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24 altogether..and now today 26lbs! I have my first support group meeting tmrw & filling on the 9th of december. I think I might need it! But I'm still losing weight, so it must not be to loose. How are you doing?!

Wow. YOu look terrific. I just got banded 11/13 so I am just getting started. If I look like you do when I lose my weight I will feel like I have been born again. What an inspiration.

What did your husband say after you lost all the weight? Was he supportive? Mine seems like he will be happy that I am happy. He weighs about 150lbs, tall and athletic build...and then he married the blob. lol

Hi reading about UHC. I called and they said it was only covered if I have documentation from my doctor. I use a sleep Apnea machine, take small dose daily for bp, and a water pill daily. I am 54 on the BMI scale..and weigh 316lbs. I have been heavy for almost all my life. My lowest weight was 135. So, hopefully I will get the lapband done after the dr. writes the necessary paperwork. Does this usually help to get it done. I really want to do this!

It took forever for me to notice my weight loss and everyone around me was like what the hell are you blind. Body image is so weird and honestly I think people look at me I am still 260....it is very weird transistion and I struggle with it everyday. I am really hard on myself too! I just had emergency gallbladder surgery and had my band all the way unfilled two weeks ago...I have gained 8 pounds and I started my period too. I had a really unhealthy weight loss and I lost about half my hair so trust me gradual is better...you have beautiful hair and you will want to keep it! You just need to keep on going girl and it will be a great feeling when you hit goal. How much have you lost?

Susan,

sorry I didn't see your pm until today.

I changed my date of surgery. I am going in on the 18th now. Only 5 days left.

I started my pre-op diet about 4 weeks ago. Thought I would see how long I could do it. I did have 4 dinners in that 4 weeks, the last meal was on Wednesday for my grandson's birthday. My Dr said it was ok even though it was in the 2 week time period since I have already lost almsot 20 lbs.

3 more days of shakes then 2 days of clears. My surgery is on Friday but I will stay in the hospital till Sat. I am a little nervous and have lots of doubts now but I am sure this is the thing I need. I have lost and gained these 50 lbs 3 times now in the past 10 years.

My son told me he doesn't support this surgery because he has seen me lose before but I told him my insurance wouldn't approve if they didn't think I needed it. I am now 188 lbs and hope to get down to around 145.

Good luck with your surgery too. Peggie

Hi! I just saw your message today...Don't know my way around this site yet!

I am having it done on the 13th of October. I did wait a little longer only because of work travel and a visit to California the end of the month. My son and daughter in law live out there and I want our visit to be fun!

So, after the first week of October, I was free to have this done with no work worries or social engagements that I could not handle! I am self pay....so I wanted it when it would work for me and I knew I could succeed.

I am so excited. No pre-op diet for me...but I have really been good and trying to lose a little weight before the surgery...I can feel my mind set changing each day and I know that I will be able to do this. I can taste being slim!

Your pup is cute....I have 2 Shar Pei.

Keep up the good work...you are an inspiration to us all!

P.S. Don't stress not one ioda of a second over your appointment w/Dr. B... #1 he is a very sweet man & a wonderful surgeon #2 you are not going through any different a struggle (as far as your weight loss is concerned) than anyone else who has been banded and this is only a foot step toward where you will be in no time. The time since your sugery is when your body is to be healing and they (even Dr. C) are not looking for you to be losing huge chunks of weight. They are looking for you to heal and be healthy. The tough times as far as your weight loss will come after your body has healed, you have been filled and you begin to struggle with plateaus and failing motivation. He will be proud of how far you have come and the progress you and your body have made in recovering from this major surgery despite your personal difficulties! He will be far from disappointed!

I am sorry it has taken me 5 days to reply... I think I was hoping I would find some perils of wisdom for you about your situation. As far as the weight loss goes, unfortunately you have just experienced one of the pitfalls you and I have spoken of in the past... where after surgery and each fill I too have gained weight back upon starting soft foods. The body is an amazing and frustrating thing! I can completely understand and sympathize with your stress/depression issue causing it hard to stay focused on your new way of life.

Hey Annie! Glad to hear you're alive ha! Yeah I underestimated the pain as well but I am finally starting to feel a bit better. There's no going back now! Time to start losing weight for good!! Keep me updated with your progess!

I am so happy things are working out for you! In retrospect, sometimes I feel jealous that I didnt get the gastric bypass because I would prolly arealdy be to goal weight. On the other hand, the surgery risk weight was just so high with the gastric. I felt more comfortable with band knowing they wouldnt be removing parts from my. Just adding one! ...and the fact that it can be removed if necessary was a BIG plus. I dont plan on that, but you never know what could happen down the road, right?

Hey man I caught a glimps at the pictures you posted and I have to say it really helps me out. Just like what jonsjourney said, it is an inspiration to see a younger guy kick it into gear and lose a ton of weight. Good for you bro, thanks for being a success story.

everything is good for me, haven't really lost much weight, which is discouraging but they say give it time to heal... how much have u lost?

Yes I had the surgery, but I havent really lost any weight yet. Its kind of depressing, but I get my second fill on Friday and I am hoping to get some restriction and weight loss from there.

Today I ran/walk for 5+ miles: 90 secs off/on with my Ipod...wish I could do it every other day but too busy with work. When you recover fully don't forget to lift hand weights since that will firm up the upperbody. And do squats too make the gluts smaller. When I'm at work I drink lots of water so I can go to the bathroom and before I go I do twenty-thirty squats IN THE BATHROOM! I try my best to incorporate something since I work 12 hr days. I'm a fanatic when I want to be.

Ivy, I'm glad you are doing well. The gas pain will lessen after a full week or so. I stuck to the liquid phase for 2 weeks. I had chicken broth, protein shots and jello. I stayed in bed most days of week one. I wasn't hungry, but did not want to be tempted so I stayed away form the kitchen. My family was great the first week. They ate out so as not to add to the temptation to want what they were having. It was not a bad time, especially when the scale was showing weight loss.

What are you having on the liquid phase and how long do you remain on that stage?

please...please...please stay off the scale....i honestly didn't weight myself unless i was at the dr.s office...thats y when people ask how much weight i lost every week...i don't know...i'm positive there were weeks i didn't lose anything...or lost less then other weeks...but i took it day by day...don't frustrate urself...ur going to get there...with as much weight as u've already lost...u'll keep going ....i promise

Hello,

Sorry I just got back to you. I haven't been on here in awhile. How did the seminar go? For me the seminar really convinced me to do the whole process. I was self pay and I think it is worth it. I think you have to mentally prepare for the procedure such as really changing eating habits prior to the surgery. The next part is consultation, and they decide if you need it or not or if you will be on a contract to lose a certain amount of weight. I think that was the hardest part for me to find out if they would accept me or not. It felt as though this was my last option and if they said no, I would have been devasted. The process went pretty fast since I was self pay, which I was happy about. The surgery made me nervous as I have never had surgery before, but it went great. I hope my info helped. Keep me updated on the process and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

I would like to find out if the band is effective tool for weight loss kaiser is more for the gastric bypass, or the sleeve i'd rather have the lap band since it has less complications any suggestions?

Hi. My name is Rita. Ur a very pretty gurl n i wanted to tell u that the same thing that happend to u happend to me. I was heavy all my life then in 2003 i lost weight on my own n got to 150 lbs n was thin. Then i got pregnant n gained sooooo much weight. After i had her in 2006 i tried to loose it but it wouldn't come off. I even gained more weight. I was banded on Aug 17, 09. So im still recovering but I'm getting there. Since I started my pre diet on 7/28 i've lost about 22 lbs.

Hey girl! Just checking to see if you got a date yet? Oh, and I was almost exactly your weight when I started (248). I was banded 4/22/09, it took until the third fill to get good restriction, so patience is needed and I worked at not overeating so I lost some weight on my own during 'Bandster Hell', but this morning I weighed 186.5. I eat about a cup 3 meals a day and I'm never hungry between meals...amazing! Keep me posted on your progress and good luck! -BG

Hi Bobbie, I am doing okay. So far, I have had three fills; the last being under fluoro, I was a bit disappointed with that one, because my second fill, which was done blind was 0.5 cc. Then it was only 0.5 cc during the fluoro fill. So, I am currently up to 4 cc in my 9 cc band. Still not feeling restriction. I spent 7 weeks after surgery stuck at a 9 pound loss. I upped my cardio work outs to 45 minutes to an hour on the treadmill, going from 2.5 miles to 3 miles each time. So, I really believe this is ONLY why I am starting to lose weight. I am now down to 233.2. Surgery day I was 248.8. I have another appointment for another fill on October 5th, but am hoping sooner. I don't eat as much as I did preop, but I am still able to eat too much. I usually get hungry about 2 to 2.5 hours after I eat. So, hoping the next fill will bring me more restriction! Hey my email address is Pjones4052@yahoo.com. Anytime you need me.

Hi Shasta1

I feel much better now that I have lost over 100 pounds in 1 year. I started looking into weight loss surgery over 10 years ago but my insurance would never cover it. Once I had a BMI over 50 they finally did. I was 5'6" and 375 pounds. I still hired beliteweight.com to get me through all the red tape with bc/bs insurance. There was a lot more of a wait for the gastric bi-pass surgery. I was in a hurry and opted for the gastric lap band. I was chicken for the drastic bi-pass. There was less of a wait for the band. I could always opt for the bi-pass later if the band didn't work. They put me on a liquid protein diet for 3-4 weeks prior to surgery to shrink my liver.

The lap band and gastric bypass has a diet to stick with so it is not easy and dieting free as I thought it would be. I automatically eat smaller portions of what I did eat before. It is a lot like the South Beach one with mostly protein, vegetables, low carbs and no "slider foods".

toosywoots

I was also banded on Aug 28th. My starting weight was 306 (4/24/09) I am down to 235. Everything has been going great and I haven't had any problems. I have hit the dreaded plateau period. I haven't lost any weight for the past two weeks. How are things going for you? Doug, in Delaware

im doing okay i guess. I am down 56lbs. I am thinking about getting another fill to see if that will help me start to lose weight again. I just started a new workout and hoping that helps too.