New Hope

Private Marie reporting for duty... Breakfast - one egg, one vegetable sausage patty lunch - tuna salad, 2 low-fat Ritz crackers dinner - grilled pork chop (1/2), steamed broccoli/carrots, fat-free choc. pudding Exercise - 11 miles bicycling (9 to 11 mph) Good Deed - took ice Water to water dept. crew digging up my back yard Water - did o.k., but need to do better This little challenge kept me from grazing today! One day down, and six more to go.

Kelli, it certainly can't hurt to try your insurance company first. I did have co-morbidities (blood pressure, asthma, hiatal hernia, arthritis). It took an appeal and a total of 8 months for the final approval. Most people don't seem to have to wait that long. It's really a shame that we have to have major health problems before ins. will consider WLS. I can honestly say that I'm healthier now than I've been in years. I'm taking half the RXs. than I was. I'm saving me AND the insurance a fortune in RXs right now. Best of luck to you!

Hi, Melissa! Join in with us other new bandsters! We'll learn together! Great weight loss!

Hopeful, I'm a new bandster, so I don't really have any answers. But for me, the scale is heading steadily downward for the first time in years. My RXs have been cut in half. The band is the "extra shove" that I needed. I'm much more physically active than I've been in years. If I have a bad binging day, I know that I can get a fresh start tomorrow. I usually would have just given up and just gone back to my old habits...overeating, eating the wrong foods (hi cal - low protein), and no exercise.

Wow, Penni, compare your avitar pic. to this pic.! You can really see the weight loss in your face! Great Job! I see Lisa is wearing her biker look. Cute!

Can you talk with a live person at your dr. office? I would think if someone is self-pay, a dr. would be falling all over himself to take care of you. They're going to get their $$ a heck of a lot faster than having to go through the hoops and wait time w/ an insurance company. I agree with you, I'd certainly want to meet this dr. before you get locked into a surgery. I attended a seminar and met w/ my dr. twice before I committed. These drs. need to remember that it's the patients that are allowing them their comfortable lifestyles. Oh, and girl, if you can ride a Harley, you can drive in any type of traffic! Best of luck!

Jeff, I think you'll find that most bandsters have a lot of things in common. We've struggled with weight gain (physical and emotional). For a lot of us, serious health concerns are present. We're tired of sitting on the sidelines. We want to enjoy our lives and not be controlled by the flavor of the week. We've found a tool to help us in that journey. A lot of what I'm doing now is sensible, common sense things that I should have been doing all along. This forum is a great source of information and encouragement. Best of luck on your neurologist visit. I hope you can get back to your garden, walking, and biking soon!

Jeff, best of luck to you on your quest! Congratulations on losing 50 lbs.! How did you do it?

I vote no prizes, just a big pat on the back from our fellow bandsters. Plus, since I can't make it to Vegas, you'd have to send my prize by UPS. Being the considerate person that I am, I'm just helping you save your $$ for the shipping charges. I know gold bricks are heavy! :rolleyes:

Penni, does that count as your good deed for the day? So glad all is safe w/your daughter and her family. Now, comes the long part -- the clean up and trying to resume a regular life.

O.K., count me in. I guess I can't count my bike ride on Saturday. Bummer! How about some males jumping in on this?

That seems to be a major problem, getting a dr. who didn't do your band, to accept you as an aftercare patient. Some patients' Mexican drs. give them lists of U.S. drs. But they find out, after the surgery, that many of the U.S. drs. listed do NOT accept Mexican banded patients. Also, because of the liability issue, a lot of U.S. drs. do not accept patients banded by other U.S. drs. You can never be too careful or research too much. Now's the time to find out what to expect, whether state banded or banded out of the country. Just take your time checking it all out. Good luck!

Yes, please check and double check for drs. and just as important, your aftercare. Have you checked inamed's website? They have a list of drs. local and out of the U.S. Good luck!

Pam, have you decided which dr. you want to do your band? Do you work for a lapband dr.? Best of luck to you and we look forward to hearing your story here!

Thanks, Penni! Will you please list what you want posted and how often? Ex. 3 meals day, good deed, water intake, etc. What days is this running through? Thanks so much!

Whipple, your life is already focusing on hope, You're getting your band to give you hope to live a better, happier, healthier life. The possiblities of what we can do with our lives are endless. You'll find the particular little niche that you're looking for and you'll do great! Sometimes it just takes a little while. Best of luck to you!!

Betty, how about mozzing on down to Houston. My surgeon does it for 12,000. He is an excellent surgeron and has a good staff. He's been doing laproscopic surgeries since 1990. I think the world of him. www.lap-surgery.net/ Maybe they can give you some answers. Good luck on your search!

Does someone know how to move this week's challenge to it's own thread? Then others will be given a chance to take part (if they want to). Also, are we supposed to log-in daily and give a brief update of our day--meals, water intake, helping others? What days is this running through? Monday through Monday?How often are we allowed to weigh? Any other info. you might feel is helpful, please advise. This sounds like just what I need to get my "butt in gear". Best of luck to all participants!

Candy, please hang in there! Maybe you do need a small unfill to give yourself time to regroup. You've lost 29 lbs.! That's a lot of weight! Are you trying to get your Water load in? Do you do any kind of consistent exercising? Is there any extra stress going on in your life right now? How many meals are you eating a day? Are you snacking or grazing in-between? Hey, I'm learning something new every day. I seem to get one area down, and then I mess up on something else. But each day, we get a brand new start! Please keep in touch here. Best of luck to you and your sister!

Can I play, too? Please! :rolleyes:

Audrey, you are a doll! You look wonderful and I know that you feel even better! Love your hair! Congratulations and thanks for sharing!

I am a very wobbly bike rider and I have an old, cheap bike. My biggest fear was getting started off last night. I just knew someone would stop in front of me and I'd wipe out. But it didn't happen. Things just worked out that I was able to complete this night ride. If it had been in broad daylight, I probably wouldn't have even considered it. I'm not a showy person. I'm the one who would rather take the zero in class, than give an oral report. I can't begin to tell you how fast my heart was beating at the start. I'm not pushing how far you go, just that you find something that you can enjoy and do regularly. Since we've been out casually cruising around the neighborhood, I've met a lot of neighbors. I find myself smiling more and feeling happier. I'm not isolated in this house, like I was for so many years. Instead of waiting for the family to leave, so I could hit the pantry and frig., I'm the one who's saying, "Let's go do something." I love having more energy and not letting life pass me by. Best of luck to everyone!

I think my biggest problem is I'm a "show me" kind of person. I need to see concrete proof why to do something. Reading the experienced bandsters' posts has been the absolute, best medicine for me. I'm really ashamed of myself for already "falling off the wagon". But, I'm not going to beat myself up over it and go into a full fledged binge -- like I would have done in the past. Gail, we're already succeeding! We just need to lean on our Bandster support system when we hit the rough spots. What's that saying, "United, we stand. Divided, we fall." ? Thanks for posting such a great thread! Leatha and Alex, your wisdom and straight facts have helped me so much more than you'll ever know! Thanks!

Wow, all of you are awesome! Thanks for sharing your success stories for us new bandsters.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I knew you guys would really appreciate my effort! Penni, I just wanted to start "sobbing uncontrollably" when my husband said, "See what you can do!" None of those other bikers knew what a leap of faith that ride was for me. To be able to complete something and not stand out or feel ridiculed, what a confidence builder! I'll probably never wear those tight cute little spandex outfits some people had on. On the other hand....it would hold in a lot of flabby skin! Hmmmmm. (And a lot cheaper than a tummy tuck.) Maybe after I lose enough weight, I could just start wearing them under everything. Imitation lipo! Darcy, you dust that bike off and get out there and ride with your family. Stop and smell the flowers, enjoy life with your husband and daughter. You'll be surprised at what you'll see and enjoy. Things that you would have missed, racing by in a car. You WILL get to the top of that hill! Penni, you go girl! I know you can do any marathon that you set your sights on.