NWgirl

I have had both the Bodybugg and the Fitbit. I started out with the Bodybugg in September 2010, and when the renewal came up on my subscription, I decided I was going to test the Fitbit vs Bodybugg. After two weeks I decided I wanted to keep the fitbit and sell the Bodybugg. Pros/cons of each item are below... Pros for both items: - Very accurate calorie counts - measurement of low activity, medium activity, and high activity - food logging - variety of reports (when I ended my subscription, Fitbit did have more report types available (sleep, etc) Cons of Bodybugg - Big and bulky- must be worn on upper arm for best accuracy. Is very noticeable and attracts a lot of attention. - A lot of people develop rashes under the strap and system due to moisture - must pay membership fee to get access to website. If you let membership lapse, you cannot have access to your old data. - Food logging was far from great and often timed out. Pros of Fitbit - Free membership with option to upgrade to a premium membership. If you are a serious numbers person, then this is good, but otherwise the basic membership should fulfill all needs (shows food logs, activity logs, sleep logs) - Small and easily hidden. I wear my Fitbit on my bra. - built in display showing calories burned, steps, distance and (with the new Ultra) floors climbed - GREAT customer service. - much cheaper than Bodybugg Overall, I really can't say anything negative about the Fitbit. It does everything the Bodybugg does at a fraction of the original cost and without any required membership fees. I did have a problem with my original Fitbit before the one year warranty was up, and Fitbit immediately sent me out a brand new Ultra at no charge. Bodybugg customer service seemed lacking when I contacted them on occasion.

I was recently added to Anthem BCBS insurance plan with Kroger because my other insurance plan did not provide any coverage. Has anyone else tried to use their insurance immediately (within 2 months of add) for this procedure? I'm worried they may deny me because I was literally just added, but I am above 40 BMI with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and some other issues. I was able to get a letter written by my pediatric doctor (who was my doctor from birth to 20) suggesting I should be a candidate for Lapband and documenting I have been obese since age 7, as well as my growth charts and chart notes in regards to weight/BP. I do not have a new primary care doctor, and will probably just find a doctor in the hospital I am looking at having the procedure. Any input is welcome.

I believe the original poster was asking about others opinions in regards to the sleeve vs. band. What exactly are you contributing to this conversation?

Doctors charge self pay patients different prices than insurance covered patients. Example: The location I am getting my procedure done at charges $17k for self pay, but upwards of $25-30k for insured patients. So, I'm guessing that the price difference for this particular doctor is like a self pay vs. insured patient. Obviously the people with insurance that covers the procedure will still pay less, but the doctor's take a cut in price for self pay since most people probably can't pull 25-30k out of their finances or finance the balance. I'd love to be charged the self pay price and only pay 20%...

Don't forget to look at out of pocket maximums for the year- I know my insurance charges deductible plus 20%, but if costs go over the out of pocket max for the year, I don't pay. Unless, of course, bariatric surgery is marked as "out of pocket maximums don't apply." Good luck!

I am not banded yet, but did buy a treadmill this fall and have used it for various exercises. I can jog on it, but prefer to walk about 3 mph and read my Touchpad. This way I get to do something I enjoy (reading) while doing something necessary (exercise). I've found on many occasions I lose track of time and end up walking A LOT more than I had planned... You need to start out doing what you feel comfortable with and slowly move up. Don't try to add a lot of mileage each week, just slow and steady (I'd say add a mile a week to your workout if you feel good about it).

My Aunt got the band about three years ago. Some of her friends elected to get the sleeve instead. A few of these "sleeved" friends successfully lost weight to begin with, but have now started to regain weight due to stretching of the sleeve. She, on the other hand, has hit goal weight and remains within 10 lbs of her goal (either way) at all times.

My name is Stephanie... I started poking around here a couple weeks ago, and finally set up an account and decided I should do an introduction I have tried countless weight loss strageties and spent a lot of money trying to make it work. Frankly, I don't know what else to do to help myself, and so I began to look at the lap band. When I first went through my insurance benefits (Regence BCBS of Oregon) , the booklet said that they did not cover any type of WLS surgery (and this is for an actual employee of BCBS!!). I started to look into Mexican banding options, as I could not afford the $18k self pay quoted in Oregon. One of the gals from Oregon Weight Loss Surgeries said I should send my insurance info over anyways, and that sometimes with these companies you had to ask the right questions to see if you're covered, even if the book says you're not. Lo and behold two days later I got a letter in the mail saying that I could get WLS surgery under my insurance. The copay is $3750, and I do have to do a 6 month supervised diet through a BCBS program called "Turning Point." I'm so excited to be covered in the US, and I don't mind the diet program requirement My question is this: Has anyone from Oregon that is covered by BCBS Innova plan gotten the lapband with the 6 month diet requirement? What is the program all about (I am waiting on a call back from a health coach from Turning Point)? Has anyone purposely not lost much weight to stay in the BMI requirement? Has BCBS looked at beginning weight only? So many questions