Jim1967

1 month is a cake walk. Cigna required 6 months of supervised diet. It seemed like time had stood still at some points but now it feels like a lifetime ago..

Thank you Jean!! I am with Terry on this one. Weight issues will always be on my front burner regardless of how successful I am. Fat boy is always ready and willing to come out and play again. There is no such thing as an end to a journey for me unless it is THE end period.

Congratulations. You look great!!

Success relies so heavily on the individual compliance. I can't stand stats for that reason. Stats will show low success rates but they never mention if it was due to legit complications or if it was non compliance by the patient.

I agree with others about the Peer review. That being said, all the people you did see are part of the same practice as your surgeon correct? I went to a center of excellence where all the resources are under one roof. I met my Doctor once during the 6 month monitored diet. Like you I saw the Nurse, mental health counselor, and Nut. for most of that time. This definitely sounds like a proper documentation issue that your Center needs to straighten out for you. I was denied on day 2 of submitting because they did not get all the desired docs and they had my DOB wrong. Paperwork showed I was 17. LOL Once they straightened out those details I was approved two days later. Stick with it and don't give up and talk to your doctors and ask them to advocate on your behalf.

I agree MsMaui. I am certainly opened to the Sleeve if that is what my Wife chooses. My gripe is not about which surgery is better. My issue was how she introduced the three options to brand new people attending an informational seminar. I may be exaggerating a bit when I say she should've just told them all not to get the band period. "You will fail and not lose weight." because that's the way my Wife and I heard it. Basically it comes down to this, they will keep offering the band because there will always be people who want it and why turn someone away someone who is willing to spend money.

My problem is I was struggling at times to reach 800 calories a day and everything I had been reading and hearing was telling me I was possibly putting my body into starvation mode. At that time I was going through like a month and a half period of the scale just sitting in one place. So I went to see the Nutritionist about it and they set me straight. Come to find out I had gotten away from band portions and was eating too much and eating around my band which is what slowed down my weight loss. I also had a couple of stuck episodes during that period and still I didn't see the signs I was doing it wrong. Still though it was confusing because I was consuming more than usual but still struggling with low calories counts and not losing. Now my calorie intake is still on the low end but my portions are back on track and the scale is moving with a little more ease. Like Stephanie says I think its a matter of learning the basics and then finding out what works for you individually. It's too bad it doesn't just work by following basic rules. If it did then none of us would have weight struggles.

Hi Donna, First of all you are doing fantastic!! I also got some conflicting info from two Nuts at my center. I finally had to go to them and tell them they have me confused and I'm going in circles in my head, They got together and told me not to worry about calories or carbs too much. I was getting overly concerned about my low calorie intake because of what I read on here and other places. They told me not to focus on that because as a band patient I would be typically taking in far less then a normal (non band) who is dieting. I was also a former Atkins person so sometimes I was getting hung up on serious carb counting. I still have issues at times with it. They told me to make sure I am doing portion control, measuring whenever possible and make sure I get minimum 80-100g of Protein a day and stay away from bad foods or trigger foods that will set me in the wrong direction. I do one meal per day (usually breakfast) with a Protein shake. I am usually tight in the morning so that works best for me. Both Nuts have told me they find their patients tend to lose better when they substitute one meal a day with a shake. I have read on here that some people were told by their Nuts that is not good practice. Which I do not understand but as we know everyone has different rules/guidelines to follow. I would suggest talking to your Nut and explain how you are getting conflicted information and it has your head spinning with confusion. If they're good at what they do and are dedicated to their patients well being then I would expect they would pull together and get you on the path. I would bring them a good sample pool of food journals for them to review. All the best, Jim

For me it is about getting back to a comfortable weight I was at in 2005. In 2003 I embarked on an Atkins journey where I ended up shedding a 170+ pounds. I let my guard down completely and put it all back on plus another 90 over the years. So my goal is 220 or under at which I would still be considered obese for guy my height. I am only 5'6. I believe BMI charts are unrealistic. So I don't bother with it. Comfortable and healthy in my own skin is all I want.

I rotated it for you and attached it here. Just save it to your computer now and then go upload it like you did the first time.

Does it look sideways on your computer? If so you will need to use a program such as paint to rotate it and then save it. Open again to make sure it looks right then go into your profile and upload it again.

Which can lead to repeated infections

May be both would be good. Seriously the amount of posts daily from new banders dealing with frustration of the scale not moving right away is unreal. Short term and long term expectations would be a great addition.

Alex, Expectations is a huge one. I know I am not alone when I said the day after surgery "OK I had weight loss surgery so when the weight going to fall off?" I have seen many people including myself get discouraged when at month 1or 2 they're still not losing much weight. I have seen some who wished they never had the surgery and even one who wanted the band out after a month. I wish I was more prepared in that aspect of things.

You're right B and I guess I was just a bit shocked by the difference in attitude toward the band but the more I think about it they were always more in favor of the gastric then the band long before the Sleeve came into the picture. I guess it's because is the same weight center I was started my journey off with I was put off a bit with what they were saying at the seminar. Again, I sometimes feel the band is the black sheep of the family and at times I've been annoyed by my Surgeons lack of involvement when I go for follow ups. Usually when I go in I only see his PA. Talking with my Wife last night she was quick to remind me that I am not high maintenance and if anything I'm a model band patient. My Surgeon's hands off approach with me is not personal. I have had zero complications and the weight is coming off so I assume his time is spent with more needy and new patients.

I am no where near 200 but I am close to breaking the under 300 mark and slowly creeping up on 200 total pound loss. I am chasing you Missy 302 this morning..

Only you walk in your shoes and we only get one walk down the road of life. If will make you feel better then why not?

Absolutely Sharpie. Band keeps me honest and holds me accountable. I have 0 regrets with my band. I just found the differences in attitude with the seminar 17 months later a little disturbing. I felt as though they were purposely skewing facts to sway people from choosing the band without directly coming out saying 'no, you shouldn't do that.'

Yes, My Doctor was the same way. We discussed everything and he told me it had to be my decision on which option to go. Even at 488lbs he said he thought I would do well with the band. I do wonder if that seminar would've been different if he was leading it or if his opinion has changed as well.

I agree it is a very personal decision but I feel they definitely presented it in a negative light that can easily scare the uninformed away from it. My Wife is trying to decide between the Sleeve and Band and she has asked my opinion many times on it. I agree the Sleeve definitely sounds like it is less maintenance as far not having to struggle with bandster hell and the possible frequent adjustments but in the end your still being cut which is what swayed me away from those surgeries to begin with.

I've been banded for a little over a year now and I can remember when I attended my first seminar in October 2011 there was so many potential band patients. As time went on and I attended support meetings and gastric patients always far out numbered bandsters but there was still a lot of people. So now my Wife has begun her journey and is using the same center I used but a different Doctor. Doctor who was giving the seminar discussed all three option as they now offer the Sleeve along with the band and bypass. As I was taking in all the information it became quite clear that the band has fallen out of favor with the Doctors in the center. They'll still do Bands if that is what the patient wants. At one point the Doctor said "On average our patients lose 30 pounds in year one where the other surgeries have a higher success rate". Needless to say I disputed those numbers and then privately told the Doctor I believe she was being unfair with her assessment and then I questioned her that out of the number she is using how many were due to non-compliance vs actual complications/failures? Her answer was bluntly "That is why I like to push for the Sleeve over band as it requires less attention". Sounds pretty bias to me!! I then said so what you're saying is getting the Sleeve means it is successful regardless of the effort of the patient? And her reply was "Well there will always be guidelines and good choices to be made in order to be successful". .At that point I had enough and it sounded like she was blowing me off. I continue to follow up with my Doctor and I still attend certain support meetings but I can sadly see band patients being a thing of the past. I attend as a patient advocate in what is called a Panel of Experts which is made up of post op patients with at least more than 9 months of experience. I sit on this panel with bypass and sleeve patients. It is designed for preop to ask anything they want to the post ops without any presence from the Center. Basically a patient to patient candid talk. I will tell you the last one I had been to consisted of about 20 people and 2 were potential bandsters. I think I ended up answering 3 or 4 questions while listening to the Sleeve and Gastric speak.

Thank you very much!!

I became the proud owner of a Realize band on April 16, 2012. My band and I have had (like most) a love/hate relationship at times but even at the rockiest of times I've had no regrets. As time has gone on the 'novelty' of having the band has worn off. Worn off in a sense that we have become one. I have lost a ton of weight so far but honestly as happy as I am about that it is not what amazes me the most. What amazes me is the way I look at food now. I am 46 years old and have been overweight since I was a little boy. I use to plan my binges. I was never one for eating huge portioned meals but I was a severe junk food junky. I would eat my dinner with anticipation that I had Cheez-its, ice cream and soda waiting for me as part of my nightly ritual. I wouldn't be satisfied until the 1 pound box of Cheez-its was gone and the half gallon of ice cream heavily dented if not empty. Next day or every other day I would be going to the store to replenish. For the first time in my life I felt I wasn't controlled by food. I have had some strange moments in this journey where I felt like something was missing....There was times when I would be sitting there while watching t.v or whatever it was I might be doing and thinking 'I am bored and I don't recall every being this bored before' and I would get up and go do something. This was my AH HA moment..that moment when you feel liberated, that moment when you think my god what happened? My band had released me from years of food imprisonment. As time has gone on my appetite is almost non existent. I am amazed that I have not battled head hunger at all. I hope this is not a fluke. I still battle with my laziness but at least food is not a factor. Most of my weight loss has been with minimal exercise and it is something I am working on. Now that the nice weather is here I have been going out for 1 mile walks during my lunch hour. I remember a time when I couldn't walk the grocery store for 10 minutes and now I easily do a mile in 20 minutes. I am going to work on increasing the distance. I am doing a 5K Walk for Cancer in September. So was the band worth it? (in my best Adam Sandler voice) Hell yeah!!

Mine was pretty much the same as above. Pretty much just a general conversation and making sure I understood the commitment for a life change. Don't worry they're not probing to see if you're crazy or anything. I agree honestly is the best and you will only benefit from it.

Sounds like you're doing great!! Congrats..