*susan*

I eat a lot of steak too Jack, and love every minute of it! I eat chicken and pork a lot. I also eat turkey and roast beef from the deli. Cheese is not my band's friend, so I stay away from it. And, I don't like protein shakes, so I don't drink them, lol.

Congratulations on getting your approval, that is wonderful news! Now, if you have any questions or concerns, do not be afraid to ask us. We are all here to support one another.

Wow, I think that is the fastest I have heard of anyone getting approved with insurance. That is awesome. Congratulations. I am doing the happy dance with ya! :dance: :Banane09: :Banane52: :Banane20: :Banane29:

Are you saying someone had a lapband, gastric bypass and tummy tuck all at the same time? I don't think you are able to find the thread, because I don't think there is a doctor that would do both a lapband and a bypass at the same time. Why would they??? You would either get one or the other, not both. I also can't see getting your tummy tuck before you lose weight. If you did, it seems to me there would be a chance of having to have another done after you have reached goal. JMO.

Hi Havfaith and welcome to LBT, glad you found us! I guess I am not really sure what you are looking for when you say give you steps in 1-2-3. It sounds to me like you already have a pretty good idea of what you need to do. If your doctor is telling you that you are required to be on a supervised weight loss program for six months, then I would get busy with that right away. As Mvpo mentioned, it might be more helpful if we knew a little more information. She is right, if you are going to have your surgery paid for by insurance, then it can be a much longer process than going through private pay. Primarily because so many insurance companies do require a supervised diet prior to even agreeing to consider approving the surgery. However, if you are going to be self-pay, then usually all the doctor requires is a physical, nutritional consult, psych. eval., and some medical tests such as blood work and ekg. Many also require a sleep apnea assessment. This can all usually be done in a matter of a few weeks time.

Hi Paulax, sorry, I have not been experiencing any problems with protein. I know many people suggest drinking something warm before eating. They say that seems to help. Have you tried that?

I don't think everyone is scared. I consider myself to "function normally" and am not having complications, as you said. However,as your restriction goes up, you go through a learning process of what you can and cannot eat. It is literally a learning curve after each fill. After my first fill, I was able to eat hotdogs. After my second, I was no longer able to. Therefore, we tend to be a bit cautious after our fills to determine if something we were able to eat before is now going to cause us to pb. That does not mean we are making a big deal of it or are scared of it. It just means we are smart, know that possibility is there and that vomiting can lead to complications and if we can avoid it, we will. We are simply taking care of our band by being aware of what we can eat and what may cause us problems.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23140 Have you read this post that Leatha bumped up? If not, you really should take a moment to look at it as it is wonderful and sums everything up for you. Now is the time for healing. The band really isn't designed for losing until you have that first or even second fill. I gained prior to getting my first fill. But, I was ok with that because I knew once I was properly restricted the weight would start coming off, and it has.

Thanks for bumping this Leatha, it really is a good post. And, I want to be just like you when I grow up too! :biggrin1:

Yep, watching the numbers go down on the scale is a huge motivator!

Your body has undergone a major shock. You were probably on some sort of liquid diet prior to surgery, then had surgery and are now recovering from surgery. That takes a lot out on you, both physically and mentally. You may possibly also be mourning the loss of the food you used to eat, which is normal too. Give yourself some time for just you. Pamper yourself and better yet, make your family pamper you until you get to feeling better. I am sure you will regain your taste for food soon as well.

I was also self-pay in Florida. My cost was $16,500.00. That price includes anything and everything that has to do with my band for one year; meaning fills, monthly visits, nutritionist visits, support group and any complications that arise. My port flipped and I had to have revision surgery last month to correct it and I did not pay a dime for the additional surgery. We refinanced our house to pay for the surgery. I believe inamed also has a finance program on their website.

Is the person that is angry obese? If so, maybe they are jealous or embarassed by the fact that you have faced the fact that you have a weight issue and are doing something about it. As far as approaching that person about why you didn't tell them and their anger, I would just let it be. You don't owe them an explanation about anything. I would be quick to remind everyone though, that if you don't want everyone in your office to know you have the band, then don't tell anyone. Especially if you work in office with primarily woman. People can't resist gossiping at work.

Cindy, it looks like you are doing wonderful thus far. Now that you are starting the softer foods, remember to take it very slow. Take tiny, baby size bites and chew the food to a liquid mush before you swallow. Then, wait a minute in between bites to make sure everything is going down ok and to help decide if you have had enough to eat. I am sure you will do fine as long as you remember these important bandster rules.

Hi Jessica, I am so sorry to hear that your surgery has to be postponed and that you are having other medical issues. I do think it is important to find out what those issues are first. Please keep us posted and let us know how you are doing. My thoughts are with you.

I am a rooster fanatic. My grandmother used to collect them, and I guess I inherited that love from her. Everywhere you look in my house, you will see a rooster.

I am with Miper on this, I don't burp anymore, although I sometimes wish I could. I do start hiccupping when eating though, and it is usually my band telling me I have had enough and to stop.

That was good, lol.

You look absolutely beautiful! And, you can tell by the sparkle in your eyes how happy you are. Congratulations!

How much hair have you lost / percentage? None, have very thick hair How long since your surgery? 5 months Do you take a multivitamin EVERY day? Yes Do you take calcium EVERY day? Not in a supplement, but I get plenty in the food I eat. How many pounds do you lose a week? 1.5

I pb'd quite a bit after both of my fills. But, once I remembered to slow down, take baby bites and chew to mush that stopped. I do have major constipation problems, especially for the past month. I have found that a little bit of good ol' Milk of Magnesia gets things "flowing" nicely and quickly.

I think we should up it a little, but not a whole lot. I know, for me personally, this is the first month I have really started exercising so I am just getting used to this. I want to keep it motivating, but I don't want to set myself up for defeat either. I am all for upping it to 17 workouts and increasing the time by either 5 or 10 minutes. 9/1: None 9/2: Ice Cream instead of exercise, bad me. 9/3: 30 minutes on the treadmill! 9/4: None 9/5: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/6: 45 minutes packing and moving heavy boxes 9/7: 30 minutes moving boxes and 30 minutes treadmill 9/8: None, was sick all day :sick 9/9: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/10: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/11: No exercise, 1 hour washing, vacuming, cleaning out car 9/12: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/13: None 9/14: None 9/15: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/16: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/17: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/18: None 9/19: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/20: 30 minutes on the treadmill <!-- / message --><!-- sig --> <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->9/21: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/22: None 9/23: Out of town, 35 minute walk 9/24: None

I haven't had port replacement, but I did have port revision. They knocked me out again for this. But, I did recover very quickly from this and there was a minimal amount of pain compaired to what I had with the actual banding surgery.

Everyone recovers from surgery differently. I was laid off from work just prior to my surgery, but if I had been working, I know I would have been off for a minimum of a week. It took me 2-3 weeks before I really began feeling like my old self. Have you ever had surgery before? If so, how long did it take you to recover. That may be and indicator of how quickly you recover from this one. Anesthesia has always thrown me for a loop, and I always take at least a week or more to recover from any type of surgery I have had.

Drinking is not going to stretch your pouch. As far as restriction goes, like others have mentioned, I am tight in the mornings and can only get liquids down the first few hours I am up. I also get tighter around my period. And what Alexandra said is so true. I had mentioned to my surgeon that I am very tight in the morning. The first thing he asked me was if my rings are tight when I first get up. I said yes. He said a lot of people tend to retain Water during the night. Just like your fingers and ankles swell when you retain water, your body tissue/stomach can also swell, causing you to be tighter. So, if you do have some days where you seem to be really tight, check your water intake and see if you are a bit below where you should be, resulting in your retaining water.