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Ugh you guys I'm so nervous my doctors app is Wednesday May 22nd at 8:30 in the morning. I'm praying and hopping things go well and that he agrees with me trying to get approved for the lap band surgery. With who actually got approved what were the reasons you were approved, and if you didn't on the first try what steps did you have to take to actually get approved and how long did it take? My numbers are Age: 21 Weight: 263.5 Height: 5'5" BMI: 43.85 Been over Wight my whole life a lot of my family is over weight as well, diabetes runs in my family same with heart problems, cholesterol issues and strokes.

That comment from your co-worked was so rude, but she probably didn't think before she spoke. Anyway, nice comment from the student, especially since you didn't have him in a class. Keep up the good work, you probably could have said, "Well don't bother, I probably wouldn't get much use out of it anyway, since I am still loosing weight!" HAHA! Karen

i had the obera balloon in may 2017 seriously if i was able to go back i wouldnt have wasted my money i woke up on the 4 th day after having the balloon and felt fine like nothing had been done i lost 17lbs in total the balloon was removed nov 15th. what they dont tell you is you will probably only lose weight the first month unless you are one of the ones who throw up for the whole 6 months that its in. i wish i had just gone for the gastric sleeve in the first place. i feel like the balloon is a waste of money but good luck on your journey.

As any tried the cleanse diet? I feel like I'm stuck on my weight & thinking this will be a boost to get me going again.

We are the same height. I was 385 - 400 when I had my lapband, and got down to about 210. After my pregnancy I was around 250, then with a slip up to about 275, then after removal gained to about 350. (sigh) I'm now in the 280s, striving to get to where you are now.

KarmaandKismet; You are very wise to consider this. Personally, I feel that counseling and ongoing therapy should be a REQUIREMENT for anyone who undergoes Weight Loss Surgery of any kind, and I am kind of surprised that insurance companies do not make this a KEY part of the process, other than the initial Psych consultation. I believe that it is a KEY component of success in this area. SO MUCH of the obesity enigma is that it is a “mind game”. The Lap Band and the other forms of WLS can very effectively deal with the Physical component of Obesity, BUT unless the “mind’ component is dealt with, a very large percentage of WLS patients will not be as successful as they would like to be. It is known that a certain percentage of Gastric Bypass patients will put the weight back on within a few years of losing it. This is not a result of any deficiency in the surgical mechanism, but it is a direct result of the “mind component” of weight loss not being addressed properly, or even addressed at ALL in so many cases. It is also known that in the case of the Lap Band, a large percentage of Patients never reach their intended goal, and, again, it is because (in many cases) the psychological and emotional issues that brought the patient to the point of needing surgery have never been addressed. So, yes…you ABSOLUTELY need to make Psychotherapy an integral part of your Weight Loss Surgery experience. In answer to your question about Therapists who specialize in Weight Issues, yes, there ARE those who maintain a Specialty Practice in that field. You need to hunt for them a bit, and I should warn you that MOST Psychotherapists will say that they deal with weight issues, but the fact is that most of them do not deal with it as a SPECIALTY. And, you really do want someone who is a specialist in this, someone who has been doing it for a number of years as a primary practice. Sometimes you will see them in the yellow pages, but as is most often the case, the BEST practitioners do NOT have to advertise. It is very possible that you can get a referral from your Surgeon’s office; they very often have good links to Professionals in this field. Also, if you contact your local chapter of Overeaters Anonymous, they often can refer you to Professionals as well. Again, I have to emphasize the importance of finding someone who is very well experienced and trained in Bariatric Psychology as a SPECIALTY, and not merely an incidental part of their practice. I think if you ask most Psychotherapists if they treat people with Obesity issues, they will all say yes. But, the vast majority of them will only have a couple of patients for whom it is a defining issue, and their experience in treating this problem is not very deep. So, take the time to find someone who really IS an expert in this….you will be well-served by having this kind of professional on your Team. Good Luck with your Surgery, and please keep everyone posted on how you are progressing! S.

I was wondering if anybody out there had done any counseling with a therapist while going through the lap band process. I'm not afraid of the surgery and I'm not afraid of not being able to have some of my "binge foods" anymore, but one of the things I feel I need to work at is how to have that mentality of being a thinner person and not seeing myself as a former fat girl. I thought about trying to find a counselor to start working through these issues BEFORE I have my surgery and then continuing during the weight loss process. I didn't know if there are counselors out there who deal specifically with or specialize in people who have weight issues. Anybody have any suggestions?

I had a fill today because my band really has had no restrictions up tll now. I am at 6cc's now. Seems like alot considering it is a 10cc band. But I feel ok, except for the burning shoulder pain still. Finally I think they are coming around that it may be something to do with the nerve near my diaphram. For some reason I must be sensitive to the band, so he said give it another month and then I may have to try this pill for nerve issues and see if it helps. So far I have lost weight pretty well since surgery, It has been alot of work trying to fight off the urges to keep eating. I have been walking my poor husband to death lately and considering he's a mail carrier, walking after work is probably the last thing he wants to do, but like he said, "We are in this together" I was getting kinda nervous because I have been able to eat pretty much what I want up till now. I really try not to, but sometimes it is really hard to say no to an awesome piece of grilled fish and veggies when we are out. Weighed in today, I have lost 40# since January. Honestly, I didn't think I would be losing this fast. I guess when you set your mind to something that really matters, the pros out weigh the cons. I feel like I am in such a good place right now. Ask me a few years ago and I would probably have to say, I wasn't there yet and probably wouldn'y have done as well. So when they tell you it's just a tool, their right. Your head and heart has to be there as well or it won't work I guess.

Hi everyone -- I just wanted to share an NSV ... I'm not sure why this one made me feel so good, but it did. Maybe because I had a slight unfill today and am concerned about gaining weight. Anyone, I'm thisclose to being two-thirds of the way to my goal (about a 1/2 pound away) and have lost about 5 sizes of clothing. As a consultant, I spend lots of time with clients, and one client in particular that I have been working with for almost 2 years, so they've seen me yo-yo a bit. Today, I was talking to one of the secretaries and before I hung up she said "Hey, I heard you lost a ton of weight and look great. I have not seen you in a while, but that is the rumor here." Again, not sure why this one was so nice to hear, but it was fun to be part of the rumor mill for my clients. As a side note, I tore ligaments in my ankle in May and spent the summer in a boot. As September came around, I finally bought so clothes that actually fit and started wearing two matching shoes. A ton of people have commented how much better I look with 2 matching shoes, I think the real difference is the 79 pounds, but I'll take the matching shoes too! Saturday is my younger sister's wedding and I am actually not dreading the photos, not really looking forward to it, but not dreading it. Both of my sisters have the opposite issue than me (aneroxia) so I will still look huge, but not as huge as before. Thanks for reading this super long post. Cynthia

Lap - My insurance says I have to have the 6month supervised diet from my PCP, but I've been on Weight Watchers since I was 15, my doctor knows this, but I have no medical records of going to WW.

I'm 4 months out and my weight loss has steadily slowed each month. It is now almost entirely tied to my workouts. If I weren't exercising, I don't think I'd be losing much.

ok so since my follow ups with my dr are now further apart and I wont be able to weigh myself as frequently.. I went to Bed Bath and Beyond tonight and bought The Biggest Loser scale to have at home. Got home, sat it on the kitchen floor.. set it to zero.. and here goes nothing......... It showed that I was only 2lbs lighter than a week ago! THEN.. i moved it to the bathroom got on it again and it showed that im 4 lbs heavier since last week! WTF! I am miserable right now..... and so discouraged. I should not be gaining or losing just 2lbs a week yet Could it be the scale?? Has anyone had issues with home scales? Now this is going to be weighing on my mind.. ugh

I have a Weight Watchers scale and it has been accurate. I weigh pretty much the exact same as the doctor's scale. I would just go with what your scale says now. It should be able to track the loss. I used to have a horrible scale before, so I know how you feel. It is so frustrating to have fluctuations!

You have my deepest sympathy. I have always looked younger than I am. Even with my double chins. Now I'm losing this weight which makes me feel GREAT...but the face is suffering. I have 16 years on you...I want abdominoplasty really bad....but I'm beginning to want face work more. Do neck exercises it could help if there is just a little looseness (is that a word?)

We have had a Tanita scale for over five years and are very happy with it. I do love the percentage feature as the previous poster noted. Since it is an older Tanita I don't know if it has all the bells and whistles the new ones might have. I haven't checked to see if they have one now that keeps track of changes in your weight but that might be a nice feature if they have it available. BTW- we bought ours through Performance Bike. If you are going to buy a Tanita make sure to check out their prices online Performancebike.com (I think), as they have sales periodically, but I don't know how their prices compare to other places. DH and I weigh ourselves on our Wii Fit. It is a nice feature and it keeps track of my numbers. I have set a short goal that keeps me on track and the Wii tells me how I am progressing toward that goal. -Fran

Whats your band size and fill size? I had the SAG band which is an earlier version of realize and I need a fill of atleast 10cc before i had restriction. I also had to push myself at the gym to lose weight. It isnt easy but you can do this!

Your surgery date won't get pulled. Good for you for getting started!! Eating better now will make things easier later since its a lifestyle change and not a diet. The way I looked at it any pounds I can lose now means I get even more pounds off with the surgery, I didn't want to gain anything to just have to lose it again...there IS NO overthinking right? lol

I'm a long, long time lurker, love how you help each other and maybe me. I've had my band 4 years. Made my goal, and have lost 10 pounds more. Had a fill in Jan. 08, but by August saw my weight was starting to creep up (6 pounds) and had a fill (total of 5 in 4 years). Now I feel my band is perfect, except for one little problem. At night, after being asleep for 5 or 6 hours (around 3 AM usually after going to bed at 10 PM) I have stomach juice slipping up into my mouth, wakes me up, I cough, spit, go back to sleep and then a few hours later, do it again. I've tried not drinking fluids after 7, not eating after 7, drinking tea or hot water before bed, tums, and nothing seems to work well. I know I could call the DR and get an unfil for $140, but to be honest, this level seems to work well --weight is back off, not hungry, everything else is fine. Any idea on how to stop the nightly ooze??

It is normal to me because I recently went through it too. I actually gained weight the day after the surgery, 4lbs I think it was. I was not happy at all and then couldn't loose any for almost two weeks. Then to my surprise the last two weeks it has been coming off on a good basis. I was banded June 20th. When I had complained to the doctors office they told me I was suppose to concentrate on healing not loosing weight in the beginning. Don't sweat it, it will come off. Good luck and congrats! Colleen

I have Cintra and was wondering if insurance will deny you if you dont lose weight while on the 3 or 6 month supervised weight loss plan?

Looking to talk to some people around me I just got my band about 4 months ago and I have lost 30 lb. but this last month I only lost 3 lb. and I had a very tight fill. I haven't been exercising very much but the weight loss has def slowed down thinking maybe if I could get together with some people we could encourage each other.

What helped me mentally prepare was to read VST and similar as much as possible. I read as many people's experiences as I could to help me gain perspective on what this journey is all about. It helped me also in that nothing that has happened to me so far has really been a surprise. Yes no two peoples experiences are exactly the same, but when you have been exposed to all the different possibilities beforehand, it gives you a chance to consider things before you're right in the middle of it. In some ways that has helped me shape my experience too. So my advice is to read read read as many blogs and msg board entries as you can!

the only thing I would have done differently would have been to exercise as I lost weight. Other than that...go baby go!!!

I'm new at this, so please be patient if I seem not-so-smart about posting, etc. I went to my first weight loss seminar in March of this year, and have been pondering it ever since. My niece and her fiance' have had the sleeve done, and are doing great, so I've been watching their journey as well. Since I've tried every weight loss gimmick and plan and have always gained the weight back, I finally decided that I needed something that would finally work. That is why I chose the sleeve. I made an appt. with the surgeon, went for all my introductory appts. at his office and finally met with him last month. My surgery is scheduled for the 14th, and I just started the pre op diet of protein drinks only on Wed. So far, so good. I wish myself and all of you pre op members the best!