mommykristie

I have been on both sides of this also. When I was thin, I just took it for granted how people treated me. After gaining all of the weight, the biggest thing that I noticed was "THE LOOK". You know, the one with either the sympathetic smile or out right disgust. I read an article one time about how prevelant weight discrimination is;however, it is one of those topics no one wants to talk about. Movies and TV do not help either. Think about how many times we have laughed during movies such as Big Momma's House (first one to come to mind), or others like it with someone donning a "fat suit". Some of the scenes are some people's reality. There was one of those undercover shows on , "what woudl you do?", that had hidden cameras with a plus sized model in a clothing store. They had an actress portray a rude salesperson that made comments about the girl's weight. Most people did not say anything to stick up for the girl, it is just accepted.

Oh. bless you! It hurts so bad! I had a bout with it less than a year ago. It took time to heal with lots of stretching every morning and night. My doctor had me get special inserts and wear tennis shoes for weeks. I was lucky to not have to wear the boot, use crutches or have surgery. Of course the first remedy was lose weight! This happened during my 6 months supervised diet, so I was limited in how much I could lose without getting denied for my band. I hope with the weight coming off, that I never have to have an issue with my foot again. I wish you all the best!

I LOVE the v8 Fusion drinks! Peach mango with only 50 calories! YUM!!!!

After mine, I called my port area my little alien. It was extremely swollen and tender. the best thing to do is to increase your activity as tolerable. Not only does it alleviate the gas pains, but it gets those muscles working again. Take a stroll around the neighborhood, light housecleaning..anything to get moving. Before you know it, the swelling is gone along with the pain. I am a belly sleeper so my first goal was to be able to sleep back on my stomach. With some creative pillow adjustment that I remembered from my Csections, I was able to do this a few days post op. That helped me more than anything. And yes, my little alien is no longer poking out of my belly Although it was a great reminder to not stray from the rules!

The energy will come back. Your body just needs time to heal.Rest and take care of yourself. This is one time that it is perfectly okay to be completely selfish! In just a few days, your energy level will be back to normal and then some. Hang in there!

Name, real or screen~ Kristie Goal weight for April 29th~ 199 Weight on April 1st~205.2 Age~39 Dietary goal for April~increase liquid intake Exercise goal for April~continue working with personal trainer Personal goal for April~drop one more dress size3/15/12 Date banded~ Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~30 What is your favorite flower~ carnations

My final was 205. Didn't make my goal, but not stressing since this was the first time. Now I know about how much my body can realistically lose since everything is settled into routine now On to MAY!!

My spouse likes the muscle milk, but I didn't care for the taste. I prefer Boost high protein rich chocolate. Get variety packs of Jello. The same flavor will get old quickly, plus you will need to have some stocked for the day after a fill, etc. As far as soups, buy a fine strainer and strain soups. It has a much better flavor than plain boullion cubes. Just watch the sodium! Good luck!

I understand! It helps to have others that are going through the same scenarios.

checking in at 206!

I had my first fill yesterday. I had contemplated not having one because I have not felt any hunger between meals and have to remind myself to eat. That is until this week! I had been walking on my own and the weight loss had slowed down once I went back onto regular foods. However, slow and steady was fine. This week, I started with a personal trainer and I noticed a HUGE difference in getting hungry around meal times. I went from struggling to get in 700 calories a day. My doctor actually told me I would have to increase my calories due to the amount of exercise. Got to give the body some fuel! So I gladly chose to take my first fill. Back on liquids for a couple of days, but I am anxious to see if I can balance out this fill with my new exercise regime.

The more you walk, the quicker the gas pains will disappear. This type of gas builds up in your muscles not in your digestive system , so your body has to absorb it. The best medicine is lots of movement.

I was banded on 3/15/12. Once you move to full liquids, I highly recommend french onion soup and hot and sour broth. Great taste and very filling!!

Just curious, are you talking about the liquids not tasting appealing to you? I assume since you just had surgery that you have been placed on clear liquids for a few days. If so, due to the anethesia, you probably don't feel like anything is good. However, it is extremely important to stay hydrated during this time while your body is healing. Popsicles and jello were my best friends the first few days after surgery. I didn't feel hungry so I had to remind myself to sip throughout the day to stay hydrated. It gets better!! hang in there!!

I stayed overnight by choice and it was well worth it to have access for pain medication via IV. I also felt more comfortable moving around with the nurses there to supervise. If you have a choice, I would recommend staying for the piece of mind.

Hang in there! Right now it is an emotional time and a period of adjustment! It will get easier!!!

checking in at 207

My husband found out within 24 hours and I found out within 3 days with bcbsal.

Is the exclusion just for your particular employer? I also have BCBS of AL but with PEEHIP. Have you checked around with other surgeon's offices to see if they offer financing options?

Sorry Larry that I am late! I have been swamped and forgot. Sunday's weigh in was 209.

My doctor said no soda unless it has sat out long enough to go completely flat. YUK! I wasn't a big soda drinker, but I LOVE my sweet tea. That has been a big adjustment to have unsweet tea. Probably the hardest thing for me to date. However after my nutritionist showed that my two McD's sweet teas a day was adding 560 calories a day to me, I want to have my calories in a different way!!! I won't even get started on my iced coffees.......

My doctor had me do a diet similar to Atkins for 10 days prior. Low carb, high protein. Cut out sugars. Worked great for me! After surgery, my dr said liver was small and could tell had followed the diet. Good luck!!

First of all, I am sorry about your loss. It is completely understandable to not have a record for that year. When my husband had his, he did not have a dr appointment for 2009 either. All he had to do was submit a dated photo. He had no problem at all getting approved. However he did have documented sleep apnea. For me, since I did have the appointments for the year, they used those records which had the lower number in it Once I had my denial, I simply started the 6 month all over again so that I could use 2010,2011 and jan of 2012. One visit in 2012 erased the 2009 dates. LOL! Between my dr and I, we laughed about having to play the insurance game, because it basically boils down to having to jump through their various hoops. Fortunately, I had my physical therapy appointment late in the first 6 month attempt, so I did not have to redo that. I did have to go sit through the same nutrition appt again( and pay again) because I had completed it within the first two months of my first 6 months, so it was no longer within the valid date range. Sounds like a lot, but really it was an exercise in patience. In the end, it probably worked out better that I have been able to watch my husband's progress before undergoing the procedure myself. Even though it was a pain in the patootey having to wait, I would do it all again!

I was told not to go under my BMI requirements as my insurance has denied in the past for showing success. In other words, if the patient is being successful during the 6 months then just continue to lose weight that way. Code word for don't have to pay. Anyways, my surgeon and dr kept a close watch on my weight to not let me come too close to being under. When I was providing my 3 years of records, my insurance denied me because on one dr visit during 2009, my BMI was lower than their required number. It didn't matter that it was higher before and after, but because of that one time ( when I was sick!!), then I was denied. Once I got my approval , then I had plenty of time to prepare for my liver shrink diet.

For this stage, my doctor hasn't given any specific amount of protein vs carb. He just said make sure to have a protein at the 3 main meals. I know I had worried about the protein so that I won't lose my hair!! I did the Boost High Protein shakes during the liquid phase along with the soups and it seemed to work for me.