sophie'sChoice

YAY! Congrats! You will be on the losers bench in no time!

Congrats!!!

Yep, what she said!! And HIPAA keeps them from saying anything to anyone else. Your DR's office will fill out the forms and tell them how long you need to be off work. If it goes beyond the FMLA that you have it depends on where you work as to how they will handle that. They should be able to let you know up front. They should be nothing but professional about it. Don't worry!! Good luck!!

I wished frustration burned calories don't you? LOL I'm glad you had a safe place to vent. I lost 17 lbs over the 6 months I had to do the insurance required monitored plan and then I lost a TON during my first month post surgery but mostly because I didn't have to do a pre surgery liquid diet. I'm at 7 months out now and although I'm happy with what I have accomplished I have found that even though I still have a LONG way to go and even though I'm doing everything right, I will go for a few weeks and not lose anything (even at over 300 lbs) and then I lose a few pounds...then I go a few weeks without losing....and the cycle repeats. I have learned to stay off the scale and just stay the course. To look at the other side of the coin...I have gone 7 months and not gained any weight! It's a big deal for me. One more interesting fact from my personal experience. It's during the dry spells of the scale not moving that I see the biggest changes in my body and how my clothes fit. Interesting huh? Hang in there and fight the good fight. You will get there. You will !!!

WOW! What a meathead! You should have offered him your surgeons contact info in case he was interesed LOL Sorry you didn't get the reaction you deserved. You are still MY hero!! :-)

I was a Coke Zero addict before my surgery. I would rarely drink anything other than a diet soda...ever. And I drank a lot of it. After my surgery I followed the rules and didn't drink any. After a few months I decided to try a sip. The sound of someone cracking open a cold one and hearing them pour it over ice was almost too much for me. So I took a sip. It was TERRIBLE! I loved fountain soda best. So I have tried a fountain soda real coke (my ultimate favorite) a diet pepsi, and my old fave....coke zero. All of them tasted horrible. So....I no longer crave soda. Sort of makes me sad...LOL. It had nothing to do with the carbonation or how it made my tummy feel...I just can't handle the taste anymore. Sigh....like losing an old friend (cue dramatic music)

I had to fill out a form where I was instructed to list every diet I have been on for the last ten years. When I was on it, for how long, how much weight I lost etc etc. Wow was that a long list! I not only gave it to the Surgeons office but when the insurance company wanted the same information I made a copy for them as well. There was no way I wanted to try to think of all that stuff again. In terms of the monitored plan, I had to do 6 months for my insurance company. It was monitored by my PCP's nutritionist. I went once a month. I was told by the insurance specialist in my surgeons office that whether I lost weight or not during the 6 month monitored program really didn't make a difference in terms of whether I got approved or not.

I used to drink diet soda all day long. It's pretty much all I drank. After surgery I gave it up and now I only on rare occasion have an unsweetened iced tea. I've never been a coffee drinker so I guess that is what makes me different than most. My caffeine always came with fizz!

I think my nose is the only part I have that is normal size! LOL Interesting!

Although I stated I didn't know how to respond to those threads it seems that I have responded to that thread as I found it after yours LOL. It is quite a verbose response too....oops. Anyway, to each their own. I still like how you remind us that we are so much more than our surgery. I struggle with that sometimes because it seems to be all people say to me anymore....wow, you are losing weight, wow, how much have you lost.....argh... thanks again!

I am one of those private people. Not just about WLS but about everything! It's just how I was made. I'm also one of the best confidantes you will ever find. yep, If you need someone to talk to, I can keep private what you tell me, no matter what it is LOL. Some people are more open, some people are more private, some people are blonde, some are brunette. It's ok that we are all different. I do believe we are all made differently and I do believe that our previous experiences shape us as well. I have spent my whole life struggling with the yo yo diet thing. I have lost weight and put it back on so many times...failed so many times...I got tired of telling people "I'm gonna do it this time!". Heck, they stopped believing me long ago. Even around the dinner table, especially at holidays, I would become the topic of converstation...or should I say my most current diet fad would be the topic. Can you say mortifying? Anyway...that's all in the past. Although last night my brother said "can you eat this?" ARGH! Regarding my WLS, over the last 7 months I have told about 10 people. For me that's a lot (more than I thought now that I count them up!). They are my cheerleaders and my support. My immediate family, A couple of my closest friends, and a couple of my closest friends at work. Do I put it on Facebook? NO, do I tell everyone who says "wow, you are losing weight" or "wow you are looking great, what are you doing?" NO. Why? because I still am that private person and have learned that I do need at least some protection in this area of my life. That being said, Just recently I have had a woman come up to me (from work) that is significantly overweight and wanted to talk about how I am losing the weight. She is from another department but we see each other often and she was genuine in her inquiry and was wanting advice on how she too could be successful. I have shared my story with her as well as my materials. So, NO, I will NOT tell everyone that wanders by how I lost my weight nor share how much I have lost (lets face it, I have over 200 pounds to lose). I really don't want it to become the focus of my existence, topic of the breakroom, or leave myself open to hurtful comments or gossip. However, I apparently do have the discernment that when I am approached in a genuine information seeking manner that I can share my story. I have made this a way of life...and I have moved on with my life...a healthier and happier person (with a long way to go...but I will get there). I come to this forum to get support and to hopefully give support but otherwise I really don't want my life to revolve around my surgery. Does that make sense? Sorry this was so verbose!

Standing ovation for Lipstick Lady......I didn't let my weight define me (although I did have my moments from time to time), why should I let my weightloss solution? I never knew how to reply to the threads where there were opinions that suggested I had ulterior motives for keeping my choice as private as I have. BRAVO! and thank you!

Hmmmm, Like lacowgirl I wish I hadn't stocked up so much on Jello and pudding. Who knew that a pudding cup would last me 2 servings??!! I'm also in agreement with the others that said don't stock up on Protein drinks because my favorite Protein Drink tasted gross to me after surgery. By the way, it is again my favorite but it took a few months for me to try it again. I wish I had known that adding a little something to my Water would help me get it down better. It seems that plain water sat heavy on my tummy but just a little flavoring of any kind seemed to help with this (won't bore you with theories of the surface tension of water etc) but it did help me a lot. I wish I had a before picture. I wish someone would have told me that the Iron supplement they gave me in the hospital would turn my poop BLACK. Yikes....should warn a girl. And I wish someone would have told me that you CAN get constipated when you are only taking in fluids...who knew. I will NEVER let that happen again. not fun. Good luck to you! Look forward to hearing more from you.

Interestng....They talk about research and even talk about where its being done but at the bottom of the article there are no references.......hmmmmmm

Congrats!!! That is my next goal. I can't tell you how many years it's been for me.....too many. Keep up the great work!

Hi there! Yes, there are several of us who started in that weight range...welcome aboard! you will find that our journey, like everyone elses, can be very individual. Some lose faster than others for a variety of reasons just like everyone else. The good news is that if you get your Protein and Water in...and stick with the plan...you will be successful! Good luck and I look forward to hearing how well you do!

What an inspiration you are! Thanks for sharing and congrats!

I will put a sugar free mint in my mouth...has the same effect as just brushing your teeth. Everything tastes yucky after you do that! This trick I learned when I was dieting and I would bake for the holidays...I would put a sugar free cough drop in my mouth. Again, you wont want to eat or even taste anything for a while....yuck. Good luck!

Try to not get frustrated. Keep fighting the good fight, do what you are supposed to do and it will all be ok! It is very common to hit plateaus as you go along the journey. Other things are happening during these times when the scales are not moving but they are still part of the process. Hang in there!

Hang in there. This may be your first but it will not be your last. It's a stair step kind of journey. It's just how it works. Keep fighting the good fight and you will get there!

It is most definitely a stairstep journey and the scale is not your friend lol. I have realized a pattern and that in itself keeps me sane. I don't lose for about 3 weeks then I lose for 2-3 weeks. Repeat. So...right now I'm in my holding pattern so I've decided to just stay on the straight and narrow, do what I'm supposed to do, and not sweat the scale to the point that I'm not even going to get on it for several more days. You know what? I'm much happier. Another tidbit. I find that I lose more inches when the scale isn't moving than when it does....weird. hey....go with the flow....fight the good fight....and all will be well! :-)

I think what you are going through is very common. Even now at 6 months out I am just now starting to get interested in food again. CRAZY! I used to revolve around food! Anyway, you will eventually be able to get some veggies and fruit into the mix with your Protein. No worries. And FYI, my tastes changed post surgery but then they changed again a few months out. So hang in there! and Congrats on your weight loss!

Hey Jenn, how are things going? are you able to keep things down now? feeling any better? give us a shout out!

Congrats! it will be here before you know it!

I obviously did not have a BMI issue (being too low) when I applied for approval however I was curious if the amount of weightloss or lack there of during my 6 month supervised timeframe would play a role in my approval. I asked the insurance specialist that works for my surgeon and she knew the answer right away. For my insurance she said that it didn't seem to impact the approval process at all. So, my advice to you would be to contact the insurance person in the surgeons office and ask them. I bet they would know based on previous experience. Hope it turns out that you don't have to worry about it!