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Hi-- I am still in the pre-op phase. I have done a lot of research and educated myself about the risks and benefits of surgery. I have a BMI of 48 and several significant comorbidities. Bariatric surgery is something I've thought about for a long time and now I am finally ready to make the leap. I know I need to do something drastic because dieting has never produced significant weight loss. But here's the problem. I've been meeting with a nutritionist for 2 months now (hoping for surgery in February). For the first 3 weeks, I was wonderful, I tracked and I was focused on making good choices and I lost about 10 lbs. Then, something changed. I'm honestly not sure what. I just wanted to eat. I was hungry (real hunger, head hunger, I'm not sure). I gave into my desires and I started making bad choices. I keep trying to get back on track and I keep failing. I don't know what's wrong with me. Why I can't just stick to the program. I am so scared that if I don't figure out what is driving this, no amount of surgery is going to help me. If you've been where I am, how did you get through it? Were you able to figure out your triggers? What were they? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I really want this, I NEED this, but for some reason, I can't seem to stay on program. I am mad at myself and scared that this is an indicator that I'm not ready or that I am going to fail at losing or maintaining weight loss.

I use MFP to track my food. I wonder if I should start adding notes when I eat or just notes in general throughout the day. I keep talking about my weight loss 'bucket list' but I have yet to write it down. That's a great idea. I need to remember why I am doing this and possibly add visual reminders to my car and kitchen which tend to be the sites of most of my bad choices. Thanks for the tip!

Thanks for the advice. I knew I would find at least some people who have been through similar things. I've never considered myself a compulsive eater and I don't really binge, but I definitely make bad choices. Yesterday, I had my breakfast and lunch packed, no excuses. But on the drive in, I started thinking about McDonalds and wanting the type of breakfast I used to get. It was like I was on autopilot. I went through the drive through and got my breakfast. It wasn't a huge amount of food, just a meal, but it was a huge amount of fat and calories. It was so good in the moment, but I instantly felt like crap for eating it. That lead to me skipping lunch because I already had so many calories. Then I got home and had to finish the crockpot dinner and I was so hungry because I hadn't eaten lunch that I had leftover Halloween candy, which again tasted great that moment, but then I felt like crap. So I had a tiny portion of the dinner I made and went to bed early so I wouldn't be tempted to eat any more. There is absolutely no excuse for me going to McDonalds. I wasn't depressed or stressed or anything. I just wanted it, so I got it. And then I let that one bad choice derail my whole day. I know the sleeve will help curb hunger, but I don't know that it will keep me from making bad choices. And I know at some point, that hunger is going to come back and I am scared for what will happen to me when it does.

Thanks, KristenLe. I just reached out to my nutritionist to see if she could recommend a counselor. I feel like I need to figure out what is driving me to eat unhealthy foods or I will never be successful. It scares me that it was so easy for me to follow my plan for nearly a month and then suddenly, it felt impossible to follow, and I don't know what caused the change. For the past hour, I've been staring at the clock WILLING it to be noon so I can eat my lunch even though I have eaten plenty already (2 HB eggs, oatmeal, peanuts/cheese). I drank a bunch of water and I'm still praying for lunchtime. I don't understand why I am so 'hungry'.

Hi all, I am planning (hoping) to get surgery in February of next year. My current health insurance specifically excludes WLS, but I am switching plans in January and the new plan MIGHT cover the surgery (BCBSM). I started meeting with a nutritionist in August in hopes that if my new plan covers it and requires 6 months of medically managed weight loss, I would be able to use these meetings for that prerequisite. I met with the patient coordinator on Friday last week and told her that I want the surgery whether insurance covers it or not. I have been thinking about this for over 6 years and I have saved up, so I can do it. I asked her about complications and how much is included in the initial payment (one surgery center I spoke with covers up to 30 days post surgery with some type of 'bliss insurance' or something like that). She told me that they will cover up to $50k if there are complications and then 50% of any charges after that. She was very negative about me doing the surgery out of pocket. She basically said that I could put myself in financial ruin if I do it and that I need to think about my family and what could happen if there are complications. Does anyone have personal experience with this? Are there any ways to mitigate the risks of complication-related out of pocket cost? What really got me though was that she said that she has had patients who had insurance-covered WLS who are now on insurance that doesn't cover WLS come back with surgical related issues (blockages, internal hernias) and since their new insurance doesn't cover WLS, they are denied coverage for these issues. Has anyone experienced this? I am thinking that with the new health insurance policies that no longer allow denial for pre-existing conditions, this wouldn't happen, but now I'm really scared. I am definitely a candidate for surgery. 38 years old, 5'3", 275lbs I left there feeling like I was putting my whole financial future in jeopardy if I self-pay.

It's actually offered via the surgeon's office. So, if they don't offer it I would definitely look more carefully at the surgeon. I will continue to do research. The center is a center of excellence and the surgeon has done over 1000 procedures (more than 500 of which were sleeves--the rest mostly RNY). The hospital is part of the Cleveland Clinic. I thought I was choosing a really great program. Now I'm having concerns.

I think things like internal hernias and blockages that are known complications could potentially be denied by your insurance. That was the impression I got. I believe that those complications are less likely with the sleeve than the bypass, but could still happen. ETA: The first hospital I spoke with said this would NOT be an issue because pre-existing conditions can no longer exclude you from getting treatment for current problems. The second hospital gave me a different answer and said the first hospital was mistaken.

From what I gathered, BLIS insurance requires that the surgeon be approved for their program. Perhaps I need to look at other programs that may have BLIS insurance as an option. It sounds like the first place I met with did, but I wasn't thrilled with other aspects of their program. There is another option that isn't too far away. I'll reach out to them and see what I can find out. Thanks!

So I could buy bliss insurance?? I will look that up! She said they don't offer it, so I thought I had to buy it through the hospital.

I can afford the surgery at the hospital here. I don't think Mexico will keep me from having complications or save me the out of pocket costs of complications. Though it would be cheaper and leave me with more of a buffer... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My surgeon said that he doesn't require it, but he does require a certain amount of weight loss prior to surgery. I haven't had my surgery yet, but he has had good results so I think it's really surgeon preference. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App