Search the Community

Thanks everyone! I do pack a lunch often. But sometimes I just get so fed up with the same things. I have found that a 1$ side salad and a grilled chicken wrap at McDonald's works well. I just take out the chicken and add it to the salad and get the fat free Italian dressing. Add it all together then shake it in the container. I focus mainly on the chicken but I get some salad in. I'm proud of McDonald's for offering a small salad on the 1$ menu.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I will be starting the same process soon (I've already had the surgery though). I'm in BC and I tend to not take 'no' for an answer!! It just takes one person to make a difference......

1. It hurts if I drink with food in my pouch. The reasons they don't want you to is bc it washes down the foodm, so you won't stay feeling full as long. 2. And 3. You don't have enough restriction. I hate Protein shakes. Don't limit yourself. I, myself make homemade cream Soups. There's a whole wide world of liquids out there. Going a few days without protein protein protein won't hurt you. Sent from my VS985 4G using the BariatricPal App

With my first fill I could eat just about anything and have NO problems. I just had my 2nd fill a week ago and have now have 5cc in 14cc band. So, yesterday my husband and I wanted to go out to our fav chinese place. I LOVE their crab bake and I thought ooohhh I have been doing SOOO good I want to try it. Plus I though crab and cheeze good protein Anyhow I took 3 bites and got this AWFUL pain in my chest. I though uh oh...I'm about to throw this up....I ran to the bathroom and sure enough up my food came.....it really threw me for a loop bc up until now I havent had that prob. Anyway it scared me enough that I have gone back to soft food......so I guess no crab bake for me. I dont even want to think about trying meat.

I sas suppose to get my first fill today but bc my old dr is no longer there the new dr doesnt fill till 6 weeks. Well would have been nice to mention on the phone! I didnt need a check up thank u.

looks like your off to a great start.:cursing: and you can really tell it in your face. on a side note. how did you like dr.miles? im going to him and hoping to get my bc/bs papers any day now.

Please tell me u mean car insurance company n not ur health insurance company bc if so that is a total breach of confidentiality...n I would report the worker.. sor go through that even more Reason to prove their ass wrong ry u had to

Hey! I was reading through all these different comments. I too have BC/BS of IL. The lady at my doctors office (Lapband doc) said she has never delt with BC/BS of IL. I have done the siminar, and the dietician, and therapy evaluation (they both say IM READY), and a letter from my PCP stating he reccomends this for me and states I have tried multi diets over the past 5 years (under his care) I have Hypothyroidism and have for 12 years, and its under control with meds. I have 2 co-morbidities,and my BMI is 43. What hoops did you have to go through and how soon did you get approved? Hope to hear back... Thanks! GOOD LUCK!!!

Hey there! I am doing great. I will be so much better on Monday when I can eat food that you actually get to chew! I am teaching summer school (kindergarten) and it is wearing me out. I don't think I am getting near enough calories to handle the energy level present in even one of those munchkins! I set up a fill a long time ago for June 30th. I don't know if I will need one or not, I have yet to feel hungry, but I wanted to make sure I could get in. I am down 13 pounds since surgery and I lost 10 preop. I am back where I started last summer when I got fed up withdieting and went back to eating everything in sight. At least I know that won't happen again!

A similar thing happened to me. I would get my period every 2 weeks. 14 days on/ 14 days off. Miserable... I went to my ob/gyn and he just said "that's pcos" and I told him that not for me, bc I normally never got it. He was hoping that I would start to ovulate...but no dice. I just started taking birth control, which usually helps me lose weight bc it regulates my hormones. I am hoping to have our first round of IVF this coming fall.

Hi moon, Sorry I am not qualified to be the mentor that you are seeking because I am waiting for approval as well. I just wanted to say hello to a fellow Alabamian. Stay encouraged, Who is your Ins. co. ? I have bc bs.

So I need to ask those who have been in my position what you have done. I'm assuming there aren't too many of you who can relate(hopefully). Here is the background story: I had the crapband in Sept of 2010. I was 238 at the time. I was ok for a few months until the sliming and puking took over my life for the next nearly 2 years. I lost about 32 pound in 5 months and then it came to a grinding halt. Nothing I did lost me a pound. Then the weight just came back on until I was back around 222-225. I couldn't stand the f'ing sliming and throwing up game so I did what I thought was the be all and end all for me and had the sleeve done in July 2012. My sister had hers done in march of 2012 and is now a tiny little thing again. She rocked it like nobody's business. I lost weight the first 3 weeks after the sleeve and then it just tapered off pretty fast. 7 weeks later I had a horrible episode of starvation and I was so hungry one day that I ate a lot of food for someone with such a small stomach. I actually cried because I was so hungry and upset that I could eat 'so much' food. I was having reflux issues too so I had a barium study. Little did I know that in just 8 weeks, the top portion of my stomach, the fundus, had already started to stretch. I found out from my GI doctor that it was nothing I did or ate and it was just due to my anatomy. He said stomachs are creatures with their own minds and mine did it's own thing. The lower portion was unaffected. I eventually lost about 25 pounds in about 4-5 months and then once again, the weight just came back on. Two Endocrinolgists have told me that years of dieting and the two surgeries have permanently damaged my metablolism. My body can't switch to fat buring like a normal body. It goes straight into panic starvation mode. I have had extensive thyroid and blood sugar work ups and have resolved any issues there. In fact, my labs are pretty damn good. So in April I go back to my surgeon and tell him that I'm seriously fed up with the lack of missing pounds and that we need to figure this out now. He said that he can redo the sleeve to fix the top and make it really tight. I was game for almost anything so I scheduled my 3rd surgery in 4 years. Good thing my insurance covers everything! I had the sleeve redone July 15th, 1 year and 1 week since the first sleeve. I went in with zero exepectations so I wouldn't get my hoped crushed again. Well, good thing because I'm back at square one again. I lost about 13-14 pounds in the first 3 weeks and now 8 weeks out I haven't lost anymore. In fact, most of it was in the first two weeks. The third week was 2 pounds and for the past 5 weeks I haven't lost a freaking ounce. Now I have total proof that it's not what or how much I am eating. Three surgeries, all the BS about Protein, no carbs, ect just doesn't apply to someone like me. I can eat protein all day long and I still don't lose weight. I have been hiking, kayaking, etc and nothing happens. I wake up hungry, go to bed hungry. Nothing. What do you do in my situation? I'm not expecting crazy results like some people do. I am very realistic about what your body can and can't do. I know that 3500 calories is equal to one pound gained or lost. I know that my intake is significantly less that it was a few months ago and I know my body have this amazing ability to fully function on so much less food without buring fat and I wish I knew how or why! One of my doctors said that I truly could never, ever be Anorexic even if I tried, because my body is like some Neanderthal survivor! Have any of you had such a reaction like mine where your metablolism has legitimately been trashed to the point where you can't burn fat? What have to done to overcome this? I know there has to be a solution to boost my body into fat burning mode and move it out of starvation mode. I would really apprecaiate any input that you have in regards to my situation. I don't consider this a stall like everyone seems to have. This is yet another full stop just like the last two times. Even my surgeon said to me that he was just going to have to suck the fat out. I agree. That is in the very near future. Thanks!

I just found this thread. I was banded on 10/5... I had my 1st fill on 11/6... The 1st fill was so weird... He put in 2 cc's & it was sooooooooooooooo tight I could not even swallow 1 sip of Water. My daughter was with my (she is 11) she heard all the noises coming from me from across the room, she kept saying stop that... I said I can't... Then the doc came back in & said whoooaaa those noises, how did the water go down & how much have you had to drink? I said 1 little sip & it has not gone down yet... He said he figured from the noises. He took 1cc out & that was great... I got the water right down! He said now you know what it is like to be to tight! Ick I do not want that again! I have lost 27 pounds as of now... I am working out at the gym as much as I can. I am very happy with how this band is helping me. I did not tell my family I had it done. They have been mean to me my entire life & I figured it is none of their business, this is my life not theirs. I want to be there for my daughter & enjoy life. I also do not want to hear their bs that I took the easy way out. Although I do not think surgery is the easy way out at all... But I grew up with my mom calling me a walrus, my brother calling me a fat sweat (sister too) & my dad just saying you make me sick... And they are just 2 of the comments they would say... I never once heard that I looked beautiful & the sick thing was I was a size 10!!!! A size 10 & a walrus??? Sheesh I can only imagine what they said when I was at 289!! See I never measured up with my sister who has done movies etc & she is the perfect size "2"... Me, growing up with them at a size 8 or the 10 I was in high school was just walruslike to them... So I told them I had my gall bladder out... they never even asked when I was having it out... they did nto care... So I did not tell them the date... so then when they called to tell me my sister had her baby & when am I going to see her... I said when my doc says I can drive, I just came home from the hospital... she said ohh ok well she had a boy! They did not even say how are you feeling! lol yup I have a caring family don't I??? NOT!!! They funny thing is. my sister the actress & size 2 has 3 kids now & with each one she has gained more weight & never lost it... My hubby even said she is getting big, I think she is now a 12-14-16?? But with me previously being a size 24-26, she was still skinny... hmmmmmm I wonder... will I get thinner than her??? Will my parent then switch & call her the walrus??? Only time will tell I guess... anyway I have my hubby & daughter as support & hope that I can meet some new friends on here for more support. If I did not bore you to sleep from reading this, thank you for listening...

I love jello but they don't allow bc they say it can cause the band to slip. does not make sense to me.

i have heard (could be a myth though) that if someone loose weight very very slowly the skin will shrink back. it makes sence somehow,the skin has time to adjust.......but i don't know if there is any truth in it or just bs.

Yep, me too and I'm a little embarrassed about it. It's almost like getting that stupid letter in the mail, looks really personal and all that's in it is some WL ad and a "handwritten" scribble at the top that says something to the effect that thought you might be interested or some such BS. It's kind of like, how dare someone send something like that to me, so walking up to someone would be along the same lines. That's why I'm embarrassed about even THINKING it!! I DON'T know the person's story and what they've been through. AND how do I know, at any size, if they've BEEN losing weight and just still have that much more to go? If someone looked at me in 6 months would they think I've got to get it together before it gets too bad? Probably. Do they know that I've been heavier and am working on it? No. So, yes, I'm doing the same thing. And please don't tell me I'm the only one who has ever gotten those letters! :mad2:

So sorry to hear of your troubles, I too am fighting BC/BS but of IL....I got declined for same issue, even though I went to my PCP for 6 months and he filled out the form the Surgeons office provided. Seems like it should be illigal for them to discriminate in this way. Good luck. My Drs office if going to add more notes to the forms to see if that will help.

I have BC/BS of AL...I have done everything that was required but they keep saying I have not dieted for 6 months, I have done this with a Doctor supervising, but they keep saying it dosen't qualify but they also won't tell me what does qualify...I have tried going to the Ins Comm. but the problem is I live in WA and they are in AL...so WA is saying they can't help becasue the insurance is in AL and AL won't help becasue I live in WA... Any Suggestions???

I am doing well. Wednesday was my 3 week mark. My clothes are already feeling better I went to my first support group meeting last night and am still learning how I feel and how this process works for me. Congrats on your loss so far!!from my pre-op start on 10-16 I am down 25 pounds so far. I hit a little stall when I was moving in to week 3 but the NUT and Bariatric Coordinator says that's natural bc your body is adjusting. Thanks for checking in!

OK, I am getting fed up!!! I have 20 pounds left until I hit my goal...huge accomplishment I know. The problem is, the scale has STOPPED moving. The whole summer I have been in the same 2-3 pound range. I am stepping up the cardio and the Protein again, but is there any other way to get the scale moving down again?!? :thumbup::confused::confused: I want to be at goal by Thanksgiving, so that I can have my TT before the end of the year. I think that insurance will pay, and I have already met my deductible. ANY ADVICE WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!

Hello my name is Nikki and I spoke with my family doc yesterday and told him I was interested in getting the lap band. He gave me all the ins and out and asked me if I really want to do it. I said yes, I know I want to and he said he would write a letter to my insurance company once I found out if it is covered under my policy. I have SISC III Anthem & BC/BS Federal... I have Lap Band VIP checking my insurance, I know SISC Anthem covers at 80% but not sure about BC/BS Federal. Has anyone had any experience with either of these insurances or a "lower bmi??? Just anxious and glad to be here to read all the post.

Agree, I ordered it on the day I found out and I too rxd a letter saying they cancelled it, they should b held accountable for those who did order it, bc it was posted, mistake or not. Blah! !

Hey Jess, I totally agree, I told my hubby about it, and I said, I was only getting them bc of price not bc I wanted or needed them and since I was refunded, I'd leave it alone too. Trust me, I was disappointed at first, besides, I'd only ordered one bc I really didn't need them, they were gonna b as a back up if needed, so yeah, I agree with ur insight, gr8 job on you!!

Thanks for the advice. WEnt to the doc today and he took all my fill out. Said my band does not do well with stress bc of stom. acid. I feel 100% better!! I am so glad to hold down liquids again!! On liquids for another week but at least I am not throwing up! He will refill in 4 weeks!

Congrats on being off to a great start! As far as what to expect for the upcoming fill... This was my experience. I was on Clear liquids for a week post op, then a week of full liquids, then a week of mushies, then progress to some solids as ok'd by my surgical team. For the first week, I wasn't hungry AT ALL. Just lots of sipping of the clear liquids, etc. About the middle of the second week, HUNGER set in...I thought I was starving! Obviously, I didn't starve to death and die, lol. I thought, man this is BS....did I even get a band installed....something must be wrong. Then week three.....MUSHIES! I still remember like it was yesterday, the first bite of mashed potatoes I had. About 1 tablespoon and I was sure something was different....felt them and that sensation of "pressure" I call it. Ok....so I really did have a band! Whew! As the days went by, trying a few of the other mushies that were ok'd for me to have, that hunger monster started coming back. I thought I must call my doctors office and get a fill! I couldn't possibly go until they told me to like this....Hungry. But they just told me....NOPE...theres a reason we don't fill early, to allow everything to heal properly. So I just did the best I could with limiting my portions until that magical date of my first fill..... Here's how mine went back then. Get to the office, weigh, talk with the surgeon, lay down on a table, surgeon located the port, inserted a needle, and added some saline. A VERY, VERY painless and simple procedure...took about two minutes! Stood up, and they gave me a litle cup of Water to sip to make sure I could drink it with no problems....and there were none. Off to home with instructions of liquids for 24 hours, then progress back to regular food as tolerated. PB, FOR ME, means when I eat something too fast or don't chew properly, the food kinda get lodged ABOVE my band. It may cause a sliming episode, which evidently is the body's natural reaction according to what I've heard. It helps the food go one way or the other....either it passes on through the band....or back up it comes! It seemed strange/uncomfortable the first time for sure. But that was my reminder to slow down, chew better. You'll learn....just like most who eventually will expericene it. Some of us are slower learners....like me! I've been banded for 4+ years now....and have NEVER vomited once since being banded. That would be a bad thing...such as stomach virus or something. Best of luck on your new life! Trust your surgical team....and Trust your band. Never, ever give up.