juliegeraci

I am glad you are coming here for our input. Let me give you the stats for the lapband and the bipass. The lapband is roughly 62% of your excess weight the first year followed by about 90% for bypass. That beign said, at year 4 they are the same at 62% . That means that bypass patients typically restretch their stomachs and gain back 25-30% of their weight. I have seen this happen countless times. With the lapband the weight loss is a lot slower. But at 36 BMI it sounds like you don't have too much to lose. The lapband is so much better for you. I specifically didn't choose the bypass because the surgery is easier for lapband #1, its adjustable and removable. I love being banded. I've been banded for 21 months and am 10 lbs away from having plastic surgery. I am so happy with my lapband. good luck.

My friend is getting banded up here in Northern CA. They had her go to her Physician who put the request in for her to join the Bariatrivc treatment for lapband. They followed up with a full day seminar. She is going to have to meet with a psychiatrist and nutritionist. She has already had her blood work and her EKG. Here is the clincher. They are making her and everyone else wait 32 weeks for a follow up appointment. During this time she is to follow a 1200 calorie diet. If at 32 weeks she has lost a considerable amount of weight they will band her. They said that for some it is 10% for other less or more. It depends on where you carry your weight. She carries hers in her abdomen so they would want her to lose the most. The difficult part is she doesn't know how much she has to lose so she has to wait the 32 weeks to hopefully have lost enough. I am telling her she probably has to lose 30-40 lbs. She weight in at 270ish I believe. Her doctor is not happy that they are making her wait the 32 weeks as she is in a lot of pain with her back. The consensus is that they make you wait this amount of time to make you so discouraged that you will not have the surgery. So this is my exerperience with Kaiser. Let me know what happens.

Unfortunatly bariatric surgery is quite expensive and their are doctors that take advantage of us. Fact be know that a fill needle costs $20. My doctor charges $200 for a fill that takes about 2 minutes. I really feel they take us for granted sometimes. Good luck with your surgery. Congrats that it is all covered under your medical plan.

I like the steam rooms too.

sashimi is really good for you and is very soft. I would order some sashimi and some rice. That is one of my favorite foods. I fill up really fast on sushi now however. Sashimi I can eat the entire meal.

I have been following Weight Watchers for 2 weeks. The secret for me is sticking to 20 points a day plus the extra points. They wanted me to eat 26 points a day but I wasn't losing on that. I lost 2 lbs this week. My extra points are primarily for alcohol consumption. 1/2 cup of wine is 4 points so you can see how fast those points really do go. I love the point system. I pledged to myself to stick to it for 10 weeks and bought a 10 week pass. My goal is to lose another 10-15 lbs before I have plastic surgery. I think I can do that in 10 weeks. Also, keep in mind that 1 point is 50 calories. That is why I do 20 points day. That plus the bonus points typically puts me at 1200 calories a day. My doctor says that is fine. I am very happy following the Weight Watchers plan. P.S. I was on a plateau just being banded and was down 65 lbs, 105 preop. This has really jump started me again. Good luck. Let me know what you decide.

Wow, that is a lot of protein at one sitting. I am "lucky" if I can get in 1-2 oz. My doctor is fine with that. If you can eat 6 I think you need a fill. Are you losing though? If you lose on 6 then that might be a good level for you but not for me. Good luck.

Butter is so much better for you than margarine. Enjoy.

Good for you! When you get a good fill it makes all the difference. Way to go.

My doctor does fills 2 weeks apart. I would call and see if you can get in now for your fill.

I can only speak for myself. Personally I am happy if I can only eat 1-2 oz of protein at once. I am never able to eat 4 oz at one time. I am very happy with my restriction. I typically have some milk in the a.m. and maybe some soup or lean protein for lunch followed by a very small dinner, 1 oz of protein plus a few bites of vegies. Hope this helps.

I would recommend you get a fill. She is correct, they can go over the recommended fill level. Good luck.

Susan, you are doing the right thing by getting a small unfill. I too PB quite often but am trying to slow that down but eating smaller amounts and bites, so far so good. Let us know how you do. Having a band too tight can easily lead to a slip so you are making the right decision. Good luck.

You will know when you find the right plastic surgeon. I wanted to hug her I liked her so much. I am really glad you are looking into other surgeons. I believe you will find the right one. P.S. Don't be afraid to have your arms revised. It sounds like there are a lot of positive posibilities with that. Good luck!

I take all sizes of pills. As a matter of fact, I just took a horse pill that is Omega 3 fats. It just depends. YOu have to test the water. Good luck. P.S. I have great restriction and have been banded for 21 months.

Mine paid all but $2500 plus no fills. The fills have probably run me another $3k the last 21 months. Good luck to you. It is so worth it!

You are doing great. What a good steady rate of weight loss. 26 lbs since December is fabulous. Keep of the good work. Congrats on the restriction!

Abby, my MOm's friend lost over 100 lbs on Weight Watchers. She told me yesterday that even though she is a year out that she still shrinks with her exercise routine. Your body does get use to the weight and if you continue to exercise you will still lose inches. Hope that helps.

Hi Maincat. thank you for posting this. Often times we lose focus on just one area of weight loss. I also like the fact that I don't need a seat belt extender on an airplane anymore. I am almost out of the plus size sectionm of the store as well. Thanks!

I need a thigh lift. I am more terrified of this than the tummy tuck. Did you have an incision down the innner thigh? Did you also get lipo on the inner and outer thigh? What was your recovery time? I am thinking 2 weeks off of work, is that realistic? How much was the cost? I heard it was very painful so I'm pretty scared. How was your experience? How much did you lose, from what size, how much fat, etc. Sorry for all the questions!

Congratulations on being banded. Just try and take it easy the next few days. Sometimes people are either hungry or lose their appetite. Either way is normal. Just try and stay on your postop diet the best you can. Try not to cheat. Just relax and take it easy.

How are you feeling now?

wow, you had a lot to remove. I wonder if that is why he couldn't do much more. I don't have that much to remove so we are going to have an incision just under my arm and not down the side of it. Truthfully speaking, you need to follow your God given intuition on this one. I would go to the other plastic surgeon and show him the results and ask for a 2nd opinion. Don't be afraid to have your TT done with someone else if you feel the need. He may also lend you an ear on how to revise your arms. Best of luck to you! Good job on your weight loss.

I've lost 105 lbs and there is no way that exercise will remove my sagging stomach. I think they call it a pannus when it hangs down. I spoke to the plastic surgeon last week and she said I looked great given the fact that I have lost so much. Thankfully my back side looks good so all I need is a TT, BA with lift. Also, there is no way my thighs can improve either. I can still lose inches but the skin that hangs down on my inner thighs are gross. The only way to remove that is having a thigh lift. I figure at the end of this I am going to spend probably $$20k - 25k the price of a new car on my body! Wish me luck!

Speaking of Starbucks. I got really hooked on the green tea frappacinos. I loved the Venti ones because it kept me full for so long. That being said, I had to give them up because of the calories. I think they have 600-800 calories in them. I saw a tv show recently that introduced a new book on substituting foods. They said that a Venti Strawberry Cream Frap from Starbucks as 1200 mg of sugar in it. As much as 6 ice cream bars. That is why I choose to now have the skinny cinnamond dulce. Its 250 calories but keeps in in my day caloric intake of 1k. I lost 2 lbs this week giving up the green tea frap.