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I hit that 70 pound mark today! I'm finally losing at a pretty good pace again, at least this week. I'm now just one pound from a "normal" BMI! I bought a size 10 pant suit yesterday, and it fits!! Yahoo! I love my band!

I think it would depend most on why his cholesterol is high. If its because of diet yes it will reduce. If its because of genetics it might not. Excersise is the only thing besides medication that will help with genetic high cholesterol according to my doctor. We had a long talk about cholesterol one day because she had to increase my lipitor from 20mg to 40 despite the fact that have been conciously on a low cholesterol diet of sorts for the last 10+ years. I started to get really upset. Cause we do eat very little fatty foods. She said mine must be more due to genetics then diet and that was why she had to increase my dose. But heck losing weight and getting more excersie will help with all of his health matters in some form, so even if it doesn't handle/reduce the cholesterol he still has other good reasons to do somekind of WLS. I can't blame him for not wanting a bypass the fact they cut up and rearrage internal organs turned me off of it too. lol plus everyone I know personally whos had the bypass have nasty side effects or are gaining their weight back!!

Hi my name is jennifer, and I was banded 12-19-2008. I am a mother to 4yr old twins and I did the band for the same reasons as you. I am down about 28-30 lbs and i could use some support too!1 I think I am struggling with choices of food. I am eating what i want but in very small quanities.. I know that I need to stcik to protein and veggies but it is really hard. I started at 231 and I am 200 today.. i want it to go quicker so why wont i eat what i should!! LOL

I had the band placed in Sept. and have been really worried about how much hair I have been losing. to the point where I would go 3 days without shampooing because I couldn't deal with the clogged drain and the hair that I pulled from my brush. And if I ran my hands through my hair I would get 10-20 strands each time, all day long. and my pillowcase would be covered when I woke up. I do have to say that it is slowing down. Yesterday when I washed it I only had 3 strands come out and about 20 in the brush. When I run my hands through now I get maybe 2, sometimes none, and no hair on my pillowcase for the past few nights. I have always gotten enough protein and the Dr said it might have been my gallbladder which could have caused some of the loss but since my surgery last week I see a great improvement. I always had thin hair, but alot of it, now I have 1/2 of what I had before and it is thinner. I don't see the new short growth yet but it's early. I do have to say, that no matter how many people on these boards reassured me that it would grow back, I was still not a believer and it really was worrisome.

Yes currently I am on my second injection out of 10.. can’t wait until the clot risk is over... that’s what is freaking me the hell out

I am 10 weeks out from surgery and started noticing a few days ago that my tummy felt sore after I ate. I thought maybe I ate too much, so I decided to eat less next time. At the next meal, I noticed the soreness/pain was back after the first few bites. The final straw was when I simply had a glass of Water before bed Friday night, and the pain was back. The pain isn't debilitating, more annoying than anything. I feel it after I eat/drink and anytime I'm stretching or laying on my stomach. It feels like it's coming more from the band and not the port. I came here and read numerous posts Friday night and didn't conclude anything, but it seemed like the remedy for almost everything was going back on a liquid diet. So, I did that yesterday, but no change yet. Any ideas what this could be? Thanks for your help!

That is sad, I've heard about people, and met them at my fills that got the band and continued to eat like junk food junkies. I gave that garbage up years ago, my gutt made me. One lady at my last fill (I have had 5 fills and I'm at 6.6 out of 10) she got the one fill and never came back and gained ALL she had lost. She was at her wits end. She gained courage, came back and did the fill, I've not heard or seen her and wonder just how she is doing. Lets face it I was in for an easier ride and that is just not panning out for me, I've faced much bigger problems before I'll get there one way or another. --- going to go find more posts ... thanks for your input.

Hi all :biggrin: I am getting banded on 09-10-10 and am looking online (maybe too much!) for information on the lap band. I know what I am signing up for... but I stumbled upon a website that people post their negative lap band experiences on. A few of them are saying they throw up every meal...even if it is a small Protein meal like chicken, tuna or yogurt. This has me freaked out. I know that the process is hard...and I know that I will be working "with" my band to achieve weight loss and a healthy life...does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks! Currently 246 5"6 20 to 22 pant size/ 2x top

Thank you guys so much! I'm doing a lot better this afternoon it kind of comes in waves. Sometimes I'm really excited then 10 mins later I'm freaking out. I m going to center of excellence and I know someone who had my surgeon and loved him. I asked him if I had any risk and he told me honestly no I don't see any complications with you. He's had one complication last year and it was a 600lb 65 yr. old with a lot of health issues and she had a leak. I feel like as surgeons go I have the best. My mom and dad have told me that I shouldn't worry about the surgery that its the surgeons job so I'm going to try that technique for awhile. He told me that when I come in on Tuesday they will start me on some anxiety meds almost immediately. Wish I could of had some starting Friday:) Thanks again!!

it's not done all that much in the US, either. I think I read only about 10% of weight loss surgeries in the US are DS (it may even be lower than that)

I have been banded since 01/08 and have lost ten lbs only to find them again.....I feel totally deceived. you are right, when I lost 5 lbs in a week it was because it was too tight and I couldnt eat a thing and puked several times.........yuck, that is sooo gross and unpleasant, no way to live your life, I had him take some out and I try and I mean try to use portion control and I also exercise regularly, but still dont knwo if i have lost any weigth, I wont weigh myself unlessI go to the lap band doc, it is way too depressing! I feel bamboozled! I am hungry every 3-4 hours and eat quite often, I try to fill myself with fruit, btu I am hugnry and I cant sleep if I am hungry.......wish I had done the bypassl...oh well, such is olife, what can I do now? live with it and do my best, every single moment is a challenge.....I am consumed with it, I am obviously feeding something else and need to take a different approacvh, i will attend OA this week,,,,I simply can t take it anymore:sad:

Pure Protein makes a good vanilla cream shake pre-made - 120 cal 19 grms pt and low in carbs - I add 1/2 banana and some Peanut Butter in a blender and ice - It's to die for - and I really don't do Protein Shakes at this stage (3 yrs) I really use it for dessert - you can add what ever you like - I had the unjury when I 1st got banded - unflavored - added flavored sf yogurt and fruit - But to tell you the truth I like the pure protein pre-made ones the best - and I hate pt shakes - like I said when you doctor them up they are excellent - imho That was too much food too in a short period of time - you have to contimplate your stomach - you will feel a new diff full now - but your head will say - oh that's all you are you need more food - Don't listen to it - listen to your stomach you are suppose to eat 3 meals and my doc allows 2 healthy Snacks - So after you have had your planed food - no more - 30 min (or what ever your doc instructed) start drinking your Water.. Yep - no band for your head - I know you have been told - WLS is not the easy way out - even when you have good restriction.. It's still work..

Thanks everyone! I still have 40 more lbs to go. And I owe it all to the great preparation my Bariatric Center provided me with before having the gastric sleeve done. I actually lost 130 in 10 months, the other 60ish was required to lose before my insurance would pay for the surgery and it took me all of 2011 to lose that! I'll post what my typical meals are daily in another post!

From a former smoker....Just keep trying. It took me 1 year after being diagnosed with COPD (emphazema) to be able to quit.keep going back to your doctor for different ways to assist your quitting. Their are alot of tools and drugs you can try. I tried everything from hyptnosis, cold turkey (usually would last just a few hours), prescription drugs, over the counter remedies, etc. Finally 2 1/2 years ago, instead of going on vacation I stayed home for a week. I quit that Monday morning on the patch ( which I tried many times before). During that first afternoon I had to do something or I was gonna fail once again. The best thing I ever did was grab a putty knife and start peeling wall paper. I now call it "MY WALL PAPER THERAPY". It gave me something to focus on and kept my hands busy. Oh, and by the way....the best wall paper remover is 90% warm water and 10% liquid laundry softener. If you really want to quit, you just have to keep trying to find something that works for you. Good Luck, I wish you the best.

I was banded in January of 2007 in Mexico by Dr Kuri. I have been getting fills in Sioux Falls by Dr. Harris, but his clinic is closing. I had lost 43 lbs and kept it off until about 6-7 months ago, and now have gained 10 back. My own fault, I am a stress eater and my job has been awful. Of course with the economy the way it is I certainly have to grin and bear it! My problem is that I began grazing again, and you can't do that with the band. Grazing enables you to consume waaaay too many calories than just eating your meals and a small snack. I too am trying to get my head back on straight and have just joined a fitness club that is across the street from where I work in Watertown. Plan on spending my lunch hours on the treadmill to get moving again. Anyone from my area who would like to get together? Battleweary, for sure. P.S. I am a 57 year old female.

The following comment is based solely on my own personal experience with the sleeve. I feel for you. But my concern is that at your current weight I don't see how you wouldn't wind up with the sleeve post-op becoming terribly underweight. I'm 13 months post-op and have lost 95 pounds and am now below my goal and trying to stay here without losing more weight. The sleeve really, really limits how much you can eat at one time. And when you're "done," you can't just put on the weight loss skids when you want to. It has taken me 5 months since reaching my weight loss to get to the point where I can regularly eat 1600 - 1700 calories a day, which is my maintenance calorie budget. And getting here took significant planning and snacking (not grazing!). In the meantime, I've lost another 10 pounds -- which, as it turns out, I like sitting at. And then there's this: If you're one of the unlucky ones who has a WLS complication of some kind you won't have a big overweight buffer to tide you over while your body recovers from the complication. These are the obvious reasons that surgeons don't do RnY or sleeve or other permanent WLS on patients who aren't already very overweight or obese.

Check with your Dr if you will be allowed Protein after surgery. I know I wasn't allowed to add protein powders in until 10 days post-op. So didn't need to take them to Mexico with me. But if you are allowed to have protein that soon after surgery, then yes, they should be fine travelling across the border & back.

I would just as a point of practice make a note of everything you eat.. Whether writing it down or putting it in a app like my fitness pal. Measure too. I just find it helps to visualize what I am putting in my body everyday. At 10 months out I still have a protein shake for breakfast... You might want to try that as protein does help you feel fuller longer. Good luck with your continued success...

Thank you for these ideas. I was doing so well, then I sort of brain died off. I really didn't have any fight for one reason or another. I usually have a little weight loss spur me back into life, this time, a 10 lb gain really socked me in. I like hearing about all the various coping skills, If I was good at creating them, I wouldn't have gained in the first place right? I need to get back on the exercise wagon too to get my metabolism going again. I think I will check out some of the fresh fruit things. I have been throwing out a lot of fruit lately, a bad sign that my whole family is going by the way side too. I thought I would be into more fruit freezies by now, but we have had a ton of cold and wet rain, snuggle weather. A fruit freezie doesn't sound as good as a mocha, sad. I have a new found understanding of turtles and of course for Vines as she deals with her health issues. Love ya Vines!

I tell you what that was a really great self esteem moment for me. I haven't been this thin in over 10 years and even though I still have a ways to go I'm already feeling so much better about myself and the way I look.

I never thought I would complain about ANY weight loss, but I can't help but compare my weight loss with others on this site. I am two weeks out and have only lost 10 pounds. I get in about 90 g of protein and 600 cal a day which is what my surgeon recommended. I'm 5'10". I feel like doing something wrong especially when I hear about people losing 25 their first two weeks. Also, I get in my fluids and walk 30 min daily.

I'm looking to connect with others that are disabled and/or retired. I have many painful & progressive conditions which make me unable to work and require several custom braces in order for me to do certain things. I do help a friend in her deli about 10 hours a week, which is great! I have VERY high energy, low metabolism, TONS of time on my hands (especially since I sleep very little, about 5-6 hours a night), limitation due to disability and living in a rural area and a desire to keep busy, on the move and burn calories. When I get bored I want to eat, which is another reason I want to stay busy and active. I walk, use a treadmill, ride a recumbant, stationary bike and use dumbbells. I work out twice a day/7 days a week. But there are ALOT of hours in between. I know few people in my area, and even fewer that can keep up with me, lol!

Congrats ! That is the way to go size 10. Keep up the Great Work. :woot:

This is what I am doing: It is very similar to yours 7:00-Shake, Multivitamin, Calcium 10:00-B12 12:00-Shake, Multivitamin, Calcium 2:00-Shake 6:00-Chicken broth, Calcium 10:00-Iron And 32oz+ of water That equals-520 calories (They said that I needed at least 1000)-96 grams of protein (They said that I needed at least 68) I hope that I am doing it right. Good luck! Where are you having your surgery?

The following is a condensation of a series from the Investor's Business Daily explaining 'What Caused the Loan Crisis': 1977: Pres. Jimmy Carter signs the Community Reinvestment Act into Law. The law pressured financial institutions to extend home loans to those who would otherwise not qualify. The Premise: Home ownership would improve poor and crime-ridden communities and neighborhoods in terms of crime, investment, jobs, etc. Results: Statistics bear out that it did not help. How did the government get so deeply involved in the housing market? Answer: Bill Clinton wanted it that way. 1992: Republican representative Jim Leach (IO) warned of the danger that Fannie and Freddie were changing from being agencies of the public at large to money machines for the principals and the stockholding few. 1993: Clinton extensively rewrote Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's rules turning the quasi-private mortgage-funding firms into semi-nationalized monopoies dispensing cash and loans to large Democratic voting blocks and handing favors, jobs and contributions to political allies. This potent mix led inevitably to corruption and now the collapse of Freddie and Fannie. 1994: Despite warnings, Clinton unveiled his National Home-Ownership Strategy which broadened the CRA in ways congress never intended. 1995: Congress, about to change from a Democrat majority to Republican, Clinton orders Robert Rubin's Treasury Dept to rewrite the rules. Robt. Rubin's Treasury reworked rules, forcing banks to satisfy quotas for sub-prime and minority loans to get a satisfactory CRA rating. The rating was key to expansion or mergers for banks. Loans began to be made on the basis of race and little else. 1997 - 1999: Clinton , bypassing Republicans, enlisted Andrew Cuomo, then Secretary of Housing and Urban Developement, allowing Freddie and Fannie to get into the sub-prime market in a BIG way. Led by Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd, congress doubled down on the risk by easing capital limits and allowing them to hold just 2.5% of capital to back their investments vs. 10% for banks. Since they could borrow at lower rates than banks their enterprises boomed. With incentives in place, banks poured billions in loans into poor communities, often 'no doc', 'no income', requiring no money down and no verification of income. Worse still was the cronyism: Fannie and Freddie became home to out-of work-politicians, mostly Clinton Democrats. 384 politicians got big campaign donations from Fannie and Freddie. Over $200 million had been spent on lobbying and political activities. During the 1990's Fannie and Freddie enjoyed a subsidy of as musch as $182 Billion,most of it going to principals and shareholders, not poor borrowers as claimed. Did it work? Minorities made up 49% of the 12.5 million new homeowners but many of those loans have gone bad and the minority homeownership rates are shrinking fast. 1999: New Treasury Secretary, Lawrence Summers, became alarmed at Fannie and Freddie's excesses. Congress held hearings the ensuing year but nothing was done because Fannie and Freddie had donated millions to key congressmen and radical groups, ensuring no meaningful changes would take place. 'We manage our political risk with the same intensity that we manage our credit and interest rate risks,' Fannie CEO Franklin Raines, a former Clinton official and current Barack Obama advisor, bragged to investors in 1999. 2000: Secretary Summers sent Undersecretary Gary Gensler to Congress seeking an end to the 'special status'. Democrats raised a ruckus as did Fannie and Freddie, headed by politically connected CEO's who knew how to reward and punish. 'We think that the statements evidence a contempt for the nation's housing and mortgage markets' Freddie spokesperson Sharon McHale said. It was the last chance during the Clinton era for reform. 2001: Republicans try repeatedly to bring fiscal sanity to Fannie and Freddie but Democrats blocked any attempt at reform; especially Rep. Barney Frank and Sen.Chris Dodd who now run key banking committees and were huge beneficiaries of campaign contributions from the mortgage giants. 2003: Bush proposes what the NY Times called 'the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago'. Even after discovering a scheme by Fannie and Freddie to overstate earnings by $10.6 billion to boost their bonuses, the Democrats killed reform. 2005: Then Fed chairman Alan Greenspan warns Congress: 'We are placing the total financial system at substantial risk'. Sen. McCain, with two others, sponsored a Fannie/Freddie reform bill and said, 'If congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system and the economy as a whole'. Sen. Harry Reid accused the GOP ;of trying to 'cripple the ability of Fannie and Freddie to carry out their mission of expanding homeownership' The bill went nowhere. 2007: By now Fannie and Freddie own or guarantee over HALF of the $12 trillion US mortgage market. The mortgage giants, whose executive suites were top-heavy with former Democratic officials, had been working with Wall St. to repackage the bad loans and sell them to investors. As the housing market fell in '07, subprime mortgage portfolios suffered major losses. The crisis was on, though it was 15 years in the making. 2008: McCain has repeatedly called for reforming the behemoths, Bush urged reform 17 times. Still the media have repeated Democrats' talking points about this being a 'Republican' disaster. A few Republicans are complicit but Fannie and Freddie were created by Democrats, regulated by Democrats, largely run by Democrats and protected by Democrats. That's why taxpayers are now being asked for $700 billion!! If you doubt any of this, just click the links below and listen to your lawmakers own words. They are condeming! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68D9XrqyrWo&feature=related]YouTube - Fannie & Freddie: The Real Story Behind The Economic Crisis[/ame]# http://www.youtube...com/watch?v=pIgqfM5C8lY# [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9juJr8CSY4&feature=related]YouTube - How democrats lied to America, while using community reinvestment act and acorn to destroy the American financial system.[/ame]# Postscript: ACORN is one of the principle beneficiaries of Fannie/ Freddie's slush funds. They are currently under indictment or investigation in many states. Barack Obama served as their legal counsel, defending their activities for several years. Please share this with everyone you know. Send it. Print it. Talk about it. America needs to know!!!