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Wow Awesome. I am seeing green too! I have completed everything they require. Just waiting on the psyc report to be sent to my pcp so everything can be submitted. He said it would be ready by 01-15-08 but I think I will start bugging them since you said it was quick for you.

A liquid is technically anything that can go up a straw and at 10 days out they can be quite thick. There isnt any need to live on shakes. You could blend up a decent Soup - one that contains meat and Pasta for example. If you need to thin it, do so with some chicken stock or a canned tomatoes, Water or milk, depending what it is. You can also blend fruit, yogurt and an egg with some flavouring, it doesnt have that horrid soy-ish Protein shake taste. You can put bran or other Cereal in it too. You can thin anything to a liquid, even a roast dinner. Just make it into a savoury soup with stock. Just keep it to healthy, energy giving foods and dont eat them in solid form until you are allowed to.

I get the headaches - it usualy means (FOR ME) that i am done eating... Ive noticed that regardless if i eat slow or a lil faster, i still get them. My dr said everyones body tells them differently when ur full, so i assume this is mine - its not a major headache, almost like the onset of one - once i stop eating, im OK, it goes away after 5 min or 10. good luck

Oh, please don't feel like a failure. Please remember there are no failures, just learning experiences. You know what it feels like to still be hungry so just know that the right feeling is coming. I have had 3 fills and each one has been different. In one of the forum's I read on here, it said that as we lose weight, the fat pad around the band shrinks and we may have to continue to get fills but along about the 6th or 7th fill mark, the adjustments will get smaller. Please look at it from that perspective. Also, for those whom it takes more of a fill to reach your sweet spot, you may just have a smaller pie hole opening so it takes more fills to make it smaller than it would someone with a larger opening. I understand where you are. I go for my 4th fill on the 23rd of this month and I have to admit that I seem to be hungrier this month than I have been. Maybe I need to ask them to give me a tad bit more of a fill. If you are anything like me, I have spent years dispising my body and beating myself up for what I am not. I am impatient with my weight and have had times when I just could not look in the mirror and liked what I saw. I want this weight to fall off my bones and I don't want to be hungry in the process. Well, I got sick and tired of that. This is the only body I am ever going to have. I beat it up and that just didn't work. The more I hated it, the worse I made things. I prayed for help for so many years. I got it. Not only was I banded and the weight is coming off (not as fast as I would like) but I have discovered that I can roll over in bed easier. I am jogging (very surprising that I love it) and yesterday I sat in a chair and saw myself cross my legs. I am taking note of the things that are working and the things that are not. I know I am hungrier than I was and with a week to go until my next fill, I am just filling myself full of things that I enjoy that are low in calories. I have been eating pickles and some tuna with low fat mayo with olive oil, pickle relish and celery seed. It is really good. I know I have to push forward with this and I am determined to succeed. I did as someone on here suggested and got a charm bracelet and I put my next charm out on my desk to remind myself what I am working towards. I put a charm on my bracelet for every 10 lbs I loose. So far, I have got 3 charms on there and I have one more pound to lose before I can add the 4th. I also bought my other 10 charms and take them out and look at them from time to time to help decide which order I am going to add them. I am going to spend about an hour after while and take up the waistbands of all of my pants. I know the hunger can get to you and be very distracting but PLEASE don't beat yourself up. Keep seeing yourself as completing your goal and be determined to make it to your next fill and know that this time it is going to work. When? When it does............and it will. We only fail when we give up. You know your next fill is coming and if it takes 5 more then it takes 5 more. If it's fine this month and not the next then you may be losing your fat pad around your band (woo hoo) and may need another adjustment to not be as hungry. We can look at the hunger as a sign that we are weak and need to beat ourselves up someone or we can use it as a sign that we just need another fill and this too shall pass. As for me, I plan on telling my doc that I am a lot more hungrier this time. My explanation to him of what is going on is the only way he knows how much to add and I am charming and persistant and usually get my way. This is my body and my journey, just as it is yours. Hang in there sunshine. We are on our way.

How's your life changed since surgery? How many of you have gone from a 5 to a 10? Haha. How has your confidence changed? Your dating life? The looks? Opportunities? I want to hear all the changes. It gets me excited and makes me feel amazing hearing all the success stories. I can't believe I'm living in my own success story. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

All is going well, I feel fantastic! Slight hunger, decent amount of energy. Im having NO PROBLEMS getting my fluids in or protein. Actually Im concerned that my sleeve is too big.... anyone have this issue??? I haven't weighed myself since surgery, but I will when I get home to Texas today or tomorrow. 51 year old woman VSG DATE: 10/28/17 5' 5" HW: 259 CW: SW: 245 GOAL: Healthy and hard

I was on a trip out of the country last week and I am sure I gained a few lbs because my body clock is really messed up right now so I was tighter at different times than usual - anyway, I have been very discouraged lately because I am a year out June 27th and I think I have only lost about 18-20 lbs. I had 50 to lose so almost half but I thought by now I would be almost to my goal. It is very very slow so I feel like I am not losing at all. Sometimes I can eat so much and sometimes like this morning I could barely swallow my protein shake - since I was on a plane for 10 hours yesterday may have something to do with dehydration but I have been thinking a lot the past few days are the scars, the port sticking up, the choking at dinner worth it. I guess I will give it another year and see but my stomach still sticks out so much I can't believe it isn't smaller after 11 months. Thanks for letting me vent.

I've been banded for 10 months and have lost 112lbs. I have started doing the Insanity workout, something incredibly intense and something I would never have been able to do before. I'm fitting into size sixteens (from a size 26), getting hit on by men (something my husband isn't always thrilled about), and feeling great about myself most of the time. If I hadn't had the band done, I would probably be another 30lbs heavier by now.

The Backstage Pass Radio Program is sponsored by BariatricPal.com! You can save 15% at store.bariatricpal.com by using the code DIVAT or POWERGIRL at checkout! WANT TO WIN SOME PRIZES TONIGHT? I got you covered! 7pm PST, keep this number handy: 347-857-2052! I am giving away 2 makeup kits, a turquoise necklace set, and a $10 Gift Card of your choice on tonight's show at 7pm! To win, you'll just need to call-in when prompted and give me the name of ONE of tonight's show sponsors (hint: you should say BARIATRICPAL.COM!!!) To listen to the show streaming on any device, simply click on this link: http://tobtr.com/9615387 Or, you can go directly to www.backstagepassradio.com. I'll also be doing a Facebook Live! from my personal page @divataunia and on the radio show page @backstagepassradio I have two big announcements at the top of the show that you don't want to miss! Thanks for sharing and spreading the word. Talk with you tonight at 7pm PST!!

wow! That is awesome. I hope you are doing the happy dance while you are wearing those size 10 jeans!! Congratulations! Summer

Yea !!! I'm in a 16 but I'm hoping to be in a 10 one day! ( was 20)

Hi everyone! I am so excited and scared at the same time. I am sure I am among the thousands who feel this way. I started my journey 1 1/2 years ago with aquiring and insurer who would pay for bariatric surgery. I talked with the people at Bariatric Treatment Centers and they told me BCBS would be the best insurance for me to get. So I did. I had to wait a minimum of 6 months before doing anything. So I did. I went to my evaluation, meeting and consultation. They told me I was in. Then I broke my ankle in 3 places and was a mess. On top of being a single mom with a house hold of animals and a full time job I now was barely able to get around even on crutches. My one year anniversary is 2/19 of my slip and fall. I needed to recover from that to go forward with the surgery. Then 2 months later when I was feeling better but still in a cast I recieved a letter stating they were no longer excepting my insurance. Well I was extremely dissappionted but wondered if it was meant to be that I did not have surgery. So I kind of forgot about the idea. Thinking about it but realizing maybe my life was at risk if I did it. I met a nice lady who had the lap band surgery in November 2003 who had the lap band surgery and had lost 111 lbs. in a little over a year. She told me it was a much lower risk and less time in recovery and reversible if I didn't like it. I had looked online in the past about this surgery and liked that it was done laproscopic but had not done much about it. Feeling like I could do it on my own. But I am and have been unsuccessful in removing the unwanted pounds for years. The more I diet the more I eventually gain. So I went to the seminar about 10 days ago and did my phyc evaluation before the seminar and yesterday took care of consultation, blookwork, insurance and I am scheduled for surgery Monday 2/2/2004. I am so excited. Please wish me luck and I so hope to join the ranks of all of your success stories! Terri

i am wanting to get some feedback the level of restriction people have. 1. when you drink first thing in the am is it more like: c. i can drink room temp. cold beverages (about 20 oz. in a hour or less) But, only after about an hour after waking 2. for breakfast i eat: PLEASE also list the time of breakfast! a. protien shake-sometimes, if I am in a hurry, I wouldn't call it a Protein shake technically, it is instant breakfast b. mushies- oatmeal, cream of wheat, scram eggs, yogurt keeps pouch full for hours I wouldn't say for hours. I can't eat eggs, they won't go down at any hour no matter how they are cooked. Oatmeal is what I usually eat 3. do you ever have acid reflux, indigestion? d. occasionally 1-2 times a month 4. how much can you eat of the following (round-a-bout): protien shake: no restriction unless it is very thick *chicken-I can only eat saucy, as in Soups or casserole. If I eat plain I can eat one bite and that is it. *salad:Can eat until it goes out of style. I feel no restriction when eating salad-unless there are eggs, bacon or non veggies in it *sandwich-can't eat sandwich bread at all, can eat about 3 bites if it is toasted, can eat a small piece of french bread. If I eat bread before food everything will get stuck *chicken, soft veggie, carb or another veggie (i know this varies with the order you eat in BUT please go buy how you typically eat?): I avoid chicken, it is just too hard to fool with. As far as meat, I am real limited. Grouper, Salmon, shrimp (basically anything seafood) goes down fine-Salmon, sometimes not, if it is overcooked. Ribeye steak--minus the fat, goes down okay. Veggies, go down good for me for the most part. With the exception of mushy veggies--peas, corn potatoes. Carbs, it depends on what it is. It is a trial/error 5. are you happy with your restriction? b. no but i have good restriction 6. when you pb why is it: choose all that apply a. because i ate to fast b. because i tried to eat solids c. because i wasnt paying attention to eating d. no reason I could come up with lol 7. how often do you pb? d. once a week 8. how much liquids do you get in in a day? b. i struggle to get in 64 oz. (because i'm lazy) Well actually with the time you have to wait between meals it can be a struggle 9. do you eat in the correct order (protien first, veggies, then carb): d. most of the time i eat in the correct order (70%) but its a struggle 10. do you drink with meals: b. nope __________________

Hi! This is my first posting. I was banded May 15th, 2004 by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. I am 44 years old 5'1" my banded weight was 205 lbs. I am now 142 lbs. I would like loose 10 more pounds. Except with family, I'm not comfortable talking about my banding yet. I've joined your group in an effort to change that.

That is GREAT...it is crazy when you think of what we carry and are losing. Im down 50lbs but I often think of that as 10 - 5 lb bags of potatoes. Try going to the store and picking all that up in your arms at once. It blows my mind. I can't imagine how it feel to lose 100, 125, 150 and more like many here have been successful doing....However, I do look forward to that day. Thanks for sharing that great story!

At this time I have not been sleeved and won't be until Jan 26th and that's not a huge problem but I have been on my lower carb intake for about 6 months and not doing to bad I lost 38 lbs and since my nut visits are over I have really just been cruising. Not trying to lose really but certainly not wanting to gain and I have been doing fine with that. But here is my problem............................. On Christmas morning a tradition in our family is to have fresh blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs. I know that I still want to do this on Christmas morning and I feel like a couple of fattening meals on Christmas day should not be a deal breaker. I am also working a deal in my head that says I will lose anything that I gain that day on my 10 day pre-op diet! Help me out here.

So, I've been fat for most of my life. I've been fat ever since I was roughly 10 years old, but what I considered fat then is nothing compared to the state I am at now. After I got sex reassignment surgery, my metabolism went straight to hell and my energy levels fell. I didn't make any lifestyle changes afterwards, but the fact that I didn't was a part of the problem that resulted in the state where I am now. And gaining so much weight, I likely contracted sleep apnea due to my weight gain and also contracted plantar fasciitis, which makes it harder to be out and about without my arches screaming at me. I've tried so many diet and exercise programmes, from Bikram Yoga to Weight Watchers, from marathon training to calorie counting, from parkour to South Beach. In fact, I would have continued trying if not for someone in a chat room. They told me that I should get a lap band... to which I said "why? I can exercise, I have the discipline to diet, why the hell would I need a lap band?" We had a long discussion about bariatric surgery and I decided to do my research. I first considered the programme at Denver Health. After all, I didn't know about the programme just north of me in Fort Collins (and to be quite honest, that's kinda okay given the support network I've built up there) and I thought Denver Health was the natural place to go. That and UCHealth has had... issues with serving employees of the State of Colorado. So, I went to their support groups/medical weight loss classes (which were combined), attended sessions with their psychologist and saw their nutritionist only to get rejected because I had clinical depression. I feel the problem was that since the psychologist was not my regular psychologist and did not know me nor my support network well, that made her more skittish than she should have been. I then contacted the programme at Northern Colorado Surgical Associates (which is a part of the Poudre Valley Health System and their combined programme is called the "Bariatric Centre of the Rockies") and started attending their medical weight loss classes, their patient education seminar, got my regular therapist and prescriber to write my letter, and as of Tuesday, had surgery with them. Unfortunately, I don't feel that I can attend their support groups often (as their support groups are in Fort Collins and the transit back down to Longmont after 8pm is dismal at best), but the good news is that I have found other practices in the area which have support groups that I might be able to attend. I have a therapist that I really mesh with and I have a support network from both my church and my political party (Green Party of Colorado, FTW!) And I look forward to the future. I look forward to wearing all those cute goth/steampunk clothes I see in my Facebook news feed, I look forward to finishing up my transition by having facial feminization surgery/breast augmentation (which can only happen once I get to my goal weight, if my concern is having the best results), and most pressing, I look forward to the day I can waltz into the Denver Health support groups, look into the eyes of the nutritionists, psychologists, and that bariatric coordinator and tell them where they can stick it.

I'm about 10 wks out and feeling great! The first few days, first week can be a royal pain in the #$%!!! Take smaller sips, basically get tiny bit of fluid in your mouth and llet it slide down your throat. Took me awhile, because I realized I was a gulper. Just keep sipping. The gas hurts, belly sore, but, I had to really push myself to get up and walk. Even for a few minutes at a time. I, did this as often as possible. It really helped! Hang in there, rest when you need to, walk when you don't want, and cherish this journey!!!

So i am now 19 days post op. in my mushies stage. I am not currently working so I am home all day. When I wake up I can not eat, dont even want to at all. so I drink a protien shake. then I am hungry at about 1 or 2 so i will eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of whatever mush protien. then i will eat again around 6 or 7. then around 9pm my stomach growls and feels so empty I am starving! I feel hungry, its not just head hunger, its a little soon to eat again but really i am hungry!!! So every night nw i have been eating cream of wheat with sf syrup to sweeten it, made with milk and i also add beneprotien to up the protien content. it helps but i am still hungry after that. I try waiting an hour and then drinking fluids to help, which it doesnt really. I am also not losing any weight despite not going over 900 calories. I am getting the right amount pf protien and working on the fluids right now im at like 60. Am i doing something wrong, am i hurting myself by eating at night? if i dont eat i cant sleep because i am hungry. I am not losing at all, and i am exercising 3-4 times a week since i was released to do ....ack! HeLP!

Zero at surgery. 3 cc's 6 weeks post-op. 10 weeks post-op, another cc added. At 14 weeks (in a couple more weeks) possibly another cc.

Hello, I am in the process of started my visits and i am wanting to know what is deemed medically necesssary per title 19? I called the customer care and I was informed only my provider can request that information? If anyone can help me I would appreciate it??

Climb a flight of stairs and not have to hide being winded at the top. Paint my toenails/tie my shoes. Try on clothes/shoes without breaking into a sweat 10 minutes in. Go to a mall and buy clothes from a store with no plus size section. Hike the Grand Canyon. Go out to a fancy restaurant and actually feel like I deserve to be there just as much as the skinny people. Fit into an airplane seat again. Comfortably. That's the beginning of my list!! ????

LEO, CONGRATULATIONS!! YOU'RE AN INSPIRATION. CATHY BANDED 3/22 276 10/03 227/?

From what I have heard the Med Grp decides if you are approved for the referral letter and once BCBS has that you get the surgery. The nurse told me not to lose much weight during the diet or I would not get the referral. What med grp are you with? My med grp used to have a 12 month diet for HMO and 10% wt loss but recently changed that because so many people were complaining. Im sure some day these 6 month diets will be a thing of the past. I have a 25 year diet that I could tell them all about.:thumbup: Please keep us posted on your progress.

Just wanted to let you know that there are a couple of other doctors in the Columbus area. They work in the Mount Carmel Hospital system and their practice is Mid Ohio Surgical. I think the names are Timothy Price & Philip Custer. I'm not 100% sure of the first names but I know the last names are correct. I called OSU and they tried to convince me to choose the bypass, so I got away from them quick. I am going to Dr. Duckett in Maumee Ohio because of insurance reasons. Good luck in your journey! My surgery is scheduled for Jan 19. Sheila