Bluegreen

It probably depends upon whether or not you are losing weight at the appropriate level. (Or maintaining if you are at goal.) It is my understanding that the stomach never actually shrinks or stretches. This is an excerpt from the WebMD site: While it may seem hard to believe, the size of the stomach does not correlate with weight or weight control. People who are naturally thin can have the same size or even larger stomachs than people who battle their weight throughout a lifetime. "Weight has nothing to do with the size of the stomach. In fact, even people who have had stomach-reducing surgeries, making their tummy no larger than a walnut, can override the small size and still gain weight," says Levy.

I didn't even realize that the bands come in different sizes. After I read your post, I started doing some online searching. I didn't find much, but I saw some posts from other sites that indicated the band size is basically the surgeons choice. He/She chooses the size they think will fit on your stomach the best. Incidentally, I saw two posts that referred to patients with the larger band size as have the most trouble finding their "sweetspot". Maybe someone else knows more.

I'm right there with you on this topic. I started the lap band process back in April and the liquid diet thing is a significant source of anxiety for me. I seem to have an aversion to the canned drinks and trying new foods in general. I have yet to even try a canned Protein supplement. My surgeon requires a two week pre-op diet to shrink the liver. His diet is liquids only - Carnation Instant Breakfast 4 to 6 times a day. He also said I could substitute Protein shakes for some of the servings. I do find the protein shakes a good way to satisfy hunger and carb/sweet cravings. Initially, I went to GNC and purchased a big container of Abilify Protein powder. It was so awful. I would just drink it as fast as I could, followed by a bunch of Water. A good friend, who has already had the surgery, recommended unjury brand. I believe this is only available online - www.unjury.com, but pricing is reasonable. They have two chocolate flavors that I mix with skim milk. These taste pretty good to me - I have no trouble drinking them at all. They also have a chicken Soup flavor. Much like Lipton Cup of Soup. This is ok - not great. You can only heat it to 130 degrees F, so it's sort of lukewarm soup. They have a starter kit which includes a shaker bottle and individual packets of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, unflavored and chicken. You can mix the unflavored in any kind of food or drink, as long as it's not too hot. I haven't tried a lot of variations yet. I'm just sticking with the chocolate that I know I like. Right now, I'm only drinking 1 - 2 shakes a day as part of my nutrition plan, but I'm sure I will need more variety once these are my only food intake. My family doctor's nurse has also had the LapBand procedure. She recommends EAS, which you can buy at almost any store - even Wal-Mart. She said Muscle Milk light is good, too. I have not tried these yet. EAS has the pre-packaged and the powdered. Best of luck to you.

My recommendation would be to call your insurance carrier to confirm exactly what their requirements are. They should be able to give you this in writing. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield. When I called them to verify benefits, they were able to provide me with a very detailed list of requirements and patient selection criteria. For instance, my carrier requires that I follow a physician and dietician supervised diet and exercise plan. They require that I see both providers at least 6 times in 6 months. Every insurance company is different, so the best thing to do is call Customer Service. Best of luck to you.