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One of my concerns is that if I am not able to control myself now, what will be different with the band? This fear is intensified after attending a support group and the discussion from all but 1 participant was about how they have gained weight and need to get back on track. Specifically they are talking about going back on Optifast for a couple of weeks. I am paying out of pocket and do not want to be in the same rut after surgery as I am now...$10,000 is a lot to waste!:tongue_smilie:

Great job on your weight loss!! That is just amazing what you have done!!! I am glad you are enjoying life Keep up the great work!

Hi. I'm 31, 5'8" and I weight 270.5. My highest weight was 286 after the birth of my son. I gained 86 pounds but I've always been on the bigger side. I'm in the process of going through all the pre-testing stuff. I'm also in the middle of the insurance appeal nightmare. Does anyone out there have BCBS of South Carolina? I live in WA state but my husbands company is based from there. They directly exclude the lap band from our policy and I'm trying to appeal before the surgery. Has anyone else tried this? I found a great appeal letter online at obesitylaw.com. I'm excited to be here and learn. :clap2: imak

How much restriction do you have? CONGRATULATE yourself first off for losing the weight.....I think a lot of ppl forget that the band is just a tool and we have to incorporate mental changes as well....I hate exercising as well so what I did was buy ankle weights and I wear them mond-frid everywhere I go. That increases the calories burned. Find a walking buddy....or even the new Wii Fit I hear it is AWESOME....everyone slips and falls every now and then its time to pick yourself back up and just start over....it may even help to talk to someone.... YOU CAN DO IT!!

1. I had to buy new shirts for work already. I went to a consignment shop for cheaper ones as this will not be the last time. Amazingly, I am smaller around sooner after the sleeve than when I worked out and dieted before. My clothig didn't change for about 25-30 more pounds. 2. I fit into a McDonald's booth! Now before anyone judges me on being in a McD's, I ate a grilled chicken club with NO BUN and extra bacon (this is 50g of protein). I needed the protein intake and neither of us wanted to cook. I also spread about a teaspoon of habanero sauce instead of mayo. 3. I did a WHOLE Insanity cardio workout. Of course I modified some things because I am too big still to jump and do deep lunges (poor knees of mine) but I still did it!!! Now some unexpected hurdles from losing weight: 1. I can't eat away stress and frustration so I fight more. My bf calls me the big B at least once a day. I just cannot hold my anger in and It comes out. 2. I have realized how much I hate my job and the people I work with. I must have smothered my unhappiness in food for awhile because After 6 weeks off and not eatig that much I despise them. They do nt support my dietary needs nor do they care much about anything but themselves. I have begun the interview process to GET OUT!!! 3. I hate cooking now. I make something awesome and I barely get a 1/2 cup to a cup of food? So not worth my effort. It is easier to eat when y bf cooks.

I had my band removed on 9-10-12 (thank god) BUT all this time complaining that it didn't work and now it's out I feel like I've lost a major part of my life. For seven years (7 years!!!) I trained myself not to like pizza or subs or Chinese food simply because I just could not tolerate them. Even though I was at a stand still with my band I still wasn't gaining any weight. Well, now that it's out I thought to myself let's try a little piece of pizza annnnd what do you know? HEAVEN! Yeah for about five minutes. Then I was quickly reminded why I shouldn't eat all that crap. Here comes the nausea heartburn indegestion... Dear lord. Had the band out for a little over a week had some fun, now back to reality. Muscle milk shakes and low carb high protein is in store for me now until October 22 when I am finally sleeved!!! And hopefully I can lose an extra 10 by then, crossing my fingers!! My advice is NOT WORTH IT!!! Lol

Hi all - I have a joke for you. Having lost some weight, a middle-aged woman was admiring her "new" body in her full-length mirror. Seeing this, her husband said "What on earth are you doing?!". She told him "my doctor says I have the breasts of an 18 year old". Annoyed by this, the man then said "Well, what did he say about your 55 year-old ASS??!" To this the woman cooly replied "Your name never came up!" Have a great day! Robin

Hi..I have to agree with what they are saying here...follow the eating plan....the band is a tool for you to use...you have to folllow the guide lines to get it to work....it is possible to eat around it....if you have come as far to get banded you are determined to lose weight, so follow what the dr says and it will work.. best of luck!!!

Hello everyone I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to you all I'm 32 years old almost 33 in July 21. and I am a mother of two daughters ages 7 and 8. They are my life. I will be having my surgery on July 12, in Monterrey Mexico with Dr. Rumbaut. I've been heavy as long as I could remember at one time I've lost 59.lbs with LA Weight Loss which brought me down to 165 from 219 As you know I've gain it all back and more. My weight as of today is 245 lbs So now I decided that it is time for me to take extream measures to do something about my weight.

Hi everyone, I am still reasearching as much as possible but I am pretty convinced that the band is for me. 34 yrs old married with 2 girls 7 and 3 5'6 270lbs BMI 43.6 YIKES! I have been on EVERY diet possible and I am now at my last resort! I want so desperatly to see my girls grow up- I want to be able to ride bikes with them and to just play tag with them in the back yard. My weight has ruled my whole life, I dont want to live this way anymore!! ANYWAYS, I called my insurance this morning and they said that they do pay for some bandings but there are conditions. I have to visit my Dr and then they have to contact the insurance co. for these conditions-they won't tell me what they are-hmm. So I have an appointment on Monday- I guess I have to start somewhere! Go luck to everyone out there! Lisa

Congratulations and welcome! Call your insurance company and ask for a list of their requirements to gain approval for the surgery. Keep reading through the posts and ask lots of questions. There is a wealth of info here. MANY people have been very successful and there's a thread of people who have lost over 100 pounds.

On July 21st it will make a whole year since I had my band put in. Lately, I have second guessed my choice to have this band. I have had some many episodes of feeling that stuck feeling and throwing up a slimly substance because things are not going down properly. I have spoke with my doctor about these issues and several different reasons have been given for my episodes. No- I don't eat large bites of food at any given time, and I always take my time while eating. No- this is not happening all of the time, but yes- it's happening more than I would like for it to be happening. I feel like "my" band has a mind of its own. There are certain days I feel super tight and other days things feel just right. My doctor has explained that my band should always feel the same unless it's swollen and irritated by something I have done wrong. Honestly, this band has so many rules and does & don'ts! I do thank God for my weight lost, but it has truly come with a price. I could have never understood this before actually going through a lot of different trials. Having this band is not an easy fix with losing weight. It really takes a lot of discipline and complying with a lot of different rules. On the flip side, my niece has the sleeve and she has none of these issues to deal with. She can only eat a smaller portion of food, but there are not all of the other restrictions Iike band patience do. I can deal with the smaller portions, but sometimes I feel just miserable and wishing my choices was different. I do understand that with any weight lost procedure anything can go wrong, but sometimes I just want to feel normal during meal times. I really don't eat out with my family any more due to the awful things I experience while attempting to eat. (having to leave the table to spite up food that will not go down or have this crazy look on my face because I fee this awful pain in my upper chest area) Then I have days that I have no problems at all. I want to emphasize once more that small portions are not a problem, but to always worry about my meals and if I am going to be able to swallow what I am eat is. It’s the most difficult with my 6 year old son when these things are going on, because he now tell me “Mommie you should have never got that band”! I feel like I've come too far to have every single thing taken out of my band, and honestly I only have 4cc in a 10cc band. My doctor wants to take everything out and for me to start all over again with my fills. I am almost at my 12 month mark and my fills will be no longer covered per my contract. My band is not even half full and in less than 17 days I will be a year banded. There are some things that I have found that really help me not to experience that stuck feeling in my throat/upper chest area. If I drink warm drinks throughout my day things have an easier time going down vs. me not drinking warm drink. I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but if I try to eat real food my day is shot from then on. Therefore, skipping breakfast or having a protein shake works a whole lot better for me. I just want people to be aware that there maybe complications with this band and there is definitely no easy fix for losing weight. Each person has to figure out what works best for them and their band and continue to apply the principles of having a band. (Don’t mix food and drink- eat very, very slowly to prevent things from getting stuck- don't over eat to the point of throw food back up- don't over do the protein because it's bad on the kidneys "I learned that one the hard way"- exercise is your best friend if you want quick weight lost- learn to research things you have questions about or seek information from reliable sources) Following these steps have really helped me to get to the point where I am now with my weight lost. I do realize this is a daily effort to keeping my weight off, but having these tools handy will really make things a lot easier to accomplish your goals.

I am still in process of deciding which way to go for WL surgery. I was wondering what type of weight loss expectations I can have being completely realistic. i am dieting now and losing weight slowly to have my surgery but w/o that taken into consideration.. How much weight did you lose 1 week following surgery, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years? I am about 310 and 5'9". I know everyone is different just don't want to have no weight loss for 6months after surgery!

I am still taking my BP meds. Unfortunately because I'm so close to goal and still having BP issues, my doc thinks it is likely hereditary rather than weight-related. My mom, dad and brother all have BP issues too so that would make sense. Luckily I had no other co-morbidities.

I am type 2 diabetic I was taking maximum of diabetic tabs. plus insulin in evening. I was in the hospital 2 days and the day I left I was given 10u insulin and that was the last day! I am 4plus mo. and my morning sugars are around 116 I still take a BP med. but it is now a low dose. The weight loss is a bonus! Good luck to you!

I'm not a man, obviously, but you can weigh whatever YOU want to weigh, you dont have to go by the charts. However, in my experience, most obese people's perception of normal weights looking skinny or sick are way way off. People seem to need to start this journey thinking they are the one special case that can be heavier and still healthy. Its rarely true. The only reason why you would be heavier than a normal BMI and still healthier is if you ahve a lot of muscle. Many people have the type of body that is muscular and look better at a BMI of 24 or 25 than they do at a BMI of 20, for sure, just as many people are finer built and look better lighter. It also varies depending on what you find attractive. Personally, for men, I agree with you a little, DH is banded too and if he got down to a low BMI he would be scrawny becuase he has a runner's body, tall, long and very fine boned and muscled. Not my idea of the ideal shaped man, sigh. I prefer him a bit cuddly. But he'd be healthier scrawny, without the pot belly. In the end, nobody's holding your nose to the grindstone, you stop where you want to and feel you look best, and thats your right. Dont engage in all the debate about what you "should" weigh, believe me, if you're not trying to argue why its OK for you to be a bit heavier and you feel best that way, you'll be justifying that you're not sick and anorexic. Everyone's always got something to say about it.

My doctor told me this is a permanent surgery unless there are complications. I guess you can have it removed one day but why would you if it helps you to control your weight. Helen

I would suggest you get dunked sooner. I had my test at about 80lbs down and was shocked at what my percentage was (it was way better than I thought). I would like to know where I started from though. A good reason to get tested sooner and often is to monitor your fat vs lean loss. I found out that I was losing a lot more muscle than I should. After the first test, I started exercising more and getting more protien. As of my test last week, I have actually started gaining muscle while still losing fat.

Thanks guys for your answers. I sure have a lot to think about. I'm going back and forth, daily, it seems, about which surgery to have.....I want the guaranteed weight loss of the bypass, but just the huge scale of the surgery scares me and I DON'T want to have to deal with being sick all the time. On the other hand, the port also scares me and after going through the pain and recovery of surgery I don't want to be frustrated by not being able to find my "sweet spot" and not losing weight, or not losing very much weight.... choices.....I don't like choices....:confused2:

I cant take it anymore and after waking up to a 2 pound gain, I am more determined to get this weight off. I will lose this weight and get to my new mini goal of getting out of the 50's. 299 Im aiming for you!:rolleyes2:

Yesterday was my second fill. I think that I’m now at 3 ccs of saline in a band that holds around 11 cc’s. When they looked at my food journal I was eating roughly 6-8 ounces of food at one time. They are trying to get my adjustment down to where I will only be able to eat roughly 4 ounces of food. I’m still stuck on a liquid diet until tomorrow morning (I can’t wait for some oatmeal yum). My fill was pretty painless. The first injection went really well, but the second injection was a little trickier because my doctor was having a harder time getting the port to take my second injection. I got a little squirmy just because I was thinking too much about the whole process (I don’t know why I’m not even scared of needles). I’ve gotten used to eating the way I’m supposed to with the Band. I’ve adapted nicely and I’m rarely ever mourning the loss of the food that I can no longer eat. What I’m realizing though is that I have to find new ways to relieve the stress in my life. I feel so much better with the weight that I’ve lost so far (18 pounds since my surgery on July 7, and a total of 31 lost since June 11th).I’d prefer to hit a total of 33 pounds lost by September. That would be a total of 20 since my surgery, and 10 lbs lost per month is a great rate. Sure I’d love more, but that’s a completely respectable number too. I would just like to be fewer than 200 by the end of this year. I’m hoping that with more weight loss, I will find activity to be easier and more enticing. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m also seeking different forms of exercise. Please tell me what you have tried and what you like. I’d like to try a variety of classes until I find something I really enjoy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

:thumbup:I have lost 26.5 lbs total.... 20 of them came off right after surgery because of all the liquids... 1st fill: 4cc's 2nd fill: 1.5 cc's 3rd fill: (this week) .75 cc's Down to around 227 lbs, which means 27 more until I reach my first goal weight of 200. (Thats my doctors goal).... Ultimately I'd like to get down to around 170... We shall see. I continue to eat less and less, use much less insulin, I don't snore anymore according to my hubby, and all my clothes are getting way loose. I can't eat anything but oatmeal, yogurt, etc (slidy things) in the morning, which is fine because I'm not too much of a breakfast fan anyway. For whatever reason my band seems to become looser during the course of the day, and is loosest late at night which happens to be when I'm way more likely to pig out unfortunately. can't tolerate any white breads anymore, toasted or not, no rice, no cold chicken (random I know, but I found this out last night, yikes) Stuff getting stuck is the most painful thing ever. I absolutely hate it. This can happen when I havn't chewed sufficiently, or when I try something my band rejects... For instance I chewed the living daylights out of a bite of blueberry muffin the other day, was pratically liquid going down... couldn't tolerate it, came back up. I do tend to feel satisfied longer, on smaller portions, although not drinking anything during meals sucks. It's a strange, crazy trip. I hope I continue too lose, and hope the pace picks up a bit. I'de be more than happy with a pound or 2 a week but sometimes dont' budge one bit.

Alright. I've started going back to Curves. I continue to lose weight. Right after my last post mentioning that I wasn't going to get a fill right then, my mojo left and I realized I needed to get one. LOL It was very interesting since the feeling of satiety to hunger without long term satiety literally came overnight. So, I waited until my appt. today to have it done. First fill wasn't as bad as I thought it "could" be. It was pretty straight forward and quick. I had to lie flat on a table, she got everything ready, felt for the port and asked me to raise both of my legs as she pushed the needle in. She got it dead on. I didn't feel anything after the initial poke (which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, kinda a little more than the poke for giving blood). I still had the needle in there as they did a quick barium swallow to check everything out. I love watching that stuff. My band and pouch looked just fine. She then had me drink some water to see how it felt. I believe I have around 3ccs in there as she said it appears that I already had 1 cc. The water went down fine, though it seemed to back up a little if I drank quickly. She then pulled it out while I was standing (you could opt for either lying or standing). It didn't hurt but was weird to have her twist that sucker outta there! Once that needle is in that port, that sucker is in! LOLOL Depending on which side you speak to, I've lost 25-34lbs to date. I'm feeling well. I will be getting another fill in two weeks and hope that maybe I'll find myself in the green zone and experience what I was feeling before as far as long term satiety.

OK, so I have lost 50% of my weight. Thankyou, thankyou...for the last 50%, about 50 pounds, I need to step it up. So, I am joining a gym...and want some advice. My good doctor places the port inbetween the breasts and down a bit. It is sewn into my muscle, not exactly sure how, but, it does bother me from time to time and I am a bit squeemish, so I try my best to ignore it. My surgeon only advised me not to do scrunches, or sit ups. Instead, he instructs us to lift the legs toward the chest instead of scrunches. OK, so now ever since hearing that, I have been wondering if stretching over a ball or yoga will upset or flip my port.... Should I never do stomach exercises? Should I not worry at all? I am going for a fill and will ask but in the meantime, any advice would be appreciated. TIA

Yes I am on disability. I will probably find some work when I have list mire weight but as of now my pain level will only allow me to Do so much. I'm too heavy for a bike right now. I Luke the idea of the games ans finding a hobby. I would live to paint but finAncially its hard to buy all that stuff. I never thought about freezing my smoothies!! That's a great idea. I love popsicles!! thanks for all the great advice!!!