btrieger

Have you considered the Bodybugg? It's an armband that calculates how many calories you are burning. You upload that data to their website daily along with everything you have eaten. It does the math for you. With this knowledge, you will know how much more you have to exercise or how much less to eat. Counting inbound calories is just a guessing game unless you know how many you are burning. It also has diet and exercise plans. I have had mine for about a month and lost 28 pounds so far. I haven't been hungry and am not even banded yet. Unfortunately, it is not that cheap. It's about $250. BODYBUGG :: WELCOME

Welcome to the club. I think everyone has to jump through all of these hoops unless they want to pay out of pocket for the surgery. The hoops are not necessarily bad. The sleep study may prove you have sleep apnea; the pysch may show depression due to your weight. These are further reasons for your insurance company to approve. Fortunately, my insurance company is only making me wait 3 months. I am using that time to see how much weight I can lose prior to surgery so I can concentrate mostly on keeping it off.

A lot of people would give their left eye to lose 15 lbs. Don't sell yourself short. You're moving in the right direction. Are you drinking 48 - 64 ounces of Water a day? This is needed to cleanse your body of the waste from the calories burned. You also didn't mention how many calories you are burning. How much exercise are you getting?

Misery loves company and you've got plenty of that here. There are quite a few people struggling with tobacco and dieting here. I wish you the best.

You can quit and you probably should. However, surgeons that are smoke nazis should just be told to shove it. There are plenty of fish in the ocean. My surgeon is not a nazi but I quit 4 weeks ago and feel better for it. After the first 3 weeks it is all down hill. I used nicotrol inhalers last time I quit for 5 years. Doing it cold turkey this time.

Hi, I'm new here and won't be banded until January or February but I can answer these :huh2: 1. Sweet potatoes are a vegetable and not necessarily bad if eaten in moderation. 2. Chocolate and pizza can be healthy using the right ingredients and eaten in moderation. 3. Don't laugh, I have been thinking about this one for weeks. I love Aruba! 4. You tell them the truth or that it is none of their business. You aren't obligated to tell anyone anything.

I don't think anyone was insulted. Good luck

We are talking about your body and surgery here. I wouldn't suggest shopping around for the cheapest you can find. Look for references and if the surgeon is good, pay the $350. A lot of people are paying upwards on $20,000. It reminds me how I tremble when I see advertisements for the cheapest LASIK in Texas.

It's real easy. - Create the ticker at http://www.tickerfactory.com/ - Copy the code it creates in the bbCode box - Then on LapBandTalk (this site) click on "User CP" - Then in Settings & Options, click on "Edit Signature" - Paste the code you copied and click Submit Remember, it will only show in the forums not blogs. If you want to see it here, you need to post the code here each time.

Check out this link if it works. Dieting and Metabolism

I planned on driving 20 miles to the hospital; having my surgery and driving back home. I have a sneaking suspicion that that is not going to happen.

It doesn't work in blogs. You have to post in the forums to see it work. Or just go to "User CP" and in Settings & Options, click on "Edit Signature" Where you originally posted the code, you should see your ticker. If you want to put a ticker in the blog, you can paste the code every time I think

Have you ever checked out the Bodybugg? It tells you how many calories you are burning. You enter exactly what you have eaten on their site and it calculates the difference in calories consumed and burned. It is a great help. Check it out at bodybugg.com. It is not cheap, $250 but well worth it to me.

It's real easy. - Create the ticker at Graphical Tickers and Trackers: Weight Loss, Trying To Conceive, Pregnancy... - Copy the code it creates in the bbCode box - Then on LapBandTalk (this site) click on "User CP" - Then in Settings & Options, click on "Edit Signature" - Paste the code you copied and click Submit

I have my CPAP sleep over next Tuesday. I know I have sleep apnea and I'll take anything that will help.

I'm consuming about 2000 calories a day and still losing 5 lbs a week. I have not been banded yet. I am hoping the band will help me keep it off. If you have $200 American to spare, check out BODYBUGG :: WELCOME. With the Bodybugg you can see how many calories you are burning. It makes it easier to see what you can eat.

Well, you may. I can and have lost 108 pounds (49 kg) in a matter of 18 months through diet and exercise. Only to gain 128 pounds (58 kg) back in half that time. I am hoping that the Lapband will help me keep any weight that I lose off. What I was trying to say is don't wait until February and hope you lose enough. Get a headstart and make the odds better. :eek:

It seems a little aggressive to me if you are going to wait until February. You could probably do it if you started dieting today and just aimed at losing 1-2 kg a week until your surgery.

Aetna asks for the same thing. The doctors office just told me to get proof of my weight in the form of my medical records for the last 2 years and that should suffice. I still have 3 month to go. So, I can't be certain that is enough.

Have angioplasty with stents. That is about $45K :thumbup:

Mine doesn't show up here but it does if I post in the regular forums.

Are you drinking 64+ ounces of water a day? Are you urinating and having bowel movements on a regular basis? You have to wash away those calories you've burned. The weight loss in week 2 is usually small on The Biggest Loser as well. Stay positive and stay away from the scale!!!

True, but losing weight and keeping it off is the goal. As mentioned above, you are not lying if you tell people that you lost the weight by eating smaller portions and exercising. The coaches, whether they be self-appointed or not can assist you with the diet and exercise and have no need to know you've got a Lapband.

I had mine on Tuesday. Filled out the 9 page form that was mailed to me prior. Sat there and answered personal questions for over an hour. Then she made another appointment for me for tomorrow to fill out some questionnaire that she said may take 2 hours. Of course being the trouble maker I am, I gave her way more information than she expected just to try and get a reaction from her

This may be off-base but why do so many people feel that they are obligated to tell anyone anything? Actually, having a dirty little secret may even make it more fun. On another note, who cares what others think?