Yvette1026

Not because I'm embarrassed or ashamed, never have been. But because my bathing suits are TOO BIG and I don't want to go shop for another one that will be too big in a couple of weeks.. what's a girl to do.. lol Oh to have such problems LOL... YAY ME!:smile2:

Reading your post I get a very positive vibe like everything is going to change dramatically for you... I think your lack of weightloss/change will happen very soon too, besides being in Cali you can always go to TJ and have Dr Ponce de Leon do your fills for CHEAP.

WOW Way to go! We need pictures! lol very inspiring!

Oh yeah and I totally eat sushi all the time.. well as sushi as I get with my california rolls lol.. but yes I eat them, just instead of a whole roll or two for a meal, I'll eat about 3 slices and be done.

I eat rice, pasta and bread it can definitely be a challenge and it fills me up quicker. But I do eat it being an O blood type I NEED it, carbs and red meat.. need need need it... but yeah I just listen to my band if it says "no bread today" I don't eat bread.. if it says ok.. I go for it. I've found usually if it's toasted it's not an issue. Bagels, english muffins, waffles, etc.. like this morning I had eggs benedict with no issue. But then tonight I had a wheat tortilla and that was a no go. Listen to your band and body and you'll be fine. They say not to drink through a straw or chew gum, I do both and don't really notice any difference. They say we suck in too much air drinking through a straw or chewing gum, I don't know how most people drink/chew but that's not really a problem for me. Do what feels right to you!

Good for you...and trust me when I tell you to STAY AWAY FROM THE BREADSTICKS... I ate them a couple of months ago.. PAIN.. OMG PAIN!!! STAY AWAY FROM THE BREADSTICKS.. I REPEAT....STAY AWAY FROM THE BREADSTICKS! lol But you did great! I totally believe in still eating what you want, just less of it, that's the key to true success in weightloss with the lapband in my opinion.

Thank you... I figured some would agree and that others would either disagree or aren't ready to hear it.. with 65 reads and only 4 comments.. ummm I'm gonna say the majority falls in the latter.

Do you have a Whole Foods near you? Their brand of whey protein shakes are about $11 and they taste great when used as a base or alone. Also Jay Robb's Egg White Protein tastes great, little more expensive but you can find it on sale. Check out your local health food stores they ALWAYS have protein shakes on sale, you may sacrifice flavor for price but you can usually find some great deals!

WOO HOO!!! Congratulations! Keep up the great work!

Stairs are so very different... best thing I did since getting my surgery is moving to a place that has stairs lol I have NO CHOICE but to go up them lol...The first week was a lil' much.. but then I started getting used to them. Such a good work out. Zumba and any class you're not familiar with in the beginning is ALWAYS hard.. you can do it, soon you're be a Zumba master

Ah the joys of medical billing. Well you have a few options... 1.) wait til it's worked out. 2.) hope they get it worked out and in good faith give you the surgery at the 10% rate and 3.) Get your surgery, let them bill you for the remainder and only pay your 10% if they cash it they're agreeing to your terms- you can put it in the memo or on the back of your check, etc.. 4.) Change surgeons - you're already approved, there's no real work for them to do, they'll be happy to have you. and finally 5.) let them bill you let it go 90 days, and as with all medical bills older than 90 days they'll be willing to give you a compromise - that is just enough to cover their actual costs. For example a 23000 bill being settled for 2300, or my mother's 892 ambulance bill being settled for 90, etc.. medical bills are ALWAYS trumped up, and they're always happy to get something. I know how frustrating this must be for you, but you do have options.

If you qualify on all other levels, I believe medicare will cover the surgery as a cost preventative measure.

This is a great one Janet, thanks for sharing!

This is AWESOME! Congratulations!

How long have you been going? Go every day for 21 days you'll develop a habit... and start to love it. I love it when I go, I just need to become consistent

That's Awesome Jill! We're excited for you!

It's the strangest thing to watch and feel my body lose weight and change. I mean just the weirdest sensation. I have to wonder why I didn't feel this when I was gaining weight. As uncomfortable and as many weird sensations as I've felt losing it, you would think there would have been some tell-tale signs when I was gaining; but no. Or maybe I just chose to ignore them. So the strangest sensation to me is feeling my ummm private areas shrink. I know most overweight people have what they call a "fat pad" covering their pubic bone area.. but as my stomach shrinks and that area shrinks it's just the strangest feeling. I woke up this morning like something was "off" so I go and look in the mirror and I was right something was indeed off.. FAT and unwanted pounds. But now.. now one side of my stomach is an inch tighter than the other side. Ok so maybe all of this is an overshare but I KNOW I cannot be the only one experiencing this. Like I look in the mirror and while I never had a HUGE belly it did hang more than I would of liked stopping just before my pubic area..but now the right side is up and so is the left, just not as much as the right.. a whole inch difference to be exact. Thank the Lord for being celibate right now because ummmmmm my naked body changes on a daily basis! There's no hanging/sagging skin - THANK YOU JESUS! but the fat I do have is shifting/changing where it's deposited at as I lose it. For instance.. my bra-line incision is now in the middle of my stomach and to the left, not under my bra and centered like it was. I'm at a point where I'm SO anxious to see what's underneath all of this, I now understand why people get surgeries like liposuctions and tummy tucks... Watching my stomach shrink and get definition is AMAZING to me... especially when I really haven't been working out. I know I know.. I could be alot further on in my process but I was so consumed with other things I wasn't making time to workout like I should...and the muscle weight gain I experienced was a turn off but now I'm back at it. Doing what's necessary to burn the rest of this weight off and sculpt the beautiful body I know is underneath. I've always had a nice shape, just a big shape..an hourglass but the big ben of hourglasses....if that makes sense lol. So I'm SUPER anxious and motivated to get to the final result. In the meantime these sensations are just SO weird to me.. and when you think about it, it shows you just how amazing the human body really is. The sensation I'm experience is my skin being able to breathe, being exposed to air after being covered by layers of fat or rolls previously. First it itches and can be painful as the skin is healing but then it just heals up into smooth, soft, supple skin. It's the most amazing thing. The down side is seeing stretchmarks where I didn't know I had them.. like the backs of calves. I've always had nice legs, big, powerful, muscular, as the little bit of fat that was on them goes, I can see the traces of stretchmarks, everyone says I'm crazy and they don't see anything, but I see it, has to be in the right light but it's there.. I see it! Then again I've had stretchmarks since I was 8 yrs old... They're all old and faded and blended in with my skin. Only if I tan too much do they really show or turn red. Ok I'm rambling but seriously this journey is just AMAZING to me... absolutely, positively AMAZING.

The single incision method is new and not widely used. Most people will have 3-5 incisions, the number of incisions depends on how difficult it is to place the band in you. Did you discuss concerns about your incisions before the surgery? I spoke with my surgeon at length about my concern about scars, etc. In the end he did a great job 2 of my 4 incisions are invisible. It sounds like a cop-out but your doctors have a very good reason for telling you to read the manual, that way you are fully informed and not relying on other people or misinformation. It also sets the foundation for your lapband journey, because in the end he won't be there to walk you through it. He wants you to read it so you understand every part of the band, what to look for, what to eat, how to eat, etc... Getting the information yourself you're more likely to retain it than when someone gives it to you. I can't speak to your doctor's bedside manner but understand they have 100's and in some cases 1000's of patients, they cannot walk each person through their lapband journey. If your doctor is anything like mine he had 10 other surgeries the same day you had surgery. The office staff is there to support you and help you along the way, as well as sites like this and support groups. People tend to confuse the term doctor and surgeon... there is a difference. While they both have MD after their name the patient expectation is different, he's there to consult and execute a surgery, not provide the type of 1 on 1 care a regular doctor would. Hope that helps and best of luck to you, if you've just had surgery it takes some getting used to, but the best thing you can do is research and learn it for yourself.

Congratulations on making the absolute best decision you could ever make for yourself! Great job and keep us posted on your progress!

Good for you.. and I can totally relate.

That's great!

Why are you confused? Focus on you, this is FOR YOU. Don't let anyone detour YOU from YOU. You can do it! 35lbs is GREAT!

Yes yes yes! This is EXACTLY what I was talking about in my post to you! I avoided using the medical term on purpose but I am SO glad you went and researched it for yourself! This is great, steps in the right direction and motivation! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

Glad it helped you! Much love, success & blessings to you!

That's awesome, glad you're still losing!