Band_Groupie

We started at the same exact weight and I've already set my goal at two years...healthy in 2 years sounds wonderful to me!!! You're doing great, and you'll get there!!! -BG

Oh good, that I can handle! I'm counting on the fact that everyone said you're not even hungry the first 2 weeks post-op to get me through the broth after. Thanks for the tips and that's a great Easter idea!

Calorie counting helps me a lot too! I use FitDay (free online version).

If you do a search under the Forum Exercise there's lots of information about them there. I can't afford a Bodybugg, and I know I wouldn't use all the extra features it has, so I bought an inexpensive (<$30 incl. s/h) electronic pedometer that comes with some basic software tracking. I blogged about it if you're interested HERE. Holy Cow...How many weeks do you have to be on your pre-op diet?? I don't even take my pre-op class until the beginning of April, so I'm guessing mine won't be as long.

Yeah, I know the band isn't going to help me at all with my head. I'm only hoping I'll be able to control it more; like you said, better choices and I won't be able to eat big volumes. Unfortunately there's no band for my head, so there'll be many more 'glitches'. The bigger hope is that one day I'll be one of those miracle banders who say they 'just don't even think about food that much anymore'...'it's just fuel'. Personally I think it's an urban legend rampant on LBT, but a girl can dream... Good job on the running steps!!!

You can play this music video as you're reading (not exactly soothing background music, but that's kinda the point)... (Oops, sorry it's just a link. It won't let me embed music anymore...I'm-tech challenged.) Well I WAS a mere 3 pounds from being able to cut off another one of my Ten Pound Heads (on my WL ticker). I ate stuff I shouldn’t have on my long-weekend…I guess I was going through that ‘Last Supper Syndrome’. I know (at least this one was a conscious thought) I was saying goodbye to beer and all it’s foamy carbonated goodness (I appreciate a good hoppy ale). Thank goodness I don’t drink pop (soda for you non-Midwest natives) so there was nothing there to give up forever…coffee has been hard enough. I gained back 2 pounds. You’re thinking now that I’m going to get out my cat o’ nine tales (with my name engraved in the leather) and whip myself here in my usual self deprecating way? NOPE! Here’s the interesting part to me. Yesterday I was thinking through what I’d eaten, and I was shocked that I didn’t have any sweets, not even chocolate (in the past any binge would have included heaps of sweets and definitely chocolate). Most of the stuff I ate was generally pretty healthy, just too much of it (OK, there was one bowl of pasta in there). Monday night it was that old feeling of I can’t get enough food…at one point I even stopped and thought I’m full, why they heck am I standing in front of the fridge again looking for something else…it was like I couldn’t get satisfied. But guess what, on my ‘big binge’ I was pulling vegetables, peel cheese, and meat from the fridge…but then DH came home with half a sub and after all that, yep, I ate it too. I remember getting scared at one moment in front of the fridge…I was thinking what the heck am I going to do with the band?? I can’t do this! I’d stretch my pouch or OMG slippage! How am I going to handle this head hunger monster? Why can’t I stop this! It truly scared me. So here’s the good part and why I’m not going to beat myself up about it. Let me stop and remind anyone here who doesn’t know me that I’m a professional dieter so I’m not nearly as worried about losing (at least the initial 50 pounds I know I can do). I’m way more worried about keeping it off and dealing with my un-banded head hunger (this really needs to become a double surgery). I found that even on my Last Supper Binge the choices I made were mainly so different than what I’ve done the rest of my fat life so something is starting to change in my head. Even better, during the binge I was questioning my fullness, my actions, and how scared I was. Do you think I would have ever done that before…nope! I’d feel super bad about breaking my diet, absolutely, but then I’d feel like a failure and give up and go grab more chocolate and chips and…and…and... This ‘incident’ was a good thing for me. I’m seeing that my head is changing…yep, I’ve got LOTS more work to do with the head hunger beastie, but in the thousands of diets I’ve been on I’ve never even had the courage or insight to face that beast. I’ve only actually been dieting this month, so I know this is going to take some time. That’s the good thing with the LB...it’s for life…little bumps along the way are just short-term glitches because this lifestyle change goes on forever…and I can do this…with the help of my soon-to-be-band. I’ve just got to…Get My Head In The Game!

How are all of you doing who have started the pre-op diet? How long is your diet and what are you allowed to have? Just curious as I haven't attended my pre-op class yet. Are you ready to chew on your shoes yet (I could hardly stand the day I had to do liquids for my colonoscopy!)?

I had a busy long weekend...I remember when 'long weekend' meant I was taking a day or two off of work and relaxing or going somewhere fun...preferably somewhere with a cabana boy to bring me a drink...ahhh, no-longer. DH was out traveling again the end of last week. I picked up DD from college late on Thursday night for her job interview here on Monday, and we loaded some of her things to come home, so we got home really late. Friday we (DD and I- DH plane didn’t get back until really late) attended DS1’s first track meet and then I took the kids + DD’s BF out to dinner for a treat…I ordered the filet/salad and brought ½ of it home…don’t applaud yet…it came with a rich blue cheese crust topping on the meat and I ordered a margarita…sigh…that was just the beginning of my 'feast', but more about that tomorrow. We ran the kids around to all their stuff/lessons (guitar, work, CCD, etc.) over the weekend and spent a lot of time with DD working on filling out her interview information sheets (what year did I start work at...) and interview skills. DS1 started to get sick on Sunday, high fever/throat…into the doc on Monday and he does have Strep Throat (I’ve been washing my hands a million times…I’m hopefully about a week out from my pre-op class so I don’t want to get sick now!). DD had her interview Monday morning and we got her back to school late last night. The good news is she just got a voice mail from the interviewer while she was in class saying she had some ‘good news’ for her…here’s hoping! It’s far from her dream job (sales for the admissions dept. of a group of colleges, so she’d be answering phone inquires/sales quotas...she could get a potato to talk), it’s not a lot of money, but it has good benefits, free tuition if you want to take classes (online ones too, so she could gain some extra skills for her resume), it’s mainly recent college grads working the same job, so it’s a great atmosphere for her, and it’s a job…in this economy that’s certainly something! She interviewed with five other people (their business is growing with the economy and people trying to get degrees for the tight job market so they’re hiring several people over the next month or two). Two of the five were ‘grey haired men’ (she said...I'm sure they were younger than me), the rest were recent graduates like her. She couldn’t get over why men their age would even want a starter job like this and how she felt sensitive talking about how she/others were just starting out when these men had probably (guessing) just lost other jobs (She said if the company is smart they’ll hire them, as I’m sure a huge segment of those looking to go back to school part-time even are their age…very true). I know it made her appreciate the interview and the possibility of having any job even more. She was in a senior level class last week at college and the professor asked them to raise their hand if they had found a job yet…not one hand went up…almost all her friends are staying for graduate school as they can’t find work. I just got the call back…she got the job! Hooray!!! She’s so excited!!! She'll continue looking for a better job, but is totally thrilled that she’ll have this one to go to in June (if I find nothing better...keep the optimism). I’m thrilled it’s in this city, so we can help her get herself started as she’ll be living at home for a little while and she can save up that way (she was talking about the possibility of continuing part-time work as a waitress somewhere here too). She’s been looking all over the country (wants to work in a major city, dream job would be marketing in advertising), so I was a little worried it would be hard to start out in a new city, new job, try to find roommates somewhere new, find apartments and all that. I’m pretty sure she’ll still be moving away in the future to a bigger city/better job, and I want her to follow her dreams, but I’m thankful that I’ll have her around a little while longer..a nice ending to my 'long weekend'! Now…add ‘help her find a car she can afford’ quick while she’s away finishing school/big projects to my ‘April list of things to do’…oh…AND that LB thing!

That, or they'll vote you off the camp...LOL!

Hey Cali, Yes I've been on a 6 mo. diet & exercise program supervised by my PCP to meet part of my insurance requirements. For MOST ins. co's. this means just going to the visits for 6 consecutive months within 2 years of your surgery date (and having the right notes taken by the PCP). Again for MOST ins. co's. the expectation is that you will not succeed very well (if you could you wouldn't need the surgery). This means you need to lose 5-10#, you cannot gain, you cannot go below your minimum BMI (either 35 or 40 depending where you fall). Rarely, for a few docs/ins. co's., they expect a weight loss of 5-10% so you have to first get a copy of your ins. co's. info and then check with the person at your surgeon's office who works with the ins. co. and ask them what the weight loss expectation is. I could only lose about 10# and I have to be sure I don't fall below the 35 BMI (my 35-40 category). This is too crazy isn't it? Good luck! -BG

Whoo Hoo! I can finally update my Ticker! One “ten pound head” (with my fat face) gone and nine or so more to go. I think I win the award for slowest weight loss pre-band…actually, probably not as I’ve run across quite a few others here who also weren’t allowed to lose much on their Six Months of Lingering Torture. I know, I know, you’re saying what’s so torturous with not losing much weight??!! Gee I REALLY feel sorry for you BG! I’m telling you if you’ve come to this point in your life where you feel desperate enough to get WLS, then you’re ready to make the change, and you want it to start happening sooner, rather than later. I’d describe my feelings much like an alcoholic would about ‘hitting bottom’. For me, and I think many others, we had some sort of turning point, or ‘moment’ where we hit bottom and decided to consider WLS (I’ll share my moment another time). It’s actually been hard while you’re researching and learning all this not to be able to put it all into practice. I swear it's made the time go slower too, probably because you don't have as much to do (tracking calories, exercising, planning/cooking diet meals). If you’re someone like me (professional dieter) who is always either gaining or losing it’s been weird staying about the same weight. I haven’t stayed about the same weight this long in I don’t know when! So ‘breaking’ my plan, and actually starting my stricter diet this last month of the Six Months of Lingering Torture, has been a great feeling. I started my dieting last Monday and haven’t really been cutting the calories too drastically yet (I’m planning to step things down) as I didn’t want to lose a TON of weight this month. Well, you can all call me an ‘April Fool’ if I mess this whole thing up and get denied! Time to update my Ticker tomorrow…FINALLY!...I hope I remember how! Me, Summer 2010: “Lost Weight? Me? Thanks for noticing!”

Good job with the new attitude! It's like Biggest Loser, you've probably gained some muscle with all the great exercise. The scales will be kinder next week! -BG

You may not get much help here as blogs don't get as much visability. I'd suggest you try the Forum tab or do a search for the "I failed my Band" thread, or there's a LB Group with the same theme. I'm sorry this is a struggle for you. Good luck! -BG

My nut/doc said the protein didn't need to be as high until you get to regular food (you have plenty stored on your body initially), so 50gr sounds great to me. I plan to use some of those protein waters to help since I can drink these as part of my water requirement (I'm not supposed to 'drink protein'/shakes for any meals). You're losing fast and doing great...keep up the good work! -BG

I had a busy long weekend...I remember when 'long weekend' meant I was taking a day or two off of work and relaxing or going somewhere fun...preferably somewhere with a cabana boy to bring me a drink...ahhh, no-longer. DH was out traveling again the end of last week. I picked up DD from college late on Thursday night for her job interview here on Monday, and we loaded some of her things to come home, so we got home really late. Friday we (DD and I- DH plane didn’t get back until really late) attended DS1’s first track meet and then I took the kids + DD’s BF out to dinner for a treat…I ordered the filet/salad and brought ½ of it home…don’t applaud yet…it came with a rich blue cheese crust topping on the meat and I ordered a margarita…sigh…that was just the beginning of my 'feast', but more about that tomorrow. We ran the kids around to all their stuff/lessons (guitar, work, CCD, etc.) over the weekend and spent a lot of time with DD working on filling out her interview information sheets (what year did I start work at...) and interview skills. DS1 started to get sick on Sunday, high fever/throat…into the doc on Monday and he does have Strep Throat (I’ve been washing my hands a million times…I’m hopefully about a week out from my pre-op class so I don’t want to get sick now!). DD had her interview Monday morning and we got her back to school late last night. The good news is she just got a voice mail from the interviewer while she was in class saying she had some ‘good news’ for her…here’s hoping! It’s far from her dream job (sales for the admissions dept. of a group of colleges, so she’d be answering phone inquires/sales quotas...she could get a potato to talk), it’s not a lot of money, but it has good benefits, free tuition if you want to take classes (online ones too, so she could gain some extra skills for her resume), it’s mainly recent college grads working the same job, so it’s a great atmosphere for her, and it’s a job…in this economy that’s certainly something! She interviewed with five other people (their business is growing with the economy and people trying to get degrees for the tight job market so they’re hiring several people over the next month or two). Two of the five were ‘grey haired men’ (she said...I'm sure they were younger than me), the rest were recent graduates like her. She couldn’t get over why men their age would even want a starter job like this and how she felt sensitive talking about how she/others were just starting out when these men had probably (guessing) just lost other jobs (She said if the company is smart they’ll hire them, as I’m sure a huge segment of those looking to go back to school part-time even are their age…very true). I know it made her appreciate the interview and the possibility of having any job even more. She was in a senior level class last week at college and the professor asked them to raise their hand if they had found a job yet…not one hand went up…almost all her friends are staying for graduate school as they can’t find work. I just got the call back…she got the job! Hooray!!! She’s so excited!!! She'll continue looking for a better job, but is totally thrilled that she’ll have this one to go to in June (if I find nothing better...keep the optimism). I’m thrilled it’s in this city, so we can help her get herself started as she’ll be living at home for a little while and she can save up that way (she was talking about the possibility of continuing part-time work as a waitress somewhere here too). She’s been looking all over the country (wants to work in a major city, dream job would be marketing in advertising), so I was a little worried it would be hard to start out in a new city, new job, try to find roommates somewhere new, find apartments and all that. I’m pretty sure she’ll still be moving away in the future to a bigger city/better job, and I want her to follow her dreams, but I’m thankful that I’ll have her around a little while longer..a nice ending to my 'long weekend'! Now…add ‘help her find a car she can afford’ quick while she’s away finishing school/big projects to my ‘April list of things to do’…oh…AND that LB thing!

I just watched her first/former PR person interviewed on the Today Show. They played a 911 tape from just last night where one of the nurses called 911 to have Gloria Allred removed from the house for being a 'nuiscance'. Apparently Nadya will be interviewing and hiring some nanny's (they discussed concerns that who she chooses might not have the skills needed to deal with these small preemies). The former PR lady says she knows that Nadya sold the rights to photos of the babies and has a financial deal with Radar Online so she has some money coming in. It IS like watching a train wreck! I too hope that those babies are protected! Why has no information come out on the doc who did all this yet? Why aren't there stories about shutting him down, or did I miss this?

First...Welcome new Bunnies! jukebox Did anyone ever feel like they were “taking the easy way out” by getting surgery? Did anyone ever deal with guilt associated with being able to have the opportunity to get the surgery in the first place? From my personal journey I am one of those older women (turning the big-one 50 on April 27) who wishes the band came into my life many years ago. I've been a professional yo-yo dieter for about 30 years (I was down just above my goal weight about 8 years ago for the umpteenth time and up and down several times since then...I've lost 50 pounds at a time or more so many times). I have slowly creeped up after each cycle to my highest weight ever. I now have comorbidities for the first time and my health and pain has made it harder to exercise and my age is making it harder to diet and lose as I used to...in other words, I've gotten to the point where everything is working against me losing weight and I was circling the drain. If there was one thing I'd tell younger women/men it would be to really look at your cycle of dieting now, if you are pretty good at dieting/exercise for short periods but gain it back, then look at the LB tool now as you're a perfect candidate (you already know you can commit to making changes). Don't spend 30 more years beating your head (make that body) against a wall like I did. As far as the guilt...I've posted so many times about how this has been the hardest part of this whole process for me. I feel guilty for 'putting myself on the list' in front of my family for awhile, for taking the time to do this, and the money (it's sev. K for us, ins. pays the rest, but even 2-3K is a lot for us right now). I feel guilty for not being able to do this myself and keep it off. I'm also not telling anyone at this point but my DH, so I feel guilty toward my 4 siblings who are all heavier than I am, but I can't take any negative feedback at this point. I've now gotten to the point that I know that taking care of me now will mean I'm a happier healthy person who will be around here longer and that will benefit everyone who loves me in the end. I, like you, started off thinking this was the 'easy way out'. I can tell you after almost a year since starting this journey that it will be one of the hardest things I've ever done. The emotional part has been every bit as hard as the lifestyle changes. That's the great part about LBT for me. Since only DH knows (a skinny-mini like my kids) this is the place I come to make the emotional changes, vent, cry, laugh, and Celebrate with people who are going through the same thing. Do I think you'll lose weight and start feeling better with diet and exercising with a trainer for a month? Of course you will. Do I think there's another tool (just like your trainer is a tool and your diet is a tool) out there that can help you in your efforts to lose and (for me, more importantly) keep it off, yep...it's called the LB. Are you ready to commit to the changes and hard work the LB will take from you for life and are you emotionally at the point where you're ready to start dealing with the emotional aspects of obesity and why you got fat in the first place...only you can know if you're ready to chose to get the LB's help. Good luck on your decision! -BG

Phfft! Scale? What Scale?!!! Awesome job JA! What great NSV's! I hoping your dancing to your band, he sure is playing his best for you! -BG

If you've done your research then you probably know which one 'fits' you best. Good luck with the decision, I know the LB isn't for everyone. My reasons for the LB over RNY: - Safer surgery - Unfill at any point needed and Reversible if needed for other health reasons - Less complications (dumping, hair loss, etc.) - Slower weight loss (easier to explain when you're not 'telling' others, and easier to get proper nutrition) - Continued interaction/accountability to the surgeon (ie. I had to sign that I would continue seeing my surgeon for 5 yrs. post-op, he covers 6 fills as part of the package so it's not for more $, he wants you to be successful long-term) - Continued adjustments to stoma for life (RNY- can stretch the stoma, some need revision surgery) - I need portion control, not reactions to bad foods. I already know I can diet successfully so I'm not worried about counting calories etc. (I don't think I need the malabsorption). If you haven't found it yet, there's an RNY/Other surgery group on LBT HERE. You might want to ask the RNY'ers why they chose (there's a group there that went from Band to RNY). Good luck! -BG

JB- If you've talked to the insurance expert (whoever deals with them) at your surgeons office, then I wouldn't be too worried as they know each insurance companies requirements. The only thing that you didn't mention that I might question is whether or not you need documentation of an exercise program for the same three months you were working with the nutritionist (just a short notation saying what your goals were/how you did ea. mo...ie. treadmill 4x week/30 min./met goal). I'd make a call to your surgeon's ins. person and just have him/her go over your ins. co. requirments, even if it's just to ease your mind so there's no question that you're done. Best wishes! -BG

Thanks for posting these. I've been following your progress and it's been really helpful as a pre-bander! -BG

Our great-grandmothers, grandmothers, and mothers were on to something...they were using 'tools' for weight loss long before the era of 10,000 diets became popular. Too bad their 'tools' weren't as successful as the LB! GOT CANKLES? Newspaper clipping from 1924. I'll bet these were comfortable, and gee 'there's nothing to rub in or massage'. I wonder if blue feet were popular then? A DAY AT THE SPA SOUND GOOD? This photo from the 1960s shows French women sitting in "slim-down coveralls" while being served low-calorie meals. The attached text reads: "10 May 1961, Paris, France --- Weighting Game. Paris: Shedding pounds while getting new hairdos, Parisian girls relax in slim-down coveralls underneath the hair driers at a local beauty parlor. In addition to the coveralls, customers get low-calorie meals to help with their slenderizing. Idea was originated by Parisian hairdressers Roger Pasquier". NEED TO GET RID OF FAT AND CELLULITE? This just looks painful! The device was made by Battle Creek Equipment in Michigan, US. You sit front, back or side and the rollers 'break down' fat. LIKE YOUR MARTINI SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED? Now THIS looks like a fun 'banding' experience! I hope my support group meetings are this fun! WANT A 15" WAIST? Frankly Rhett, I don't give a d#*n! ...Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) being laced into her corset by her Mammy (Hattie McDaniel) in Gone with the Wind, 1939.

Thanks A & DB! I can't believe you actually got to use these A! Too funny! I wonder what you'd sound like talking on those jiggler machines...h-h-h-h-a-a-a..h-h-h-a-a-a!