starting BMI over 50? come on in!

mmcbelle · January 28, 2008

Well I had to get on a plane this past weekend. I was dreading being in that coach seat and having to request the seat belt extender. To my surprise...no seat belt extender required. Now I have to say that at my current weight this was a surprise because I have weighed less and needed the seat belt extender (seems my trainer knows what he is doing). I am so glad for this, another of my NSV goals I can check off the list.:tt1:

Thanks for reading,

Mary

losingjusme · January 29, 2008

wooo hooo mary!!

Cerrin · January 29, 2008

Congrats Mary on the Plane ride.

LOL it took me a while to find the thread again now that they closed the old one. Man I missed it.

Hey everyone!

RainyDay · January 31, 2008

Hi folks! I just wanted to say hi. I am going to be banded once I get my BMI to 55 (it's 59 right now, eek!) So I'm just starting the three-month diet required by my insurance. I'm glad to see some bigger bandsters having great success and I can't wait to join you all.

valstar · January 31, 2008

Good luck with this phase, Rainyday!

Congrats Mary! I have purposely traveled by Train the last couple of years to avoid the embarassment of trying to stuff myself into the seat. I am looking forward to flying soon!

I am celebrating and cross posting my acheivement of 50lbs gone!:frown::hurray: !

Lift your bottles of Water with me to the next 50! Cheers!

Val

RainyDay · February 1, 2008

Congrats on your 50 pound loss!

maziemommy · February 1, 2008

Woooohoooo! Awesome to hear all of these successes!

toni_o · February 5, 2008

i've had some nsv's recently:

most of my pants are too big. i can sit in my boss's chair and my hips don't touch the arm rests.

and then there's a scale victory that has an attached nsv: i'm down 42 pounds since 12/27/07. that includes 19 days of pre-op liquid diet, and then 21 days of post-op eating. some--but not a lot--of exercise. i've also down a total of 24.5 inches!

(and i finally resized a picture for my avatar...i can see the difference from photos taken on 12/31/07 and photos taken today.)

toni-o

mmcbelle · February 6, 2008

Where is everybody? It seems this thread is slowing down. Is everyone just cruisin along dandy? Even I have been remiss with getting out here and checking this thread.

What cha all doin in over 50 BMI band land?

Cheers,

Mary

toni_o · February 6, 2008

hey now...i've been here! (j/k) :biggrin:

i agree that it seems slow lately. i'd like some folks to talk to!

i've been posting without much response. am i that boring? lol :smile:

losingjusme · February 6, 2008

Is everyone just cruisin along dandy?
Cheers,

Mary

:biggrin: :smile: :lol:

ummmm ... no.

RainyDay · February 6, 2008

Those of you who started with BMI over 50 or have a BMI over 50, do you feel like you made the right choice with banding rather than RNY or DS or other more invasive surgery? I am starting with a BMI around 59 but I think I'll be somewhere around 55 when I get my band. I am 29, healthy other than borderline BP and PCOS, and I like to exercise. I haven't been too diligent about exercise in the past few months due to a back injury, but I am getting back into it slowly but surely.

I went to a new endocrinologist today and while she didn't shoot down banding 100%, she did say she would not want me to get a band and end up revising to RNY if I could avoid it. (Obviously I feel the same.) I can tell she leans toward RNY for sure but I'm not sure if that's due to her seeing more RNY successes or what.

My main issues are that I eat a fairly healthy diet, plenty of Protein, veggies and fruit but toooooooo much of everything, especially starches and butter, which I'll have to learn to live without - or at least without so much! I also battle sugar cravings but I've been detoxing from that for a while and I finally am at a point where I don't miss it much.

I worry because I've seen a few study abstracts on PubMed that indicate bigger bandsters don't tend to lose as much, although I have also read some that say we lose the same percentage of excess weight so I don't know what to think! I'm also at a clinic where the nurse said banded people tend to lose as much eventually as RNY and they have a great follow-up program. She said their average excess weight lost for both surgeries is around 80%.

Anyway, I'm wondering for those of you who started at BMI over 50 - if you don't mind rehashing for the 100th time, do you have any hormonal issues that contribute to excess weight? Do you feel you are making adequate progress and that you'll be able to keep your weight off better than in diet attempts you might have made before? You know, all that stuff. :biggrin: I appreciate your input. I still feel like the band is for me but I want to know as much as possible. Right now I'm on the 1500 calorie plan the clinic gave me and feeling OK on it. I'm shocked that it actually feels easy for once but I could just be really motivated this time around!

valstar · February 7, 2008

Hi all, I've been reading and not posting here. I'm glad I made the choice for Lapband. It is a slower process but I think that is easier on the body. It is also a process that forces you to change your habits. I am now exercising 4 - 6 times a week, I am drinking more Water and I am watching what I eat. I have no hormonal issues that would make me gain weight. I was just eating all the wrong things and laying around so the pounds attached themselves to me like barnacles to a ship.:eek:

I have friends who chose RNY and they are happy with their choice also. They have lost weight faster than me but the surgery has greater risks. Some times I think maybe I should have had RNY. My family would not have supported that choice. It is an individual choice. Do your research and make an informed decision. Talk to people who have had RNY and not just us bandsters. :eek: I love my band but you have to choose what is best for you.

It is a life changing decision so be sure!

losingjusme · February 7, 2008

rainyday,

i started with a 59.4 BMI, i am now about 37.x... LOVE my band, i have used it as a tool, not a cure-all.

i was a volume eater as well and the band has definitely helped me with that... unless you like being in pain and sick

good luck to you.

mmcbelle · February 7, 2008

Hi RainyDay,

I waffled back and forth between the two options. I did my research. I have plenty of examples around me of both procedures. I had only two comorbities and they fall on the lesser side of things to have; sleep apnea & joint pain. Why I chose the band:

GB/RNY is a riskier surgery with more medical complications associated with surgery and post surgery, this just plain scared me that the possibility I could die was greater with this surgery.
I like that the band is "reversable", currently GB is not (even though we are not supposed to think of it as reversable, there is comfort in knowing that it is for me).
GB changes the way the body naturally works.
From what I have read and seen after about year seven, both procedures have very similar results.

I am happy with the path I have chosen. Like JLM said, the band is just a tool. All the right things have finally come together in my life that I know in my heart as well as in my head that I will be successful with this. Successful by my measurement. I know that I have had to work really hard these past few months to get where I am and I never thought I would love exercising, but I do love working with resistance training (cardio is another matter:sleep:). I love that one of my biggest issues is forced to be dealt with and that is power eating...I just plain can't do it anymore (or suffer consequences if I try). For the first time in my life, I know why I overeat and am in recovery as to dealing with that every day. My mind is finally a part of the process which is the most powerful tool of all.

It is such a personal decision, really. In some cases, I believe GB is worth the risk for me it was not. I am still on the track of ridding myself of excess weight so I a can't speak to how long it takes and what maintenance with the band is like.

Search inside yourself and you will find the answer.

Thanks for starting a great discussion.

Cheers,

Mary