NWgirl

My Dr also said it depends on if you have an AM or PM surgery.

I will probably be submitted next week after surgeon consult and also have anthem bcbs. I also only need to submit a history of the programs I've tried. When you submitted to anthem, did you only do name of program and year(s) on it? My case manger with anthem said that was all they needed, but it seems too simple!

your medical team will probably request a history of what programs you've done and how much weight you lost on each. To find out the full requirement list, you should find the page in the benefits book or even call the insurance and ask what specifically must be submitted for approval. My insurance is pretty lenient and only requires document of failed weight loss attempts. I called my bariatric case manager with my insurance and found this is only a simple list of all of the weight loss methods I have tried. My case manager said it did not have to be in depth and only needed to list program names and years. You can also ask the insurance coordinator at your surgeons office- they should know the requirements.

my psych eval consisted of a 370 question test. A week after the test, I came back to talk to the psychiatrist and a student from the local university who was shadowing him. It was a pretty basic conversation where they asked some questions and I would respond. I was really scared before I went, but it was very laid back.

I am not required to do a 6 month diet, but recently read someone else had been on a 6 month diet and was required to do another 3 or 6 months due to weight gain. Not sure if this is the norm or not.

Did you put the Fitbit in a bag of rice? I washed my original one after only having it a couple weeks and after a few days in rice, it came back to life. Try it.

I'm guessing you will gain temporarily from the surgery, but as long as you exercise will power/restraint until the band is tightened, I would assume you lose more weight.

I've seen people post that they were okay flying after a week. There was a recent post about the same thing in the past few days.

Please watch this video about drinking/eating at the same time http://formerfatdudes.com/460/friends-dont-let-friends-drink-and-eat/ My dietician told me that no drinking for about 1 hour after and to stop drinking 15 minutes prior to eating.

For me, I still have a nurse practitioner consult (tomorrow AM), sleep study (consult Thursday), and a consult with my surgeon (TBD after nurse practitioner clears me). I started the process on January 17 (had been scheduled since mid December 2011) and I am being told the process should go super fast due to very few insurance requirements. I am expecting to be banded sometime in February, maybe early March. After cruising the boards for so long, it seems like many people are scheduled for surgery around the time they submit to insurance. I've seen some people be scheduled for two weeks after submission, and some up to 6 weeks. I guess it all depends on the Dr. Maybe you should ask about the timeline at your next visit?

That is also something I forgot to mention, the customer service is GREAT. My Fitbit original started acting up a few months ago, and after a brief troubleshoot, they just sent me a brand new Ultra. No requirement to send the old one back and no charges whatsoever.

I have owned both the Fitbit and the Bodybugg. Hands down, I would recommend the Fitbit over the Bodybugg (or Bodymedia, etc) anytime. The Bodybugg (or like) costs more up front and charges a subscription fee every month. The Fitbit is $100 and has no other charges, unless you want to upgrade to premium data, which is NOT needed to get to your goal. The Fitbit is also minimally invasive and can be clipped on your bra, pocket, etc. The bodybugg must be worn on the upper arm. Not only does it draw a lot of attention, but for some people (me included), it creates a rash due to moisture under the device. I also found I needed to switch the Bugg from arm to arm every few weeks or I developed a very obvious indent in my arm where the bugg/strap sat, regardless of whether I was wearing it or not. This indent does go away though, so there is no permanent line. When I was using the Bugg program, the food logging was in need of a serious update. I have no idea if this has been adressed since I have not had the Bugg for almost a year, but it was definitely a large annoyance. The system often timed out and you'd have to log in multiple times to enter a meal. I am also unable to access any old data from my Bugg, unless I am willing to pay a subscription fee. There was not an option to export data, so to have access you must pay. With the Fitbit, you can join the site for free regardless of whether you actually have the device. Therefore, you can always have access to old data. Another plus for the Fitbit is the ongoing expansion to integrating with other sites/technologies. I have the Fitbit linked to myHealth medical records and Lose it!. They seem to be adding new apps often enough, and I recently saw that it can integrate with the Withings wifi scale!!!!!! (can you tell I want one?) Why don't you do a free membership to the Fitbit website for the time being and see if you like the basic bells and whistles? You can do this without the device and can test drive it. If you like the features, then you'll love the actual device. Sorry for the long post.

A pound of muscle is the same as a pound of fat. You would not gain a noticeable amount of muscle in such a short amount of time. When you first drastically up your exercise routine, the body takes a few weeks to adjust. The muscles retain more water. I remember reading your post about eating more, but can't remember the actual calorie amounts. If you are very low, you may even need to up your calories. I'm guessing that in another week or two, your body will be ready to lose again. Just keep with it and reap the benefits of exercise.

I am guessing the new Dr would want to check that everything was done correctly by the original Dr. It would be bad for one Dr to take over another Dr's patients and have complications due to the original Dr's work. That would be bad for their practice.

there is a YouTube video by someone called former fat dude that shows a demonstration of drinking with your meals. You should look it up and watch it to remind yourself why not to drink. It is definitely a good visual.

As has been stated on these boards many times, you will usually not feel restriction for the first few fills. To lose weight right now, you need to eat smaller amounts of food (protein first followed by veggies) and exercise.

awesome! I do have a membership at 24 hour fitness as well, so that would be great if we could meet up and decide if we want to be gym buddies! Accountability is always an incentive!

Hi again, I would love to stay in contact! It's always nice to have another person to talk to about these things. I'm not sure I will be telling anyone outside of my immediate family, mainly because I don't want people thinking I took the easy way out. Do you do text messaging? Maybe when we've both been banded, we can be support buddies. Are you a part of a gym or anything like that? I'm hoping to maybe go to some of the local support groups in the next month; maybe we could go together?

Mis73, you just made me laugh out loud after the grueling day I've had. Sometimes you wonder if these people have their heads so far up there that they don't see what's in front of them.

Hi there! I am also in Portland, over in SE but hoping to move over to SW in the next month or so. I am getting my surgery done at Legacy Weight Management Institute. I am 23 (turning 24 in June) and cannot wait to start this journey! I started this journey with a Fiance, but it appears that has gone all kinds of wring and I am now single. Go me! I do have a wonderfully supportive family that lives in the area and are all behind me to get this done. They just want me to be happy. I am going in tomorrow for my consult with the psychologist, the nutritionist, and the physical therapist. I went last week for the welcome group and the psych test (a whopping 370 question scantron). If the psychologist clears me, I will be able to schedule my surgeon consult tomorrow. I am hoping to be banded sometime in February... I love sweets, but not enough to sacrifce my weight. I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and secretly hope that it can account for some (not all) of my weight issues. Last year I did 6.5 months going to the gym 5-6 days a week and eating 1200-1400 calories a day and was only able to lose 35 pounds with a daily deficit of at least 1000 calories... Very discouraging and I'm hoping the band will give me the extra boost I need Sorry for the history lesson.

yes, I have had both the bodybugg (which is the Bodymedia, but sold by 24 hr fitness) and the fitbit. Hands down, the fitbit does everything the bodybugg does, except it's much cheaper, there are no subscription fees, and it can be easily hidden. Also, the bodybugg seemed to over report my calorie burn by about 400 calories a day...

I am guessing the one advertising is a set up service. Maybe in Mexico? I know someone said there's a Dr in Colorado who does the procedure for $9000.

Mio is also good. I have found some I like, and of course some I don't. I did see a new type of squeeze additive by the Mio's at safeway last week, but have not tried them.

I have shared with my parents, my fiance, my aunt (who is also banded), and maybe will share with my brothers. Other than that, I don't feel the need.

if you want a HRM, I would recommend a Garmin. I found a bundle a few months ago with a HRM strap, a footpod, and an exercise watch for $99 on Amazon. It was only an older model (the watch face is the only difference between the new model vs old). if you want something that tracks calories, food, sleep, etc, the Fitbit is awesome! I love my fitbit, bur decided I needed an exercise watch too.