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I'm one of those - 75lbs needed off the body; but I'm also 5'1. At 200lbs, my body had been through the ringer - several miscarriages, inconsistent exercise & regular overindulging of food & drink. I knew I could diet & exercise to get the weight off, my body just did not bounce back like it did when i was 25 when i thought 127lbs was a high number. at 38 - my metabolism was not responding to heathly living w/out WLS, i sought out the band because i needed something to KEEP the weight gain from coming back. just needed a little push & i got it, thankfully. i was able to get the lapband at a BMI of 36 because that still put me in an obese category. Now my Ins wouldn't cover me - I paid cash for the lapband. I come to LBT because I have NO where else to go to talk about WLS. My husband had the band w/me, but he wants to keep this private - and I'm a talker; so my outlet is only here to talk about my issues/results & share w/others and their success. I'm not going to flame you one bit, I will say this - I wish I got the lapband when I hit 175lbs; I'm very respectful of those who have a low BMI to take hold of their issue sooner rather than later. I venture to bet most wish they took charge of their weight issues before they got out hand.

I am sitting here waiting on the insurance company to approve the surgery so I can start my new life! I am so excited about this procedure. I have had weight issues since I was abused by a family member when I was approx. 10 years old. I guess I decided to hide behind the weight and it would protect me. :rolleyes2: But it started coming on when I was in the 5th grade. Up until then I was thin. In fact, my mom told me that when I was a baby they had to take me to the doctor because I would not eat... WELL not having that problem now!:eek: Anyway, I was active in Jr. High and High school, being a cheerleader all through those years. I was still larger than all the other girls, but had/have a great personality and pretty enough face, that I didn't let my weight become an issue in my life until I was married and having babies. Not being able to blame the pregnancies on my weight gains. Only gained 12 lbs. with first pregnancy and 20 with the second! It really started when ex husband started having affairs that the weight came on and it came on fast, I am one of those ladies that keeps everything inside until she decides to explode! Well it took me 18 years to finally explode and when I did, I lost 120 lbs of my own and his 180 lbs as we divorced. Then I did the rebound thing... I KNOW I KNOW,, stupid and he turned out to be an alcoholic and all the weight I had lost came back on as I saw my life going south again.... Then we divorced and I lost some of the weight after that. No my thyroid is pretty much shot, I am on medication but the doctor told me that with my thyroid issues I would have a lot harder time loosing weight and that is when I decided to try the route of the lap band. I have done alot of research and think this will work for me as it will help me to keep it off. My support system isn't very good with family, my mom is always telling me about these shows she watches on tv about the lapband and all the bad stuff that happens. :mad:(Yes, I told her to stop watching so much tv.!) So I am looking for a different support system and that is where I came across this site. I am hoping to connect with a few people on here to help keep my spirits up and my head up at the same time. Anyone out there interested in supporting one another in this adventure I am game!:blushing::thumbup::biggrin::thumbup::thumbup::tt2:

I am sitting here waiting on the insurance company to approve the surgery so I can start my new life! I am so excited about this procedure. I have had weight issues since I was abused by a family member when I was approx. 10 years old. I guess I decided to hide behind the weight and it would protect me. :thumbdown: But it started coming on when I was in the 5th grade. Up until then I was thin. In fact, my mom told me that when I was a baby they had to take me to the doctor because I would not eat... WELL not having that problem now!:eek: Anyway, I was active in Jr. High and High school, being a cheerleader all through those years. I was still larger than all the other girls, but had/have a great personality and pretty enough face, that I didn't let my weight become an issue in my life until I was married and having babies. Not being able to blame the pregnancies on my weight gains. Only gained 12 lbs. with first pregnancy and 20 with the second! It really started when ex husband started having affairs that the weight came on and it came on fast, I am one of those ladies that keeps everything inside until she decides to explode! Well it took me 18 years to finally explode and when I did, I lost 120 lbs of my own and his 180 lbs as we divorced. Then I did the rebound thing... I KNOW I KNOW,, stupid and he turned out to be an alcoholic and all the weight I had lost came back on as I saw my life going south again.... Then we divorced and I lost some of the weight after that. No my thyroid is pretty much shot, I am on medication but the doctor told me that with my thyroid issues I would have a lot harder time loosing weight and that is when I decided to try the route of the lap band. I have done alot of research and think this will work for me as it will help me to keep it off. My support system isn't very good with family, my mom is always telling me about these shows she watches on tv about the lapband and all the bad stuff that happens. :mad:(Yes, I told her to stop watching so much tv.!) So I am looking for a different support system and that is where I came across this site. I am hoping to connect with a few people on here to help keep my spirits up and my head up at the same time. Anyone out there interested in supporting one another in this adventure I am game!:bored::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

PS Read you blog. Don't worry about the weight gain. As you record your weight, you will see your body's pattern for weight loss. IE. My weight is less at the start of the month and as the month goes by, I gradually gain weight. Then at the start of the next month, I am down to the original weight plus some. Never fails. I have kept weekly records since pre op days. Seems my body likes to replace the fat with water. Don't know the science of it all, but I think you will find how your body treats weight loss. The secret is to keep upbeat and don't let the scales get you down. I find I have to weigh weekly even though I know I will show a gain. This keeps me trying even harder. Good luck

Call me crazy, no really I like that... lol jk but 24 lbs in 5 weeks (I believe that's what it was?) is great. I am no healthy eating model bandster that is for sure - I have some serious bad eating habit and am actually going to see a therapist to talk about some issues I have with food (mainly sweets - not so much stuff like chips/pizza, etc). However the reason for my post is - I read somewhere and for the life of me can't remember where - that when you eat "bad foods" (I hesitate to call them that but for lack of not enough coffee this early in the a.m. I will) it takes up to 3 days for your body to have the affects from it (ie: weight gain, etc). Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?

Tonya, I am totally thinking about you this morning . . . . I started a new maintenace medication for my migraines last Tuesday and weighed this morning - I am up 4 pounds in 8 days. Grrrrr - one of the known side effects of 'neurotin' is weight gain and my Neurologist and I talked about that before I agreed to take it. She told me if I see a gain, then she will give me something else, so guess who I'll be calling at 9am? I am not taking another one of those stupid pills . . . I haven't been able to tell a difference anyway, so it's not like it was my 'miracle med.' So - I have got to get back on track. I need to watch what I eat more closely and get back to exercising. At this mornings weight, I want to lose 20 more pounds . . .

Check out the amount of sodium in your soup. What I understand is you will be more susceptible to water weight gain in the month following surgery while you are healing than normal. Also of course there are those monthly fluctuations too. It will come back off.....probably a big drop quickly.

Banda Its good to read that you are doing much better now. Im sure the weight gain is hard but it probably your body adjusting to eating more and keeping it in. do you work out? that may help you start losing again. you will probably also notice that once your body adjusts that you may start losing again. good luck with everything

So yesterday I went to my appt with the surgeon's office and it is official... I am scheduled for surgery on May 21st. :tt1: I am super psyched and not at all nervous. I can not wait! I wish it was tomorrow! The process went very smooth and quick! One month from seminar to surgery..... :thumbup:BRING IT ON!!! :tt1: I have my pre-op day of testing scheduled for the 12th. I also need to meet with the Psych. again as it is their policy to meet with her one more time before surgery... Personally I see it as a way to get more money out of me....... but alas I must do what I am told to do to get to my ultimate goal.... So it will be a period of my life I wont be able to get back...... LOL! But it is just a step in the process....... The office did not give me a specific diet except to start cutting down portions and working on chewing food well and all the things that I will need to be doing after surgery...... I have on my own started a protein liquid diet to prepare anyways so all is good....They said I could continue that if I wanted.... The only thing mentioned was that they did not want a weight gain prior to surgery..... to start an exercise program. Two checks in the block completed... I work out 3-5 times a week for an hour allready and have been for over a year.... and I am down 13 lbs. since the seminar....so no weight gain to worry about.... :biggrin:Sooooo anyone out there joining me on the 21st?????? :tt2:

Congrats on the 50 lb loss!!!! That's why you're here isn't it? Support! The only thing my mother-in-law ever seems to notice is weight gain not loss so there must be two really good ones out there, brandyII.

I haven't been banded yet, but I'm on Body for Life right now, and I also swear by the cheat meal/day. I'm only doing a cheat meal because I have a lot to lose and I don't work out as hard as the plan likes. I don't know if it has a physiological effect or not; but the psychological effect of being able to let down your guard once a week is fairly valuable. If the pizza and cookie dough really are only once a week, then I say that's OK. Plus, maybe it does help the metabolism: the cheat meal says "I'm not starving to death" and that's always a good message. In any case, there are always plateaus on diets. You haven't even been filled yet and don't have restriction. So as long as you're not gaining, and you're still losing a bit, I'd wait for some more restriction later on to help you keep below that 1500 calories. If you look on the board, people usually eat much less than that when restricted (hard to believe!), and maybe 1500 calories is only good for a slower loss than, say 1200 calories would be. I think it's a good bet that switching entirely to a pizza and cookie dough diet will result in weight gain, or at least, poor nutrition. Stick with what you're doing, I think.

I'd encourage you to have a talk with your doctor about your need for treats. it may well be that there is a way to tweak your eating plan that's helps deal with that. I can't speak for others, but when I'm on a low carb diet with sufficient fat in it, I experience very little need to munch. I've been reading Dr. Paul O'Brien's book - he's the researcher/surgeon in Australia that has done more studies on the Lap Band than anyone else I know of. What he emphasizes over and over again is that if something is getting in the way of you losing weight or doing what you're supposed to, you should talk to your doctor about it. Don't assume this is just you being an undisciplined bum. I'd also encourage you to understand the mechanics of weight loss and weight gain. Because if you know what catalyst you're unleashing every time you drink a Starbucks drink or snack on something you shouldn't, it may make it easier to avoid that stuff. The first problem with coffee or tea is the caffeine. Studies have found that drinking caffeine with Breakfast makes blood sugar levels spike through out the entire day - including a 36% spike after dinner. When your body has lots of glucose floating around in it, your pancreas releases insulin to convert all of that energy to fat. With Snacks - particularly processed food - you're causing your blood sugar to rise quickly, and that's food that's going to be plastered directly to your hips, thighs and tummy. Here's a 60 second video from the Mayo Clinic about how food turns into glucose and what happens from there. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/blood-sugar/MM00641 And here's an explanation of the whole process from Calories Per Hour: http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_sugar.php "Our pancreas creates a hormone called insulin that transports blood sugar into our body’s cells where it is used for energy. When we eat refined grains that have had most of their Fiber stripped away, sugar, or other carbohydrate-rich foods that are quickly processed into blood sugar, the pancreas goes into overtime to produce the insulin necessary for all this blood sugar to be used for energy. This insulin surge tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it". Watch the video a few times. Reread the text. The next time you're tempted to snack on something you shouldn't, remember that stuff. Thinking about your fat cells getting fatter because you're drinking Starbucks will likely slow you down as least part of the time. Remember, that drink isn't bad for you just because it's calorie dense and liquid so it slides through your band easily, it's bad for you because it has caffeine and that caffeine may very mean that your body holds on to MORE of the calories you eat ALL DAY LONG. As for snacks, they're processed and quickly broken down by your body, so your blood sugar will rise rapidly in response, and your body will store more of what you eat as fat. And talk to your doctor. See if he/she has any advice for you or if they want to make some changes in your diet.

Keep up the good work! My doc lets us start mushies at a week, and I was like you--dropped 15 pounds in the first ten days. For me, the weight loss did crash to a halt when I started mushies, and I even went up a couple pounds. It doesn't make sense from a calorie standpoint, but remember that your intestines are probably all cleaned out after a couple weeks of liquids. :thumbup: For me, I know I've been exercising and my muscles are sore, which always means a little Water weight gain for me. Just keep going and believe that the weight loss will come!

I'm glad to hear that someone besides me is on a dreaded plateau (although I'm not glad you're on one). I've been on one for over four months. I also began to tweek my diet, going back to a double protein shake for either breakfast or dinner. (If you whiz it up with some unsweetened frozen fruit and some fat free/sugar free instant pudding, it's not half bad.) I have been tracking every morsel of food. I'm now regularly under 900 to 1000 calories a day. Can't seem get it less than that. Less than that leaves me too hungry and I'm afraid I'll go crazy and eat something I shouldn't. My doctor and I have discussed it. The only thing left is to increase physical activity. An increase in aerobic activity can jump start metobolism. I'm trying, but I'm severely arthritic and have some restrictions. If I heat my knees before and ice them after, I can do some stationary bike work. The problem is finding the time. But I perserver. These weight plateaus are very discouraging, but I have learned that when you hit a plateau it is more important than ever not to overeat. Weight gain can occur rapidly on a plateau because metobolism has bottomed out. I'm actually encouraged by the fact that I have maintained my weight for all these months. Please let me know how you're doing. And if anyone else has hit this wall and has some suggestions, or just some encouragement, please let me know. Thanks.

hi there, just wanted to put in my two cents worth. I was banded 6 almost 7 years ago, lost 99lb - 45kgs and have been on maintenance for 4.5hrs. I found it easy in the start but then i stopped losing so i stated exercising and lost weight. If you are willing to make the change you wil lose the weight it is that simple. People do eat around the band and they dont exercise and then wonder why they dont lose weight, i don't mean to be harsh but if your not going to do it properly you cant expect results. The most important thing with the band is going to the Dr regularly for fills and weigh in's. I'm still getting fills on occasion, though they are very small and i see my doctor every few months to check im keeping the weight under control, the band isnt something you can just let go once you have lost the weight. I know the band has complications but in reality if you have no complications with the band and aren't able to lose weight your not doing what you should be doing, exercise and eat right... don't get me wrong i know plateau's exist and they suck! Anywho, if you are willing to make changes then you will lose the weight :-) and keep it off, it can be hard if you have medication or illness that causes weight gain though Bel

Eat 3 meals per day. Do not skip meals. Avoid snacking. Snacking or gazing throughout the day may prevent you from losing weight or cause weight gain due to excess calorie intake. Eat small amounts. Eat Slowly. Each meal should last 30-45 minutes. Do not gulp foods or fluids. Remember to chew, chew, chew your foods. Chew all to a paste consistency. Sallowing chucks of food may obstruct the outlet of the pouch. Use a small fork or spoon to help control your portion size. Put your utensil down between each bite. Wait for 1 minute between bites. Stop eating as soon as you feel fill. Signs of fullness include nausea, pain in upper chest, or pressure (sense of) fullness below the rib cage. Do not drink with meals. Liquids will cause the food to pass or wash through your stomach to quickly. You may consume liquids 30-45 minutes prior to a meal and 45-60 minutes after a meal. Drink plenty of non-caloric liquids (i.e. Water) between meals. Remember to sip, sip, sip your fluids slowly. Avoid high calorie liquids, which provide absorb-able calories without providing the feeling of fullness. Avoid foods high in sugar and fat. Eat a well-balanced diet.

I recently took my behavior modification class and they said there are times you won't lose the pounds because of water weight gain or muscle building and that you have to see beyond the scales. Congratulations on your inches lost......actually I think that would excite me more since people see you with their eyes and aren't walking around with a scale to put you on. The pounds will catch up.....perhaps you are building muscle and creating a higher metabolism right now. Are you drinking plenty of water? minor dehydration can lead to your body retaining water.

Hi Travelen, It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation so far! I was thinking just yesterday that pre-band I used to "self-medicate" with food and the side-effect of that food/medication was weight gain. Then I started thinking, well, isn't that the same thing as other meds causing sides effects, such as weight gain. My self-medication (food) was making me fat. Now, with that taken away, yes, it is something I have to recken with every day. I wish I had a magic answer for you, but I am struggling right now with working from home, getting overly stressed out with my job, and having food readily available to me. Being alone and not in an office invironment ( with other people watching) takes a lot of discipline on my part. Every situation is different, but yes, I agree with the others that there are replacements for food and you have to embrace this new healthy lifestyle and remember this is something you are doing for YOU! Good luck. You sound like you are on the right road!

I am one of ones here that can honestly remember being both skinny at 5'9" 112 pounds---I was skin and bones, not much muscle---just skinny. It was not intentional---it is how I was. I ate everything in sight, and never gained an ounce. I fought like crazy to gain up to 123 pounds so my wedding gown fit! Then I had a baby---and for the first time ever I gained weight. I went home in jeans I wore before the baby. But it soon ended! When I stopped nursing, I was hospitalized for a mastitis infection that hit my blood stream and caused sepsis---I gained 80 pounds in 3 months time! Seriously! I was not eating different. It was extreme! From there I went through bad marriage, abuse, and more serious weight gain! Ironically---some of it totally intentional! (shaking head at self here!!!) Before long, the weight was totally out of control. I could lose pretty well, but it would not stay off. Then it got to where losing so much as a pound took weeks of HARD work---and even then any semblence of normalcy and it come back! I found myself facing very close to 300 pounds, and being morbidly obese. In the time since being banded, I have had to have most of my thyroid removed, and in the medical processes for that, I learned that the inability to gain when I was younger was my first sign of thyroid trouble----and the hormone change of pregnancy, and sudden cessation of nursing, flipped the switch he said from hypo- to hyper thyroidism. Not an excuse, but an explanation---it was pretty scary to be young and out of control like that. But with no insurance, I had no real options for figuring things out. Both extremes, as well as the years I spent in the middle, at a normal weight are both well in my mind, and I can say without a doubt....no questions ask--------morbid obesity brought with it much, much more personal heartache, peoples cruel comments, and open disgust from not only yourself, but even medical personel! I do remember being told I needed to gain a few pounds--by assorted relatives I seldom saw and a Dr. None of which saw me eat! More people by far were envious of how I could eat without consequences---and for the most part I ate healthy enough, just more than you would imagine for remaining so bony! My hip bones jutted out so far, I would have to sew the front pockets of my jeans closed, because the white pocket was forced out and showed! I could have ---not based on looks, but on build---beenon any magazine cover with todays stars....I was EXTREMELY thin---I referred to myself as skinny. The word did not bother me then, nor does it now. None of it compares to morbid obesity. I do not mean to be argumentive Jachut----but as I went up the scale--it got worse the higher I got. The heavier I got, the more invisible I got to parts of society, and the more others thought they could say hateful things without issue! Every single thing you have health wise, is an easy call for a Dr. It is all due to your weight! Until you have felt/heard others talk about you based on nothing but your weight...had a room fall silent when you walked in, simply because they were staring, then jerking their heads away---seen them share looks with who they were with--or been "mooed" at, (and these just a few among many, many ways people find to be cruel) morbid obesity has not touched your life. These did not all happen to me, but I have read about them right here at LBT. I have read the pain involved in each of the situations---and experienced similar things personally, or similar enough situations to know the shame, the hurt, and even the anger they invoked. Should I have gotten control much earlier, of course! I am willing to bet most of us by far wish we had found help before reaching the morbidly obese category. For many of us it didn't come until further down the path of obesity though. Depression, lack of funds, lack of availability all figure into the issue--but having seen and lived from one end of the spectrum to the other----I do believe that unless one has lived and experienced morbid obesity, it is hard to understand or explain. I also believe it is hard to explain to someone in that position (obesity in general) how much better life is, or how much better they will FEEL---at a normal healthy weight. I am quite sure it is difficult for both to see or understand the other --obese vs. thin- without ever walking in those shoes. I think we all want to be accepted where we are--not just at where we want to be. Whether we all strive to be a perfect BMI, or if we are happy elsewhere, if we are working hard where we are, or if we have arrived at goal, and are thrilled with the newfound freedoms of not trying to lose weight still, we all just want to be accepted and have our efforts recognized. Belittling one another, whichever direction it goes is really kind of sad, and usually indicates an unhappiness in ourselves. My experiences show that people usually tear others down in an effort to build themselves up. Maybe the next LBT banner needs to be our own Dove commercial---but without me!!!! LOL Kat

I have not had surgery or major weight loss but because of my weight gain I have had a major problem with yeast rashes and the "stinkys". :thumbup: I use Mitchem gel deodorant anywhere I had a problem. It protects the skin from moisture and takes care of the stinkys.

I have made a huge discovery today and I mean huge. I am now currently 50 pounds heavier then I was in 2004. 50 freaking pounds - that is more then my 3 year old daughter that I had in 2004. I have gained more weight then she has in these past 3 years. A lot has happened. I have been diagnosed with Bi-Polar and depression and I am insomniac. I am also an emotional eater. Not a good combination.:svengo: I saw my psychiatrist on April 18th. The medications I am on cause weight gain and he and I both knew that. I didn’t figure in the 50 pound part. He actually suggested the lap band. And so I begin the new journey and working on the new me. :crying: I called my insurance company BCBS Blue Care of NC. They did cover the surgery. I just need to meet some requirements, which I believed I did. I contacted Dr. Enochs office (that is who my psychiatrist) recommended. I went to a seminar Thursday, April 24 and learned about the Lap band. I was told that I need a 5 year weight history and they need to verify my insurance. That is where I am today. I will keep posted.:thumbup:

I have made a huge discovery today and I mean huge. I am now currently 50 pounds heavier then I was in 2004. 50 freaking pounds - that is more then my 3 year old daughter that I had in 2004. I have gained more weight then she has in these past 3 years. A lot has happened. I have been diagnosed with Bi-Polar and depression and I am insomniac. I am also an emotional eater. Not a good combination.:biggrin: I saw my psychiatrist on April 18th. The medications I am on cause weight gain and he and I both knew that. I didn’t figure in the 50 pound part. He actually suggested the lap band. And so I begin the new journey and working on the new me. :rolleyes2: I called my insurance company BCBS Blue Care of NC. They did cover the surgery. I just need to meet some requirements, which I believed I did. I contacted Dr. Enochs office (that is who my psychiatrist) recommended. I went to a seminar Thursday, April 24 and learned about the Lap band. I was told that I need a 5 year weight history and they need to verify my insurance. That is where I am today. I will keep posted.:blushing:

Hello All! I need some help! I was banded on 4/21 and have dropped close to 20 pounds (with the help of my son's nasty stomach bug). To my horror, I got on the scale this morning and had gained 3 pounds! I am currently at the mushie stage and I'm eating what I was told and in the amounts I was told, so I don't understand the weight gain. Has anyone else experienced weight gain in the beginning stages?

I got a half unfill after finding out about our surprise family addition. I had lost 91lbs in the 8 moths prior with 75lbs still to go. I'm sitting at a weight gain of about 15lbs right now and i'm 31wks tomorrow.

Oh, wow! Y'all are doing AMAZING! Everyone! I'm so proud of my fellow Exercise Challenge buddies! :smile2: I'm doing okay with being unfilled so far. Not that I'm not eating like a horse...because I am! But all my exercise is keeping the weight gain at bay for now. My big ride is this weekend, so I'm adding carbs in this week and getting more Water and sleep. After the ride is behind me, I plan on going back on www.My-Calorie-Counter.com and logging my food every day again. I need to get my cals back under control...just plain get under control, PERIOD. I'm REALLY enjoying being able to eat! LOL I am just plain BUSY lately! Hubby came home unexpectedly, which is AWESOME! He surprised me so he could be here for my ride this weekend...what a doll. So we've been shopping and playing and working around the house...just enjoying our time together until he goes back offshore. He starts a new contract in two weeks and will be working in Hong Kong for the next five years, so it will be six week rotations from now on. So we are Spring cleaning, shampooing carpets, painting the master suite, relandscaping the backyard...and cleaning the garage is next! I'm TIRED! LOL Oh, and all of this is around dealing with refinancing our house...I despise doing all that paperwork junk! I'm not missing any of my workouts, though. That is always a priority! I'm getting really curious again to know what my body fat percentage is! I think I will make an appointment at Cooper Institute again to get hydrostatically weighed. I don't care what my bathroom scale says NEAR as much as what that will tell me. Even though I'm getting a little aprehensive about my ride this weekend, I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to post pics for y'all!