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Everyone that makes this choice to lose weight and become healthier is already a winner. The good thing it's not really a race, it's a life style and we are only in competition with ourselves. I applaud those that lose quickly as well as those who lose slowly... we're all losing. I do get jealous that men lose faster but it all has to do with muscle mass and how differently our bodies are made. I've not been 100 per cent compliant but I don't drink with meals, I don't use a straw and I don't drink caffeine or carbonated beverages. I have indulged in a little bread and Pasta but for the most part... it's Protein and veggies. I have a whole new set of normals now.

I have blue cross blue shield of il with the plan of ppo, i was just diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and put on a type 2 diabetes medicine. Will my insurance see that and instantly approve me. My bmi is 40 according to my endocrinologist and both my pcp and my endocrinologist recommended for weight loss surgery. Any situations similar to mine and your results??

My surg center is contracted with Care Credit. And they applied for me in the office once I decided I was a go. The total cost of my surgery is $10,500 (all inclusive + fills for a year) and I was approved for $6,500 (10% interest over 60 months ---> $150/month, about what i spend on crap food anyways) and my mom is helping me out with the rest as a graduation present. I'm only 22 and a college student with a part time job, so my credit history, albeit good, isn't very strong. I figure if I can get approved for that, then anyone not in a substantial amount of debt (I owe about 20 grand in student loans) should be fine. The approval process is easy.... you self report your income (so if you fib a little, they cant prove it) and they give you different options (I could have gone 0% for 12 months, but those payments were too big for me). I didn't really look into a private bank loan and maybe I should have for a lower interest rate. But to me, I feel like I got a decent deal as is. And the way I look at it, considering the cost associated with over eating and being over weight over a life time, this will be money well spent. Another company that I have used in the past (when I got laser hair removal) is Chase Health Advance and they offer a lot of 12, 18 or 24 month 0% offers if you finance a large enough amount. -Sum

The band has changed a lot since then. I think the truth is though, the band is a foreign object in the body. It only does so much. So if people are unhappy you have to see why. I had my band done, one incision through the belly button, I ended up with an infection, other than that, I have been golden. The band is a medical device that is put into your body, of course there are chances of complications. Having the Gastric Bypass you can leak and poison your body, the sleeve has complications, etc. I do not recommend doing something like this unless someone has tried EVERY OTHER OPTION.... Honestly, I hope to get down to a good weight, then I would like them to remove all the liquid from the band and give myself six months and see if I can keep it off. To me this is a tool, not the cure all. IF you read lots of posts, you will still gain weight if you make poor dietary choices, or drink alcohol (lots of empty calories) and don't exercise. Many people over restrict and cause trouble for themselves. Some people it just doesn't work for. In the end this is a very personal decision and one that should not be taken lightly. I believe if you have concerns about the media coverage, talk to your doctor. They can tell you the changes that have been made to the band, etc. Good luck, I did it and I don't regret it at all. I am nearly half way to my goal. To me that is amazing. I am in a size 16, haven't been there in 8 years, no matter how much I watched what I ate and exercised. I have medical things that were going on that once I put on the weight it is nearly impossible to take off. I think for me, it was the right decision, maybe not for others.

I too gained a lot of weight from the shot and I decided to stop doing it before I had my surgery. It was also giving me migraines which I couldn't handle. However, there is an increased risk of blood clots when you use any sort of birth control, but if you don't smoke and you remain active after your surgery, like getting up to walk frequently, you should be ok.

Lately I have been having a number of lows - usually once a day. My challenge right now is that my band is very tight because I recently had dental surgery and cannot chew very well. I had started to gain weight eating stuff like mashed potatoes and ice cream so I had my band tightened. I have been doing very well with it tight with the exception of when I have lows. Because I can't chew well, glucose tablets are a bit difficult and being so tight, even juice takes a while to get down. At work just now, I took 3 packets of sugar in hot water because I don't usually keep juice since I never really drink it. So what do you guys do?

OMG, I think I busted an ovary, but I RODE THE BULL! I'm so excited I'm coming out of my skin! I've wanted to ride the bull since Debra Winger in Urban Cowboy (ya gotta be damn old to know what I'm talking about.) Thanks to the band and my weight loss, not only did I get asked to dance & did the 2-step with a guy while Chris watched, but I rode the damn bull! Now go ahead and criticize how gross this picture is, but I dare YOU to try it! HA!!! (Or as hubby says, "I dare you to f-ing try it since my wife has bigger $#lls than me!"!)

Yeeeeeee Hawwwwwww!!!! You go girl. I leave for the weekend and come back to you riding a bull.....what is next? ROFLMAO I got asked to ride the bull at Sturgis Bike Week but you had to go topless and I didn't figure that would look so good so I passed....but when I get this weight off and a boob job to lift these babies back up where they belong ...LOL ...I might just have to reconsider...LOL...

Here is where you weigh out the risks. I bet the risk of getting reactive hyperglycemia is a lot lower than the risk of weight related heart issues, diabetes, knee and back issues... etc etc etc. So, weigh out the risks and make the call. Personally, some ultra rare issue that almost no one experiences... isn't enough of a risk to outweigh all the things that WILL happen if one continues to be overweight.

I'll advise get it with your height and weight your at risk for so many health problems comorbidities heart disease if you don't already have it's your health that's important this is a life change so if you stick to it your bettering your health for a life time do it with no regrets but be committed

Hi Beth! I am new here too; I joined a few weeks back. Last week was my first consult with my surgeon as well however I have been thinking about doing this surgery for quite some time now so I am a bit ahead of schedule in regards to insurance requirements. I had my psych evaluation on 6/18 and have met 4/6 non-surgical weight-loss regimen apts; the fifth one is next Thursday and my endoscopy is next Friday. My anticipated surgery date is late August (preferred) or sometime in September. I too have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I suffer from anxiety and find it hard to comprehend this decision to have surgery, but nonetheless I am SUPER glad that I have finally committed to it.

Today I would like to talk about exercise. First, I would like to say that if your doctor or bariatric team has set an activity plan for you, you should do your best to follow their plan. This blog entry is more about those who are out there who have not started exercising and have no plan. Maybe you have never had an exercise regimen in your life, maybe you have tried exercise before but hated it and couldn't stick with it. This is just one girl's opinion and it probably goes against anything a personal trainer would want you to do. The thing is, I'm talking about starting from ZERO. So many times, the people who are telling us where, how, and how long to exercise are probably not people who have started from zero. They may have never been overweight. They may not know what it's like to be obese and have very little activiity and very little muscle. Now, you may look at my profile and say, where does this girl get off, just four weeks after surgery, weighing 270 pounds, acting like she knows something about exercise? Well, O.K., I'm not a personal trainer. I did, however, lose about 70 pounds 12 years ago. I got up to the point where I could jog 3 miles! I had never even jogged a mile in my entire life. This blog entry is to let you know how I did it back then. How I found what worked for me. And how I am pretty much approaching exercise the same way this time too. About 12 years ago, I found myself at what was then my heaviest weight ever (250). I decided that I had to do something. Being a young single woman, I just wasn't ready to go on a food diet because I had done those before. I decided I would try exercise. (Watching what I ate came later after I was seeing the success of exercise.) Don't try that with WLS. Please, watch what you eat! I thought about what had kept me from being a successful exerciser over the years. A few things came to mind: being the fattest, slowest, person at the gym; starting out gung ho and having sore muscles that made me not want to exercise the next few days and therefore falling of the wagon; doing things I didn't enjoy. I decided that I was just going to get out and walk. I didn't have a length of time. I didn't have a set distance. I wasn't going to be concerned with how fast I was walking. I wasn't going to be concerned if I got my heart rate up. I didn't need to have exercise outfits. I was just going to walk around the neighborhood. I was going to take a stroll. Look at the houses. Check out the neighbors. Get away by myself and give myself time to think. Time to work out my issues. It was wonderful. I didn't go home exhausted. I went home happy. I was happy that I did SOMETHING. I kept doing this for a few weeks. Eventually, when I was ready, I decided to walk a little faster. If I got tired, I slowed down. I didn't push myself. I was new to exercise. I wasn't gonna be Florence Griffith Joyner. I reeaaallllly eased myself into exercise. And every now and then, I upped the pace. After a few months, I measured out a mile around the neighborhood and I walked the full mile. And so on. Until miraculously, about 9 months later, I could jog 3 miles! Why do we feel impelled to push ourselves so hard, only to fail? I'm sorry, but C25K (Couch to Five Kilometers) is not for people who were really laying around on the couch. Unless those people were not overweight and had underlying muscle tone. Find something you enjoy. Don't feel like you have to spend money on a gym membership that you might not use. Walking is free. Hiking is free. Riding a bike is free (if you have one). Spend just a little bit to join the Y. They have a pool. Do a little swimming. Dancing to music in your house is free. Some cable companies have cardio and yoga sessions on demand. Hell, youtube has everything you could ever possibly want. Start in the privacy of your own home if you're worried about being embarassed about coordination. And if you can only do that video for 10 minutes....that's fine! Only do that video for 10 minutes for the next two weeks. Then up it a bit. Another thing I did, early on, was focus on my breathing. A lot of people who don't exercise are very shallow breathers. While you are walking or even lying in bed at night, practice filling your lungs to capacity when you breathe in. Feel not just your chest inflate, but your abdomen too. Increasing your lung capacity will help you get that vital oxygen to your muscles when you decide to up the activity. I also focused on breathing with a rythm. Sounds funny, but it really helped me keep from getting out of breath. I would inhale with so many steps and exhale with so many steps. It really made a difference to me. You'll have good days and bad days. But it will start to get easier and maybe, hopefully start to be enjoyable. That satisfaction from having done SOMETHING. You feel good about yourself. It shifts your mindset. You don't have to push yourself so hard. You're already worried enough about WLS and changing your eating habits. Just find SOMETHING that works for you. Do it at least three days a week. Plan it and do it. Your self esteem will love you for it.

That's pretty crappy. Weight lost is weight lost, right? And everyone loses at different rates, especially when their body is still recovering. You don't need to feel anxious and nervous about "doing it right" and meeting some statistical chart. This is a huge change for both you and your insides, and you're only 4 weeks out. You'll probably lose faster in some months than others, and slower in some months, anyway. It sounds like he just berated you for following the plan, and didn't offer any constructive help. That being said, I think it's definitely in your best interests to continue your follow-up care. You should have the right to request an appointment with your surgeon or the RN, and tell them that you're not comfortable meeting with the PA anymore.

I have Aetna and they require 90 day physician supervised weight management. Main thing my surgeon said was to make sure last visit was on or after day 90 or I would be rejected. I did monthly visits about 4 weeks apart with my last visit on day 91. I started in middle of the month around the 15th to make sure I could get each month visit in without worrying about running into the next month. Also make sure your PCP clearly notes that your visit is for weight management and not just a general visit or they can reject for that. Just the hoops you have to jump through.

My insurance person told me that I had to be very careful about these dates. For example, if I had an appointment with my personal physician near the end of October, my next appointment had to be no later than 30 November. If the appointment was 1 December, the insurance would make me start over. I have medicare/tricare. The truly absurd thing about this three month weight monitoring/control thing was there is no requirement to gain/lose weight. Why do it? The answer is this: as an insurance commissioner told me, insurance companies look for any reason/excuse to refuse to pay. Fortunately, I knew a man who knew the commissioner who had to threaten them with loss of license to get them to pay.

Rolls of coins in your pockets? Sew fishing weights into your hems? Wear your heaviest boots and coat? Definitely drink a TON of Water before they weigh you. I am sure there are more tricks!

You can do it. Trust me. I seen my Dr and when I seen him in December he told me I had gained 15lbs since I last see him last year well He gave me till Janurey 3rd to lose 5 to 10 pounds and I didn't think I could because of Christmas and New Year's it felt impossible so after Christmas I cut out soda to start and store eating sweets when I went to see him I lost 10lbs and since I started my liquid diet 10 days ago I have lost an additional 15 lbs and I am completely shocked. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I have my Surgery Tuesday and I am beyond excited to see how much I have lost. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone. I am considering getting the band, and I have a few questions if anyone wouldn't mind answering for me. Im a little confused (or sooo confused lol) 1. Can you really not drink Water WHILE your eating? I dont' know why, but that really concerns me. I love drinking water, and drink a LOT, and I get thirsty just imagining not being able to drink at all during a meal. 1. What does PB, sliderfood, and sweetspot mean exactly? 3. How do you deal with telling people in your daily life? That part kinda scares me. My husband said it woudn't be anyones business, but when I "imagine" scenarios in my head of me having lost some weight and people saying 'oh wow, you look good, what are you doing?" of feeling like im lying if I dont' say "i got a lap band".......... But I intend on eating clean and exercising, and I know it will be hard work too, but I dont' know im just confused............ Thanks everyone. (and sorry if i posted this in the wrong place?)

1)I had to get use to the idea of not drinking while I was eating, however, you can ease into it because as you get fills it becomes semi-painful if you do it and that really helps you stop. 2) See response above.:biggrin: 3) I refuse to let my lap band be a shameful thing, I don't volunteer the information but if someone asks, I tell. As in "I had lap band 6 months ago and I am doing great!" Because this is a positive statement people don't react negatively, if they don't approve or don't want to talk about it they will change the subject, if they are interested they will ask questions. I hope that my experience gives others who are looking for a change the courage to look for the solution for their own weight concerns whether that includes the WLS or not. Good luck.

I have Cigna and in the 6th and final month of my supervised diet. Had the sleep study, psyche eval all done.. Question is.. During this supervised diet, I really haven't lost any weight.. in fact may have gained a few after holidays.. You think I will get "shot down" for the surgery? Thanks..

I have crunchy knees also and im only 27. my pcp said i have osteoarthritis, she said that the crunchy wont go away but that it will get better and keep from further damage once i lose weight.

Tell that to the doctor and I suspect he will put in his normal 3 cc's. The first thing that I did after I decided on getting a Lap-Band was to buy a digital scale. I weight myself everyday at the same time each day (upon rising) and with the same clothing (undershirt, briefs and socks). Weighing yourself at varying times brings in too many variables. Weighing yourself later in the day also brings in too many variables. food and liquid consumption can throw your actual weight off. Two glasses of Water weighs a pound. One .5 liter bottle of water weights (slightly) more than a pound. Two cups of coffee weight about a pound.

My doctor had me on the physician's weight loss center liquid diet for 17 days prior to my surgery. It wasn't easy, but I lost a lot of weight during the process, and the ends certainly justified the means.

Jus curious my bday is in 4 months

Hello everyone, I know this is a forum for weight loss, but I already hit my goal and I'm looking for plastic surgeons in Mexico, I need a full body makeover!!! HELP!!