Longhorn

Yes, that is service!!! I'm surprised that the hospital had that kind of flexibility!

I had my consult last Friday, too! I started my diet Saturday but didn't get to the grocery store until my husband went yesterday. So far today, my first day at work, I've had two Slimfast low-carb shakes, one of those yogurt smoothies in a bottle and a string cheese. I'm on a low-carb diet, not liquid, but those foods are convenient for bringing to work. I'll probably have some tuna when I get home. Congratulations on getting a surgery date. Be sure to add it to our calendar in this forum!

There's also Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver who does the surgery for just under $10,000. I considered him but found a doctor in my city who doesn't charge too much more after considering travel expenses. There's a long thread about him in the Doctors and Hospitals forum. Here's his site: Lap Band Surgery in Denver Colorado | Lap Band Surgeon in Denver | Gastric Band Surgery Denver | Bariatric Surgery

Welcome, dawndannae! What, if anything, are you doing for pre-op diet?

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Do you have to weigh yourself? I know you mentioned it's a requirement for surgery to lose the 15 pounds but since you've reached that goal, is it possible to put the scales away and just keep working hard on following your plan? Unfortunately, weight loss is not linear. There are so many systems at work in our bodies that you can't just cut out 3500 calories and lose a pound. If only it worked that way! In the past, I would lose every other WEEK with no explanation for why one week and not another. I finally got used to the pattern and didn't fret about it. This time, I'm not even going to weigh myself at home -- and I used to weigh myself twice daily! But even though I swore it didn't affect me if I showed a gain or no loss, it wasn't true. It did affect me. Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser and they get depressed because they lost ONLY four pounds that week? Five would have been fine but only four? Anyway, I know how hard it is to suffer and then feel like it was for nothing. This time, though, you're losing to get ready for surgery -- that's your ultimate goal. Fortunately, my doctor put me on the pre-op diet with no mention of losing weight -- just shrinking my liver. So I'm not looking at the scale, just following the plan. I know your situation is different but I hope there's a way you can change your outlook about these next few weeks. Good luck!

I once read that overweight people tend to have MORE self-control than those who are not. Most people who have never had a weight problem, in this country anyway, aren't that way because they actually did something proactive. Some have active jobs or hobbies and some are just blessed with fast metabolisms. (My husband has both -- and I've never seen him deny himself food or drink ONCE in his life, yet he remains perpetually thin.) In addition, the author made the argument that will power will only work for so long. For example, do we have a lack of will power if we try not to sleep? There are certain biological functions that are going to take over no matter what we try to control. I'll bet every one of us has gained weight eating next to nothing. Our bodies are programmed to hold onto weight, especially after a diet. This is not an excuse -- we all know that we have engaged in unhealthy eating and exercise habits at least some time in our lives, some more than others. But we've also all tried very hard to do something about it and the fact that our efforts failed are not entirely our fault. I went on my first diet when I was 22 and FIVE pounds overweight. I wish now that I had been educated enough to establish good exercise and eating habits instead of dieting. I don't know if I messed up my metabolism or it was never that great but I fought (almost) every pound I gained in the last four years, after losing 70 pounds on Medifast. I exercised, I kept drinking shakes, I cut out all kinds of bad foods and eating habits, and it still came back. I tried new programs and couldn't lose a pound. I'm even a little worried that the band won't work but if it keeps me from gaining any more, I won't think it was a mistake.

I was kind of relieved when I found out that my insurance doesn't cover WLS at all. Like you, I didn't want to have to prove my need to anyone. The only "approval" I needed was from my husband of 31 years and he didn't hesitate a bit as far as the money. He loves me no matter what but he knows how tired I am all the time and how I want to look and feel better. Although I've been considering this off and on for several months, the first I mentioned it to my family was on September 21. And here I am a month later with surgery scheduled in just 11 days! :clap2:

Isabella, you are quite beautiful and look great! Congratulations!

Mine is low-carb: limit 30 grams of fat and 30 grams of carbs and at least 70 grams of protein but no calorie restriction.

I'm on day two of a two-week pre-op low-carb diet. My doctor said he wasn't too concerned about shrinking my liver due to my size but I'm going to follow it to a T. I'm not weighing myself but I am taking this whole process seriously!

I really like your attitude, Kacee, I guess because I completely agree! Just because I'm having surgery on November 1, I'm not expecting the weight loss to begin on that day. It will begin when the band starts working for me. That doesn't mean I won't follow the prescribed diet but I'm not even going to weigh myself at home. I won't know if I gain or lose in those first few weeks so I won't be obsessing about whether I gained in the hospital or lost after the first few weeks (unless my clothes start fitting better. ) For once, I'm going to focus on what and how I eat and not the results. But like you, my nutritionist said that I do not have to be hungry, just eat good foods when I am. That's my plan! Thanks for your wise words! :clap2:

My attitude is that this is a process and not an "instant cure." If I don't lose weight until I get restriction, then that's how long the process takes. I'm not even going to weigh myself at home. I've lost weight quickly before and it's a lot of fun but gaining it back is horrible. So my focus this time -- for the last time -- is to lose whatever I lose but to never gain it back. My nutritionist said I do not have to be hungry but just make good food choices when I am. When I allow myself to get really hungry, that's when I'm most out of control. One way that will help me is to not have anything but good food in my house. I realize that this is just my attitude and not yet my experience!

I'm paying $12000 for the surgeon, hospital, anesthesiologist, and one year of after care, including free fills. In addition, it's $250 for the initial consultation, $150 for the psych eval, $75 for the nutritionist visit, plus labs, some of which may be covered by my insurance. I considered going to Dr. K in Denver where my daughter lives but was concerned about the convenience of flying to Denver for after-care. Same concern with going to Mexico and even down to San Antonio, 90 miles away. I'm an adjunct faculty and hourly tutor so I get no sick leave and can't miss classes. Also my schedule changes every semester. For me, it's better to stay local where I can fit an appointment in here and there without missing work.

Wow, yes, I'm sure you filled the doorway like I did! I didn't know I was having twins until after the first was born since "back in the day," my doctor wasn't doing routine ultrasounds. But it's a surprise whenever you find out, huh? Both my twins got married this past spring -- enjoy them while they're relatively inexpensive! :clap2:

I have twins, too, and two singletons! Mine are 26-year-old identical girls with a 28-year-old sister and 23-year-old brother. Since my twins were three days late and 8-1/2 and 7 pounds, you can imagine how huge I was!

Also, my doctor told me that they can unfill it during placement, if necessary.

Slim Fast does have a low-carb version. My nutritionist even recommended it. I haven't checked it out yet.

I can't seem to find a direct comparison. However, it's my understanding that the Realize band is only new to the U.S. -- that it's the Swedish Adjustable Band that has been used in Europe for many years. Even the Johnson & Johnson website doesn't have info yet and they say it will be available in December. However, I'll bet some of the Mexican sites have info because I believe a lot of them have been using the Swedish bands. One reason they haven't used them as much on U.S. patients is that U.S. doctors are more used to the Inamed/Allergan bands when it comes to fills.

I'm *only* 5'8" -- that used to be tall! But I do wear size 11 shoes. I lost 70 pounds four years ago on Medifast. I did find that I could wear some size 10 shoes but I need size 11 for the length, not the width and I've never had to wear the wider sizes. Also, I got down to size 12 and even a few size 10s. I was 165 pounds.

Inamed is a division of Allergan. Until recently, the Inamed/Allergan band was the only FDA-approved band. However, the Realize band was approved on September 28 of this year. FDA Approves REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band For Morbid Obesity

Howdy, Bobbi! I graduated from Klein High School and most of my family still lives in Spring. I even got my driver's license in Conroe many, many years ago. Dripping Springs is just outside of Austin. I've lived in this area since I came up here to go to UT in 1973 and I do love it (though I'd also love to move to Colorado, especially in about August!) Yes, we'll definitely be sharing this experience and I look forward to that!

I started my pre-op diet today. It's just a low-carb diet with an eye on low-fat. I have one of those toasters that cooks an egg and heats a slice of Canadian bacon at the same time, resulting in a sandwich similar to an Egg McMuffin. So I made the egg and bacon without the muffin and added a slice of low-fat cheese. That was pretty filling and a good start! But I need to go to the store and stock up. I'm almost out of diet soda and I won't be getting any more. I'm going to start drinking Propel instead, something I already like. I'm also going to get one of those coolers that plugs into the car's lighter socket so that I can have cold drinks when I commute. I realized yesterday that the reason I like diet soda is that I like my drinks cold and the carbonation makes a drink "feel" cold even when it's not. I really don't like room-temperature Water or other drinks and I don't like drinks that are diluted by ice (well, then water would be okay. ) I'm not too picky, am I? But at my age, I've learned not to try to change too many things at once and there will be enough changes just getting used to chewing more and eating more slowly.

Congrats, vanessav! It would probably be better for me to wait until December or January when I'm between semesters (I teach at a community college) but I just want to get this going! So I'm going to cancel a couple of classes and hope I'm able to go back to school on Tuesday after a Thursday surgery. I know you're excited to get the surgery moved up!

My doctor said that it takes time to get used to each fill. He said, for example, that eventually we might be able to handle 7 cc's but not if we add it all at once. So your unfill followed by a fill may just be a sign that it was too much, too soon. I hope the next one works out for you!