honk

Biotin comes in 1,000 and 5,000 that I've seen. Some 5,000 mg are larger pills though so you'll want to find the small pills.

YOu can find 5000 mg Biotin capsules that are only the size of a tick tack.

I would ask your doctor if you should be having fruit. It does of course add carbs/suger/calories. Post surgery I would so NO as your stomach would have to churn to digest the fruit.

I didn't really think about it but before I went to my consult I went to the gym and drank 2 liters of water. Then on the way there I got a large coffee. Clearly that affected my weight in!

I don't drink so it would not bother me. One thing I did think of however is would that also include communion? My church offers grape juice if you prefer but many don't.

Call your insurance and ask them. I can feel your pain though. I had a surgery date, had lost my 10% body weight (33 pounds) and had to postpone my surgery because a blood clot that I was being treated for was not completely resolved. Soooo it ended up taking me 8.5 months from consult to surgery. However in that time I ended up loosing 50 pounds and developing a new relationship with food. Personally I think changing how you think of food is a fundamental part of being succesful with the band. It will never stop you from eating Ice cream every day or having chocolate bars. Use this time to get your head in the game.

Look for Whey Isolate which is easier for your body to break down. It is more expensive but worth it. Personally I look for about 25 g protein, for less than 120 cal, less 3 g of fat or carbs.

I think Mimi was being horribly rude and mean spirited. Geesh

I lost 80 pounds before surgery. Prior to loosing weight my blood pressure was 160/100 it is now about 110/80. I had a lot of knee pain for which I was taking pain killers that I think led to a blood clot that could have killed me. I still have some knee pain but after losing 130 pounds it is indescribably better.

I wish I had done it years ago; instead of turning the TV station everytime a commercial come on. Keep in mind though the band is not a magic wand. It won't stop you from eating junk food. Most people won't loose weight if they don't exercise. Before surgery make sure to attend therapy sessions on mindful eating. Change your relationship with food BEFORE surgery. Surgery itself does'nt magically change how or what you eat.

Talk to your doctor about how often to take the pills. I can tell you my mother takes them everyday.

The biotin I take is 5000 mg and is very small size of a tictac. I don't know if they are kosher though.

Sorry no. I did have surgery at Lahey and have been very happy. Considering the presurgery visits and post op care (ie fills) I would consider the location of the hospital. I live in Southern NH and did not want to shlep to Boston for all those appointments.

It's funny I really like the eliptical and can do an hour at level 20 out of 25. I've even had thin people come up to me and say "how can you stay on there that long!". There are two other of machines however that I've tried and in less than one minute I get so dizzy and nauseous I have to stop.

I second lap swimming. Water proof MP3 player is a must! Makes time go by so much faster. Also water aerobics is great. You can make it as intense as you want.

On the third day I am to go back to solids. I think you are too full. Go back and have a slight unfill. There are a lot of people on this site who got their bands to full but liked the weight loss and kept it that way. Only problem is that it has led to the band slipping and having to be removed!

Now, "full" means I am no longer hungry. I agree with this statement. I did not get restriction until 10.8 in a 11 CC band. Did you have sessions with a psychologist presurgery to discuss eating "issues". I found these sessions really helpful. You need to recognize what foods you eat to excess. Over half of this battle is mental. Developing a new relationship with food is critical. Are you focusing on 3 oz of solid protein every meal? Personally I get my carbs from veggies and fruit. I don't eat crackers/cookies/ice cream/pasta. I don't have problems eatin certain foods; I just chose not to eat them (breads).

You could consider underware that has some spandex, lycra (95% cotton, 5% lycra). It would be better than plain cotton. If you're really looking for a lot of support however I think you will need to look into a Spanx like product.

I highly recommend swimming, great low impact exercise. Waterproof mp3 player is a must! Also Water Aerobics can be done at different intensities.

Sizing is so difficult not only do they differ by brand but by style within each brand. So annoying! I am 5'4" 231, 42D, My 20W bottoms are a little big but 18W are a little small. Depending on the how tops run I can take a XL or XXL from the Misses dept or 1X from Womens. I am def. pear shaped.

I had a very good experience. I did not have gas pains and only took liquid Tylenol. My biggest issue really was having to get up every 15 minutes the night I was in the hospital to go to the bathroom because of the IV fluids. Though on the upside I did not have the high liquid weight gain some get the day after surgery. In addition to doing short walks the first couple days I was back at the gym on day four on the treadmill.

It took me 5 months to get some restriction and another month to get to the green zone. Buy a good digital scale measure your protein. Note I'm not saying it will be easy.

Water aerobics 2 days a week and lap swimming the othe 5 (for an hour each).

Highly recommend lap swimming or even water aerobics. You can lower or increase your intensity. Low impact. Also water proof MP3 player is sooo worth the money.

I had BCBS and was on COBRA. When Cobora ran out I was told they would not cover me for 1 year. So I went through a high risk pool for my state. Realllly expensive but better than nothing. Google. "high risk pool" AND "heath insurance" AND your state. FYI the policy does not cover weight loss surgery treatments.