renjenn

I want to wear my Silver belt buckle that I earned in College on the Horse judging team. Doesn't look good with a muffintop.

I went through Cigna. But we had a quick discussion about self-pay but the insurance did better for me.

I wonder if those are ok in the soft foods stage?

I feel your pain. My family keeps all the junk food on the kitchen island. Chips cookies, bread, crackers, candy. They have no sense of sympathy or consideration for what I have to do. But in life I'm going to have to learn to deal with temptations and having others invite me to dinner. Much of my social life revolves around restaurant meetups and family gatherings with tons of food. It won't change so I will have to. we all have to learn to work around us because the world won't change just because we do.

I think they give you high goals so you try as hard as you can to reach them. My protein goal was 90 grams. Yesterday was the first day I actually hit that. Dr told me drink 3 shakes a day and then other foods to get that 90 g. My calorie goal is supposed to be 1500. hah! and my nurse practitioner last week told me to at least try for 1200. I barely get 700. I feel like i'm always eating. The high protein things I have are turkey, tuna won't go down well. Protein shakes, peanut butter and my new favorite thing is low-fat string cheese. It is small but has 7 g of protein. Lowfat ricotta cheese with low sodium marinara has about 10g in a half cup. Oikos triple zero yogurt has 15g. if I want pudding or applesauce I mix unflavored protein so it isn't empty calories. All my food has to have a protein-purpose.

I went to Beltline Bariatric. They have several offices in Newnan, Atlanta Howell mill rd and now I think stockbridge. They work with you on self-pay although my insurance covered it. This is the same doctor as on TLC's Family by the Ton. (I didn't know that until after I started going to nutrition appointments.) Dr proctor and his staff seem to have everything worked out and a really tidy process. I didn't have to do a lot of administrative things. The followup is a planned schedule for a year or more. They say "for life". https://beltlinebariatric.com/

I knew I was big and very overweight. I didn't really feel that big. I hated what I saw in pictures and denied to myself that I was actually that overweight. What told me was my shirt size, the fact that I had to ask for a seatbelt extension on a plane and the inability to <<warning, TMI>> wipe my behind and to roll out of bed in the morning. Since having surgery it has almost reversed everything. I don't feel like I've lost much looking in the mirror but my husband keeps saying how much I've changed. I'm not down a shirt size yet but they fit better, I can get out of bed and do other things easier. my cholesterol and glucose tests are half of what they used to be. Everything is improving but I still worry that I'm not going to get to the size I want as if its going to stop tomorrow and I'll always be fat. Then sometimes something in me says, wow. you look so much better. I can feel bones I haven't felt in a long time.

I'd like to know how you tell people that aren't related to you that really have no business in your personal life but you don't want to sound snobbish or you want to tell but don't really want to discuss it in detail.

I do not have head hunger but I definitely feel hunger pangs in my stomach. I feel like I'm starving but I really don't care if I eat or not. But I eat anyway.

LOL FLHappyGirl. Saying "female stuff" usually shuts down all the questions. Employers and managers aren't supposed to ask "what for?" when you tell them you need surgery. You could even just say medical issues if you wanted.

My surgeon doesn't approve them. I have chewable everything. a zillion times a day.

I put unflavored protein powder to the babyfood so I'm not eating empty calories. (even though sometimes you just need something that tastes good.)

I have strong hunger feelings as well. I'm about to hit 1 month post-op. I have a hard time getting enough calories and enough protein. I'm getting close though. I couldn't handle the premier protein shakes any more. they just made me gag. I went to a powder mix peanut butter and mixed it thicker and the different texture makes it tolerable. next goal is getting enough water.