Dianechef

Great thread! I have been thinking a lot about this very thing ever since my recent experience trying to get insurance. Get this - I had my insurance man at my house & we were filling out all the forms to see if we could qualify for the insurance. One of the questions was - "Have you had any type of surgery in the past year?" I put down a YES & then started answering the questions next to it explaining what kind of surgery it was. The insurance man stopped me. He asked me what kind of surgery I had. I explained to him about the lapband surgery. He stammered a little & then took the paper away from me & gave me another one. He suggested to me that I write a NO in that section. I was STUNNED!! I am an honest person & was feeling very, very uncomfortable about marking a NO. He explained to me that we weren't cheating the system, we were just letting them know that I was indeed healthy. He knew that last year the insurance company had turned me down because of my weight. Now that I had lost weight, he knew that they would still turn me down because I had surgery. He said that because I was a self-pay in Mexico that there are no records in the US proving my surgery & that as long as I continue to go to MX for my after care I shouldn't have to report it. This system is so FRUSTRATING!! It seems as if everyone is trying to deny you for everything because they don't want to pay for it!! I can easily see why people would want to put rocks in their shoes & do all that crazy stuff. You mean to tell me it's healthier to gain 20 lbs. just so the insurance will cover you?!?! SOMETHING IS VERY VERY WRONG ABOUT ALL OF THIS!!! It seems like the system is cheating US, not us cheating the system!! :tired

Okay, I'm a little frustrated with my band!! Sometimes my band will just close up & I can't get anything down but liquids. This happened to me yesterday. :cry It was banana & milk day. As the day went on I could slowly feel it coming on. I would take a bite of soup & could feel the soup stopping & not wanting to go down. I waited a while & then tried again. Same thing. By the evening, I could no longer get any soup down & the bananas were a joke. I wanted to eat the soup so bad. So, today is beef & tomato day & I just don't see it happening. I ended up having a Protein shake last night because I was so hungry. :phanvan I also drank one for breakfast. I am up one lb. & really not happy about this!!!!! My band is so finicky! This happens to me about twice a month & I don't know what brings it on. This swelling around my band should go down in 2 days but in the meantime, I can't follow this diet anymore & I really, really wanted to. It was working so well!!! This is the only part I really don't like about having a band. Sometimes it prevents me from eating the healthy foods that are good for me. Not trying to complain....I really am happy to have my band. I'll try it again next week!! Good luck to everyone.

Hi Best Me! I am wondering why you got shakey? I never felt that way at all. You were smart to eat some cheese & crackers. Maybe just eating the soup for your few meals will work. Do you like the soup?

I have sips of my husbands diet coke every once in awhile when we go out to eat. I never drink a full can and I have never ordered my own. I don't have pain, just a little uncomfortable feeling, like I need to burp. I don't suggest anyone every drink any kind of pop!! It's probably better if all of us never drink another one again. But, if you choose to, it won't be the end of the world.

I have a digital scale & found out that it weighs differently depending on where I stand on the scale. If my feet are close to the edge, I weigh less. If my whole foot is right smack in the middle, I weigh the most. I just make sure I have my feet in the exact same position every time & it comes out reading the same. Kinda dumb that it does this!!! I weigh myself 3 times & take the smallest weight of them all. HA!

You know what keeps me motivated? SEEING A BIG, FAT, UGLY PICTURE OF MYSELF!! I don't ever want to be that person again & looking at it makes me want to do better. Don't know if this would work for you or not. I have my picture posted in my office inside the cabinet door. When I'm in the office, the door is the first thing to be opened so I can see it constantly. When, I'm out of the office, that door is closed so nobody else has to look at it! ha What motivates you?! Find out what that is & keep whatever it is in front of you as much as you can.

Day 4 & I have lost 5 lbs!!! My daughter has lost 7!! I agree that this soup can be eaten any time, whether you follow the diet program or not. Last night I was so excited to eat soup. It tastes better & better every day.

Hi Kellie! chocolate isn't BAD!! Just add it in to your calories for the day. :cool: I personally can't have chocolate in the house because it will be gone in just a few hours. I have absolutely NO WILLPOWER when it comes to chocolate. A friend told me that if I were to just eat one hershey's kiss a day it would solve my chocolate cravings. So, I went to the store & bought a bag & fully intended to make the bag last a whole month. IT WAS GONE IN 2 DAYS!! Yeah, I'm pathetic. (NO WONDER I'VE BEEN ON A PLATEAU FOR SO LONG!!!!) So, now I buy a small chocolate mint square while I'm at the store, eat it right then & count it in my calories for the day. I can't keep the chocolate at home - too dangerous!! Even the slim-fast bars don't work for me. I eat all of them in one day!! ha! Good luck!! There's lots of us who are just like you!! WE CAN DO THIS!!!

I don't know is this if for you or not, but I am loving the Sacred Heart Medical Diet that Funnyduddies is doing. (She started a thread about it, not sure if you've seen it.) You can lose 10-17 lbs. in a week!! I am loving the Soup. I was on a plateau & this has really kicked my weight loss in gear. Lots of exercise is always good too!!!

I lost another lb. today!! :confused: And, I have to admit - I had some ranch dressing on my salad AND with my veggies to dip them in. I was doing good until I had to go to a dinner meeting. I chose good foods, but wished I had my soup to eat. The ranch dressing was calling my name. My daughter has lost a total of 3 lbs!

Hi Sherri, I weighed exactly 260 when I started my weight loss journey & I was 34 which isn't that much younger then you. I did get tired easily, but I didn't experience the exhausted feelings like you did. I could still shop all day & then come home & make dinner. But, everyone is different. I am sure that your burn experience & disc problems haven't helped out very much in your situation. Maybe there is something else wrong?! Not sure. Sometimes when an overweight person complains of being tired, doctors like to blame it all on the weight. I DO know that this surgery will definately give you more energy & help yoiu feel like yourself again. Best of luck to you!! I hope all goes well.

Just had to add... This soup doesn't go right through the band like normal soup does. It stops at the band & stays there for a good 3 hrs. I am truly stuffed after one bowl!! I think it's because it is packed full of large vegetables that you have to chew, chew, chew. It's perfect for bandsters to eat!!

Hey Everyone! I have heard that the cabbage Soup didn't taste very good. I think that is why they kinda re-did & this soup so that it tastes yummy!! I actually WANT to eat it & so does my daughter. My daughter has always been a picky eater & doesn't like ANYTHING, but she likes this! If anyone is wanting to know, the seasonings I added to my soup were salt & pepper, garlic salt, curry powder & worshtershire(sp?) sauce. I don't have a clue how much I put of each, I just did it to taste. Mary -I am sure people have gained some of the weight back if they started eating normal again after being on this diet. However, because I have the band, I am hoping that gaining the weight back won't be like pre-band days. Once the week is up, I plan on kicking all the bandster rules into gear & keeping the weight loss. We'll see how it goes. I figure this diet can't hurt anything because it's all healthy foods!! Funny, I know that you don't have the band yet, so this will be interesting to see how it all works with each of us. We'll be the gineau pigs for everyone else!! I'll test this diet as a person WITH the band. You test this diet as a person WITHOUT the band. :biggrin1: So far, I am lovin' it!! Here's to another bowl of soup!!!! :hungry:

My friend confided something with me today that was pretty scary & I am no quite sure what to do with this info. She told me that her husband & 12 yr. old daughter got into an argument a few days before & the husband ended up pushing his daughter into a wall & then kicking her. The daughter went to school limping. Some of her friends at school asked her what was wrong & she told them the truth. My friend told me that her husband is normally a very kind man who was just under a lot of stress at the time. He can be rough at times & is verbally hard on the kids but nothing like this had ever happened before. The husband felt bad about it & apologized to the daughter & let her know that he was very wrong. My friend called up her pastor for advice on what to do & he told her that the incident needed to be reported to CPS. (Child Protective Services) He said that since the daughter had told some friends there is a good chance that those friends parents might report it themselves to CPS. He suggested that my friend actually call CPS herself & tell on her husband. The pastor told her that she (my friend) was just as liable as the husband if CPS ever came in & found out that the wife was hiding it. By her calling CPS herself she is protecting the children & they would know that the wife understands the circumstances & is on top of it all. My friend is scared to death to call CPS. She knows that it would open an investigation & all her kids would be questioned along with the daughter & the entire family monitored for several months. She's not sure she wants to go through all that, but does agree that her husband was very wrong in his actions. I am the only person she told this info to. She is having a hard time with it & wanted my opinion. I don't know a thing about CPS. What actually happens when a wife calls to report on her husband? How long are you monitored? Is this something that will be on the husbands record for life??! Now that I know, am I liable? Any comments would be helpful...

Hey Funny! I am doing this with you too!! My daughter & I started yesterday. I lost 1 lb in one day & my daughter lost 2 lbs!! I think the soup is yummy. Today is Veggie day & I'm having cucumbers, soup & cherry juice for breakfast. ha! I researched this on-line as well & found that the people who have done this reccomend you take a good multi-vitamin every day. I think I may also drink some isopure to get in some extra protein on the non-beef days. I've been on a plateau for a LONG time & I just needed a little something to get me back in the game. This just might be it. The soup is very band friendly & super healthy. I really like it & could easily eat it for a normal meal some day. I'll let you know how it goes!!! Good luck Funny!!!

Thanks P'Nut!! I agree about not ever wanting the authorities being invovled in this type of situation. It's just so scary!! However, what my friend & I both realized is that SHE is responsible for protecting those children. By having the mother of the children call, CPS knew that the kids were being well taken care of & were in good hands. CPS felt that because the mother called & had already scheduled family counseling, they decided to only document the incidents & not do any further investigations unless there was another problem. However, CPS did say that they were going to monitor the family & follow-up with them. I thought that it all turned out well & she feels good about it!! I know this topic had nothing to do with our bands, but I truly felt that this group has so much valuable information to share. Thank you! Thank you! I consider you all my good friends.

Just thought you'd like to know that my friend DID call CPS. She felt it was the best thing to do. I also called myself just to make sure. She also called a counselor & they ALL will be going to counseling. She said her husband has been very workable & agrees he has a problem that he wants to fix. I hope everything turns out okay for them. Thanks for all your responses!! This is such a great group.

Thanks for all the responses!! I had a long conversation last night with my friend & found out more info that she was hesitant to tell me earlier. A year ago, her husband had a run in with their 7 yr. old son as well. Knowing this information, I told her that she really should contact CPS because it isn't just an isolated event. I think that I may go ahead & call the hotline number as well & be an anonymous caller - just to make sure the kids are okay.

Hey Funny! This diet looks real interesting. I am in a little funk & wondering if maybe this would kick my butt in gear. I love this soup! I made it a few years ago & it was yummy. :scared: I have a friend who lost 50 lbs. on the cabbage soup diet. When do you plan on starting this? Let us know how it goes!

Hi Sherri! My birthday is also on July 22nd!! Cool. I've never met anyone else who had the same birthday as me. You're giving yourself a great birthday present!! Congratulations.

I am still pretty amazed that this thread is now on pg. 5 & there are no wars!! :girl_hug: I love it!! Thank you everyone for keeping this such a good, happy place to visit.

I had permanent make-up done on my lips & eyes. I truly loved it!! My favorite was the eyeliner. I just had a simple brown put on & it looked so natural & nice. However, it fades after a while. I had mine done 5 years ago & it is now gone. My lips looked nice too, but be careful what color you choose. I choose a light muave color that worked well. I had a friend who chose a deeper red color that just looked terrible. Even though I liked my results, I would NEVER do the lips again. That was more painful then anything I have ever done. My lips were bleeding so bad & when I was finished, I saw that there was blood splattered all over my face & her gown & the wall. It was really a miserable experience & I can still feel the pain now as I type this. UGH!! Terrible. Terrible.

Very interesting thread!! Lots of good comments so far. I have to agree with what others have said here. I always thought that when the word "wealth" or "riches" is mentioned in the bible, it didn't necessarily mean money, gold or posessions. I always felt that it meant love, feeling content, having good friends, a love for God & being happy for the blessings you do have. I have a saying on my wall that reads - "Happiness is knowing that the life you're living is acceptable to God."

Join the TOM club!! (ha!) I am always miserable during this time & it has nothing to do with my period - just my band!! For 3 days I can only drink liquids. I think I just retain water or something more then most. It's no fun!! The good thing is that I usually end up losing 2 lbs from it all. HA!!

I have to chime in on this thread!! I am the one that was spoken of that has an obstruction with a hot dog & was throwing up black tar. :) It was a miserable experience & it makes me sick to my stomach when I think of the whole ordeal. :tired It's beem about 10 weeks since that happened & it has been hard for me to even LOOK at a hot dog. However, last week I was at a family members house on vacation & they served HOT DOGS!! I didn't want to seem rude by not eating it. I wasn't sure what to do! So, I peeled off the skin & took small bites. (No bun!) It was delicious & I had no problems. The skin is the real culprit on these little boogers. They're like rubber & don't break down very easy which is why they are so dangerous for bandsters to eat. Now that I know I can eat them without the skin I think I will add them back to my list of foods I can eat.