Electrawoman

OMG thanks you guys!

I started my pre-op diet today after two days of last-mealitis and binging. I tried to fit in all of my favorite foods just in case I never get to eat them again. Let's see... I went to two fast food places, Taco Cabana and Jack in the Box. I don't know why I chose Jack in the Box. I never eat there! But I loaded up on tacos, chicken sandwiches, flauta, fajita taco, cake, eggrolls and more. Then last night, I hit the bakery at Market Street for a lemon torte and a fruit tart. I bought an eclair and a napolean but never got around to eating them. I also bought a shitload of diet food, fearing that I would be deprived if I didn't have everything I could possibly want at my fingertips. Today I am have a protein shake for breakfast. The new diet is low-fat, low-carb, and vegetarian. So basically, I can eat protein supplements, veggies, and fruit with an occassional cracker. YUUUUUUMMMMY! [she says with intense sarcasm] I think my biggest problem right now is the overwhelming fear that this, like many other things I have tried to lose weight, will not work. My brain is scrambling with the question, "What if I change my body and put myself through all of this and remain fat?" It happens. And it would be just my luck that it would happen to me. That is very negative thinking but I am afraid, nonetheless. I am also cranky and stressed out about losing my food "friends". I know that in a couple of months, I can still enjoy them, just in smaller portions but I am not sure I trust myself to have a bite or two of something I love (like a bagel) or that my body won't reject something that I love (like a bagel). Speaking of Bagels, I went to Einstein Brothers Bagels twice this week and loaded up on lox, asiago bagels, pumpkin bagel and bagel dogs. Now, back to the protein shake. I am using Herbalife Formula 1 shakes. They are really good and as much as I hate to admit it, really satisfy my hunger. They are not too sweet and you can use the powder in other recipes. I get mine from Ajay's Fitness (home of the 4-minute workout...no kidding. It's amazing). Nutrition products are available for shipping anywhere. I am also logging my food intake at Myfitnesspal.com. It's free and has a good library of foods to add to your food journal.

Amaris, if you have Tricare standard, you don't have to get a referral from your PCP. That's the beauty of Standard...no referrals! Anyway, I had all my pretesting today---upper gi was WEIRD. I got the final total of costs. My surgeon gets 392, which includes a 25-dollar book and a 150.00 deductible for the year that you might not need. My actual coinsurance cost is about 165.00. The hospital only costs a 25-dollar copay after you have met your deductible. My preop diet starts tomorrow---low fat, low carb, high Protein.

No hoops. The hardest part was finding a psychologist to do my psych eval. It has to be a PhD and it has to include the administration of the MMPI 2. Keep that in mind when you are looking for providers. (Tricare kept giving me lists of Psychiatrists and they don't do psych testing.) I went to a seminar on the 4th of November, got approval two days ago and all I had to do was see a nutritionist once to learn the way I will be eating after band. I also had to get that psych eval. I have no real comorbidities but was 200% over ideal. Either way, I hear that Tricare is not real picky. They are supportive of WLS. My surgery is scheduled for November 30th. I will pay my coinsurance to doctor (total 352.00). I am still waiting to find out what I will have to pay for the hospital and anesthesiologist. It will be about 15% of their total fees. Knowing that most surgeries end up costing around 10K when all is said and done, I am planning to set aside 1K for unexpected charges. Hopefully, it won't even be half that.

I didn't take anything with me to my first visit though you will need a list of meds, surgeries, and illnesses if you can't remember them all. Tricare did not require med-sup diet for me. I saw the doctor for the first time on November 4. I was notified of the approval today (12 days later). All I had to do was meet with a dietician who explained what I was in for and have a psych eval with MMPI2 (scheduled for tomorrow). My surgery is scheduled for November 30 with two preop/pretest appointments prior to that. Oh, and a low-fat vegetarian diet prior to surgery starting today. (They are giving me a break and letting me start that when I receive the diet in the mail, though--that means I get to have my farewell to food AYCE lobster meal tomorrow).

Your Doctor works for you. DOn't let him intimidate you into hurting your body. Whether he is a prick or not, get back in there and make sure everything is okay.

See another surgeon!

I don't have my band yet but it sounds like you need a fill. Also, don't be so hard on yourself! You've lost an average of a pound per week. Thats really good! I bet you will do even better when you're tightened up a bit. Meanwhile, have you ever had cottage cheese with tomatoes for breakfast? I also like tomatoes with low fat sharp cheddar or parmesan melted on top in a toaster oven (on a whole wheat english muffin is good if you can tolerate breads). Here are some other ideas: Peanut Butter and banana (by itself, in a Protein shake, or with crackers/triskits/wasa toast...) soy sausage (Morningstar Farms breakfast patties are the best) with fruit, yogurt, or egg (microwave the sausage and keep hard boiled eggs handy) veggie egg-white scramble (microwave) oatmeal made with apple juice and fruit! It makes a huge difference in the taste. I hate oatmeal but love it this way. (microwave) Plain greek yogurt with fruit, granola, or honey Hope these food ideas help!

I might have a hard time with the breads. Pasta and breads are some of my favorite foods and I have always had a hard time getting in all the Protein I need. Somebody explained the breads to me like this: if you want to make home-made play-doh or home-made glue, you start with flour and add Water. If you want to make bread, you start with flour and add water. I am trying to tell myself now that bread=glue in my body. I am also hoping that, like a lot of bandsters, I will lose these carb cravings. [crosses fingers]

Nancy, I see that you are losing now. WHat have you done after band removal to lose weight?

"We hate it when our friends become successful" It's just plain old jealousy and fear. Your friends are afraid you won't like them anymore if you switch sides and move over to the skinny camp. There is usually competition between even the best of friends. (Have you heard the term "Frenemies"?) Long before I was ready for a band, my friend had GB. I had always been the skinnier and prettier of the two of us and I was threatened by her weight loss. I didn't say anything to her but my most basic urge was to discourage her so we could remain on the same level. My heart wanted to scream, "Noooo don't do this! What will it mean for ME?" I tried to be supportive but instead asked her all the negative questions like "What are you going to do about all the loose skin?" and "Do you have a therapist to help you with emotional eating--you have to have one or it won't work" or "What if you turn out like our other two friends and stretch it all out again?!" I would like to say that I was thinking of her safety but I was subconsciously trying to discourage her. I don't know about you but my fat friends and I spend a lot of time hating on skinny folks. It makes us feel better about ourselves. You are becoming one of THEM and it scares your friends. If you remember that, you can send love and good energy to calm their fears instead of taking it personally.

Hi everyone. Here's my intro post! I am a 39 y/o artist, Mom and Wife and have been fussing over my weight since I was 13. A day hasn't gone by in that many years that I haven't thought about food or my weight from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. Some history: I was athletic as a child--tall and lean and often called "too skinny". Then, I had a little weight gain around puberty (size 7 to size 9) and then woved steadily upward through my teens to a 12. In my early 20s, I gained 100 lbs in one year (size 12 to size 16). Then, I stayed at a size 16/18 for 15 years before gaining 50 pounds more in the past year or two. I blame stress for this one. (two military deployments, a relationship crisis, a high-risk pregnancy with 6 months of bed rest, a near-fatal car accident, and quitting my job to stay home with my son). Now. I wear a size 24 on a good day. And there aren't many good days because I am anxious, depressed and tired all the time. Comorbids are: Upper Airway Restrictive Syndrome (similar to sleep apnea), PCOS, joint and muscle pain and constant irritability. I love fashion but can't wear what I want. I make custom leather products and have already grown out of a display model I made just this Spring! I am running out of sizes and styles that are wearable. My next fashion step is the mu-mu and I REFUSE to go there. I made a vow today that I will not buy myself one more plus-sized outfit. EVER---even if I have to tie myself to a bed and wire my mouth shut. I have also entered menopause and all my fat (which I carry around the waist) seemed to drop overnight. When I walk, I can now feel my stomach on my thigh. Because of the injuries from my accident and the intrusion of my fat rolls, there are simple things (like fastening a bra) that I need help with. Sometimes, I have to take a shower after using the toilet because I can't reach my butt to clean it properly. That hurts to type but it's time to be honest. I am tall and my most comfortable weight has been around 170 but I haven't seen that number since around 1990. I have chosen that now as my goal weight. But really, I would just be happy if I didn't have a roll of fat on the back of my neck. Like most of you, I have spent years denying, dieting and settling but I can't do that anymore. The truth is, my weight is out of control and I need help getting it together. My most successful weight-loss attempt was the diabetic diet during pregnancy. I lost 12 lbs while pregnant. Go figure. My diet of choice has always been basic healthy-eating with exercise plan but the results never come and I give up. It took me two years of 5-day workouts at the YMCA and a low-fat vegetarian diet to lose only 20 lbs. I was able to climb a mountain at the end but my size was basically the same. It left me frustrated and discouraged. I am not afraid of exercise. In fact, I LOVE it (if I can get to the gym or motivate myself to get started). I love to swim and work the elliptical machine and weights. I love food but at this point, I would eat dried grass for the rest of my life not to feel this way anymore. (I have said this before in my life and ultimately failed). So, here I am looking at lap-bands. I went to a seminar today and was pleased with everything I saw and heard. I only have one thing holding me back. What if I can't stop myself from eating past the full point? How will the lap-band stop me? Being full doesn't stop me now. I am full right this second and planning to go find a snack any minute now. The seminar host told us that what stops her from overeating is the throwing up process. She said she ate a doughnut after surgery and never did it again. I do hate to vomit. But is that enough to stop obsessive/head hunger? Until I can answer that question, I can't make a strong decision because I won't put myself through this just to fail. Right now, I am just going through the process, researching and meeting people to learn as much as I can. I am dead-set against Gastric Bypass and lap-band is the only procedure I would ever consider. Since I can't seem to do it on my own, it's either this or die fat and early. I can't do that to myself or my family. I have the most perfect, darling little boy and I need to be here for a long time to watch him grow up. I am usually the person on forums who gives all the advice but I can't do that here. This time, I think I need to shut up, listen and ask for help. So, I'm asking: How did you deal with the emotional/head/obsessive eating? What did you say to yourself when visions of cupcakes floated into your consciousness? Does anyone have TriCare Standard who can talk to me about options and OOP costs? Who is having a hard time with the band/lifestyle changes and what are you doing to change your thinking or behaviors in order to make it work? Is there anyone here who regrets having it done? If you are a survivor of abuse (like me) and put on weight as a protective shell, how did you feel when your body was vulnerable and exposed after weight loss? How did you deal with it? How does losing the weight (or having the band) affect your relationships with others? Would you do it again if you could? Who here has gained weight back and why? Do you tell people you had surgery? I ask because so many people consider it "cheating" even though we know it is hard work. (I have considered not telling anyone BUT I have a big mouth and probably can't keep it shut even if I try)

I have had the worst time finding someone to do my psych eval. TriCare requires that the provider have PhD or MD credentials and gives the MMPI as part of the evaluation. The doctor my surgeon recommended does not take TriCare. My guy is not a PhD. TriCare provided a list of Psychiatrists instead of Psychologists and they don't do neuropsych testing. So, if you are in the Dallas/FW area (or quite frankly, anyplace in Texas for that matter) can you share the name of your TriCare Psychologist? BTW, I have already used their online search but it's not much help because it doesn't list who does testing and who does not. Thanks!

I don't have my band, yet. But I started menopause this year. I am not happy about that! Feel like shit most days---I'm losing hair, have lots of nausea and hot flashes, drop in libido, plus a very bad mood hangs over me like a cloud. There are also a host of other weird problems that come with it. I had a pain under my left ribs that I thought might be a hernia. Turns out it's another weird Meno side-effect that other women online have experienced. I am hoping that losing weight will actually help regulate my hormones. I have had PCOS for years. I was on bio-identical hormones for most of this year and they really help. I am just behind on my prescription because I haven't had the money to pick it up. I highly recommend them---and some good antidepressants to help get you through this nonsense.

The only people I have found who think this way (including myself at one time in the past) are obese people who are afraid---afraid they will lose you to the skinny crowd and you will be one of THEM (the people who judge and mock us)---afraid that it will work and you will change. Maybe you won't want to hang out this them anymore---afraid that others will put pressure on them to do it too and so many others If anyone ever says that to me, I plan to say "Even if is cheating (which it is not), so what? I need to be healthy and I don't care how I get there, as long as I get there." DOn't let her get to you :tongue2:

YAY! Thats awesome. I will add you to my friends now!

@carolynfletcher: You're the first person I have seen who hasn't lost quite a bit of weight in the first year with the band. Did it not work for you? Why do you think it isn't working? I am just curious and asking questions because I haven't gotten mine yet and want to be aware of possible problems and things to look out for.

I have Tricare Standard and I am waiting on my approval. I had no big secondaries (like diabetes) but was approved by the surgeon because I am 200% over my ideal body weight. I haven't received notification of the costs and haven't even asked yet. I am sure you know that if you call three different people on the same day at Tricare, you will get 3 different answers. Add me as a friend and I will update you on the approval process via my profile. :smile2:

You are an inspiration and I need a buddy! :smile2:

My surgeon told me that the statistics are that the majority of lap-band patients will lose and keep off only 60% of their excess weight. That was hard to hear but I think very realistic. He said that a few people will edge up and a few people will edge down but the only real way to break out of that 60% is with exercise. I don't even have my band yet but if I were in your position, I might change my workouts and just hang in there. Regardless of what your metabolism is doing or not doing, remember the simplicity of calories vs calories out. Eventually, if you are taking in less than you are burning, you will lose weight.