futureformerfattie

I have Anthem BCBS (which has different requirements than standard BCBS). Current BMI is 40.5... Just barely above the threshold for approval. I'm not required to have 6 months of physician monitored diet. I have all of my paperwork to submit for approval next week. Trouble is, my weight has teetered in the range of 35-39 BMI for the last several years. I'm at my highest weight now, at a BMI of almost 41. Has anyone gotten rejected by Anthem because their medical records did not show a history of 40+ BMI for a long period of time?

Newly banded here. I've noticed since I got banded my breath has been awful. In the initial post op stage I assumed it was just a little dehydration, but I'm drinking plenty now and eating soft foods. I've heard about the breath once your body enters ketosis, but how long does this last? Will it go away? I feel like brushing and mouthwash isn't doing the job anymore.

I was banded 4/18. I've had 5 small fills for a total of 3ccs in my 4cc band. I'm not quite in the green zone yet, but I'm close. My weight loss has been very slow. I had a stall of several weeks where l lost nothing. I added more cardio to my workout plan and I've started losing again. I go to the gym 4x a week and do cardio/strength training and I recently added couch to 5k to my routine; which is an additional 3x a week. I work out 7x a week now. Today I hit the -40 pound mark, and I'm having a hard time not beating myself up over my slow weight loss. I had anticipated losing at least 60 pounds by now. I try not to compare myself to others, but it's discouraging seeing people who seem to lose so easily. I do have PCOS and I know that makes weight loss more difficult but I can't help but feel I should be doing something differently. Slow losers, how do you stay motivated?

I've actually wondered why my surgeon chose that as well, most everyone I've spoken to has the 10cc. I never actually received any documentation after my surgery about the size of my band, and I thought I'd surely feel more restriction with my 4cc band 3/4ths full. I suppose it's a possibility that I have a 10cc band and my surgeons office is incompetent.

Thanks for that. I have noticed I've been building more muscle lately.

I guess my definition of "slow" weight loss is based on my surgeon's feedback more than anything else.

Those of you in the "green zone" (at optimum fill-level for hunger control and weight loss) what is your daily calorie goal? My surgeon initially told me 800-1,000 calories a day was goal, but I'm struggling to keep it below 1400 most days now. 800-1,000 seems really low to me. I know I'm not in the green zone yet. I'm three months out, and still in bandster hell. I'm just looking for some general figures.

@@enjoythetime, I'd love some healthy recipes. My surgeons office actually recommends that I eat carbs. He says that carbs help you stay full longer and slow food passage through the band. In fact the only dietary restrictions they have me on is no sugary sweets and no liquid calories. They actually recommend that I eat normal foods, thus the egg mcmuffin. It has about 300 calories and keeps me full for a few hours. That being said, I've always been a bit suspicious of my surgeon's "diet plan" and I'm totally willing to cut out carbs in order to be successful. So I would appreciate any recipes a you may want to send my way. Thanks so much for all your help!

I appreciate the help. Today I ate Breakfast - egg mcmuffin lunch - 1 baked pork chop, steamed spinach, 1 large banana Dinner- homemade taco salad (lean ground beef, black Beans, lettuce, tomato, homeade salsa and a bit of shredded cheese) Snack- fiberone 90 calorie bar Total calories approx 1300. According to myfitnesspal I got about 60g Protein, which is higher than my usual Protein intake; but otherwise today was a typical day. I was hungry from about 10am until I ate dinner at 6:30. I only drink Water and crystal light. No liquid calories. I also go to the gym 4 days a week. I had a knee injury so I will not be doing anything high impact for a few more weeks, but I do a lot of strength training and try to stay active.

The 800-1000 goal was just mentioned once to me in passing. My surgeon's office seems very unprofessional. When I go for my fills instead of asking how many calories I'm consuming/how often I'm working out or how many ounces of food I can eat at a time; they ask me "how many slices of pizza can you eat?" or "how many inches of a subway sandwich can you eat at once?" I'm so frustrated. I was banded April 18 at 283 pounds, and I'm only down about 31 pounds with no weight loss at all in about 3 weeks. And I'm hungry all the time. Like, ravenously hungry. Some of it is head hunger, but I know I don't have enough saline in my band. But it's nearly impossible to get in to my surgeon's office for a fill. I'm considering switching to a different surgeons office for my fills.

I was banded on 4/18. Weighed 283 on the day of surgery. I lost 10 pounds the first week then virtually nothing until after my second fill. Today I'm down 30 pounds but not losing much at all. I've got 2ccs in my 4cc band, and in having trouble getting in to see my surgeon for what will be my 4th fill. I've had virtually no nutritional guidance from my surgeons office. I know I need to restrict my calories more. Those of you in the "green zone" , what is your goal for daily calorie consumption and do you feel deprived when you stick to that? With my band half-filled, shouldn't I be feeling more restriction? I was told that at optimal fill, I likely wouldn't be able to eat solids in the morning, until my band loosens later in the day. I wake up starving most mornings and have no problem eating early.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Sometimes it's nice to know I'm not alone in this journey. I go back to my surgeon for my fourth fill next week, so hopefully I'm on my way to finding the right amount of restriction.

Just had my first fill. My surgeon has a nurse who typically does the fills but he always does the first one. I have a 4cc band which he filled up completely then drained until I could drink Water to his liking. I had some sort of vasovagal episode and kept teetering in the brink of blacking out for about 35 minutes after he drained most of the saline out. In the end, he only left .5cc. I was sweating, ears were ringing, room was spinning, had tunnel vision and everything. No good. Is filling to capacity then draining saline standard procedure? This was a nightmare and I won't do it like this again. Should I insist that my next fill be a small .5cc fill without this "fill to capacity" nonsense?

I do get squeamish around needles but seemed fine. The surgeon said it's fairly common if the band is too tight to get a vasovagal response. He also said since I'm "fairly large" and have a small 4cc band, that it's like wearing "a tight pair of shoes" and I may not need much saline at all to get results.

"Fat acceptance" is not about being kind to people who are overweight. Its about perpetuating the idea that being unhealthy is ok and should be embraced. It's harmful. Just like fat shaming is harmful, but on the opposite side of the spectrum. I'm sorry for your loss, but find a friend who accepts you, not just fat you.

Tonight I either ate too fast or too much. I'm still on mushies but have the ok to begin to add solids as I tolerate them. I had some refried Beans, salsa and under a tablespoon of shredded chicken. I haven't been getting my little soft-stop burp that has been my signal to stop eating. Afterwards I had some terrible shoulder pain that has since subsided. I'm miserable. It's been a couple of hours since I ate or drank anything. I'm nauseated, burping constantly and have wicked heartburn. I have a pain in my chest (not a sharp pain that I usually hear about with getting stuck, more like the type of pain that comes with severe heartburn) I can't even lie down to go to sleep. Too burpy and uncomfortable. If you're going to be sick/pb, how soon after you eat does this occur? I don't really feel as if there could be food stuck, because I'm not feeling any sharp pains or sliming. How long can food sit in your pouch before passing one way or another? How soon do you know if you're stuck? Is it immediate or does it come with time as food passes? Does anyone feel that heartburn is amplified 10x with the band?

I have noticed that since getting lapband surgery my entire relationship with food has changed. I still have cravings and still want foods that are bad for me sometimes, and yes- I'm sure I'll make poor choices from time to time. But for the first time I can remember I don't save the best bite of food for last. It's a small change but I think it's indicative of a bigger shift in perspective. Before, when my meal was in front of me, I would save the best bite of steak, or the cheesiest potato for last, fully expecting to eat the entire portion. Now, when my meal is in front of me, I go strait for the good stuff (Protein first, of course). I'm still learning, but it's encouraging to see these small changes in my behavior coming naturally.

Thanks everyone. I'll definitely be doing liquids today. I do not want a repeat of last night's episode. Vagus nerve pain is no joke. It lasted about 4 hours before I was able to get comfortable. I suppose, in the event that it does happen again, there's nothing that can be done to relieve the pain? I had horrible shoulder pain for nearly two weeks after surgery, I thought I was over this part.

So, I got a promotion at work, and as a "surprise" my team decided to have a potluck in my honor. Which would normally be fine, except I'm on mushy foods and this thing is a taco theme. I am not telling my coworkers about my surgery. And I can't skip this. It's in 30 minutes. I've been eating soft foods with no problem and had some turkey and cheese for Breakfast this morning. Should I try a few bites of taco salad? Ground beef? I'm freaking out and don't want to get stuck. I haven't cheated yet aside from progressing from full liquids to mushies a day early. I'm trying so hard to do this right. This was the main reason I waited so long to get lapband; how do you deal with these situations without letting everyone know you're banded?

I also munched about a half dozen papaya enzymes for good measure.

Thanks. There were no Beans. I ended up getting a plate of tortilla chips with salsa, sour cream and tomatoes with some ground beef (which I was careful to pick around) Made small talk until my plate of chips turned to mush in its sea of tomato sauce and carefully ate that. I dread social functions with this band. That's going to be the biggest adjustment.

I'm still on soft foods. Today I was eating macaroni (won't be in my diet once I move on to solids but I've been eating it on the soft food diet) and I ate too quickly. I feel as if there's a tickle or some small piece of food behind my tonsils (or where my tonsils were once) Is this a soft stop? There is no food actually stuck there.

Thanks. The feeling seems to have passed, but it was unsettling, as I was afraid I might have gotten stuck. Since I'm still in the soft foods phase I'm pretty limited on options. I've been doing tuna or canned chicken at home or baked potatoes, but I was in a rush and just grabbed a container of easy mac to take to work for lunch. I've had it a few times now with no problems but only small amounts eaten very carefully. Any suggestions on soft foods? I'd like to get away from carbs since they're not helping me lose weight.

Sounds wonderful, except I can't stand coconut. The smell alone makes me gag. Wish that weren't the case, as coconut oil is amazing for all sorts of things.

I'm paintwithpixels on Instagram. Haven't been very active as of late but I will be. This is a great way to share progress pics, recipes and inspiration!