manderky

Lean Cuisine & Healthy Choice have some tasty meals that are just heat and eat. They're good for portion control and if you choose carefully, you can get ones with decent Protein and both Lean Cuisine & Healthy Choice have some that have whole grains in them. You can buy precooked chicken strips in different flavors and add them to the bagged salads you can buy, or you can do the long way and cook some chicken up ahead and save for salads. If you can tolerate wraps, you can make a tasty wrap with the chicken strips also. If I have to do fast food, Taco Bell & Wendy's are my friends there. At Taco Bell, I can get pintos and cheese that fills me up. Wendy's chili is good, and it's good on a baked potato. You can also get a grilled chicken snack wrap @ McDs and toss the wrap. KFC's grilled chicken isn't bad either. I like the legs b/c they're just the right size and not too dry. If you're tight in the AM, you can do Protein shakes, either make your own or get premade ones. That's where you have to try and see which ones you like. For premade, Atkins are the best tasting to me. For Protein powder to make your own, I like Designer whey. Hard boiled eggs are good Snacks. You can boil several at a time and have them ready to eat. Depending on what veggies you can tolerate, you can cut up veggies and use ranch or blue cheese dressing for a dip, or whatever salad dressing you like. Sugar snap peas are tasty, but can be a bit stringy for some. HTH! Amanda

I have just had my third fill, and wow, what a difference. Before now, I didn't really apply my eating properly once I recovered from the surgery. I was able to take bigger bites and eat faster, as long as I didn't take a huge bite of something I was okay. Well, after my liquid phase was over (dr requires 2 days of liquids after fills), I started eating, took too big of a bite, and got stuck. It passed after about a half hour of sliming and pain. I also think I'm going to be one of those tight people in the morning. I tried to take my medicine when I got up, which I have had no trouble with before, and it seemed like it had a little trouble going down. I may have to take these with warm Water now. I loosened up a bit later, but now I understand about why bandsters can't eat certain foods. Right now I can't eat doughy bread, even if I take mini bites and chew well. I feel a little tight still, but I think getting stuck may have made my band mad, LOL and caused some swelling. I'm sticking to liquids and mushies for a couple of days. If I can't eat normal healthy foods after a week, I'll call the dr and see if he thinks I need an unfill. Just wanted to post about my new experience!

Hey Anne, I told some people, and there are pros and cons to doing so. I told my boss at work, since I was taking a week off. I also didn't hide the surgery to my coworkers. If they were curious, I told them the truth. I also told my family, but that is a double edged sword. They are supportive, but I also keep thinking that if I don't succeed, or lose weight fast enough that they will think that this is just another thing that didn't work. No one has said or done anything to make me feel that way, but it's just how my mind thinks. It can also be uncomfortable when people that I know in person ask how my weight loss is doing. If I'm not losing much, I feel like they will wonder why not. It's great if I'm doing well, but I feel insecure about it if I'm in a slump. It's much easier to talk and compare experiences with people online and who have gone through what I am. I also hope that I am successful b/c there are others in my family that could benefit from a Lap Band, and I hope that maybe this will help them see how great it can be.

My surgeon doesn't use a fluoro either. He's very good...just 1 quick poke and he's in.

I have Anthem BCBS in KY and it took less than 3 weeks from the time my surgeon submitted the paperwork until they approved. Good luck!

Shelly, My insurance covered the surgery - I have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield through my husband at UPS. We have an 85/15 plan, and I ended up paying a little over $500 out of pocket. Thankfully, since Anthem is in network with Dr. Lusco I didn't have to worry about the $4000 extra charge. From the time I attended the seminar to the time I had surgery was about 8 months. It could have been much shorter, but that was during Christmas and I had to see my PCP, and I did drag my feet a bit with making appts and returning phone calls. Things are going well - I'm still learning how to eat, LOL. My first fill did not provide much additional restriction, so I haven't lost much since my surgery, but I had a second fill today and so far have noticed a definite difference. Dr. Lusco gave me a good analogy for how the fills tend to work. He said the first one gets you in the neighborhood, the second one gets you on the street, and the third one gets you to the house. I would say the hardest part for me is head hunger and controlling my evening snacking. I don't eat as much during the day, since I'm busy at work, but after I get home and the kids are in bed, I stay up late and snack. I also am consuming more calories than I think I am at the time. I'm going to start tracking them to see where I need to improve. Let me know if you have other questions!

Anne, I went to St Mary's also. My surgeon was Dr. Lusco in their group. As to why I went there, probably because back when I was looking for info, they were the first ones that I found a seminar for that was coming up sooner rather than later. I went to the seminar and never looked at anyone else, other than a quick internet check. I am very pleased with the care that they provide at St Mary's though. Everyone there was very pleasant and helpful. I'm happy to answer other questions if you have them. :thumbup:

Best thing to do is to call your insurance company and ask them. Even though many have Blue Cross, whether or not WLS is covered depends on the individual plan. Some plans and employers have an exclusion in their policies, some don't. I have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield through UPS and my surgery was covered. We have an 85/15 plan, so I did have to pay some, but not nearly as much as self pay.

Not sure what the letter should contain, aside from how the surgery is necessary, because my surgeon took care of that. They sent it to the ins company with my other paperwork. Perhaps ask your surgeon if they do this as well? Now, I had to have a letter of medical CLEARANCE from my primary care physician for my insurance also. My PCP faxed it to my surgeon and they sent it in to the ins company also. It basically states that I don't have any medical conditions that would make it unsafe for me to have surgery. HTH! Amanda in KY

I would see if you have an underlying condition that is causing you to not lose weight. There are several things that can cause this....PCOS, medications, hypothyroid, etc... If you are not eating enough calories, then you could be in starvation mode and your metabolism slowing down. Are you exercising? That will help to increase your muscle mass and increase your metabolism as well. The lap band restricts how much you eat, and sometimes the foods you can eat. Some people can eat certain foods, and some can't because of the restriction. It's a YMMV situation. If you are addicted to sugar, then it would be best to stay away from it as much as possible. I struggle with this myself with starchy sweets. The more I eat them , the more I crave them. Have you tried a low to moderate carb diet such as South Beach? See how you do on that and if some weight starts to come off faster when you cut back on sugar. You can also do both the lap band and South Beach (or other diet) together. HTH! Amanda

I'm also from KY (Louisville), and was just banded on May 21st. We sound very similar - I started at 302 and am 5'4" tall. I have been married 11 years, and have 3 children, ages almost 10, almost 8, and 18 months. I have sleep apnea, am pre-diabetic, have borderline high blood pressure, have several migraines per month, and my joints ache from the extra weight. Currently, I'm down 14 lbs, although I'm starting to slowly gain back now that I'm eating regular food again. I have a fill next week, so hopefully I'll start losing again. Right now, I would say I have some restriction, because I eat about 1/4th less than I used to. I do get full faster. I also have depression, but not panic disorder. There are times when I wish I could sit down and have a lot of something, just because it's so good, and there have been times during the various stages of the diet when I was depressed and frustrated with not being able to eat the same things as my family, but I did get past it. Good luck to you on your journey - IMHO, it's well worth it!