Hi Everyone,

I'm on month 2 of my 6-month supervised pre-op diet (required by Aetna HMO). My insurance required that I see a nutritionist which I did a week or so ago. She went through my food journals, asked lifestyle questions. So we started talking about lapband...since she understood that I was there to fulfill the pre-op requirement. I was telling her that I had done everything to lose weight without long term success. My biggest fear, I shared, was that I might be kind of like an Air Fern....where I didn't require food or Water...and that even after I got banded I would not lose weight. So she suggested metabolic testing to find out what was going on.

My insurance didn't cover the $85 test, but after years of wondering I wanted to go find out. The test is done by breathing into a tube for ten minutes. You fast for 3 hours, no caffeine...and breathe. And good news! I found out that just without exerting any energy, my body would burn 1800 daily just to survive. I was totally shocked because I was expecting it to be about 800 calories since the scale never moves down.

Anyways, that was the good news, and the nutritionist that was doing the test made some suggestions. She said to eat 6 mini meals a day, rather than the three adding a little Protein in there every couple of hours to keep the metabolism up. AND...she suggested two 5-minute bursts of cardio a day...once in the morning and one in the evening. Five minutes. Even I can squeeze that in. I can't do the sprinting, jumping or stairs that she suggested (because of my knees) but I can dance around waiving my arms.

So I checked out the exercise channel on On Demand and found a "Back 2 Bollywood" workout. (I just love those bollywood movies). So it's been a few days and I'm dancing around....packing my mini meals, and saving 1/2 my dinner for the next day's lunch.

My next appointment with my PCP is next week.

Funny the different advice we get. My surgeon is adamant that I DO NOT SNACK and have only 3 meals a day, protein first. And honestly when I do what he says I lose better and feel better. I think this just reconfirms how very different we all are! :mad2: I'm glad you got information to help you!

I totally hear you! That's what I was told through my life of dieting...and in fact, Dr. Quilici, my surgeon-to-be said the same thing. But I'm not banded yet.

The idea was this....I had been listening to a weight loss podcast...somewhat of a hypnotherapy thing, wherein the hypnotist said that we should only eat when we're hungry. That hunger was a good thing because it was about hearing our body saying we needed fuel. So I started trying that. And I realized that I wasn't hungry. So here i'd pack my yogurt or oatmeal to eat when I got to work...and i'd stop and think, "it's here, but am i hungry?" I wasn't...so I wouldn't eat. and i'd wait and soon it would become lunchtime...and i'd have food to eat, but i still wasn't hungry. OKAY...now you have to know, just because I wasn't hungry doesn't mean I didn't want to eat. Big difference...I totally wanted to eat...and could eat. Just was trying to figure out what was going on with the body.

And that's when I made my Air Fern observation...that maybe I didn't NEED food. But that's not the case. So the nutritionist said that everyone has the mechanism of listening to the body for hunger cues, but very few will actually listen to it...and it's been desensitized. So we started talking about early man, hunters and gatherers...and how way back then you'd eat a little bit...and move on to the next site to find a little more you would get to eat...etc.

That was the theory behind the mini meals. Small amounts throughout the day. :::Shrug:: who knows.

But let me ask you this. I read about the Protein shakes/drinks that people have after being banded. Are those taking the place of your meal? or is it in between. If it's in between, then it's somewhat like a snack, right? Since it's calorie/vitamin dense?

Now that I am on food...if I have a shake, it must replace a meal. Nothing with calories in between. And like I say, I do better that way...but I think it has to do with blood sugar and insulin.

Hi Nooshie...I'm so glad to see someone on Aetna HMO who is at least going through the motions to get approved...was it hard? Can you give me any suggestions for my doctor, etc.? I appreciate it! Good luck to you! Dmarcy