WaistBand

I really, really understand the conflict. I'm pushing 48, and have yet to be banded; I know that there will be plenty of stuff hanging post-loss 'cause...well...I have plenty of stuff hanging now! I do plan to have PS--but am conflicted about it. Not because I don't think I deserve it. Or that, at my age at the likely time of readiness for surgery is too high...but because, like many women in my age bracket, I have a husband in declining health and kids, one of whom is still at home (and will be then). Still, in good hands, I think the safety issues can largely be put to rest, and in that case, benefits outweigh the risks. Then there's the financial stuff. It's hard to swallow spending tens of thousands of dollars undoing damage I've done to myself when there are things like college tuition and mortgage and ...well...LOTS of things that "should" come first. But...well...at some point I think we need to decide that WE come first, and that being content with oneself really does pave the way to contentment with the other stuff life tosses our way.

4 ounces of Breakstone fat-free cottage cheese (one of the little individual-size cups) has almost 12 grams of protein :smile:

Certification by specialty boards can indicate a certain level of expertise, but the lack of certification does not indicate the converse. It's just one tool by which we can gather information about a doctor. Dr. Collier has an excellent reputation; he's practiced surgery for 34 years, 20+ of those in Texas. He's done bariatric surgery since 1989, laparascopically since it was first available; he is certified in these techniques. There has been no action against his license, which is really quite remarkable in this day and age. I dont have any affiliation with him (I don't even live in Texas any more--and never practiced nursing in any hospital where he had privileges)--but just wanted to remind people that credentials don't tell the whole story.

Holy drama, Batman! I think you might want to look inside yourself to determine what this post is REALLY about. You've made five posts to the forum. All have received responses. The only post with few responses was made mere hours before this temper tantrum. Not everyone is in the same time zone. Not everyone is online at the time you are. Not everyone knows the answer to every question. The fact that you did not immediately receive what you asked is not evidence of a conspiracy against you. It does not demonstrate an impenetrable cliquishness on the board. It just means that people haven't gotten to your question yet. Now, why would you want to reduce the chances that you'll be responded to with this kind of infantile nonsense? Flounce from the forum if you will--but as my mother would say, you're cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Are you getting enough good-quality (heart-healthy) fat in your diet? This can play into dryness, as well.

It's not tons closer than Chicago, but Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet is home to Christopher Joyce, MD and Brian Lahmann, MD (who's doing my band).

I'm not banded yet, but I don't think this is an approach I would take unless convinced to do so by my doctor. First, the body doesn't require help ridding itself of toxins--it has the machinery in place to do that without modified fasting. And secondly, it's just not a practice I can envision keeping up long-term--it would be psychologically unsatisfying to me, and I would be concerned (knowing myself) that it would ultimately backfire.

Not all of the data cited as evidence supporting "starvation mode" actually does what is intended. One quick example is the statement that resting metabolic rate of previously-obese individuals remains lower after massive weight loss. This statement is true--but it does not in any way support the existence of starvation mode. It simply acknowledges that smaller bodies require less fuel. Really, starvation mode has been speculated, but not proven. This is bolstered by the eons-old observation--by scientists and non-scientists alike--that people do, in fact starve when their intake is severely curtailed. They do, in fact, waste away. Their bodies are not able to cling to body weight, even by slowing metabolism. If the reduced intake continues, weight is lost.

I have NO feelings regarding stigma of WLS--my decision to keep my surgery private has nothing to do with the misconceptions others have about the surgery. It has nothing to do with shame. It has to do with being kind to myself. And in order to do that, I feel the need for a little insulation from the criticisms of those who have used weight as a weapon against me. I simply do not wish to give them substitute ammunition. I am all for education, but it's not my responsibility to make WLS okay in the minds of all others. My responsibility is to be the best person I can be. This means I will offer the information to those who ask, or who might benefit from it. I'm a former nurse; patient education is really important to me. But those intent on derailing my progress? Whose opinions will not change? They don't fall into that demographic. They don't need the info. I'm taking care of MYSELF now--the naysayers really aren't on my radar.

My husband and kids know I'm having it done; I may tell my sisters, too, when the subject comes up. But no, I'm not going out of my way to share.

Two things: first, are you getting enough good-quality (heart-healthy) fat? And secondly, stopping birth control pills may play in to this hair loss. I don't know if you've ever been pregnant, but if you have, you know how luxurious hair growth can be. Really, it's not growth, but the retention of hairs that ordinarily are shed on a daily basis. For the duration of pregnancy, many women do not shed these hairs. They are dismayed when, post-delivery, hair seems to come out in handfuls. Really, they're simply losing hairs that would have been shed little by little over a long period of time, and they wind up with the same head of hair they had pre-pregnancy---but it's really alarming when it's happening to your head! Birth control pills can create the same sort of phenomenon, and stopping them can result in a sort of mass-shedding.

Congratulations!

Hi, everyone I'm Betsy, and I'm a bandster-in-waiting. I've done the seminar, and am awaiting my appointment with Brian Lahmann at Silver Cross in Joliet, IL. While I am not yet 100% certain, I believe he and Dr. Joyce lean toward Realize banding for their banding patients; I will learn more on August 21. I am not yet sure whether I will be required to be followed preop with a medically supervised diet; our insurance plan has loosened its requirements for WLS, and I don't know where they currently stand. Either way, I'm ready, and willing to jump through whatever hoops necessary to get the show on the road! I'm a long-time weight watcher (not just with that particular plan--but with every one under the sun). I require ridiculously few calories to maintain, and even fewer to lose, and am viewing the band as a tool to make the restriction tolerable. I have just over 100 pounds to lose. On a less weight-related note, I've been married for 23 years to Mark, and have an almost-21-year-old daughter and almost-13-year-old son. I'm an RN who is now a science and health writer and instructor. I love to read, write, decorate, and entertain. I walk 3.5 miles with my "personal trainer" (3-year-old Lab-shepherd,Truman) each morning and, usually, every evening as well. I'm VERY motivated to get this weight off, primarily for pain relief purposes but also so that I feel like "me" again. I look forward to getting to know everyone

I'm sorry you're experiencing such pain. I'm not yet banded, but my surgeon mentioned that for some, pain in the left shoulder is their cue to cut back on the amount they take in (food and fluid). Definitely get it checked out as thoroughly as possible--but I thought it might be reassuring that it's not always a sign of something ominous.

Thank goodness you listened to your gut (no pun intended) AND had an astute husband as your advocate. (Yay for nursing students! They are the best!) I'm so glad you're on the road to recovery. Call it serendipity or a miracle, you're one lucky woman! That was a tragedy narrowly averted!

I have not yet been banded, but the possible need for plastic surgery was mentioned briefly at the info seminar I recently attended. The surgeon indicated that they are happy to refer to excellent plastic surgeons in the area who he'd trust with his own family. That said, I was researching plastic surgeons well before WLS was even a glimmer in my eye. I've long known that, should I reach my weight loss goal, everything is going to need to be put back where it belongs! I hope that careful documentation of skin integrity issues, as well as pain (neck/shoulder from pendulous breasts, lumbar from pannus) will help offset some of the cost of repair, but am prepared to pay, if necessary. (Well, not PREPARED prepared, but will save for the procedures.) Isn't it cool that we can emerge from this life-saving process, like butterflies from a cocoon, and claim a new life?!

The primary problem with it is that rather than form, speed is emphasized. (You have to move faster to increase resistance.) This ups the risk of injury tremendously. One of the arm machines has become notorious among orthopedic surgeons now grown accustomed to Curves injuries. Unfortunately, even if the staff were knowledgeable about correct form, the nature of the hydraulic beast makes injury more likely. It's fine for beginners or those who are returning to exercise. But for safety's sake, hydraulic machines should be replaced by more controlled resistance training as fitness improves, IMO. All that said, I cancelled my membership and joined the YMCA for another reason, before I became too fit for the Curves approach. Not becauce the Y is less expensive and has better equipment and better trained staff--though it does--but because I can't, in good conscience, give money to a business whose founder finances domestic terrorism by supporting some of the most violent anti-abortion groups in the country. I don't choose to give him any of my money to fund blowing up clinics or assassinating womens' health physicians.