Ok here I am gave all the paperwork to my PCP yesterday afternoon. The office manager is submitting my referrals to Tricare on Monday! She is going to send them urgent so I should know something in 72 hours or less. I have to have these referrals approved or I can't go to my appointment at the surgeon's office on 3/10/08. On the 10th I'm supposed to do the nut job eval, blood work, meet with the dietitian, and meet with my surgeon. I have to be there at 7:15 am and they said that I would be there all day.

Now I have a question for all you experienced bandsters out there. I have to track everything that I put in my mouth for 1 week before the 3/10/08 appt. Should I eat the way I have been eating (namely like every meal is my last) or should I try to eat like a normal person? As soon as I leave the appointment I plan on starting my diet to lose 10 to 15 pounds before surgery. So what do you think? Any advice would be appreciated.

The food log is probably for the dietitian and psychologist. They will be looking to see if you are a snacker , portion control issue or binge eater. The band works best on portion control issues as you can just snack through the band and still gain weight. Binge eating is psychological and they might say you will need counseling before/after the band.

that being said I think you should start changing your eating habits now. It's never to early to show your commitment to a new way of life.

That is kind of what I was thinking. Only problem is that I am just barely within Tricare's requirements for paying for the surgery and if I lose any I won't qualify I want to try to wait until I have Tricares approval for sure since they will pay 100% and if they don't pay I can't afford it. I think I'm going to work on it a bit without going completely overboard.