ElfiePoo

Head hunger doesn't make your stomach growl or pain in the pit of your stomach. :thumbup: .

One of my big concerns was that I read a report that said that 40% of bands had to be removed within 12 years. This was from a pro-Band information site. They did make the point that the technology is improving all the time so this stat would most likely improve as well. I almost chose against the band, but then I looked at it in a different way. I can either have the surgery now and take care of this weight and *maybe* have another surgery within the next 10 years to replace a faulty/old band or most likely have surgery within the next 10 years for an obesity related condition (loss of a limb due to diabetes, heart attack, etc.)...which will not get better as time goes on either. The band has a better prognosis than remaining obese. .

Neesh, Just hang in there, girl, and do your best. As someone said previously, if you really really must take a bite, do it of the no carb foods since (if) the preop is to deal with the fat around the liver. I was watching a lap band surgery on YouTube and I can certainly see why this would help the surgeons. Don't let the hardliners get you down. Their approach may suck, but their heart is in the right place. They want you to be just as successful as they are.

Ok thanks...my surgery is coming up soon and perhaps I'm just getting scared. I agree that the band is just a tool which means we still have to make good decisions about what to put in our mouths. For the most part, I already put 'good' things in my mouth. I just put too much of them and too many of them are carbs. I realize that I carb overload because I'm looking for that 'full' feeling that I don't otherwise get. I'm looking forward to a smaller stomach that doesn't need the 'padding' to feel full...and the loss of that drugged feeling I get from carb overload. .

Oh duh...I read that you were type 2. Now I see you're type 1. First the eyes go...then the brain cells. ;-p .

You may be surprised, Jo! When I was on Atkins, my BS readings were below 100. I'm Type 2 and my doc believes that if I get the weight off, my blood sugar readings will return to a normal level since the fat is making me insulin resistant.

I lost 70 lbs on Atkins and kept it off. High Protein, low carb diet really is the key to not only *not* being hungry, but not 'craving'. During my first two weeks on Atkins, I felt like an addict going through withdrawal. After the end of week 2, my husband would come home from work and ask if I'd eaten yet that day and sometimes I'd have to admit that 'no, I hadn't' because I was so busy I forgot to eat and had no cravings or hunger to remind me. My mistake was thinking I could have just 'one bite' of my birthday cake. Yeah...just like an alcoholic can have just one shot of whiskey. :sad: Hmmm...my doc may not require a special diet pre-op, but I'm thinking if I do a low carb for the next week or two until surgery, the two weeks after won't be so bad.

Looking at the dates in your sig line, I'm impressed at just how patient you, and all of you who have to jump through the insurance hoops, are! I'd be going nutso. I spent the last 14 years 'researching', but made my mind up about 3 weeks ago. After calling 6 bariatric doctors who wanted to set up the original seminar appt at least 4 weeks in the future, I finally found one who could get me into a seminar they were having that afternoon. I had my appointment with the doctor right after. I had my psych consult 1 week and a half after my seminar and a week later, I'm sitting waiting for the phone to ring to schedule the surgery, which they tell me will be within a week or two...and I'm still feeling impatient! :sad: .

I have to agree with you, Neesh. If it makes you feel any better, my doctor agrees with you as well. :sad: That said, I don't know your medical history or why your doctor is making you do a preop liquid fast. There may be a real reason...or it may be just bureaucratic B.S. I'd ask him/her.

No, thank heavens! .

I'm not required by my insurance or doc to do a pre-op liquid fast, but since the first week after surgery is Clear Liquids, I figured I'd better find something now that I know I can drink. In the past, I've used Slim Fast low carb, but it only has 10gm of Protein per can and I understand the protein is a big *must*. So last night I went out and bought a sample box of Isopure and a 1 lb pkg of the Isopure Dutch chocolate powder. I had a glass of the chocolate for Breakfast and took a sip of my son's mango something or other just to try it. I have to say the mango something was pretty good. I could definitely drink it for a meal. The dutch chocolate was palatable. It's thinner than slim fast, but this doesn't seem to take away from it at all. I probably won't even check out the Muscle Milk or other recommendations since I was quite pleased with the Isopure. .

Please God, let me lose mine. My back will be so thankful.

John, After reading about people not getting their first fill for sometimes months but being required to eat what would fill you up with a smaller pouch (and obviously doesn't with our own stomach), I went to my doc because I know there's no way in hell I'll be able to do it. If I could, I wouldn't be getting the surgery in the first place! According to my doc, they do the first fill after 2-3 weeks once you're past the mushy stage and after any swelling goes down. Then they do future fills (until they get to restriction) on a 1-2 week schedule. He said most patients have their full fill (whatever that is that gets them to restriction) within 6 weeks without any problems. I'd *insist* on talking to your doctor and find out why it is so necessary that you starve yourself. .

Anyone here using the Wii for exercise? I'm thinking of getting it for our family and am looking for suggestions for the best apps to get that will benefit us physically. A friend said the boxing app was great for upper body (which I desperately need and I just read on another thread that they have a hoola hoop that should help with the stomach...but any other recommendations? .

I've never figured out how you can make a meal last for 30 minutes and still have it hot. So I wouldn't worry about it. Just eat your cream of wheat while it's hot and enjoyable, but be aware that you aren't just scarfing it down. Savor every spoonful and if it's gone in 10 minutes, it's gone. .

Just a few things to put this all into perspective. Fat people have no problem losing weight. Our problem is keeping it off. The Lap Band is not a magic bullet. You'll still have to practice self-control and change your lifestyle and habits. What the lap band does is create a sense of fullness but it's still up to you to stop when you're full. It's still going to be up to you to decide on healthier choices. I read a number of lap band forums and I sit here shaking my head when I read about people who've had the band put on and go to creative lengths to continue to eat the way they did before the surgery. One lady actually said that she puts her 'must have' chocolate cake in a blender with milk and it goes down easily that way. She should've saved her money. Only you can decide whether the Lap Band is right for you and if you do decide, tell your well meaning relatives that you've made your decision and if they have nothing positive to contribute, it is not a subject up for discussion. .

I've been reading for several weeks now and have noticed quite a number of posts dealing with this hunger issue and the length of time to the first fill or to restriction. So I called my doc and asked him, 'what gives'? Why does it take so long to get restriction. I mean, c'mon...5 months in some cases!? According to my doc, my first fill, assuming I'm doing well and back on solid foods will be when I'm feeling hungry again and when the post op swelling is gone. Possibly 2-3 weeks post op. Then a 2 week wait between fills just to make sure there's time to adjust and really decide whether it's necessary to do another one and so as not to risk the band being too tight. I'd talk to your doc and ask him why they're waiting so long to do the first fill when you obviously don't have restriction. .

Love your signature line!

My blogspot is in my signature line. I just started it today. I have to admit that this is a big step for me to open up to the world, but I'm using it as therapy. Be kind. :thumbup: Can't wait to read all of your blogs .

While picking up my Isopure at GNC last night, I noticed they carried AquaFull. I've been seeing these ads on tv that claim AquaFull does the same thing as the Lap Band in that it provides a full feeling so you will want to eat less. I thought, why not. I chose to do the liquid (mix a packet of powder into 16 oz of water) over the bar because the liquid is like 20 calories, whereas the bar is 180 and I can think of better foods for 180 calories. So at 7:30 a.m. this morning, I downed a 16 oz glass of Water with Aquafull. Thirty minutes later, I drank a 12 oz glass of Isopure Protein drink. Almost 2 1/2 hours later, I have to admit that I definitely have a satisfyingly full feeling and no desire to eat...but it's still early. Let's see how I am after a day on Protein drinks. Now, some might say that of course I'm full after downing 28 oz of water, but this is less water than I would have had by this time of the morning on a normal day. So, nope, it's not the water making me full. If it works, does this mean I won't have the LB done? Not at all because if it works and I don't get the LB done, the best case scenario is that I lose all of my excess weight *but* with the proviso that I will always have to drink the AquaFull before meals. I see a couple problems with this. One, it's cheaper in the long run to have the surgery than to buy the AquaFull. Two, what happens if they discontinue the AquaFull and now I'm at a weight where my insurance won't cover WLS? So, no, if this works, then I see it as nothing more than a tool to use until I have the surgery. .

nevah mind...starting a new post so I don't derail thread.

Hi everyone... I've been reading the boards for a couple weeks now and thought perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm a 53 year old wife and mom of 3 adult sons. Well almost, my last one is finishing high school this year. I am also the CEO of a company I started 15 years ago. During that time I finished my doctorate and, for the last 3 years also work part-time for the prison system as a consulting psychiatrist at a maximum security prison. I was not an overweight child, but at the age of 13 when puberty hit, I put on 50 pounds in one year. The doctor told my worried mom that she's being overprotective...it's 'just baby fat'. Looking back, I realize that's also when my hypoglycemia kicked in and the drop in blood sugar is probably what caused my overeating. By the time I started high school I was 5'3" and 140 pounds. I graduated at 180 lbs. By the age of 25 I was 250 pounds and that's where I stayed most of my adult life with a few with a few forays to 220 when I dieted. After I had my youngest son 17 years ago, I slowly climbed to 330 lbs, my highest weight. Somewhere at that point I found myself eyeing the motorized carts at the grocery store because my back hurt so bad and had an "OMG" moment which put me immediately on Atkins for the next 4 months, during which time I lost 70 lbs. Six years later I have not gained it back but I just can't seem to lose (and keep off) any more. I'd been researching gastric bypass and lap band for 14 years, but I just couldn't bring myself to do the bypass (no judgment on those who do) and the lap band wasn't being done in this country (no money to go outside of U.S.). In 2001, I started exploring lap band again but my insurance wouldn't pay. When I fell in the bathroom a few weeks ago and could barely get up off the floor, I realized I had to do something. It was the proverbial straw piled on top of joints getting worse, perpetual lack of energy and an inability to control my blood sugars due to my erratic eating pattern. Fortunately, I now had insurance that would pay so here I am. I'm going to a bariatric hospital and the reason I chose them is because they don't pile on a lot of unnecessary pre-op requirements as some doctors do. I think this is because several of the doctors have had bypass and/or lap bands and understand where the obese patient is coming from. No 'prove it to me' six month supervised diet (although I understand that for many docs this is an insurance requirement) and no pre-op liquid diet for several weeks. I found out, upon questioning this past week, that they also don't wait months to do a fill. Their intent is to get the patient is restriction as quickly as possible since that is the whole purpose of this band. No fill at surgery, but first fill at roughly 2-3 weeks depending on the healing process. I started this whole process 2 weeks ago and I'm told that I will most likely get surgery in the next 2 weeks or so as long as nothing comes back negative on the blood work. I don't expect it will. Despite the fact that I'm 53 and 260 pounds, I'm in pretty good shape...considering. I look forward to getting to know you all! .

I'm technologically impaired so that one (the blog) will have to wait until I can get my 17 year old to help me out. :thumbup: .

For the past 40 years, people have been trying to convince me that *all* fat people are in that condition because they're emotional eaters and that if we just get therapy and deal with 'why' we eat, the weight loss would come off "just like that". For a long time I bought into that theory. As part of becoming a psychiatrist, I had to go into therapy myself and it became apparent that I am not an emotional eater. I don't eat when I'm depressed or stressed. In fact, I tend not to eat during these times because my stomach tightens into a knot and if I eat, it will just come back up. I don't eat when I'm happy because I'm too busy with 'life'. I'm not a sweet eater. I don't eat all day. So I just accepted that I ate too much (of the wrong things like carbs) for my sedentary lifestyle. Then, one night at dinner, I had an epiphany. My loving concerned husband said to me as I reached for a second helping, "if you'd just stop at one when you're full..." It hit me. I *do* stop when I'm full...and it isn't gut busting full, just 'contentedly' full...and it's the same type of 'full' that my husband gets with reasonable, moderate portions and he's no more active than I am! This is what I expect the Lap Band to do...create that physically 'full' feeling. .

Excellent post! When I was diagnosed as a diabetic, they wanted to send me to a nutritionist to get 'counseling' in the correct way to handle my diet. I spent 10 minutes with the nutritionist before she realized that I knew far more about what to eat, when to eat and how to control my diabetes. Overweight people are *experts* on diet and nutrition. Most of us have internal scales that enable us to 'eye' a portion and tell what it weighs or whether it's 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, etc. We're not fat because we're stupid or lack the knowledge. .