vickyd

I agree with Rachel. The fact that you admit to being a non-compliant diabetic and not taking your thyroid meds is very concerning considering the considerable amount of work you will have to do to be successful with a band. My suggestion for you would be to get your medical issues under control for several months before being banded.

I felt the same way a few months ago...all of a sudden I realized (with a little help from DH) that the reason that I felt that I looked older was because losing so much weight had given me a turkey neck and more wrinkles (I guess the fat smooths things out) so I went out and bought some good moisturizer/firming cream and started using that religiously. This morning, when I was looking in the mirror I realized that my turkey neck is almost gone and I don't look quite as old...I do think that as my face gets thinner I do look older but I would rather be healthy and look older than be fat and look young...

I used to be the person who was always hot...now, I'm the person wearing a cardigan at work (even in the summer) and who has a blanket over her legs while watching TV with the family.

I'm with Brenda...I've only told a few, select people about my surgery. Obviously, having lost over 100 lbs, people have noticed that I've lost weight but all they see is that I am careful about what I eat and that I exercise 5-6 days a week and if anyone asks that is exactly what I tell them. Some people do think that any WLS is taking the easy way out...some of them are just jealous, others don't have a weight problem so they honestly don't understand how difficult it is. Quite frankly, it isn't any of their business...

I wouldn't worry about it. It could be that the cookies and cereal finally hit the scale, so to speak. One bad week isn't anything to beat yourself up about (especially under the circumstances)...it sounds like you have done the right thing and jumped right back into things. Keep doing what you are doing and the scale will follow.

I'm not sure when you had surgery but my advice would be to seriously track your food for a few days (I like myfitnesspal but there are several free sites you can use - several of which have apps for your phone). Once you have done that, take a step back and look honestly at what you are eating. How many calories are you eating? Are you getting your Protein in? How many carbs are you eating (many of us find that lower carb diets work best)? Are you drinking enough Water? Only then can you make the necessary adjustments to your food plan. I'm sure that not everyone will agree with me but the way I look at it is that the instructions that the surgeon gives us are a guideline. I know that I need to eat enough protein and drink enough water but other than that you need to be able to tweak things to make them work for you. Once you have a good idea of what you are eating then make small changes to see how that affects your weight loss. This is a lifestyle change so you need to find a way to make it work for you. If you can't eat Snacks then plan your meals accordingly to make sure you get enough nutrients in the meals you can have. Exercise is also important...take an honest look at your schedule and see where you can fit it in - even if it is just a few times a week. The last thing I will mention is that if you chose to use an on-line site to track your food, I don't know about other sites but I can tell you that myfitnesspal allows you to "friend" other members. There are many lapband patients on there (me included - my user name on there is vickyd205) who have their food diaries open for their friends to look at. It might help to see what other successful bandsters normally eat - it might give you some ideas. Good luck!

I started out just doing the recumbant bike...quite frankly, that's all I could do at 325 lbs. Now, my favorite exercise is Zumba. The music is great, you burn lots of calories and the 1 hour class just flies by because it is so much fun! I go to Zumba class 3 days a week and also do Body Pump (weights) twice a week and the elliptical 2-3 times a week. I think the key is to find something you enjoy because then you will be more likely to keep it up.

I'm going to give you a piece of advice that was given to me when I was first banded... STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHER PEOPLE!!! Everyone has their own journey. Different people have different surgical experiences, different pain threshholds, different post op diets so just do what you can do and don't worry about it. I was back at work on the Monday following my surgery on Thursday but I have a friend who had the same surgeon and was banded the same week I was banded who took 2 weeks off of work and needed all 14 days to start feeling better. The same goes for your weight loss...I know it's hard but don't compare yourself to other people. Everyone loses weight at a different rate. At any point in time, you will be able to find people who have lost a lot more than you have, people who have lost about the same as you have and people who are losing slower than you are. Follow the rules you surgeon gives you and make the journey your own...if something isn't working for you, don't be afraid to switch things up. Good luck to you and I hope you start feeling better soon.

Once you find a Center of Excellence near you, give them a call and find out what their requirements are. My surgeon is also at a Center of Excellence but they wouldn't even let me schedule an appointment for the initial consultation until I had attended their seminar. After attending the seminar, I called and made my appointment and provided them with my insurance info. As part of my initial consultation, one of the people I met with was the insurance coordinator who had already contacted my insurance and was able to walk me through all of the things I needed to do (psych eval, tests, recommendation from my PCP, etc) in order to get their approval - she even gave me a checklist which made it so easy to get everything done. Even if you meet your insurance requirements (I did too) there are still necessary steps you will have to take in order to get their official approval and your surgeon's office should be able to help you with that.

I'd say it's never to early to start working to improve your health. I started my pre-op diet on November 18th (a week before Thanksgiving) and had surgery on December 2nd so I was on mushies for Christmas. Was it easy? No. Do I regret doing my surgery during the holidays? Not for a minute! I am currently 112 lbs down and am looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays in Onederland so I don't regret a thing!

I understand trying to be realistic but my point is that if you start out only thinking that you can lose 100 lbs then you are handicapping yourself from the beginning with low expectations. This is largely a mental journey so rather than start out thinking you can only lose 100 lbs why don't you set out with the goal of losing all 200 and then break it down into smaller goals (I started out with the goal of getting below 300 then moved to 10 lb goals) that will give you a feeling of accomplishment without making the total journey seem so unattainable. Just my .02...

Why are you already thinking you can't lose the weight you want to lose? I started out needing to lose at least 150 lbs (and had people try to convince me that the sleeve would be a better option)...I'm now almost 10 months post op and have lost 112 lbs and I KNOW that I will meet my goal. Surgeons consider you a success if you lose 50% of your excess weight but nothing says that is all you are capable of losing!!

I'm 9 1/2 months out and have lost 112 lbs (38 lbs to go) and ive dine it with only 1 fill. Until about 3 months ago I didn't exercise much and ate 1,000-1,100 calories per day. Now, I exercise 5-6 days a week and eat 1,100-1,200 calories per day. I eat 80-120g Protein a day and aim for less than 50g carbs. I follow the rules my surgeon gave me - no drinking with meals and 30 minutes after, get my protein in, drink at least 64 oz Water (I average about 100 oz). It is possible

I haven't had a CAT scan but I have had an MRI and there was no problem.

I have a BodyBugg SP and I really love it. It has definately helped me figure out how much I need to be eating on a daily basis based on my calorie burn. Like betheboo said, I still use My Fitness Pal to log my food but I put the total calories by meal into my BodyBugg so I can see my net deficit at a glance. I also recommend wearing it for a few days and then taking advantage of the free coaching session. My coach was able to show me how to use the food section in a way that works for me and since she had worked with other lapband patients she had some great advice. I was worried at first that wearing the armband would be uncomfortable but I don't even feel it (and actually feel like something is missing if I don't have it on).

Yay Dave!!!! I'm so happy for you!!!!!

First of all...step away from the scale. Yes, you are healing but you also need to know that it is VERY common to stop losing weight when you transition to soft foods. I stalled for about 2 weeks and now I'm 9 1/2 months out and have lost 106 lbs. The band works...you just have to be patient. Just keep following your doctor's orders and try not to stress about it too much.

Couldn't have said it better myself...

I would do it over again in a second. Never before in my life have I been able to lose more than 30 lbs...right now, 9 months post-op I've lost 106 lbs and like Dave said I have self control for the first time in my life. In my opinion, too many people go into this surgery thinking that the band will do all of the work and the weight will just fall off. Then they get frustrated that they have to do a lot if the work themselves (especially at the beginning before they get restriction). If you have realistic expectations and are willing to do the work then you are much more likely to have a good result.

I've never been told to stick to 1/2 cup...my normal serving of food is 3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies. I eat between 80-120g of protein a day and have lost 106 lbs in 9 months. Personally, I don't think you can get in enough protein and other nutrients just eating 1/2 cup per meal.

I was banded 9 months ago (as of last week) and have lost 106 lbs. I started at 325 and currently weigh 219...I started wearing a tight size 28 pants and 4x tops and now I wear size 18 pants and a L top...no more shopping in the plus sizes for me I am beyond thrilled!!!

It's very do-able...I'm almost 9 months post op and have lost 104 lbs so far (started at 325 lbs).

I have been banded for almost 9 months and have only had one fill (which I received 3 months after surgery). I feel like you do...I can eat any type of food just less of it (1,100-1,200 calories a day) and stay satisfied for 4-5 hours. This amount of "restriction" has worked well for me - I've lost 103 lbs so far - so my suggestion is to make it work the best way for you. Don't go chasing a fill just because you think you should because you had surgery - for some people, the simple act of having the band inserted provides enough restriction.

I go through periods where I reduce my carbs to 30g or less per day but normally my goal is about 50 (although occasionally I eat as many as 100g but that is rare)

You can add me...I'm vickyd205