piercedqt78

I too was covered 100%, I have highmark through the railroad. If you have any questions and are railroad I will be glad to help, there are several people that have been approved since I had my surgery. I was also told at first that they do not cover it at all, ever. Good luck, they are a bear to deal with. ~Mandy

I put my too small sizes in a storage box that slides under the bed, it wsa $12 at walmart and they hold a ton of clothing. I also use these for out of season things. ~Mandy

Weight 186 UnderBust 35.5 Waist 39 Hips 38.5 I think I would like black with a silver clasp. My weight dropped but not inches, Mandy

If you are planning on shopping that day here are the ads, do your homework and get some great deals, I know I will ~Mandy www.bf2005.com

My family favorites are all there too, we are from Florida and Alabama. I LOVE deepfried turkey, 2 years ago we had a friend fry one for us and my mom and I were fighting over the nice crispy brown skin, lets just say there were forks involved and leave it at that. My all time fave is sweet potato casserole, and my mom makes it better than anyone on the planet, I am going to have at least one serving of that with my roasted chicken. I will also have it later in the day as dessert and then again for breakfast the next day, at 2am before my black friday shopping starts. ~Mandy

I was allowed decaf, I drank it iced with fat free milk and splenda. I also bought non dairy low fat cream and that was good too. Check out the flavored syrups too, almost every brand make s a sugar free selection and they can work wonders with a vanilla protien shake. I use Torani and Davinci brands, I get them at TJmaxx or Marshalls. If you have a cost plus world market near you they have a good selection. A gourmet coffee shop will have them too, I know that the borders books with a cafe carries them also Gloria Jeans in the mall has them. You can add them to your coffee or protien shake, I also use them in tea and vanilla pudding. ~Mandy

My husbands grandmother uses 4 sticks of butter in her turkey, 4 whole sticks. 1 melted and rubbed on the skin so it is nice and brown and then the other 3 go in the bird and she uses them to baste with, OMG, 4 whole sticks of butter. I am soooo glad that we are having roasted chicken at my house instead. ~Mandy

This article was on yahoo today and I thought it was very interesting. ~Mandy http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/fatfood_1.html

To make an avatar with a picture, go to the top right of this page and click on quick links. Then click change avatar, your picture must be 50x50 pixles ( I can make it smaller for you if you would like, just email a picture to piercedqt78@sbcglobal.net ) You will then select custom avatar and then selece the picture that you want to use from your computer and click submit or update profile, it will be there. I am glad that you are ready to share your picture with us, I saw the one in your profile and you are beautiful ~Mandy

Here is what I used to shop from, it was a lifesaver. lab-band shopping list heating pad flexible ice pack liquid tylenol (they make adult strength) chewable or liquid gas-x a few books or movies comfy clothes (loose waisted shorts or sweat pants) squishy pillow for car ride (guard against seatbelt) a sports bra (doc said no underwire for a few days) protien shakes flavored Water (propel, poweraid, gatorade, crystal light, fruit2O) make sure you have a good blender I bought a drink mixer for the protien mix (cost $10 at walmart) broth or stuff to make broth sugarfree popsicles and Jello sugar free breathmints (ask your doctor) *Ask at your pre-op for the pain med prescription so you can have it all ready to go when you get home, our walgreens has to order liquid pain meds and it takes 3 days to get them.

I am starting to lose my hair but that is fine, I was warned that it may happen. I have a ton of very fine hair so it is starting to become noticable. I lost my hair that same way on the atkins diet and also on Jenny Craig. I have had problems with an underactive thyroid but that resolved itself when my daughter was born. I have just recently had a complete blood work-up and all was fine. I am sure it will grow back and if not, I will start a new trend. I am down almost 50 pounds in just shy of 4 months, I will take thin hair and a thin body anyday.~Mandy

Just remember that if you drink 8oz of caffinated anything you need 16oz of non caffinated "Water" to make up for it. Or at least that is what I was told by my doc. ~Mandy

I did the same thing. I had started saving for surgery as I was sure I would have to be a selfpay, well my insurance covered the surgery 100%. I took my money that I had saved for surgery and started doing garage sales and resale shops for smaller sizes. I was in a very snug 22/24 really needing a big 24. Today I am wearing a 16 and have room to spare. I only bought down to a 14 thinking that spring would be here and I could hit more garage sales before I lost down to a 12, well I think that I am going to have to pay, gasp, retail for some clothes before nice weather is here. (In Chicago the winters are way to bad for garage sales) I am not complaining but I wish I had bought some smaller sizes during the summer. I just went through my closet and took out all of the 20's and replaced them with 16's I will wear the 18's until they are just waaay too big then they will go on ebay too. I am going to list about 40 or so auctions in the next few weeks, my hubby got my "winter" clothes out of the storage closet for me and nothing in the bins fit so it is being listed. I can wrap my winter coat almost all the way around me twice, that is a good feeling. I am sure that the clothing will fit in no time and you will need even smaller sizes before you know it. Ebay is a great place to clean out the closets and a really good place to restock them if there are no garage sales. ~Mandy

Yes they are all the same thing. Crisco also comes in butter flavor, I think it is better in cookies. I am not betty crocker either but I bake a mean cookie~Mandy

Some of the people on my Disney board shoe there. Juat be aware of the measurments of the pieces, I am told that some of the stuff can be on the small side. ~Mandy

I see Dr. Lahmann at Midwest Comprehensive Bariatric in Joliet at Silver Cross Hospital 815-723-8571. They are my aftercare doctors and everyone there has been just great. ~Mandy

Not the wax museum, we got to meet the Weasley (Phelps) twins, from Harry Potter, yesterday. They were very nice and we got the Order of Phoenix signed by them. The movie (GOF) was really good, if you are a fan you should go and see it. It was a bit too scary for my little one so she will have to wait for it to go to DVD so I can skip the scary parts for her.

Anyone know the guys in the background??

I was actually filled too tight on my first fill. I went back a week later and had some removed and I have been dropping pounds and inches each and every week. I had a very positive first fill, hope you do too. ~Mandy

Ohhh, I want the recipie for the lavender sugar cookies, Can I have it please?????? ~Mandy

It may be that there is simply nothing there to get rid of, but if you feel like you need to go and can't then try some warm apple or pear juice, it works wonders. ~Mandy

For vitamins, I take Source of Life. Penni60 reccomended them and they work really well. It comes in a liquid and a chewable and I notice a difference when I take them in my energy levels. For protien there are loads of choices, I use the Labrada products and they are really good, not sure if they make a dairy free one though. If you have a trader joe's near you they have a good selection of dairy free products as does the vitamin shoppe. As a last resort there is isopure, it is expensive but loaded with protien and it comes in a clear form. Let us know what you find~Mandy

I reread her entire profile tonight and I am just stunned. I have a daughter that is just 4 and I can't imagine..... I know that I count my blessings for my health and my smooth weightloss journy. I feel such pain for that child and her husband. The address in the "in memory" of post is : Shepherd Of The Valley Lutheran Church 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN. 55124 That is where the benefit is going to be held on the 26th. Here is a link to the post: http://obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/postdetail/1605336.html?vc=0

I have suffered with migraines since I was 12. 3 years ago I went on every type of migraine medicine on the market and nothing seemed to help. I fould that the Imitrex injection gives some slight relief but still not a cure. I had my band surgery on July 28th of this year and have gone from 3 or 4 migraines a month to 0. I haven't had to give myself a shot in almost 4 months. Maybe being banded will help with your pain? I know that was one of my comorbidies. I hope that you can resolve this and still get your band. I will keep you in my thoughts. ~Mandy

I was allowed tuna or chiken salad on mushies, can you make a turkey salad? That and the middle of a pumpkin pie, Yumm! ~Mandy