jetti

If your specialist has not requested you go back to see him then I dont see why you should. I am almost a year out and still have not had a fill so it is possible for it to work without a fill. Im sure I will need a fill eventually and I have been thinking about one for about a month now but Im still losing so I dont think its needed yet.

hi! I also had alot of problems with the taste and smell of Protein drinks or powders. Lots of money went down the drain while searching for a "good" one that I never did find. I drink Slim Fast Low Carb which has 20grams of protein in it. It took me a few days to get use to it because its thicker then Water so it was a little weird but I have been drinking it for almost a year now and I actually look forward to the time of day that I drink it. I would run it past your doctor first but if he is ok with it then in my opinion I think its a good alternative.

ohhh Pat I am jealous!!! stinking cold weather here in NJ is no fun especially since I dont own anything close to a coat and cant seem to find one that I like and can afford right now. Diane - the beach pic is from the DR...wish i was there right now :-(

congrats on your first fill and your great weight loss!!!

I have Horizon BCBS of NJ and had no problems with my approval. I did do the 6 month diet before I even met with my surgeon. I had heard that the insurance required it when I attended another surgeons seminar and figured why not get it done while I am still in the research process. I got my approval from the insurance in about 1 week which was a shock to me good luck

thanks Tina!!! WOW 60 miles!!! I did a walk in May that was 5K and it felt so good to acutally be able to do a fast walk and pass people along the way!! and I walked to and from the walk site so I added about 2.5 miles to it and I was still breathing when i got home!! I dont have a "team" just me myself and I doing this

I posted some "pretty" pictures a few weeks ago and now here are the "ugly" ones...

Hi myturn!!! I love Dr Bertha and I go for my 1 year follow up next month so im excited but nervous. I too thought I escaped the gas pains but about a week after surgery I was mixing cookie dough by hand and it must have stirred up the gas because I had the worst pain in my shoulder for a few days after that. I kept a heating pad on it and kept myself moving and it really did help. good luck with your journey if you have any questions please post them here these ladies are the best!!!

please send the monkeys my way...I will bring them to work with me and I am sure they will do more good then the donkeys that are there now!!

hey folks!! I just wanted to let you all know there is a breast cancer walk in newark, NJ this sunday - 10/19 - and its not too late to sign up!!!. The walk is 5k and you can sign up on the day of the race or if you want to do it earlier you can go to the website and sign up. Below is a link to my personal page. I hope you will visit my site and sign up to join my team. If you prefer, you can start your own team, sign up to walk as an individual, or make a donation. Hope starts with me and it can continue with you. Please join my team and walk with us to experience an incredible day of inspiration and meaning, and to provide hope for all people facing breast cancer. To donate now, use this link to visit my personal page. hope to see you ladies there!!! :laugh:

Sherry - I wish I had another trip planned soon but unfortunatly I dont. I was hoping to book another trip to DR for around April of next year but I have put myself on a 1 year plan to get all my debt paid off and there is alot of it soooo I have to be a good girl :-( My main motivation for working out is acutally seeing results from doing it. I know this has alot to do with the band but I also know if I wasnt working out my results just with the band would not be what they are and im sure I would have gotten a fill or 9 long ago!!! so that keeps me pretty motivated even though there are days I go home from work and just want to sit on the couch. But I force myself to get up and go to the gym instead of sitting on the couch eating everything in the house. I started working a second job about a month ago so now I only go to the gym 4 days a week but the other days I am working on my feet at the booooring second job so I guess its ok...now if only I can stop snacking on these little tart shell cookie things we have at the store all will be good :-) michaele - how did you do with dinner at your uncles? Happy Monday ladies!!

noticing that the end part of the seat belt in my car that use to grind into my center console and even left an imprint now has about a 1 inch gap between it

realizing that no article of clothing on my body is from the plus size section or a plus size store!!! I thought of that when I was driving to work this morning and a sly smile crept across my face.

jackie I dont have info on Aetna insurance but I just wanted to say welcome and good luck!!!

I had been wanting weight loss surgery for many years...before I even heard of the band...but knew that gastric bypass was not for me. I waited a few years and that is when thank goodness I learned about the band. When I went to the seminar for the dr that I finally choose as my surgeon I got to talk to him at the end and I told him that I already knew I wanted the band and even when I had my first consult with him he never even mentioned gastric bypass because he knew I choose what is best for me. I suggest you find other surgeon...why pick a form of surgery you are not comfortable with when you will have to live with it for the rest of your life? good luck

If you are losing without a fill then I would say wait it out. I am 11 months out and have not had a fill yet and I am pretty happy with my progress so far. I too dont have any problems with any foods...but there are things I dont eat because they are not worth the calories/fat. good luck with whatever decision you make.

Congrats on the weight loss michaele!!!! I really cant remember when I went down a clothing size. I too just bought new stuff when what I had got too sloppy.

Lisa my surgeon is Dr Bertha who is out of Florham Park, NJ - 973-410-9700. I have not had any problems with their office at all everyone is always helpful.

who the heck let it be October already!?!?!?! michaele - Happy Anniversary!!! I hope you get to hear from your husband again soon!! love and prayers to all of our troops no matter where they are Trish - I hope your mom is getting better and my finger are crossed for the scale to be nice to you Donna - how did your fill go? was the scale kind to you? Pat - I eat salad all the time - I LOVE salad always have - but I do make sure there is chicken in there and sometimes a hard boiled egg so that I can get the Protein in. I still do a Slim Fast shake every day. I really like them and its 20 grams of protein so you cant beat that. Kat - have you gotten anything else sorted out with your card? have a great night ladies...the gym kicked my butt this week so im off to bed early tonight or at least that is my plan.

Hi I am almost 11 months out and have not had a fill as of yet. I feel I have been doing good weight loss wise so im not really pushing to get one yet. Maybe my weight loss would be greater if I did get a fill but right now im happy with the pace that I am on so I will wait until I really need it. I can only assume what I feel at times is restriction. I probably eat more then the "normal" bandster but I sure as hell eat a lot less then I did 11 months ago!!

awww Kat I hope that you dont feel any after affects from your fall in the store. What a jerk the person was for laughing!!! And goodness I hope all that debit card mess gets cleared up that is not a fun scenario at all. HUGS!!!!

michaele - let me know how the once a week thing goes for you!! I have been thinking about taking the scale out of my room or tossing it out the window to keep myself from weighing everyday but then again there are scales at the gym so that still wont help my obsession :-(

Michaele - You are doing wonderful. Im sure your body is still adjusting and everything will even out and you will start losing again...at least you are not gaining :-( I am addicted to weighing myself which is SOOO bad!!! I do it all times of the day with or without clothes it is horrible. they do say some people suffer from addiction transfer - or something like that - maybe this is my addiction transfer!!! I usually base my weight off of what the scale at the gym says since I get weighed and measured every month...I like the number on my scale at home better because its usually lower by 2 pounds but that would be cheating :-)

Happy belated birthday Betty...hope the rest of your day was wonderful!!