Half of Bri

You know what i love most about all of these? How much more genuinely happy and confident the women in the after pictures are. It's truly amazing!

I am pre-op, so my biggest NSV goal right now is to stay on plan for my pre-op diet. I don't have my surgery date yet so the end isn't exactly in sight! I am on day 4 and last night I *almost* ate a slice of my sister's stuffed crust pizza, it smelled sooo good! Instead I left the table with my chicken and broccoli so I didn't have to be around such negativity ???? Seeing all of your posts about wearing fall boots is so inspirational! I hope to be doing the same next fall ????????????

Hmm... I have chronic anxiety and depression, and have been on meds for 10+ years. In all of our discussions, my surgeon nor any of my doctors have ever mentioned anything about my meds having the possibility of not working, which would be a deal breaker for me since I know better than to go off of them. I would talk to your surgeon and/or NUT if you're concerned, and before making the decision to cancel such a life changing surgery. Good luck!

Congrats! You look amazing!

Is it too late to join in?

Thank you! I'm just trying to take it one meal at a time! I went to meet with my surgeon and was surprised when he gave me a diet right then and there, I was expecting it from the NUT on 10/21! Not gonna lie, I was a little sad I didn't even get to have just a little bit of a food funeral...but I just clenched my teeth and headed straight to the grocery store from my appointment.

I'm on day 3 of my pre-op diet. The horrible headache I had days 1 & 2 is mostly gone, and I'm not nearly as miserable as I was but I am hungry between meals. I'm really just trying to grin and bear it 'til my body gets used to it. My surgeon does things a bit differently and doesn't require full liquids - his explanation was you're on full liquids for so long after surgery he sees no point in torturing us pre-op, too. I can certainly appreciate that! I *think* they may change my diet up a bit closer to my surgery, which I don't have a date for yet but am expecting late Nov-early Dec. I just have blood work and my NUT appointment (both scheduled) and I can submit to insurance!???? My diet mostly consists of lean meats and veggies, eating every 2-3 hours, a little bit of fruit, light string cheese, nuts or low fat low sugar yogurt, etc. NO sweets, NO white potatoes, Pasta, rice, bread, caloric drinks, etc. and drink 60 oz of Water minimum daily. I am getting more and more excited to start my VSG journey each day, but it just doesn't seem real!

I'm hoping and praying for a late November date. They told me there are 3 dates left in Nov and I am getting my checklist done much faster than those that they expected to fill those dates...I'm already scheduled for my last two checklist items (Blood work & NUT). I started my pre-op diet 3 days ago, so fingers crossed! Good luck to you all!

I met with my surgeon again today and was given a pre-op diet to get started with losing some weight. I only have 2 appointments left (blood work and nutritionist), both scheduled for October. After that I can submit to insurance! My surgeon doesn't do full liquids before surgery but I'm not sure if there is another phase to this diet or not. Anyone else do something similar?

4 weeks of liquids would be miserable!

I'm looking towards having a late/November early December surgery. Nothing confirmed yet but I'm praying for November!

I have three fears: 1) dying from complications. I have a history of blood clots so I'm terrified of something happening. 2) suddenly hating or no longer being able to tolerate certain foods that I NEED (Water, Protein shakes, etc.) 3) regretting my decision long term.

Lara, I live just outside of Charlotte as well!! I'm in Concord. ☺️

I'm nervous about this, too. I've been obese since my junior year of high school and used to have such a cute style..:and now I'm 30, a work-at-home mom, and pretty much exist in oversize tee shirts, hoodies, and you pants. there's so many things I see that I would LOVE to wear, but I don't feel confident enough to try. I'm hoping that changed as the weight comes off.

Hi there! I'm pre-op also, hoping for a surgery late Oct/early Nov. Good luck on your journey!

Good luck to you! I don't have a date yet, but hoping fora late Oct/early Nov

You look awesome! Very inspiring!

I have fibromyalgia, and take Cymbalta for help with symptom relief. It helps but I certainly still have my share of ups and downs. I'm curious to know if any of my fellow fibro-sleevers have experienced changes/decreases in their pain levels since being sleeved? I'm pre-op, and really hoping my symptoms will decrease as my weight goes down! Thanks in advance ☺️

I have fibromyalgia, and take Cymbalta for help with symptom relief. It helps but I certainly still have my share of ups and downs. I'm curious to know if any of my fellow fibro-sleevers have experienced changes/decreases in their pain levels since being sleeved? I'm pre-op, and really hoping my symptoms will decrease as my weight goes down! Thanks in advance ☺️

Thank you, that's good to know. I'm looking forward to it!

I'm pre-op and don't have a surgery date yet, but I was wondering what the verdict usually is about drinking things that are carbonated after surgery? I've heard you can't have them, but wasn't sure if that's a "forever" thing? I don't do sodas of any kind but I am ADDICTED to all natural flavored seltzer Water and just want to prepare myself now if there's a chance that have to say goodbye forever ????

Thanks everyone, I guess only time will tell! Seltzer water is all natural and calorie free. It's water with bubbles

Hi all ???? I am Brianna, I'm 30, married to the love of my life for the past 5 years and have a beautiful daughter who will turn 13 next month. We have 3 dogs (Layla, Kelsie & Piper), 3 goats (Ellie, Anabelle Joy & Mavis) 6 rabbits (Blossom, Thumper & her four nameless babies), and a 4-month old indoor micropig named Ruby who has my heart! I absolutely LOVE animals, just to state the obvious. I've worked from home as Logistics Coordinator for a consulting company owned by my parents for nearly 10 years, and also run my own (online) handcrafted home & body business which I founded in 2012. I became a licensed esthetician in 2009 and am currently in school to earn my aromatherapy certification as well. In a few years when my parents retire my brother and I will begin running the consulting company, but my passion is and always will be skin care, so I have no plans to abandon that dream. Ideally I would love to create my own skin care line to add to the soaps, lotions, etc. I create now. I've been struggling with my weight since I was 17, which is the age I was when my high school boyfriend of three years and I had our daughter. I gained 70 lbs during my pregnancy, and began binge eating to numb myself from our very unhealthy relationship and the reality of being pregnant with a child when I was still a child myself. We always had a rocky relationship but after our daughter was born he began physically abusing me. We stayed together for a total of 6 years, though he never seemed to care much about our daughter and never really helped out at all. When my daughter was about 15 months old I finally broke it off with him but he began stalking me at work and calling constantly while I was there to the point that management had to ban him from the building. One night I got off of work around 11PM, and as I walked to my care alone in the dark he was standing there next to my drivers side door. He was crying and begging me to talk and after trying my best to tell him now wasn't the time I finally gave in thinking if I get it over with I can go home to my baby. To make a long story short, I was held against my will and abused mentally, physically, and sexually. When I finally was able to go home, I walked into the house around 2AM to my mom and aunt who were dialing the phone to call the police. I snapped at them when they questioned me about where I was and just went to my bedroom and cried and never told a soul. I developed horrible depression, anxiety and PTSD. My family, my daughter and I moved 1,000 miles away in 2004 so I could start over, even tho I never told them any details of what happened. I began counseling, met my husband in 2007, got married in 2010, and in 2012 he adopted our daughter. He is just the best thing that ever could have happened to us! My weight was still an issue though and in August 2012 I was all set to have my VSG when two weeks before surgery I found out I had blood clots in my leg and both lungs, which was putting a strain on my heart. I was hospitalized and had to cancel my surgery until everything was under control... I was devastated! Since then I've made a commitment to really getting answers for health problems I've been to scared to acknowledge, which has included diagnoses of PCOS, Fibromyalgia, and sleep Apnea. I work out 3-4 days a week and eat a relatively healthy diet, but I'm on a ton of medication and the weight just hasn't come off and stayed that way. I just began the process towards having VSG again about a month ago. I don't have a surgery date yet but I'm excited to close this chapter and let go of all of this physical baggage.

I have my psych evaluation the end of this month, still need clearance from my PCP and an Upper GI, before meeting again with my surgeon on 10/2. Once that's done then we can schedule, which can be as soon as 2 wks after that. Fingers crossed! Oh and my NUT meeting, too!

Is switching insurance plans and just doing individual insurance for a year an option? BCBS open enrollment starts in November I believe - I was going to switch plans for the next year so I could get my surgery covered if it was an issue (it wasn't). Just a thought - I'm sure there's plans where your yearly out of pocket cost with deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance will be much less than 20k.