PATCHELTON

10 lbs on 6 month diet for insurance, 25 more on liquid pre-op diet, the rest has been post-op, altogether 100 lbs.

You have years ahead of you to look your best. I may need a lottery win to do it but I would love a total body lift, or at least a tummy tuck. I plan to be a rockin hot mama (and just cuz I am almost 64 that doesn't mean a rocking chair). Wish I had done this years ago, but the band wasn't available when I was your age. Anyhow, my crustless pizza recipe is as follows (I had trouble getting the crust down, so I realized the toppings were what I craved) 1) microwavable dish (meal portion size) 2) pour in about 1/3 to 1/2 jar of Ragu (I use the Homemade Style) 3) cover that with Hormel Turkey Pepperonis (70% less fat). If you like bacon Hormel makes bacon bits that are reduced fat (big bags available at Costco) 4) cover that with favorite low fat toppings (I use Birdseye Pepper Stir Fry--it consists of 3 colors of pepper chunks and onion chunks--I keep bags in the freezer and throw in various dishes). 5) Top with shredded Kraft Free fat free cheese (I use both Mozarella and Cheddar--just had some for lunch today) or you can use low fat shredded if you prefer 6) Nuke for 2 minutes on high. Enjoy.

Congratulations on your success. It is a wonderful feeling to find that clothes fit you now that you wouldn't dream would ever fit. Keep up the good work. I can cross my legs now comfortably (weird feeling first time you do it) and I was thrilled when I went from women's 22 to womens 16. I wore some pants I had gotten out with my sister and told her they were new. She said I needed to buy some more as they were too big! The waist band still fits so I keep them for exercising. I bought some misses 14s (women's only go to 16, at least in Blair's catalog) but soon they were looking roomy, so I bought some 12s and they fit! I couldn't believe it! I bought a new winter coat from L L Bean and ordered a large as their sizing is M 10-12, L 14-16, and I wanted room to layer. It was perfect. I ordered some jeans in 12 and then decided to live dangerously when I found a pair I liked in the SML breakdown; I ordered medium, which is the 10-12. They fit! I wear scrubs at work (originally 2x) and had bought a bunch of large (there is an outlet near work, everything mostly around $10 each) and they were okay for a while, then started looking too big, so I went back and bought some medium tops and pants. I tried them on at home and the tops were ok but the pants still looked too big. I said to myself, I can't possibly be a small, no way! I took the pants back, and said I wanted to try on a small before exchanging them. Well, it fit! I don't think I have been small since I was 12! My coworkers are very supportive. Now they tell me I look like a stick and not to lose any more, but I am an avid walker, and the proof is in the pants! I am still in shock. My hospital has an annual reunion for bariatric post-ops and this is my first year as a post-op (my sister had RNY a couple years ago and took me as a guest; something must have rubbed off on me) which is this Sunday. They have door prizes and bariatric friendly food. Then they have like a class picture of the post-ops. I am so looking forward to it. I hope you get to experience all the things you listed, and have that NSV of trying on a size you never thought would fit you. It is a very, very cool feeling. BTW if you like pizza, I dreamed up a crustless pizza recipe that I would be happy to share with you, if you are interested. Let me know.

There is a thread somewhere on here for bandsters in their 60's. On the home page scroll down and you should find a link. I am 63 and was banded on 3/25/08. I am right around my goal weight (149.4 yesterday morning, 150.4 today) so I am thrilled with my results. My surgeon said I lost faster than expected, but that helped my motivation. Now the challenge is keeping it off.

For those interested in Fish Oil for Omega 3--not familiar with the chewable from GNC, but don't think they are fish oil source for Omega 3. I went looking and found liquid emuslified fish oil (sounds awful but is mint flavored--not bad at all) from Twin Labs. In the health food store it was $13 a bottle, but online you can get it much cheaper. Go to vitacost.com, item number is TWL 4012294 03 Twinlab Omega-3 Emulsified Fish Oil 12 oz. It is $6.98 per bottle with $4.99 shipping for ANY SIZE order. I use Twin Labs Calcium Citrate with Magnesium and D also (5 TWL 4010085 03--$7.62 for 60 chewable, 4 per day dose) so I order several bottles of each to get the most bang for the $4.99 shipping. One tablespoon of the fish oil gets about 1600 Omega 3's, more than I was getting from two gelcaps. For those interested in Centrum, there is a chewable, in silver too, about $11 at Target.

Go to the Home Page and scroll down. The FAQs look like the end but they are not. Food and Nutrition is below that. Just click on that and you will find the mushies thread. As for eggs. I made creamy egg salad. I cut the eggs up in smallish pieces, put a little Dijon mustard and some light mayo (enough to make it creamy). The mustard gives it some zip. You can use yellow mustard if you don't like Dijon (0 calories in yellow mustard!). I did the same with tuna. If you have ever had a tuna salad sandwich from Panera Bread, they put yellow mustard either on the bread or in the salad, so I put it in the salad. Tastes great. I used refried beans, too. I pulverized some chunky salsa in the blender, mixed it into the beans, nuked a dessert dish portion in the microwave and put Kraft fat free shredded cheese on it to melt after it came out. I could have instant mashed potatoes, so I would make them and divide into portions, then heat some fat free gravy to put on it.

My port is what sounds like the most common place, about an inch above my belly button and over toward my left arm an inch. I have lost 90+ pounds so I can see and feel it, but I would rather that than have the 90+ pounds back. There is a doctor in Texas doing the single incision lapbands. Someone posted a message here who was getting ready to have it done, and she posted a link to his website. It is: http://www.austinbariatricinstitute.com/surgical-procedures/single-incision-lap-band-weight-loss-surgery.htm . I sent it to my surgeon to read. I think I also read about a radio frequency controlled port, or something like that but I don't remember the specifics. The above link makes for good reading.

You have, at least partly, answered your own question. While we all lose differently, you pointed out two key things that you do or don't do that could be making the difference. You eat sugar--bad idea. One of the first rules I was given post-op was no concentrated sweets. The other was that exercise is critical to the success of the band. My surgeon won't even do anyone who is not mobile. I don't do anything fancy. Mostly walking. There is a lovely park near my home with a 2 mile nature trail. Until I lost daylight recently with the end of daylight savings, I went there almost daily, doing the 2 miles at least twice. I am not out to set speed records; I carry peanuts to feel the squirrels, so I stop every time I see a few to toss peanuts. I go for the distance. Prior to surgery I went to Curves, and frequently picked up a pizza for dinner (ate the whole thing, too). Now that it is dark when I leave work, I alternate Curves with Water aerobics during the week, and on weekends I am back at the park. Even though it is technically closed they don't lock the gate and people walk, bike and walk their dogs all year round. And when I get home I have a chicken caesar salad, or if I want pizza, I make a crustless pizza that is almost completely fat free. PM me if you would like the recipe. I would suggest replacing the sugar with sugar free as much as possible. I was banded in March and have eaten maybe 2 Cookies and last weekend at an early Thanksgiving dinner, a small piece of pumpkin pie. I read labels for sugar and fat content, trying to get as low as possible. You don't have to spend money on a fancy gym membership, unless you want to. My walking is free, Curves costs me $29 a month, and water aerobics is $110 for 20 classes. Not a big financial outlay. Both the park and aquatic center are on my way home from work. My weakness is salty Snacks. Instead of potato chips I get Kay's Natural Protein Chips (kind of like Fritos) and pretzels. And when I want something sweet (I have to confess I don't have a sweet tooth, and that is a major advanage with the band) I have sugar fee popsicles or sugar free/fat free pudding (with the pudding I sometimes add some unflavored Protein powder to bump up the protein) I am not a big Breakfast eater so I drink a protein shake, and sometimes eat a fat free yogurt, and maybe drink a small V8. I carry Kashi TLC bars in my purse, in case I am stuck somewhere and can't get a healthy meal. I will eat one as a snack to take the edge off until I get home. The Protein Bars that are mostly chocolate or Peanut Butter are too sweet for me. I hope some of this info helps. Good luck with your journey.

May I suggest Baltimore, Maryland as a possible site. Convention space, lots of hotels, near BWI airport, not far from Washington DC, and several Bariatric Centers of Excellence in the area (I was banded at St. Agnes Hospital).

I thought I would point out what my dietician pointed out to me about calcium. I had bought Viactiv too, but she told me that they contain calcium carbonate, which is not absorbed as well as calcium citrate. See my other post about Twin Labs chewable Calcium Citrate.

I wasn't crazy about Bariatric Advantage either. I got a sampler pack before surgery to try. I switched to Centrum (which also comes in Silver, for us older folks). In support group, someone said she didn't like Centrum, but it tasted ok to me and is less expensive. I currently am trying one called Bariatric Lifestyle from BariatricShop.com. They list it as their Complete Nutritional System and 90 days worth is only $25.46. You chew one twice a day. I haven't decided whether I will reorder or go back to Centrum. They taste alright. For Calcium citrate, I use Twin Labs Calcium with Magnesium and D. It is calcium citrate and D3 (cholecalciferol). If you buy it online you can save a bundle. It comes in 60 wafer bottles and 4 a day is the serving size so it is only 15 days worth. I found it in a Healthy Options store and was actually paying $17.99 for it. I went to Twin Labs site and got links to places that carry it. vitacost.com sells it for $7.67 (that is not a typo). They charge $4.99 shipping for any size order so I usually get 4 or 5 at a time. You can get auto shipments too. I like them, so I don't plan to change, and the online price sure beats retail, even with shipping. For those interested in Fish Oil but concerned about the large gelcaps, Twin Labs makes a liquid, mint flavored fish oil. You take 1 tblsp a day and get about 1600 Omega 3's. Vitacost.com also sells that for $6 and change. There are 24 servings per bottle. I get more Omega 3 with the liquid than I was getting with 2 gelcaps.

I too, love Trader Joe's. We have several here in Maryland. The Protein shakes I like, Worldwide, are sold there in 21g and 35g, but only in chocolate and vanilla. The Vitamin Shoppe sella only 35s but in all the flavors (strawberry, banana, and Cookies 'n cream--tastes like Oreos). They are a little higher than Trader Joe ($2.29 for the 35s) at $2.79 singly, but if you buy a 12 pack for $27.99 that works out to about $2.33 each. I have used their light string cheese as a snack, and Joe's O's, which are like Cheerios but have less sugar. I don't put sugar on it, just light milk and fresh fruit. You have to shop carefully, but you can find a lot of interesting and lapband friendly stuff there. As for nuts, I buy almonds, pecans and walnuts at costco. I get the unsalted kind that you bake with. I have eaten them since before surgery and recently went back. This time I took snack bags and counted 10 almonds, 10 pecans and approx 10 walnuts. Nuts are fat dense, and for some a little hard to digest, but the fats are the good kind, plus vitamin E, and Fiber. If you are used to salt it takes a while to get used to eating them without salt, but I like them. I filled all my snack backs and put them in the fridge, the leftover nuts that I didn't have bags for I put in the freezer. For those who like salads, get yourself some of those green storage bags (Evertfresh, Debbie Myers green bags). I buy hearts of Romaine in heads instead of cut up, and make variations on Caesar salad, using chicken or turkey, or ham, with a hard boiled egg cut up in it too for some extra protein. I buy frozen chicken breasts at Costco and cook them in olive oil or with Pam. The turkey and ham I get are already cooked, jullienne cut pillow packs I found at Mars. I also buy fat free croutons and light Caesar dressing. The green bags keep the Romaine until I can eat it all. A little off the Trader Joe topic, but thought I would throw it in for ideas. I also make crustless pizza, almost completely fat free. Please pm me if you would like the recipe.

I also love pizza, and realized I could live without the crust because I really craved the toppings. Try this: take a microwavable dish (about the size of a meal portion) cover bottom with pizza sauce (most are fat free and low sugar) then cover with toppings (I use Hormel Turkey Pepperoni, 70% less fat, and I keep Birdseye Pepper Stir Fry in the freezer--just 3 colors of peppers and onion chunks--I sprinkle them over the pepperonis). Cover with Kraft Free shredded mozarella or cheddar and nuke for 2 minutes to heat and melt the cheese. If you like other toppings, look for fat free or low fat. If you try it let me know how you like it. It satisfies my craving for pizza (and I used to eat an entire pizza for a meal, pepperoni, green pepper, onions and extra cheese). And congratulations on your weight loss.

You need to find a way to get your Protein Drinks in. You will make yourself sick if you only consume water and popsicles. Most bandsters are told to get at least 60g Protein in a day. If you can't face a Protein Drink you really need to call your surgeon's office. There are many drinks out there. If you don't like one, try a different one. I drink Worldwide Protein Shakes, low in sugar (1g) carbs (4g) and fat (1g with .5 sat fat) (available in all flavors--if you like chocolate try the Cookies 'n Cream--like drinking Oreos--at Vitamin Shoppe, $2.79 individually, but $27.99 for a 12 pack, about $2.33 each--Vanilla, Chocolate, strawberry, banana Cream and Cookies 'n Cream). Trader Joe carries vanilla and Chocolate in 21g and 35g, $1.69 for the 21s and $2.29 for the 35s--these prices are in Maryland). They are ready to drink. I take them to work and have them for Breakfast. If you like powders to mix, unjury (unjury.com) comes in Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Plain, and chicken Soup. Whatever you do please don't continue with just water and popsicles. You really need protein.

I am not on pain meds like you, but when my doc told me I could go back on all my meds I had to make adjustments. Any that could, I cut in half with a pill cutter. I take fish oil and Cosamin DS for my knee arthritis. Cosamin capsules can be opened and mixed in cold food (not hot) such as yogurt or applesauce. However my fish oil was a gelcap. I did some research and found a liquid mint flavored fish oil. One tablespoon actually gives me more Omega 3s than the 2 gelcaps I had been taking. Also Cosamin now has power packs, a packet with powder to be mixed in a bottle of Water, similar to Crystal Light flavors. I get my Cosamin and water at the same time. As for your time release med, check with the prescribing doctor to see if you can cut it and if not if there is an alternative you can take in a liquid or pill that can be cut. And after fills for a day or two you should cut pills. I didn't after my first fill because I was in a hurry for work, and the pill got stuck. I had my first sliming experience on the parking lot next to my car. The pill dissolved enough to pass shortly so it wasn't too bad. You just need to talk to your doc to see what alternatives exist for you. I was fortunate and didn't have a lot of pain post op. Good luck on your journey.

I like Worldwide Protein shakes. They are available at Trader Joe (Vanilla and Chocolate in 21g and 35g of protein, $1.69 each for the 21s and $2.29 for the 35s here in Maryland). The 35s are also available at GNC (priciest $2.99 each in Vanilla and Chocolate) and at the Vitamin Shoppe (singly $2.79 for 35g, but if you buy a 12 pack case for $27.99 it drops to $2.33 each). Vitamin Shoppe also carries all the flavors (Vanilla Cream, Chocolate Cream, Strawberry Cream, Banana Cream, and Cookies n' Cream, which tastes like liquid Oreos). I order them online when I can get free shipping for $49 or more--usually it is $99 for free shipping. If there is a store in your area you can get 12 packs for $27.99. I like them for grab and go, because I don't have to mix up stuff. They are low in sugar and fat, 160-170 cal for the 35s, and 2 a day would net you 70g protein. A little pricey, but I was banded 3/25/08 and I still drink one each weekday. On the weekends I make smoothies.

I am 63 and was banded on 3/25/08. My boobs look like two deflated balloons, and my butt deflated, but my penniculus (love that term--that is the roll on your stomach that will not go away except with plastic surgery) hangs on. I joke about it now, but I am not ruling out a tummy tuck if I can scare up the cash. I figure they can take the fat from my belly and fill out my boobs. I don't think I am too old to be perky:laugh:. Minor complaints aside, I now wear a misses size 12 (down from womens 22) and am off both cholesterol meds, one bp med, reflux med, and may lose the other bp med later. I also have pain med for my knees, but only use that occasionally. My cholesterol is 142, down from over 200, triglycerides 53, down from over 300, LDL 66, HDL 65. I don't think my numbers were this good when I was born.:thumbup: Many of these meds I have taken for 20 years or more. Oh, I need my arms done too (I have batwings) and my inner thighs could use a tuck. But I am not complaining, much. I may still be a hot mama one of these days, even if my cats don't care.:biggrin:

That 64 oz is your goal for Water intake. As long as you are taking in the types of liquids your dietician told you, you should be fine. As for Protein drinks, there are several things you can try. If you want strictly protein, powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury comes in a powder you can mix with milk or water(buy online at unjury.com). I try to mix with skim milk to get the most protein out of the drink. If you want ready to drink, Worldwide Protein shakes come in 21g and 35g in different flavors. Trader Joe carries both sizes in chocolate and vanilla ($1.69 each for 21g and $2.29 for 35g). GNC carries the 35s in the store and other flavors online but are the priciest at $2.99 each. Vitamin Shoppe carries all the flavors (only in 35g protein) in their store and online. It comes in Vanilla Cream, Chocolate Cream, Cookies n' Cream (tastes like Oreos), banana Cream, and strawberry Cream. All are 160-170 calories, little or no fat, 1g sugar. I don't care for banana flavored stuff so I haven't tried that but I drink Vanilla, Strawberry and Cookies n' Cream pretty much every day. Vitamin Shoppe charges $2.79 each, but if you buy a case of 12 the price comes down to about $2.33, so I try to buy 3 12 packs at $27.99 each. Online occasionally you can get free shipping for orders over $49 but mostly it is over $99, so it is cheaper if you live near a store. As an alternative, GNC carries a vitamin supplement called Ultramega, and they have it in a powder form, like the protein powders, but it has the full complement of Vitamins, Fiber and other stuff. The protein isn't as high, around 6g if I remember correctly, but it is sweetened with Splenda so the sugars are low. I mix it into 8 oz skim milk and that bumps the protein up to 12 or so. Once you can add food you can make smoothies. I put 2 scoops Women's Ultramega Vanilla, 8 oz skim milk, ground flaxseed flakes, ground cinnamon, and some frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries--fruit only without sauce) and voila! A frozen smoothie. Delish! Frozen sugar-free popsicles as mentioned above are good for a treat too, and it is considered a liquid. I could have yogurt, too; it depends on what your dietician recommends. I hope this helps. Good luck on your journey.

While we aren't similar in age, we are in starting weight, so I thought I would share my stats with you. Starting weight 7/07 was 252. Had to do a 6 month diet for insurance, and lost 10 lbs on that as of 1/08. Surgery approved for 3/08 and started a liquid pre-op diet. Was on that 3 weeks instead of 2 because I caught a cold and my surgery was moved back a week, not enough time to stop and restart. Lost 25 more lbs on that. The rest of my weight loss has been post op. I had one fill at around 6 weeks, 3ccs, but had to have unfill the next day as water was giving me indigestion. Removed 1.5 ccs. Two weeks later in the office removed another .5 ccs, and I was doing okay. Doctor talked me out of a fill as I was still losing but at next appointment I talked him into a small one. I was still losing but my quantity was rising and I was hungrey sooner. He put in 1.5ccs. Checked my fluid amount and it was about 2 ccs. So I have about 3.5 ccs total. I have lost (by my home scale--doc's scale is about 4-5 pounds heavier) 94 pounds. I weighed 156 this morning. I hope that helps, and good luck on your journey.

I haven't tried anything to diminish the scars, but you might not want the larger scar to disappear. That is probably your port. Imagine your dilemma if the surgeon couldn't find it to give you a fill! :laugh:

I am not nearly as young as you, so you have youth on your side. I believe if I understand it correctly that your skin loses elasticity as you age. In my case, I am very near my goal weight (after only 7 months), but I do have some loose skin, and I think PS is the only thing that will rid me of it. I exercise regularly (started that before surgery) mostly walking outside in a park near home, and now that I am losing daylight during the week, I will be doing Water aerobics as well as Curves. The path I walk is about 2 miles and I usually do 2 times around, but now can barely get one in before dark. On the weekends I go for broke, and the last couple weekends because the weather was lovely, I walked around 4 times each day, stopping to feed peanuts to the squirrels and the lone chipmunk that I have befriended (bribed with peanuts). My legs have gotten seriously smaller and toned, but I still have some loose inner thigh skin. I also have a penniculus, that apron of belly skin that hangs down. At my age I don't care much about being hot and sexy, but I am not ruling it out either:tt1:. I also have loose skin hanging from my arms. I have watched a lot of PS shows on Discovery Health, and if I can afford it, I would at least like to have a tummy tuck. If I hit the lottery, a total body lift and a boob job (with self tissue not silicone implants) could be in my future. The skin will be hard to disguise when I go for water aerobics, but otherwise I can hide most of it in clothes. The world will not end if I have none of this, but I can dream.:smile2:

I just had to shower with Dial antibacterial soap.

I don't have a Ga plan, but I have Blue Choice from BC/BS in Maryland. They took 4 weeks from submission of paperwork to approval. I had to do a 6 month supervised diet prior to submission, so you could say they took 7 months, but I had very little out of pocket expense, though they don't pay for fills once you are out of the 90 day post surgery period. All in all, after reading some of the nightmares posted here, my approval process wasn't bad at all. I even used an out of network dietician and psych evaluator (paid them myself), since they were on the team that was doing my surgery. I feel for those getting an insurance runaround.

Congratulations on your success. My weight wasn't quite as high as yours (I was at a group support meeting and a post-op told me I didn't look like I was heavy enough to need surgery--at 252, wearing 2X or 22-24W, with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, reflux, knee arthritis and such, I beg to differ) but I didn't want to wait. I was miserable. I hope I don't have a slippage like you did, but it appears all has turned out ok. Keep up the good work, and good luck with the rest of your journey.:smile2:

If your sister in law is not supportive, tell her about me. I am 63 and was banded 3/25/08. My starting weight was 252, BMI 38, with HBP, sleep apnea, reflux, high cholesterol, knee arthritis, wearing 2x work clothes (scrubs) and 22W. I now weigh 160, wear 12-14 Misses, am off cholesterol medicine (2 of them) for the first time in about 20 years, have been taken off one of my BP meds (may lose the other later), my knees feel pretty good, and I will have a sleep study soon to see if that has resolved. I take one BP med, and I have pain med for my knees as needed (maybe once a week if that). My total cholesterol is 142 (was always over 200 before), tricycerides 53 (always 300 or more before), LDL 66, and HDL 65 (this is the good cholesterol--was around 47 before--the higher it is the better--btw I work for cardiologists). Keep your eye on the prize, your overall health. With my loose skin I may not give the guys palpitations, but I'm not ruling out a tummy tuck or more when the time comes. Heck, I could be chasing men at 70! Why not?:sad_smile: