Phoenix79

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great and be posting some of your "after" pics before you know it!

Hello! Any gardeners out there? Trying to reactivate this thread.

I want to find fellow plant addicts out there! I love working in the garden whether it's weeding, pruning, planting a new find or peeling back some more of my husband's beloved grass to make a new bed. It's great exercise too! I have a feeling this hobby of mine will get even more fun after surgery and will make a great replacement addiction for food...LOL. I'd especially like to hear from folks in the Pacific Northwest...we're getting into prime growing planting season and I have divisions to trade. Respond by posting to thread or PM.

Gosh darn it. My husband was on my phone again and logged me out- try to post a recipe and he gets the credit!

Where do you get them? There are a few I'd like to join (Washington state forum, etc) but I have no clue where to get this password the site is asking me for. Any pointers?

Aggh! I had my surgery office check on my insurance benefits for the sleeve I would like to have done and thought I knew exactly what I was going to hear..." No problem, you're all covered and you just have to do x, y, & z tests before we can formally submit to insurance". My husband Fiddleman had sleeve surgery with the same surgeon and same insurance (I don't work so his insurance is primary) in July 2012 and that's all he had to do. Instead, I'm told that my insurance requires 6 months of medically supervised weight loss in order for it to be covered! How could the insurance change so much when my husband didn't have a problem? This news was very upsetting to me and I broke down on the phone doing the ugly cry. I was so nervous to have the surgery to begin with, and I'm almost 34 and was primarily doing the surgery to have kids. The whole process of the surgery and getting to maintenance was long enough, but then to have an additional 6 months tacked on is awful! I got off the phone and kept bawling ...my hero husband called our insurance company and found out no 6 month program is required, just what diets I've tried over the past 5 years and my success with them. Absolutely NOTHING has changed on our bariatric coverage since last year. Gotta love insurance companies and how inept some of the reps are! Now to dry my tears and enjoy MUSE playing a concert at the Key Arena tonight!

Copycat Wendy's chili recipe on the way tomorrow....just have to find it in my book.

Penzey's lemon pepper - tangy, peppery and yum! Nice thing is it doesn't clump like a lot of lemon peppers do and the flavor is amazing. I use it on vegetables- broccoli is a favorite, fish, rotisserie chicken (yum). Penseys is an online company and a favorite with a lot of chefs- they have tons of different spices in all types of sizes and are cheaper than in stores.

Yay! Found out at my initial appointment with the surgeon that I DO NOT need the six months supervised weight loss. Turns out they found out the same day I saw them and I still don't know what in the heck happened. Oh well- at least it's straightened out now. I've lost 14 lbs on my own since starting this process...and going to keep trying for more. Next up is my sleep study this Tuesday night and then once I have results from that, I can schedule my full blood work panel and endoscopy. Insurance approval paperwork is on the horizon!

I just finished checking out at Costco getting most of our weeks groceries and at the door receipt inspection, the lady checking my receipt looked in my cart and said "you sure eat healthy girl. Look at all that good stuff!" Yay! I've always wanted someone to say that....that is the goal I have when I shop- to have people rethinking the chip, cookies and other processed foods in their cart. So what did I get? A warm roasted chicken, cold Kirkland chicken strips, chicken teriyaki meatballs, chicken sweet onion patties, herb sliced chicken breast, coconut curry, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, eggs and my one extravagance- chocolate covered bing cherries. Shopping for a pre-sleever (me) and my husband- a post-sleever.

LOL! I do- it's a great money saver.

I'm pre sleeve just starting this process (had informational seminar last Thursday) and I've been combing thrift stores for this size for years...eBay, etc. They fit me perfectly- I've had so many compliments wearing them but LB doesn't make them anymore! Can anyone help a girl out?

I will...thanks!

So I'm a newbie Doctor Who fan and I just met the eleventh doctor last night. The thing that made me laugh was after he transformed, his taste buds weren't the same as the tenth doctor's. Craved an apple then spit it out, beans are evil, tried a bunch of things and ended up with fish sticks and custard! I'm a big foodie pre sleeve- I've always eaten and savour every bite. I'm hoping to be a foodie after sleeve- but just smaller portions. Certain foods can make my toes curl with pleasure as I eat them. I love my taste buds the way they are and a lot of people who have had the sleeve including my husband (fiddleman) say their taste buds have changed post sleeve. My husband liked peaches and peach flavour before his sleeve- now he doesn't. I think over all, that is one of the things I'm most concerned about. Feedback? And hello to all you Doctor Who fans out there!

For me- No Diet Coke. Diet Dr Pepper, etc. still drinking coffee though. Eating off salad plates Weighing and measuring my food Tracking on My Fitness pal - and being totally honest about writing down every bite! Eating with a cocktail fork Taking dime size bites Chewing bites A Lot Not drinking with meals The last three are my newest ones- still a work in progress, but I figure anything I can do now will pay off ten fold down the road...anything to make post sleeve life easier! How about you?

I'm at Swedish Weight Loss center in Seattle right now in the middle of what they call their "matrix" appointment. I've seen a nutritionist, had my blood pressure, weight and measurements taken and seen psych. Waiting on the surgeon (Dr.Ross McMahon) and nurse visits. A long day with an hour drive & check in at the ungodly hour of 7am (for a night owl) but lots of good info! I'm on my way!

These are great tips guys! Keep them coming! I'm also working on losing weight before surgery- I started in December and as of today have lost 11 lbs. I'm on a 1950 cal diet- tracking with my fitness pal and it's worked out really well. I'm able to fit in things I can't have after surgery (at least for a while) so I don't feel the need to have a huge "food funeral" before surgery and gain even more weight I'll have to lose afterwards. I've had premium chocolate fudge ice cream, eating out at Olive Garden (check out their new small plates- chicken with red wine sauce..$5!), BBQ beef brisket, etc. I was on 2250 calories but wasn't really losing with that (at 320 lbs) so I bumped it down just a tad...hit a sweet spot for now anyways!

Totally try the recipe on here for the butterfingers protein shake...perfect for the movies!

They probably sell a few of them but lots more expensive than world market. Here in the Pacific Northwest we have a wonderful gem called Cash & Carry. A lot of restaurants/baristas shop here and use their resale code to get stuff cheap, but it's still cheap for the rest of us! 3.80 for a full size bottle, and they have lots of SF Torani, some SF Monin, and others. A full isle stocked with yummy flavors. Also buy Alpine Sugar Free apple cider here for a lot cheaper a box, buy a SF caramel syrup and you have the makings of a 10 calorie Starbucks inspired caramel apple cider! If there is no cash and carry by you, search for something similar or ask your barista where they get their syrups- you'll save a lot of money on syrup and get a lot more flavor options- german chocolate cake, cookie dough, toasted marshmallow, root beer, almond, etc. Oh yeah...try a sugar free vanilla jello pudding snack mixed with 1/2 tsp coconut extract from the spices/baking section, add a little sweetened coconut if you're far enough along and if you want/sleeve allows....voila , coconut cream pie filling.

I like the idea of using pudding mix. I love spumoni ice cream and I'm thinking about trying a mix of chocolate and cherry protein powder with pistachio sugar free pudding mix and see how it is. It'll either be yummy or nasty....if it's yummy I could freeze into mini pops like ice cream!

The verdict is ....it's delicious! I added an extra tablespoon of butterscotch pudding mix because my expert butterfinger taster said it needed to be more caramelly. With adding that, using Pb2 and 1/4 tsp instant espresso powder instead of coffee granules since that's what I had....yum! Spot on. And the pudding mix really helps to get it nice and thick. I even had my first sip of protein shake and thought it was good. Sweet, but good! Dessert in a cup- perfect movie theatre treat if they'll let you take it in.

My husband is very close to goal and likes to run and hike...we live in Lake Stevens,Wa and have family down in Renton so we get down there frequently. His username is Fiddleman- PM me or him if you want to meet up sometime for a workout or just to meet another sleever!

I am a very open book and will tell everyone who asks what I did - I'm pre sleeve right now. I think the only way to change the stigma about WLS is for those who have it to speak up about it- and be very honest about the benefits and challenges. In my experience, if you don't experience something personally, you really don't understand it or know how it feels- whether it's obesity, infertility, death of a parent, sibling, cancer, a chronic illness, etc. I don't want to assume or demand that a person be educated about something that they are not personally involved in. They will just pick up what they know from people around them and the media- no in depth knowledge. For example, I struggle with infertility too, for four years I've had to deal with comments from my Grandmother about when we are going to start a family, don't we want kids, etc. From my cousin I got the typical "well just relax and it'll happen" line. I opened up and told her how I was feeling, how long we'd been trying, what infertility involves, what tests (emotional and physical pain & humilation) we had to go through, what a miracle it is to get pregnant in the first place- everything has to go right at exactly the right time...etc. She was flabbergasted and had no idea some people had that problem...she popped out three kids right in a row. The more we tell people about our surgery- those who want to listen and really want to know, the faster the true face of WLS can be seen in public! Be patient with people and understand that there are a lot of misperceptions out there! Educate them!