Mommydog14

Hi there. I just joined this forum yesterday and have been looking for as much information as I can get. I am 57 years old, and have been a yoyo dieter for about 50 of them. In the last 10 years I have lost and gained 50 to 70 pounds about five times. One of my problems is that to maintain my goal weight of 140 lbs, I can only consume about 900 calories, so I always gain the weight back. I am otherwise very healthy and do Crossfit (very intense exercise) three times a week. During my last diet failure, (600 calorie a day medically supervised diet) the doctor suggested that I consider a lap band. I was rather surprised since my BMI is about 30, and thought that one needed to be bigger to consider that option. She told me about a doctor in my area who is (or was) doing a study on the effect of banding on people with BMI' of 30 to 35. However, since I am not over a 35 BMI with no comorbities, I would not qualifiy for insurance rembursement. Since I cannot pay 20k to have this done, I am researching having it done in Mexico, but worry about the post-op care. After reading many comments, I wonder if it will work for me, due to my age and messed up metabolic rate. Do you have any thoughts on this? All advice is appreciated. Deborah

I am new to this forum. I am 57 years old and have been yoyo dieting since the age of 10. Over the last 10 years, I have lost and gained 40 to 70 pounds at least five times. My life is either dieting or gaining weight and I'm totally discouraged and ashamed. There is nothing legal that I haven't tried. My last weight loss experience was a very low calorie medically supervised diet (I've done that at least four times). I lost 2 pounds per week while others lost 3 to 5. I had a resting energy expenditure test to see how many calories a day my body needs for basic function. Most "normies" use 10 or 11 calories a day per pound, so a 140 pound woman needs 1400 calories a day to exist, using a figure of 10. My REE is 6.8, so, basically I'm screwed, even with regular exercise (I am a Crossfitter and the oldest one in my class by 25 years). The doctor at the obesity clinic suggested that I consider a lap band. She told me that Dr. Waltrup at SALSA in Roseville, CA, was doing an informal study on people like me---life long yoyos with a lower than normally required BMI (mine is probably 30 now). I was shocked that I could be a candidate for a lap band since my BMI wasn't that high. So, after losing and gaining 40 pounds in a year, I'm starting to think that perhaps I am a candidate. Since insurance won't pay for me, and I can't afford 20k, I have been looking into Tijuana. A friend had surgery performed there by Dr. Ramos Kelly, and was very satisfied, but I haven't seen anything about Dr. Ramos Kelly on these boards. I do see a lot about Dr. Ortiz however, so I thought I'd contact his clinic as well. So, is there anybody like me out there who has been banded? How's it been???? Again I am a chronic YOYO dieter with a BMI of about 30 (give me time, and I can get it higher...) Thanks Deborah

I think I found the right sub-forum. I am 57 years old and a lifelong yoyo dieter. I have literally lost and gained 50 to 70 pounds in the last 10 years. I have tried every plan that is legal. My last go-round was a medically supervised very low calorie diet (600 per day) and I reached my goal after losing an average of 2 pounds per week. I have a very low resting energy expenditure rate--about 6.8 calories per pound per day, which isn't much. Most normal people are between 10 and 12. So, I was somewhat shocked when the bariatric doctor suggested that I might benefit from a lap band. I was shocked because I thought you needed to be about 100 pounds overweight, and I am not. She told that Dr. Waltrup in Roseville, ca, was doing an informal study on the benefits of a lap band on relatively low BMI yoyo dieters, like me. I know that my insurance will not pay because of my BMI, so I am researching Mexico. A friend recommended Dr. Ramos Kelly, but I keep reading about Dr Ortiz on this thread. It just seems extreme for someone with a 30 BMI, but my yoyoing is just sucking the life out of me and I need something that will work. I am anxious to hear about everyone's experences. Deborah.

Has anyone used DR. Ramos-Kelly in TJ???

Has anyone here had experiece with Dr. Ramos Kelly in TJ??? thanks