xavier

Everyone has done this I think. After a stuck episode I have to basically start back over with liquids to mushies to real food over a period of two days or so like you do after a fill. Food really cant stay in there for more than a couple of hours but we can sure cause some inflammation and muscle spasm that feels like it! Good luck...PS meat is never a good idea until later in the day I think.

Dear cherish, great pix of your tummy, it looks fabulous! I know you said BCBS paid but do you have any clue what they paid? It looks like you really had a great surgeon and a great result...I am sort of saving my pennies because I dont think my plan will cover...thanks!

Go on reflux meds...protonix gives me no refliux for 24 hours and that way I can keep my band nice and tight! Good luck!

Pronetus, What meds have you tried for the reflux? Maybe you just have to find the right one. I get it when I am at my sweet spot too and it goes away mostly as I lose weight and the band loosens up. Protonix has worked great for me, Zantac and Pepcid not so much. Good luck!

Dont focus on carbs which you might have to restrict. Focus on what you CAN have and do need...protein! If you eat 60 grams of protein you wont be able to overdo the carbs!

well good luck I hope you get it covered. I was not fat enough and had no comorbs so I self payed...glad I did but I hope you get yours paid for!

The absolute BEST treatment for IR is losing weight! Insulin resistance is a medical way of saying over fed...the body can no longer handle what you are eating. Metformin is a temporary bandage but will not help you lose more than a few pounds. Good luck. I hope the band is right for you. I am in love with my band after 20 years of failed dieting!

I wrote a check for 15K...very motivating! Well worth it!

But what the FDA does will take a while to translate into insurance coverage!

I still like to drink but carbonation is not for me anymore. I can do it but its not enjoyable. Otherwise nothings changed!

I kept one pair of my biggest jeans (profile picture ) but the rest has to go!

I have a very simple piece of advice for you and you can take it or leave it of course. Imagine it is 20 years down the road and oyu are having a conversation with your children who are now in their 20s and married. They tell you they are in the exact same situation as you are in right now. Do you tell them to stay or go? That is your answer because you love them more than you love yourself and you will help them do what is right. Good luck dear!

To feel better about myself and because I finally realized everything I was doing was not working! In fact, I think dieting is actually how I became obese!

I had a plateau for about 7 or 8 months and since I was able not to gain I thought I was ok restriction-wise! Wrong! Its all about the fills...if you are not losing weight you are ingesting more calories than you should be...get a fill even if you have to go to a different doc.

Generally self pay means you are not sick, or fat enough to get the band paid for (I was a not quite fat enough) but when you ARE sick (esophagitis, reflux that isnt taken care of by meds etc) insurance covers.

Oh, I totally agree with hummingbird! I can barely eat a half cup of anything! My doc says anything less than half the volume of your band is like not having a band. I have a 10 cc band with 7.5 in it. I am at perfect restriction. My doc had me lay down, accessed the port, then they crank the table up so I am sitting and hand me a cup of water to chug. She is injecting as I chug and when I choke she says, "Perfect!"...she was right. I dont know why these docs are so 'cheap' with the fills! It just makes people feel bad when they dont have enough restriction and then they are dieting and feeling bad about that!

More focus on fills. I dont know why so many places are so 'cheap' with fills. These boards are full of stuff about diets, low cal this and that, exercise programs etc....but I had already failed all that, right? With a perfect fill I can forget about all that crap and just lose weight. I dont exercise and I dont eat anything low cal etc!!! So many people on here are still dieting etc and still feeling like a failure if they 'cheat' ...its all in the fill!

OK, I'm too lazy to deal with powders but I am vegetarian so protein is critical. I start every day with a Premier Protein drink from Cosco...choc or vanilla. 30 grams of protein and 160 cals!

I think that fat puff above the belly button is fat that has slid down from my boobs! LOL! I have it too and I hate it. There's no exercise for it though...I am thinking it will go when all the fat is gone but right now I am hating it!

I have noticed a lot of people getting PS when there are around 20 pounds or so from goal...is there a reason for this? Why wouldn't you just wait till you are at a normal body weight? I am asking because I really dont know. Of course the surgeon will do it any time because it is self pay and he wont send you away...

Dear Newb, Hey I agree if we could successfully diet we wouldnt have had our stomachs lassoed! LOL! Get a fill! Seriously these boards are full of diets and low cal recipes and exercise programs...all not necessary if you are filled right!!! I can only have liquids at breakfast, basically mushies at lunch, and tiny meals later in the day. Unless I ate shakes or ice cream my band doesnt let me over eat and I lose about a pound a week! I dont eat ANYTHING low cal or fake sugar etc...I have done all that crap for 20 years and it all made me fatter...get another fill girl and dont listen to the dieters!!!

Good luck. I also started at 215 and I am 5'4" so I was squeezin into a size 16 and most people wouldn't have screamed bariatric surgery either! LOL! But I had never kept weight off and in fact lost it and gained more each time over a period of 20 years. One day I just said well everything I have done so far has not worked so I have to do something different. I had to self pay or gain weight (no way) so I did and its the best money I ever spent. I had my band 5/09 so it has been a very slow process for me. Mainly because I had it down in LA and it takes me at east 5 hours to get there etc etc...the point is I was not filled enough.Anyway I went to a doc in Santa Barbara for a fill (only 1.5 hour drive) in October and have been losing nearly a pound a week with NO effort ever since. I really dont exercise but sometimes I treadmill and listen to my audiobooks. I can only eat very tiny meals and I am really never hungry...I have 12 pounds to go to normal BMI at 145 pounds...YOU WILL DO GREAT!!!!

My only ambivalence was thinking what if I am the rare person that fails. Thankfully this has been the best decision I ever made and I think everything you said, Elfie, was totally reasonable but some people take things very personally!

Let us know how the process goes...I would be interested to know how and for which reasons these nip and tucks get paid...will be pondering same for myself soon! Glad you are continuing to do so well...I never had a doubt! D

Premier comes in a red box at Costco. There is Chocolate and vanilla. I will be drinking one every morning for the rest of my life. Between the band restricting how much I eat and the fact that I am a vegetarian, I have to start the day with as much protein as possible. Also I cant eat solid food in the mornings until the band loosens up later in the day! I think its 27$ for the case of 18 juice-type boxes her in Ca.