gemigirl

Hola Team September!! Day 5 of my 10 day pre-op diet nearly done and it was a rough go. Although I'm not hungry, I made the mistake of doing a 30 minute session on the elliptical before work and ended up being grumpy and miserable all day. I might go for a few short walks but no more exercise until after surgery. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Day 3 of the pre-op diet in the books. Hopefully this is the worst of it, but today was tough. Food is everywhere! Except in my house, I tossed everything (I'm moving soon). Good luck to those who have surgery this week! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Now I'm on the pre-op diet (mine is 10 days) and haven't cheated (and won't cheat) - I was referring to the week prior to my pre-op diet starting.

I've told everyone. I've needed a lot of support and backup at work and most of the people in my life are very aware of my weight struggle. People have been incredibly supportive and kind, so I'm very lucky. If folks are judging you/giving you a hard time that's all about them and projecting negativity.

During the last week leading up to my pre-op diet I had a few of my favorite things and then went pretty crazy the day before (full breakfast, big fruit plate, pizza, salad and garlic bread for dinner). I was so sick from overeating on day 1 of the pre-op that it actually kind of helped! The thing I'd recommend is allowing a few things but not on the same day, and not for a long period of time - write down 4/5 meals/foods you really love and have reasonable portions. Stick to your protein and hydration goals the rest of the time. Oh, and by eating a bit more during that week I was able to get some good exercise in, too.

Can't believe September is finally here - we made it! I allowed myself a bit of a last hurrah today (pizza and salad, a lovely fruit plate - I will miss them a ton over the next few months!) and am ready for the pre-op diet starting tomorrow. Had my teeth cleaned today and I called my surgeon's office just to be sure that was okay - I do not want to jeopardize anything at this point. And it was okay, by the way! Good luck vibes sent to you all!

Wow! Im the 19th as well and my pre-op diet starts this Friday. I'm totally jealous of those cheese sticks. My diet is Protein shakes, yogurt, thinned cream Soups, sugar free Popsicles and Mios. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Is the FB group for RNY surgeries? That was the only one that came up for me. Had my pre-op appointment today, got scripts for oxycodone and the anti- nausea med. I'm going to have a drain for a week do I googled to see what that looked like - yikes!! Can't get Cigna to cover omezaprole in capsule form so I'll have to crush the tablets. But they've been great about covering everything else. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Cigna takes 5 to 7 days. Remember you're also dealing with the surgeons office and their scheduling/submitting everything in a timely manner. One thing you might want to check into - does your plan require a referral letter from your PCP? My Cigna plan did and that added a few days to the time. Try to get that in to the surgeons office ASAP, if you need it. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My deductible is $300 and my max out of pocket is $1500. With all the pre-op appointments I'm just about to that $1500, and I already worked out a payment agreement with the hospital to pay $100/month.

My insurance (CIgna) didn't require weight loss but my surgeon did - 5%. I actually got into a fight with them because the whole point of having the surgery is that I can't lose weight! But somehow I managed.

I've been pretty open with people at work, and fortunately everyone has been very supportive. However, when it came to my HR rep I only said I was having surgery.

sugar free popsicles are saving me!

Let me preface by saying I'm no doctor - but I found that doing all shakes and no solid food really drops the lbs. If it were me I'd try that for a few days to see what results I get before taking WL medication.

I'm struggling today - ate like I haven't eaten in weeks. Going to have a couple of days of shakes to get myself back on track. Happily I have realized that I never want to feel this full and gross from food again and that I much prefer the way of eating that I've developed during the leadup to surgery.

@@Wmmarie we are sleeve sisters - I'm scheduled for the 19th as well! Now I just need to get through a few more hoops: EKG, pre-op exam and the dreaded pre-op liquid diet. Right now I'm trying to knock off the 2 lbs I gained after my qualifying appointment - sigh. I cannot wait for the 19th though, so ready for this!

Is anyone doing a vlog and/or blog or their VSG journey? I'd love to see them! Just started mine.

Good luck! I have Cigna, too - hopefully you'll hear very soon! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I just use the video editor on youtube, still not an expert and can't do much yet. You don't need to be fancy to start. Just start posting videos and add stuff as you go and as you learn. That is what I see most people do. That's where I'm at, too. I was just looking for any support and community out there and thought it would be fun to dive in, but I really am a newbie. It looks like YouTube has a lot of cool functionality that I'll explore as I go! If you decide to take the leap, let us know - I'd love to see

Shopping - at Loft and banana Republic, Anthropologie - good thing I won't be spending so much on food! Running! I can't wait to run again. To fall in love without the insecurities I have from being overweight (covering my belly, s*x with the lights out, is he looking at other women because they're thin? All that garbage).

Get through that third day and you'll be golden

My surgeon requires that we do a 3 day "practice" full liquid diet and I'm on day 3. There have been a few lessons I've learned from this: I miss chewing! This drops the lbs - down 6 lbs Forces me to get mentally strong Looking forward to being sleeved so I won't need to battle the hunger. SO HUNGRY! The worst meal was when I strained a can of Chunky Soup and then stirred in unflavored Protein powder - that was not too delicious. Generally, through, I've been ok, sleeping a lot so I can try to get through it @@DahliaIris, sorry to hear about the insurance news. Will you be able to get on a payment plan with the hospital? That's what I'm planning to do. $100/month until it's done. Best of luck (to all of us!) This is something I needed, though, because I've been having a tough time meeting my pre-surgery weight loss goal and this has me halfway there. It's a good motivational boost. My next appointment is July 11 and I need to be at 240, so I have about 6 lbs to go - I think I'll stick to full liquids for 2 out of 3 meals and then have protein/veggies for the third meal.

Everyone is giving you great advice. One thing I would add is try your hardest not to cheat. Last weekend I thought, oh I'll have a cheeseburger and fries, a ham sandwich at lunch, etc...the end result was a 4 lb gain. It really ticked me off that I have to lost weight before the surgery - I've tried every frickin thing out there over 30 years and there is something off in me that has the hardest time sticking to a long-term diet plan - that's why I'm getting the surgery! However, I realize that this is setting me up for making good choices after the procedure. It's only until July 11 (as long as I hit goal weight - fingers crossed!) and I can do this for 6 weeks. Also, sticking to high Protein really does help curb cravings and hunger. Although I am constantly hungry still...stupid excess gherlin Best of luck!

My surgeon is requiring a 5% weight loss before they will even submit to insurance. At first I totally rebelled - obviously I can't lose weight, that's why I'm here! That combined with a "last supper" mentality caused me to gain 6 lbs between my first and second appointments. I realized that there was work I had to do with my relationship around food, that it's not a punishment but rather a learning process that is teaching me how to manage food and get used to tracking so I know that my body is getting what it needs, and I started dilligently tracking my food and saying "no" to most treats. Now I see the presurgery weight loss requirement as another building block that will make me stronger and more successful after I'm sleeved. Speak with the surgeon or nutritionist and have them explain the reason behind the 5 lb requirement, that should contextualize it and before you know it, those pounds will be gone.

Awesome!