annieM

Welcome! Most of us have been exactly in your shoes. Maybe you still will eat a little bit of crap. It will be a smaller amount and you won't be able to binge like you have because the band simply won't let you. Are you ready to be healthy? Really ready? Can you wrap your brain around eating stuff that will feed your body well and keep you in good health? 'Cause eating JUST crap is quite self distructive, (been there, done that,) and in the end the only one who can be accountable to take care of you, is you. The thing that the band helped me with was dealing with the hunger issue. When you diet, you get hungry so you want to cheat. With the band the upper part of the stomach forms a pouch which fills with a small amount of food. It turns out, that when the top part of the stomach is full, hormones are released that say "full" and those same messages keep the hunger from returning for four hours or so. Cool huh? In addition, you can only eat tiny amounts and feel completely OK with that. I still "cheat" sometimes with treats I like, but I've gone from a size 20 to a 6 and have a whole closet full of "thin" clothes that keep me from overdoing it. What if you DON"T get the band and nothing changes? Good luck on your journey!

Welcome! I was self-pay also. I looked into local surgery groups and found one that met my needs, it cost less too because they used a surgery center instead of a hospital. Mexico is also an option for self-pay (where do you live?). Make sure that a local center will take you for aftercare and fills for a reasonable price though. Some docs are beginning to really charge high prices for transfer fees and fill fees for folks from Mexico. It's terrific that you have the goal to be a doctor yourself! My DD is premed and it's a tough course, best to be in top shape to go through it. You'll be an inspiration to your overweight patients with your success story! Good luck!

Welcome! What sort of questions do you have? Are you doing well on your post surgery diet? You have a lot of weight to go, but YOU CAN DO IT! Slow and steady wins the race. Good luck on your journey:thumbup:

Welcome! People usually start by going to a complimentary seminar given by a local surgery group. If it sounds like you want to continue, then you make an appointment to see people at the office and they will guide you on how to deal with your insurance co. and how to proceed with the other hoops you need to jump through. Some ins. co. need a 6month supervised diet before they will approve you. (I was self pay so I was able to skip that). The band is a neat tool for weight loss and perfect for someone young like you. It doesn't involve any malabsorbtion like the bypass sort of surgery and that is important for your health if you want to have children some day. Not only does it curb your hunger, but it keeps you from consuming too much at one sitting. Sure, people can get the band and still be fat. But, they usually are the ones who stop going in for fills and "eat around" their band by choosing soft slider foods instead of normal density foods. Good luck to you on your journey to good health!

Welcome! You've come to the right place. When you say swelling issues, do you mean that you were throwing up too much and got too tight, or what? It's a shame that you gained with your unfill, but mostly we all would. That's why we have the band after all! When can you get back on the band-wagon and get another fill? Try not to be down about your setback. It's only temporary. While you heal, try to watch your caloric intake (I know it's hard) and do something positive for yourself like walking or other type or exercise, or picking up a fun hobby. Feel free to contact me with questions, I'm four years out now and have experienced just about all the ups and downs myself... Good luck,

Welcome! Great job so far! Keep up what your doing... you'll be at goal before you know it. Good luck on your journey!

Bummer about gaining, but it was only two pounds and that could just be a random flux. It's hard to lose without restriction, that's why we have bands to begin with, so don't get down on yourself. So you're going to Mexico for your first fill? Sunshine and warmth sounds good about now! Are they fairly aggressive with the fills since you are traveling such a long way? Remember too that airplane travel makes the band tighter temporarily. (BTW, those airsick bags are handy to have in your purse). I went to my new yoga class this morning and it was very nice. The instructor came around and did corrections and I even worked up a bit of a sweat. I bet I'll be stiff tomorrow. Next week I will add in weights and another couple yoga classes to kick this plateau in the butt. Hang in there and have a fun trip!

Well I have shopped the yoga classes, tried a couple and joined a gym. I joined LA fitness. They had a special going so it's not too expensive and they have several yoga classes per week. yea. Part of the initiation was a half hour "training" with one of the personal trainers (so they can sell you the personal training, I was tempted). That was on Tuesday and I am still uber stiff! Lisa, How are you doing? Are you dropping the weight like mad? Have you had a fill yet? How are you feeling?

Well kid, my heart goes out to you. You have not had much of a childhood with all this weight stuff in the way. Have you taken the time in these past years to learn about what you like and don't like to do in your life? Hobbies? Passions? Goals? Now is the time in your life to explore these things. It sounds like you need to become accustomed to your current level of fill. It's not easy' and people without the band can easily dictate how much fill you should have, but really you need to be the judge yourself. While you learn to eat this new smaller amount, explore other aspects of your life that you may have been neglecting (I am a BIG fan of distraction, because losing weight can be a total drag). When you are completely comfortable with this level of fill, go ahead and go to the next level of fill. You need to be the captain of your weight loss journey. You're young, so everyone and their brother is going to tell you what to do. Smile, listen, and consider what they say and then do what is the best for you. (That includes my advice :eek: ) Welcome to band-land and good luck on your journey. Feel free to contact me anytime.

It does sound like you need a slight unfill. It also sounds like you are very close to your sweet spot already (possibly because your stomach hasn't lost much weight yet). So instead of building toward that magic half cup amount, you've been dropped down to a very small amount of food and that is just hard to get used to. Be patient and eat slowly, and take care not to drink with meals; you know the rules. Keep your protein around 50 gm per day and drink when you can. The good news is that unlike so many others who wait months and months for restriction, you can just watch those pounds roll off! :eek: Good luck!

My BMI was on the low side when I went for a lapband too. I just couldn't do it by myself. I didn't go to mexico, I was self-pay here in Ohio, but I know of people who have gone and haven't had any trouble. Make sure they use one of the modern bands, not the old 4cc bands. Also check on the fees they might hit you with in Denver so you aren't surprised later. Around here they charge huge transfer fees (around $1000) and then more per fill (around $250) just because the surgery was done in Mexico. As for doing it at all, only you can decide. You know yourself and what you have been through and whether or not you need help. Don't expect it to be easy though! Changing your lifestyle is never easy. I'm still not quite at goal 4 years out, but I'm very close (10 lbs to go). I know I could be doing better, but I look back and reassure myself that I've come a long way...The band helps me not backslide. Good luck in making your decision. Let us know what you decide.

Welcome to Bandland! I didn't have much pain either. A headache is way worse. Good luck on the liquid diet and on the mushie stage. It will go by very quickly and it's very important for your healing. Have a great journey!

I have the same problem 'cause my caloric intake is on the low side. Make sure you get 50 gm of protein a day and get yourself a vitamin from GNC called "hair ,skin and nails". It's supposed to work wonders. It's huge though so I break it in half and then swallow it.

I've lost 90%. It hasn't been easy, but it's great to be here!

Jenny, I'm 5'7" (and shrinking) and I've gone from a size 20 ish to a size 6. It has not been easy and I've hit one other big plateau on the way down (it took a big cut in calories to get out of that one) but I still am glad to have a band rather than a bypass. That is just not a healthy way to go.

My start weight was 228. I had co -morbidities though that have gone away since losing the weight. I no longer need an inhaler, my lipids and chloresterol are normal, my blood pressure is normal and my arthritis is in remission. Cool huh? Yeah, dropping from 1700 cal/day to 1200 cal/day would drop you a pound per week. Not like they do it on biggest loser (who can believe those numbers really?) but a respectable loss. Build muscle and it will build your metabolism too. I've heard for every pound of muscle you add, you can eat 50 more cal/day. It's all a numbers game.

I have been at the same weight for several months and since I eat around 1200cal per day, I can't really eat less, so I've joined a gym. My plan is to balance yoga, strength training and cardio to get the weight moving again. I only have about 10 pounds to go (it's always the hardest). Muscle is what you need to boost metabolism. Take a look at your calorie count per day. Cheese and crackers can really rack up the calories. It could be that you are actually are just at a maintenance level of caloric intake rather than a weight loss level. You need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. Try cutting your calories back to 1200 and see if that doesn't get you moving. (and exercise

I was self pay also and it wasn't so bad. Do also investigate your insurance more though, you might just have talked to someone who didn't know the whole story. From my perspective, lap-band took off the first 70% and then I took off the rest because that success enabled me to work for it. It's not easy to change your lifestyle but it is so much healthier to live -thin than struggle - fat. The clothes are MUCH cuter too. (and cheaper I've found) Good luck on your journey,

Welcome! Yea, you figured out the insurance tricks! Kudos to you! I hope your approval is swift and your surgery is your birthday present. Good luck on your journey,

Welcome to both of you! How exciting to be so close to your surgery! Are you on a pre-surgery diet? It can be a great way to jump start your weight loss since it will be a while until the band actually starts to work for you. (That is, until you get restriction) Good luck on your journey,

Welcome! Insurance companies are the worst! I hope you find a way to finance your band with or without them. (I went without) It's a long bumpy road, but worth the trip. Good luck on your journey!

Greetings Tony! It sounds like you really need a lifestyle change for your healths sake. The lap band is a way to keep you from eating too much at once. It's not a magic fix though and you may want to consider some help with your issues that make you binge. People have had marvelous success with getting their sugar under control with the band too. Good luck with your journey and keep us posted!

Welcome! You've come to the right place. The longest journey begins with a single step... Good luck on your journey!

Yup, time for a fill and a talk with your doc. If you are not satisfied with the talk, I'd say it's time to find someone more responsive to do your fills. This is the MOST IMPORTANT PART. If you don't get restriction, it's as if you hadn't had the surgery. Stand up for yourself!!!

I haven't heard of having a PT appointment either. Perhaps they will put an exercise program together for you. (or if you have an injury, work around that) Don't worry about the psych eval either. They just want to make sure that you don't have an eating disorder or other problem that would prevent you from being successful with the band. It really sounds like they have the ball rolling for you! Good luck and keep us posted!:laugh: