MarciaN

Thinking good thoughts for all of you. It should only get better from now on.

Kensington- I was so hungry when I first started too! My NUT told me to keep some almonds on hand and chew each one until it was basically mush in my mouth before swallowing. I learned two things- I was definitely "wolfing" down my food without thoroughly chewing it and that liquid really helps keep me full. I hate the taste of Water and have been using just a little bit of Mio Orange Vanilla Water Enhancer. It is right by the Chrystal Lite. I only have to use a small amount and it makes me just love my water. (It also have Vitamins B3, B6 & B12 in it.) The deep hunger actually got better in about a week or so. I've been doing this for 5 months now and don't feel that hungry anymore. Now, whenever I feel that way I check to see if I might actually be thirsty (or stressed LOL)! Good luck! It is hard but anything worth doing takes work. You can do this (and we will help you get through this.)

When I had my surgeon visit we talked about the options (our weight loss clinic no longer does the lap band due to complications-) After talking about the bi-pass and the sleeve we both decided that the sleeve would be best for me. Your surgeon wants you to be successful and is a great resource to determine which route would work best for you. Good luck- This is a great forum to get the ins and outs of all the procedures.

Everyone who had their surgery in the last day or so- let us know how you are doing- We are thinking about you!

Interesting thing.... I started getting dizzy over the weekend. I went to see my primary doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was 93/63. She was shocked that I had already lost 40 pounds and told me I should go off BP meds. I told her I couldn't because my insurance has a 50BMI without comorbidity and 35BMI with to qualify for surgery. If I went off meds I would not qualify. (This is crazy because I started at like 52BMI!) My last NUT appointment is Aug 19th and then all my prerequisites are over and I can get approval. I might have to stop losing weight for the next month....

Wow. I'm curious to find out how many people actually give up. It seems that those of us who are really motivated have found this site and keep doing research and get support from each others. I can't imagine how you could stay motivated on this long journey without this support! In one respect I can see why the insurance companies make us wait- it really gives you time to understand what you are doing and make changes. On the other hand, I think have gotten so much out of this forum than I have at my local NUT visits and program meetings. Thanks you, thank you, thank you!

This is something my surgeon does, not sure about other programs

So how much have you lost so far? Are you almost at goal or just "looking good" on the journey?

My surgeon suggest 3-4 weeks. My understanding is that you will be very tired at first due to the reduced calories during the first few weeks.

Congratulations! You should be doing the happy dance!

ssflbelle- yes, that is the diet that I was told I needed to be on before surgery. It would get me used to having a lot of Protein and not a lot of carbs which is what we will be on for the rest of our life . My NUT always checks to see if I have the adequate protein amount. So far with the 40 pounds that I have lost only 2 of these were lean muscle- all the rest was fat! She told me if we don't get enough protein that our bodies actually use the protein from our own body to fuel itself. I have a fitbit so I just record my food in their app and it figures out my protein grams for me- it is really simple. But-- each doctor seems to be slightly different so I would suggest that you follow what your doctor wants you to do.

Blood clots- I was told that I needed to give myself a shot everyday for the first week or so to help with blood clots. They are going to teach me how to give myself a shot right before surgery and then in the hospital. (I actually blocked this out of my mind until blood clots were just brought up! uhh.... not thrilled about giving myself a shot but I guess it is much better than taking the chance with blood clots.) Telling work- I told my supervisor. I need to work with our HR group once I have my surgery date. I am only telling my co-workers that I am having surgery. I am not going into details. Since I have already lost 40# pre op and hope to have 50 pound off before surgery- I don't think they will know. I have made sure everyone knows that I am going to a NUT and that is why I am losing weight right now. HR and your supervisor cannot disclose why you are on medical leave- that is against the law. I'm not opposed to telling folks but right now I am only sharing this with my close friends and family.

Ankeny, Iowa Will finish all prerequisites on Aug 19th-- then will wait on insurance approval for sleeve Have lost 40.5 pounds so far on my supervised diet (started on March 1, 2015) Can't wait to join the rest of you "on the other side"

Yes. My insurance paid for the study but not in the facility- it had to be in my home. They gave me the machine and a youtube address which walked me through how to do it. To be honest, it was a little nerve racking doing it myself. It also was hard to sleep because I had all these wires all over and things in my nose. I am a side sleeper so whenever I tried to roll on my side it would set it off (slight alarm) and I'd have to go back to my back. At one point I was ready to just tear all the wires off me and give up....but.... I knew I'd just have to do it all over again. In the morning I went in and stayed in the office waiting room for them to download the information to be sure I did everything right. (figured if I didn't then I could just take the machine home with me again...) It is not the easiest thing to do but it is necessary for our approval- you can do it! Just stick with it and if they don't have a cd for you to watch- check on youtube- a lot of companies have videos on there to help you set up. Good luck

My NUT told me 65-85 grams of Protein a day, then veggies, fruit, and very little carbs and that I needed to stay between 1000-1200 cal. a day. (plus at least 64 oz of water- of course!)

Mimisan- Unfortunately I think most of us are in your same situation. We could probably teach the classes! I am require to do 6 NUT visits too. I have my 5th tomorrow and my final one on Aug 19th. The NUT isn't telling me anything I don't already know....the difference is that I know she is looking at what I am eating and I am accountable. This has really helped me. Good luck on your journey!

It is starting to get exciting now that we are all getting closer to our surgery! This forum is such a great support tool.

sleeve_getter- I finish my 6th NUT on Aug 19th! Maybe we will be sleeved at the same time! My surgeon only does them on Tuesdays. That way everyone stays in the hospital on Tuesday & Wednesday and go home on Thursday. Hopefully we will get our dates fairly soon after our final NUT appt.

Please add me to fb. Marcia.nyberg@ yahoo.com

I started March 1 and will have my final NUT appt on Aug 19th. Hope to be sleeved end of Sept

Yoli has their shakes with stevia

I am in the same boat. I started March 1st - have to have 6 months of monthly NUT visits, sleep study, psych eval. Plus the program I am in requires attendance of 6 modules. I've finished everything except still have 2 more NUT visits. On Aug 19th I'll be officially done with what I need to do before they can submit to the insurance co. At first I was REALLY bummed. Now I am actually happy because I realize that I needed all this time to prepare. I have done so much research that I am now positive that the sleeve is the right decision for me (but the lap band or bypass might be the right decision for someone else) I also immediately gave up soda, caffeine, and alcohol....urhh...that was hard but I haven't had any since March 1st! The best think yet is that I have dropped over 38 pounds. Each pound will get me quicker to my goal and make my surgery a little safer. We are all so lucky to have this format to support each other. This will seem like such a short time when we look back on it. Good luck!

So happy for you! I'm doing a happy dance for you!

I love this page because we are all in the same place! I can't wait until we all have our dates! This is really exciting to be able to be on our journeys together!

I have band highland. I called them first. Then my bariatric program called them. I need 6 NUT appointments. Sleep study. Psych evaluation 40 or more bin if no co-morbidity issues. 35 with.