Desdemona

I'm having mine done on Tues. I have been weight stable for the last 6 mos but I want to lose another 25lbs (after BR). I do exercise but not enough because of shoulder/back pain. I also have spinal degenerative disease so they are really damaging my spine. My "girls" were large and dense even when I was 18 and 114lbs so I know just losing more weight won't reduce them down to a comfortable level. My PS says they are so dense that even if I lose another 25lbs they will not really lose their new shape. I'm also 57 yrs old so I don't care if they sag a little after I lose more. I think it's hard to know when to have them done. I would say that if your breast are fatty and if you are young and want to make sure they are as "perky" as possible -- then wait until you are at goal weight. But- if you have dense tissue (glands with little fat) and don't mind if they sag a little if you lose more weight, and think you will be able to diet/exercise better if they were smaller -- then go ahead and get them done.

Now that is a short and sweet and EXCELLENT statement! I'm gonna remember that one every day. I get so busy with work and everything else I just have a hard time feeling that I don't have time to go --- but you're right (!!) everything else CAN wait!

Thanks. I'm going to have the anchor incision. It does sound like mine will be less invasive than yours. I know what you mean about not wanting to go out shopping. Thanks for the advise. Best!

hey JD -- I remember you very well. It's great to see you back. I lost most of my weight within the first 4 or 5 months. It's been very slow since then. My eating hasn't been bad but I didn't exercise. It also took me a long time to get my band adjusted to where it should be. But now my BMI is down to 30 from 43. I found that PT helped me deal with muscle and joint pain so I could exercise. I also found that starting exercise in a gentle and slow way worked much better for me than just going at it full-tilt boogie. I started with CURVES because I knew I could do 30 min every other day. It was all I could handle. After 3 wks I got use to going someplace and I decided to go to Planet Fitness (which is running a 1 year plan right now for $99!!!). I started there by just using the treadmill on the days I didn't go to CURVES for just 30 mins. Then I added, then recumbent bike and quickly went to the upright. Now I'm dropping CURVES and switching to the Planet Fitness weight machines because I'm strong enough from CURVES). I found that going to CURVES or the gym in a routine way help motavate me to eat well. JD--yesterday I went to something called the Summit House. It's a really old building on top of the highest peak in my area. I live in a valley of hills. It's the first time I ever went there. I had to climb 4 flights of stairs to get to the top of building. The view was absolutely glorious ---- but what was even MORE glorious was that I wasn't even breathing hard or breaking a sweat when I got to the top!! Before I lost this weight and did a little exercise I wouldn't have bothered even trying that. I have my life back! So -- what is something that you truly and dearly loved to do that you stopped doing? When you lose more weight -- you will be SO thrilled to do it again. Please hang in there with us.

Jamie--I had a lot of joint pain before surg. Then I lost about 50lbs and it still hurt so I asked my MD to send me to PT. I just could NOT believe the diff after PT!!!!! I still do have arthritis and joint pain but no where NEAR what it was before. I was told about the compensation but that isn't all. I was a couch potato so my muscles and tendons were really out of shape. The PT told me that as we gain weight and age our posture (and spine) goes out of wack. Also -- when we are inactive during all that time the dead cells from our muscles do not "wash away" and they hang around the muscle and sort of clog thing up and that contributes to inflammation of the muscle and joints. Then when we go to exercise or lift things our muscles don't slide over each other the way they should so we actually injure the muscle. That causes the pain and more inflammation (any nurse out there reading my laymans way of explaining this must be cringing by now!!). PT uses methods to get rid of all those dead cells. That allows blood to circulate and get right down in there to nourish the muscles so the inflammation goes down. That way --you can go to the gym without so much pain. I also began execising by just doing a treadmill --- then an upright bike. Strengths training began with just CURVES. Nothing strenuous. Just enough to help build my muscles in a gentle way. Now I can go to a regular gym without much pain. I just came back from my MD and now we feel that adding in Yoga will help stretch muscles and improve posture so the bones and joints don't pressure my nerves. I'm very hopeful. I hope some of this helps. Stay in touch.

Hi Hazel-eyes-- I started at 221 but I'm only 4' 11 1/2 so my BMI was about 43BMI. I lost 18lbs pre-surg. Surg was 3/19/08. I had the 10cc AP band. My after surg diet was very strict for the first 4 weeks (basically chicken broth and sugar free freezer pops for the first 3 wks with protein drinks added for 1 wks then a little egg or cottage cheese was added etc). I lost a lot of weight fairly quickly. I would say that 75% of what I lost went in the first 4 to 5 mons. I didn't exercise very much. I do eat 3 to 4 meals a day but they are small and I'm now exercising. I do believe that I have continued to lose fat and add muscle because I have clothes fitting me now that did not fit me 6 weeks ago even though I weigh the same as I did 6 wks ago. My band surg told me that because I'm so short I will not lose more until I move my butt and also build muscle to boost my metabolism -- so that's what I'm working on right now.

I have heard that arm lifts are painful. I'm hoping more of the fab from my arms will go down with the last 30lbs. I guess time will tell. I'm really hopeful about my skin tightening.

Onikenbai -- I really appreciate your thoughtful reply. You gave me some important info that I didn't know about. My MD seems to think I'll lose about 5 lbs. My spouse will be away for the first wk of Aug and I have a small dog. I was thinking of having the surg just a few days before that but now I'm wondering if I should wait until he is back so I won't be alone. Or -- will I be OK enough a few days after the surg to mange on my own? Anybody else? How much did you lose? How was the operation for you? Did you have fill removed from your lapband?

I'm 57 -- have lost about 60lbs and have about 30 more to go. So far my skin is coming back surprisingly well. I have been significantly overweight and steadily gaining for about 30 years. Breast are drooping but they were large before I gained any weight. I'm headed for a breast reduction very soon (days). I'm apple shaped. My PS saw my belly the other day and remarked that I was really coming along very well. No signs of hanging skin except I MIGHT be headed for bat wings. I really can't say because it could just be fat that will go as I lose the rest of the weight. I do have SOME small amount of loose skin on my neck. If it doesn't go away -- I will do something about it. It could be that I will see some hanging skin within the last 30lbs but so far so good. I HOPE Grandma's genes keep working for me!

Josiebies-- Thanks for replying. Interesting. My band MD said they would take out some fill but maybe the PS will decide differently. So in your case, you may have gotten a weight loss boast both from the removal of tissue and less food intake for 10 days. Are there others who will let me know there experience of this?

I'm getting ready for Breast Reduction. I'm having about 350g off each one. My MD says they will take some fill out of my band for the surg. I'm guessing this is because of swelling. I'm a bit worried about going on an eating tear when they remove some fill. How long did it take before they replaced your fill? Were you hungry? Did you eat much while recovering with some of the fill out? Did you gain weight?

Dr Schulman-- Thank you for giving us so much information. It appears that I will scheduled for a breast reduction in about a month. I will still be about 30lbs from goal after the surg. The surgeon mentioned that they will have a lipo machine close by to remove fat from my side rib cage near the breasts so I don't have that buldging fat there. Would it be a lot of extra trouble (pain, expense) to ask them to also lipo under my arms at the same time to help with the "bat wings?" Even though I have lost 65lbs so far -- my skins seems to be pretty elastic so I'm wondering if I just do lipo in the arms and exercise if it might work well enough without a having an arm lift? Thanks again.

Dr Schulman -- I'm back again! I followed through w/your advise and had a consult in Albany yesterday. The surgeon thinks that even though I'm still currently 30-35 lbs over goal weight that this would be the right time to go ahead with a breast reduction. I'm about 4' ll" 1/2 tall and wear a 38 D bra. 57 years old. Even when I was 18 and 116lbs my breasts were very dense and about a 34C. I drew too much attention. Now I hurt a lot with spinal degeneration (C4-7) w/stenosis, bursitis in left shoulder. The surgeon says he thinks he shouldn't take anymore than 300 grams per breast. I'm afraid he needs to take more than that. I think I'd like to get down to a C cup now with the thought that if I lose another 20 lbs after surgery they go down to a B cup. Is there any way of figuring out what my bra size will be if he removes about 300 per? Also --- does a lollipop incision with an anchor (??) seem like a good choice? He doesn't feel I'll need implants. He thinks they'll lift up well without them. Thanks.

ccm-- I have also really found out the hard way that carbs not only mess up my weight loss but anything more than 20 or 25 grams a day will cause me to crave more and more. I'm also finding that after losing 2/3s of the weight I need to lose -- I'm just not going to lose anymore (even on low carb) unless I exercise. I find that exercising (which is NOT my favorite thing in the world to do) does a lot to motivate me to eat well. It's still a struggle for me. I have lapses -- so I was happy to see your post. I'll follow this thread for a while to see if we can join forces on our quest. Personally, I have found that having some nut or cheese snacks and working in a few cups of tea do a lot to help with carb cravings during the day and eve. If things get very bad in the eve -- I'll make an avocado guacamole dip (with tomatoes in it) and have it with pork rinds. Sugar free pops have 4 carbs. If I don't go crazy with those -- they are a nice cold treat. Right now I'm headed out to dinner. A local restaurant is serving a roast beef dinner and I'll be able to ask for 2 low carb veggies and a salad. I'll have it rare which I enjoy. It will be enough for me to bring home and get 2 more meals out of it. I love steak too. If I do very high quality steak (tender) it goes down well. A steak salad with gorgonzola cheese really hits the spot. I don't feel deprived at all.

Hello Dr. Schulman-- I have a few questions regarding breast density, decisions around timing of surg. for reduction and likely outcomes. I have lost over 60lbs and am still 35-40lbs overweight. At 57 yrs. I'm 4"11 and 160lbs. I have always had very amble breasts even when I was 18 yrs and 118lbs. I do feel that this was one important reason for poor body image, and perhaps an unconscious "desire" to be fat (to hide my breasts). As I'm losing -- I'm becoming very conscious again of the size of my breast. They have gotten smaller but they are still big and now they are sagging more than ever. During mamos, it has frequently been mentioned that my breasts are very dense. My guess is they are less dense now than when I was younger. When I was 18 I bought 34C but now I'm buying 38D. These are cheap bras and I have no idea what my TRUE size is. I'm apple shape and continue holding the fat in my mid-section and at the front of my body (belly fat) and that is mainly where I need to lose those 30lbs but I have lost a significant amount even there. I do have good skin which, so far, seems to be coming back pretty well considering my age (except for a bit of loose skin around my neck). I have left shoulder pain, numbness down my arms, neck pain, spinal degeneration between C4-7 with natural of fusion C5-6 due to the degeneration . There is no evidence of trapped nerves. Rest of spine is in good shape but feeling discomfort in mid and lower back with tingling in legs. Have seen a neurologist and had blood tests to rule out most likely causes. Here's my questions. Even though I'm still 40-35lbs overweight -- does it make sense for me to go ahead and have a breast reduction because of the density of my breasts? Although I'm very hopeful about losing the rest of my weight -- I have been (unfortunately) stabilized at this darn weight for about 10 mos. I'm hoping to become more active and take more off but I have no guarantee that I will get down another 40-30lbs. I'm wondering if a breast reduction will help me feel more motivated to exercise. I'm wondering if, because of the density of my breasts, if I do lose 30lbs after a breast reduction, I would tend to not lose much fat in the breasts anyway (so I wouldn't need to worry so much about how more weight loss would change/deflate my breasts). I'm also wondering how much weight I'd lose just from the surg. if I wanted to go to a B cup. Wouldn't I lose atleast 10lbs between the surg and the recoop experience? I'm also wondering, given my spine and pain problems if it just makes good sense to go ahead and do it now vs waiting to see if I can lose more weight in the next year. Finally, given the relationship between density and cancer wouldn't sooner be better than later? Wouldn't surg lower my chances of cancer? Even if my breasts didn't maintain the complete "perkiness" of the post-op after more weight loss---at my age -- I can't say it would break my heart. I'm not looking for 20 year old sex appeal -- but something that looks like a healthy, reasonably attractive middle age look. If you really think I should just bite the bullet and try to exercise another year -- I'll do that and try. Thanks for listening.

That is just silly. It sounds like someone who is out of work and needs a job could certainly take that woman's place if she doesn't want to or know how to do her job. I agree with the first responder---find another surgeon. If that would take a lot of time and you want to try to get into that surgeon--then ask to speak to the office manager or head nurse. But--no matter what happens -- do not ----I repeat --- DO NOT (!!!) give up or let this incompetence put you off or slow you down! I'm a bit concerned that these economic times may cause insurance companies to reduce the types or amount of their coverage for some medical proceedures so -- do everything you can to proceed ASAP. Best Wishes

I have taken different amounts at different times. I usually start with 2. If it's gonna work--it usually works with that. Sometimes I take a few more as I see it working to just help more. The tabs are cheap and won't hurt you.

Hi -- I have been looking for information about weighted vests for increasing metabolism, building muscle, and losing weight. I'm a 5 ft tall female, 57 years old. My MD says that because I'm so short -- I'll have trouble losing the rest of my weight unless I build muscle. I have a very hectic schedule-- crazy hours and traveling a lot which makes it difficult to get to a gym or even for using home equipment. I came across a number of studies that discuss the benefits of weighted vests but there's a wide range of methods for using one -- depending on gender, age, objectives. I'm wondering if anyone here has used one. If so - do you think it helped? Do you know for sure that it built up muscle? Increased metabolism? How much weight did you put in the vest? Did you wear it all day while working? Walking? Exercise? Do you know of any problems it can cause?

Yes. You DO need to start getting fills. You also need protein during the day both for hunger and sustenance. I tend to have protein shakes for breakfast. You might manage some cheese or egg salad for lunch. If you get enough protein and eat good complex carbs (not processed stuff) it will also help you not get so hunger in the eve.

I went to a few seminars a few years ago and decided not to have WLS because of the possible risks. I figured that even if I got the band -- I'd still have to change the way I ate so --why not just change the way I ate? Well---a year and a half later I was 15 lbs heavier. I finally got the band last March---best decision I ever made. I'm in far less pain. Most of my medical problems have cleared up. I'm far more active. I can work better--mentally and physically. Food is no longer at the center of my life. I feel less stressed out---can flow with things better. Yes-there are some risks ---but not nearly the level of risk of being fat. Other ways of reducing the level of risks to the band is to: a) get a very qualified surgeon and :blushing: really learn and follow the lapband rules. That all being said -- there are always going to be risks to no matter what choices we make. We just have to weigh out which ones we want to take.

Sheri --I'm sorry to you have to go back in. I have the 10 APL which is "supposed" to be more slip resistant and faster weight loss. I'll be curious to see if your MD decides to try one of the 2nd generation bands. tigerlillyhair. yes! Pretty much all the medical people say carbonation is a BIG problem. One thing that helped me a LOT with that was keeping those sugar free - diet freezer pops in my freezer. I guess it's because they are sweet, cold and very low carb that they have really helped. Just a suggestion. lizb88---I hear ya!!! I have lost 61 lbs and basically stopped losing but I have always been a devil re: exercise. I finally broke down 2 days ago and got my butt to a gym. I'm starting slow---1 mile interval training on the treadmill -- only .10 on the elliptical---and 10x on the lats. My excuse up to now has been that I needed physical therapy but I seem to be stable now -- so I guess I don't have anymore excuses. My MD says that I'm so short that I won't lose much more if I don't get the lead out and to burn the fat off.

For those of us who choose to follow Jesus -- how about if we follow HIS advise and let HIM decide who is and who is not miserable and how well any of US (including Oprah) are doing. "Judge not --lest ye be judged."

Uh----excuse me. Oprah is Oprah because billions of people love her. She has views. She's a human being. She does some things wrong---and she does a ton of things right. I haven't sat down and watched her show in many years and I don't read her magazine but I like and respect her. Even if she has gotten a little full of herself I'll take 1 incredibily decent but flawed women over most of what I see out there in the public eye. Let's just take what we can and leave the rest ---or---eat our carrot sticks and give the woman a break. Desdemona

I don't know if I lose more slowly than I did when I was younger because I never weighed as much in the past as I did when I got the band. I started with a bit higher of a BMI than you are and I'm older. I lost about 20lbs pre-op and 25lb pretty quickly after the surg. Then I hit a very long stall---followed by some pretty slow weight loss---however--there were also problems with fills and I couldn't do a lot of exercise because of health issues. Now--my fills are finally kicking in and I'm in a better place to exercise. I'm starting to lose fairly well right now. But--even when you consider all of that -- I"m VERY pleased. I have never had this level of success in weight loss and I'm pretty confident that I will reach my goal around mid-2009. Not bad!

Hmm. This is interesting. I've never heard of it but I would't be surprized. Well---does this mean you will lose faster?