Crishell

I am not totally sure but I think it varies with insurance companies. I was told that my BMI had to be under 50. I have Anthem BC/BS. I just made it at 49. I think since then (2007) they have even changed.

I had problems with them finding my port for the first two fills that I had. They said that the doc had put my port up higher than normal and it was slightly tilted. They were able to find it under the fluro because they could see where to stick the needle. Also, after I lost a few pounds more, the nurse practitioner said my port shifted a little and became easier to get to. I now am able to have fills in the office w/o doing them all under x-ray. Flouro is just the x-ray machine that they use when doing the fill. You can do the fill either laying down or standing up and they take pictures to see how the saline runs through the tubing of your band to make sure that everything is ok. My doc's office do the first fill under fluro and then all others are done in the office without x-ray unless you have problems. Now, I have to have under fluro only once per year to ensure everything is going ok.

I have always loved clothes and had/still have so much. I gave alot to Goodwill b/c it is good cause plus I got 6 reciepts for my 2008 taxes last year. I gave my mom a few things as well as a cousin. I had clothes from size 30/32-22/24 and 5x-3X that I gave away. For some reason, still holding on to the 20's but I am now wearing 16's & 18's and 1x and XL's.

I am not doing any weight lifting. About 3 weeks ago, I increased my amount of exercise. I go to Curves every day after work, most Saturday mornings & also started going an additional 2-3X a week at lunch time (when I could get away from work) since I work nearby. In addtion to Curves, I started walking & doing aerobics at least 3x per week. After two weeks of all of this, I found myself exhausted physically, mentally & spiritually. As of last week, i slacked up b/c I just could not handle all of that & work a stressful job too. At the time that I increased my exercise, started looking at what i was eating & when & also tried to correlate that to when I was exercising. Make sure I eat breakfast every morning before 9:30, eat more fruits/veggies/nuts. I must say that during my prolonged plateau, I have lost some inches but not enough to go down another clothing size in like many many months. I think some of my fat has redistributed itself & my "back fat" has decreased. Plus, I had bloodwork in early April and my A1C was lower (6.2 down from 6.4 in September), cholesterol was also lower. So I know my eating has not been too bad otherwise those numbers would not have decreased. Now after incorporating some definite changes to my exercise routine & food for the past almost month, I am afraid to weigh. If the scale does not reflect a change, I will be devasted & will lose my motivation to do the good things that I am doing. i just can't risk taht disappointment right now.

I have a 4cc band too. I got my band 1/19/07 and that was what was out at the time. So I have what is considered an "old" band. I currently have 3.25 cc in my band. I have never been told there is a cut off below the 4cc.

I too have started incorporpating almonds almost daily for the past two weeks. I get the Blue Diamond varieties and have also tried Walgreen's brands. I agree that they do have more calories but fewer carbs and good fat & protein. They are more filling than the 100 cal snacks and other snack items. I have bad constipation and since eating the almonds, I notice more regular BM's without the need for assistance from medication for constipation. Don't know if the almonds help with this or just a coincidence.

I am so glad I am not the only one experiencing this. But why isn't there an answer?? I exercise 5 days a week (aim for at least an hour a day but at least 30) and watch my calories yet the scale refuses to move. I have recently bought 2 "metabolism" booster books in search of some insight. I increased my exercise and that almost killed me b/c I started getting so exhausted and muscles ached alot trying to do more pkus work 8 hours a day & take care of other things throughout the week. I cannot get an answer as to why this is happening to me.It is not like I am pigging out on Burger King, or whatever else and laying around doing nothing. I do too much for the scale not to move. Although I have not gained, I am doing entirely too much to just maintain. I too don't know whether to eat more/less, exercise more/less. Should not be this complicated. It's like a screwed up Rubiks cube that is unsolvable.

I turned 40 last August 14. I got spring fever last spring and decided to get my hair cut in to a bob which I still have a year later. I really love it because since my face is skinnier, along with neck and shoulders, I gives me a totally different, younger and dare I say, sexier look. I have gotten so many compliments on it too. Then I decided to add some highlights. Started with a brownish color and progressed to more blond highlights.Gave an even more dramatic change. No regrets from me. sidenote-When I was heavier & had a very fat face, I thought short hair (tapered on sides & back)was the answer. But after recently seeing some old pics of me then, short hair was not the answer for me then.

my doc has never discussed specific goals with me as long as I was losing. I am five foot six with a highest weight ever as 368 (300.5 on surgery day on 1/19/07). While I would love a BMI within normal limtis for my height (185 highest), I would be content to just see 199, be in Onderland for once in my life (except for as a young child) & maintain at 195-199. Today, I am around 225 (prolonged plateau) so 26-30 pounds to go. But who knows, that 185 might creep back into my mind if I were to hit my 199 goal.

My best compliment was from my favorite manager at my local Lane Bryant. Since I have lost weight, I have more clothing selections at other places so she does not see me as much. I had gone in one day & she was there. She was totally shocked and then asked me "are you trying to leave us?". I told her he-- yeah!!

LOL sweatbean70. I think I was born wearing plus size diapers too. Was such a great feeling the first time I tired on 16 regular jeans and an XL top in JCPenney Misses, not plus, dept.and they fit with room to spare. There are still some items where I need the "W" or 1X but I now start out in Misses dept. first. The prices are even a little cheaper. I even got a size L workout pants the other day & a couple of size L tops. AND my shoe size has gone down from a 10 because I needed some wides to an 8.5. AND I can wear taller heels too. so much that never thought of before.

I get the same thing from my cousins, co-workers & women at church. No one is used to a thinner me. They are used to that 368 pound person. All I want to see is 199; preferabbly to maintain at 195 or so and I would be happy. Still have about 25 pounds left. Everytime I see the "haters" they always ask "aren't you through yet?", "how much more do you want to lose?", "what size are you now?". They are scared because I am no longest the biggest of the big. I am no longer the fattest cousin. Everyone had so much negativity when they first found out that I was having/had the surgery. Now they are begging for my old clothes. They keep me motivated to reach MY goal.

I under stand what you are saying. I never had any periods of being normal weight, gained alot, lost & regained. Just consistently been "obese" ALL my life so have nothing to personally compare it to. I have not been my current weight since age 14 & I am now 40. At my highest weight I was 368 pounds, lost some on my own before band, on surgery day (1/07) was 300.5 & today I am around 225. So have lost like 140 pounds from my all time highest. Still getting used to the "new" me. I would love to have some plastic surgery for my breasts, arms & stomach but I know that it is not financially possible for me so I just have to deal with it. I was never ugly & always dressed well and fashionable but just looking in the mirror and feeling sexy is a problem at times with the sagginess that I see. And sometimes i still see the old me in mirror. During those times i go upstairs and try on some of the old clothes that I kept as reminders. But I try to stay positive because my blood pressure is good, blood sugar is normal, my knees & back feel better. That means more to me. But if I were to ever hit the lottery...

Congratulations & Thanks. You definitely give me hope. It has been 2 years and 3 months since I got my band. I am currently experiencing a very looong plateau. I am constantly trying to revamp and switch things up to get the scale to continue downward. It gets so frustrating. Your story gives me hope that I can reach my goal.

I used to have really bad gas with most anything I ate. I started using Beano and that really worked for me. But your problem could possibly be lactose intolerance.

Sorry it's kinda long but figured might help and encourage smoeone. I had my lapband surgery 1/19/07. I have what is considered the old model band. It is the 4.0cc. I received a previous fill the end of October which did not do anything for me. My surgeon's office only gives me me .25cc at a time for fills since I have a smaller band. I initially started out real well and lost a lot of weight the first year. My weightloss started slacking up and I hit a very long plateau. The scale did not move at all (luckily I was not gaining) but I felt as if I was doing too much to just maintain. The only thing my doc could tell me is that I had been fat for so long that my body was fighting losing any more weight. While I was/am happy with the weight I have lost thus far, I am not finished. I want to see Onderland. I got frustrated with my lack of progress & was beginning to feel like a failure.This past holiday after that last fill did not seem to be making a difference, I started slacking up on the band rules, my portions started increasing, eating more carbs, going out more with friends because I was very unhappy & frustrated. I have been a member of Curves since 3/07 and I cancelled my membership partly due to overall frustration & because I got a part-time job over holidays that made it very difficult to go because I also have a full-time job too. Basically work was my life outside of my fun time with friends and family. I had a 4 month hiatus. While I did not go extremely buckwild, I did enough. I finally started getting a grip. My mind was so clouded by frustration & fear of failure that when I took the time to look at the big picture, I had been slipping somewhat all along & that there definitely was room for improvement. I really hadn't been doing enough. I needed to get rid of words like "suffering" and "sacrifice" that had crept into my vocabulary. I did gain about 8 pounds during this little break from reality time,not including my period of plateau before that, but it could have easily been more gained. I rejoined Curves in February and made an appointment for followup with my surgeons office. Since it had been almost a year since they had did a fill under x-ray, they wanted to go that route so that made me have almost a 3 week delay in getting another fill. Usually they are done in the office but because of insurance purposes, they cannot do on the spot fills under x-ray. So, I had my fill finally last Tuesday 4/7. If course they weigh you at appointments and there was my 8 pound gain in black in white officially in my records. But I had decided to make a recommittment to reaching my goals so I had to face the music. I ended up getting a little less than the usual .25 because I was having bad reflux & she had to take some of what she put in back out. I am now up to 3.5cc in my band.I am happy to say that I can feel a difference with this fill. I am considering this a restart. I am refocusing on the rules, working myself harder at Curves, walking more, trying to get in more fluids. I am also trying to "listen" to my body more as far as feeling full so that I am not overeating. I have lost four pounds in 5 days. Hopefully things are starting to turn around for me. If anyone else is going through this, hang in there. Put your feelings of frustration aside and REALLY evaluate what you are really doing and eating.

I was banded 2 years ago as of January 19. I have been in an extreme prolonged plateau for like the past year. Seems I have maxed out after like a year and a half. I asked my doc it it was possible to just max out of weight loss. I had already lost 60 pounds prior to deciding on the band and have lost almost 85 since. My highest weight ever was 368 about 10 years ago and today I am around 225. I gained about 5 pounds over Christmas (after scale had practically been deadlocked for months on end). I am very bummed out about it and lack of weightloss for the past year. I lost a lot of weight very fast the first year and then boom! much of nothing. I got very frustrated because of the prolonged plateau despite doing what I felt was the right thing most of the time (following the rules) and exercising and still no weight loss. I felt like what I was doing was enough to make the scale move down if even a little bit. The only thing my doc could say was that I have been fat for so long that by body is fighting losing more weight but then she says there is no such thing as maxing out? Sounds like maxing out to me. So I decided that this past holiday, out of frustration, I was not going to "deprive" myself and "sacrifice" if the scale was not going to show my efforts. Bad move because now I can't get back on track and it is almost April and I am still trying to lose the five pounds I gained plus more. It's just been so frustrating. I was not out of control before hand. I must admit I had my moments where i would treat myself but I was working out 4-5 times per week and if I splurged one day, I would cut back the next. Scale was still deadlocked. Nothing that I did made a difference. Hence my frustration led me to make my holiday decision. At this point, I don't know what to expect or think. I don't want to believe that I have maxed out of weight loss and I am grateful that I am not in the 300's again & i love my new body and size 16 & 18's as opposed to 26/28 & some 30/32's. But I know I have to get back on track or I could be back to that person. I live in constant fear of getting back to the old 350+ me. I never imagined even being under 250 or being able to shop outside of Woman's World. My goal for myself is 199 (preferably 195) but this last 30 pounds might as well be a 100 to lose. I have a very stressful job, family and relationship issues. I know I have developed my lazy days where I don't workout. I am trying to work on my mindset and get rid of words such as deprive, suffer, sacrifice but after getting so frustrated and disappointed, they just crept into my vocabulary. Do any of you think that it is possible to just max out of weight loss? I am dreading my yearly ob/gyn appt this Tuesday because I have offically only lost 10 pounds in one year after I gained the five over Christmas. 10 pounds in one whole year!! I know that's better than nothing but I don't like it. I really think my issue currently is a mind issue and not a band issue. I feel I have good restriction. I got a little bit of fill in October and they were reluctant to do it then because based on what I said, they felt I had good restriction.I just can't kick this emotional eating which is sabotaging my continued weight loss.

This is interesting. I have had this too since being banded. It does not happen every day but happens enough. I have not noticed any swelling or bumps. It is more like burning on the roof of my mouth & happens when I eat usually after first couple of bites. I thought it could be acid related but not really sure. Usually subsides eventually on it's own.

I gain about 4-5 pounds during that time of the month. Usually starts the week before my period and continues until my period ends. It drives me crazy. Both my ob/gyn and regular doctor just say that I have to bear it. They will not give me fluid pills or anything. It is just so frustrating because no matter what I do, the water retention weight will not subside and even after my period is over, I just go back to my pre-period weight even with exercising and following the rules. So that means I only get 2 weeks out of every month to officially lose any weight. I tried to explain this to my docs but their only suggestion is to just not weigh. I don't have high blood pressure or any real reason for them to prescribe fluid pills so they won't give me any. Just seems so unfair.

I just celebrated my 2 yr Bandiversary on Jan. 19. I have lost and kept off 84 pounds since the surgery and had lost 68 before the band. So I am down 142 pounds from my highest weight ever of 368 pounds. My goal is to get to 199. This last 20 pounds or so is the hardest. My body refuses to let me get any lower no matter what i do. But still I have no regrets and not gonna give up no matter what. I will take 216 over 368 any day.

I have never done alot of dating. Been overweight all of my life, even as teenager. Before my weightloss, I was very shy and self-conscious. Now that I feel better about myself & have a better selection of clothes, I get more compliments and double takes from men of all ages. I now have the desire to date but feel like I have been left back in time and out of practice. I know I need to get out there and get some exposure but have been very cautious and apprehensive about accepting offers to go out. I have one male friend that I go out with occasionally and he has gotten used to my new eating habits. Even when i have to chew slowly and he finishes well ahead of me. There have been a few times i have experienced something getting stuck in his presence or it moves slow but he is cool with it. We have known each other for 15 years so he knew me before my weightloss. He has been very supportive and understanding & I talk to him often about my weightloss/band issues. But I don't know what to expect or how I would feel about being with a new person.

I feel your pain. I am 20 pounds from my personal goal. I have been at a very long plateau. I have tried evey combination of changes to my eating/exercise routine and nothing makes a difference. The only thing the doc can say is that my body is fighting losing the weight since have been overweight for so long. Like you, the first almost 80 pounds came off fairly easily. I am getting so frustrated & starting to affect my motivation. I could see if I was totally blowing it and eating Burger King and subs every day. I don't even touch that stuff and still nothing. While I have not lost, I have not gained either but I live in constant fear that is going to shift. I try to keep a positive and grateful attitude for the ways I have come but I am not ready to be through yet. All I want to see is 199; that's my personal goal. At my last doc appt, I did get a small fill but doc was hesitant because I feel as if I have good restriction and she agrees, but the scale does not move.

Where is everyone? Our two year bandiversary is rapidly approaching. Time has surely flown by. Hope everyone had a safe and merry Christmas and that 2009 will be a great year for everyone. My 2 yr bandiversary is Jan. 19. While I have not reached MY goal of 199, I have experienced a lot of positive results and NSV's over the past two years and I am closer to it than I have ever been. Hopefully I will reach it before April. I gave myself four more months. Been in a prolonged plateau. Currently 219. Surgery day I was 300.5 with an all time high of 368 about 10 years ago. Trying to get back on track from Thanksgiving and Christmas. I allowed too many carbs back in my life over the holidays:sad_smile:. I know I have to buckle down and get back on track.Happy New Year!!

That is great!! keep up the good work. I was banded 1/19/07 and have lost 81.5 pounds since then. I had lost 68 prior to being banded so that's a total of 149.5 pounds in the past 3 years. I still mentally cannot adjust to the idea of there being a new and less me. Some days I can see the difference and other days, I still feel the same. I have to try on old clothes that I remember wearing to really grasp the difference. Everyone around me acts as if it is so dramatic and people say that they hardly recognize me. I just find that hard to believe. I don't know if my mind will ever adjust.

Congratulations! My holiday NSV is that I was able to finally zip up tall boots. Never been able to wear them because calves were too big.Tried on a pair and they zipped!! So I bought two pair. Then, as if that wasn't enough, a few days later I bought a pair of short red ones with a very pointy toe and skinny heel. That was a first too. The old me would have broken that heel in 2 minutes and would never made a step in them. I wore them to a party with a pair of jeans and made it the entire night plus walked around in Walmart with them-just because I could. :tongue2: