Maddie

Is there anyone else who can help? A cousin, aunt, friend, neighbor, anyone? Is it possible to hire a sitter? I know in my city there are a few 24 hr child care centers for people who do shift work. Maybe you could check into that. I hope you find a solution. I wish you all the luck in the world in getting this straightened out. (((hugs)))

When I first started soft foods, this is what I had. Day 1 Breakfast 1 scrambled egg topped with 1 T. shredded cheddar 1/4 c. sugar free yogurt with 1/2 scoop of unflavored Protein powder lunch 1/4 c. fat free cottage cheese 1/4 c. sugar free pudding with 1/2 scoop Protein Powder dinner 1/4 c. refried Beans topped with cheese 1/4 c. fat free ricotta with 2 T. applesauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon Day 2 BREAKFAST 1 hard boiled egg 1/4 c. applesauce with 1/2 scoop protein powder LUNCH 2 egg omelet with 2 T. cheddar cheese and 1 T. salsa 1/4 c. sugar free pudding with 1/2 scoop protein powder Dinner 1/2 c. Ricotta cheese with low sugar spaghetti sauce topped with mozzarella and parmesan 1/4 c. sugar free pudding with 1/2 scoop protein powder I did not even come close to finishing any of these meals. LOL To be honest I was really scared to take the first few bites. EDIT: I forgot to mention that at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. I had Protein shakes as my snack

Oh WOW. Talk about night and day. I am so thrilled for you. I'm almost speechless.

That's so cool and how exciting it must have been for you. Gratz! Have a great vacation.

I'm not really sure, and I would be happy to ask my cousin, but she's on vacation with her family right now. Hopefully some folks who dealt with insurance can answer that for you. Best of luck.

Chef Neil mentioned the burp or hiccup. That's a warning signal. Lots of ppl who have had WLS get that. It can come in the form of a burp, hiccup, sneeze or a runny nose. For me personally, I get a single hiccup. If I don't put down my fork right then, I pay for it. All it takes is one more bite to regret it. That extra bite either feels like it's stuck in my chest and is very uncomfortable or sometimes but not often, if I have that extra bite, it comes back up. You have to learn to listen to your body and what's it's trying to tell you.But, to be honest, I'm glad I get that. It keeps me from overeating.

jasleeve, the thing is not to lose too much. If the insurance company thinks that you are very successful on your own, they may not approve you for surgery. I was self pay so didn't have this to deal with, but my cousin got hers done through insurance. Her doctor told her to diet but to be careful how much she lost. I know this seems bizarre but in a strange way it makes sense. The way it was explained to her was this: The insurance company wants to know that you are serious about weight loss so they want to see that you are committed. The only way they have to test you is by putting you on a diet. They expect you to lose a certain amount over a certain period of time. If you don't lose any at all, they think you didn't try and they won't approve you. If you lose too much they think you can do it without surgery and they won't approve. So, the trick is to lose just a little. So, what she did was cut her calories. For a about a week, she wrote down what she ate typically. This was only for her own use so she was honest about everything that went into her mouth. She added that up and divided it by 7 to get a daily average of calories. Then she cut her caloric intake by 1,000-1,500 calories a day. This still left her eating way more than she would on a diet but enough that she would show some weight loss each time she went to the doctor. The only way she could do this was to keep a journal of what she ate, which turned out to be a good thing. By the time she had surgery she was in the habit of tracking her food. I'm not suggesting that this is what you should do, I'm just trying to explain what the dr meant.

The main advice I would give is the 1st time you have alcohol after surgery, go easy and do it at home with people you trust. It hits everyone differently but for many a little goes a very long way following surgery.

WOW Coops, you look great and that dress really suits you! You're so right, "what a difference a year makes". Congrats.

Congrats on getting one step closer. I know it's nerve wracking waiting on each thing as it gets closer. Best of luck!

The topics covered by my Nut were: The importance of the pre-surgery liquid diet. Post surgery progression of liquids, mushies, full diet. The importance of Protein intake post surgery. The importance of Vitamins post surgery.

I had my gallbladder out 5 weeks after I got sleeved. It's not uncommon to have issues with your gallbladder after rapid weight loss. I have had several surgeries in my lifetime and have always found that my appetite is diminished for a while afterwards. Any time you get pumped full of drugs along with the trauma of surgery, it's gonna take some time to feel "normal" again and that includes a normal appetite.

One thing that helped me was getting good soups to go and straining them when I got home. Getting different flavors made it a lot easier on me. Some of my faves were, egg drop soup, french onion soup and tomato soups from La Madelaine, and tortilla soup.

I was able to stay outside the whole time the family did fireworks on the 4th. The extra weight magnified my back problems and made me duck out on lots of outside activities. That plus the fact that I can take the heat so much better now.

Here's a few tricks: -Like Mini said, get creative with rearranging the food on your plate. -Order things that you know come in smaller portions so it isn't so obvious. -Even though you won't drink it, get some Water. Not having a drink just draws more attention to you. -When you are talking, wave your fork around a bit with food on it, this gives the illusion that you are eating. -Make light of it when you can. For example, if someone mentions that you aren't eating much, say something like, "I have been watching my weight, if I ignored what I ate every time these guys took us out, I'd never make progress".

All I can say is WOW.

I had complications, so yes, in the beginning I had serious buyers remorse. But now that I am over a year out and have met goal, I would do it all over again even if I knew I would have the same complications. I am off all the blood pressure meds that I took for over 15 years, off the CPAP, and my knee and back pain are much less than when I was carrying around all the extra weight. Like a few others, my only regret is not doing it sooner. We don't all lose at the same rate and we don't all adjust emotionally at the same rate. Especially when there are complications involved. No matter how much research you do, nothing can fully prepare you for what is ahead with any WLS. It's really more than adjusting, being pumped full of drugs, the trauma of surgery to your body, and having your life changed forever are things that take time to wrap your head around. As tough as it can be at times, we need to hang in there as best we can and do our best to support each other through the difficult periods.

That is sooooo cool. You should be very proud of yourself. You look so different. Keep up the good work.

Oh yeah, I know that move lol. I am so thrilled for you. Too cool that you got new size clothes before vacation. YAY

WooHoo, check you out! That was some transformation. Huge gratz to you.

I had to give myself injections as well. It wasn't so bad.

WOWZER, you look amazing!!!!!

I love the dressing room pic. You are looking really good.

You won't feel a lot of restriction until you start eating dense foods. Soft, mushy foods go straight through for the most part. That is why when you get on a full diet you really have to watch slider foods. They dont stay with you long and let you eat more.

That is such a big deal, WOW. Gratz, I'm thrilled for you.