KathyinAZ

I have done a lot of my shopping there for a long time I make Chicken Parmesan with their Foster Farms chicken strips. I put spagetti sauce in a baking dish add the chicken and more sauce bake it and add Mozzarella cheese at the end. It's delicious and very low fat, etc. I also only eat whole wheat pasta. They also have great frozen salmon pieces which are great as they are all individually wrapped. I don't drink protein drinks as I get plenty of protein in my diet. They sell Fiber One bars there which are much cheaper than the stores.

My BMI was less than 35 (34.5) and I didn't have any medical problems so I paid out of pocket. It was expensive but well worth every penny If you were over 35 and had the high blood pressure most BC/BS plans would pay for it. My original price includes follow up and fills for 2 years so it was the right thing for me to do. Good luck and continue with the appeal.

Hi Claricey, I think you need to set goals in increments if that will work better for you. I originally set a goal of 50 pounds then I added another goal of a additional 7 pounds which would give me a few pounds to play with if I went on vacation or something else. I wanted to be realistic and didn't want to put any pressure on myself so I felt like a failure. It took us a long time to put the weight on and will take time to take it off. Good luck

Thanks, I've lost even more weight and should reach my goal by my vacation. It's hard work but so worth it. I've never had so much energy!! I have a great support system too and a great surgeon.

Your protein intake at this point is very important. I was very strict at first about it. I drank protein shakes alot in the beginning and when I got my fills. I don't drink them anymore. I also only eat now when I'm hungry. When I first started I always went to "myplate livestrong" and put all my info in. It tells you how much of everything you are taking in. Everyone is different so you really need to just find what works for you. Good luck

I think there are lots of men who like to keep their wives overweight for many different reasons. They want to keep them under their thumb, lower their self esteem and not have any other man look at them. I personally have always been a outspoken bitch! LOL Luckily enough my husband is proud of my weight loss and is always trying to get me to buy new clothes. I think when we are confident with ourselves we speak our minds and don't care what anyone thinks. Keep up the good work!

I think you have to listen to your body. I have had 3 or 4 fills and never had a problem after. I did get food stuck once and had my doctor take some of the fluid out. I am not going to have anymore fills and don't know how much fluid is in the band. I don't want that much restriction that I can't eat anything. My doctor said you should only have to be on liquids and mushie food for the first day after the fill. I think sometimes some doctors put too much in at a time. Especially if you are paying out of pocket you may want to keep your fills at a minimum. I also paid out of pocket but my fills & unfills are covered by the initial payment. You may be able to deal with less fluid in your band if you keep with a high protein low fat diet and get some exercise. I used to have a huge appetite and could really go back to that way of eating. I still get hungry sometimes but either drink lots of water or eat some protein. Good luck, I know it can be very frustrating but you will know when you've got enough in your band.

Hi Eileen, I didn't know how much to take in per day and I started to keep track of my intake on a website Livestrong my daily plate.com and it keeps track of all of your intakes and there's a place you put in your height, weight amount you want to lose a week (which should probably be 1-2 pounds/week) and what type of exercise you do. Then it basically tells you about how many calories per day you should be taking in. I would say it should be at least 1200 a day. I have done it this way and have lost 47 pounds in 5 months. I have never had a gain on my monthly visits to my surgeon. Good luck.

I am a nurse also and I really think you need to have a good relationship with your surgeon before your surgery. My surgeon only does the lapband and has always been very supportive. When I asked him on the first fill how much he put in he said "does it make any difference" and I said no, so he never tells me how much is put in which makes sense to me. I also had to see a psychiatrist before my surgery who was excellent. I see my surgeon on a monthly basis and he's the only one who does my fills. He answers all my questions by email or phone anytime within 30 minutes. As for exercise I walked the treadmill for a while and just started to work out with weight machines a month ago so don't dwell on the exercise. I also measure and journal all my food which really helps. I use the website "LivestrongMyPlate" which figures everything out for you. You put in your height, weight, how much you want to lose weekly and your level of exercise and it tells you how many calories you should have a day. Good luck

Thanks, I did email my doctor and he said I could come in to have some Fluid removed or stay on liquids for 5-7 days. I opted for the liquids for 5-7 days which is no problem for me. Hopefully this never happens again!!

I ate something too fast and not small enough last night. I was in pain, tried to drink something and ended up vomiting. I was able to drink after that. I ate oatmeal, string cheese and yogurt today but when I tried to eat a small amount of meat this afternoon I vomited again. Does this mean that something remains stuck. I feel fine and don't feel like anything is stuck.

I was banded by Dr. Simpson 1/5/10 and love him and his staff. They are attentive and really listen. If you have a problem or question you can email him or his staff and they'll get back to you. His followup is thorough, I didn't have one problem with the surgery or any of the fills.

I use a website that someone mentioned on this site called Livestrong My Plate. You can program how many calories you should take in one day and it also calculates protein, carbs, fats, etc. It gives you a clear picture of what your daily intake is so if you are taking in too many carbs, fats,etc. you can adjust your diet. I love it because you can punch in all name brand foods and amounts. I also measure everything. Protein is one of the most important things you need to have. When I'm not losing and I do this and readjust what I eat and step up my exercise this site is extremely helpful. I always say whatever I've lost is a success because at least I haven't gained that amount of weight. It takes us a while to gain the weight and not everyone loses the same. I would sit down with your doctor or nutritionist, keep a food diary and figure out what you need to change. We can't give up or feel like a failure. Keep up the good work, you are doing just fine.

Unfortunately this can happen anywhere but you do really have to be careful. Living in Arizona I could have easily gone to Mexico and gotten my surgery much cheaper than I paid but I wanted a surgeon who was highly rated and had a good follow up routine. My surgeon follows me for 2 years post op and everything is included in my original price (all my fills, xrays, follow up surgery if needed). Not only that I can email him at anytime and he gets back to me within a very reasonable amount of time. I hope your friend does OK and she does well with her follow up.