pink dahlia

dont give up !!! I have BCBS too, and last fall they approved me in 3 weeks ! I had a letter from my dr stating that she felt i was a good candidate based on my family history , (short women with weight probs), and i had tried 1 yr of weight watchers w/o success, plus i had high BP and sleep apnea. my bcbs paid 100% (bless them), i was banded last December, ive lost 50 lbs and im very grateful to them for paying for the band. I was told to just jump through their hoops and get all the proof, letters of recommendation, and documents signed that i could. i did everything , had the paperwork sent in a nd got approved quickly. So hang in there and keep trying !! Dont give up !!

yes, id do it again ! im 8 months out, gone from a frumpy, old lady size 18 -1x to a cute size 14-large-, lost 50 lbs and generally feel 100% better. ive gone from walking only to jogging/walking, my joints dont hurt as much, my digestive problems have disapeared and my sleep apnea is getting better. Im getting compliments almost daily, (thankyou !!!) and i have cute, attractive clothes that keep getting bigger as i lose more weight. ( skinny jeans ??? belts ?? tucked in shirts ??, who, me ??). Yes, id do it all over again, its been a breeze !

um, what makes you think you cant ever eat those foods again ?? i eat 98 % of what i ate before , the difference is i choose NOT to eat 98% of the junk food i ate before. i can still eat steak , pulled pork, french bread (a few bites), chicken, pizza, etc. i just try to choose wisely, . and try to limit my junk foods (sliders) to a few bites. I cant eat raw broccoli, or anything that expands like a biscut, certain potatoes, thick chicken or thick pork chops . So, step away from the junk food , you may not be able to eat a FEW things when banded, but when the weight starts coming off, you wont even care !!!! Good luck !

well , you go girl !!!!! good luck !!!

whew !! breathe, honey..............breathe !!!!! take a deep breath.................... there , muchhhhhhh better !!! I m glad you made the decision to get healthy, and hopefully your ins. will help you. from what ive heard , taking your regular meds afterwards isnt a prob., going under is easy, and you taking the eating issues one day at a time. the band doesnt take away your craving , you have to make good choices for yourself. the nice thing is the band limits the amount of food you can eat, so if you fill up on healthy foods, theres little room for junk. that being said, you'll get lots of support here,so welcome aboard !

you hubbys attitude "that you could lose weight on your own " is ridiculous ! If that was the case there wouldnt be a billion dollar diet industry ! (yes, i said "billion dollar !") Thats like telling a diabetic that she could cure her diabetes "on her own !!" if she just ate right. Ummmmm. no. The weight doesnt always magically fall off just because you diet and exercise. Your body doesnt always cooperate. Ask the hubby if certain parts of his body have a mind of its own ! (Yeah, i said it !!) well hubby , welcome to the world of obesity !! Having a positive partner is very important, but your not obligated to change his small minded attitude. Do this for yourself ! good luck !

my husband is diabetic and does most of the cooking . we try to eat healthy by following diabetic ideas of lean meats, fish, chicken, fruits and veggies and anything carbs is whole wheat. like noodles, bread etc. He doesnt like sweets but i do so i have a little bit of a treat everyday, usually a cookie or a tiny bit of ice cream. try googling diabetic recipies for some healthy eating ideas.

hey m sangie, youre awesome !!! dont get discouraged !! 18 lbs in 5 weeks !!! thats 3 lbs a week !! youre doing great !! your weight loss may slow down but what youre doing for your body exercise wise is amazing !!! stay on the course because you will start seeing your clothes get loose, and although you cant see it , your heart, lungs and other muscles are getting stronger too !! woohooo !!!!

welcome to the other side !!! hope you're doing well. i couldnt stand that nasty pain meds so i went with liquid tylenol too. I was up and around the next day, did lite walking from there out. the 1st 10 days i felt like i had a badly pulled muscle on the left side but other than that i was fine. hope youre doing well, how did the whole thing go for you at the hospital ? easy or hard ? are you drinking your liquids and remembering to walk every hour or so ? hope youre doing ok. i was banded 8.5 months ago, best decision ever !!! good luck ! it just gets better and better !!!

i have very little tolerance for the 1 drink i like , im limited to an occasional strawberry margarita ,so 3 months out i had 3 sips of a margarita at a mexican restaurant and ohhhh, big mistake !! now i had even less tolerance and ended up in the bathroom and parking lot and lost everything ! i can handle a homemade margarita but for some reason not the restaurant ones. so beware your tolerance may be different with the type of alcohol, time of month, etc.......

i try to listen to my bodys wants and needs, as what works for one may not work for another. I 'm in the green zone, but finding my band tighter in the am ,so i able to eat less in the morning and more in the late afternoon and evening. if i want a snack 3 hrs after a lite lunch , i have one because my body is telling me to eat something, so i eat some healthy like yogurt, almonds or, today a morning glory muffin. (a bran muffin with chopped apple,banana, and sunflower seeds. ) try to be a little understanding of what your band is telling you, it may be a different than what someone else's band is telling them.

i feel like my 40's passed me by, because of my weight probs. (didnt start having weight probs until my 30's ) Anywhoo, thought i was stuck being obese forever (5'3, 225 lbs )n had tried weight watchers (12 lbs in a year, thats all !) so when 2 realatives had lap band done in june 2011, i started researching it and knew it was right for me right away. I was banded Dec 13th, 2011 and have lost 50 lbs as of this week. I wanted something that was reversible if needed, didnt take out my insides, and had enough rules and restrictions but was also flexible too. lap band was the answer to my prayers and i dont regret it for a minute ! I follow the Drs rules 95% of the time, (good food choices, exercise 3-4 times a week etc) and the weight started coming off !! Im at 175 lbs and it just keeps getting better and better .My insurance paid 100 % but i stiil would of paid some myself if it had come down to that. Alli can say is do your home work, attend your local support group, ask questions and you'll be happy with your decision. BEST. DECISION. EVER. good luck !

WAY TO GO !! KEEP UP THE POSITIVE MINDSET !! WOOHOOO !!

great job on your weight loss !! keep it up !! like any journey you are going to go forward, backwards and sometimes stay in the same place for awhile .(plateaus) dont give up ! just keep following your drs orders, and your body will start responding. it takes time to lose weight, just like it took time to gain weight. Good luck !!!

Try easylunchboxes.smugmug.com for lunchbox ideas from Laura, Chief Mom of Momables .

hi. i found this on Pinterest, havent tried it yet , but...........try easylunchboxes.smugmug.com . Lots of lunch ideas, plus you can buy a lite fabric cooler to keep food cool. Great site, love the ideas. Hope this helps !

My green zone is where i eat a cup or so of food and then dont want anymore. Yes, it still looks good and smells good., but asking my self if i want to see the number on the scale go down or do i want more of that food usually does the trick for me. im not a food saint, i still have my daily treat, but its nothing like before where i was hungry all the time. Todays menu was Breakfast= homemade fruit smoothie (spinach, yogurt, coconut milk, oatmeal, frozen fruit, honey,all blended together , YUM !!!) Lunch= 1 slice ham, a few crackers and a cheese stick, snack=a couple of cookies, Dinner= we were SUPPOSED to have barbq pork,2-3 small pieces, 1/2 cup brown rice and salad or fruit, but some thing came up and i was on my own for dinner, so it was a quick meal of homemade nachos. Not the best dinner but sometimes that happens. If i get hungry later ill snack on a few cherries. i just stop when i feel full, and i remind myself that there will always be food in my world and i wont go hungry. hope this helps !

Woohoo !!! Congratulations !!! I was banded 7.5 months ago, and if you had told me i would lose 50 lbs by late july , i never would of believed you !! all i can say is, i hope you're ready for a big change in your life, but the results are oh so worth it !!! Good luck !

hey, sorry to hear you're having such a tough time with all this. I know you're frustrated. I was banded shortly after you, (mid dec 2011) down 50 lbs too. im at the green zone , finally, on my 8th fill. before that i was eating way too much at times and would stop losing. I was HUNGRY ! i found the drs advice to fill up on protein and fruits and veggies 1st to be very helpful. then i have little room for carbs and sweets. when i do have carbs its usually whole wheat products, and for sweets its weight watchers ice cream or skinny cow brand. tracking on my fitness pal and swimming 3 x a week has been a huge help towards my weight loss. hope this helps ! Good luck !!

ive had 4 prs of skechers, i love them. soooo comfy !!! however, they're not cheap so i look for them at goodwill stores. some people wear them a few times and find them NOT comfortable, so they give them away and i buy them at goodwill for 10 bucks. you might want to try a 2nd hand pair and see how they do before you pay full price.

been banded 7.5 months, i eat lots of protein and fruits and veggies. so far that has made my thin hair thicker.

When i got banded last December, one of my hopeful goals was to lose 50 lbs by my July 27th birthday. Well, im a little late , but all i can say is HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME !!!! 175.7 this A.M. !!!!!! I dont care about the birthday , but i do care about giving myself a gift of being healthier and happier . Only 35 more lbs to go ! THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY who's on this forum, you have no idea how much info and advice ive gotten from all of you ! All i can say is Thanks !!! Have a good day !!

Big thank yous to all, mwwwwwahhhhh !!!!

Ive been banded 8 months, and i have thin, straight , baby fine shoulder length hair. Its actually gotten healthier a bit because of all the protein i eat. Since im supposed to eat protein first , and fruits and veggies 2nd, there isnt much room for alot of carbs or sweets. So far the healthier diet has done wonders for me ,and i still have healthy hair !Good luck !

wow ! I cant wait to be you ! WAY TO GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!