blizair09

Most insurance companies that have such requirements require a ton of paperwork that documents every step of that six month journey. Either check with your insurance yourself, or get the process started with a surgeon in your network. His staff will explore the exact requirements and communicate those to you on the first of the six monthly visits. I lost 99 pounds during my six month program. It was one of the best parts of this journey for me. Good luck!

Disclaimer -- I am a huge advocate of the keto way of eating. I've lost over 200 pounds and it has worked well for me. My recommendation is to lower your carbs and see if that will help you. The protein gives you more bang for your buck calorie-wise, and will keep you full longer. A lot of nutritionists are very pro-carb. Low carb and high protein and fat have been the keys to success for me. Good luck!

How many calories do you take in per day? Carbs? Protein? How much water are you drinking each day? Are you tracking everything that you eat or drink every day? It's hard to give advice from your post since there is a lot of missing information. That's why I am asking these questions. It might be the case that if you make some tweaks to what you are doing, you can get the scale moving. Good luck!

I haven't had any bread in almost 16 months, and I don't plan on bringing it back anytime soon. Carbs are my enemy.

You can definitely do it. I weighed 400 pounds when I started, and I am 9 pounds away from a normal BMI! The sky is the limit.

I had the sleeve surgery on September 28, 2016. My insurance required me to do a six month pre-op diet program. I began that in March 2016. I lost 99 pounds (from 397 to 298) during the six months leading up to surgery day following a keto way of eating. I have continued that keto diet post-op (even during the food stages), and I have lost an additional 105 pounds, for a 204 pound loss total. I weigh 193 right now, and I am 13 pounds from my goal of 180 at approximately 9 months post-op. I'll echo what some of the others have said -- the surgery (regardless of which one you choose) is only a tool and will only do so much for you. You have to have the grit, drive, and perseverance inside of you to win the mental game which is the really tough part post-op. There are ways to eat around any of the surgeries, and you have to get your mind in the right place to do what you need to do at all times. That is what brings success long-term. These forums are full of people who were mentally unprepared, never changed their relationship with food, and either never reached their goal or gained most of their weight back. Also, the journey is slow and arduous, full of stalls and plateaus, and requires patience and keeping the big picture in mind at all times. Good luck as you make your decision! Any of the surgeries can be life changing if you put in the hard work necessary.

I'd recommend getting your calories to about 1200, your carbs below 20, drink at least 64 oz of water, and to track everything that you eat or drink. Your going to have to do many of these things post-op if you want to be successful, so it is good to get started now (and it will help you to lose the pre-op weight you need to lose, too).

Honestly, you need to do what is best for you, not your family, friends, or anyone else. That being said, this journey is much easier with support at home. I am so thankful that I have had that support from my partner, my family, and my friends. But, if your people won't get on board, you can find the external support you need in the form of support groups, on-line communities, and the like. In time, they will get over their issues when they see you being healthy and successful. The key is to be successful and not give them ammunition to spread hate later... Good luck!

How many calories are you taking in per day? Carbs? Protein? How much water do you drink per day?

Google "three week stall." That's all this is. Stay off of the scale, stick to your plan, and the weight will come off in its own time. Good luck!

I have to agree with @Pam_2-06-2017. You have to find the strength and perseverance within yourself to do what you need to do to reach your goals. It's as simple as that. My partner lost 115 pounds from February 2016 until December 2016. That time period was my six month pre-op diet program and three months of post-op life. He got to his goal of 200 pounds (he's 6'1"). At that time (end of December 2016), I weighed about 250ish, and still had a ways to go to get to my goal. Since then, he has eaten what he wants (and gained some weight back, too). Crap is in the house all of the time. He wants fast food, so we go through a drive-thru. You know what? I buy it at the store for him. I hand him the credit card in the drive-thru line. I hold the ice-cream cone while he gets situated in the car. But I don't eat any of it, because I know that isn't what I am supposed to do. The mental part of this game (whether it is pre-op, immediately post-op, or 2 years out) is the hardest part, and where the war is won. I wish you the best as you continue. I'd recommend working with a psychologist and/or a nutritionist to help you get re-started. Having an experienced person to talk to often really helps.

What a great day. Keep up the awesome work!

My surgeon strolled in the hospital 3 hours late on my surgery day. While I respect his abilities as a surgeon (and the good job he did with my sleeve), I dislike him as a doctor and a person because of that. (As in I won't allow them to use my story or image in their "successes" area of their website. I won't help him make more money after he was so callous on surgery day...)

My surgeon didn't give me a requirement, but since my insurance required a six month pre-op diet program, I decided to lose as much as possible before surgery day. I lost 99 pounds during those six months (from 397 to 298), changed my relationship with food, and set myself up for success post op (I've lost an additional 105 pounds since the surgery day). I followed a keto way of eating during those six months, and I have done the same thing post-op (including during the post-op food stages). I don't eat more than 20 carbs per day.

Stalls are a prevalent part of this journey. My periods in a stall post-op outnumber my periods in an active loss. That is just part of it. I know it is frustrating, but the sooner you can accept that, the better off you'll be. Just stick to your plan every single day, and you will lose weight.

Thank you. I'm just trying to make the most of this amazing opportunity. And I wish the same success to everyone reading. My mom had the sleeve; my dad had the bypass, and my brother had the band. As a family, we have all the bases covered!

And I'll add that my mom, dad, and brother all had bariatric surgery (sleeve, bypass, and band respectively) over the past many years. I have watched them all have success and then go back to their old ways and ultimately fail. (My mom less so than my dad and brother. She has only regained about 30 pounds. They have regained everything.) I can't fail because I remember the horrible depressed feeling that came about from the myriad of times I have regained weight after a regular diet. I can't even imagine how I would feel if I regained weight after having put my body through the trauma of surgery. This is as big a part of my approach as the food addiction and weight itself...

You're not being intrusive at all. I am afraid that any additional carbs would be a slippery slope, yes. I could completely change out the meats, but I like these okay, so it works for me. It isn't that I don't like the things I eat. I do; that's why I picked them. I don't trust myself and this approach deals with all of my issues.

I get what you're saying. I decided a long time ago that I had to make the time. I do work from home (unless I am traveling for work), and that helps, but I have to stay on top of it every day. My way isn't for everyone, but it is what I have to do for me. I had to make food a fuel source to deal with the issues with it I have had my entire life.

I don't. But I had to work really hard to get to this point. Food is fuel and macros for me now. It has to be this way. I don't want to be overweight (let alone obese) anymore. It all boils down to that for me.

No treats. I never deviate from this outside of an alcoholic beverage every now and then (and when I do that, I have protein shakes to meet my protein goals and open up calories for the alcohol) and occasionally when I have to travel for work (and I rely on protein shakes again). I have trained myself to look at food as fuel. It took a while, but it is worth the effort! I'm now in the 1500 calorie range per day, 20 carbs, and 120-140 grams of protein. I get ParmCrisps at Sam's Club. I found another brand at Wal-Mart in a smaller bag. They are awesome (and, as you can see, I have made them a staple in my diet...)

Here is a typical day for me: Meal #1: 1 scrambled egg with 1/2 piece of American Cheese and 2 oz of chicken breast Meal #2: 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 T sugar-free strawberry preserves Meal #3: 3 oz of chicken breast, 1 string cheese, and 10 ParmCrisps Meal #4: 3 oz of salmon, 1 oz of green beans, and 10 ParmCrisps Meal #5: 3 oz of chicken breast, 1 oz of green beans, and 10 ParmCrisps Meal #6: 3 of oz hamburger steak (93% lean), 1 oz of green beans, and 10 ParmCrisps Meal #7: 3 oz of chicken breast, 1 string cheese, and 10 ParmCrisps Meal #8: 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 T sugar-free strawberry preserves I have 32 oz of water between Meals 1 and 2 and between Meals 2 and 3, 16 oz of water between Meals 3 and 4, 16 oz of PowerAde Zero between Meals 4 and 5, and 8 oz of water mixed with 8 oz of PowerAde Zero between Meals 6 and 7 and after Meal 8. I allow for the 30 minutes before and after, so the whole thing takes about 12-14 hours each day.

I have tracked everything that has gone into my body since I began my six month insurance-required pre-op diet program on March 21, 2016. I track old-school using a word document that keeps up with calories, carbs, and protein. I eat the same thing (more or less) every single day, so a lot of it is cutting and pasting at this point, but I am aware of exactly what I consume every single day. I consider it a key to my success. And get used to the stalls. They will happen. Post-op, I have found that periods of stall are of the same duration or more than periods of loss. Nothing about the post-op journey is linear. I'd definitely recommend that you get back to tracking. It is worth the effort. Good luck!

I think it really all boils down to your goals and your personal mindset. For me, I have been overweight or obese (mostly obese) all of my life. I have been on dozens of diets over the years, and had temporary success (even weighing under 200 pounds for about a year when I was 21-22), only to re-gain and be miserable again eventually. Finally, I got to almost 400 pounds. Everything on me was starting to become dangerous (blood sugar, A1C, cholesterol, etc., etc., etc.). I was having trouble navigating at the airport (I travel a lot for my work); I couldn't pee without dribbling on myself because of all of the fat; I had no energy and no sex drive. There's more, but you get the picture. At that moment of harsh reality, I finally decided that food and drink wasn't worth all of that misery -- food is just food, not a way of life. And 15 months later (6 months pre-op diet program plus 9 months post-op), I weigh under 200 pounds, my labs are perfect, my health is secured, I feel like a normal person, and I look great. I am going to continue to embrace a keto way of eating long-term because I refuse to gain weight back. Being this size is more important to me than any food or drink. The early days post-op suck. There is no way around it. And things do get better pretty quickly. But it will never be the same as it was before. And, for me, that is a good thing. But you have to decide for yourself what is the most important to you and then design your life around that. It looks like you have had success with your band. And I'm sure you will have success with the sleeve as well. I wish you the best as you continue your journey.

I lost 99 pounds during my six month insurance-required pre-op diet program myself. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. You'll be so thankful for losing that weight as you go through your journey. (For one, it makes the inevitable stalls SO MUCH EASIER to weather.) All the best for your surgery and as you continue your journey!