suzannethemom

Wow, I didn’t realize that my Mom is a food pusher until I read your post. My Mom lives in Arizona and I moved to Minnesota when I got married 32 years ago. We used to visit every other year for Christmas. She always makes way too much food and fattening stuff (not healthy at all). I was always on a diet when we visited, but she would still make fattening meals and desserts and say “Just try one bite.” I’m so glad we don’t visit anymore. Actually, we don’t talk anymore because after two years of therapy, I realized that she is toxic for me and one of the reasons why I developed an eating disorder.

How do I add all of the personal details on the left column? For example, surgery date, starting weight, BMI, etc.

I don’t have that view. Are you using the app?

As a stay at home Mom, I’ve been wearing sweat pants and oversized t-shirts ever since I put on the extra weight. Fortunately, I saved ALL of the clothes from my smaller sizes (size 12 to 16). I was always determined to lose the weight, so I stored it all in Rubbermaid containers. Some clothes still have tags on them! I cannot wait to bring those containers out of the basement and wear them again!

I’m pretty sure every insurance company requires a psychological evaluation before you get approved for surgery. The purpose is to determine if you have any mental illness or conditions that will deter your progress after surgery. For example, they won’t approve anyone with bipolar disorder who has had a recent episode. Untreated alcoholism or eating disorders is also a red flag.

I find it very interesting that someone with BED or any eating disorder would be approved for bariatric surgery. I was not allowed the surgery unless my eating disorder was under control. I was questioned repeatedly by the psychologist and had to take an exam on my current and past eating habits. They (the team) want to make sure you are in control and have healthy eating habits before surgery to help you be successful after surgery.

Well this is a bummer to hear about. My belly is where I started carrying most of my weight when I turned 50. I would pay money to lose my belly weight first! It makes me look pregnant. Ugh, this is not encouraging news. I wonder if we can do AB crunches and other abdominal workouts after surgery. This is probably a good question for my exercise physiologist who I will see two weeks after my surgery.

That is bullshit that you have to find a psychologist on your own! My bariatric center has a therapist that they use and he knows how urgent it is to schedule within a short amount of time. I saw him three days after my consultation. I am frustrated for you because this is putting a wrench in your progress.

It took me two years of outpatient treatment to overcome my binge eating disorder (BED). Intense weekly therapy called EMDR, a BED support group once a week, and meeting with a dietitian once a week. Sometimes it felt like a job because I spent so much time at the treatment center, but that’s what it takes. It is a serious disorder and something that you cannot cure on your own. I encourage you to look into treatment or at least see a therapist who specializes in BED. YOU CAN DO THIS!

I read a study online which stated that many bariatric patients have difficulty with red meat forever. Interesting that you are allowed regular meat already. I think most programs allow soft, moist foods at 4 weeks.

At first I only told my husband and two adult sons. Then I made the mistake of telling my sister. She was not very supportive and said things like “you aren’t that fat” and “why don’t you try the Optifast diet instead?” I decided not to bring it up anymore when we text (she lives far away) but she kept bringing it up and asking negative questions like “aren’t you worried about dying? What if you lose too much weight? Are you sure your surgeon is qualified?” I couldn’t stand the questions and interrogation from her so I did a bad thing. I lied and told her that I didn’t get approved for surgery by my insurance. Now keeps asking me what diet I am going to do instead. She is super skinny and I think she enjoys me always being the fat sister. It’s like she is worried that I might become skinny and pretty too.

I’m pre-surgery, but my plan is to eat a lot of soups. Split pea soup (my favorite) is high in protein. Butternut squash soup is great. I’ve heard the ricotta bake is really good. Here’s a link to the recipe: https://wlsafterlife.com/blog/ricotta-bake/

YES, that we so cool. I don’t know how this works. I don’t think we would post messages on this thread cuz it would be confusing. Not sure how we do this.

I just got my surgery date today: APRIL 12th. I am so excited! I feel I like I can finally relax a little and just be happy in this moment. I feel so thankful and blessed.

I am also having surgery on APRIL 12th (sleeve procedure). We have similar body types. I am 5’4” with a starting weight of 223. I lost 12 pounds since my first visit on January 25th, so my surgeon approved only 10 days of the liquid diet (instead of the typical two weeks). Things are moving so fast for me and I’m so thankful.

Hey, me too. My surgeon just explained to me today that he creates a 32 French bougie, which is nice and small. We are so lucky! I can lose up to 75% of my excess weight. Some surgeons make the pouch too big, so weight loss is much slower.

Hey Shelley, I am also scheduled for sleeve surgery on April 12th. I just got my surgery date today, so it is just starting to sink in. Is it wrong that the first thing I did when I got home was count how many days before I start the liquid diet?? I have 16 days of regular meals to enjoy before the hardest part begins. Ugh.

The waiting has been the hardest part for me. I’m a stay at home mom, so I don’t have work as a distraction. I spend A LOT of time online researching anything and everything about bariatric surgery. I also go to YouTube and search for “my bariatric story” and watch those videos. Another good YouTube search is “what I eat in a day” to get examples of meals and shake ideas. I take a lot of notes. I have a list of tips, a list of things to buy, a list of questions for the dietitian, questions for the surgeon and finally a list of projects to do before surgery since I will be recovering for a while.

Thursday was my last appointment. Now I’m waiting for pre-approval from my insurance company. I am SO NERVOUS. The waiting is making me crazy! I tossed and turned all night.

When you are in the PURÉED stage, do you put meat in a blender? I don’t know if I can do that. I would rather skip meat while in that stage.

Insurance companies only look at the numbers. The minimum BMI is 40, unless you have other health issues like diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea heart disease, etc. Only then can you have a BMI of 35-39. A weight loss clinic will not meet with you unless you meet that criteria. They require a brief questionnaire online before you can schedule a consultation. It has nothing to do with your waist size, your previous weight or history. It’s all about the numbers before you can get through the door.

Yep, that’s the MMPI test. It took me one hour. My psychologist sent me a link to take it at home. I never met with him in person. It’s interesting how different the process is at different clinics.

That actually makes perfect sense. I hope I can resume coffee maybe a month or so after surgery. I could live with that.

This article from the Mayo Clinic states that coffee does not cause dehydration: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeinated-drinks/faq-20057965#:~:text=Drinking caffeine-containing beverages as,increase the risk of dehydration.

Right? That’s exactly what I was thinking. If coffee was truly detrimental to our WLS recovery, every surgeon and dietitian would be on the same page.