traceyinflorida

I had an early morning surgery. I was happy to have my mom around, but did not need her at night. I was too sleepy most of the time to be much company for anyone. It was nice having her with me during the day though.

Congratulations! I got denied twice with Cigna too. They are really frustrating to work with. I am glad you persisted. Fingers crossed you get an August date!

I am embarassed to say that I have not really exercised much. I walk about 30 minutes a day maybe about three days a week. The kids go back to school next week, so a friend and I are going to try Zumba. I also have an eliptical machine in my that has been sitting in my room mocking me. It's time to get busy on the exercise front. Now that I have more energy, there's really no reason not to do it. I just need to plan it into my day.

I read somewhere on the forum that the pH of the water may suddenly not be agreeing with you. In that same thread, someone having a similar problem tried Smart Water on the recommendation of a forum member and the problem was solved. I find that some days water goes down without a problem, but other days, like today, it makes me nauseous. Good luck, I hope you find a solution.

Welcome! I found the site the same way, searching internet for answers to a problem. I have lived here every day since. It's a great source of support, inspiration and information!

OMG we do have similar faces! Good luck with your first appointment. You are lucky that you only have to do three months instead of six. My insurance company switched to three months in May, but by then I had already completed my 6. Don't kick yourself for not doing this sooner...it's not worth thinking about the past, just living in the present and moving forward to a healthier you! (although, I do still wish I had done this two years ago when I first had thought about it...LOL)

Thanks everyone! Raven21, thank you so much. I am 5'9" so only a little taller than you. I set my goal at 150, but would be happy at 160. In that picture I was about 260. I had lost about 10-12 pounds prior to that during my 6 month diet required by my insurance. (yes I realize I did not lose much during that phase. I was just happy I lost instead of gained.) My highest weight was 272. Once I got to my two week pre-op diet, I followed it religiously. I did have one cheat ( a piece of pizza) on the first day of my second week when I was on liquids only. I am not proud of it, but I was really craving taste and texture and my son ordered a pizza and was eating it right next to me. I was weak! After that, I was so scared that I had ruined my chances for a successful surgery, but all was fine. Everyone's pre-op seems to vary. Mine was one week of two Protein shakes & one sensible meal of lowfat protein and veggies. The second week was three Protein Shakes a day. During both weeks, I could have one of each of the following per day: 6 oz of lowfat, sugar free yogurt, 6 oz of sugar free Jello, one small piece of fruit or 1/3 cup of fruit. On the last day was Clear Liquids only. The only thing I did not give up until the final day was one morning cup of coffee with a little half and half. I lost 15 lbs during the pre-op diet. Once I had the surgery, I do not think I have done anything special. I try to make sure I get all my Water in. I drink a Protein shake in the morning to start off my day with protein since I am not a big fan of eggs. I eat protein before carbs (most of the time) which means I am usually too full to get any carbs in. The main thing is to be patient with yourself. Looking back, I can't believe it's only been two months. But in the day to day, it seems like I have been doing this forever, and shouldn't I be thinner by now!? I didn't post it, but like many people on here, I hit a stall at three weeks. I was stressed and unhappy about it. I had finally started losing again when I went to see my surgeon for my second follow up. I mentioned the "stall" and he looked at me dumbfounded. He pointed out that my average weekly weight loss was 3 lbs a week which was great as far as he was concerned. I guess when he put it that way, I realized how impatient I was being with myself. If I had been on any other diet, I would have been thrilled! Have you scheduled your surgery yet? Keep me posted! It's not everyday you find a twin! Tracey

You will be successful! You will lose the weight! You are losing weight. The amount of exercise you are doing is great. You are probably gaining muscle. This is good and I think you know this. Muscle weighs more than fat, so you may not be seeing a huge drop in the scale, but you will. All that new muscle will also increase your metabolism. It's all good! Also, at week four, as you have read on the forum, things slow WAY down for a while and may even stop. I experienced this. Your body is readjusting to the initial weight loss. You are probably losing inches. It will pick back up again. My doctor was really happy with an average weight loss of 2-3 lbs a week. Prior to surgery, we would have been thrilled with this rate also! Try to look at your average over a month rather than looking at each week. I will see a sudden drop in the scale, then it's back up the next day, then it is down one more, then same....But when I look back over time, I am losing an average of 3 lbs a week. You are not the first one to think this will not work for them and you will not be the last. I have had the same thoughts. Just keep up the fantastic work you are doing. It is obvious you are sticking with the plan! You will do great. My prediction is you will have some rockin' 6 month post op photos posted five months from now!!

I was never so scared in my life about doing something as I was about having surgery. I was very pleasantly surprised when one minute I was being moved onto the table and the next I was waking up from surgery. My couple days in the hospital were fine. I was uncomfortable and nauseous as the anesthesia wore off, but I was able to get up and walk and that made me feel much better. By the second day, I felt more like myself again and was discharged to go home. I went home a little sore, but pain free. I did not feel like I could go out dancing, but I felt much better than I expected to feel. By the fifth day, I was driving my son to Miami (two hours away) and spending the afternoon and evening sitting outside for a football camp, then driving home. Repeated this three days in a row. I was tired, but otherwise fine. I had been off pain meds by the second morning in hospital. That is not to say that I have not struggled with adjusting to new eating/drinking life. I had my moments when that part was a little rough and still can be sometimes. I did have to take naps sometimes. I had days when I felt like I overdid it a bit. But, overall the experience has been really good. I hope that helps.

I got my PCP to put my diet and weight loss history in the letter of medical necessity. I wrote it out for her. There was no documentation of this, as I had not seen a physician in years. She had no problem with this and it cleared through Cigna. Good luck. I know it is frustrating!

I know the feeling. I hated going to the mall. I hated shopping in the plus size sections of the department stores. I hate how at TJ Max and Marshalls, there is a huge section of women's clothing and a tiny, picked over plus sized section. I am almost out of those departments! I can now shop for tops in the regular stores, but still need to get a 16 W in pants. A few more months and no more plus stores! I am starting to have fun just going into stores and trying things on to see how they fit, even if I am not planning on buying. I no longer feel like I don't belong in the regular departments. You will be there soon too! Something to look forward to.... When is your surgery?

Also, make sure you bring something loose fitting or stretchy to wear home. Your stomach will be swolllen and sore, so jeans will not be comfortable. I brought a pair of sweat pants and a loose fitting top. It wasn't pretty, but I was so glad to be going home, I did not care!

Good for you! Smart planning on your part to start pre-op diet early. Congratulations!

I wish I hadn't gotten cold feed two years ago and done it then! But I did and cannot look back with regrets now. Just glad to have finally gone through with the surgery and love this new tool!

I echo what MinaT says and want to add that once you get to the pureed and soft food phase, you will feel full. The first few weeks are really hard. Liquids get old, you don't feel great, lots of ups and downs. The great news is that each week is better than the last until you eventually feel normal again. Hang in there!

With Cigna, that schedule would have counted for me. I know it is disappointing and seems like forever, but I can honestly say that the time flew by. Use that time to learn about post-sleeve eating. Try to start cutting out soda if you currently drink it. Try to start incorporating some of the habits you will need, like drinking 64 oz of water a day, stop drinking 30 minutes before meals, take small bites and chew well. Take the time to start working on the mental/emotional issues with eating and how to overcome them. All of these things will help you post-op. Get all your appointments that you need for insurance and surgeon clearance set up and ready to go for the last month of your diet so that as soon as you have had your last NUT appointment, they can send everything to your insurance company for approval. Good luck! You can do it!

Happy Birthday to me! I turned 45 yesterday. For the first time ever, I did not have birthday cake for my birthday. Honestly, I didn't even want it, which was HUGE for me! Usually it is all I can think about leading up to my birthday. I never cared about the rest of the meal, but the cake would be something I gave considerable thought to. One year, I even baked my favorite cake for myself, german chocolate with the coconut pecan frosting. No one else in my family really likes it, so I ended up eating practically a whole cake over the course of a few days. This time, I was so full on my tiny dinner that cake (even a bite) would not have been an option. For a moment, I missed the birthday tradition, but when I realized that I did not even have the slightest desire for cake, I knew I had cause to really celebrate! Food, particularly sweets, no longer have a strangle hold over me! Woo Hoo! 45 is going to be a great year!!

If coffee or tea is too hot, you cannot mix it in. It breaks down the protein and you get your curdled mess. You need to let it cool a little first before adding. I used to mix it into my broth with success, but always had to let it cool a little.

You're welcome, Sweetsusie. I hope the acid reducer works. I am off of mine now, but it really helped me in the first month when I needed it most. You will see, each week gets easier and easier. Sorry you didn't get many replies. It might be because you posted late at night when not as many people are on. By morning, your post would have moved down and out of the "recent posts" ticker on the side so may not be seen by as many.

I was sleeved on 6/4, so yesterday was officially 2 months. I have lost 52 lbs (including the 15 lbs lost on the two week pre-op torture diet) I am down 62 lbs from my highest weight, 272 and I am so glad I will never see that number on the scale again! I am down three sizes! I feel really great. Food is still a bit of a struggle, finding the right things to eat and the right quantities, but it gets better every day.

Woo hoo! What a fun way to spend time with your kids! Great NSV!

I am eight weeks now. I do not get the slimes as often, but I do get them if I eat just one bite too much. Doing a search on the forum, I discoverd that many people have the same signal from their body that they are full, they burp. Now as soon as I burp, I stop eating (which often happens far sooner than I am ready to stop!) It has worked for me. I am still pretty tentative with food because, as you know, some things go down better than others. But I am trying to sit down to dinner with my family and eat the chicken or fish and a few bites of vegetables. Softer proteins like fish and dark meat of chicken are usually easier to eat. I still have a protein shake for breakfast because I know I can tolerate it and it guarantees I will get at least some of my protein for the day. Also, like you, I was getting pretty dizzy. You are likely a little dehydrated. Try drinking more water. That helped me a lot.

Congratulations! Keep up the great work!!

I am sorry you are feeling bad. Are you taking an acid reducer like Prilosec or Prevacid for the reflux? I really struggled with food at first. I would eat a few bites and be super full and feel like it was coming back up. Several times I would get acid reflux. I am now eight weeks out and it is definitely better. I still cannot eat much in one sitting, but it is more than two ounces. I have also learned when to stop (usually if I burp, it is the signal that I am full) Most of the time that happens before I am actually ready to stop, but now I know not to push it. I always have a protein shake in the morning to get my day started. It still takes me 20-30 mins to drink, but at least I know I am getting a good boost of protein. Hang in there and take things slow. It will get better!

That is awesome! I love that you and your husband get to share the same NSV too! Congratulations!