Dave_NW

As I've posted in other threads, things are going really well for me. I'm down 105 pounds so far, and am realistically less than 25 pounds from my adjusted goal weight. Working out four or five times a week, eating well, sleeping well, and I'm having no trouble. I'm constantly amazed this has all worked out so well, and that it has been so quick for me. It's all been pretty "textbook." The PA who does my fills jokes that if there was a poster boy for being a bandster, I'd be that guy. Dave

After you call your doctor to find out if your band has slipped, (as others have suggested), read this link. It will tell you the missing parts of what you may not already know: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html Good luck! Dave

I can't believe I'm posting this so soon after getting banded. It's just a few days past seven months banded for me, but I'm getting close to the next phase of my journey. It's exciting, but feels a little weird... When I was asked to choose a goal weight pre-op, I picked 175, the weight where I felt at my best, and what I thought I'd want to get down to. In reality, it's been so long since I weighed 175, I'm not sure my older frame would support being that slim. They were telling me it was unlikely I'd be able to lose more than 50% of my excess weight, but I've lost almost all of it. Looking at how I appear in the mirror right now, and knowing the sizes of clothes I'm buying that fit me these days, I can see something more like 190 to 200 would be a better goal weight for me. And if that's the case, I'm close. As of today I'm at 215, down 105 pounds since being banded last December. Based on recent losses, it could be as little as another four to six weeks, and I'll be under 200. I'm excited like crazy for that, but a little overwhwelmed on what to do next. I've learned how to lose weight with a band, but how do I maintain a goal weight with a band? Do I get a slight unfill, increase my carbs, eat more empty calories -- what do you suggest? I'm unsure how to move into the next step with things. Anyone have suggestions? Thanks in advance. Dave

Thanks very much! It feels pretty good, as you also know. After all these years of being overweight, to be down to such a normal weight feels strange. I keep waiting to wake up fat again. I do wear a Bodymedia armband (same thing, made by the same folks) and I can definitely work with that to try and balance things out. I haven't asked the surgeon yet - I have an appointment the middle of next month, which will be around the time I'll be close to the new (maybe) goal. I'm just trying to get ideas in advance of what others are doing. To be frank, I never expected to be facing this end of things, and especially not this soon. It's completely amazing. But it also feels really, really good. Dave

Alex, it might be helpful to offer some info for male vs. female band patients. What to expect, and why men tend to lose faster than women. Seems a lot of women here feel a bit lost when they don't lose as easily or quickly as they might have. Maybe an article about why some weight training with exercise helps with muscle tone, to reduce sagging skin, and to prevent muscle loss. The link to Dr. Simpsons' "It's not about restriction" article would help, if it was pinned somewhere. A lot of people think restriction is the goal, rather than dimming the appetite, and feeling satisfied with a smaller food portion. That article tends to explain things a lot of people have never heard. http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html Also, an article about reasonable weight loss expectations. My surgeon's team told me I should expect to lose only about 50% of my exccess weight, and it'd be hard to lose more than that. That info made me feel like a lap band was a second choice, since bypass patients tend to lose more - at least initially. When I had well over 100 pounds to lose, it seemed like a huge obstacle. I blew past 50% months ago, and I didn't even notice it. And now that I'm over 100 pounds lost, that 50% prediction of theirs seemed excessively low. Thanks again for keeping LBT alive. This place has helped me immensely. And for the record, I'm at 9cc in a 14cc band. Dave

Even though you don't have restriction, you still have a narrowing of the pathway food has to get through. What you experienced is classic of being stuck, based on my own experience. My first time was in a Mexican Restaurant (salsa and chips) while I was talking and laughing and eating. Next thing I know, I had knife pains in the center of my chest, and I knew it was time to hit the Men's Room. It eventually passed, but not till after I slimed like a mad dog for several minutes. I was able to go back to the table and finish my meal, but I was eating slower than a snail after that. I've since only gotten stuck to the point of sliming a few times, and each time was in public. Broccoli is the worst, for some reason. I've never gotten stuck at home. Luckily I've been able to make it to the restroom each time it's happened. But I take each bite carefully now, believe me! It doesn't take too many of those kinds of episodes to educate a bandster really quickly! If your throat is still sore, try liquids for a day or two and let things settle down. You'll be fine. Dave

In your first post in this thread you asked if anyone banded had lost 40% of their body weight in 8 months. I may be close. I'm 3 days past 7 months banded, and I've lost 33% of my starting body weight so far. I started this at 320, and I'm down to 215 as of today. Despite posts to the contrary, I'm NOT living at the gym or doing anything extreme that will be hard to maintain over the long term. I'm eating a nutritionally-sound diet that makes sense, that is not "fad" foods, and I'm changing my lifestyle, not just my food intake. I'm physically more active throughout the day, by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking on the far side of the parking lot, and taking the long way around whenever possible. I spend 45 mins to an hour at the gym 4 to 5 days a week doing reasonable cardio, either riding a recumbent bike or walking on a treadmill, and occasionally doing dome free weight work. Nothing extreme, but manageable for me. (I'm 57 and have severe arthritis in both knees - makes it rough to do anything too outrageous at the gym.) My surgeon's team says I'm doing great, and to keep it up. At this point I have no intention of stopping, and I fully expect to be able to maintain my new weight once I get to my goal. We'll see where I am at 8 months post-op. If you're doing a half pound a day, you're doing awesome! Good luck with things. Dave

I drink with my meals. Not a lot, just sips as needed to keep things moving. If I don't do that, it's hard to swallow. My nutritionist and surgeon both know, and neither has a problem with it. They say as long as my hunger is controlled, drinking with meals makes no difference. I can't guzzle liquids any more, and don't even try. But they taught me to sip my liquids all the time after surgery, so that's what I do - including during meals. I've had zero problems. If the point of not drinking is to keep from flushing food through your band too fast, and therefore causing yourself to get hungry sooner, which may cause you to ultimately overeat, the fix is to limit your food portions. If I know I have X amount of food on my plate, and when that's gone I'm done eating, then whether or not I drink along with that food is a non-issue. When I've finished eating that meal, I know it'll be so many hours till my next meal, and that's that. Overeating or snacking or eating the wrong food just isn't going to happen. Whether this is right or wrong doesn't seem to be a factor. it's about weight loss results, right? It's working for me. Dave

Thanks, Vicky. I found the more weight I lose, the easier it is to exercise. And the hardest part was making it part of my daily routine. I go directly from work to the gym, so it's like an extension of my workday. When I'm done, THEN I can get on with my after work activities. It works really well for me. (I can't motivate myself to work out in the morning.) I have the Bodymedia FIT bluetooth version, that syncs to my Droid phone. I usually just sync it with a USB cable to my PC instead. The bluetooth thing is cumbersome, although it does work well. I don't even notice the armband anymore. It hides under my shirt sleeve on my upper left arm, and is usually out of sight. It's very light, and the elastic band that holds it on is very comfortable. It's velcro-adjustable, so is never too tight. I often forget I'm wearing it, and have nearly climbed into the shower or hot tub while wearing it. Whoops! It's not waterproof... Good luck with yours. It's pretty cool. Dave

I had both a hiatal hernia and a ventral hernia repaired during my surgery, and I experienced nothing like what you describe. Have you called your surgeon and asked about that? Dave

Bob, wishng you success getting back on track. If you need a guy's perspective or support, let me know. I'm happy to try and help. Dave

Thank you very much! Glad to be able to help. I'm a "pay it forward" kind of guy, and willing to offer any and all help possible to those walking this path with me. There is a lot of surgeon-speak buzzwords and rhetoric tossed around before folks get banded, but not a lot of experienced support after the fact. My surgeon and his team are great folks, but none of them are band patients, so they can only tell me what it's supposed to be like, not how it IS. LBT and forums like it are a wealth of information for those who can use it, but it seems a lot of posts are about problems. Being able to share what "normal" is like for me may help others a bit, who may not be having problems, but who want some ideas of how to make the most of their banding experience. Once the parts are figured out, your day to day routine can be very easy and predictable. One thing I don't talk about too much is the Bodymedia.com armband I wear. It's made by the same company that makes the BodyBugg worn by contestants on The Biggest Loser. This thing is amazing, and does all the hard work for me. Calories in and out, exercise, other activity levels, food eaten, steps taken, sleep quality, and weight gained or lost - it's keeping track so I don't have to. Highly recommend this gadget! Wishing everyone good luck! Dave

Congratulations on getting back on track. Obviously, you weren't ready for this last year. But by this time next year you'll be a whole new man. Good luck! One thing to keep in mind about this forum, and those like it, is that the people who have questions or issues are the ones who post. Those people who aren't having any trouble rarely post, so we never see those folks. Take all these issues you see here with a grain of salt, and think of all those unknown invisible bandsters out living their lives with no problems. Chances are very good you won't have any problems at all. Wishing you the best going forward. Dave

Tracie, one thing about the band is that it's pretty forgiving. If you get home and find you're not where you want to be, focus again on your routine, and get back at it. Any weight you gained during vacation will quickly be shed, and you'll start losing again. Like the old saying goes, "If you fall off the horse, get back in the saddle and start riding again." Good luck! Dave

Thanks, Lizzy. One thing I've learned is that there is no "perfect" way to be banded. What works great for one person may not work as well for someone else. So everyone needs to figure out how their body works with their band. I see you're off to a great start. Best of luck on your journey as well! Dave

Go Corey!!! It's great that he's realized he needed help, and did something about it. He's in is mid-20's, and he'll have the best of his life in front of him. Corey, if you're lurking around here, congratulations! Dave

Thanks for the kind words. It's great feeling like I finally have control over my weight. Banding was the best decision I've ever made. As others have suggested, set the goal, and give it your best shot. You have nothing to lose but excess weight, right? Your comments about your eating habits are well taken - I've also had periods when I've gotten off track, and eaten a bit of this and that, only to find I stopped losing. For me, carbs are the enemy. If I eat too many of them, my weight loss stalls, and even stops. When I go back to eating my proper way, things resume within a day or two. So I allow myself occasional periods of not keeping track. (I took the July 4th weekend off, and I attended several parties. I ate what I wanted, without worrying about it. On July 5th I got back to my routine. No problem.) I try to follow a high Protein, low glycemic carb kind of eating plan, patterned loosely after the South Beach Diet way of eating. Being banded, I can't eat as much as SBD would have me eat, so I've taken it down my own road, and figured out how it works for me. It's important for me to keep my blood sugar as stable as possible, not because I'm diabetic, (I'm not even pre-diabetic), but I have a hypoglycemia thing that causes crashes and shaking if I don't maintain steady nutrition. I try to get roughly 10% of my daily calories from protein, and I try to limit my carbs to about half of that. So if I eat 1000 calories a day, I try to get in 100g of protein, and 50g of carbs. It's not exact, and isn't perfect, but it seems to be working well for me. I don't cook much, because for me, it's more hassle to make something I'm only going to eat a small amount of, than it is to just grab something out that fits my eating plan. I work full time and am on-call after hours, so I'm on the go quite a bit, and am not always near my refrigerator. I've learned how to live and eat in the real world, rather than being super-vigilant about weighing or measuring things. A typical work day for me starts with a ready-to-drink Protein shake in the car on my way to work. I like the Premier Nutrition brand, sold at costco and elsewhere, including their website, www.premiernutrition.com. 11 ounces, 30g protein, 5g carbs, 3g fat, and 160 calories. An hour or so later I'll eat something like a "naked" breakfast sandwich - a fried egg, sausage patty, and slice of cheese. (Think "breakfast sandwich" without any bread.) About 300 calories, 20g protein, 1g carb, 25g fat. For lunch, I might have a small cup of chili, like the one they serve at Wendy's. 220 calories, 17g protein, 23g carbs, 6g fat. For dinner, since I'm usually heading home from the gym, I'll often grab a salad, like the new berry Almond chicken Salad they're serving at Wendy's. The half-sized serving they sell has 270 calories, 12g fat, 23g carbs, and 21g protein. I drink lots of Water, Lipton Pure Leaf Unsweetened iced tea (that I sweeten with Splenda), and a cup or two of coffee daily. If I need a snack, I'll eat part of a Premier Nutrion Protein Bar, or some trail mix, or a cheese stick. I don't graze, I don't eat junk food, I don't eat most Desserts, and I avoid fried and sugary foods. At the end of the day, based on the above numbers, I'm looking at roughly 950 calories, 88g protein, 52g carbs, and 45g fat. Some days are higher, some lower, but overall I try to get in as much protein as possible, and keep the carbs down. Everything else is relative. Because I have a desk job, (IT computer support for a busy hospital and medical center), I try to move as much during the day as I can. Instead of the elevator, I take the stairs at work. I park on the far side of the parking lot. When I'm heading off to see someone at work, I take the long way around, so I walk further than necessary. It all adds up. At the end of my workday, I go to the gym on my way home, because I know if I don't make it part of the routine, there is no way I'll make it back once I've gotten home. SO I make things as easy on myself as possible. None of this is written in stone, and everything is flexible. I keep my eyes on the prize, and work daily toward getting there. Life goes on, and I want to be an active participant in mine. Hope this info helps a bit. I'm not an expert, by any means, but it's working for me. I hope you reach your goal, and that come November, you'll be where you want to be. Good luck! Dave

Why not? That's only ten pounds a month, or a shade over two pounds a week. I've lost over 100 pounds in seven months. That's a bit more than 14.25 pounds a month, on average. If you work your band consistently, eat right, stay focused, and exercise your butt off, there is no reason to think you can't do it. Good luck! Dave

Go Cliff! Man, that's awesome! I'm running right behind you, but it's taken me seven months to get there. Dave

I had my surgery a few weeks before Christmas. i attended any number of parties, and was able to stay on track regardless of the occasion. It was MUCH more important to me to be included in the festivities than worrying about what I put on my plate. If you're worried about anyone feeling weird eating while you aren't, just have your meal before the family eats. Tell them you've finished already, but you'll sit and talk with them while they're having their meal. Change the subject, and make it a non-issue. You should be fine. Dave

I don't know if Tricare requires labs to be done before approving you for surgery. I think that's more likely a surgeon's thing. Depending on your weight history, the surgeon may require things like a sleep study or an endoscopy to be done before he/she will submit a request for surgery to Tricare. But as for Tricare themselves, I think they only want your surgeon to ask for approval because they feel you are a good candidate for surgery. To help you out, here is the calendar of events I went through: Referral from PCM to WL Surgeon 19-Aug-10 Attended Mandatory WL Seminar 25-Aug-10 1st Consult - Dr. McMahon/Staff 29-Sep-10 Lab Work Completed 1-Oct-10 Endoscopy 14-Oct-10 Surgery Request Submitted to Insurance 15-Oct-10 Surgery Approval Received from Insurance 20-Oct-10 Consult - Dr. Kaufman (Ventral Hernia Repair) 16-Nov-10 2nd Consult/Sign Surgery Papers - Dr. McMahon/Staff 16-Nov-10 Surgery Day 6-Dec-10 101 Pounds Lost 6-Jul-11 Hope this helps, Dave

I can appreciate the confusion and frustration. The deal with Tricare Prime is they have very specific rules about what they will and won't pay for. They do not require a 6 month diet, period. All they require is that you fit the eligibility requirements listed on the Tricare website, regardless of the region you live in. But the surgeon you go to MAY require a managed weight loss program, and may insist you go through that before they will agree to give you a lap band. That was why I said you should find a surgeon who doesn't require it. When you meet with your surgeon again, if they say you need a supervised diet, ask them why, since your insurance carrier doesn't ask for that, and won't pay for nutritional counseling. It could be that your surgeon may want everyone to go through that process, since some insurance carriers DO require it. The surgeon may just want all their patients to go through it, as a matter of course. And it may also be the surgeon's insurance coordinator may not know Tricare Prime doesn't require a supervised diet, and may be askig for something that isn't required. So this could be your chance to educate them. If you spend time on the Tricare website, and print out the specific pages that apply, you can show your surgeon why you don't want to have to go through a 6 month prescribed diet. Good luck! Dave

9 days out? I'm surprised you are permitted to exercise so soon after surgery. Generally the first six weeks after surgery are about healing. Exercise and weight loss come later. As for fills, once your swelling goes down and you have no restriction, you'll understand why they're important. Dave

I think part of the deal with the band is that it works differently for different people. Different surgeons have different plans for pre-op and post-op diets, and no two people have the same experience, even though they do the same kinds of things. I agree there is a lot of conflicting information out there. Why did my surgeon keep me on liquids only for three weeks post-op, and others are on solid foods within a week? There is no real answer, because everyone has a different set of rules to follow. I decided early on that I was going to have to take it all in, and made decisions for how I was going to live with my band. I manage my band in the best way that works for me, I make food choices based on living in the real world. and I'm having very good weight loss so far. I avoid sugary foods as a rule, but I do use artificial sweeteners in my coffee and iced tea. I don't use sugar free jello and such, but then, I don't eat much jello of any kind. You'll need to decide how you're going to live with your band as well. Good luck! Dave

You won't begin to feel restriction until you have several fills to put Fluid in your band. Basically, right now all you have is an empty band around your upper stomach, but it's not "turned on" yet. Talk to your surgeon about what to expect post-op. I was on a liquid diet for three weeks post-op. If you're eating all this food only a week out, you need to make sure it's what your doctor said to do. Good luck! Dave