happymammaof2

I don't mean that in a bad way...but I don't think guys really want to hash out PMS and periods....lol So, on to my question. I am not banded, and am doing the lo-cal diet that we in PA have to do for 5 or 6 months before the surgery. I do FANTASTIC with it for like 3 weeks. Then the week before my period, all hell breaks loose and I am starving. I seem to have little control over it, and am always hungry. I don't necessarily crave anything in particular, I am just hungry. No. Starving. I had lost 6 pounds. I gained that back this month. I will be able to lose it without a problem... but it's the keeping it off that is hard to do. I see the nutritionist in 3 weeks, and plan on asking her what to do. One doctor told me to walk away. Yeah. Right. He was a guy. Does anyone else have this problem? If so, what do you do to curb it? I have tried eating small cans of veggies or a salad (because the nutritionist said I could do that- seems my metabolism was shut down until I started the program)... but I am finding it's not helping. Any suggestions at this point would be awesome!!!!! Thanks!

Hi! If it were me, I would let it go for a little bit. She is hurt and you know how excited you were when you decided to get it done. If she continues, I would maybe gently bring it up, and tell her you understand, but you were hurt by her reaction. It isn't your fault they denied her. In time, she may be able to try again and get accepted. That happened to a friend of mine. She was denied several times for not having a high enough BMI... and ironically, her weight hasn't changed but her insurance did...and now she has been accepted. Hope that helps.

Those are awesome questions!!! I had them myself, so awesome answers too!! Thanks for them both!

Congrats!!!! I hear the pain subsides and the excitement increases as time goes on!!! I am not yet banded, wont be till May or June. I am excited and scared as hell, but it's not going to stop me! Here's to your new life!!!!!!!

Congrats!!!! I am only beginning my journey and look forward to that one year bandiversary!!!!! Glad you feel better!!!!!! Keep up the good work!

I am only into the 2nd month of my 6 month wait for the surgery. They gave me papers telling me what will take place from the initial consult till surgery. I will have to be a on liquid diet for 2 weeks prior and 2 weeks after surgery. I am also right now on a 1500 cal diet. I haven't stuck to it, but have begun watching every single thing I eat and turning away from things I shouldn't have. I have lost 6 pounds... I am sure that I will lose more the more I follow the 1500 cal diet. And now that Christmas is over, the reality of it has kicked in, and I am trying to adhere to it as best as I can. How did you guys do with family members who weren't exactly 'helping' in the support department? Did you find it difficult to drink your shake while preparing a meal for the rest of the family? I also have 2 kids, and am thinking it's going to be tougher come the time for the liquids only... anyone else have any problems???

I know for me, there are charges that the insurance doesn't cover, so they offer a payment plan to get it paid prior to the insurance. Maybe they have something like that for you too???

I'm not banded yet, will be in the spring of next year. I had a question... When I had my initial consult, they told me I would most likely lose 1/3 of my current weight once I had the band put in place. I am 350 now, and they want me to be 20-25 pounds lighter come surgery time. So we are looking at about 100 pounds that will be lost. While being 230-250 is a heck of a lot better than I am now, I was hoping for better results. I was wondering what anyone over 325 has gone through once they got the band. Have you been able to lose more than a third of your weight? Do you find those pounds after the suggested weight loss hard to get off??? I understand it's about health, and at 250 I would be healthier than I am right now. But at 250, I would still be considered morbidly obese... and unhealthy. So I was just curious! Thanks so much!!!!!

Is it possible too, that you aren't seeing a weight loss because your muscles are becoming more muscular and muscle weighs more than fat? It's odd too, that those who exercise didn't typically lose weight, yet, those people who do nothing all day gain it. Hmmm....I may have to dig up that article and read it to see what it says! I think exercise is good for us, whether it loses weight for you or not. We weren't created to sit on our backsides and watch the world go by. When you think about the first groups of humans, they didn't sit around, they were movers and runners, hunters and gatherers. We somehow lost that somewhere... and by looking at the increasing numbers of people (especially in the US) who are obese, exercise has to play some important role in weight. Either way, I have spent toooo many years not embracing a healthy lifestyle. I don't want to be a sitter anymore... I want to embrace my new me with a gusto!!!

I planned on working at it every day! I am not going to go through all of this just to sit around and wait for it to happen. I plan on changing ME. I got me to where I am, and if I don't change ME than it isn't going to work. I am hopeful now that I may actually see 175 again!!! Or less!!! Thanks for the support and advice... this site is awesome!

Thanks everyone. I have already started watching what I eat (thanks to the 1500 cal diet they put me on) and started an exercise program. I plan on exercising more as the weight comes off (right now, knees are killing me, but I expect that will lessen in time). I want to make up for lost time of not enjoying the things I used to!!!!! I don't plan on stopping at 230. I would love to get back to 150. I was very very active, very very healthy, and extremely happy. At that weight too, I am sure I will have the excess skin... and will have to take the weight of that into consideration. But, at this point in my life, I don't care. I just want to be able to do things I can no longer do and I want to be healthy again. :thumbup:

Ok... newbie here, not yet banded... PB'ing?? What is that?

I hope you find you are able to go in for your surgery quicker. I will be interested to find out what they have to say to you. :wink2: I know this... this is my 3rd attempt, with 2 different insurances. My first attempt for the lapband was in Geisinger in Danville, where there was a 6-7 month 'training' period, as they said, because of insurance. I chickened out 3 months into it. The second attempt was at Hershey Medical, where I was going to get the sleeve done. They had an information session too, where they also stated to all that it was a 6-7 month process, due to PA and insurances and it didn't matter which gastric surgery you were going to have or which insurance you have. I was denied the process due to my Crohns disease and they thought it was safer for me not to have it done. Now this time, I am back at Geisinger, different insurance, and the same thing. I wont be even able to talk to the surgeon until I finish all of the criteria...behavior modules, nutrition evals, even a shrink eval. It was the same at Hershey too. I am glad for the strictness. It's giving me more tools to change my life. Just getting the band with a few instructions seems scary to me, especially with all of the information we need to understand. And we need to understand that the band is just a tool, not a cure-all. In order for it to be successful, we have to change everything about us that got us to this point in the first place. Having to do all this stuff is also a plus because it makes me feel more comfortable with the crew who are working with me. So I am not really complaining. I wish you luck!!! Please let me know what they say to you...as I am curious. Maybe it's just those two hospitals?? My sis lives outside of Tyrone... and she says Altoona is a pretty good hospital. You should be in good hands!!! :smile2:

Hi! My name is Donna, and I started the 6 month process to be banded! I weigh 350, am 41, and am tired of not being able to be the person I am. I have Crohns disease, and while that in itself may have complications due to the band, the docs all agree that at this point, the weight I carry is more of a threat than the complications that Crohns and Banding can do. I have been heavy all of my life. I can remember being 160 pounds when I was 14. By the time I was 25 I was 220. When I had my first child at 30, I weighed 280. And, thanks to 2+ long years of high doses of prednisone (thank you Crohns!), I am now 350. I miss my old life. I may have been big, but I still got on a bike, I went hiking, I played kickball with my daughter. My poor son has never seen that Mom, and it is my greatest desire to let him know Mommy can run and play with him. I have lost my life, my job, my friends, thanks to the Crohns...the weight is only complicating all of that. But not for much longer!!!! I am an avid reader. I make jewelry and other crafts, mainly working with polymer clay. Course, I love to try new things, so I dabble in anything I can really find! So, here I am, hoping to find others who have a similar story. I hope to become friends with any who wish to. I look forward to chatting with all of you at some point!!!!!! Thanks for listening!

Hi! My initial consult was in November '09, and I have until May or June (it takes 6 months of 'training' before you see the surgeon) to lose 20% of my weight. I have insulin resistance too, so I only have to lose 20-25 pounds. I also have Crohn's disease and Fibromyalgia, which makes it difficult to routinely exercise. I weigh 350 with a BMI of 61. At the consult they put me on a 1500 cal diet. I have lost 4 pounds so far. I will have to go on a liquid diet prior to surgery and the length of time will be determined by my BMI, which should be going down between now and then. And from the papers they gave me to read, it's not calorie-restricted so much as it is to shrink the liver. I think you may need a second opinion. ESPECIALLY because you are now fainting. You might be shrinking your liver but you may also be doing some other organs some damage that might not be fixable. And no one can survive on just 300 cals for any length of time. With having severe Crohn's Disease, I learned one should NEVER blindly accept what your doc tells you to without seeking out information on what he tells you. Just because they have a degree doesn't mean they graduated top in their class. And from the sounds of it, your surgeon doesn't sound like he did either. Always research things, especially if it doesn't sit well with you. And then talk to your doc about your findings...and maybe there can be a compromise. But I think you would be better off seeking a second opinion. It wont hurt, and it will most likely give you a better option to handling your situation. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Wow... I know this is gonna sound stupid, but I have only begun my journey to surgery (which wont be till may or june)... and I wondered why they wanted us to lose weight during the pre-op 'training' (as I call it) and then do a liquid diet right before surgery. Now it makes sense. I love this place!

I am doing it because I never am able to feel full. I can diet and lose the weight, but eventually, I revert to my old ways. I have never in all my life been thin (with the exception of high school where drugs played a huge part in my life) and I have never truly felt 'full'. Having the band will help me to continually change my lifestyle to one that is healthier. Dieting seems to miss that... because once you stop the diet, in comes the food.

My initial consultation was November, 2009 and I wont be seeing the surgeon until after a 6 month 'training' period. I originally went to Geisinger in Danville, PA but chickened out 3 months into it. Then last spring I went to Hershey who denied me the sleeve operation. And now I am back at Geisinger. All three times, I was told the length of time was due to the insurance companies. But they agreed that it was a good idea to wait that long because of the lifestyle change that is necessary to do when we get banded (or any gastro surgery). I for one am glad it takes that long because I am enjoying the learning aspect of it. I don't want to go through all of the surgery and then mess it up because I didn't have the knowledge to learn how to utilize the tool of having the lap band. I guess it all depends on where you live and what insurance you have.

I do hope you keep me posted, Sunny! And I will do the same. It seems strict, but I think I am happy that is the case. I am watching the chat and the forums thinking that some of the people there needed some nutrition counciling and such prior. There is a whole lifestyle that needs changing, and you don't get that in 3 weeks... or even just by making your stomach smaller. Especially because the band only helps us to lose the weight. I love my nutrionist! She is honest, open, and very understanding. And the tips she gives are awesome!! You may find you are helped greatly by yours. I am going to start going to the support groups next month when my hubby isn't working nights... that way he can watch our kids and I can go mingle...I haven't done that in like forever, so it will be nice to meet with others like me. Who knows, maybe I may gain some friends in the process (having Crohns and being 350 kind of put a damper on all of my so-called friends). Take care.. and keep me posted!!!!

Well, I had my second appt. with the nutrionist today. I actually have lost 4 pounds! The first appt she put me on a 1500 cal diet, and well, I am not doing so hot with counting calories yet. We discussed the diet today, and she just basically checked to make sure I was doing 'ok'. Which, apparently, I am! Next appt is at the end of January with the nutrionist again, and a nutrition counciling class. That will mark month 3 already!!! I wont meet the surgeons until a month before the surgery. Prior to that, according to the paper they gave me, I have to attend 3 eduactional classes, read a book they give me and complete 8 behavior modification modules, attend at least 2 support groups, get a metabolism determination, a behavioral Medicine and dietician evaluation, complete the rest of the tests (pre-op) and get a psych eval. Lots of stuff to keep me busy!!! Plus, I have to make sure I have lost 20 pounds, or 20% of my current weight... it's only 20 pounds because I am insulin resistant which is common in overweight people. So... how bout you? It seems that PA is strict with their guidelines, and while this is a big pain, I am also very glad they are. I will have enough training to really change my whole lifestyle, which I am sure will help in the long run.