WDW Luver

I looked at GNC and my head was SPINNING!:thumbup: So many options, flavors, sizes and prices. Who knew they sold them in 64 gallon drums? But I was reading the labels and had no idea what I was looking for. Calories, fat, carbs, Protein, whey protein, soy protein, mix with Water, mix with milk, mix with juice. I was so overwhelmed! I have read lots of threads on the tastes, and different recipes etc... But what should I be looking for as far as the calories, carbs and protein content? Do I want Whey Protein? For instance, just looking at the products by EAS there was Myoplex Myoplex lite EAS Advant-edge EAS 100% Whey Protein and then some of them come in Carb Control Formulas? All these choices how do I know which would be best?

I am preband so I can't answer, but I just wanted to give you a great big hug . Sorry things didn't turn out like you planned. I always figure if the actual holiday didn't work out, then it is an excuse for a do over! And remember you are doing this so you can be a great Mom to your kids for many, many more years to come. Happy Mother's Day!

My husband is making cheese sticks. :thumbdown: No court in the land would convict me, would they? :whistle:I am on my 3 mo. preop diet and he has the fryer heating up! My daughter made blueberry muffins this morning. The other one just came home from a party with a bag full of candy. :cursing: Of course this is the reason why I want the band. I want to be able to eat all of these things in the future, just in smaller portions than I would now. But until then I have 80 pounds to lose and temptation is all around.:glare: :cursing: Someone pass me a protein shake.

My husband is making cheese sticks. :crying: No court in the land would convict me, would they? :whistle:I am on my 3 mo. preop diet and he has the fryer heating up! My daughter made blueberry muffins this morning. The other one just came home from a party with a bag full of candy. :cool2: Of course this is the reason why I want the band. I want to be able to eat all of these things in the future, just in smaller portions than I would now. But until then I have 80 pounds to lose and temptation is all around.:eek2: :w00t: Someone pass me a protein shake.:biggrin:

WAY TO GO! Keep on being a loser!:glare: I would love to do this! keamreeves and I have thought we should meet up. Let me know a time and a place! I have been logging everything into SparkPeople and I really like that way of tracking. Today I am actually low on everything but I am full. I made an asparagus soup for dinner that was so yummy and filling.

DH asked this question to my doctor at our consult last week. He said that there is no reason why it shouldn't ideally last the rest of my life (I am 39). He said that all the materials are used in other surgical procedures and have been shown to last a lifetime in the body so there is no reason this shouldn't either. I don't plan to have it ever removed unless there is a good reason!

There is a 3 mo. program but I think it is fairly new. My dr's office is extremely "with it" when it comes to the insurance companies requirements and how to meet them. But they weren't familiar with this. I gave them the information from the insurance company Policy Bulletin and they are going to check into it more. Until then I am doing it in a CYA manner. I may be doing too much, but hopefully it will allow me to have surgery 3 mo. earlier. Do a search on this forum for Aetna and you should find information. Basically you have to see your PCP and a nutritionist and have detailed records from them on your diet changes, behavior changes and exercise. I am also seeing a registered trainer to meet the exercise requirement since things are rather confusing on that point.

My doc doesn't do one. He said that he encourages us to stick to a healthy diet before surgery and that should be enough for the liver issues. I asked him why he doesn't require it and he said that it simply comes down to patient non-compliance. The research shows that only about 10% of people actually stuck to the pre op diet and the majority of the surgeries were just fine. So he said that unless there is some extreme case he sees no need to make me miserable for an extra week on all liquids, the post op will be bad enough!

This is a question that just depends on your Doctor's office. At my informational seminar we were weighed in and they took our photos and started our file. That was supposed to be our "official" weigh in. But we were allowed to come back and reweigh. If this is a concern for you just call and ask.

I am trying to stick to low carb, low fat and high protien for my 3 mo. preop diet. But I am really not sure how many grams of each I should be aiming for each day. Is there an optimal level of each for weight loss? Is there a ratio that is used? Like 60 of cals from Protein, 20 from fat and 20 from carb or something like that? I am trying to keep calories around 1200 (give or take).

I haven't killed anyone yet. :thumbup: Today was a challenge. I went on a field trip with DD's 3rd grade class that included taking lunch. I am trying to substitute at least one meal with a protien shake. So I had Go Lean oatmeal for breakfast, brought an oat muffin for snack and packed a Protien Shake and thermos with cold water and ice. I learned my first valuable lesson about protien shakes-- just because the container will hold 16 oz of water, doesn't mean you have enough room to add the entire shake packet and shake to dissolve. :thumbup: I started by adding just a little of the powder hoping I could just mix it slowly. NOPE! Big mess. I just gave up. So for lunch I had my muffin and water. Here is where the challenge came in. I went directly from there to help out at other DD's school. Cleaning up from the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. I got there just in time for the volunteers to eat.:ohmy: I resisted. They they tried to convince me that I had to try one of the cupcakes, made by a renowned pastry chef. She is one of our parents and I have really wanted to try her stuff. But you know what? Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. I resisted again. I took some home for my kids and I will admit that I had a small taste of the icing and a nibble of the cake just to see if they were THAT good. They were! I dumped my failed shake in the blender, added the rest of the powder and some ice and had that for snack instead. Tomorrow night I am going to a girl scout pot luck. This dieting thing would be so much easier if I had no life.:sad: But I can't put everything on hold so I guess I have to work through it. My plan is to have my protien shake (premade!) for dinner and enjoy some veggies from the veggie tray that should be there. Here's hoping I can get through each day and the challenges thrown my way.:thumbup:

I haven't killed anyone yet. :cursing: Today was a challenge. I went on a field trip with DD's 3rd grade class that included taking lunch. I am trying to substitute at least one meal with a protien shake. So I had Go Lean oatmeal for breakfast, brought an oat muffin for snack and packed a Protien Shake and thermos with cold water and ice. I learned my first valuable lesson about protien shakes-- just because the container will hold 16 oz of water, doesn't mean you have enough room to add the entire shake packet and shake to dissolve. I started by adding just a little of the powder hoping I could just mix it slowly. NOPE! Big mess. I just gave up. So for lunch I had my muffin and water. Here is where the challenge came in. I went directly from there to help out at other DD's school. Cleaning up from the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. I got there just in time for the volunteers to eat.:glare: I resisted. They they tried to convince me that I had to try one of the cupcakes, made by a renowned pastry chef. :cursing: She is one of our parents and I have really wanted to try her stuff. But you know what? Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. I resisted again. I took some home for my kids and I will admit that I had a small taste of the icing and a nibble of the cake just to see if they were THAT good. They were! I dumped my failed shake in the blender, added the rest of the powder and some ice and had that for snack instead. Tomorrow night I am going to a girl scout pot luck. This dieting thing would be so much easier if I had no life.:thumbdown: But I can't put everything on hold so I guess I have to work through it. My plan is to have my protien shake (premade!) for dinner and enjoy some veggies from the veggie tray that should be there. Here's hoping I can get through each day and the challenges thrown my way.:glare:

Weird. I swear that I responded to this yesterday. No idea what happened to my post! Anyway, I am using the Weight and Inches Diet Shakes that Dr. Clark sells at the Center for Metabolic Health. They are 29g protein, 200 cal, 3g fat and 15g carb. I also bought some High Protein Slim Fast for snacks which is 15g protein. I have cans of the regular Slim Fast but it is really high in carbs. Where do you get your protein stuff/shakes around here? Do I need to go to GNC?

This is my biggest fear also! I did ask my Dr. and he says the he does numb the fill site each time. I hate needles. He said that the barium amount is just a few teaspoons. I tried to do an upper GI once and couldn't get that barium down at all. With the first sip it just came back up. Failed test! I am hoping that things are better now and the smaller amount will make it better.

I officially started my diet today. I am having a protein shake for breakfast. Maybe another one for a snack. I had a Slim Fast today for snack but it has too many carbs. I need to go and get the low carb version. I figure this will help me get used to the Protein shakes and the liquid diet! I have a month of dinner menus ready of South Beach/Low Carb recipes. Lunch is where I always have a problem. I usually have a salad or leftovers. So far today I am getting plenty of exercise running back and forth to the bathroom! I have to PEE! Too much water and shakes.

So frustrated. I am at 39 BMI but am the healthiest darn obese person around apparently. I don't have any of the serious comorbidities--diabetes, high bp, cholesterol, or heart probs. What I do have is a complete disability in my feet. My insurance has already paid for several years of podiatrist appts, months of physical therapy, several medical devices, and 3 surgeries. I am unable to walk for more than about 5 minutes at a time. Currently my future is bleak and my insurance could end up paying for more foot surgeries, and my inactivity is putting me at risk for clotting. Insurance has already also paid for an ER visit and multiple tests for a suspected lung clot related to this. 2 podiatrists and my PCP agree that weight loss is really the best thing to help my feet and I will probably see about a 75% improvement if I do (there are also genitic issues involved) But NOOOOOO! That isn't enough. If I don't have one of the big five then I don't qualify, YET. But if I can gain 5-7 pounds then I will be at 40 BMI and then qualify automatically. I have to gain 5 pounds in order to lose 100! Insurance stupidity at its finest. I was prepared to start with a dietician this week and already had made a menu to alter my diet to high Protein and low fat etc... Instead it will be pizza, ice cream, soda, and my favorite Mexican place. It just seems so wrong. Did anyone else have to do this? Any actual "healthy" ideas for gaining a few pounds. I really do prefer at this point to not do it with junk.

It is all going to depend on your dr's office. I had my official weigh in on Monday and was 237-- big meal, lots of Water, heavy jeans and sweatshirt and a few heavy items that I just *forgot* to take out of my pockets.:wink: I saw the Dr today and they weighed me:eek: I hadn't eaten Breakfast, was wearing a lightweight skirt and had no pockets! Gee, look-- I have lost 7 pounds since Monday! I was really worried that someone might say something but no one batted any eyelash. The dr. only looked at the official starting weight and BMI that was recorded. But every office is different. I would just call them and ask. Tell them you really want to start working on better eating habits and starting a low calorie diet, exercise blah, blah, blah and wonder if there will be a problem with qualifying if you lose any of your weight/BMI.

Wasn't she great?! I am thinking maybe I should get some therapy just cause she was great to talk to! LOL Saw Dr. T today and he really is all that people have said. I had a ton of questions and he answered each one and was really positive and personable. That means a lot to me. I need a dr that has good bedside manner. He made DH and I feel really comfortable. He hadn't heard of Aetna's 3 mo. program that I am doing so I showed him the information and he thought it was great. I gave them a copy at the front desk so they can look into it and update their materials. He really felt like I won't have a problem being approved. I have an appt to see him in 2 months. I will be almost at the end of my 90 days for Aetna at that point. So now I just diet and exercise and keep my appointments with my PCP and with the nutritionist and hope I can be approved and scheduled for late summer.

Most of my friends would say that this is looooooooooong overdue. One of the questions that I was asked was "How do you think your life will change if you lose the weight?" I guess I answered it correctly because she said she was approving me. But I have been thinking today: How will my life change if I lose this weight? I hope that I will be able to: 1. Walk without pain. (the main goal!) 2. Sit in a booth and not have to shove the table closer to my skinny kids so I can breathe. 3. Be able to bend over and tie my shoes without peeing a little. 4. Hell, be able to actually bend over and REACH my shoes. 5. Hug my husband and have his hands be able to touch behind me. 6. Wear clothes that don't have an X in the size. 7. Use a towel in a hotel on vacation and have it actually wrap more than half way around my body. 8. Tuck a shirt in. 9. Fit in an airline seat. 10. No longer have nightmares about being cut out of a turnstyle with the Jaws of Life. 11. Wear jeans so tight I can't put my credit card in my back pocket. 12. Take off my wedding ring without using dish soap. 13. Walk up the 3 steps into my house and not have to take a rest to catch my breath. 14. Burn my handicapped parking tag! 15. Use regular sized hangers for my shirts. 16. Get my picture taken with Donald Duck and look smaller than him. 17. Buy some really cute nighties :thumbup: 18. Buy bras and undies in something other than industrial grade white cotton. 19. Remember what I looked like with only ONE chin. 20. Be less of a person physically, but still the same great wife, mother and friend. :biggrin:

Most of my friends would say that this is looooooooooong overdue. One of the questions that I was asked was "How do you think your life will change if you lose the weight?" I guess I answered it correctly because she said she was approving me. But I have been thinking today: How will my life change if I lose this weight? I hope that I will be able to: 1. Walk without pain. (the main goal!) 2. Sit in a booth and not have to shove the table closer to my skinny kids so I can breathe. 3. Be able to bend over and tie my shoes without peeing a little. 4. Hell, be able to actually bend over and REACH my shoes. 5. Hug my husband and have his hands be able to touch behind me. 6. Wear clothes that don't have an X in the size. 7. Use a towel in a hotel on vacation and have it actually wrap more than half way around my body. 8. Tuck a shirt in. 9. Fit in an airline seat. 10. No longer have nightmares about being cut out of a turnstyle with the Jaws of Life. 11. Wear jeans so tight I can't put my credit card in my back pocket. 12. Take off my wedding ring without using dish soap. 13. Walk up the 3 steps into my house and not have to take a rest to catch my breath. 14. Burn my handicapped parking tag! 15. Use regular sized hangers for my shirts. 16. Get my picture taken with Donald Duck and look smaller than him. 17. Buy some really cute nighties :wub: 18. Buy bras and undies in something other than industrial grade white cotton. 19. Remember what I looked like with only ONE chin. 20. Be less of a person physically, but still the same great wife, mother and friend. :wink:

The appointment went great! She is young and friendly and very easy to talk to. We had a good time just chatting. She had a form of questions she was filling out. Sort of the expected questions: Have you researched the surgery, What do you expect to change in your life after, do you know what to expect post op, Are you an emotional eater, Do you have a support system (family and friends), History of mental/psych issues, how does being overweight affect you now, why do you want the surgery. It was all really easy and actually nice to talk about. I also asked for her opinion on how to discuss this with my children. She has been losing weight herself so she totally understands the struggle to be heavy and to lose so that is nice. At the end she told me that she would send the paperwork recommending me as a good candidate (so I know she is approving me! ) by the end of next week. She said she hates having paperwork pile up and tries to get it all turned around within a week. So I would think at the very latest yours would be at the office by a week from Monday. So it was no big deal and I really liked her. You will be fine. Now I see Dr T for my one on one tomorrow. Any idea what I can expect from that? Will he be poking at my fat rolls? :thumbup:

I am seeing Dr. Hall today! In about an hour and a half in fact. I will check in later and let you know how it went. We may need to meet for coffee or something--sounds like we have a lot in common, I scrapbook also! We may end up meeting in one of the classes or support group meetings. I still have to do the 3 mo diet program for my insurance so the earliest I could be banded is around August so you will probaby be before me. Once you get all your paperwork in and get your insurance approval they said he can schedule you pretty quick, usually only a few weeks. Off to get my head examined!:thumbup:

Do you still have your gallbladder? That sounds like the kind of pain I had when mine was causing problems.

Yep! I am a huge Disney fan and spend most of my online time on a Disney message board. I have made some great friends there and we usually go for a Girls Only Week in the fall. But this year all the "fun" money will be going towards this surgery. It is all good though. I have had to do the last few years in an ECV--I want to be walking through Disney next time I go. Actually I want to be dancing! Oh no! That stinks! Why did they deny it? Glad you got another one quick. I have mine tomorrow and I meet with Dr. T on Friday.

Mine just had a regular scale--albeit one that measures you down to the last ounce! But then I saw the nutritionist and she had the other kind. But I had a TENS unit on my foot and the electrodes interfered so she couldn't get a reading.