kimk1999

Any previous weight loss attempts documentation was my word against theirs (as far as I know of)... It was all hand written down when I tried diet / exercise, ww, HCG, b12, etc... Lbs lost and gained back. For the record I was banded Dec 2013 (6 weeks post op)

I'm in Florida under a group plan with Cigna. Like the previous poster I had a 3 month physician supervised diet. Two weeks after that I had my surgery (I was worried it wasn't going to be approved on time). My history - 35 BMI at surgery date (shhh I didn't dare lose a lb on my 3 month plan). Plus at least 1 comorbid condition.

Oh if you don't like the skewing from exercises you can change the calorie count to just 1 calorie. That way you still track the time but it won't skew your goals.

Under my home, select 'goals', click change goals, select custom and renter the info you want. Unfortunately they the the protein/carb/fat as a ratio of your calories so you have to play with the numbers to get the desired Protein goal. Also, if you enter your workouts there, they will add those exercise calories back into your total so you will only 'net' your allowance. That will skew your goal of getting X grams of protein a day but it's better than nothing in my opinion.

Since I'm still so relatively new to watching protein, that's why I still like and use mfp. I don't quite follow their guidelines but it's great on days like yesterday to make sure I'm not eating too big of a portion and to certify I'm getting protein. Yesterday with all my snacking and cravings I consumed 137 g of protein (and I didn't even have a protein shake). I don't always get that much protein. Thanks for all the suggestions. Today is a new day. I woke up hungry again but hopefully it won't consume me. I know my stress level at work has picked up and that might be part of my triggers. I'm physically hearing/feeling my stomach growl so I'm really confused about the physical vs head hunger

My highest weight was 214. So I feel your struggles with just losing it yourself. Unfortunately this is not a magical cure all. You will have to maintain this new lifestyle for life. I'm sure your sisters told you all about that. I went back and forth for a while, even when I had my surgery date, even when I was drinking the protein shakes, I still had doubts. I'm worried about falling off the wagon at some point and gaining it back. That's a real possibility for either band or sleeve. Definitely tough choices. I wish you the best. I'm 6 weeks post op and down to 189 but I've stalled between 188 and 190 right now. I should be happy with the weight loss, shouldn't compare to others but it's human nature. Be prepared (as best you can) to do what you can do and to be happy with yourself. It's difficult but you'll have to learn not to compare your success with against your sisters. Good luck and keep us updated

When are you scheduled for your second fill?

OOOh that does sound delicious. For my weight, mfp states I should be about 1200 to lose the 2 lbs per week. My surgeon per the diet plan actually has it written down to stay closer to 800-1000! I find that impossibly unrealistic right now.

I'm not sure if that's a Cigna generic policy or if that's just what my employer has negotiated in the 'package'. Do you currently have insurance or are you using this to shop around? Some people seem to be doing ok in NY on other posts with the new Affordable Care Act. I really do not know any details of that though.

I'm still doing my best to log everything into mfp. So today I ate 1700 calories . I'm so disappointed in myself. Today wasn't the only binge day. I was doing so well for so long, but my will power only lasts so long. My office is within walking distance to Dunkin Donuts. All day I was craving ooey gooey chocolatey goodness. I never really crave donuts. In the 10 years I've worked at my office, I might have only gotten a donut maybe twice?? That was all I could think about today. I did succumb to the vending machine and picked a snickers to hope the peanuts would have some Protein to keep me feeling full longer. Oh - I've also been bringing beef Jerky to try to have protein to snack on throughout the day. Some of the chocolate cravings could be due to nearing the TOM, but it's worse than that. lol. I'm glad that I'm not alone. Sorry you're suffering too. It's a weird mix for me... I feel a bit more restriction in quantity at once but I feel outright starving tummy growling really shortly after eating. I'm trying to keep with the smaller portions, so I'm not sure if that's part of the problem too but I don't want to stretch out my pouch.

That was my biggest debate for the longest time - sleeve or band, sleeve or band. There are pros and cons to each. Ultimately I chose the band. While I'm very concerned about losing the weight and having the port stick out, I was more comfortable with the adjustability factor of the band. I see that as a pro and yes I have to pay per visit but it seems like you see that as a con. I like that theoretically at any time I can either have it removed or reversed to sleeve. Once they cut and remove your stomach with the sleeve it's gone and you have limited options. But one of my bigger considerations is that I went into this to lose the weight to get pregnant. The band will be adjustable that if I get too sick they can deflate it. I will also absorb the nutrients that I eat where sleeve or gastric I think has mal nutrition issues. Sounds like you're getting a hysterectomy before/after so that strong factor isn't really a factor for you. I've read that sleeve patients do typically lose faster but we do tend to catch up and exceed them (per the studies I've read) but there are thousands of variants so you may read something differently. It's a tough call. Lots of opinions and conflicting 'facts'. Decide what's right for you, your habits, and what you can live with. Good luck!

That part made me laugh and I appreciate the laughter. Not sure why but it did I'm in Florida where it's still illegal and I'm primarily anti-mj. I know it has it's benefits and all, but it's illegal here. That's the only reason why I'm against it. The only ones that I know that use it, only do it recreationally and they didn't have wls so I'm not much help. I'm only commenting to say thanks for the laugh today. ????

Hi and welcome to the group . Glad to hear your gas pains are not that bad.

I know this thread is more for DS, but I wanted to chime in. I have Cigna and have the band. For the weight loss surgeries (at the time I was only considering the sleeve or band but if I remember they didn't specify different requirements for different surgeries. Anyways - the requirements for my Cigna was *35 BMI with at least 1 comorbid condition - high cholesterol, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, etc *40 BMI no other requirements I was required to follow a 3 month physician supervised diet as well. No WW.

Without the 50% discount, making it a $15 difference than a $30 difference, I was able to justify the Force better. If I had to pay $30 more for the stairs feature, not sure if I would have done that.

I was told immediately to start walking (light and easy, nothing too strenuous) at 2 week post op, I was still stuck with a 20lb limit at my 6 week post op, I did not see my surgeon and forgot to ask if I was fully cleared.

I know it's the weekend and you'd like information now, but I agree with your unique situation you should check with your NUT first. Did they give you rules/guidelines to follow? We're you 100% cleared for 'normal' good now? I had the band so may progression might be different than yours. Sorry to hear you had multiple surgeries to fix the issues yet congrats on the amazing 50 lbs lost. I wish you the best of luck and keep us informed as to how you progress.

The clenched for me was that the force could keep track of your stairs climbed. I live in a two story and really wanted to keep track of that too. It's a bit bigger and I'm not quite sure if it's really worth the price difference but then again I've only worn mine for a few hours tonight once it charged and arrived.

I just rec'd my first Fitbit force. For those that have cigna, they have a partnership to give 50% off a fitbit. Log in through Cigna and they have a link to Fitbit (any of the wrist devices) to get 50% off . I've synced it with myfitnesspal and can't wait to start using it once it's charged.

Just rec'd my first fill today. I have a migraine (that was starting before the fill), feel a bit nauseated (but moving around with a needle in my belly started that), but the most frustrating thing is that I feel starving and I'm stuck with liquids for 24 hours. I keep drinking the fluids to try to "fill me up". Reminds me of the initial pre-op diet hunger. This is going to be a long day.

I'm only 6 weeks post op and had my first fill recently, so my advice might be different than someone that's banded for a while or has other intolerances I like slicing up bell peppers, putting in a container, add a bit of salt for a snack at work. The salt brings out more of the juices and it's just nice to have a salty (that you control) crunchy snack. If you can tolerate almonds or other nuts that's a good crunch but really watch the quantity as they are high in fat (good fat but fat nonetheless). There are a number of 'vegetable' chips in the organic section of my super market. Some taste like dirt but a good number of them taste pretty good. I love making kale chips, but I haven't tried those with the band yet. Is the goal of 'crunchy' more for lasting fullness or more for satisfied eating? I'm a stress eater and LOVE crunchy salty things. That's my goal when I'm craving crunchy.

Yeah I'm wondering too - 100% for what? I guess if you don't have the symptoms that she asked about it's not an 'emergency' and can wait till Monday. I know this is super concerning to you and if I was in your shoes I would have wanted answers and results yesterday as well. I wish you the best. Just a suggestion (follow your doctor's advice more than my suggestion but I wanted to suggest it anyways) If cortisone isn't working for you, you may want to try some gold bond lotions for anti-itching. I think they have similar ingredients yet some are different (I think). Also, when I get super itchy, I will actually take some of my allergy medicine - benedryl if it's at night or claritin if it's during the day. I'm speaking from a perspective of random super itchy skin. I do not know of these suggestions would / could counter what you're experiencing. Maybe an oatmeal bath thingy. Maybe a pharmacist might help?? I hate itchy skin it drives me nuts. I wish you the best and for a super fast weekend. Let us know what you find out on Monday.

I am about 6 weeks post op and there's still a faint bruise area on my stomach. It really started to fade about 3 weeks post op, but it's still slowly fading. I bruise easily as well. Shelly - my incisions were still sore up to about 2 weeks old. it definitely faded a bit, less sensitive after about 5 days but still wasn't comfortable. For a while at work, I wore spankx. Not for the 'control' factor but as some sort of extra buffer between my belly and my desk at work. Carriekos - my gas pains were terrible. I used the chewable version of gas-x. One would not help so I would have to take two at a time. I would keep the heating pad on my left shoulder almost 24 hours. It helped me to sleep on my left shoulder as well. Walk as much as you can and flap your arms. It seemed to have helped. I even tried to have my fiancé burp me. This is a miserable time that feels like it'll last forever but it'll be behind you soon enough.

I am not a doctor but I do not suggest crushing any medicine or cutting it in half without your doctors or pharmacists permission. Some can be done with no ill effects. Some medicines are meant to be a slower timed release and if you crush it, the longer effectivity of it could be reduced. Some are meant to pass through your stomach and break down in the intestine (at least that's what I was understanding from the pharmacist) and if you crush it, it would be more absorbed in the stomach vs intestine. Again I'm not a doctor or pharmacist. Make sure to check which meds you can/should crush up before you do so. So far I've been able to take all my meds whole. Some were a bit larger but I haven't had a horse pill yet. Congratulations on this new journey!

Ooh that does sound good. I had the standard scoop of protein with water shake an hour or so after the fill.