yellowroseaz

I thought I would die twithout my diet pepsi. At least 2 liters a day. But I have done it and I feel proud of myself. I did it gradually and drank less and less for several weeks and now I am off it entirely. Only for about a week now but I feel ok. I now drink Walmarts version of Crystal Light (half the price) and it tastes good. The lemonade is a little tart though so I add some artificial sweetner to it. And I drink decaf iced tea and water. I even changed to 1% milk. I miss the cola flavor but not the carbonation. I was so addicted that I thought if I drank flat caffeine free diet pepsi it would have to do. But then I realized I really could do without it. And I am. Good luck to you in your journey.:thumbup:

Just giving up smoking is a great thing. Good for you. I have given up all soda pop(goodbye forever beloved diet pepsi:sad:) and I'm slowly giving up caffeine all in anticipation of future surgery. But you are one brave person to cold turkey everything. I have a consult with a surgeon on 4-21 and hope to get a lapband sometime this year. I sure wish you success with all you are trying to do. Keep us posted on how you are doing.:crying::thumbup:

My PCP is referring me to Dr. Hilario Juarez as he is on my ins. plan. I have found some helpful info on obesityhelp.com. I was wondering what he requires for his pre lap band patients. Can anyone be of help? He is located in Phoenix Arizona.

I am happy for you. You are officially a Bandster now. I am still waiting approval from my insurance for the referral so I have a looong way to go. Most people on this forum are sooo inspiring. Good luck to you in your new banded journey. Keep us posted on how you are doing:thumbup:

I hope that there will be another get together soon as I am looking forward to meeting all of you.

A good thread to read is For Those with a BMI of 35 to 40. I believe it is under preop and post op questions. Much good luck to you in your journey.

Those are some great ideas. I was thinking that you can't eat eggs everyday, cholesterol and all that. And protein shakes all the time would be boring and probably not make you feel full. While I don't see myself eating chicken for breakfast that is a good idea for the protein. Cottage cheese is good. And adding protein power to the oatmeal sounds good too. Does protein powder have any taste to it?

I think protein for lunch and dinner should be easy but what do you eat for breakfast everyday? I am used to eating oatmeal nearly every morning now but what about after I am banded, is it still ok to eat oatmeal and maybe a protein shake? Help me out. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.:tt2:

Bless your heart Lv my Labs:closedeyes:. When I was 18 many moons ago I was in a car accident that broke my left upper leg. They wanted to do surgery to fix it but I said no. The fear of going to sleep was intense. So instead I chose to spend six yes six weeks in the hospital in traction. Dumb me. That really sucked. I wish I had done the surgery. So anyway I have had several surgeries since that and going to sleep really is the best part. It is scarey at first but once you do it it's no longer a big deal. I wish for you all the best. I just know you'll be ok. Good luck in your journey.:tt2:

I too flip flop between scared and excited. I have done enough research to know that I want to do this but sometimes I feel a lot of fear. I do find that these boards help a lot. There are a lot of helpful people here. Sure there are some things that are negative about it like giving up soda(diet pepsi) forever. And there can be complications. I still feel the good outweighs the bad. Know that you are not alone in your feelings out there. I just got my PCP to refer me to a surgeon. So I have a long ways to go to show my insurance that it is medically necessary. I expect many more fearful moments but over all I am very excited to have made the decision to go through with it. Have you attendeed a seminar yet? If not you should go to one. And when feeling scared just come to this site and start reading. It helps me. Good luck in your journey and may the pre op process be short. Start/224.8/Goal/120:smile:

The seminar I went to was great. It made me want it more too. Just wanted to wish you a speedy process. I just got my PCP to refer me to a surgeon so now the real fun begins. I have to go the insurance route because I can't possibly make the huge monthly payments. Good luck in your journey.

Hi! Glad to hear all went well for you. I know what you mean about the snowbirds. Sorry Snowbird...I don't mean you. I hope you continue to do well. I just got my PCP to refer me to a surgeon. Now the fun begins after I meet with the surgeon. All the pre op stuff you know what I mean.

I talked to someone who has fibromyalgia and she has lost over a hundred pounds with the band. She says her fibromyalgia is now in remission. I have done a lot of research online about the band and have gotten much of my questions answered here. I went to a seminar and have seen a band and that was helpful in my decision. It is a big change in lifestyle to get a band but I believe it is the right choice for me and for many many others. One good site to check out is obesityhelp.com and also lapband.com. Hope your research goes well. The more research the better. Good luck in your weight loss journey.

I too have hear from many that they just get Flinstones chewables which are of course much cheaper.

PB is productive burping. At lease that is what I am told. I am not banded yet so I am not sure but that is what I believe it is.

I do have co morbidities. Type II Diabetes, High blood pressure, High Cholesterol, Arthritis of the knee and years ago I was told I have mild sleep apnea. I am hoping for a good surgeon that has done many lap bands. We'll see who the PCP office refers me to. I will check out the surgeon once I have a name and ask many questions. Thanks for all your help. Start/224.8/Goal/120

I was told by someone today that there are actually urban legends on here about side effects and complications and stuff. I just can't believe anyone would tell stories about those things. What do you all think? I choose to believe that most everyone here tells it like it is the good along with the bad.

Good News! My Pcp is giving me a referral to a surgeon. I weighed in at 224.8 and bmi of 41. I'm nervous of course wondering what the surgeons requirements will be. But I am so excited to have made it past step one. Woohoo:w00t:!! I believe this means I am on my way to being a bandster. Wish me luck with the surgeon and the insurance. Does anyone have any advice for me at this point...like don't lose any weight til I see the surgeon? Stuff like that.

Thank you all. I am not banded yet but I sure hope to be by the end of this year. I appreciate all the feedback to my question. I think I would be like like chocolate snaps and savor the food. As it has been for along time I eat so fast and so much that I don't even taste it. Even my favorite....ice cream gets eaten very quickly and it's gone before I know it. I look forward to being full after a small meal instead of still hungry after a big meal. Thanks again all of you. Good luck and God Bless in your journeys. Becky

LBT is the place to be to get support and info. It really inspires me and I come here everyday. Sounds like you've come a long way. I hope to be banded within this year. All depends on my insurance and my PCP. Good luck with your goal. :wink_smile:

Hi Barb! I just attended a seminar this week. I have an appt with my PCP on Wed. My ins. says it's up to my PCP to prove that I need the surgery. I too hope to be banded this year. This place LBT is a great place to get support and info on everything you can think of regarding LBS. Good luck with that call to your ins. and that visit to your Doc. Maybe we'll both get it done before years end. I hope so. :wink_smile: Becky

Waiting patiently for my appt with my PCP this coming week and hoping for a referral to a surgeon. I was wondering if now that you've been banded for a while if you enjoy eating more than you did before, the same, or not so much. I am hoping to get banded as soon as I get to see a surgeon and then jump through all the hoops. I enjoy eating. True I don't taste the food as much as I think I would after surgery. I figure that if I can only eat a small amount that I would want to eat very slowly and savor every bite. Tell me what your experience is.

I have my PCP appt. this coming Wed. for a referral to a surgeon I hope. I sure am glad I read all of these ideas to put on a few pounds and increase your bmi. Last time doc weighed me I was at 221. So bmi is 39. I think that since I'm 51 surely I have lost an inch of height as well....don't you think?:thumbup: I think I'll be drinking a lot of water that morning. I'm too chicken to try wearing weights. I too need my insurance to cover it. Good luck to all of us with our upcoming appts. :eek: Let's all keep each other posted. By the way I've heard that Tricare ( I don't have it) is fairly easy to get along with so good luck and God Bless our Troops.

Az chick, are you in Arizona? And if so where? I live near Casa Grande. I am just starting the process. I went to a seminar yesterday. Have done much research. Have an appt. with my PCP for a referral (I hope) next week. You are so lucky to be so close. Hope all goes well for you. Keep us posted.

I was told they will pay all but $150.00 but they say it's all up to my PCP to prove I need it. They can't tell me what they require as proof. Does anyone know? I have an appt. with my PCP next week. I hope he sees it my way.:mad: