btrieger

Eating right doesn't mean that you can't indulge yourself every once in a while or even every day. It's all about moderation. Read the nutrition facts on the back of the package; determine how many chips will be 100-150 calories; count that many chips out of the bag; seal the bag and put it away until at least tomorrow; then sit and slowly enjoy the chips you took out.

It sounds like you are on the right track. Do you have a wife or close friend that is willing to kick you in the ass if you start to veer off of it? Tough love is what it usually takes to keep me honest. If you have $200 laying around, you may want to check out the Bodybugg or GoWear Fit. They are devices you wear on your upper arm that calculate how many calories you are burning. It makes it much easier to calculate how many calories to eat and still lose weight or how much more you need to exercise. The Bodybugg is working for me. Not banded yet and close to 100 down.

Congrats!! That is great!! If weighing only at the clinic is working for you, don't change it. :frown:

Looking good! Congrats!

Knowing the problem is half of the solution. There is a great book that you may be interested in checking out. "The Disease to Please, Curing the People-Pleasing Syndrome" by Harriet Braiker. Good luck!!

Congrats and you look good. I can't tell from the pic. Did you have or need a tummy tuck? If you need one, there's bound to be an extra 5 pounds of skin. Another Rangers fan!

Congrats! Hopefully it is all down hill from here.

Congrats! You look great!

Thanks! I was never really worried about Aetna. I have great coverage and if worse came to worst I would've just played the heart attack card. After all, what's the use of having a heart attack if you can't benefit from it? :frown:

I simply stop and ask myself, "why?" Then I remind myself how detrimental and stupid it would be. And I am not exaggerating. I sometimes have this conversation with myself aloud. PS. Great list Carbgrl!!!

Don't just review your policy, call the insurance company and ask them. I've called Aetna a half dozen times in the last 2 months to find out what was holding up my approval. It turns out that the paper work wasn't submitted when the surgeon's office says it was. Aetna approved 5 days after submission.

Cathy, The wait time is a good thing! It gives you plenty of time to research what has to be done to make the band work for you. It also gives you time to modify your eating habits gradually so you will be ready when the time comes. Make sure to read as many testimonials as possible. The successes and the failures. Read the posts here where people ask the same questions over and over because they didn't take the time to research. Finally, don't be impatient. You are young and have the rest of your life ahead of you.

Wow!! You look and sound great!! Congrats!

Hmmm, naked guys stealing your band... I wish Freud was still around because I'd love to know what he makes from this. Is this him

What if you just eliminate starchy foods from one or two meals a day? That way you get your rice and also cut down how much of it. I've lost a lot by just cutting portion size. I am not on a diet and not hungry.

On my first appointment; I talked to the surgeon; he weighed me and explained how the lapband works; told me I was a great candidate; I drank barium in front of an xray just to make sure there was no obstruction or signs of a hiatal hernia; I sat with the insurance person and she told me what I needed to do pre-surgery for insurance; she scheduled my nutritionist appt; my recurring behavioral appts; my sleep study; and my final consultation appt; The only thing I had to schedule myself was the psych eval. They all differ but I was told that my official starting weight was that done on my first visit. I have seen some people say that there starting weight was when they met with nutritionist. My primary care physician is playing absolutely no part in this. I am just keeping him updated with my status.

I can identify with a lot of what you have gone through but I got out young and it stopped there. It's great that you are strong and have managed to make something of your life. A weak person would have just given up on life all together. Please do as much research as you can into lapband surgery before making your choice. There are far too many people that have the surgery with absolutely no clue what is required to make it work.

Thanks folks!! I really need to think this over. I don't need the stress this is causing me but at this point; I don't know if I am stressing out over nothing. I don't want to blame my surgeon. I did all kinds of homework before even giving his office a call. He is renowned and the hospital thing has to be political. His nurses and nutritionists are top notch also. It seems to all come back to the same legal assistant or whatever they are called. I am however going to look into other surgeons. I didn't think about the approval like that. I am going to find out if it means approved for any and all surgeons in the network. Thanks!!

It is funny that you ask this question now. They toured the B&M factory in Portland, Maine on the History Channel's Food Tech last night. The showed how they make and can Ortega refried beans. But you don't need to do a few hundred thousand servings at a time, so try the link below or Google, "refried beans recipe". Refried Beans Recipe | Simply Recipes Canned taste great but are loaded with sodium. Way more sodium than anyone should be consuming in one meal.

I just finished my 5th day of Optifast only and think the stuff is absolutely delicious. I've been doing 5 a day. One every 3 hours and haven't been hungry. I've lost 6 pounds since Monday. What is killing you? Hunger? The taste?

Got a call from my insurance company this morning telling me that I was approved and would be covered 100%. Great news. I just called my surgeon's office to ask if they knew I was approved. They said they knew but there was a minor complication. My surgeon was no longer operating in the hospital they were scheduling me at and they don't know which hospital will replace it. I asked how long she had known this and she said she just found out this week. I told her it would have been nice if she would have called to tell me. This is the same person that was supposed to have called my cardiologist to get the ok for me to stop my blood thinners for a couple of weeks prior to surgery and did nothing. I ended up doing it myself 3 weeks later. I probably won't have surgery for over a month. I've been drinking expensive shakes for a week now. My roommate delayed his move out of state to give me a ride to and from surgery. I've already cleared my calendar and scheduled my vacation. This is more than an inconvenience to me and the assholes don't have the common courtesy to make a phone call. I told her to call me the minute she knows anything. If I don't hear from them by next Friday; I quit and they lose out on the huge chunk of change they would have made on my surgery. I'm down 82 pounds without them. Surgery isn't as important to me that it is to a lot of people. I will just have to muster that much more willpower and hope I can keep going.

Got a call from my insurance company this morning telling me that I was approved and would be covered 100%. Great news. I just called my surgeon's office to ask if they knew I was approved. They said they knew but there was a minor complication. My surgeon was no longer operating in the hospital they were scheduling me at and they don't know which hospital will replace it. I asked how long she had known this and she said she just found out this week. I told her it would have been nice if she would have called to tell me. This is the same person that was supposed to have called my cardiologist to get the ok for me to stop my blood thinners for a couple of weeks prior to surgery and did nothing. I ended up doing it myself 3 weeks later. I probably won't have surgery for over a month. I've been drinking expensive shakes for a week now. My roommate delayed his move out of state to give me a ride to and from surgery. I've already cleared my calendar and scheduled my vacation. This is more than an inconvenience to me and the assholes don't have the common courtesy to make a phone call. I told her to call me the minute she knows anything. If I don't hear from them by next Friday; I quit and they lose out on the huge chunk of change they would have made on my surgery. I'm down 82 pounds without them. Surgery isn't as important to me that it is to a lot of people. I will just have to muster that much more willpower and hope I can keep going.

Cutting small means cutting to about the size of a pea or pencil eraser. You're supposed to chewed each of those erasers 20 - 30 times before swallowing. Have you had your pre-op consultation yet and signed the paperwork?

I am happy that you have figured this out but you shouldn't have had to. Your surgeon should have told you everything that you needed to know. Each and every bariatric surgeon should be making sure that everyone of their patients understands what will be required of them to make the band work prior to operating on them.

This is a little off-topic but if you like WW cookbooks, check out this site: BariatricEating.com Health & Nutrition - Bariatric recipes Great recipes there!