Hey everyone going through Kaiser Richmond!!

Where are you in the process?

Canolie - you can call the Allergen toll free number and give them your surgery information - date, surgeon, address and they will mail you the card. You can do it online at their website, but I couldn't figure it out so I called them.

Yes the Kaiser program I am doing is very expensive all together including the Optifast food it is about $4300 - it includes all the bloodwork, doctor visits, classes - but if you divide it by the 30 weeks we have to go it is only $143/mo or if you divide it by the total program time 84 weeks it is about $51/wk. I am having to charge the whole thing at this point - you don't pay it all at once. I am considering it as an investment in ME.

Thank you for understanding and keeping any negativity to yourself (I know not everyone approves nor do they have to).

Tina - I don't know if all beans are sliders, but I do know that refried bean and baked beans are. It is hard not to turn to them if dense protein gets stuck.

I pretty much don't go out to eat with people other than my parents or kids. I think it is hard for some people to understand why we can't eat and certainly why we can't drink.

I know they don't want us to drink alcohol but it isn't very realistic to think that for the rest of our lives - everything in moderation but I would avoid the carbonation. Of course I don't do food well in moderation.

I think I will be doing laundry a couple of more hours - camping is fun, but it put me off schedule for the laundry etc.

I am planning on going to the Point West meeting on Saturday.

Oh I got the resterant card by calling Allergen and asking for the lap band packet..........I also think Kaiser gave me one of those packets to. It is just a little flimsy card.....I find the resterants are more receptive when I just quietly explain it to them. Sometimes they have to ask their managers........same answer order off the cheaper senior menu. I still end talking alot home.

So...........the grocery bill has shrunk. Takes me two days to eat a can of beans!! A week to eat a box of the morning star stuff........everything I open is three or four meals to finish!! Two weeks ago...........LOL. Much cheaper eating this way!! Lots of repeat meals and leftovers......

DId I say I am LOVING my band again!!

Pam it was baked beans........:-) Four days of beans!! It took that long to get to the bottom of the can. At lease I know now doing something different this week..........

Have fun with the laundry same here. How is Heather. Gonna go check on the other forum and see if she showed up there.........

The card I got from Allergen is hard plastic like a credit card and looks official.

I haven't heard from Heather - busy moving in .

I don't think I have time to get all my laundry done tonight so I will have to continue tomorrow after work. My normal rule is I only do laundry on the weekend.

I need to call Allergen than cause I got jipped...........mine doesn't look official at all!! Maybe that is my problem!! LOL.

Chrissy - You didn't say anything bad silly, I was telling you why I got the band because you said you didnt understand the point of us having something in there.

Pam - Congrads on the weight loss thats AWESOME!! I didnt know the opti diet was allowed through Kaiser after we have been banded?? Did you have to go thru a special program first, etc? tell me more.

Tina - Congrads on loving your band again lol. Wish I did. Mine is a MINI ME who lets me eat and never stops. He pisses me off (yes mine is a man, suborn). I really really think I need a fill to see something happen here. I am up 5 lbs from last week, sitting at 234 this am. I am going to go ahead and pouch test/liquid diet these next 2 days and slowly enter food back into my life, stop weighing myself, and just see what happens next week with Baggs. I seriously have sat on the couch practicing what I am going to tell him and how I am wording that I want one more CC in my band. I have 5 now, and I am thinking 6 seems normal for others?

Oh nevermind Pam I went back and read about it! Was it a one time payment, or monthly?

Okay question: as a banded patient what is the IDEAL calories we are to consume a day??

Good Luck Tamra!! I had Dr. Baggs and Robin tell me no a few times before they said yes............

I think after the first 2cc fill they do .5 to 1cc's at a time. If you haven't lost much they usually go for the .50cc's. But even that makes a big difference sometimes.

I wish you the best of luck. Have you talked to Robin at all. She is the key to a fill. You might want to try and bargain with her a bit BEFORE you see Baggs. I know she puts notes in the file for him to read before each appointment.

Once you get restrition you will be good to go Tamra. I promise it makes a world of difference. Hard to remember that when your at NO restriction I know!

I am stuck at 5 down still. I have to get rid of the carbs this week or I am not goining down anymore. I know my body and carbs won't work................

In regards to calories:

RObin once told me it should be "way under 1200" But than Dr. Baggs said it should be 1000-1200. So I am not sure.

I saw a forum posing somewhere on here about that topic exactly........you might want to do a search I saw it yesterday.

I would be curious to know too!!

How many cc's you need is individual......I am at 5ccs and have awesome restriction, Riley I think topped out at 5.5cc's. Nicole (audsmom) had 8cc's..........Christine said she was at 6.5cc's............depends on the person.

When the restriction kicks in your gonna know it!! But I will tell you a week out I am already figuring out what goes around the band restriction or not....oatmeal, yogurt, soup...........so restriction won't fix the snacking overeating..........Someone said Sharon Osborn lost all her weight with a band.......and that she had all the fluid taken out recently because she was using the band as a bulimic device...........as in she ate, overate, knew she would PB and than the calories didn't count..........she was bulimic in the past. She she had the fluid taken out and said she has to work onher emotional issues before she uses the band again................hmmm...........is that what Kaiser is doing trying to make us get the emotional stuff under control first before we can use the band......personally I need the band to have the motivation to kick me into wanting to work onthe emotional..............but I thought the whole Sharon Osborn thing was very interesting..............sorta scary too how strong eating issues can go and how they can totally override the band..................

Thanks for the good luck wishes!

I talked to Robin once when I was REALLY struggling about a month ago. She asked me what changed in my life...I said school and I moved into a new city with my mom (who can eat ANYTHING and keeps baking cakes, etc. I finally got her to stop). She told me just to avoid carbs, and try my hardest because no loss meant no fill. LOL duh! I have a phone appt. this Friday with her since I see him next week. I will try and hint and see what I can do.

I don't think I have ever had restriction!! After my very first fill in March, I could still eat normally. I have never been tight after 2-3 bites except back when I moved to PUREE FOODS!! That can't be good. I really am going to check out fill centers usa, but I am scared if I do it, Kaiser will not let me back in....

I just did my 20 min Turbo Jam workout, and today I have a break between classes from 4:30-6:30. I told my friend I am coming over and we are doing our quick 2 mile walk we use to do all the time. Shooting for protein shakes today.

Wow I didn't know that about Sharon Osborn, why in the world would you wanna PB? I have yet to do it, but from the stories I hear from you guys it doesn't sound very fun lol

Tamra - I am sure if I would have asked Richmond if I could do the Medical Weight Loss Management Program through Kaiser they would have said no - but I don't need to ask their permission. The Kaiser doctors who run the program know I was banded in Richmond in Aug 08 and they are fine with it. They weren't sure if I would actually lose much weight as my body was used to low calories anyway, but it is working so far. You pay $250 to start with for the physical to see if you qualify to be in the program. If you don't qualify you get it back. Then you pay weekly for the Optifast product you order - mine is $98 a week. The program fees are spread out - $350 the beginning of the month for a few months and then $260 one month - something like that.

I would see if you can make your band work first - remember I had surgery almost two years ago.

Dr. Im does fills differently - I got 4 cc at the first fill, 2 at the next, and 2 at the next, then the unfill, and then 1 so I am at 7 cc. It depends on the person how much is enough.

I watched the Oprah that had the author of the "Women, Food and God" book that you are reading Tina. Do you like it so far? What she said made a lot of sense.

I didn't do so well with my food this weekend camping - I didn't bring enough of my shakes - was two short - who taught me how to count? I ended up having a soft serve ice cream cone on Saturday instead of the two shakes so calorie wise I might have been okay, but not nutrition wise. Then yesterday I had one cookie and a piece of watermelon instead of my two bars. Egads I felt bad last night - physically and mentally. I am back on track today and I'm not beating myself up about it - something I have learned so far in my class - negative self talk does not help.

Thats awesome Pam, I am excited that you found something to help you! yay! I will check it out as my last resort if the band DOESNT WORK. I know it wants too, I just have to work WITH HIM!!