Julia_N

We might be sketchy on sex, but ask us ANYTHING about food and we'll know it. :thumbup:

Congrats on the new job! :thumbup:

Yeah, it's cheating ... cheating death! :smile:

I varies by doctor and insurance company, as others have posted. The info seminar I went to was a big public meeting. We were given folders with a lot of info in it and an information sheet to fill out. That got mailed in, then the surgeon's office called me a week or so later for an appointment. At the appointment, I found out the exact requirements of my insurance company and they gave me referrals for the pre-testing. I have Aetna, which required a 6-month pre-op diet. If you've already been dieting with a doctor, that will count toward it. I had my first meeting with the surgeon on Sept. 23, 2008, and got the approval in June 2009. Surgery is July 31. (I had to wait a bit longer because I had pneumonia for about a month.) The pre-op diet helps shrink your liver and makes your abdomen looser, which makes surgery easier. Good luck to all of you!

July 31, checking in.

I'm getting banded on the 31st. I have to do 2 shakes and a high-protein meal for the next 3 weeks, then totally liquid for a week before surgery. I've been mostly doing the 2 shakes and a meal since late September, although I've fallen off the wagon a few times. I'll be so glad when I finally get this done. About the only thing keeping me on track with the shakes is repeating the mantra "This too shall pass." Oh, and the surgeon's office decided that my goal weight should be about 14 pounds lower than what I originally had, so my trip just got a little longer. But that's OK. I have the rest of my life to get there.

I used to buy fat-free mayonnaise all the time. Both Kraft and Best Foods (Hellman's in the East) made varieties I used. But in the past few months, I haven't seen it at any of the supermarkets I visit. Out here, we have Ralphs (Kroeger), Vons (Safeway), and Albertsons (SuperValu). I've also looked at a couple of Super Walmarts and big Targets. We have some big ethnics market chains that don't carry it, and neither does Trader Joe's, which I didn't expect to carry it. Anyone see it anywhere? I do know a place where I can buy individual packets for the fat-free mayo, like you'd get at a deli, but those are hard to cook with.

I just got my surgery date of July 31, so I'm squeaking in. I've been various stages of overweight most of my life, but I see old pictures and realize that I wasn't THAT heavy all the time, even though I felt really fat. Maybe if I hadn't been dieting since I was 10, I'd have a better handle on eating. I have most of the co-morbidities, which only worsened as I hit my highest weight in the past couple of years. I started my band Quest in September, got sidelined in February when I spent 8 days in the hospital with pneumonia, and revived it in April. The whole family is behind me and I can't wait to get back to rollerskating with my daughter. Good luck everyone!

Thanks for all your suggestions. I did see where I could get Krafts online through its Web site, but it's over $6 a jar, plus shipping. I have not had the Waldens mayo. It's available at a store I go to. I wanted something that the whole family could use. But I did a little more looking this weekend and found that Walmart has Best Foods (Hellman's) Low Fat mayo. It has 1g of fat and 15 calories per tablespoon. I believe this is what the Kraft fat-free was, although it had no fat. It also makes a light mayo that has about half the calories, but it's still pretty hefty, calorie-wise. I can live with 1g of fat. Haven't tasted it yet. I intend to use it in tuna or chicken salad. Thanks again for all your suggestions.

If you're consuming just protein, you could be in ketosis, which isn't dangerous unless you're diabetic. That's when your body is expelling unburned fat molecules. It gives you bad breath. 35 years ago when I was in college, I was doing the Atkins diet and would go into ketosis if I followed it closely. Can't hurt to ask your doctor about it.

In my opinion, you're needlessly worrying about something that MIGHT happen. Do you have any inkling that your insurance is about to change? If not, don't worry so much. If you're ready to get the band, do it now when you know for sure that it's covered. If your insurance changes, then you worry. If it doesn't, that's a long time and a lot of energy you've spent on something that isn't happening. Good luck! :tongue2:

Just remember that you've got a new way of life. Things that you have to think about now will become automatic. It's like learning any new skill -- remember when you learned a new program on the computer? You'll get it. Good luck. :thumbup:

You might look at the appetizer menu. I know most of them are deep-fried cheese and dough, but at one place my daughter and I go, Mimi's, I can order an appetizer of a handful of lime-cilantro-grilled shrimp and asparagus. (Yes, it's fabulous!) I'm not banded yet, but when I had this appetizer a few months ago I made a mental note of this option. Of course, I live in California, where we've elevated picky eating to an art form. Good luck everyone. :thumbup:

I was updating my Bandster profile and it wiped out who my surgeon is. I kept putting him back in, but it wouldn't show up. I'm preop. Does that make a difference?

I'm pretty open that I'm going to have the surgery. I told my immediate work group because they could be affected by my scheduling. Maybe because I'm older, and if someone sprouts that "it's dangerous -- a friend of a friend died!" I'm not afraid to tell them they're f'ing full of crap. Success is the best revenge. :thumbup:

On our first date, my husband and I went to Gemco and bought a cassette of "Thriller." A few years later, we went to an all-night party at Disneyland celebrating the opening of his 3D film "Captain EO." We waited in line 4 hours to get in. In his day, MJ was the most dynamic performer I'd ever seen. I remember how stunned we were the first time we saw him Moonwalk on TV. I'm going to remember him from that era, not the broken man he'd become.

It depends on your insurance and doctor. My insurance required a six-month preop diet. After a predetermination that the surgery was covered, my surgeon didn't even submit paperwork until after I was done with all the appointments and diet requirements. I have my final preop seminar on July 3, at which time I'll get my surgery date. I started in September, had a delay when I was hospitalized for pneumonia, so it'll be about 10 months for the preop process. I hope yours goes more smoothly than mine! Good luck.

I don't rollerblade but I intend to take up roller skating again when I lose a bunch of weight and get my balance back. I used to skate a lot in the late 70s-early 80s and it was great exercise. You're moving, but it's lower impact than running. I'm going to show my 16-year-old how we did it back in the disco era. Sounds like you had a great time!

I second -- or is it third? -- the nectar Proteins. I mix the chocolate truffle with a teaspoon or two of instant espresso and it makes it more latte-like. I also have the tropical flavor, but I'm beginning to not like it so much. I guess I want a REAL pina colada. The fuzzy navel flavor is good and peachy. Another good Protein to try is Isopure Zero Carb. It comes in 20-ounce single-serving bottles and fruit flavors. The whole bottle has 40g of protein. (My doc wants me to have 30-40g for each meal.) They're sort of like Sobe Lean. I'm preop, so I've still got all my stomach capacity. I would guess 20 ounces might be a lot post op. I buy them at Vitamin Shoppe. They also have them at GNC. They're very expensive to order by mail because shipping costs are killer. The bottles are very heavy.

I've been on the preop diet since the end of September, although I've cheated many times. When I go all liquid and meat for dinner -- well, it's liquid in and liquid out. Not fun, especially when you have a cold and cough a lot. The only thing that keeps me going is the idea that it's temporary.

I had my preliminary seminar in August 2007. Met with doctor in September. Did all the required preop appointments in October. And I'm still waiting for insurance approval. A decision is due by June 19, but I'm not holding my breath. The point is, the length of time you wait depends on your doctor and insurance.

I'm not banded yet, but I've been using this for my preop diet. The chocolate truffle, fuzzy navel (peach) and tropical (pina colada) flavors are good. I add a teaspoon of instant espresso with the chocolate truffle flavor and it's almost like a latte. You can order samples on www.vitalady.com.

Weight Watchers members are generally anti any kind of WLS. I was a member many, many times, and if you mentioned WLS, everyone would jump on it being the "easy way out" and then talk about the "friend of a cousin" who died from it. I guess when they're spending $48-plus a month for their program, they get defensive about it. I did pretty well on WW -- lost 54 pounds, then gained it all back when I got depressed.

The best protein powder is one that's a complete protein, without too many carbs, and most importantly, one that you'll drink.

Prop. 8 passed in California by a very narrow margin. Right now the courts are deciding whether it's really legal. Just because the voters approve a measure doesn't make it legal. Right after the federal fair-housing legislation in the '60s, a ballot measure tried to rescind it in California, and it passed, but the courts ruled it illegal. I'm not gay and I don't know a whole lot of gay people, but it just seems to me that you can't deny a group of people the same rights. When my husband and I married, we automatically received many rights that are only available to married couples, such as tax advantages over unmarried couples in the event of death. For instance, when Susan Sontag died, her partner was left with a huge tax burden on property they owned together. No legal contract can take that away. I DO equate the fight for gay marriage to the civil rights movement of the '60s. There are still people who feel that blacks and whites should not be allowed to marry. A couple had to sue in the '60s for that right. If a gay couple marry, it won't affect my 20-plus-year marriage one bit. Let 'em have it. Miss California stumbled because she's a vapid idiot, not because she's an anti-gay-marriage advocate.