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I researched the lapband extensively for a long time before deciding on Dr. Ortiz. I have been so happy with my results. I am only about 10 pounds from goal and I feel like a new person. I knew all the possible complications, but I am human, and I still worry when I read about 9 ladies who have recently experienced erosion. I actually still have fears and concerns. I have spoken with Rene and Sandy at OCC. They have on record 7 patients that have experienced erosion. (Per Sandy) I understand that the number of complications will rise as the surgeon performs more and more surgeries. So, for a surgeon like Dr. Ortiz, who has done approximately 2 thousand surgeries, 7 erosions is not that many. I think that comes to less than one half of a percent. The national average reported by Inamed is somewhere like 1-3%. I appreciated their honesty when I called, and their quick response to me. I am returning this week for a follow up visit and I will ask more questions. I may ask for an endoscopy, as I have had the band almost exactly one year. The risk of complications will always be there; would I do it again? Absolutely!

I'm scared to go under mine is on 10/29 I'm 4 the New me! !

Hello All, My name is Asmaa, I am 40 years old, married, mother of 3 daughters, age 19, 12, and 10. I currently live in Philadelphia but am originally from DC/NoVA. I have been on my weight loss journey for 19 years, right after I had my first child. I was always pretty slim growing up and only picked up weight after having kids. Over the last 10 years my weight has skyrocketed and before I knew it I was 328 pounds. It wasn't until I saw myself in a family picture that I realized how big I had gotten. Along with they weight gain I suffer from high blood pressure and sleep apnea. I am being treated medically for the HBP and have to sleep with a C-PAP mask for the apnea I have lower back problems and I plantar fasciitis. I have been on every fad diet that anyone could mention, the weight drops but then it comes right back. I had considered weight loss surgery years ago but I felt that I was cheating and taking the easy way out. I felt that I could do i t on my own, and I did. I lost 80lbs by changing my eating habits and exercising. Then I injured my knee and had to have surgery. This slowed down my exercise routine and I returned to disordered eating and the weight came back. I exercise 3-5 times a week but it hasn't been enough. I needed a change and so I decided to look into weight loss surgery. After attending the information session, I felt confident that this option was right for me at this time in my life. The surgeons and staff are terrific. They are very kind and compassionate and care about each and every patient that they treat. And as the months have gone by in preparation for the surgery, I grow even more confident that this is the best choice in my journey. So with that being said...... My vertical sleeve surgery is scheduled for this coming Monday, October 14. I am so happy to be beginning my journey to weight loss and a more permanent healthy state. Well that's my intro, I look forward to getting to know everyone!

I was banded on 10/02/09. And so far I have losted 50 pounds which I am very proud:smile:. Now spring is in the air. And I have started walking in the park after work. Hoping for more progress. But still having a hard time eating and keeping it down. I was filled in Dec. 14, 09 what a night mare. Could not keep nothing down not even water. Had to get adjusted . But enough of that. Its time to move on. And hope for better progress.:cool: Any suggestions?:thumbup:

Losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks is A GOOD LOSS! You should be celebrating! Everyone seems to want to compare themselves to everyone else, but there is no standard. Without surgery you would be hard pressed many weeks to lose even a pound or two! I know, I know, everyone comes in expecting super huge losses, but be happy. You made it through surgery, your body has been good enough to give you 10 pounds that you will never have to see again. It's still recovering. And those are 10 pounds off your butt, your hips, your thighs, your arms that you won't have to worry about losing next week or the week after that. You are doing great. Do not take for granted an awesome weight loss =) Look up a pound of fat. There are pictures, it's big! And you've lost 10 of them! Good job and keep up the great work and it will continue to come off. Someday you will be thankful for just a couple pounds a week...Enjoy the big losses while they last.

I've been saying this for a while: low weight/high reps is the smarter choice for building strength and toning/bulk. It's far, far safer -- not only are you at less risk of catastrophic injury, you're at less risk of the kind of ongoing, degenerative injury that eventually sidelines all champion bodybuilders. The idea that muscles somehow "know the difference" between being worked to exhaustion via low weights and lots of reps or high weights and a few reps is ludicrous... and the research is confirming that: Protein. So they took a group of 21-year-old men who were weight lifting novices. Three times a week, they had them do knee extensions on a weight machine. That isolates and strengthens the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh. "Those are the most important muscles for standing up and getting out of a chair," Phillips points out. With one leg the study volunteers did the conventional 80-percent-of-maximum lifts until they reached fatigue, at 8 to 10 reps. The other leg lifted 30 percent of maximum until fatigue set in, around 25 reps. At the start of the study and 10 weeks later, the researchers put all the volunteers into MRI scanners to measure their quadriceps. There was essentially no difference between the heavy and light lifters. The results appear in the Journal of Applied Physiology. ... But the findings are controversial in some quarters. As word has begun to get out, Phillips says he's "been deluged with emails from trainers" who challenge the results. "They're very resistant to these types of findings. It challenges dogma." [emphasis added] Of course, you DO need to use enough weight and reps to work out to exhaustion; if you're not using enough weight and reps to actually get to failure (the point where you literally cannot lift the weight again), you're not really pushing yourself hard enough. The only thing this study confirms is that you don't need to use HEAVY weights to achieve the same results, as long as you work till failure (and trust me, you power lifters, even a 15 or 20 lb. dumbbell will eventually turn your biceps into useless rubber if you do enough curls with it... I promise you.)

I am also the 18th! One more day then BAM! Been waiting sooo long it seems! Cheated once on pre-op diet but not bad! Haven't lost but 10 lbs but I am thankful for that! My stats ar 5'8" SW 250 [low bmi] CW 240 GW 165. I'm in Arkansas.

I am down 118 total since my surgery on May 10. I’ve had zero issues since surgery minus the inability to eat scrambled eggs and lunch meat. Both things make me vomit every time I try them. Outside of that, no issues. I have been working out with weights since mid June when I was cleared to start lifting. I’ve been walking 5+ miles a day for the last few months. I started with half a mile, then a mile and very quickly jumped to 5 miles. Once you get past the first six weeks of walking it becomes so easy. Something I never would have said presurgery where my weight on my joints made small walks a chore. Now instead of adding miles to my walks I add speed. I just walk faster because I don’t have time to walk for hours on end. This past week I added some hills to my walks by doing different more hilly routes.

I tried to eat a healthy, balanced diet from the get go. Besides eating plenty of Protein and veggies, I was putting soft fruits like peaches, mangos and bananas in my Protein shakes starting the 2nd week postop. Since artificial sweeteners hurt my sleeve I was using pureed fruit to flavor my plain Greek yogurt. I was OK'd for seeds and skins at 3 months postop and started adding berries to my smoothies and I had 1/4 apple with Peanut Butter as a snack several times/week. I put craisins in my mixed nuts which I. snack on everyday. In the summer, frozen pineapple, frozen melon chunks and frozen orange segments are a favorite. All that fruit and I still passed goal at 7 months and have maintained 10 pounds below goal for over 9 months. I still shoot for a healthy, balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit, whole grains and plenty of Water. I must be getting good nutrition because I only take a 1/2 dose of a whole food based Multivitamin, some extra Vitamin D and B12 and my bloodwork is perfect.

Hmmm... 10 lbs/month is 120 lbs in a year. I would say that you're doing very well. From what I researched, the first month many lose 20-30 lbs but after that it's 8 to 12 lbs per month. Of course it depends on a lot of things such as BMI, activity, what you eat... etc. You seem to be right on target.

I am 10 says post-op. I am SICK of liquids. I am so burned out on soup, pudding, shakes that I feel like puking every time I have to drink one down. My daughter is eating a sloppy Joe in front of me, and I swear I could tackle her down and steal it. I can start mushy foods in 4 days. I never thought I would be so excited for tuna fish or egg salad. I crave it now, and cant wait!Please tell me I am not alone! After pre-op diet and now this liquid diet, I really want food, that I can chew 40 times, not slurp. I know I need to wait, but honestly, it is just 4 more days? What could be the harm...I don't think I will make it the weekend. Head hunger, acid, whatever it is, I really am hungry and want food!

This is a bit of a bone of contention for me. First and foremost I think the right weight for you is the one YOU choose, and if that's 20 lb above your ideal weight then so be it. But it does disturb me that so many people say "I should weigh 115 but that would be too skinny, its ridiculous, so I'm shooting for 135". That makes no sense to me. If its your ideal healthy weight range, it wont be too skinny (but you personally might not like how you look at that weight, especially if you end up looking older!). There's nothing that says that because you've been obese, that you're not allowed to reach a healthy weight. Personally, I think in many cases, its a reflection of how obese people simply cannot see themselves as they are, and the fear that many have of truly being of normal weight. They feel they must stop short of that for some reason. On the other hand if you have to exist on 900 calories a day and exercise for two hours a day to maintain your "ideal" weight you may not want to do that and I cant say I'd blame you. I would choose to be heavier too. It depends what your goals are and how difficult you find your weight to maintain. It also depends a lot on what you're doing it for. At 39 and with no health problems, my motivation was to prevent future problems but was also a lot to do with vanity and how I look. So there's no way I'm stopping here at 180lb and 5ft 10. I didnt have surgery not to reach a weight low in my healthy weight range (based on my build of course). But if I were 55 and had beaten diabetes and back pain, reduced my sky high blood pressure and cholesterol through weight loss, I dont think I'd be disappointed with a weight that was a big higher! Its entirely your choice. I knew I wanted to get to 75kg at most when I started this journey, but I may adjust it when I get there, as will probably nearly everyone who's initially picked a 70% weight lost number or a no longer obese number. You stop where you're happy and all that matters is that YOU'RE happy.

I do Low Carb/High Protein for 10 days (but I started already) and then water only the day before the surgery.

So im a little late with this weeks blog... I was in L.A this past weekend trying out for THE VOICE.. he he he.. Well ill keep this blog short n sweet.. Im still feeling really good, but ive had a head cold now for about a week.. and it doesn't seem to wanna leave any time soon unfortunately so i haven't really been able to work out cuz every time i bend over i feel like my heads going to explode from the pressure..lol.. sux but what can ya do. LOTS OF TEA FOR ME!!!!! So anyways, this past sunday I auditioned for the Voice in L.A and when my group got called in we all sang out of the 10 of us.. I WAS THE ONLY ONE THEY CALLED TO SING AGAIN! lol.. so everyone left the room and i was told to sing another song.. well they judge said "Im not gonna tell you no.. im gonna tell you maybe and when we do call backs you will get an answer." well i still haven't heard anything.. ( and from what i am beginning to think is that if they dont call then its a no.. im a little bummed, but hey there is always next year!!! Im keepin my head up.. well anyways.. thats all for now.. I hope everyone is doing well and of course i leave u with stats and pictures!!!!!! HW: 265 CW:179 GW: 150

I was banded on 4-21-10 since then I've lost sum weight 20 lbs or so. But omg I've had such gas! Please help am I eating the wrong foods

My husband and i are both over weight and have been our entire lives. I am scheduled to be banded on January 14. He has his first doctors appointment on January 19. I love the idea of going through this process with best friend...being able to eat the same way and support each other through this. My concern, and it is hard to approach this with him ( he sees it as me wanting to go get skinny and not wanting him to take my thunder...which is insane btw, I want my husband to get healthy and live a long and full life with me) That said, I am a nurturer and by nature I just take care of him/spoil him . I am concerned that if he gets banded around the same time as me, he will expect me to do it for him...tell him what to eat, tell him when to exercise etc. i do the cooking now and he eats what i cook. But we have done weight watchers together in the past and he has no idea how to do it...he totally relied on me. I just dont know if I am strong enough to do this for the both of us. He has made a few comments about me getting skinny and finding a skinny man. AS IF!!!) I hope that he is wanting to get the surgery for the right reasons and not due to any insecurities he might have. Any thoughts??? I would like to thank everyone on this site for all of the great questions and answers provided, things that i would not have thought of and a lot of my fears have been put at ease. So...THANKS GUYS!

7/28/09 I must hate myself. Right? why else would I do this to myself. I’m like a fast food junkie. This must be what it feels like to be hooked on crack. Always thinking about your next hit and where it’s going to come from. The moment I feel a twinge of lunch-time hunger I’m all about where I’m going to snag my next “hit”. Then I eat and for about 30 seconds I enjoy it right before the guilt sets in. Then about 10 minutes later I feel terrible. Bloated and full and yucky, which just accentuates the guilt. And the cycle continues…I must hate myself. right? or I wouldn’t eat like I do. I’m actually to a point where I’m going to have a doctor surgically restrict my stomach capacity. Oh God please don’t let me fail. This is like my only chance. All I have to do is follow the rules. I try so hard to be optimistic and not think about the possibility of failure but it’s there. In my head, it’s there. That voice, that sounds oddly like my mothers, saying “why bother, you’re not going to be able to follow the rules.” Am I in denial because I’m not allowing myself to really even think about the possibility of failure or is that what I’m supposed to do? If the root cause is self hate then really will the surgery even work? Have I been fooling myself all these years into thinking I liked myself? I’m mean really I must hate myself. right? or I wouldn’t eat like I do….

Hi all, I am new here. I will be banded on 04/20/10. I am nervous/excited. The only emotion I can compare to this countdown is getting married and the birth of my children. I think that is because I now this is my "rebirth" and new beginning. I will post again after surgery. I needed to lose 11 pounds before surgery, which I have done. I would like to lose 80 pound more. I love reading all the entries - it is soo important to know that WE are not alone. Best of luck everyone. :tongue_smilie:

Thank you so much, I appreciate your kind words. I have been praying a lot! I will let you know how it goes. You are 10 days behind me. Good luck and God bless.

[3/11/10] Vanishing Vixen. Vanishing… An interesting choice of adjectives for my new serial blogger moniker… as pointed out to me yesterday. I was asked if I would be “disappearing” my personality as well as my weight. *straightface* And was told (by someone that has known me for almost 20yrs) that I seem to be letting this journey get the best of me already…as if I plan to “vanish” into nothingness, or become a shrinking violet (AS IF!)*because* I’m so used to being a Big, Bold, Bodacious (sometimes brash, and VERY bossy *lol*) woman. Maybe the adjectives (all but the “big”) that alot folk -self included- seem to think of me as… will indeed vanish when the weight starts coming off. *really ruminating & marinating on the implications* I mean, how much of my personality has been tied to my size? And has it been that way to mask insecurity, or just an extra measure of attention whorism? I have a hard time believing either of the two, really. While I do like to be complimented when I go the extra mile to be fully fabulous (most of the time – yesterday, I looked like “Who slew Auntie Rue?” ‘s GRANDMOTHER *ugh*) , or my face beat like I’m a MAC Make-up artist, or I’m rocking some of my hottest GGX Jewels…what woman wouldn’t want to be appreciated for her appearance? In fact, its also been pointed out that I have a hard time taking a compliment, and by NO means wish to be the center of attention when in a crowd or otherwise (unless we are talking about with my man, in the boudoir *smirk* ) Go figure. But… $h!t, I am who the hell I am. I AM cute. I AM sexy. I AM fabulous…I just haven’t been feeling it as much lately. *shrug* It’s really made me think about this mental/emotional space I’m in. Does my larger-than-life, feisty personality seem to be shrinking (or vanishing, so to speak) much like I want my body to do? It’s been said that I seem to have been extremely hard on myself lately (more particularly, the last 6-9 mnths) in terms of my confidence, etc. Why is that? The fat ugly truth is a number of varied & sundry things. Alot not even having anything to do with my weight/size, so much as it has to do with other areas of my life. Some of which are totally unrelated, but are stressors none-the-less. I’m a wife (to man that works nights), still a relatively new “MeMe” (as she calls me) to a rambunxious lil 22mnt old squirt, I have a fairly stressful 9-5 career, on top of a jewelry biz that requires a lot of my time if I’m ever to make a go of it (why? Because *I* personally make everything myself. I’m not pushing other ppl’s wares, here). And a lot of times I feel ill-equipped to handle any of it – let alone all of it at once. *wooosahhhhh* So yeah, all of the combined stress (add to it this suck-@$$ economy) has a way of knockin a sistah off her game – in more ways than one. So what on the surface may seem like one thing, is a culmination of others. And of course…I know. Things could ALWAYS be worse, so I AM grateful for my many blessings. There have just been a few “ah ha!” moments over the past year in particular, that made me realize that I am sooooo far from where I want (or planned) to be in my life at 35. Weight/health included. It be’s that way sometime. *shrug, again* IDK… Is it even really that serious? *lol* I’m hormonal this week. That may account for some of the bloggarhea today. Sometimes I just can’t get out of my own head. But that doesn’t make me crazy…it makes me human. And blogging it…helps me *relax.relate.release* it all. I’m not scared of what people will think of me for showing who I truly am. Good, bad, ugly, indifferent, confident, insecure, wealthy, poor, encouraged, defeated. It is what it is…and I am who I am. And what I’ve realized more than anything in my 5 or so years of bloggerdom, is that the folks who generally “seem” to have their $h!t together…don’t. *lol* and sometimes are even more screwed up inside/in their life than me, or than they may ever let on to the world. The playing field is even, if you ask me. But nobody did [ask]… Oh well! I’m keeping on…keeping on…

Thanks for the replies, everyone! Right now, I'm in a holding pattern, because I found out last week that my employer's policy with United does NOT cover any kind of bariatric surgery AT ALL. This, despite me calling UHC on three different occasions and each time giving them the procedure code as well as my group and subscriber numbers. Each time, they told me that our policy covered it at 90% with an in-network doctor. I was going to the seminar with Dr Hitchcock at KC Bariatric, and thanks to the advice of their front office, I contacted my HR to get a copy of the coverage details of our insurance. It was only when I spoke with HR that I was told that our policy doesn't cover bariatrics. Even if I were to have a BMI over 40, and co-morbidities, they will not cover. So right now, I'm stuck. I really want to do this, but self pay isn't an option. I could more easily deal with paying off 10% as opposed to 100%. I kind of don't know what to do next.

That is a long time to wait for an appt. with the doc. Mine wanted me back 7-10 days after surgery.... no exceptions. I'll definately let you know on Thursday what he says. I'm still trying to figure out the gas vs. hunger pain thing. I started taking gasX yesterday and that has really helped. Before I'd be so bloated thinking I was full but my stomach would be rumbling like crazy and I'd think I was starving. When in doubt....drink water, lol, it helps a little bit.

Thanks all. I think scale "torture" may have been overkill- I’m not obsessed with it and don’t let it get in the way of my life or my program. I just find it surprising that such big swings can be seen overnight... The fact that 5 lbs is gone just from using whatever waters leftover in your system & burning reserves while you sleep is fascinating to me. I do like to track my weight as I photograph myself every 10 lbs lost. I usually take photos at night, and this is part of why I track my end-of-day weight even if it may be less consistent than my morning weight.