SticeLane

I had surgery on Monday and went back to work Thursday. If you have a sedentary job, two or three days is sufficient. I can understand more time off if you do physical labor, but I do not understand posters here who have said they need two weeks! It is minor outpatient surgery (and yes, I had the hiatal hernia fixed too).

My doctor doesn't place any restrictions either. I'm a little suspicious of those who do. I mean, a fill is not major surgery. I've always wondered if recommending liquids for a few days is a trick to force a quick weight loss and thus encourage the patient.

There are at least two in the Chicago area (self-pay, of course). I was banded at 30-31.

I drink a skinny cinnamon dolce latte every single day, and it hasn't hampered my weight loss efforts. Plus, a venti has 15 grams of protein!

In suburban Chicago, self-pay, of course. There are two providers I know of in the Chicago area who will band at 30.

Just wanted to chime in (butt in) and say that I had a band put in last September, at a BMI of 30 and, according to my doctor, 43 pounds to lose (I'd like to lose an even 50). I have not regretted it for a second, and am thrilled to have lost 40 pounds. I seem to be stuck at 40, but being stuck at this weight is so much better than where I was before. I met a lot of resistance, but just didn't care what anyone thought. I also don't care if anyone is saying "Sure, she's thin, but she cheated!" Welcome, and I wish you the same easy recovery I had. PS - the 40-pound loss has been pretty much effortless. I figure to lose the last 10 I will have to work at it, which is OK. Summer is coming and it will be easier to be active.

I have flown often with the band and never had an issue.

I am in for 10, which will put me at 143 . . . five pounds below my doctor's goal, and one pound above my personal one! I gave myself a "free" day yesterday and ate a million pounds of chocolate - I feel like I never want to eat it again so I hope the feeling lasts!

If I wore a bikini, you would be able to see the port. I think it is probably kind of gross, but again, I am so happy about being relatively thin that I don't care. Maybe I will care in a few months? I have heard of people having their ports moved at goal. I don't see myself every having the band or port removed, but has anyone ever heard about having it shoved behind a rib or something, so it doesn't stick out?

Yes, mine is very visible, and I can definitely feel it. I am down to 150 lbs (goal is 141) and it's seriously sticking out. At this point I am so happy to have lost weight that I don't care.

I am also in Illinois and also paid $14,900. Wonder if I had the same surgeon as the poster above!

I am 6.5 months out and have lost 40 pounds, but I only have 10 left to lose (yes, I was self-pay!) These last ten pounds do NOT want to come off.

I've taken both, before and after the band. I don't think the band has any bearing on whether they are safe or not. The mechanical band doesn't affect how the drugs work in one's body. But I can tell you from experience that neither is effective on a long-term basis and both have nasty side effects. You already heard about those of Alli; phentermine gives me terrible insomnia and never works as well as the first time you take it.

I lean over and bring it right up, no finger down the throat needed. I've become rather adept at the art.

Fiber One is great and can be used for cooking a lot of different recipes (see Hungry Girl's web site and cookbooks for great ones). Another great option if you need fiber is Quaker's High Fiber instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal, although I always feel guilty for eating it because it's not solid protein, and we are all supposed to be eating solid protein whenever possible!

I know what you're saying, and I weigh almost exactly the same as you do! I am 150-151 pounds, down from 191. My doctor set 147 as my goal weight, but in my head I was thinking 141. I think my problem now is that I can fit into all my skinny clothes in my closet (I no longer own clothes from the pre-baby 135 days). So I feel skinny at 8-10. Do I keep striving for that number or just maintain, which I am doing pretty effortlessly?

I do agree, however, that badmouthing you to your students is highly unprofessional.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think you should just deal with it. I understand that federal or state law or your collective bargaining agreement may give you certain rights (although I'd be shocked if your CBA didn't address these meetings) but isn't part of learning to live with the band working it into your life? I'd love to have a calm interrupted lunch every day too, but sometimes my job (the work, not my employer) demands that I work through it and eat a Protein Bar at my desk. Sometimes I have to go out for business lunches, and have to be very careful to order Soup and maybe some fish that I can push around my plate and pretend to eat. It's just part of life. I am happy to have a good job in this miserable economy, and if that means I don't get the exact lunch and lunch environment I want every day, so be it.

Good afternoon, all. I've been lurking here since I was banded in September 2009, but this is the first time I've posted. Thanks to all of you who have been so informative and supportive as I've lurked. Now that I've been banded for six months and lost 40 of the 50 pounds I want to lose (I was a self-pay patient, and am stuck at 10 pounds over my goal), I seem to have lost all perspective, because I don't understand why some people won't consider the band at all. It's been a miracle for me. Of course I understand that the cost is prohibitive and that not all insurance covers the band, but I'm thinking of several people I know through work with great insurance who definitely meet the insurance requirements who have said they would never consider the band. Why not? And what about celebrities like Kirstie Alley? Why not just get a band and be done with the yo-yoing forever? So why won't some people consider the band at all, assuming, of course, that money is not the issue? Are they scared of going under the knife at all, for any reason? Do they see the band as admitting failure? I've heard some say it's just "too drastic," and one woman who is much younger than I am told me she just isn't ready to give up her old eating habits yet. And my last question is this: of course I would never suggest weight loss surgery to someone who didn't bring up weight issues first, but should I be a little "ebandgelical" and try to persuade people to look into it, or should I just talk about what worked for me?