DBAGuy

Hmmm...interesting. The site says that most people think they're ideal body weight at 6' 0" is 230 for men at 49 years old. I really think that is a bit on the heavy side. BMI says 140 - 184, and I am shooting for a control range of 190 - 210. To me, seems like its best to set a range rather than a specific weight as your goal.

Here's a snippet from the UC Berkely Wellness newsletter: (UC Berkeley Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements: Chromium) "Bottom line: So far the most carefully conducted studies on chromium have shown no benefits for weight loss. One large clinical trial conducted in China found that chromium was helpful for those with diabetes—but the Chinese, including those with diabetes, are less likely to be obese than Americans, and their chromium levels were not evaluated at the start of the study. Clinical trials in the U.S. have so far produced no clear evidence of benefits from chromium supplements. Low levels of chromium are characteristic of diabetes, but there’s no evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship, or any reason to think Americans are deficient in chromium. Laboratory studies have found that chromium picolinate (the most popular form of the supplement) could damage genetic material in animal cells, which suggests it might cause cancer. This is only preliminary evidence, but nobody knows whether chromium picolinate, particularly in large doses over the long term, is safe. There are more reliable ways to prevent and treat diabetes. There is no good evidence backing chromium picolinate for weight loss, building muscles, or reducing blood cholesterol. Nobody should take chromium picolinate, especially not young people." There really isn't any 'shortcut'...all the research I've done online shows that none of the OTC weight loss stuff (fat burners, etc.) really make a difference. Getting healthy requires self control, and the band is just an assist to your self control. It is easy to 'eat around' the band, whether your addiction is ice cream (that's mine...), milkshakes, chocolate, potato chips, beer...whatever...none of those will stay in your pouch and make you feel satisfied, but will add plenty of calories. The simple math: 12 x (your body weight) = the approximate number of daily calories to maintain that body weight. If the total number of calories/day (what you ate - what you exercised) is 500 less than what you need to maintain, you'll lose about a pound a week. For me, 12 x 290 = 3480. If I reduce my intake/increase my exercise so that my daily total is 2480, I'll lose about 2 pounds per week. If I get to 1480, it will be about 4/week. Just a thumb rule, and it isn't exact for anyone, but it gives us a sense of what kind of target we need. I don't follow any particular diet, I just don't eat much of whatever I'm eating, and I avoid the foods I mentioned above. <!-- InstanceEndEditable -->

My understanding: Fills have (at least) two effects: it increases the volume of the inflatable ring on the inside of the band, and it irritates the stomach where the band is located. Because of the irritation, you can get some swelling. You don't to do a big fill because the swelling could shut you off completely, so the doctors generally like to start off with a 'foundation' fill (for me it was 3 ccs), then give periodic, smaller fills to 'tweak' the restriction. Some doctors use flouroscopy so that they can verify liquid can still get through the stoma after the fill. My doctor doesn't...it varies. Right after surgery, when all you have is the band and no fill, some folks will feel some restriction due to the fat layer on the outside of the stomach. Others won't. From reading these forums, seems like many folks don't get 'good' restriction until the third fill or so. That's why, to me, it is important not to rely solely upon the band to limit how much you eat...work on self-control, exercising your will, and make use of the band. I didn't have much self-control, which is why I got so overweight...but I'm exercising it now, along with using the band, to change my approach to eating.

My plan was to stick with the 4 - 5 oz. of food while I was in the mushie stage, because I wanted to view the band as an assistant, not as a taskmaster...I forced myself to stick to eating small amounts of food, and only 3 times/day so that I'd be more ready to eat healthy amounts once I did have real restriction. I've had my first fill now, and have some restriction, but if I get hungry in between my meals, I drink Water or soy milk. For me, the battle is just as much mental as it is physical, so I really focus on eating slowly, mixing Proteins and veggies/fruits, and not eating very much.

the problem is that, even with good restriction, if you don't eat the right foods, or don't follow the rules (not drinking while eating, avoiding high calorie liquids, ice cream, chocolate, not eating slowly, etc.) you can still get too many calories/day. One of my last attempts at controlling my weight before my surgery was going to a PhD therapist that specialized in weight control...she helped me see that so much of my eating habits were emotional and stress related. I think that my sessions with her really set the foundation for my success (so far) with the band. She also helped my with work/life balance issues, which helped reduce my stress levels. I truly believe that 'mindset' is a huge part of success with band surgery...moreso than with bypass. There was no stigma attached to me seeing the therapist...I do have to report it when my periodic re-investigation comes round for my clearance, but my work was very encouraging about it.

I had sharp pains at my port site that slowly got better over the first seven days. I'm a big fan of contacting the doctor any time I have questions...I'd rather have them think I'm over cautious than have a problem that isn't caught early.

I completely agree with Faithmd. I don't see many other folks actually advertising for the same practice over and over again. Those that have connections are open about them...Mattintosh appears to be evasive about it, and that is concerning. It can't be impartial advice if you're connected to them in any way other than just being a patient. This forum, I thought, was for impartial advice.

Not trying to sound negative, but it is important to know that the band won't limit the amount of junk you stuff in your face if you're eating the wrong stuff...the band will have very little, if any, effect on liquids or food that quickly turns to liquid (ice cream, chocolate, etc.). The band will limit the amount of bulky, solid food that you can eat at a time, if you don't drink while you eat. The sooner you drink after eating, the shorter time you'll have the 'full' feeling, because what you're drinking will help wash the food out of the pouch and down into your stomach faster. Sorry if I seem pedantic, but I think it is important to look at all aspects of the life change that is required to be successful after banding.

I have the 10cc VG band, and had to 'arm-wrestle' my doctor to get my first fill...he said I was losing weight well enough that I didn't need the fill. I told him that I was losing weight mostly through self-control (had a bit of restriction early on), so he gave me 3 cc's. I feel like I have some restriction again, but I am really working on training myself to only have 4 - 6 oz. of food per meal...for me, at least, the mental part is just as important as the physical restriction.

My opinion - start now to focus on changing your eating habits. The band can help with controlling how much you eat, but it is relatively easy to circumvent it if you really want to do so...eating ice cream, drinking milk shakes or caloric soda, eating potato chips or other Snacks that essentially form a 'slurry' that goes through the stoma quickly... From my surgeon/nutritionist team, I'm told that the major cause for people to not lose the expected weight after band surgery is simply not following the eating/diet guidelines provided. For me, it is 3 meals/day, no snacking, and 4 - 6 oz. of food per meal. No high-calorie drinks (juice, soda, etc.), and no drinking right before, during, or right after a meal. For me, the band (so far) has required nearly as much mental focus as any other program I've been on...it would be easy for me to eat 8 small meals/day and drink plenty of calories...getting 3,000 calories/day can be done without too much effort, even after getting a band. So...I feel that the mental component is every bit as important as getting the band. The band helps, but if a person isn't willing to commit to following the rules, it may be disappointing.

Just for full disclosure, purposes, I have to ask - Mattintosh, are you in any way financially connected to Getbandednow? I've seen posts where you talk about what 'we' recommend to patients, so it seems that you're in the industry somehow, and you're frequently telling folks to got to getbandednow. So, because some are seeing a possible conflict of interest, can you let us know?

Sad part about Alli marketing...it only 'encapsulates' part of the fat you eat...so, if you're a carb addict like me, Alli would do very little for you. Just like every diet aid out there, including bariatric surgery, its more about changing your approach to food than the diet aid.

My surgeon/nutritionist team strongly recommends severely limiting alcohol intake. They've never said anything about irritating the stoma, but their biggest concern is the carbonation from beer causing stretching, and the 'empty' calories from any alcoholic drink. They say a very occasional drink isn't horrible, but they don't want me to get in the habit of drinking frequently. I try not to give people medical direction unless I'm relaying it from my surgeon/nutritionist, and I try to be careful to point that out. Not sure if Mattintosh is relaying policy from his surgeon or from the company he apparently works for (getbandednow.com)