auntlucy

Welcome Lori! We are glad to have you here. Have you had surgery yet, or are you just exploring the idea of it?

It really depends on your insurance and your surgeon. Really, your insurance is a huge deciding factor. Some require a six-month supervised diet. Mine did not. I was approved in less than a week and then had the surgery 2 months later.

Good luck!

Hi Laura! Welcome! I'm also from Texas (live in McKinney and work in Dallas).

I was banded 5 months ago, and it has been the best thing I ever did for myself. I've been overweight most of my life. I've tried everything under the sun, and nothing worked for me longterm. I thought about getting banded for about 3 years prior to actually getting it. I really needed to be ready for it mentally and emotionally, and I finally got ot the point where I waws ready to do whatever it took.

It's been a lot of life changes, but they really haven't been that hard. When it gets difficult (and there will be days when you question your decision), try to stay focused on the reasons you did it.

Best wishes, and let us know if you have any questions!

Paula, good luck with your recovery. You will likely be pretty sore for a few days, but it will get a little better each day. Try to get u and walk around as much as you can. It really will help.

Dr. Hamn (in Plano) is my surgeon. Dr. Cribbins is his partner. Dr. Hamn is supposed to be one of the best in the area, and I've been very pleased.

Here is a link to their site: Obesity Surgery In Texas - Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth TX

Welcome fellow TX girl! I'm in McKinney (work in Dallas). I got my band 5 months ago, and it's been the best thing I've ever done for myself. If you decide to get it, make sure you are really ready for it. You definitely need to go into it knowing all of the life changes you need to make.

I too have been overweight all my life. I was on my first diet at age 3. I lost quite a bit of weight on a liquid diet in high school, but I couldn't maintain it, and the weight all came back plus a lot more.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. I'll be glad to try to answer them.

Don't be discouraged! It is completely normal. That was definitely my experience too. I lost 18 pounds the first 2 weeks and as soon as I started on soft foods I gained a few of those pounds back. After a couple of weeks, the weight started coming back off. Your body is in distress right now. It's just undergone trauma from the surgery and your body is hanging on to everything it can because of the rapid weight loss.

I'm going to give you some advice that my doctor gave me before the surgery. He reminded me of it right after surgery, and it has really helped me keep perspective. Right after surgery, your job is to focus on letting your body heal. Your job is not to lose weight right now. Once your body has fully healed, your job is to fous on learning the new behaviors that go along with the band. My doctor told me that he would tell me when my job was to focus on losing weight. I had my surgery 5 months ago, and he still hasn't told me to focus on losing weight. I learned very quickly that if I was truly focused on the new behaviors that the weight would come off. After 5 months, I've lost 58 pounds.

Try not to get discouraged. The weight will come off in time.

Paula, I hope you don't mind, but I just said a prayer for you. Good luck with your surgery today! Let us know how you are doing.

penturn, you are doing great! 20 pounds in 4 weeks is amazing. You likely would not have been able to do that without the surgery. I know it's frustrating at times, and you will definitely hit different plateaus (especially before your fills), but then you will keep losing. They say a pound a week is considered successful. You are well ahead of that. Hang in there!

Mine started coming out about 3 months after surgery. My hair stylist said that it is common...she sees it a lot with patients who have had weight loss surgery. She also reassured me that it would grow back. I'm trying not to worry abou ti ttoo much. After all, I'm losing weight, and I would go back and do it all again. But, I know it's really hard. My hair has always been what people have commented on. It's definitely been my thing!

Paula, don't worry about setting a final goal weight yet. In my opinion, your focus right now shouldn't be on the weight loss, but on doing what it takes to heal your body after your surgery. Then, your job is to focus on making the necessary behavior changes. When you have done that, set a short term goal. I still haven't really set an ultimate goal. I have a ways to go and I know generally where I want to be, but it will all depend on how I feel as I get there.

Good luck! I'm sure you will do great!

around 1100 calories a day seems to work for me. But, everyone's body is different and there are all kinds of factors that need to be considered...height, weight, male/female, age, activity level, etc.

Tess, I just know your next fill will do the trick! Keep up the good work. Thanks again for starting this thread! It has been such an encouragement for those of us in the same boat!:Banane37:

I take 10 mg of Biotin a day. The instructions say to take 5 mg, but I didn't notice a difference with that, so I started doubling it. I can tell you that my nails are stronger than ever, but I still feel like my hair is coming out some.

The Vitamin B is a BTotal (B12) liquid supplement. You just put a dropper full under your tongue and hold it there for 30 seconds before swallowing. It also gives you a boost of energy.

I just went to my hair stylist over the weekend. I waited to see if she noticed that it was thinner, and she said she did. Fortunately, I do have a lot of hair, so the average person won't really notice.

Good luck! I hope you find the right mix of things that helps.

That was not my experience at all. Of course, everyone is different. I lost 18 pounds the first 2 weeks. Once I started eating a little more mushies, I gained a few of those pounds back. My body was in shock from the rapid weight loss I think. After a couple of weeks, I started losing pretty steadily again. I hit another plateau after losing about 45 pounds, and it took about 3 to 4 weeks for the weight loss to pick up again. But, it has!

I can definitely empathize with you! I've had the same problem. Even with getting 60 to 80 grams of Protein a day, I was still losing my hair. I started taking Biotin, and that seems to help. I also take liquid Vitamin B drops. My hair stylist recommended them. Yesterday or the day before, I saw another post here about some hair products to use. You might want to try that.

Let me know if you find anything else.

I had them too. It was an allergic reaction to the adhesive. The doctor told me to just let warm, soapy Water wash over them when I showered. He said I could try some ointment, but to be very careful NOT to get it in the incisions b/c it would prevent them from healing properly. That frightened me, so I didn't use the ointment. Mine ended up scabbing over. Over time, they healed. But, you are right...they make you itch like crazy!

Yes, I have. But, it's not from lack of nutrition in my case. My doctor said I'm getting plenty of Protein and such, but that my body is just under stress from the changes. I'm taking Biotin and liquid Vitamin B drops. It seems to be helping.

Your thoughts are completely normal. In a few days, the pain shouldn't be as bad and you will be a little more comfortable each day. I had some of the same feelings, and I can tell you I would go back and do it all over again for the results I'm getting. Hang in there!

I don't live with my parents, but we are very close, and they only live a mile from me. I told mine that I was tired of struggling with my weight and that I needed a tool to help me. I told them I knew that there was no magic wand that would take it away, but that I needed a tool to be an aid. Then, I told them that I was considering surgery and that I had researched all of the different types. I told them a little about each and that I was leaning towards the band, but wanted to go to the seminar before making a final decision. I asked them if they wanted to go to the initial seminar. That way, they had a chance to learn about it and ask questions. Since you have already been to a seminar, maybe you could go to a second one (assuming your surgeon offers them) so your parents could go. When I first told them, I asked them to not make up their mind until they had done some research. After the seminar, my Dad said he would support any decision I made but would prefer if I got the band b/c the bypass had too many risks from what he heard. They have been very supportive. My dad wanted to know that I was doing it for the right reasons...to be healthy NOT just to get skinny.

Good luck...let us know how it goes!

The silver lining in your cloud is that you recognize what you are doing and that you are making changes to get back on track. The struggle we all have, even with the band, is to not fall back into our old habits. I know in the past, when I would "cheat" on a diet, I would think, "oh well...I already blew it! what's the point!"

You should actually be proud of yourself for getting back on track.

Yippee! Well, it's official. I'm finally under 300! I weighed 295 on my scale this morning. I've been adding 3 lbs to that number b/c that seems consistent with my doctor's scale. I am so excited! That gives me a total of 55 pounds lost! Now, my next goal is to hit the 75 pounds lost mark. Just 20 pounds to go. Let's all do it together!

It's funny how for most of my life the scale has been something I avoided. Now, I can't wait to hop onto it Sunday morning so I can see my progress!

Yes, that may have been me. Mine has gone down. At times it seems more prevalent than other times though. I'm honestly not too worried about it. I'll take the little lump in exchange for losing weight.

I would absolutely do it again. It has been the best thing in the world for me!

If you are in the wedding (couldn't tell from your post), I don't know how you can back out with such short notice. I find it odd that your surgeon can't do it for another year if you don't do it now. You might want to look for a surgeon that has more date flexibility. It is a hard decision, but ultimately you need to think about which one will have the most impact in 10 years.