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It's been 16 days since I had the Gastric Banding to lose weight. And so far, I've lost 16 pounds! YAYY That's like 1 a day. My stomach only holds about 2 oz. and it's been hard just eating pureed food, but I only have to do it until the 15th, and then I can eat whatever. But, I'm eating like refried beans and rice, and mushing it up good, so that is way better than baby food.

This may not sound appealing to many people, but when you are morbidly obese with heath problems, and you can't lose weight successfully, this is the way to go.

I've lost weight other ways, but was unable to lose enough, and since I've had a car accident and damaged my knee, I have decided to have this done so that my knee won't be hurting as much anymore. (with every step you take, your joints feel 4-6 times your weight...so I've lost 16 pounds, but my knees think I've lost 64-96 lbs.) Anyway, I just wanted to share in case anyone had any questions about it, and because I'll be posting my success as I go. :)

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congratulations. what a huge decision for you to make and a way to make a positive change in your life. i hope your recovery is speedy and good and healthy and all those wonderful things.

 

also, thanks for always having such a good attitude and perspective in your posts. that goes out to everyone else, too, who dedicates their time to helping other people grow...

 

be well!

 

-cat

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Thanks you two!! WOW, your friend looks AMAZING! It's like unbelievable for me to even think about my body changing that much, but they say it will. They even said that within 4 months I could lose 80 lbs...and THATS scary...but exciting too! I can't wait to see what I'll look like a year from now! The best part about it is that I had it done with a scope, therefore I only have like 5 little bitty insicions. :D

I'm really excited!

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Gastric banding is a pretty radical procedure to effect the loss of weight.

 

Why do you think your other diets didn't work for you? Was your weight a function of heredity, hormones, other physical disorders, lack of exercise, overeating or a combination of all of that?

 

Can your body get adequate vitamins, minerals and other nutrition satisfactorilly with the banding or will you have to take supplements forever? Is the banding reversible?

 

I'm just interested in what measures you took to lose weight before you decided on this method. I'm glad you did. You may have added many years to your life.

 

Good luck to you. Obesity is quickly becoming the number one killer in the United States. I admire your courage in having this procedure done in the interest of your health.

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It is a very radical procedure, and I actually had my closest friend die after having the surgery done from other complications, but he was still in the hospital recovering from his surgery when he passed, so it was kinda scary. But I decided that I could die from being over-weight anyway, so I might as well take as big of an effort as I can.

It was a combination of all of the above, and the kicker was the fact that I was having so many problems with my knee, and I REALLY wanted it to stop hurting as soon as possible.

The surgery is reversible, they did remove my galbladdar.

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Congratulations!! I give you a lot of credit for being courageous enough to go through such a radical procedure!

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I take a One A Day vitamin so that I get all of my nutrients. It won't effect a pregnancy, as long as I am done losing weight. And I drink PLENTY of water and Crystal Light so that I won't dehydrate. The opening from the 2 oz pouch to my stomach is the same size as a pen. So I have to be careful about what size pills I take, or I'll get sick....same thing with eating food. If I eat too much or too fast, I'll throw up. It IS, however, possible to stretch the pouch, so you have to be careful not to stretch it. My best friend's Dad did that, and I'm sorry, but I went though too much pain with this surgery to stretch it out.

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i'm glad its working for u & i hope everything goes well; but i'm personally against such radical interventions into people's bodies...

 

i've never heard of people being unable to lose weight by being on a proper diet and exercising. i understand that it might've been harder for you to exercises considering your knee problem, but there are plenty of exercises to be done in sitting or lying position ...

 

i'm not too familiar w/ this procedure u've undergone - after they staple u, do they ever "unstaple" it?? or it's a permanent intervention? did u say they REMOVED yr gallbladder or it was a typo??

 

its amazing that u did it even though u knew somebody who died from it ... did your doctor tell u it's the ONLY way you could lose weight??

 

just some thoughts...

-yes

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with a scope, no kidding? I know that's how they do stuff like gall bladder removal, and some other kinds of surgeries, but I hadn't realized that they applied the same procedure to stomach banding. sounds like you're going to have a very good recovery from that standpoint alone.

 

... yeah, I think Kathy looks marvelous, even younger than she did when we were in school together! I haven't spoken with her in about a year, but she's active in the church parish that my folks belong to, and they say she looks and sounds so good, and that this has really made a difference in how she feels about herself. I'm pretty much blown away by the willpower she's shown about staying healthy throughout her whole recovery. I know in one of her e-mails, she talked about completely revamping the way she and her family prepare and eat food, that this procedure has not only benefitted her, but them, too.

 

how have your loved ones responded to your decision, if you don't mind me asking?

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No it was not a typo, when someone loses weight fast, they have problems with their galbladdar, so they remove it.

I have been like you, thinking it was the "easy way out" but believe me there is NOTHING easy about eating only 2 oz, while everyone else around you is eating whatever they want....or eating baby food for a month.

 

They will not perform the surgery unless it is proven that you have tried SEVERAL things to lose weight, and have it not work.

Keep in mind, this is not for people who just have like 50 pounds to lose. This is for people who weigh at least 100 pounds over. Health insurance paid for 90% of my operation, so it's not like I took a visit to the plastic surgeon. They would not have paid for it if it had not been proven "100% medically nesecary." I didn't say my friend died from the surgery itself....truth be known there is like a .02% chance of death with this surgery. He was close if not over 400 lbs, and ANY surgery on someone who is over 100 lbs overweight is dangerous. He died 3 days after his surgery by something else...but the fact that he had just had it done was scary.

 

The thing most people don't understand is that this surgery is not the "answer" it is a tool. You still need to excercise plenty, and because you are supposed to only eat 6 oz. of food a day, it makes it a little easier to say, ok I'm going to eat 3 oz of veggies and 3 of protien, instead of looking at something not good for you. This isn't a fix, like a said I know someone who has had this done and they aren't losing like they are supposed to bc they said it was too "hard to just eat 2 oz." That's why I'm telling you, this is for people who are very serious about weightloss, and have a LOT to lose. My heaviest I've been is 313, I now weigh 275. When I had the surgery I weighed almost 290, and I'd spent the last year or so trying to eat healthy and do the right things....but when you have SO much weight to lose, wouldn't you rather just go ahead and get it over with? I would....bc if I didn't, it'd be 10 years before I'd lose enough the "right" way.

I'm not asking for sympathy, and if you think I'm lazy, there's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise. But I'm far from lazy, and trust me, it's a WHOLE lot easier to walk a mile now than it was 2 weeks ago.

 

Oh and another thing....you save money on food, so you can afford memberships at a gym that might have a pool for water aerobics, and getting a personal trianer.

Its all about the head...and when the body is physically kinda keeping you from cheating and getting off the diet, it's a lot easier, for those of us with eating disorders.

 

An alcoholic can quit drinking, a smoker, quit smoking, but an eater can NEVER stop eating....that's how this is a tool and how it helps.

 

Hope I enlightened you some.

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Gastric Banding IS a radical procedure, but like any other kind of surgery, the doctors take into consideration whether you are a good candidate for that surgery. Plus, I'm sure Ally did a lot of serious thinking -- and research -- into the procedure. It's a scary thing to consider, but chances are, her condition warranted considering this drastic step.

 

if you get a chance, take a look at my classmate's website listed in an earlier post of mine -- she addresses this subject, and refutes that it's "an easy way out" to losing the weight she needed to drop. A lot of surgery is risky, and therefore scary, but sometimes the alternative is a whole lot worse when you think about it.

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My ex boyfriend was against it....but I think bc he was afraid of me getting thin and leaving, so I just left him fat. LOL My mom was nervous about it, and my father was too, but they came to the hospital and stayed with me. I was REALLY suprised about that. My dad said he was glad bc I was really endangering my health...in fact, he's considering it now. My mother wanted to have it done years ago, but he wouldn't let her, bc it was so new and probably way more expensive, and I'm sure not covered by health insurance.

My boyfriend was concerned, but he was with me at the hospital, and has been INCREDIBLE. He will fix my lunch, talk with the doctors, and find out just as much info about it as he can so he can be supportive.

I think they are all just kinda sitting back and watching my success....they are all curious about the surgery...even my extended family. I've been overweight my entire life, so they are all very excited and happy for me.

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It DID hurt....the next day I felt like my guts were spilling out, and even today I am having pains in my side from a muscle healing that they had to cut so they could get equipment in it. That's why I'm trying to explain to you how much it hurt and how much this means to me about doing it right.

The pouch CAN stretch. My doctor explained it to me as being like this.....

When you get a balloon, it's really hard to blow up at first, but the more you do it, the more it expands. He said that's how the pouch is, and if you keep letting it expand, you'll have 2 STOMACHS!! I dunno....something about the thought of having 2 stomachs REALLY scares me, I dont know about you! LOL

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it's very reassuring to hear that your family and boyfriend are being as supportive as they have been. I know a lot of times, it's easy to give up when you don't feel you've got that support.

 

now for more nosy questions :o)~

 

you'd mentioned that your intake is limited to 6 oz. a day. Are there any food restrictions (like no caffeine) or anything like that? Can you have spicy foods, or is that pretty much a no-no now that you're without a gall bladder?

 

because of the specific procedure (using the scope), are you able to do things that a regular incision would make you stay away from? like lifiting, bending, stuff like that ...

 

sorry for the nosiness, but I get fascinated whenever I hear people say that had some kind of scope surgery -- I remember my poor mom getting her gall bladder and uterus removed at different times, and the procedure then was to slice open, then keep them VERY limited in their activity while they healed. Ooh, and the scars ... it looks like she's got raised worms on her belly, it scarred that badly.

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hmm i see - i didnt realize u need to lose that much weight

what's the original reason u've been overweight your whole life? is it genetic?

 

i just saw both of my parents lose some weight and shape up recently from going to the gym & watching what they eat - but of course, they were both under 90 kg (~180 lbs), and they lost maybe 10 pounds each ... totally diff-t scale from what u'r talking about.

 

best of luck!

 

PS i'm very glad the doctors dont allow u to do it unless its truly necessary~

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Right now, I'm on pureed foods. So I pretty much eat a lot of mashed potatoes, baby food and grits. yumm LOL Now, I mean, I can have other things and just blend it up, but I perfer these things. After the 15th, I get to eat solid foods, and they will give me a list of things I can eat.

 

Caffine is ok...diet sodas are ok...but they gotta have most of the fizz out of it. The big thing is, no sugars. Eat mostly protein and veggies. I will be able to go to restaurants and eat food there....I can get a kid's plate (they gave me a card to show the restaurants that they are supposed to honor), just as long as I limit myself to 2 oz per meal. No eating between meals, and only eat 3 times a day. Today I went a while without eating because we were doing some running around and I felt weak, because I'd forgotten to take my vitamins like I'm supposed to....it's REALLY important. It's a drastic thing that I've done, and I take it seriously. I respect myself and I don't want to hurt myself so I'm doing what they tell me to as best I can while I'm getting used to it....its easy to forget things like that! I can eat spicy foods....the only thing is (and I heard this from a girl I work with who had her galbladdar removed recently, is that you have a harder time digesting dairy products and fatty foods....which is what I plan to stay away from anyway).

 

I just have 5 small incisions kinda in a North one about 4 inches above my navel, two on either side down a bit like a compass' N-S-E-W, and the bottom one right above my navel, and then another one right above "East." When I left the hospital they told me to deal with weight restrictions "without access" whatever that means. But I've been having a REALLY bad pain in the inscision above "East" and I called the doctor today and they told me that they had to put a bunch of equipment through it, and they had to cut my muscle to make room, and it's healing. I can hardly pick up 5 lbs right now....but it hasn't been like that until the last few days.

 

The worst part for me was the drainage tube and bulb. Lots of people get them when they get tummy tucks, boob jobs, breast reductions, etc. Its to keep the swelling down. It was hard for me when they pulled it out bc it was behind my stomach or something, and when she pulled it out it hit the nerve that makes you sick to your stomach, and I got REALLY sick. It was a lot harder than I expected, but definately worth it. For some reason, I figured it'd just be a little sore and that's it. But every day is better! :)

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I really wish I had seen this thread when it first started so I could have accurately answered and dispelled many of the things I've seen discussed here. You aren't going to like what I have to say, but the truth has no concern for personal response.

 

 

I've followed the various types of gastric surgeries, whether they be the banding/'stomach stapling" variety or full-on bypass. I would say that 99.9999999999% of people that undergo these operations do not NEED them for any physiological reason. This includes you. The media hype over people like Carnie Wilson who do these things is vastly disturbing and littered with ignorance.

 

Reduction of stomach volume merely causes a person to eat fewer calories. This can be far more easily achieved by the use of willpower. People are quite capable of NOT putting more food in their mouths. Whether or not they choose to do so is WILLPOWER. Don't even try to feed people the line that eaters can't stop eating excessively. These drastic procedures are attempts to make physical solutions for psychological problems. Unfortunately, this "solution" brings to bear quite a few highly undesirable consequences.

 

Let us look at the situation presented. You state you have dropped 16 pounds in so many days. I should inform you that the balance of that weight is at least half water and muscle tissue. It is thermodynamically unlikely that your metabolism uses the calories in a pound of bodyfat (3500) each day. It is, however, quite easy to expend the calories obtained from a pound of muscle tissue (less than 600) in one day. In a situation of great caloric deficit, which such surgeries create, the human body quickly acts to avert the stress. The main way of doing so is by slowing one's metabolism. This is done by cannibalization of muscle tissue, since it is quite metabolically demanding to even maintain but very little is necessary for survival. Your continued weight loss will be in the form of significant bodyfat and an unacceptable level of muscle tissue.

 

Now, other people I've talked to about this talk about their severe obesity and failure to lose bodyfat by conventional means. They insist there are simply no other options! They've tried everything else!

 

As to the first point, MORBID obesity does not occur overnight. It takes quite some time (years) to develop a level of bodyfat that problematic. I honestly have no sympathy on this matter because people can clearly see bodyfat increasing over time. They can choose to take action or not take action - this is, yet again, a psychological matter. To the second claim, I often ask these people what "everything" consists of. This usually boils down to various fad diets (no carbs, no fat, all grapefruits, all fish, whatever is popular at the time) and poor exercise recommendations (like water aerobics) IF any at all! This is not entirely the fault of the person trying to lose bodyfat, since the fitness industry is riddled with useless "information" and people who call themselves experts yet have about as much knowledge as a lint trap. Almost everyone I've trained and advised has been led astray many times before. However, it is YOUR responsibility to do some research and get to valid information. Losing bodyfat is a rather simple matter but it takes time.

 

You've obviously already had the procedure and there's no going back. You made your choice....so be it. However, I will not allow such to be encouraged or promoted to others. This is not a valid nor healthy solution. People with mounting weight problems need to address the physiology ACCURATELY and also address the psychological issues that very frequently accompany the physical manifestation. Medical doctors are ill-equipped to deal with either. I don't believe I've ever met a single one that had a clue about fitness.

 

Nonetheless, you still need help...and that's what we do here. I highly doubt you've been properly informed about what constitutes valid exercise, even considering your knee complications. This is something I can offer and I don't see any other voices of reason and knowledge on the matter. It's going to be very difficult for you to engage in meaningful exercise...and it will probably be some time before you can do so.

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Part of the deal is that I have to get a personal trainer. And now that my stomach is not as sore, I'm looking into what club I want to join. I appreciate your concern. Everyone is different. A lot of people have your attitude. However, if it was not a proceedure that was needed medical insurance would not pay for a $35,000 surgery for nothing. They have a panal of doctors (not just gastric doctors) that determine the need. I know a Primary Care Physician that encouraged his son to have the procedure done and did very well from it.

I know you mean well, but you haven't been morbidly obese, and I admire you for keeping yourself fit and healthy, but don't jump on me for a decision that I thought long and hard about, and researched GREATLY about. I guarentee you that I know more facts about this than you do.

Another thing, I had your attitude when the Carnie Wilson thing came out, and had I not have had as much knee pain as I have been having, I probably would have gone for the "logical" way of losing weight. But when you weigh almost 300 lbs, and EVERY step you take is 4-6 times that weight on your joints, you want relief the fastest way possible....and this was my way. I understand also about the water thing, however, keep in mind that I am CONSTANTLY drinking water and Crystal Light, and have COMPETELY taken sodas out of my diet because they contain nothing but sodium. I appreciate your concern though.

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  • 7 months later...

i just want anyone who reads this post to know that my best friend died last week from this stupid surgery. if you are thinking of having it please really,really think about it. she just wanted to lose weight and look good for her daughter's wedding this month and now she is gone. people are so hung up with how they look. it should be against the law for these quacky doctors to perfrom this unnecessary surgery. i am sure some people need it for life or death situations but it is being performed on people that just need to diet and exercise. just wanted people know this-say a prayer for my friend and please take care of yourselves

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My best friend died from the surgery too...on Christmas Day 2001. And I still had the surgery. So far, I've lost 80 lbs, and I'm happy with my results.

 

Every situation is different, every doctor is different. You don't go under the knife without feeling confident that you are making the right decision.

 

Hundreds of people have the surgery done EVERY day and very few people die from it.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, bc it hurts even to this day that mine died. However, I did mine in HONOR of him.

 

ANY surgery is dangerous for someone overweight. Your body can't handle certain medications, plus it could go into shock. I'm curious to know how overweight she was.

 

My friend was well over 300 lbs...probably closer to 350. And the way we looked at it was...he was going to die soon anyway from his weight....which was true. And having the surgery was his last resort.

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Yes...

 

I have heard of a couple of studies done recently which point to genetic/biological causes of extreme obesity. It is true that some people just overeat and that some of that is a form of 'self-medicating' but science can create obese rats by messing with their genes so you can no longer assume that every case of obesity can be managed with only diet and exercise.

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Science can also grow human ears on rats. We're not talking about genetic manipulation - we're talking about fundamentals here.

 

ALL humans are predisposed to obesity. The human body treats every meal as if it was the last, since it has no ability to see into the future. Our bodies will create bodyfat out of excess calories ALL THE TIME. This is the survival mechanism intrinsic to human physiology. To say that certain people are genetically inclined to become overweight is inaccurate.

 

Now, I am of the firm belief that there are varying dispositions as to how READILY bodies create bodyfat. This is simply a matter of metabolic level - people have varying abilities to expend calories in a given period of time. No amount of genetic makeup can overrule the basics of thermodynamics, namely that you can't make stored energy (bodyfat) unless you have the necessary energy intake (food).

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HokeyReligions
To say that certain people are genetically inclined to become overweight is inaccurate.

 

It is not inaccurate, but it is an oversimplification. Genetics does have something to do with weight gain, how food is processed in individual bodies, metabolism, etc. and many animals can and are genetically altered to produce more (or less) body fat and to metabolize the same fuel (food) in different ways. (two rats being fed the same amounts of choc. cake are altered so that one rat becomes fat (metabolizes the fuel in a different manner) and the other rat does not change.)

 

All of this research and discovery is still in its infancy.

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