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Prepared T-Bone Steak for the family and baked it. Remembering the rules of lapbander's, eat small amounts, so I brought out the trusty scissors and cut mine cup of steak into bite size niblets. Ate slowly and chewed eat piece about 30 times. I was challenging my band, and behold no problems, but that's without any veggies or sides. I have been on soups and mashed potatoes, peas, and pork and beans so i wanted to try something different. I am full and satisfied. In two hours will drink nothing but water prior to retiring for the night. My progress for weight loss is about 2.84 #s a week. Just Sunday I dropped a kilogram (2.2#s) and have maintained it. I was due for my weight had maintained at 109 kg for a week. I am ready for my next FILL too. On 24 Apr 10 I am head to the doc, three hours away for my 4th FILL. Others who have had their 4th have been satisfied and had great restriction, and that's what I am searching for. Thought I would share my experience with you. Wish all lapbanders much success.

:crying: thanks! I am a pessimitic! what ever you call it! Bad things always happen to me! Just so frustrated with everything when I see people losing and with a 2nd band instead of losing I GAINED an additonal 10 lbs. Just wonder if in the Lap Band World I am the only one struggling :frown:

I go back in forth. In general, caution is a good thing. On the other hand, caution has a cost too- extra time, extra resources, extra doing-without, etc. The trick is to not go too far to either side. Truthfully, some people are terrible at this balancing act, and for them, it is better to have a rule-set they can follow. But then there are some of us who are quite good at it. For example, your instincts kicked right in and said "NO" to black bean soup- so the doctor's advice was good. You listened to yourself, and yourself urged slowness. Mine urged speed. I was intensely satisfied by meat on the fourth day, and felt much better for having eaten it. And a lot of the agony I read on this site is people trying to stick some liquid only diet when their body is telling them very strongly something different- they are ready for more. Most of them would be better served by listening to their own bodies, IMO. As to the risk of slippage, it is determined far more by surgical technique and band type than by a liquid diet, although vomiting in the early stages is not helpful. But the research shows a very significant drop in slippage using the pars flaccida technique for instance- the slippage rates drop from around 8-10% to around 2%. Also, the 4.5 cc band is really too small, and is not being used any longer in Europe- they have found the larger bands have better slippage and erosion rates. It seems to me as long as your are not gagging or vomiting and are well able to be cautious and a good listener to your body, there is no reason not to 'follow your instincts'.

Highest weight 250 pre-op wt 241 2/01/10 one week wt 220 current wt 159!!! Total loss: 82 lbs.... 18lbs from goal

Hi, Everyone calls me Cyn. I had my sleeve on 01/03/2011. Great way to start the new year . I will be 59 years old this year, so making this decision took a while. I've been overweight most of my life and probably know more than any dietician about losing weight. I have also come to the realization that I am a compulsive overeater. Food has been my drug of choice. I'm an ex-hippie, ex-nun, I'm married 27 years and have 3 children and a wonderful support group. Gratefully, I am fairly healthy. I've had none of the medical problems associated with obesity, except for what I've done to my feet and ankles. I'm 4'11 and my highest weight has been 420lbs. (about 7 years ago.) In May of 2010, I was 394 lbs. when I started the classes to prepare me for having the sleeve. I was 361 going into surgery. As of today I weighed 340 lbs., so I've only lost 21 lbs. since my surgery, which is disappointing me a little, but I'm feeling defeated. It's really helpful to have found this site and I plan on visiting quite a lot. Thanks to all of you who have gone before me and can give your insights.

I was sleeved on 10/31 and it depends on what I'm eating as to how much I can get down. I can get a full premier protein shake down with no problem, about 3/4 scrambled egg, about two teaspoons of chicken or tuna salad, a snack cup of apple sauce and about 1/2 a chicken thigh. Definitely learning that small bites are better. If I hurry through it....it's coming right back up. I'm down 23 pounds so I have no complaints.

HI All it is 10:44 here and I am set to have surgery in the morning with Gatrh Davis and my stomach HURTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like I have gas or something that wont come up I have no appetite and I am worried , I took gas-x about an hour ago and no changes. Is this normal ????????:embaressed_smile:

Hi Newbeginnings I am scheduled to be banded on the 27th of March..19 more days! I have a one year old daughter (who rocks) and am expecting an other kid in August (don't know the sex yet). From what I've seen on this website it seems like weight loss is highly variable between differant folks. In my case I have a pretty big frame which means I won't be able to lose as much, at least not easily. My surgeon thought 235 would be a good goal for me (186lb is my ideal weight by the books). I'm hoping to get a little below 235, but it won't be easy I am sure. The most important thing is how determined you are to stick with the guidlines that we have to follow as new bandsters. Like staying away from the cheater foods like shakes and juice. Best of luck to you, let me know how your surgery goes!?!

That's why it drives me absolutely CRAZY when people make fun of impoverished people for being "fat". What people don't understand is that just because you're overweight or obese, it doesn't mean your not malnourished. Most of those people and their kids are severely malnourished because they flat out have to shop quantity (bulk rice, bread, Pasta, etc..) as opposed to quality because of income limitations. Sure, with a little budgeting and planning you can choose healthier options, but will those make several meals to tide the family over until the next check or payday? Probably not. And yes, I understand that government assistance is abused as far as what people are allowed to buy with it. But 9 times out if 10 it's just families just trying to stretch a budget the best they can with the staple foods that hopefully will make meals to last the month. That's why I hate it when people get all judgy about it.

I feel cheated by yesterday's appointments. The appointment with the nutritionist went just fine and even as I'd expected. I do wish that I'd remembered that appt was first because I would not have "hassled" her with my questions on insurance. But the appointment with the nurse practitioner...I'm not sure it was meaningful. I ended up missing work because everything involved with the insurance and then determining if I would even be qualified to do the sleep study kept me there far too late. I got there at 9:45 and didn't leave until well after 2 - and how is that anything I should have expected based on a weigh in? She listened to my heart and lungs and deemed me healthy. Yeah. Not concerned! I find it funny that - from the mouth of my mom, years ago, a Nurse Practitioner - doctors, PA's and nurse practitioners listen to your heart and lungs because "the patient expects them to". I hate it when they do that and there isn't any reason for me to be there other than - you called me in to give me bloodwork results. Bloodwork results say I'm fine. So why would you listen to my heart and lungs? They were fine three days ago... That RNP didn't really offer any suggestions. She didn't really converse with me about how this past month went. She didn't converse with me about what a goal might be for the next month. So what was the point? To keep me from work? To keep me from the place that is giving me the money to pay for this unnecessary visit? Do health practitioners even get that? And then. To talk to that "advocate", and I use the term very losely, and get so much misinformation. Why'd I go there? If it's on me to determine my eligibility - why don't I just do this myself? Yeah, stupid question. I know there is so much more that happens. If it's on me to examine my diet and determine what to focus on next, why don't I just do this myself? Wait. I am. And according to my obesity surgery rider - I am expected to fail this program. :cool: That is just hard hard hard to stomach. Ok. So I'm going to spend the next five months relearning how to eat. But if it really is about what I eat - no preservatives, no artificial crap, no no no...then won't that cause me to lose weight? As I have read through here I have now developed a fear of losing weight. Why? Because yes, I can lose it. But as has been my history for the last ten years, I won't keep it off. And I have too much risk for too many bad things and I don't want to gain it all back yet again. So I want to make this happen and I expect to be successful. Because I want to keep it off for good. This band isn't about losing the weight. This band is about keeping the weight off. And I will do that with lifestyle changes - doing what I inherently know and simultaneously turning over new leafs. But how do you take this seriously when the goal of this "supervised weightloss program" is to "fail"? How does that start my adaptation if I have to consistently go behind myself and un-do my weightloss? :huh2: On another note, I am seriously looking forward to Thanksgiving. I think my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving and it's because of the years that I had with the most wonderful Mom that ever lived - my very own. She was not a super cook through out the year. She cooked a great meal every night of the week - or we had leftovers - but she was time conscious and with both my step-dad and my dad (at different times) being unwilling to try some things, she was not necessarily adventurous with her cooking. But Thanksgiving. OH, Thanksgiving. :thumbup: We'd have my family to our house. I grew up in a very large house but was an only child. My grandmother, mother of seven, lived in a very small house. So they came to us. My mom would go all out. We lived in California and had a beautiful patio that would accomodate enough tables and chairs for 60 people to have a sitdown meal. We would have a smoked turkey and a roasted turkey. We would have all the fixings. But the best thing to me was the stuffing. I love the stuffing because I loved loved loved making it with my Mom. We'd set the bread out to stale the night before. And we'd get up at 6am to break it into pieces and saute it with butter, onions, celery and our secret seasonings. It was so amazingly simple - and to me, it can't be beat. Add whatever you want - the turkey is the best way to get flavor in the stuffing. We'd get the birds stuffed and into the ovens. And then we would prep as much of the rest as we could. My aunts would start arriving between 10-11 and they would join us. My mom never pushed or cajoled anyone to do anything. If YOU wanted to make the waldorf salad - fine, make it. If someone else wanted to make whatever, fine, make it. If you were tired of cooking/baking/clearning - then go watch or play football, depending on the time of the day. I loved every single Thanksgiving I had with my mom. They were and always will be priceless. And I hope to pass this on to my children. Whenever they join us. In the meantime, I've ended up with a very fantastic MIL. She and I are good friends and my one gripe about her is that she moved to Wisconsin. Nothing against WI at all - it's just too far away from Texas. She, unlike me, grew up with a mother who absolutely would NOT share the kitchen. The downfall of not sharing the kitchen is that my MIL did not get to learn a great many of wonderful things in the kitchen that her own mother knows. Prior to last year, my MIL would never have even tried a Thanksgiving feast. She felt inadequate, which is truly sad because she is a great cook. Last year, my husband and I hosted Thanksgiving. Her self-proclaimed goal was "to watch [me] and to do as [she] was told". And she did. And she did well with the dishes she did. And she was surprised that oven-roasted turkeys are better than bagged (i.e. steamed) turkeys. This year, we are hosting Thanksgiving again. And she has declared she will do more. She wants to help with the stuffing instead of observing. Back to the stuffing, my mom and I would get up and get everything chopped. And we'd both stand at the stove with two skillets running each. It is amazing how much stuffing fits in a bird. A Lap-Band® side note- maybe this is the wrong attitude but I don't and will never feel guilty about eating the stuffing. It is the first thing to go even though we always make two additional pans of the stuff. There are never leftovers of the stuffing. One serving a year is not my downfall! My MIL - wants to be the other person at the stove this year. I love that. I especially love that I have MIL that thinks she can learn from me. That is the greatest compliment I think you can give someone - learn their ways.:smile2::thanks: I can't wait until Thanksgiving. Not to mention, we have the whole week off and that will just be a very pleasant break! And furthermore it means we get to see the MIL and the S-DIL. They are in WI right now "winterizing" their house and they come HOME that week! Hubby and I are both looking forward to their arrival! I love this time of year!

I've heard of 4 (old style) 10, 10 and 14 (new AP S and AP L) from lap band, and 9 (old Realize) and 11 (new realize) but never 5 cc. From either Lap Band OR Realize. Until today, your post.

Just keeping track of fills 7/9/09 at surgery 2.7cc (felt restriction 4 weeks) 8/28/09 1st fill +1.2cc = 3.9cc (restriction 3 wks) 09/25/09 2nd fill +1.4cc = 5.3cc (very tight 15 days...then good restriction) Sweet spot 4/2/10 3rd fill .1cc = 5.4cc 5/17/10 4th fill .1cc = 5.5cc 6/01/10 unfill .8cc = 4.7cc 6/18/10 5th fill (re-fill) .6cc = 5.3cc 5/6/11 3rd true fill = Dr. checked fluid = had 4.6cc, added .6cc = total fill amount = 5.2cc 8/30/11 Dr. K. checked fluid level + had 5.2cc, added .5cc = total fill amount=5.7cc Had a .4 fill 2012 .4 fill 5/13/13

I was sleeved on 1/26. I went for a follow up yesterday, and I've lost 15 pounds!! I am extremely happy with the results so far. I was taken off my high blood pressure medicine AND my acid reflux medicine! Very, very awesome things have happened... I was the fifth person in my family to have WLS. All of them had Gastric Bypass, but I had VSG because of my tendency to make kidney stones. My uncle was my surgeon, so I went into surgery not afraid at all. Everything went great- no sickness in the hospital, incisions are looking amazing, support from my family and friends is plentiful... So excited. I am going back to the gym tomorrow. I guess i'll just start with some walking on the treadmill. I will go back to work on Friday... so excited to see my clients I have managed to keep up with my classes, as I am a full time student. Everything is just going so great for me. I am having problems with my Protein intake. The only Protein shake i've found that I can tolerate is the Atkins shakes- more specifically, the Espresso kind! By the way, I don't see how the flavorless Protein powder is flavorless!! I am doing Oikos yogurt, scrambled eggs, the occasional shake, though it's hard to get down, and whatever else protein I can scrounge up. My surgeon also told me I need to drink more liquids, but I feel like I drink constantly! I guess it'll get easier day by day? I'm only 19 years old, by the way. I am hoping to find more people my age around these forums because I feel kind of alone in that sense. I do love everyone, though And just outta curiousity... does anyone else feel like they eat ALL the time? I feel like i'm doing wrong by eating so often, but I guess the portion size is the cause of that?

That is my surgery date. I am over the headaches from the clear liquid diet. I got a call this morning from the Docs office telling me I have a 10am "Tee time". I'm not nervous or scared I am excited and want to get the next chapter in my life started. Hurry up 10th!!

Out of curiosity what kind of exercise are you doing? HW 341 lbs 07/19/16 - 298 lbs 08/09/16 DOS - 286 lbs CW 270 lbs

Suzanne: I was confused about this too, so last appointment I asked my Dr. He said that I have a 10 cc band, which means it's 10 centimeters in length. The 10 cc band only holds 4 cc's maximum for fill. He told me that he hasn't filled anyone yet over 3 cc's and he's been banding since 2005. At my support group they brought this up too. The other Dr. said that they're using only the bigger bands now because they've found that on some people the smaller band is too tight and you can't go backward. If it's too loose you can fill it, however if it's too tight it's a problem for the patient until they lose some weight, or have the band removed if it's way too tight. I think that one of the benefits of the smaller band is that you don't have to go so many times for fills to find your sweet spot because there's less area to fill. The Dr. said it's more difficult to find the sweet spot in a larger band. Good luck with your band. I have only 1.5 cc's now and I think it's good for me for now. Take care. Sue

I have a certain bottle that holds 4 cups of water..... I fill it first thing in the morning...then I sip/gulp all day long.... at meal times I have to move the cup out of sight so I dont sip during my meals....after 30 mins...I grab it again and drink...I get a easy 8 to 10 glasses of water in every day thanks to my favorit shake cup...I havent been seen with out it in a yr now. its my new best friend.....lol

Hi All, My name is Samantha, I am a 34 years old and I live in NYC. I was recently banded, 9/19, and I am looking for somebody, or somebodies who could help me through this process. Living in NYC, like many places in the world make this process even more difficult because a lot of delicious food is easily available. Personally I am looking for somebody who I can go to when I feel like I'm going to make a bad decision, who can also give me advice for to things to do socially with others where food is not the starring player. Like many who live in NYC, most of my social activities have always revolved around food. At the moment, since I'm still on the pre-op diet, I have not be engaging in social actvities due to lack of energy level and swolleness. But once I'm healed and am able to go out again, I want to be able to socialize and spend time with my friends, but need to find ways of doing that, where food is not the means that gets everybody together. In an ideal universe, I would like to be able to find a buddy/mentor or buddies/mentors that grow into friendships so that I can have more people in my life who are able to personally understand when I have going through and what I continue to go through. If this sounds like something that you might be interested in, please respond or message me, sorry I'm still learning how this website works, and I will give you my email address.

I stumbled upon this excellent article discussing NJ Governor Chris Christie's weight struggle. As a NJ resident, it is a frequent topic when discussing him. I think this Dr. makes an excellent comparison of morbid obesity to heart disease when discussing societal discrimination. Interested to hear others opinions. THE MORBID OBESITY EPIDEMIC AND GOVERNOR CHRISTIE by Mitchell Roslin, MD, FACS As a physician that specializes in the treatment of morbid and severe obesity, the recent exchange between Governor Chris Christie and Dr. Connie Mariano, made me contemplate many of the misunderstood and misappropriated issues and perceptions that surround obesity in our society. Governor Christie decided to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman. To demonstrate his humor and humility, he pulled a doughnut from his pocket and began to eat while Letterman chuckled. The following day, a former White House physician, Dr. Connie Mariano declared that the Governor’s weight was no laughing matter. Furthermore, she stated that he was a ticking time bomb, and if elected president, could die in office. To some, these comments may represent the honest opinion of a famous physician. From my perspective, they demonstrate how unique obesity is over every other medical condition. The difference in our collective perception and beliefs regarding obesity and other chronic medical issues can be shown by comparing the medical history of Governor Christie to that of former Vice President Richard Cheney. d**k Cheney was 59 years old when he was elected, with George W. Bush, to serve as Vice President. As Vice President, he was barely one medical event or disaster away from becoming Commander in Chief. While Dr. Mariano may believe that Christie is a ticking time bomb, Cheney was alive in 2000 because of timely medical care and the incredible advancements made in his lifetime in the management of coronary artery disease. Before, during, and after office, Cheney has been the recipient of virtually every new procedure and technique to treat heart disease. He had his first major heart attack at the age of 37. Prior to becoming Vice President he had four heart attacks, a cardiac arrest and underwent open-heart surgery. While in office, he had multiple angioplasties and stents placed, as well as an implantable defibrillator to treat a potentially fatal arrhythmia. After leaving office, he underwent heart transplantation. While many would not describe Cheney as an empathetic figure, his medical condition was handled with respect and compassion. Despite the multiple cardiac events that occurred, his capacity to serve – based on his medical condition -was rarely questioned. Where it was fair to debate his policies and positions, he was never attacked and/or viewed as being incapable because of the severity of his heart disease. During hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, we all saw Governor Christie climbing through rubble and traveling throughout the state of New Jersey. Appearing with President Obama, he was vibrant and full of energy. Appearing on television regularly, his size could not be missed. However, he never appeared to be limited or impacted by his girth, nor was he hospitalized or treated for any medical issue during this stressful period. The contrast and irony is startling. Christie, who has never had a major medical issue in office, is labeled to be a ticking time bomb. Yet, little attention has been paid to Cheney’s extensive medical condition and complex cardiac history. In fact, you could say that his bomb had already detonated. The difference? Christie’s obesity is not transparent. Everyday, every second, all can see his girth. In contrast, the blockages in Cheney’s heart cannot be seen. While intellectually, we can understand their significance, an angiogram or a map of his circulation is not shown by his side. Much more is also taking place. It is with trepidation and even fear of legal implications that one questions whether someone can or cannot perform their professional tasks secondary to a medical condition. Yet, the implication of Dr. Mariano’s statement is that corporeal weight and body habitus can be implicated in the determining whether someone is qualified for employment. She questioned whether Governor Christie would be able to perform the duties of national office. Thus, on the basis of size, he may not be the right man for the job. If we extrapolate this thought, it would mean that all employers could believe that a person of ideal weight many be better able to work in their establishment than a severely obese individual. Thus, when it comes to obesity, it is acceptable to discriminate. Unfortunately, this is not new news. To protect individuals that have other medical conditions, we have even passed laws such as HIPAA to preserve their privacy. It certainly can be argued that if you are an employer, you would not want to hire someone with a similar cardiac history as Vice President Cheney. Individuals, such as Mr. Cheney, are more likely to miss work time and cost more to employers and tax payers to provide sufficient health care, regarding their dire conditions. That is why, for most positions, your medical record is kept private. In contrast, in the case of morbid obesity, there is no anonymity and a test is not needed to diagnose. It is physically and socially self-evident. Imagine someone of Dr. Mariano’s status commenting on an issue of race, religion, sexual orientation, or even other any other status of adverse medical condition. Her comments would be treated with outrage. It seems that obesity is the last bastion of accepted prejudice. In a world were we have become socially and legally evolved enough to understand and accept all divergent issues, whether they be diverse in ethnic, religious, economic, racial and sexual identifications, obesity still endears itself to cultural stereotyping and profiling. It may be my prejudice, but I think Dr. Mariano was saying much more with her comments: if you are not able to balance your caloric intake, do you have the self-control to balance our budget? Can a person who is morbidly obese be a proper role model to be Commander In Chief? If you do not have the discipline to manage yourself, how can you manage our country? Also if you are not potentially in denial, would you not seek treatment and accept responsibility for creating then solving your own medical problem that would impede you from such? All such simply continues to add to the misperceptions and misappropriations regarding obesity. They also explain why surveys and studies have shown that people would rather be dead than severely obese. No matter how ridiculous this sounds, when you are obese, society looks at you with scorn. You are responsible for your condition. As a result, little compassion is expressed. Besides having a strong family history for heart disease, Vice President Cheney smoked heavily for 20 years prior to his first heart attack. Although, this certainly contributed to his heart disease, his heart disease was viewed as a medical condition, and not equated with character flaws. Obesity is not viewed with such largesse toward any individual. Another unspoken message was that Governor Christie was in denial or should be actively working to lose weight. The truth, in my opinion, is that he struggles everyday and is very much aware of the issue and frustrated by it. It has been my experience that people who are successful and severely obese wonder: ‘how can I succeed in most everything else and still fail this battle?’. So what have we learned about obesity? Is there truth to Dr Mariano’s comments? Is this just another essay that states that no one should be held accountable or have personal responsibility? Severe and morbid obesity combined with a sedentary lifestyle is the biggest medical issue that people, and de facto, our country faces. Despite medical innovation, life expectancy is expected to decline, only seconded to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Thus, clearly, someone that is as obese as Governor Christie is at a substantially increased risk of significant heath detriment than someone of similar age, who has a normal body mass. His statement that he is the healthiest fat person is one that I hear commonly. It usually means that he requires no medication for hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Obesity is representative of an energy imbalance. The causes are multifactorial and the impact variable. Not all severely obese individuals are diabetic or prone to heart disease. Those such propensities depends on the distribution of the adipose or fat tissue. Those that have central obesity, especially with fat in their abdominal cavity, are much more likely to have metabolic disease. When the majority of fat resides in the subcutaneous tissues these co-morbidities are less likely. However, their excess adiposity has other consequences. There are only few people that I have cared for that are Governor Christie’s size that do not have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition that generally results in patients awakening at night to get adequate oxygen, due to the stress on the body of excess weight. The blood vessels in the lungs contract and this puts strain on the heart. As a result, the heart is more likely to have rhythm disturbances. In addition, excess corporeal weight causes undue and substantial wear on joints and the lower extremities. It is a misnomer that Gov. Christie does not care about his physical state or is in denial about such. Besides surgery, there is absolutely no documented or successful treatment option. Laymen watch popular television shows like the Biggest Loser or daytime talk shows and think that weight loss is easy. Unfortunately, the majority of people that lose large sums of weight – regardless of whatever method – suffer cataclysmic recidivism. Intuitively, most believe that we can be trained or be taught to change our behavior and maintain weight loss. However, science contradicts these widely-held beliefs. The body resists weight loss. When caloric intake is curtailed, we respond by becoming more efficient and reducing our metabolic rate. A registry is kept of people that have lost substantial sums of weight and maintained the weight loss for five or more years. On average, to preserve their weight, at the new loss state, they eat less than 1200 calories and exercise more than an hour per day. The story of Dr. Stuart Berger is typical of the weight loss struggle. Dr. Berger was perhaps the first famous television diet doctor. While in medical school at Tufts University, he weighed in excess of 400 pounds. He lost a substantial sum of weight and authored The South Hampton Diet. His diet book was widely-publicized and he became a weight-loss guru. He died from heart disease at the age of 42. At the time of his death, his weight was again 400 pounds. With the development of minimally invasive techniques, bariatric surgery has become safer than virtually any other abdominal or weight-loss operation. Despite these improvements, surgery is a frightening proposition. Family and friends who believe that all that is needed is further education and more willpower discourage many people. This circle also differentiates obesity. In most every other condition when you reach a threshold, treatment is mandatory. In obesity, the desperation of the patients and their desire to seek options determines who gets treated. The differences in how obesity is handled and viewed continue when the decision to pursue treatment occurs. Rather than have a physician decide when a patient is ready or qualifies for a specific procedure, insurance companies require a detailed pre-certification process. This typically includes documentation of a recent diet that is supervised by a physician and includes monthly medical visits. For people like Governor Christie, this means that their life-long struggle is unimportant. Instead, they need to duplicate and relive their frustrations to obtain treatment. Such an approval process exists in no other area of medicine. d**k Cheney did not have to document his gym regimen before one of his many heart surgeries was approved. When proper treatments are met with such difficult fiduciary remuneration, it is not surprising that there are few new remedies. It is estimated that 36% of the American population is now obese. At current growth rates, by the year 2050 the entire population will be obese. Thus it would seem that products that effectively treat obesity would have a large market and a priority for ambitious entrepreneurs. Yet, this is not the case. There has been only one medical device and one pharmaceutical product approved by the FDA in the past ten years. The reasons are multifold. There is no agreement about who should be treated for obesity. There is no agreement as to what constitutes successful or meaningful treatment. Additionally, obtaining insurance reimbursement for obesity treatments is an obstacle. The approval process for surgery is arduous. Less than 30% of insurance plans cover weight-loss pharmaceuticals. In comparison, look at the new products and procedures that were developed for heart disease during d**k Cheney’s life. They include stents, defibrillators, as well as surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting and cardiac transplantation. All benefited from widespread public acceptance and a clear path for reimbursement. More than 20 years ago, former Surgeon General, Dr. Everett Koop, wrote Shape Up America. He became the first public health figure to recognize the significance of the obesity epidemic. Regardless of the dangers of obesity that have been published since its publication, the emphasis has been placed on education rather than cure. Hence, the epidemic has continued. We must realize that behavioral modification techniques that have not even succeeded in halting the rise in the prevalence of obesity are unlikely to be successful as a treatment for morbid obesity. Stated succinctly, prevention and treatment are different. We prevent bacterial infections by washing hands and avoiding contact with infected sources. We treat people, de rigeur, with surgical debridement and medications such as antibiotics. It is possible that if Vice President Cheney never smoked, he would not have had a heart attack at 37 years of age. However, no one would treat his heart disease by only having him stop smoking and change his diet. While an important component, such efforts would be combined with medications. Yet, in obesity, we still want to believe that the same techniques that are used to prevent weight gain will result in successful treatment. It is time to address the obesity epidemic. Just as we check blood pressure, we need to measure body-mass index. At a young age, those with a mildly elevated BMI need to be referred for treatment. There needs to be reimbursement for these treatments. If initial approaches are not successful, a different approach is warranted. At the end of the line will be surgical procedures. The combination of a mandatory treatment threshold and reimbursement will stimulate the search for better solutions. Coverage should be mandatory. Only with mandatory coverage will insurance companies take preventive efforts seriously. We also need to face that combatting the obesity epidemic will require difficult decisions that will limit personal choice. I am not sure that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s sugar tax will be successful or the correct approach. But, I highly commend his attempt to bring awareness to this issue. It is naïve to continue to rely on nutritional education. We need to be bold and explore even unpopular options. These may include higher prices for items such as soda and other simple carbohydrates. An emphasis has to be placed on physical fitness. Each week, I see people in their early twenties that are permanently disabled secondary to medical issues caused by morbid obesity. Our society cannot afford for this trend to continue. What about Governor Christie? We should judge him based on his ability to govern and the record he has assembled. Should he ever feel his obesity is interfering with his public duties, effective surgical treatment exists. In all probability he could return to his normal duties in 7 to 10 days. With current surgical techniques, his obesity is far easier to treat than Vice President Cheney’s heart disease. What we also have to realize is that Dr. Mariano was talking about a lot more than the medical implications of obesity. What I heard was a fat man does not appear to be presidential. Additionally, by not addressing his obesity he has character flaws that she does not find acceptable. However, looks can be deceiving. FDR led us through WWII, and The Depression from a wheelchair. What should not be questioned is Christie’s determination and inner strength. As a leader, as a person. Despite constant ridicule and jokes about his weight, he has risen to become a national leader and is being urged to run for president. To survive the discrimination he has faced, he probably has had to perform better than those who merely look the part.

I did not attend a seminar at the time I saw the doctor. I am going tomorrow evening. I am on Medicaid right now but go to Medicare in October. I saw the doctor several months ago and have done some of the tests but what is holding me up is some tooth repair which I had to save up 2600.00 for. That and all tests will be completed in October. I have not been told anything from his office about what medicare needs. Guess maybe I may find out tomorrow night or I will call them. My weight has been the same for several years within 10 - 15 pounds either way. I lost 40 3 years ago but that was due to leukemia. I have since put that back on. Yours seemed to be a snap, hope mine will be too !! Good luck I'm adding you as a friend if you don't mind, let me know how it goes for you

Ditto here. I have already given myself a reward at my 30 lbs goal. I bought a handbag. I really nice one. It is kind of a birthday goal bag rolled into one because I didn't want to feel too guilty about it. My next mini goal is on Sept. 4th when I go on a plane to visit my mother. I want to be in onederland! I have 10 lbs to go and I am not sure I am going to make it but I am going to give it my best shot. At least I know the seat belt will fit!

I just had my surgery with Dr. Ortiz in Mexico, TJ and it was above and beyond what I could have ever expected. I know everyone told me great things about getting banded in Mexico, but experiencing it myself, it exceeded all my expectations. I am day 4 post op and feel very good. I feel a little swelling and have restriction. One 4 oz. yogurt is enough to fill me to the limit. They have been doing banding longer over there than here. I know Dr. Ortiz has done over 4000. I give it a 10+ Audree

We moved into a place owned by a friend of ours. It was located about 3 miles from any store and our friend offered to help as much as he could in keeping Steve sober. I started working a second job and after a few months of moving into this new place everything started going really well for us! Steve was sober and money was coming in, he and I were happy again. I had gotten my son into special education pre-school, he was doing great! During the time we lived with my parents I had a second miscarrage, we really wanted to have another baby especially now that our life together was looking great. I started seeing a specialist who helped me figure out why I kept losing pregnancies and what we could do to help prevent it the next time. After Steve had been sober for a year and 3 months I found out I was pregnant! Around week 10 we found out we were having twins!! Once this was determined we started working very hard at getting Steve his license back. The babies were due in Jan 2007, we were to have them by c-section in Dec of 2006. My doctors were only going to let me work until Oct of 2006. On Oct 8th 2006 Steve got his license, On Oct 10th 2006 I had my last day at work. On Oct 11th 2006 Steve started his new job! Hows that for handy work!! In Nov 2006 we had a big problem with the friend we were renting from. There were many different problems. I would tell my sister about them and eventually she offered that we move in with her until the twins were born, this way I would have some help with them when I came home from the hospital. Sounded like the best option since we didnt have much money to work with at the time. So we moved in with my sister mid Nov. Now let me explain my relationship with this sister. She and I have always had a rocky relationship, right up until her first child was born, at that point it was like we both just said "oh okay, its time to be a grown up now". We moved into my sister's within a week of living there she and I went right back to old times, we didn't get along we could hardly stand to look at each other! I don't know why and as easy as it would be to blame her for it all I just can't. Steve and I were still doing alright, he was working most of the time so i had to take care of our son alone most of the time. On Dec 20th 2006 at 7AM I gave birth to two beautiful babies! Baby "a" was a boy and baby "b" was a girl, both were healthy and perfect. I too was healthy and the three of us returned home on Dec 23rd just in time to have Christmas with the family! Steve went right back to work a week after the twins were born, So I was running this ship solo. In Jan I started noticing some money coming up unaccounted for. So if we started with $300 and ended with $50 I could only explain where $175 of it went. The rest was just.. gone! This was horrible since I was trying to save up so we could get out on our own. Steve never had an aswer for it. One time $260 came up missing, and to some people out there that may not seem like a big deal but to me at that time, that was half a pay check! And remember I had twins to care for! Steve had no real explaination at all, he said he got the money out of the bank so he could get tires for the car then when he went to get the tires the money was missing. When I was cleaning up our rooms at my sisters house one time I had found a perscription bottle of mine from when I had the twins, my doctor put me on very strong pain medication and the bottle was empty! I never took any. I asked Steve about it he said he had been taking them for a toothache. In April 2007 we moved out of my sister's and into our own home. When we first moved in Steve was still working, he would complain of headaches and or toothaches that always landed him in the doctors for pain medication. I started getting worried about it and confronting him. He assured me it wasnt a problem and then he backed off going to the doctors. I started seeing a change im Steve that I couldn't explain, he seemed less and less motivated. Often money would come up missing and I just couldnt put my finger on what was going on. In Nov 2007 he came home and said that he had gotten laid off from his job. Mind you it was highly unlikely that this was the truth and I knew that. So the next month or so he went around "looking for work" non stop. He ended up getting a job in some factory but he needed boots and special clothes and all of this was expensive so his mother said she would give him the money for it. He got the money from her but never made it to work there. Also never bought the items he needed. A woman moved in next door to us who was a single mom and she had a son who was the same age as my oldest so we got pretty involved with her. She seemed like a nice enough lady. Steve got a job working for the school district, cleaning. I slowly noticed that the woman next door seemed to be getting too close for comfort. One day while Steve was at work and I was home alone with my neice and my 3 kids, two complete strangers came to my door. It was two ladys who lived near by and they each had kids that would play with my kids sometimes. They asked if I would step outside with them for a minute. I did, the one lady said she was so sorry to be the one to tell me about this but if it were her husband she would want to know. After that she let it loose! She saw my husband with the lady next door sitting at a park at a picnic table holding hands and touching each others legs ect. She said she has seen him park his car down the road and then walk in her house through her back door. In not so many words my husband was cheating on me! I thanked them for coming to me with it and they left. I had a lot to deal with, alot to process! I asked my neice to sit with my kids for a few minutes and I went outside, got my bike and rode it to the school (about 2 miles away) where Steve was working. I found him and asked him about it, he said no way these people are just trying to cause problems. I didnt believe him, but I didnt have proof he was wrong either. I went back home and I decided I would just watch how things went. Over the next few months my world got turned upside down! There were times that Steve went fishing with his friend, he wouldnt come in until 4 am and the woman next door would be waiting outside for him! I confronted him about it and he said she just had a bad day and needed to talk. I told him that she needed to call her girlfriend then, not wait up for my husband. He said I was just jealous. On mother's day I woke up and was making a cup of coffee, none of the kids were awake yet. Steve came to the kitchen and said we needed to talk. I told him to go ahead, he said he didnt love me anymore and wanted to change things. I didnt believe in divorce! I found it hard to believe that this would be how it would end... after all I have done so far for him, for my children?! No, we will seek help. After he and I talked he went to his sister's house to see his mom and his father stopped by the house to see me. Dad and I talked a while and he just told me that no matter what Steve says, he still loves me and not to give up on our marriage. He encouraged me that I had come so far with Steve and all of his problems, if I could get through his drinking with him I could get through this too! When he returned I sat him down and just eplained to him that I understood his feelings but if they were the way that they were because of another woman then maybe he needed to remove himself from that situation so that he could think more clearly. He agreed, he was going to stay awaay from this woman and see what happened with he and I. Roughly a month later I realized I was pregnant again, within days after finding out (I did NOT tell Steve) Steve and I were having a rough day, someone had come to me and said they had seen him with her recently so I confronted him about it and it blew up into this big fight. During the arguement I began spotting, and yet another miscarriage! I told him I was having a miscarriage and I just couldnt handle him yelling at me or us fighting, I wanted to talk to him like a civilized human being! He asked me to give him a minute and he went outside. I thought, Oh good, let him cool down and then maybe I can make him see all the efforts I have put forth and how stupid it would be to throw that all away! I waited, and waited, and waited some more. An hour had gone by and still he hadnt returned! Two hours... nothing! Somewhere around hour number 5 he finally called and said he was fishing with a friend, which I knew wasnt true because that friend had just called for him. I told him this and I also told him his son was asking for him, I told him I would drive to this park that was down the road from our home and I would wait there 25 minutes for him, if he showed up I knew he wanted to work on our marriage and our family.. if he didnt I would know he had other intentions and if that be the case, he needed to go some place else to stay. I got into my car, now let me explain. I had a saturn ion, I had NO gas in this car the needle was on E! I had a 5 dollar bill in my pocket and that was all, hardly any food in the house, but if I were to go to this park and wait for him, I was going to need that $5 in my gas tank! So I went to the local gas station, a small run down place and I went inside and told her I needed $5 in gas on pump 3. She took my money and said go ahead. I went outside and I put the nozzle in my car and began pumping... I was lost in thought, I didnt want to be late if he were to show up and I wasnt there I would just die inside! I then snapped back to the here and now to realize I had been pumping gas for a while now! I looked and it was just over $10! So I went inside and told the cashier I did not have anything but $5, she said not to worry it was her mistake. I promised to have the money to her tomorrow. I left the store and went right to the park and there I sat, I waited, and waited. I think I was there for about 45 minutes and no Steve. My heart sank to my feet as I drove home. I was home for around 2 hours when I started to become annoyed and restless, I got up and went to my car, I am unsure what my intentions were. As I reached my car I saw the woman next door come home and Steve was not with her. I got into my car and backed up I got onto the road and saw him walking towards the house. At this point there was no doubt in my mind that he was in fact with her the whole time! I was so angry!! I floored it, gas all the way to the floor! I got up to around 30 MPH and was within feet of hitting him when I slammed on my brakes! I threw the car into reverse and I backed into my driveway. I got out of my car and yelled to him that he'd better see if he can stay at his tramp's house! He laughed and said he would be staying at home and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew he was right, but I was not about to admit to it. I said to him "how dare you leave me after I tell you Im miscarrying YOUR child! you leave for hours at a time! No worries at all about me or your children. Just to go tie one on with the tramp next door. She doesn't want you! She doesn't even know you! Does she know about your drinking problem? Your drug problem?" The woman from next door jumpped in at this point she said "I am no tramp, I will have you know!" then she turned to Steve and asked him about me being pregnant and he said that he hadnt slept with me for months, which was a lie (obviously) but then I began to wonder why he would defend him sleeping with his wife to the neighbor? It was then I had made up my mind, if he did come home he would be on the couch for the rest of his life. At that point I could have cared less if he were to return to me, I was so heartbroken and depressed there was nothing he could ever do to fix this. I realized it was important for me to be civil and act like an adult for our children. My oldest son being autistic, he needs structure. The twins were so young still they too needed for things to be stable. I went in the house and got a pillow and blanket, put it on the couch for him then I went to bed. In the weeks to pass I slowly came to realize the one thing i needed to focus on were to get Steve sober and clean, it was more of a challenge now since his girlfriend fed him both drugs and drinks! But I needed him to be something like a father to my children, I needed him to be clean for them. This was my goal from this point on, I laid out a plan to get him clean and the two of us could just carry on with our lives, living under the same roof but not tied to each other. This would allow my children to still have mom and dad. I didnt care if I ever remarried or got with another man, at this point the one man I trusted with my everything has done nothing but destroy me! Who wants another?! That being said, I did just that. I took all of his prescription medications and offered to hand feed them to him. This is when I realized he had been taking over 50 pills a day, of various different pain meds! It was a wonder I hadnt found him dead yet. There was a point when he admited to snorting the pills. He said that he would get pills from the woman next door as well. Then I found out he was stealing pain patched from his brother in-law and pills from my mom. All together somewhere around 47 a day that he stole, was perscribed himself, or he would buy! At one point I was giving him all of his pill sin the morning, like if the max a day was 6 pills I would give him all 6 at 7 am and no more until the following day. I hid the bottles, he always seemed to find them and eventually I got sick of him cheating at the plan so I flushed the pills! He got so mad that he busted the bathroom door in! He called his mom to take him to a detox center, I refused to entertain the idea of a detox center that fed him pills to help him get off from pills! Seemed a waste of time to me. But his mom came running, she helped him pack his things and then she took him to the detox. Two days later he was home again with a whole new bottle of pills! I started to realize there was a good chance I wouldnt be able to actually help Steve clean up his act, but at the very least I could try and make a home for my kids. I had gotten a call from my landlord telling me I was 3 months behind on my rent and that he was willing to work with me but for only so long. It was time for me to get a job! I began working for a retail company, a few months later I got a job also with an insurance company and a few months after that I started also working for a medical center! I was working from 7 am to sometimes as late as 12 am no less than 6 days a week. I got our money situation back on track! Eventually I got a job offer at a fuel company that was less than 10 miles from my house so I took it. I left all three of my other jobs because the money I was making at the fuel company was good enough as long as I could put in the hours. Steve always slept on the couch, the neighbor girl had moved (without him) and their relationship had come to an end. He tried to patch up things with me but there was just no way I could trust him again. During all of this I had found out so much about his drug abuse, he had spent so much of our money on pills and cocaine and God only knows what other drugs! He slept on the couch and looked after the kids while I worked. I started talking with someone from the church about the way the church veiws divorce and weather I was in the right for wanting one. I started feeling this was the route to take when my father in-law (a man I felt very deeply for!) became very ill and eventually died. I became worried about Steve's mental well being if I were to bring to him the idea of a divorce. So I continued helping him build himself up, keep clean and sober. Roughly a year after my father in-law passed away, in August of 2009 a friend of mine was in a car accident and I was very worried about her. I was trying to tell Steve about it when he cut me off to tell me about a movie he got. I was devistated that he cared so little about me that he couldnt even pretend to listen to me when I was obviously upset. This was my wake up point, when I realized it was over, the battle no longer needed to be fought! I wanted a divorce.

Dan, I wasn't offered a 6-week post op fill. Mine came 10 weeks post op....second fill 5 weeks after 1st. It depends on the individual and their docs. Wish my first fill had been about 3 weeks sooner, though, but because of docs schedule I had to wait. He only does them once a month.