RebecaSparkles

The Syntrax comes as a powder. The ones I got - the sample sized ones are listed as 4 servings to a bag. One serving is mixed with 2-4oz of Water. So for a 16oz serving you use the whole package. Its 100 cal for a whole package & 24 grams of Protein. I know some of the sweeter desert like flavors - vanilla torte, chocolate , mint cookie etc would be acceptably mixed with milk or milk substitute ( soy, almond , coconut) to increase the flavor/ consistency and boost the nutrition content. But, I can tell you that the lemonade for me wouldn't of been good with milk. Maybe if I liked lemon custard or lemon curd I could of done it with milk but i don't so I didn't. allons-y

I am wondering how long the wait is? Do u have to do their pre-op diet or is weight watchers enough? Wondering if I can short cut by going with them instead of going with kaiser. In virginia i believe its anthem bcbs. allons-y

So far I tried the Syntrax nectar roadside lemonade. Made with lots of ice in Blender Bottle ( shake the bottle with a metal ball in it) the flavor was nice. Not odd tasting, no off flavors tasted like crystal light lemonade. I liked it. Only problem was the foam on top. It was like a starbucks coffee -2" of foamy bubbles. Made it hard to drink. allons-y

Syntrax is offering a monthly promo for 10 packets of sample flavors of assorted choices for 14.00 including shipping. Thats a pretty good deal. Unjury offers a sampler with tge famous chocolate splendor & chicken soup flavors as well as vanilla & strawberry for 19.99+ shipping. Bjs bariatrics offers the ability to pick the flavors of your samples of nectars. And is in the $15 range+ shipping. My bartatric pantry offers syntrax samples pick your flavors & matrix samples assorted flavors. I have a blender bottle which helps mix things well but I still get tons of foam So far I've tried only the isopure ready to drink bottled from gnc - it was yucky & had a odd flavor. Had to choke it down. I tried the roadside lemonade from syntrax nectars & it was good, no odd flavors, just a gentle lemonade flavor quite nice. allons-y

My hubby is getting a new job at Potbelly. Hired just not yet recieved benefit package. The new job offers blue cross blue shield ppo - 90% plan. My googling tells me they do offer morbid obesity services & the vsg. What is their approval process like? Has anyone used them? Kaiser has a 6 month " visit" plan then offers 70% coverage on my plan. Interested to hear if bcbs needs a pre-op diet etc? allons-y

I wonder if you are standing/ holding yourself differently due to your rapidly changing center of mass. I would suggest that next time they measure your height put both feet together & flatten your back to the wall. It'll make you taller. If you stand with feet apart ( maybe pushed apart bc thighs in the way?) it'll make you shorter. If you don't pull your toros flat on the wall the curvature of your spine will make you shorter. I allons-y

Where on that website do we go for the sample packets? I only saw whole bottles/cases. allons-y

I guess I want to try & jumpstart my loss by starting now. Our Nut had us calculate 50-60% excess weight loss and that amount for me was 55-65# leaving me at 175... I remember being 175 in high school & still feeling really fat. Not as fat as I am now, but fat just the same. I really want my personal goal to be 115# which is a realistic healthy weight for my height. I just worry that when I get sleeved I'll only be able to lose x amount of weight in x amount of time before the effects of surgery wear off & I don't want to go through all this just to set myself up for disappointment. Thats why I wanted to get a jump on it. allons-y

So, my insurance requires we lose like 3% of your total body weight before they'll send out your paperwork for approval. For me that's 7 pounds. Not a whole lot but more than I've ever lost & kept off for any real time. In the 6 month wait I have nut visits and have to bring food/ Fluid & activity records. I guess I'm planning on waiting until the end & then doing an unofficial pre op liquid diet to ditch the 7 pounds because I'm terrified of losing it now & then re gaining. I really want to go for balls to the wall and try to lose as much as possible on my own before surgery but I'm scared that either I'll be too small to be approved or they'll say I don't need surgery bc I lost xx amount of pounds w/o it. Or maybe the surgeon will tell me I'm too small. Ugh. Yes. The Nut said i'm in the program & won't be penalized for losing on the 6 months of nut visits, but, I guess I don't believe her. I've had people tell me the wrong thing before. Thoughts, advice? allons-y

I am not currently doing this but I plan on doing it post op. 5 days at 1000 cal & 2 days at 500 cal. allons-y

I would just take a moment to locate the nearest hospital to the location you are staying at just in case you run into trouble. I'd ask your dr for anti nausea medicine to take with you just in case. Also, pack safe foods and carry your foods with you in a back pack so it doesn't get lost in the baggage. Maybe print up a small card with a description of VSG to show the dr's there in case they don't know about it. Keep in your wallet? allons-y

You can look up your plan online at kp.org under the my plan & coverage tab you can look at the things your plan covers & if you have a deductable , co - insurance or just a co-pay. I have 30% co-insurance for morbid obesity in patient surgery services and $40 co-pay if done outpatient. Depends on the pain but I may beg to go home so I can save myself $$$$$. I did have a surgery in the past & as I recall they calculated the amount I owed as a % of the " insurance negotiated allowable" rate. So my EOB listed $13,000 as price hospital billed & $3500 as the allowable. So my 10% co insurance was $350. 00 as I had met my deductible of $1000 for the year I did not owe any additional. allons-y

Have you thought about ideal Protein? Its similar to a sleever diet. Protein shakes, soups and bars with a lean & green meal per day. Low carb. May work out for you. allons-y

Hi- i bought the isopure ready to drink at GNC. So far tried the coconut. It was yuck so I watered it down & added the dasani pinapple coconut Water flavoring to it. Made it drinkable. I read about adding the torani sugar free syrups to tgem. I did some research $7.95 per 750 ml on the torani website. Much more on amazon once you add in the shipping. Ugh. Looking into world market and wegmans next. allons-y

Lol. Here we say I don't fart in bed ... I wisper between the sheets. I trumpet quite loudly every morning to herald the morning. Nothing I can do it the DH says I do it just before I wake up. allons-y

Get a lawyer, may be able to get a free 30 min session with a lawyer in your area who does healthcare law. Google it. Its part of keeping their license forced community service hours. allons-y

So, I bought a lot of samples of different flavors and some rtd shakes. I'll post my personal opinions of them here. First Protein drink I sampled. I am pre-op so maybe I'll have a different opinion later but as of this min. here's what I think. Isopure- Zero Carb Coconut flavor Ready To Drink. - It has a weird tangy taste to it. I could hardly choke down a few sips. Realized I'd need to jazz it up so as to not waste my money on it. So, I poured 1/2 of the bottle into a red solo cup and topped with an equal amount of plain cold Water. Then I added a good squeeze of the Dasani pineapple Coconut water flavoring. The pineapple flavor of the Dasani is doing a good cover of the odd flavors of the Isopure and making it paletable. Not great, not good, but okay. I will be able to finish it. I plan on finishing the other 1/2 the bottle in the same fashion later today. Overall verdict: will not buy again, lesson learned.

I feel the same way. It is almost disappointing to be in the room w/ others & you know soooooo much & they don't understand the concept of bariactric vitamins. allons-y

I am having the nothing fits but I'll be damnes if I'm gonna buy bigger bc I'm pre-op allons-y

I once went to a fancy resturant & they put a sprig of rosemary in the Water pitcher. Could try it? Or you can marinate your ricotta with rosemary by putting the rosemary in some cheese cloth & letting them get happy in the fridge. Pull out before baking in a souffle dish? Top with a chicken broth reduction? allons-y

Pic monkey??? How to do? allons-y

I encorporated the dreaded Protein shakes for Breakfast. To get used to them & bc they're ususlly under 200 cal. I then have breakfast part 2 around 10am a lunabar mini. That and limiting my calories to 1500 or less. My nut says 1500 i shoot for 1300. But i do have days with more or less. allons-y

Theres one at the inova fairoaks hospital its on their website, kaiser also has one the dates are listed on its website they hold theirs in fairoaks near 1700 & fairlakes parkway. allons-y

I lived in the dorms freshmen year & we had 1minifridge w/ a non freezing freezer. So I wouldn't get too dependant on freezer meals until you get your living situation worked out. Our meal hall would allow you to use one swipe& get a togo box with a Soup cup that you could fill with whatever you wanted. I used to get sandwhich fixins & buy a loaf of bread & had lunch for a week. You should call down to the meal manager or maybe student health & find out ifthings you can eat are available on the meal plan. We had stations - stir fry, sandwhich, salad bar, Cereal bar, grill, and then an entree that changed daily. I urge you to visit campus before you move in & actually walk the walk- how far is the grocery store, how far is a safe eat out option, does campus have vending machines with Snacks you can eat? Do you have parking,taking a car? Etc... I reccomend taking at least a supply of safe non perishable foodstuffs that you can fall back on if your local store there doesn't have your preferred brands/foods. Like: tuna packets, Protein powders, rtd shakes, the packets of indian food are usually pretty healthy at trader joes & they have veggies too. Good luck! allons-y

Hello, not sure if I'm reviving a dead thread. But here goes: I'm Pre-OP, Kaiser permanente, Surgery will most likely be at the Virginia Hospital Center with Dr. Salameh or Dr. Mayes. I live in Ashburn, which is near dulles airport. I'm a workaholic but I am paid by piecework so as long as I make quota I can mess around on here all day long while waiting for glue to dry. (not fun) Hoping to meet some 25-35year olds... seems everyone I meet are much older or much younger. I'm in that nesting/married over a year/baby in next 5 years phase. Not the going to club or already have a kid phase. Anyways, If anyone wants to hang out in real life **shocking** I know. We can meet up at support group or get coffee or get nails done, or go go-kart racing.