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Hello, I live in St. Louis and am planning on getting banded with Dr. Eagon. I've already done the Nutrition, Behaviorist and Physical Therapy visits. My insurance company requires 6 months of medically supervised weight loss priror to surgery. So far, I on on my first month. Waiting seems to be the hardest particularly because I've been on weight watchers for nearly 2 years until deciding to do lap band. So now I have to wait another 6 months. It's frustrating. Any insight to all of this woudl be helpful. What to expect after surgery, how much food can I actually eat and how sick will i be?

While I know you're looking in to lapband surgery actually the sleeve might be more apprioratate for the diabetes...I didn't have diabetes so having the lapband was OK for me. Check out all your options though - I probably would have selected the sleeve if it had been an option at the time. Good luck though no matter what you choose...part of the weight loss before surgery is to lessen the fat in the liver - not just to show you can follow the weight loss program. Now I realize the program was set up longer for a reason - it's not something you want to look back and say I wish I'd have done ....(something else) ior worse yet - not done it. I realize your frustration at the waiting time but it was put in there for a reason... I worked the program for almost a year before I was ready - so 6 months might have been too short for me. You have your whole life ahead of you - what's 6 months in the whole scheme of things? Good luck - Linda (PS - I'm 57 now and I had it done 14 months ago and I've been obese for 20 years...I didn't want you to think I was being smart...when I talk about age and time!)

Good Job! You are doing well on your weight loss. and Thanks for the welcome back.. Terry

Hi, y'all. I got my third fill on Tuesday of this week and, while I can feel it a little, it's not restricting me enough for weight loss. One of the tools I've chosen to implement is the Weight Watchers Point System. I hope it will assist me somewhat in my portion choices. Anybody else using WW? My band does keep me from the all-out binges I used to indulge in, but I still need help getting food choices down to size. I've only lost 17 pounds in two months. Listen to me. Only. I am SO grateful for the loss of those 17 pounds; I'm just anxious to move on and I've been stuck here for weeks because I can't control portions. Anybody else? The Eating Disorder/OCD part of me loves to count and that's why I think the Weight Watchers Point Plan may relieve some of my anxieties. Thanks. And bright blessings on you all, my fellow travelers!

i have been complaining of being cold for weeks now. i think it is funny because i used to be hot all the time. i would sweat all the time. especially on my upper lip, and as soon as i would put makeup on or do my hair. i havent been sweating at all anymore...just shivering. i have to take a hot bath to warm me up. i have to be wearing multiple layers all the time. i have been losing my hair a little. i have always lost lots of hair daily though. i have super thick hair....tons of it. so i think the hair loss isnt bad at all. except for it being all over my clothes. and i do mean all over. i do think that it is funny too that the pits, legs and bikini area dont seem to have hair loss at all.

I am 3.5 months post surgery and overall I am doing well. I have lost 53 pounds so far. I am FREEZING most of the time. When I get cold, I feel cold from the inside of my body out. I go to bed shivering but as I sleep I become very warm. Do other people have this? When does it go away? It seemed to get really bad about a month ago when my hair started falling out. What do you do to stay warm? A warm shower is usually the only thing that will warm me up. Any thoughts?

I totally understand I went 2 weeks with no loss then I started eating more and weight started coming off again. Don't worry!

I feel desperate at this point. Stuck between 214-215 for what seems like weeks. Eating mostly protein, probably eating between 20-30 gms of Carbs (less most days) Trying to get all my fluids in (not reaching 60, but closer to 48) I am thinking perhaps of drinking protein drinks for 2 of my meals (breakfast and dinner) for a couple of weeks to see if that helps things along Has anyone tried this or a version of this to get the scale moving again?

I don't have a support group that is close. I am considering Overeaters Anonymous. Has anyone else used them and does the same principles work with the band? Are weight loss people welcome at OA? Or if you know of a support group near The Woodlands, Kingwood, Humble, New Caney or Porter in Texas...I would be love to know. Thanks!

Oh for crying out loud, I love my band! Whatever weight loss surgery you get, the main thing is you are choosing your own health and happiness. You are showing up for yourself. Way to go! And keep us posted as things unfold. Wild! PS I had a two week liquid pre-op -- loved it that FOR ONCE every pound lost was one I wouldn't be seeing again. True that.

I have gone past a stall into plateau territory. I have been bouncing between 180-185 for about 2 months. I have increased exercise and have been steadily tracking food. I think I am losing inches. It isn't that I am unhappy, I am only 25-30 lbs away from my weight loss goal, so I feel pretty good. I don't know if this is a plateau or if this is where I stop. I am about 7 months out. I have started running and feel good about that. I have a goal to complete a 5K in a few months. Anyone have any thoughts on distingusing a plaeau from just being done?

How many carbs are considered low ...I saw so one post they weren't supposed to have more than 30?? I eat about 70 or 80!! Eeek!!! Are we supposed to be in ketosis? Is this why I'm losing so slow? Can anyone help me out here...also, what's up with 6 months and slower wt loss?? I need wt loss surgery college!

I tested out Protein drinks prior to surgery. I also discussed different types of Protein Drinks at support group meetings prior to surgery. To me most protein drinks taste terrible. I chose one that was the least terrible called Muscle Milk Light. I found that vanilla Creme was the flavor I liked the best. I would blend it with Water and throw in a half a banana. It had 25 grams of protein per shake. There are others that are super concentrated that are in the 40-50 gram range. To me these taste extremely bad. Right after surgery, I was lactose intolerant. This condition was temporary. A month or two later I could tolerate milk. Muscle Milk Light is lactose free. If you are not lactose intolerant, you might think about using milk. Once I reached my bottom weight, I switched completely off my Protein shakes. My protein drinks now consists of a large cup of hot cocoa (no sugar added) in the morning and a berry smoothie in the evening. At 11 months post-op, I also get a lot of protein from my meals. Since you are only a week out, this is probably too early to make this transition to berry smoothies. In order to achieve a great weight loss also focus on the calorie side of the daily minimum protein requirements. Too many calories in your daily protein drinks might stall your weight loss.

Another trick I use is to make all my Snacks protein-based – nuts, meats, Jerky, Greek yogurt, cheese, etc. As long as I'm not eating carbs, they don't seem to affect my weight loss because they don't throw me out of ketosis.

It is totally unrealistic to expect the really big losses to continue week after week. This is my loss by calendar month, weighing every monday. Month 1 is two weeks of preop diet where I lost 8, and the two weeks post op where I lost 20. Dec 28.4 Jan 12.8 Feb 12.4 Mar 9.4 Apr 13.2 May 10.8

I'm not sleeved yet, June 4th is my date. I'm hoping for a loss of no more than 10lbs a month because maybe my skin will catch up to my body. In the long run losing a little more slowly is better. My whole point of getting the sleeve is because I would get long stalls with my weight loss, get frustrated and then over eat and break my diet. Now, when I hit those same plateaus I won't be able to "pig out".

Hi all! I am brand new to this site and to weight loss surgery. Alittle about myself... I am turning 30 this year. Married, Mother of 3 beautiful children. Been overweight since I was a teenager. Got worse when I started taking birth control. Then I got heavier as I started having children. Tried every weight loss thing I can think of. Everything from Weight Watchers to Atkins to Curves. Most I was ever able to lose was 30 pounds which I ended up gained back plus some. Been a struggle for me for years and at this point in my life I am tired of the cycle. I am over 100 pounds overweight and BMI is 41.1. I want to be healthy and happy for my family and kids. Want to be able to run around with them and not get out of breath. Want to be able to fit into normal clothing. So after researching weight loss surgery for quite some time, I decided to see if my insurance would cover it or at least most of it and I just found out that they do. So now I am on my journey to finding the right weight loss surgery for me and the right Dr. I am looking into the VSG and the RNY at this point. Not sure which would be best. I still need to double check with my insurance to see if the VSG is even covered because I heard that some insurance companies won't cover that specific procedure. Any info and advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Congrats on your weight loss!

Might i as why you are only eating 300 cal. a day? Just like with any other diet, you are throwing your self into "starvation" mode.... your body is storing. I found when i ate a more "balanced" meal...and had my lite Snacks... i lost better then the days i ate less cals. So maybe eat more Protein and see how that works. Log in what you eat this way you will have it in writing what worked and what didn't. don't beat your self up over this.... my weight loss was slow, i was worried at first that i had failed again.... but then i started exercising and i started losing inches and building muscle..... Have you started exercising? If not, start slow with walking and or a class like Zumba. That's what i did, then i worked up to the elliptical (aka the devil) and then weights.... Oh.... and stop weighing your self everyday... Good luck and think positive.

Ok no worries. You need to know it may take up to 5 fills before you can expect proper restriction. Once you are tighter you will be amazed at how you body tells you when to stop eating. With smaller portions you will notice, "Wow, I am full and not going to eat all of this!". You will start to serve yourself less and be amazed at the full feeling you get really soon. We are here for you when you get discouraged. You are winning.....you are already down in weight. Eventhough you took on a few pounds you are still down. My surgeon told me he does not expect weight loss at all until you feel restriction. So the weight you have lost already is all on your own which is an indicator of how hard you are working. Great on the exercise!! You will make it. Just know with fills you will soon know what it feels like to not feel hunger and cravings.

I am 21 months post-op from RNY gastric bypass surgery. My weight loss leveled off after the 7th month after surgery. I was very stable in my weight for over 6 months after that. Then a stomach flu hit and I completely lost any appetite for food. I lost a pound a day. With 2 bouts of stomach flu, I lost a total of 10 pounds. I decided to try and maintain this additional weight loss since then. But it does bring up an interesting point. When you get sick, a person can lose weight quickly. And therefore it is important to keep a little fat on your body in reserve as a buffer. I feel that some people are so obsessed with their bottom weight number that they lose sight of the fact that they may become sick which might threaten their health.

I was thinking the same thing as AutumnLily -- reverse psychology. If he knew your history of losing over 100 pounds without the sleeve, he might have thought this was just the comments to push your buttons. He has experience in the results to expect, but he probably has some experience in dealing with different personalities as well. I hope his comment was designed to get you motivated to prove him wrong and that he isn't just an asshat. Great job on your loss so far!

New to the forum: Going to pre-op today. Have been on the miserable liquid diet for 1.5 weeks. Procedure is Tuesday. Have been "cheating" on the liquid diet but not too bad....Just have more of the lean Protein than the sheet indicates...i.e. broiled shrimp, tuna sashimi, crab legs. My surgeon is a very close friend of mine. Who's been doing the band for 2 years. He's quite passionate about it and is very excited that I've decided to take the plunge. I've got a lot of naysayers (everyone but him and my wife) around me. I combat them with facts: 1. NIH study indicating that less than 5% of people can maintain weight loss from diet and exercise 5 years out vs published long term lap band results from Dr. Obrien in Australia and Italy. 2. LSU study released this year that essentially says that the battle of the bulge is won at the dinner table. 3. The fact that you are combatting the most primal urge you have...to eat when hungry. 4. The fact that I've done diet and exercise and regained the weight (as have most of the people I argue with) To hell with them. I just tell them that in about 9 months I'm gonna have their wives wanting to cheat on them.:heh: :heh: Podna Louisiana

I survived my first pre-op consult, and feel like I've got a new lease on life!! I was running late, I should have been at the hospital for my first appointment at eight-thirty and didn't get there until nine, because traffic was insane at rush hour!!!! When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to see the chairs had no arms, and the chairs that DID have arms were enormous, and could have fit three of me! It was the first time I didn't have to worry if my big butt would fit comfortably in a waiting room chair!!! :car: My first appointment of the day was with the psychiatrist. Lucky me, I thought, getting shrinked at nine a.m. is a great way to begin the day!!! The psychiatrist was actually wonderful, and my fiance and I will be going to her for couples counselling throughout my banding and weight loss process, because I told her about how he and I had discussed how it would change the dynamic of our relationship. She was thrilled I recognized the importance of that, and also that I recognize the seriousness of the decision I am about to make. She told me I am a perfect candidate, and that she will be telling the surgeon that,psychologically, I am a go-ahead for surgery!!! My second appointment of the day was with the nutritionist, who was only like, two years older than I am, I swear! We discussed the need for my diet change. I am on my pre-op (which will end up being my post-op lifestyle,actually) diet, where I will eat three meals a day, no more than six hours apart, that will all begin with three ounces of protien, lots of veggies, and lastly, a single serving of starch if necessary. It seems to me like I am going to be eating a LOT MORE food than before, and a lot less random,grazing junk! I also have to drink 2 liters of water a day! My last appointment was with Pam O'Brien, the most amazing Nurse Practitioner on the planet! She has so much spunk, and was so motivating! We discussed the risks and the benefits of my surgery, and what I expected of it. She also told me I am the perfect candidate, due to the fact that I am only 21, have a lot of life to live, and know the changes I want to see. She liked that I am willing to go out and act upon what needs to be done. She's a hugger, and I love that! She wants me to fax her the files from my pediatrician, saying that I have been overweight since middle school so she can prove that this isn't a new battle for me. She said only insurance is her concearn, because my company had a rider saying they excluded WLS unless medically necessary. It is for me, but she said they get to pull the definition of medially necessary out of their asses. Theses are the next steps for me to proceed! 1.sleep apnea test 2.lab/bloodwork 3.loose 15 lbs pre-surgery (easy!) 4.exercise 5 days a week/30 minutes a day 5.attend one support group meeting 6.attend 4 lifestyle skills classes 7.four week follow up with nutritionist 8.4 week followup with Pam (When we set the date!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY!) There is info overload in here, I know! And it's not even the least of it! I'm just glad that I'm getting this opportunity! PRAISE JESUS! Tomorrow I get my files faxed to Pam, and then pray for the next 15 days about getting pre-approved (using a false date to know if I'll get approved...)...Please Keep me in your prayers!

If you are fat, you want to be skinny, Skinnies want to gain a few pounds. Have curly hair, want straight hair, have straight hair, want curly hair. Have small boobs, want big boobs, Have big boobs, want small boobs. Tall people want to be short, Short people want to be tall.... Is it just me or is it that we are never happy????