impossible to me! I can drink as much and as often as I need up until my meal. I am to take small bites and chew well but no timing is needed between bites. I am to stop eating after 30 minutes and wait 30 minutes to drink.

Fudgesicles are great, they satisfy the choco craving in less than 100 calories sugar free. And I do eat chocolate from time-to-time. I go for the low sugar dark kind it is a healthier choice. I allow myself most foods in moderation choosing the healthiest version.

That is not what happened though. He did send out notice but what the notice said was not what we got. I don't know whether he intentionally left us up in the air or everything fell apart after he left. The letter said that Dr. Greene would take over in the Reston office and that psych and fill guy and staff would still be available at that location. But instead Dr. Greene took our records and closed up shop in Virginia so we would have to go to his office in Maryland if they could get us in because they were overbooked, that is not what Dr. Pinnar said would happen. It seems that Dr. Pinnar should have made sure his patients here were going to be taken care of like his letter intimated, if there was a contract, then it was not honored as to what his patients were promised. Yes he is great but the way this turned out for his Reston patients leaves me disappointed. The good news that I have recently received is that Phil (Dr. Pinnar's assistant) is working on opening his own office to do fills. He is a PA not a surgeon but at least we will have follow-up band care/maintenance.

Food Expert, I just got an email from Phil. He is opening his own office to do fills!!! If you would like his email address PM me.

I suppose that is an issue I should deal with at some point. I was fat for 40 of my 42 years of life and though I have not been overweight for two years now, I still have never known the feeing of not being fat. I still think fat, I still feel fat. It is hard to explain what I see in the mirror. I look pretty good I know, I get compliments, men notice me all the time. I know that I am no longer fat but I still feel that fat girl inside me. People comment about how thin I am and sometimes I actually get annoyed as though I am still that 240 pound woman and they are just making fun of me. I feel better physcially and I know I look better but some days I just don't know how to get my mind to forget that fat girl and embrace the new me.

The reason my surgeon gave for quitting was that smokers have reduced wound healing. My surgeon didn't require that I quit prior to surgery and I smoked right up to the night before. As I did before and after others surgeries with no healing problems. However with the Lap Band surgery I also had hiatal hernia repair and after the surgery my diaphragm was so weak I could barely draw in enough breath to speak a couple words, full sentences were impossible and even walking across the room left me breathless. There was absolutley no physical way for me to draw in air the way you need to to inhale cigarette smoke. This lasted at least 5 days, it was a blessing because thanks to that experience the 30th of this month not only brings my 3-year bandiversary but it marks 3 years as a non-smoker. May you have the same fortune!

A few weeks ago I received a letter that Dr. Pinnar took a new position in Florida. It didn't sound like a big deal. Another surgeon was to take over both offices in Rockville, MD and my office in Reston, VA and that the beloved Phil would still be there to handle our fills. There was also mentioned an option to transfer to Dr. Pinnars father who is in the same building at Reston. I wasn't that concerned based on the letter. Fast forward to today. I call the Reston office to schedule a fill with Phil. I am told he is no longer there, that all medical files were forwarded to Rockville and if I want a fill they are very backed up but I would have to travel to Rockville to have my fill when they can finally get me in. I was told that I also have the option of tranferring to Dr. Pinnars father who is in Reston as the letter mentioned but there is a $100 transfer fee and I will have to pay for barium swallow and tests to make sure the condition of my band is good before he will accept me. I am not sure what I am going to do now. The answering service did take may email address and promised to contact me if she finds out where Phil ends up, She said he has a big following and the hope is that he will open his own practice. This stinks! This is mainly just a vent but wondering if anyone else was banded by Dr. Eric Pinnar.

This is common and nothing to get to worried about. Your body has gone through a shock both with surgery then sudden weight loss. Continue what you are doing with the biotin and make sure you are getting enough protein then just give it time. The cycle is 3 months. Typically loss starts within 3 months and ends after around 3 months. Your loss sounds like it is peaking, your surgery was in January so it should slowly end soon then start growing back by July. Your hair will probably thin a bit but you will not go bald, something my surgeon said he has to assure just about all of his patients of. As long as you take your supplements and eat right it will grow back.

According to my doctors guidelines yes, that means you are not quite there yet but getting close. A slight fill just might do the trick.