sandman27959

I get it at the local grocery store in the personal care aisle (or wherever they put the "diet stuff.") Myoplex Lite is a couple of hundred calories and comes in silver 4-packs of those little rectangular boxes. Usually along side the Myoplex is another kind by the same company called EAS Carb Control shake. Those are only 100 calories apiece so I get those. If I'm not getting enough Protein for the day I'll down one. Hope this helps. D.

Congratulations! Hopefully "scared" will turn into "excited" soon. It should. You're about to take an amazing journey. D.

Yaaay!!! Congratulations. Now YOU'RE in control. Good luck with it! D.

In my experience, paying attention and eating slowly are the key components of success with the band. Every time you get stuck and have to kick food back up it stresses the plumbing, and that's not what you want. Make a little time for yourself to enjoy your meals. You take time out to go to the bathroom, right? Take time to take care of yourself on the fueling end of things too. D.

Hey there. I assume you mean 9/27, right? Honestly, the worst part of the whole process for me was the pre-surgery diet. Since you're presumably getting fewer calories than your body is used to, it's normal to feel a little sluggish in the beginning. I find that after about 3-4 days my body starts burning more fat for fuel and things improve a little. I hope this turns out to be the case for you. Hang in there. It's probably going to get a little worse before it gets better, but it does get MUCH better. Best of luck. D.

OK, here's my advice, and please take it in the spirit I intend it, which is trying to be helpful. You've had a long, difficult road and I'm sorry for that, but you have two choices. You can either let the problems define you or you can adapt and overcome them. The first thing I would do is watch this 4-part video series recommended by my surgeon. When I was lost and couldn't find my way, these videos helped me get back on track. I'd also start being an active member of this forum (or one of your choosing.) It really can be a good thing to hear the advice of others and give some advice to people who are going down a road you've already traveled. Don't let the difficulties of the past define you. Every day is a new day and you have the choice to make it right or let it get the best of you. Sorry if this sounds a little harsh, but if things are getting to the point where it's affecting other parts of your life you need to get a handle on it. If it get's bad enough, seek professional advice from a counselor. I have a feeling once you watch the videos, you'll have a path back to the groove. Hope this helps. D.

My surgeon's office handled mine too and let me know what was required. They do the paperwork all the time and can be a very valuable resource, so I'd see if they can help. They've probably already dealt with your insurance company with other clients and will know the details. I'm with you though - no surprises. D.

Hey Jacki. Good luck with your journey! D.

For the time or two I've had acid reflux since getting my band, I've just used an over-the-counter treatment like you get at Walgreens. I find the liquid type pretty much takes care of it in one dose. I've also chewed a Tums or two to give it the one-two punch. It hasn't happened often, but it's no fun when it does. Glad you're getting it taken care of tomorrow. Hang in there. D.

Sojourner hit it squarely on the head. D.

That smile says it all. Congratulations. D

Pardon my ignorance, but does the microwave not pop the popcorn after two minutes? D.

If you go back to the gym too soon you're going to do more damage than good. Walking for 6 weeks or whatever your doctor recommends is the way to go. They're doing surgery on you and you should give it time to heal so there are no complications. Complications can get nasty. D.

Hey! Congratulations to you! My computer was doing the same thing, but I found that if I go to a page other than the home page I can log in. Hope this helps. D.

One little screw-up isn't going to do anything as long as you keep it at that and don't let it derail your efforts. Just don't do it again. Use it as a learning experience to learn about what triggers your eating behavior. That's my two cents... D.

There's also a great website called myfitnesspal.com. You can track all of your food, exercise, and weight all in one place and it's free. When setting it up, it will give you some default recommendations for nutrition. I customized them to agree with what my doctor recommended. It's a valuable tool for me. D.

Sounds like your mind is catching up to your body. Congratulations. Enjoy that realization. D.

I'd get it straight from the horses mouth and call the insurance company. My doctors office also had an insurance coordinator who handled all the paperwork for me. Yours may have one too, and they may be a good resource for specific questions. Don't get discouraged. Just because mine worked like that doesn't mean yours is going to. D.

Hey there! I'm sure you can find something different. If you do a Google search for "bariatric vitamins" you'll find some good online vendors of special Vitamins and mineral supplements compounded especially for bariatric patients. I had some calcium citrate that was so good it was like eating a piece of lemon candy. Of course it COULD be that you're a big freak, but I'm not getting that from your initial post. D.

I'm a state employee and have BCBS NC. I was in pretty much the same boat with being barely "overweight enough", but as I understand it the insurance company contacted my primary care doctor who was able to show that my BMI had been over 40 for an extended period - the last 2 years I think. This was enough to get me approved. I don't remember mine having a 10% clause, but that was a few years ago. I do remember having to articulate past failed attempts to lose weight, so you might have a few of those on the tip of your tongue. This probably doesn't help a lot, but I thought I'd give it a shot. D.

What an honor! You must be a great example of everything they want their practice to represent if they asked you to do this, so that should give you a great deal of confidence right off the bat. I do quite a bit of public speaking for a living, and I find that just being yourself is the best way to handle it. Whether you realize it or not, your story is sad, funny, adventurous, poignant, and inspirational just standing alone as it's own story. (That's why your doc asked you.) Just get up there and be as truthful as you feel comfortable being, and you'll touch a nerve in those people because you've been exactly where they are now. It's all about human connection. At the risk of sounding trite, I'd speak as long as I had something meaningful or important to you to say. As a last resort (and my own personal bailout if I'm having a day where the words aren't flowing) take questions. You're the expert in your own experience. Nobody knows more about your journey than you do. You'll do great. These people are genuinely interested in your life-changing decision because they're trying to make one for themselves.

Hey welcome! Like Jeff said, the band isn't magic, so you'll still have to do the work. It will however allow you to level the playing field of hunger so you have a fighting chance at success. Before my band I would have never been able to eat as little food as I do now and feel like I could survive without starving. What the band did for me was take away the craving hunger between small meals, and teach me how little food I actually need to live a healthy life. Because I was always hungry, I felt like I NEEDED all that food. My advice to start immediately would be to cut out one unhealthy thing from your diet. Just one to start with. If you start really small, it won't be hard to keep up with it and turn it into a habit. Pick something that is really bad for you that you shouldn't be eating any way. After you've been successful with that, pick something else to cut out. D.

Wow. You look amazing, and a better screen name I have not seen. Love it. Congratulations.

I may be an extreme case, but I take one minute between bites of food and allow each bite to pass through my band. So at "60 seconds" I take a small bite, chew thoroughly, swallow, wait for the timer to count down to zero. At zero, I take another bite and repeat. It's exactly like waiting for the sand in your timer to finish. The only difference is that this timer keeps resetting for how ever long you tell it to. I have an app for my iPod called "Interval Timer." It was free from the Apple app store. You can also buy a dedicated interval timer from most sporting goods stores or online. Runners use it to switch between periods of high intensity and low intensity - like run, walk, run, walk. PM me if it isn't clear. Hope this helps. D.

Ugh. How frustrating! Congrats on the new clothes though... I'd go back to basics and make sure you're following your doctors instructions to the letter. Even a few hundred calories or a few minutes of exercise can make a big difference. Don't lose faith. It'll start working again. Easy to say, right? This is the part that separates the wheat from the chaff. Hang in there. This is your new lifestyle - not a diet. D.