MelleyMeister

Hi! I love tai chi! It *is* very difficult to learn if you are not a very physical person, but once you "get it", it is indeed quite cerebral because you have to coordinate your breathing with your movements. You should be in a beginner's class where the focus is on learning the individual movements, not on working through the entire choreography (for lack of a better word). Your instructor should have you working on "poses" that strengthen your muscles for later use. For example, stand with feet shoulder width apart with knees bent to your comfort level. Your arms should make a circle at about chest level. Now, stand there. Close your eyes, tighten your core, and stand there. Focus on deep breathing. And stand there. Eventually, you should be able to be in the deepest squat, like a catcher, with your arms out in front of you, for hours. At least, that is the theory. Not that I can do that....LOL. But if you are in a class where they are going through all the poses then you will definitely be lost. I've never done yoga or pilates. I'm actually enjoying watching tv on the treadmill....in the a/c with the fan on high. hahahaha. I am not really interested in walking outside in NE Florida right now. Or ever, really. Good luck to you! Keep going to the class, though, I think eventually you will enjoy tai chi. Do some reading on the history and theory behind it too ... it will help. xoxoxoxox

I took Nutrition back in college ((ok ok wayyyyyyyyy back in college)) and learned that there are 4 calories per gram of carbs, 4 calories per gram of Protein, and 9 calories per gram of fat. 1 pound is approximately 454 grams. so if you do the math, you need to burn approximately 4,086 calories to lose 1lb of fat. I think they round it down to 3500 to take into account things like breathing, digesting, sleeping, and all those "approximately"s in there. xoxooxoxoxox

I've had a lot of pushback about WLS from the gym I go to.... and I think your therapist is just insecure because you're getting more support/advice from us than from he or she. Some therapists have massive egos and don't appreciate their patients being anything less than 100% dependent on them for advice and direction. Do what YOU are comfortable with and what YOU feel will get you to a good place in your life. After much soul searching, I know that I love to eat healthy foods and to be active....I just like to eat way too much and I also have no idea when I'm really hungry or really full. So the best solution *for me* is the sleeve. I don't give a f*** what worked for other people, cuz they ain't me. I just smile and nod and move on. I go to my therapist when my meds run out, tell her what she wants me to say, get my refills and get out. Then I come here or to my friends for advice or support. But again...that's just ME. You do what you need to do to get where you need to be and pi$$ on everyone else. They are not worthy of your time or attention. ((hugs)) and best of luck to you!! Love and xoxoxoxoxox

I smoke too, and I am stubbornly clinging to my last "friend" in the whole world. I have given up carbs (ie most of my favorite foods) and caffeine, have started exercising blah blah blah....and i want to be healthy. I want with all my heart to hate smoking enough to quit. But I love it. I honestly do. And I'll tell you a secret that my surgeon told me. He also told me he'd deny saying it, lol, but this is what he told me. I had told him, honestly, that I had a plan in place to reduce the # of cigarettes per day that I smoked prior to the surgery. I *know* its bad, I *know* I'd heal faster if I quit, etc. etc. You know what he said? He told me, "I honestly would rather you either quit 6 weeks before the surgery or keep smoking. If you quit cold turkey within 6 weeks of the surgery you are going to cough way too much afterwards and it is not going to be good. So cut down all you want, but stay wherever you're at at the 6 week mark." And that, my friend, I will take to the bank. I'd rather heal more slowly after surgery than risk damaging the staple line from coughing. I'd rather quit for LIFE when I'm *really* and truly ready than to try and quit for the wrong reasons. In the meantime, let's pray for each other that we can somehow get that love for cigarettes out of our hearts and find a way to really, truly and FINALLY want to quit. If you do not pray, please do whatever you do to touch a higher power or whatever you believe in for us. Thank you!! And....is it ethical for a doctor to refuse to operate with nicotine in the blood? just tell him you're on the patch/gum/snus/chew. what's the diff? I'm not trying to *encourage* anyone to smoke, by any means, but i tend to be passive-aggressive when it comes to that kind of stuff....it makes me angry. smoking is an addiction that is more difficult to beat than crack or heroin....and look what *that* does to people's lives....its not a hobby than we can just stop cuz YOU say so mr. doctor.... grrrrrrrrrr... i'm gonna step down off my soapbox now. xoxoxoxox Melissa

Hang in there!! I know my insurance, Aetna, has 30 days to provide an answer. I am not sure what your insurance does. Do NOT have 2nd thoughts!! I am sure that the paperwork is just sitting there waiting its turn for someone to look at or is being reviewed RIGHT NOW! Take a few minutes to look back to the reasons you started the journey, all the hard work you've accomplished, and how you will feel when you get the news that you are approved. I am anticipating a September surgery date, and so sometimes if I have ingredients or the forethought I will make broth and freeze it in ice cube trays for "after". I am planning on the first few weeks afterwards like a little vacation. I can't wait to be home with my girls and off work!! So I am trying to do as much ahead as possible. We are going to get Netflix or Hulu+ so we can lie around and watch movies all day for the first few days.... then once we can exercise again we have walks planned with the dogs and gym days, etc. My point is, don't sit around and wonder. Start planning!! Make it a positive thing and think of all the things you'd do with some free time. Oooh....I think we'll get some jigsaw puzzles.... (((hugs))) good luck!!! xoxooxox

And you all should know that as her mother, I think she *looks* different....likes she's lost a bunch of pounds and her body just forgot to mention it. LOL. I also disagree with the "no snacking" rule and very strongly dislike our surgeon's team's cookie-cutter, robotic approach. We are *individuals*, dagummit. Not every obese person is a carb addict and not every carb addict is obese. I snack, and I'M PROUD! hahaha You'll get there, Emily....hang tough girlie!!

Hi Cecilia!! First of all, take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back. You have made a great decision to live a healthier life! I completely empathise with the anxiety issues; I think a lot of it stems from all the unknowns that come with surgery and the results. Lucky for you, your mom is going through it first and will help you through it! My daughter and I are also both having surgery, except I think her surgery will be first, which is a good thing! I do think you need to speak to your counselor about the anxiety, and make sure your surgeon is aware of it also. But, in the mean time, how do you manage your anxiety now? I love to meditate (zone out, my daughter says), and learning how to breathe properly is essential. Did you know that anxiety is actually a physical thing, not a mental thing? Once i learned about anxiety and understood it, I was able to deal with it. I hope you have a great rest of the weekend!! Tell your mom I said hello and good luck with her surgery!! xoxoxoxo Melissa

Hi Tamz!! I'm just gonna say "Yeah....what they said". LOL plus some (((( hugs )))). Can't get anywhere in life without those! What date is your surgery? I am going to spend the day with you from here, I promise. I will be praying for you the whole day and sending all my good wishes and eagerly awaiting your first post-op post. Hang in there!! I am going to count on you to be with me on my day in September, ok? got it? :cool: lol xoxoxoxoxox Melissa

SO stoked!!! Our surgeon originally told us, "we typically don't file claims to insurance for Nutrition or PSWL." That didn't seem right to me, and I really, *really* don't have a lot of money to spare. So after talking to an Aetna rep who just so happened to have had the surgery and who just so happened to have been told the same thing I followed her advice. After talking to them, I faxed the surgeon's office a copy of Aetna's Clinical Policy Bulletins outlining the coverages available along with a letter requesting reimbursement for the 2 Nutrition consults we paid for and the first 2 PSWL's that Emily went through. Checked Aetna tonight, and the NUT is covered at 100%...no co-pay even! <) <doin the happy dance> Will keep you updated on the PSWL submissions.... All you have to do is print the Clinical Policy Bulletin from Aetna and fax it to the office...they can back date the claims for you. Good luck!! xoxoxox Melissa

don't shut up!! shout it out!! i have aetna too, and i'm glad to hear of the quick approval. did you know they *do* pay for nutritional counseling and PSWL? just have your surgeon's office submit the claims. apparently everyone thinks aetna does NOT cover it. i am telling *everyone* at the mere mention of aetna. lol. now its my turn to shut up! congrats and good luck!! xoxoxox Melissa

WalMart has Dreamfield's! We LOVE it!! You can also buy it online at netrition.com. Made Mac-n-Cheese'ish tonight: 3 servings Dreamfield's (3 people were eating) hunk of smart balance margarine whack of ricotta big glob of sour cream handful of mozzarella pile of parm mix it all up....YUMMMM..... served with braised chicken breasts and peas. And since the 2 of us in PSWL right now are eating protein/veg first, we actually have enough mac n cheese left over for lunches. *happy dance*

I hope you have your PITA resolved by now...LOL...but have you tried diaper cream? Original Desitin ointment...look for the highest zinc oxide content possible. My daughter used to get *horrible* **terrible** ***dreadful*** diaper rashes....open, bleeding and cracked skin. Desitin has a 14% zinc oxide cream that was the only thing that would soothe her. Would take a few nights of it, and it smells really badly but it would be worth a try. Hope it works!! xoxoxxoxox Melissa

try carecredit.com. its pretty easy and very fast, and you can do it all online. good luck!! xoxoxo Melissa

Definitely sounds like anxiety is getting to you....hang in there. The best thing to do is to take lots of big, deep breaths and let them out suuuuper slowly. Do your best to stay calm...you can overcome the anxiety by forcing yourself to. Its tough, but you can do it. I do strongly suggest that you speak to a doctor soon, though. The other thing is....about the food and fearing being "only" on liquids....you will feel full after a few ounces, you won't feel deprived like we do now with our full-sized stomachs and "small" portions. Hang in there....I hope you feel better soon! And call your doctor!! ((( hugs ))) xoxoxoxox Melissa

Hi! Well...here I am...on Weight Loss Lane. AGAIN. What is different this time? Picture a path in the woods. You know how you can go in so far and still see where you started from? Well, I've turned the corner. I can't see my food past any more. I still have a ways to go before I see my through the woods, but I have so many awesome path markers....my beautiful daughter Emily who is on the journey too, my spitfire Abbey-Jeanne with whom I cannot wait to keep up, friends near and far, a great surgical team, and most of all a great inner motivation to be healthy and live a long happy life. I'm on Day 5 of strict 30 carbs/day....I'm not going to lie....it is TOUGH. The first few days I felt sluggish, draggy, tired, cranky, irritable, anxious, etc. Not to mention incredibly stupid. Its like someone turned my brain on low. Last night I had enough energy to play with Abbey-Jeanne (5 1/2) for a little while, and I woke up well this morning. I will say that I am not feeling deprived of food. Why would I? I LOVE MEAT! High protein, low carb is good for carnivores! lol. The only thing I did that kinda sucked was using regular sugar in my coffee, but now I'm using Splenda so I can use my carbs on more fun things like broccoli. LOL. BUT. The whole point of this is two-fold- during the surgery itself, the surgeon has to manipulate the liver, which is brittle and full of blood- if I can shrink it enough it will lessen the chance of nicking it during surgery. Also, the more weight I lose before hand, the easier the surgery will be and the shorter the recovery time. I'm already facing potential complications from a hernia and old operations, so I have to give my surgeon *something*, right? I've already been to the Seminar, the Nutrition Counseling, and the Psych Eval. On 5/31 I get to go to my first of 6 Physician Supervised Weight Loss sessions. After that, I will have a meeting with the surgeon, then all the paperwork will be submitted to Aetna and then the surgery will be scheduled. And then? The *real* journey will begin...a new way of life. The surgery will help me control my portion sizes, while this summer of low carb eating will get me in the habit of healthy eating. Not looking forward so much to the liquids only portion of the regime, but its just a rock to climb over on the path, right? I can do it!!

My daughter and I are both going through the process, and we have both chosen to have the sleeve over gastric bypass. Here are some of our reasons: 1. the sleeve is closest to our "natural" anatomy and physiology...our digestive system will work exactly the same way, just with a much smaller stomach 2. the gastric bypass involves more staples, more cutting and more incisions....more places for things to go wrong 3. we actually enjoy eating very healthy foods, we just eat too much and too frequently. so we felt the malabsorptive issues are moot for us, since we don't eat a lot of fried foods or sugary foods to begin with. 4. we're not very good at taking pills on a regular basis, and with the bypass you have to take multiple supplements on a regular basis. with the sleeve, you can eat a more regular diet and your body absorbs nutrients naturally. Plus the first, and only, seminar we went to was by a surgeon that doesn't even do the bypass anymore because of the success of the LapBand and the Sleeve. we elected not to band for the same reasons you did. Please remember that these are OUR reasons that I am sharing with you....I support whatever decision you feel is right for you 100%. Good luck on your journey!! xoxoxoxox Melissa

My daughter Emily and I are in Jacksonville, FL, hoping for surgery dates in August and September!

*most* of it will be...surgeon requires 2 visits/mo for 3 months....Aetna pays 2 visits for the first month then 1/mo for the next two, so I'll have to pay out of pocket for 2 visits. But...better than paying oop for all 6!! eta: *pays* d'oh...still a bit foggy. today is Day 1 since um...forever... with no added sugar whatsoever in my diet...

Good Luck!!! Keep us posted on your progress! I've been trying to think of a cute name for my new stomach, and I am going to do something with the HALF theme you brought up.....I too will be losing 1/2 of my current weight. xoxoxo Melissa

PSWL: http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/1_99/0039.html NUT: http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/1_99/0049.html Good Luck!!!! xoxoxox Melissa

I want to hug you! (((hugs))) just remember that being happy comes from the inside....once we're fit on the outside it will just be easier to let the happiness out. <)

hang in there Candace....just keep doing the Candace thing and let the scale do its own thing. You'll get there!!

You ARE going to do it on your own! The sleeve is a tool you use to lose and manage your weight! Don't the ignorant pull you down, and don't feel like you have to explain yourself to them. Smile sweetly, say "thank you for your concern" and move on. You're in it to win it....for YOU!

Someone else posted this on another thread...it is SO much fun! I think it may help you decide before you venture out to the stores! Enjoy!! http://www.mvm.com/cs/