Zippy74

I'm in the middle of my mushies stage and have found baby food to be great tasting and convenient in that they are already in the right sizes (2.5-4oz). I'm type 2 diabetic and am used to watching carbs. Baby food is low in carbs and many are high in protien and already pureed. Also, I've been doing fingerling potatoes. They are lower in carbs than regular potatoes and naturally taste like they are smothered in butter and you don't need to add milk :thumbup:! Just make sure you get the gold ones vs the red or purple as the red/purple don't taste as buttery. Most stores carry them in the produce section and if there is a Trader Joes in your area they carry them too. I have used the empty baby food jars to divide up the potatoes so I have a pre-measured amount ready to go. I need a lot of variety when I eat so I've been doing sugar free puddings and greek yogurt (high in Protein, no fat, low or no carbs). Haven't tried the cauliflower as others have suggested but will definitely try it! Hang in there! Zippy!

I was banded 9/27 and had several days of constipation with no weight loss and was frustrated too. Then suddenly I went and the pounds started coming off. My only challenge thus far is getting enough Water in. Some alternatives I was given for protien (the powders give me nausea) post liquid diet: sugar free pudding with 1% milk, milk has the Protein. Any pureed baby foods - this may have helped the consitpation?!. They aren't cheap but it's much easier to get the pureed consistency and they are measured 2.5 or 4 oz jars. However, you have to read labels and find ones high in protein. I like the meat and gravy flavors (chicken and chicken gravy for example) and they have 8g of protein. Greek yogurt - it has way more protein in it. I'm eating the Chobani brand with the fruit at the bottom, 0 fat and it's 14g of protein. If you get the plain it's 23g but doesn't taste all that great. I added sugar free Jello powder to it and it tasted better. They mentioned Kefir as well but it's not as high in protein. Good luck everyone and I'm glad we all have eachother! Makes this so much easier to go through... thank you all!

Hey Gang! Banded a week ago today and am already down 14 pounds!! Looks like everyone else is having a good drop in pounds/kilograms as well!!

Thanks Cathy!!

Hey September Bandies!! I'm in just under the wire on September 29th!! Good luck to all of you!!

Hey Everyone, New to the board/forum and wanted to say "Hi." I look forward to chatting with you and reading more about your journey as well. :sad: Zippy

Hey Everyone, I've already acquired the following items: Bottle Shaker Gymboss Interval Timer (Protein recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery by Michele Bontempo-Saray (Found on Amazon.com) The Barriatric Dr's office will provide me with the list of shakes and supplements to buy. So with all that here are my two questions..... Q1: Is there anything else I should get for pre-op? Q2: Is there anything else I should get for post-op? Thanks!! Zippy

Hey Gang, I am so excited and happy that I'm finally approved. It's been a long year but now I can put all that behind me. My surgery will be done in September. I'm going for my cariologist check on Tuesday 7/27. I'm going to read through the Pre-op posts regarding preparation for the surgery but if any of you want to chime in with suggestions/comments PLEASE DO :-)

Thanks AmberK. It took me almost a full year to get approved. I guess it depends on which AETNA plan you have as to how fast/slow and what they want you to have done prior to approval. Regardless, congrats on your approval and looks like your surgery is just around the corner.:biggrin:

Wow jfriddell, that is indeed frustrating. The only things I've been told to do so far is see a Cardiologist (Tuesday 7/27) and then coordinate with the Red Cross for my blood donation. Once the clearance comes from the Cardiologist I am to have my 1 on 1 with my Lap-Band® Doc. I'll be prepared for more stuff to do now that you've mentioned what happened to you. Hang in there and I hope it all works out. :biggrin:

Thanks jfriddell. Where are you in the process?

Thanks!! And I love that you have a ticker counting down the days to surgery!! Brilliant! :biggrin:

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support. To answer the question "Why were you denied?": AETNA states the reason was because I had not followed a 6 month doctor supervised diet. They wouldn't accept that I've been on a strict diebetic diet with Dr. documented weight data every three months for the past 5 years and that I am at the end of my rope with the diabetes. I'm alergic to the non-weight gaining diabetic medications and I'm maxed out on the dosage as well. I've been working with one of the best bariatric surgery centers in Orange Co. California and supposedly the wording has been the best that it can be. When I called Aetna I was told that even if I were on my death bed I'd be required to complete the 6 month diet. But it's also my understanding that the requirement is dependent on the policy itself. So, some of us with AETNA will get this road block where as others will not.

:sad::thumbup::thumbup::wink2::thumbup::wub::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: I'm excited for you!! Thanks for the welcome and keep in touch on your progress. I'm in San Juan Capo south of Irvine/Santa Ana and see you are in Bakersfield. Best of luck today. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

After reading several posts, it appears that AETNA can be fast but can also be very slow. I started the process with AETNA back in July 2009, didn't get a decision until October and was denied. Completed the 6 month requirement of doctor supervised diet in April and re-submitted. Still waiting for an answer in July 2010. It appears to be dependent on your specific situation and your policy....I have one of the AETNA POS II plans. Best of luck to you and everyone else on here....it is very nerve racking and frustrating.