Skywalker

Glad for you MacDaddy, and that is very encouraging. I hope soon not to have hunger pains as well.

I understand what you are saying. I was in the military when I got pregnant with my daughter, and I kept in good shape during my pregnancy. Shortly after my pregnancy, I decided to get serious again with exercise and join Weight Watchers for the first time. I only had about 30 lbs total to lose, so with diligent logging this actually came off without too much difficulty in about 6 months. And then....no problem for several years. Enter 2007. I got involved in a tough school program and the weight started to creep up and up. I was probably about 195 by 2008. In 2009 three really horrible things happened simultaneously in my life and my weight blew out of control by about 2010. At that point, I would say I was easily 250, and it started to get downright embarrassing--the bolt holding the bedframe together bent, the toilet I sat on cracked, I grabbed the handle in the bathtub that was built into the wall to life myself up and tore it out of the wall. All really humiliating, "I've hit rock bottom" crap. The second time I had gained all this weight in 2010, up to about 100 lbs from my ideal weight, was a world different than the first time. Not only were circumstances different the first time, but I found this so hard to vault. It is as if I'd dug myself a hole so deep I couldn't crawl out of it. That's when I finally looked to LB surgery.

I am glad this is going so well for you. I hope it's relatively smooth sailing for me as well. I guess Lap Band really is minimally invasive, as the pain level must depend on the type of surgery. My husband just had hernia repair (through his belly button), was out the same day, and said he didn't even need to take his pain medications. Aside from not lifting heavy things for a few weeks, he was fine. My dad, on the other hand, had open heart surgery for a heart attack (the type where they had to saw open his chest and peel back the ribs). He described the after pain as "torture". I can only imagine.

I'm sure we've all had our fair share of struggles and hindrances before we finally had enough and decided on weight loss surgery. Here were my apparent shortcomings, after all was said and done: South Beach Diet--unfortunately wasn't a good fit. I would shed some pounds, and lose my appetite, which was really good. I'd forget all day to eat, and I loved that. The bad part is, I would forget to eat so much (since I could only basically have cheese, meat, eggs) that I'd start to get light headed and dizzy. Also, it seemed to wreak havoc on my emotions; I would become discouraged, cry easily, get angry at stuff I could normally let go, etc. Weight Watchers--I was most successful at this, but in the end just had difficulty controlling portion sizes and with hunger. Nothing was restricted, but I would run out of points too soon and had an overall hard time planning out my life, logging everything, and sticking to it. Lots of weeks when I would stick to it, there would be minimal or no weight loss, and that's when I got discouraged and would want to throw in the towel. Since I did tend to run out of points, if I blew through my weekly flex points, I would end up "borrowing" points from the next day (I don't know if anyone else has done that), and then go through the next day kind of tired and hungry before I'd lose willpower and have a meal. Phentermine--I had a (not very good) doctor put me on this. I won't deny it had weight loss potential, but the way it made my heart race made me highly uncomfortable. I got off it relatively quickly. Feel free to share your stories, I'd love to hear them and why they didn't work/led to WLS.

So I've heard about a liquid or Protein fasting diet....what do your surgeons put you on before surgery, and for what purpose? I'm wondering if all carbs have to go, including good carbs like fruit.

Congratulations. How totally exciting. I'm excited but also a little nervous, and I'm sure it will get super real when mine comes up. I plan to follow his instructions really closely as well because I don't want any complications. So when you say no carbs, not even fruit? Are you basically on a liquid South Beach diet?

Not keeping track of everything to a tee must be wonderful. When I decided recently to go ahead with the Lap Band, a switch had flipped in my head--after spending approximately 6 years on Weight Watchers with minimal results, I realized I didn't want to be writing down everything I was eating or drinking for the rest of my life just to stay on track. It was like a homework assignment or class that never, ever ended. Anyway, this was one of those bells that went off and made me look in the direction of Lap Band.

Here's my dirty little secret. I would try to send out Christmas cards every year, but statistically speaking, I was only "OK" with about 2% of them--the other 98% I thought I looked obviously obese or just like crap. I found one good family shot in the batch two Christmases ago with all four of us, but I still looked chunky in the face/neck, although the black jeans and oversized sweater (mostly) hid the rest. I zoomed in on Photoshop and with the help of a few tutorials photoshopped/shaded out my double chin. I wasn't stunning, but I was OK enough with the picture now to print and mass distribute as our Christmas card. I'm hoping in the future not to have to resort to odd angles and Photoshop techniques just to hide myself. ~ Amateur photographer

Kind of my personal motto right now, both on Weight Watchers and for Lap Band: Get busy living, or get busy dying.

Wow that's ridiculous. It's like they want to you gain weight so you can start losing it. Sorry.

I came to the conclusion that this was really the best time to get the surgery for a couple reasons. 1. I'm supposed to graduate college next summer, and I'd really like to be able to wear something nice and not look like **** for pictures and such. The pictures taken at my last graduation, I was too embarrassed to post because I was so heavy (even though I was proud of the accomplishment) 2. I'd like to be fertile again and have another kid before I'm 40. 3. Around the time I graduate, I'd also like to look decent in some interview suits. And just the general desire to get out there and live again. Really my only hesitance for the surgery was dying under anesthesia, but the Dr. told me not to worry about it, and I probably shouldn't. There's probably a greater chance I'd be in a car accident driving to the grocery store or something. *shrug*

Whoa there everyone. We're just here to support each other. My husband's blood thinners are actually a null point; I have decided to get the Lap Band surgery and I have no such conditions. I was mentioning him in passing because I thought in the future Lap Band might be a good option for him, if he was open to it. Its just the thought of surgery, on blood thinners, kind of scares him or something. But really, that's something him and his doctor should hammer out. I'm sure they wouldn't recommend the surgery if they couldn't control the clotting and the costs outweighed the benefits. My Lap Band surgeon highly encouraged me to do it and said I was a perfect candidate. I hope he's not just upselling the procedure/strictly trying to make money, because he seemed to think it would do me a lot of good and was highly optimistic.

I think it's partially society's problem that many of us are so obese (See the documentary Super Size Me). I guess awhile back fast food and restaurant establishments got the brilliant idea to give us more food and bigger portion sizes to make us happier. So now, when I go to a place like Cold Stone Creamery or Dairy Queen, even their "small" size is larger than most of us should be having. And surprisingly, even at my current weight of about 250 lbs, about half of the "small" ice cream is usually enough for me. The ideal portion size, I think, is more like a Wendy's "junior" cup. Those give us a decent taste of the dessert without making us gorge on it.

My husband was resistant at first to taking blood thinners for life, until his doctor sat him down and told him if he didn't it would kill him. He had his first DVT several years ago, and it never fully went away. There is a solid blood clot at his knee right now that is stable there. A couple years ago he had a pulmonary embolism. That was when they put him on lifelong coumadin. He recently had to have hernia surgery/belly button area, and they gave him Warfarin bridge therapy prior to this. Everything went fine, no complications. He still doesn't like the idea of surgery, though. He'd rather tough it out as he is, I guess.

I know, right? I admire movie stars for being able to lose weight and show off their post baby figures or whatever, but they have a lot of resources at their disposal that the average person doesn't. If I could have (1) plenty of money to stay in a vacation resort (2) a personal chef making me salmon salads and sushi several times a day (3) daily massages and detox/mud baths (4) a personal trainer, I suspect my results and current outcome would be a little different. Living on $1200 a month for a family of four and stocking the cabinet with cereals and ramen noodles just to be able to afford groceries is no picnic.

Sorry she's acting that way. It sounds like a little bit of jealousy on her part to me. It's hard to be happy when one is so overweight, and maybe she feels like you're starting to embark on a bold and successful thing while she's been left behind. It takes courage to go ahead and get this surgery. My husband has seen me struggle and cry for years on end, and he expressed doubt when I told him I was going to get it, stating he wouldn't get surgery unless it was absolutely mandatory. Well, that's his choice, I guess, but this surgery has arguably saved people's lives as well (it will keep the diabetes and heart disease from creeping up on them and causing bigger problems later on). Because of inherent prejudices like this, I've chosen not to tell very many people--not my husband's family, and not my family. If they ask, I'll just tell them I'm doing really well on Weight Watchers. Best of luck with the supervisor. Maybe there's a way to avoid her?

Yes I struggled with this thinking too. I've been a weight yo-yo for the longest time. I'd lose 30 and gain 40, then lose another 30 but gain back another 40. I was tired of the diet pills that made my heart race, made me bitchy and when I stopped the weight came back. I needed some sort of 'tool' that was permanent way of portion control. I needed a way to keep me from gorging on food. I was at 202 day of surgery. My highest weight was 214. I'm 5' 4". Trust me, I definitely thought about the one more diet mantra. Just try ____ and I'll lose the weight. I'm not getting any younger and I needed something. My doc said my weight was affecting my fertility. I'm 2 months out. I'm not that hungry and I don't snack that often. I next to never visit the vending machine at work. It's working for me and saving us a lot of money. Plus with the band - 1 it's major surgery, so you're more likely to follow docs orders instead of cheating on your diet and 2 it's fully adjustable for what you need to do to lose weight. I understand where you are coming from. I might be in sort of a pickle with fertility myself. At around 250 lbs now, I have acne and weird new bumps everywhere, my voice has deepened, and I have occasional chin/chest hairs that I have to pick out. On the plus side, I'm ridiculously strong. My husband jokes that I'm more of a man than he is. I had thought that I should just tough it out myself, try to lose weight, have another child before I get too old, and then consider WLS in the distant future. I came to the conclusion that I should just get WLS now because (1) I've tried to lose weight and can't seem to (2) the lap band doctor told me I probably couldn't conceive or have a healthy pregnancy at this weight anyway. That was a real wake up call. I had never considered that I might be infertile because of this. I'm also thinking that the WLS might actually be a good return on investment because I think about eating out all the time. It's like 8 am right now, my stomach is growling, and I want more than anything just to go to Starbucks.

Nice to meet you all. Come to think of it, my husband was discharged from the Air Force (honorably, though), for being on the Weight Management Program too long. He still struggles with weight to this day. I wonder if this condition could be service connected/compensable. Hmmm.

I'm not trying to be simplistic with this question, but to all of you -- what is the advantage of having any WLS in the first place? I hear of people saying, "Well, you have to diet and exercise, that is still on you. The band isn't going to do all the work." No offense, but if that worked in the first place, why the surgery? This is a question I'm still struggling to understand.

Hi, Thought I'd get a head start on this forum. I am an AF vet -- military police (security forces) -- and always thought that my weight loss success was in my own hands. I've just recently come to the conclusion that this is one battle I can't overcome by myself, no matter how hard I try. Thus the appointment I just made to have lap band surgery. I am also a member on other veteran's forums, and have worked around the VA (and gotten healthcare there) for several years now. I look forward to meeting you and hearing your stories. I checked with the VA, but at least in Colorado, they have no benefits/schedule for weight loss surgery, so I'm funding this one myself. I have been through the VA MOVE (Motivating Obese Veterans Everywhere) twice, with no success. Fun fact: my supervisor at the VA had the Lap Band procedure several years ago with great success, and referred me to my current physician, who is also a veteran and a graduate of the Air Force Academy. I'm hoping I get my life back, so to speak, and hoping that this is a new start for me. I am married to another AF veteran -- who has just tipped the scales at 270 lbs -- but since he is on blood thinners for life, he is weary of any surgical procedure. I will see how it goes with me, and perhaps he will be open to something similar in the future. I look forward to meeting you all and sharing this journey together.

Jim: What happened recently to make your good results change? Was your stomach increasing in size? Did the band slip? gowalking: My expectations are basically this--if I lose 65 lbs within 1.5 years or so, I'll be a happy camper. Even with a conservative estimate of weight loss of 5 lbs per month, that would still put me at a weight loss of 15 lbs by summer, and 35 lbs by winter, etc. I got so discouraged on weight watchers because I would struggle for two whole years to lose just 30 lbs, then gain it all back so easily. Emotionally, it finally just broke me and I gave up. I don't really know what 4 CC band means, but my surgeon told me he will be fitting me with the newest technology (which I understand has a better success rate). Thank you both for sharing.

Deb, I wish I could offer you more advice; I had checked with Medicaid and ColoradoHealthOP, and they actually don't cover Lap Band--only sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. I'm really impressed you got Aetna to cover it, and I hope that works well for you. I would say to just exercise even if it's uncomfortable and log your foods really carefully. Joining Weight Watchers (and not using your weekly flex points) might be a way to stay on track during this pre op period. Remember, it's tough, but this is only temporary. It should get better! Good luck

I used to think surgery was a lazy person's alternative, but I no longer feel that way. After many ups and downs--the most recent struggle being Weight Watchers--I have carefully weighed the options and scheduled a date for Lap Band surgery. I have explored the pros and cons, talked to people in person who have had the procedure done, and decided at this point in my life that I'm going to take the chance and have this done. No amount of hard core dieting and exercise on Weight Watchers would get my weight to budge permanently. I started Weight Watchers in early 2012 and after about 1.75 years, I had lost 30 lbs. Not bad, but not spectacular. I had one difficult semester recently where I ate a moderate amount of food (still turning down a lot of things), and didn't log my points as closely, and I gained it all back. I have been struggling with my weight, in some form or another, since I was 14, and I'm just tired now. I have sleep apnea, I'm fatigued a lot, my cholesterol has been elevated for a while (high LDL's and triclycerides and low HDL's), and I have been hypothyroid (treated with medication) for several years. My BMI is about 38.8. Not to mention the fact that this extra weight just makes me feel horrible in my own skin--I have a suspicion that it's keeping me from getting a job, and I don't have that many more employable years to start a career, as I'm in my late 30's. Insurance won't be paying for this, so I've secured an out of pocket loan for the procedure. I've booked it for April, because if it works like it's supposed to, at about 10 lbs per month, I should actually be able to wear some decent T shirts by summer and not still be hiding behind sweaters. I've weighed the risks and the benefits. So can anyone give me advice or share their story? I hope I'm making the right decision.