Hello all, I am getting ready to go to the seminar and in hopes of changing my life for ever. I have already got pre-certified from my insurance so hopefully the next 6 mo. will go by quickly. I am very nervous but excited. I am looking for new friends and experiences so talk to me and I also would like to know other peoples receipes and do's and don'ts regarding diet after the surgery. Beck:wink_smile:

Are you from around Parkersburg? Letting Kaplan do it?? Its neat finally seeing people on here who are going to the same doctor. Just up until recently I was the only one from this area on this site.

Oh wow!!! I am sorry that you are fighting infection. That is holding you back from your fill. That would be hard. So you are eating solid foods then. I wasn't sure if we could have chicken. I love chicken. I am not a red meat eater so it won't bother me not to have that. My hardest thing for me giving up will be bread. I love bread.

I was a Bread Addict. I still sneak some bread in from time to time. I just have to be VERY careful. I have had bread get stuck, not a good feeling at all. I think the bread was the hardest thing for me to give up.

The soft diet is like food you would feed a toddler,something easy to chew up.

Do they start you on a diet immediately? If so if you lose a bunch of weight will they disquailify you? I am so stressed out about not losing and losing just to so I can get to the approval from BCBS. I think this is stressing me out more than the surgery.lol

Hello all. I am a WV person too. My surgeon is Kaplan . I go for my 9th weigh in on Friday. I have lost 26 lbs so far. I love everyone down there. Jeannie, Lindsey and all of them are so nice. I look forward to my appts and they are very helpful. My surgery is supposed to be sometime in November. I am so excited. I started at 419 lbs and I am down to 393. Hope to be down more on friday and before surgery.

Hello Froggy, Nice to meet you. So you are going through the 6 month evaluation right now. I go to the seminar on the 6th of September. I am so excited. Congrats on your weight loss. You are doing really good. Dr. Kaplan will be my surgeon as well. When did you go to your seminar?

My seminar was April 5th. I started my 6th month supervised diet on May 6th. It has gone by so quickly. Thanks for the congrats. I haven't stopped eating carbs but I quit drinking carbination and caffiene back in february and that really jump started my weight loss. I try to exercise at least 1 to 2 miles 4 to 5 days a week. Lindsey has me on between 1200 and 1600 calories I usually eat around 1200-1300.

Do you have bcbs insurance as well. It just seems like it is going to take forever to get started. What have you experienced the do's and don'ts for the pre weight loss for the insurance. Do Linsey and Jeannie take care of everything for you as far as the paperwork go for the insurance? I have already been told that you have to exercise. Do you also have to lose a certain amount of weight?

I have DGA (Diversified Group Administrators)

When I started the program they were only a month into having it at CCMH and I was told I didn't have to lose any but I wasn't allowed to gain. I dunno if it's like that now. I didn't have to lose a specific amount. My insurance wanted a bunch of stuff that other insurances don't want, that's why I am doing several tests this month. I had to see a pulmonologist for my insurance and he wants all the extra testing. My insurance isn't too bad though. In october when I start preop and get my EGD(endoscopy) I have to pay up front 1700 dollars. That's not too bad considering it's all 17,000 dollars for it.

No, that is not to bad at all. I just can't wait to get started. Letting go of the carbs and sugar will be hard for me. I have never really done a full protien diet before. This will be all new for me. I did weight watchers in 2000 and lost 111 pounds and gained 160 pounds back. OUCH!! So I am looking to have something that I know will help me along the weigh and it will still be there like a crutch to depend on.

Hello every one I am from WV and I am being scheduled for lapband and hernia surgery. Could anyone tell me how much recovery time will I need off from work.

Edited September 2, 200817 yr by Kay7

Congrats on the weight loss!! I had trouble loosing in the preop. I had a lecture at the halfway point because I hadnt lost any, hadnt gained, but had no weight loss. So I lost about 10 pounds after that.

It's so neat to actually see and talk to "Kaplans Bandsters" on here. There for a while I was the only one. I was one of his, Ill take that back, I was his first patient to be seen for the band. The 6 months go by fast, they keep you busy at times.Recovery from just the band takes about 2 weeks, I dont know the recovery time with the hernia in it. It shouldnt be too much longer. Ask you doctor, he should tell ya how long it will take. My mom is also having it done around Oct or Nov. My poor dad, he will be all on his own after that. lol. Good luck to you all. Come to chat sometime, usually in the evening aroun 8 or 9 there are several people in there to talk to.

Congrats on the weight loss!! I had trouble loosing in the preop. I had a lecture at the halfway point because I hadnt lost any, hadnt gained, but had no weight loss. So I lost about 10 pounds after that.

Thanks. I am proud of myself. Cannot wait until Friday for my next weigh in...hoping to be down into the 380s

That wouldbe awesome! I started uot at 345 and so far am only down to 320, but thats a start. I dont have good restriction yet so it is going really slow, but the time will come .. Keep up the good work