Little Green
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Everything posted by Little Green
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Life insurance after WLS
Little Green replied to Little Green's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Thanks! I believe life insurance in the U.S. might be a bit different. There are phlebotomists who specialize in making home visits to take blood tests for life insurance, lol. -
Most of us cannot buy life insurance prior to WLS due to obesity, but can you buy it afterward when you are in a better BMI range? Or is it always held against you? (Does not apply to employer-sponsored insurance.)
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"Ready" for surgery? How much were you able to change before surgery?
Little Green posted a topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Hey folks, I'm pre-op, will be submitting for insurance approval in December. I've been struggling with my pre-op diet for a while and wanted to know how much you were able to change about your eating habits and such prior to surgery. I go back and forth between feeling really down on myself, wondering if I should postpone surgery since I "can't do it" and maybe that means I'm not ready, and then also feeling like all bariatric patients struggle with changing eating habits and if it was that easy we could just do it without surgery so I shouldn't be too hard on myself. What do you think? Were you still struggling with eating unhealthy foods before surgery or did you have a pretty good handle on things? I've been in weekly therapy for over four months trying to deal with issues around food and I thought I would have made much more progress between then and now. It's pretty discouraging and makes me worried that I won't be successful after surgery. My bariatric team and therapist are all super supportive and have told me they are behind me whether I go with surgery or not. I definitely still want to have surgery but I'm just constantly second guessing myself. -
Life insurance after WLS
Little Green replied to Little Green's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Thanks! Most of the policies I have looked into in the past require a detailed medical history and bloodwork. Do you mind if I ask what company you applied for? -
Jan 17th 2017 got my date!!!!
Little Green replied to jstlilsin's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Nice! I'll be very close to you. Should be between mid-Jan to early Feb. -
I'm not sure about SAD as I already have depression but definitely have been feeling gloomy and not wanting to go for walks. Which is silly b/c I have fleece-lined active wear that keeps me toasty and I absolutely love being outside on nature trails. So why don't I want to do it? Very weird... not sure if it's seasonal or something else. But you are not alone!
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"Ready" for surgery? How much were you able to change before surgery?
Little Green replied to Little Green's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
@GotProlactinoma thanks! I'm not quite to the liquid diet stage yet. Just curious about the 6-month (or however long) process prior to getting a surgery date. If people were able to make changes and eat healthier consistently during that time. -
I forgot to say that I started with a medication called Celexa for anxiety & depression. I thought I would be given Wellbutrin but the dr. chose Celexa due to added anti-anxiety benefits compared with Wellbutrin. Of the SSRI's this one has a low risk of weight gain (although it still has some risk). I have not noticed any increase in appetite or weight since I started two weeks ago, but I will be on the lookout as I get to therapeutic levels which can take anywhere from 6-12 weeks.
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School has started and my fitness class on M/W has proved to be very difficult so far. When working out by myself I used to back off if my heart rate got around 140 but this class gets it up to 160+ and it stays there. It's a whole different reality to push myself to do something that's extremely difficult. It's caused some low self-esteem and low confidence, so I talked to my therapist about it. I realized that I have never really done anything, ever, that I wasn't really good at. Singing, violin, school, learning languages, even work stuff, etc. are all things that come naturally to me and I was good at them right away. This fitness class is something I am not good at, at all, and will need to continue pushing and working in order to improve. So it's natural for me to feel uncertain and strange, and my confidence will grow as I continue working. I'm glad I have realized that and it's made me feel better and more excited about continuing. My husband and I have been walking more frequently and today we went to the gym to use the weights. So I'm making good strides with fitness! Food is pretty stable, I've eaten some "bad" choices here and there but I've been able to come right back to nutritious food without feeling like I failed, which is an improvement in my mental state. I have my 3rd diet visit on Tuesday and I think I will have a 5-lb loss for the month. I'm starting to feel eager about getting to surgery and it doesn't seem so far off as it used to. Just about 3-4 months now!
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You are doing great. Change takes time and everything you are doing is putting you on the right path. If fitness has never been a priority in your life before your body is going to need time to adjust and get used to the demands you are placing on it. Starting now before you have had surgery is awesome. I wish I had done more in the months leading up to mine.
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What's your reason for your obesity
Little Green replied to Siyaa Ela's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Overweight/obese since childhood followed by 10+ years of non-stop soda drinking and 2x a day fast food once I got my driver's license and a job. I'm sure there are genetic and hormonal factors that caused me to gain weight as a child, but anybody would probably get fat eating like I did. As far as how people reacted, I got made fun of a lot in elementary and middle school but I was mostly okay in high school. I didn't have a lot of attention from guys and I was choosy about the attention I did get, so I only had a few partners before I met my husband. I was only 23 when I met him so at that time I felt like I was doing fine and was in no rush to find a long-term partner. Honestly until the last 3 or so years, my weight rarely bothered me, and that's why I never did anything about it. -
Still struggle with binging mindset
Little Green replied to Monasmle's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
Great post, @Monasmle! I really appreciate you sharing how you got through that struggle. I totally understand the feeling you were having during that 3-hour back and forth with yourself. Oftentimes I experience this around lunchtime b/c I used to eat fast food lunch every single day and of course I am pre-op so if I wanted to I definitely could eat it, no problem. I fight with myself and end up waiting hours to eat until I am finally hungry enough that nuts or cheese or yogurt sounds tasty lol. I think I'll try to incorporate your tactic next time. -
Besides @Diva Taunia and Minnie Me In TN, does anyone here have a YouTube channel or know of some RNY peeps who have one? I love watching all WLS-related videos but would love more pre- and post-op content for the RNY specifically. I'm thinking of doing some videos of my own, my husband is wanting to start a YT channel for himself so it could be a fun project we work on together! And I feel like a lot of people getting RNY feel alone due to the popularity of VSG. So I'm just wondering who else is out there on YouTube!
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TLC's MY 600-LB LIFE Casting Call for Season 7!
Little Green replied to Alex Brecher's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I like the show, generally. I think about Dr. Now sometimes when I have cravings or want to make a bad choice, LOL. I do agree with the poster who stated the folks should be in therapy WELL before surgery. What I mostly love is how the show still airs the episodes where the people don't make any progress. I feel like that's the reality and proves to our naysayers (or SHOULD prove) that the surgery by itself cannot save you. Surgery + permanent change in eating habits + regular physical activity = successful, long-term weight loss and maintenance. -
Been away for a bit - went out of town the beginning of August and since then have been struggling with depressive episodes so all I do is lay around and watch YouTube lol. However, I had my diet visit today and it went well. I lost 4.6 lbs over the last month, which is all right! I have an appointment next week with a psych doc from my therapist's practice and we are going to discuss possibly starting Wellbutrin to help with anxiety and depression. It has some slight appetite suppressant qualities (and the NP today said it's also used for smoking cessation) so it would be a good fit compared to some medicines that might increase hunger/weight gain. So... overall, I'm coping. School starts next week and getting back into that routine will be a blessing. Thank you for reading & have a great week!
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Complications: Did you have any?
Little Green posted a topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I've seen a lot of folks summarize their surgeries with something like, "It's been wonderful, I wish I had done it sooner! I had a/some complication/s but they were fixed and now I'm doing great!" I would love to hear some experiences from folks who have had complications - whether mild or severe. I've obviously read about different complications you can experience but would love to hear personal stories. -
What's at the end of the rainbow?
Little Green posted a topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Lauren aka ChemistryQueen posted this video the other day about moving into maintenance after losing 175 lbs with WLS. I found one of the parts of her video both amusing and illuminating at the same time and wanted to share it with you. She's talking about how our main focus is on losing weight because that's what we've struggled with our whole lives. She says, "I've been chasing this rainbow my entire life and I got to the end and there's no pot of gold. You know what was at the end of that rainbow? Maintenance, and loose skin." She goes on to share some more insights about having other goals besides weight loss so that you don't get discouraged as the reward of a lower # on the scale disappears. (Dr. Weiner also talks about this in several of his "preventing weight regain after bariatric surgery" videos.) Check out her video, she's great! -
I was behind my mom in the weekly Fitbit challenge so I went to the gym tonight and pulled out 5k+ steps to beat her! I'm more competitive than I thought!
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hello good night i will like to give all the head up about me see i went to the nutritionist 4/ chack up and i as you now i weight in and my weight is 226 and that day was 07/25/2017
and i just got my result of , my exam and i weight 228/and today
cause right now i am gain to much way so can some one some one help me out
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2 pounds could be a normal fluctuation depending on any number of factors like sodium intake, your schedule of bowel movements, where you are in your monthly cycle, etc. I wouldn't worry too much about that. Have you been eating well, tracking your food, lean protein and veggies and fruit? If so just keep on keeping on.
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Being revised from sleeve to bypass
Little Green replied to kay30NYC's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Good luck! You'll do great. What is prompting your revision? -
Congrats!!! It will wax and wane, that's for sure. I'm committed to logging everything in MyFitnessPal whether I'm proud of it or not I also come here any time I need a boost in motivation.
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what is your ht/wt and clothing size?
Little Green replied to makemyownluck's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
There's also My Body Gallery if you want to take a gander. I'm 5'8 and about 359. I wear size 28 or 30 pants but I usually wear dresses/skirts and I take a 3X in most of those. Shirts 2X or 3X. -
Yaaaay!!! Glad you made it through just fine. Thanks for the pic; I find those to be so reassuring, haha. Keep doing a great job!
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WLS Blog - Daily Updates...Laughs, Tears, TMI!!
Little Green replied to AHappierMe's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Sometimes anxiety isn't rational. Sigh. I wish I could beat up my brain sometimes! -
WLS Blog - Daily Updates...Laughs, Tears, TMI!!
Little Green replied to AHappierMe's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Yeah. Been here recently. Exact same feeling as you... convinced I'm going to do this surgery and die on the table. Angry with myself that I'm taking this risk. Why can't I just lose the weight and keep it off myself? Why do I need to have surgery? Why couldn't I have done something when I was younger? And on and on and on, running on my hamster wheel of anxiety until I'm completely exhausted. You're SO not alone. Lately I've been feeling better. I had an extremely long talk with the nurse practitioner at my program and she said basically before surgery you're going to meet with the anesthesia team and they will run tests and make sure you're safe to be put under. She told me that this is elective surgery and most of us are healthy when we go under... meanwhile extremely sick, unhealthy people who have severe illnesses or disease or organ failure are put under for emergency surgeries all the time. That made me feel a lot better. They're monitoring your stats all throughout and nothing will be a surprise for them. If something happens you are already in the best place to get emergency care. My therapist says that surgery is a risk, but staying obese is also a risk, and so is getting in the car, or going swimming at the beach, or any number of other things in life. As far as anxiety goes... I have an appt 8/24 to start medication, most likely Wellbutrin (bupropion). It will help both my anxiety and depression and is one of the only drugs of this kind that doesn't have an issue with weight gain or increased appetite; in fact the psychiatrist said it has an appetite-suppressing quality. I was extremely afraid to try drug therapy for my anxiety for the longest time, but my husband began using Wellbutrin for depression and has had great results for more than six months with no personality changes or side effects. That gave me the confidence I needed to finally say yes when my therapist asked if I wanted to try medicinal assistance as well as therapy. So, don't be afraid to get help for your anxiety. We don't have to be slaves to our hamster wheel minds. Good luck! -
One step forward, two steps back
Little Green replied to ebroms17's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I'm glad you are home and feeling better. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us pre-oppers! I saw a video Lauren Losing made on YT about how she felt "protein first" was pushed too much at the expense of water intake. So now I know, fluids first! -
Struggling at the moment, the last few days have been pretty bad. Feeling frustrated and angry. Have made some crappy eating choices since Monday and having an awful flareup of knee pain that is affecting my walking. Trying to stay positive and not let some bad choices affect my overall path.
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Hang in there, the goal is not to be perfect, but close to perfect. The less time you spend hung up on bad decisions you may have made, the quicker you move on to better ones.
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Little Green and MSinger reacted to this
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Hi...
Isn't is something how we can let some poor choices dictate so much sometimes? I've spent countless hours beating myself up over having a brownie instead of fruit. Which led to thinking that eating healthy wasn't something I could do, so why bother? And that's how I ended up being so miserable at my highest weight.
As I journey toward sleeve surgery, I'm working hard on not beating myself up when I fall. I decide that the next diet choice or exercise moment will be a healthy one. Then I follow through. And my husband keeps me accountable. Knowing he will ask how I worked off that brownie keeps me honest.
Keep making healthy decisions, forgive yourself when you slip, and don't look back. Keep moving toward the goals you've set for yourself.
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Little Green and MSinger reacted to this
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Thank you all so much for the encouragement. I think I know the source of my emotions, a court date tomorrow (now today) regarding the legal status of the person who struck my husband with her car last year causing his disabilities. This has been causing a lot of stress for weeks but this week as it's gotten closer we've been quite anxious. Really, I don't even really want the foods, I haven't been having cravings since starting the protein-focused diet. It's more of a mix of self-soothing and self-sabotage which is a weird combo to explain. I missed my appt with my therapist due to my knee issues and I won't get to see her until August 10 unless I can find an appt next Mon or Tues because we're going out of town Weds. I hope I can see her! And also if we get a good result tomorrow I will hopefully be feeling less stress. If a bad result I'll definitely have to find a way to see my therapist! Anyway, sorry for rambling, took a percocet for the knee pain LOL and it makes me emotional and even more talkative than usual. @pfisher you really nailed the mindset I am trying to practice as well. I loved your comment, you worded it perfectly. Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I appreciate all of you!
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