higher

Of the varieties I've tasted so far I liked the Orgain creamy chocolate fudge shake the best.

Oh, she does lots of the classics. She goes way back to "Me, Myself, and I" and even goes back to Destiny's Child material a bit. You will not be disappointed. But you should try more to get into Lemonade! It will grow on you and she does some of the best songs from that album (even I don't like the country song though.) The visuals are crazy....never seen a concert like it.

Hi everyone. I know we've all heard the expressions "slow metabolism" "fast metabolism" "speed up your metabolism" etc but frankly, I don't really have a good understanding of what any of that means and I would really like to know. I understand that the metabolic process is the conversion of food into energy but past that...confused. I've been reading this board for some time now and there is such a wealth of knowledge on here. You guys are so smart! So school me about the metabolism please: -how do you know if it is slow or fast? -does WLS change your metabolism? -are we born with slow or fast (or regular) metabolism or do they change as we age, gain and lose weight, exercise, etc? -does our metabolism just affect the food we eat? Or can we also metabolize drugs or Water slowly or quickly? Signed, science stupid

It really is a world class hospital. Ugh I wish I was having my surgery there! Anyway- thank you again for sharing your progress and so glad you are feeling well on the other side.

Thanks for posting this! I had never read one of these breakdowns before so i really appreciate it. I wanted to have my surgery at NYU with Dr. Ren-Fielding but my insurance (UHC Choice Plus) required I do it at one of their Centers of Excellence. Did she perform your surgery?

Thank you for the link and your response! I am quite possibly misinterpreting, but higher weight = faster metabolism?

I took a benadryl shortly after posting this and ended up sleeping through my alarm :-/

I saw the Formation tour 2 weeks ago and it was amazing. You are in for a treat! And some serious fitness inspiration as her choreography and body are mind blowingly strong.

Bump for preop insomnia. Maybe it's because I'm so used to going to bed on a very full stomach...or after a nightcap! Anyone else suffer? I've always been a bad sleeper. I'm Trying to work on my sleep hygiene and build better bedtime habits. Which should probably not include posting from my phone when I can't fall asleep. Oops.

My out of pocket maximum is $2000.

The fact that you already lost 50 lbs eating the way you will after surgery makes me think that you will have enormous success with surgery and for life. Wow. Well done! They say those who lose weight preop do the best at keeping the weight off.

Not necessarily...some strains do induce hunger as was mentioned upthread. Marijuana is used medically to increase appetite in patients suffering from anorexia or patients who have lost their appetite due to medication or other treatments. If you live in a state that has legalized medical or retail marijuana you should be able to discuss the different strains and side effects with a cannabis professional.

I plan to keep using MFP to track my food, weight, and measurements.

I have UHC Choice plus and when I started looking into VSG it was one of my plan requirements for approval to enroll in the Optum Health program and engage with the RN they assigned me. So I didn't even think I had a choice and I really wanted to dot all my i's cross my t's etc. That said, the RN I've engaged with has been wonderful and helpful. For example, she explicitly laid out the steps to insurance approval for me and emailed me a copy. This was a huge assist since my surgery program has their own set of requirements and it was very confusing. We spoke, I believe, 3 times total and each time I felt like I got something out of it.

Double check with your surgeon to make sure you HAVE to wash it. I feel you on this topic. I was going to put my hair in boxer braids so I didn't have to bother with it post op (and so it would still look cute LOL) my pre-op instructions don't say anything about washing my hair.

Also- my surgeon wants me to drink a bottle of magnesium citrate the morning of the day before my surgery. However, I'm flying that day and really do not want to deal with diarrhea on the plane so I've got to address that with him when we meet again next week. Anyone else have to drink that?

My preop liquid diet is 5 days long and I'll start on 7/2. I'm allowed low carb Protein shakes, broth, Jello, unsweetened iced teas and coffees, low carb fruit juices, vegetable juice and blenderized Soups. However, I really want to lose as much weight as I can (or at least not gain anymore) so I'm attempting to do a low/no carb, high protein diet before my official preop diet starts. A pre preop diet if you wish. I'm on day 4 of that and am just struggling to keep the calories down, as always!

How did you feel after?

Still looking at July 7th. My surgery coordinator called today to tell me she submitted to my insurance - UHC Choice Plus.

Oh and for exfoliation: Paula's Choice BHA 2% exfoliant Exfolikate by Kate Somerville

You can speak to a dermatologist about your skin and they could make recommendations. A good derm would be familiar with acne caused by weight loss and/or surgery. I have had hormonal breakouts before and generally take good care of my skin. These are my favorite products: Retinol or retinoids from my dermatologist. Biologique Recherche P50 serum (this is a miracle product) Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant for weekly treatment Mario Badescu drying lotion for spot treatment of pimples Guerlain Midnight Secret serum at night before moisturizing Embryolisse Lait Creme as an everyday moisturizer Boscia beauty oil for moisture

Yeah...I gained since I decided to have surgery. At least 10 lbs. I'm less than a month away from surgery and pretty disappointed in myself for not losing. I've read that those who lose beforehand are more likely to succeed afterwards. So I keep telling myself I'll make the best of the 3 or so weeks left and try to make some progress !

I'm preop but I always sneeze like 6 times when I eat too much. It's called- snatiation!

I mentioned it when we set the date, but did not think to address those concerns. Thanks for pointing it out - I will ask my surgeon specifically about blood clots when I see him this week. We did discuss in depth the fact that I am flying again 2.5 weeks AFTER surgery, but we didn't spend much time on the flight the night before. Will make sure to remedy that ASAP.

I just realized that coming home the night before surgery means I will have to have everything out and ready before I leave for vacation. I'm recovering alone at home so will have to make sure the fridge has the Protein and liquids I need, make sure everything else I may need is down from the high shelves, oy.