PrettyThick1

Seeking advice from anyone who has had skin removal or has already done the research. I have BCBS, TX and wondered what the guidelines were for having the procedure covered by insurance.

Hi Gowalking: My BMI is okay, I just look too thin and my mother says I'm starting to look sickly. I know it's the excess skin, for the first time in my life I look my age and I'm terrified. This is NOT what I wanted. I don't feel pretty anymore and I just don't know what to do. When I say I'm drinking my calories, I mean V8 and Protein shakes. I can't stand sweets, so I don't eat ice cream or drink milk shakes. I have to nearly choke Protein shakes down these days.

Thanks B-52! It's my personal goal, not my bodies. The thing is I don't want to be any smaller. I don't think I look good like this and it's kind of bothering me. If I knew where I would bottom out, I wouldn't worry so much but I truly wish I had about 5 pounds back.

I never expected that my struggle in maintenance would be in staying at my goal weight and not going too far BELOW it! I was sure my body had bottomed out...obviously it has not because I realized I reached my goal more than a week ago but I've lost another 5 lbs. since then. I've already had an unfill of .5cc, (4.5cc's in a 10cc band) but it seems like my body adjusted to that and I'm still in the green - eating well and losing. I guess I'll let it ride a little while longer, I don't think I'll like the way I look if I lose more than another 5 lbs. I was never meant to be skinny and I never wanted to be skinny but I'm knocking on that door now. #unexpected

@@lisacaron you are amazing and I appreciate your advice!!!! I will certainly do as you have suggested.

Congratulations to you too!!! I had no idea the end of the journey would be like this...I worried that I wouldn't reach my goal. I guess this isn't a bad problem to have, but I truly don't want to lose anymore weight. More calories is a joke, I barely get 1,000 in now because I simply do not have an appetite. Let's keep each other posted and figure out how we are going to consume more calories. Sigh...

Pics only...nothing else needs to be said except: Banded 06/19/2013...to goal in about 11 months!!! I was still 10lbs heavier when my "after" pics were taken, more to come later. Toning in progress!!!

Don't know when it happened, but it happened...I woke up, weighed myself and found out I was at goal. How long I've been there, I'm sad to say I don't know because I quit weighing myself regularly several weeks ago...it got boring. I'm happy to say that I'm here and I don't need to lose any more weight...my Bat Girl pic is actually 10lbs ago, but it's so cute!

Thank you so much 2muchfun!!! I appreciate the support I've gotten from you and the other awesome faithful!!!

Don't get me wrong...my ego hasn't gotten to the Beyonce "Flawless" stage: I'm flawless...I woke up like this, I woke up like this... Not hardly. I'd also like to add that I've never had a big problem with self esteem, even at my heaviest I felt attractive. I've had my band for about 9 1/2 months now and it has been a great journey to say the least. I enjoy the weight loss with this device and I like the fact that I can go off course, gain a few pounds, give it a day or two and be back to normal. Love it! Anyway, while I've been losing, there are times when I feel like I am "bad built", out of proportion and simply without feminine form. Now that my weight as stabilized, my body no longer has to go through the big top, small bottom - normal - small top, big bottom - normal - big top, small bottom...you know the thing that seems to happen about every 5-7lbs. I haven't lost or gained in about two weeks and as a result my shape is truly starting to show and I love it. I looked in the mirror this morning and said to myself "damn...I'm sexy!" I've done that many times before (you have to give yourself pep talks or no one else will) but this time it wasn't forced and seemed to just slip out. I guess because I truly feel sexy, in a way that I don't think ever have before.

As strange as it sounds, maintenance is...(drum roll) nothing. You'll figure out how calories work with your body once you've "bottomed out", pretty quickly. I'll say within a week you will know if you are consuming too many. For me, I haven't done anything different, same fill level, same diet...still planning on starting to work out and it seems that my body is telling me we are where we need to be. I'm not hungry, I eat what I want but I've stopped losing weight. There are 1-2 lb. fluctuations here and there, but for the most part it was my body that made the decision on what to do with what I give it. I will say, it's nice not to feel like I have the band anymore but still have the control that it gives me.

No, what you're describing isn't a soft-stop. Your soft stop will be something that you'll feel and it goes away: a sigh, a burp, nose running, things like that. You may have something gooey stuck in your throat. I don't remember when I was brave enough to try Pasta, but it was several months after I'd had surgery.

I can't wait to hear about your NSV's either!!! You are already gorgeous, honey when you're at a lower weight you're going to need a security escort at all times!

I have to be honest with you, I don't exercise. I'm about to...because I'm basically at goal. When I lost weight during previous attempts, I did work out and yes, it did seem to slow the weight loss. However, you have to consider the muscle/fat relationship and how you are actually benefitting from the exercise in ways that aren't apparent. As you build muscle and become stronger, you have less and less fat. In time, you will see what that has done to your physique...weight loss isn't always about the scale's decreasing numbers.

That was an aggressive fill. I'm most comfortable with no more than a 1cc fill each visit, but I have a friend who's doc gave her 3cc's at once and she was fine. It usually takes my fills 3 weeks to fully "settle".

I'm doing two amazing things at the same time, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine: I am losing weight (thanks to the band) and I am on day 5 without a cigarette (thanks to Chantix). Smokers fear gaining tons of weight when they quit...not enough of a reason to keep smoking, but I am so happy to say that thanks to my band my weight is easier to control and thanks to chantix I'm not going ape shyt crazy or eating everything in sight. I'm a loser and a quitter and I've never felt so proud of myself.

Forget what you've heard, what you've bought and what you think works. By far THE BEST and most economical Multivitamin I've found is Balanced Essentials by Heaven Sent Naturals, available at Vitamin World. This product is amazing and completely eliminates the need for additional supplements (B-complex, D and Biotin). It's packed 94 vital nutrients and is much more beneficial than you can imagine. I wish you all could see the difference it's made in my hair, skin and nails in just 3 weeks. Wow...Biotin helped my hair stop falling out, Balanced Essentials is making my hair get thicker, stronger and longer. I haven't done anything different, so it has to be responsible. Love this stuff...get it in you! I caught it on sale for $10.99 / 32oz, right now it's $24.00. It's worth every penny. It tastes so good, you'll look forward to your daily dose.

I really really like Balanced Essentials (by Heaven Sent Naturals at Vitamin World) and my second choice is Alive liquid. They both taste amazing...almost like juice and they are packed with so many vital nutrients, way more than you get in ANY chewable. I tried several chewables and unless they cost a fortune, they are gross and don't have but like 22 Vitamins in them anyway! Balanced Essentials has something like 35 vitamins and 60 nutrients (trick your body in to thinking you live and eat from a garden all day long). It makes a heck of a difference, I wouldn't lie to you. You won't need any other supplement using this...not even Biotin for your hair. This has made my hair really strong and thick, the only thing biotin did was keep my hair from falling out. Whatever is in this bottle makes my hair, skin and finger nails look better than they have in years.

If you're a bandster, chewing gum is supposed to be bad mmmkay? But some of us need gum - to help with boredom, food and smoking cravings. However, small particles of gum can still be swallowed even if you don't swallow the whole piece. If you notice you are having difficulty eating or drinking after you've had gum: drink a bit of vegetable, coconut or olive oil to break down the gum base and allow it to pass through your stoma.

I couldn't have anything for breakfast after fill #2 then it went away and I could eat again after 3 weeks on fill #3. When I was in your situation, I didn't even try to have anything but Hot drinks first thing in the morning. food was a definite no-go before 11:00am and at that time I couldn't tolerate scrambled eggs at ANY TIME during the day. I can eat scrambled eggs now but haven't tried boiled eggs in several months. During your stage, I relied on Protein shots mixed in Water to make a fruit punch. I liked cream of wheat a lot and love, love, love Carnation Instant Breakfast (generic brand is fine, too) and Ovaltine. They fill me up, give me the calories I need and about 18g protein when combined with the milk.

I can't lie...quitting smoking using Chantix is a breeze. I've hardly had any cravings and when they do, they go away about as fast as they came about. The first day was tough, I wanted to have something hand-to-mouth like I have done for longer than I'd care to mention. Day 2: I decided to go buy up as many healthy Snacks and chewing gum (usually a no-no for bandsters) as I could get my hands on. It helped a lot to nibble on seeds, nuts, fruit and Cereal bars when the cravings hit me. But today, I don't even feel the need for all of that...I'm happy I have a cabinet full of goodies here in my office, but the band is still keeping me from wanting too much food! I thought I would need to go and buy celery and carrots to cut into cig sized sticks today, but I seem to be doing alright so far. What an added blessing! Anyway, I'm staying strong and I believe I will stay smoke free using Chantix and I shouldn't gain too much that I can't get back off quickly since I have the band. *Chewing gum is not advised for bandsters, even if you don't swallow, small pieces can still go down your throat. If you notice difficulty eating or drinking after you have chewed gum, drink a bit of vegetable or olive oil. This will break down the gum base and allow it to slide through your stoma.

Quantity doesn't matter to us, quality does and from the list you've described you should have any of this stuff at this stage of the game anyway. What about your Protein? Rice (carbs), rice cakes (carbs), salad (no nutritional value alone, lettuce leaves) all can swell and or go down too large to pass through. Rapid weight loss won't hurt you, but if you aren't getting the proper nutrition your body will eventually respond in kind. You can expect to feel weak, suffer from hair loss, brittle nails, poor skin quality and the elasticity in your skin will also suffer. Until you can adopt better food choices, you should show diligence in taking your Vitamins and supplements.

A got a slight unfill two weeks ago because I had the stomach flu and didn't want to risk injury after I'd vomited a few times. Lo and behold, a mere .5cc's made me feel like I don't even have a band anymore. I can eat what I want, enough to make me content and not want more food and stay full for several hours. By all accounts, I think I'm still in the green zone even though I'm not losing weight - I've stayed steady at the 6 lbs. I gained after the unfill. Yes...6 lbs. came back QUICKLY and it scared me to death at first. Well it seems I'm stable now and perhaps I'll just stay where I am. I'm happy with my size, I look and feel good and I eat like a normal person. Maybe this is where I am supposed to be. Yes, I'd like to be about 5lbs. lighter, but there's nothing wrong with the way I am now.

You poor thing! That's a huge drop and almost like starting all over again. I was banded with 3cc's and remember quite well that it was like having no band at all. Do your best to stay in a good range, but don't stress about it. Always keep in mind how fast we bandsters can drop weight, when my scale tips up a few pounds it's right back where it should be in a day or two, the same will happen for you.

Thanks for the motivation and inspiration Mikee! I'm giving it all I've got...I am growing very fond of gum though - LOL.