samomom

I agree. Cleo's post is really helpful. I am totally with you on the no go with the very low calorie diet. I did the HMR shake thing twice before. You get somewhere between 500-800 calories a day. I did great the first week and lost 8 pounds, but never lost anything after that, but my freaking mind. It was awful. My body just shut down. I was so tired, cranky, starving and this was all through an Endocrinologists office!! He should have known better than to shut down someone's metabolism like that. My sister had the same thing happen on Optifast. She had a total meltdown after two weeks and never lost any weight. About a year and a half ago I was working with a Registered Dietitian who I swear was anorexic, but that's another story. She had me on a 1500 calorie plan which was working slowly, but I got very frustrated with a few things and dropped it to 500. Well, guess what? I never lost a pound on such a low calorie intake. When I decided to 'blow it' and eat more, I lost about 3 pounds in a week. I think it's all about finding the right number for each person, but going super low like so many of us are doing isn't the key for long term success. It is true that you slow your metabolism down. The way the dietitian explained it to me was using a wood burning analogy- She said your body is like slow burning embers. When you throw fuel to the fire is flares up and wakes up. That is when your body burns more eneggy and calories. If you keep your body in the ember stage then you aren't efficiently burning calories. I can appreciate what someone said in an earlier post that if you eat less than you burn then you will simply lose weight. It's sounds good in theory, but it just isn't that simple or true. If that were the case then none of us would be fat! My metabloic rate to maintain my weight is 2267 calories a day. That is just to maintain! I am eating 1000 calories or less a day and exercising. In theory, that should mean I would be losing 1 pound every 3 days. I wish!!!! I haven't lost anything in over 3 weeks and that isn't because my body is 'adjusting' as so many people on the board like to say. I have my first fill in about an hour. Time to jump in the shower and get my fat ass over there. I cried for hours last night about this. I really, really don't want to get on his scale. If I have gained a pound I will cry in his office. I am praying to the scale Gods to show mercy on me. Melissa

You really have to get out and exercise. Your body needs that boost to lose the pounds. Just go walking if you don't live near a gym. I think that you will find that after a few days you will realize how much better your body feels.Take an ipod with some good music and use that as your zone out time. I use it as time to think of all the stuff I want without any distractions from my kids or husband. Also, drop the milk to maybe 1 cup a day. You are drinking at least 300 calories a day. You should be filling your stomach with longer lasting foods instead. Good luck! Melissa

I'm a cold Water girl too, even when I'm skiing! The first week it hurt a bit, but that went away. Room temp water makes me sick, really. You'll be fine. Melissa

Ha ha! Are you sure you don't have Sea Urchin DNA in you? They don't care if you have never had sex. Its a liability issue and it won't cost that much. I looked at my lab bill for the test last month and it was $17. Do you know how many times women have swore up and down they they weren't pregnant and they really are. Happened to me 11 years ago. I was gaining weight despite working out, had x-rays, drinking every weekend, took a pee stick test which was negative and I was pregnant! Then I had a miscarriage a few weeks later. Sea Urchin.........I'll never watch a Discovery Channel show on ocean life the same again. Melissa

No matter what type of surgery you have, you will always need to take a test. If you are pregnant, you won't be having any elective surgery. No doctor would take that liability. My program director told me a few years ago they have a really large young woman who had bypass surgery. The Anestesiologist overlooked the fact that no test had been done pre op, but because she has never had a regular period no one thought anything of it. As soon as she go home from the hospital she delivered a stillborn baby.

Thanks everyone. I am trying to keep positive here. I just don't want to pour thousands of dollars into yet another diet that doesn't work. My fear is that I will be like the cartoon woman on the Slimquick commercials a few years ago who's husband and dog get skinny and she just loses her boobs. I mean, I'd love for the boobs to go down, but I want everything else to follow too.

Thanks for the heads up. My husband works for E! I can watch the show before it airs. He can log in from home and I can watch anything on the channel. I look forward to seeing the episode. Good luck with your weight loss and therapy.

I second the Benefiber. Twice a day in some Water or other drink is really helpful for everyone. Melissa

Has anyone been questioned after being forced through an airport scanner? I have only been through one once this past summer pre band and honestly I don't really like even the slightest amount of radiation passing through me when I can avoid it. Obviously the band shows up. What do they ask you? I'm flying 4 times in November and don't want to get stopped all the time. I know you can actually opt out and get a pat down instead which I might do. Thanks, Melissa

Absolutely!!! You spend every damn penny you can on yourself. You deserve it. Just think of it as making up for lost time. I even promised my husband I'd buy some trashy bras as long as they are to lacy and itchy. Now only if the scale would move down just one pound I'd have some hope of shopping soon. Melissa

I just emailed the TSA today about this subject. They are usually pretty prompt in getting back to you. Last time it took just one day. I'll post their response. Melissa

Thanks for the info. I'll ask about getting a card next Tuesday when I go for my first fill.

My husband wasn't really thrilled with the idea when I initially looked into this about a year and a half ago. I made an appointment to see a doctor on Sept 14 of this year and mentioned it to my husband over the phone while he was is Amsterdam on business. He was ok with it then and when he got home I told him about the proceedure, but I didn't talk about it incessantly. Just the facts, ma'am! We laugh about how I'm going from bitch to skinny bitch! I had my band done on Sept 28th. My husband didn't even go to the surgery center with me in the morning because it would have been too much of a hassle to drag the kids out of bed so early and then rush them back to school and then get back to the surgery center. We were both that comfortable with what was going on that I was totally fine with it. He came just about when I was done and because I don't come out of anestesia fast, he knew to head for Starbucks for an hour or so. I asked the nurse to call him when I was waking up and had her tell him that his skinny bitch wife said to come back now. The nurse said exactly what I asked and he came back. We were all good, he was calm, I was happy and groggy and now he only worries about my boobs getting smaller. He said the rest can get skinny as long as the boobs stay. He now is excited for me when my pants are loose or I tell him that I'm stuffed after a few bites of food. I think he realizes that I am much happier, will be totally healthier, and won't have to be on cholesterol, blood pressure and possible diabetes meds at the ripe ol age of 36. I'm sure the thought of surgery wasn't thrilling to him, but when he knows that soon enough he'll have a HPOA(hot piece of a$$) for a wife, any reservations will have gone away. I'm happy that you are going through with the surgery and he is now on board. I bet that he will be thrilled with the weight loss and it may even make you closer.

Whoo Hoo! Keep looking forward and don't let anyone stop you.

Um, it's an art??? WTF is that kind of statement?? No, it's really not an art, it's an exact science. You need to know where the f'ing port is Michelangelo, not get creative and hope you find it. Holy crap woman-I hope you can run faster than you ever have in your life. I would make sure that you let the office know why you left when you finally do. I know you work at the hospital where he works, but you should complain and let the higher ups know what a hack this loser is. Seems like he wants the money from the actual surgery and then nothing to do with you afterwards. Someone needs to drop kick this guy in the balls and bring him down a few notches. Seems like he's floating away in his own ego.

By the way, the liquid Tylenol is absolutely vile! I tried one sip and dumped the entire bottle. Get a generic kids version that is much more palatable. I actually just took the caplets the next day with no problem. I would buy a ton of different Soups as well. I found it odd that things I usually liked were gross and new things I didn't think id like were very yummy and I'm no food snob. I liked Campbells cheddar cheese soup. It was thicker than tomato, but it didn't do anything bad to my stomach. It was a welcome change from cream of mushroom and tomato.

You know what frustrated me so much is that there is that horrible height/weight chart that insurance companies first stared years ago and we are all supposed to fit into the weight range based on height.I'm 5'5 and I should be 125-145. How the hell am I to know what I really will be able to get down to and maintain. I think instead there should be an ass jiggle chart. If you ass jiggles like a 6.7 earthquake then your ass is fat. If it jiggles like a little 4.0 trembler, your getting better. If it moves like corpse, then your ass is just perfect and you are at an ideal weight.

There should be no reason that the surgery should be blamed. Maybe the change in your eating or lack thereof. I've had surgery before with no change to my period.

I'm sorry, but that seems way out there. I'm also on Nuvaring and I told the doctor, program director and the pre op nurse and no one ever mentioned that at all. In fact, I've had 3 knee surgeries cutting into to muscle and flesh where I had drain tubes with a much higher risk of blood clots and was never asked to stop any birth control. There is no way in hell I'm stopping my BC for anything or anyone!!!!

I wish someone could tell me why clothes get looser, yet the Scale of Doom refuses to move. Doesn't that just piss you off? I wish doctors would use something other than pounds as a goal if our bodies are going to do weird things like that. If mine said that I should be about a size 6 regardless of what the scale ends up saying, then I'd ditch the Scale of Doom and boogie my ass on down to Macy's and be a clothes whore rather than a scale whore.

I just looked at my Blue Cross/Blue Shield claims online tonight because I've been dying to know what I am going to end up owing for my band. I had it done at a surgery center which was awesome and I couldn't have been treated better. They filed a claim for my band for $85,000 and for the Hiatal Hernia repair for the remainder. They tried to pull off a claim for $108,054.63. That made me laugh so hard. I fully understand the difference between what the real cash fees are, inflated insurance billed fees and reality. The claim states that they will be reimbursed at the reduced Medicare rate. That one got me because I'm 36! So whatever formula they use to reimburse is obviously a Medicare based schedule. But seriously, $108K! My husband had some pretty intense finger surgery in August which required some crafy work by one of the best hand surgeons in the US, if not the world and the hospital only billed for $13,900 and this was at UCLA Medical Center. We ended up owing $450. The doctor bill was only $117. Fortunately my portion of the bill for my alleged $108K surgery will be $601. I'm not sure what the surgeons fee is yet, but I am out of network and covered at only 80% instead of our usual 90%. I know that it can't be over $100K though. He just seems to nice to pull that one. If you are a cash paying patient the total cost is only $18,800 for everything. His portion is $9600 so I am assuming the remaining $9200 is for the surgery center. I can't wait for my husband to get back from the gym to tell him. He's always complaining that I cost him money.:cursing:

Great minds think alike. After I posted last night I was thinking about these lame ass doctors. I was also thinking that you should call either Allergan or Ethicon, depending on which band you have, and report the doctors. They are misrepresenting the product that they have placed in you and obvoiusly don't deserve to be permitted to use it on others. The company would probably be more that thankful to get some feedback. They don't know if you don't tell them. It reflects badly on the company to have bad representative(doctors) out there.

She obviously isn't understanding the ZERO part of Vitamoin Water Zero. I am not a fan of any artificial sweeteners. I don't feel that they are safe long term and try not to put any nasty chemical flavors, preservatives or additives in my body. Don't be bothered by her ignorance. A zero calorie drink is a zero calorie drink. How can there be something wrong with what you like to drink?

My insurance companay said they they are entitled to only $2000. They paid out $1398 and some change and I owe $601. I'm happy with that amount since they are out of network. I'll probably have met my out of network deductable for the year soon. Compared to the $18,800 for cash paying patients, my portion in nothing. Now I can rack up a hefty bill shopping for new clothes instead!

YES!!!!!! Being obese will kill you. Your family should either support you or shut up. This is your body and you have taken the major step to get healthy for the rest of your life. I have two kids, 7 and 10. I am 36 and I will be around for longer they they probably can stand me because I will not die of some fat related disease. The risk of dying fron surgery is so minimal I bet that it's not even on the charts. Yes, I read about a man here in Los Angeles who died from the band last year, but that was due to gross neglegence from the 1-800-GET-THIN factory here in Beverly Hills that keeps getting nailed by the CA Medical Board. They botched it so badly that he was dead in less than a week. That was tragic, but also done by a hack surgeon. If you have done your research, your doctor is sure to do the job right. Get the band, get healthy and thin and then see what they have to say. Again, if they can't suport you then tell then to not say a word.