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This meal issue post op is puzzling to me, but I guess it's because every doctor is different. My post-op diet is to have clear liquids for 10 days, and another 10 of liquids along with protein shakes, milk, yogurt, and jello... I cannot eat mushies till day 21... It's interesting to see that everyone starts food at different times post-op.

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.

Hi bamagirl73, I am like you, I have Tricare as well. I just started the process, I have had my first initial appointment with the surgeon and I am scheduled for a seminar on Oct 13. I have had lab work done through my PCP last month. A total of 19 tubes of blood, I sure hope that they don't need any more tests. I am waiting on my go ahead from Tricare I guess. I am hoping to have my surgery date soon. Please keep me updated. Good luck

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!!!

HI guys! I was banded 6/7/10 and am feeling pretty good. Granted, its only been 5 days, but honestly, its been not so bad. I did not have a fill at surgery time and will not get my first one till 4 weeks out but honestly am not hungry much at all. Feel like I get really full after just a few bites which is something I don't think I have ever in my life felt before. I think its probably just swelling from the band being placed causing some restriction but honestly, I feel great. I have lost 10 pounds, I know that's from the liquid diet and pureed foods. Having a hard time getting in very many calories and an even harder time getting in the Protein. But I'm working on it every day. Hope to hear from all of you soon. And anyone that has already had it done around the same time as me. I need a buddy!! I kinda feel all alone. I did not tell anyone except my husband about my surgery, so I've been avoiding everyone in my family like the plague all week!!! Julie

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!

I'm thinking around 150-160. Last time I was there i was wearing size 10/12 pants and everyone told me I looked skinny. I've always been heavier than people think I am. But as long as I can buy in the regular size dept. I'm happy.

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??

I hated hated hated being tall and overweight! I felt so unfemine, even at a BMI of 35 which is the largest I got, I was big and beefy and I so envied women much fatter than i was just because they were small and feminine shaped. In the end, at 5ft 10, I have gotten to 135lb and I love it! I am very tall and slender and when I put heels on I feel incredible. I was never ever going to settle for just getting into my healthy weight range, I'm too much of a perfectionist.

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!! ????

(((((HUGS))))) First, you don't need our forgiveness. You should however, forgive yourself. I'm sure you've heard it all..."just dust yourself off and start over"..."don't beat yourself up, this is just one month out of many"..."just make up your mind and do it"...yadda yadda yadda... Heck, you've probably been telling yourself this for weeks. Maybe just posting it all and getting it all out there...your feelings of failure...your depression...your stress...perhaps this will help you get refocused. You have done SO well and 5-10 pounds back is NOT the end of the world. You are recognizing it early. You are addressing it by following up for a fill. You are taking control. Give yourself some credit for that. On another note...perhaps some anxiety or depression meds are needed (or need to be adjusted). I see you are in therapy, but didn't mention if you're also on a med regimin. Sometimes we need meds and sometimes those meds need adjusting. If you're depressed to the point is affecting your sleep and anxious to the point it's affecting your job...then it's worth considering. Hang in there sister! You've made remarkable progress and lost a lot of weight. Don't let that 5-10 pound indescretion define you. You can and will work it out

Seminar 12/16 Dr. Tischler's appt 12/27 Bloodwork 12/30 Upper GI series 01/03 Cardiology 01/09 Psychologist 01/09 Nutritionist #1 appt 01/10 Sleep Study 01/11 2nd nutritional appt 2/7

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.