SleevePerry

No, love. I wouldn't dare take your crown. xo

P.S. So is your yours ????

Passive-aggressive apology accepted. Take care!

I'm sure you'll be fine. People lose at different rates. Your doc knows this. No worries!

But there was no "in addition to" happening here. The first responder's reply was 100% ideology, 0% answer. The unsolicited advice was just that: unsolicited. I'm sure there were good intentions behind this advice, and we can rationalize this to death, but the advice given was ultimately not advice that was requested.

And, honestly? Who didn't want to lose a substantial amount of weight in their first month post-op? Perhaps in hindsight, that loss was inconsequential but, after weeks of pre-op dieting and post-op food stages, it's natural to hope for a nice weight loss.

When someone asks a specific question, you can either give a specific answer, answer "around" the question, or skip the question and move on to the next post. The first response to this very thread chose option #2, and from the short 6 months I've spent on this message board, choosing option #2 is an all too common occurrence. How much weight did you lose is a pretty basic, cut and dry question that only required a number in response. Personal philosophies on weight loss and weight tracking was unnecessary.

Ask a question, get a lecture. I lost 25 pounds. Good luck.

Hi everyone! I'm in the home stretch of the VSG pre-approval process and the worry that Aetna will deny me has started to creep in. I'm getting a bit panicky! I started the process with a 41 BMI. No co-morbidities. My 2013 and 2014 BMI was 38 (I was on Diet2Go in 2014 and Nutrisystem in 2013). I've provided the surgical coordinator with BMI records for 2013 and 2014, but she doesn't believe they are needed. I'm not so sure. More so, I'm worried that not having a 40 BMI in 2014 and 2013 will cost me surgical approval. Has anyone had experience with Aetna in 2015? Whatever experience you can share would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

You may want start a new posting with this question. I personally cannot answer that.

The two year weight history is no longer required.

I know that we are supposed to stop drinking 30 mins before/after eating. Did you apply this rule to the puréed stage, or did you begin it when on soft foods? Also, do you continue to drink before/after having a protein shake, or do you apply the 30:30 rule to liquid meals as well?

I am one week into a three week pre-op. My diet guidelines are 3-4 Protein shakes a day and 1 Lean Cuisine-type meal. Goal is to keep my calories under 1000-1200/day. I've been very good at keeping on plan, and I plan to stick with it. No cheating whatsoever. I'm having 3 shakes and the frozen dinner. I haven't been drinking that 4th shake, as I thought I'd reduce my calories as much as possible. One thing I was wondering, though, and I do plan to ask my doc on this, is if I can have one small glass of red wine several days before surgery. I realize I won't be drinking for 6 months or so after surgery, and I'm cool with that, but I would love to have one last glass sometime between now and my surgery, if it's not going to do any damage. I'd welcome your thoughts on this...

Thanks @samuelsmom. I plan to ask the doc before doing anything. I would ideally like to have a glass of wine next Friday, which would be ten days before my surgery. I'm hoping that, if I stick to the pre-op diet to the letter, one 100 calorie glass won't destroy three solid weeks of dieting.

I purchased a big bag of the Bariatric Advantage Chewable Calcium Citrate. It now occurs to me that I may not be able to have chewable Vitamins in the first couple of weeks after surgery, as they don't fall under the category of liquids. Does anyone have experience with chewable vitamins post-surgery? Were they okay to use, or did you need to find an alternative until soft foods were introduced?

I got my approval in five days.

Congrats @@marybowlus

I follow a bunch of VSG and RNY patients on Instagram and, on that site, I see a huge disparity in what people are eating post-op and wanted to get your feedback. Some WLS folks appear to follow a regimented high protein/low carb diet such as Atkins or Paleo. Others snap frequent pictures of meals with rice, potatoes, breads, etc. - one gal gets a 6 inch sub from Subway a couple times a week. I also see lots of Frappucinos (with straws!), booze and soda. Granted, all of the foods consumed are in smaller amounts, but it's confusing to someone who is trying to figure out what to eat and what to avoid going forward. Is the post-op way of eating really "all things in moderation," or is it "avoid starches and sugars?" I'm in this for the rest of my life, and I don't want to get started down a track that leads to regaining whatever weight is lost after surgery. What are your opinions on this? I'd appreciate your feedback.

Mary - here's hoping you hear something on Monday. Fingers crossed!

@@LipstickLady Yes, but I didn't say that it would be easy. My choice is to follow my diet while weight loss is the most optimal and work on the "everything in moderation" once I've lost as much as I care to lose. That said, although I choose to be strict with myself, I don't think there is anything wrong with the rare treat. I was speaking more to the people who are in the early stages of their post-op, and they are already indulging themselves on a regular basis. That, I don't understand. It's a choice and a cheat. They are choosing to cheat themselves out of their own physical transformation.

I haven't even had the surgery yet and posts like the ones you mention drive me batsh*t insane. I can't imagine going through all of this prep work: the pre-op testing, the classes, the surgery, the recovery, only to throw it all to hell because it was my time of the month and those french fries were screaming my name. Nope. I'm going to follow my diet to the letter. After I hit my goal weight, I'll allow myself the occasional treat, but not before then.

@@kjsweigart I had a letter ready to go, but the insurance gal said it wasn't needed. I also had a letter of necessity from my PCP, and not sure if she used that or not. She said it was also not needed. Just the surgeon's and nutritionist's notes, from what I understand.

@@kjsweigart No, she did not, but I'm sure the surgeon noted a history of obesity in my chart when I had my initial visit with her.

@@kjsweigart I saw my insurance coordinator yesterday and asked her how she got my surgery approved, with no comorbidities and a BMI of under 40 in previous years. She specifically said that Aetna no longer needs two years of a 40 BMI. If you have a BMI of 40 now, you should be good to go.

I'm putting together a list of things to buy before surgery. I have already purchased bunch of different Vitamins (Flinstones, Biotin, Calcium, B-12), as well as a Vitamin dispenser, but wondering if I'm missing anything - vitamins or other. For those of you who are post-op VSG, what pills do you take on a daily basis? The name, the dosage, and at what time of day do you take them? Thanks!