KatInFL

I'm from Northern FL. My best friend drove from Atlanta and went with me to Tijuana. I saw Dr. Illian and couldn't be happier! I had an amazing experience. My best friend, who was much more skeptical that I was (after all, I'd done the months and months of research!) was so impressed at the care I received. Including airfare for both her and I, I spent around $4.500 total. You can get more information through his website. He has an on-staff, dedicated coordinator, so you won't find information about him through another company. www.bajabariatrics.com ~Kat

Congrats!! You look amazing. ~Kat

Glad you're home! ~Kat

That's some awesome self-control! That apple crisp would be calling my name, even if I only had a bite. ~Kat

Congrats!! ~Kat

I'll admit it...I'm looking forward to cute panties that fit well!! Congrats to you! ~Kat

Honestly, keeping a journal of what I'm eating has made a ton of difference. I'm just 4 weeks post-op so not exercising more than moderate walking and that's not every day. You're a couple of weeks farther along than I am, but I have realized the more Protein I'm getting the less calories I eat overall. The protein keeps me fuller longer. I am also keeping track of my carbs, as I want to limit them. I rarely get more than 600 calories a day. ~Kat

Congratulations!! You look amazing and must feel so great. ~Kat

Cottage cheese is a frequent breakfast food for me, in addition to what has already been mentioned. It's high in Protein and fairly low in carbs. Breakfast is the hardest meal of the day for me. I like to make sure I'm getting a minimum of 10 g of protein, otherwise I feel like I'm playing catch-up at the end of the day. ~Kat

3/28/13.......Surgery Date SW........252 CW........228 A total loss of 24 lbs, so far. It doesn't feel like much, in proportion to how much I have to lose but I know that in a couple more months, it will feel like more. I'm also 5' 7". With the exception of one day, I'm getting a minimum of 60g of Protein daily and getting at least 64 oz of Water a day. Often, I'm getting closer to 80+ oz of water. ~Kat

This is one of those decisions that what's right is different for everyone. I know a lot of people who have shared and had great support. I know people who have shared and gotten negativity rather than support. I chose not to tell many people. I told my closest girlfriend, my boyfriend, and my siblings. Honestly, I wasn't even going to tell my mom but one of my sisters told her. (There's a lot of interesting dynamics there, anyway) I ended up having to tell work that I was having a surgical procedure in order to get the time off I wanted, but no one knows the details of what procedure I had or why. I just felt like I've failed so publicly at other weight loss attempts...a small fortune spent on Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, fad diets, etc. that I wanted this one to be private. Some friends have noticed I'm eating differently and I just tell them I'm trying to eat healthier. It's not that this is a secret...it's just private. I might change my mind down the road and tell everyone who will listen. For right now, it's better for me not to feel scrutinized about what I'm eating or when I'm exercising or if I'm losing weight. I put enough pressure on myself. ~Kat

Congrats!! ~Kat

I certainly didn't mean to disparage anyone's experience who has had the procedure in the US. Obviously, I can't say one way or the other anything about someone else's experience. I can only compare my VSG experience with other surgical experiences I've had. I think SerendipityHappens is correct; my experience in the US was limited to doctors I was familiar with in my area...both for the VSG and other procedures. A whole lot more research went into my choosing a doctor for my VSG, for example, than who I chose to remove my gallbladder. My apologies if I tread on any toes. ~Kat

I will probably be looking at Mexico for plastics, when the time comes. Barring some huge issue caused by excess skin, I don't foresee my insurance paying for plastics, either. ~Kat

I paid less than $5,000, including airfare and incidentals, for my surgery in Mexico. My health insurance has a specific exclusion for weight loss surgery (they don't cover it under any circumstance). Paying out of pocket with the surgeon I initially saw locally would have been approximately $28,000. Not only was the cost savings significant, I really feel like I got personalized attention I wouldn't have gotten in the US. I met and spent a fair amount of time talking with every doctor who treated me. I felt like my surgeon truly cared about me and less like I was a number in the list of surgeries to be done that day. I've had multiple other surgeries in the US, only one of which required a hospital stay. Having my VSG in Mexico allowed for a little bit of an extended recovery in the hospital, since in the US it would have been an outpatient procedure. If my insurance would have covered it, would I still have paid to go to Mexico? I doubt it. I just don't have the extra cash to be throwing around, if it had been a minimal out of pocket expense, it would have made sense to stay local. I AM glad that I was able to have the experience of going to Mexico. ~Kat

I was a huge Diet Coke addict. I have been drinking it since I was a teenager...I had been drinking it daily for right around 15 years. I not only was worried about not drinking it, I sort of mourned the end of my relationship with it. I stopped drinking it during my pre-op diet and haven't really missed it at all. I'm so busy getting in other fluids it's not even on my radar. You'll be able to do it! ~Kat

Oh, trust me, me will learn to recognize when you are full! I'm right at a month post-op and the first time I ate too much/too much I just felt a little crummy then instantly realized it was coming back up. I had just moved from full liquids to pureed foods, so was a little...eager, let's say, in eating my lunch. It's happened once more since then (I'm nothing if not stubborn) and I ignored my body saying it was full, since there was just one more bite. It would have been less of a waste to throw out that one last bite. On the post-op board, you can research and find lots of info about figuring out body signals for fullness. For me, I often hiccup (just once) or my nose starts to run a little. Those are my clues I'm at my limit. If I ignore them, it's all over. When I was on the liquids and full liquids phases, feeling full felt almost like I'd swallowed something the wrong way and had a sort of stuck feeling in my chest. ~Kat

Those sites offer lots of airline options, but don't forget the discount airlines that don't allow sales on those sites for instance, Southwest, Spirit, etc... ~Kat

I flew Southwest from Florida to San Diego and spent $530 for 2 round-trip tickets, including their early check-in/preferred boarding. ~Kat

Congrats!! ~Kat

I was going to say this, too. Post-op, I spend a LOT more time planning my meals and tracking my intake and thinking about food and nutrients than I ever did pre-op. ~Kat

I'm currently in the same place, only not quite as far post-op as you are. I am just shy of 4 weeks post-op and am experiencing my first real stall. I joined the forum long before actually having surgery and have read all of the threads about stalls and swore I wouldn't freak out when it was my turn to stall. My head *knows* what and why, surrounding stalls, but my emotions are freaking out! It's easy in theory...not so easy in practice. I have been hitting right around 600 calories a day, eating Protein first and typically supplementing with one Protein Drink a day. I just can't seem to break 600 calories, keeping to a 3 meal and 1 snack routine. I can't really even think of getting a higher caloric intake, right now, and not eating to discomfort and still eating my protein. I am keeping the overall goal in mind for greater caloric intake down the road...but I can't imagine it in this moment. ~Kat

I think I'm going to miss my morning Diet Coke more than anything else. I don't drink coffee, so Diet Coke has been my morning source of caffeine for years. I know the carbonation is a no-no post-op so I will weaning myself over the next 3 weeks or so, until I start my pre-op diet. What do you think you'll miss the most, post-op? ~Kat

There are other doctors who aren't on that list who lots have had really great experiences with. I've found newer information isn't always on the stickies. Cidmor, I started with price...I mean, I doubt I'm the only person that faced budget constraints when it comes to spending thousands of dollars. So, I looked around a bit, determined what I could afford to spend, then eliminated surgeons who were out of my price range. Next, I vetoed any doctors who didn't operate in what I consider hospitals...places that have an ICU, can do blood transfusions, and were equipped if something unexpected arose during surgery. I also vetoed any doctors who didn't require a hospital stay. I was just more comfortable with the idea of recovering in the hospital the first couple of days than going to a recovery house. Then, I eliminated all of the doctors who worked with coordinating companies. That was purely a personal preference...I felt like I didn't want to be "sold" a doctor. Again, barring some recent negative feedback surrounding one company, it wasn't that I thought those coordinating companies or services were bad, per se, it was just a personal preference. I contacted the doctors who remained and just sort of felt it out from there. I actually did change my mind and ended up switching from one surgeon to another about 6 months prior to surgery, just because there was some change in staff and issues with the original surgeon I wasn't sure about. I'm so glad that I went with the surgeon I had a good instinct about. I imagine most of us who are post-op feel the same way! In the end, there is some intuition that goes with the logic in determining who would work best for you. I knew I was making the right choice when I Skyped with my surgeon and he was able to discuss with me, in great detail, how he was going to manage my care (I had sort of a unique circumstance in that I knew in advance my pain management was going to be an issue) because he'd already discussed it with the anesthesiologist and cardiologist. I will say this forum and others can be a wealth of information. Read a ton of the reviews, use your checklist, then just start contacting people and go from there! ~Kat

WTG! You've made a lot of progress. Congrats. ~Kat