Band_Groupie

Great topic FL Pete! I hadn't thought about mini goals yet. Walking outside to watch the sunrise...nice! Wish I was in FL right now...it would help with the walking...we've had snow here already!

Thanks for posting this! I copied it for use. Bread/starches are going to be the hardest for me. I've always said I could live on just bread & chocolate.

***See UPDATE*** in orginal post top. All & luluc- You can see it:eek:!!!!! Yikes:scared2:!!! I'm not sure what a breastbone is...do you mean just below your last rib? So you'd suggest a little lower down? Or as a skinny person...where would you recommend? It sits ontop of your muscles right? It's been so long since I've had a flat stomach I can't picture where would be best (right now they could hide it anywhere on "Mt. Mushy" and it wouldn't matter).:tongue2: So here's hoping I can "see" my port someday!

Kathy- "dissertation" LOL . Yep, I really thought the rest of the day about it and decided the only thing AGH didn't mention having was an exercise physiologist (but I'm guessing they might have one for a fee), and that wasn't something I would use anyway. It's too far away to go to work out and I used to teach exercise part time (pre-kids) so I'm good. I think the lesson here is if you have a major city near you that offers good choices, why wouldn't you try out more that one to see which one fits you best? To me this was an even bigger decision than other surgeries I've had where you're done in a few visits...I was really interviewing the whole group for a lifetime of care.:tongue2:

What a great day! I’m on cloud nine…or at least 8.75!!! I went to the third hospital's seminar this morning and it was great! I turned my first big corner in this process! It was a great seminar; whole section devoted to INSURANCE, with an actual INSURANCE EXPERT- can you believe they exist?…I thought it was an urban legend! It was like finding the holy grail! I talked to the insurance gal and she assured me I’ll get approved. Whoo Hoo!! She said my insurer is the best insurance to have for this here…and she said they have “Actual LIVE people on the other end of the phone.” I wonder what the other ones have “DEAD people”??…serves them right…insurance people…putting me through all this…oh, that’s right, my insurance peeps are still alive…good thing…they need to live long enough to give me that elusive final approval!!! Then we’ll getm’! My surgeon had a great presentation and was wonderful (even gave us a copy of the whole presentation, now there’s an idea!)! OK, now tell me if I’m going to die in surgery? Let me explain; he came with his little ducklings (4 interns) following. Poor guy couldn’t get his PowerPoint presentation to work at the beginning, so after about 5 min. of trying he turned working on it over to an intern while he talked to us. Two min. later Duckling no. 3 had it working….I couldn’t help myself…I blurted… “I want that guy for my surgery!” I’m hoping the Dr. didn’t hear me…but the sniggers around me didn’t help. If I die you’ll know why, and Doc, let me clarify my statement…I meant as an intern, not as my Dr.! My Doc rocks! My only regret today was my husband was traveling for business. He just got home and I was telling him about my day---he was so happy for me. We kept talking and I mentioned the diet/exercise plan...he said "6 months?!!! I thought it was 6 weeks??!!!" LOL...didn’t he just sit (or sleep) through the other two seminars with me?!!…he means well! So its been a (sing it with me........you know you want to) Supercalafragolisticexpialidocious Day!! :cool:

What a great day! I’m on cloud nine…or at least 8.75!!! I went to the third hospital's seminar this morning and it was great! I turned my first big corner in this process! It was a great seminar; whole section devoted to INSURANCE, with an actual INSURANCE EXPERT- can you believe they exist?…I thought it was an urban legend! It was like finding the holy grail! I talked to the insurance gal and she assured me I’ll get approved. Whoo Hoo!! She said my insurer is the best insurance to have for this here…and she said they have “Actual LIVE people on the other end of the phone.” I wonder what the other ones have “DEAD people”??…serves them right…insurance people…putting me through all this…oh, that’s right, my insurance peeps are still alive…good thing…they need to live long enough to give me that elusive final approval!!! Then we’ll getm’! My surgeon had a great presentation and was wonderful (even gave us a copy of the whole presentation, now there’s an idea!)! OK, now tell me if I’m going to die in surgery? Let me explain; he came with his little ducklings (4 interns) following. Poor guy couldn’t get his PowerPoint presentation to work at the beginning, so after about 5 min. of trying he turned working on it over to an intern while he talked to us. Two min. later Duckling no. 3 had it working….I couldn’t help myself…I blurted… “I want that guy for my surgery!” I’m hoping the Dr. didn’t hear me…but the sniggers around me didn’t help. If I die you’ll know why, and Doc, let me clarify my statement…I meant as an intern, not as my Dr.! My Doc rocks! My only regret today was my husband was traveling for business. He just got home and I was telling him about my day---he was so happy for me. We kept talking and I mentioned the diet/exercise plan...he said "6 months?!!! I thought it was 6 weeks??!!!" LOL...didn’t he just sit (or sleep) through the other two seminars with me?!!…he means well! So its been a (sing it with me........you know you want to) Supercalafragolisticexpialidocious Day!!

Ohhh Shira, yeah! Absolutely right-Highmark...According to the AGH Insurance expert today...you are golden! Over 35 BMI and at least ONE (I specifically confirmed this, doesn't have to be more than one) of the "biggies". As long as you're on cholesterol meds. you're set! The others will be a bonus. Come on Magee...Call!!! I don't think you will be able to use the weight from yesterday though unless the PCP also gave you the diet and exercise program to follow then and you started some type of log (like that sample form Magee gives you). I was told the PCP "codes" all your visits that go to Insurance so they know which ones were a weight loss visit. I've read a few people here had to start over when they saw there PCP for a sick visit and tried to combine it with a weigh in-so I'm thinking it has to be just about the weight so they can verify? What a maze this all is. Just keep your weight up and the 25th will be here soon! Call Magee, Call! ...and you're always welcome to join me at AGH if they don't!

Just thought I'd post so this info. can get passed on to someone who might need it. I'm not an insurance person, but this is what I had confirmed today by the insurance expert at my surgeons office. Highmark PPO Blue requirements: - Must submit these: 1. Letter of Medical Necessity from PCP or referring physician 2. Six months of Consecutive Medically supervised diet/exercise visits and logs within past 2 years (from surgery date). -Must be 6 mo. in a row, so 7 visits total incl. start -Logs must show progress of both diet and exercise (Weight, calories, min. of exercise, etc.) -Logs must show education/discussion is taking place -Can do this with your PCP or Dietician 3. Psychological evaluation-states that patient has a clear understanding of procedure & can adjust to lifestyle changes. Need complete letter. Cannot be any longer than 6 mo. Before surgery date. 4. Nutrition evaluation with a registered dietitian- for meal planning/health choices in the future. Need complete letter. Cannot be any longer than 6 mo. Before surgery date. - Must have either of these to be classified as Morbidly Obese (and be older than 18): 1. BMI of at least 40 2. BMI of 35-40 with comorbidities- Although this word is plural in the policy they tell me you only need 1 of the big ones, and as many minor as you can document -Need at least one of the big "life threatening" comorbidities, which are: -Obesity related major Cardiovascular problems (medication or documentation) -Diabetes (medication) -Hypertension/High Blood Pressure (medication) -High Cholesterol (medication) -sleep Apnea (CPAP) -Not sure, but I think Obesity related cancers also count with documentation -Need as many minor comorbidities as you can document (ie. Asthma, Degenerative Joint Disease, Stress Incontinence, etc.)

I’m a little obsessive compulsive and usually over research anything I’m doing (as you’ll see by the length of this, sorry). I’ve been toying with the idea of LB for awhile, but didn’t start researching this until Sept. So I signed up for informational seminars at 3 different Pittsburgh Hospitals. They’re all about the same distance from me (Cranberry) 40-50 min. and they all had what I considered to be equally (between the 3) good and a few bad reviews and information about them online. I thought I’d share my (and DH went to the first 2) perspective here in case anyone else starting off in Pittsburgh could benefit…again, this is just what I think. UPMC St. Margaret (Pittsburgh Bariatrics)- ---Pre-Seminar: I read a lot of great things about Dr. Quinlan there and he was even voted best bariatric Dr. by Pittsburgh Magazine one year (my Urologist also knows him and said he’s a great guy. I wasn’t planning to go there but I wanted to go to at least one smaller program and this one fit the bill as they have 2 Drs. and have a good reputation (other staff and pre/post care is as important to me as the Dr. since Lap is ongoing visits). Other staff also had a great reputation. It sounded great to me- small/personal and good rep. I called and signed up for the seminar in Cranberry (local hotel mtg. room), they later cancelled from lack of sign up, so they rescheduled me for one at the hospital at the end of Oct. (Peggy-on phone was very nice). I still thought I’d like this group best from what I’d read. ---Seminar: Unfortunately they couldn’t tell me ahead of time who would give the seminar and I did not end up with Dr. Quinlan; Dr. Means gave the seminar (more about that later). It had by far the most attendees of any of the 3 seminars I went to—huge meeting room (so much for small and personal). They started with one of their nutritionists giving an overview. There was a sheet addressing the diet that’s required by each insurance co. and some sample forms to use (and they gave me my insurance co’s. requirements). They have nutritionists and exercise physiologists on staff as well as monthly support group meetings. Then she mentions the “program fee” sheet. They have a $395 program fee that is not covered by anyone’s insurance and is mandatory for everyone (covers meetings with nutr., exercise, support) even if you don’t ever use any of this. At this point she got bombarded by insurance questions she couldn’t answer specifics about (just generalities) and people all around me were buzzing about having to pay the program fee. Trust me, I was thinking, I have no idea, but it’s possible that I’ll be paying around the same out-of-pocket insurance overages no matter where I go and why would they start off with negatives? We were given a self pay sheet that had all the financials broken down (BTW self-pay for LB is a total of $19,895. just for the portion in the hospital, no pre or post testing and they never mentioned fill costs). Then Dr. Means came and gave the slide show on Gastric Bypass and LB. This is probably a personal thing, but I found his approach very abrasive (he was very arrogant and talked down to people…my husband thought the same- and his Dad’s a Dr.). Part of that was probably that he definitely came across as anti-LB (people around me thought so too). At one point he said “If you’ve got Diabetes you’re going to have a tough time convincing ME to give you a LB!” I don’t have full blown diabetes, but the way he said this even rubbed me the wrong way (I’ll jump ahead and say the other 2 hospital also got the point across that those with bigger health problems should probably look at Bypass, but they said this more collaboratively). I wanted to ask insurance questions, as my main worry was- would I get approved, but it was evident I wasn’t going to get a specific answer as there wasn’t an insurance person there. Many (I’d say most) of the questions to the Dr. were also about insurance (since they didn’t answer them), and it was too big of a group to address each person’s specific situation. I asked a general question or two about the procedure. We all filled out our forms, took home packets of what we were to fill out IF we were accepted into their program and were told they would call us. I have yet to receive a call…I’ll have to say I didn’t have my hypertension diagnosis then, so they probably didn’t think I was a good candidate, but don’t tell me your going to call and then don’t. Honestly, I was turned off by the whole program (as was my DH) by the time we left, and yes I probably would have enjoyed Dr. Quinlan more, but the financial emphasis and not having an insurance expert there was a big negative. More than that, the presentation was “this is what you need to do and do what we tell you” (my DH said (it was a “Do this or else” presentation), and I was expecting “this is what we can do for you; please select us”. Magee- ---Pre-Seminar: This is by far the largest group I’ve heard of in Pittsburgh (one just left so it’s 5 Drs.) which allows them to diversify (ie. Dr. Eid specializes in PCOS patients). They’ve therefore got a ton of patients and experience (but no real difference in numbers from the other hospitals if you look at it per Dr.). I’ve been to Magee for other female issues and so I was comfortable looking at them. The big negative for me is also how big the practice/program is. There are lots of negatives online about how impersonal the care is (you hardly see the surgeon except at the surgery, people love all the Drs. but not the rest of the process/staff), long waits for fills and they’re not with the Dr., staff treats you like a number, everything you would expect from a big office. They do have a great reputation for the surgery part so I signed up for the seminar at our CranberryTownship hall. ---Seminar: It was a small group since it was in Cranberry (I’m sure the ones at Magee are bigger groups), so I really liked the smaller group. Dr. Eid gave the entire presentation. I learned a lot more details from him then at the St. Margaret’s. It was more LB friendly and he even said “The final decision on which procedure is ultimately your choice.” He did a great job at presenting it as a collaborative process (Dr. with you). The presentation was much clearer and I learned more about the procedures. He was great at stopping to take lots of specific questions along the way. But a real negative was even as he said “This is your best chance to ask questions, we don’t get this kind of time to sit down with patients when they come in, so take advantage and ask questions now.” Again, if there was an insurance expert there, I didn’t know it. It was that after awhile not very many insurance questions were asked…maybe because it was just the Dr. in front and we all knew he wouldn’t know. A few came up and a lady “from his office” not sure of role, tried to field a few general ones. ie. I asked what insurance wants to see on the 6 mo. Diet and he fielded it to her. She pointed out that people have been denied for gaining even 1 pound on the 6 mo. Diet. I later read in their packet to take home that insurance doesn’t want to see you lose much either (they suggest a pound or two), which is the kind of details I was looking for (some here at LBT say their insurance wants a 5% loss). So how do I know if she was talking about my insurance? The packet they give you is by far the fanciest; glossy brochures from their supplier and their group, but after looking it over it has the least information I can use. My DH and I left with the same impression- Dr. Eid was great, wonderful even, but I’d probably just spent as much time with as I was ever going to get to. They did call me back (Gail, I think, was very pleasant) the next week to tell me I probably wouldn’t get approved. I asked why family history wasn’t something they asked about, and she said because it doesn’t make a difference to insurance. I knew then that I was probably going to get the hypertension diagnosis this PCP visit since they were saying that last visit (which did happen). So I asked Gail if I should call her back if that happened…she didn’t really answer, dodged it actually, but she didn’t give me the warm fuzzies that even hypertension would matter “you can start our program if you want but I want you to know now that you probably won’t be approved” (I’d already called their insurance gal and she told me the same thing…what I wanted to know is Why not?). I believe the pre-program at Magee also costs a lot out of pocket, not sure, just said you could do their pre program or with your PCP, but again they gave NO financial information at the presentation (I can’t give any financials at all). So in summary, again we wished there was an insurance piece to the presentation or at least an expert there, and I knew I was going to be “just a number” at Magee, at least for all the pre/post, which there’s a lot of. Allegheny General- ---Pre-Seminar: Again, a small, well respected group with 2 Drs. like St. Margaret’s. I’d read lots of wonderful things about the Drs., but overall very negative things about their staff. I had actually contacted this group first, as they were who my PCP recommended most. I got through to Susan in Rec. (very nice), but no answer at the insurance desk (I’d started this in Sept. so I had basic questions), in fairness I don’t think I left a message. I did send an email which I never received a reply to, so I put off scheduling a seminar because that confirmed the slow/never reply comments I’d read. After the other 2 seminars in Oct. I decided to give them another go and scheduled a seminar. ---Seminar: I’ll be honest and say I went into this one with some lower expectations after the first 2. I attended this morning. They have seminars twice a month, which keeps the groups small, very small. The first ½ hr.+ was a presentation by their insurance expert (what’s this? alleluia!!!). Patty was great! She was knowledgeable, organized, patient, and kind, she even had different sheets for all the different insurance co’s. and better yet she was there to take all our questions…and everyone had a lot! She didn’t give vague answers to questions, she told you things the insurance co’s. don’t even tell you (ie. To a guy there on Medicare)…”Medicare won’t tell you to do this 6 mo. Diet the way I’m telling you to document, but they won’t approve you if you don’t.” My obsessive compulsive side was finally appeased…honesty at last! She spent as much time as we needed and even stayed for the Dr’s. presentation so she could field questions, be available at the break, and at the end…heaven. I went up to her at the end and asked the question I’ve tried to get the others to answer (I don’t get why it’s so hard to get a straight answer)…With the hypertension now, will my insurance approve me? And If not, specifically why not? I actually got my answer, from the expert! BTW it was yes, and specifically I need only 1 of the “big” comorbidities. She told us that they even do the very sick patients…mentioned that UPMC (Magee, St. Marg.) send the patients that have heart issues, etc. to them. Now on to the other part. Dr. Uchal was the presenter and he was great. The actual presentation was very well done and he gave a lot of good details. He stopped many times to answer questions (probably more questions asked by this tiny group than the other 2 seminars combined). So it was VERY interactive, which was great! I even asked a few specifics….2 types of bands they can use there, so I asked about the segmented one pinching. He even gave his specific opinions…more honesty!...ie. “Everyone with a BMI over 40 should have WLS, the benefit’s outweigh the risks”. He even brought both types of bands to show us. At one point he even asked after reviewing the bypass “Is anyone in here even interested in the bypass or did I just waste your time?” A few were, but how much more “band friendly” can you get? It was great! The packet they give you isn’t full of glossies, but it’s packed with info. I needed..get this- the ACTUAL powerpoint presentation he gave (how novel). Their progams of ongoing education seminars and support groups is free...to anyone- even if you had surgery somewhere else (they invited us to a 'dealing with the Holidays' speaker coming up). We can call now to get a consultation with our surgeon (the other programs made you wait until you were 3 or months into the diet). He ended and told us he hoped we would be back even came up to each person after to thank them for coming and gave us his card…he asked me where I got the info. on the band…I said “Lap Band Talk”…he smiled…me too. SUMMARY- I could pick any of these 3 places to have this done now. I found at least one Dr. at each place I’d be comfortable with (haven’t met Dr. Quinlan, but I’m guessing he’s fine). They all are great programs and they have similar numbers; # procedures they do, complications, etc. I know I want to feel comfortable with more than just the Dr./stats. I need to feel comfortable with the basics of a program, they’re philosophy and how I’m treated. Heck, how many times am I going to be in their office over the rest of my life? I guess now is the time to admit my last job (I’m at home now since we’ve moved for DH job) was with a Fortune 500 leading Business Process Improvement both internally and as a value-added service with their customers (I worked a lot with major hospitals all over the East coast). Let’s face it at these seminars; after you hear the basics and understand you might die but your willing anyway..Even the perfect candidate for approval is going to have some insurance questions…Get an insurance expert there and give them time to speak/answer questions! I want a group that’s going to be my advocate and on my side; not someone I’m just giving my business to. Can you guess who I’ve picked?

I just got home from my AGH seminar (Dr. Uchal) and I'm on cloud nine! It was the best seminar of the 3 hospitals. I'll do a Pittsburgh post (I think there's a Drs./Hospitals Forum) to share the differences as I saw them. But the good news was I finally got some reliable confirmation by someone (Patty their insurance person) that I'm a good candidate and should be approved (the hypertension diagnosis was the key), but I'll post details in the insurance forum. Giliardi- I'll keep tabs on your progress and any experiences you have at AGH as I'm selecting them to do my surgery, since you're almost there. I almost went to their Oct. seminar but I didn't know anything then so I put it off (we might have met then). Shira- Good luck with Magee (I think a higher BMI will help- Do you have any comorbidities, I can't remember?). Yep, my 3 kids are the whole reason I'm have a fat belly...it has nothing to do with how much I eat...that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I wonder waht my skinny ass husbands flat belly would look like if he went through 3 pregnancies...really! I'm new to this blogging thing, but I think it will be a motivation for me to keep pluggging along and to make changes (even if I'm the only one who sees it). I'm off to read yours!

I started my conversation by telling him how bad I was physically feeling with the extra weight and how I knew so many of my issues would go away if I could just lose it. I reminded him how I'm a big yo-yoer and that it's gotten harder to lose as I've gotten older. Then I asked him to tell me what he knew about the Lap (before I'd been to a seminar). He said I wasn't a "metobolic nightmare" but I could look into it and he gave me some names. I think you've got lots more ammo than I did...you already know your BMI is above the minimum. You know what a comorbidity is and you can probably list all yours or ask him for the testing you need for them. And if Magee thinks your a candidate then that's the blue ribbon. I'd be proactive and tell him your issues and what you've done instead of starting by asking. If you take the lead and remind him of all the diets you've been on and gained it back...how can he then say "just diet"? Do you have another visit scheduled with your PCP? You don't have to use your PCP for the diet, you can use Magee (I think it costs though, right?). All you need is a letter from the PCP saying it's medically necessary and documenting your comorbidities (at least that's what I need). I've been seeing a nicer (female) Dr. in the practice since I originally brought it up with my original Dr. and she's been great! Post is under the "Blog" tab. Shassy, I just realized you've already been to the surgeon by the dates you gave. If you read this let me know how it went. -BG

Does everyone's port go on the same side? Which? Or do you have a choice-or maybe it's Dr's. preference? I'm asking because I HAVE to sleep on my right side (problems with both my left shoulder and my left side) and I have enough trouble getting to sleep without something else (seems like many can feel theirs). Just curious! ***UPDATE*** I found out at my AGH seminar yesterday that surgeons have the ability to put it ANYWHERE in your abdomen (and they use both types of bands)! A man, who has to wear a harness a lot as he works construction, asked the question before I could. Apparently the harness covers most of his abdomen. Dr. Uchal explained "Don't worry about it, we'll find a place around it...do you want it in your neck?"...ha ha! I've since read that a lot of people do avoid where most of their pants/belt hit so it won't be uncomfortable. Do you think I could mark an "X" on my belly before surgery? I'll check

SharPei--oooh that's a visual! I was picturing Kate's (Jon & Kate + 8 show...6 babies at once, now there's a real reason for PS) stomach before her tummy tuck...I think she called it "jowls of a dog" or something similar! You look great!!!

Wow- is that many fills/unfills normal or is this a lot? Hope you're "there" now!

Kathi- Sounds like we have a lot in common. I'm 49 and my oldest, daughter, is 21, but she's a skinny mini like I was at that age...she actually wears some of my old clothes from college days...isn't that weird (hey, maybe I'll need all those clothes back...reality check...not a realistic goal)! I'm hoping she's got my skinny ass husbands genes! I think it shows your commitment to try out, that you'll be great after the band. That's so cool that you did that with your kid...is she old enough/getting a LB too? Even if not, I'm sure she'll be your biggest cheerleader and you can lose together! Vlogging (thanks)- I thought at first everyone was misspelling blogging for the longest time! My youngest, 13, just showed me a vlog on UTube...wow...it's one thing to see pics of the underwear lady...a whole other to see them dancing around in them chatting us up! And those head shots from above, OK you confirmed it...don't they know they're on a FAT PEOPLE site? Do they really think they're fooling us fellow double-chinners?...and more importantly...do you think I can get away with it on my Avatar...or did I just "out" myself?

Your story was just what I needed today, thanks! I'm so happy for you!!! I'm going to another seminar tomorrow and am afraid they'll also tell me that I'm not going to get approved...I'm plugging away...I think I can, I think I can...

Shassy- I go to the AGH seminar tomorrow, so I may be using them...Dr. Colella; I assume you have him or the other one there? I'll ask your question tomorrow (if I get a clear answer I'll let you know)...I know it varies a lot here-some say they got a date early and some not until after insurance. It's a slow process and I'm just starting (I could have been several months along if I'd been smarter at the beginning). I'll be watching your progress with AGH. If you're asking for the "ticker" at the bottom of posts, just google "tickerfactory.com" they have a special section for weight loss tickers and it takes you through the process one step at a time. When you're done, just copy and paste your ticker here under "User CP" "Edit your signature" paste it there and it will show up. (My kids would not believe I'M giving technology advice.) Shira- I've been thinking of you. Did you get a call back from Magee yet? It sounds like you didn't talk to your PCP yet about this when you went? If you've been accepted at Magee that's a good subject to start the conversation with the PCP and then they can't argue it's necessary. If you read my Monday blog from this week "I Peed my Pants" (long story), you'll see I was really worried about my PCP as well and she couldn't have been more supportive...I was surprised!

Glad to hear you're feeling better...hope the rest of the family is too. Thanks for the link...I may use this someday!

On to more pressing matters…I’m nervous about my last seminar tomorrow so I’m being lazy and spending most of the day on the computer. After lurking all over LBT today I’m now feeling the need to take my “Before” pictures or find some. I’m even thinking I might even attempt the insurmountable feat of creating an Avatar soon (isn’t that a Cartoon show?).:cool: Heck, I’ve now got a Blog and I didn’t know what that was a week ago! And BTW what the heck is a Vlog people are mentioning “I love vlogging?”?? I’ll have to Google that one! I’ve found there are very few recent pics of me…I hide from the camera, shove my youngest in front of me, or it’s in my hand…I wonder why. This is a somewhat scary proposition. So…I’ve been perusing everyone’s Before/After pics (wow you all look so different! You know I’m talking about you! What an inspiration!:drool:) …do I wear the jeans; nope…I’ll NEVER be able to get that pic where I’m standing in one pant leg! I’ve got the jeans for 160# still hanging in my closet and they’re not ½ the size of my current ones...hard to believe I was there less than 8 years ago (for the umpteenth time!). Do I just do the face shot…nope; unfortunately I still have a very oval face with a double chin only when I smile. Let’s be real…It’s not my face carrying this weight…I’m a pear and the skinniest part is still at the top, my head. Do I dress myself in my finest (aka full camouflage of the weight)? Or do I let it all hang out (I saw one in her underwear belly fat roll in hand...I’ll cut her a break, maybe she doesn’t own a bikini; I know I don’t!:eek: BTW not on LBT…we have standards here!) I think I’m opting for the middle ground. I like the ones that wear the same outfit so you can really see the differences…so I guess I’ll need to wear pants I might keep…oh, wait, I guess that only leaves my spandex sweats and a tank…not so pretty…that’s one step away from the underwear lady! But maybe that’s the motivation I need!:tongue2: I don’t know about you but I know I don’t see myself the way others see me…while I’m disgusted by the site of me and what I’ve done to my body…I know I still don’t see myself as fat as I am…Why is that? And when I was 70# lighter when we moved to Pittsburgh, I remember being in my youngest sisters wedding and feeling SO fat…I hate my photos from that day. Maybe Technicolor photos will help me gain perspective. So I’m gathering my courage to have my DH photograph me…I’ll let you know how it goes. Now I’ve just got to ask…WHAT’S UP with all those Avatars of people’s faces taken from above their heads? :cool:They are beautiful and interesting, but I started to ask myself why? Why no face pics from below…OK…looking up anyone’s nose wouldn’t be pretty! Above- Is it so no one can recognize you? Do they all have disfiguring goiters on their necks:eek:…I’m not making fun…I’m just curious. I’ve finally decided they all have double or triple chins (I’m a double) they’re hiding. I’ll have to keep this in mind when I finally figure out how to do an Avatar…I wonder how skinny I’d look from up above? But then I'd have to dye my gray roots! For now I’ll just work on the “Before”… :tt1:

On to more pressing matters…I’m nervous about my last seminar tomorrow so I’m being lazy and spending most of the day on the computer. After lurking all over LBT today I’m now feeling the need to take my “Before” pictures or find some. I’m even thinking I might even attempt the insurmountable feat of creating an Avatar soon (isn’t that a Cartoon show?).:angry_smile: Heck, I’ve now got a Blog and I didn’t know what that was a week ago! And BTW what the heck is a Vlog people are mentioning “I love vlogging?”?? I’ll have to Google that one! I’ve found there are very few recent pics of me…I hide from the camera, shove my youngest in front of me, or it’s in my hand…I wonder why. This is a somewhat scary proposition. So…I’ve been perusing everyone’s Before/After pics (wow you all look so different! You know I’m talking about you! What an inspiration!:cursing:) …do I wear the jeans; nope…I’ll NEVER be able to get that pic where I’m standing in one pant leg!:cursing: I’ve got the jeans for 160# still hanging in my closet and they’re not ½ the size of my current ones...hard to believe I was there less than 8 years ago (for the umpteenth time!). Do I just do the face shot…nope; unfortunately I still have a very oval face with a double chin only when I smile. Let’s be real…It’s not my face carrying this weight…I’m a pear and the skinniest part is still at the top, my head. Do I dress myself in my finest (aka full camouflage of the weight)? Or do I let it all hang out (I saw one in her underwear belly fat roll in hand...I’ll cut her a break, maybe she doesn’t own a bikini; I know I don’t!:cursing: BTW not on LBT…we have standards here!) I think I’m opting for the middle ground. I like the ones that wear the same outfit so you can really see the differences…so I guess I’ll need to wear pants I might keep…oh, wait, I guess that only leaves my spandex sweats and a tank…not so pretty…that’s one step away from the underwear lady! But maybe that’s the motivation I need!:cursing: I don’t know about you but I know I don’t see myself the way others see me…while I’m disgusted by the site of me and what I’ve done to my body…I know I still don’t see myself as fat as I am…Why is that? And when I was 70# lighter when we moved to Pittsburgh, I remember being in my youngest sisters wedding and feeling SO fat…I hate my photos from that day. Maybe Technicolor photos will help me gain perspective. So I’m gathering my courage to have my DH photograph me…I’ll let you know how it goes.:cursing: Now I’ve just got to ask…WHAT’S UP with all those Avatars of people’s faces taken from above their heads? :cool:They are beautiful and interesting, but I started to ask myself why? Why no face pics from below…OK…looking up anyone’s nose wouldn’t be pretty! Above- Is it so no one can recognize you? Do they all have disfiguring goiters on their necks:eek:…I’m not making fun…I’m just curious. I’ve finally decided they all have double or triple chins (I’m a double) they’re hiding. I’ll have to keep this in mind when I finally figure out how to do an Avatar…I wonder how skinny I’d look from up above? But then I'd have to dye my gray roots! For now I’ll just work on the “Before”… :cursing:

Just starting

Great idea...never thought to walk sideways and backwards on it! Maybe I'll wait until I'm steadier walking forward!

Good luck tonight Missy, I'm sure it will be great. It's was the only time in my life I was one of the skinniest people in the room...you'll be able to relate with your low BMI...I felt like everyone was looking at me like- why are you here (or maybe I just wanted them to). I'm over 5'8" and I wear the weight well. That's great that you can self-pay! It will take a lot of stress out of an already stressful decision/process. Let me know how it goes! I go to my 3rd one tomorrow morning-he's the surgeon my PCP recommended so I'm hoping it's great (and keep in mind my 1st seminar was pretty awful...my husband went with me and I came away really discouraged...so there's always other Drs.).

We bought ours about a year ago for about $1000 at Costco...even has the built in TV, which helps the time go faster. I used it a lot when we first got it and was on the Alli diet/pills and I lost a bunch of weight. I haven't used it in about 4 mo. as the osteoarthritis in my back flared. I told myself I couldn't, but you can set the thing at a snails pace so I know I could have walked some...the truth was I'd started to gain some weight back and I lost motivation. I've started using it again this week as I'm starting the 6 mo. diet. I used to teach exercise classes, yes me-LOL, so I know the treadmill is one of the best options for heavy people (easy on the joints to walk). Craig's list is a perfect idea!

I'm watching "The Doctors" NBC and they're going to discuss a family that got Laps as well of going out of the country with teens for this. Check when it's on in your area. UPDATE (Teens & Mexico): Family of 3 has lost about 150# in 3 months (13 yr. very tall son). Dr. Ortiz from Tijauana was on with a teen-very tall (I have seen a lot of people mention him here). If I could afford self-pay I'd be comfortable using him after listening to him today (he trained with the Dr. that developed the Lap, and some training in U.S.). He showed the procedure and explained it well. They talked about the foods you can't have...the show had prepped Before and After dinner plates. The after had a tiny portion of a breast of chicken ONLY on it. I was happy to hear Dr. Ortiz correct them...he said you'll actually eventually be eating 1/3 of what was on the Before plate and a variety of foods (not just a bite of chicken). He said initial studies are showing that teens are actually doing better than adults with the Lap. The only negativity really came from the Pediatrician (skinny girl) on the show who said the media is swaying the information on the benefit of doing this for teens. She pointed out that teens need to have some excess weight as they go into puberty and grow taller. Another of the Dr's. did a good job then of pointing out that this certainly is only for those with a LOT of excess weight, not just the little bit you need for puberty.