How is weight loss for people over 50?

[shellerlyn 0]

I am 60 and was banded May 9 - 10 weeks ago. I have lost a total of 33 lbs, 21 since surgery. However, I stalled for the last 4 weeks. I had my first fill last Friday and have since lost 3 lbs. I don't exercise (I know, I know), but it's working anyway.

What do people mean when they say they had their first fill? What does that mean?

[green 6]

green

I was planning on a facelift after I'd reached my goal weight. That mini lift sounds interesting. And lips would be great to have. Do the lips last OR DO THEY HAVE TO BE REDONE?

There are two kinds of fillers - permanent and temporary. I went for the permanent because I hate those pesky maintenance issues. The lips and the lines between my nose and mouth remained looking pretty damn good, I must say.

And, GREEN HAS MORE DRUGS!! :biggrin1: YUP, SHE GOT THEM TODAY. :whoo:De sun gwine shine again, or, um, er, whatever......:rain:sez Green.

[BJean 16]

GREEN!!!!! I've been offline due to a computer malfunction for the past couple of weeks. I've been worrying and wondering how the hell you are! Thank goodness I didn't read about it until you got new drugs. Now I don't have to "feel your pain" as Billy would say. (Clinton)

Just think hon, after a couple of weeks or 6, you'll forget all about the pain because you'll have so many hot guys jerking their heads around to get a better look at you when you're walking down the street! :rolleyes

I am sorry the whole thing is physically so much worse then the mini, but surely that means that the results will be even more impressive. How long for the swelling and discoloration? I am jealous, I just can't help myslf.

I went to the dietician last week and spent the entire hour crying!! (I tell you this story so that you will feel sorrier for me than for your on-the-road-to-recovery self.) I had gained a coupla lbs and she started telling me that over this past year she has observed that I am WAY too hard on myself. She thinks I have too much restriction because of that and she proceeded to ask me how I think I look. I told her I don't have a realistic picture of myself in my mind, because I can't actually believe that I've become an obese person... I still think of myself as a little person of 110 lbs. She proceeded to go make photocopies of my pre-surgery photo and my 6 month post-surgery photo and lay them out on the table in front of me. She pointed at the 6 month photo and said "That's where you are now." (it's been 1 yr. since the band) The rest of the session was me blubbering :cry and making stupid excuses for why I am eating ice cream instead of real food.

Anyway, the point of this little tale is to tell you that besides my girth, a couple of the most frightening things I see in those photos (she told me I HAD to put them up on my wall to see everyday) are my eyelids and my chin. My eyelids look like I've been hit repeatedly by Mohammed Ali (not bruised, but so puffy my eyes are slits) and my chin has hangy down stuff creating horrible, junky jowls.

So darlin, please don't regret what you've done. You've lost the weight, you've now had your face re-done and I'm still treading Water after a year at the the six month mark. YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!! :whoo: I'm very, very proud of you! I'll say a little prayer that you'll feel much better real soon. :kiss2:

[NM Sunshine 1]

DYNAMOMINI

I couldn't afford a facelift in the states so I'm looking at the overseas, Mexico and south American PS docs and prices. I'm looking for someone who has really good reveiws from people who've had PS with the doc. I have sent in inquiries to some clinics in MX and asked about prices. Lot cheaper than USA.

Actually I would love to find a forum like this one for PS. We do have a thread for PS.

[green 6]

I went to the dietician last week and spent the entire hour crying!! (I tell you this story so that you will feel sorrier for me than for your on-the-road-to-recovery self.) I had gained a coupla lbs and she started telling me that over this past year she has observed that I am WAY too hard on myself. She thinks I have too much restriction because of that and she proceeded to ask me how I think I look. I told her I don't have a realistic picture of myself in my mind, because I can't actually believe that I've become an obese person... I still think of myself as a little person of 110 lbs.

BJean! Gawd, grrl, but I have missed you!! I am so glad to see that you are back. Too bad that your absence was due to a crappy computer crash. I had been imagining you and your hubby travelling through Italy - and was drifting about on a sea of envy, myself.

Your visit to the dietician sounds like a really horrible experience. I used to see a psychiatrist who invariably left me sobbing and feeling like a sullen, angry teenager who wanted to cut herself. Upon leaving her office I always bought myself a bottle of scotch and a big bunch of cut flowers.... In fact I used to spend my sessions with my psychologist trying to work through the pain and confusion created by my sessions with my shrink. I finally dumped the shrink and got the one I see now, a guy who finds me so boring that he drifts off during our short sessions. (As a result I never tell this clown anything.)

Are you sure that you should be seeing a dietician who leaves you feeling this lousy about yourself? Or is it that you are the one who is being far too hard on yourself? I know that when I feel lousy I want to indulge my bad habits, not stay away from them. I have heard that band surgeons regard the weight loss part of the project as normally taking two years and as we all know there are plateaux when doing the weight loss thang. Also weight loss will be more complicated for those bandsters who do have a sweet tooth as compared to us who just suffer from Portion Control problems.

It sounds to me like you should pat yourself on the back because you have lost weight and you are banded. You should now rededicate yourself to the bandster rule of Protein first, then yer vegies.... And as for icecream, well, you do love it and so you must figure someway to keep it as part of your life: what about frozen yogurt? or frozen fat and sugar reduced icecreams? Maybe you could get real creative and make your own. And certainly you will have do some kind of calorie trade and portion control thing.

I would certainly take those pictures of yourself down and then burn 'em. They are only going to bum you out and make you lose heart. I hate looking at myself and that is why there are so few photos of me. I am kinda cute but the camera does not love Green's face! Even my husband, who is always telling me that I look cute, says so.

I found your comment that you still think of yourself as a little person to be most touching. You see, it reminds me of something my mother said to me. She told me that whenever she accidentally caught sight of herself in public she would think 'who is that fat old bat?' before realising that it was herself. Her own private image of herself was fixed at when she was young and very, very slim. I've never seen myself as slim although I have been at various points of my life; I was a great slab of a teenager and I guess that is when my sense of self-identity was gelling. Hah!

Some of the swelling and the bruising is gone but my eyes still make me look like I have Down's Syndrome. And I sure do hurt. Man, do I hurt! :help: Hooray fer drugs, eh!!!:clap2:

[green 6]

DYNAMOMINI

I couldn't afford a facelift in the states so I'm looking at the overseas, Mexico and south American PS docs and prices. I'm looking for someone who has really good reveiws from people who've had PS with the doc. I have sent in inquiries to some clinics in MX and asked about prices. Lot cheaper than USA.

Actually I would love to find a forum like this one for PS. We do have a thread for PS.

I have heard that there are brilliant plastic surgeons in Mexico, Brazil, and Thailand. A lot of Americans used to come up here for their surgery but our dollar is now on par with yours and thus surgery here is no longer a bargain. :phanvan (Only a few years ago a dollar Cdn used to be worth 60 U.S. cents.)

[neen7171 0]

52 and will get banded in Nov. I'm tired of looking like a cartoon character and my health is terrible. I dont want much...do I? NO!!!!

[New Life at 63 0]

Hi all, It's been a while since I've been here. I haven't been useing the computer too much lately. I wrenched my arm about 3 weeks ago and trying to stay off the computer to heal. I have to use the computer at work but usually I would be on it all evening too.

Well I became a "Bandster" on 9/20/07. I'm doing great and have lost 19 lbs. But I do have a problem with pain at the waiste line below the surgery site. My Doctor said it could be a nerve that was iritated by the placement of the band. He says it should go away in about 2 months. In the mean time I can't wear anything that has a waiste band. I don't like to wear dresses so I have to wear my pants pulled up over my belly. That feels very strange but it works.

Has anyone had this problem?

So far, I haven't been hungry and I'm only getting about 300 to 400 calories a day. I'm supposed to eat 3 ozs of someting every hour but I keep forgetting. How many calories did some of you eat while on the liquid diet?

Well the pain the the arm is reminding me to get off the computer so I will say so long for now.

Charlene

[IndioGirl55 32]

52 and will get banded in Nov. I'm tired of looking like a cartoon character and my health is terrible. I dont want much...do I? NO!!!!

Congrats on your date!!!!

I'm 52 banded 7/17 - down 36.5 lbs - feel great can't wait til I am at goal..

Hi all, It's been a while since I've been here. I haven't been useing the computer too much lately. I wrenched my arm about 3 weeks ago and trying to stay off the computer to heal. I have to use the computer at work but usually I would be on it all evening too.

Well I became a "Bandster" on 9/20/07. I'm doing great and have lost 19 lbs. But I do have a problem with pain at the waiste line below the surgery site. My Doctor said it could be a nerve that was iritated by the placement of the band. He says it should go away in about 2 months. In the mean time I can't wear anything that has a waiste band. I don't like to wear dresses so I have to wear my pants pulled up over my belly. That feels very strange but it works.

Has anyone had this problem?

So far, I haven't been hungry and I'm only getting about 300 to 400 calories a day. I'm supposed to eat 3 ozs of someting every hour but I keep forgetting. How many calories did some of you eat while on the liquid diet?

Well the pain the the arm is reminding me to get off the computer so I will say so long for now.

Charlene

Charlene - my port site hurt for about 2 or so weeks (just like having a baby i can't remember when it quit hurting) - I couldn't wear pants that didnt have a loose waist - so i did wear dresses for this first few weeks and pant that had elastic waist - I didn't count calories while on the liquid portion of my diet - I only counted Protein grams - you have to get minimum of 60 a day - then when i moved to pureed/mushie i started counting calories & Protein grms - this is what i still do - i keep a food & excercise diary..

Good luck and hope your arm/shoulder gets better...

To the rest of the Gang - Hi - hope all is well - just doing my morning reading before i start my day. Green hope you are feeling better and we want to see some pics...

[skinnydippn42 0]

Hi Y'll,

My Doc has submitted the papers to my Ins. Co. & Medicare, just waiting for thier reply.

I seen the shrink yesterday (10-03-07) as part of my Pre-op. I was there 4 hrs and had to answer over "700" Yes or No questions :faint:on paper plus a few orel questions from the Doc. Then........ went to Sam's and did a little shopping, this is the way I spent my 43rd. wedding Anaversary.

BUT......... When I arrive home, I rang the door bell and when my wife answered the door I had "two doz rosses" in my hand. Made Her day. :biggrin1:

That's the latest update from this arena; just playing the old waiting game.

Don

[IndioGirl55 32]

Hi Y'll,

My Doc has submitted the papers to my Ins. Co. & Medicare, just waiting for thier reply.

I seen the shrink yesterday (10-03-07) as part of my Pre-op. I was there 4 hrs and had to answer over "700" Yes or No questions :faint:on paper plus a few orel questions from the Doc. Then........ went to Sam's and did a little shopping, this is the way I spent my 43rd. wedding Anaversary.

BUT......... When I arrive home, I rang the door bell and when my wife answered the door I had "two doz rosses" in my hand. Made Her day. :biggrin1:

That's the latest update from this arena; just playing the old waiting game.

Don

OMG 4 hrs - mine was 40 minutes - just talking - me quoting that the band is just a tool - want to be healthy and live longer yadda yadda yadda - she was more interest in meds than anything else - looked up my bp meds in her pod - said oh that's a new one.. - and i did throw in the part of me wants to look good again.

Well happy Anniversay 43 yrs - that just super great... Props to you and your wife...

[judie4800 0]

Hi, what are PB's? thanks

[Irisheyes123 0]

Hi there!

I'm pretty new around here, just banded 9/26/7, so I can't tell you how my weight loss is going yet.

My first follow-up is 10/9/7 and I've been doing ok. Just began soft food today, rather timidly. I know it's part of the transition to regular food, but I'm still a little nervous about 'leaving the liquids' behind. Did anyone else feel this way? Thanks a bunch!

[DynamoMini 1]

Judie4800 - A PB is short for Productive Burp. Now I have had the many experiences with PB's I can say that they range from a little of what you ate comes back up, to a fist in the chest (like when a pill goes down sideways), to full out nausea and vomiting. Basically, it is the band telling you to stop doing what you are doing, whether it is gulping, not chewing enough or eating too fast. I have found that the PB's for me change and are sometimes unpredictable. I try not to take in air when I drink Water, etc.

Bjean - I have had computer crashes that are unbelievable. I know we are supposed to back everything up, but I don't do it every day. let's keep in touch about PS surgergical sites. I will have to lose at least 60 more pounds before I consider it though. I try not to focus on my sagging neckline, which is hard when I exercise and have to look into a mirror. Maybe we can motivate ourselves with that as a goal.

Green - glad the meds are working. The face has a ton of nerves and can be excrutiating. I learned this with my hand when I had a trauma with a table saw and amputated my middle finger and several tops off other fingers. The recovery on the middle finger area was nothing compared to the healing of the other fingers, which would be like your facial incisions. The tissue has to resettle and get reconnected and happy again. I hope I am as brave as you when we get right down to it.

skinnydipping - I ended up being a self pay because I didn't have the $$$ to file suit with my insurance who categorically denies WLS. The world is bias against us - most don't understand that this is a disease not a choice. Good luck!!!

Hugs to all of you -

Michelle

[css95 0]

NM Sunshine:

I was banded by Dr. Gonzalez in Tijuana Mexico Sept. 13, 07. They were so nice, I have NO complaints. I have only lost 6 pounds. I had my first fill Sept. 27. I can eat just about anything I like, but in small portions. It seems like I lose 2 pounds, and then gain 2 pounds. Then I lose 1 pound and it stays off. But what a

rollercoaster. But I think I am losing inches? Time will tell.

Enjoy all the postings, and they are encouraging.