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HI All, I just got back from a day and a half away with hubby. I can't believe that we actually got away, just the two of us!!!! It was great, all too short, but great to feel like I didn't have to be a full time caregiver. We went to Big Bear Lake, just two and a half hours from here. The mountains were beautiful; the lake was peaceful, my food was what it should be and we took long walks, which gave me the exercise I so desparately need. I've got to learn a lesson from this weekend, about caring for myself!!! Not an easy lesson to learn at my age. Lori, you are staying at or near your 75 pound loss. Everything that went on with your parents would probably have provoked a weight gain in the past, but you didn't do that. Be proud, my friend. Stand up and be plenty proud!!!!! And give yourself even more credit, because you are so right on about dealing with the feelings that we normally would have stuffed down in the past. It's like we are small children, learning all over again how to deal with the world and it isn't easy. It isn't easy at all!!!!! But you are doing it! You are realizing it! A few choices doesn't mean you are caving in; it doesn't mean someone else has power over you. It just means you are human. We go forward; we go back - a little, but we keep going forward and that's just what you're doing! Right on, my friend. Love, Ellen

We do have to understand this is a lifetime commitment and we are bound to get off track occasionally. Just have to curb the weight gain or no weight loss before it gets too big. Losing one or two pounds is a lot easier than losing 20,30, or 40. Just don't beat ourselves up over it. Learn from your mistakes. I know the holidays are coming, I won't give up that much. No pie or cake. But a spoonful of everything (small spoon) and white meat turkey and defat the gravy first. Can enjoy the meal and still not gain weight.

Beautiful day here also. If you didn't get outside and enjoy it you missed it. I took doggie for a walk. This morning I took the sheets off the bed and washed my winter flannel sheets and put them on the bed. Also got the electric blanket out and put it on. Tonight I'm gonna be all snuggly warm. I got 2 really nice compliments at church this evening. It made me feel good. Nice to know that people notice the weight loss. Haydee, I was so relieved to hear how you are doing. Really glad to know that things sre going smoothly right now. Keep it up. We went out to dinner with some friends. We went to Golden Corral. I ate a butt load of veggies. I then decided to treat myself and I had one chocolate cookie and a lemon bar. I have my doctor's appointment Monday and I don't think it's going to go well. I've lost some but not that much and than on top of that I have had some water weight gain. You can see it in my cankles. I'm hoping that I get a little fill. Need it to help me get thru the holidays. TracyK, I still have my jar of peanuts and bag of candy corn. I'll wait a little longer till I mix them up together. Have a great evening and waitng patiently for Judy to return.

I know I'm supposed to be drinking 40z in an hour, but it rarely takes me more than 10 minutes. Am I damaging my pouch or setting my self up for future weight gain? I try to slow it down, but now that I'm actually doing this liquid thing, it seems ridiculous to be sipping or sucking on a icepop every moment I'm awake! I'm not experience any pain in my pouch other than my burps trying to escape at times other than when I'm drinking. And...is anyone feeling "hunger" I'm not sure that's what I'm feeling...

I am a slooooowww loser too. Getting burned out on Curves, had to go back on birth control, and my insulin resistance med. I am hoping the Actos will counteract the weight gain from the Junel. Last visit to doc I had GAINED 4 pounds upped my fill to an 8 now. Now the doc is talking about weight loss meds. Damnit, I mean if I knew I was going to have to go on Adipex or something else, what was the point of banding? ARRRGHHH!:smile2:

Hi Mary! I was banded on Oct 8th! during my preop diet I lost 12 lbs but I am not weighing until one month, Nov 8th. Because my stomach area is still swollen and bruise inside, from the surgery, so for some people, we don't lose right away, but some do. Remember...you do NOT have a fill yet, so you won't have any restictions until you first fill on Nov 17? Mine is on Dec 6, which will be the end of the 8th week, as I can't do it a week before Thanksgiving or have it done on Thanksgiving weekend, for that is when I do my Xmas shopping (smile). Personally I only drink Protein Water (Special K2O - strawberry kiwi) and I do a Protein shake. Proteins helps curbs your hunger and thirst. Also, I don't drink tea during the day, just at night. I have a popsicle at night as my 'treat'. Anyway, the point is...give the band a chance and choose quality foods with lots of proteins. At this stage, don't worry about the calorie intake or even the card right now. We are new and our body is trying to adjust to the new change. Hope this helps you Mary! Jude =) Hi I am very interested in more information on your experience. I was banded on Oct. 7th. With the 5 day preop diet until now I have lost 17lbs. But the facts are not that simple. I lost most of it from the start of the preop until about 3 days post op. I feel no restriction whatsoever. I am still slightly sore at the port but otherwise the surgery was very easy. I did every thing I was told and now feel fine just slight soreness at the port site. But I am starving. I tried testing it last night to see and sure enough I can eat anything. No side affects at all. My first fill is Nov. 17th. What I do feel is thirsty all the time and I am drinking probably 100oz a day all non-caffeine teas or water. What drove me to try real food was horrible upset stomach from all the artificial sweeteners. I have 110 lbs more to lose. So you experience with the fills is very interesting to me. Right now I have serious buyers remorse and hunger. One problem that exasperates my situation and led to this massive weight gain over the past 8 years is a very serious foot condition that prohibits any distance walking. I have just bought a recumbent bike and this weekend I am going to see how I handle that with the little bit of residual surgical pain I have. Any additional information or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi I am very interested in more information on your experience. I was banded on Oct. 7th. With the 5 day preop diet until now I have lost 21 lbs. But the facts are not that simple. I lost most of it from the start of the preop until about 3 days post op. I feel no restriction whatsoever. I am still slightly sore at the port but otherwise the surgery was very easy. I did every thing I was told and now feel fine just slight soreness at the port site. But I am starving. I tried testing it last night to see and sure enough I can eat anything. No side affects at all. My first fill is Nov. 17th. What I do feel is thirsty all the time and I am drinking probably 100oz a day all non-caffeine teas or water. What drove me to try real food was horrible upset stomach from all the artificial sweeteners. I have 110 lbs more to lose. So your experience with the fills is very interesting to me. Right now I have serious buyers remorse and hunger. One problem that exasperates my situation and led to this massive weight gain over the past 8 years is a very serious foot condition that prohibits any distance walking. I have just bought a recumbent bike and this weekend I am going to see how I handle that with the little bit of residual surgical pain I have. Any additional information or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hey There, Yes, I have suggestions and my best one is to follow Dr's orders. With my health condition I ended up having to stay 3 days. Tghe 24th of Dec. is when I got released, our family Xmas meal was at Rube's steakhouse. It was a blizzardy night, my first night out of the hospital (I was in great pain and anxiety) but survived. Use a blender of some sort to puree or eat baby food everything you choose to put in that stomache that has just gone under major surgery, without causing yourself pain or your stomach to have major issues that could include more major surgeries. Then ween into soft types of food. One thing mainly to avoid to continue to lose weight is carb's. Keep them out of your diet completely! They will cont. to bring on more weight gain than any other food! Eat all the meat (Protein), Veg. and Fruits, plus drink some type of Protein drink which containds 60-80mg. a drink up to twice dailey. This will help your body and emotional level to becomew more stable, keep you from losing your hair, give you energy if taken in accordance w/your Dr.'s other recommendations. Always take Folic Acid, Elctra Vit. C, D, E and several of the B Vitamins., now I also add Bee Pollen, Calcium D, and Norwehian Cod Oil. You can follow this and see how it leads you, or let me kow what you are doing for yourself and how this is working. Deb

I was told repeatedly that I could not worry about my weight during pregnany, and it made sense, but it was hard to accept because I was afraid of excessive weight gain. I had jut gotten within reach of my goal, and was terrified of having to take any steps back. You really do not want to lose fat during pregnancy. Not gaining is one thing, but losing fat weight is something entirely different and lots of research out there indicates it may actually be dangerous (excessive ketones in the blood, overall nutriitional health, etc.) On average the baby's "support system" will weigh about 20 pounds. The average term delivery weighs about 7.6 lbs. So that's close to 30 pounds just on the actual pregnancy. It's also normal for the body to try and hold some fat. My OB's office recommends 30 - 35 lbs as an overall gain to target through pregnancy. I'm right in that range, and honestly would not feel comfortable if I was under, even though I really fought gaining in the beginning. I can still wear pre-pregnancy clothes as long as they don't have closed fabric over the baby area, or are stretchy - shoulders, back, arms, etc. still fit the same... so I have no reason to think I've gained any sizes even though I've gained quite a bit of weight. Early on I told myself I would gain 15 lbs. What I based that on was just psychological/emotional, not medical/healthy. Eating well, that quickly got pushed aside. It seemed like every month the scale was up a few more pounds, regardless of how careful I had been. And IMO that's how it should be. Unless I go past term I will deliver this month and my "goal" (I hate goals, but for lack of a better word) is to be within 5 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight by the start of the new year. We'll see how that goes.

Hello to all! Just attend an orientation meeting last night with the Memorial Bariatric Center in Michigan with Dr. Tomita’s staff. I found it very informative and with all the research, that I have done it satisfies all the criteria of what you should look for in a surgeon that performs LAP-BAND surgeries. My concern is INSURANCE. My BMI is between 35 and 36. I have one documented co-morbid condition, which is hypertension. I have conditions that may or may not be considered a threat currently in my life. Meaning classified as a co-morbid condition. My mother had breast cancer, which increases my risk for breast cancer and is increased greater because of my weight. I became a diabetic during my pregnancies (18 - 20 years ago) each time I delivered my babies. No longer, a diabetic, but was told this could re-occur again with weight gain. This has not happen yet, but the writing is on the wall. At this point, I am setting myself up for this disease too. I have Mito Valve Prolapse. My heart flutters at times. I am sure extra weight does not help this condition. Medication is not needed for this, but I think my high blood pressure med helps. I am on Paxcil not for depressing but for anxiety attacks. All though I feel depressed because of my weight, which I am sure, you all can relate to. I am also on thyroid medication. Due to a hypothyroidism condition. Cancer and heart issues with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. I am not sure what the insurance will say. I sure do not like the insurance companies deciding what is best for me. I have tried so many diets through out my life. The only success I have had is losing about 13 pounds and gaining it back and then some. With this track record I am 100% guaranteed to die early with an aliment that can be contributed to my weight. At this point, I do not want to wait until my BMI is higher or faced with an additional “better” co-morbid condition. I am already feeling poor health at my current weight. I am going to continue on this journey. I am sure there will be many obstacles for me to face and overcome. No one said it was going to be easy. I just do not want to hear “NO - YOU ARE NOT APPROVED”

congratulations on your loss!! I am only one month out and have lost 35 pounds. That is a pretty good start, however im noticing now even tho im eating small portions three times a day and only snack is a v-8 to get in my veggies i barely eat. im crawling. however. i did start walking and have lost three pounds this week, didnt walk last night and went up by .3 pounds. My opinion is once i get to goal which is along way away lol. but hey im 1/4 there lol. is to ensure to keep up on fills if needed and watching any weight gain and even if a 5 pound fluctuate to call the doc right away. that is my plan anyhow. i am determined to keep this weight off for life!!!! Today is hard because we are having a sweet potluck with all sorts of desserts. I just made sugar free jello to take with light fruit mix. i will have some.. anyhoo back to subject. this is the best decision i ever made ever ever. i love my band. i havent even had a fill and i cant eat very much at all. im hoping with my first fill , it will give me good restriction. crossing fingers. im not worried about the regain later down the road because for me its all about upkeep for a lifetime.

Best Wishes Sheena!!!! Now you said you had the band removed? What happened? And what form of wls are you planning on next month? Goodmorning, The last 20 months offered me nothing but fill/unfill:drool:...I could never go more than 3 weeks with a fill..which for a while would feel great and one day I would just wake up it no that it was yet again time for an unfill....sometimes this was a trip to the ER in the middle of church, sometimes I could hold out a day or two, sometimes it was an emergency call to the doctor to fit me in to do an unfill...It was progressive gradually. Below is a summation of my lapband experience from implant to removal, I have indicated the symptomatic issues that were experienced which led to the unfills. I did not indicate that the first 2 unfills were resultant of having been too tight and having flown. Lots of doctors and other bandsters will tell you that this is impossible, but I found research that speaks to a few bandsters being impacted by flying if they are already too tight--that indeed was my experience. :thumbup: Although I had these issues, during the process, I did not see them as complications--I loved my band. :tt1: I would advise everyone to be your own medical health advocate, challenge the opinions, research--become your best expert on yourself and this life transforming process, document your process...it was my only comfort in tracking my progress and ultimately seeing the regressive pattern. Dont just leave it up to the doctor to know and track everything with your progress/process. Everytime I got an unfill, I was asking is this normal, should I be concerned. By year 2, I figured that I was going to regulate the amount of fills that I was getting b/c what I had learned from year 1 was that the doctors had been too aggressive in my fills administration. From that I saw progress, but each time it was short lived..it did not make sense (levels that I had been at before were now too tight). Pay attention to your body, monitor your progress. At my last unfill, I was adamant in being concerned about the steady pace of fills/unfills/deflates...so much so that my doctor had to admit it too...and then we began discussing the option of getting an endoscopy done in 1 month....needless to say we didnt have that time...as 2 days later I had been admitted to the hospital and the emergency call had been made to remove my band. :regular_smile: At those fill appts., insist on knowing how much of a fill is being administered and knowing what your total balance is. Document this every visit. It cant hurt..it can help in the accountability process in the long run. During those periods of unfills being needed, I would lose 5-8 pounds over night.:tt2: Even if I could do this all over again, I know that lapband would have been my first choice & vertical sleeve my second. At the time of my decision I had not heard about vertical sleeve. I am hoping to have the vertical sleeve gastrectomy next month. And if that dont work I will go back for the second stage of the sleeve; however, I doubt if I will need it. I lost 46 pounds with the band & hope to lose another 30 pounds. I am hopeful!:w00t: November 16, 2006--surgery performed; weight: 247 December 2006--weight: 225 January 3, 2007--weight: 211; first fill administered--1cc in 4 cc band February 2007--weight: 215 March 2, 2007--weight 207; 2nd fill administered--1cc added--total 2cc in 4cc band April 23, 2007--weight: 204; 3rd fill administered--1.1cc added--total 3.1cc in 4cc band May 23, 2007--weight: 198; 1st unfill administered--2.3cc removed---total 0.8cc in 4cc band (acid reflux, esophageal spasm, stoma occlusion) June 26, 2007--weight: 209; 4th fill administered--1.2cc added--total 2.0cc in 4cc band July 10, 2007--weight: 212; 5th fill administered--0.8cc added--total 2.8cc in 4cc band August 2007--weight: 212 September 2007--weight: 212 October 4, 2007--weight 212--2nd unfill administered--0.5cc removed--total 2.3cc in 4cc band October 30, 2007--weight 212--6th fill administered--1cc added--total 3.3cc in 4cc band November 6, 2007--weight: 206--3rd unfill administered--0.5cc removed--total 2.5cc in 4cc band (acid reflux, esophageal spasm, stoma occlusion) December 2007--weight 215 Year 1: 6 fills; 3 unfills; weight fluctuation range: 247-198 weight loss: 49 pounds; weight gain: 30 pounds ************************************************************************************************************************************ January 22, 2008--weight: 217; 1st fill administered--0.8cc added--total 3.2cc in 4cc band February 12, 2008--weight: 213; 1st unfill administered--0.5cc removed--total 2.7cc in 4cc band March 2008--weight: 217 April 29, 2008--weight: 216; 2nd fill administered--1cc added--total 3cc in 4cc band May 6, 2008--weight: 207; 2nd unfill administered--.02cc removed--total 2.8cc band May 18, 2008--weight: 204; 1st deflate--(acid reflux, esophageal spasm, stoma occlusion, dehydration) May 27, 2008--weight: 204; 3rd fill administered--2.5cc added--2.5cc in 4cc band June 26, 2008-weight: 204; 3rd unfill administered-.8cc removed--total 1.7cc in 4cc band July 2008--weight: 204 August 19, 2008--weight: 209; 4th fill administered--.5cc added--total 2.2cc in 4cc band September 15, 2008--weight: 201; 2nd deflate--(pouch dilation, esophageal spasms, dehydration) September 17, 2088--weight 201; lap band removal Year 2: 4 fills; 3 unfills; 2 deflates; 1 band removal weight fluctuation range: 217-201 Max. weight loss: 16 pounds; Max. weight gain: 9pounds

Wow, been a long time since being banded in April '07. Done really well, stopped smoking, gained some back and am losing it again. Fellow long time bandsters can probably agree with this from experience....it is a life long battle with the band as well as without. It is just easier to win a battle when you have a weapon. And the band is our weapon. BUT, do not break the rules and lay the weapon down cause then you are in trouble. You have to be vigilant, day in and day out unless you want to get beaten. For example, if you would have told me this time a year ago that I would gain back 40 pounds I would have called you a liar. Sure, I quit smoking and that was the main reason for the weight gain but I mean really...the band did not keep me from gaining weight....the band HELPS to LOSE weight. So, I learned the hard way. I learned a lesson that you would think is common sense? Yep, but it happens. I forgave myself. Now I know...I have to WORK it. I have to work it today AND I have to work it tomorrow. And tomorrow I will tell myself to work it the next day...and so on and so on. I have 2 rewards in this...#1 I still do not smoke anymore and #2 I am smarter about my weapon. OH and #3 I did not have to gain ALL the weight back to realize my mistakes. I stopped the bleeding in time. The first few months with 'the weapon' was tough...losing it twice and keeping it off is tougher. BUT, it is going to happen. Once I learned that this is my life with the band and I learned to accept it, life has gotten better. I went through the 'oh, screw this' phase. You know, the inner fat girl saying "eat it, its OK". I wish I would have woke up before I gained 40 pounds but it is what it is and I am changing it. Like my violet friend Judy says "its not how you run the race, its how you finish". True, and I am running right now:tongue2:

Wow, been a long time since being banded in April '07. Done really well, stopped smoking, gained some back and am losing it again. Fellow long time bandsters can probably agree with this from experience....it is a life long battle with the band as well as without. It is just easier to win a battle when you have a weapon. And the band is our weapon. BUT, do not break the rules and lay the weapon down cause then you are in trouble. You have to be vigilant, day in and day out unless you want to get beaten. For example, if you would have told me this time a year ago that I would gain back 40 pounds I would have called you a liar. Sure, I quit smoking and that was the main reason for the weight gain but I mean really...the band did not keep me from gaining weight....the band HELPS to LOSE weight. So, I learned the hard way. I learned a lesson that you would think is common sense? Yep, but it happens. I forgave myself. Now I know...I have to WORK it. I have to work it today AND I have to work it tomorrow. And tomorrow I will tell myself to work it the next day...and so on and so on. I have 2 rewards in this...#1 I still do not smoke anymore and #2 I am smarter about my weapon. OH and #3 I did not have to gain ALL the weight back to realize my mistakes. I stopped the bleeding in time. The first few months with 'the weapon' was tough...losing it twice and keeping it off is tougher. BUT, it is going to happen.:eek: Once I learned that this is my life with the band and I learned to accept it, life has gotten better. I went through the 'oh, screw this' phase. You know, the inner fat girl saying "eat it, its OK". I wish I would have woke up before I gained 40 pounds but it is what it is and I am changing it. Like my violet friend Judy says "its not how you run the race, its how you finish". True, and I am running right now:tongue2:

PCOS doesn't automatically cause weight gain. One of the women at my work has it and she's normal weight for her height. She's pregnant with her second bub, but her ovaries are full of cycsts, she was saying. However, it is more common to be overweight with PCOS though. Sadie: First of all, its up to you and you alone if you get the band. Your parents are concerned for you, which is their job, but they can't stop you from making the decision for yourself about getting the band or not. You need to do that, in consultation with your doctor. As for what you are eating, are you aware that if you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation? It slows your metabolism, which means you won't lose any and then when you do increase your food intake, it will store it all, incase of another famine! (this is what your body thinks is happening).

Does PCOS cause weight gain? I was once told I might have this, but it has not been diagnosed.

Greetings, I am a newbie to the board & am in the process of recovery:girl_hug: from my lapbad removal:thumbdown: on 9.17. Year 1: 6 fills; 3 unfills; weight fluctuation range: 247-198 weight loss: 49 pounds; weight gain: 30 pounds Year 2: 4 fills; 3 unfills; 2 deflates; 1 band removal weight fluctuation range: 217-201 Max. weight loss: 16 pounds; Max. weight gain: 9pounds I have followed up with my insurance to ensure coverage--confirmed--and I have followed up with my PCP to ensure protocol--letter from referral doctor of medical necessity. I have followed up with my referral doctor/wls surgeon to advise that my PCP needs a letter of medical necessity to submit for approval for authorization. I am schedule for my one month post op follow up visit with my wls surgeon on 10.31. I have confirmed the co-pay for wls in-patient is $250/outpatient is $150. :laugh: I was selfpay $8500 plus travel for my lapband--Dr. Ortiz--Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, Mexico in November 2006. So the opportunity to get this wls covered by insurance is FANTASTIC! I can say that my insurance/PCP have been great b/c they covered all but 2 of my fills--and that was before I realized that I could petition for coverage. :huh2: I am hopeful/prayerful that there are not too many hoops to jump through and that the best case scenario renders that I can anticipate my wls to occur near the end of Thanksgiving--yes this year--like in a bit more than 30 days! I am wrapping up my last semester of coursework on my doctorate degree in higher education leadership and am working on chapters 1-3 for proposal defense & have comp exams coming up in 3 weeks...atop of returning to work on Monday.....so I already have a lot of hoop action already going on!:tt2: Wish me well!:cool2: Sheena

Hello, I have been lurking for a week or so and wanted to check in. I am female, 53, with a BMI of 46.5, need I say more - but I must. I have been doing some research and really, really want to make this lifelong, lifestyle, life saving change. So I contacted not my PCP but my Gastroenterologist, see there is one hitch to a lap band for me, 15 years ago I had a liver transplant. I have done amazingly well no issues around the transplant, except weight gain which is common, although I have been on the heavy side since my teens, heavier in my 20ies - 30ies and out of control since then. About 10 years ago I did manage to loose about 70 lbs on WW but like so many I just can't keep it off. I thought perhaps the doctor would simply shut me down but she did not. Bypass was simply not an option for me because I take anti-rejection meds that must have a chance to absorb in the lower tract. The banding is different and it seems that there have been some documented success with people like me. Well I got my referral to bariatric surgery and it has been a week and have not heard from them, to me that's good news, perhaps I wont get the boot right at the gate. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE THAT HAS HAS A TRANSPLANT, Liver, Kidney or Heart and then been banded? The GI doc mentioned something about possible adhesions, IS THERE ANYONE WHO HAD PREVIOUS ABDOMINAL SURGERY, that encountered problems, or not, when they got their band that can tell me stories? I am ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT TAKING pills once banded, none of them are as large as say a big Vitamin, all about the size of a regular small pill, the anti-rejection med is a small capsule. I take pills twice a day about every 12 hours. They used to make a liquid form of the anti-rejection med but, I am not too clear, I do remember it was notoriously bad tasting though. SO ANY ONE WHO TAKES ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY MEDICATION REGULARLY TELL ME WHAT YOU DO? I don't even know that they are going to accept me as a candidate so I have not even consulted a bariatric surgeon, you all are my very first reach out and touch someone. I have enjoyed reading your posts, I can relate to each of you. I especially like reading the "things I won't miss about being overweight" Ditto to it all. Best - newfilter (as in new liver - I have used this as my on-line nick name since I got my x-plant 15 years ago, maybe I will be able to change it to newbod in a couple of years :laugh:)

WTF????? I do not understand what is going on with me and my scale. I got my latest fill a few weeks ago. It worked very well, I was so motivated and lost 8 pounds pretty fast. Then last week, TOM, and Water weight gain + cravings. I didn't give in to cravings, etc. Now, understand that I retain SERIOUS water - like 5 to 10 lbs of water. It sucks. Okay, so water gone, scale went back to normal. I fully admit I fell off the wagon on Friday night and gave in to temptation (Marble Slab Creamery is the of the devil). I logged my food at thedailyplate, and yes, I was way over, but not enough to even gain a pound, much less the NINE pounds that my scale reflected Saturday. I thought it was a fluke, but it was still there Sunday and this morning. NINE pounds - as in, heavier than before my fill. Again - WTF??????

I feel EXACTLY the same about looking at my pre unfill weight gain photos too. We can do this, WE CAN and we'll be THAT hot again.

It's ok you have a lot of fluid after surgery . and a lot of swelling i am sure that's the answer to you weight gain. You will began to lose that as the days go by . so keep a chin up . Lynnlynn

Hi, I too had a BMI of 36. I am 5'5 and was 220. Just like you I did not have any health related issues, but plenty of emotional issues. I have been struggling for the last 15 years with my weight gain. I struggled with endometriosis and therefore was on tons of hormones and several surgeries to have children. Fast forward to 2004 I had to have my uterus removed. This past march I once again had surgery to remove my ovaries. Thus hormones again. From March to September I put on 22 more pounds, putting me at my all time high of 220. My husbands insurance offers no WLS coverage, and my insurance said I wasn't heavy enough. I also looked into the Mexico thing, but when I seriously thought it over, the fear and the thought of not having my Dr. in town quickly changed my mind. I decided to go to a seminar in my town and within 4 weeks I was on the O.R. table having my band put in. Now as far as costs, I decided to apply for care credit and was approved within 60 seconds online. My surgery cost me 15,500, this includes preop,postop, and fills for one year. Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way not condoning going abroad for surgery, however when I went to the seminar, the surgeon clearly stated that he would not touch any patient who went abroad for a band placement due to liability issues. I have also heard of Dr.s in the states charging up to 3,000 to become your postop doc here in the states. Thats when it became clear to me, that it truly was not worth it for me. As far as the band is concerned I could not be happier. This has been the best decision in my life. I have lost 17lbs since 9/12/08 and am looking forward for my first fill so that I can continue going downwards on the scale! I wish you the best of luck in your decision, and may you also become a bandster very soon! ObTech 89117

I don't understand how I could possibly be gaining weight since I have been extremly strict with my diet progression through the appropriate stages and my amounts are staggeringly small.....3 or 4 tbls of food at each meal. How is that happening? Doesn't that mean that when I'm able to eat real food that I'll continue gaining? This is so depressing and I was so close to canceling my suregery anyway cuz I thought I was doing so good on the preop diet (20 lbs lost). I've read that post surgery is about healing more so than weight loss, but how terrible I feel to be gaining on such small amounts of food. Anyone know why this happens or has happened to anyone else or is it just me failing once again at weight loss?

While my husband never said anything mean, or criticized or insulted me, he just quit being interested in me. He didn't touch me, hug me, cuddle me. In one year, I think we had sex about 5 times. It was awful. It hurt so bad. I constantly tried to be affectionate, like we always had been, and I started to think he had an affair. to this day he denies it. Despite this, he always told me he loved me. It was so confusing. Yes, I had gained 100 pounds. I was well aware how different I looked, but it still hurt. I came out and asked him about it, and he said that for me, sex is a visual thing, and with my weight gain, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get past it. It had nothing to do with me personally. I started to think about getting a band at that point. Then one night he dissolved in tears and blubbered about how much he loved me, and it hurt him to the core to think that one day he was going to have to wheel me around in a wheelchair, and that he was terrified of losing me to ill health. THAT hit home. I started the banding process the very next week. It was the best thing I've ever done. We're like teenagers again. The sex is great and all is well. I feel good. I have confidence. I'm happy and no longer depressed. I have energy. We do things together again. We travel and go places because I'm not tired. We're like newlyweds again. I didn't realize how much my weight affected our marriage. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

I agree Michee. Protein is calories, just like any other food. Protein has similar calories as carbs gram for gram and if you eat too much protein, and that leads to excess calories, it WILL make you fat just like any other food. However you can play around a lot with how much of your daily calorie intake is made up of protein v carbs v fat of course. The way protein damages the kidneys is not by taking 40 grams at a sitting. overtime if you have a very high protein intake (like over 100 grams a day), your body doubles the rate at which it excretes Calcium and THAT can cause kidney stones and gall stones (the calcium based ones) and also if you take in your protein with a lot of animal products and saturated fats you can predispose yourself to gout (nitrates) and heart disease. However, if you take in a lot of manufactured protein (as in soy products) this can have detrimental effects on the hormonal systems of the body, particularly males. Body builders LOOK fantastically healthy. That doesnt mean they are. Big muscles does not equal cardiovascular fitness or health for example. Many body builders cant run around the block and they can have awful blood make-ups. It has to be done right and it doesnt transpose that because you're an average joe, working out four times a week you can go slogging three or four Protein shakes a day and the calories wont add up, or you wont be overdoing the protein. You need "adequate" protein to grow muscles, more doesnt equal bigger muscles necessarily. Moderation is the key. 60 grams a day for a woman is fine, there's absolutely nothing dangerous about that, but it should come from a variety of sources, dont overdo any one food or rely totally on shakes. Protein shakes on top of a normal diet can easily cause weight gain if you're not burning it all off. And protein is not complete nutrition, you also have to remember all the other elements of a healthy diet. But even staunch carb eater that I am, I do have to admit that a high protein Breakfast stops the mid afternoon cravings for sweet carbs So lately, I have been trying to do that. For me, high protein breakfast and high protein lunch = awful awful gas. High protein breakfast and then my normal carb based lunch (like a sandwich including a small serve of protein like chicken or egg) = no naughty treats in the afternoon. dinner for me is usually a protein and veges, I usually cant fit in the starch, but sometiems we do have Pasta.