cutlass6521

I recently started seeing a doctor that has a handle on the band concept. Before, I was doing yo-yo fills and defills. She explained there is a fine line between under filled and over filled. I had to remove all Fluid because the acid reflux was so bad I couldn’t even sleep. Tests were performed and you could see the first sip of fluid would go down. A big sip of liquid backed up, burped and then went down. Way too tight. The doctor started refilling slowly. Now my latest fill was .1 of a millimeter. Things are getting back on track.

Four years ago the surgical group that installed my band, only performed this surgery. They now perform the gastric sleeve as well. The last time I visited one of the surgeons in their group I asked which was really better...the band or the sleeve. He said from a patient perspective the band was a wonderful tool because it can be tailored/adjusted to each individual. He believes it really does work, if the patient listens to what it is telling you. He also said there is a movement towards the sleeve. He said the slogan used by surgeons today is "sleeve em & leave em" I guess it is a cost of aftercare, a nurse to perform fills etc.

Four years ago the surgical group that installed my band, only performed this surgery. They now perform the gastric sleeve as well. The last time I visited one of the surgeons in their group I asked which was really better...the band or the sleeve. He said from a patient perspective the band was a wonderful tool because it can be tailored/adjusted to each individual. He believes it really does work, if the patient listens to what it is telling you. He also said there is a movement towards the sleeve. He said the slogan used by surgeons today is "sleeve em & leave em" I guess it is a cost of aftercare, a nurse to perform fills etc.

Four years ago the surgical group that installed my band, only performed this surgery. They now perform the gastric sleeve as well. The last time I visited one of the surgeons in their group I asked which was really better...the band or the sleeve. He said from a patient perspective the band was a wonderful tool because it can be tailored/adjusted to each individual. He believes it really does work, if the patient listens to what it is telling you. He also said there is a movement towards the sleeve. He said the slogan used by surgeons today is "sleeve em & leave em" I guess it is a cost of aftercare, a nurse to perform fills etc.

Four years ago the surgical group that installed my band, only performed this surgery. They now perform the gastric sleeve as well. The last time I visited one of the surgeons in their group I asked which was really better...the band or the sleeve. He said from a patient perspective the band was a wonderful tool because it can be tailored/adjusted to each individual. He believes it really does work, if the patient listens to what it is telling you. He also said there is a movement towards the sleeve. He said the slogan used by surgeons today is "sleeve em & leave em" I guess it is a cost of aftercare, a nurse to perform fills etc.

What were you all expecting from your surgery team?
I understood going into this surgery that they would do their part (surgery, information, webinars, nutrition consult via phone), but it was up to ME to do my part.
They gave us the rules in writing and verbally. The day of my surgery they kept drumming these rules into my brain. they know people only hear three words: surgery lose weight. Before surgery, and after surgery-same information repeated over and over.
Did all of this seem to happen really fast? You bet it did. into surgery, wake up, drink water-still groggy. Go back to hotel and rest up. Flight home was the worst part of this whole experience (4 hours stuck in a chair).
I am surviving and the surgery has been successful.
I still have to give myself a refresher on the golden lap band rules every few weeks. It's easy to slip back into old comfortable habits.
As for the medical team at Smart Shape....they cannot give medical advise over the phone, they cannot tell you to stray from the Canada food Guide, they cannot tell you to get additional fills.
for all of you that a living a distance away from a clinic....you should have realized you would have to travel for fills. If you need additional consult time, tell them that when you book it.
I get an email once a month from the nurses at smart shape. Please contact us and tell us how you are doing. They have a lot of patients to keep track of. It is up to all of us to tell them what WE need from them.

Here is some info from a dentist:
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/low-carb-diets-can-cause-bad-breath?page=2
In other words: The solution to pollution is dilution.

I follow about 95% of the rules. Life happens and I learned not to stress. if friends want to go out for pizza, I go and enjoy a couple pieces of thin crust pizza. Big deal! We got this band for life and the idea was to teach us not to consume food to excess, but to learn how to eat normally. I still weigh all my food, it is more of a habit than a necessity. Yes, I hop on the scale every morning, gotta keep myself honest. More importantly, you have to do what works for you!

Bra size dropped, but the cup size has stayed the same. My boobs now have more of a tear drop effect. LOL
my husband decided to give his opinion and called my boobs "flap jacks"
now tell me, is this not justifiable homicide???

So I posted about my colonoscopy from earlier this week. The day before the colonoscopy, I had my psych eval. These are some of the things that we talked about during my psych eval.
Ever since I decided that "enough was enough" and I wanted to have WLS, back in November 2014, my right eyelid has been twitching. Almost constantly. It drives me crazy, but it's what happens to me when I'm stressed. I couldn't figure out what I was stressed about, but I figured it had something to do with my decision to have WLS. I have spent a lot of time since that decision really exploring my past and how I got to where I am.
I looked at pictures of my childhood, and saw that during the time my father was telling me I had to diet because I was too big, I was actually normal. I was shocked. I was shocked at how much one person could really screw you up. I thought about all of the things he did over the years, and the things that brought me to cut him off about 10 years ago and stop all contact. He is a mean, toxic person and is no longer in my life.
I also thought about the time in high school when I weighed 195 (I'm 5 ft 7 inches tall) and thinking, "well, it's okay, because I'm not 200 pounds." I remembered in my early 20's weighing 281 pounds and thinking, "well, it's okay, because I'll never weigh 300 pounds." Now all through this time period, I was still dieting, losing weight, then regaining weight when I couldn't keep up with the demands of the diet. But hey, it was okay, because I wasn't XXX pounds, right?
Then in my early 30's, I got serious (or thought I did), and dieted down to 225. I married someone who liked big women and was not supportive in my efforts to lose weight. Two years later, at 350 pounds, I got pregnant. When our daughter was two years old I left him. I continued to struggle with weight. About 5 years ago, I got on the scale and it read 397. I was shocked. There was no way in hell that I was going to let the scale read 400. I went back to my go-to plan, Atkins. I lost 75 pounds. But I couldn't keep it up, I was still emotionally eating and eating out of boredom.
But hey, it was okay, because I have tons of clothes (thank you, internet shopping), boots that fit my fat calves, and even tights that fit. There was nothing wrong with being a BIG BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, because that's what I was hearing all over the place. Accept who you are! Accept your size! That's the message I was hearing.
People couldn't believe that I was 50 years old. They would say, "you have no wrinkles" and I would respond, "that's because I'm fat - only skinny people have wrinkles." And they would laugh and I would laugh. Because it was okay to be fat, right?
In November 2014 I got on a scale and it said 403. I felt sick to my stomach. I did some soul searching. I decided to stop kidding myself and to stop accept being fat.
I told the psychologist that Fat Acceptance did me no favors. It may have done wonders for other people's self esteem, but it just enabled me to be fat. Now most of you are younger than me, and you may not remember what things were like before "FA" became a thing. There was no such thing as "BBW" - the term hadn't been invented.
I told the doc that I was afraid of failing. That I had read a post here about someone who was afraid to get rid of her fat clothes, because every other time she had done that, she had to go back and buy that same size again when she failed in her efforts to keep the weight off. I told him that I had a hard time with failure (and had been my whole life, another thing to thank my father for), and I think that was what I was really stressed about.
I poured all this stuff out to the psychologist, things I had never, ever admitted, even to myself. And it felt great.
And then my eye stopped twitching.

I follow about 95% of the rules. Life happens and I learned not to stress. if friends want to go out for pizza, I go and enjoy a couple pieces of thin crust pizza. Big deal! We got this band for life and the idea was to teach us not to consume food to excess, but to learn how to eat normally. I still weigh all my food, it is more of a habit than a necessity. Yes, I hop on the scale every morning, gotta keep myself honest. More importantly, you have to do what works for you!

Y'all!! Shut. The. Front. Door. Some mornings, when I see myself in the mirror, I almost can't believe it! This has been the best decision of my life!! ????

I use the fitbit in conjunction with my fitness pal. it keeps me honest. I can look back each week ad see how lazy I really am

I had a complete fear of total failure!
I am very grateful that I have been proven wrong.
like that famous sports ad says "Just Do It"

I use the fitbit in conjunction with my fitness pal. it keeps me honest. I can look back each week ad see how lazy I really am

this is just an observation, but how much bread and cheese are you eating? Bread expands when Water is added and cheese is very binding. Would you put a piece of bread and cheese down your kitchen sink drain and add Water?
My suggestion is to go back to the basics on eating. Lean Protein and cooked veggie. Skip all the refined carbs and high fat cheese.

I have been asked numerous times: oh, wow! how much weight have you lost. I tell them because I am proud of my accomplishment. Then my husband was asked this question about me by an acquaintance. He promptly spit out the number. Then this buddy of his asks: well, what did she weigh when she started this? I luv my hubby, he responded: 90 lbs more than she did a year ago! His next stupid question: ok, what does she weigh now? Quick response: 90 lbs less than before. WTF! This coming from a man that borrowed my friends motorhome to lay down on the floor to get his pants done up!

I have been asked numerous times: oh, wow! how much weight have you lost. I tell them because I am proud of my accomplishment. Then my husband was asked this question about me by an acquaintance. He promptly spit out the number. Then this buddy of his asks: well, what did she weigh when she started this? I luv my hubby, he responded: 90 lbs more than she did a year ago! His next stupid question: ok, what does she weigh now? Quick response: 90 lbs less than before. WTF! This coming from a man that borrowed my friends motorhome to lay down on the floor to get his pants done up!

Hello Flaxseed:
number 1: scrap that health care program. It will be a min of 5 years before you see any type of surgery ( and you don't get to choose the surgery).
I live in Canada as well, went to the Alberta Weight management program. After the 2 hour seminar it was very clear that they believe weight loss surgery will not work. They firmly believe that our weight problems are in our head and that we choose not to have self control. I'll bet these people have never been more than 5 lbs overweight a day in their life.
I took matters into my own hands. I had the band installed by smart shape in Mississauga (good group of people, lots of support) at the end of Jan 2014.
My friend went to Mexico and had the sleeve in March 2014. (my friend's family doctor told her to go for it in mexico, health care cannot be denied in Canada if you have an issue later on in life)
We have both been successful, both of us are now down 90 lbs
Family doctors in Alberta have very limited knowledge on WLS. Mine was skeptical, now he is just thrilled about my weight loss.
both diets are the same for the band and the sleeve. small portions, Protein first etc Get the big book on the band or sleeve to help you along
I am guessing that you are like the rest of us, been on every diet known to man, with limited or zero success. I believe once you get to a certain weight-no amount of yo-yo dieting will help. You will not be able to stick to it.
WLS will not make you lose all the weight, but it will help you get the control you need and with a little determination on your part it will work!
Good luck in your journey.

Hello Flaxseed:
number 1: scrap that health care program. It will be a min of 5 years before you see any type of surgery ( and you don't get to choose the surgery).
I live in Canada as well, went to the Alberta Weight management program. After the 2 hour seminar it was very clear that they believe weight loss surgery will not work. They firmly believe that our weight problems are in our head and that we choose not to have self control. I'll bet these people have never been more than 5 lbs overweight a day in their life.
I took matters into my own hands. I had the band installed by smart shape in Mississauga (good group of people, lots of support) at the end of Jan 2014.
My friend went to Mexico and had the sleeve in March 2014. (my friend's family doctor told her to go for it in mexico, health care cannot be denied in Canada if you have an issue later on in life)
We have both been successful, both of us are now down 90 lbs
Family doctors in Alberta have very limited knowledge on WLS. Mine was skeptical, now he is just thrilled about my weight loss.
both diets are the same for the band and the sleeve. small portions, Protein first etc Get the big book on the band or sleeve to help you along
I am guessing that you are like the rest of us, been on every diet known to man, with limited or zero success. I believe once you get to a certain weight-no amount of yo-yo dieting will help. You will not be able to stick to it.
WLS will not make you lose all the weight, but it will help you get the control you need and with a little determination on your part it will work!
Good luck in your journey.

I have only one huge regret....I wish I had jumped on the Band-Wagon 5 years earlier. I am down almost 90 lbs and couldn't be happier. Don't let the negative comments influence your decision. if you are ready for WLS and mentally prepared for the challenge...do it now!

Hello Flaxseed:
number 1: scrap that health care program. It will be a min of 5 years before you see any type of surgery ( and you don't get to choose the surgery).
I live in Canada as well, went to the Alberta Weight management program. After the 2 hour seminar it was very clear that they believe weight loss surgery will not work. They firmly believe that our weight problems are in our head and that we choose not to have self control. I'll bet these people have never been more than 5 lbs overweight a day in their life.
I took matters into my own hands. I had the band installed by smart shape in Mississauga (good group of people, lots of support) at the end of Jan 2014.
My friend went to Mexico and had the sleeve in March 2014. (my friend's family doctor told her to go for it in mexico, health care cannot be denied in Canada if you have an issue later on in life)
We have both been successful, both of us are now down 90 lbs
Family doctors in Alberta have very limited knowledge on WLS. Mine was skeptical, now he is just thrilled about my weight loss.
both diets are the same for the band and the sleeve. small portions, Protein first etc Get the big book on the band or sleeve to help you along
I am guessing that you are like the rest of us, been on every diet known to man, with limited or zero success. I believe once you get to a certain weight-no amount of yo-yo dieting will help. You will not be able to stick to it.
WLS will not make you lose all the weight, but it will help you get the control you need and with a little determination on your part it will work!
Good luck in your journey.

I have only one huge regret....I wish I had jumped on the Band-Wagon 5 years earlier. I am down almost 90 lbs and couldn't be happier. Don't let the negative comments influence your decision. if you are ready for WLS and mentally prepared for the challenge...do it now!

I have only one huge regret....I wish I had jumped on the Band-Wagon 5 years earlier. I am down almost 90 lbs and couldn't be happier. Don't let the negative comments influence your decision. if you are ready for WLS and mentally prepared for the challenge...do it now!

here is my 2 cents:
If we all had good control on what we ate or how much we ate, why the hell would we need WLS!
Throw out all the junk food out of your house-now. Eat high Protein meats and low carb veggies. Since you are pre-surgery, Portion Control is real tough.
Don't be afraid to confront your surgeon. Tell them this is why I am here. If I could lose weight living on the bird barf diet for the rest of my life, I would not need you or your team. Also, if they try to bully you, ask them how much weight they lost? I bet the skinny 98 lb stick rolling her eyes at you has never lost more than 5 lbs max.