TheGh0st

Kitty - I'm so excited for you!!!:Banane20: I'm not sure I'll be able to make it either. The TT is really putting a dent in our budget and hubby is not thrilled with me hanging with the girls in Vegas (Just a wee bit of the green eyed monster starting to resurface me thinks.:heh:) But wouldn't it be fun for some of us "near" goal gals to get together and go chlothes shopping and dancing? :whoo:

MarieCarmen - Here's the link. The site will give you your "ideal" goal weight based on your Peers or "People's Choice", BMI, Met Life Tables, as well as 4 other methods for calculating your IBW (Ideal Body Weight). It also has links to articles that point out some flaws in these different methods that are well worth the read. For example the Met life tables assume a women is wearing 3 pounds of clothes and 1" heels. So for that chart you actually have to add 1" to your height and 3 pounds to your weight if you weigh without clothing like I do. One insightfull but potentially depressing thing about the site is that for my height 5'2", every time I lose weight the "People's Choice" IBW weight keeps getting lower and lower. It isn't until I get down to 111 that my peers finally think I don't need to lose a few pounds!!! :faint:I really want to believe I will be happy with my weight LONG before that weight. Dear Me, if I'm a size 10 at 165 and am looking at maybe being a size 6 after plastic surgery which probably will only bring me down to 150ish. I'd have to be down to a size 0 (or less?) if I managed to get down to 111. That sounds plain stupid, vain and greedy to me. Though I will admit with my sister being 5'10" and a size 1 a little part of me probably will always feel like the "fat" girl in my family. Better Ideal Weight Body Calculations

I know exactly what you mean BooBoo, But Darn those Butt-heads! Don't they realize a few compliments just make most of us girls want to work even harder for more compliments? So frustrating.

One more "good" snack to add here - Try microwaving some Hormel Turkey Pepperoni slices on some paper towels until crisp. Time varies by machine and quantity of slices. I believe there are about 80 calories in 20 slices and nearly no carbs. OK it is high in salt but that can be a blessing as it stops me from craving too many.

Boo Boo, just had to post I love your new signature line! You look FANTASTIC! Any chance you are considering going to Vegas in January with some of the other bandster? I'm hoping to but still unsure of finances and hubby.

I'm still changing my goals daily, if not more often than that. I really want to be happy with the 150's or 140's but am seriously worried I won't be happy until I hit the 120's/110's for my height. There is an interesting website (can get you the link if you want) that shows various methods for calculating your ideal or goal body weight. One of the methods it uses, which it calls a more realistic goal weight is one that tells you what your average peer (age, sex & current weight) would say was an appropriate goal weight. I hadn't realized at first that last bit about the goal being set by a group of peers at your current weight, and it took me a while to notice the goal kept changing as I lost weight since I didn't go back to the sight often. But it was eerily accurate in "guessing" what my own ever changing thoughts of a goal weight would be as I've lost the weight.

Gjdf52 - Don't beat yourself up about 67 out of 114 pounds lost in one year. That is still nearly 60%. As the docs say anyone able to lose over 50% of their excess weight with the band is a success. BE PROUD!!! You have already beat their odds and will continue to reach even higher goals! I can't wait to see some before/afters.

I am SO HAPPY it all turned out well. I (we) weren't trying to scare you but it is always the best thing to contact your doc whenever there is blood, especially so soon after surgery. Take care, baby your band and yourself for a while and be carefull to chew even more carefully when the doc gives you the go ahead for more solid foods. I would shoot for chewing anything until it is the consistency of runny mash potatoes before swallowing it. Even months down the road that is the best way I've found to eat in my band journey.

If you refuse to go. At least call the band doc's service. Let them know what happened and let them decide if they want to see you on Sunday or if you can wait till next week. If you don't call I'm tempted to call my band doc for you. The band has very few complications and very few that are serious but any symptom like vomiting blood so soon after surger is very SERIOUS. I'm worried for you. Understand this is all being said by someone who won't normally go to the doc unless a drug there under extreme duress.

I agree - But would add you should call your band doc's office on the way. They should have a 24 hour pager service to get hold of someone and it is important to let them know you are headed to the ER so they can assist the ER docs in any way necessary. please, Please PLEASE!!! Go to the hospital. Hopefully it isn't anything serious but the longer you wait the greater the chance you could be doing yourself more harm than good. I'm not trying to scare you more but just GO!!!

DH - D... Husband - Where D can be anything from Darling to D@m~ depending on the situation.

I hope you have called your doc's on call pager service at a minimum by now. Please update us when you get a chance. Did you go to the ER? Are you alright?

There were a lot fewer people than usual. Only 3/4 full instead of overflowing. I think Jen & I talked more than the rest of the room combined. But it was still worth the trip. I'm going to try for next month but as it is just 4 days after my PS it may be doubtfull I can make it.

We just switched to Humana in the last few weeks from BCBS. Both insurances had a written exclusion for weight loss surgeries or any complications arising from them. I might have pushed for the good old back pain & rash problems as the cause for a panni but the results of that surgery are not as optimal as with a full tummy tuck & lipo. Plus the 3 different PS' I contacted all said they wouldn't take insurance for my stomach even if I could get insurance to approve it as they said the insurance companies negotiated rates weren't enough to even cover their overhead. (Hmmm...??) My Breasts will be covered by insurance when/if I get them done next year. The only thing holding me back on them is that the surgeon won't do them now and sacrificing all my vacation time for recovery from major surgery is not my family's idea of fun. Still this time next year you will probably find another thread showing the progress on that one. PS - I never heard - did you make it to Malley's last week and I just didn't recognize you? A couple of us went out for lunch afterwards it was fun.

I know Tracy - I'm getting so excited and nervous at the same time. Not so much nervous about the pain as I am about the results as well as the mundane problems that an extended recovery time will occur. Such as household chores, taking care of son, getting back to work.

Thanks, and now the countdown begins for PS. . . http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f12/thegh0sts-extended-tummy-tuck-w-lipo-40316/

GO GO GO FOR IT !!! The Sooner the BETTER!!! Today is my 2 year bandversary - I have my sister, my, my nephew, brother-in-law, mother & toddler-son's birthday's all coming up in the next 3-4 weeks not to mention there is Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I too was tempted to stall but decided to go ahead as soon as they could schedule me. By my son's B-Day I was 3 weeks out from surgery and the doc said I could eat things like cheese by then so I nibbled on the cheese toppings of one slice of pizza at his birthday party, had about 1 tablespoons worth of icecream and a mere lick of frosting off my fingers and was competely satisfied. I think I actually enjoyed the holidays better knowing that the band was in control of my hunger instead of the hunger being in control of me. I still ate nearly every type of food I would have ate before (with the exception of the bread rolls) just in drastically smaller portions. Even the 2 slices pumpkin pie which slid right through the band oh so easily (over a 2 day period) was a big reduction from the 1/2 to entire pie's worth I would have found a way to eat in secret pre-band. And OH HOW WONDERFUL it felt to be down over 30 pounds by Christmas!!! Instead of the 10-20 pounds higher I'm sure I would have been if I had instead waited until the new year. As it was I had to have gained at least 5 if not more than 10 in the last meal syndrome that lasted everyday for the month running up to the surgery. And you know what, considering I can eat pretty much anything except the breads those "last" meals really weren't necessary, oh well.

Today is my TWO year bandversary!! :car: I know this is suppose to be the 2006 thread but the 2005 thread has disappeared. I thought it would be a good time to look back and reflect on my progress so far and it might be of interest to those of you starting on your second year. START – 254 BMI 45.2 1ST YR – 183 BMI 32.4 (66% EWL since start) 2ND YR – 165 BMI 29.2 (*82 % EWL since start) *OR 49% EWL of remaining excess weight during second year. GOAL? – 146 BMI 25.9?? I am terrible about beating myself up over what I consider to be a big failure in weightloss this 2nd year but one thing we all keep forgetting is that the medical establishment considers anyone that loses over 50% of their excess body weight with this surgery to be a success, which I exceeded easily my first year. Even looking at the percentage of excess I've lost during this second year I was within 1% of reaching that 50% goal a second time, and yet self defeatists that most of us are, we don't seem to be happy unless we are able to beat even the odds for the band and lose ALL our excess weight. I worry that attitude actually contributes to some of us regaining weight when we finally realize we aren't going to lose it all and then start eating through the depression that ensues rather than being happy with our successes. Link to my Plastic Surgery Thread (*Graphic*) http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f12/thegh0sts-extended-tummy-tuck-w-lipo-40316/

Julie - Thank you for your advice. I have set an appointment for an unfill but am still unsure if I will go through with it. I think I might but also in part because I have friends that have been trying to convince me for months that I might already be too tight right now. I have acid reflux something fierce if I eat or drink anything after 6 pm (and that is with me going to bed at nearly midnight most days!) I know the arguments for why being to tight can reduce your weight loss but I've been too scared to pay for an unfill just to find out I wasn't too tight then have to pay for a refill. On the other hand I'm sick and tired of sleeping practically in a seated position and want to be able to sleep while I recover with out waking up with vomit in my mouth.

Today is my two year bandversary!! :whoo: I thought it would be a good time to look back and reflect on my progress so far. START – 254 BMI 45.2 1ST YR – 183 BMI 32.4 (66% EWL since start) 2ND YR – 165 BMI 29.2 (*82 % EWL since start) *OR 49% EWL of remaining excess weight during second year. GOAL? – 146 BMI 25.9?? Determining the percentages of weight loss is a bit tricky as my goal is constantly changing even while typing this e-mail I can't decide on a true final goal. I would really like to think I'll be happy with whatever my weight is after I have my extended tummy tuck in a few weeks which I'm thinking will put me somewhere in the 150's but I really wish I could get down to a healthy BMI of 25 which is how I set the above goal. I am terrible about beating myself up over what I consider to be a big failure in weightloss this 2nd year but one thing we all keep forgetting is that the medical establishment considers anyone that loses over 50% of their excess body weight with this method to be a success, which I exceeded easily my first year. Even looking at the percentage of excess I've lost during this second year I was within 1% of reaching that 50% goal a second time, and yet self defeatists that most of us are, we don't seem to be happy unless we are able to beat even the odds for the band and lose ALL our excess weight. I worry that attitude actually contributes to some of us regaining weight when we finally realize we aren't going to lose it all and then start eating through the depression that ensues rather than being happy with our successes. One last note. Below is an interesting link showing various methods of calculating your ideal body weight. One of which is a calculation of what other people your age, sex, height & current weight would say an ideal weight would be for you. I've looked at this site several times over the last few years and yet I just figured out that the "peer" figure is constantly changing as you lose weight. I use to think it was a weight that the population as a whole thought someone your height, sex & age should weigh, not what others the same height, sex, age & CURRENT weight thought they ought to weigh. But it is still an interesting and surprisingly accurate figure. I remember when I started out in the 250's I thought the 170's would be good then when I got to the 200's I thought that it should be more like 150's now that I'm in the 160's I'm thinking more like the 140's. Sadly, for my height, the website says that until I get down to 115 my peers will still think I need to lose weight. OMG!!!:car: Does that mean that even if I do get to the 130's I'll still feel like a failure that needs to lose more weight? $#!t I sure hope NOT! PLEASE, someone B!#@# slap me around a bit if I do!:heh: http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

A friend of my use to always complain why they hadn't just banded her head instead of her stomach. I agree with El1 - Don't beat yourself up about what you ate. As well as with Tracy & Terri - The band just helps your body not yo-yo up as you battle with your head.

Like I said = No complaining here. Just my own head issues. From being at Vegas Last Jan I remember thinking the front of TI looked great and was well located, combine that with Gaffer's comments as well as it being one of the more reasonably priced hotel's on the Trade Shows site I linked to before, it would have probably been my pick as well. Though this is still all acedemic for me as husband is in NO current mood to consider this trip. Right now if I just look at him cross-eyed he threatens pulling the plug on my PS in 4 weeks. Still I'm hoping to turn him around before Christmas. I'll probably even go ahead and reserve a room online. After all, worst case, I can always cancel it later.

I've been researching today with my local doc as well as online as to whether I should get an Unfill prior to my PS or not. I'm getting conflicting information. Anyone out there have any suggestions of their own? JulieNY are you out there? FaithMD, WasaBubble...??

Thanks for your response. I'm not a prude but I was actually just a little put off by TI's webpage skin pics they have plastered across the top of their site. It helps to hear your comments. No insult to the powers that chose TI. Its just my own stupid body issues I'm still dealing with on this journey.

For me at nearly 40 years old it was my mother that was the most vocal critic though many people in my family were against it. They all thought I could just buckle down and do it myself like all the other times I had (then gained it back). They thought it was just laziness and a lack of will power and that sugery was some sort of cop out. My mom cried, begged, offered to pay for other things like (fat camps, hypnosis, Jenny Craig...) for her what it really boiled down to was she was scared of complications from the surgery. She still saw this as a dangerous procedure like RNY and was convinced I could die from it. I showed her several studies done on the band and invited her to come to one of the seminars as well as a support group meeting. She was never willing to give me her full "blessing" before the surgery but now 2 years out she is so proud of what I have accomplished and has actually had several friends and co-workers of her call me for advice on how to start the process of getting thier own bands. My advice - bring her to a seminar, take her to a local support group meeting where she can see and talk to people who are already banded, find the case studies that have been done for her to read. But in the end, tell her you lover her but that you need to do what you know is right for you.