Toosywoots

I had been overweight since around 1978.  I had tried to diet through Weight Watchers, Curves and various programs.  Just about every Spring, I would join and loose 20 pounds, stay at that weight, quit, and gain back even more until I weighed over 350 pounds.  I tried to gain insurance payment for a gastric by-pass when I weighed around 250 pounds.  The BC/BS insurance company sent threatening letters to me for trying to gain that surgery in the late 1980's.  I couldn't pay for it on my own and they had said if I had gastric by-pass that they would not cover me anymore.  In the spring of 2008, I was told that my health conditions were so bad that I probably wouldn't live another year.  I had a BMI of over 58, weighed 380 pounds, had fatty liver with scarring, swollen legs and feet that were turning purple even with diretics, high blood pressure and on blood pressure medicine, heart valve problems, beginning diabetes, back and hip pain that I couldn't walk more than 100 feet plus many other serious health and problems. I had to order my clothes from a special catalog store for 4x-5x because the local stores didn't have anything over 3x.  I saw tv program after tv program about how much weight people had lost with weight loss surgery.  I finally contacted Beliteweight.com and they helped me go throught the complicated steps to satisfy BC/BS's insurance qualifications to gain payment for my weight loss surgery. <p> Because of the long wait for gastric by-pass, I opted for the lap-band surgery.I had Gastric Lap Band Surgery on October 8, 2008 a day after my 56th birthday at Harper Hospital in Detroit.  Before surgery I had been on a diet on my own and had lost 15 pounds, then went on the liquid fast to shrink my liver for 4 weeks.  I lost quickly on that 800 calorie liquid protein diet and almost went below the 52 BMI requirement that BC/BS Insurance had made to receive surgery.  I recovered from surgery quickly and went home (100 miles from the hospital) after 3 days.  I was off pain medications in a week.  I went through the steps of the 6 week post-surgery diet.  Just days before Thanksgiving 08 I had my first fill and was told I could eat regular foods.  Every two weeks I went for a fill usually adding 2 cc's of saline.  I wasn't loosing weight very quickly and was wondering if this was another diet scam.  By February 09 I was beginning to feel the fills tightening and began to react to certain foods.  I then started visiting once a month for smaller fills.  By June 09 I was at the tighest I could be and didn't receive a fill.  I was loosing very slowly.  The doctor gave me a NO-NO list which contained all the soft foods I was eating as well as the sweets.  I was told I have to exercise daily, count calories, stick to a South Beach type diet, stick to only 3 meals per day and no snacking between.  I thought weight loss surgery would mean I could eat everything what I wanted in smaller doses.  I didn't think I would have to diet again and it would come off without exercise.  WRONG!  I found out the hard way that the lap band is just a tool.  There are foods I react to and cannot eat.  I still have to have self control.  I still have to diet and exercise.<p>This is July 09.  We just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with a week trip of eating wrong things but a lot of walking.  I weigh 272, my BMI is 48.1, I am in a size 2x-3x.  My goal is to loose 100 more pounds.  My legs and feet are less swollen and not turning purple any more.  I can wear regular shoes and ladies socks on my feet.  I can tie my shoes and do foot care on my own.  My medical blood tests are showing a huge improvement.  I am taking less medications. I can walk much longer distances without back and hip pain.  Do gardening and most housework again. That has improved over 100%.   I have to start doing what the doctor recommended three weeks ago to reach that 160 pound goal.