starting BMI over 50? come on in!

[Caribear 184]

I haven't been banded yet, still going through the insurance stuff, but when I talked to one of the surgeons he had said that they generally discourage lap-band for people with BMI over 50 (I was at 59) I know too that the band is the only surgery I am comfortable with. I agree with Cazzy, you might want to widen your search a little. I think it would be worth the extra drive to have a surgeon who isn't so strict. Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck.

[Wishes4444 2]

Hi,

I am new here. I am not banded yet but really want to be. I have seen the only two Dr's in the 25 mile radius that do the lap band with my insurance and neither of them will band me due to my BMI (52). I have to lose 20 pounds before I am eligible with one and the other just won't do it. My insurance doesn't cover the sleeve and I refuse to get the bypass (only cause I am terrified of it).. I don't know what else to do to try to lose weight. My meals consist of :

Protein Shake for Breakfast

Protein shake for lunch (some days I eat veggies with it)

low carb/low sugar dinner (eat protein, first)

This is my pre-op diet (which I thought would help but hasn't yet). I workout every day anywhere from 45 min- 90 min.

Anyone have advice??

My BMI was 68 I had to get below 60 for surgery. I drank 3 protien shakes a day for 3 months and lost enough to have the band. The first month I had NOTHING but the 3 shakes a day (the are called VHP shakes you can find them online) then the last two months i would allow myself a piece of fruit or two a day. It was very hard but worth it! good Luck!!! Stick with the Band!

[Wishes4444 2]

I haven't been banded yet, still going through the insurance stuff, but when I talked to one of the surgeons he had said that they generally discourage lap-band for people with BMI over 50 (I was at 59) I know too that the band is the only surgery I am comfortable with. I agree with Cazzy, you might want to widen your search a little. I think it would be worth the extra drive to have a surgeon who isn't so strict. Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck.

Stick with the Band! Good Luck!!

[yvonne74 73]

Thanks all! I found a surgeon that is 3 hrs away who will do the procedure for me. He had no issues with my BMI. Only thing he didn't like was I add soy milk to my Protein Shakes. So due to my work schedule, I will be banded on March 13th! I am excited!

[Cazzy 725]

Great news am so pleased you found someone to do it for you. Good luck and speedy recovery post - op

[Anume 937 314]

Hi my name is Tamara im 29 my BMI is 52 wt is 320 goal wt is 150 going to be a long journey but it WILL be done.

[Caribear 184]

Hi Tamara, nice to meet you!

[jmorgan 3]

Hi I'm Jamie I'm 33 and I weigh 337 my BMI is 54 my goal weight is 155. It is going to be tough for me but in the end well worth it. My surgery is April 26. I am super excited and a little scared.

[Anume 937 314]

Hello

[Cazzy 725]

Hi my name is Tamara im 29 my BMI is 52 wt is 320 goal wt is 150 going to be a long journey but it WILL be done.

Hi I'm Jamie I'm 33 and I weigh 337 my BMI is 54 my goal weight is 155. It is going to be tough for me but in the end well worth it. My surgery is April 26. I am super excited and a little scared.

Any weight loss is possible if you dedicate yourself to getting healthy again, for most of us calories eaten and calories burned is the key to getting the lapband to help u with the large amounts of weight we all needed to lose.

Being in this bracket of bmi makes initial weight loss a lot quicker for us if we do things right .. stick with it and make this the decision that changes the rest of your life .. good luck to both of you

[ovahkummer 11]

Hey all... nice to have found this area. I was originally banded in 2008 but I depended solely on the band to work for me. I started out with a bmi of over 56 and today I'm down below 50. I have lost 27lbs in the last 7 weeks by getting my head in the game and realising that the band can only help make losing weight even more possible..it can't lose weight for me.

[petit avant 2]

Hi all, I was just banded on the 20th. I am so excited about this journey. My starting weight was 312 bmi of 52 I'm down 8 lbs so far. This is not easy, but something I'm committed to doing. I'm on full liquids for 3 wks and still have to cook and eat dinner with my family. I had 2 bottles of Water, some muscle milk light, and a small bowl of Soup today. I cooked plaintain oxtails peas n rice for my family. Needless to say I craved their food. Don't know how I'm supposed to give up rice forever....but I'm taking it 1 day at a time.

[petit avant 2]

Hi all, I was just banded on the 20th. I am so excited about this journey. My starting weight was 312 bmi of 52 I'm down 8 lbs so far. This is not easy, but something I'm committed to doing. I'm on full liquids for 3 wks and still have to cook and eat dinner with my family. I had 2 bottles of Water, some muscle milk light, and a small bowl of Soup today. I cooked plaintain oxtails peas n rice for my family. Needless to say I craved their food. Don't know how I'm supposed to give up rice forever....but I'm taking it 1 day at a time.

[Kygie 3]

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time since I posted but I am desperately needing support. Lola was put in on the 5th of Feb 2008....I had reached 149kg When I was assaulted at work so badly that the band slipped (I had alot of stomach trauma) we tried to empty the band but it was so bad that on the 24th of March 2009 I had another surgery to readjust the band.....It has been a long 3 years, I have PTSD and Agoraphobia from the assault and so it took me til August last year before I started having the band adjusted. I hit my biggest since banding at 187kg...I managed to get down to 176kg, but I am back up to 183kg. I am finding that every few weeks the band is tightening up alot....Starting to think it has to do with Water retention and my cycle.....I have heartburn and im struggling with fluids but I am going to wait it out a few days before going and having and adjustment to see if it settles down.

Life is difficult. I am unable to work. I have daily pain in my left wrist that was permanently damaged in the assault. I also have 2 children, one with multiple complex disabilities and the other with kidney issues. I have forgotten what it is like to take care of me.....so here I am reintroducing myself to you......asking for support to become the butterfly I desperately want to be

xoxoxoxo

[Caribear 184]

Oh my goodness, Ky, I am so sorry. I'm sending you hugs and prayers.

I can't tell you that I know how you feel, because I haven't been through the things you have. But I have been through some pretty serious traumas, and have struggled with PTSD from them as well, and I can tell you that the only thing you can do in those dark moments is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I've been at the point where everything seemed so overwhelming that I couldn't see myself getting through it, but I just had to keep reminding myself that the sun will rise tomorrow morning, the world will keep turning, and life will go on whether I chose to participate in it or not. I had to keep doing the things I knew were good for me, even if I felt too numb to care. And now on the other side I see how all of that has molded me into a person that I like a lot better than I liked the pre-trauma me. I also have chronic pain, and I can tell you that you eventually get used to it, as miserable as that sounds. You have to be forgiving of yourself while you find your new normal.

I know things can get overwhelming, but I also know that you can do this.

Sending you love and hugs and prayers <3