Dave_NW

I don't know how inspiring I might be, but here goes: I'm a guy, and I know my methods won't necessarily work for women. But I'm well over halfway to my goal weight, just about four months after surgery, and I'm extremely pleased. I've worked my band to figure out how it interacts with my system to give me the best results. I've learned that (FOR ME) a modified sort of South Beach Diet eating plan (high Protein, low glycemic carbs, with good fat, minimal bad fat and sugars) works well. I avoid creamy sauces or gravy, deep fried foods, and sugary things like Desserts. I drink Water all day, and exercise vigorously at a gym for about an hour four or five days a week. Whenever possible, I take the stairs instead of the elevator at work. I park in the far end of the parking lot and walk. Things add up, and the weight consistently goes away. It works great, for me. Having said all that, here's the disclaimer: I'm also learning how to live with my band AND function in MY "real world." I don't measure anything I eat, but I keep portions reasonable (band-sized), and I stop eating when I feel full - I don't force it, even if there's only one bite left. I DO drink liquids (mainly water, iced tea, or Crystal Light) with all my meals. I drink a few cups of coffee every day. If I feel like ordering a burger, I do it. I discard the bun, use a fork, and enjoy some (or all) of the rest of it, within reason. If I want to eat a few French Fries with that burger, I do that, too. I don't do it a LOT, but once in awhile is not a big deal for me. If I'm at a party and someone offers me a piece of birthday cake, I'll eat a few bites. I won't scarf down that huge corner piece slathered with all that thick, sticky, gooey buttercream icing, but I'll have a few bites - enough to share in the event with the other partygoers, and to satisfy my tastebuds of having a bite of birthday cake. (To be honest, I find after a bite or two my sugar meter goes into overdrive, and I get nauseated - so I stop eating it. The pleasure is gone by then.) it's all about moderation, and working within limits of what the band allows. I know if I carb-load on a given day, I'm not going to lose weight. And if I expect it, I'm not disappointed when I'm right. A few days of reduced carbs, more protein, and a bit of extra working out, and the scale starts moving down again. It's all about balance. It's also all about what works for ME (and that's true for everyone.) I'm the one living inside my body, and it's up to me to make the most of it. I don't feel deprived, I don't feel like I'm disappointing my family or friends, and I don't feel like a spectator in my own life. And for the first time in many years, I do feel energized, interested, and that I'm actively LIVING my life. And THAT is the kind of inspiration I can live with. Good luck wth your journey! Dave

Even if you owned the exact same scale your doctor has, you'd weigh at different numbers on the same day, due to all the environmental factors others have previously mentioned. My doctor's scale shows me to be about ten pounds heavier than when I weigh myself at home. Deduct clothing, time of day, Water consumed, and what I've eaten that day, and I'd pobably weigh more the same. But short of taking my scale into the doctor's office to weigh myself the same way at the same relative time, it's not a big deal. I accept their scale numbers as my "official" weight, but I use my own numbers from home here and elsewhere because those numbers are just as valid, for the consistency of when and how I weigh myself. Plus, they're lower. HAH! Dave

I put my consult weight, because that's when my weight loss journey officially started. I only had one day of preop diet, so on surgery day I was only a few pounds lighter. And then the journey REALLY started. Dave

Nick, be sure to count any other sources of liquids you're consuming: coffee, any soft drinks, Soups, broths - water-based liquids come in a variety of forms. You may be taking in more than you realize. Dave

I think that's one of those "time will tell" things. There isn't a reason for it to be removed, unless you develop a problem of some sort. If you did have it removed, are you comfortable that you won't start eating poorly again, and start regaining weight? At this point in my life, I expect to have it for the duration. Dave

Just a guess, but I'd say you have a hiatal hernia. That's about where the pouch area is above the band. I used to have heartburn and such, but during my band surgery they repaired a hiatal hernia, and I haven't had it since - zip, nada, none at ALL, no matter what I eat. If you're having such a reaction after something as simple as toothpaste, you need to talk to your surgeon about that sort of thing. I think the problem is physical, not behavioral. As for the vomiting, the food isn't likely coming from your stomach. It's probably coming from your pouch, before it makes it into your primary stomach. If you get stuck enough to irritate the pouch area, it'll cause the indigestion, and then the vomiting. After the food is gone, the source of irritation is gone, and you can resume eating. It could also be something like an esophageal ulcer, where food passing over the irritated area is enough to cause the problem. The capacity your surgeon mentions is likely pouch capacity, not stomach capacity. Your stomach can hold a whole lot more food than your pouch. Hope this make sense. Good luck! Dave

You've heard it over and over: "Everyone's weight loss journey is different." Your age, general health, caloric intake, activity level, sleeping habits - they all have an effect on your weight loss. You didn't gain all this weight overnight, so you can't expect to lose it overnight. It takes time to do it right. Now, looking at the math: You've lost 49 pounds since 12/28. As of today (April 10), that's about 15 weeks. So you've lost an average of about 3.3 pounds a week for 15 weeks. Given the lap band average expected weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds a week, I'd say you're on a hot streak and tearing it up. You're doing excellent! Keep doing what you're doing, and watch as the numbers add up. You deserve to be extremely proud of yourself. Good luck! Dave

Hey Andy. Congratulations on your decision to explore a military job. It's a very rewarding way of life. I was in the Navy for 20 years, and really enjoyed it. If you are considering going in the service, DO NOT have any kind of bariatric surgery! According to the Tricare website (the medical insurance for people in the military, dependents, or veterans) if you have had weight loss surgery you are not eligible to enlist. This information is copied directly from the Tricare website: ************************************ Note for Active Duty Service Members: Bariatric surgery represents a major and permanent change in your digestive system that requires strict adherence to a specific dietary regimen that may interfere with operational deployment. A history of bariatric surgery is already a bar to military service and receiving bariatric surgery while on active duty may be grounds for separation. For more information, view the Health Affairs Policy 07-006. ************************************ The Health Affairs link above displays a letter that very clearly states that if you have bariatric surgery, you are not eligible for military service. There have been others here who have had surgery first, then been disappointed to find out they can't get into the service because they had the surgery. So you'll need to lose weight through more conventional means. Wishing you the best, no matter what path you choose. Good luck! Dave

During the first six weeks or so after surgery your body is still adjusting to its new situation. You aren't eating like you were in the old days, your behaviors are different now, and your body needs to sort things out to decide what is now "normal" for you and your new life. The postop weight you lost so fast was a combination of Water weight and fluids taken in during surgery. Once that excess weight is gone, your system needs time to settle down and focus on actually burning fat. Be patient - after a few weeks of things settling down, your metabolism will regroup, and you'll start losing properly. That's when you should look closely at what you're eating, and how often. One major trick that helps me is to eat a few ounces of Protein every three to four hours, rather than a larger meal every six or eight hours. By keeping my blood sugars balanced and protein intake elevated, my body has no choice but to work on losing fat. It tales a bit of manipulation to determine what's normal for your body, but it works really well once you sort things out. Good luck! Dave

Just a thought: When you say you vomit, is it coming from below the band or from the pouch? If it's from the pouch you may have a hiatal hernia, or maybe some kind of ulcer in your pouch area that gets irritated when you eat. Your surgeon will be better able to diagnose such a thing, but it sure sounds like a physical problem, not what or how you're eating. Good luck! Dave

Hi Rebecca, Welcome to the Forums. There are a few other Washington folks currently posting here. I'm up north of Seattle, on the way to the Canadian border. I have Tricare Prime, and was banded at Swedish Hospital in Seattle about four months ago. I chose Swedish because of their location, and Dr. Ross McMahon's experience and bariatric certification. I'm very pleased with the whole clinic's performance, and with my weight loss results so far. Depending on how you want to move forward, either by using the weight loss services at Madigan Hospital, or going off base and using a civilian location, you'll find Tricare Prime to be very specific about what they will and won't pay for. If you meet the requirements, approval is very direct. My approval took three working days to receive. Your out-of-pocket expense will also be minimal. So far, I've paid only about $100, and most of that was co-pays. Tricare paid the rest. I'd start with a visit to your PCM, and get the referral you need to a Tricare-approved weight loss surgeon. They can then determine whether you meet all the requirements for surgery. If you have any specific questions, just let me know. I'll be glad to help if I can. Good luck! Dave

I'd say take the high road, follow your own plan, and let her play catch up. If she's not losing enough maybe she needs you to be HER example. The comments she's making sound like she's externalizing her internal guilt. Good luck! Dave

All these emotions you're feeling are completely normal. We have a relationship with food, whether good or bad, and bandng really turns that upside down. Adding the physical device to your stomach doesn't instantly change how you feel in your head about food. That mental adjustment needs to come from you, and you'll find your attitude about food, and your attachment to it, will change over time. Hang tough - it does get easier. (And when you come to the realization that it was your relationship with food that made you obese to begin with, it'll be easier to make the mental adjustment about how to relate to food post-banding.) In the three weeks I stayed home from work after my surgery I was on a liquid-only diet, healing not only from banding, but also from a hiatal hernia and ventral hernia repair they did during the band surgery. I was a mess. I laid in bed sipping nasty Protein shakes and Water, and watched cooking shows on TV, imagining how it would be to be stuffing myself with all that greasy, excessive mountains of food Guy What'shisname eats everywhere on Diners DriveIns and Dives. At first I was jealous that he could eat those things and I couldn't. As the weeks went on I found myself not wanting those things so much. And now I see them and think how interesting it is to see how the foods are prepared, but I'm astounded that people can eat that volume of food in one sitting. I'd like a taste of them, but I have no desire to eat the whole thing, whatever it is. I'm four months postop, and I'm well on my way to my goal. I'm very happy wth my results so far. But I am by no means a slave to my band. I eat "real" food, and I eat in restaurants frequently. I'm not much of a cook, so I rely on others to do the cooking. It's very manageable with a band, if you keep your wits about you. Example: I went to Olive Garden the other night with friends. I ordered their "Steak Toscano" entree, with steamed vegetables instead of potatoes. It's a 12 ounce steak, prepared wonderfully, and it came with a bunch of steamed broccoli. I ate about a third of the steak at the restaurant, and I had the other two-thirds over two more meals. I was able to socialize with my friends, had a nice restaurant experience, and I enjoyed my meal - three times. Give yourself a chance to heal up, and once you're starting back on solid foods you'll see how your relationship to food changes. I even discovered my taste buds had to be retrained. Things taste differently now that I'm not packing it in. I actually have time to enjoy the flavors of what I'm eating, instead of mindlessly devouring my way through a mountain of food on my plate, thinking the whole time about what to have for dessert. Good luck! Dave

Hi Christina, On the Bodymedia Activity Manager Summary page. On the bottom right under Settings, click Preferences. It shows your preferences for what the band shows. The METS can be adjusted there, along with a few other things. Dave

I use the Bodymedia Fit armband, which is made by the same people who make the Bodybugg. I find the armband is not a perfect science, and sometimes it needs a bit of an adjustment for what it considers exercise or calories burned. (How can I spend 45 minutes sweating up a storm on a treadmill or recumbent bike, and then have my armband only show me active for 6 minutes?) Adjusting the METS downward slightly gives a more accurate reading. Same for calories burned, but it's not a function of the armband. If you try doing everything else the same, try to burn more than your 2100 calories daily. The armband only knows what it's being told. So if you burn extra calories, the deficit may be even greater, and the scale may ultimately move. Another thing to look at is where your calories are coming from. If you're eating more fat or sugar than you realize, or if there are things you're eating but not reporting (such as that iced mocha latte you had this morning, or whatever) it can translate into hidden calories. It could be your exercise is enough to burn of the excess, but not more than that. If the armband is only getting part of the information, it can mislead you into thinking things are better (or worse) than they appear. You may need to adjust your profile a bit to reflect your true activity level. I find if I do everything the same but the scale stops, regardless of what my armband says, I adjust my calories eaten up or down, or boost the Protein and reduce the carbs, or work out more at the gym. Tipping one edge of the balance causes something to move, and it usually results in weight lost. Good luck! Dave

The short answer is yes, you'll be chewing differently for the rest of your life. The way you eat, and what you eat, can change somewhat, but as you get more restriction with your band, you'll want to make sure you don't swallow anything large enough to get stuck right above the band. Being stuck is painful, kind of like having something caught in your throat, but it's lower down than that. After a few minutes the item usually moves through the band, but until then you can get what is called "sliming," where your salivary glands go into overdrive, trying to lubricate your esophagus enough to help the stuck item pass down into your stomach. It is not a pleasant thing, since your mouth fills with foamy, sticky phlegm. It's pretty disgusting. You'll learn as you go along how to eat for your particular band installation, and how tight it is. You get used to it, and it's not that big a deal. Since your meal sizes will also get smaller, you'll be eating less than before, so taking smaller bites makes a meal last longer. Good luck with your surgery! Dave

Kayleigh, make sure your Tricare Prime coverage will follow you when you move. Not sure how it is these days, but it used to be that medical coverage ended when a dependent moved out of the service member's house. You may want to delay moving to Texas till you've had things done in Alaska. Dave

Sorry to hear you've had such a problem with things. Others have addressed the fill/unfill topic, so I won't go there. But I do have two suggestions for you to consider: 1. If you insist on eating Cookies and milk when you "can" eat, why not change to the weight loss cookies and Protein shakes instead? There are very tasty options available to you, and you won't have to beat yourself up over eating things you feel are "bad" foods. Plus, that way you could adjust your caloric intake to a more appropriate balance to help you lose weight. costco sells Premiere brand chocolate ready-to-drink protein shakes, and (to me) they taste a LOT like chocolate milk. Worth a shot? Certainly couldn't hurt. 2. If you want to continue to eat the way you are, how about working around the diet, and exercise more? It wouldn't have to be much, maybe just walking, but anything would be a way to change the way your metabolism sees itself every day. If you're plateaued with your current diet and exercise levels, changing one side or the other of the equation will produce some results. Correcting your diet choices can come later, after you seek some counseling on why you're sabotaging yourself by how you eat. Good luck with whatever path you choose. Dave

Others will have more specific information, but the short answer for why your surgeon put you on the preop diet is to shrink your liver prior to surgery. When the band is being placed, they need to retract your liver out of the way so they can reach the upper part of your stomach. The more liver there is, the harder that is to do. The preop diet will shrink the liver by as much as 10 to 15%, which makes the surgery easier to perform, and there is less risk of damaging it. So by staying on the diet you're actually helping yourself. (The very low calories seem extreme because they are - this isn't about healthy nutrition for long term living, it's about getting you ready for surgery.) If you're concerned about your daily regimen, or being unable to do as your surgeon suggests, you should call and ask about it. They may have alternate options for you. I only did one day of preop diet, but I did three weeks of liquids only diet after surgery. Every surgeon has his/her own requirements. Good luck! And hang in there - it's worth it. Dave

I have the Bodymedia Fit. They also make the Bodybugg. As I understand it, the major difference is the Bodymedia Fit masures your sleep quality, where the Bodybugg doesn't. I don't find the sleep info all that important to me (and I can't change what it reads anyway) so I'd say get whichever is cheaper. BestBuy had the Fit on sale for $30 off recently. I wear mine all the time, and swear by it. I haven't measured a thing, and I use the armband to keep track of ALL the day's activity and calories for me. The pedometer built in measures things multiple ways - it's more than just a step counter. It makes this whole weight loss thing SO easy. I can't say enough good things about it, or recommend it more highly. It's worth every cent. Go to Bodymedia.com to read more about it. Dave

Two things to look into if you're comparing having the surgery at a base hospital or with a civilian surgeon: 1. Who is going to perform the actual surgery? (Many military hospitals have Interns, not fully-certified bariatric doctors.) How many surgeries has this intern/doctor/surgeon actually performed? What is his/her success rate? How long have they been performing the surgery? And if military doctors, are they up for transfer anytime in the next year? (The last thing you need is to lose your doctor in the middle of your follow-up aftercare because they got transferred. You want continuity in aftercare.) You should ask who will be doing your fills, too. 2. How long is the wait time for surgery? Here in Washington, there is a lengthy waiting list at the military hospital, and a person can wait months to get their surgery. A civilian surgeon may get you in much sooner than that. You'll pay the same, regardless of where your surgery is handled. Good luck! Dave

The weight loss surgeon may have an insurance coordinator on staff who can go to bat for you. I have Tricare Prime, saw my surgeon and his team Sept. 29th, and even after some extra stuff (lab work, endoscopy) I still had my surgery approval on Oct. 21st. And the approval from Tricare came through just three working days after it was submitted. I saw a physician, a psych, a nutritionist, and met with the surgeon, all on the same day. It was a piece of cake. Good luck! Dave

I'm using the Bodymedia Fit, which is the same gadget as the Bodybugg, but also measures sleep quality. I also enjoy the info mine provides. Sometimes it takes a bit of sleuthing to figure out what's happening when things aren't quite going as you expect.. If all else is good with your diet and such, then it may be you've reached a kind of balance with your body. The calories you've taken in are balancing the amount you've burned each day, and the results are that you're not losing weight. You may want to look at the calories you're eating, and what they're made up of. Maybe you're eating too much fat, sugar, or carbs, and not enough Protein. Maybe you're eating too many of the same kinds of things too often, and you need to shake up your diet a bit - kind of like the old "eat Breakfast for supper" trick. Maybe you've reached a balance in your exercise program, where muscle gained is equal to calories burned, and since there is less fat to burn off, your body is at a state of equality. Maybe you can change up your exercise routine to be something more than the same old thing, and hopefully burn some "new" calories, instead of the same "old" calories. Good luck, and congratulations on your weight loss. You're doing really well! Dave

Tyler, my appetite was crazy weird after surgery for several weeks, until I was allowed back on solid foods. (I had to do three weeks of liquids, then a week of mushies, before going back on solids.) I had zero appetite, and no desire to eat at all. I forced myself to eat on a schedule because it said it was time to eat. I drank two ounces of Protein shake every hour for 16 hours a day, with nonstop Water in between. Fun times! When I was allowed back on solid foods, my taste buds had to be trained all over again. things that I liked before suddenly tasted bad to me (like coffee -- HATED the taste of it all of a sudden.) But over several weeks my taste for it came back, and now I'm fine with it. I have no sugar desire now, and the mere thought of eating a sweet dessert is a turn-off. Weird. Today marks four months since my surgery. I eat normally (for a bandster) but I still don't get overly hungry. If I realize it's been five or six hours since I last ate something, I suddenly notice my stomach is rumbling. I don't pay attention to my stomach anymore, so rarely notice it's rumbling at me. Kind of strange. Dave

I drink a ready-made Premiere brand Protein shake (available at Costco) for Breakfast every morning while I'm driving to work. It's 11 ounces, has 160 calories, and 30 grams of Protein. So just that drink would give you more than a third of what you need every day. Easy to do. Tastes pretty good, too. Getting enough protein also stops bone and muscle loss, as well as helping to keep your hair from falling out. So yes, it matters. Dave