Cocoabean

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday to all!!! Yay. Great on the NSVs! I love those! Michael, WELCOME!!! Raiders..BOO :thumbup: I was in stuck city this week. Drat. Got stuck 3 times! Was in a hurry at lunch the other day with all my managers. I was facilitating a meeting for them, and we were running short of time at lunch. So, I was of course, trying to unwisely cram in the last few bites. It came back to bite me in the butt! So, I did the urp into a public toilet, did not have the time to drop the a$$-gasket into the Water first, and you guessed it, splash into the EYE!! WAH!!!! At least none of the managers was a witness to the event or even aware that I was stuck for that matter, so I am thankful for that! But I did get to go to Palm Springs for the meeting for a few days, that was fun, and had some good bonding time in the evenings with them. Except now there is photo evidence of me doing Karaoke to Tequila Sunrise...OY! Ok, I can sing fairly well, but Karaoke isn't easy, and that song sucks! But it was fun. Karen can probably attest to the fact that it takes MUCHO practice to sing a song, not just stand up and read the words, even if you know the tune. Well, I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

Hey Humming Bird, Welcome to my world of the low blood pressure! It sure sucks, eh? ick! I never thought I would complain about my pressure being too low. sheesh. I hope you get to feeling better. Christie, yay for you!! Congrats on all the victories! Wowser! Bob, smoking, huh? I quit years ago, must think on it. :confused: Thinking I'll have to pass, though. I am in Palm Springs right now, facilitating a meeting. Better than working for a living, I suppose. Ok, off to bed I go. Hope all are well!!

Oh, forgot to add, celery can be a problem with the strings. If you remove that before pureeing, it should be fine.

If pureed, it should not be a problem. It is the consistency that gets you. You might want to strain the broccoli, it can have fibers that cause problems. Great planning ahead! Best wishes for all that upcoming activity!

Hey Leigha! You are so right about everyone being different! You have done the "research" for your body and found what works for you. You are also very close to goal! Yay! I think some bandsters tend to eat too little without considering the consequences thinking that less is more when it comes to weight loss. For me, when I tried low carb pre-surgery, I had zero energy. I was doing martial arts at the time, and needed the quick bursts that carbs give. If I drop below 1000 calories a day, my loss grinds to a halt. Well, ok, it has mostly stopped anyway, as I am about where I want to be. I think calorie intake is something to look at if losses have stopped and the person doesn't know why.

As a "couch potato" I though I'd chime in on the topic. :cursing: I can't agree more. As I don't have the energy expenditure of an avid exerciser, I can't take in as many calories, but I still don't do a very low calorie diet. I consume around 1200 calories a day. I am still losing at a VERY slow rate. Due to some recent medical issues, I have not been as active as I was up to a couple of months ago. But I often suggest to people here to try upping their daily calories if their losses have come to a standstill and they report consuming less than 1000 a day.

Hi There! Glad to see you got your band. Sorry you had a rough night. :cursing: If your medicine makes you sick, call your doc and ask for a different one. There are many choices out there. The first couple of days are the worst. Each person's recovery is different. I didn't feel much like doing anything beyond walking, walking, walking up and down my hall the first week. I also loved my heating pad on my tummy. I was part of the felt like I'd been "Hit by a Mack Truck" group. I didn't make my first official outing until a week after my surgery. So, take care of yourself, take it easy, and walk, walk, walk! Hope you feel better soon!!

Hey Leigha, way to go! Those last few pounds will be the buggers of the bunch!! My BP is still in the toilet. But yesterday and today I did see the top number reach into triple digits! Yay. My energy level is still pretty low, and I get winded very easily. I have been using the salt shaker with glee, hoping that will bring it up. The 24 hour heart monitor came back normal, so that was good news, but no answer. They are going to do a colonoscopy on June 18, woopie. Since I have still been having some issues with that, and they don't have a definite diagnosis on the c.diff. UGH. The good news? I am down another pound! Need to update my ticker! If this keeps up, I'll reach goal by being sick...yeah, not the best way to go about it. I think Leigha's way is MUCH better! I had once again been tossing about the idea of a fill, until I got uber stuck on the artichoke last night. Plus I am not gaining weight and am so close to goal, I probably don't really need one.

Hi everyone! Note to self, artichokes are NOT band friendly! Owie! Anne, sorry you did not get a band. But better that than all sorts of complications! If I were to lose my band, I'd be willing to get GB. I know it is drastic, but so is obesity. I don't know much about the sleeve. Just that my insurance doesn't cover it, yet. Bob! Welcome back! Congrats on your losses!

My surgeon weighs with clothes on, but shoes off. I have read of some who take weights with the patient in a gown. Make your appointment later in the day, you will be heavier. Wear jeans and a sweater, too, if you are allowed to weigh in clothes, might as well go for it! Best wishes!

Mine states greater than 40 or 35 to 40 with 2 comorbidities. Your plan brochure should be pretty straightforward. Insurance Programs has the plan brochures for 2010.

Yay, Karen!!!! Very happy for the news! Leigha, no fun, I feel for you, wah. I hope everything goes ok. I am home and back to work, blah. And I am still a quart low, BP rarely over 100. What fun, but Sedona was beautiful!! Anne, keep up the good work, you are getting closer!!!!

Oh yes. Every day in Bandland is different. One day I am swearing I have lost all my fill, the next day I get stuck on something. I quit trying to figure it out, and just go with it. Follow your rules and eat right. It is a journey, that is for certain.

Hi Everyone! I am curious. After two years, I have decided to name my band. His name is Bandit. He is male because he acts as my "Food Police" the way my DH once did. He is Bandit because he sometimes steals my meal from me! My DH and I like it, he can ask how Bandit is doing and no one knows what we are talking about. Sort of like our little code. A bit of silliness. So, did you name yours? Why or why not? I am curious if you think giving a band a name gives credit to something other than yourself for your losses, when it is really YOU to whom the credit belongs. You make the proper food choices. You do the exercise. What do you think?

Hi kizzbit, Welcome! This is a great place for support and info!

Welcome Jason! Nice to have a partner with you through this journey. This is a fantastic place to be for support.

I Am not sure where the dr. Was first, but a google search showed Dr. M. To be here: Dr. Yohannes Mahtemework D.O. Surgery 7531 113th St Apt 2C Forest Hills , NY - 11375 240-353-8665 I'd not be surprised at them not telling you where he went if left their practice. As to you not feeling restriction yet, try not to compare yourself to others. Keep getting fills. The more you have in your band, the less fill it takes to be noticeable. Best wishes to you!

All scales are poopy heads! Go by only one scale. The way clothes fit is the best guide, while the scale is the quickest feedback. Scales are good for trends, but don't set your mood by what you see.

Chicken or turkey breast meat. Bagels and soft breads. Sometimes hamburger. Anything that I don't chew properly.

Welcome Ron and Katie! Glad to have you here. Sedona is beautiful. We are having a blast with my sister and brother-in-law. My fur-niece and Butters are doing great together! Butters' private lessons paid off! My pressure is still very low. Any one know how the vagus nerve is affected by the band, and how that can affect pressure? This is crazy. Well hopefully tomorrow will bring higher blood pressure!

I went with my PCP's choice. He said he was who he would choose for himself. In fact, he did about a year after my surgery he had gastric bypass done by my surgeon. I'd hope your PCP would be open to referring you elsewhere if you do not like his first choice. I had a choice of two in my HMO, but liked my PCP's first choice so well I stuck with him. I went to my surgeon's info seminar before my appeal was done. His are free. My hubby came with me. We both really liked him, so I was very happy when I won the appeal! It sounds like you have all your ducks in a row. I also mentioned in my letter that I want the surgery so that I can have a relatively normal life, and take part in daily activities with my family. I spoke about how obesity affects the quality of my life and limits my activities. The package I submitted was probably 15-20 pages. It was a lot of work to put together, but very worth the effort! Keep us posted!!!!

Hey everyone. I am on I40 heading for Kingman, AZ. Yesterday was interesting Got stuck on a croissant. I know, not the most band friendly, slimed and urped for an hour. Ugh. So today feeling very tight. But my pressure was 104/70!!! A record for me lately! I will be meeting up with my sister and her husband in Sedona later today, yay! Karen, you will get iPad before I get BB. I live in ignorant bliss of my lack of calories burned. And there are far too many iPad accessories I NEED! Like a 12 volt charger for use on the road!!! Congrats on breaking the plateau!!!! OH!! NSV Alert!!! I caught sight of myself in a mirror yesterday when I wasn't really expecting it and was surprised to see the skinny chick looking back at meI I think this latest issue has caused either more loss or a redistribution, because I looked different. Anyway, sorry for typos, still adjusting to this keyboard! Take care everyone!!

Hey Everyone! Lena and Katie, welcome!! Bobbie, congrats!! Anne, keep up the good work on the pre-op. Betsy, have fun with the BB. Leigha, I agree, the ipad was a total gratuitous purchase, and I LOVE it! I am navigating us with it and having a blast. The BB is the thing that is NOT for me. Karen won't influence me that far! tee hee. You should see me here right now. We are in Laughlin, Nevada. I packed 2 laptops (work and personal), ipad, external hardrive (holds my itunes), 2 cellphones (work and personal), one ipod, a dog, a husband, and a partridge in a pear tree! What a dork I am! Shad, thanks for the good wishes. My BP today was 93/60. Woohoo! I guess I don't have to worry about a stroke! :biggrin: Ok, ipad is loaded, it's about time for bed! Catch you all later. To all those I missed, sorry!!!!

I also pointed out that the in 1991 the National Institutes of Health wrote a Consensus on Gastrointestinal Surgery for Severe Obesity that did not include a 6 month requirement for candidates for surgery. Do an internet search for the document and include it with your appeal. But it sounds to me like you already have the diet aspect covered. What a pain in the patootey!

My denial was from the medical group, too. I won the appeal on first try. My PCP said a denial by that group is standard. BCBS approved me with no problem! Best wishes!