LeighaMason

Thought I would post an update, I went to the Dr and no slip, just too tight, they removed 1.5 cc and now I can eat! Yeah! Now to lose the 7 pounds I gained while I was too tight and eating crap food.< /p>

Thought I would post an update, I went to the Dr and no slip, just too tight, they removed 1.5 cc and now I can eat! Yeah! Now to lose the 7 pounds I gained while I was too tight and eating crap food.< /p>

I thought I would post an update, I went and got a slight unfill, and no slippage so no surgery for me yet. At some point I will need to have my band removed and I will change to the sleeve but not yet. Hopefully by then I will have insurance that covers it.

Well I thought it was my band-adversary but I looked and it was 4 days ago. I forgot to weigh this morning so I can't report exactly but I am sure that I am still in my 133-138 zone that I prefer to stay in, probably 134 based on what I have been eating lately. Since I was banded I have really changed the way I eat, I cook almost everything we eat from scratch, no more processed foods (except corn chips, my one concession to junk food). The funny thing is it really doesn't take longer or cost more once you learn what to do. I absolutely stay away from anything with high fructose corn Syrup or artificial sweeteners, as far as I am concerned they are poisons that confuse your body and make you have fake hunger. I cook a lot of Soups so that I can eat them at work and I don't have to pay attention to chewing or eating too fast like I do on regular foods. I think that is a key to my success is to always have a healthy, easy thing available to grab and make in just a few minutes, so I don't resort to grabbing a handful of chips. I learned that its OK to be hungry, I can sit there and be hungry for a few hours, its not going to kill me, if I am in the car and not going to be home for an hour, there is no reason to stop and get some fast food, just wait it out. Well, in closing, I hope some of what I have shared has helped those of you who are early in your journey and still trying to wrap your mind around the whole thing, it took me a while to stop fighting it and accept the mental changes that were necessary for me to lose the weight. Here is a picture of me from this morning....

Well I thought it was my band-adversary but I looked and it was 4 days ago. I forgot to weigh this morning so I can't report exactly but I am sure that I am still in my 133-138 zone that I prefer to stay in, probably 134 based on what I have been eating lately. Since I was banded I have really changed the way I eat, I cook almost everything we eat from scratch, no more processed foods (except corn chips, my one concession to junk food). The funny thing is it really doesn't take longer or cost more once you learn what to do. I absolutely stay away from anything with high fructose corn Syrup or artificial sweeteners, as far as I am concerned they are poisons that confuse your body and make you have fake hunger. I cook a lot of Soups so that I can eat them at work and I don't have to pay attention to chewing or eating too fast like I do on regular foods. I think that is a key to my success is to always have a healthy, easy thing available to grab and make in just a few minutes, so I don't resort to grabbing a handful of chips. I learned that its OK to be hungry, I can sit there and be hungry for a few hours, its not going to kill me, if I am in the car and not going to be home for an hour, there is no reason to stop and get some fast food, just wait it out. Well, in closing, I hope some of what I have shared has helped those of you who are early in your journey and still trying to wrap your mind around the whole thing, it took me a while to stop fighting it and accept the mental changes that were necessary for me to lose the weight. Here is a picture of me from this morning....

Well I thought it was my band-adversary but I looked and it was 4 days ago. I forgot to weigh this morning so I can't report exactly but I am sure that I am still in my 133-138 zone that I prefer to stay in, probably 134 based on what I have been eating lately. Since I was banded I have really changed the way I eat, I cook almost everything we eat from scratch, no more processed foods (except corn chips, my one concession to junk food). The funny thing is it really doesn't take longer or cost more once you learn what to do. I absolutely stay away from anything with high fructose corn Syrup or artificial sweeteners, as far as I am concerned they are poisons that confuse your body and make you have fake hunger. I cook a lot of Soups so that I can eat them at work and I don't have to pay attention to chewing or eating too fast like I do on regular foods. I think that is a key to my success is to always have a healthy, easy thing available to grab and make in just a few minutes, so I don't resort to grabbing a handful of chips. I learned that its OK to be hungry, I can sit there and be hungry for a few hours, its not going to kill me, if I am in the car and not going to be home for an hour, there is no reason to stop and get some fast food, just wait it out. Well, in closing, I hope some of what I have shared has helped those of you who are early in your journey and still trying to wrap your mind around the whole thing, it took me a while to stop fighting it and accept the mental changes that were necessary for me to lose the weight. Here is a picture of me from this morning....

Well I thought it was my band-adversary but I looked and it was 4 days ago. I forgot to weigh this morning so I can't report exactly but I am sure that I am still in my 133-138 zone that I prefer to stay in, probably 134 based on what I have been eating lately. Since I was banded I have really changed the way I eat, I cook almost everything we eat from scratch, no more processed foods (except corn chips, my one concession to junk food). The funny thing is it really doesn't take longer or cost more once you learn what to do. I absolutely stay away from anything with high fructose corn Syrup or artificial sweeteners, as far as I am concerned they are poisons that confuse your body and make you have fake hunger. I cook a lot of Soups so that I can eat them at work and I don't have to pay attention to chewing or eating too fast like I do on regular foods. I think that is a key to my success is to always have a healthy, easy thing available to grab and make in just a few minutes, so I don't resort to grabbing a handful of chips. I learned that its OK to be hungry, I can sit there and be hungry for a few hours, its not going to kill me, if I am in the car and not going to be home for an hour, there is no reason to stop and get some fast food, just wait it out. Well, in closing, I hope some of what I have shared has helped those of you who are early in your journey and still trying to wrap your mind around the whole thing, it took me a while to stop fighting it and accept the mental changes that were necessary for me to lose the weight. Here is a picture of me from this morning....

Well I thought it was my band-adversary but I looked and it was 4 days ago. I forgot to weigh this morning so I can't report exactly but I am sure that I am still in my 133-138 zone that I prefer to stay in, probably 134 based on what I have been eating lately. Since I was banded I have really changed the way I eat, I cook almost everything we eat from scratch, no more processed foods (except corn chips, my one concession to junk food). The funny thing is it really doesn't take longer or cost more once you learn what to do. I absolutely stay away from anything with high fructose corn Syrup or artificial sweeteners, as far as I am concerned they are poisons that confuse your body and make you have fake hunger. I cook a lot of Soups so that I can eat them at work and I don't have to pay attention to chewing or eating too fast like I do on regular foods. I think that is a key to my success is to always have a healthy, easy thing available to grab and make in just a few minutes, so I don't resort to grabbing a handful of chips. I learned that its OK to be hungry, I can sit there and be hungry for a few hours, its not going to kill me, if I am in the car and not going to be home for an hour, there is no reason to stop and get some fast food, just wait it out. Well, in closing, I hope some of what I have shared has helped those of you who are early in your journey and still trying to wrap your mind around the whole thing, it took me a while to stop fighting it and accept the mental changes that were necessary for me to lose the weight. Here is a picture of me from this morning....

Well I thought it was my band-adversary but I looked and it was 4 days ago. I forgot to weigh this morning so I can't report exactly but I am sure that I am still in my 133-138 zone that I prefer to stay in, probably 134 based on what I have been eating lately. Since I was banded I have really changed the way I eat, I cook almost everything we eat from scratch, no more processed foods (except corn chips, my one concession to junk food). The funny thing is it really doesn't take longer or cost more once you learn what to do. I absolutely stay away from anything with high fructose corn Syrup or artificial sweeteners, as far as I am concerned they are poisons that confuse your body and make you have fake hunger. I cook a lot of Soups so that I can eat them at work and I don't have to pay attention to chewing or eating too fast like I do on regular foods. I think that is a key to my success is to always have a healthy, easy thing available to grab and make in just a few minutes, so I don't resort to grabbing a handful of chips. I learned that its OK to be hungry, I can sit there and be hungry for a few hours, its not going to kill me, if I am in the car and not going to be home for an hour, there is no reason to stop and get some fast food, just wait it out. Well, in closing, I hope some of what I have shared has helped those of you who are early in your journey and still trying to wrap your mind around the whole thing, it took me a while to stop fighting it and accept the mental changes that were necessary for me to lose the weight. Here is a picture of me from this morning....

I decided against Mexico, for me it was too much risk. I found a Dr in Dallas who did the surgery for $10,200 with fills included. When everything was factored in travel, fills, etc. it wasn't that much more expensive in the long run. I was also under the impression that the Dr's in Mexico used the older style bands. (This was 6 months ago, and things change quickly so you might want to check this out to see if it is still the case) But I wanted the newest technology available.

Oh look I'm slumming....I mean slimming...I mean...What the..? :thumbup: I'm a size 4 who cares what they think!

I've been at goal for over a year now......feels great.

I was BMI 32, Dr Kim in Colleyville (Dallas) TX, $10,200. When I had my surgery the Dr's in Mexico were using the old style bands so I paid extra to get it done here.

Even though this is a few months old I would like to say, I got banded for vanity reasons only. I was perfectly healthy but obese. I was tired of being fat. Why should the band be reserved for "health reasons only"? Why should you wait until you are sick or morbidly obese before you seek intervention? And finding a surgeon who will do low BMI is not difficult.

If I eat more than 1200 calories a day, I gain weight. Jachut loses weight at 1800. Everybody is different and that is why those calculators cant be trusted.
You have to track what you are doing, if it is working keep doing it, if not, do something different until you find what works for you.

The pre-op diet also give you time to adjust mentally to the changes that are coming. Resisting the pre-op diet can be a sign that you are not mentally ready to change your eating habits. I think its needed to reset your thinking about food, I have a total different mindset about how much food is normal than I did pre-band, my concept of what a body requires to sustain itself was very distorted.

Yep, that is what I did, 5 drinks a day, (it sucked royally but I did it) and now I am at goal, if you want success, listen to him, he knows what he is doing. (You can also look up btrieger here on this site, he used Dr Kim too and as of this morning was 199 pounds and having a Tummy Tuck today. Do guys call it a tummy tuck? )

A few things to think about for all of you who are stuck in a rut or in the middle of a major stall...doing everything 'right' and still not losing...or worse, gaining.
This was me for many months. I was getting more and more frustrated that at some point I stopped losing and, despite 'doing it right', I was roller coasting between the same 10 pounds for several months, but I never gave up. I would try something different for a month to see if that would make a change. When it didn't, I tried something else. I was so desperate that I even started to exercise (even though it's proven that exercise is not necessary for weight 'loss'). So, now that I finally figured out *my* problem, here are some possible ideas for those in a similar situation. Just my .02 and YMMV (your mileage may vary).

First, track everything you eat in something like fitday.com or whatever method is easy for you. It's too easy to 'mentally' calculate that you're on target with the caloric needs of your body and, in reality, be way over. Not counting or tracking is only acceptable if you're losing or maintaining (and intending to maintain, not just maintaining as a stall). If you're still trying to lose...and not doing so...then track your food. It's the only way you'll really know what your intake is. Calories: Find out how many calories you actually need. There are so many things that factor in, but it's a good place to start. Here's a handy little calculator that will tell you what you need to maintain your current weight based on age, height and activity level...and how many you need to maintain your ideal weight. Some people may do better below this recommendation. You'll just have to find your individual requirement. Carbs: Most WLS doctors prefer their patients on a low carb diet. Unfortunately, some of these same doctors don't really understand 'low carb'. Yes, 130gm of carbs per day is 'lower' than 300...but it's not low carb. The standard set for low carb by people (like Dr. Atkins) who have been doing this for *decades* is under 60, but maybe lower depending on the individual's tolerance. I lose best when I keep my carbs below 30. If I keep my calories the same but increase my carbs to 60, my weight loss slows down or stalls. Protein: The body does not store Protein and if you don't burn it up, it will be stored as fat. Even on a low carb diet where you can eat more calories and still lose weight, excess Protein will still cause stalls. Years ago I could eat about 140gm of protein and 2500 calories a day and lose 4-5 pounds per week...and that was without exercise. Now, for many reasons, I've had to cut my protein down to about 60. I'm not obsessed with that number, but I try not to go over 70gm because my weight loss stalls. Another consideration for diabetics is that it affects our blood sugar. I went from spikes after meals (despite no carbs) to not having to take my insulin at meals. A general rule of thumb: 1 gm of protein for every kg of your *ideal* weight (-6gm if you are small boned, +6gm if you are large boned...and circling your wrist with fingers will not tell you whether you're small or large boned. It will only tell you if you have short or long fingers. ).
Fats: I'm not even going to get into a debate about cholesterol since much of what is touted as 'fact' by the medical industry has already been refuted. If interested, find a low carb forum and someone there will direct you to the relevant websites. Suffice to say that while a high carb, high fat diet is bad for you...a low carb, high fat diet is not. Evidence shows that people (I'm one of them) can eat a diet higher in fat and combined with a low carb (below 60) diet and their good and bad cholesterols will move right back into the normal range. I'm not suggesting you can eat unlimited quantities of fat...slathering butter on everything, but you can lose weight eating a diet that is 60% fat...and get your cholesterol levels within normal range.
Exercise: Recent studies have proven that exercise is not necessary to lose weight. I believe that. I lost 70 pounds without exercising. I also did start exercising a couple months ago and it affected my weight loss not one little bit. Will it make you healthier? Yes. Will you most likely feel better? Yes. Will it help you lose 'faster'? Maybe...that has not been my experience, but others say it did for them. I finally found that in order to lose weight, I need to keep my Proteins at 30% of my total calories, fats at 60% and carbs under 30. Interestingly, this is what Dr. Atkins recommended to aim for after the first two induction weeks. Guess I should've read more closely. I do aim for about 1200 calories and some days I'm a little lower and some days a little higher depending on whether I put cream in my coffee.
Let me say it again...YMMV. We are unique individuals and there is no one way of eating that is right for every single person. If you've hit a stall, change something up. *Any* change will most likely break your stall, but do *something*.
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Melody, I feel like we should all break into "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" looking at the little Charlie Brown tree, it is darling!!
Yes, DH is a very good man. I think I'll keep him for at least another 20 years.

Yay - I found the thread again! Will have to read the latest news later when I get home from work .
I am so not liking the changes to this website. It is a PITA to find your way around, slow etc. On the plus side it may have cured me to my addiction and I may now find time to do other things instead of spending hours here.

Hi everyone~~I finally got up the courage to jump into this thread as it was pretty overwhelming!
It will take me several months to read back through the 103 pages of posts LOL.
I just want to say that I appreciate all the positive energy that you all bring to the boards. Even the negative nellies out there---make me realize that I am doing pretty damn good.
So far, my band journey has been uneventful. I am slowly losing weight and have no real pre-conceived goal in mind other than wanting to be in onederland. Beyond that, I will see how I feel and how I look and go from there.
I did notice today, that I was able to move around and do stuff that pre-band would have been a challenge. (I live in Maine and had to put down the winter rugs in the entryway---I had to cut it to fit and was lifting and bending). It is amazing how losing just about 40 lbs has improved my mobility and how much better my knees and hips feel.

@Melody - Don't laugh. I have been warned quite a few times by my surgeons and their staff about balance issues with the center of gravity change. As it is though, I am walking around hunched over anyways. They do the surgery with your body on an angle. So, as you heal and start to stand straight it tightens up.
@Leigha - good for you! Even a day makes a difference with Water. The mold and mildew take over fast if Water damage isn't dealt with immediately. I'd like to think that none of my neighbors would hesitate for a second to do the same for me.
@Denise - It was not even 7 pounds. I was surprised but not disappointed. I don't really care about the weight. I just want clothes to fit right at this point. I actually weighed 8 pounds more when I got home from the hospital than I did when I checked in. I hadn't had water or food in 8 hours prior and now I have swelling; drains and a pain pump. I won't be able to get an accurate weight reading for a couple of weeks but I am positive I will be in Onederland!!
@Jackie - Welcome aboard. You bet 40 pounds makes a difference! My feet started feeling better after the first 10 even.
@Elcee - we are all old farts and hate change. You'll get over it
I 'll have to go back and read a few pages before I can comment on any of the other drama I've missed

MaineJackie, welcome! Glad to have you join our group. 40 lbs is nothing to sneeze at. Great work!
Bob, 7 lbs of skin and other tissue is a lot. Glad to hear you are recovering.
If anybody asks, I hate computers! I store my itunes on an external hard drive. Just tried to open it and no go. Sheesh..now trying to fix that. Ugh..
And SIL is dropping heavy hints that she wants me to fix her computer. I played stupid.

Melody, That is so great! I'm glad things are going better for you.
Today is Bob's plastic surgery. He hasn't visited our thread much lately. We'll have to get him back on board.

Celebration time! I got up this morning and I felt particularly 'skinny'. I didn't get too excited since I've felt skinny before but stepped on the scale and found I'd gained. Well, I had to wake my husband up and make him get on the scale to make sure it was right because the scale says I weigh 219!! That's 4 more pounds just since Monday! Finally, this scale is continuing to head in the right direction.
It is just amazing to me that such a 'little' change (dropping my daily Protein grams down to 60) can have such a major effect! I may yet make it to 199 by the end of the year!
They've set a surgery date for me - Dec. 22nd - but I think I may hold off. I still have some pain in my arm with 6cc in my band...but not nearly as much as I had with 8...and it seems to have lessened just a bit this past week. Now that I know how I should be feeling when the band is working, I don't think I need that other 2cc back. I'm definitely not hungry (now that I was reminded of what real hunger is). Rather than putting myself through another surgery with all the risks, I think I may just give it a bit more time and see if the pain continues to lessen.
Yeah baby...doing the Snoopy dance right here!