Creekimp13

I know

Congrats!

Almost forgot....an AWESOME Ice cream substitute that I love entirely too much: Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars. My favorite flavor is Chocolate fudge. 80 calories, 6 grams of protein. And yes....I have been incredibly bad a time or two when I was pre-menstrual.....and had three of these suckers for lunch. 240 calories, 18 grams of protein. Sue me. LOL

I did. I tried a lot of old favorites. Hell I had two cookies over Christmas and I was 20 days out. Was naughty as all bejeezus. I was the poster child of trial and error. And a lot of times...I just plain screwed up. Most people are not perfect. Most people experiment and it goes one of two ways.....either they lose control and go right back to their old habits..(a serious risk and a really bad outcome....so Byrne's concerns are heartfelt)....or they learn they really can't eat that way anymore and they figure out how to cope a different way. I think most folks do this second one. They revisit their old favorites and go....yep, that was good, but the scale didn't move for a week...Hmmmmm, I don't like that. They count the calories up and go...Oh Crap! They regain their sense of balance and shake their heads and try, try again. I have a secret. I sometimes eat junk. My plan allows 75 calories of junk per day. Sometimes I get an idea in my head of something I really want....and I bank those mad calories until I have enough...and I eat it (this often happens on Friday) After about four bites, I'm usually wondering what the hell I was thinking and why it sounded so good....but sometimes I still do this nonsense. It's part of changing decades of food abuse. It's part of testing where I am. It's part of trying to figure out my new eating identity on my forever diet. I've learned to forgive myself and be accountable. I write down every miserable calorie. I have one bad day and I work extra hard the other six days that week. I don't exceed my 75 junk calories per day even if I bank them. I don't judge myself for still having food baggage. But I don't ignore it, either. I work on it. I create reasonable, balanced, accountable habits I can live with. And I don't give up. You don't have to be perfect...to succeed.

It was really good. 9g of protein for 100 calories and tasted like yummy mousse. I'm going to check a few more stores, but I've got a bad feeling about its fate.

I would seek legal counsel if I were you about your work situation.

Bottom line: Very few (if any) insurance companies will cover you. The place to start is pretty simple....call your insurance company, give them your rider number and ask what they require to cover bariatric surgery. They'll send you a list in writing if you ask. You probably can access the specifics on their website if you look. I would start there. You might be able to get someone to do it if you self pay. Even then, few doctors will go below a bmi of 35 unless you're throwing at least pre-diabetic A1C numbers. PCOD with no other comorbidities won't cut it. Best wishes. PS, my gastric sleeve (with an unexpected haital hernia repair) cost over 60 thousand dollars in the US. PSS.... here's a chart of what lap band costs in different states: https://www.obesitycoverage.com/insurance-and-costs/how-much/average-lap-band-prices

They hide it. Go to the bar at the top. Pick "Patients" Then "My Surgery" If you want to update your weight...pick Progress.

True Matt! I still do a little white potatoes sparingly....but my go-to is sweet potatoes for just this reason. I also like to make mashed potatoes with half regular potatoes, half blended cooked cauliflower (you can't even taste it in half potatoes) and lowfat buttermilk.....you get the flavor of milk and butter with so much less fat! (lowfat buttermilk also makes terrific ranch salad dressing)

I had metabolic tests and got weighed on an underwater scale. I'm under 30% body fat at 170...which is healthy and acceptable for active women. My BMI will still show me as 'overweight'....but Arnold Schwarzenegger's BMI was obese when he won Mr. Universe...BMI is very flawed. It's a good baseline measurement, but it doesn't take into account different body styles, particularly with people who carry more muscle. (I carry a ton of muscle in my legs) I was 175 in highschool when I was doing a hunter jumper (jumping patterns of fences on horses) show circuit and was in lean mean athletic fighting shape....so I think 170 is as thin as I want to be. At 46....my group's goal for me was to get under 200 pounds. My personal goal is to stay under 200 pounds for life.

I promise never to **** on you. LOL That said....I don't blow a lot of sunshine up anyone's skirt....who asks for my honest opinion. It's nothing against you that I can't stand the guy. Opinions will vary. It's totally ok if they do. One of my bigger pet peeves in life.....are health professionals who don't get the required education for accreditation, who don't do peer reviewed continuing education....who declare themselves "experts". Charisma and confidence are NOT intelligence or competence. I think these kinds of doctors are dangerous and reckless. Better suited for reality TV than medicine. I'm not saying "Dr. V" is wrong about everything...and it's totally ok if you like him and his stuff makes sense to you. I know people who worship him. I just think people need to be aware that he doesn't go the extra mile professionally....and that no matter how charismatic and certain you are of your own BS....if you can't prove it at the end of the day in a peer reviewed setting, if you are not interested in listening to other experts in your field, and if you're not open to learning from others, or if you're not interested in being present as new information emerges, or discussing new developments with others in your field.......how smart can you be?

Board certification should be one of your top considerations when choosing a doctor. Board certification is an official recognition given to doctors who have met specific requirements set by national medical specialty boards in the United States. Board certification indicates that a doctor is highly qualified in the medical field in which he or she practices. A board-certified doctor is more likely than a non-board-certified doctor to have the most current skills and knowledge about how to treat your medical condition. Dr. Vuong has zero board certifications. Nada. None. But he has a TON of Facebook posts! And he's very passionate about his own expertise and likes to call himself an internationally known expert. No thanks...

It's funny how different people have different processes for this stuff. I take weird comfort looking at the chocolate chips in my pantry...knowing they're there and knowing I have the willpower not to eat them...makes me feel weirdly in control. I still have baking stuff. Baking stuff doesn't mess with my head. BUT.... I GET where you're at with this, too. Just the other day I flushed an entire bag of cinnamon imperials down the toilet. (those weird little red-hot candies). Found them in my husband's pocket doing laundry. At first I tried to pretend they weren't in the house....but I had a couple, then a couple more...the third time I found myself staring at them I had the..."what in hell am I thinking?" moment. I flushed them before I ate all 6 ounces or pure sugar. LOL. Why do I like them so damned much? Who knows. But they're my kryponite. Chocolate chips I can resist. Cinnamon candies sing to me. So the little bastards had to go. We do what we must:)

No one is as smart as that conceited asshat thinks he is. Dude stinks of gimmicks and self-grandiose rhetoric that really excellent doctors wince at (have seen them wince). He's not even accredited by the board of bariatric surgeons and he's not well thought of by doctors who are. He's not well thought of by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. He's a general laparoscopic surgeon who thinks he knows everything about Bariatrics...and he pulls most of what he presents as fact....directly out of his arse. Not a fan. The dude is reality TV material. He's a fad writer. He is not someone I'd trust my health to.

Ask the cardiologist point blank....what he saw on your EKG or health history that makes him want an echo and stress test for surgery. He should be able to answer that question. If he can't, talk to your insurance company and surgeon about him. Your surgeon might opt to send you to a different cardiogist. That said...he might be following up on something odd on your EKG...some weird blip he saw that may or may not be indicative of a problem...something that might turn out to be anomalous, but is worth checking out. If you did have anything weird or questionable....he's doing absolutely the right thing ordering the stress test and echo. If you have any family history of anyone who had heart valve issues, enlarged heart, issues with heart strength or flow...he may want to have a look at the structure of your heart to make sure you don't carry any congenital conditions. Any young heart related deaths in your family history could prompt this, too. You can't be too careful with your heart. It stinks that this last test is making you wait....but it's absolutely better to be safe than sorry. Good doctors err on the side of caution...even when it's inconvenient. I would a lot rather have an extra wait...than have an undetected problem going into major surgery. Heart issues do occur in younger apparently healthy people. My brother in law is a white water rafter, canyon hiker, extreme sport enthusiast. He nearly died of a heart defect in his early 30's. A history of certain viral, fungal or bacterial infections might result in more concern about your heart, too.

Not all of us eat low carb diets:) We all get 60+ grams of protein. But a growing number of bariatric patients eat beans, whole grains, potatoes, seeds, soy and other protien rich lower glycemic index carbs. (most will avoid sugar and processed carbs) Also....cream of potato soup was highly recommended by my surgeon because it's extremely gentle on a healing stomach. It's a go-to food for gut surgery recovery. Also, potatoes do have a decent amount of protein and dietary fiber. Again....not all of us are on the same diet. Lot of ways up the mountain:) I know it's confusing that not all doctors and nutritionists follow the same plan....but they very truly...don't.

Your sis and mom's reactions are probably motivated by fear. They might ramp up their objections right before surgery....prepare for that. And after surgery, when the fear is largely removed...they'll be supportive. I might be wrong on this....but it's a fairly common reaction...particularly if either or both of them also struggle with their weight.

The crickets are washed and freeze dried...and ground into a fine powder (No legs, I promise). I won't lie, it's a little gritty...but not too bad. I don't have any issue with adding a scoop to oatmeal or smoothies or recipes. Eating it plain is a little bit like licking a lawn mower...with sort of a nutty flavor under the grassy taste. Works good in veggie soup to punch up the protein:) Tastes good in herbed meat dishes, too. You can get it on Amazon.

LOL...Careful, I eat bugs:) (My daughter is going to grad school to be a medical entomologist) They're actually a terrific source of protien and fiber:) Great in protien pancakes with cinnamon, or oatmeal. Sort of an almondy flavor.

Mashed potatoes are part of MANY approved post-op plans. I ate a ton of them. Didn't hinder my weight loss at all. We are at the mercy of an emerging science...doctors and nutritionists have their own ideas and prejudices...but the hard science has yet to written for these very grey waters. Best to work with your group and follow their instructions. but be careful about believing you have the one answer for all....because chances are pretty good none of us do:)

Stop worrying about "losing the most" and invest in healthy habits you can live with, self-love, sane consistent new ways of dealing with nutrition and fitness, and realistic expectations. So often I see people trying to punish themselves thin and it's crazy. You can't starve yourself forever. You can't deny yourself everything forever. You can't exercise like a maniac forever. At some point, the punishment has to stop and you need to deal with making peace with diet and exercise....and stop the war. My biggest piece of advice? Be PATIENT. You didn't become morbidly obese in a few months. It's going to take years to undo those bad habits. Just keep working and don't give up.

Being obese is correlated to a massive increase in the incidence of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and personality disorders. It's a popular misconception that obesity causes depression and anxiety....when in fact, depression and anxiety can cause obesity. It's a slippery slope of chicken or egg...and sometimes very hard to figure out. Regardless of why you're depressed, the thing to do is to seek help. Talk to your therapist. Also, exercise is powerful medication for depression. You have to push yourself to get out there and do it, but it really will help.

https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/obesity-and-the-immune-system/ VERY interesting read! Particularly interesting about the hep B vaccine being less effective in obese folks.

Talk to your therapist about the dangers of having an "all or nothing" mindest going into this surgery. It's not going to be all miracles and progress. You're going to hit walls. You're going to be challenged. Persistence, patience and more patience....will be required of you a lot. It's hard. And it's not just not eating. There's a lot of stuff in your head that plays in. Work with your therapist on coping strategies for when things get tough. This would be a great time to have that conversation. Also, talk about your expectations and what is realistic to expect.

I started my diet and exercise program 6 months before my surgery. Start working on what your forever diet is going to look like. Get some good recipes together. Get your tools...food journal, calorie counter, food scale, measuring cups, etc. Start working on your fitness habit. Start tracking your activity. Set some goals. There's no magic solution. It's a process...and the time to start is now:) Best wishes for a successful safe surgery:)