If you are interested in undergoing the LapBand surgery, you will need to find a LapBand surgeon. To get started, speak with your primary healthcare professional for a referral or turn to your local phone book or the internet. With that said, you need to do more than just find a LapBand surgeon; you need to choose the best one. For that reason, ask many questions.

So, what questions should you ask your LapBand surgeon?

Am I an ideal candidate? This is the most important question to ask. If you did not receive a direct referral from your primary care physician, do not have your heart set on weight loss surgery. The ideal candidate for surgery is 100 pounds or more overweight, between the ages of 18 and 60, and has the commitment to restrict their diet.

How much does the LapBand surgery cost? On average, the LapBand procedure costs between $15,000 and $20,000. That is quite the average price range. This means that you can find varying rates. Of course, you want to choose a quality surgeon who is Board Certified and who is known to produce results, but why pay more than you have to. In addition to asking about the cost, price compare with other local surgeons.

Do you have a payment plan? Some insurance providers do cover the cost of weight loss surgery, but there are typically many rules and restrictions. If you are uninsured or if coverage is not extended, ask about a payment plan. In this case, it is recommended that you have a good credit rating. If not, at least have enough for a substantial down payment.

Will you perform the LapBand procedure? If you are receiving a consultation at a hospital or large surgical center, you could be speaking to anyone. This is not what you want. You want to have a consultation appointment with the surgeon who will perform your LapBand surgery.

Are you Board Certified? In the United States, a Board Certified Surgeon is recommended. When opting for a certified surgeon, you are given a certain level of peace, comfort, and guarantee. You know the person has undergone strict testing and is qualified to perform the procedure.

How many surgeries have you performed? Not only do you want a Board Certified Surgeon, but you also want one who has experience performing the LapBand procedure. Surgical experience is recommended, but the LapBand is different than other surgeries. So, make sure your surgeon has experience with the LapBand system. Not only is installation experience recommended, but adjustment too.

What is your success ratio? When it comes to success ratio, it is important to ask about complications and weight loss. Your goal of undergoing the LapBand procedure is to lose weight, ensure those before you have done so. Next, examine your risks. How many patient complications or deaths has your surgeon experienced under their care?

Can I see before and after pictures? Before and after pictures will not only give you insight into your weight loss potential, but it may give you comfort and peace of mind. A LapBand surgeon who has before and after pictures of their patients is one who is invested in their long-term success. These are hands you want to place your life in.

Can you speak to past patients? Hearing that a LapBand surgeon has a good rate of no complications and successful weight loss is nice, but best when coming directly from the source. Ask to speak with or meet previous patients. When doing so, ask questions. Did they like the surgeon? Were they pleased with their treatment before, during, and after surgery? Would they extend a recommendation?

The above mentioned questions are just a few of the many you will want to ask during a LapBand consultation appointment, but they are a good start. In the days leading up to your appointment, record any additional questions you think of.

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Something that can make the difference for you when youre trying to shed pounds is finding good weight loss support. This isnt always easy. Often the people closest to us are the least supportive; sometimes they can be downright discouraging. If losing weight is something youve tried to do many times in the past but never managed to succeed, or if you lost weight only to gain it back as so many of us have, then maybe theyve heard you say you were going to do it before. While its not fair that they wouldnt be supportive now, often thats the reason the people closest to us dont get excited about our new efforts.

If you feel the people closest to you might have that discouraging attitude, then consider not even mentioning your efforts to them. You wont get any weight loss support from them if they dont know, but if theyre not likely to be supportive anyway its better to keep it a secret than have to deal with someone discouraging.

Sometimes the people we love sabotage our efforts without meaning to. The husband will start bringing home candy bars when the wife announces her new diet, for instance. When people fear change or worry that a new, slimmer you might make you want them to lose weight or change something about themselves, this saboteur-like behavior can start just when you need weight loss support from them the most. Dont take this personallymost people dont even realize theyre doing it.

If you have friends or family who also need to lose weight but arent currently concerned about it (at least, they dont mention it to you) be careful how much you talk about your own efforts. At best, theyll be happy for you at first but then wonder why you keep bringing it up, at worst theyll feel like your success just points out their own failure in that area. Its one thing to need weight loss support from those we love, but we also have to take into account that everyones human and people will react differently to your efforts and your success.

If all this seems discouraging, take heart! There are two great ways to find weight loss support that pretty much guarantee you wont be unintentionally alienating any family or friends, and you also wont be giving them the opportunity to take the wind out of your sails by unintentionally (or intentionally) being hurtful and discouraging. Look in your local paper for weight loss groups that meet once a week for the purpose of supporting each other. Several that cost a certain amount per week like Weight Watchers exist, as well as meetings that only require a donation like OA or TOPS.

Another great way to meet people on the same journey is through online support groups. This also has the benefit of anonymity, and convenience. An Internet search will lead you to dozens of places where you can find great weight loss support online.

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There are certain healthy eating facts that dont change no matter what kind of a diet you follow, or what kind of lifestyle you have. Whether youre sedentary or active, too much saturated fat isnt good for you. Whether you eat 1600 calories a day or 2500, depending on your activity level, trans fats are unhealthy, for example. And whether youre trying to lose weight quickly or jump start a long-term weight loss program, fasting isnt a good choice for your body.

One of the healthy eating facts that we didnt have to worry about years ago is that trans fats are unhealthy. Some trans fats occur naturally in food, but those arent the same as the man-made trans fats that make up margarine and shortening, and are found in almost every commercially produced baked good you can find. Trans fats are also often included in boxed mixes that you prepare at home, and things like instant cocoa, because of its long shelf-life.

Hydrogenated fats like margarine and shortening became available in 1911. Before then trans fats werent something the average consumer had to worry about. Now, though, hydrogenated oils or trans fats are present in almost every type of food you can think of. The hydrogenation process keeps fats from going rancid for a longer period of time. But the link between hydrogenated oils and heart health is clearits worse for you than saturated fat.

This is one of the healthy eating facts that has prompted the government to step in. Theyve insisted that fast-food restaurants reduce the amount of trans fats in their food. Food manufacturers also have to include the amount of trans fats on their food labels, too. Carefully read food labels so that youre at least aware of what youre eating. Anything that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated is a trans fat, and something you want to avoid as much as possible. Eliminate these trans fats from your diet completely if you can.

Another one of the healthy eating facts that not too many people think about is how bad regular soft drinks are for your health. A can of regular soft drink contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar. And how often do you drink more than one soda in a day? Some people drink several sodas per day, preferring soda to beverages like water or tea.

Everyones going to eat sugar in some form, but moderation is called for. And when one soda provides you with 9 teaspoons of sugar, thats pretty much the sugar limit for the daythat we dont need refined sugar at all is one of the most ignored healthy eating facts. But most people have sugar in other forms, too, raising their daily total of sugar intake much higher.

Considering the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related illnesses, cutting back on trans fat and soda in our diets is important. These healthy eating facts can make a huge difference in our weight and overall health if we dont ignore them

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Living a life of health and fitness is hard but it is not impossible. In fact, with discipline and commitment, you can actually change your habits and finally get rid of those habits that affect your health.

Below are some of the things that we feel are important parts in the road to a better and healthier you. Read on and see if you have any of them or are doing most of them.

1. Serious commitment If you really want to change your life and get rid of habits that you have for so long been doing, youve got to want it real bad. You need to really commit on it to ensure that you will see the plan through. There are a lot of people who start eating healthy and living healthy who will fall back to their old ways after some time. Dont be like those people. Starting and stopping will only serve to deflate your spirits and make you believe that you can never really do it. Start when you feel that you really want it bad enough and you can really do it. Will power can be really amazing. It can make miracles.

2. Support system Changing old habits whether foregoing with a bad diet or quitting a vice, is hard but when done with people who live and support you, the task can be easier and more manageable. This is the reason why diets and programs for quitting alcoholism and smoking have support system programs within their organization. People who share your experiences whether or not they are undergoing the same things as you are will help encourage you to continue with the goals that you have set.

3. Avoid temptations Without the will power to avoid temptations, your plan to change will constantly be derailed. It is important that you remain in control when it comes to the changes that you want to do for yourself. But this however is not something that is easy to do. There will be lots of instances when you will be truly tested and most people will fail the test. They will go back to their old habits once, and then twice and then thrice until they completely forgo with their plans for a healthy lifestyle.

To avoid this, you should first stay clear of the temptations. If you have friends for instance who influence you to not eat and not live healthy, dont go with them for the meantime especially if you know that you will only be tempted when you are with them. You should also avoid going to places that you know will tempt you to go back to your old ways.

4. Reminders People who are constantly being reminded of how they should proceed have better chances of making it through the program than those who are just doing it alone. This works in the same way as the support system but even better because in this instance, you have somebody who really point out to you what you should be doing. Sometimes, we go back to our old ways not because we want to but because it is something that your bodies are already so used to. So if you want to really change your ways and live a life of health and fitness, have somebody you trust and respect with you all the time.

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