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The downside to this tho, is that when it comes time for talks about what to do about Iran, there is going to be a lot of countries that wont want to deal with us because they'll think (and rightfully so if we allow this bs to continue with wikileaks) we can't be trusted to protect what is being said in any talks. They will also not want us knowing or being able to communicate with any of their informants for the same reason, as long as this crap continues we are going to be weakened when it comes to dealing with anyone with things that should be secure.

I have BC/BS HMO and I had my surgery on the the OCT 29. Today I got a bill for around $5000 is that normal? I thoght they covered it all.?

Hello All! I am also a NSG lapband patient in waiting... I love NSG! However I am struggling with this sleep apnea process! I am really fed up with the machine. I am clostrophobic, the machine is really getting the best of me...can anyone offer any help! I really can't take it anymore and I have to complete the study to be in complience. HELP!!!

AGH! I'm not the only one! I am miserable when trying to sleep. The first 3 nights I slept in the recliner and I guess bc of the pain meds and getting over the anithesia (sp) I slept like a rock. I decided to move to the bed night before last and was MISERABLE!! I can't get comfy on my back and when I try to lay on my right side (even with a body pillow) it feels like something falls and starts tugging around the port area. I can understand the discomfort to some extent but are ya'll feeling that something moves?? It's so uncomfortable!! I fought all night last night to sleep period. Tomorrow is my first day back at work so I NEED SLEEP TONIGHT!! When will this go away?

**** edited to include some pics! Hi there friends! I hope this post finds you well. Last time I posted I showed a pic of me in that gorgeous Alfred Angelo size 8 wedding dress. Sigh. I couldn't afford that dress. BUT I ENDED UP WITH SOMETHING BETTER!!!! hehe Here is our wedding fusion video PREVIEW! (make sure to play the sound with it!!) I can't believe this is only a sample of the one we will receive.. it's awesome!!! Standard pics can be viewed on my photog's website. Barb is amazing! All photos are courtesy of Y Studio Photography up close details union square photo shoot Papparazzi! I felt like a movie star To date, I have lost 95 lbs, which just absolutely blows my mind. Seriously... holy guac! I am down to a size 8 or 10 depending. Also, we leave for our honeymoon on Monday and we will be headed to Hawaii! This is the first time in about 12 years that I will be comfortable wearing a bikini. I have some yucky skin, but nothing too crazy. I bought a "mom bikini" and my husband told me he liked the skimpy one better! I was shocked bc I figured more coverage was better. I wrote a blog post today with pics from my day of surgery v. me now.... if you are interested, please feel free to check it out! I had a lot of fun writing it My Long Sleeved Story xoxo

I call BS on that, personally, as does my surgeon. Your easiest results happen in the first year or so, but that's not the end by any means.

yes getting banded mid Dec, very nice office , professonal staff, aproval with Anthem BC took 7 days from when they submitted

Yeah that's a really long time. I was sleeved on the 13th, my first was 12 days later, and second was 6 days after that. That nothing is there because you're on liquid is BS, there's plenty there. Especially if you've been eating anything with calories (and reaching your protein numbers) Per my surgeon I was taking colace twice a day, benefiber twice a day and nothing happened. I went out on a limb and took miralax two seperate times (both times led to my only BM). It's something you need to get ahead of or it'll get worse, and approaching 3 weeks without a BM is scary stuff. I would absolutely invest in some colace (stool softener) to help make your inevitable experience less uncomfortable

Wow, I just really wanted to know if this happened to anyone else lol It's opening a can of worms as far as birth control goes lol My friend did depo and doesn't feel the same way i do with BC. I just thought it was strange. I love all the responses and thank you all for helping me with this question

Lol right like let me happy for the moment while my body trying to figure this thing out. I thought smaller stomach less food loose weight. Mannnnnn that’s not how it’s playing out like gheesh this a whole math class measurement walking no drinking and eating what did I sign up for lol! I jus want to skinny for my bday lol! How much have u lost so far I stop at 18 de say on there scale but mine said 24lbs I would like to think I paid more for them little lbs I’m ab to go back to liquid diet. Bc stage 3 ain’t my friend. But wait u said u doing junk food aren’t u on Puree stage?

I also weigh around 290 but I'm 5'10''. It's still horrendous though. Like you I am determined to do this; I just want to get healthy and be able to go out and have fun with my family. I'm really fed up of being a spectator in my life!

I had my one on one with my surgeon today, I have 2 more dietitian appointments and should be ready in December. I have BS of CA and Cigna as secondary. I'm hoping all goes smoothly. I barely have a 40 BMI and no co-morbidities.

coffee for breakfast Fish,Crab,Shrimp. Baked or sauteed. 3x a day sometimes 4 to get my Protein depending on what my Snacks are. I still use Protein drinks on occasion to get my protein up or if I am going out on a date. I have Quest bars or protein brownies every now and then. I eat zucchini and cucumbers and rutabagas. Boar's Head Tavern Ham Sometimes I make a burger. and eat it with no bun. Grass Fed Beef. I don't eat turkey or chicken, they are too hard to process for me

So the original "keto" as developed in the 60s and 70s by Dr. Atkins was much lower than todays' present iteration of the diet. For a normie Keto Diet based on Atkins 72, most fat % were in the 60-75% range. When I followed it as a normie, I had to be between 55-65% fat in order to lose the best. Most of the LCHF/keto docs agree that the amount of fat in your diet entirely depends on the amount of adiposity on your body. That means, that even with a keto diet, you still must operate in a caloric deficit so that you burn the fat stores in your body rather than the fat in your diet for energy. And for the most part, you must expend the energy from your diet before you tap into your fat stores. As @AZhiker and @KarenLR75 say, there is no need to inflate our fat to "today's keto" range. For most of us PO, it would be difficult due to surgical malabsorption. Even VSGers can have difficulty with higher fat. By simply reducing carbs to 20g net or below per day and putting your personal prescription for protein into the equation (given to you by your surgeon), then you can back into your target calorie goal and figure out your fat grams/percentage based on that. Any additional fatty acids you need (and the ketones produced through lipolysis) will then be able to come from the fat strapped to your booty and middle (and total body) rather than the fat bomb or MCT oil, or butter coffee -- or whatever ridiculous bolus of exogenous and unnecessary "keto bs" you consume. I knew that in order to lose I needed to maintain a range between 650-850 calories/day. I know, because when I got to 850 calories or above, I would stall out and not lose anything. I also knew from my surgeon and RD that I had a broad protein range (in the early days) of between 60-80g protein daily--with an optimal amount at 74g for my LBM and are based upon height, sex, age, physical status. Males and females of a different size will have different macros. Here are the macros I've used to lose 157lbs:

As soon as I started my pre op diet and even after with the post op with the protein drinks I had stomach issues. I think it was all the protein and lack of other stuff like fiber that made things so "watery" Sorry It's gross. But as soon as I stopped the protein shakes the loose poop stopped too. It got so bad once I was just crying. That was after surgery and I was pretty fed up with all liquids going in and all liquids coming out. nothing really helped until I started eating real food again,

It took me several fills before I really felt any restriction. A fill would make me feel 'tight' for a day or two and then it would disappear. Wasn't til I had about 6cc before I got my first stuck episode. I still could eat a fair amount between fills. I finally got to the green zone at 8.5cc in a 10cc band. I ate according the the band rules mostly in that I ate slowly, ate only a small serving and stopped after I finished my serving. I used to take out a small serving and then halve it and put one half in the fridge. I told myself if I was still really hungry after 30 mins I could go back for more. I only went back once in all the time I did that (coz it takes about 10 mins normally to stop feeling hungry, and longer if you have a band). That was a great tip that was told to me that worked for me, so consider this me passing it on. It has worked well for friends who aren't banded either. The good news is that for the majority of banders, the time WILL come where you get enough restriction in your band to only be able to eat a small amount and be satisfied for hours. If it works like it should, it should also stop you feeling hungry most of the time. When that will happen is different for every bander, though. Also I remember when I first got banded, my tummy made these AWFUL rumbling sounds all day. I figure it was because for 20 years it was used to being filled to the brim and it was grumbling at the huge reduction in food. But after 6 months or so, it settled and it nearly never growled. It got used to be being 'drip fed' food from the above all day, I guess!

Cuban chick that is EXACTLY whats going on!!!! U explained it word for word. I have gained 3 lbs but haven't posted it on here bc im so embarrassed. I can basically eat anything right now. And you called it bc for a few days right after surgery i was never ever hungry. Now im hungry all the time. I know i should be chewing my food more but i forget some bites and it still seems to go down fine. Thank you so much for posting that! U literally described what im going thru exactly thank u!!

Please forgive me if this is long.... And some of you might nail me to the cross for this I've been married going on 15 years. I'm 35 years old with 2 Children 12 and 15. 2 years ago almost to the day I met a guy. Now I may have been what society considers a fat girl but only now am I able to actually express that. I truly did not see myself that way. I was very confident, dressed well, hair did nails did everything did and although I was married-- NEVER had a problem attracting men. I was doing some shopping and kinda ran into this guy and looking back I think he may have strategically planned it but when I looked up there he was. I felt like I had been hit by lightening. He looked me in my eyes and said hello, then walked away. He had me at hello. He was extremely attractive. Why extremely? I could see him being on tv, or a music entertainer and it wouldn't surprise me he was that kind of attractive. My heart was fluttering and I was just a mess. Thinking why I didn't spruce up a bit before I left the house ugh!!! I mean wth, it's just a little harmless flirting. After trying to figure out 50 ways to sunday how I would tell this guy he was cute without coming off as thirsty I ultimately decided against it. I mean guys tell me how attractive I am all the time and it's normal but if a woman does it, it's an automatic signal that she wants you and that's not the message I was trying to send. Well he found his way over to me again and struck up a conversation. We chatted a few brief moments then I'd shut it down and sashay with my basket over to another isle. He'd find me again. He never came out and flirted with me off rip but these random conversations were a big giveaway. After all he was obviously younger, he must've been nervous and didn't know how to approach me. Well he finally got up the nerve and found me in another isle walked up behind me and whispered in my ear Damn Ms ______ you look so good. Why did he call me Ms. ______ Because I had on a football jersey that had my sons last name and number on the back and I guess he just went from there. Here was my opportunity. I looked over at him as he walked away, tossed my hair, laughed very nonchalantly and said, yeah you too. Well within moments he had come back with a piece of paper with his name and number written on it. he asked me to call him if I ever needed any home repairs, flooring or tiling. So I smiled and said sure I might just do that. Finally he asked me if I was married and I was truthful and told him yes and he made a case about wanting to be a friend to me, and just be someone I could talk to if I ever needed and that he would never overstep his boundaries. I politely declined and decided it was time to wrap this shopping trip up quick fast and in a hurry. As I was leaving the store I got to my car and popped the trunk I looked up and he was walking toward me eyes fixed. I got scared for a minute and asked "what are you doing?" he said I wanted to help you with your things. Please allow me. (Just like that. No lie) So he put my groceries in the trunk, pleaded his case once more and asked me to just give him a chance. He opened my car door so I could get in, and asked again would you please give me a call. I agreed and pulled off. I could go into details about how this whirlwind affair unfolded but lets just say it was the best of times-- it was the worst of times. He was 22. No kids. Lived on his own. Had 2 jobs. Very responsible, a real gentleman, Old school. he was everything I never would have expected. I fell in love. lust. whatever. My world had been turned up. side. down. My husband found out, it tore him apart. Our family was broken and it was all my selfish fault. Did we have issues? yes. Nothing major. Nothing worth him being cheated on. One day. He stopped calling and texting. he just disappeared like a thief in the night. I thought I would have a nervous breakdown. I didn't know what happened, why was there someone else? Did I say something do something? NOW things needed to end don't get me wrong they should have never began. But I started to wonder... would this have happened if I were say 75-100lbs lighter? For the first time I began to feel insecure about the way I looked. My weight never came up. He always told me I was beautiful, attractive, whatever but nothing else made sense. We reconnected and he just told me he had a lot going on with his job and he had to move out of his place and that he just needed to deal with it all and that he would never just leave me without saying a word. He asked me about my husband and I told him we were working things out. He said I just want to make you happy (whatever that meant). then one day he said listen sweetie, its getting too hard for me not being able to have you when I want and spend time with you and I can't do half relationships. So I said fine. I understand no hard feelings. 8 days pass and I'm heartbroken he calls and says, I miss you so much. I love you, I'm going crazy, I can't sleep, I've been shutting people out cause I only want to be with you. He said he would be in the city and wanted to see me that weekend and it never happened. Then I didn't hear from him anymore. I called, I texted cause I thought he cared. He never responded. Once he returned my call, and I left my phone in the car. He left a message hey baby, call me when you get a chance. I miss u and I love you. Talk to you soon. I called him back, texted him... nothing. So I told myself # 1 I'm trying to work things out with my husband-- why keep this going on. ( I was addicted to him and I could not stop) # 2 He clearly is not that into you. His actions do not line up with his BS words if he really wanted to spend time with you or talk to you he would. #3 LET HIM GO... there must be someone else or he isn't attracted to you or something. That affair tore me apart mentally. There was no closure. I was left with a empty feeling inside. 4 months later I see him on FB with a girl who and he was now "in a relationship". He was calling SOMEONE... texting SOMEONE just not me. My husband and I are back together. I won't say he's fully recovered there are definitely trust issues there that will take a lot of effort on my part to restore. I do regret that affair. If I could do it over I would have run for the hills!!! I have convinced myself that (although it was wrong my ego was hurt still the same and my confidence completely SHAKEN) he did that because I was fat and he didn't want to hurt my feelings. I've had a problem with flirting and getting myself in trouble with the hubby in previous years before I gained weight. Then I started gaining weight as a way to keep me honest, thinking guys wouldn't be as attracted to me and I could be content in my marriage and not wander off. it was working although I still got hit on. I never want to go down that road again. But honestly 2 months after things ended I decided to have WLS. Now I didn't have surgery until 1 year later because although that was the catalyst I didn't want that to be the only reason. I needed to do it for me. My health, and my well being. I'm much better today. But I was just curious if anyone else had the feeling a relationship ended or never took off because of their weight. Or if you've had trouble staying faithful since weight loss. I will be honest, when I get to goal. I will have a professional photo shoot as my reward. My friend agreed to post a pic of me as her WCW as he is her friend on facebook-- to ensure he see's the new and improved me. (I know, petty) but It's only for my personal satisfaction but trust me I will never travel that road again. EVER again. My hubby has loved me through it all and he deserves my LOYALTY. But sometimes I don't trust myself and wonder will old habits find their way back when I lose all the weight?

Just got mine today. And its crippling me. First one after surgery 2 weeks ago since stopping bc. These cramps are killing me. What do you guys do for them. Im scared to take anything but my liquid Tylenol 3 which is going to put me out. Sent from my SM-G925T using the BariatricPal App

So glad u asked this bc I was thinking the same thing. I have a desk job so I won't b up doing a whole bunch but I didn't wanna take more than 2 weeks off. Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

Congrats!!! This is random, but do you (or anyone else who sees this) obsess over the surgery? Wondering if it will be approved, worried that something will change, etc.? If so, how do you manage it?! I literally have a hard time sleeping now bc it's always on my mind! ALWAYS!

It can be difficult to maintain especially if your not consistant and continue to follow this lifestyle change. I remember I was around 185 before my cruise next thing u kno 1 week later im back in the 90's! no way!!!! LOLThats too close to 200...I want to go as low as possible without looking sick. I do believe 160 will look good on me, so I can have a gap to play with (between 160-170 for weight gain) You always want to leave enough room to play around for weight gain bc nobody truly stays the SAME weight forever...If you want to stay away from the 200's, I would say 160 would be extremly safe. For a person whose 5'8, 160 is a good weight

Has anyone else noticed how much a pain in the behind they are..I am so freaking frusterated right now that I want to swear them all off and become a hermit with a bunch of cats!!! Ok so I am younger than many on here, being 22 and not married. Been talking to this guy for several months. I mean talking as we hang out every day together and text and call each other and do things together. Well last week he stopped returning my calls and wont text me back!!!! Not returning a call is a pet peeve of mine anyways, but the thing is I know him well enough to know hes not doing anything better. Hes sitting on his freaking couch watching tv..ya know being a productive human being ! ( Im sorry I tend to get sarcastic whenever Im mad!) Is it so hard to call me back. Im sorry I didnt know that it was difficult to answer a cell phone.Or maybe hes concerned about getting brain cancer..o wait that cant be it, bc texting a person doesnt require the phone to be held next to the ear. Maybe hes found someone better to talk to. FINE WHATEVER. Answer the ***** phone and say that youre busy. Totally fine. Grr. So A huge portion of me wants to drive to his house and pull crazy on him by poundin on his door like a freakin stalker and seeing whats up..another part of me wants to so run off my frustrations and get super hot and skinny and then accidentally run into him. Even thinking about this whole situation pisses me off!! I realize to those of you that are married this might seem juvenile, but really all Im asking of the man is to pick up the phone when it rings..in my book this should not require an act of GOD! hmm..seriously I think being a hermit with a lot of pets might b the life for me

Hey , I'm jabbing the same problem . My coordinator was suppose to submit my paperwork on jan 14 . I have contact my insurance almost everyday and they have not received anything . Before she use too answer her phone or call me back . Now she does not answer at all . I'm about to schedule an appointment and ask what's going on . I'm really fed up , if its too much work for her to send paperwork , then I should just take my paperwork someplace else. I really want to have surgery with my surgeon but if my process will continue to be delayed bc of her . then I will have to go so place else .

I am almost 2 months out, 1 week away from being cleared for all food. Last night around 9pm I had a thin slice a pastrami (cold cuts). I woke up at 3am nauseous, and still now 7pm feeling the same way. I am exhausted too. Could this be bc my body didn't agree with the pastrami? I've taken my medicine so not to be nauseous and it's hasn't subsided. My stomach is making weird noises. Any ideas??? Sent from my iPhone using VST