2goldengirl

Naw you ain't. I was a teenager when "Respect" was #1.

Your purees may be too thick. Try thinning them down. Keep up your fluids, get in your protein, and take the purees slowly.

Appeal. Now. Blue Shield of CA H M O doesn't require six months any longer, and they haven't since July 31, 2015. You should never have been denied in the first place. So long as your surgeon and/or PCP documents your previous attempts to losewweight, that's good enough. Here is the link to Blue Shield's medical policies: https://www.blueshieldca.com/provider/authorizations/clinical-policies/medical-procedures/policy.sp You'll find the policy for bariatric surgery under "B". Your medical group or IPA may be unaware of the change, but they should have looked it up online before denying you. Blue Shield didn't do a good job of letting their groups know of the change. It delayed my process as well. It's your group that did the denial (Blue Shield contracts with them to process authorizations), but appeals are handled by Blue Shield directly. Good luck!

Hmm. I have lactose intolerance and I'm able to handle the premixed Premier Protein shakes without any trouble. Have you tried chewing a lactaid when you use the whey?

Congratulations! Do something nice for yourself to celebrate: flowers, a pedicure, a new lipstick - or all of the above!

Your surgery date is almost two weeks from now. Most colds don't last that long. Rest, fluids, decongestants. You'll be fine!

@@1Cor2:9, "Shame" is a highly-charged word for most of us. It may have a different connotation for you, but for many of us, shame has been accompanied by feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. Those are feelings we work hard each day to distance ourselves from. What @@VSGAnn2014 wrote is spot on. Setting ourselves a goal of "I will lose X lbs by Y date" is an invitation to set ourselves up for those feelings, which is why I stay away from them. Life happens. Multiple crashing deadlines, little gnats in the yogurt of life, flat tires, and bad hair days happen. None of us is perfect at the new behaviors we're practicing. If I may, here's what I tell my clients who are working on these kinds of goals: Set behavioral goals. Instead of losing a given number of pounds, that you will keep to your food plan for so many days of the week. Instead of expecting to hit the gym a maximum number of days each week, set a goal that's reasonable for the week that you've got. It will be different on some weeks than others - and that's perfectly OK. Some weeks you'll blast your goals out of the Water. Yay, you! Some weeks it will be a struggle to meet the minimum you've set for yourself. Yay, you! Each one is a success that you can stick in your pocket of successes, big ones and little ones. Over time that pocket of successes becomes a set of healthy habits. Feeling bad is one thing, feeling you are bad is quite another. Congratulations on your successes!

I love this thread! I think fat shaming is wrong, just like any other form of bullying. And everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity simply because as humans, it's something we all deserve from one another. I think everyone needs to love themselves as they are, and not constantly hold themselves up to someone else's yardstick of "worthy". Most of us here can tell hair-curling stories of being treated as "less than" because of our weight, and I'm all for anything that ends that. However, there are medical realities that can't be escaped from living an obese life. We all know this or we wouldn't be here. Just as we need to accept that we're worthy no matter our size, we need to take responsibility for treating the one body we have with love and respect. I do see a disturbing aspect of the movement, that is, the individuals who take license to frankly abuse their bodies with food and label it "fat acceptance". That's just sad.

I'm preop, but if I'm really out of sorts and upset, eating anything really doesn't appeal to me. My brain is always too jangled to choose anything, I guess. When all my senses need a collective hug, I go for a cup of not tea, maybe with a slice of lemon (I love the scent of lemon, and the scent of a frshly cut lemon always makes me smile). I snuggle into the softest jammies I have and under a blanket and curl up with a good book. I put my cel phone in another room and escape into the pages.

Complications occur in <1% of bariatric surgeries. Possible? Yes. Likely? No. I also disagree with the statement that the sleeve is "too new" to have long term outcomes data. People have had similar surgeries for decades, but not for the purposes of weight loss. Before we learned that most stomach ulcers are actually caused by bacteria, people with stomach ulcers used to have partial gastrectomies. Gastrectomies are also used to treat certain forms of cancer. It's normal to worry pre-op, it's part of the process. I encourage to discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

Thank you!

This issue has been resolved. Your surgeon should be added in a few days at most. @@Alex Brecher My surgeon still hasn't been added. Fifteen days. I'm losing patience over this.

This whole preop period is getting expensive I've determined to break out of my style rut. And I seem to have been rather too successful. I went shopping yesterday with a pal, because I had decided I wanted to start wearing perfume again. I'd been in work and activity settings with people who were allergic and I just got out of the habit. I needed to try "my" scent to see whether it still worked for me. As I was getting ready to go shopping, I realized I had a drawerful of scarves that I'd always enjoyed that I'd just neglected for years. So I slapped one on before I left. And I got my perfume. And two pair of shoes. And a new lipstick. And a dress for a wedding over Memorial Day weekend. I guessed at the size, but it was perfect for the occasion, and 25% off. Fortunately I have a great seamstress who can take it in if need be.

The only way you are going to get approved for surgery by any health insurer I'm aware of is by having a BMI > 40, or between 35 and 40 with one or more significant comorbidities. I know that's hard to hear, but it's the truth. Forget the diet pills and teas. They don't work, and some of them can be dangerous. If you read through enough posts on these boards, you learn one thing if nothing else: The people who are successful make long-term, permanent changes in both the way they eat and commit to exercising most days. Learn as much about your body as you can, and how to fuel it with respect and love. Good luck.

Yes, sugar is a dealbreaker. Here's why: the way your liver "shrinks" is largely by using the glycogen stored in the liver. To do that you need to severly restrict carbs. That means you could likely have your one cup of coffee with the real thing in the morning (counting on one tsp or less of sugar), but you're relly going to have to kiss the fruit goodbye for a while. You will be able to enjoy fruit again, but in much smaller amounts than you're used do, just like everything else. As far as your Vitamin deficiencies go, you will have to rely on supplements, at least during the weight loss phase, you can't eat enough to get all your nutrients from food alone.

We made a run to Target today. In anticipation, I hauled out my scarves and ironed them all - getting all smushed up in the drawer organizer thingy I had for them wasn't good for them. I knew I needed another scarf hanger, and Target has the ones that are non-slip. And....I bought another scarf. I had to. It's a lovely dreamy aqua. That makes 16, not counting the um, 8 or 10 knitted scarves and shawlettes. I just might have a scarf problem.

I can't wait for some of my necklaces to hang lower. Boobs, not so much. I sure hope my rings don't get too big, Heck, I only wear a 5!

I thought of that, but my one foot has been broken three times and has hardware in it. It won't get any shorter than it is. I've worn this same shoe size, fat or thin, for all my adult life. I actually did have a thin period in my 20's.

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch "Beautiful" by Estee Lauder. I tried a couple others, but after having them on for a while, meh. It's light enough it doesn't walk into the room before I do. Annnd I just ordered another pair of shoes. I found them in my size for 25% off online, and they're a style I've been looking for for YEARS.

OK, you are tiny. Most definitely tiny. And you have totally earned that "Bariatric Legend" title they done slapped on you here!

The therapist who did my psych eval has worked with bariatric surgery patients for 14 years, and talking about transfer addiction is something she talks about in every eval she does - more as a caveat to preop candidates that the need to learn to cope without food is serious business. I think another factor for many is that being seriously overweight leads to social isolation for many. Once the weight is lost, those who may have felt socially isolated may enjoy becoming more socially active, but a feeling of awkwardness can remain. Alcohol can numb the awkwardness, but given the way many postops have a lower tolerance for alcohol, it can be a problem.

Forget about that 60-70%. It's a statistic that includes people who don't follow the program and regain and those who are lost to followup after a period of time. You can lose as much as you're willing to work for. The initial loss is easier than the last, but that doesn't mean there is some door that slams shut on your ability to lose.

What a lovely and beautifully crafted post! FWIW, I'm guessing that the autoimmune diseases were brewing long before you had your surgery, they just manifested during your weighloss period. How much easier to move a body that hurts when it's so much lighter and healther now!

The American Cancer Society has long understood the relationship between looking good and feeling good. They have a program called "Look Good, Feel Better" that partners with Cosmetologists and provides spa days and other services for women with cancer. I know I definitely feel much better about myself when I take the time to do my hair and makeup and accessorize on weekends and days I work from home. It's a challenge during weight loss, but I'm determined to wear clothes that fit now. I've been lost in shapeless knits and elastic waistbands for too long, and I'm ready to look as good on the outside as I know I'm going to feel on the inside.

I love this! The project I've begun is sorting through clothing that I had grown out of in the past couple years, culling the "nope!" items and sorting the others by size so I've got some backups when I start shrinking postop. Today I'm assembling a covered closet rack up in our attic where I can hang it all so it will be easy to try on when the time comes. I'm really enjoying this, some of these items are old friends that I will enjoy being able to wear again for a while postop. I'm also going through shoes and accessories and thinking of new combinations for things. I'm really enjoying the process. There is something very satisfying about taking better care of how I dress, even preop.