GreenChrysalis

I didn't even talk about that part, since I was actually trying to focus on these two people who claim that WW is the be-all and end-all but keep losing and regaining weight on it. I had to get in my digs at WW itself, naturally. But I think you're right. Shame is a good motivator for some people. Personally, the idea of weighing in front of others and the fear of being the only person who didn't have a loss would probably motivate me to eat an entire chocolate cake. :wink2:

Oh sure. WW is relatively cheap compared to Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem where you have to buy their food.

I am 30, living in Georgia. I've been married for 12 years and have three cats. I weigh 302 lbs and my goal weight is 175 (I'm 5'10"). I have been overweight my entire life, eat emotionally, have a very supportive husband & I'm only telling a few friends (no family for various reasons -- see my thread in the Rants section). I'd link to it but I'm feeling lazy. I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne. OK, I actually like a lot of "health food" and I don't drink pina coladas, although the occasional glass of champagne is good. I do like cheesy music. I just feel silly talking about myself and it turns into a weird personal ad. :rolleyes2:

I meant to post this earlier... I was reading another thread here a few days ago, and I would link to it if I remembered which one it was (so much going on on this forum!). I also don't recall who said this although with some digging I could find it...seriously, I'm getting old. :rolleyes2: Anyway, I saw someone say (realize I have not substantiated this in any way) that Dr. K places a "higher profile" port and that many people have to get it replaced with a "lower profile" port after losing a lot of weight. But Dr. K will place the "lower profile" port at the time of surgery for an extra $600. I haven't seen this mentioned in this or the other Dr. K thread and this is the first I've heard of it, so for your Dr. K bandsters, anybody know if this is correct?

Hey fatwidow. I realized that I ate emotionally. Food comforts me. The band won't let me easily eat mass quantities of food. But the band won't change my mental relationship with food. That's why I have started seeing a therapist to work on these issues and figure out why I eat like I do and how I can deal with stress and other emotions in a different way. If you can get some kind of counseling then that would probably be beneficial.

Yeah, Germ X all over your body isn't good. But that video is hilarious!

OK, you need to just cut him off and maybe consider taking a break from dating altogether for a little while. That was just plain rude and disrespectful. Let it go and move on.

Because my surgery date is Valentine's Day and we usually go out to dinner on that day, we'll be going on February 1 or 2 instead. I don't intend to go insane, but it's just a nice dinner for the holiday. My pre-op diet starts February 4. I agree with the idea that the thinking behind the "last big meal" is what got me where I am now. There are people post-banding who have no problem eating all kinds of foods and there are people who can't ever eat certain foods. Obviously, I don't know how it'll be for me. But I do know that there isn't any food that will taste better than finally being healthy. If there is some food that I can't eat after banding, then that's what I'll have to remember.

Obviously I'm not TedOB, but I can explain a cassoulet. It's a sort of casserole or stew that usually contains white Beans and meat such as chicken, duck and/or pork sausage. It often has a tomato-based sauce as well as onions, but that's the basics. There are a lot of variations but it's originally a peasant dish from France. :rolleyes2:

Congrats L.A.! It sounds like your recovery hasn't been too bad other than overdoing it the first day. I'll have to keep that in mind! Thanks nicnanut, I will try the GNC 100% whey protein powder. A variety of flavors sounds great, because I get bored pretty easily.

Welcome fatwidow and best of luck! I think you will find that everyone is very friendly on this thread. I'm just counting down still...the wait is just annoying. I bought a few different types of protein shakes at the store today to try. No sense in buying a lot of something if I find out that I hate it. Since Dr. K has us drink three a day, what does everyone like? I apologize if this was covered pages and pages ago -- this thread is a lot to dig through. Happy MLK, Jr. Day tomorrow, especially to those of us who have it off from work!

I looked up the "Any Willing Provider Law" and found the following. I don't see how it can specifically assist with getting bariatric surgery covered by insurance companies. It appears to require insurers to allow different medical providers to participate in their networks. I suppose that in some applications it could force insurers to allow bariatric surgeons to participate in their networks if they did not, but that doesn't mean that the insurer would be required by law to cover bariatric surgery. I copied the section that related to Georgia since that's what we were talking about. I don't claim to know anything more about this than what I've just found via Google. Maybe someone better versed in this kind of thing can share. From the National Conference of State Legislatures site Health Policy --Federal Issues: Any Willing Provider Almost half the states have laws prohibiting health insurers from excluding participation of willing and qualified health care providers in their geographic coverage areas. Although most provisions are limited to pharmacies or pharmacists, several states have adopted broad provisions applying to hospitals, physicians, chiropractors, pharmacists, podiatrists, therapists and nurses. Typical Provisions A typical any willing provider law requires all health insurers to be ready and willing at all times to enter into service contracts with all health care providers who are qualified under state law, who practice within the general geographic area served by the insurance company, and who are willing to meet the terms and the conditions set forth by the insurer. Pros and Cons Proponents argue that, by selectively contracting and thereby excluding some providers, health plans are threatening providers' freedom to practice. Because providers increasingly depend on managed health plans as a source of income, they have lobbied aggressively for laws that would obligate plans to contract with any provider who meets the terms of participation. Opponents of the concept claim it undermines cost control mechanisms employed by health plans allowing them to offer lower premiums to enrollees. Georgia: The two laws apply only to Blue Cross Blue Shield contracts or rural health care providers' participation in plans in their geographic regions. Defines qualifying counties.

Hey Kellie. Welcome! To learn more about the band and whether it might be something for you, research research and then do some more research. This forum is a great place to start. Check out the FAQs here Lap-Band Surgery FAQs and References - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support You may want to explore other threads for your age, weight, location, etc. There are lots of ways to connect with others for support.

WaSa has an excellent point. I thought about that myself when looking for ways to self-pay -- I spent a lot of money on food and on diet soda. Once I looked at it that way, I realized that I would not only save money there but I could also cut back in other small ways to afford it. And if you are on medication for co-morbidities like diabetes or HBP (thankfully I am not) you may be able to reduce or eventually go off of them completely -- so think of that. I used a credit card because that was the best option for my situation. But there are many ways to find the money -- many surgeons work with loan and medical financing companies, and many of them have a lower rate for patients who self-pay. So don't give up yet. I don't like the extra bill but I know that I am worth it. :tt1:

I've only been in this job for three months and it's the first time that I've worked with mostly women. It's definitely different -- there's so much gossip going on and I just sit there and let it go by. I'm sure they talk about me when I'm not around too. I'm just not interested. So probably some people do think I am snobby or standoffish but I don't really care. I'd rather keep my personal business to myself. I did tell my immediate supervisor that I needed a few days off for health reasons and she said fine. She did not ask what it was but I'm sure she is wondering!

I'm sure you will hear this from people with the band, but...you aren't supposed to feel restriction before your first fill. Some people do, it's true, but the band is empty, so why would you feel restriction? This is known as "bandster hell" -- you've had the surgery, you're finished with your post-op diet and you're waiting for your first fill (usually 6-8 weeks post-op, which is so your stomach can heal). You can eat what you want and sometimes you even gain weight. The band is not working yet. Did the surgeon not tell you this? He should've. Just keep reading on here and doing your research and you should find out everything you need to know. As for how long you should wait between fills, it really depends on you and your level of restriction. Obviously, you need a fill. But you have to wait until your surgeon feels that you are healed. Hang in there! My surgeon gives out a card that looks like this:

This happened to me too -- my husband works for the state and has the UHC State Benefit plan. I called and asked by procedural code if the lapband was covered. They said yes. I looked online and saw some people saying that it was not covered. So I called again and was told no by a different person. I requested a written copy of my policy that contained exclusions so I could see it for myself; obviously just calling and speaking to someone at UHC is not enough. So I got the policy and there it was in black and white. No bariatric surgery is covered. I decided to self-pay. I will submit my bill as a claim and see what happens but I am not hopeful that I will get reimbursed for anything. I don't expect Georgia to change its policy anytime soon. I haven't seen anything about a law but will look for that. It's very frustrating that the reps at UHC are giving out incorrect information. Perhaps they are not looking at the State Benefit policy; I'm sure that other policies cover it but ours does not. It is very upsetting to hear one thing from one rep and a different thing from another. :pray2:

I have pretty much decided not to tell my parents that I am getting banded. My SO will know and a few friends, but that's it. Neither of my parents are significantly overweight -- perhaps 20-25 pounds on both of them. I have been overweight my entire life. I do think that they could've helped me and perhaps I would not have become an obese adult. But we ate very stereotypical Southern food. We did not exercise as a family. I do recall my father telling me when I was 10 or so that I needed to "watch it" or I'd end up really fat. That was about the extent there. He would poke me in my stomach up until about 5 years ago (and I am 30), when I lost it and told him to keep his hands to himself. When I eat at their house, I feel like every bite is being watched as I put it into my mouth. If I take "too much" of something then my father calls me a "piggie." I try to eat as little as possible and eat my actual meal when I get home. The only time they have mentioned my weight as an adult was when I lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers and then they told me how great and pretty I looked. They both whine about how "fat" they are to me without being sensitive to the fact that hello, I am morbidly obese. I know from past conversations that they both think of any kind of weight loss surgery as a crutch, taking the easy way out, et cetera. Even Weight Watchers was silly to them, because you had to pay for it and count points. I should be able to just eat less and exercise more. I don't have enough willpower and that's why I am fat, according to them. I'd like to think that my mother would be more sensitive to it but she would not keep it to herself -- she has told relatives things that I told her in confidence before. I can't imagine telling other relatives either. I am not really close to most of them. None of them are overweight. My grandmother put me on Slimfast & Lean Cuisines with her for a summer when I was 8. She told me that if I slimmed down and stayed that way she'd buy me a new wardrobe of clothes every year. That never happened but she was still telling me that up into my teens. I am obviously less of a person to her because I am fat. At Christmas this year my 14-year-old cousin made a fat joke and other relatives laughed, including her mother. Then she looked at me and said "no offense." I told her that she was incredibly rude and left the room. I didn't eat dinner because I was so upset and everybody asked me why I wasn't eating. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. So I have gotten the message all my life that I am a failure because I am fat...I have a "pretty face"...if I'd just "slim down"... I don't see a reason to share getting banded with any of them. If I did share, even if they got past the "giving up" part of getting WLS, then they'd constantly be asking me about it. I don't think I can deal with that kind of pressure. Yet I am having a hard time with this decision, not telling my parents especially. I'd like to hear others' experiences with telling family members.

I wrote about my issues with telling family here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f80/parents-other-relatives-49056/ I don't think that it's anybody's business but my own and my DH's. I am the biggest person in my office but I don't want to have to deal with the questions (they're a nosy bunch). But it is a personal choice and there's nothing wrong with shouting it from the rooftops if you want.

My pre-op diet is basically a less-strict version of the induction phase of Atkins for 10 days -- no bread, potatoes, pasta, rice or sugar. I know I am a carb addict so that will be tough, but I will do it because I have to. :smile:

I used to love love love food Network, but it has changed dramatically and I don't like it nearly as much as I used to. I loved Sara Moulton's Cooking Live (and used to do the Wednesday Cookalongs). I could tolerate Emeril, especially Essence of Emeril vs. the circus of Emeril Live. I liked Ming Tsai, David Rosengarten and lots of others who have been long gone from FN. Rachael Ray is just too much of a cartoon character for me with her catchphrases, I'm not a fan. I used to like Paula Deen a lot, she reminded me of a long-lost relative, but I think she too has become too cartoony and exaggerates her accent as she has gotten more popular (which really gets to me since I am a Southern girl). Can't look at Giada Di Laurentiis because she appears to have a million teeth. I enjoy Mario Batali -- too bad they canceled Molto Mario (not sure why they canceled Emeril Live too since he has been there since the beginning). I liked to learn when I watched Food Network. I'm not a food snob, but someone making food out of mostly boxes and cans (which is why I don't like Sandra Lee at all) is not interesting to me. I want to learn new techniques, new cuisines, how to use different and unusual ingredients. I do like Barefoot Contessa although she can come off a little Martha Stewart-like, and Nigella Lawson. I don't care for the reality shows and the competitions, and that seems to be more and more what FN is about. I watch PBS and other channels for the type of cooking show that I like. All my two cents here...to each her own of course!

I will be interested to see what kind of replies that you get, because I am definitely wondering about what will happen. I don't have a big pannus but I do have a small "pouch" that hangs. I am hoping with the slower weight loss (vs. bypass), drinking lots of water, exercise...and maybe my genes are good enough too...maybe I won't have too much saggy skin. But since I am self-pay and I doubt my insurance would pay, unless it's debilitating I don't think I would do plastics. There's just no way of knowing what'll happen so we'll see. :smile:

Hi AppleSmith, I am also 5'10" with a goal of 175. I am built a lot like my mother and she's 5'11", the smallest size she has ever been was a 10/12 and that looked great on her. So I figure I'd like to be around there, double digits are fine as long as I can shop in the regular stores again!

TheGhost ~ That is a good idea -- soup or just saying I'm feeling a little under the weather. Unfortunately most of our family gatherings are homecooked meals so it will be difficult. It was hard enough when I was dieting everyone knew it. One Thanksgiving I was going to just bring my own meal and my mother said she would cook some stuff separately for me without oil, butter, et cetera. But she didn't and I had to go back to the grocery store to find something to eat. green ~ Your friend is right. Sometimes family is just toxic, period. nina874 ~ Thanks for the hug! No way I want to open that can o' worms. I can't imagine any instance in which they'd see my scars, I'm not showing 'em my tummy! greeneyez ~ I am so glad that you have great family support!

My DH knows and a few friends, that's it. I am not telling my parents or other family because I don't think that they'll be supportive. I wrote all about it here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f80/parents-other-relatives-49056/