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Ah nicole you watched the show too!! I thought it was interesting. .......I think they will play it again. I saw the last half of it last night and was happy they were playing it again so I could see the first half. Crazy how they did the fill........sorta scared me I would rather lay down for it!! LOL. Constant changes..........oh that is a problem with me too. I get so bored so quick. Than I create a situation that forces changes..........I think some people call that being a drama queen or a flighty...........for me I get bored and want constant change all the time. Again boredom does me in I do crazy things when I am bored. I know that. I don't think it is an addiction as much as a pattern of behavior. For me when things get to calm or to quiet I have to really think and examine my life.........good and bad..........sometimes if there is alot of changes and drama and takes away from me having to focus on myself and my own feelings............so for me I use constant changes as a way to distract from feelings..........usually painful or yucky feelings I don't want to deal with........but remember I eat alot when I am bored to........it all goes together for me!! I also have ADD and am suppose to be on medication. The meds made me gain 40 pounds and made me sleep all the time!! So I won't take them again but I do have to do some behavior mod type stuff instead..............the psych eval at Kaiser asked me about this too...........I guess ADD people can't follow a diet well but I have done fine. I just don't want meds and weight gain anymore. Kaiser's regular counseling is through psychaitry. The name is deceptive but it all the same thing. YOu don't see a psychatrist unless the therapist or social worker sends you see one. I did counseling through kaiser and you go to the psychaitry department but only see a therapist. It is totally worth the time and money. I like it. Nicole they should have explained it better to you. I am gonna try to get signed back up for counseling again. My other plan is to make the montly meetings at kaiser a priority and than meeting and keeping in contact with all you ladies. That has truly helped me alot the last few months............... I really, really want this to work and I want to set up a safety net all around me so I CAN'T get tired and fail!! Like Pam was saying after the newness wears off reality hits and I want to be ready for it!! Nicole you might want to try the psychaitry thing but tell them you want a therapist not the doctor. I loved the therapist I had with kaiser.........rancho cordova area!! I am gonna try to find her again!!

Hi there, Ahb08, I would call your doctor's office and ask them what they think you should do, i would think they would not want you to go below 40 bmi though, possibly stay the same weight aka lose 8 lbs.; but not go below 40bmi before approval?? Ask them " Do you usually get approval from aetna ppo with this regime, Has anyone ever been denied? What about the weight gain, has anyone ever been denied for gaining or being at 40 bmi exactly? Waynes6, I just cut out almost all sweets, and most of the high cal foods, like potato chips, butter,corn chips, bagels, ect. I logged what i ate on "My Plate" and i would make sure i was exercising... walking an hour a night at the gym on the treadmill and doing crunches.... I lost 7 pounds. I actually gained back 3 and had to lose it again!! I got sick for 2 weeks with that flu i think and i actually gained??! I have read on here that you do not want to lose more than 10 pounds during the 3 months.... My nutritionist just had me bring in a few days printout of my online food diary ~~ "My Plate" and i brought in my workout routine printed out too. You should be working with a facility that puts the whole package together for you, all you do is schedule appts. with the physical therapist and psychologist and your primary care physician. To find a actual Bariatric Center within a hospital that does this {puts together the pre-req's for insurance} is A Must!! They should be putting it all together because they will know what it takes to get approved, and who to call ect.... I met with a nutritionist, nurse, & surgeon every time i visited. They guided me through the entire process, this is what you want to find first off; If i did not have that now where you are you might want to look at Obesity Help and read reviews on the centers and surgeons near your area. I personally went with what i knew was a top ranked hospital in the first place and then checked out their seminar, and decided that it was where i wanted to go. They had good reviews but they were not too over booked...

Tracymom- I can't believe you only have 2 more days to go! I'm anxious to hear how your surgery goes. My ps called me at home today to see how I was doing. I didn't get a chance to talk to him after surgery because I was so out of it. He said he removed a total of about 12 pounds between the excess skin and lipo. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down exactly 12 pounds from the morning of surgery. I weighed myself one day after surgery and I was up 2 pounds. My ps says that in another week or two I'll be down even more once my body gets rid of all the excess Fluid. I figure I'll be able to exercise again around 4-5 weeks post op so I'm not too concerned about weight gain. I've been eating lots of Protein, fruits, and veggies and trying to stay away from the bad carbs. I have another 15 pounds until I reach my goal weight. Suemagoo- I think you are going to do great with your surgery. I'll be following your posts closely. Lellow- I hear ya on the extra hip padding. I've had that for so many years that it is like looking at a different person in the mirror when I see myself without that! How are you doing?

Oops...don't know why that last one posted b/4 I was done. Long...maybe part of that weight gain is Water weight? Really push the fluids today, when you fly and while you are on vacation. You might notice that the weight falls off. But, absolutely don't let it be a cloud over your head while you are on vacation. Eat healthy just like you would at home and you will do just fine. Do have one foo-foo drink for me though! (That is if you partake...not sure). Good Morning to everyone else....I am buried deep in book work, farm stuff, cooking, gardening, etc. today and then heading for the afternoon at volunteer job. Think I need to cut back on that a little during the summer. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed and they want me to take on more. Nope...can't swing it. Still maintaining my weight which is very important for me. Can't gain though. It will come. Being very patient. Yesterday had 2700 cals. and was not easy to get it in. My DH says he knows I eat more now than b/4 surgery. At least I am not continually thinking about getting that weight back on. Just amazed that I am only maintaining. And...what's really weird is that even with no weight loss, I have gone down a pants size in the last two months. Now, don't get the wrong idea. I DO have meat on my bones and feel good and DH and most friends say I look good and healthy. You have all seen my photos and know I have some meat. I am VERY small boned. Even when I weighed 249 I wore a medium yoga pants. I am down to a size 0 or 2 in my pants now. Long...you talk about finding a good fit...I need at least a 34' or 36' inseam due to my pony legs. I think you have mentioned that you need talls also? I really like NY & Co pants for that reason. OK...enough about me....hope everyone has a great day. I need to get my A$$ back to work and keep my fingers crossed that I don't get called out to the field to pull out yet another tractor out of the mud!

I got great news today; I emailed my PCP yesterday that I would like her to send me to a bariatric specialist and she emailed me today that she referred me to the Bariatric information seminar. I didn't even have to go see her again. WE had discussed my weight gain at my last visit in February for a physical and lab work. I think it would be best for me to stay on my Kaiser insurance and not switch to my Blue Shield option. I guess that is step 1, I am on way down the Kaiser WLS roller coaster. What should I expect at the seminar? do they weigh me there?

Hey everyone I'm going to Spain for the summer from May until Aug. and I'm worried about not having any fill thus no restrict thus no weight loss and possible weight gain. Does anyone have any suggestion? Should I look for a fill doctor in Spain? I'm super scared of coming back carrying a few extra pounds!!! :smile::confused::biggrin:

Congratulations on your recovery. I can't believe you are spinning already. I hope to be back to some kind of exercise routine in a few weeks also. All of this sitting around has me worried about weight gain. I bet you look fabulous in your new clothes!

I was just thinking about my life and how many times I have lost weight. I then was wondering after losing the weight how often did I put it back on plus more...... After repetative weight loss and weight gain the final DIET I was on was the Adkins Diet and I lost 55 pounds and then after 6 months of losing I gained 75 pounds in 5 months. I couldn't take it anymore..... I truly believed that I was a lost case and just believe that I am supposed to be 251 pounds and DEPRESSED..... Whether it was the band or finally my 41 years at the time and the respect for life I began rethinking my health and how badly I wanted to live without medical issues. I have kept my weight off for almost 3 years and I think that I am finally cured of the addiction of food but I will still never trust myself. How many of you have finally realized the meaning of food and the necessity of it. Has this experience helped you with keeping your weight off? Are you still afraid of the past coming in front of your eyes again? Have you learned from the band or hve you just always relied on the fills to make you eat less? I am terrified to go backwards and to some (my family) they believe that I have become addicted now to the healthy life and only know how to promote that..... I have no right to judge anyone who is different than myself but if you question me about my experiences and my new found knowledge of healthy living I will promote it. Josephine

I am way older than you. Don't be worried about your age. You are considered young yet.I was to have the gastric bypass several years ago but after a WLS Picnic I came down with a serious lung disease.My GP didn't investigate & put me on a medication that made the fungus in my lungs grow rapidly & also caused a weight gain of over 60 lbs. Now my health is in jeopardy. I would like to know from anyone asap if the banding is covered or partly covered by insurance. I can't afford it but my health is seriously compromised. Someone told me it was & another said "no" What is the real truth? I cannot get my surgeon's assistant on the phone. Signed "Desperate" :thumbup::ohmy::sad:

Yes I agree Wishfull, I have had all my adult life fighting weight gain. I lose some and look and feel better and then it all goes back on again plus some. I felt really depressed that this was the way my life was going to be forever that I had to do something drastic and this is it. It's something that we can't really afford and are having to take out a loan, but my hubby is soooo supportive and agrees that its the best way forward now. I don't imagine it will be easy, and I dare say I will get fed up, BUT I am determined to make it work. I don't think I will say anything about it to anyone, like you say its no-ones business and I am still losing the weight, not the band! x

EJMdiva, you have done so well. Your weight gain is nothing, so try not to worry too much. 12 weeks will go very quickly and then we can all start a post pregnancy weight loss support group I have gained 11 kilos (approx 25lbs). Which is way more than i wanted to gain. I am now 33 weeks and can't wait to have bub so I can start to lose again. With my first son, I actually put weight on while breastfeeding, so i am a little worried, but my obstetrician says there is no reason why i can't be filled and breastfeed:smile2:

34 lbs in 2 months is an awesome accomplishment in itself. Don't beat yourself up because you feel you should've lost more. Just move forward. Make sure you are eating healthy and exercising. Eventually the weight will come off. If you feel you are eating more than you should be go get a fill. Don't obsess over what the scale says because that will get you all frustrated and stressed out which will result in weight gain.

im so glad i found this post i too have aetna pos II and i have actually gained weight since my initial visit..im on the 90 day thing, but since i started and in dec 08 but skipped jan im having to do my final appt tomorrow.....but when i went to the initial visit on 12/21/08 i was 244 a bmi of exactly 40.0 so yea i aint gonna lie i knew that if i followed that 90 day thing with eating right and exercise daily i would loose and fall below 40 so i got on a "i will never get to eat like this again" binge and i have gained about 6lbs...since 12/31 to the present, which puts me at a bmi of 41 so im praying they approve me even with a slight weight gain in 4 mnths...and for the fact that i missed a month....but made it up by extending to april. Also my case mgr told me that aetna didnt require psych eval...that was up to the surgeon...i read on the aetna website that only if an individual has a history of psychological mishaps is when they would require a psych eval. and so far the surgeons office told me dr. marsden doesnt require it also.....so my last visit is tomorrow....and hopefully i will know something by 5/10/09!!

I gained weight quick once becoming pregnant with just a SLIGHT unfill.. the last couple months I felt wide open, I think he was kinking the band, after birth my restriction has come back.. it's where it was when they unfilled a little--I know I need a slight fill to get back to where I was. I ended up going from 212-282 (70lb) by time I delivered, the day I came home from hospital I was up to 285!!! I guess it was fluid, I am losing steadily (thank goodness) and am down to 262lb today. I tried putting on pre-pregnancy pants for the first time today and they fit, a bit snug but still doable. I was fretting about the weight gain, but eventually said to hell with it.. I'll work on it when he comes along. He made me soooo hungry, and that has stopped (maybe has to do with restriction coming back). I don't eat nearly what I did while pregnant, and don't have the desire to. So if yer like me and pack on the pounds, just keep in mind you can get back to working with the band when baby comes.. don't stress yourself, it stresses baby!

I am self conscious, to the point, that I need surgery. My stomach looks worse than WWI trench battlefield. When, I was 23 I had open surgery on my intestines. The way they closed me up and the subsequent weight gain over the years my stomach almost looks like a bell pepper. I am married. My wife does not mind it that much. But when I go to the Doc's and swimming, it bothers me a bit. I am looking forward to surgery to get rid of it. I hope next year this time to get it done.

(((((((((HUGS)))))))) I am so sorry to hear of your loss, Ezma. I know your husband had been very ill; I am sure the last few months have been very stressful. Any weight gain is understandable and no one is going to comment negatively about it. The VVs are here to help, motivate, support each other. One day, one meal, one walk at a time. Keep checking in with us and we will all help each other. I missed your inspiring posts. I am glad you are back with us. Take care, my friend.

And omg, how he responded to Miss California, calling her a "dumb bitch" on his blog. He's a piece of crap, pure and simple. Oh, and the weight gain thing? You're so right. And until recently, he was a fatso himself. Hypocrite.

And that is perfectly fine. And completely your right. Perez Hilton is just blowing this whole thing out of proportion. everything is all fine and dandy with him as long as it aligns with his opinion of life. But when someone goes against how he feels, watch out. Then there is a personal vendetta. He is the worlds biggest hypocrite, as evidenced on how he makes fun of Jessica Simpson for her weight gain, yet praises Beth Ditto (or whatever her name is) from The Gossip on being so hot.

Yeah - that's kinda what I'm seeing - which has led me to be more about lopping out that part of my stomach that I don't need versus adding something else to me that could cause a problem haha. I do know one _ONE_ person that has been banded for a decade that still loves her band - BUT she works for a doctor that does bands. She has free maintenance and everything she needs at her disposal at any given time. I guess that would make it easier My surgeon does do all of the major surgeries. I'm fortunate in that respect. One issue is hospital stay/recovery time. I luckily have a desk job and my brother can get off his butt and do chores at the farm for a while - so I don't have to worry about the physical labor part. I just can't wait to run again. Another aspect that i like is the faster weightloss but no malabsorption - the malabsorption bothers the crap outta me so the bypass is OUT. I have enough issues to deal with - I don't need another :ohmy: Everyone keeps saying that I didn't gain the weight overnight - well yeah - actually I did. Less than 3 years ago I weighed a lovely 174 lbs and ran 5 miles a day. Then i got sick. My fastest weight gain was 64 lbs in 6 weeks from steroid treatments. It leveled off after that. So yeah - quite a bit overnight. Did I make poor food choices that made the situation worse? You friggin' bet I did! Now its time to right that wrong. Anyway - thanks SO much for your honesty and willingness to discuss this frankly. I don't want the politically correct overview of anything - I want the nitty gritty! haha I have no problem with people that want the band - that's great. I was a totally about the band for a long time. And no, you didn't change my mind. The information you provided did. :eek: I wants me a sleeve!

I've got to agree with LJB on the weight gain thing. A lot of them say they cause weight gain in the list of side effect. I've been on a variety of psych meds through my adult life and have always found I put on weight with them, or maybe it is just eating away my depression?? I'd say to follow your doctors orders. Even if the xanax is helping you, being addicted to it is not worth it. You will lose the weight anyway...it may just take longer.

deed87... I'm no expert but I think you are kinda going into this with the wrong mindset. You have to understand that this is a tough deal. Too many people call this "the easy way out" but its all but that. This is tough. The job you seek will serve as great motivation but the are many posts in here about people who don't have sucess with it. However, when you do reach your goal weight, you can stop getting fills, have some Fluid removed from the band, etc. I think once you get close it will motivate you to go further. I also get the feeling that you are like many of us that LOVE food and you are thinking that you will never be able to enjoy the good stuff again. Many people on this forum talk about how hard it is to maintain when you reach your goal. To take fluid out will only give more hunger and you will want more food which will give you more calories which will eventually lead to weight gain. Hope this helps.

Hey Deed87... I understand your concerns but did you ever think that all the drinking may have contributed to that weight gain? Lol I know it did for me. After a late night of partying and hitting the breakfast buffet at the kettle or the taco bell tacos, it took its toll. The thing you have to ask yourself is am I ready for this commitment? It is ok to drink occasionally. I've hit the vodka with V8. its pretty good but I weigh myself often and notice a slight weight gain. Ocean spray has a 5 cal diet cranberry that you can drink with vodka that is pretty god too(but a little to girlie for me in public). I would personally stay away from all beer. #1, you are making a huge investment, both monetarily and emotianally. #2 if you are here, you already decided to make a life changing decision. don't blow it for yourself ! Hope this helps. Keep you eye on the prize!

LOL - I posted this exact same thread when I was first banded! Someone explained it to me like this and it made sense. Your body normally has several pounds of stuff in your intestines. When you go on liquids, that stuff gets flushed out. When you go on mushies, it fills back up to normal. This is not an actual weight gain and will have no bearing on your progress. Keep the faith and hang in there. Next stop for you is Bandster Hell. Stick with the suggestions above and that will help with Bandster Hell also.