missheidi47

Sending continued prayers for strength and peace. So happy the news is good, and it sounds like you have the best medical team surrounding you.

I was a big water-drinker before surgery, and I also find it tough now. My struggle is at work. I am an occupational therapist and I work in inpatient rehab. I see patients all day, and we are not allowed to have our Water bottles in the therapy gym (Health dept. rule.) I have to make sure that I make time to go back to my desk and drink between patients. And if the day is really crazy it doesn't always happen until it's probably too late.

That is disturbing. If you are uncomfortable, you have to do what you know is best. If they don't straighten out the billing issue to your satisfaction, consider reporting them to the insurance commissioner in your state.

My experience has been similar, also at a Center of Excellence. I see the surgeon and the PA or NP. The surgeon is great, but I've had better answers from the PA in relation to follow up issues. My initial fee covered 3 months of follow up visits, but I don't have to pay the copays for the rest of 2015 because I met the out of pocket max. I appreciate the team approach, because I know it is unlikely that the entire team will leave the practice from visit to visit. I know that some of the players may change as time goes on, but I've still got a great team around me.

I just got back from a 7 day cruise. I focused on protein and vegetables, but I definitely included some foods that are not part of my regular diet. I had a bite of bread a couple of times. It was yummy, but I won't miss it now that I'm back to my routine. I'm 5 months out. I found that some things I used to love aren't very appealing now. The broiled fish, seafood, and lean meat I ate was delicious. I don't feel the need to celebrate what I ate, but I will celebrate that I lost a pound on vacation (that's never happened before!) And I will celebrate that I've been back for 3 days, and I'm back in my old (new) eating routine. I feel great, and I had a fantastic time on vacation. Thank you, Sleeve, for keeping me on track!

I just got back from a cruise, and my experience was similar. I am almost 5 months out, and my goal was not to gain any weight over the week. I brought some nuts and Protein Bars with me, and focused on Protein and drinking my Water. I walked on deck, went to the ship's gym, and did a lot of walking during our excursions. I love that the portions in the dining room were generally small, and I ate fish and seafood a lot. Had a few bites of dessert on occasion, and I was down 1 pound on my return. I was really pleased because the wifi on board was spotty, and I didn't get to log all my foods the way I do at home. Most importantly, I had a fabulous time. Glad to hear you did well too!

Keep in mind that you are losing the weight, but she will still be ugly.

I had about 1/2 of the salad and 1/2 of the steak (3 oz). No wine, bread or croutons. I took home the leftovers and enjoyed it the next night. My "salad" these days is about a 1/2 cup of lettuce.

Thanks! Just got back from the gym, and I'm having steak tonight. I am going to enjoy every bite, and I'm looking forward to a salad with cold sliced filet on it tomorrow night for supper.

I took 2 weeks off and was on light duty for another 4 weeks because I do patient care and had the 10 pound lifting restriction. I could have gone back sooner, but it was nice to have the time to work out my eating/drinking schedule and make sure I was getting in my walking before I went back to work.

I am lucky that the NUT is part of the surgeon's practice and they are a "Bariatric Center of Excellence." I saw 2 different NUTs in my required appointments, and both were really helpful.

So it is restaurant week here in Charlotte, which means that you can get a 3 course meal for $30 - 35 at some upscale restaurants. I am going to Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse tonight with some friends. There is no nutrition info for this restaurant online. I have a plan. I will have salad (probably Caesar with no croutons and dressing on the side), skip the Chateau potatoes, skip the dessert. My dilemma: do I go ahead and have the filet mignon (6 oz so I wouldn't eat more than half) or do I have the salmon without the butter sauce? I'm not a big beef eater, but I enjoy a really good piece of steak once or twice a year. I know that the salmon is a healthier choice, but I was looking forward to the filet (and having the left over on a salad tomorrow for dinner.) Salmon is my favorite fish, but I could also have it anytime. Filet is a treat for sure. What would you do? P.S: I haven't lost any weight this week (well, 0.2 pounds.) Not freaked out. Following my plan. It's probably just my body catching up or hormonal or something. It's just that it would be a little easier to justify the splurge if I had lost.

A lot of people have told me that I seem to be so much happier now. I'm sure it is because I feel physically better, but I also feel better about myself. Along with that, I'm also more likely to be social. In the past I've let my weight hold me back, and made excuses not to do certain activities because I didn't think I could or was uncomfortable with it. As I lose my excess weight, I'm trying to step out of comfort zone too. I'm making a "bucket list" of activities I've wanted to try but haven't in the past because I was afraid. I may hate some of them (like zip lining) but at least I'll know from experience. And who know, maybe I'll find something fun that I love. I'm sure that dating will be easier for me now and in the future, because I'm sure that I would rather date me now than the me that weighed 50 pounds more. Not necessarily because of how I looked, but because I was pretty boring and didn't smile as much.

So sorry for the loss of your furry friends. Still praying for peace and healing.

The surgery did help me do the right thing. It's a choice, but the consequences of not making the healthy choice could be nausea, hair loss, vitamin deficiencies, etc. That helped a lot.