btrieger

Welcome and you are worth 100% but if they'll pay 90%, that's great! I don't mean for this to sound negative but if you are seeking an easy out or a magic pill, turn back before you have too much invested. You'll probably have a 3 to 6 month supervised diet prior to surgery. Use this time wisely and do as much research as possible. The lapband doesn't make you lose weight. It is a tool that makes you feel full/satisfied faster if you eat the right foods but YOU must work with it to lose the weight. You have to be ready to change your lifestyle and the way you think about food. Read the forums here and see what the successful bandsters have done but also read of the many failures and try to steer clear of their mistakes. Good luck and keep us informed.

Having the band installed and getting fills does NOT make you lose weight. You have to change your lifestyle and burn more calories than you eat in order to lose weight. Have you been logging everything you eat? If not, start doing that. It will help you and your doctor/nutritionist see where the problem may be. It may also surprise you. You may be eating more than you thought. Eat only 3 meals a day and space them out 5 hours. Try to eat more meat and vegetables than you do grains. If you have trouble here, eat the meat first, then the vegetables then the grains. Chew each mouthful long and hard. Not only will this keep the food from getting stuck, it will give your stomach time to tell you when it is full. Stop eating when you are full. You do NOT have to clear your plate. Do not drink with your meals. This only helps the food slide through to your real stomach and defeats the purpose of the LAP-BAND®. Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. None within 30 minutes of a meal. Didn't your surgeon go over all of this? If not, call him on it next time you see him and ask him why not. If you have questions feel free to ask them here but don't forget that your surgeon made a bundle off of you and it was for more than just an install. I've heard it all 4 times from my surgeon and I'm not even banded. I have to hear it again on January 11th. You can do this! Keep reading the forums and blogs here. Read what the successful people have done and try to follow their examples. Read what the failures have or haven't done and try to steer clear of their mistakes. * forgive me but this is a cut and paste from a reply I posted on the forum to a similar question this morning.

Welcome aboard. It is always inspirational to have the success alumni share their stories and give advice.

I am assuming you mean start a new thread. The easiest way is just to click here: LAP-BAND

How much exercise are you getting? You have to at least walk a little to get the blood flowing and healing process started. Also, no matter how hard it is, make sure you drink at least 64 ounces of Water a day. A lot of the pain people feel in their muscles is dehydration.

Contradict all you'd like. I am still learning here too. Thanks for the info!

I am not banded yet. So, I can't help you with sweet spot question. You may have been expecting too much from the band but it sounds like you have the right mindset to make it work. Measuring food to 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, etc... does not make a lick of sense. It depends what the food is not how much. In order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you are eating. It looks like you are burning plenty of calories. Therefore, you must be consuming more than you should. You can use this online BMR calculator to calculate how many calories you burn while idle. You'll need to add how many you are burning during workouts to that for your daily total. Then log everything that passes your gums in order to calculate how many calories you are consuming. I use the Bodybugg site for this but there are plenty of free ones out there. The Daily Plate is one of them. You will lose 1 pound for every 3,500 or so calories you burn more than you eat. So if you burn 500 more than you eat every day for a week, you lose 1 pound that week. Steer clear of empty calories in drinks that have calories. Try to drink only Water, coffee, tea, etc... Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. This is important for you metabolism and to wash the waste from your system. Eat only 3 meals a day 5 hours apart. Stop eating when you start to feel full. There are no bonuses for clearing your plate. That's enough for starters. Good luck!

Slider foods are basically any food you eat that "slides" straight down to your real stomach. #1 on the list is ice cream. The there's pudding, yogurt, Jello, any liquid containing calories, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, Soup, etc... Not speaking from experience yet but these are the foods I plan on keeping to a limit.

The 2 year history is a breeze if you had a doctors visit in 2008. They send the 2008 from your doctor and the 2009 from their office. I say this hoping it is as easy as my surgeons staff said it would be. My paperwork is getting submitted to Aetna on Wednesday.

Your doctor doesn't think, he KNOWS it is your food choices. You may or may not need another fill but what you definitely need is to change your eating habits. Contrary to popular belief, the lapband and fills do NOT make you lose weight. You lose weight when you burn more calories than you are eating. Have you been logging everything you eat? If not, start doing that. It will help you and your doctor/nutritionist see where the problem may be. It may also surprise you. You may be eating more than you thought. Eat only 3 meals a day and space them out 5 hours. Try to eat more meat and vegetables than you do grains. If you have trouble here, eat the meat first, then the vegetables then the grains. Chew each mouthful long and hard. Not only will this keep the food from getting stuck, it will give your stomach time to tell you when it is full. Stop eating when you are full. You do NOT have to clear your plate. Do not drink with your meals. This only helps the food slide through to your real stomach and defeats the purpose of the lapband. Drink at least 64 ounces of Water a day. None within 30 minutes of a meal. This is what the dietitian is going to tell you. Didn't your surgeon go over all of this? I've heard it all 4 times from my surgeon and I'm not even banded. I have to hear it again on January 11th. You can do this! Keep reading here. Read what the successful people have done and try to follow their examples. Read what the failures have or haven't done and try to steer clear of their mistakes.

Everyone seems to equate partying with nothing but having fun. They don't remember the hangover that ensues until the next morning. You can do this on your own until you get a fill. If you can't keep a positive attitude; think of the hangover. Think of how much longer it will take to lose those party pounds. Eat everything at the party but tone it down to 1/2 portions.

I am not sure which tests my doctor required and which ones the insurance company required. Psych eval; sleep study and release from my cardiologist.

You are copying the wrong code. Copy it from the box that says bbCode Here's a step by step. You are about 3 steps from the end. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/#post1384706

Is the tail a side effect from the surgery or medication? :smile2:

Have you tried an antacid? It will give you some relief until you can figure if this is a problem.

It's probably an infection. Do you have a fever?

The "scab" was probably the glue they put over the dissolving stitches. I'm sure you'll be fine but definitely call and verify. Great weight loss for both of you!

Stay on topic? Sarah Palin has been a has-been since last November. She's a joke and we'll never see her running for national office again. What is there to say about her that matters?

It is a lifestyle change. Something that you can live with for the rest of your life. Can you live with hating yourself and feeling guilty for enjoying a little tasty food? I couldn't. DO NOT diet or allow yourself to have the dieting mentality. Diets have end dates and if you avoid foods that you love, you will only crave them more. There are no bad foods when eaten in moderation. Just cut your portions a little or substitute foods with something just as tasty but more healthy.

Bi-polar is more catchy than "manic deppressive" Diagnosed bi-polar about 10 years ago and was taking Wellbutrin and Lamactil up until 2 years ago when I moved and stopped taking all medication. Needless to say it wasn't a bright idea as far as my health goes. I am back on all health related meds and Wellbutrin but haven't seen a shrink so I never restarted the Lamactil. So far so good as far as being edgy of moody. The Lamactil is not an antidepressant. It is a mood stabilizer supposedly to keep you somewhere between manic and depressed. It worked wonders for me in traffic but I think I just grew out of going mad in traffic and learned to accept it. I can't help you with the PMS. Never been there, never will. :smile2:

I have my own goal of 100 miles a month. I guess I could dedicate some of them to Ashley and our troups.

This is far from a xtian nation!! Perhaps you've heard of a little doctrine about separation of church and state? In this day and age it makes me queasy to think that so-called intelligent adults still believe in the invisible man that sees all and knows all. I'll be damned if those crazies are going to think they run this country as well.

Hi and welcome. I can probably give even less advice than TN. I am about 30 pre-op but I saw your other post and I do have Aetna. My surgeon's office told me that Aetna approves almost all claims for Lapband that fall into their requires criteria and you have that covered. If there is a good chance you are going to have the surgery, it is best to get the ball rolling now. There will be a 3 month supervised diet/waiting period prior to surgery and that should give you sufficient time to complete the required testing and research the band further. You'll hate the word "tool" by the time you are done researching but it is true. The lapband is only a tool. YOU have to lose the weight yourself. The lapband just makes you feel full sooner. If you are not ready to change your lifestyle and follow the simple bandster rules, the lapband will NOT work for you. Good luck and get out there and start reading!

Definitely ask your surgeon for his advice. He may say wait 6 months. :smile2: But also realize that many mothers pick up their 20 pound children almost as soon as the get home from surgery.

A truck driver in one of the mandatory nutritional/behavioral classes asked the staff this last month. They replied that he should be able to lift everything he is currently lifting within a week or 2 following surgery. The 6 week restriction on lifting is usually for bypass patients. * A paramedic asked this same question yesterday in the short term disability thread.