SweetPotato

yeah.... my program has us off of caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, using straws, chewing gum, specific veggies (like corn and celery), yogurt, rice/pasta/oatmeal and discourages specific fruits (like watermelon, grapes and pineapple). They also highly discourage drinking calories, including Protein shakes... something that lots of programs highly suggest. Thats from orientation day out. After surgery we are supposed to do protein first, followed by veggies and, if there is room we can add a whole grain complex carb from a specific list and then fruit (suggested start with apples for lower sugar content). Every program is different...

i have kaiser... it's just a $500 copay for surgery since I'm staying overnight.

I have the flex and love it...

That's awesome!!! You'll do that in no time!

I'm excited and a little scared... Probably the normal combo:). The all day class was fine... We went over the meds and vitamins, talked about the surgery day and post op process, then had a short physical. Mine was super fast, I only take 2 meds- one for thyroid and one for migraines, went over those and my medical history and I was out in about 5 minutes. I was done with everything before 1230

I'm on Wednesday, 10/28:)

congrats!!!!

i have the Bariatric Advantage chewy bites and they are pretty tasty and easy to eat...

It definitely does... My surgeon already had my goal in mind before I met him and I lost 10 lbs of it before I met him. That made him very happy and sped along the appointment process. Something that slowed mine down was my schedule,however. I'm a doctorate student and intern therapist, and my schedule was harder to work with for the psych appointment.

looks like the process is 2 months and 3 weeks for me... i got my surgery date yesterday and it's in 2 weeks, 10/28.

I'm October 28th

it sounds like she has done a lot to be proud of. At the same time, the line, "As a morbidly obese high school graduate, Pandora had been limited in her career options." leaves me a bit puzzled. Why did morbid obesity limit her educational and career options? There are plenty of people on this site who are morbidly obese and have bachelors and graduate degrees, as well as full careers.

I have Dr. Im stats: Age: 35 Height: 5'4.5" orientation weight: 401.5 pre surgery goal: 370 current weight: 364.5 weight lost: 37 lbs Once you go to the wls class/nutrition class combo, everything starts happening really quickly. Some of the changes they ask you to make are super hard, like not eating for 10 minutes after drinking or not drinking for an hour after eating, eat Protein first, no straws, gum, caffeine, carbonated beverages, or alcohol; but they seem to know what they're doing:) I am on FB, feel free to add me:)

it has taken me two months from the class date to have the meetings with surgeon, psychiatrist and lose the weight. I am meeting with the case worker to schedule surgery exactly 2 months and 1 week since that day. I believe she schedules out surgery 3-4 weeks (since she said isn't scheduling past mid november), which will make the whole process 3 months for me.

i have my appointment with Liz next tuesday... how far out did she schedule surgery? how was the meeting overall?

my initial weight was 401.5 and i was told i needed to lose 30 lbs (Kaiser Richmond- norCal). I just followed the eating plan they gave me and upped my exercise and it took me 2 months to reach goal (plus a few). I usually have a hard time losing weight, PCOS and hypothyroidism, but the eating plan is pretty low cal and low GI, which makes it hard to not lose weight. Once I hit goal, I got my appointment with the case manager... I meet her Tuesday to schedule surgery.

I'm waiting to lose the last pound of my 31.5 pound pre-surgery goal weight for my meeting with Liz. I had the orientation 2 weeks after referral, met with surgeon (Dr. Im) 1 week later, waited a month to see the psych and now just need to meet goal to meet with Liz. Options isn't required for Richmond, but it is for SoCal and some other Kaisers. Instead, we have a binder with a meal plan that we need to follow that is pretty low GI and about 1200 cals/day. Rena

I had the psych eval and it seemed to go well...he told me to go to a support group meeting and call in when i lose the last few pounds. One thing that was a surprise is that he asked to speak to my therapist to ask about: 1. drugs and alcohol 2. eating disorders 3. contraindications to surgery I am completely fine with it, but didn't expect him to ask. Apparently it's policy if you have seen a therapist in the past 6 months. For the ladies who have had the surgery--- how long did the tiredness last? I'm 2 lbs away from pre-surgery goal weight and am trying to consider my clients when I schedule the surgery.

I started my doctorate at 32... you are NOT too old!!

therapist/ doctorate student

I have PCOS and hypothyroidism, been researching VSG for about 3 years and finally got ready to take the plunge. already on the low carb, high Protein diet (eating protein first) and swimming/weights 3+ times a week for at least 1.5 hours. This is not something that all of us just jump into...

Yay! I'm glad to hear the Dr. Im was great. The psych guy... I'm sure will be ok. I'm a therapist (have a MA and working on my PsyD) and I'm pretty sure I know what he is looking for to "pass" me. He just rubbed me the wrong way. I'll be glad to get it over with and get surgery scheduled!!!

I'm Rena. 35, single, NorCal with 2 fur babies. I have PCOS and hypothyroidism (like many people in here). 10 lbs and a meeting with the psych away from scheduling surgery:) I have a Master's in Clinical Psychology and am 2/3 of the way done with my doctorate. I am in my third year of clinical practica and it's awesome! I get to provide therapy to clients in populations that have a high need for services. I also do volunteer work as an HIV test counselor on the weekends (not EVERY weekend) and help to teach/mentor new test counselors at the clinic in beginning counseling/motivational interviewing/stages of change, harm reduction and intimate partner violence. I love karaoke and reading, though doctorate programs kinda limit the amount of time one has for pleasurable activities...

I have Dr. Im. He seemed really nice, but haven't heard much about people's experiences with him. I didn't like the psych guy at the orientation, but hoping he's better 1 on 1...

im reppin' the bay here, too. Going through Kaiser richmond and waiting for my psych appointment (9/8), 10 lbs away from surgery goal weight. Interested in hearing Kaiser Richmond experiences...