Sunshyne068

Aeropostle sales are good. I'll add one to my list then, I want to be able to shop at Victoria's Secret for their yoga pants (only goes up to size L) and H&M (also only goes up to size L).

Good afternoon everyone! I sit here today and I notice that sometimes I feel overwhelmed, and down, and I feel like getting to an ideal weight, or even my goal weight, is an unattainable task. I am not banded yet, and my BMI is 37. I have been overweight for 21 yrs (Im 28 yrs old) and I have never been under 199 lbs in my entire adolescent or adult life. I am very nervous about getting a surgery to lose weight, and I guess I just feel defeated. I say all of that to say ... I want to think about my goals for after my weightloss. And I want to to hear your goals as well. In a time of doubt, I just want to focus on the positive and the future, and the possiblity that maybe I will attain my goals if I think about them more often. So here goes, my goals are: 1. To get to 199 lbs (or anywhere in "onederland") 2. To be able to shop for my clothes without having to go to the speciality stores, or the special sections in the stores 3. To not be the BIGGEST person in the group of my friends, or the BIGGEST person every time I go somewhere 4. To be able to fulfill my dream of using pole dance for fitness (once Im lighter, it will be easier for me to do the moves). Please let me know the goals you wish to set, and the goals you have already acheived.

WOW! It looks like BCBS Fed covers all ranges, 3 days to 4 weeks for approval. Well my surgeon's office is "swamped" with insurance authorization requests to send out. My appt was Jan 24 and they havent sent my stuff to BCBS yet so .... I'm waiting for them to catch up. I guess I'll call at the end of next week and hope to know something from BCBS Fed sometime in March or earlier.

If you don tmind me asking, what was your BMI before and after the lapband? You look great!

I would think the consumption of the shakes that have artificial sweetners in place of sugar would be what might be scarey. You could get meal replacement shakes that dont have the articificial sweetners, maybe Ensure? Boost?

OMG that sounds like a LOT!!!!!! They told me I needed 3 months of monitored diet history. They said nothing about an EKG or letter from the doc about me not smoking. No sleep study or anything else. SHEESH. Thanks for the information

I have BCBS Federal. While I've never had a problem with them ... I've never needed surgery authorization though them. I'm just wondering if anyone has them, and what the experience was with the authorization and hospital/Anesthesia costs, etc. Thanks so much.

Trial and Error .... Im trying to drill it in my head right now. I went out last night and tried to eat my meal without drinking. I also tried to make sure I chewed my food like twice as much as I normally do. It was sooooo hard .... sheesh! I am definitely going to need help with this transition. I guess its a good thing that I'm trying this before I'm banded.

SHRIMP is on the list of problem foods??????? Oh goodness. I love shrimp! Well I can deal with toasted breads. Im a huge fan of a half grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato Soup. Which brings me to another question. Since we're not supposed to drink with our meals, or too soon after our meals .... does that mean we cant have soup with or after our meals either?????

I am not banded, I am actually awaiting authorization from BCBS. But I see that there is a restriction on bread??? Like what do you mean? If I eat bread in large quantities that I will vomit? Or that if I eat any bread at all that I will vomit? Or if I eat bread and dont chew it to the consistency of mush that I will throw up? I just want to be mentally prepared

If you're watching your carbs (I say that bc of the mostly protein and veggies you're eating) the vodka won't hurt ya too much )) Drink it with diet drink or something

Im not banded yet, but I KNOW for CERTAIN that weight lifting totally helps to "sculpt" your body instead of just shedding. My body looks so different than it did a year ago. Congrats on your success!!!

I am waiting on my doc's office to submit to BCBS. I have EVERYTHING required but they dont wanna use my nutritionist reports. They want me to see "their" nutritionist so we'll see how that works out. My doc said insurance approval could take 2 hours to 2 weeks, but he also said they almost never (knock on wood) deny the surgery if the BMI is over 35. Mine is 38 so let's see what happens. GOOD LUCK TO US ALL! Im trying to make some progress by summer as well~

So I had my initial consult with my doc (Dr. Singh in maryland) earlier this week. I told him I adopted the habit of eating whatever I want, I just exercise regularly .... I'm not losing any weight with this plan though ... GASP! He told me to watch food Inc and I was absolutely amazed. Im very afraid to eat beef, pork, poultry, and "fresh" produce ... SIGH. Today I went to the Nordstrom Cafe. Their menu says they use organic produce and milk without hormones, and cage free eggs. I instantly fell in love. AND get this .... I have not been banded, and I havent even set a surgery date. But today I guess everything in my head had me eating like someone with serious portion control. I didnt finish my Soup, and I ordered the kid's meal pizza. I shared with my co-worker AND packed leftovers. This wouldnt seem so surprising to me except that my co-worker kind of gave me a weird look today. He said "did your soup fill you up or something???" because he saw how little I ate today. I'm excited for 2 reasons: 1. maybe this whole gastric banding thing wont be so bad after all 2. if ppl around me think I just eat like a bird normally, maybe once I get the band they wont notice my new eating habits, thus making it easier for me to keep my privacy in tact. I just wanted to share. And also ask if anyone else has seen Food Inc, and how do they incorporate safer foods into their diets??? THANKS!

WOW. I have had surgery but when I was in the hospital it wasn't outpatient and I had some complications so I had to be sent to the ICU after surgery, so I was in a room totally isolated by myself. I think Dr. Singh has a partnership with Northwest Hospital now, so I may opt to have my sruegry there if that is an option. I live near Mt. Washington and I do want to attend some support groups. I am very nervous about this whole thing and I want to see some patients after the procedure, "in the flesh" and see how they feel about it. I know this is life changing so I just want as much info and as many ppl that can relate as possible.

Yes Dr Singh is now with Dr. Humbdallah. I'm not sure what happened with the relationship with Dr. Averbach. Dr. Singh didnt really speak on it, and no one asked him at the seminar. So I had a list of 17 questions to ask him during my consult. He answered each one, and he said that I have everything I need to start the pre-authorization from BCBS. So I should know something in a few weeks (fingers crossed). I just want to get on this journey before summer time because I really want to see some results by the end of the summer. Dr. Singh told me to look up the movie "food Inc." and pay close attention. He told me that it would change how I looked at food, and it would encourage me to eat healthier things. He agreed with me that I work out 3-5 days a week, but because of that I feel like I can eat whatever I want (which is why Im not losing weight). I hope that St. Agnes isnt too much of a circus while I'm there. It seemed pretty nice and much more updated than when I was last there back in 2006. So that's another thing Im keeping my fingers crossed about. Lisa, do you have before and after photos? And where do you live? Do you attend support groups at St. Agnes?

Hello All, I've been "stalking" the boards for some time now ... and I went to the informational seminar in December. I met with the therapist and I have done the medically supervised diet plan ... now here I am. I go to meet with Dr. Singh this afternoon over by St Agnes Hospital in Maryland. I have mixed emotions as the more I read, I am relieved by your successes, and so afraid of my own potential failure, or surgical complications. I just wanted to reach out and say hello, and let you guys know that I may need some hand-holding!!! Please wish me luck on my journey, and I hope to be as much of an asset to you as you all have been to me.