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OKAY... so I am very excited b/c I ordered my Body Bugg yesterday so it's on it's way. I have a question though... I was reading a Body Bugg review that says that once your 3 month free subscription to the site is over that the Body Bugg is useless unless you renew your subscription for the site at $200 a month. Please tell me this isn't so b/c I can't spend $200 a month on this. HELP!

I'm hoping to have surgery in August in Tijuana and I'm debating between 2 doctors (below). I'm ~300lbs and I've had no prior weight loss surgeries (this is not a conversion). 1) Dr. Louisiana Valenzuela via Mexico Bariatric Center with Christy as coordinator. 2) Dr. Alejandro López Ortega ("Dr. Lopez") via alighterme.com with Janese as coordinator. Any opinions / suggestions / experiences would be much appreciated. Thank you guys!

It's from a website put out by one of the coordinating companies. I'm not saying they aren't excellent doctors... They definitely ARE.. I used them and am very happy. They have good specialized bariatric training under Dr. Corvala, have done a lot of surgeries and the provided me with great care and are an excellent value for the money..... I'm just saying that the website is NOT an objective source.

Renewed WTG!!!! Just curious, how many calories did your bodybugg register during the 5k?? You have an excellent burn rate to be so little.

Okay, I've got to start wearing mine again. I usually wear it on the days I run but that's about it and not always all day. My subscription is up tomorrow I think? I need to renew it and make myself wear it again. It is a wonderful tool and it's crazy that I haven't been using it! I, georgia girl, vow to get up tomorrow and put my bodybugg on...and leave it on!!! Actually, I am going to put it on NOW!!!

I told my PCP I wanted Bariatric Surgery. She asked me why, I told her my negative experiences and how my life was going downhill fast... She didnt put up a fight. Less than a week later I was in orientation.

Great choice. Dr. Louisiana Valenzuela and Dr. Ismal Carbera-Garcia are awesome! I am biased because they were my surgeons. Dr. Valenzuela is also a trauma surgeon along with being a bariatric surgeon. She worked in San Francisco and Dr. Cabarera (sp)-Garcia worked in Fresno for a while. They are are the top surgeons in Mexico...per the "Top Mexican Surgeons" that I saw. You will be in great hands and the Anesthesiologist is AWESOME and very sweet. Gosh, I don't recall his name..guess that's because his administration of anesthesia was smooth and had a great sleep! Oh, I have two things you may be interested in: my Mexico Trip Tips and Sleeve Bible(s). If you're interested, PM me with your email address, and I'll send them to you. Take care and good luck! Jen

My insurance excluded it as well. I look back now and don't care. I paid out of pocket and would do it again in a New York minute. Lucky, I live the the Dallas area where we have an abundance of top notch bariatric surgeons. (I paid $12,200 all inclusive) Don't get me wrong, that is a huge chuck of change but SO worth it. It was the best health decision I could have made for myself. My husband agrees! It would be great if insurance paid but if it doesn't, go for it! You will not regret it! Best of luck to you!

My insurance required a 6 month supervised diet before approval. I was extremely happy to have to do that.. I know it sounds weird but I needed that time to prepare, get educated and figure out my relationship with food. This surgery is not something I had been wanting or looking into for years. I was diagnosed with a Ventral Hernia and the surgeon that was going to operate on me suggested it to me. Doing the surgery to remove the Ventral Hernia is very invasive she said and recovery time is long and painful. If she had operated on me at the weight I was there was a huge chance the hernia would come back and she didn't want to put me thru the surgery again. So she referred me to Dr. Chaiasson my bariatric surgeon and as they say the rest is history. I feel I was as prepared as I could have been. I knew how my relationship with food would change and by my surgery date of Oct 27th I was ready. It's hard to explain sometimes, cause this journey has not been easy, but I can say it has been easier than I anticipated. My recovery from surgery was fairly routine and quick, once I got my eating down I was able to handle way more items than I thought. I still work very hard at it everyday, I do have bites of things here and there. My 16yr old daughter teases me, you know the seagulls from Finding Nemo......Mine, mine mine mine mine!!! LOL She is always saying Bite, bite bite bite bite to me in that same tone. It's funny!!! You didn't say when your surgery was but you sound like it was pretty recent. Hang in there all those feelings you are having are pretty normal. You have to realize you have to have a different relationship with food now. It's hard sometimes but oh soooooo worth it. I just consider this my new normal. It's just how things are now. I truly think the biggest and most important thing you can do is plan and be prepared. I still track and log everything that goes into my mouth into my food journal. I keep track of Protein, sugar and liquids. Good luck in your journey and I know it is easier said than done sometimes, but you will get over that hump and instead of feeling like that daily it will only come and go periodically!!!!

I think the advice to meet as many people as possible is wise---to limit yourself to one race, or one eye color, or one vocation, is limiting to BOTH of you. Personally, I too felt that the financial burden was especially heavy on my DH back when we began dating. He ask me out---so yes he paid for the first date. Then we got creative, went on cheap dates, we rented movies, and I cooked dinner---he was in college, and working, we were both raising children...it was a second marriage for each of us. We connected on a level it was something we could discuss---if I could not discuss that with him, did I really have any hope of a serious relationship working???? I thought not. However---we just had a celebration for my parents 50th Anniversary, and both couples that stood up with them as attendents at their wedding were able to come back and do the same for the vow renewal. There were 3 couples, who struggled, through hard times, and all 3 made it to their 50th Anniversaries. I would be willing to bet, that in the 1950's the men paid for it all. I know through the years, my Mom worked while my Dad re entered college, and we struggled financially---and by that time they worked as a team, but prior to the marriage, I am sure that Dad paid for it all. Times have changed. The law very well may have changed---but if you find a woman of Filippino background or whatever, and nurture the relationship, prior to hauling her back to the US of A to marry her---then those questions will not be an issue. Marrying someone from another country is not illegal---marrying them simply to gain them citizenship is---as it should be. The law not only protects innocent young girls from being sold into these relationships, it protects you as well. YOU ask "isn't it love we want?" YOU need to answer that question---what is love to YOU. Is "love" - your spouse doing everything your way? Is "love" - your spouse being at your beck and call? What makes you feel loved? How do you intend on making this woman feel loved? Love is not something you buy---or something you just make happen in my opinion. When you love someone, you want the very best for them---so you need to make sure you are the very best. Sounds to me like maybe you need to take a little time, enjoy talking with these women, and or any others, and learn to find out who you are, and what would make you feel loved, so you can in turn make the woman you marry next feel the same. Just my opinion! Kat

Hi- What you want to do is go to your insurance carrier's website and search lap band or bariatric surgery. They should have a document that shows exactly what the criteria is. My insurance requires me to do a 6 month doctor supervised diet. I guess I'm lucky b/c some insurance companies require a year of doctor supervised diets. I hope your insurance is just requesting proof doing a diet like WW and not the year with going to the doctor monthly thing like mine for 6 months. If my BMI was over 40 for 5 years I wouldn't have to do that, but I think I have only been over 40 once and that was about 5 years ago. Rachel at DR. Malley's handles the insurance so after you go to the seminar and then the consult she will call you and discuss your insurance with you. Good luck! You will learn a lot at the seminar!

I've attended orientations through Pacific Bariatric, Sharp memorial bariatric and UCSD. During my consultation next week, I'm sure they will assist with my decision between lap band or the sleeve. I just want what will work for me and gives me the greates success in weight loss. Thanks all that commented. I appreciate your support and advice.

I felt completely prepared for all aspects before and after the surgery. Most all information I needed was on the net. The rest, especially my customized plan, was provided by my surgeon, nutritionist, and bariatric behaviorial therapist. I read voraciously all that I could regarding the surgery before I even attended my first consultation. I watched hours of youtube diaries that people have so graciously provided of their surgeries, struggles, successes, and failures. I particularly focused on failures and what people didn't consider before the surgery. I focused on what people ate and what their relationship with food was before and after surgery. I read every bit of material my surgeon/nutritionist/psychologist provided. The information laid out every aspect of life before and after surgery. Their material covered all phases of eating pre- and post-op, nutrition guideliness, behavioral modification. I tried out different shakes, Vitamins, and foods to see what I'd like for the pre-op and post-op diets. I didn't really plan menus because I'm a fairly decent cook. I can follow any plan. I attended (and still attend) support groups to help and discuss the pre- and post-surgery life. Always something new to learn! I understand not everyone prepares for the surgery for one reason or another, but there's so much that we have to do after the surgery to be successful long-term, that I can't imagine not being armed with all the information I learned. Best of luck and success to everyone!

I worry about folks who think that healthy eating and having VSG rather than RNY will protect them from deficiencies. I consider my intake to be very healthy, AND I take good quality bariatric Vitamins, and still ended up with deficiencies. Maybe it's just marketing hoo-ha, but I'm willing to believe it matters which brand of vitamins you take, because the source of the nutrients differs, and some are more readily absorbed than others. We were all told to take Calcium CITRATE, not CARBONATE, right? So it makes sense to me that other nutrients in a multi-Vitamin may also differ. I'm willing to pay more to take a Multivitamin that's formulated for post-ops. And while it's true that we don't have the same risks of deficiencies as RNY post-ops, we still have smaller stomachs, and many of us are on PPIs long-term, impacting absorption of nutrients that require an acidic environment. I'm vigilant, but I still ended up extremely low in thiamine and Iron. I keep up with my tests, and I focus particularly on calcium, since I can't check that with a blood test. I had a bone density scan done along with a DEXA scan a couple of years ago, but since most women in their early 40s don't have bone density scans done, my PCP tells me there's not good data to compare my results to. I'll test again in a couple of years so I can compare to my prior results.

I think expressing that is fine. I think using it as a platform to degrade people who have noncisnomative gender experiences...is bigoted. And....noncisnormative gender experienced people will always be part of the equation when you're talking about gender bans. You might want such a change....and if you bought a TON...and I mean a METRIC TON of stuff from the bariatric store....you might get your wish. But ultimately, from a business standpoint, I think Alex would be unwise to create perceptions of discrimination. But since it's his site, he can certainly make any rules he wishes. My gut feeling, though....is that most folks are satisfied with the honor system for using those boards and your request is not worth the hassle of potentially excluding a good customer and contributor.

@@Brandon Long Let's get real for a minute. Yes it's probably too early for you to be asking about having burgers and pizza the way you used to eat them but as my Dr. always says "this is gut surgery, not brain surgery!" We all have food addictions or we wouldn't have gone to the extreme of having WLS. My philosophy on this is I will follow what I've been told to be successful by my Bariatric team of experts. This means NO Pasta, rice, bread, tortillas, sugary sweets, etc. EVER again! I must respect my new pouch or I will gain the weight back. Too many people have. Look out there, they're having new WLS saying their old surgery didn't work ... bull! It works but we have to do what we're told!!! Now that being said, my goal is to look for healthier ways if making my old favorites that fit within my strict Mayo Bariatric guidelines for life. I had quiche when I was able to start soft foods. It is one of my staples and goes down so much easier than any eggs I could ever make. Not to mention it tastes delicious. One serving is only 121 calories and has 12 grams of Protein. You can also make tasty pudding with sugar-free fat-free Jello pudding (dry in the box) and 2 cups of Premier Protein Drink. Makes four 1/2 cup servings for 85 calories and 10 grams of protein. Now that I'm 5 months post-op I'm finally having one of my all time favorite foods, pizza! Since I'll never eat bread again, there is a way to enjoy this and my single serving size is only 246 calories and 31 grams of protein. If I'm going to be successful, I'm going to eat what tastes good ... and there are lots of tasty recipes out there to help us all. When you get further along on your journey (definitely NOT yet), try this pizza recipe. Trust me, you'll love it. If you want to see a pic of it, check out my post "Pizza, Glorious Pizza"! Congrats and continued success Ingredients One pound ground (raw) chicken breast ¼ cup grated Parmesan ¼ cup Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shredded cheese – ¼ cup shredded cheese is 1 oz. by weight ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp black or cayenne pepper (I used cayenne) Tools Mixing bowl (stand mixer - easiest combing method) Baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone (crispiest crust) Parchment paper Wax paper Rolling pin Pam or any vegetable non-stick cooking spray Instructions Place pizza stone in oven, if you’re going to use one (my preference), and preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl combine all of the above ingredients.Place a wet paper towel on a flat surface then place your parchment paper on it. Spray it with Pam and then put your chicken mixture on top. Chicken mixture makes 6 – 3 oz. portions, so 6 individual crusts (approx. 6"x4"). Lightly spray a sheet of wax paper with non-stick cooking spray (makes for easy removal). Place wax paper, sprayed side down and evenly press using a rolling pin to get it as thin as you’d like. Remove the wax paper and place parchment paper on pan or pre-heated pizza stone and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness). My individual (very thin) crusts baked on pizza stone in just 12 minutes!Put the crust between two paper towels and pat to absorb any grease. It is chicken after all. Then place it on a new sheet of parchment before topping it. Top baked crust with sauce, cheese and healthy toppings. Place back in oven and cook until melted and bubbly 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! Crust: Nutrition Facts Servings 6.0 Amount Per Serving: Calories 114 Total Fat 3 g Carbohydrate 1 g Dietary Fiber 1 g Sugars 0 g Protein 19 g As Prepared : 2 Tbs Prego pizza sauce 2 Tbs Sargento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shreds 1 tsp sautéed Vidalia onion 1 tsp sautéed red bell pepper ½ oz. cooked 90/10 lean ground beef Nutrition Facts Servings 1.0 Calories 246 Total Fat 10 g Carbohydrate 6 g Dietary Fiber 1 g Sugars 3 g Protein 31 g

Hey y'all, it's been a while! I think I killed the group with all my giant posts! I promise to keep it short this time. :frown: Well, I made it through the six month diet, and lost 23 pounds. During the additional month I had to wait for my surgery to be scheduled, I've lost another 6 pounds, bringing my total to 29. And that's before the surgery! Woohoo! I am scheduled to be banded on September 14. I started my pre-op diet yesterday. It consists of a Protein shake for Breakfast and lunch, then 4-6oz of protein and a cup of non-starchy veggies for dinner. So far it's not too bad; it's just a matter of finding the right flavor for the shakes that won't make me gag and wretch. I've settled on the Isopure dutch chocolate and creamy vanilla. I added some PB2 peanut powder to the vanilla flavor this morning, and it turned out pretty good. The chocolate is good on its own. I will be at the bariatric surgery nutrition seminar this Thursday at the Wellness Center to get all my post-op eating info, so if anyone else is going to be there, let me know so I can say hi. Hope all you folks are doing well!

Thanks for the recommendations on alternate doctors! Depending on how my appointment with Dr. Mailapur goes this week, I may follow up with you folks. Queenvaruk, I'm sorry if my criticism of the seminar caused offense. It was totally not my intention. I wanted to document my impressions of the seminar for other people who may be starting out, so they would know what to (or not to) expect. It was based on my doctor's and your recommendation that I decided to give Dr. Mailapur a try. I value your experience, and it has been encouraging to me. I have thought about it quite a bit over the last few days, and I think several factors contributed to my negative feelings about the seminar. 1) The doctor showed up over 20 minutes late. Not a good first impression. 2) The $200 fee was stressed over and over again, but was never explained as an industry standard. I think a better explanation yould have made it easier to swallow, and seem less pretentious. 3) The doctor blew my question off in front of a lot of other people, who were probably interested in the answer. It gave me the impression that he is not interested in the patient's opinion or input. 4) The information given in the seminar was mostly a sales pitch for bariatric surgery, and was nothing more than what I had already gathered from this site and others like it. I'm a firm believer in second chances, so I'm chalking the experience up to a bad day. I'm going into the consultation with a positive attitude (and my credit card!!).

To Hawaiian Chick... My email didn't go through, so will just post to you here. My surgeon is in Mitchell, which is about 60 miles form Sioux Falls. His name is Dr. Andrew Reynolds and his collegue is Dr. Michael Haley. They are in a Bariatric Clinic together. In Sioux Falls, I know there is a Dr. Thaemert and a Dr. Strand, but I really know nothing about them as surgeons.

I hear you Jasmine. I went nuts after my band was removed. It's amazing how quickly the weight comes back. Now I'm miserable and feel the way I did pre-band which is why I don't want to have to wait another six months. The company I work for is in the process of being bought out so there is a very real possibility that I may not be covered in six months. I have started the six month diet (earlier this month) but that puts me into June at the earliest to have my surgery. By then it will have been fifteen months that I will have been without some sort of Bariatric assistance. It just doesn't make sense why the insurance companies would make us do this after already having a band. Why are you revising to the sleeve?

@@peytonplace Marsha, thanks for the reply. Posts go "poof" on me sometimes too, I have developed a habit of saving the long ones half way through... because the short ones never disappear...grrr Okay, i had a lower body lift, breast lift and augmentation and arm lift. More recently I had some work on my thighs, so no stranger to plastics! I discussed my butt with the plastic surgeon and he advised against implants for all the reasons you mention. i didn't really want that anyway. Some people get this procedure where during the lowr body lift, they use some excess ... skin?... to kind of fill out the butt. I know a couple of people who went for that - they loved the results but it was a painful and difficult recovery. And, it took like a year before they could sleep on their backs! Not worth it to me and surgeon didn't think it was worth it either. I know big butts are what is currently in, but don't really mind, and most of the time it isn't really a big deal, but this particular outfit, it was a problem. I am glad i did plastics, but, it is a big deal and not for everyone! I believe it is riskier and bigger surgery than bariatric. Implants can have long term complications. I always thought that things like arm lifts were no long term risk once healed (mine were awesome!) but someone on these forums has long term nerve damage from an arm lift.... like i said, consider the risks because living with a bit of excess skin isn't so bad... As far as the regain, you can find much info on these forums on this topic. For most people, what works best is going back to what worked for you in your losing phase. Going back to basics - Protein first, no grazing, stay hydrated, yada yada. i think it is wise to weigh weekly (as long as that doesn't trigger obsessiveness for you) because then you notice the 5 before it becomes 50. If you want more advice, ask away and I suggest reading the veterans forum as that seems to be "regain central" My general feeling about goal, maintenance and all that - it isn't really a destination, it is more like the lifelong deal. I try to see it in a positive light - i have skinny friends around my age, and they ALL watch what they eat to stay thin. Okay, they were never food junkies, so maybe it is easier, but my point is that we live in a world where food is pushed at us constantly... our brain is stimulated to want to consume it! You really have to work hard to keep cravings etc under control. I have discovered that WHAT I eat eithr triggers or helps control hunger. This is why I maintain a moderate carb diet - sugars, even in fruit and other healthy sources triggers appetite for me. As far as the phone app, does myfitnesspal look a little like the older version of this sites app? It used to be black, now the app for Bariatric pal is white background.

I'm worried too. My insurance doesn't cover bariatric surgery. We are repairing a hiatal hernia too so the surgery it's self will be covered. I will still have to pay for the banding, my deductible and my share after insurance. They quoted me $8,000. Totally sucks but I WILL make it work! I have been wanting to do this surgery for years and am finally focusing on me to do it.

Now see...I think your refusal to acknowledge and respect these people....is as offensive as you find women who post in the men's room. World is an interesting place, isn't it? If you'd like to be educated about them, look up the term genderqueer or non-binary gender identity. But again...I don't care what Alex does about these rooms. Ultimately, I think he'd care a lot more about them if they produced LOTS of sales of bariatric products. LOL:) By the way, have you tried the Flapjacked Mighty Muffins? They're amazing:)

Chris, I neglected to mention a key detail in my previous post: upon resuming bariatric care, one of the first steps taken by my new doctor was to do the testing I had begged his predecessor to do - checking the band under a flouroscope. The findings were that the band had, in fact, failed in a fashion, as my body defeated it by creating a new "pouch" above the band. The temporary solution has been to remove all Fluid from the band, after which I experienced an immediate end to all my symptoms. The long-term solution, which hopefully occurs in mid-December, is replacing the band with a duodenal switch.

Anybody on here willing to tell me about what life's like after the sleeve? I know side effects with this procedure are significantly less then with other bariatric surgeries. But, I'm wondering, am I going to be nausiated all the time? What about diahrrea? Is there sanity after a food addiction?? I know these are (kind've gross) and personal questions...but really...what is life like after the sleeve?