danide

I guess the most important thing is that everyone think about their decision what ever it may be. Just like we made the very thought filled decision to get the surgery, its the same way for deciding to tell or not to tell. I think its a bigger decision then some people may think.

Oh another Zumba girl! I have the Zumba on video as well. Its fun but challenging. I haven't done it in about 3 months but I plan to start it again. It takes a lot of coordination to get it right, which I don't have, but either way, still fun. I went to my pre-testing today! Woohoo! Just spoke with the anesthesiologist (sp?), had blood taken and reviewed my health history. I thought there would be more but guess not! So excited! QUESTION- Do you really see yourself as fat as you are? I was thinking about it today and well, the truth is, mentally I don't see myself as fat until I look in the mirror or pictures. Its really odd. Can't wait for my body to fit my mental image.

Two ways I do it- first one- go into your profile page, click on customize page under your picture, then click on show all subscriptions, then on the left hand side scroll down to where it says List Subscriptions-- all pages you comment on should be there. oooorrrrr in your profile page, on the right side somewhere click on the line that says something like show all subscriptions... that should do the same thing as up on top. but the one up on top will highlight the forums that have new replies.

Hi Everyone! Wow there was so much to catch up on in just a couple days! Though I can't comment on everything, be sure that I did read everything that I missed! Im so happy that our group has grown so much! Im so glad that we have each other! :thumbup: Tomorrow is my pre-op testing! Woohooo that means that the surgery is really close! (13 days) So this weekend I started (kinda) the pre-op diet. Monday I start officially the whole week but my boyfriend suggested that I do the liquid pre-op every other day until then, just to adjust slowly to it and not get so over-whelmed. Its been going pretty good so far and I am thinking, next week and post op really wont be so bad! Hes so smart lol, and knows me so well... :wub: And the nicest thing, is that he bought me all the stuff I need to keep at his house already (we only see each other on weekends and I usually stay by his house), and on Sunday when I did the full preop- he did it with me. He certainly does NOT need to lose weight, he actually could afford to gain a few pounds.. But he said he wanted to support me and not make it hard on me by seeing him eat normal food. I thought that was incredibly sweet (unnecessary but sweet).

Wanna.b- thats what we are hear for... to support each other, guide each other and help each other! I too have found this particular group very supportive and welcoming! I do feel this is my family... my lapband family! Onceupon- I personally have decided to only tell my boyfriend, my parent, my sister (she told her hubby and thats okay with me) and my brother. None of us will be telling anyone else... at least not until I lose significant weight and people ask, but even then, I will be discrete with who I tell. Too many people have too many comments about other people. I personally don't need anyones negative thougths my way... My job knows I am having surgery but they think it is soley to repair my hiatal herina- and one friend thinks I am going for hernia repair as well. Oh and of course everyone here knows but that totally different. NYslegend- That is a great idea to buy desert size plates for your primary plates. Good way to start thinking on the right page! Sunny- I am scheduled for my pre op 2 weeks before my surgery... I heard of some people having it done within days of their surgery. I wouldn't worry about it but you should call anyway just for your own sanity. No need to worry or go crazy over something like that, they should be able to ease your mind! Everyone- Have a wonderful weekend. I won't be around until Tuesday night so... may you all have a great few days!

:biggrin: Ohhhh thats sooo not cool. So sorry to hear that. Well, I hope you feel better soon and heal fast! You'll get the surgery, whats another couple months compared to a life time. Your health and well being are the primary concern! Hang in there! phriend- welcome! Next week huh, very exciting! :smile:

Hi Everyone! HAPPY FRIDAY... and one day closer to being banded! :biggrin: Welcome kosy2! And congrats on your surgery date! Yeah Im pretty sure your surgeon wont notice a couple days! Enjoy yourself! desperatelyw.loss- that really sux about all the confusion and the big mess. I agree with phershey... demand to have all the kinks worked out before you leave. Thats crazy, how do they screw up so many things for one person? But.. it will all work out anyway! Whats a couple extra weeks when you will have a lifetime ahead of you! Ya know, its funny how we all have different info from our doctors... different pre-op requirements (some 1 week, some 2, others none), different drinking requirements (my doc told me no drinks 30 min before a meal and not for 1 hour after; others are told 15/30 and 30/30), post-op diet (ive heard some say they can eat regular food after 3 or so days, I was told- 1 day clear; 1-2 weeks liquid; 2 weeks of mushy and then solids.) I was told that i should be getting 500-800 calories per day for the first month, 800-1000 calories from 2-6 months and then 1000-1200 from 6 months to 1 year post op... Then after the year mark, expect to maintain 1200-1400 calories, depending on your activity level.. Hmmm all very interesting. My thought as well as my advice for wanna.b.healthy- As far as the "failing" after 7-10 years, I think its all relative to who does what. Some people never lose any weight with the band; ive heard some people gain weight... Its all what we individually do with it. If we eat like we have been to gain the weight, we won't be successful. Its not just the band. Its the lifestyle and how you change yourself. Can't eat a box of ho-hos or a half gallon of ice cream and expect to still lose weight. We need to mentally change ourselves along with the physical. We need to start thinking healthy and thin.. We need to remind ourselves to listen to our bellies after the surgery- it should tell us that we are full after just a little bit of food and we need to ignore our minds that tell us we need more. We need to be aware of "slipping foods" that easily digest and allow for us to eat more. I agree with stateofzen.. the more we prepare, the more we educate ourselves, the more we discuss, the more we read, the more we visualize- the better off we all are. Everyone has different experiences so we can't go by just one person, but it we take all of what we hear with just understanding some peoples experience, challenges, success, the better! CSinTX- Ohh my, so close! I love your up to the second, report! Thats awesome!

CONGRATS on the new additions of dates! Woo hoo! The count down begins! SOO today I was thinking (im always thinking- make it stop :eek:) that ... all my life I have been struggling with weight but when I look back at parts of my past, no I wasn't skinny but I wasn't fat... I thought I was fat and I always dieted like all the rest, and exercised.... but why couldn't I be happy with where I was back then? I would kill to be back to what I once was... But because of the naturally skinny and small statured girls in school and society, I felt I was too fat.... A size 12 was GREAT on me. Im not just saying this to cover up my fat but I truelly am larger boned and VERY broad shouldered, so probably a size 10 would be the absolute cut off for me.... Why do we have to be so influenced by others? Why couldn't my family and friends acknowledge that I looked great back then instead of them telling me now-- ohhh yeah when you were in high school and college, you looked really great.. Geese- ya know, could have saved years of my life beating myself up about not being thin... also I had this boyfriend.. we were together for 6 years, starting at the end of 11th grade.. and 7 months after we broke up (after I was fat and in my early 20's), he called me to appologize for making me feel bad about myself all those years. He had the nerve (though I am glad for it) to tell me that he thought I had the perfect body but made me feel like i wasn't good enough purposely because cause he actually felt that he wasn't good enough for me (he appologized for a few things). Okay great but by this point- my self esteem was depleated and still, about 8 yrs later, working on rebuilding my self esteem. WTF. And I only realized about 1 year ago that I hide behind my fat.... I have an amazing boyfriend now (for 3.5 yrs) but because of a few bad breakups in my past, I put on more weight to protect myself... I learned that my thought is, if I am very fat, then thats a good reason to be broken up with and it won't hurt so much to be left cause its expected... but if I was beautiful before and "a great person" and broken up with, why wasn't I good enough..." soooo now that I am 30 and have done a lot of self reflection and therapy- I am so ready to live my life again. One where I feel good about myself and not needing to care what other people think. Now that I know who I am as a person... I can't wait to get back to where I should be physically so I can have the confidence, energy, and pride that I need to do the things I want. And as far as my relationship, he is super supportive and loves me for me but I know he will be super super excited and proud when I get to a nice size (at least to where he met me, if not less). Thanks for letting me vent again! :thumbup: Oh and yeah, I didn't start the pre-diet today- I wasn't fully prepared- so heres to tomorrow! How is everyone else doing? Are we all ready? Its coming closer! YAYYYYYY :tt2:

Hi Everyone! Happy Hump Day (just 40 minutes left but better late then never!) Welcome all newbies! As for Calcium, I have began taking Caltrate (as per doctor recommendation to add some calcium last month), its 600 mgs (plus vitamin D) for 1 pill. Its recommended to take 3 but right now I just take 1 and then 1 multi-vitamin- Centrum... I just bought the chewable ones but haven't finished my regular bottle yet, I have a few more days left with those. How do you get into this fabulous group... GIRL, You're ALREADY in... You're getting banded in September and you are interested in being with us! :smile2: So glad you joined us! I agree Lily, its seems like its going sooo slow but really, its not... I keep saying 3 weeks-- hahaha I said 3 weeks like 5 weeks ago. I guess thats just my excitement! I am starting my pre-diet tomorrow! Its sooner then required by my doctor, but it can't hurt. I would like to lose a few extra pounds as a jump start. Maybe I won't be super super strick with it but its a start. I told my job today that I will be having surgery so I won't be in that week of.. I told them its for my hiatal hernia... Not a complete lie... I will be having my hernia repaired :eek: I can't wait! Woo hoo!

Hey September bandsters! There is a pretty big group of us chatting on "Looking for September 2010 Bandsters" in the Pre-Op section! You should all join us! Yeah there are some incredible stories of people who went through the surgery already. Some are a bit scary but it seems that the larger part have been successful and have had no complications! Thats a relief.. better odds! Its inspiring to hear the stories and its actually a great way to prepare for whats to come. Because of some of the stories, I have been preparing mentally and emotionally since it truelly is not just a physcial change! And have you seen some of the before and after pictures.... Incredible! Well, Congratulations to all on the process! I cant wait for mine (sept. 7th)! And I hope to see you all in the other September group!

Thats great Cathy! CONGRATULATIONS! And just think about how long you waited to get the first date to start with, and now they are bumping you up! Thats awesome! I would love to have it sooner myself but I will take what I got! :frown: And to ask if you can still be in this group.... I say, for myself and probably everyone else.... Hell Yeah! :mad2: Of course. Its only days off and we luv you , your input and all that! And we can use you for our own preparation! :cursing: You can tell us all about your experience and help us through our process! HI TO EVERYONE! WELCOME NEWBIES!

Okay so its official... I have been denied by my insurance company due to the fact that I have not had a BMI of 40 or more for at least 2 years and have no co-morbidities. Uhhhhh.. Grrrrrrrrr I've been fat all my life except for a few months here and there. Ive only been at BMI of 40 (or more) for about 9 months but soo what.. Ive been over BMI of 35 for like 3 years and BMI of at least 30 for like 10 years, doesn't that count for anything. I have been from 200 to 180 to 225 to 195 to 210 to 230 to 220 to 230 to 245 to 230 to 250 within 4 years, doesn't that count for anything? Okay so what that I don't have a current co-morbidity... itsn't what Im doing PREVENTION... doesn't that court? :huh2: Okay so I was denied but that won't stop me. I have already decided and now confirmed that if I wasn't insured, I will pay for the surgery. SO thankfully my parents agreed to lend me the money and I will pay them back monthly. I mean this is my life and my future right... what better investment is that? Its cheaper then my car was so thats a bonus! I mean if I can spend $20,000 on a car that can be destroyed in seconds, isn't a $16,000 surgery that can change, improve and potentially save my life well worth it! So Bye Bye Money but Hello Life! Thanks for letting me vent!

excellent! Congratulations!!!!!!

I was just denied by my insurance company.. I did EVERYTHING that was required, all for 7 months, but then after all was done I was pretty much told that I haven't been fat enough for long enough.... They require a 2 year period of having a BMI of 40+ or 35+ with co-morbidities.... Well, Ive been fat most of my life, expect a few months here and there... I have been over 200 lbs for at least 7 years... But Ive only been BMI of 40 for 9 months... and i have no co-morbidities... So I was denied. So now I will be self paying... I won't let my insurance dictate my future and my life. Don't they believe in a thing call PREVENTION? So yeah, I would say, call your insurance company and get ALL the info about their requirements and policies about WLS. Good Luck and WELCOME! :cursing:

I haven't been banded yet (september 7) but I have always exercised (sporadically for weeks here and there). Some motivators other then body image are things like - 1- you will have more energy day to day (after you get into it for a few days) 2- great stress reliever 3- strengthen muscles and bones so you have a strong body for when you are older 4- it helps your brain function better 5- brings the better mood out of you 6- cloths will fit better 7- while losing the weight from the band, you wont get as much loss/saggy skin 8- it makes you want to do more physically 9- it strenghtens your heart and lungs. Even if you do a little at a time- as long as you move, you will get into it more. I personally really like this DVD- Walk Away The Pounds with Leslie Sansome. Its walking in your home at a fast pace but theres more then just walking in place. Its easy, its kinda fun and it works. You can start with 1 mile at a time (its only like 20 minutes). Just walk around your block a couple times. Or while watching TV, walk in place, jog in place, do some crunches or squats. Easier said then done. But just a few extra minutes a day will help a little! :cursing: Good Luck! And btw, 44 pounds in less then 3 months sounds like your are doing AWESOME! Congratulations! I hope to be that successful!

Welcome and Congratulations on getting your date! Very exciting! Like RK said, join us at "Looking of September 2010 Bandsters" in the pre-op section! (haha Rk)- are we the recruiters for our "club?" lol

Good Morning everyone! Hope everyone is having a good Monday so far. I wanted to share about the Jillian Michaels Protein shake Mix... (after trying others before)... its $10 at walmart for 14 oz container- apx 14 servings, vanilla and chocolate only. Pretty good! No bad after taste (which I found with a few other protein drinks). VERY filling! 100 calories, 15 grams protein and only 3 grams of sugar and only 1.5 grams of fat! I use apx 14 oz of fat free lactose free milk with 1.5 scoops of the mix and blend it in the magic bullet (it doesn't stir or shake well). recommended serving is 6-8 oz of liquid with 1 scoop of mix. Lovely- Yeah that really sux about your aunt. It is 6 months of supervised dieting based on SOME health insurance companies, if thats the route you are going. (haha I did my 6 months as required.. damnit I could have had it done already if I knew I wasn't "fat enough for long enough.") I heard of a several people on this site saying they had it within a month or two. Again, it depends on your surgeon and health insurance and other tests you need to get done. Did you go to the Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, Gastrointestinal Specialist, Nutrionist and Psychologist yet? Those "pre-tests" are they only things you would have to wait for really to get started. But you can get those done all within a week if necessary probably. Are you and your aunt going to the same surgeon? Gale and Cathy- Keep calling! The squeeky wheel gets the grease (usually). Call every day if you have to. There is no reason for them to not at least acknowledge you two by explaining why its taking so long! Thats just not right.

Here you go RK...

Thanks Char! Going out of state would be fine but by the time I pay for travel and hotel accomodations, it would be getting close to the same amount! But thank you for the suggestion. I don't mind spending the money so much just because I had it in my head already that it may come to that. I love my surgeon/staff/hospital. Maybe I can convince them not to keep me over night and it will knock off a chunk of money. We'll see!

Okay everyone- I wrote this in another section because its that annoying to me, but Im just gonna paste what I wrote just to give you all my personal update, just cause I need to vent more! Okay so its official... I have been denied by my insurance company due to the fact that I have not had a BMI of 40 or more for at least 2 years and have no co-morbidities. Uhhhhh.. Grrrrrrrrr I've been fat all my life except for a few months here and there. Ive only been at BMI of 40 (or more) for about 9 months but soo what.. Ive been over BMI of 35 for like 3 years and BMI of at least 30 for like 10 years, doesn't that count for anything. I have been from 200 to 180 to 225 to 195 to 210 to 230 to 220 to 230 to 245 to 230 to 250 within 4 years, doesn't that count for anything? Okay so what that I don't have a current co-morbidity... itsn't what Im doing PREVENTION... doesn't that court? :biggrin: Okay so I was denied but that won't stop me. I have already decided and now confirmed that if I wasn't insured, I will pay for the surgery. SO thankfully my parents agreed to lend me the money and I will pay them back monthly. I mean this is my life and my future right... what better investment is that? Its cheaper then my car was so thats a bonus! :huh2: I mean if I can spend $20,000 on a car that can be destroyed in seconds, isn't a $16,000 surgery that can change, improve and potentially save my life well worth it! So Bye Bye Money but Hello Life! Thanks for letting me vent! Now I want September 7th to get here even sooner! SCREW YOU AETNA! YOU AREN'T GOING TO GET IN THE WAY OF MY FUTURE! :biggrin:

HI! There are many of us (me September 7th), Join Us at "looking for September 2010 Bandster" - Like Grace said- in the Pre-Op section! Welcome and Congrats on the date!

CONGRATULATIONS! Glad to see that you are doing pretty good so far! Please do keep us informed! For those who are anxiously waiting to get ours done, we sooooo want to know what to expect and how its going! Heal fast!

Thats awesome Marci! It shouldn't matter if anyone sees or not- its for YOU! Its for you to feel sexy and pretty! No one may know- but you do and thats what matters!

LovelyMiss- I love the logo! Thats awesome! How can I get it? Congratulations to those with new info- approvals and dates! Welcome to some newcomers! Well this WAITING is killing me. I still don't have insurance approval yet- but thats okay.. Its the surgery date that is making me nuts ( :w00t:.) It seems so close but then every couple days I look at the calendar and its sooo far. It seems like a whole month Ive been saying, only 4 more weeks.. COME ON ALREADY! I still have to wait... its on the 4th Tuesday from now..... Okay, not fully 4 weeks, but close enough! I haven't fully started the pre-op diet, but I have started making changes that will let me adjust to the full diet easier. I will fully start it probably on the 23rd (2 weeks before rather then the suggested 1 week). As far as exercise :w00t: ... (I have always exercised- just not consistantly) I will get started with a routine come Monday. I really like (and previously saw results) with the Walk Away The Pounds video by Leslie Sansome (something like that). Its not super intense but its full body and not boring. Also, I have the Zumba video (as seen on TV).. Super fun but intense. I am not super coordinated so that makes the exercise a little aggrivating. But like I said, its fun! Other then that, I will just start moving more- ya know, videos, dancing, crunches, push ups, squats.. I would love to start jogging but that might have to wait till I get into a regular routine and build up my stamina. I have a gym membership (that I haven't used in about 4 months due to change of job location... I joined a Planet Fitness where my previous job was but thats 35 miles away and yeah.. Im not going into Harlem just to exercise. There is no Planet Fitness by my home yet- they are in the process of opening one about 3 miles from me maybe within the next month or two- then I can transfer to that one). BTW- I love Planet Fitness... its comfortable. I have been a member at Bally Total Fitness and Lucille Roberts (in my past years) and they always had those "show off" types of people. At PF- I didn't feel that way. I mean after all- its the "No Judgement Zone"- haha. Thanks for listening! May you all have a FANTABULOUS weekend!