Doddie63

This type of surgery is a great tool to help in the loss of weight and to retain the weight loss but is not for everyone. The down side to the band is vomiting, slippage, errosion if the instructions by the surgeon are not followed. The upside, it can be reversed not like gastric bypass. As long as you view the band as a tool and not a quick fix, you will benefit. Good luck in your decision.

Very well done, congratulations. Averaging 1 - 2 lbs is the norm and you have a great start. :bored:

After a lifetime of being told it is all my fault and I just have to exercise and the weight will come off. I feel such a relief to know that it is not all my fault. That I have an addiction. Easier to fight when you know what to fight. That my body is in fact fighting me every step of the way. Mybe now my GP will stop being like a broken record and start being a bit more constructive. After 67 years of being obese, I am thankful that the younger children prone to being fat will have a fighting chance and not have their self esteem destroyed by the "only have to exercise crowd".

On TV tonight, the news revealed a study that shows high fat or sugary foods trigger the same areas of the brain that cocaine, heroin and other illiegal drugs do. The study does not know why some people become addicted to high fat/sugary foods as yet. At last proof, scienceis now coming out what a lot of us have known for a lifetime. We are addicted to certain foods and eating them makes us want more. Thank goodness for my band as I am one that is addicted to high fat foods and to restrain myself is so much easier.

Right on - insurance coverage for the medics is a big thing. Some colleges won't allow GPs to do a fill unless they have been trained.

I live in BC and any doctor doing fills charges. It is not covered by the medical service plan. I suspect OHIP is the same. Simply ask your GP for his thoughts.

I agree with the loose fill. The band for me controls my appetite but allows me to eat normal healthy meals but less than a cup total. Too tight and I found I was gravitating to "easy foods" such as ice cream, potato chips, etc. Also, one of the reasons I was so overweight was because I never ever knew what it meant to be full and I could gulp excessive food down in minutes. Now I feel the pressure I know to stop but again, I am getting nutrients through natural foods and not supplements.

I was feeling so good about myself last July to Dec. that I simply stopped beinh interested in losing weight. When I gained back 3 lbs, I really got nervous. I took stock in what I was doing and what I used to do. I started weighing in every Saturday morning and marking the weight on the calendar. I also give myself a smiley face if I exercised so when I look at the calendar, and see blank spaces I know I am faultering in exercise. At weigh in time if I lose I Put a Large Smiley on the calendar. The hubby now takes active part in seeing that I get my smiley. Another thing I restarted was keeping track of every calories including the snacks. Honesty was and is hard but I realized if I cheat, the scales will show it. Since January, I have lost 1.5 lbs per week. I guess as I beat my own drum, I am suggesting to you to go back to basics. Read you manual or literature from your clinic/doctor and pretend you just got the band. Do what you did to make you successful. Let us know how you do.

Vent all you like, that is what support is all about. As for me I am one PROUD MAMA. I am so proud that I have been losing weight for 3 years now, sometimes as little as .l9 lbs even had a gain last year. Before the band I lasted 3 weeks max except for 3 times where I lost around 100 lbs only to put it back on. So 3 years with a steady decline- it is mind boggling. Slow losers out there take pride in the fact you are losing. :thumbup::w00t::thumbup:

How are you doing?

Moving is alway stressful to a new town, new people, away from your regular haunts. Good for you in posting for support. It would be easy to go astray.

no magic in knowing your sweet spot. If you have planned your journey by keeping an accurate food diary and weigh in regularly you will get to know your weight loss pattern. When you reach the point of feeling satisfied after 1/2 to 1 cup of food per meal and your two snacks, and are loosing weight, you are at your sweet spot. Just one word of caution. Stresses in your life can change the tightness of your band. So the sweet spot is a generalization. Mine has been at 5.5 ccs for two years now and I still get tight a vomit but generally I am satisfied after 1 cup of food. As for your hair falling out, be sure and get your protoin. That is what the hair needs. Contact your clinic and ask the dietician for some advice.

Please go to the Canadian Revenue Agencies website and search for tax on private surgery. You can claim the whole amount providing you have the necessary receipts. The only area the agents really focus on is your travel expenses. All necessary information can be found on their site.

Thanks Rhonda - sending links etc are beyond my knowledge. :smile::thumbup:

Consuls are not only fun, they are really great for keeping one away from food. I have read that women are overtaking the men in playing computer games. No matter how old one gets, they are entertaining and as Patricia said keeps one away from the frig.

I wish you true success. Have fun

Canadagirl was at the meeting and she is going to continue with the meetings. Just the past few months personal issues have taken up all of her time. Hopefully, all is OK and hopefully everyone will come out again. If the meetings need changing a bit - are people bored, just too far to come, whatever, if you come out we can discuss solutions. Not coming out can result in the meetings being abandoned.

Sandyjean. Holding down 2 jobs plus 4 kids. You are a miracle worker. Agree with btrieger 32 lbs is great you are right on track. Remember the band is a tool nothing more. You still have to work at changing your lifestyle choices. Go to your doctor and see if he can give you some referral to a psychologist to help you sort out why you eat what you do. Grazing is the quickest way to save time and the fastest to gain weight. So that habit has to change somehow. Try 5 small meals a day. Breakfast, snack at 10:00 lunch, 3:00 snack then dinner. All should be high protein. Don't get down on exercise or lack thereof as to your lack of weight loss. Studies are now proving that exercise does not factor well into weight loss. It is great for cardio, etc but the amount of calories you burn is not much. Advice: The glass if half full not half empty. good luck.

So far so good. I consider myself a turtle as there has been many weeks of just .19 lbs on average per week. I plataued last year from July to Dec. So I gave myself a kickstart as my New Year's resolution. I went back to ACCURATELY TRACKING my food and consistantly try some exercise. I don't agree with others that say they are "lazy". I don't think you are. I certainly am not. To me it is the energy I have. Many studies now show that exercising causes people to go off their diets. One reason being they are hungrier after exercising and another reason being they injure themselves. Many are discourage by the amount of work that goes into loosing 100 calories. For cardio I now I just try to move and garden and I have lost 1.5 lbs per week. I am happy that most postings show we have stayed the same or lost a bit. That is great new from my point of view.

What is the oldest one can get a gastric band?

Thanks - I checked my hotmail and I do have the BBC just that it was hidden. Now have included the CC & BBC whenever I open to send a new email. Thanks. Did you want me to remind you?

Hi: Lottacash. I could send you reminders if you like. I was keeping a list of email addresses but not being a computer geek, I sent the reminder out with all emails revealed. I don't know how to hide them. :laugh: I am certain it is easy but I point and click. That's my talent. So no problem as I am retired. Hope to see you next month

Hi: It is now 2010 and I wonder how all the Feb.07 bandsters are doing. I was banded Feb.01/07 Time to update this link :laugh::confused:

Su59: Hi. Have you gone to the BCWLS site. That is a site that accepts both gastric by-pass and bands. They have support group meetings throughout Vancouver Island. If you can't find a group that is just bandsters, then go to a joint meeting. Support of a group is important. Good luck.

Hi check out the Vancouver group. there are postings where you can get fills in and around vancouver. There is a Dr. at St. Pauls hospital and another in North Vancouver. If you contact canadagirl33@hotmail.com you can be put on our meeting reminders for the Lions Gate Hospital or there is Timmers who is starting up a meeting at Richmond. Any or all should be able to tell you if there are fill doctors closer to you. Lions Gate Hospital Meeting welcomes all - so please join us or Timmers