jena

I think the pre-op diet depends on your weight and BMI. At least that's how it is for my Doctor. I have a very high BMI and I had to lose enough weight to get it under 50. I think that people who have less than 100 pounds to lose don't have to go through the 4 weeks low calorie/low fat diet I'm going through. I've been on it for 4 weeks, almost 5 and it's 4 weeks until I'm banded. I'm under 50 BMI now, so anything I lose is gravy. Low fat, low starch. low calorie gravy! :thumbup:

I have bi-polar disorder and was approved. Be honest, it will only help you succeed.

Bexter, I'm so sorry you are under such terrible stress. Your mom must have been in so much pain. I hope she is on the mend. You sound like you are doing well on your eating, even without the shakes. It would be so easy to eat out of machines and drink coffee all day long or grab something at a fast food restaurant but you are doing the best you can under the circumstances. Better than lots of people would do. Try to remember your shakes. Maybe you could bring a few Slim Fast Optima or Atkins canned shakes and keep them in your Mom's room or at the nurses station. sugar free Jello and SF Jello puddings are great to carry around if you have a big purse. Those yogurt to go drink things are good. They ALWAYS have beef and chicken broth at the hospitals. You could always ask to have some sent to your moms room. Throw some bullion cubes in a zippy bag and keep in your purse.I think there is a cream of chicken cup a soup that you just mix with hot Water. You might be able to have that in a pinch. You have the rest of your life to work with the band. Right now you just do what you have to do to get by. Hugs for you and your mom. Jena

I'm not quite sure what you're actual question is.. :redface: but I'll tell you what I did. I went to my primary care physician first and asked him for a referral to a Lap Band doctor. I went to the seminar of the Dr. that was recommended. At the seminar they gave everyone a packet of information which included forms to fill out for their coordinator. I faxed the forms to the coordinator after I filled them out. She called me back with a schedule of what I need to do - see nutritionist, get approved by a psychologist, etc. etc. She also called and checked with my insurance to find out what they covered and what my copay would be. In my case, my insurance doesn't cover anything, so I have found a doctor that I can afford by paying myself. From what I've learned from reading these forums, if your insurance will pay they usually have a strict set of rules for you to follow in order to get approval. That's why it's best to talk to the patient coordinator at the doctor of your choice. They will pretty much set up your schedule and refer you to the doctor(s) you will need to see for approval. Hope this helps! Good luck to you, Jena

I'm telling ya, Lean Cuisine is the way to go! I had a chicken panini sanwich for lunch that was awesome. As a matter of fact, someone walked through the kitchen here at work and said how good it smelled. I said lean cuisine! When I took it out she looked at it and said "Lean Cuisine? Wow!" I'm having a deep dish 3 meat pizza for dinner. :redface:

any reason you won't go to mexico?

Don't hate me. I've been dieting for 4 weeks and have 4 weeks to go before my band date. I've lost 20 pounds, so it can be done! I do admit, the weekend right after I got my date I pigged out. Spaghetti (my weakness) and lots of it. Icecream, a whole carton by myself. A whole box of Girl Scout Cookies in one sitting. there was more, I'm sure but I don't want to think about it now. I finally DID start that diet on that Monday. (How many times have we promised that on Monday...) No weaning myself off anything. I totally went cold turkey. 1 Slim-fast Optima shake in the morning 1 Lean Cuisine for lunch 1 Lean cuisine for dinner sugar free popsicles Sugar free fudgesicles Sugar free Jell-o Sugar free Jell-o pudding I weighed 323.5 when I started, 4 1/2 weeks later I weigh 303. It wasn't easy. The first 3 days were killer, but I made it. All of you can make it too! Just be strong as you can and after the first couple of days it starts to get easier. Good luck to all!

My date is May 8! I'm going to the OCC in Mexico since I'm self pay.

I am going to the OCC for my surgery on May 8. I'm self pay, I guess once I made up my mind, I didn't want to take the time to fight it out with HR and IF they would add it to the insurance, wait until '09 before having it done. From what I have experienced so far, the OCC is a great place. They have a forum much like this one, but almost everyone is a past or future patient at the OCC. Lap Band Forum - Lap Band Surgery Discussion, Lap Band Fills, Plastic Surgery after Weight Loss

Talk to the new insurance company or your HR person. There is no guarantee your new insurance will cover it at all! However...if your insurance is changing, you are, by law, able to be covered under COBRA. If you find out the new insurance won't pay and the doctor can't get you in early enough, Pay for the COBRA for the month and you will be covered under the old plan. COBRA will be more expensive as you have to pay the whole premium, but it is worth it if your new insurance doesn't cover it! HTH, jena

Can you appeal? Don't lose faith in the lap-band. Keep after it! I'm guessing because you are on Medicaid you have a much harder time than private pay or privately insured. Keep after it, though. States are beginning to look what Medicaid covers and they are removing bariatric surgery from their covered procedures. At least that's what I've heard from one of the seminars I attended. Insurance companies are doing the same thing. I've got BCBS of GA and when I told my surgeons office who I was covered by she said "Oh, BCBSGA won't cover any bariatric surgery." So I'm self pay and going to a great place in Mexico. You are doing everything right. You have completed your pre-op items. You've even lost almost 50 pounds and you have it documented. Keep on pushing! I suspect when you do find a doctor, you will be able to get in right away! This may seem like an obvious question, but have you talked to anyone at Medicaid? Hugs and don't give up! Jena

Edamame is fresh soybeans! Lot's of protein there. :tongue::thumbup:

Derbygirl, I appreciate your honesty. I've got a little less than 200 pounds to lose. I'm due to be banded on May 8. I've done so well on my pre-op diet, losing 20 pounds in 4 weeks, that it's hard to explain to people why I still want the band. Today, I wish I was already banded. Today, the beginning of my 5th week, I'm sooooo ready for my diet to be over. I've lost that drive. I think if I had the band now it would help me get over this hump. *sigh*

The couple of times before that I have lost a lot of weight, people treated me differently, but I treated me differently as well. That's just a natural thing. Think about it..I bet even you treat fat people differently than thin people!

A guy in my office did it and not only was it hard for him, he said the food was icky. He was only able to stick with it a month or so. He was only 20 pounds or so overweight. Now it appears that he is putting it back on. His clothes had gotten baggy and now they are fitting again. Why don't you save yourself some money and try my pre-op diet? One Protein shake in the morning, Lean Cuisine for lunch and dinner. Then between meals sugar free Jello, sugar free jello pudding (one a day), sugar free popsicle or fudcicle. salad and progresso Soup if needed. I gotta tell you, the Lean Cuisine's are out of this world. Tonight I had Sesame chicken and it was great. They have sandwiches, pizzas, ethnic foods, and meat and potatoes. The calories range from 180 to about 350. I think you'll be far better off than Nutra-System.

If it was done in a hospital and isn't day surgery, I didn't think you could be discharged until the doctor came in to see you! That's why they do "rounds", to check on their patients. Geeze...even my Dentist calls me the same night to make sure I'm okay. Even if I just had a filling! (not for a cleaning of course)

OMG! I thought it was just me! Now that I've lost 20 pounds on my pre-op diet, people who were supporting me before are all now saying "Hey, you lost 20 pounds, why are you going ahead with this? You can lose it on your own." I want to scream "I'VE GOT 170 POUNDS TO LOSE PEOPLE!!! 20 POUNDS IS JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET!" Don't these people know I've lost weight time and time again? Of course they do. I've sort of figured out what the problem is. They don't know exactly what the band will do and I don't know exactly how to explain it to them. Saying "it's a tool" doesn't cut it. Any suggestions?

I have a little less than 200# to lose. I get banded on May 8 and this thread is truly an inspiration. Thanks everyone for sharing. I'm so sure I'm going to lose it, I'm already saving for my plastic surgery!

Fenton, when you are ready for a gym, hire a personal trainer for at least one session. They will make you feel much more comfortable. They will help you use the equipment and map out an exercise plan for you to follow. I joined Lifetime Fitness which is a fantastic place. They have two indoor pools, one lap pool and one "fun" pool. The fun pool is awesome. instead of stairs the pool is like walking into the ocean. It starts off level to the ground and gets deeper until it's at 4 feet. I just started swimming lessons this week! I can swim but not very well. I wanted to be able to swim laps because I love the Water so much. Also it puts no pressure on your joints, which at over 300 pounds is important. There's no way I can do aerobics. I can't even stand for very long. I was so afraid that the gym would be filled with hard bodies that would make me feel uncomfortable. I could not be any more wrong about that. There are people of all ages and sizes. I feel totally comfortable there. Even in a swimsuit. It's not cheap, but I'm worth it.

START EATING THIS WAY NOW! Don't wait until you've been banded to get in the habit. Believe it or not, it is very difficult to to change the way you eat. I've been practicing now during my pre-op diet and it's tough! If I'm not paying any attention, I'll take huge bites and swallow almost as soon as the food goes in my mouth. Girlie2shooze has the right idea. That's about the same measurement I use as well. Capt. Jack, that's a funny description, but I can relate. I take at least an hour to eat a Lean Cuisine pizza.

Are you getting smaller in size? In the many diets I've been on, it seemed as if when I was losing weight, my clothes really didn't change much. When I was on a plateau, I dropped in size. I had lost a lot of weight on Atkins when it was all the rage and at one point, I hit a long plateau. Disappointing, but I went from a size 24 to a size 20 during those weeks! Imagine my surprise when I went to get some new slacks because mine were too big and when I put on the 22's they were huge! During 5 weeks I lost 2 pounds and 2 clothes sizes!

I usually watch the Today show and it looks like Al is putting some weight back on. He didn't have the band, though. He had gastric bypass. I don't think Ann Wilson was successful with the band. She did lose some weight, but it didn't seem to be very much. If I remember the story correctly, Inamed approached her with the idea that she would be banded and be a spokesperson for the lap band. To me, seeing what happened with Ann Wilson really emphasizes that the Lap Band is a tool to use to help you lose weight, not the answer to losing weight.

This is a great testimonial to the success of the Lap Band. Faith ignites strength for Lulu Roman's weight loss | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean

lifechange, thanks for clearing up the mystery! It makes perfect sense now. LOL! Loralei, I love your positive attitude. Great words of support! Jena

I just received an email from inamed and it looks like they are attempting the same thing that realize is doing with their web site. Lapband.com - About Haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but from the email, it sounds a lot about the the realize band site.