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I am so very sorry that this has happened! It just isn't fair but please please please don't give up. There has to be another way for you. The other thing you might want to consider is buying a health plan that includes bariatric surgery for a few months. It will be less expensive than self pay, they will likely accept your 6 months of supervised diet. And of course they are not allowed to deny you because of preexisting conditions. It might really be worth looking into. I had to do something similiar just to make sure my spine surgery and specific surgeon was in network for me. He is actually in a whole other state. It was totally worth it for me to be able to have peace of mind and work with someone I trust. It was a lot less expensive for me than paying out of pocket. Hugs!

See, these are the fun cool things we all get to experience! Congratulations!!! Wait until you can sit like a pretzel....and yes it's coming! One day you will notice some of the crazy things you can do.

You are also only 4 months along. I promise it will slow down the closer you get to goal and you'll wish you would see this kind of loss again. Also, it all depends on how much you have to lose. And of course there will likely be other stalls.

I adore my husband, he is a big guy and definately needs to lose some weight if he wants to remain healthy. He suffers from AFIB but had an ablation twice to correct it. So far he has only had a couple of episodes. Anyway, he eats like crap all the time and then when he has a blip with his heart he freaks out and asks me to help him. The problem is he really is a food addict. A junk food addict. I am a great cook and I focus on good Proteins and good carbs. For lunch I am always making something for myself that he could eat but chooses to run to mcDonalds. I have noticed myself getting outright angry with him because he tells me I have to help him. I get him on track and he does well until something comes up outside of the house, then instead of simply indulging a little for that one meal, he gives up completely and we start over again when he is ready. Honestly I am tired of him asking for help and then not doing his part. He is due for his physical at the end of the month and knows his doctor is going to scold him, so guess what. He needs my help to get back on track. He went to the ball games with friends tonight. He ate crap at the game and then picked up McDonald's on the way home. I try not to get frustrated with him but I am actually finding myself really nagging lately. I decided tonight that I am not going to say anything and when he asks for help again, I am going to provide my nutritionists info. He is very proud and amazed at how well I have done so I don't understand what the issue is. He was going to have bypass with me and backed out of it.

You should not have any problem with this. It will be more difficult than you think to lower your BMI below 40 that quickly. Also once you have the authorization I have never heard of it getting pulled because you lost too much weight on the preop diet. Also you will likely gain all that you lost on the preop diet back in the hospital. It is very common from all the fluids they pump into you. I would not worry about this at all.

I am so sorry you are struggling! I would guess that we will all struggle with the maintenance phase at some point and I know when it happens to me, I will use the pouch test to help me. I have not tried the pouch test at this point but have to imagine it would be harder than one thinks. I think if I had to, I would drill it into my head that I am on a preop diet and need to follow it. Tell myself I am having surgery in a few days. It would help me stay on track. I am always reaffirming things for myself which helps me achieve my goals. Not sure if this helps or not, you have to find what will work for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

By the way, that feeling of hunger is likely dehydration. You should not be feeling actual hunger right now, I think it is near impossible. Dehydration mimics hunger pangs and could be causing some of your symptoms.

I agree with Amazon. Start with dinner, order your wine but don't drink it until 30 minutes after you have finished eating. Have your wine for dessert.

Congratulations on having a safe surgery! I hope that all continues to go really well for you. My experience was similar and other than waking up with some pain and having that initial gas pain I got better and better every day. All the best and don't ever forget to sip liquids like crazy, it is the most important thing you can do for your self (I say as I am sipping my morning water)!

Sending prayers for a safe surgery and speedy recovery! Congratulations and welcome to the losers club!

You would actually have to ask your insurance company the specifics but I am guessing as long as you show that history of obesity you will likely qualify. Do you have any comorbitities like diabetes my high blood pressure, high cholesterol or sleep apnea? Those will help as well.

Not really a suggestion but you will likely get that same headache on and off for a week. The good news is. Once you get through it you will feel a lot better. Hang in there!

Oh yes! I am nearly 12 months out and my hips, legs and back are in severe pain every day. I hope if I am adjusting it happens soon. On a good note me knees feel better.

Hmmm. I might have to give it a try. I am allergic to most artificial sweeteners however recently tried using Swerve. I swear my tongue actually went numb. I usually won't even try them but I was attempting to make those Peanut Butter Cookies with 4 ingredients and no flour. They sucked and I had to throw the whole batch away.

1. First, The constipation has to be the worst! 2. I have only tossed my Cookies (no not actual cookies) twice, both from eating too much. The first time it happened I made it to the bathroom. The second time it happened I just had spine surgery and could not jump up and run so my husband raced to the kitchen and came back with the smallest to go container I have ever seen! I laughed even though I was about to throw up and said "what the hell am I going to do with this?!" I then proceeded to throw up and did not even come close to filling it up! LOL!

It is definately up to you and how you build new eating habits. Every surgery has the regain risks so you literally have to be willing to change your life to be successful long term. I will say for me, that after working so darn hard this last year, I will do everything in my power not to have that happen. I cannot imagine watching the scale go in the wrong direction and not doing something about it immediately. I have learned exactly what I need to do to lose this much weight and it is no picnic. My new stomach certainly makes it all achievable.

Yes, there definitely is such a thing as too much Protein. The rule of thumb that I have been told over and over is 1 gram for every inch you are tall. I am 70 inches so I should be shooting for 70 grams. Now, I have kidney disease so I do have to be careful. I shoot for 75 to 80 grams max per day and I know I will be ok. However I will say that I have seen my BUN levels creeping up so I have to watch it closely.

For me it was sipping on good quality chicken broth. It was the only thing that satisfied me. It will get better and it is not worth cheating and possibly causing your surgery to get cancelled. Hang in there!

I would be very surprised if this is actual hunger. There are two things that actually cause this feeling early on: 1. Dehydration. You are likely not getting enough liquids. Are at or near 48 to 64 ounces yet! I am guessing not as most of us do not come close this soon after surgery. Dehydration can actually cause the same symptoms of hunger. When you get that feeling, try sipping Water. 2. Head Hunger. This is not real yet it feels very real when you are struggling with it. By the way, this never really goes away you just learns tricks to get around it. Like distracting yourself. Go for a walk, read a book, listen to music. Whatever will get your mind off thinking about it. When I get this feeling, I drink water. I keep drinking until that feeling goes away. Your actual hunger should not come back until you are around 6 months post op. I am certain you are struggling with one of the above reasons. Give my suggestions a try and see if it helps.

Myfitnesspal is a great tracker for us to help us understand Protein, Water and even monitor calories and carbs. I have been using it since I was 1 month post op to track protein mostly. Unfortunately it was not built for bariatric patients so the predictor that you will see only if you log more than 1000 calories doesn't really understand the rate at which we lose. If you eat less than 1000 calories it simply tells you how dangerous it is not to get enough calories. You just pretty much ignore these messages. Honestly, trying to predict your weight loss and timing will become very frustrating. Predictors do not consider stalls, they assume you will continue to lose based on your calorie inputs. Stalls happen. Bariatric patients should not be focused on calories but focused on grams of protein and wate/liquids.

I have always been told not to focus on calories period, especially in the beginning. The focus must be on Protein and fluids. 1 gram of protein for every inch you are tall minimum. If you focus on protein, the calories take care of themselves. Now, I have always tracked my calories and at about 7 months post op I quickly learned I had to increase my input a bit as I had a long stall. I was told to add a protein heavy snack which in fact did add calories. It broke my stall.

I also was on a 10 day liver shrink diet. High protein, low fat, low carb.

I ended up having RNY once it was determined that it was the best surgery for me given my severe Gerd. I wanted to have this surgery one time. It has been. One of the best decisions of my life. I no longer get any type of reflux, heartburn and no longer take medications for it. I would give serious thought before proceeding with the sleeve given your history. You may just end up with yet another revision. I have seen many people on this site have to revise twice before they finally get what they need, several have complications due to all the previous damage from the band, sleeve and reflux made worse. I would suggest talking to your surgeon and doing some research before deciding for sure. Good luck to you!

Can you see it now? You look fantastic and it is only going to get better from here! Congratulations on such significant progress. How do you feel? If it is anything like me, I bet you feel pretty great now too.

To answer your question about funny stares, the answer is yes. Get used to it. Keep in mind food servers mostly want to make sure you are satisfied with your meal. The best thing you can do is tell them to bring a to go box when they bring your food because you will be taking most of it home. In terms of eating out at this point, if you feel up to it and it makes you feel better go for it. You are a grown up and know what the rules are in terms of what you can or should not do. You decide whether or not you will be successful and you decide whether or not you will have complications from doing what you are not supposed to. At 3.5 weeks I was barely able to get down 2 tablespoons of puréed food. I certainly was not in a position to to drink wine nor eat and drink at the same which is one of the rules. I wish you the best of luck and hope all goes well in the future.