jen120

Thanks so much for the chart...I'm 50% yellow and 50% green.
Here are some ideas of articles I'd like to see...

how much weight a person can really expect to lose once they have had surgery. Tips for planning meals and organizing your life to be successful. A article about nutrition needs after surgery and what foods are the most nutritious and fit well in the eating plan. Maybe an article on strategies for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose. An article about excess skin and hair loss after surgery. Thanks for this web site...it has helped me so much in my journey!

Thanks so much for the chart...I'm 50% yellow and 50% green.
Here are some ideas of articles I'd like to see...

how much weight a person can really expect to lose once they have had surgery. Tips for planning meals and organizing your life to be successful. A article about nutrition needs after surgery and what foods are the most nutritious and fit well in the eating plan. Maybe an article on strategies for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose. An article about excess skin and hair loss after surgery. Thanks for this web site...it has helped me so much in my journey!

Thanks so much for the chart...I'm 50% yellow and 50% green.
Here are some ideas of articles I'd like to see...

how much weight a person can really expect to lose once they have had surgery. Tips for planning meals and organizing your life to be successful. A article about nutrition needs after surgery and what foods are the most nutritious and fit well in the eating plan. Maybe an article on strategies for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose. An article about excess skin and hair loss after surgery. Thanks for this web site...it has helped me so much in my journey!

Thanks so much for the chart...I'm 50% yellow and 50% green.
Here are some ideas of articles I'd like to see...

how much weight a person can really expect to lose once they have had surgery. Tips for planning meals and organizing your life to be successful. A article about nutrition needs after surgery and what foods are the most nutritious and fit well in the eating plan. Maybe an article on strategies for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose. An article about excess skin and hair loss after surgery. Thanks for this web site...it has helped me so much in my journey!

Even if you are on someone else's insurance, that does not give them the right to dictate your medical care. It's illegal and HIPAA protects your medical privacy. Your father would have no rights to have sued your former surgeon, he was not the patient. Now, of course he can try to drop you from the insurance after the fact, which in my opinion is a really crappy thing to do to a child. Unfortunately, people in 12 step programs can get extremely over zealous with wanting to share the program. IT DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE! In particular, people with food addictions. As an alcoholic, he can avoid having another drink the rest of his life and live a normal productive existence. Unfortunately, never eating again is not an option. If he had to have just 1 drink a day...I wonder what his success would be? food addicts are faced with their demon everyday.
You are in a tough situation. Personally if you are prepared for the financial consequences of being dropped by the insurance and potentially losing assistance with your tuition, then go for it using the insurance. Hide it from them. Make sure your insurance knows that you will take legal action if they share your medical information with your father or anyone other than you. Laws are there to protect your privacy!! All correspondence should go directly to you if you live at a different address. Call the insurance company and make this clear with them. They can get in big legal and financial trouble for breaking the law!
Good Luck...

I guess all surgeons are different, I take strong pain meds for my back and legs, my surgery is 9-11 and I will continue my meds to and including 9-10.

Congrats on your weight loss with the band! I started at 415 pounds (my highest weight was 435) and I know how it feels to be scared to go back there!
So glad I found this section of the forum. I'm in the same boat. I had my band for less than a year and major slip and it was removed. I did lose 128 pounds in that time. I went from 415 to 287! I thought I could do it without help, but like you all say, I could never feel full. I gained between 20-30 pounds and have been hovering in that area since May. I finally broke down and saw my surgeon and will be doing the sleeve. Would love to keep in touch to see how it goes!

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this site. I had the Gastric Band placed on 5-23-2011. When I started my pre-op diet I was 415 pounds. On 5-1-2012 less than a year after surgery I weight 287. That was a loss of 128 pounds. I was so happy with my band and followed all the instructions and was very successful. Unfortunately on 5-1-2012 my band slipped, blocking my ability to eat or drink anything. It had to be removed. I thought I could do it on my own...but I can't. I gained about 25-30 pounds and have been hovering between 310 and 320 for the last few months. I finally met with my surgeon and we are going to do the Gastric Sleeve. I was very active on LapBandTalk until my band slipped. I hope to be involved here as well. I am still learning a lot and look forward to being part of this community.
All the Best...
-Jeannette

Even if you are on someone else's insurance, that does not give them the right to dictate your medical care. It's illegal and HIPAA protects your medical privacy. Your father would have no rights to have sued your former surgeon, he was not the patient. Now, of course he can try to drop you from the insurance after the fact, which in my opinion is a really crappy thing to do to a child. Unfortunately, people in 12 step programs can get extremely over zealous with wanting to share the program. IT DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE! In particular, people with food addictions. As an alcoholic, he can avoid having another drink the rest of his life and live a normal productive existence. Unfortunately, never eating again is not an option. If he had to have just 1 drink a day...I wonder what his success would be? food addicts are faced with their demon everyday.
You are in a tough situation. Personally if you are prepared for the financial consequences of being dropped by the insurance and potentially losing assistance with your tuition, then go for it using the insurance. Hide it from them. Make sure your insurance knows that you will take legal action if they share your medical information with your father or anyone other than you. Laws are there to protect your privacy!! All correspondence should go directly to you if you live at a different address. Call the insurance company and make this clear with them. They can get in big legal and financial trouble for breaking the law!
Good Luck...

There technically should be no lapse in coverage. Have you paid the premium? I would bug my HR department everyday until I had formal documentation. When I got divorced, my ex who was on my insurance got a letter about a week before his coverage ended from COBRA with a letter detailing the payments and coverage details. There was no lapse in coverage and he had 1 month to pay the first premium or it would retrospectively be cancelled. You should have received this by now. Be persistent with your HR!!!

your story is similar to mine in that I have a lapband and was very active at LBT UNTIL I decided to have a revision to the sleeve; my surgery is in three days. The sleeve is permanent and the lapband is not. I am now glad to be getting a permanent surgery for my weight loss journey. Best of luck to you and keep posting!!

Hi,welcome!
I was on LBT for a long time from 2004 to 2006 (was sick as a dog with the band and soooo desperate the whole time)
The sleeve is for me everything I thought the band would be and wasnt.

Thanks so much for the chart...I'm 50% yellow and 50% green.
Here are some ideas of articles I'd like to see...

how much weight a person can really expect to lose once they have had surgery. Tips for planning meals and organizing your life to be successful. A article about nutrition needs after surgery and what foods are the most nutritious and fit well in the eating plan. Maybe an article on strategies for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose. An article about excess skin and hair loss after surgery. Thanks for this web site...it has helped me so much in my journey!

Foods that really help me...
Frigo Light Cheeseheads Swirls string cheese...Only 60 cal and 8 grams Protein. I have 2 a day, one each in the morning and afternoon.
Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles
Birdseye Broccoli Florets Steamer Bag...It's plain broccoli that you microwave in the bag. It is quick and easy and I always have on hand for when I feel lazy about cooking. Even the one with sauce is low cal.

Hi, I am very happy with the band. I didn't have any issues with nausea or vomiting after surgery. I didn't have my first fill until after I lost 90 pounds. My second fill was too tight and that did cause heartburn and vomiting as I couldn't really eat solid food. I had some Fluid taken out and now everything is great. I work very hard to stay focused on my eating plan, get in some exercise and continue going to therapy to help me deal with the food issues. The band works great for me and I don't regret it for one second nor do I wish I had done something else.

Love my band! Have had my fair share of episodes of vomiting, 2 unfills and still searching for that green zone but I wouldn't trade it for the world! Did I say I LOVE my band?!!!

I was 415 when I started my pre-op diet on May 9th, 2011 and I was 293 when I weighed in last week. So that is just over 120 pounds in 11 months. But I still have another 90+ to go. It really does depend on where you are starting and how much you have to lose. Good luck!

Thanks so much for the chart...I'm 50% yellow and 50% green.
Here are some ideas of articles I'd like to see...

how much weight a person can really expect to lose once they have had surgery. Tips for planning meals and organizing your life to be successful. A article about nutrition needs after surgery and what foods are the most nutritious and fit well in the eating plan. Maybe an article on strategies for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose. An article about excess skin and hair loss after surgery. Thanks for this web site...it has helped me so much in my journey!

Thanks so much for the chart...I'm 50% yellow and 50% green.
Here are some ideas of articles I'd like to see...

how much weight a person can really expect to lose once they have had surgery. Tips for planning meals and organizing your life to be successful. A article about nutrition needs after surgery and what foods are the most nutritious and fit well in the eating plan. Maybe an article on strategies for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose. An article about excess skin and hair loss after surgery. Thanks for this web site...it has helped me so much in my journey!

I would love to know how having been obese for a while makes your bones heavier?
There is a lot of scope within a normal BMI. There is no way that at the top end of that range that a person would look skinny, gaunt or like a starving refugee!
You have to aim for a couple of things.
A weight that is healthy.
A weight that makes you happy.
A weight that makes you look good.
Having said that though to not aim for a normal BMI after going through the process of being banded is selling yourself short - I think fear is what keeps many people from achieving this goal. I believe that a lot of the people that say they will be too skinny don't really think or feel that - they just don't think that they will be able to achieve it.
Mimi , you are the same height as me - I am sure that you can get to your goal. Rest assured that maintaining with a band is really a lot easier than you think. I have been on an extended overseas holiday where I didn't worry too much about what I was eating. I came home weighing the same as when I left. Yes my weight does fluctuate but not much. It seems to go up and down within a 1kg(2.2lb) range.

I do about 1200 a day...I try to get about 80 grams or more of Protein a day. I try to stay under 100 grams of carbs but its not always possible, especially if I eat fruit.< /p>

Brandon,
I was one of the lucky ones. After surgery I had absolutely no gas pain and just a bit of soreness where the biggest incision was on my stomach. I never took any pain medication after surgery except 1 dose of liquid vicoden right before I left the hospital.
I started at 415 pounds. On May 9th I started my pre-surgery liquid diet, I had surgery on May 23 and as of Monday 7-25-2011 I have lost 51 pounds. I do not have any fill in my band so I can pretty much eat anything I want as long as I chew really well. I do have to be careful with bread. I stick to a strict diet. I eat about 1200 calories a day, focusing mostly on Protein and trying to eat low carb. I drink 10-12 glasses of Water a day. The great thing is that they want you to eat a lot of Protein, so eating steak is not out of the question. You just need to chew carefully.
Like you I have a very difficult time exercising. I cannot walk any significant distance. I have started slowly riding a recumbent stationary bike. (People all weights and sizes can do that) I also swim. I have a small circular 12 foot above ground pool that is 3.5 feel deep. It was $99 bucks at Walmart and came with a pump and filter. I hang on the side and kick my legs, 500 sets on my back, 500 sets on my stomach. I swim "laps" using only my arms. Granted they are really very small laps, but I'll do 10 one way, switch direction and do 10 the other and go back and forth.
Good luck with your research. I will tell you...everyone is different. Dont let any 1 experience color your opinion. I hope you find the information you are looking for so you can make an informed decision.

This is very common about 3 months after surgery. This article explains the reason why.
Everyone experiences hair loss on a daily basis. Normal hair loss is barely noticeable, amounting to less than 100 hairs per day. However, the stress of a major surgery can cause Hair loss to accelerate up to three times as much in both men and women. It's the body's way of reacting to the trauma of the operation.

The Facts
During a normal Hair growth cycle, hair grows, then enters into a resting or "telogen" period and eventually sheds. According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, "telogen effluvium" is a term used to describe hair that has been rushed into the resting state after the body suffers a shock due to major surgery. As resources are redirected to help heal the affected surgical area, the body temporarily shuts down hair production because it is not necessary for survival.
Identification

Telogen effluvium related to surgery can be distinguished from other forms of hair loss in several ways. Individuals typically begin to notice the increasing hair loss two to three months after the surgery. Hair loss after surgery is uniform, noticeable on the scalp but never excessive enough to cause a patchy appearance or complete baldness. In addition, the shed hairs all exhibit a specific pattern at the root, which resembles a white bulb.
Time Frame

Hair usually resides in the telogen phase for a period of two to four months before growth resumes. Individuals don't begin to notice the increase in hair loss when showering or brushing the hair until about three months post-surgery. Although the resting hair is being pushed out of the scalp by new hair that is already growing, it can take anywhere from about six months to a year for the hair to return to its normal fullness.
Gastric Bypass Surgery

Individuals who have undergone gastric bypass or other operations of the digestive tract designed to reduce obesity are more prone to hair loss post-surgery. This is due to the reduced intake of food in the weeks and months immediately following these procedures. The body needs an adequate amount of Proteins and Vitamins to maintain hair production. Protein-enhanced shakes are often recommended for these patients as a substitute until solid food can be better tolerated.
Proper Diet

Hair loss related to surgery typically reverses itself without any medicinal intervention or the need for over-the-counter hair loss tonics or treatments. However, maintaining a diet rich in Protein and Iron is believed to help promote and speed up healthy hair growth. Suggested foods include salmon, Beans, eggs, spinach, broccoli, nuts and whole-grain cereals. Avoid foods that can inhibit hair growth, such as those that contain high levels of caffeine and fat.

For me...i had been so disassociated from my body for so long, I never ever really looked at myself. I always only just looked at my face. It was as if I was a floating head. Now I am acutely aware of my size and my body and how huge I really am. I do get depressed and I wonder what will be left hanging when I am done. But I am so much happier eating healthy and trying to work out the best I can. I am focusing on losing the weight and making positive changes. I have accepted that I will never be "skinny" or a super model. But I will be a smaller, happier and healthier me. I remind myself to be patient because I have a long road ahead!
Good Luck to you all!

I must say I am hostile to the very concept of divorce, as if people are throwaway commodities. if you say you love your husband, then don't get divorced. How hard is that? And your husband loved you and stayed with you when you were fat? And all for a person who as soon as she lost a bit of weight started to think of cheating on him? Er.. yuk! Maybe he is best rid of you, though. Honestly, this is one of the nastiest posts I have read. "Now I am not so fat, is it OK to get rid of my husband who I claim to still love and who stayed with me all while I was fat?" Which part of "till death do us part" did you not understand?