TucsonAnnie

hi wheezygirl
one thing i've learned is 85% of my weight loss came from eating properly. i didnt believe it even though when i was 270 lbs i exercised 2 hrs daily and never lost a lb.
i was taking in too many calories at the time.
so when i was banded, i journalled my food every day so i was honest with what i was eating. before journalling, little licks and bites added to alot and i never thought i was eating that much. wow...reality set in and i was able to make adjustments.
having said that...exercise has helped me shape my body and tone. it also makes me feel great. when i exercise in any given day, i am less likely to eat junk since i think to myslef "why did you go bust your butt to eat junk"
a few years ago i had a great trainer and he felt walking was the best exercise if you can get your heart rate up. i really dislike walking so i dont do it but i trust his advice.
i prefer kickboxing, cycling and weight training.
good luck on your journey. it is well worth it
josie

Wow. Someone read my post and hit me with a negative mark, maybe they were just trolling, maybe they didn't like that I agreed with Cleo's mom. Maybe they were just being spiteful because they are one of the hateful posters. I don't know, but it's not cool.
I just keep thinking about the post that reminds me that a child could be on this forum and we would never know it.
Think good thoughts everyone - Karma happens!

Wow. Someone read my post and hit me with a negative mark, maybe they were just trolling, maybe they didn't like that I agreed with Cleo's mom. Maybe they were just being spiteful because they are one of the hateful posters. I don't know, but it's not cool.
I just keep thinking about the post that reminds me that a child could be on this forum and we would never know it.
Think good thoughts everyone - Karma happens!

We eat out alot and I have learned to just ignore the looks. It really doesn't bother me. $6.95 for an extra plate? I don't think that i would frequent that restaraunt either! I usually take over my DH's bread plate anyway.

Well you said you are eating whatever you want, and testing your band with way to much food. It's not going to stop you from eating. No, I don't feel like I have something in my stomach. II don't physically feel any different... i don't think you are supposed to, it just makes me feel not hungry.

Yeah it does sound strange but once you get below about 1,000 calories the body shifts to starvation mode and weight loss can actually slow. Weird Huh?
You want to avoid very low calorie plans in weight loss because you can set your set point too low and then you'll gain more weight than you may expect when you establish a new normal intake point for yourself with your dietitions guidence.
To get an idea of the amount of calories you will need try this site:
http://www.freedieti..._calculator.htm
just remember to put the goal weight in the calculator to reflect how many calories you need to maintain the goal.
You can also put in your current weight just to see approximately how many calories you needed to maintain that size.
Good luck and a 2-3 pounds a week is less likely to result in regaining than 5 or more we all didn't gain overnight and even with the band we shouldn't expect to lose it too fast.

I was wondering from any of you experience bandsters about how many calories do you eat per day? Im not sure if I am eating enough. The nurse told me I needed to eat more to lose weight, sounds weird to me, but im not sure.
Thanks for your help.

I always just order a Water with my meal and then set it aside. It cuts down on all the puzzled looks and questions. It's funny at first, but then just gets aggravating and I get tired of explaining over and over again that I don't want anything.

In the end, its how much you eat.
You can be thin and eat a diet of only rubbish. But you wont be healthy. You know that.
I have lost weight eating pretty much what I ate before being banded, including some bread. But I didnt eat entirely rubbish - I ate a good healthy base diet and then shoved in a lot of sugary carb foods on top of that. I've personally never had much of a problem with junk foods like Mcdonalds and KFC, I've never overeaten them or craved them unduly. But muffins, cakes, biscuits, that's another story.
So yes, I cut out those foods for the most part, but I do still eat them on occasion. If I go out for dinner, I'm not going to piss fart around ordering sauces to the side and quizzing the staff about whether there's butter in something. I just have what I fancy, and I dont eat a lot of it.
But my basic, everyday diet, what I eat 90% of the time is healthy. Its healthy, but I really dont believe in low carb Atkins style diets. I do eat bread and cereals and I eat good amounts of Protein but not HIGH Protein. So again, the next person here will tell me diet contravenes all their rules and I'll never lose weight. But I did and kept it off - so it comes down to calories in/calories out, I think.
Post op, I did exactly what I was told to do and ate really healthy foods too. I actually find it really hard to understand how just after surgery you can not be so bouyed up by enthusiasm, hope and determination that you find this period difficult. I found it really very easy. The hard part of wanting bad foods again came a lot later on. But everyone's different I guess. After the post op period, my doc actually HAS no real rules, the m.o. here in Australia tends to be eating a very normal everyday diet but only a lot less of it. Its about integrating the band into normal life, not about a bunch of rules that really swaps overeating for a life of imposed rules.

Hey All,
I was wondering how many of you have dealt with Hair loss? ?? I have lost about 40 lbs and much of that came off during the first 2 months of being banded. For the first few weeks I was ok but then started to notice that I was losing hair . I knew i wasnt getting enough Water and struggled to get the Protein in as well. I have since started taking ALL my Vitamins, getting in the recommended protein and have been gettin in almost all my water.Oh, I also started taking Biotin and I AM STILL LOSING HAIR!!!! :cry_smile: Like a great big bunch at every hair wash.
If you've had this happen to you please do tell me what you did to recover from the "vanishing hair trick".

Right on, Cleo's Mom!
I have only posted a few times because of all the awful things I read here, and I figured about as much. When I see something hateful or spiteful, I click the red minus button. I wish more people would.

First of all, congrats on your weightloss! That's incredible!! I also think it's funny that I was banded on 6/29/10, a year to the date that you were!
As for your sister, that's a tough one. I think the best thing to do would be to drop it entirely. Don't share with her about the losses unless she asks. Watching you shrink is probably painful to watch in and of itself. Having to hear about it too, just adds salt to the wound. KWIM?! She probably hears from other family members how great you look etc, so she probably imagines that the spotlight is now focused on her too, for comparisons sake. For example someone says "Molly looks great! and what she hears is "Molly is looking great, why aren't you losing weight too?!?!" Make sense?
All you can do is carry on with your own life, be there for support and guidance IF and WHEN she asks for it, and just love her as you always have.

I think there are reasons why some posts are annoying or rude, and others that say similar things aren't taken so badly. A lot has to do with the reader, and their frame of mind when they come across a post like that. I've found that some posters who annoy the heck out of me aren't so bad on other days. I figure it's all about how I'm reading things.
As for why posts like that exist, I think it's because of the anonymous nature of forums like this. People say things on forums like ths because nobody knows them. They adopt a certain attitude or online personality, and they live up (or down) to that persona. If the same person was in a room with you, chances are good they wouldn't say things like that to your face, or at least, not in the same way.
As has been mentioned, reading a forum does not give you the option of expressing body language. And a post that may be meant to be strong, heartfelt concern easily comes across as rude and insensitive. You have to step back and take it all with a huge grain of salt.
Another point is the intelligence and communication skills of the person leaving the rude post. They may not have the vocabulary to use "softer" words to express themselves, and the phrasing they choose says something much harsher than they intended.
Now, having said all that, I've also taken to staying away from this forum for more than a cursory review every few days. I rarely post anymore because I know there isn't much I have to say that would be a new thought. There is plenty of redundancy here, and I don't need to add to the confusion. If I can offer something helpful to the OP, I'd recommend reading the forum at "arm's length," and take away the advice you need, while not taking the other posts too seriously. In the end, your goal is probably to learn what you need to know to live with your band. The social arguments and negativity don't contribute to that, so don't take it away wth you.
The one thing I think everyone here wants is for everyone to do well with their band, and to be successful with their weight loss. Everything else is just drama, emotions, nerve, moods, and bad social interaction. Focus on the right stuff, and let the other stuff go. Life is too short to let it bring you down.
Good luck!
Dave

I agree.. some people are so rude!

Right on, Cleo's Mom!
I have only posted a few times because of all the awful things I read here, and I figured about as much. When I see something hateful or spiteful, I click the red minus button. I wish more people would.

I have had my surgery in October and already paid $450 up front and $250 deposit to my surgeon.
I have to pay 2,200$ co-pay for the surgery, and a couple hundred for the anestezia.
The question is - what kind of programms are out there to be able to put all the bills together and have one summ payment every month that you can afford? I do not want to pay too much to be able to do that too. I can pay some accounts in full as they come and pay some portions of the other accounts over time.
I need some ideas and names. I am not sure what the rules of this website is but if you don't think that you can post it here just try and write a private message to me. ( I am not sure how I set it - it may be available only to my friends )
So, I am trying not to get ovewhelmed with all these piling bills after my surgery or have someone come to my job to serve me with a lawsuit that I didn't pay my bill in time ( I hear of stories like that )
Is there a website where you can set up all of you current accounts and pay all of them from that one website - but I cannot pay all the bills at once - I want to be able to pay whenever I get money ( usually it happens every two weeks ) but anyway - I just don't want a program where they automatically take money out of your account to pay your bills, I want to be able to choose when to pay what.
Are there services like that available to public? I would love to have your input. That would definetely make my life easier.
Thank you!

I picked this up at my band surgeon's office yesterday. Thought I'd share:
Plastic Surgery - Surgery performed by a Plastic Surgeon to modify and change the appearance of an individual. The emphasis is on the change of one's appearance and no actual plastic is used for most of the operations.
Brachioplasty - This operation is performed to improve the appearance of one's upper arms. Excess arm skin is removed after weight loss. This operation is usually performed after all the weight loss has been obtained and is done under general anesthesia on an out-patient basis. This procedure is considered cosmetic in nature and is not covered by insurance plans.
Mastopexy - This operation is performed to improve the appearance of the breasts. This is an operation that lifts the breasts, changes the size and location of the nipple and aureola, and gives a firmer and more youthful breast. This operation is performed after weight loss has been obtained and is done under general anesthesia on an out-patient basis. This procedure is considered cosmetic in nature and is not covered by insurance plans.
Breast Reduction - This operation is performed to reduce the size and weight of one's breasts and to improve the shape of the breasts as well. In this operation there is a reduction both of breast tissue and skin of the breasts. This operation is performed under general anesthesia on an out-patient basis. This procedure is covered by many insurance plans but does have a minimum amount of breast tissue that must be removed. For this reason, one may have this operation performed before all of the weight loss to assure qualification for insurance coverage. Consult a plastic surgeon about this operation if needed soon after weight loss surgery.
Abdominoplasty - This operation, also referred to as a tummy tuck, is performed to remove excess skin and fat from one's abdomen. This operation is performed under general anesthesia on an out-patient basis. This operation is considered cosmetic in nature and is not covered by insurance companies. This operation would be considered after your weight loss is complete.
Panniculectomy - This operation is performed to remove the excess skin one has on their abdomen that hangs over one's pubis after significant weight loss. This is a medically indicated operation to improve the health of the skin on the abdomen that is frequently infected under the skin. This operation is performed under general anesthesia on an out-patient basis in most circumstances. This is a medically indicated operation and is covered by most insurance plans. This operation would be considered after your weight loss is complete.

For what it's worth, there's another BCBS Federal thread in this category, and the approvals are coming VERY quickly. Once your surgeon's office has everything in, it appears they are granting the approvals within 3 days, and in one case within 1 and a half hours. Mine (once it was resubmitted to the correct fax number---grrr) was approved about 26 hours after the documentation was faxed in.
So if you can get your paperwork in from the surgeon, you very well may get your surgery before the new year! GOOD LUCK!

I don't see why this has to become a political discussion, sounds to me like human error can we keep politics out of this... It just doesn't seem like the place to discuss this...
To original poster I hope every thing works out for you Good Luck

Please move political discussions to the non band related sections of this board.
Thanks

In your opinion - but to the millions without any healthcare options it may be better.

I have to say the good thing about that is I can be on my mother insurance which of course is better then the company I work for. I mean I'm saving my own money because my company makes me pay for my own insurance & it doesnt effect my mother because her company provides their insurance for free.. but it's better, saving me money & I don't have to be in college & can stay insured up until my 26th birthday. Some of the bill does really help.

Welcome to the world of insurance. It will only get worse if/when Obamacare completes.

Oh no! I don't have any info to share, but I'm sorry for your complication & interested in what you find out... I hope things turn out ok for you.

I really didn't believe that my weight loss would be this slow...I am on target with the 1 to 2lbs a week rate when my loss is averaged out since I've been banded. I am learning to be happy with that because I am learning new habits that will stick with me in the long run. I have never kept off any weight loss for this long and I am very proud of myself.