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Minus 63 pounds...attached link to my Before and Current Pics.....(have not been able to figure out how to attach thumbnails???) http://www.lapbandtalk.com/members/26304-albums2289.html

Can you perhaps take the time off as FMLA and not use sick days? This is what I did and it qualified as paid time off. I work for a very large corporation and no one knew why I was off, there are privacy laws that protect you. I just told my manager that I needed FMLA time off, did not even have to specify it was Medical and then CIGNA took it from there and did all of the approvals and CIGNA of course needed to know it was for the surgery for approvals. When I returned to work there was a form that needed to be signed by the surgeon stating that I was able to return to work on the specified date. My surgeon recommended I be off for 3 weeks and it was so nice to have that ME time, after the first 5 days I felt fine and was able to enjoy the time off. Good Luck!

63 pounds and I hit Onderland!

Donya, I have a 10cc LapBand. I've had 6 fills that got me up to about 6.5ccs and I felt that the perhaps the last fill I got put me at my sweet spot. But recently I have felt the restriction has greatly reduced. I was supposed to go in for my regular check up today and was hoping for a fill, but they cancelled my appointment . Every one is different with where they obtain their sweet spot. As far as my diet, it has changed, but I would not say drastically. It is now primarily all protein and I try to get in a decent amount of fruits and vegetables. I could still eat whatever I want in moderation, but I choose not. I have found there are certain foods that I definitely need to stay away from to prevent them getting stuck. Other than that, I have allowed myself the occassional treat. It all comes down to control. The LapBand will not eliminate any bad eating habits. However, you will find once you start eliminating sugar and all those carbs, you will no longer crave them. So choose your foods wisely and always select proteins first. I do see a nutritionist regularly. It is a big help with keeping you on track and providing food suggestions.

I probably would have been fine after on week of recovery, but the ideal time was two weeks. I felt pretty good after surgery and had no major issues. Just experienced a lot of fatigue. My doctor said three weeks, it was no issue with work and I was paid for the time off so I took the full three weeks. Every ones recovery experience is different. I would think one week would be sufficient. With your teaching job, will you have the opportunity to sit at times or are you standing all day? You may want to discuss this with your doctor. I did not make any major changes in my diet prior to surgery. My doctor did not require any thing. I did however a few weeks before I did make an effort to cut back on my eating and managed to loose 6 pounds. Again this is something else you will want to discuss with your doctor. Depending on your weight/BMI some doctors have you go on a liquid diet.

Donya, Sounds like you are off to a good start with your primary dr. and insurance requirements. Ahh the old dealing with people problem...I think all of us on this board have experienced this problem and definitely have the issue of dealing with weight, that is why we have chosen the Lap Band. I too have always carried my weight well, I am 5'7". My primary doctor was shocked when she saw my BMI number, she said she never would have guessed it. And of course I have tried all the diets and spent hundreds of dollars on products. So as you can see, you are not alone out there. As far as telling people, that is a personal choice. I for one chose to tell no one. I didn't even tell my husband until I received my surgery date and if I didn't need that ride to the hospital, I wouldn't have told him either...LOL. I chose not to tell anyone more so because I am a very private person and of course to avoid any negativity or judgement. Another reason is there are always those people that you think you can tell them in confidence and before you know it, the whole world knows about it. I didn't even tell my manager even though I was off work for 3 weeks. Only told her that I needed to go on medical leave and then let HR handle the rest. In my mind there really is no reason that any one needs to know. However, I can't stress enough that you do get support from the right resources. Such as joining any support groups that the Bariatric Center may offer and discussion boards such as this. So not sure if that helps you at all, but again it has to be a personal choice.

Hi DMJC, I had my procedure done at Royal Oak Beaumont in June 2008 and couldn't be happier. Not sure how far along you are in the process, but the one pointer I have is to get engaged with a doctor and insurance as soon as possible to make sure you meet all of the requirements and have all of the necessary documents insurance recommends. What insurance do you have? If you have BCBS, I highly recommend you engage a Health Card Advocate. It is a free service and they can push the process along and be the go between with the insurance and doctor. It took me 15 months to satisfy BCBS! Fortunately since I've gone through the process, BCBS had dropped their requirement for a supervised diet plan from 12 months to 6 months. Best of luck and please let me know if you have any specific questions.

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Kammy, First of all congratulations on the 32 pound loss, that is great! Give the band and your body some time to adjust. Every ones weight loss is different. The weight is not going to come off over night. For some people the weight comes off quickly, others at a steady pace and some slow. But in the end it all averages out. Don't get hung up on the numbers. Focus more on how you are feeling. And don't forget about all of those inches you are loosing. For me it was the inches lost that were more rewarding than the pounds. I seem to have lost inches at times when I have lost not weight. What are you eating as far as calorie and Protein intake, and are you drinking enough fluids? Focus on eating as much protein first before anything else. The protein will keep you more satisifed. I personally do not count calories. Hopefully you have worked with a nutritionist and they should have provided a protein goal. Also make sure you are getting in excercise daily. I hate excercising, but found without it I would not loose weight. And yes there are also a lot of psychological things to deal with. It's hard to break all those bad eating habits; for me it was binge eating. I truly love food and cooking and it has been so hard to adjust. But I have found that I can still have all of those foods and am just as happy with a bite or two. The attention for me has been difficult too. I have a hard time excepting the compliments. Because in my mind I'm thinking boy they really thought I was FAT! Keep the faith!

Katie, to my surprise when I updated my ticker today I realized I hit the mid way mark too with 56 pounds lost. It is a nice milestone to hit especially right at the 6 month mark.

yipee I hit 50 pounds lost today!!!

I'm down 47 pounds since being banded. Only 3 more pounds until I hit the big 5-0! Need to get in gear with excercising more. I probably would have hit 50 already if I was doing so; life and work have been very busy the last few weeks...excuses, excuses. What I have noticed lots of inches have fallen off. I swear I have never worn the clothes sizes that I am currently when I have been this weight before. Had my 7th fill Monday, doctor almost did not want to give me more, but I convinced him to. I am so happy he did, because I think this fill just might be about right. I think I have about 6-7ccs in my 10cc band. Everyone keep up the good work. Doesn't matter if you're a slow or fast looser, we all put the pounds on 1 at a time (or in my case I swear it was 5 pounds at a time..LOL) and we need to be patient for it to come off a pound at a time.

Nazzy, Yes BCBS covers adjustments. The best thing to estimate your out of pocket expense is to find out what your doctor will charge for adjustments. Then it will also depend if the dr. is a BCBS provider. The doctor I see is a BCBS provider and charges $200 per adjustment. The BCBS covered rate is $107.50, which they will pay 80% of and I then pay the other 20%, which is $21.50.

CM, I went into Starbucks this morning and he told me 5 grams of protein. I'll have to check out the Chocolate sauce, Cafe Mochas are good too. I sometimes mix sugar free cocoa in with my coffee. The Starbuck's syrups are reasonably priced, at least compared to what they charge for a cup of coffee. I think it was only $7.00 for a 34 ounce bottle. They don't have the syrups out on display for sale, you have to ask the barista for it.

I can't function without my daily Skinny Vanilla Latte w/protein. Great way to get some Calcium in too. If I can't make it to Starbucks I make mine at home. I bought a big bottle of the Sugar-Free Syrup from Starbucks and add my own Protein Powder. I have not been able to find out how much protein is in the Starbuck's protein. I checked their web site nutrition list and it's not listed. One of the guys at the local Starbucks said he will find the answer for me. Just curious if you happen to know?