istytehcrawk

Yep! I'm simultaneously astounded by it and annoyed it isn't more, which I know full well is ridiculous. Thanks!

HEY, IT'S WEDNESDAY. Guess I'll substitute for @FluffyChix to get the ball rolling? Stats first: HW 427.4 (Jan. 2) SW: 413 (Feb. 15) Last week: 366.4 Today: 365 So, down 1.4 since last week, 48 since surgery, and 62.4 overall. Another slow week for weight loss, blah. BUT it's been good in a way, too: I was able to buy jeans at Walmart for the first time in YEARS, and because of their weird sizing, the jeans are a 24/26; my last jeans were a 28. Even better (sort of), these new ones are already feeling a little loose, but that could be because I've worn them every day this week (the downside of only having one pair that fits at a time) and they'll unstretch when I wash them. REALLY ready for capri weather to start (next week, supposedly), because I have a few pairs of those I should be able to wear.

I have been with two programs through this process, which will hit the three-year mark in mid-May. The first was at Memorial Weight Loss and Wellness Center in Springfield, IL. I was with that program for right about two years and got nowhere fast. I got bounced around from practitioner to practitioner (they have a high turnover rate for nutritionists, especially) and I think I saw at least seven nutritionists, a nurse practitioner, two physical therapists, two physician's assistants (including one I went to high school with), a bariatrician, and a social worker. Everyone SAID they were on the same page, but I would get different recommendations from every nutritionist and different goals from every medical provider. I never saw a surgeon; they wouldn't even consider surgery until I got down to a certain BMI, but depending on the practitioner, that varied from 60 to 65 to 70 (I was at roughly 75 when I started). After a lot of nonsense and setbacks and them refusing to talk about me with the PA who saw me every month at my PCP's office, I switched programs, and my PA is no longer referring patients to them (she said she'd had problems with them before, but the way they treated me was the last straw). It got to the point that we were both pretty sure they were just milking me for my money, since I had to pay them a $70 copay (plus whatever my insurance didn't cover) for every appointment other than physical therapy and nutrition, and I had at least three appointments most months, because they wanted me to see a medical provider, nutritionist, and physical therapist every month (sometimes I also saw the bariatrician or social worker). I ended up switching to the Washington University bariatric surgery program in St. Louis, MO, (the only one in STL that my insurance would cover), and I am SO happy with it. I went to their introductory seminar in June, had my first appointment in late July, got all my clearances out of the way (my insurance requires six months of medically supervised weight loss, and I already had that from the other program) by November, and had a surgery date scheduled by December with Dr. Arghavan Salles, who has been a DREAM to work with. Surgery was Feb. 15 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Before surgery, I had one appointment each with the physical therapist, nutritionist, and psychiatrist, plus a couple with the nurse practitioner, as well as one support group meeting. Since surgery, I'm only required to follow up with Dr. Salles; I have the option of scheduling follow-ups with the nutritionist or physical therapist, but I haven't chosen to do so (my PA at my PCP's office is a registered dietician, so I just go to her with any questions because I see her more often -- though not monthly anymore -- and she's only 15 minutes away vs. over an hour). After being on these forums, I have noticed that my program advances through the food stages more quickly than many do -- water only day of surgery, clear liquids the next day, liquids until one-week follow-up appointment, purees for two weeks, soft foods for two weeks, then regular foods starting at five weeks, with no restrictions on certain types of foods, like raw vegetables (basically, if I want to try it, I can, and just play it by ear with how my stomach reacts).

I'm in Illinois, but I'm mostly wondering why your post is tagged with "false"?

I have those on my list of things to make, but first I'm making more lasagna cups because they were so good. I love the chewy/crunchy edge bits.

It's totally normal to be an emotional mess right after surgery, between the anesthesia and pain meds and just the rapid initial weight loss, which flushes hormones through your system. The first month or so, I would just randomly start crying at absolutely NOTHING, like just mid-sentence when talking about something mundane. It was super awkward and annoying, but it passed. Edit: I should note that this was the case even WITH being on an anti-depressant.

I was able to buy jeans at Walmart on Saturday, for the first time in YEARS.

I get a feeling kind of like that if I eat too quickly.

Woohoo! Good for you, on all counts.

Unflavored doesn't mean NO flavor, it means no ADDED flavor, like chocolate or strawberry. I've found it works best added in savory things (such as meat sauce or chili), or mixed with SF pudding powder before the milk is added. It can also be used in baked goods.

I had the Noosa kind before surgery, and it was great, but it has WAAAAAY too much sugar for post-op.

I'm planning on doing the every-other-size thing, as well, but I'm not sure if it's going to work out in the long run, because I realized today that my size 28 jeans are so loose I can pull them down without unbuttoning them.

I am *really* hoping it starts warming up soon (mid-April, and still in the 50s? This is ridiculous!) because I need to be able to switch to capris, which I have in the next size down, because I don't have any pants in that size, don't want to buy them to wear for only a couple weeks, and the jeans I have in my "current" size are SO FREAKING BAGGY. And I would just like to be able to start wearing flipflops again, because I hate regular shoes. My feet want to be FREE!

Not yet, but I haven't really looked. Only nine weeks out, so I'm not suuuuper worried about it yet.

Every program is different, so my advice doesn't supersede your doctor's/nutritionist's, but my program actually encouraged unsweetened applesauce as an option early on (either in liquids or puree, I don't remember offhand).

I don't think so, because in unsweetened applesauce, the sugar is naturally occurring in the apples.

Oh yeah. Started noticing it within a week of surgery. So annoying.

And, if I'm reading that correctly, those stats are for if you eat EIGHT wonton wrappers, not including the filling/toppings. I highly doubt most bariatric patients are going to be doing that!