FunnyDuddies

i like nomorebellykelly! LOL Amy

WB and congratz!! Can't wait to be banded myself!! Amy

i used to be so bad about Water, but after a UTI I kept increasing my water intake. I am up to about a gallon a day. My skin is clearer and it glows, my breath smells better (funny huh?) and my pee seems crystal clear LOL I drink a lot of hot tea in the morning (teavana is my friend) with nothing it in, but the rest of the day it is only water. Amy

oh my...every baby shower i go to i bring the same gifts. And I tell the mom they are going to use them like crazy. But they just smile and nod. Then the baby comes, and they are praising my name!! BLANKETS!!! The thin ones that you drape over your shoulder, lay on the floor, roll up to prob up toys or mirrors or for around the head in the baby carrier, for wiping up spit-up, for wetting and washing off dirty faces...you can never get ahold of enough blankets. You can get them in 3 packs. They are thin and sometimes called swaddling blankets. get 3 3-packs and explain that they will thank you for them after the baby comes. Amy

Oh HELL NO!! LOL Done that twice, not doin it again LOL Amy

OMG! The driver's license made me howl! Mine says I am 180 pounds LOL Not quite! But they never asked me when I renewed it. I will be thrilled when I am 22 pounds lighter than my card says. Good going!! Amy

You guys look GREAT!!! Congradulations! I am so excited to meet with Dr. Sanchez! Amy

I am sure if talk show hosts got more mail about wanting to see the positive stories, they would show them. We just have to be more vocal. Amy

I am not saying you can't tell someone your thoughts and feelings about something. That is what a support group is for. What I have a problem with is someone approaching someone else to tell them they are making a bad decision and siting a blanket statement about an entire country for a reason. It is silly, in my opinion. As for using the streets and rivers as toilets...have you ever been to New York City? Dirty dirty city. And dangerous after dark. (in some places :rofl: ) I was told that my surgeon has had less than the average percentage of erosion (1%-3%). I got this info from the message board set up for his patients who have questions, and is managed by the coordinators for his practice. And my fills will be done by a doctor here in the Tampa area who is in communication with my surgeon in Mexico and is one of the many doctors in the country who is recommended by my surgeon as someone who will do fills on a mexico patient. I made sure this was the case since I have read about other patients not being able to get a fill done. BUT! Keep in mind, surgeons do not jsut refuse to do fills on out of country patients. Most clinics will not do fills or after care on a patient who has come from another surgeon inside the country as well. That is not jsut a country to country thing. Look, I do not want to argue either. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But when you just claim mexico is a bad idea, and base that off of nothing but an opinion of a country and not off of personal medical experience, it is frustrating. You have to keep in mind that most of the people in support groups are there because they are about to have the surgery, or have had it and are having difficulties. How many people who have had the surgery are not on boards like this? My surgeon has done over 5000 lap band surgeries. I have only seen 5 or 6 of his patients here. And none of them have had problems with erosion. Amy

I will be jealous if you go. I want to see Rome, but will wait to do any more travelling until after I have reached goal. Amy

What other countries rate on your "dirty country" list? I understand that it was a personal decision for you not to go to Mexico, but for me it is a personal decision not to go to Italy, or Canada, and to instead have my surgery in Mexico. And to be told that this decision is a bad one because Mexico has some dirty cities (which every country does) is crazy! I did my homeowrk, I talked to former patients, I investigated my surgeon's stats, and the hospital's background and history. But I haven't investigated enough because I still chose to go to Mexico? Amy

Just because we are in America, and that the govt tries to regulate the cleanliness of the hospitals, does not mean I would feel comfortable having my surgery at the free clinic in south central LA. There are good surgeons and bad surgeons in every country. To tell someone not to go to an entire country because some of its clinics might not be the up to the same standards as others is not facing real facts. It is making a prejudged remark without taking everything into account. In Mexico you can have surgery in an American owned hospital in one of the wealthiest cities in the country, or you can have the surgery done in a back alley clinic in Mexico City. In America you can have the surgery in a posh clinic in Beverly Hills, or you can have the surgery in a street side clinic in South Central. One in each country cost a whole lot, will give you the country's best doctors, and will have you recovering in the lap of luxury. The other will cost a whole lot less, will be done by (hopefully) a doctor with less training and experience. One will be VERY clean, one will not be. Country has nothing to do with it.

Thankfully, we always drink AFTER eating, so I won't have to worry about that, but I am glad that there is nothing about the lap band that say we definitely should not drink ever! :rofl: Amy

I'm sorry, but my husband and I enjoy going out once a month and having a bit of fun. This always includes drinking. We also enjoy wine tastings, and enjoy the occasional scotch together in the evenings. We don't drink a lot, but we have activities that we enjoy that are drink oriented. I realize there are a lot of calories in booze. I can workout to counteract the calories. But how does everyone who still drinks cope with the booze in the new tummy? any problems? seems to me you would have to drink slow enough it wouldn't get you drunk LOL Amy

If she did her research she would have a fill Dr. lined up before scheduling her surgery. That is what I have done. And I made sure that they would do fills on someone who had their surgery done in Mexico. Its not impossible. As for the case of erosion, I was told that erosion happens in lapband patients by my AMERICAN doctor. He has had cases, and says that doctors who do not have cases have simply not done enough surgeries, has not done surgeries long enough, or has been EXTREMELY lucky. It is not just a Mexico thing. And it is something that happens due to unknown reasons. Some believe it is technique, some believe it is fill aggression, some believe it is bacteria and infection. But no one knows for sure. That is why they still happen. If your doctor told you he is immune to having these problems, and that it is all a Mexico thing, then I would find your doctor to be highly suspect. As for my surgeon telling me how many erosions he has had, he has been very up front about it. He has also explained what would be the course of action if I did erode, and that it would all be taken care of by him. I find that commendable as there are many US doctors that refuse to treat their own erosion cases. I think it is close to snobbery to say that another country is not as good as America to have a surgery in. Esp with all the issues american doctors have to deal with when it comes to pharmacutical pressure, legal pressure, political pressure. I feel a LOT more comfortable choosing a surgeon based on his background and history, and paying for a private hospital to stay in, and going into a private contract with the doctor in regards to after care. Amy

Low Cal Chili 1.5 Ground Turkey 2 tbsp Olive Oil 30 oz Pinto Beans (canned, drained) 30 oz Kidney Beans (canned, drained) 1.5 c Water 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Red Pepper 1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper 1 tbsp Paprika 1 tbsp Chili powder 1 tbsp Ginger .25 c Brown Sugar .5 c Chopped Onions Brown meat with olive oil in a sauce pan. Do not drain. Transfer meat to large pot. Add beans and water, then all other ingredients. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, stiring ever half hour. Add water according to how liquidy you like your chili. This chili has a bite to it, but is not too hot. May be tough for some bandsters. Makes 10 servings, 20 bandster servings. Each normal serving is approx 316 calories. Great over rice!!

Low Fat Pasta Sauce 1.5 c Ground Turkey 2 tbsp Olive Oil .5c Chopped Onions 2 tbsp Crushed Garlic .5c Oregano .5c Parsley 1 tbsp Thyme 1 tbsp Basil 30 oz Diced Tomatoes 6 oz Tomato Paste 2 Bay Leaves 30 oz Tomato Sauce (plain) .25 c Rum (can be substituted with brown sugar, but increase calories by 50 cals per serving.) Brown turkey in a sauce pan with olive oil. Add garlic and sautee meat and garlic together for a few minutes. Drain and transfer meat to large pot. Add rest of the ingredients and stir well. Heat to slight boil then cover and reduce to low and cook for 3 hours, stiring once ever half hour. This makes a lot of servings! Approx 8 servings in total at 245 calories per serving. Those servings can be cut in half for bandsters! Great for freezing and reheating later on. Great on any type of pasta!

food you are looking for (everything you can think of) in the search bar on the upper right hand side and hit search. You can also change the display according to serving size. And it also shows where the food falls on the pyramid and the breakdown in fats, carbs and protiens. Really great for figuring out what your home made meals "cost" in calories. Just figure out how much each ingredient is, and approx how many servings you have total. We just figured out a chili dinner from my husbands homemade chili is 390 cals. That is with brown sugar and ground beef. We could really cut that down substituting beef for turkey, and brown sugar for rum. Amy

I just want to say something about the actuall content of the letter. Just because one surgeon has more issues with a complication than others in his country, does not mean the whole country has problems! I am being banded in Mexico in a few months, and I chose not to go to Ortiz because there seem to be a lot of people here with erosions from him. That is my choice. But that does not mean some other surgeon on the other side of the country will have the same issues. And I am not going to miss out on going to a surgeon I trust, and save thousands of dollars in the process, just because of some short sighted stereotype a lot of people have about Mexico. I have had people email me telling me I really shouldn't have the surgery in Mexico because of their own fears. Quite frankly I think it is rude and uncalled for. People are here because they are researching. They will find out for themselves if it is a good decision for themselves or not. Amy

As cheesy as most people find it, I am a huge tae bo fan. Billy Blanks is a great motivator, has great faithful messages during the workout, and you can do any variation of the workout depending on your ability level. There is no way you could get my whale of a butt in a bathing suit where others can see me LOL Amy

Something that has helped me with my pre-surgery diet is that if I go off the diet, its no big deal. I enjoy the cheat, and go back to the diet the next meal. That way when I do cheat it doesn't bring me down so much that I go off the diet completely. And I also try to make up for the cheat by increasing my excersize that day and the next. Christmas time and Thanksgiving found me taking lots of long walks. LOL And you can make up for extra calories eaten if you increase your excersize. My doctor told me a good rule of thumb is that moderate excersize (heart rate in the target zone but not uncomfortably out of breath) will burn your total weight in calories every half hour. So a brisk walk for me will burn 335 calories every half hour. Well ok, if I know I am going out for a special dinner I'll go for a brisk walk for an hour, and cancel out any extra calories I take in. Amy

That site is a bit frustrating. It does show the medical average of what you should be, but the other calculation is what people think their weights are. As your weight goes down so does the acceptable weight. Amy

I have my goal set for 130, but my doctor seems to think that with my bone structure I would be best at 115. I am 5foot4 barely, and have a large chest, so I think I will stick with the 130 as a goal. When I get there if I have a little more to take off then I will reset the goal, but for now I think the 130 is the best number for me. Amy

Welcome to the site. The cost depends on the surgeon you choose. I have seen place in the US range from $15k to $50k. Outside of the US it is much cheaper. I am sure that someone in your area will be able to tell you who is a good clinic to go through. As for your ins company, just give them a call. After you give them your policy and group number they can look at your particular coverage and tell you if any of the obesity care is covered and what is needed by you and the surgeon if it is covered. As for the time after consultation, it really depends on your insurance company. Some move quickly, and some have been waiting over a year. And as for the results, that varies too. It seems the average is 1-2 pounds AVERAGE per week. Most see a dramatic quick loss in the beginning then it slows quite a bit. The best scenario is 85% of your extra weight lost over 18 months. But as I said, everyone loses at different paces. I hope that helps!! Amy

find a way to determine what the calories are for each item you are putting into your homemade meals. then add them all together. Then guesstimate what percentage of that total you are eating as your serving. That will give you a rough estimate as to how many calories you are eating. HTH!! Amy