coloratura

There are several soy-free vegetable protein powders. Naturade is one brand of them. You can go to any healthfood store and they can help you find a protein powder that is soy-free. Dairy foods, such as cheese, yogurt and milk are a good source of protein as are eggs. In fact, Egglands Best eggs are a staple of my diet. They now even have boiled, peeled eggs in a resealable bag, which makes it so easy to grab one in the morning to tuck away for lunch at work.

I used to work for a dentist and found out that the reason your teeth are sensitive after whitening is that the peroxide makes your teeth more porous. Naturally, with the pores open, your teeth are more sensitive to air and cold/hot liquids. The remedy for it is to use a flouride rinse, which closes the pores (which is why it helps prevent cavities). If you are doing home whitening, you can just alternate whitening and flouride rinse every other day until your desired whitening is accomplished.

First of all, if you have the surgery done by Dr. Ortiz in Mexico the cost is only $8500. (Most of us would spend three times that amount on a new car, why not spend it on your health?) I just had the surgery done by Dr. Ortiz and he, and his whole clinical staff are wonderful. I felt like I had much better care than I would have gotten in the U.S. Secondly, while it's true about portion control, chewing and eating slowly being the keys to losing weight, most of us don't do those things because there is no immediate consequence. The band causes immediate consequences. It is aversion therapy. You feel the consequences of eating too fast, not chewing properly and eating too much, so you don't do it again. It in essence, forces you to eat the right way. If people could do the right things on their own, there would be no need for diets, diet pills, the diet industry..... etc. Human nature being what it is, most of us need help!

Bri, The following article was posted on the forum earlier. Maybe you could qualify for this study or find out about other studies that are similar. By First Coast News Staff JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The FDA is conducting an adolescent lap band trial that provides free lap band surgeries for overweight teenagers in five states, including Florida. There will be 25 surgeries in each state. Usually Insurance companies do not cover this type of surgery for teenagers under the age of 18. The FDA is now giving free lap band surgeries to teens under 18 to see how effective they can really be. The idea is to possibly turn insurance companies around to pay for these lap band surgeries in children 14 to 17 years old. The FDA is looking for adolescents to participate in the lap band study; each participant will get a lap band surgery at no cost. If anyone is interested in applying, contact JACKSONVILLE SURGICAL ASSOCIATES the number is 904-399-4004. Ask for Jody Debord. To be accepted in the study, teens have to be between the ages of 14 and 17 and they have to be at least 100 pounds overweight. Created: 6/15/2007 4:19:37 PM Updated: 6/15/2007 4:56:43 PM

Hi Teresa, Even for "normal" people, it is hard to get in all the vegetables and fruits needed in a day. I would imagine it is even harder for those of us who are banded. I take a product called Juice Plus, that is whole fruits and vegetables in capsule form. You might try it to see how it works. I take 2 capsules in the morning and two at night and it gives me 5-9 servings of veggie and fruit per day. You get all the nutrients, antioxidents and even fiber. Taking it doen't mean you don't have to EAT fruits and veggies....it is a supplement not a substitute, but the benefits of getting enough fruits and veggies are astounding, including helping keep you "regular". Also, it is an all-natural solution to your problem. I think their website is juiceplus.com Good luck!

I thought this article was very interesting: Could nerve-snipping spur weight loss? By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Mon Jul 2, 7:23 PM ET An old ulcer operation is getting new attention as a possible alternative obesity surgery: a quick snip of a nerve that helps control hunger. It's far from clear if cutting the vagus nerve really helps

I like NutriMed.

I love the Curves concept and the fact there are no mirrors and it's all women, but my problem with them is that the hours that they are open (at least here) are geared for women who don't work. They don't open early enough in the morning, they close too early in the evening, they close at noon on Saturday (not even opened on Sunday) and they shut down for 3 hours every afternoon! I can't manage with my work schedule and commute! I wish they would get the message that women with jobs would love to do CURVES too!

Thanks Lori, All the sheets I found say not to use it on open wounds, so that is what I figured. Do you know of anyone who has used them and if so, did they worked?

I have 100 lbs to lose and just got my lapband one week ago. I can honestly say that the worst part of the whole experience was the 4 hour plane trip each way. The statistic that I found in my research says that after 3 years the weight loss is equal between gastric bypass and lap band. You lose at a slower and steadier rate, as opposed to the bypass where you lose a lot of weight immediately, but slow down after the initial period. The lap band does not permanently change your physiology, is adjustable and does not cause malabsorption of nutrients, which is what causes many of the very unpleasant, and even dangerous side effects. One that I have read of recently is thiamine deficiency that causes symptoms similar to altzheimers disease! My preference is to lose more slowly and steadily because it is a much healthier way to lose and will give your skin more of a chance to rebound...meaning less likelihood of drastic cosmetic surgery. I would suggest you get Dr. Ortiz's book LapBand For Life. It answered a lot of my questions. There is also a book called Weightloss Surgery for Dummies (yes they have those for EVERYTHING!) that I heard is pretty comprehensive. Good luck in making an informed decision!

Hello everyone, Does anyone have and good recipes for the liquid phase? I'm not on the protein phase yet and I need some good ideas! Here is my contribution...it's pretty good: I quart carton organic, low-fat chicken broth 4 or 5 medium yukon gold potatoes...peeled and cut into chunks one onion chopped one Tablespoon chopped garlic (I use the kind in the jar) Boil until onions are soft and potatoes are falling apart Cool a little Put in blender and blend on liquify setting until completely smooth I put it in a pitcher with a lid in the fridge, and when I'm ready to eat it, I heat it in a cup in the microwave, add a dash of Texas Pete Hot Sauce and sip.

Try the gumball vitamins. Mine are called Vitaballs. They are terrific!

Ashlee, Glad to hear you're feeling better! I am certainly glad it's over too and can't wait for the healing to get further along. Just think though ...The surgery may be over...but it's only the beginning of the last time we will ever have to lose weight!!! WooHooo!

I can certainly relate to the THOUSAND SIT-UPS comment!!!

Hey Jen!! I am doing well. I started doing the yogurt drink yesterday evening and had no problems. I am still achy....which is natural, but am back to work today will no problems. How are things going for YOU?

I was just banded in TJ on June 21 and everything went great. The people at Dr. Ortiz's clinic are all great and Dr. Ortiz has trust-enducing confidence, without being arrogant. He was great! I was just wondering about scarring. I have been reading reviews of ReJuveness, which is a silicone patch that helps reduce the appearance of scars. The reviews I read were very favorable. Has anyone had any experience with any of the silicone=sheet scar removers? How long after the surgery do you have to wait until you can start working on the scars? Has anyone had any luck with other products designed to reduce scars? Any home remedies? I read that some plastic surgeons say that vitamin E can actually make scars worse! THANKS!!

I have the same problem with my insurance. In doing some research I found out that Insurance companies really don't care about the long term health benefits of weight loss. The fact is that most corporations change insurance carriers every one or two years, so long term health means nothing to the insurance company. They will not be the ones who reap the financial benefit of an obese person's health improvement. If they would just realize that if ALL insurance companies covered weight loss procedures, then ALL of them would reap the financial reward of healthier clients.

I used to work for a dentist who did a study on halitosis...the fancy word for bad breath. He found that the most effective treatment is tongue scraping, which removes all the food particles from the deep crevices on your tongue. The food particles, if left in the deep crevices, form sulfur gasses...and you know how bad sulfur smells! Brushing your tongue can actually do more harm, because it can push the food particles deeper. Using a tongue scraper is the best way to remove the particles, thus eliminating the halitosis. You can get a tongue scraper from most drug stores. If you can't find one, I'm sure you can do a google search and locate someplace that sells them. In a pinch, you can even use a spoon. You just turn it upside down on your tongue and scrape from back to front several times. You will be amazed at what comes off your tongue! By the way, using mouthwash containing alcohol can actually make things worse. The alcohol turns into sugars which can form sulfur gasses. I swear by my tongue scraper. I can actually eat raw onions, then scrape my tongue and not have anything register on the "breath-o-meter" (Yes there is such a machine!) LOL

Do they still make Polyvisol...you know the liquid baby vitamin? When I used to babysit as a teenager, I used to love the taste of it, but the Polyvisol with iron was terrible!

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[quote name='wishinginWA' date='Jun 14 2007, 04:51 PM' pos Hey, I used part of Flexible Spending on my Lap Band surgery. I took out a credit card advance to pay the clinic. When I turn in my reciept to be reimbursed I had to have a letter from the doctor at the clinic why I needed surgery(which seemed crazy to me-well dah I'm to fat). So, my advice is to get a letter while your at the clinic to turn in for surgery reimbursement. Good Luck FYI- I'm Still thrilled with the medical care I received Connie Great advice! Thank you so much for your feedback. Were you banded in Mexico? If so, did you have any problem because the surgery wasn't done in the US? Thanks again!

You mean we can never have errr... vigorous...sex again? What a bummer! Maybe I need to rethink this whole band thing! ROFL!

Thanks for the response. I have had a PayPal account for years and use it frequently. The problem is that because PayPal is not coded as a medical provider, I am not able to use my card. A Healthcare Flexible Spending Account is money that you have taken from your paycheck pre-tax. The money can be used for any medical expenses that are allowable with the IRS. Our flexible spending account administrator (ADP) issues a Visa card that you can use to pay any eligible expenses....but the place where you use it has to have a special code in their credit card machine that designates it as a supplier of medical services or products. For instance WalMart sells over the counter medications, so they have that designation code in their credit card. Pharmacies and doctors' offices have the same coding. But because PayPal does not have that coding, my flexible spending card is refused. I'm sure that if Dr. Ortiz accepted credit cards directly through his website, he would get that medical coding and there would be no problem for people in my situation. And if we are required to pay in advance, there would be no problem with surprises once we got down there. As it is now, I am having to scramble for the $1500 up front. Of course I will be reimbursed for it afterward, once I file it, but because I am nervous enough about going for the surgery alone, it has sort of frazzled and upset me...especially when I was so worried that I would not be able to have my surgery as scheduled. To top it off.....my temporary crown, that I had to shell out so much money for this week, is hurting! LOL

Help! I am being banded next Thursday (the 21st) and was going to pay part of the fee with my Healthcare Flexible Spending Card, but found out that the clinic does not take credit cards at all. (who in this day and age doesn't take credit cards?!) They said to pay through PayPal, but because PayPal is not a medical facility, I cannot use my card. Has anyone had any experience with using a healthcare flexible spending account for the lapband surgery? Carolyn said I can pay up front and then file with my flexible spending and get reimbursed. I'm having to scramble for the up front money, because I was counting on just using my card, (just had to pay $1000 for a dental crown...ouch) but has anyone filed their surgery on their flexible spending account? Are there any issues with the surgery being done outside the US that would make it ineligible? I have looked at all the IRS info on allowable medical expense deductions and cannot find anything about it. I would appreciate any insight! The good news is that with the new medical deduction guidelines, if you are obese, treatment specifically for obesity, even a health club membership, is deductible if it is prescribed by a doctor! Thanks!!!

I had my gallbladder out when I was 19.....(MANY years ago). There is an old saying that you get gallbladder problems if you are "Fair, Fat and Forty" but I was only 14 when my painful attacks started and doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. It seems I have the Dr. Atkins diet (I went on the FIRST time when I was 11) to thank for my trouble. My surgery lasted 6 hours, I still have a huge 10 inch scar on my abdomen and was in the hospital for 2 full weeks! Nowadays things are much simpler. Sometimes gallstones can be disolved with ultrasound, but even if you have to have the gallbladder removed, it is done laproscopically (MUCH smaller scars) and you only have to stay overnight. My how things have changed! The upside is that I now never have to worry about gallstones (or my appendix...since they removed it at the same time)! Good luck with your gallbladder!!