SunnysGran

I think I am a sugar addict. I read somewhere that addiction to sugar is very similar to alcoholism because alcohol has a high sugar content. I have no idea if that's true. I was successful for a long stretch of time in cutting sugar completely out of my diet, along with refined flour, white Pasta, etc. I can tell you for certain that my appetite normalized--in other words I was not nearly as hungry as usual. Yes, I lost weight, but eventually did the backslide into my old bad habits and regained it plus some. I reach for Cookies in times of anxiety and stress in exactly the same way an alcoholic reaches for a drink. I find that counseling has helped me to greatly reduce that reaction. Hope this helps... Carol

:nervous I attended my first WLS support group meeting last night at the Medical Center where I'll be having my surgery. All but one of the people who stood up to give their testimonials were RNY people. One lady, whom I had met at a seminar in Sept. '06 was there. She came over to tell me all about her surgery, which was 11/29/06, and her weight loss--over 80 lbs. so far!!! I got a little envious, and even started wondering if RNY would be better--they seem to lose weight so fast. This is ridiculous, I've been researching and considering lap band for over 3 years! Does anybody else get these doubts? I guess when I think about it, the whole reason I felt lap band was better for me all along was that the weight loss seems to be a little slower, and it seems that there are less complications. Plus, the mal-absorptive feature of RNY is sort of counter-intuitive in my mind (for me). I would never deign to tell somebody else what is right for them, but lap band always seemed right for me....still....that envy sure did creep up on me. Thanks, Carol Insurance approved 4/17/07, waiting on a surgery date--should be in May

You guys are so right--thanks for the support and the reminder of why I chose Lap Band in the first place. I remember telling the Surgeon that I had thought of the scenario of later in life, possibly having to fight some major illness, and having nutrition being important in that fight. Seems like Lap Band would be so much better in that situation. I'm back on track in my mind now, thanks to you all. Just waiting on my surgery date! Carol

Kim, My Psych evaluation was interesting. The Dr. interviewed me, sort of a get-to-know you type of thing. It was fine, until I quoted something I'd read somewhere that said that Lap Band was the "thinking person's WLS". This seemed to tick him off royally. That part was weird, but I stayed calm and figured maybe that was a test of my ability to cope or something. (My husband says that I offended him because he probably had RNY; who knows...) Then, I took a 285 question test on a computer, where the answers were "very true, somewhat true...", etc. It wasn't hard. I got a call from him a couple of days later saying that my results on the test were what they call a "fake good" on their scale. He explained, that its like I don't admit problems and pretend everything is great, which is so not true, but it was what it was. So, I had to go in and retake the test. That one came out in "more normal" range. Good thing, because if I'd gotten the first result again, he said he would not recommend me for the surgery. Whew. Anyway, I guess my takeaway message is to be totally honest and try not to be nervous. Good luck in your journey! Carol

I always vote. My parents taught us that it is our civic duty to be informed on the issues and to vote.

I just recently bought a new bicycle. It's a Trek and it is awesome! It has shock absorbers and a very comfortable seat. It has gears and hand breaks and a nifty little bell device on the handlebar. I found that the gears just help you get to a comfortable pedaling level for you on any given day and once your gear is set, it's fine to just ride in that gear. Also, I saved about $100 by purchasing the last year's model, which is identical to this year's model; they are exactly the same bike. I had owned a 'comfort' bike, but this is actually much more fun to ride. I hope this helps.....good luck!

I want to play tennis again. I've played league doubles until earlier this year, when I had to stop due to severe joint pain. I can hardly wait to run around that court again! Also, CLOTHES, CLOTHES, AND MORE CLOTHES!!! I love clothes as much as a teenage girl, and I want to enjoy wearing them again. But, really, the main thing would be feeling good again. I haven't felt good in years, and that's just sad. SunnysGran

Hi Everyone! This is my first post. I am interested in having Lap Band Surgery. My primary insurance excluses WLS, specifically stating even with medical necessity:confused: (Imagine that?!) But, my secondary insurance, which is with my husband's employer, does cover WLS. I wondered if anybody else out there knew of a similar situation? Will the secondary ins. balk at covering since the primary doesn't? I could drop my crummy ins. and only have my husband's, but I hate to do that because my employer pays 100%. You guys are so helpful and supportive. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks and learned so much. I went to a WLS seminar yesterday and it was great! Included was a fashion show of people who've lost most of their weight and it rocked! Very inspirational! Thanks in advance for any help you can give.