bikrchk

That is the WORST part! I called insurance once a day every day until they told me I was approved!

I fall under "Something Else" . I choose Protein first at meals. A scoop in my morning java and a Quest bar in the afternoon pretty much daily helps me make sure I hit 75g per day, every day. Beyond that, I tend to eat what I like, working it into my nutritional totals for the day. I don't stress about "forbidden foods" because I know I'm hitting my targets, there is no guilt. I crave less when I live this way. I use a fitness watch to know my activity level and exercise 5 days per week with a HR monitor so I know what I'm burning. It must be working as I've hit and have so far been able to maintain my goal, (actually a bit below these days). Though some days, I feel like a slave to the tracking, I never expected the sweet freedom that my sleeve has given me! It's a trade off I'll happily continue!

I'm honest with folks who ask me what I'm doing to look so great, but I was not brave enough to put it out on FB. Kudos to you for being so brave and honest! Haters gonna hate. Eff 'em! I say! And those jeans=amazing! I want some!

Everyone's journey is different. Some folks don't tolerate certain foods ever again, some "swear off" trigger foods and choose to enjoy them never again. Me? I eat everything I like in small quantities. I stay in control with food logging and exercise. As long as I'm meeting my Protein goals and work whatever it is into my day calorie-wise, it's all allowed and I feel no guilt whatsoever. It's what works for me. You'll find what works for you and when you and shouldn't have to apologize for it to your well-meaning friends.

I'm 47 and I lost 23 pounds in the first 30 days after surgery and WAS THRILLED with the the progress! You really can't compare one person's results to another. There are so many things that contribute to our progress, many of which are out of our control. My advice is to set non-scale goals that are specific, measurable and achievable. 1. Get the recommended Protein every day, (74g for me). 2. Exercise X times per week for X minutes per session. 3. Weigh once per week and NO MORE... You get the idea. If you do these things, the weight loss will come. You WILL STALL! Make peace with that now. If you weigh no more than once per week, you won't focus so much on the stall when it comes. As far as recovery, I'm not sure its the same. I have a desk job and went back to work the week after surgery and was fine. Some people have a lot of fatigue. I didn't. I was very lucky, (and compliant with what they told me to do, which helps).

That's what I use when I use milk, which is rare these days.

Learning to eat just to satiety has been key for me as well. Full. Just. Hurts. I've learned to avoid what hurts. Simple as that. I eat what I like in small quantities. I record all of it in MFP along with my exercise so I know I'm getting enough Protein and the right amount of calories. I exercise 5 days per week, (cardio with a bit of strength and core work). Some here will gasp, but if I want the donut, I'm probably gonna have the donut. If I have it, it is unlikely I will finish the donut. Today there were donuts and it didn't phase me. Didn't care. Didn't crave it. Didn't miss the fact that I passed. Next week, who knows? Going out to dinner with a friend tonight and will have a glass of wine or 2. That will be my donut today. I've exercised, taken my protein and have an extra 500 calories to play with. I've been in maintenance for over a month and actually dropped a little below goal. I'm more focused on food now than I ever was, but it's a different kind of focus. I've found a way to stay in control that works for me. Get help if you need it. Mine come in the form of a face to face support group and the friends I've made there who will hold me accountable. You'll find what works for you too.

If I had one for VSG, it was in after I was out and out before I was lucid! I had one with a previous surgery, and it's not a party, but not as bad as you're imagining either. Typically, once you're up, they'll remove it as they WANT you to pee on your own and they WANT you to walk. You could request to have it removed before they take you out of the recovery room to your room. You may not even remember you had it if they do that! Either way, they WILL pump you full of LOTS of Fluid during the surgery and having your bladder bursting before you're ready to be up to the bathroom would not be a party either!

Pre-op, I told my boss and the 12ish people I work with along with family and a few close friends. I didn't get any really negative reactions, other than the "you're not fat enough" conversation which I addressed several times to concerned friends with a chat that goes something like this... "My Dr and I have come to the decision that this is the best thing I can do for my health. I may not look it, but I'm carrying around 100 extra pounds, and it is contributing to numerous other health problems for me. I'd appreciate your support as I undertake this effort to take back my health." That conversation was all it took. I had the support of the folks I care about and anyone else... if they're not on my side, I really don't care about their opinion! Post-op, I tell everyone who asks what I'm doing to look so great that I eat small meals, exercise 5 x per week and I am winning the battle now because I chose to get the help I needed in the form of gastric surgery to reduce the size of my stomach. You never know who needs to hear about this fantastic tool, either for themselves or for someone they love who is struggling.

Protein is essential to your recovery. If you're not getting what you need from your medical team as far as nutritional advice seek out a nutritionist with experience in bariatric patients. I don't know about your area, but around here, they can be consulted in some of the hospitals and most of the grocery stores as well as some who practice privately. Take your after care seriously. Your future health depends on it!

I'm new to all this and have my surgery in a week and a half (Aug 19th). I have been reading all your posts and you are all so brave and truly inspiring! I applaud you all! Bravo! I have heard many conflicting accounts of what post op will look like that first week. Mostly people are using words like "hard, difficult, etc." I'm just taking one week off work and I'd like to know everyone's personal accounts of how their first week or two went so I know what I'm in for. Please be as specific as possible. Were you tired, weak, in pain, do you have children to care for and what is your profession, how soon did you go back and what was it like, etc, etc. I'm on the two week pre surgery diet and as this gets more and more real I'm getting more and more nervous. I think it's different for everyone. I'm 47 and went into surgery with a BMI of 35.5, so on the lower end, compared to many here. I'm a Systems Engineer, (desk job most of the time). I was admitted as the first patient on a Monday and was back in my room by 11am. They also fixed a hiatial hernia while they were in there. I'm told it took me a while to come out of the anesthesia. My mom went home about 5pm a basket case because I wasn't with it as fast as she'd hoped. By 8PM, I was up doing laps. Met her at the elevator in the morning and told her they were sending me home a day early! The only bad nausea I had was due to the oral pain meds they tried to give me, (I was wearing an allergy bracelet that said DON'T, but they did it anyway and it came right back up). That was the one and only time I threw up and the last time I took a narcotic pain med in the process. I found 3-4 Tylenol Jr chewables took the edge off just fine. I was sent home on full liquids and did fine tolerating everything, though it was a struggle to get in all my fluids and Protein the first week. I sent mom home Thursday night, (I live alone so she was there to make sure I didn't keel over with no one knowing) and drove myself to the grocery on the Friday following my surgery and bought soup\walked as it was pouring down rain and I couldn't get outside. I tried to go back to work the next Monday (this was a week earlier than planned) but had to fight with HR 3 days about my lifting restriction so I didn't get back till that Wednesday. I worked pretty much full days that week. I was a bit tired the first few days, napped some, but did not feel really "weak". I only have to worry about the "fur babies" so I had it pretty easy. It took me about a month before I really began to feel like myself. My energy improved a lot as I advanced from purees to soft foods. All in all, not that bad of an experience, and no real issues since. Ten months later I'm at goal, have perfect labs and am free of all the prescriptions I'd been taking pre-op. Life. Is. Good!

Female, age 47. 5'6" Consult BMI 37 Pre op BMI 35.5 (I was made to lose at least 10 pounds, I lost 13) Original goal 135 Re-adjusted to 145 at 6 month check in Goal reached month 9 Total loss 90+ pounds. BMI 23.3. I may hit that original 135 pounds as I navigate early maintenance.

I've lost 90 pounds and went from an 18 to a 4 and there are days that I look in the mirror and can't see the size 4 woman standing there. I see a size 10 or 12. Then I look at a picture and think "who's skinny little legs are those"? Oh, they're MINE! Good news is most of the time when I pass my reflection in glass, I don't recognize the skinny person walking by. I just entered maintenance about a month ago and I'm having more "good image" days than bad. I guess it takes time.

I told a handful of friends and family pre-op, but found that post-op, it has been very liberating to be open about it. I've had few, (if any) really negative reactions and have helped several people who have been struggling find a tool to help them get healthy and live better. Being a "poster child" for WLS helps me stay motivated by helping others and I'll be damned if the naysayers will ever see me backslide and get to be right! Extra motivation for me!

Just keep following your plan and the weight will come off. About the anxiety... It is normal to have more anxiety\be more emotional the first few months after surgery. As your body releases fat, it also releases the hormones and toxins stored there. It can make us a bit crazier than normal for the first few months. I know I was. Good news is, that part improves. At least for me, I've been able to give up the anti-anxiety med I took pre-op. It was prescribed to help with blood pressure and once the weight came off I didn't need BP meds or anxiety meds anymore. Celebrate your victories. You got this!

Appeal their decision. Some insurance companies deny first if they can to avoid paying and hope you'll get discouraged and give up or go elsewhere. Appeal, and if that fails, I'd look at a cheaper US option. It's not that I have a problem with surgery in Mexico. They do A LOT of them and there are good docs there. The issue is that if you have a problem when you come home, (complications can and do happen whether you have the work performed abroad or in the US), you may find that no Doc at home wants to touch you. Wouldn't be worth the risk IMHO.

That's fantastic! I heard a quote once... "Your body is NOT a garbage disposal". Just a positive way to look at it I suppose, and one I try to remember daily.

I can sooooo relate! Particularly pre-op, when it seemed like I was waiting one everyone else and depending on their recommendations, results of test, etc to progress through each stage. It made me feel very... out of control. I coped through educating myself about the procedure I was about to undergo, (somewhat obsessively). I think lots of folks do. There are worse ways to spend your energy than educating yourself and supporting others in their journey. Embrace it and learn as much as you can. You'll be on the other side before you know it!

I'm 10 months out and have been able to tolerate whatever I like in small quantities since about month 5. I eat bread, rice, fruit skins, chocolate, popcorn and on occasion drink alcohol. For me, there are no "forbidden" foods. I am painfully aware that if I get complacent I can fail at this so I still weigh and measure and keep a meticulous food journal so I know what's going in\burning off. I exercise 5x per week and wear a pedometer. All the exercise\steps synch their calories into MFP so I know whether I'm over or under. I focus on the traditional bariatric diet of Protein first, but if I want a treat with less nutrition, work it into my day. For example, I get a Weight Watchers ice cream almost daily. Today I am a bit below goal and trying to figure out maintenance. I was able to manage my weight loss eating what I like with the addition of exercise and consistent food logging. It will have to be a lifetime commitment if I hope to maintain my weight loss.

There is no substitute for face to face support groups! I've met some really good friends there who will forever "get me" and support me in my new lifestyle and I them! Plus, when YOU'RE the one on the other side and doing GREAT, you get to be an example for others. That alone is empowering and motivating experience and one of the main reasons I don't miss meetings. The other reason is, every once in a while we get one who's 2 or more years post op who thought they had it all figured out and quit coming, quit doing the things they were supposed to do, and gained back half their weight. They'll tell you it's important to go to maintain focus. And it's cool to watch them "melt" again when they go back to doing what they're supposed to do!

3 months, 6 months 1 year, and every year after that. Not sure what "panel" they call it but they check Proteins, hydration, albumin, cholesterol, minerals like B12, D3, Iron, calcium, etc.

HELL NO! Best gift I've ever given myself, to be free from being controlled by my appetite!

5'6" age 47 First consult September 8, 2013, 235 pounds Size 18 (this is when I count from since this is when I got serious about the lifestyle change) Surgery Date, October 14, 2013, 223 pounds November 14, 2013, 194 pounds April 14, 2014, 160 pounds (6 months) August 11, 2014, 143 pounds, Size 4 (10 months, 90 pounds lost.) Goal met a few weeks ago. Secrets? Weigh no more than once per week. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals, (don't set a goal to weigh "x" by when, (this is not within your control). Set a goal to exercise "x" times per week and hit your Protein goals. Do what your medical team tells you. Find a face to face support group. DON'T compare your loss to others!

I think the same thing when I'm folding my size 4 skinny Rock Revivals, (goal present). They still look to me like they should belong to a little girl! Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be in this size! And I could conceivably go a little smaller. BMI is 23.2, so I'm still in the top half of healthy. We'll see where I land as I figure out maintenance.

A pair and SEVERAL spares until we talk about whether or not we're "exclusive". This is an experience I've had exactly NEVER. Until now! :-) Loving my social life right now!