funkecoldmedina

Hello All I have a nutrition class today that is required by my surgeon/hospital prior to surgery. From my understanding this class will be about what is expected from me nutritionally post op as well as my pre-op liquid diet. Is there anything I should ask about or make sure they touch on? I know sometimes we don't think of certain things until after surgery. I want to make sure I soak up as much knowledge as possible prior to surgery. Is there anything you wish you would have known before surgery? Any help is much appreciated! Thank you

Hi there! Sounds like we are on the same path. My last supervised visit is on Friday. Then on Monday we will submit all of my paperwork for approval. Unfortunately I am on a different insurance plan than you but I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully we will both get to have our surgery around the same time. I'm sure much like me you are very anxious. It is hard not to be excited and really nervous all at the same time. I'm sure we will both be great!

Making healthy choices is nothing to feel defeated about! I know what you mean though. I was doing a practice liquid diet and one day I got so hungry that I caved and ate a salad. I have never felt so guilty eating a salad in my life!!!! I really had to take a step back and look at myself and I realized what the heck am I so upset about. I am still making really good choices for my body. This was not my official pre-op liquid diet so I have let it go and moved on.

I have Aetna Choice POS II (open access). I too have no co-morbidities however my BMI was over 50 when I first started my supervised visits. I will tell you that I am required to submit 2 years worth of weight history. Both of which show myself over a 40 BMI. I know for me this is a requirement for approval but if there is anything I learned about this process is that everyone is different and insurance is beyond confusing. So when it comes to other peoples insurance experiences, take what we say with a grain of salt. Best of luck to you! I know getting started is the most difficult as their is so much to learn about your new life.

You should not feel stupid at all. Besides every protein powder is different and it can be difficult to keep track of it all. We are all learning to eat again. Your not going to be perfect but you know what good for you listening to your nutritionist. You clearly want to do well for yourself which is why you listened to what they said so intensely. I am sure I have made this mistake and I am sure I will make many more. Learning is half the battle. Keep up the good work!

Fingers crossed!

YAY! That is so exciting. I have my last supervised visit on Friday August 14th and my paperwork will be submitted to Aetna for approval on Monday the 17th. I am so anxious. Three days doesn't seem too bad. Congratulations to you

YAY! Congratulations. That is so exciting. Best of luck to you

My favorite of the moment is ChocoRite Protein in Peanut Butter. I love the fact that it is sugar free and still has a great taste. I love peanut butter so this was definitely a great buy for me. It happens to be a bonus that my local Albertson's grocery store carries it and I can get a 1 pound bag for around $11. Of course drinking the same thing every single day can be too much so I have learned to switch it up. I have started to experiment with my shakes. I like to use Vanilla Protein powder from Target (Market Pantry) and mix in 2 tbsp of sugar free Torani syrup. What is great about those is that there are so many flavors to choose from. I also will sometimes add some PB2 into Chocolate EAS protein and have a chocolate peanut butter shake. I think the important thing is to experiment and don't be afraid to try new things! Best of luck

Yes hope all is well! Is anyone else going to be attending the NUT class in July?

I am also having surgery at University of Colorado Hospital and my surgeon is also Dr. Rothchild. I have a weight loss goal of 20-25 pounds and so far I have lost about 10 of that. I am currently working on my 3 month multi disciplinary plan. I have 2 more appointments left. Last one being August 14th. It actually turned out to be 4 visits rather than 3 since the 90 days was spread out weird. I am so excited to meet other people in my area experiencing the same thing as me. Sounds like we could all help encourage one another.

Please don't feel like a failure. You should be proud of yourself for making these huge life changes. Weight loss surgery is not easy and it definitely is not the easy way out. Just because a woman has a C section doesn't mean she did not birth a baby. It just means she had a little help. This is the same thing, rather than having a beautiful baby at the end you will have this wonderful new lifestyle. You will be healthy and you will feel accomplished knowing that you did the real work. As for who to tell that is completely up to you. However just know that there are so many others going through the same thing and I don't see you as a failure. I am proud that there are so many of us wanting to take back our lives!!! Best of luck to you on your journey

That is very exciting! Best of luck to you

I really struggled to decide between the 2 options as well. I have decided on having gastric bypass for several reasons.I like that bypass has been around longer and although the sleeve is less invasive the fact that surgeons have been doing RNY longer brings me comfort in knowing that they have more experience with this procedure. I also like that gastric bypass does statistically have a little more of a long term success rate than VSG (I feel like I could use all of the help I can get). I have heard from a few sleevers that they have experienced dumping syndrome where as it will most likely definitely happen with bypass. I think of this more as a pro than a con. I like that I will have some extra accountability. Of course there are other factors to think about as well. If you have certain co-morbidities for example some people choose bypass if they have diabetes because it is known to help this immediately. You really need to think about what will be best for you health wise as well as the personal and emotional piece. You need to live with this for the rest of your life so make sure that whatever choice you make that it is for you and not for anyone else. Best of luck to you on your journey!

Best of luck to you! Don't let people try and get you down. Good for you taking the steps to make a better life for yourself

I completely understand that. I have faced some negativity as well. I am fortunate enough to have a very loving and supportive family. Unfortunately I can't say the same for a few people who I have told at work. I think the biggest reason I get kick back from people is because they are uneducated on what exactly this surgery means and the effects it will have. Although I have had some negativity, for me, I use that as fuel to help keep me on track but as I stated before this should be an individual choice. Everyone's life and circumstances are different. Everyone should do what they feel is going to be the best for them to succeed.

I do believe that this is a choice each individual will need to make and although I initially did not want to tell anyone I have had a change of heart. I am currently working on my 3 month multi-disciplinary program for insurance and have made some really huge changes in my life. Although I may not be losing a ton of weight I am really proud of myself. I am not ashamed to tell people that I am having weight loss surgery to better my life. I don't think it makes me any less of a person than anyone else. I want to bring awareness to bariatric surgery and I want people to know that it is not an easy way out. This is going to change my life forever and it is and will be a lot of hard work. I wish that more people would advocate for weight loss surgery and be proud to say that they took the steps to better their life no matter how it was done. Of course if the people having the surgery are ashamed then what is everyone else supposed to think? Like I said I believe this is a personal decision if you want to tell anyone and who you choose to tell. I know for me I am excited to change the way people may perceive weight loss surgery.

Hi Everyone! I am preparing myself for my new lifestyle and most recently have integrated Protein shakes into my diet. I was wanting some ideas on things I should try. Different brands or ways that people cook with Protein powder. I have even seen some people use sugar free flavoring to add to a shake. So if anyone has a brand they are fond of or recipes I would like to hear from you!

I have not tried those, Right now I like the ChocoRite Protein powder in Peanut Butter. Its pretty good but I think I am getting sick of it. I will have to try Syntrax nectar Fuzzy Navel. That does sound good. I could use something fruity. I am not a chocolate fan so of course that is where i run into problems

Awesome thank you. I will have to check those out!

Hi there! We are almost on identical paths. I too have Aetna insurance and am on a 3 month multi-disciplinary program. Last month I had my first consultation visit. My first appointment is May 15 and I need to be seen for 90 days after that date. Which actually works out to be in August as well. So technically not 3 months but rather 90 days. I was confused myself but since I got some clarification it makes more sense to me. Of course this may not be the case with you but I figured that I would share! Best of luck to you on your journey