NewHere37

Hi everyone! I am new here, but hoping I can get some help from you all. Surgery tommorow - please help! Ok, so the surgeon says that in his mind, the bands are absolutely equal in tems of results, the only difference (which he really likes) is the Realize Band has good patient support with their website. To me, the patient support is nice, but not really a decision-making element. As an engineer, I am more interested in the structural differences between the two and why one design might be superior. In my mind here are the pros and cons: Realize Pros - Low Profile port, different port anchoring system (less chance of flipping), wider band, low pressure band, softer band material. Could be considered an improvement on an already good product Realize Cons - I was all set to go with the Realize until I came to LapBandTalk and there was one lone guy who brought up this issue - the band material is not pre-curved, so when it is buckled around the stomach it wrinkles and kinks onto itself (imagine bending a straw into a triangle) forming a triangle which could a) cause the band material to rub against itself and erode and :Angel_anim: prevent uniform pressure when the band is filled. also c) this odd triangular shape could create a non-circular stoma opening, which might be bad (? who knows). So that is, to me the big question. the non-pre-curved bit. Could this band wear out sooner? Could it cause problems for my stomach erosion, etc? Does just the potential (nothing is proven that I could find) of these problems outweigh the obvious pros? There was only one guy (who clearly had some sort of ax to grind) who brought this up. I have not found any mention of it anywhere else. Does it seem like a legit concern? I also am slightly concerned about the fact that this band has not been used in this country for very long. My surgeon says the results are the same two years out. But I am thinking that two years of data is all we have on the Realize. That's not that much. Lap-Band Pros - A tried and true product. I like the pre-curved shape of the band - it seems more compatable with stomach anatomy. Lap-Band Cons - The high pressure of the band - not really a con, just a difference that might be slilghtly inferior to the low pressure band. The high profile port (my surgeon won't use the low profile one) Overall, the Realize has some VERY good points, but also one point that could be bad. Since the Lap Band is the gold standard here, I could be not giving it enough credit in my frenzied psyco analysis. It is a perfectly fine band with good results, but I want whichever one is the best. I know at this point you are probably rolling your eyes and telling me to quit overthinking it and just pick one, but I am just like this. Any input you can give me is appreciated. thanks, Deb

Hi - Well, I am not sure how I am losing because I have avoided getting a scale. I just know I will get into some kind of psycho weighing myself every 10 minutes thing if I do. So far I have only been weighed at the doctors office, and have only been to one appt. I had lost 10 lbs between June 24th and July 9th. I don't how people with strict post op diets handle it, I was so starving after the first few days my stomach was actually cramping. Let me tell you, refried beans with cheese was the best meal I ever had! The thing is, even though I am tracking all my food, and I know I am eating waaaaay less than I was a few weeks ago, I still have weird food guilt (yesterday I went over my calorie budget), and so I am kind of worried that I am not losing. I think it'll take a while before it shows up in my clothes, so we'll see. I am trying to keep realistic goals, but sometimes it's hard to be patient when I see people that have lost 90 lbs in 6 months! I get my first fill Aug 8th, and I can't wait. I'll see how much I have lost by then. But my surgeon says that he knows it is very hard to lose without the right amount of fill and his goal is just weight maintenance from the two week post op appt and the first fill.

I completely agree. Everyone (nutritionist, OH posters) say they don't count anything except sometimes calories. My nut. says not to because this is a non-counting lifestyle supposedly. But then she turns around and says that we should be choosing low fat foods, high protein foods, low calorie foods....etc. Well, after 25 years of dieting, if there is one thing I know about myself, it's that counting keeps me from deluding myself about what I am eating. Besides, I figure I need to keep track for a while, at least until I get used to what that looks like on a plate. It really bugged me in my last nutrition class that she was simultaneously saying don't count anything, but read all the labels and do all this calorie to protein ratio math in our heads. Well, that was mini rant, wasn't it?! Deb

Kerry, If you check out thedailyplate.com, there is a place where you can imput your height, weight, excercise level, and goal amount of weight lost per week, and it will calculate the number of calories per day you should have. I am short also - 5'2" and it calculates for me 1300 cals per day. You definately need to eat enough to keep your metabolism from shutting down. According to my nut. 800 calories and below is bad. She said that sometimes eating more will actually help people start losing again because it gooses their metabolism. Plus it is really easy to use, and great for keeping track of everything, nutrition-wise. It even reminds you to get enough Water in. Good luck to you to, Deb

Plus today I tried the High Fiber V-8 juice - it tastes just like regulare V-8 and has 5 grams fiber per 8 punces. I really hate supplements, so I am on the hunt for high fiber foods.

I generally eat around 1/2 to 2/3 cup of food at each meal, and eat about 5 or 6 times a day. Yesterday I had: B: Leftover Pot Roast and Baked Potato - 22 grams Protein L: 1 egg omelet w/ 2T diced ham and 1 T shredded parmesan - 13g D: 1/2 grilled small hamburger and cottage cheese - 26g and for a bedtime snack I have been eating 1/3 cup bran buds with skim milk to try to get a little fiber - 13g fiber, 5g protein. Plus I had a Skinny Cow Fudgesicle and some Orange juice for Snacks. Totals for the day: 1200 calories, 46g fat (yikes!), 130g carbs (not bad), 19 grams fiber, and 72 grams protein. I am still learning how to eat high protein, low fat and low-ish carbs - I am only a little over 2 weeks out from surgery (isn't it crazy that my surgeon has his patients eating real food so soon?!) But I eat a lot of lowfat cottage cheese - big protein there, and so far I am ok with both chicken and juicy hamburgers if I put a little sauce on them. Sometimes yogurt, but that doesn't really fill me up. One day I had a little Peanut Butter with a few ww ritz crackers, which has good protein, but waaaaay high in fat, so I won't do it too often. I made some chicken salad with a little lite mayo, mustard and relish and that had a ton of protein, and went down well. I have not had any fills yet, so I am white knuckling the eating thing. I keep track of everything on thedailyplate.com, a great site IMO. Do you track your food? What kinds of stuff do you eat? Thanks for sharing, I usually get a lot of info off of the OH board, but the people over here are really nice. Deb

Really? I don't have any trouble getting protein - some days I get over 90 grams - and I hate the shakes, so I do it all with food. My trouble is trying to stay within the fat and carb guidelines. And forget about the fiber. What kind of supplement do you like for fiber?

Hi - I get very frustrated with the amount of conflicting diet info out there, too. Anyway, here is my surgeons guidelines: Fat - less than 25g Complex Carbs - less than 100g Fiber - At least 25g (obviously have to take a supplement for this) Protein - At least 65g I track everything on mydailyplate.com and it helps keep track of all the totals, plus it can help you calculate calories. Hope that helps. I find it hard to live within those guidelines, but I'm trying. Deb

Well, I guess I just figured that the Realize Band had a lot of attributes that seemed like plusses to me. For example, I really like the low profile port, and the shape of the port is wider so they can find it without a lot of digging around. I also like that it seems to have less port flips because it has a different anchoring mechanism. Also, the tubing from the port to the band is in a different location so the risk of the tubing getting punctured during a fill is lessened. Regarding the band itself, the low pressure appeals to me because I think it would help prevent stuff from getting too stuck and it seems gentler on the stomach. A guy on the OH Realize message board emailed me and said that seems to be true for him and people in his local support group. Also the band itself is wider and this supposedly helps reduce slippage. The triangle thing still bothers me, but I think the softness of the silicone keeps it from being too big of a problem. If I had more time I would probably really hound my surgeon and the Realize help people to get more answers, but I had to decide now. I mean I don't consider all these things to be "facts", just theories that I can see as plausible (other than the port shape). Part of the whole "band experience" that kind of frustrates me is the fact that it is so individual. Everyone has a different story - rate of weight loss, stuff they can't eat, recovery, head hungries. I still wonder if the triangle shape will cause the band to rub against itself and erode itself, but I will cross that bridge if I come to it. I think the Lap Band is still a great band, and if I had had surgery a month ago it wouldn't have even been an option, since my guy is just now offering it. Hopefully I will be able to keep everyone updated next week - I need all the support I can get! Deb

I did end up chosing the Realize. I feel the there are a lot of advantages to this band, and the only negative comments about the shape came from someone who was really hostile toward Realize and maybe not so objective. Wish me luck tomorrow!

Hi! My date is tommorow, June 27th! Sooooo nervous! Deb