RunningA5K

Hi Hope...my surgeon's office has pretty 'strict' rules on what I should be drinking for my pre-op diet. I can have either Carnation Instant Breakfast or Slim Fast (the non-high protein version). I am to add 4 gm of protein powder to the shakes, 5 times a day. I currently use Body Fortress when I make shakes. (I get it at Walmart, and it's farily inexpensive). Hope that helps. Best wishes to you!

YAY....another December 11th buddy! I think if I am looking at the list right, at this point, December 11th is the most popular date for surgery! They told me yesterday that I wouldn't know until the 10th what time my surgery will be...they schedule them the day before...I just hope it's early morning...I'm the first one scheduled for that day so far! Congratulations...isn't it such a relief?

Frozen Duluth....hopefully it won't snow too much....will be much warmer in Mexico. : )

YAY dencob!! Same day!!! Where will you be having yours done?

This is a great list! So exciting for so many people! Thanks for keeping track!

Congratulations on the quick approval. Your surgeon will have specifics I all of the pre-op stuff. Every doctor is different with how long they require you to do a liquid diet (some don't even require one at all from what I have been reading here), but it's important that you follow what your doctor requires, not what anyone here suggests. My surgeon requires a one week liquid diet, and that will be further discussed at my upcoming pre-op appointment. Also, as far as going back to work, my surgeons office said it can be anywhere from 1 week to 6 weeks depending on how your recovery goes. Again that will depend on how your personal recovery goes. My surgery will be on a Wednesday in December, and I will take the rest of that week and all of the next week, wi the contingency that I might be out for two weeks. You can't plan how long your recovery will take unfortunately. Best wishes to you, and make sure to write down all of these questions for your surgeons office. You'll definitely want to follow their process to ensure everything so a smooth sailing for you.

I'm up North....how about you?

That's a really good question. I have my pre-op appointment in a few weeks and very well may ask if I can go ahead and get it, as I have had the shot for the past several years.

Essentia. Are you in MN?

December 11th here...counting the days! Thinking it is good luck.... The 11th day of the 12th month of the 13th year (of the 2000's). Surely that has to be good luck. Excited to be in this group.

I am also waiting. I was told at my last appointment that the approval could take up to 2 weeks, and that if I haven't heard anything in 2 weeks, to give them a call. That was a week ago yesterday, and the waiting feels like forever. I made the mistake of doing a search on these forums for my insurance company and read all different kinds of posts indicating that they received approval anywhere from one day to 30 days, so I had to stop looking at that, and be patient...which is SO hard for this process. Good luck...I hope that you hear something soon!

Ree, you can access My Fitness Pal from your computer (if you are interested in that tracking site). I use it for my NUT visits, and you can run reports, and print it all off. I took a printed report for each day (food and exercise) and she can go through and see exactly how much Protein you are eating, and the exercise you are getting (if you wish to track it and print it). I found this much easier for me than writing every thing down, especially when she started really focusing on the protein amounts. There were some items that I just had no idea how much protein was in them, so I could just plug in that item and it calculated the protein according to my serving size, and it provides a running total for each day. I find that I do most of my posting from my computer and check in occasionally from my smartphone. Just wanted to pass that along!

I, too, plan to keep journaling post op. I have found that I refer to my journal several times a day to make sure my Protein numbers are where they are supposed to be, and have heard, as one of the other posters mentioned that people who journal are more successful. I use myfitnesspal as well, which is awesome. I can track my food, my exercise, and even have a friend my friend list who has already had the surgery (and is doing really well) and I can get great ideas of a daily food expectation on the other side. Their database is pretty expansive, so you can enter in just about any food, and it will already bring up all of the nutritional info. You can also access it from the computer or your ipad which is super handy. Again, it's a matter of preference, but in my mind, if I am willing to take the step to have WLS, I am determined to do whatever it takes on the other side to ensure my success...and know that journaling will be one of those ways. Best wishes to you.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calorie-counter-by-fatsecret/id364140848?mt=8 This was the one I downloaded...hope this works...

Is it called Calorie Counter by Fat Secret?

When I met with my surgeon, he gave me all of the statistics. The one that stood out to me the most was that 1 in 200 people are successful at losing weight and keeping it off on their own....without any kind of surgery. That is a HORRIBLE statistic, and one that pretty much has the other 199 set up for endless failures. I too have chosen to tell only 3 people. My husband, an acquaintance who has had the VSG surgery herself, and last night told my very close friend, who I found out had a sister who also had WLS. No one else knows, no family, no other friends, etc. You will read about those people who tell everyone and those people who tell very few people....it's your choice, this is your personal journey, you have to do what is best for you. For those people who think this is the easy way out, blah blah blah...they have no idea what is actually involved...but remember, people never seem to hesitate to give their unsolicited opinions and advice....I believe it should be taken with a grain of salt, and most likely brushed aside. Best wishes to you in this life changing journey!

I've been relatively lucky...the first visit was the 24th, second visit the 20th, third visit the 16th, so they seem to be inching it up. The last visit isn't apparently with the dietician, so since its a different person all together, I am going to ask if I have to wait the full month. The dietician seemed to indicate that it was a hoop that even she didn't agree with me having to do, since this person has nothing to do with the surgery process. They just want to see that a 'physician' has signed off on it, regardless of the fact that I have never met with that physician and my dietician is perfectly capable (and more informed) to sign off on it herself.

My life changes. I have my first appointment with the general surgeon's office and NUT. I hope I can sleep tonight I am so excited!

Second of 4 NUT visits completed today". Lost 6 pounds and going well so far. Getting close

Thanks so much LBD....sometimes I feel a little 'lost' in these forums, so it's nice to have a buddy to talk to. Best wishes to you as well.

Had final psych visit today. Good visit and cleared by her for surgery... Next up...surgeon consult next week.

I have a huge collection of Leslie Sansone videos. She incorporates even light jogging into some of them, and has tons of videos with walk boosters(stretchie bands, walk belt, weights, etc). LOVE her and her positivity!

Congratulations on starting the process. At the seminar I went to, they said to expect 9-14 months for the process to happen. It all depends on the doc and the insurance. Some insurances require 6 months of NUT visits, you'll have psych evals as well that may require some time too. You should find out all of your insurance requirements at your first appointment with the surgeons office. Best wishes to you.