Katja

I started this journey weighing in over 300 pounds. I have lost 110 in 5 years. I am a very slow loser. The charts say I should weigh about 40 pounds less than I do now. My surgeon is very happy with my loss and says I have exceeded what he expected I could lose. I need to lose another 20 pounds to get to my goal which I think is very reasonable considering my age... I'm not a teenager any more. The problem is with my plastic surgeon. He wants me to have a 28 BMI before doing any sugery. (I saw 2 other surgeons and they want the 28 BMI too.) That means losing 40 pounds which will be impossible. If I can lose the 20, I will have a BMI of 30. I can not imagine losing any more than that. And those 20 pounds are going to be lost through sheer will power, determination and lots of sweat. My band is as tight as the surgeon will allow. It won't be able to help much now. I am hoping the plastic surgeon will accept me at a 30 BMI when he sees that what's left on me is largely a huge amount of hanging skin. Has anyone else been told to be happy where they are and to more or less give up the idea of losing more? How am I to deal with this? I desperately NEED a Breast Reduction and TT at the minimum, but how can i get them if the plastic guys won't touch me at the higher BMI? I go to the gym 3 times a week. The men there have nick-named me 'wrestler' cause of the large amounts of weights I use. I am in terrific physical condition now. My eating could be better I admit, but it's hard to stick to a good plan and stay motivated when the scale hasn't moved for months and months....

Constipation is a big problem at times for me too. I find that making sure I get at least 1 fruit and 1 serving of veggies minimum every day helps. I also have 2 tablespoons of baby food prunes every night and that keeps things going. Don't forget to drink lots of water - I get in about 3 quarts EVERY day, if not more. And get moving! Exercise helps! Also, take a look at what you ARE eating.... many of the band-friendly foods can constipate.

Were you awake for the proceedure? I was put in twilight sleep. That's the only way I would allow it. I have an extremely sensitive gag reflex and they would not have gotten the scope down my throat otherwise! I awoke and had NO pain or even discomfort, just very thirsty since I hadn't anyhing to drink for 8 hours. If I need another endo, I won't have to think twice about it - I will request the same doctor.

I've got a new email if you're looking for a support group in the Stuttgart area. Please send your contact info to katjawilli@yahoo.com

I live in the Stuttgart area. I don't know of any others who are near me. A shame you are so far away.

Hello! A brand new support group is being established in the Stuttgart Germany area. I will be leading the group with lots of interesting topics, hints and tricks to keep us pointed to our goals. Our first meeting should be in about a month. If interested, please send your contact info to: bb.katja@yahoo.com. Hope to see you soon!

It's been a while since I've looked at posts from people in Germany. Glad to see everyone is doing well. If you should meet anyone looking for a local support group in the Stuttgart area, please pass on my name and email (bb.katja@yahoo.com). I am working with a local hospital in establishing an English speaking support group. Hopefully our first meeting will be in about a month.

I have my band almost 2 years. I am also a singer and do solo work besides singing in a chorus. I have never had a problem with singing with my band. Losing over 100 pounds has improved my stamina, and I have more air now. (I also play French horn.) The thing to be concerned with is the intubation at time of the op. Tell the anesthesia doc that you sing and would like a smaller tubus. Also tell them to please use care when inserting and removing the tubus. My vocal chords and throat were bruised badly by one in a previous surgery. Let them think you are a semi-professional singer... you'll get better care. Hope this helped.

Lapband surgery is covered by tricare in Germany. You have to go thru your local clinic, get your approvals and they will send you to a surgeon in your area. As in the States, the docs here are all different in their ideas of what is necessary to be banded. It's always a case by case, doc by doc thing, no matter where you go, but the general ideas are the same... history of failed wight loss, co-morbidities, etc. Good luck! Let us know how you make out.

Dear Tina, I just saw your post. I am an American living in the Stuttgart area. Hubby is civi contractor on base. We have Cigna ins. I was banded her July 2007. My op was 5 days after I met the surgeon... no pre-op anything. I pre-paid and got my money back from the ins. co. Each doc is different here, just as they are in the states... you have to talk to them to see what they require. Keep in touch!

I'm in the Stuttgart area and we have a great hospital that does banding and fills in Bad Cannstatt. I pay with private insurance, but they do take tricare patients too. Pm me and I can fill you in all all the details.

shopgirl, I hope you got your band and are doing well with it. I just came across you post today. I am in the Stuttgart area and we have a great hospital doing bands here. Please contact me if you have any questions.

CONGRATULATIONS! You are doing fantastic! Keep up the great work! It does feel wonderful to do all those 'normal' things that we couldn't do a year ago, doesn't it? As you continue losing, there will be more and more little things that will amaze you... I know. I've lost 108 pounds so far and want to lose 30 to 60 more. simple things like picking something up off the floor... taking a real bath... flying up the stairs before you have the time to think about using the elevator... my favorite - being able to get in and out of the car when the idiot next to you parks too close! LOL

Thank you for your reply, but I think you misunderstood me. Let me explain. I don't think being at my 'happy weight' would be 'torture'. It is getting there that might be torturous. It goes back to the question "When is enough?" and how do you know when it is? I know I'll be happier to have a smaller, trimmer, leaner and of course, healthier body. But when do I know when to stop trying to lose? We are bombarded with info saying to reach that healthy BMI of 25... maybe 30 is better for me? How will I know when my body sends signals saying that I don't need to lose anymore, when I've never experienced signals like that in my life? Losing the weight has been very difficult and slow even with the band. All my life I have been obese. It is torturous to me - always thinking of what to eat, how to eat it, when to eat it, what not to eat, what exercise to do, how to do it, when to do it. Then there are all the pressures of the media of what the 'perfect' body is... so that even if we do feel comfortable in our new bodies, it is still not good enough. "Normal" people do not spend a 10th of the time thinking about all this... why must I? I guess it comes down to a feeling of "why me"? The head games are the worst in losing the weight. I know. I am wishing for the day where I can start saying "I don't need to lose any more weight, I am maintaining!" Obesity is a sickness like diabetes, it can be treated, but will be there the rest of my life and will need to be 'managed'. I would love to be able to forget all about it, but we know that will not ever happen.

Matalo, Sorry to hear you had a slippage, but good that you're ok now. You said you ignored the signs.. what were they for you? I wish you lots of luck getting back to your goal. You prove that the band works and we can and want to live with it even when something happens.

Dr. Vuong, Thank you for all your positive posts. Each one is filled with lots of food for thought. This post was extremely interesting to me as I am nearing my weight loss goals. My problem is knowing what my "happy weight" should be. You stated: "Your Happy Weight, on the other hand, is the weight at which you are not struggling with your relationship with food. You look good, you feel good, and you have a fun social life." I have struggled with my weight my entire life and I can't imagine not struggling with it after I reach goal. I have been obese since I was 10 years old... I have no idea what a proper weight feels like. Even being grossly obese, I have always had a fun social life - one does what one can do... so that meant no marathons, mountain climbing or other very strenuous activities. After losing 108 pounds, my social life has not changed all that much... I am still me albeit a much more flexible and active me. I do enjoy being able to climb stairs without huffing and puffing! I guess my question to you is this.. How will I know when enough is enough? It's been far too many years since I was smaller, and even then it was always too much. I am 53 years old. My entire family is overweight. The charts say I should weigh about 142 pounds for a BMI of 25. I already know I will not reach that. My immediate goal is 180. I'd love to reach 170, but as you know, that still leaves me at a BMI of 30. I will try to get to 160, I think that might be my "happy weight". But at what cost? Will I 'torture' myself to get there? Will I be happy - or better said - happier at that weight? The Lapband is a wonderful and powerful tool for us to use to lose the weight. I am so happy and grateful that I had it done. I also want to thank LBT and all the 'experts' we have here. The support has been wonderful.

Great to hear your recovery is going well and that you are happy with the results so far! Could you please explain what smart lipo is and how it differs from regular lipo.. I need to get my arms, thighs and chin done too and am starting to interview surgeons.. any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I hope there are a few people out there with similar a similar experience that is happening to me now and can offer some advise. I went to my surgeon for a fill this week. I've done well and am now on the home stretch - I only have about 30 to 40 more pounds to lose! The doc felt for the port and said it is moveable now. This can happen when you do well and lose lots of weight, he said. (I've lost 100+ pounds now total.) It isn't bad enough to make getting fills difficult yet, but from the way the doc spoke, I will need to get a repair job to anchor it back down on the abdominal wall eventually. Has anyone else had this happen? At what point did you have it repaired? Did the port wander and cause pain or other problems besides getting fills? Thanks for the help my friends!

Hi! I just had my tummy tuck in September and had 2 large incisions. One ran from my sternum to public bone with 25 stitches and the other incision went hip to hip with 65 stitches. I have no idea how many internal stitches there were. I will say that I think my incisions were longer than most peoples.. I am still about 40 pounds from goal. My surgeon agreed with me that it was time to do the tt because my hang was so huge. It got in the way of doing everything. Good luck with your tt!

Yes, I was surprised where my port was placed. I didn't think of asking about it either before the op. I was banded July 2007 and I hated where my port is - then. It is located on my bra band line... when my pants got a little big, they would sit above my waist so the crotch didn't hang down and then the port would get squished between the bra band and the pants waistband. I am a side/belly sleeper - impossible after the op, because I wanted to sleep exactly on the spot where the band is located. And now? I love where my port is! No one but me knows I am banded. No big scar from it in the middle of my abdomen. It is still 'hidden' under my left breast. With the 105 pounds I've lost, my bra band no longer sits on the port site. Problem gone! I will admit on occasion the port is bothered when I am very curled up when doing some exercises or other activities. But it is not a big deal. Being thinner and healthier is definitely worth the small inconvenience one has to put up with!