B-52

I'm 5 years in and it has done everything I expected, and then some.... Best decision I ever made....easiest thing I could ever do to loose ALL my excess weight and body fat.... Now living the new life I thought would never be possible.... I only say this, because after years on this forum it is obvious everyone is welcome to share their experiences, good and bad....and for every statement made, positive or negative, there is always someone with a different experience... The same goes with things such as caffeine, alcohol, # of fills, interpretation of the Green Zone...there is no wrong or right, there is no Black and white... When one person or persons say one thing and feel it is the absolute fact, there will be another one with a totally different experience. And readers, especially newbies, should not get caught up into that trap...just because someone on the internet says so... I read success stories, as well as failures all the time....and the underlying issues to both the reader will never know...one can only assume.

Not saying I condone such behavior, but I do totally get it...and it's not an addiction IMO... There have been many posts here over the years touching on similar themes.... After loosing all the excess weight, and becoming the attractive person you always dreamed of being.....becoming desirable... I'm 2 months shy of 64....have a body with next to nothing in body fat, work out every chance I get...my weight loss has done wonders for my self esteem and social outgoing.... Everyday I am working with the public, visiting different hospitals and clinics everyday, and it''s strange....I get hit on quite regularly....even at my age... And at my age, it's fun just to flirt....I take it as compliments....but I have been married for over 40 years, and a grandfather....so "Entertainment" is as far as it is going to go.... But for someone 1/2 my age...I can certainly understand the temptations....especially if it is happening to you for the first time..... Perhaps you can do something like take up Marathon Running?

I go all liquids for a day or two, every 6 weeks or so....keeps my band good to go....only maintenance I can think of with the band. If I was dieting, it would be different.

First, I had the Lap Band Procedure.... That said, I used to LOVE food and LOVE going to restaurants. It was a topic of discussion places we discovered that had the best steak, BBQ, whatever... Mortens was my favorite, and whenever I traveled for business first thing I would do is see if the city had one. I was a pretty good cook also, and enjoyed cooking for the family whenever we got together...and they looked forward to it. Fast Forward....My taste in foods have changed completely...I am never hungry and do not desire to eat most of the time..no interest in eating. meat was a problem getting down with the band...and since all my Dr.'s wanted me to cut back ( I did have at least one heart attack resulting in Cardiac Surgery) I decided it was as good as time as ever to quit altogether...so I have not eaten red meat in almost 5 years now. Red Wine? Not so much...gives me reflux because of my surgery. But I do enjoy other mixed drinks, and will also have a beer now and then. So yes, I did turn my back on a lot...but what I got in return is the best I could have ever imagined...I am a Vietnam Veteran, 2 months shy of 64, and I feel like I'm 30... I have become somewhat of a health nut...always looking for natural, organic foods. May not be what you wanted to hear....but that is what this has done to me. And I don't regret it one bit.

Keeping in mind, on some topics there is no right or wrong answer....and as soon as someone says one thing, another will come along and say the opposite...with their Dr.'s knowledge and approval.... Things such as Caffeine and Alcohol come to mind. Not everyone does everything the same way, and what one person believes is essential, can be unimportant to another...and have the success and experience to back it up.... The most important advice anyone can ever give anybody is, "What does YOUR Dr. say YOU should be, or not be doing?" From first hand knowledge with over 30 years in the field, patients will not like the tough advice their Dr.'s tell them, and will try to find other people to give them the answer they are looking for to reinforce their bad behavior... And this forum is loaded with such people...they have been told 100 times, and yet they keep asking.... Because if you ask me, I can only share what I have found from my experiences, and others will share what they have found from their experiences....and I guarantee they will not all be the same. Personally, my biggest pet-peeve on this forum is when someone will tell another person what they should or should not do....REALLY?? Are You their Dr.? Are you liable for giving the wrong info? You don't know this person, their medical history, NOTHING! All anyone can do, if they can relate to the question, is share what happened to them...otherwise, keep quiet. I hope, by setting up this FAQ, you're not setting yourself up to be THEE Authority on EVERYTHING.... Sorry for the rant.

Remember...the band is adjustable...meaning you have the power, as the patient, to determine what your comfort level is, and how you choose to have the band function. The band controls my eating, portion sizes, ability to overeat/indulge, and overall controls hunger and cravings. There are many people, who choose to have their band adjusted so as they have to do these things themselves more so than having their bands do it for them..... It's also why you will get so many different opinions on different topics..because there are so many different ways the band functions. So it can get very confusing reading all the different posts on this forum...add to that all the people here who have had surgeries other than the Lap band...I believe their experiences are very different from ours... So most importantly...is that you have a good Dr., and that you follow his/her advice...focusing on one voice, and not dozens...

I believe stalls are caused by your body catching up to the new regieme of eating less, burning calories, etc...since surgery. The way I deal with it is to change my routine, to get my body working in a different way. And for me that was easy...since I go to the gym often, getting out of a stall meant it was time to increase my workouts...whether that be more resistance, more weights, longer distance, increase the cardio....whatever it is you do, boost it up. Always worked for me.

Girl. You rock my world. Amen... Let's go kick some doors in and take names.

Sorry, but one more thing..... Once upon a time this forum went by another name...and it was all people who had the Lap band procedure. Since then, it has opened up up to all people with all WLS's, and the name has changed. Understandably so...the growth and scope has become obvious. But us Lap Band people are becoming more and more rare. When I log in I purposely go into the Lap Band section, only to find it over run with people with surgeries other than Lap Band. So for that reason, Lap band people in general are becoming more irrelevant...add to that being a Veteran.

To answer you question, the answer is NO! I am no longer relevant! I have been through the basics, completed the process..and have moved onto living a normal life again with no worries about dieting, gaining or loosing weight...I can eat and drink foods people on diets would never dream of... It seems like every other post is about whether someone can eat a cookie, or what do I use with dip....how about chips? Or crackers? That's what I use, but people starting out can't hear that, nor would they understand. Sometimes, it seems like I have stumbled upon a Jenny Craig or weight watchers website....Over the last 30 years or so, I have been on every diet known...and it's all the same old mantra, and I am reading it here every day again and again. The latest is strategies dealing with Halloween ????? I happen to like Reeces cups or Hershey bars...and the thing is, I don't expect people to understand what I just said. There is huge gap between veterans and people starting out....like babies learning to walk and marathon runners.... Bottom line, I have come to a place that people just starting out can never dream of being a reality...We simply cannot relate, and honestly they are probably better off not knowing half the things I have discovered...(There is a life after weight loss) It only confuses and distracts them. Only thing me and people starting out have in common, is I can say "I've been there, done that" And know this, it will take you to places you never dreamed possible....IT DOES WORK!!!! Sooner or later you will (Have to) finish this and move into a new realm. All Journeys (I don't like the term) must come to and end sooner or later, otherwise your wandering around the wilderness forever....(making everyone in this business rich) Everyone on this forum today, was not here when I first came (with the exception of one or two) Where did everybody go???? Did they ALL FAIL? I don't think so...Like graduating from High School they have all moved on to bigger and better things...why would they want to hang around? (I keep asking myself that question) Sad part about this is, when you come to this forum, all you do hear and read is people just starting out with no first hand experience, people complaining, lost, frustrated, confused looking for answers...and/or just having major, serious complications. It would be easy to think that this is all there is to all this....when in reality everyone here is a minority...a very small segment....there is a whole world out there of "Veterans" you don't even know about and never hear about. Not everyone has had problems...not everyone has found this difficult....and sometimes all that can be interpreted as negative...and when you're up, you don't need to be around that all the time. Yes, there is a Veterans section here...but is it really? To a very large extent I have to keep my mouth shut, keep my opinions to myself. Many just would not understand. I have definitely become Irrelevant....

I cannot get through winters without a electric blanket!!! And yes, this is because of weight loss...no longer have that whale blubber as insulation.

If you were to ask me what was my highest weight, I wouldn't know because I a was too ashamed to face reality... But now, every time I get on the scale (once a day, sometimes more) it is a victory! A morale and motivation booster! I am not ashamed with myself at all!!!

Sorry, I just noticed you're planning on surgery in December....but all the same, you should have some expectations and not settle for anything less.

Simple question, and I'm not bashing by no means.... When did you have surgery and Why did you have surgery??? I ask this because, myself, like so many others, have had problems with eating and food. It's why we are, were, obese. I went into this, speaking of having something as drastic as surgery...expecting something other than what I have been trying and failing at for years and Years.... I did not want surgery, but I did want change....So I Had surgery with expectations...and I was not satisfied until I started to see direct results from that surgery. So again, what are your expectations? Why did you have this surgery? And if you're not getting the results, why?

I hear this all the time, and I never had any issues...fly all the time for business. Only thing I did feel were the expensive gin & tonics....

I don't think it's anyone's business to tell another individual what they are doing right or wrong..... People should come here and share THEIR experiences, good and bad.... If you don't agree with what someone is saying/asking, simply tell them you don't agree with that practice, and tell them why....could be a bad experience, or simply your Dr. does not allow it.... I read things here where self proclaimed experts will tell people if you do such and such, you will die (exaggeration) And I sit here scratching my head thinking I do what is being condemned, and my Dr. knows it.... and I question where are they getting their (mis) information..... People read it and repeat it enough, it becomes an accepted fact, based on what? What someone thought? Or heard someone else say? I'm coming up on 5 years, 110% successful, finished this journey (process) long ago, Blah Blah Blah, and I will NEVER tell anyone if they are doing something right or wrong, or what they should be doing...except go see your Dr., and share what I have found with my own experiences.... I have had the Lap Band surgery, and have no experience with the other procedures on this forum so I keep my mouth shut in that area......yet I read where people with the sleeve, etc, tell people with the Lap Band all the time...... There is an overlapping area only to a certain point. (PS...I'm here for Ladies only, powder room reading) It's a joke!! (kinda)

He has you drink as he is putting saline in your band? And stops when you start to gurgle? That's a new one for me, but then nothing surprises me after being on this forum fo so long you learn there are so many different ways to do this thing. My Dr. would give me a fill, and would say "Drink some Water before you leave and tell me if you have any problems" In other words, making sure I can drink and that I was not too tight. I have that gurgling thing all the time, especially first thing in the morning with my coffee...It kind of reminds me of water circling the drain as it goes down. As far as your fills and getting to the green zone...be careful what you ask for. For me, it was immediate after my last fill...even though I could drink water at the office before I left, the next day was a different story altogether. Some people would have gone right back anf have some of that last fill taken out., and I was tempted to do so also.....but .I did not. Instaed I concentrated on what and how I was eating....which in my case proved to be the secret...the band forced me to change from my old ways of looking at food and eating...and that to me was what it is all about. But it was hard...it was hard dieting from surgery up to that point, and then it was hard learning and applying the lessons (rules) after that last fill..... But once I did....HEAVEN!!!

BMI's are very unscientific, and I have very little respect for them in terms of my weight - health. Body fay % is the only true way to know if you are at a healthy weight or not.... A football player can be 20-30 pounds over weight and BMI would be high, abnormal, and considered obese. But his body fat % can be very, very low, and ideal. According to BMI's I still need to loose 15 lbs...but my body fat% is very low...athletic-fit range...so where am I going to loose that 15 Lbs ???? On the flipside, a person can have a low, normal BMI and still have a high fat %...and still be as unhealthy as someone who is morbidly obese with all the same health issues, and would still need to loose more weight in terms of fat to be healthy, or develop some muscle tissue. scales that measure body fat% are becoming more popular...they used to be very high tech expensive machines but no more....my gym has them, as does my PCP office...and I looked at buying one for the home. Excess fat is a killer !!!! Cause of type 2 diabetes, CAD leading to strokes, MI's, and amutations to mention just a few. All my pre-surgery health issues were directly related to fat! Getting rid of that excess fat was my goal. My arteries were clogged...cause of my heart attack and subsequent cardiac surgery...I had type 2 diabetes and took daily insulin injections....I had circulatory issues where I lost feeling below my knees at times....also skin infections - cellulitus. All my Dr.'s clearly stated it was all due too much fat, and my blood work clearly showed it. Granted, weight and BMI's can be directly related to body fat, but only to a point. How to get rid of excess body fat?? The same old mantra..."Diet and Exercise" I tried dieting, did not work and failed everytime...so surgery was my last resort to control my eating...once that was accomplished and I now eat so little, I choose healthy,natural and organic if possible low fat foods....no more meat or dairy products.... And exercise as much as possible to burn off the stored fat I have been carrying around fo so long. I am not on any diet, do not count calories, etc...what I have done is developed a new way of living, from day to day, and enjoy myself with little pleasures along the way.

But we can still get in and watch....I mean read.

Happened to me that way...my taste for foods completely changed...and to this day, I have no interest in food or eating... I can, and have gone full 24hrs anf forgot to sit down for a meal...especially when I am occupied doing something else like traveling. It is as thouigh my brain says I'm full and satisfied, no need to eat, no interest to eat...even though physically I have not had anything to eat all day. In other words, I haver no hunger, no cravings! I'll take that!!! Especially when my problem with being obese was that I coukld not stop eating...I was like a machine or trying to win a contest. I can go to a resturant and stare at the menu, not finding anything that interests me, and what I do order I don't come close to finishing. Just pick at it........I can wander around a grocery store and come away with next to nothing.... I can go to buffets, parties, family gaterings such as thanksgiving and not be tempted at all.... I don't need any stratagies or plans to get through situations.... The band is the cure for all that.... That is another reason I will not call my band a tool...I have no control over it, or something I can "Use" It's in control of me.... If you look at the characteristics of the "Green Zone", it simply says "No Hunger"

Burps, puke, reflux, too tight, not tight enough, stalls, ect.....that WAS the hardest part of all....first 6 months or so adjusting myself to the demands of the band....NOT the other way around. But once I got that down, and changed my life long bad habits, it HAS been the easy road....and still is. Been at my optimal weight for over 3 years now, not gaining or loosing, a process finished, a success complete...no fear of gaining any weight back as long as the band is there doing what it is doing. Why all the negativity???? It's only my opinion but I think many people rersist change, refuse to adapt. So getting through all the Burps, puke, reflux, too tight, not tight enough, stalls, etc...is too much and they back away? It's also why, again my opinion, is the reason many Dr.'s are staying away from the band...the patient has too much influence....with other surgeries it is what it is...no adjusments. Deal with it. Coming up on 5 years and I could not be more pleased with my life changing choice to have this surgery...

It's not how many fills, but how much you get to have the band properly adjusted.....I know someone who has had 12 fills, but the Dr. only gives 1/2 cc per fill bringing her to 6cc's...and she remained unhappy after a full year. Then there are people here who report complete success and never had a fill...go figure. My first fill, one month after surgery, was 4cc's......after that I started to gain weight, 4cc's did nothing for me.... It took 3 good fills to get me there.... But then...having good restriction, things got crazy! I was not full prepared for what was happening...I had to learn how to co-exist with the band in ways I was not prepared for....it was then then the "Rules" began to take on real meaning. This was the most difficult thing for me, took a ot of hard work, determination....but I was not going to give up, not going to retreat.... So even though it only took me 3 good fills one month apart from surgery, 4 months...it took me 10 - 12 moinths before everything started to click and I got into a "Groove" It has all been easy as it can be since then, and gets easier everyday almost 5 year later. But that first year...WOW...I can certainly understaand why so many newly banded people come here to voice complaints, and it's sad they get frustrated, call themselves a failure and want to give up..Agreed, it is not easy!!! At least in the early stages......I can also understand why so many Dr.;s will suggest other surgeries over the band....

#1...This is why I never told anyone. #2...What are you going to do when you reach YOUR goal? In my experience, this is a life changing event...it changed the way I think about, and eat food. It is something that will remain that way for the rest if my life. I became Obese because, over time, I was eating way too much of th wrong foods...and I could not control it no matter how many different diets I tried, and over the last 30-40 years I tried them all !!! So, Weight loss surgery was the only option left for me....the last resort. I did not want to do it or look forward to it, but I had no other opotions and my health was failing because of it. So, after lap band surgery, and then getting it properly adjusted through a series of fills, (which took months, not days or weeks) my eating and general outlook to food has changed 180 degrees. And just as I slowly gained weight, I then turned it around and slowly began to loose weight...and continued to loose passing any goals I may have set for myself...What could I do to stop it? Get Fluid taken out of the band so I can eat like a fat person again? (this is NOT a diet in my experience) With the new lifestyle I lost untill everything settled out on it's own....surprisingly a very good body fat %. Never felt better, with so much ebnergy, my health issues have all dissaperared. And as long as the band is there, I will never go back, never gain the weight back. Everything could not be more PERFECT and can't be any better for someone my height, etc. So yes, I wish WLS was not the only way, but I have no regrets what so ever! It beats the alternative. BTW, coming up on 5 years (Jan), and at the 5 year mark I will be 64 years old. The first few weeks, months, were the toughest part of this process....the band was not doing much, and it took time and some fills to get it working optimally (Green Zone) I even gained weight after the first month and first fill. I was frustrated and felt I wasted my time, yet again. After that it became easier and easier and eventually there came a point where I don't even think about it anymore. It just is....it's the "New Normal"

At one point in my life I was seeing 5 different Dr.'s every 4 months....I had that much going on and it was all out of whack. It was my GP who suggested WLS, knowing me and knowing I have struggled at dieting with no success and the majority of my problems can be weight related. I started to share this prospect to the other Dr.'s, and every one took a double take and said "You? WLS? All you really need to do is eat right and exercise" The one that really shockd me was my cardiologist....I thought he would be onboard, but he was not that enthusiastic. I thought he would not clear me. Long story short. I had Lap band surgery, lost all my excess weight being at a weight I was in High School 45 years ago.... All my co-morbidities have been reversed...no more diabetes so no more endocronologist, I still see my GP and cardiologist but only once a year now instead of every 4 months. The most amusing thing of all is how pleased my cardiologist is...he refers to me as one of his best patients, success stories ever, saying I am consistantly moving in the opposite direction than the direction most of his patients do. I want to be in his face about how negative he was with my WLS...but why bother....I wonder if he even remembers. I don't know why so many people, including health care professionals, are so negative about WLS when so many people have had thier lives saved by this and returned to a normal weight - lifestyle. I know many of my friends and workmates get regular Botox-filler treatments....is that natural? But I am not one to cast stones.

So sorry for your loss.....unfortunatley at our age this is very much a part of life. I have many family members and friends who, IMO, have moved on. How old was your husbad? What was the illness he had off/on prior to the pnuemonia? Was it heart related? I had heart surgery about 5 years ago.....what type was his? Sorry fo asking so mna questions, but this is something that relates to us all sooner or later.