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My doc charges 300 for fills if your insurance pays, 150 if your on your own. I know, why does he charge the ins company more? I dont care honestly because even though they "paid" for my surgery there was still a couple thousand not coverd and they dont pay for aftercare which is rediculous, so screw em! He also saves a lot of money in admin fees if he dosent have to submut anything, so I guess he sees it as cheaper for him if I pay cash. So, being on my own, its 150. For floros' I go to a surgery center that charges 50 bucks if you dont put it through insurance. I learned about this after it cost over 400 bucks in the radiology department in the hospital, of which I still paid more then 50 bucks after deductibles and what not.

I have never had a prob eating after a fill, although I am told to do the whole liquid thing for two days. With that said, I didnt feel retstriction unil fill number three or so. Dont get discouraged if it takes a few to get to the point where the band is working for you. They cant (or shouldnt) tighten you up as much as possible at once. Its a process.

I had to be on a 2 week liquid diet. It sucked, I wont lie. I take that back, the first week sucked, but by the time the second week came around, I was so scared/excited that it didnt bother me. I lost about 7 pounds or so, so that helped with the motivation. I ate a lot of tomato soup.

Obviously the whole could/should argument is prob something you already know. Although I do stay away from most carbs, I eat sushi once in a while. I have no problem with rice as much as stuffing the whole piece in my mouth. I think its not the rice itself, its that we tend (or at least I do) to eat too much of it too fast as its very easy to do.

Thanks! Sounds kinda dumb, but I didnt cxare as much who did the surgery in thier office, its the aftercare that makes all the difference. I got a fill once a month until I was at a good place, never have that much of a problem getting appointments and feel like I am pretty close to being on the wl schedule I had set for myself. So Gretchen, how did your first fill with Paul go?

I think one thing you have to consider also, is someone like me who didnt lose any weight (well, very small amount) until I had proper fills which took months. because I wasnt filled enough I ate whatever I wanted pretty much which is how I got fat in the first place. Now with proper restriction I am eatling a lot less, seeing results on the scale and thats motivating me to get to the gym three days a week. I have lost half my weight since mid january when the fills got tighter. Also, keep in mind, there are a ton of people on this site that dont do shit for themselves as far as proper eating. I read on a lot of the food threads people looking for ways to make the wrong food choices band friendly. THESE are the people who lose 15 pounds in 6 months. Of course there are exceptions, so no one jump down my throat, but a lot of it is them eating what they can, not what they SHOULD. I was still be able to eat chips, so thats what I would snack on until I got VERY impatient about my weight loss and did something about it. Could I have dropped this without the band, probably. Do I ever get a bit discouraged when i see other August bandsters with a ton more weight lost, of course, Im human. Do I sometimes wonder if the band was the right choice for me, of course. I keep going though. I cant eat squat right now because I am tighter then I have ever been, and I like it that way. It keeps me from trying to sqeeze crap down my throat that I shouldnt even be looking at. Keep your chin up, as with any major goal/lifestyle change, you will have ups and downs, not just with your weight. Instead of getting down on myself about not having 80 pounds under my belt yet, I use those people as motivation by thinking about what I can change. It makes me see whats possible if I buckle down and focus on me and what I want to look like. Sorry for the ramble!

So glad some of you are seeing Dr. Pinnar. Both of them are just great. I happen to see the older one but have heard good things about his son Eric as well. The fill doc, Paul is so great. He is funny, truthful and I am more comfortable around him then almost any doc I have ever seen. If anyone is shopping for a band doc and Reston is close, please check them out!

I have this, although its not as often as you have it. It is a shooting pain in my left shoulder at completly random times.At first they said it was gas, then a couple months later they said that there was no way it was gas and was obvioulsy how they positioned me during surgery. Now its been since August and they have referred me to an orthopedic surgeon! I havent had my appt yet, but am curious what they will say.

wow, I cant beleive how much you guys have lost!! amazing! I wasnt losing so I joined Nutrisystem. I did it as a teenager and it worked well, though I was hungry all the time. Well....thats not a problem anymore! ha..the portions are perfectand I have dropped 12 pounds in the last three weeks. I needed a jumpstart after I found myself eating potato chips for lunch! I am dying to get to the 50 pound mark. I have also been going to the gym three days a week, so i know thats a big factor as well. Good job guys, I just love seeing how much you have lost!!!

you dont have any restriction yet, so yes, you will get hungry after the swelling goes down. I was "hungry" for a few months until about my third fill because it wasnt restricted enough. After the swelling goes down, it shoudl feel like there is no band at all. i could eat totally normal (unfortunatly), but now I have restriction and dear god, can eat nothing like I did before. Good luck! My surgery was 24k and my insurance paid for all of it but not my fills..

I just cancelled my membership to Curves. Please no offense to the older banders, but at 31, I just cant work up a sweat to the oldies! I was always by far the youngest person there, so requesting a music change wasnt an option. After a year or so, the routine was VERY old for me. The gym I joined recently is fantastic (LA Fitness if there is one in your area). At first I was intimidated by the size and because I am shy at the gym, but its been great. i can get on the treadmill for a half hour and then go work on some machines. Yes, Curves is great for a beginner gym or for working up to getting a real workout, but being stuck in a year contract will make it tough to step it up when you will need to.

omg, My dad has also called me Porkey Pig or Piglet or Ms. Piggy all my life. It doesnt flip me out as much anymore but as a fat hormonal teenager I hated him for it. About a month or 2 after my surgery, I got the pregnancy bit for the first time. I was at a grocery check out line and I had put the 12 pack of soda underneath the cart. The girl offered to put it in the basket after ringing it up because she thought I was pregnate. I was stunned. I said (pretty disgustedly so) "umm..no" and she knew right away that she had put her foot in her mouth. Btw, she was pretty short and fat herself. I dont know why I expect more out of other fat people. I stayed collected until I paid then bolted for the door, feeling the tears coming. I sat in my car hysterical. I have also gotten (more then once) "your the prettiest fat girl I have ever seen". Ummm...wtf, is that supposed to be a compliment you asshole?

Fun thread... 1. DAVID BEKHAM 2. Joaquin Pheonix 3. Chuck Liddell (UFC Fighter)