Elizabeth21

Have you tried contacting your insurance company directly or looking at your plan/policy? It is probably available online. Good luck!

My doctor's plan allows beef at 8 weeks out. For me, beef settles the best! (In fact,I am usually more uncomfortable with chicken.)

Instead of "cutting back" I suggest that you wean off of the Protein shakes and eat solid food protein sources instead. They will help you feel full and be fewer calories. My doctor really emphasizes "eating solid food" as a key for his most successful patients. Bottom line: you need to follow your path/plan. If you are satisfied with your loss and pace, then the calorie number shouldn't matter. If it's not broken, don't fix it. Good luck!

I think it helps to have something "to look forward to." Try to find something that you get joy out of -- getting together with a friend, reading a good book -- whatever it is and SCHEDULE it into your day/week. That way you know you have something to look forward to. As for the unemployment, a friend of mine is in an industry where she finds herself in periods between jobs. She treats unemployment as a job. She sets up a schedule with time block for certain activities (research on jobs, phone calls, applying, etc.). She also makes a priority of setting up appointments to meet with people. She shoots for doing at least one a day. This helps with keeping busy, social and networking to find additional work opportunities. The other advantage is that at the end of her "work" day, she is done and does not have to spend all day/night focused on being unemployed. She knows she has done what she has needed to for the day and can give herself some mental time off. Good luck!

I do not know how I would have been able to eat enough when I was pregnant with my children with the sleeve. (I was overweight when I was pregnant and still lost weight.) Personally, I would advise women to wait until they are finished having children before having this surgery. I also needed to know that "everything else" diet/exercise was not going to be effective without surgery. I only considered and then decided to do the sleeve because it addresses the hormonal and hunger signal issues. These are the characteristics that make me believe that THIS approach will be maintainable for me. So, I would not have been ready much before 40. However, age is a number. Everyone's path is going to be unique. Bottom line I think mental preparedness is the most important factor. Good luck!

I weaned off shakes altogether beginning week 3, so hang in there, you won't have to deal with them forever. I also added unflavored Protein to foods/drinks to up protein intake without using shakes. (I like it in diet lemonade and bouillon.) I ordered GENEPRO from Amazon.com. One teaspoon adds 10 grams protein. Good luck!

Well, yes and no. My focus is on getting 60 grams of Protein a day and on my plan I eat four times a day. I shoot for not exceeding 200 calories per meal. On average I end up eating about 600 - 700 calories a day. The protein is filling and satisfying so as long as you focus on lean Proteins and getting those as well as your fluids consumption in, you should do fine. Good luck!

Well... I had a different approach. I focused on my mental preparedness to ensure myself of my decision. I thought of all the various foods and eating situations that I enjoyed and made sure that I experienced every one before surgery so that I could say "good bye" to them. I focused on the actual pleasure, and noted that I could live without it forever in exchange for feeling better and fitting better in the world. I think this really has helped me with avoiding any cheating or temptations because I gave myself time and opportunities to make peace with it all. My other main focus was on arranging work and personal obligations so that I could ensure that I had four weeks to recover from surgery and establish good habits from the beginning. This was especially helpful for me since I ended up with a complication and needed some extra healing time. I did spend time learning about what I would need post surgery and having necessary materials. But I knew I would have nothing but time to focus on the new habits post surgery and was mentally prepared to follow through on that. Good luck!

Well, first of all the good news is that you are almost to the point where you are not going to need to drink Protein shakes any more. My doc/NUT specifically advise eating solids mostly once you can. Secondly, ask your doctor for anti-nausea meds if you have to continue to use shakes. I suggest that you focus on weaning yourself off of shakes altogether as soon as your food plan permits. Use a supplemental unflavored Protein powder in food/drinks if necessary. Don't suffer through the shakes if the rest is settling fine. Good luck!

Try adding unflavored powdered Protein to what you are eating and/or drinking. I ordered GENEPRO off of amazon.com and that worked well. A teaspoon of it adds 10 grams of protein. There are other similar products. On days when I am behind, I would add it to some diet lemonade or bouillon broth and enjoyed the very low calorie protein boost. It adds a little cloudiness to the beverage is all. Good luck!

I used the Slim Fast High Protein/Low Carb ready made shakes. Each shake has 20 grams Protein. Post Op I would pour 4 oz at a time and sip on it for the first week. Sometimes in addition to having it refrigerated I poured it over ice. Over the next two weeks I weaned off of shakes altogether. Good luck!

@@esskay77 Have you tried the JIF natural peanut butter with honey? It's not "pure" but it's better content than regular JIF and it tastes good. Maybe that will help you wean off the regular stuff.

How sad and arrogant of this doctor. I suppose Lasik surgery is the easy way out for eyesight so no one should do that either? There is simply no point to disparaging a weight loss tool just because it is not his preference. Maintaining weight loss is a lot like dating...you just have to keep trying until you find the relationship that works.

@@pinklady08619 Don't forget that YOU are the customer!! You deserve to have all the information and explanations you need whether the nutritionist is on vacation or not. As suggested above, you call that surgeon's office and do not hang up until you feel you completely understand your plan. If necessary, ask for a consult appointment so you can go in for an explanation. Be your own advocate! They are supposed to be serving you! Good luck!!

I have eaten around my Mom even before I could have solids. I was ready to simply tell her that my stomach was upset from post surgery meds, but she never asked me anything. When I do eat around her I keep the conversation going and she pays less attention to the food. Of course having dieted several times in my life, telling her I'm on a diet will not even hit her as unusual. Hang in there!

I had this problem with my mother. I told her I was having hernia repair surgery. Once she notices weight loss I will tell her I'm on a high protein/low carb diet and exercising. Don't feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Taking care includes your emotional wellness. If you feel complete honesty will simply stir up conflict, as it would for me, then you absolutely have the right to keep this choice to yourself. Good luck!

I had this problem with my mother. I told her I was having hernia repair surgery. Once she notices weight loss I will tell her I'm on a high protein/low carb diet and exercising. Don't feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Taking care includes your emotional wellness. If you feel complete honesty will simply stir up conflict, as it would for me, then you absolutely have the right to keep this choice to yourself. Good luck!

How frustrating! Don't they know how psyched up one has to be to start this process? Ugh!

50 But I agree that it is more about where you are emotionally with eating. There is no turning back. It has to be about more than just appearance. You have to truly want to eat differently for the rest of your LIFE. I would not have been ready for that choice at your age and personally, I think it would be difficult to eat enough while I was pregnant if I had had the sleeve. (With a normal stomach I lost weight while I was pregnant.) However, you are not me. My wholehearted advice is not "yes" or "no." I think you are doing the right thing gathering information and not rushing into anything. Research lots, search your heart. It's not all or nothing -- if you don't do it now you can do it later. If you decide that you are ready, then commit completely and don't look back once it's done. Good luck!

The other thing I believe is important is to find things that satisfy your actual craving. For example if you are wanting salty, find something salty that works, otherwise you may eat the "substitution" only to end up eating something else in addition just to satisfy that craving.

I keep some ready-to-go good but still good-for-ya Snacks around for a late night treat. Kozy Shack light puddings are very good, have some Protein and are very satisfying (rice pudding, tapioca and chocolate). They come in 4 ounce serving size so it is a no brainer. Another choice are Cocoa Almonds packets from Emerald Nature. They come in 100 calorie packets and are not sugar filled. They help with that chocolate craving while getting some protein and Fiber. They also make a walnut and almond packet variety. These are crunchy and appetite satisfying as well. On low intake days, I might have both a nut packet and a pudding. Bottom line suggestion: find snacks that will work for you. Even if it means keeping some sugar free Jello ready for a quick go to -- even if you haven't waited 30 minutes since your last drink! Good luck!

Dehydration can make you dizzy. Try to get more Water and avoid dehydrating drinks like coffee and tea until you feel better. Good luck!

Make sure you are drinking high Protein low carb shakes and that you are taking in enough. Make sure that you are drinking enough Water too.

You need to consider the demands of your job. Many here have bounced back quickly. However, your age and your overall health now will make a difference. You will be tired. There's a lot of healing going to be happening and a lot of adjustments for your body. I would say a lot of people felt ready to work in about two weeks and that four weeks was enough for most everybody. Nonetheless, although most of the time everything goes smoothly, I happened to end up with a serious complication. Fortunately my work was flexible enough for me to be able to adjust my schedule to give me some more time. So, to be on the safe side, regardless of what you decide, you might want to consider a contingency plan in case you need an extra week or two to be job ready. Good luck!!

Okay, can't help but to give the jaded perspective. The psych eval is just to CYA of the surgeon and is probably required for his malpractice insurance. Mine was a complete joke. Basically you would really have to come in waving a huge mental red flag to not pass IMHO. Don't worry.