bearbandit

Well I was a self pay. All of the classes, (nutritional, support,living with the band,etc) where all covered in my surgical fee. $3500 seems very high. I would check around. As far as I am concerned the after care program should be part of the surgery itself. Not seperate, which makes me kind of wonder.

Welcome to LBT. First off congrats on your weight loss. Your doing great. Its a heck of a lot easier putting on the weight. Remember exercise is key to keep the weight loss moving. (even if it is just a nice walk everyday). Have a good one and good luck on your journey.

Well luckily I dont have that problem with my doctors office. They only deal with bariatric patients. Fills are nothing to be concerned about. I live an hour away from the office so being over filled would not make me happy. I personally take a protein bar with me. I get my fill, drink some water take a walk and very slowly eat my protein bar. If all is good then I go home. I think drinking just water then leaving is dumb. We dont eat water...lol. Good luck:thumbup:

First off the way to get the flab off of your abs is diet. Doing ab exercises only strengthens the muscles underneath that flab. So the flab will come off of your stomach area when you lose substantial weight. People that have wash board abs have very low body fat. You can only strengthen the ab muscle so much. The fat has to be gone to see the washboard. Anyway as for doing ab exercises post op I waited six weeks. I currently hit my abs very hard. I just love working them. 'sick I know'. Just be mindful of your port. My doc gave me extra stitches to hold mine in place at my request. Because I tend to abuse my body as I have done in the past. Good luck.

I personally have not had an issue with drinking milk infact I actually drink more now post band. I have recently started drinking Silk Soy Milk to reduce my chloresterol. Try that, it is lactose free and is rather tasty.

Well since we have the band using an NSAID is a not a good thing to use. So I have been using Tramadol. This is not an NSAID and works really well for pain. Some people have side effects with this medication. Mine is talking...Ask your doc and do your own research. Good luck, drink lots of water and make sure you stretch before and after every workout.

First off congrats on your weight loss thus far. It all depends on what you were eating. If you were eating slider foods like ice cream, chocolate bars, chips etc then thats why you could eat a lot. If you where eating meats like chicken, fish and beef (dense foods) you would get full rather quickly. If food just passes through your pouch you will feel full when your stomach gets full. I had very little restriction after my first fill. Go back to measuring all of your meals and if you are consuming more than 5oz every 3 hours you might need another fill. I had my second fill rather quickly after my first. Good luck and get back on that wagon.:w00t:

One word. Take Biotin. That will help slow the hair loss. Its perfectly normal to lose some hair because of the weight loss. or you can shave your head and put on a wig....just kidding. Try taking a biotin supplement. good luck.

I started walking around 2 weeks after. Took it very easy for the next couple of weeks. At six weeks I hit the gym, but still started out slow. Good luck on your journey:thumbup:

I suggest going to your doc and have it checked out. When you are fine and food is going down and all of a sudden you cant get anything down that is usually an indication that something happened. (could be a number of things and guessing would be just that, guessing) Good luck and be sure to see your doc asap.

Welcome to LBT! Keep up the good work and take one day at a time.

When you feel up to it, start walking every day. As soon as I started getting my metabolism going with exercise the weight started coming off fast. Good luck and be patient.

You need to work your lower abs. Start out slow, because these are hard. I would suggest start by lying down on the floor and put your hands underneath your lower back. Lift your legs 90 degrees. Start out slow. It take a lot of work and pain for that matter to build up those muscles. If floor hurts your back try it on the edge of a bed. At my gym we have a leg lift chair, but take it from me dont bother with that until you build up some strength in that region. Also do torso twists and that will help. like they say 'no pain no gain'

try this site. www.livestrong.com and sign up and use the daily plate feature. *food journal tool* It's free and I am addicted to using it. really cool.

For me at about day 5, I was really hungry. At that point I went to the mushies, which helped a lot. Things get better as time goes on. Good luck

Welcome to LBT. I am not to far from you. Hope all goes well. This is a great place to go for support or questions.

My doc gave me the option between Lapband and Realize. He said for men he doesnt believe Realize is a good option. He showed me the two and the Realize band scared me. Its so much smaller than the Lapband. As for what size he said we would decide once he is in surgery. I ende up getting the largest band. I guess I have a big stoma.

Remember to eat slowly. When I start to slim normal burping seems to help.

Welcome to LBT. Chat us up if you have any questions. We all learn things every day living with the band. Good luck and take one day at a time.

I have had absolutely no complications...Knock on wood. People seem to dwell on negative things instead of positive ones. Most people have no issues. Good luck.

Congrats on the weight loss so far. Your doing great. We all fall off the wagon. Do what you have to and get back on. We all have issues with overeating for various reasons. I am an emotional eater as well. Try taking up a new hobbie. Fill that void with something else besides eating. Good Luck and keep up the good work. Remember to always say this to yourself. "Food is nothing more than fuel for my body" Ask yourself this question "What does my body get out of eating this"? As least this works for me. Makes me realize the reason I am eating what I am.:tt2: Dr. Michael Snyder “Denver Bariatics” Surgery date 10/9/08 1st Fill 11/11/08=3.5cc 2nd Fill 12/9/08=1.5cc 3rd Fill 1/9/08=.75cc Total 5.75cc in a 14 cc band

How many calories do you consume? If your body is not getting enough calories your body will start to store them as fat because it thinks is starving. I posted this previously but try this tool www.livestrong.com and sign up for the daily plate. It free and track everything you eat. Also with your work outs make sure you change it up. If you do the same exact work out every day your body will eventually get used to it. Always set yourself goals and try to break them as often as possible. Good luck, be patient and the weight will come off if you are doing what you are suppose to. Dr. Michael Snyder Surgery Date: 10/9/2008 First Fill: 11/11/2008---3.5cc Second Fill: 12/11/2008----1.5cc Third Fill: 1/8/2009-----.75cc <Total>=5.75cc in a 14cc band

Well I have that band.. I currently have 5.75 cc but should get another fill. Restriction is a generalized word. For some it means, they physically feel tightness in the chest and some even say they can tell by certain foods. If you eat till you feel the physical tightness then you ate too much. My guidlines are this. Eat 4-5oz (volume) meals every 3 hours with drinking Water 45 mins after. I was told I need a fill if I feel hungry after 2 hours. with the same size volume. If you eat animal Proteins (chicken, fish, etc) the pouch fills up really fast for me. When I had my last fill I really felt restriction. Slimming just on a small amount of food, which is not fun. But I have lost more weight now (fat pad on organs has gotten thinner) and I will need a fill in the near future. The so called restriction is different for everyone. If you follow the rules and are eating 5oz or more per meal, you need to get a fill. For you it might take more cc's to get some restriction than me. We all have different sized organs. Keep up the good work, your doing fine. Increase your exercise and make sure your actually eating enough (healthy food) so your body can burn that fat. I am running now and I work out 5 days a week (weights and cardio). I average around 800-1000 calories burned each work out. I am currently consuming around 1500 calories a day. Anyway everyone is different. Good luck. P.S. Try this website www.livestrong.com and sign up to use the <daily plate>. Its free and you can track what you eat. Very nice tool. Dr. Michael Snyder Surgery Date: 10/9/2008 First Fill: 11/11/2008---3.5cc Second Fill: 12/11/2008----1.5cc Third Fill: 1/8/2009-----.75cc <Total>=5.75cc in a 14cc band

If your body can handle going under anethesia to have surgery then you would be fine. My doc puts all his patients through the ropes before surgery.. I had to do a pulmonary function test. If you have a heart condition he would also require a cardiac function test as well. Good luck:thumbup: Dr. Michael Snyder Surgery Date: 10/9/2008 First Fill: 11/11/2008---3.5cc Second Fill: 12/11/2008----1.5cc Third Fill: 1/8/2009-----.75cc <Total>=5.75cc in a 14cc band