flowers

I read stuff like this and think whoa!!! Either there is something wrong with me or you are losing really fast. You lost 39 lbs since you were banded in august and say you are a slow loser??!! Give yourself credit. To many of us you are not losing slow. I was probably banded more than a month earlier than you and only 5 lbs ahead of you. If you are slow, Im a turtle and I walk daily, without fail at least 3.5 miles. Im 58 btw, so I dont think being 40 sounds old to me if that's what you meant. There are a lot of people losing slower than you. I guess slow is relative and we all wish we could lose it overnight? i sure wouldnt call you a slow loser based on your ticker. You are doing great.

Probably not a popular attitude, but I joined a online support group and seemed like they were a gang mentality and those further along everyone bowed down to them and sang their praises, as if newbies were not working just as hard. I quit and walked away. Sometimes you cant control a whole group of folks who all share an attitude and its best for your head to move on. Maybe you don't need them to validate your progress, just believe in yourself. I too am walking off my weight and can tell you its not easy.

I still cruised, but once I outgrew my bathing suit, I stopped getting into the Water. Now with saggy skin, Im not so hot to get into the water in the pools even now. My last two cruises, my biggest dressy dress was skin tight and I was dreadfully embarrassed. It was like a 22 or 24 I think and looked awful on me. I was still travelling, but it was taking a lot from my vacations and being active. I cant wait until Im at goal and can consider plastic surgery. At my age, just losing the weight isnt going to be enough.

The seminar I went to, the lady giving the seminar wrote a book about her journey, she seemed to be pushing. She lost 128 lbs with the lapband, but had reflux so bad, she had it removed and had one of the other surgeries, after she lost the weight, to keep it off. If that wasnt bad enough, someone in the seminar had lapband and was there to have it removed because she gained weight and got diabetes she blamed on the lapband. She travelled for her job and said the fills were all during the week, so she couldnt get in for a fill and generally didnt do anything to help herself lose weight, so she gained another 20 - 30 lbs after she got the lapband. I was the lone holdout for the lapband info in the room. The lady giving the seminar turned to me and asked me, are you going to be satisfied with only losing 50% of your excess weight, because those are the statistics with the lapband, as if I couldnt lose it as she had. By the end of the seminar I was in tears and cancelled my lapband surgery. No one else in the room who had been considering the lapband was still considering it by the end of the session. I had to get away to think and come here to ask questions and even here didnt find the response that encouraging to get the lapband when I asked people here what they thought I should do. I didnt want bypass because it was just too invasive.

I went on a cruise. I had a few bites of dessert, and then had pizza at midnight. Iv cut way back on bad food, but not given it up entirely. You need to allow yourself a few treats, once in a while. Usually I stick to SF jello or SF popsicles.

They can fudge your BMI a bit to make you qualify. They subtracted an inch for the heels of my tennis shoes!! If you are shorter then your BMI will be higher and put a roll of coins in your pocket. I wouldnt drink more than a small sip of soda. I have read it could make your band slip from the fizz, so I refuse to take the chance. Its not like cheating, its something that could make my band slip. More serious. I havent cut back a lot on food, just on snacking at night and doing more walking. I am not one who is doing that 3 - 5 bites either, even if it takes me longer to lose, dont want to change my metabolism like that.

I think its very common in seminars to push the more extensive procedures. I had the same experience. I came home and cancelled my lapband surgery but later decided I did not want the more invasive surgerys, it was lap band or nothing. So I was self pay and did the lap band. Sometimes what is right for others isnt the right thing for you and its a decision you have to make for yourself. Im a grazer, so Im still not sure lapband is the right tool for me, but its what I have, so Im going to make it work.

There are doctors in Mexico who will band you with a BMI in the 30 to 35 range. I was self pay and think you get just as much medical care and except some dont speak English where I was, it was a good experience and only cost me $6,500. Two other ladies at my fill center said they paid $6K for their bands.

Someone posted something similar elsewhere, except that said 50% of the weight you want to lose. Id say the surgeon is wrong if that is what he said, look at the tickers of most of us. 40 or 50 lbs is a beginning weight loss. I had surgery in July and past the 40 lbs mark, past the 50 lb mark if you count what I lost presurgery. Im for sure going to lose over 100 lbs. I think what he meant was some people dont do the work so on average many only lose that much. Its an average number, not because they couldnt lose more, some dont keep up with fills, dont exercise, dont try and expect the band to do it all. Those people wouldnt be as successfull with the band.

The lap band to me is more sure long term. By Pass you will lose faster, but if you stretch your pouch, then you can more easily regain the weight. When they say you lose about 50% of your weight, they are talking averages. Iv already made up my mind Im losing all the weight down to the 120s again, no matter what. Im not average, Im more determined. You will have to make the band work and get fills regular. One girl who said the band didnt work for her, also said she travelled for her job and so didnt get any fills because she couldnt get them during the week, so she just did nothing and surprise surprise she gained and got diabetes. It's up to you more so with the band.

Iv had two fills, 1.8 cc each time in a 10 cc band and I can't feel any resistance whatsoever. It's all dieting and will power. I'm walking every day to combat what I'm eating. I scheduled a 3rd fill, but my fill doctor is going so slow, I don't have much faith I will ever feel much resistance. I think you just have to make up your mind to lose the weight and either exercise every day or really watch what you eat if your band isn't helping. Most people say ON AVERAGE it takes 3 fills to get to restriction. Some tell me they took 5 or even 7 fills to get there. If you have only had one fill its pretty common to not feel any restriction. Go read some threads on how many fills it took others and you will feel normal. I should have had a 3rd fill but cancelled and now wish I hadnt, so going in the sat after next.

My BMI is just below yours, but I dont fit into any size large clothes yet, or size 14s of any brand. I had gotten to where I could not buy very much from any clothes store when I got my lap band (I was buying online). .... in fact to be honest Im not into all my size XL shirts yet, a few are too tight. Im obviously much larger than others at the same weight. If you are in size larges and some 14s, you are doing much better than I am. I have a cruise on the QM2 which will be very dressy and I have no clothes to wear. This will be the end of next June/early July next summer. Sure is hard to buy for a weight I'm not at. I have a large credit at paypal I want to spend on ebay, just hard to know what to buy or what size and part of me is very frustrated that I will not yet be at goal, so the clothes wouldnt fit very long. I hope to be in a size 12 by next summer in designer sizes (which run larger than regular sizes). You are doing good if you are in some regular sizes now. That's so important to most of us. ... just to be able to go into a regular store and buy things off the rack.

Im almost 5 7 and small boned. I got to about 150 lbs last time and a size 12. So many weight more and are shorter and in smaller sizes. I know it makes a difference if you are big or small boned. My goal is a 8/10 on top and a 10 on the bottom where I used to be. Im more hippy than Im wide shouldered, so Im never going to be the same size top and bottom. Im 190 now and having trouble zipping up a size 18 jean dress

Unless you are running long distances or something that burns immense calories there is no way to lose up to 5 lbs a week. If I watch my sugar, I can lose pretty well, better than most my age, but 5 lbs a week??? I dont think so, not on my best week. Let him be upset. I wouldnt let it bother me.

Iv been trying to up my walking. First (Im in Texas) I got a nasty heat rash that spread really wierd and had to lay off a month. Got going again now finally. I have had some days Iv done about 3.5 twice and I throw in a little jogging to get my heart rate up. WATP (walk away the pounds series) of CDs has easy steps and adds arms to the walking steps. Any time you raise your arms over your head you increase your heart rate/metabolism. I like the arms alone, and then she adds weights, the best for the back half of the walking CD. I truly believe in walking to lose weight too and keep it off.

Good luck to you too. I was self pay and went to Mexico, but went to a local seminar first. So, Im basically on my own. I should have gotten a 3rd fill, and now have to wait, so I feel like Im way behind others who were banded when I was, but Ill get there, Im determined. I think thats the main thing, your mental state. I know you will do it too!!

Im just walking. Im up to averaging about 4 miles or more a day because walking is easy. I know I need more strength training and will do my WATP CDs when I get motivated. Walking helps keep the weight moving off more than just plain exercises for me. Ill get going on weights some time though, but just at home. Joining a gym is a waste for me, I dont keep going. Been there, done that.

I lost over 80 lbs doing low gi eating, approx 1200 calories a day allowed. The only problem was I didnt hold the weight loss. Iv gained and lost and gained and lost too many times. I got the band in hopes this would make it once and for all.

It sounds like your surgeon team has a very positive approach. My seminar they asked me if I would be ok with only losing half of my goal, (uh no), that folks getting lapband, statistics prove they lose about half the weight on average. I decided not to be average, I will lose the weight. The band might help with appetite, but you still will need will power to eat right and exercise. It was a tool that got me started and gave me the confidence to try again. Id lost over 80 lbs with nutrisystem that you mentioned, but I put it back on. Im determined the band will be my tool that this time I will continue to eat right and be there for those low times when I eat wrong, at least I will eat less.

I saw a special on FOX that showed the newest technique was thru the mouth, no incisions. Only a few doctors in the U.S. have trained to perform surgery this way. Its better they said for overweight people because they have more things that can go wrong in surgery than their skinnier counterparts. I think I read at least one person who had their lapband this way who posted on this forum.

Im doing a low gi diet, which works best for me as I am sensitive to sugar. Anything low gi, which includes whole grains and veggies works, plus lots of Protein. South Beach is a type of low gi diet for instance, or you can do it on your own with free library books.

OK I called her and they charge $330? I think she said for the first visit and then $130. .... but she doesnt fill Realize J&J bands, which is what I have. She only fills the older style bands. I cant believe it, lol, there is always a reason they wouldnt give me a fill appointment, but this is the first time Iv heard this one. Thanks for the phone number. Sounds like I will have to wait until 11/29 when she is back in Tyler.

There was a thead on this topic. That some now dont want to eat certain foods. I dont think this is ever going to happen to me. I managed to stay away from pizza on my cruise until the last 3 days and had midnight pizza every night. Sounds like I need to get my lapband involved so I cant eat some of these things, but I just couldnt do it last time and cancelled. 1.8 cc and 1.8 cc in a 10 cc band, just no resistance right now. I feel like Im walking the weight off, not dieting yet. I need to move forward and get that next fill and tighten up so my band is doing what it should be. I feel guilty when I read how much faster others are losing that tighten up their bands. I really need to do what you all are doing and quit eating everything.

I think the answer is, it depends on how tight your fill is. Maybe later you wouldnt need to have such tight fills and then you can eat bread again. I was banded on July 9th, and both my fills were very non aggressive and Im still eating bread. In fact, Im still eating everything I was before the surgery. I should have gone in for a fill last weekend and like you wasnt sure I wanted to give up bread and things I eat with my family, so Im just walking more. Im also losing much slower than you, so its a tradeoff. perhaps once you dont feel like you want to lose so fast, you can loosen your fills and just maintain your weight a year from now or whever you hit goal.

I went thru it alone. I flew to El Paso and crossed the border there to self pay in Mexico .... alone. Flew back the next day instead of staying the extra day and drove myself home. My mom is 82 and my dad is 90 and both are too thin, my dad is on a feeding tube, so they havent any idea about having to lose weight and not supportive. Im single and live alone. You can do it.