ReneBean

Bummer, Crystal. I do the coffee & protein powder breakfast, too. Coffee, vanilla protein and a dash of Cinnamon... very nice.

I heard or read somewhere that the hair loss is caused by that mad release of hormones and other body waste products that get trapped and stored in fat cells. As you lose weight, the cells break down and release all that garbage back into your system. It affects lots of things, including your menstrual cycle and your hair growth/loss patterns. It should even out and go away eventually.

Go Spydr, Go!! Congrats on your surgery. :]

There was actually a study done in one of the Obesity Surgery issues, I think. The sweet tooth folks lost weight more slowly - but there was no SIGNIFICANT difference - I think it was less than a 5% variance. It's all about you. Are you going to eat 2500 calories a day in chocolate? If NOT, then you should be fine. :]

Just look for Protein Powder that is Soy based - no dairy - no problem. You can mix it with Water or soy milk and Viola! You can also get Egg Protein - I think it is called Albumin or something like that. You just want to avoid whey protein - as that is the milk one. Congrats on your upcoming surgery! :]

(((hugs))) Patty!! I don't know how Mom's do it... I can't imagine having had children to take care of every night after work. I can barely manage to take care of myself. Can you take turns reading with a different kid each night? More Hugs! Eileen - Chocolate even for your hair color?? I thought you were trying to avoid that stuff? lol! Wish I could see it. I bet it looks real purty. Miss Pat - What, was this a special day of beauty? Why didn't anybody tell me? I would have gotten my toes done or something... :] AND for 37 years you DO get a medal. Here I thought I was special with a measly 16 years... I can hardly imagine 37! Happy Anniversary! Cindy - Hugs!! I am thinking good thoughts for your Granny. I am glad she is ok and I hope that stroke wasn't too severe. Don't worry about the black eye - we'll just put you on Jerry Springer next to Patty and Lewis! Zan - How are you doing today? You had your day of beauty a day early! Thanks for all the encouragement. I am just going to submit to the state and keep my fingers crossed. Something will work out for me. I mean, everything else has in the past. I will just go out and buy those lottery tickets... Hugs all around!

Deep Cleansing Breaths, Paul. Just think of the great drugs the doc will give you for the pain... lol. Seriously - Think of how much easier it will be to Lurk on Broads when you are thin and studly!! :]

Congrats, Fee!! I am jealous! I wish you the best of luck on your new life as a Bandster. :]

Hi All!! I'm alive. They just made me work all darned day and then I had a hot date for the gym with my Beloved. Betty, Eileen & Cindy - big hugs to you! I worry about my folks all the time. I can't imagine what I will do when that day comes. Hey Sara - I have a love-hate relationship with the gym, right now. On the one hand, I know that it is extremely good for me to get the exercise and shift my metabolism and all like that - but on the other hand, I get all STIFF when I sit for any length of time. I feel like a little old woman! I am just hoping that with time and repetition, the whole stiffness thing will go away. Patty, you Disney Chick, you! I think you and Cindy & Eileen should form a band. Maybe Country & Western? Disney Chicks sounds very C&W... Nana-Pat - Whatcha Doin? Is it hard to be back in the real world after your lovely beach trip? Zan - I would consider it an NSV that you had a Manicure & Pedicure instead of going to get something good to eat! That is what I would do between apointments, today! And any Voo Doo rituals would be helpful, at this point! Perhaps some sort of charm? I would accept any help available. I have applied and been approved for financing - the problem is that I really can't afford to make the payments in real life. It's a back-up plan. DH is very much against adding another bill to our budget - and I don't have a leg to stand on in an argument.... We really can't afford it. I am going to go ahead and submit to the State Insurance Board - without the benefit of an obesity lawyer - unless Eileen's friend will work super cheap... and super quick! I was advised that this might me a complete waste of time - but it's a shot. It would take 45 days for Walter at Obesity Law.com to get a letter done for $450. If I want it sooner, the price jumps to $800 and if I want him to follow up on any responses to the letter, it jumps again, to $1200. AND there is zero guarantee that it will work - and no refunds. If I wait the 45 days, my insurance policy may no longer cover the surgery at all. The coverage I have now is no longer available after the first of the year and I am not sure how to go about finding out what the future may bring. If I pay $1200 then I am short that much to pay the amount insurance won't cover... and that is assuming it works. Plus, convincing DH to spend money with little guarantee of return is more than a monumental task. He is apparently only half way on board with this whole surgery thing - and he is NOT willing to go to the same lengths that I am to make it happen. *SIGH* In the old days, I would have gone straight to the Bank of Jay - Daddy would have given me a nice easy long-term loan. My credit is good - but my folks are getting older - and Mom just had knee surgery - and the money just isn't there. So, submitting to the State Insurance Board does seem like the best option - but doing on my own is super-scary. I am going to have to do some further research and go into my comorbidities some more - add to and expand on the letter I already wrote. I am somewhat despondent at this point and more than a little daunted. The good news is that I have two weeks vacation for the end of November - and I am going to visit my parents. That always makes me feel better. I hope everybody has a great day!

AWESOME!!! That totally rocks! Keep up the great work!

Go Ray, Go!!

Hey Miss Patty, Good to see you here. Stop by any time and fill us in on the workings o' the walt... :]

DON'T WAIT. I envy you the fact that this surgery is available to help you get control at the age of 23 vs the ripe old age of 40. Lots more life has passed me by, and I can tell you right now that it doesn't get ONE BIT easier to lose weight as you get older. AND the hanging skin is better than the fat. It weighs less and you can pack it into a girdle until you save enough money for Plastic Surgery. Hanging skin won't cause Diabetes or Heart Failure... only some embarrassment. RUN - do not walk - to your doctor's office and take control NOW. If your insurance company will pay, then take the money and run!

Well, our friends at Blue Cross have denied the first appeal - again, because my BMI is over 50 - despite the studies referenced showing that there is no difference in the final result of the surgeries. Now I have to either retain a very expensive attorney to rush a review request to the State Insurance Board of California - or I have to take another risk and submit to them, myself. Did anybody submit to the State of CA Insurance board without attorney assistance and win? Please advise. Thanks!! Irene

Cynics - 1, Optomists - 0. Someone did in fact call me back. The clinical review nurse called me and told me as little as humanly possible except that I was denied, yet again, because my BMI is over 50%. The update on the 11th was the letter going out, according to her. So, I am pretty much back to square one - except that now I can submit to the State Insurance Board. If I do that and fail, I may have exhausted my last chance - I am not sure. I was told that submitting to the State on my own was a waste of time - that I need to get Obesity Law.com to help me - but that costs money that I don't particularly have... I need every little penny I have saved to pay the amount that insurance won't cover. So, I am pondering an exercise in futility. I am going to get some sage advice and think about it for a day or two - then it's back to action.... one way or another. I have to say that I have a renewed hatred for all things Blue Cross, this evening. I will try to purge that negative Karma from my system before morning. :[

Welcome! Congrats on your band! :]

Dang, Ira! You kick some serious butt!! Awesome! Go wild on that cracker. Under the heading of "Somebody's Gotta Die" we have the latest in the Blue Cross Saga... I called them to find out what the heck is going on. The system was updated on the 11th - and the customer service person on Friday assumed that it was the letter being sent. WRONG. That was the grievance department ASSIGNING MY CASE to a "Grievance Specialist". Up until then, nobody had even looked at the damned thing. As of this morning, there is no answer. At least they gave me the person's name and a direct VOICE MAIL number. Of course, I can't tell if it is the correct number - because it is a generic "you have reached" type of message. No name or anything. I left VM - for all the good that will do me. I decided that the liklihood of getting an answer today is slim & none - so I called Dr. Fox's office to re-schedule my appointment for Thursday. The gal there was very nice - she said that if I DO get an answer before their office closes, I can call them to re-up for my tomorrow morning appointment time. Of course, they close at 4:30 - only 1.75 hrs from now.... :[

Happy Birthday, Ray!! Hope you had a great one~!

Surgery Center of Richardson has regular seminars. You can check out schedules on Bandlandia.com. :]

Wow, you guys were busy! Pat, I am jealous! What a fabulous view. I haven't been to the beach in over 4 yrs. I am way past due, if you know what I mean. I am a Cali girl, and I need the beach. So, Cindy - did you scream at the heart throbs when you were a teen? I never got close to a heart throb as a teen... Nice avatar, BTW. You are looking great! Betty - did you get rid of all those pies, yet? chocolate cream sounds pretty good... Thank goodness I will never be in the position of cooking for DH. He will be able to eat anything that I might ask him to cook for me! Eileen - how are you making the carrot juice? Have you got one of those Juiceman machines? Or do you just grind and press? I am pondering getting a food dryer system so that I can make dried zuccinni strips to replace noodles in Lasagna...But a juicer might be fun. Good luck with the 1/2 cup thing. I can't imagine... That's like 2-3 bites, now. Those small bites are going to be the biggest challenge. If I didn't hate puking so much, I might be worried. I am definitly going to have to invest in some baby silverware. I spent yesterday out and about with DH. We went back to the dreaded IKEA - not dreaded because of the store - dreaded because of the crowds... It was packed, hot and moist. We got a couple of rocking chairs, a drawer unit, a footstool and a couple more bookcases. I spent the evening putting things together. I got all but the two bookcases done, and now my office is pretty much put together. Of course, this evening I will be loading the bookshelves. I currently sit surrounded by over a dozen moving boxes full... Such excitement. I crapped out on the Gym, though. I have been bad, all weekend. I have to re-start my 4-days-a-week chip quest! (BAD - only three days this week) The good news is that my vacation looms closer - two glorious weeks of no work and visiting at my Mom's house in Tuscon. (Trish, I will waive as I pass thru New Mexico!) My last work-day for this month is Nov. 18th - this coming Friday. Yippee!! No letter in the mail as of yesterday, so tomorrow, its back on the phone. I will harass somebody until I get an answer.... I have my pre-op visit with Dr. Fox scheduled for Tuesday, so if I don't hear by fairly early in the day, I have to cancel that. GRRRRR. Of course, if a miracle has occurrred, it means that I can keep my pre-op appointment and maybe get my surgery as early as the 19th - and push my trip to Tuscon back a week. Everybody think good thoughts.

Cindy - I think Ray works at the airport. Ray, didn't you tell us that in one of our Chat threads? And did you REALLY get to see the Beatles or is that really a list of things you wish you could see... I would be so jealous if you did. I haven't been much of a concert-goer, although I love music and am seldom without it. I live in a world where there is always music playing, if only in my mind. I was fortunate enough to see Black Sabbath (with Ozzy) & Pantera James Taylor Billy Joel The Stones Kenny Loggins Firefall (at a Taste of Beaverton - Howdy Oregon!) And of course, we had to go to the Big Stink (6): Stabbing Westward The Cult The Offspring Everclear Lit There were others there that day; but I only remember actually seeing the above. It was a cultural experience. (Looking at my list, I am thinking - uh, yeah. Eclectic just about covers it!)

I read somewhere in my travels that the body can only absorb about 30 grams at a sitting - so paying extra for those mondo Protein shakes isn't worth the effort - probably not even for those body-builder types... I have seen people note any amount daily from 50-80 grams - so go with whatever your doc tells you for a daily total. :]

Well, Betty, I'm afraid your fingers are in for another weekend of cramping.... I called the infamous and much dreaded Blue Cross again today and was (shocking) not able to get anyone from the grievance dept to pick up the phone. After leaving them a snippy little voice mail, I called the Customer Service number and a nice lady told me this little shred of information: "Your file was updated yesterday by the grievance department. I am assuming that a letter went out yesterday." The lovely Carol tried to access the microfiche that should be there if they sent me a letter and she and her superviser "could not get it to come up." This means one of a few things... 1) there was no letter to find. 2) Carol & her supervisor need some training on how to use their computer system. 3) The answer is DENIED again and they don't tell people that stuff over the phone. (see irene scraping her poor exploded head off the desktop) I guess I get to wait for another day... or two... It's a good thing I don't have high blood pressure. I wonder if I have any illegal substances anywhere at home? Maybe some nice alcohol? Hmmmmm. Sorry guys. I am what you might call OBSESSED at this point, and there isn't much else on my mind. Lets see - Irene vs the Evil Eliptical - 13 minutes last night. I'm taking it on again tonight. No big plans for the weekend, except for some brain-numbing activity - if I can find one. I might just crawl under the covers and not come out til Monday... :/

Wow! That's good. Did you write it? I'm impressed. :]

I must admit that I have never heard of them. What is a Krav Maga? I guess I will have to check out the link. :]