my3sons75

Hi Amanda, It's encouraging to read your post. We are almost in the same time frames. I started my nutritional phase at the end of January and have my last appointment on Friday April 6th, then waiting to hear back from insurance. Of course after all this NOW I'm getting nervous. :-) My insurance required the 3 months too, and I am sooo happy they did. I don't think I'd have done as well if I just was able to jump right in and get the band. I've lost 25 pounds so far - it was really motivating. We are about the same age and in the same stages, so I added you as a friend - hope that's ok. :-) Good luck!!! :-) ~Kelly

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and input! I will definitely have to think about the hernia and gallbladder. I wish I didn't have to say anything, but people are going to notice I had some sort of surgery. As far as anyone outside my family I don't think anyone will ask many questions except a friend or two, but my family will definitely notice something going on and I don't want to tell them about my band until I'm ready. If I didn't have the little kids I could just go stay in a hotel a few days and say I'm going out of town but real life keeps bringing me back from that fantasy.

I know there are lots of topics out there about To Tell or Not, but I have already made my decision. I have decided the only person outside of the medical people that will know about my band - at least in the beginning - will be my husband. I have come across a few bumps in the road in regards to my plan though, so I need some ideas. Firstly, I found out that my mom, who is staying with us temporarily - and was supposed to be moved out around April 1st - will have to stay with us a while longer. I don't have my surgery date yet, but it is hopefully going to be in April. My mom is much older (almost 80), doesn't keep secrets well at ALL, and I don't want to tell her and have her tell everyone else. Unless I get lucky and bounce back the next day, she will know there is something wrong. I have 2 small kids (4 and 2), and I can't hide the fact that I had surgery or that I can't pick up my kids. Second, I have started dieting and exercising regularly with a friend for the last few months. I am not telling any of my friends yet, including her, so I would have to have a reason that my normal activities are being halted for a little while. Thirdly, having the two little kids, I may need to get some help from family or friends to either watch them or take them to the babysitter. I'll be on pain meds (maybe) and my husband can only take a day or two off of work to stay with me. If I have to ask anyone for that kind of help they would know something was wrong. I thought about a hernia, or some sort of stomach issue, but I don't want my family and friends to be concerned or worried...more like something routine, like a lets-check-this-out surgery/procedure vs. a complication that needs fixing. Does anyone have any ideas? Or something you've used yourself? I'm fairly healthy, and my family knows that so it's hard to come up with something. Maybe some sort of "woman" problem?? I hate being deceitful or lying :ph34r: , but I can't really say to my family "it's none of your business why I had surgery", but what else do I say? Any advice would be great! :wub: ~Kelly

I was very hesitant to try Greek yogurt. I'm not a fan of trying new things and I just didn't want to. But the sugar and carbs and calories in regular yogurt, plus the lack of Protein, made me just suck it up and try it. I really like the Chobani Greek yogurt, but I almost gagged the first time I ate it....kind of weird feeling and so sour/tart. Not good at all. So I stirred it up really good, and I added a packet of Splenda, and it was much better. Then I added the Kashi Go Lean Crunch and it was my new favorite snack! I know in the mushy stage you can't have the fruit or the Cereal, but if you try the plain and add Splenda, maybe even 2 packs if you need it (shhh...don't tell anyone I suggested that), then you can also add some other sort of flavor, like Crystal Light or sugar free Jello mix, or maybe blended up strawberries. Yum...making myself hungry. And I can find it at any grocery store, Walmart, etc. Just varies on the flavor. BTW, my FAVORITE is lemon. Yum.

It's been pretty hard the last few months trying to start eating the lap-band way without letting on, since she eats dinner with us every night. So I just started prattling on about trying to reduce my portions and all the ways I've heard of how to minimize my hunger, ie tiny bites, chewing my food longer, taking longer to eat. I'm hoping she'll just not pay much attention, and I'll chalk it up to not feeling well after the surgery. Or course having a house guest for months sure threw a wrench into my plans, but I'm determined, so I just have to work around the problems. :-)

Thank you all for the ideas! I'll have to look into the hernia a little more, but will also be sure to Google laproscopic surgeries. Good idea. :-) And I'm not a very good liar, at least I don't think I am and don't WANT to be...so I do have to try and keep it pretty simple.

Coke Zero is my biggest hurdle too! I am soooo addicted to it...I have a glass right next to me right now! I'm doing the 3-month insurance required diet right now and I haven't cut it out yet. I figured if/once the insurance approves me and I have to do the actual pre-op diet, then I'll have to taper off and cut it out of my life. Oh, the memories of CZ will have to be enough. Sniff sniff. I figure it's worth the sacrifice compared to all I'll get in return...but it's HARD!

I thought of another one the other day that I'm sure many of you will understand. I want to be able to step out of the shower, wrap my regular sized towl around me and have it cover up everything, and not have a gap down one side, or have it be a "bath sheet".

I haven't had the surgery yet, but since I am covered partially by insurance I have to do the 3 months of supervised dieting. I haven't told anyone but my husband and my other care providers (doctors), who I asked to write letters to the insurance for me to help me with approval. I have been struggling with what to say and who to tell, and then I came to an epiphany - for me at least. When I first started learning about the lapband and reading how it works I noticed the one word that everyone uses - TOOL. This will be a tool for us in the steps we are taking to make our lives healthier. This is not a magic fix-it band, not a you'll-never-crave-chocolate-doughnuts-again band, not a cure for the I-want-some-icecream-now band. It is merely to reduce the AMOUNT that we are allowed to eat at one time.. Everything else is up to us. It will be hard work, especially at first, and I will be consciously making healthier choices and chosing what I eat (already started in January to get ready). Now, if I tell anyone or everyone that I have this band, any steps I've done or long hard road I've gone down or sacrifices I have made will all be lumped into one phrase: "oh, she has the Lapband, no wonder she lost weight so easliy". It may be petty or feel like I need attention, but if anyone wants to pay attention to my weight and how much I've lost or how much better I look, then I want it to be about ME and about my choices and the hard work I've done to get there. Maybe if someone is curious about the band, or if I feel like they may understand how much work I still had/have to put in, then I may feel the connection and want to tell them about it. For now, I haven't even told my sister (who is one of my best friends) or my mother (who lives with me and my family) or any of my friends. I am a talker and constantly give TMI to my friends and family, and this has been hard for me not to say anything and gab on and on about it. But I know once I open that dialog up I can't take it back. So I found this website, and I found a place where I can talk about it and feel like everyone understands. This is a very personal decision and it's hard to decide what to do. Good luck with your decision. ~Kelly <3

Hi Ian, So great to read your story and see you had such great results! I am also a patient at NWWLS and I am seeing Dr. Chock. I live over an hour away from them but they seem to have such a great program. How was your surgery and aftercare with them? I am a little concerned that I might just be another number, so it would be great to hear about your post op experience. Thanks and congrats! ~Kelly

This is a great topic! There's one that's been going on for a few years in a different category, and it's called "The Skinny Bucket List". It's soooo motivating to think about all the reasons you want to have this surgery and it helps keep you on track. :-)

Hi everyone, My name is Kelly and I am from Tacoma WA. I have insurance that will cover my lapband (at least a large portion) but I have to jump through a lot of hoops first. The main one is 3 months of supervised nutrition/dieting. I have done 2 months so far, lost about 15 pounds, and have my final nutrition appointment on April 6th. Then the surgery center submits my paperwork to the insurance for approval, and since I *hopefully* have done everything they asked, I should be scheduled in either April or early May....so I decided to join the "Springers" even though I don't have my surgery date yet. I'm not going to write a huge introduction - believe me, you'll be happy I keep it short cause I can go on and on and on - but if you'd like to read more about me you can find a link to my entire story (ack!!) thru my LBT introduction on my member page. I have 3 boys - 2 1/2, 4, and 18. I've been overweight since I had my oldest, and obese/morbidly obese for about 10+ years now. I'm ready to start my journey...which I feel like I've already started since having to do the supervised nutrition. I grumble about it, but it was actually very helpful. Anyone else have to do the supervised diet/nutrition? It's great to find others in the same time frame as me. Looking forward to visiting and chatting! ~Kelly

This is a great topic! It's so motivivational that I think I'm going to print mine out and put it in a few spots in the house, like the refrigerator and in the dining room. I'm still in my 3 month pre-op nutrition phase and I've been thinking about one or two things I want to do, but once I sat down and started writing I couldn't stop. Once I have the surgery I'm sure I'll have more to add to this growing list. My Skinny Bucket List 1. Have my husband finally be able to pick me up and hold me in his arms- he's a big strong guy, so the fact that he can't now, or ever before, makes me so sad. It will be a crying-because-I'm-happy day! 2. Play with my little boys and not have to say "Sorry guys, I have to stop - Mommy's out of breath and tired. I gotta take a rest." 3 . Cross my legs when I sit and feel sexy, not sit like a man 4. Go horseback riding and not feel like the horse is going to crumple under me. 5. Buy my first ever Little Black Dress 6. Wear high heels with the LBD and not feel ridiculous or look like I'm going to topple forward 7. Buy sexy lingerie and feel sexy in it. 8. Get my very first bikini wax and leg wax to go with the above-mentioned lingerie. Ouch - not looking forward to the pain, but definitely looking forward to the rewards. 9. Go to Hawaii and lay on the beach, not feeling embarrassed like the first 2 times. And wear a real swimsuit. 10. Ride a bike - something I haven't done as an adult yet. 11. Take a Zumba class and make it more than 5 minutes (if I'm LUCKY!) before I feel like I'm going to die! 12. Run, not just walk, run run run! 13. Yoga or Pilates and enjoy it and feel like I belong, not like the fat girl's trying something new. 14. I saw this on someone else's list and I totally am going to use it - it almost made me cry thinking of this feeling! I want to be able to eat a (small) ice cream cone while taking a walk and not feel like everyone's rolling their eyes at the big fat mamma feeding her face again. 15. Sit in a chair (especially folding chairs) and not have 1/2 my butt hanging off the edges and worry about who's behind me and what it looks like. 16. Be able to walk thru a restaurant or auditorium or someplace with lots of chairs and not have to stop and survey the room to determine the best (or only) path I can take to get where I am going. Or have to back track when following my husband or someone else after they've lead me down a path that I can't fit thru. Or say "excuse me" to every other person because I'm bumping them in the head with my butt, tummy, or hips. 17. Go dancing - Salsa, two-step, swing, etc. 18. Pick out clothes at the mall based on if I like them or not, not based on if they happen to carry it my size. 19. Play softball again.

Hi everyone, My name is Kelly, I am 36 years old and live in Tacoma WA. I am married and have have 3 boys - 18, 4, and 2. I have been interested in the Lap Band since January 2011 when I went to a seminar after signing up for a contest to receive a free lap band. Of course I didn't win, but it made me aware of the procedue and I decided I really wanted to do it. Luckily my insurance covers it, but it leaves me a large out of pocket amount. With having 3 kids, a husband laid off periodically (in the construction industry) and their medical bills to cover, I just couldn't save up the extra money. It has been on my mind for over a year, and finally this January I said enough is enough, it's time for ME. I contacted my HR at work and requested access to my 401K funds and was able to start my journey. My insurance company (Carpenters Trust) requires either 6 months of medically supervised diets OR 3 months of a pre-op program thru the WLS office. Of course I am doing the 3 months. I had my first nutritional appointment in January and weighed in at 255 lbs. I am only 5' 2 1/2" tall, so my BMI was around 45-46, definitely a candidate. I had my physical exam, pshychological exam, and met with the surgeon the next week. Then the insurance coordinator gave me a list of things to get - recommendation letters, 5 years of chart notes proving my obesity isn't just newly acquired (yeah right!), and a list of all the diets I have ever been on. What a trip down memory lane that was. One thing that I did differently than some others was I did not get my PCP's approval or opinion until I started all of this. I decided that I know what's best for me, and I didn't want to have to convince anyone or be dissuaded. The WLS office agrees that I could benefit from the LB, so I didn't tell any of my providers until after I began the process. I had a complete physical with my PCP and after reviewing my medical history and family history (diabetes, heart disease, obesity) he gave me his approval and wrote a nice and encouraging letter. Same with my chiropractor (hip problems caused by the extra weight) and accupuncturist (planter fasciitis caused by the extra weight). I've been on the pre-op diet for 3 weeks now and have lost 8 pounds. Yay! They said it's the phase of retraining myself to eat slower, chew my food properly, learn all the foods I should and shouldn't eat, and eat smaller portions. At first I thought it was so stupid why I had to spend 3 months proving myself, but now I get it. If I didn't learn these things, then when I have my Lap Band I might have issues that cause harm or no weight loss. The hardest part is being hungry - which the lap band will help later - and the nutritionist said at my appointment yesterday that if I'm still hungry after eating the way I will later, then I can go back for seconds. It's not about how much I eat right now, but about HOW I eat. That really took the edge off and I think the rest of the time will fly by.... or at least I'm hoping! After talking with some of the women at the WLS center about their experiences with their friends and family, I decided I didn't want to talk about this with anyone outside of the medical professionals and other people who have received the LB. I know some people tell everyone, and that's what I thought I would do since I'm a HUGE talker. Then I learned how much of the process will be based on MY choices and MY will power and MY determination. The Lap Band is only a tool that I need to succeed, but I will be doing most of the work. If people know right off that I have the LB then my hard work will be disregarded as insignificant - "she has the lap band, of course she's losing weight". I don't need a cheering section, but I don't want to be discouraged or belittled, and I also don't want anyone watching over my shoulder to see if I'm going to eat something I'm not supposed to. As of now the only person who knows is my husband. Maybe some of you have husbands that are talkers and chat like other women, but my husband is not. I want to talk about every step and every goal and every feeling I have, and I can tell he's being supportive but would rather not talk about it all the time. Not having anyone to talk about this with is really hard. None of my friends have the weight issues I do and I don't think they would understand - "just eat less and excercise more, the weight will eventually come off". Wish it was that easy. I have some family members that would be candidates for the lap band and would probably even support me, but I worry that since they can't afford it (no insurance and no money) that I would run into jealousy and bitterness. The WLS center has support groups that meet twice a month, and I'll try to start going, but I really needed someone to talk to about all of this. That's when I found this website, which is great! I've already read a lot about others' experiences. If there is anyone who lives in my area that would like to meet for coffee and chat, let me know! I'd love to start a circle of friends that can support each other. Sorry about such a LONG get-to-know me post....as I said I'm a huge talker and have a lot to say right now. Thanks for listening! ~Kelly

I drink the Premier Protein drinks as well - more protien and tastes good too. I went to their website and it says they are available at Costco (where I buy them) and also at Sam's Club, so maybe you can find them there. Comes out to a little over a dollar for each one, and they are great at curing that hungry feeling, plus you can take them on the go.

I am in the pre-op insurance limbo right now too My insurance requires 6 months of a medically supervised nutrition plan OR 3 months of a pre-op plan thru the weight loss office - so of course I'm doing the 3 month choice. Whew, don't know if I have it in me to do this for 6 months. I'm only 4 weeks into it and have lost 8 pounds, am following a lot of the dietary recommendations, but I am hungry all the time. In my 2nd appointment today they told me to follow the recommendations as far as what and how much to eat, how to chew and so on, but when I finish my meal I can have more if I'd like. This is just to try and get me used to the process that I'm going to be living with from now on. Quick weight loss the week before the surgery is the only thing that's important to them, to reduce the liver size. The insurance companies just want to make sure they are not paying for a surgery that won't do any good if you can't change your eating habits. I know my downfall after my diets was my portion size, so I'm hoping this will be the answer for me. I work with insurance companies thru my job and know they have strict rules on what they allow and don't allow, and if you don't follow their every requirement then they will deny. I just have to swallow my irritation and play their game. Good luck to you all that you will be approved!