Elisabethsew

Insurance companies look at diet history, medical conditions and BMI. If they see you have had successful weight losses but have been unable to keep the weight off, you've cleared step one. If you have a medical condition that is causing you to be obese that is treatable (thyroid disease, etc), the insurance company will want to try medical/drug management and will deny the request. If you have a BMI of 35 - 39 with no co-morbidities (arthritis, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.) you might be denied. I would check with your MD to be sure what's in your best interests.

For me, once I get "on a run" and can see the numbers going down, I become greedy and want more. I start to focus more on true physical hunger versus eating out of habit, eating to feel good, eating for a reward system or eating out of boredom. Unfortunately, we have to eat to live so an "all or nothing approach" is not a possibility. I think we need to look at every new day as an opportunity to stay on plan and not allow one day of indulgences wipe out all the hard work by allowing that one day to become two and then three... I suppose we have to forgive the inner "us" for allowing the "us" everyone sees to have become so out of control... obese. One we can forgive ourselves, we can move forward and get on with the hard work of changing bad eating practices and trying to make healthy eating a habit... for health... for life.

Only Elisabeth has the answer. LOL

Freshly baked breads ... any kind... with butter, of course! LOL. It's over a month now since I have had any bread and I'm just starting week 2 of 3 of soft foods.

I was banded on March 30, did fine at the post-op visit and don't go back to have a first fill until June 5th. I am still on a soft diet, do not feel full and have never experienced the side-effects that others post on the board (likely because I am unfilled). I'm committed to the surgery and am following the diet in the hopes of making life long healthy changes and losing weight. I look forward to updates on how the March group is progressing.

I felt great the day after surgery but very sore and "wiped out" on days 2-7. When I woke up on day 8, I felt really good and made a swift recovery. It just took me a little extra time for the swelling to go down and the port pain to subside.

Have you tried going back to the beginning and doing a week of full liquids and protein shakes? Maybe this will help to detoxify you from all the sugar and get you more focused.

I would get a list of all the MDs who perform lapband surgery in hospitals that your insurance company DOES cover and check them out. Ask your present MD to give you copies of all the reports in your chart. The requirements for the surgery are pretty universal so whatever you've had done already will, for the most part, be accepted by the new surgeon you choose. To put it simply, use the waiting time to develop a "plan B" in the event "plan A" falls through.

I was banded 3 weeks ago so I have not had a fill yet. I'm on a soft diet and do NOT feel full. However, I am committed to this surgery and am sticking to the diet. My logic is simple. If I can lose weight staying on the diet, I'll be well prepared to maintain that level of loss and maybe increase it once I have a fill. Since I don't see my surgeon again until June 5th, it will be over 2 months from the date of the surgery before I get that fill. In the meantime, I'll be making positive life changes.

I asked that very question at my 2 week post-op appointment and was told that it can take 4-6 weeks for all the swelling to subside so hand in there. Better days are coming.

300 calories is not enough. You need a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day to heal (that alone is 540 calories). If you can't get the required amount of protein from the shakes, call your MD or dietician and see if they will advance your diet or allow some substitutions.

I would vote to wait for the plastic surgery. Most surgeons advise getting as close to goal as possible before electing for plastic surgery.

I felt worse on days 6-8 than I did immediately post-op but then it got better. Call your MD and tell him/her how you're feeling. They will either advance you to full fluids or a soft diet. Make sure you drink water all day long to keep from dehydrating and try and force yourself to go outside and walk a little and get some fresh air. Once you go to a soft diet, you only have to drink 1-2 protein shakes a day. I hope you feel better soon.

Have a wonderful birthday!

Byetta is a Rx drug that is injected for the treatment of type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes. http://www.byetta.com/index.jsp

Welcome home and have a speedy recovery. You'll be feeling better and better in a few days time.

You can REALLY see a BIG difference in the 2 pictures and you're looking great. Congratulations on your milestone.

Congratulations on your loss. That's wonderful and it's great to have a personal goal to work towards. Best of luck to you.

I had surgery 2.5 weeks ago and have 6 incisions. Four are tiny (about half an inch) and 2 are about an inch to an inch and a quarter long. All are healing nicely. I had my gallbladder out a few years ago and had 4 incisions from that surgery. Today, I can't see 3 of them and one is VERY faint.

I am on a soft diet so I had a little macaroni and cheese, soft vegies and some frozen yogurt for dessert. I make a cheese cake to die for but resisted the temptation to "dive in." LOL.

You all convinced me... I'm going to see it.

Pre-op worries and nervousness are normal. If you're keeping your surgery a secret from your friends (I did) and are worried about eating smaller portions just be honest and tell them you are dieting. My friends know that I have a life long weight battle and that I am periodically on a strict diet to lose. They respect me for not giving up and the conversations at luncheons and dinners is far more interesting that what I am or am not eating. I will say that you should try and have a positive attitude about the surgery and your success. If you go in thinking you're a failure and that you will not lose, chances are you'll be correct.

What do you mean by compulsive overeater? Are you a person who is a junk food addict (empty carbs) or are you a volume overeater? My surgeon told me that people who are volume overeaters do better with lapbanding that junk food overeaters. Carbohydrates begin to be digested in the mouth while fats and proteins begin to be digested in the stomach. It's very easy to get chocolate, cookies, cake, donuts, chips, dips, etc. "past" the band. Because I was basicially a "healthy" food eater who ate waaaaaaaaaay to much, lapband surgery was considered a good choice for me. However, if I were a junk food eater, my surgeon was pushing more for gastric bypass (RNY) surgery. Talk with your surgeon and be honest so you get ALL the options available and learn as much as possible before making a decision.

WOW! You look GREAT and deserve to be out front in all the pictures. Congratulations on your success.

Hi Angie, I was banded 2.5 weeks ago and have no restriction. Had I not had the operation and still feel twinges of pain, I would not even know I had a band! Because I have to wait 6-8 weeks to have my first fill, I am using this time as a challenge to eat according to the post-op plan and "learn" hunger satisfaction and how that feels. Since you have had 2 fills already and you're doing well with your weight loss, keep doing what you're doing and pay attention to the subtle changes you're feeling now. For some people who have posted here, it seems it can take a week or more before a fill "kicks in" and you feel restriction.