niecyrenee

I thought I would weigh in on the fills discussion. My surgeon and I have been pretty aggressive with my fills but I am now regreting that. I am now too full. Now that the weather has cleared up and it's safe to travel, I hope to get in to see him this Friday to get a small unfill. I would much rather have to have willpower then deal with what I have been experiencing. I haven't been able to keep much of anything down, including water. I have even ended up throwing up a few things that wouldn't go down. Liquids even! My advice to everyone: work on willpower! Having to make yourself control your food intake is SO much better than having food in front of you and being hungry but knowing that you will be in horrid pain if you eat any. The upside, weightloss! It's been great! It almost makes this worth it...almost.

I wish I could say I am doing a lot but that would be a lie. This cold will not go away. I tried dancing last night but ended up coughing badly. I'm also dealing with my band being too full. I have to travel over an hour to my doctor and I have a call into them to hopefully get in Friday because I am off. So as a result, I can't get much of anything down, including water. I am slowly drinking a protein shake this morning. The only upside to this is my weightloss; 2 pounds so far this week! This is just a bump in the road and I will overcome it!!

They work well for me as well. I try to not eat them a lot but they are really nice to grab for work. They have a lot of variety so I don't get bored easily with them. Also, it's nice to have them for lunch because it makes me feel like I'm eating a "normal" meal and therefore everyone's eyes aren't on me because I'm not eating much.

Let me first say Congratulations!!! I was floating the day I got my approval letter!! Your insurance company may be different but I thought I would share with you. My insurance company told me they had a $10,000 limit on WLS but I figured anything I paid over would be the best investment I could make. The coordinator of bariatric services at the hospital had told me that I would be really close because my surgeon and the hospital were in my PPO. So we estimated that the maximum I would pay out of pocket would be $3,000. Well, after surgery I checked my insurance companies website just to see if bills had been submitted and how much I owed. One day I checked and they had paid the hospital and a few other bills and they were at the $10,000. I then saw that the surgeon's bill had been submitted and it was close to $5,000 and they hadn't even processed it yet. I started to get scared because we hadn't anticipated that much out of pocket. To make a long story short, my insurance company paid him as well! I was shocked!! The only thing the coordinator and I can figure out is that the $10,000 was for the hospital only. Whatever the explanation, I'm happy. They went over the $10,000 and my cost was only co-pays. Again, congratulations on your approval and best of luck as you advance in your journey to a new, better life!!

:eek: Way to go Teresita!!! That is awesome! Watch out world, Teresita is on a roll and she is kicking butt!! :cheer2:I've got your back if you don't mind chubby cheerleaders!

Thanks everyone for your responses. I assumed I was too full but since this is all fairly new to me, I wanted to get some other opinions as well.

It's a cold frigid morning here in Missouri but I will get my exercise in. I have been fighting a nasty cold but finally feel up to getting my butt moving. I will do my cardio dance video at the least this evening. It is quite a sight to behold believe me! I am not currently able to eat too much because I think they got me too full at my last fill so until it is safe to travel to my doctor, I will have to manage. So today I will continue my diet of mostly liquids. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

I FREEZE all the time! I am always cold! My hubby says it's because my thermometer is broken. It doesn't matter how many layers I wear, whether it be socks, shirts, whatever, I am cold! I have been told that it is because I am losing my "insulation". I still have a lot of insulation to lose so I don't know what I will do when it's all gone.

I can come up with several (as we all can), but I will only mention a few. At my last job during a performance review, I was told that I dressed really nice for a fat person. I just looked at her, totally shocked. Another time after interviewing for a job and being told that I basically had the job (by one interviewer), he came back and told me that others were afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up. You have got to be kidding me! My cousin's son has made several comments. When he was 5 he told his parents he didn't want to hug me because I was fat. And one time he asked me why I was so fat. It was really loud and we were in a crowded restaurant. Talk about wishing I could crawl under a table.

Ugh! That's a struggle of mine. :faint: I am addicted to the scale. Every morning before getting in the shower, I hope on the scale hoping to see another number down. I have got to stop that! Some days I'm really happy and some days I'm disappointed. (This morning, happy!) Yesterday I got more Water in but not as much as I would have liked. Today I will succeed! So far today I have had 10 oz. of water and 1/2 cup of rice chex with skim milk. By lunch I WILL have in 32 oz. of water! We are starting the Biggest Loser at work soon so that will help keep me motivated. It's so much easier when everyone is doing it. And the fact that we each throw money in the pot (I think we are raising it to $20 each this year), we really get busy. There is a group of us that have decided we are going to brave the cold and start walking at lunch before we eat. We will get exercise in and maybe we won't want as much food that way. Today is a new day and I will succeed!!! Good luck to everyone today!!

Count me in! I commit!!! I will get rid of the excuses if I have to beat them out of my head!:frusty: LOL! I bought a new Cardio Dance video the first of the year and I did the entire 40 mins last night! My calories were good but my Water intake wasn't as well as it should be. Today's challenge: Drink at least 64 oz. of water, stop eating when I feel full, and to get up and get moving! Good luck to all Bootcampers!!

:update: I originally went into this journey wanting to lose 230 pounds but my doctor has said that my goal needs to be changed. He said he thinks 205 pounds is a good goal to set instead. He told me that losing 230 pounds could make me too skinny! Can you believe that?!? That term has never been associated with me! So after talking to him, I have revisited my goals and updated my ticker to where my doctor thinks would be best. (I can always shoot for lower when I reach that goal if I think I need to.) That sure helps with the mental aspect thinking you are 25 pounds closer to your goal then you thought! :biggrin1:

I have been thinking about adding an exercise video or two to my weekly workout routine so that I am doing something different every few days to hopefully keep boredom from setting in. I was thinking about something fun like some sort of dance routine for one and I really don't know about another one. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to check into these.

:wow2: :welldone:That is awesome!!! Way to go! I can't wait until I am joining you in the 100 pounds lost club! :cheer2:

Hmm...never thought of that. We really don't go there very much but if we happen to again, I will see what they say to that. I was really surprised by the lady when I showed her my card and asked her about it. She said I was the second person to ask about it that day and that they didn't do that. It was her tone that got me more than anything. It was very judgemental. I just paid, piled on more food then I knew I could eat and left with two plates sitting on the table piled high. I figured I paid for it, I am entitled to waste it. Horrible attitude, I know but I couldn't resist. :devious

Thank you. When I heard about lapband, I knew it was for me. Gastric bypass terrified me. I had a friend who did it and she has had so many problems. I know that's not the case with everyone who has it but the whole procedure scared me. While the idea of the weight coming off faster looks nice with gb, the overall picture isn't all that appealing. (It's very common for people who have gb to put a lot of weight back on.) I am content to have the weight come off slower because I am learning how to eat correctly and exercise. And I love LBT! Everyone here has been so wonderful!!

Your grandmother sounds like a vibrant, funny lady! It is so much easier to get the mindset of yor step-father but what kind of life would we have? Your grandmother is a wonderful example to think of when you are down. She has come through so much and we all have so much to learn from people like her!!

There have been a few times that I have used mine. For instance, Ponderosa will honor it and give me a child's buffet. I just show them my card and tell them I have had weight loss surgery and I have no problem. However Ryan's will not honor it. Some are going to and some aren't. I figure if I have to pay full price, it will make up for all the times I ate lots at a buffet and paid the same price as someone eating a normal meal.

Congratulations!! Isn't that a nice change? I was so shocked to learn that I had actually LOST a pound on Christmas day! (I am one of those that weigh everyday. It's my new addiction!) I have never, ever done that. I always gained. My fellow November bandsters: We are doing great!! I know it's hard to stay positive when we have failed so many times. Most of my family is negative so I grew up looking at the negative in everything. It's very hard to overcome and I most certainly haven't reached it. I struggle with it all the time. This is the end of December, the month following our surgeries and I for one am very proud of all of us! We have all taken a major step to becoming the people we want to be. It won't happen over night, it may take a year or two or more but we made the step! We knew coming into this that it was going to be a long haul and a lot of hard work, but we can do it! We have already come a long way!! 2007 is going to be a great year for all of us!! Just take a few moments and fantasize about where you want to be next year at this time. I for one don't want a 3 in front of my weight...and I believe that I am going to make it!! I am going to have to work hard, but I CAN DO IT! What are everyone else's hopes and dreams for 2007? Share them with us and we will help you along the way. BELIEVE that you can acheive it. Tom is 100% correct, our mindset makes a huge difference. We are going to have down days, but that's why we are all hear, for support, for someone to listen and be there for us. I have decided that when I am down, I am going to send a message to Tom and he will set me straight! :heh: LOL! He has the positive mindset that I want!

I kinda wish I hadn't told some people also for the same reason. We had a breakfast at church a few weeks ago and this old lady (that I am not overly fond of anyway) looked at my plate and asked if what I was eating was on my "diet". It was a scrabbled eggs for goodness sake!!! :angry I could have slapped her! I had to stop myself from smarting off so I just told her I wasn't on a diet and yes, I could have eggs. Some people have got nerve!! I told my hubby that I wasn't going to anymore church dinners because I get so sick of people watching what I eat. UGH!!

Good! I am so happy to hear that you can see it. In some weird way, that makes me feel better. I can't explain why but it does...maybe it is because I am so self-conscious; does that make sense? I am much happier now then I was 2 months ago!

Ok, here are my pics. The first set is the night before surgery and the others are last night; almost 2 months post-op. I see some difference but not as much as I would like. I do notice more changes in the side shots then the front shots. My hubby had to point some of my changes out to me. I can't wait until I am actually happy to see a picture of myself! Does anyone else have some progress pics they want to share?

Good things....well, I did only eat half of my (small) lunch today. My mind wanted all of it but I listened to my body and it said no. Sometimes I'm not all that good at listening to my body; guess that's what got me in this shape. :phanvan Anyway, I didn't get new pics taken last night but today I am wearing my new jeans so I'll have hubby take them when I get home. Hope the pictures look as good as I am wanting them to......The real good pics are a ways down the road but I will make it there eventually. :heh:

WLS is a big decision and it shouldn't be taken lightly. You need to be sure before you commit to it because it is a big step. I did it because I want to be healthier and I want to have children and my weight is what has been holding us back. I want to live a long, full life and I can't do that being so overweight. I have failed so many times I have lost count. One thing to remember is this is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. And even if you have it, you will slip up, we all do but it doesn't mean you are a failure, it means you are human. 16K is a lot of money, I agree but you aren't throwing it away, look at what it could give you. You can't put a price on health and happiness. Good luck to you! Remember, we are all here for you so lean on us!