FLORIDAYS

HI ...Good for you for gatering the info to make a wise educated decision. I will answer your questions but the best advise I can give you is ... if you do exactly as your Dr says you will be successful with the band. If not you run the risk of failing. The band is a tool and will do 70% of the owrk for you. You must be willing to do the other 30%. 1. My pre op diet was 5 Optifast shakes a day. I was allowed Water, broth and 2 sugar free popsicles in addition to the shakes. My diet lasted 2 weeks pre op. I lost 22 lbs. It taught me I can live without food. I can function on 800 calories each day and it shrunk my liver for a successful surgery. 2. Post Op I was on clear liquid for 1 week. The 2nd week I was on creamy liquids and the 3rd week I was on mushies. 3. I do not eat like I did pre op. SOme of the foods might be the same but I only eat 3-4 oz of protien, 1/2 c veggies and 1/4 c starch at each meal so I cannot even compare the two. If I have a hamburger it isnt from McDonalds and I only eat 2-3 bites of it without the bun. 4. No one can tell you how bad it will or wont get. Mine didnt get thin at all. My friend was banded and hers didnt fall out either. So if you have nice hair I wouldnt worry. And should it thin out the odds are it will regrow. I did take Biotin however just in case. 5. I have had zero complicaitons and I have lost 208 lbs since being banded 22 months ago. I believe that if you follow your Drs orders, eath the roper portions, track your calories and view the way you think you need food... you will be successfull. All the best to you. I hope you make an informed decision

I have thought about it several times...but I am too chicken to inflict pain on myself for no valid reason...LOL I shiver at the thought of being 90 years old with a tatoo I cannot imagine putting anything on my skin I wouldnt get tired of. Shoot... I change my couch every 5-8 yrs because I get tired of looking at it. I would have to find a spot that isnt sagging and that would be tough! But more power to you... any reward is a good one!! And if that makes you happy...go for it! Good luck on your journey.

I am a scale addict. I know I should weigh myself weekly but I am on it morning and night. My thought is that I never owned a scale and look where it got me.... I know... from one extreme to the other. LOL Best of luck on your journey!

As jups said its really an individual thing... but for me I lost an average of 10 lbs each month for the first 20 months... Now that I am less than 20 lbs from goal its coming off slower but I am also not as strict with myself as I was to lose the first 200. I ate 1000 calories a day and did not exercise other than walking. That may not be for everyone but it worked for me. Good luck

I doubt your Dr will yell at you. And as much as your daughter had good intentions she isnt a bariatric surgeon so I wouldnt let her do the fill. You need to make an appointment... start over and get back on track.

I am sagging.... I have lost 208 lbs and I am 52 so time isnt on my side. Its not as bad as it I thought it might be but my belly button frowns, my upper arms droop, the girls are flat and my thighs and butt are pretty saggy. On the bright side I am healthy and thin and look great in clothes and will still wear a bathing suit. And if the time comes that I feel the need I will explore medical assistence.

My dr doesn't advocate protein shakes. He prefers I get my protein from food.

On work days it's sf instand Bfast for me then a snak of a banana mid morning. My band doesn't like food for a few hrs after I wake up. On the weekends it's I egg, I piece of wheat toast and I strip of bacon typically. Usually I cannot finish that....

My dr recommends 24 hrs of liquids and then mushies for a day after a fill

Can you eat more than 4/6 oz of food at a time? If so then you may need more... But 5ccs for the first fill is a lot. Give it a few weeks. Sometimes it takes a few days to feel the difference

I am tall... So not having been under 200 since i dont know when... I wasnt sure what number to pick. My original goal was 160. I will be there in 9 lbs. but I have decided to lose 19 instead because I think I can. My husband disagrees with me. Says i will look too gaunt. The dr said it won't hurt. I say... I will get down the next nine and decide when I arrive. Congrats on your decision!

That's wonderful! I know how long the journey is. Congratulations

that's my exact reply! Thanks for typing it for me Mis.

Dainty feet i dont have but i did go from a 10ww to 9m/w depending on the shoe.

I was too scared to cheat... I was afraid i wouldnt heal or lose. Not saying you won't lose or heal... Just letting you know what worked for me. That said I didn't veer off the drs recommendations during liquids or mushies. I tracked my calories from the beginning and the results have been fabulous. I am sure you will find what works for you. Good luck.

congrats!

I cannot speak about the insurance end of it... becasue my insurance (Aetna) didnt cover it. However you spoke about delaying your surgery becasue of the holidays and I just wanted to let you know I started my pre op liquid the day before thanksgiving 2010... had surgery 12/9 so was on liquid the entire month of december! My first bit of solids came on New Years Day 2011.... so unless there is a financially benefical reason to delay... I wouldnt suggest it. Best of luck!

I am not sure how you can fight a coverage issue because I would think if its not covered it not covered...Mine wasnt so I got creative with my Dr and went in as a self pay. However regarding your insurance... open enrollement is usually once a year so I am not sure how thats 15 months until you can make a change in the policy. Unless you have a life changing situation... thats usually a divorce, marriage, birth or emplyment change. Do yuu have insurance where you work? If so you could add him to yours if its cheaper... Just a thought. Good luck!

Yea! I think its an elastic revolution!

My height too hid alot of sins. LOL I am 5'9 so my weight... while I carried low... was pretty even as well. I lost from the top down... Got to love gravity. LOL

And congrats on your loss! You are almost there.

Like you I wasnt a woe is me fat girl. I had a solid marriage, great job, drive a nice car... I had it all. But deep down in the back of my head there was anxiety about traveling for work because I was too fat for the airline seats, paying way to much for clothes because the size I needed would be gone if I waiting for sales, worrying about being out of breath just walking from the car to the parking lot. Sweating just going up 4 stairs.... the list goes on and on.... but I hid it so well. Fast forward 22 months post op and I am still a hapy person. I still have a great marriage and a wonderful job.... but all the rest of it is gone... I now have almost a foot of seatbelt left over on a plane... I can sit in any chair I want without fear of it being too tight... clothes... well lets just say there are more then enough that fit on the sale racks!!! And I have my health. I will be around to enjoy my granddaughter and can even sit on the floor to play with her and not worry about needing a hoist to get me back up!! Trust me... the future will be brighter.

It has to start somewhere. 2 years ago in the begininning of October I was interviewing Drs... shleping into their office with my 77 inch hips stuffed in my sized 2-3x shirts and 4x skirts... today I am buying small shirts and sized medium or 10 pants and skirts feeling like I own the world! You can do this!

It is an amazing feeling. I know you will have a ball like I am trying on everything and anything. LOL Its funny my surgeon said the biggest difference he notices in people as they get closer to their goal is color. He said he watches the navys, blacks and grays turn into bright colored fitted clothing. He said its fabulous to watch the transformation. Looking in my closet now... I will say he is right... I have lime green capris for goodness sakes. LOL

Start simple. Discuss it with your dr and maybe Get another fill. Additionally Start tracking your calories on a phone ap. or a piece of paper will work just as well but you will need a pocket sized calorie book to guide you. My ap has restaurants on it so when i was eating out it was a god send. Do you know 1 wing from hooters is like 100 calories? My ap made me make better choices. A dozen raw oysters, six Crackers and cocktail sauce to go with is under 250!!! and I can't even eat a dozen oysters anymore!! What is your daily calorie target? Mine was 1000 calories each day. I entered every morsal I ate. When i got to 1000 that was it. I was done for the day. You have a good start so now expand it. And ps I didn't exercise. I walked starting about after the first 100 lost but even though I need to... I haven't started any formal exercise program. Good luck