amonroy

I used to work for BCBS of Michigan 5 years ago, and at that time as long as you met all the requirements you didn't need to do anything special. Not sure if BCN is different though.

I got the same letter too lol, I thought maybe I made a typo and put in the wrong information when I had to put it in the website. I just threw it away and went to the doctors instead.

lol that is cool, I just hit the 200 mark today! It has been years since i've been in the 100's so maybe i'll drop a couple of pounds this week and get back in the 100's!

On my mushies diet plan it says I can have plain crackers.

If you ever need anything please let me know, I was just recently banded also. Good Luck! This website is really great for support and answers alot of questions that i've had so far along the way.

I just got back from the store because I ran out of protein powder and the one I ordered hasn't gotten here (long story ugh!). Anyways I can't do milk products and I found at my grocery store Genisoy Soy protein powder, it is sugar free no carbs and has 25 grams of protein per serving. I actually LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff and that is hard to say about a protein drink lol! I mix it with Diet V8 Tropical, some fozen berries and 1/2 banana. I tastes just like the smoothies from Orange Julius I swear! My 7 year old daughter ever loved it. Best thing is it is only $13.99 for a canister compared to the $50.00 I was spending. I'm still on liquids so this will make it much better to get through. This can also be sprinkled into foods like soup and applesauce or whatever and i'll definitley be doing that because there is no taste. If you find this just make sure you get the soy protein powder, not the shake mix (it doesn't have as much protein and lots of sugar). Good Luck.

Hang in there! I think alot of us may have those thoughts in the beginning like OMG what did I do? It's almost like you are greiving food It gets easier as the days go by at least for me so far. I"m only 11 days out from surgery and have had alot of mixed emotions but I guess thats to be expected from the huge change of lifestyle we are embarking on. Just try to look at the positives and how much healthier you will be. Stick with it, I bet you will be glad you did!

Thanks everyone, this gives me alot of help of what to do and not to do, also what to look for. Sounds pretty scary so I am going to somehow engrave in my brain chew chew chew lol.

HI everyone, I have been reading alot on here about things getting "stuck". I understand you have to chew chew chew and take small bites and everything. I start mushies next week and i'm getting really nervous after all I have been reading to go on to normal foods when it's time. What does it feel like to be stuck? And what do you do if something does get stuck? What types of food get stuck most often? Lol sorry for so many questions, I think i'm starting to freak out about it.

This is the exact reason I decided to go through all this while my husband is in Iraq lol! He is a wonderful supportive guy to me for all the 19 years we've been together, but I know how much he likes to eat/go out to eat/loves my cooking. He would live off of cereal if I didn't cook for him. So it would have been a little bit of a struggle for both of us. So for me the only one right now I have to prepare food for is my daughter who is 7. She has actually been a real little angel about all this. Good Luck everyone, stay strong :tt2:

I felt that way too for about the first four days it was hard to get up and hard to find a comfortable sleeping position, I just had my surgery on 7/16 and i'm still a little sore but much much better. I think it just takes time. I did alot of walking to, try not to over do it though. Good Luck.

Try chewable prenatal vitamins. They taste just like flintstone vitamins. My physican wrote me a script for them and I got them free at my pharmacy because they have some program where prenatal vitamans are free.

HI Sask, the only clear protein drink I know of is Isopure protein water. They have lots of flavors like grape, pineapple orange banana, fruit punch and others. It has 40 grams of protein per bottle. I tried it but realized it had whey protein which I can't have, It did have somewhat of an aftertaste so I would buy one bottle and try it to see if you like first. I found it at GNC. Good Luck!

Does anyone know how many calories we are supposed to have on the liquid phase? And Mushy Phase? I havn't really had much of an appetite and I read somewhere that if you get too few calories you go into starvation mode and don't lose weight. I just realized I have only been getting about 400-500 calories a day on the liquid diet, i'm trying now to get up to at least 800 calories. I have 4 more days on the liquid diet and then I go to mushies. Can anyone give me some advice on what you eat daily to get your calories when you have no appetite? I do make sure I get my Protein in. Thanks!

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, I really appreciate it. I have one more week left on the liquid phase. Hopefully the mushy phase will be a bit easier. :thumbup:

HI there, I was on the same high protein low carb diet because I couldn't do the shakes due to the milk content. I have to admit, I messed up once and ate chicken strips and fries as I just had the most awful craving for comfort food. I too felt awful after eating it, and it almost made it worse because before eating it my cravings really werent that bad since I had been on the diet for over a week, after I ate it...it was very hard to get back on track (although i did) because the cravings just intensifed and made it harder to get through the next week. So my advice...go for the sugar free fudgesicles/popsicles and save yourself the guilt and cravings:thumbup:

:smile2:Hi everyone I'm looking for some suggestions, I just got banded on 7/16/08 and i'm struggling for liquid Protein and protein when I get to the mushy stage. I can't do any of the whey products or anything with milk (makes me vomit). I have been drinking something called Paleo Meal that my physician gave me, it's a rice protein but the nutritionist says its not a complete protein. I'm so scared of hairloss as I already have extremely thin hair (you can see my scalp). The rice protein has actually been filling me up, but i'm looking for some other ideas as well if anyone has any. Thanks alot

I did it alone also. My husband is in Iraq right now so I thought it would be the perfect time to get this done. My advice is to have plenty to drink, protein drinks, and your pain medication. I was fine and even drove to the mall 2 days after my surgery. Good Luck.

I'm so glad I read this I am having the same problem, I was just banded 7/16/08 and I can not get as much liquid as they want me too, I've started on my Protein today but I just feel so full that I dont want anymore ugh! I have had alot of gas for the past couple of days mostly burping so i'm not sure if i'm getting to much air when I drink (i'm not using straws) or if it is just the gas still in my system from surgery. Good Luck to everyone!

I just had my surgery 7/16/08 so i'm on the two week liquid also, but my information says I can have applesauce and thinned cream of wheat and soups on this phase. BTW...I'm new to this can anyone tell me how to get the weight loss ticker on my posts? Thanks

I have tricare standard because I do not live close to a base at the moment. I was approved very quickly and had no problems whatsoever. I have worked in health insurance for the past 12 years so I know how the ropes go and I was expecting to have to jump through hoops but I definitley didn't. My first appointment with my physician was June 3rd and I had my surgery on July 16, 2008. The physicians office said tricare was one of the easiest insurances to deal with... Good Luck!

Well my doctor also required me to get one and bring it with me during surgery. I like you didn't want to get one and I didnt. So it ended up two days before my surgery that they told me if I didn't get one they would not do the surgery. I ended up rushing around and getting fitted for one. So my advice to you is to get one or your surgery will probably be delayed until you to