ElizabethAnne

My dietitian's handout lists calcium citrate as the supplement for band patients. I wanted to buy some sugar-free calcium chews at Costco, but calcium carbonate is listed in the ingredients, not calcium citrate. Does anyone know if one supplement substitutes for the other?

I asked my surgeon about taking Phentermine after surgery if my hunger is still out of control. He said I could take it but added that it would be a waste of money. He said the lap band will control my hunger.

I take Crestor and Zetia and fortunately have noticed no side effects. My endocrinologist asks about muscle pain at each office visit, but I have never experienced any.

I have hypothyroidism and take Synthroid daily, and I was approved. My endocrinologist did tell me at my last appointment to let her know if I have surgery and lose weight. She said she might need to adjust my medication.

I understand. I felt the same way. Once my surgery is over, I am going to try to watch it again.

What a great question, GLove! The same types of thoughts have been entering my mind. I have always been able to lose weight but was able to maintain a healthy weight only when I had access to Phen-Fen. I am getting the band to control my overeating. As I age, I am likely not always going to be able to walk at least 5 miles daily. I did the math a few weeks ago, and when the time comes that I am unable to walk as much, I would probably gain over 50 pounds in a year. Hopefully, the band will be the tool I need to help me learn to eat average portions.

Thank you. Yes, it's been a lengthy process, but it passed by much more quickly than I had anticipated. Let us know when you get you approval.

Thanks Julie and Deb! I appreciate your help.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I haven't had surgery yet and have always had portion-control issues. I am concerned that I will continue to each too much with the band. Once I have surgery, stories like yours will hopefully help me stop before I overeat.

Mine was a lengthy but pleasant evaluation. I was told it would take about 3 hours. I first talked with the psychologist for about an hour. Although she asked several questions, she was very nice and it felt like we were simply chatting. After she finished interviewing me, she led me down the hallway to a room with computers. Next, I took an assessment on the computer (the MMPI, I think), which took about another hour. The psychologist told me I was the ideal candidate for the lap band, which increased my confidence.

My mom did Optifast, and if my memory is correct, so did Oprah. There may be different types of Optifast diets, but my mom drank five ready-to-drink Optifast shakes (and chicken Soup sometimes) daily as Meal Replacements. She lost weight quickly because she ate no food at all.

Could you please explain how we invite people to join Springers? Thanks!

A few minutes ago, I asked about your weight loss requirement because I hadn't read this yet. 6 pounds lost! Sounds like you are already well on your way, and that's great! I hope I get to do all Protein shakes. I am most successful when my plan is rigid.

I was excited to discover Premier Vanilla Shakes at Costco Saturday. The box was imprinted with the words "new and improved," which made me a little wary, so I only bought one box of vanilla and three chocolate. In most products, I typically enjoy vanilla flavor as much as chocolate, but in my opinion, the Premier chocolate shakes are much better than the vanilla. I am going to add a bit of instant sugar free pudding to see if that helps improve the flavor.

I'm excited, too, about the growth of our group! I LOVE getting online every day that I can to see what's new.

Welcome to the group, lalaj. It's great that you are approved already! I hope you receive your surgery date soon.

Do you have a weight loss requirement in order to have surgery? If you do, as motivated as you are right now, you will reach that goal. I believe in you! My insurance approval letter said nothing about a weight loss requirement prior to surgery and neither did my surgeon. I have read, though, that some surgeons do require a specific number of pounds to be lost during the pre-surgery diet. The paperwork I received from my surgeon last week indicates I will be following a 1400 calorie diet. On 1400 calories, I will lose very little if any, but I am hoping they will lower the calories to 1000 so I can keep trying to lose.

Hi momab50, Welcome to the group! I hope you get the insurance approval that you are hoping for. It's exciting that you already have an appointment date! I received my approval in February and requested the first available appointment, which was in April.

Thanks for explaining it. I have seen it and FitBit mentioned at LBT. Do you think the calories are accurate? I am asking only because I saw someone post somewhere else that they think the calories in foods are listed too low.

You are getting so close! I love your countdown ticker but couldn't figure out how to create one the showed days. (Yes, I am definitely technology-challenged.)

Hi dhales, Welcome to the group. I am normally an optimist but feel the same way that you do about something coming up and keeping my surgery from happening. My pre-op appointment is Wednesday, and I am not going to inform my bosses until I am cleared for surgery.

Welcome glg41! It's great to see our group is growing rapidly! I feel very fortunate to be among all you nurses. Good luck tomorrow with starting your liquid diet. I have been dieting since January 4, the day after I met with my surgeon. My required doctor appointments passed by quickly, but now that I am actually scheduled for surgery, it seems like the days are creeping by.

I don't know much about forums, but I am trying to learn and hope someone here can help me understand. I have two questions. 1) On my profile page, there is a green rectangular box which reads "13 Good." I don't understand where that number came from. 2) I have one "friend" listed. I noticed some people on LBT have several "friends." I don't understand the concept of "friends." Could someone please explain? Thank you!

Hi Deb, Yes, I'm a night owl and you must be, too. I have become obsessed with this forum. I was gone all day and didn't get home until late but decided I still wanted to check LBT for a few minutes before going to bed. Hours later, I am still here. But I am headed to bed right now...LOL

Congratulations! I hope this one is followed by many more successful 5K's.