Bjornsyouruncle

I've been making a conscious effort the past few days to force myself to chew my food thoroughly. I want the things I am supposed to do after surgery to be second nature by the time they're necessary. I apparently do not chew very well! Ugh, I have to work on that. It really slows down my pace when I'm eating, which is good. It gives me time to feel full. I also need to keep the hydration levels up. That's important and I shouldn't overlook it. Meanwhile, the low carbohydrate diet is going very well. I'm comfortable on Atkins, it works really well with my body chemistry and it works for me. Of course...sustaining it long term? That's the hard part.

I've been making a conscious effort the past few days to force myself to chew my food thoroughly. I want the things I am supposed to do after surgery to be second nature by the time they're necessary. I apparently do not chew very well! Ugh, I have to work on that. It really slows down my pace when I'm eating, which is good. It gives me time to feel full. I also need to keep the hydration levels up. That's important and I shouldn't overlook it. Meanwhile, the low carbohydrate diet is going very well. I'm comfortable on Atkins, it works really well with my body chemistry and it works for me. Of course...sustaining it long term? That's the hard part.

That's such a pretty picture! What a neat idea to use firelight.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I left a message for my nurse but I haven't heard back from her yet. I'm not too, too worried since I could lose 40 lbs and still have a 40+ BMI. I just don't want them to tell me, "Hey, you seem to be doing great on your own. No surgery for you." :scared2:

So I started dieting on Friday. I desperately need to up my water intake to 64 ounces (if not more!) a day, not just for dieting but for life in general. I was 277.4 Friday and today I was 272.8 so at least I know low-carbing still works for me. But if I could up my water intake and drop some of the water weight maybe I could shrink into some of my nicer dresses before my cousin's wedding in a week and a half! So I scheduled my psych evaluation for next Thursday. I need to talk to my insurance company and see if they're going to reimburse me for that or what. Hopefully by Thursday I'll know which surgeon in the practice will be mine. I'm not sure how that works... but the seminar is on Monday and I guess I'll meet with them then. I'm excited to get the ball rolling, but at the moment I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm scheduling a huge number of things, not just because of starting this process but also because I'm trying to get my car repaired from an accident on the 18th and I'm trying to get my application to graduate school finished and submitted by Friday. Urgh. I have to make a 6 hour round trip just to pick up a transcript for that. Plus figure out how to get my immunization records.

So I started dieting on Friday. I desperately need to up my water intake to 64 ounces (if not more!) a day, not just for dieting but for life in general. I was 277.4 Friday and today I was 272.8 so at least I know low-carbing still works for me. But if I could up my water intake and drop some of the water weight maybe I could shrink into some of my nicer dresses before my cousin's wedding in a week and a half! So I scheduled my psych evaluation for next Thursday. I need to talk to my insurance company and see if they're going to reimburse me for that or what. Hopefully by Thursday I'll know which surgeon in the practice will be mine. I'm not sure how that works... but the seminar is on Monday and I guess I'll meet with them then. I'm excited to get the ball rolling, but at the moment I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm scheduling a huge number of things, not just because of starting this process but also because I'm trying to get my car repaired from an accident on the 18th and I'm trying to get my application to graduate school finished and submitted by Friday. Urgh. I have to make a 6 hour round trip just to pick up a transcript for that. Plus figure out how to get my immunization records.

That was amazingly supportive of your wife to air out the house so there were no food smells. I'm sure your family is really excited for you so they're willing to overlook the occasional melt down Good job on not cheating! It's just a few more days, you can make it!

Good luck froggi! I'm sure you've gone down some.

I think I'll just call the nurse assigned to me from my insurance company and double check with her. I just want to make sure that if I lose weight before the surgery that I won't end up disqualifying myself. Thank you for your input though.

My insurance wouldn't accept previous attempts at weightloss. They're requiring that I see a doctor now for six straight months (as in, if I miss a month I have to start over). But YMMV.

I went ahead and called my insurance company to see what hoops I have to jump through. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do the 6 month diet... but I do. So to begin that I made an appointment with a weight loss doctor that's actually the wife of one of the surgeons. I figure if anyone knows what kind of documentation my insurance company needs, she'd be the one. I need to low carb anyway. I lose weight on it and it really helps my PCOS symptoms when I don't eat sugar.

So sorry for your loss. Don't beat yourself up over one day of comfort eating, just try to do better tomorrow. You're going to be dealing with the emotions of losing a dear pet for a while and you'll need to find healthy ways to work through them other than food. Maybe you have a friend you can walk with and talk to or you can do something small to cheer yourself up (I get pedicures).

Congratulations!

Shinyhappymommy, what an amazing man your HT must have been. It reminds me of my first HT, that was assigned to me as a new convert (I was 17 at the time). He was well into his 70's and had been raised in the church but was inactive until his 60's. His wife came with him on his visits and I came to love them both so much. They've both been deceased for several years now, but the effects they've had on my life are still with me. Anyway, I just wanted to stop in and introduce myself. I'm Tammy from South Carolina and I'm in my 10th year as a member.

I'm glad to hear the six months go by quickly! It just makes me wish I'd started the process last summer when I first started thinking about getting the surgery. Oh well, in the meantime, it gives me a long time to research this surgery completely to make sure that I'm fully prepared to use this tool correctly. Whygirl, is the support group pretty open to having non-banded people go to the sessions?

Congratulations! And good for you for going that extra mile and doing the liquid diet!

The same question is being asked in another thread in the introductions section. There are some really clever suggestions like giving the insurance company an inch under your actual height, or wearing ankle weights if you're getting weighed in, etc.

Congratulations :-) Hope you're recovering well!

I think the yo-yoing is what has pushed me over the edge. I'm tired of losing and having discipline and getting new clothes and feeling good about everything...and then slowly gaining it back. No matter how hard I fight, the food always wins. I'm looking forward to having the band as something to help me fight and win. If you're self pay, you might want to look into the options in Mexico.

I went ahead and called my insurance company to see what hoops I have to jump through. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do the 6 month diet... but I do. So to begin that I made an appointment with a weight loss doctor that's actually the wife of one of the surgeons. I figure if anyone knows what kind of documentation my insurance company needs, she'd be the one. I need to low carb anyway. I lose weight on it and it really helps my PCOS symptoms when I don't eat sugar.

It is so neat to see someone local! I haven't decided on a doctor yet, but I'm going to the informational session at South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center, and they work through Lexington Medical. How did you choose your doctor?

I just wanted to thank everyone for the welcomes :wink_smile: I'll probably be quiet for a while and just look around, there is so much information on this site!