Vicki J

If you felt no discomfort, you are probably ok. However, when you get any restriction at all you will cause yourself MAJOR pain. So, take time and slow down. It doesn't take that long to eat at a reasonable rate.

I've been at goal for about 6 months and hadn't been in for a fill for about 5 months prior to that. So I've gone 11 months so far without a fill. Everybody's different.

How about "After thoroughly researching my WLS options, I made an informative decision that this is the best one for me."

I think I remember all the BL teams donning shirts at this point. I believe it is to make them look better. I mean, who wants to see roles of fat? Mike put the weight on his team's scales because of Papa-pressure. He's fighting for Dad even though it's clear that he doesn't respect Bob. It would do Mike good if Dad went home. I was so proud of Tara. She kicked bootie!!!!

Bare Naked granola. Unbelieveably good!!! 280 mg OMEGA-3s, 3 grams of protein, all natural. No preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, cholesterol, hydroginated oils or trans fats. I add it to my plain yogurt and sweeten it with Splenda for breakfast every day.

I felt really bad for Mandi because she always seemed to feel she had to do things for her team. I don't think she's past putting others first and that could lead to failure. I'm really so tired of Ron because he is the first one to say so and so should leave when he is the biggest slacker there is. Don't get on me about name calling. He is. His son has bore the weight of trying to keep his dad on the show for quite a while. I almost think it would be better for his son if Ron went home so the kid could quit feeling responsible for him. I also would have been really mad if I were on the blue team for the cousins being trained by my trainer. Sorry but that's the game. You may not like what they do (like changing your trainer) but you should man up and just handle it. This is training for real life and real life does coddle you. As far as their eating out, I think it was great to show people that it happens. We all have to go through those situations and we will all leave at least a few of those feeling like we messed up. However, we will also leave some of those situations feeling pretty victorious. JMHO! Vicki

How about telling people you're trying to loose weight by eating less and exercising more? Fortunately with the band we loose at a reasonable enough rate that we can say that and (if you're more comfortable not telling anyone about the band) pull it off.

Wow, how come she's more important than you are? So what if she screams, crys or wets her pants. Where are your priorities? Sound harsh? Well someone has to stick up for what you're worth. I eat most lunches in restaraunts and have since I started this journey. That's no excuse. Choose for you not for someone else. You haven't messed up your band so there is nothing to worry about there. But do yourself a favor and don't spend the time or money on a fill if you're just going to drink and let others rule the roost. This trip is not one where you have to "not live". You can have a non-carbonated drink from time to time but count the calories. Also, what's wrong with people knowing you've been banded. Everyone here at work and in my life knows. I hope that by letting everyone ask their questions maybe someone else will feel free to go and get the help I did. If someone thinks that I took the easy way out, bully for them. I took the way that worked out. If they have a problem, it is their problem. I don't mean to be harsh but you really need to put you first here. You did this for you and you really are worth it. Vicki

Don't beat yourself up over it because this is real life. What would you feel about someone else that did this? You would probably think that they had a bad day and you would UNDERSTAND. So, be understanding to yourself. Remove the thought that there are forbidden foods out there. That's way too negative of a thought. Instead PLAN for times like these. If you want to have a piece of cake, look up the calories (that's a show stopper in itself), measure out your portion, and log it in your food journal. You may be hungry later as you have used your calories on something not quite so filling but you will own what you did guilt free. Giving yourself permission to do things like this gives you power over running amok. Trust me, I had to gain this skill. Also, if you're like me and you worry about it being all gone prior to you getting another piece (my mental instability) or you want to go back because it was so very good, cut a piece and put it away. Tell yourself you can have it tomorrow. I usually forget about it. But if you don't follow the instructions above. Smile, the day is good. You're down 50 pounds. You are a winner not a failure. Vicki

Great advice. This is not supposed to strangle the hunger out of you. Trying to fit into a certain mold as far as how you break up your calories is not going to work. You must be flexible it seems everyday because this thing changes a lot. I agree you're too tight. I know that sounds crazy when you're still hungry BUT I think you are. Also, If the carbs keep you full longer and you're getting your Protein in, what the heck. Just stay in your calorie count. That's the key and eat in a way where you're happy (i.e. more than 3x a day). I know this is NOT what the surgeons and all say but hey, reality is reality. It works for me.

I'm afraid you're too tight. I personally keep my band a little on the loose side to minimize this. However, there are times (sometimes morning, sometimes just the whole day) where it is more difficult to eat. I have gone to a good yogurt (lots of protein) for my Breakfast because that is usually a harder time of day for me. I guage what I eat on how my body reacts. Sometimes I just take it easy with soft foods if things seem riled up. I keep this to a minimum though because as we all know soft foods don't keep us full too long. I've also found that if I drink something warm prior to eating that it seems to relax things. So, I've gotten in the habit of sipping on a cup of tea before meals. Do get your fill level checked out though. If you have any questions, PM me. I have a website where there is a bariactric nurse who has her own band available to answer questions. Vicki

I suggest you chew better and take smaller bites. It could also be that you're body is getting used to eating a certain food. Sometimes I can eat something and then the next time I can't This journey is a constant trial of what is going to be ok and what won't. It's not really that hard you just have to be careful. Be willing to move to something else if what you're eating isn't working. You might want to go to soft foods for 24 hours just to let things rest. Congratulations on your banding and contact me if you want to. Vicki

Kathy5150 - I went through their program and one thing that you want to do is be willing to do what they say. This surgery is viewed as elective and, therefore, being as overbooked as they are they want to see the people being cooperative. Sometimes it seems like they just don't care but they are really a good staff. I got REALLY frustrated with them and in hindsight I wish I hadn't been quite so emotional. Having said that, I also realize that this is not an elective surgery to the ones who are needing to loose weight. My advice to everyone who is embarking on Kaiser's program is to loose the weight (and more if possible) as soon as possible, be a NICE squeaky wheel since they tend to not do a lot of follow through. If someone cancels an appt for say the psychologist, they leave it open until someone calls in checking to see if there are any available. This is true with ALL of the Kaiser facilities. It took me about 6 months to get through the program. I started in June of 2007 and had surgery in December. I let them know that I would go on the surgery cancellation list (the only thing they call on to fill) and I got in 2 months prior to when they had told me I should expect surgery. I have been at goal weight since August '08. If you want to contact me, feel free. Also, the more information you arm yourself with the easier your journey will be. Good luck!

Abby - Excuse me while I snicker at Kaiser's hard line. I am a SSF Kaiser patient and had the lapband surgery. I am also a smoker and a diet rebel. Ok, all of you who are crouched and ready to pounce, cool off. I have heard that they can test for different things. I would stop those items now and stay off of them until 30 to 60 days after surgery. The reason for not smoking, drinking and such is for healing. As far as the caffine, you will want to keep it to a minimum. I used to drink a gallon of iced tea a day and have dropped it to 1 glass of non-carbonated caffine a day. No energy drinks because they are so high in caffine. Like I said, you will want to give yourself time to heal. Wine and Peanut Butter are something that adds a lot of calories. You'll have to add those into your daily calories if you want to be successful. GB patients have problems with alchol because of the digestive changes. Kaiser is still a newbie to bands and so they are being overly causious when it comes to stuff like that. As far as bread, rice and other white starchy, clumpy stuff goes, proceed with caution. If you use a whole grain bread, non-sticky rice, etc., you'll probably have better luck. Things that you can clump up in your hand can be hazardous. Mixing your textures can help and really listening to your body is essential. Normally you just end up eating a better quality of stuff. Now do you run into Kaiser boasting about how you did this or that? NO! But this is something that you can live a normal life with (the band that is) and you just have to learn to manage it. I love International Suisse Mochas. I drink a couple of them in the morning. I checked the caffine content and I would have to drink 8 of them a day to make one cup of coffee. I use the sugar-free to keep the calories down and this keeps me away from Starbucks. Have you checked the calorie count on them? WOW! I also allow myself to enjoy SF fudgescicles. Once a month I have birthday cake at the office. Otherwise I try really hard to eat the good stuff. I still journal once in a while for spot checks. I've been at goal for about 6 months now and I don't want to get lax. The band can be a wonderful tool. Some of the stuff I have said above isn't fact with GB. There is a wonderful yahoo website for bandsters that has a banded bariactric nurse on it. You should check it out. Lots of people will come back with the "why would you want to do those things when you're doing this to better your life?" Answer - you're human. Keep in mind what you want most. A calorie is a calorie and if you drink them or use them on stuff that is high calorie, you're either going to be hungry or not loose weight. PM me if you want. Vicki

swrkpt - My BMI was 46 when I started. Stats on the band are still developing because it has only been FDA approved since 2001. They have quite a lot of stats on the bands placed in Europe, Mexico and such but choose not to use them. I have talked to people who had 200+ pounds to loose that have been extremely successful with the band. The key to this is commitment. I think that you can succeed with any WLS providing you are committed. The band does have the issue of needing fills. This means that unless you journal and keep your calories under 1200 right after surgery that you probably won't be loosing weight until you get the proper fill. With the GB, sleeve and such you start loosing right away. Recovery is easier with the band and it can be removed by a pretty quick surgery if need be. They'll have to pry my band out of me though. LOL So you just have to choose what you prefer most. Quick weight loss is a real sweet thought. However, all the complications scare the pants off of me. The band has an extremely small chance of complication. April - PM me if you ever need someone to bounce off of. Vicki

April, It's good to see you're back. I only check in once in a while but it's good to see some of the group around. I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble sleeping. This may be part of why you're having trouble staying on track. Being tired tends to make us not only eat emotionally but because we're so drug out. I know this sounds a little hokie but try a good warm bath and some meditation prior to bed. That and a nice cup of decaf tea might do the trick. The nice thing about the band is you can get back on track and providing you're not eating around the band (i.e. milk shakes) then it will pretty well hold you stable until you get back in the groove. Then it's back to doing the basics like journaling and measuring. Once you start to see the weight coming off again it will get easier. Swrkpt asked if there was a surgery you can't cheat. MacMadame is right on. Not only that but if you're looking for possible ways to cheat, you had better do some soul searching on how much you want to invest in this. Please don't take that as critisim but it's true. You have to be willing to invest yourself in this or it's not worth doing. Does this mean that you will never enjoy a meal? Heck no. You just have to engage your brain before you engage your mouth. There are many times that I repeat to myself what I was once told: "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." But I do allow myself times when I eat things that I normally don't eat. Yes, I have birthday cake with my office ONCE a month. Yes, I have things on SPECIAL occassions. This is life and not a sentence to diet hell. Would I have had the bypass instead of the lapband? Nope. I personally believe that the bypass should be available only on a strict basis. It scares me. I don't have enough information on the sleeve to make a real good decission on that but I do have a friend who has had it and has done excellent. However, you can't go back on that one. They throw the unused portion of the stomach out. If you have problems, tough luck. I know that people are drawn in to the quick weight loss of some of these weight loss surgeries. I lost 128 pounds in about 14 months with my program. Yeah, I lost 70 of it prior to surgery while on Kaiser's program BUT I would not have been able to hold on without the band. Those last two months were with the knowledge that help was on the way. A properly filled band and the right mindset will get you to where you want to be. It's work. All of it is. BUT it isn't what it would be like without the band. This is all just my humble opinion. I hope it helps someone out there. Vicki

I traveled over 100 each way for the surgery and fills and would do it again in a heartbeat. If I had an emergency, I'd go to a local emergency room. They can contact my surgeon if need be.

Congratulations to you both for deciding to take control of your lives. Yes, I know that hadc still hasn't had surgery. This is a decision that I'm glad to see is being made with a lot of forthought and not just the old jump in and see if you sink or swim. I agree with Aries32 and the statement that we all probably emotionally ate. Sometimes it's because of sadness but once we got going it probably happened for all of our feelings. It's normal for all of us to go through the doubts and "roller coasters" during this journey but fortunately they get to be fun roller coasters later. By that I mean that when you look at yourself in the mirror after loosing a bunch of weight or you find yourself in the normal or kid's section of the store it kind of takes you by surprise. I actually remember when I had to stop shopping the the "women's" section of the store. I stood in the isle and actually felt lost for a moment. I remember when I left double digit clothing. I stood there with a feeling that was akin to panic because I couldn't believe it was me and I had made it. Now it's frustrating because it can be hard to find clothes again. Who would have thought, huh? I guess if you like to abuse yourself (it can be painful) you can overeat with the band. I find myself in stressful situations now not desiring to eat. Another one of those wow moments. I used to binge with the best of them. I can't say this will definitely happen to you but that's what happened to me. I went through some tough times because I had to realize I couldn't hide behind food during those times and had to find other ways to cope. With me it meant a strengthening of my faith and learning to talk about things. The good side of that is I was proud of myself because I found a way to deal with whatever came my way and not cover it with Rocky Road ice cream. You will have to learn to deal with those social situations. You know the ones where there's food everywhere. It's not hard if you just prepare yourself ahead of time. By preparing yourself I mean think about it and decide what you are willing to give yourself permission to do. I have found that giving myself permission has given me a control over food that I never dreamed of. I don't expect myself to NOT EAT what some people consider forbidden foods. The only forbidden foods for me are the ones that aren't band compatible. I do/did count everything though. That meant that if I had a sliver of cheesecake, I was online looking up the calorie count of that sliver. Trust me, if you limit yourself to a certain amount of calories you'll soon decide what not to waste them on. I also learned to forgive myself if I wasn't really happy with myself for eating something that I probably shouldn't have. We as obese people beat ourselves mercelessly for errors in judgement. Think of yourself as a child or friend and how you would react to them eating Cookies. Keep yourself in check by saying that you can have ____ after dinner and eat right first. A lot of times this will fill you up and you won't want anything. I have bought deserts when we went out to dinner, had a small taste and brought it home only to forget about it and have to throw it away. This journey is a roller coaster. I won't lie to you but after that first scarey drop it gets to be fun. Good luck on your journeys and PM me if I can be of help. Vicki

I feel bad for the guy too because he went through WLS and ended up where we all fear we could end up - BUT - people get GB, DS, VSG because they want RAPID weight loss. That's why a lot of us at least had a passing thought to go that direction. How many times did you say "I tried dieting but couldn't stick to it" or "I was always so hungry" or "It didn't work" so I decided to have WLS to finally beat the battle of the bulge. My point is that the other 21 people are where we (and he) was prior to WLS. I remember that helpless feeling and being grateful for every pound I took off. The lap band is something that results in a slower weight loss. I would be peeved if I was in a contest with a $250K prize with someone who had a WLS that was designed to melt the fat away and I had the band. I personally would feel like it was a rigged contest. JHMO

I want to say that I too am glad that someone who didn't follow the program with WLS is owning up to it. However, I still say that being on TBL isn't the place. People need to know that if they are considering WLS it is not the easy way and that there is a program to follow. I'm sorry if my last post lead anyone to believe that I felt WLS of any kind was easy. Even having had the blessedly easy journey that I've had has had its ups and downs. But TBL has 21 hungry people and 1 with a lack of commitment to stick to the program that he needed to. Sorry JMHO. I tend to feel for the people that haven't had WLS because I sometimes wonder how many of them will be back where they are now because just plain old dieting rarely has results that last forever. I was really rooting for the older couple too. They are so sweet. I agree that the biggest woman was also the biggest b......jerk. Yeah, yeah jerk is the sociably acceptable term, right? LOL Between her and the whiny blonde I was expecting someone to loose it. Some of the people had some really poor attitudes towards their partners. I was personally happy to see the ones stay that did because I think most of the less appealing people got sent home. Their partners really lucked out there huh?

Now, I want to start off acknowleging the work that WLS takes. We work hard at this. HOWEVER, having a guy on there with a stomach the size of an egg (x-ray verified) isn't fair. Coming from someone who has had the benefit of a well adjusted band, he's not dealing with the physical hungries that the other people are. As EbonyRose said, he was eating sliders or something to gain it all back because his pouch looked ok. Yeah, yeah I know, he could have had a botched surgery. They didn't say that. We all know what it's like to do the diet routine prior to WLS and we are all failures of one diet or another. That's why we're here. I'm sorry but I just don't think that putting someone with WLS into a controlled environment with a trainer and 21 other people w/o WLS is fair. Of course he'll loose faster if he doesn't cheat! Ok, kill me now.

Hey, hey everybody! Happy New Year to you all!!! I certainly hope that the new year is good for everyone and I hope that those of you waiting for surgery are fast tracked!! I passed my bandiversary on the 12th and even now have to pinch myself to believe that I've been at goal weight since August. I still live waiting to see the weight come back and this great little tool keeps it from happening. Life has been a little tough the last couple of months with my DH being unemployed. It is sure testing me. Every once in a while I find myself starting to fall into some bad habits like minor grazing. I'm working on that and trying to work on my new hobby of jewelry making instead. It will be easier as the weather gets better so I can do some rockhounding too. Hopefully things will get better this spring. I haven't heard from Kim (SSF) or Warrior for a while but I hope they are doing well. Good luck in the New Year and keep me posted on how you're doing.

First - As people have said before me, get a new PCP. You will want one after surgery so that you will have a better support system within Kaiser. Second - You can always appeal. Yes, they do have an appeal process and you should be able to find out the particulars through patient services and bariactrics. You did not say what your BMI was. Assuming it is over 35, I would also get records from any chiropractor you've gone to because joint pain is a comorbidity. I would get a sleep apnea test. I would also go online and find out what other items qualify for comorbidities. You can go to smartbandsters.com for that. Also, if you have any records from other doctors, diets, etc. gather them together. Lastly, get ahold of obesitylaw.com if all of the above fail. They handle appeals and they will be able to tell you if you have a case or not. They only charge if you have a case and you hire them to represent you. I don't know the charge on that but they are evidentially very successful on the cases they represent. You need to want this bad enough to fight for it. Getting depressed will not get you anywhere. I know because I wasted a whole year before I decided to get it together and fight. Fortunately, I changed PCPs first and the one I have now is a jewel. The first one I had said that even with a BMI of 46 (which she never even stopped to figure out) I wasn't heavy enough for Kaiser to cover me. Like I said, I wasted a whole year. If your BMI is lower than 35, I don't think you have a good chance at getting the surgery. Unfortuately, they don't think of this as a necessary surgery but instead think of it as an elective surgery. I find this ironic because ALL surgery is elective if you think that way. They would justify this by saying that some surgeries are necessary to keep you from dieing. My response is "And you think this is not?"

Hm, let me finish that...LOL... They can also tell you the requirements on what it takes to have WLS. Up here there are 3 Kaisers that do the surgery and all of the programs are a little bit different. Good luck to all of you and hopefully this helped.