kimkimmie

Hi I live in Jacksonville, and I am wondering if anyone on this forum is from Jax... Let me know :wave:

Hi Melissa! I am in Jacksonville too (also 5'6" - 35 years old) and I'm just finishing my insurance required 6 month requirement! I have 1 last visit with Dr.Cyves and then they are going to submit my info to Cigna and once approved I will FINALLY be banded! They are predicting March. I was 318.5 when I started the process, and I weighed last week and was at 303.5. They are only having me add 10 minutes of exercise a day and I have to eat under 30 carbs per day. I've done my Psych Eval, Nutritionist visit, and I also did my labs, EKG, and chest x-ray. My file is ready to submit and just needs Dr C to sign off on it. I've researced this for a few years, and am getting anxious and impatient. Thank God you only have to do 3 months. Who is doing your surgery? Have you been to the weightloss seminars? I went to Dr. Webb and Dr.Cyves. I chose Dr. Cyves because of his experience (nearly 800 bands) and that is the only WLS he does. He is also a Pediatric surgeon and before he moved to Jax he did surgery on babies while they were still in the womb. He has to have Amazing skills to have done that! Best of luck and pm me from time to time to let me know how things are going. If you happen to be using Dr. C he has monthly support group meetings the 1st Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm at his office on Beach Blvd. I go to them to learn more about the band and to hear 1st hand from the people that are losing the weigh with their band tool.

Hey Susan! I talked to you a year or two ago! I'm finally getting my band! It should be in March. I am just finishing up my 6 month Cigna requirement with Dr. Cywes. I didn't want to be a self pay since if there were any problems I would be in debt for life! Anyway, I decided since the company I worked for was closing, that in my job hunt I would make it a requirement that the job I took had to have insurance that included LapBand surgery. Well, Citibank's insurance covers it *but again you have to go thru 6 months of physician supervised weight loss first*. I've lost about 15 pounds since October which is when I really started to follow the under 30 carbs a day regimine and added 10-20 minutes of walking per day. I just wanted to say hello! ~Kim

Hey ya'll! I'm here in Jax too. I'm a patient of Dr.Cywes too. I have my last appointment before getting the band on 2/13. They say depending on insurance I should be banded in March. I've been researching and preparing for 2-3 years and have been on the Cigna 6 month requirement for 6 months now. I've been going to the support group meetings at his office. I enjoy it and I like that it is at 7:30pm. It is 1x a month first Thursday of every month. There are some nice people there. Anyway, I can't wait to get my band too!! ~Kim

My surgeon said that once I get the band and well I should start now... I should limit carbs to 30 per day not including any that may be in my meat or non starchy veggies. I would prefer to do the points. I lost over 60 pounds in 2000 on WW... But since then I have gradually gained all of the pounds back PLUS about 25 more on top of that!!! I think with the band I could be and stay a WW success! I have to discuss it with my surgeon, maybe as maintenance. I know that they want us to eat Protein first to be sure we get in in and this keeps our metabolism up and gives us nutrition we need to avoid losing muscle... after we finish the protein we are supposed to move to non starchy veggies... and maybe a little dairy. With 1 piece of fruit and 1 dairy that is really the 30 carbs already so on rare occasion we can have a special meal, but that is supposed to be like once a month or something... ~Kim

OK, I am getting advice from a lot of people that are not on the board and know little about the surgery. They are saying that I might not lose weight. I typically would eat in a day now (no band) and it always varies but usually comes from a restaurant... Breakfast 2 fast food breakfast sandwiches (or 1 plus something else to fill me up) lunch Fast food sandwich and fries or salad with full fat dressing, or 2 tacos and chips and salsa from Tijuana flats (lots of the chips and salsa and probably some queso too, or a small hamburger and a fillet o fish, or a barbque sandwich with fries and an order of onion rings, fried mushrooms or other appetizer Snack Crackers and cheese,or popcorn, or a small hamburger, or some Cookies with a little icecream, or sometimes nothing dinner Either a footlong tuna sub (no mayo and with less tuna than they normally use)and bag of light chips, or Carrabas chicken Marsala with fettucini alfredo, bread, side salad and some of the fried calamari (I don't finish all of the chicken and pasta), or Outback Alice Springs Chicken with fries and some of the appetizer,salad and bread, or I stir fry beef with some onions and mushrooms and serve it over rice... Then maybe a snack before bed - typically some popcorn, or a few light chips or some(15-20) crackers, or maybe a Peanut Butter sandwich and a few chips if I had a lighter dinner. OK, that being 'confessed', lets say I have the band and it is filled to perfection and I get full easier, Even if I didn't change my eating habits (this is worse case scenario, I know that is not healthy, but please play along :huggie: ). If I had the same food options as above, and I was feeling full much faster, wouldn't a typical day again using the same foods be something like... Breakfast - 1 fast food breakfast sandwich and wulaa - I'm full! Lunch - A Happy meal, or 2 small tacos BAM! Full again! Snack - about 40 pretzels, or about a cup of some baked cheetos Dinner - A few pieces of the fried calamari, a bite of the salad, and the chicken Marsala (no pasta) Snack - 5 crackers and some cheese I don't drink caloric beverages and I am willing to give up the diet soda and do crystal light, skim milk, unsweet tea and Water. Theoretically I should still lose weight right? I have heard people say that the best way to lose weight is to eat what you like but reduce portion size. I realize that this is not a good healthy day of eating, but I would think that it is better than what I eat right now and I should lose weight. What are your thoughts on this theory? ~Kim

Are we related? That is how I feel. When you were little, did your parents restrict what you could have and how much? I wasn'r alowed to go in the fridge and eat in case something was a part of a meal that my mom was planning to cook. Restaurants were not everyday and often we went for special occasions. Now I eat at restaurants every day! I am just like you where if I can get the yummy restaurant food I will get it whenever I can even if I am not hungry, and if it is something I don't like, I typically will not eat it even if I am a little hungry. Now if it something that is just 'ok' like a grilled cheese I would eat it if I was hungry and too tired to run through a drive through or something. I don't know what the psych will say about this. ~Kim

Good morning... I have a BMI of 50. I am a horrible eater, but must say I love everything I eat. I will be making a huge change to start eating dark meat chicken with no skin or some fish or protein shakes and adding fruits and veggies and not doing too much with carbs. This is a whole other planet to me and why I did the WW flex plan over core... With WW Flex I could eat anything as long as it was 32 points. But alas I have messed that one up by overeating when I ran out of points if the opportunity arose. I want to lose the weight. I am scared about the eating and the possibility that I will take on that debt (self pay) and not be able to do it. My hubby already asks me if I am using the $700 treadmil I just bought in March... yeah, I did for a while, but not so much now (I need to use it! Maybe tonight ! Well this is going to cost 10 times more, so I absolutely have to make it work. I am so afraid to give up the food, I am sad to think that I cannot eat some of the foods that I love after the band. I really need to get my head right! I know some of ya'll used to eat like I do now before losing so much weight with the band. How did you transition? How hard was it. Did you suprise yourself, or did you know up front that you could do it? I tried WW Core, and can usually only do it a week at a time because I get tired of the food choices, and these are really pretty much the only food choices that I can have if I am banded, and it won't be for a week, it will be for the rest of my life! I guess the band will help me to give it all up, since I won't be able to eat that stuff without getting sick, and if I can tolerate some of it I won't be able to eat as much! Luckily I don't drink calories with the exception of milk, and I can pretty much avoid chocolate and icecream... maybei can have the low fat kind once in a while as a treat. I'd like to see a thread where people post what they eat each day for all meals, do you know if there is one on here? Thanks for listening!!! I want to be successful, I want to be 'not fat' andi honestly want it more than I want to eat yummy foods, but it is a very close race sadly. ~Kim

Quick question (my shortest one yet I think :biggrin1: ) Is the feeling of fullness with the band, the same feeling of fullness that I get when I get full now without the band or is it different. I wonder if the full feeling feels higher up and./or if it makes you feel a little "gaggy" being so close to the top of the throat? Thanks!!! ~Kim

Hmmmm I usually eat till I am full, which makes me sleepy (especially at lunch)... My guess is that no longer will happen after the band! Thanks for answering my question.

Wow, thanks for calculating that, yikes! that is a lot of fat and calories! I sincerely appreciate your help and effort. ~Kim

Thanks for making me laugh :huggie: I never really thought about what people eat in Alice Springs, Do you guys hafve Outback Steakhouse there?? I do appreciate all of your input, and rest assured Once banded I will not eat like that, maybe some of the foods some times, but I will have a plan in place. I do get to meet with a dietician, but that is after my $500 deposit so I wanted to test the waters with all of the experts (all of you wonderful and helpful people :clap2: )!! I sincerely thank you all... I almost can't imagine eating that little, but I am determined to keep appointments and meet with the doctor for fills and to avoid drinking any calories except for skim milk and the occasional Protein drink. Nite all!!

Thanks for your input. I guess there are a lot of foods that I will be kissing goodbye forever. That's still OK, I want to live longer, and look better! ~Kim

So is it just as satisfying as being full without the band?

My disclaimer didn't work well... I am not "planning" to eat this way...I know that there is a % of people that don't lose and some actually gain. I am not saying I will eat like this, but theoretically wouldn't and shouldn't reducing the amount of food you eat make you lose weight? Lets say you didn't change your way of eating but you did cut each meal and snack in half. Wouldn't you lose weight? I ask this because in the event that I do 'fail' which I don't think I will and I have some days like this, I don't want to 'not' lose a good amount of weight, and I definately do not want to gain. I have spent over $500 a pop at different diets along the years, but If I spend $17,000 (self pay) and fail, I don't know what I would do.

Hello everyone! I have been reading in here for the past week and decided to step out of the shadows and say hello. I am going to a Seminar in Jacksonville being given by Dr. Webb next Tuesday. I must say a part of me feels guilty almost like a failure for giving up on diet and exercise and contemplating something so drastic. I am 99% sure that I am going to have to pay for everything and I feel bad using 15-18 thousand dollars to right my own wrong, There are so many things we could use that money for for all of us instead of just me. I think that I am on the right path, because friends tell me I should definately do this. I am terrified that my ravenous appetite will cause me to fail and to fail at something that costs this much would be a huge problem. I guess because I have failed at all of the diets. I always start out good, and have lost over 50 pounds a few times, but I then find myself becoming obsessed with food, and like magic I end up fatter than before. I am now very over weight - I'm 5'6" and I think in the 300 range give or take 15-20 pounds (I think probably give). Any advice would be helpful and appreciated. I do not yet have diabetes or anything major, but sometimes my knees hurt, my hips and back heart every night and I have to get out of bed slowly because of my back, My self esteem is very low, and I have acid reflux off and on. I do have a few minor disc issues in my lower back, that are amplified because of my weight. I do not eat any veggies right now, and only occasionly fruit, so my rationale is that this surgery can help me even if worse case scenario (being realistic and honest) I do sometimes or even most of the time eat the foods I currently eat but in smaller portions because of the band making me feel full. I'm not going into this planning to fail, but I want to put forth the worst case scenario like I said. If anyone else felt this way and has been sucessful, please tell me your story. Thanks for reading this and for any replies!! :paranoid Kim

Thanks, I think I will try Carnation Instant Breakfast. Thanks for the help!

You are all an inspiration...Thanks for posting your pictures. you have no idea how much it helps the people like me who are trying to make the decision to go for the band!! Here are 2 of my before pictures, I can't wait to add my 'after' and even 'in progress' pictures one day in the not too distant future... (The cruise picture was taken in May of 2004 on my 10 year wedding anniversary, and the top picture was taken yesterday (07/23/06). I think I weighed about the same in both... I'm still afraid that I will miss the food, but I have had others tell me that I will gain control over food with this type of surgery. Once I get past the fear of 'missing' food and fearing complications (I'm self pay so I cannot afford a complication, and nor would I want one for the obvious health reasons too) I will make that appointment where I put down the deposit and get the ball rolling. I want to lose between 150-170 pounds, but I will Celebrate at every 50 pound increment. I don't want to post my current weight just yet... OK, here are my pictures to kick off my journey... ~Kim

Hello all! Welcome to my journal! Thanks for stopping by :welcome: So far I have been to a Lapband seminar and had a consultation. I will have to be self pay unless I learn that my company insurance covers Lapband surgery, in which case I will wait till my open enrollment in October. I also would like to attend seminars for 2 other local surgeons to get as much insight as possible. I will probably go with Dr. Webb. I am adding a 'before' picture of me which I took yesterday. Once I begin to lose weight I will occasionally add pictures so that 1 I can see the progress and stay motivated, and 2 help others. I really have been motivated to do this as a result of looking at everyone elses pictures, so I think it is important that I add pictures as I go along, and I have to add the first one to show the starting point. This one was taken yesterday (July 23rd 2006)... Below are 2 pictures, both were taken within the last 2.5 years... Weight is probably about the same, but I want to have a few for reference a year from now, and I take very few pictures, so this is a good place to store them. None of these are 'after pictures...I'll let you know once I have some of those :biggrin1: This one was on my 10 year anniversay on a cruise to the Bahamas...Taken in May 2004... This one is when I was clowning around with my friends singing karaoke - no I really can't sing, but it is fun anyway and we all get a good laugh lol (not sure of the date) I hate it, but it was the only one that had my body, and I no longer where shorts... maybe next summer?! Stay tuned... I expect to have the surgery within 2 months most likely! I have about 150 pounds (preferably 170) to lose to be at my goal, but I think I will set goals in 50 pound increments. I won't say how much I weigh here until I am at a goal :tape:

Hello all! Welcome to my journal! Thanks for stopping by :welcome: So far I have been to a Lapband seminar and had a consultation. I will have to be self pay unless I learn that my company insurance covers Lapband surgery, in which case I will wait till my open enrollment in October. I also would like to attend seminars for 2 other local surgeons to get as much insight as possible. I will probably go with Dr. Webb. I am adding a 'before' picture of me which I took yesterday. Once I begin to lose weight I will occasionally add pictures so that 1 I can see the progress and stay motivated, and 2 help others. I really have been motivated to do this as a result of looking at everyone elses pictures, so I think it is important that I add pictures as I go along, and I have to add the first one to show the starting point. This one was taken yesterday (July 23rd 2006)... Below are 2 pictures, both were taken within the last 2.5 years... Weight is probably about the same, but I want to have a few for reference a year from now, and I take very few pictures, so this is a good place to store them. None of these are 'after pictures...I'll let you know once I have some of those :biggrin1: This one was on my 10 year anniversay on a cruise to the Bahamas...Taken in May 2004... This one is when I was clowning around with my friends singing karaoke - no I really can't sing, but it is fun anyway and we all get a good laugh lol (not sure of the date) I hate it, but it was the only one that had my body, and I no longer where shorts... maybe next summer?! Stay tuned... I expect to have the surgery within 2 months most likely! I have about 150 pounds (preferably 170) to lose to be at my goal, but I think I will set goals in 50 pound increments. I won't say how much I weigh here until I am at a goal :tape:

I saw that too - they said it only takes 17 seconds to "feel" the alcohol now. I don't think they had the Lap Band though...They were afraid that with all of the people getting bariatric surgery and it being so easy to feel the effects of alcohol that maybe a large # of bariatric patients may convert to alcohol.

Thanks!! Luckily I just tasted them and they weren't all that great anyway; I offered them to my hubby who is a weigh lifting fanatic, and he wouldn't drink it because of all of the calories since he is trying to lose some "lb's" to brinig out his ab muscles more. Do you have any reccommendations for the shakes? I want to start taste testing now before I make all of my appointments. Thanks for your help!!

Just a quick update... I have attended a seminar and had a consltation. I bought a magic bullet blender contraption and today I'm trying the Protein drink called muscle milk in the ready to drink form. I am going to begin to mentaly prepare so that if I follow through with this that I will be prepared and ready for what I have to eat/drink following surgery. Thanks for your help everyone.

Hello! I still need to check into the cost of surgery at St. Vincents. I have found it to be around $17,000 for self pay at the 3 places I have checked so far. Once I start the process, it should take about 6 weeks. I have been to a seminar and a consultation, and I may want to attend a support group meeting too. I have not yet met anyone that had the band, so it would be nice to get to talk to people that have done it. Thanks for writing and best of luck!

Thanks so much, this is really good to know, if this is the case I am another step closer to the band! Thanks for taking the time to help me!!! ~Kim