KimA-GA

sigh.. I should not complain, but yep I am… I am in limbo and cannot get a date for surgery yet because I have two insurances; one that does not cover bariatric a at all and one that does. I just had to get my denial letter to the surgeon because they can’t seem to get a copy. Now it’s time to wait for approval in round two (the one with coverage). My surgeon had October 5/6 as surgery in the first request but with the (what should have been expected) delay it could be the end of october or november … It just is less than ideal timing for my work and everything else (tho being on alternative diet for holidays doesn’t bother me so far, because i will eat different no matter what happens). Maybe I am just being impatient and standing under a little black rain cloud of my own making … but the frustration is real to me! anyone else experienced similar?

That is fantastic !! You have really changed your whole life. Excited for your progress and success!! Are you doing more activities now than before surgery? Are you following any diet or just careful moderation?

I live in the deep south (Southeastern USA) and there is a very large and important food culture here. Everything is celebrated with food! Cakes, treats, going out, big meals are all just part of the social marking of every single occasion. So far I have participated but reduced my portions. my coworker just had a birthday and there was a cake. I took a small piece and portioned out a smaller portion of that and accounted for it on the monitoring app I use. I am still pre op and only one person at my work knows (boss) that I am pursuing surgery, so I was trying not to make a big deal. How has everyone else handled celebrating with food either with pre op dietary changes or post op ? Hopefully I will be post op for upcoming USA Thanksgiving and Christmas and know that by nature things will be different.

they can do a swallowing study with contrast to make sure everything is going food. the way it’s supposed to… hope you get answers soon!

i think awareness is the key. If you check in with yourself regularly and are honest about your patterns and internal pain, you can keep from going down a bad rabbit hole. Food was my transfer addiction. My family has a strong genetic disposition for alcoholism, so i was always paranoid and over cautious when it came to alcohol. Instead I was blind to how i was binging on food instead of alcohol. Making that connection along with some other circumstances has helped me be in “remission” with binging. There are still urges, but I can be in control. I am aware now and regularly look at my life if anything is going down an unwanted path.

i transitioned to my pre op diet in august. Mine is 50 carbs a day (total, not net). I knew with my eating disorder issues I needed to slide slower in it so I would not backlash into binging so I transitioned down over a couple weeks. Been about three weeks at 50 carbs a day (ok, had about two days that i did less than 75) and it’s going well. I can eat a wide variety of things to keep it interesting. Early on i was ravenously hungry despite eating plenty but my brother (who has done keto before) told me to up my fat content and the hunger disappeared. I totally miss some foods, but not a lot. Beans used to be a big part of my diet and they are too carb filled for now. Rice, pasta/noodles and tortillas were also staples and are now not good choices. And most fruit is very carb filled, but occasionally I will carb budget for a lovely apple which tastes so sweet now. I had already cut out most bread so that wasn’t a big deal. following the diet I have lost 18.6 lbs in three weeks (69.6 in 2022 total) … so worth the shift in eating!

my husband wanted to do a “food tour” with me to eat all the things that I wouldn’t be able to eat in quantity after surgery… I actually turned him down because I just didn’t feel the need. I totally see why people would, however!!! (Different diets/ mindsets/ approaches are all good because people are different and that should be embraced.) Its amazing to me how my mindset has changed this year. I knew from my binge history nothing could be taboo or not available to me, but I could make a choice about quantity, frequency and speed of eating. That empowering thought has helped a LOT to overcome a lot of my binging and overeating issues. I feel so ready for the body changes that will come after surgery and continuing surgery to change my lifestyle to achieve my goals. (now, changes to my relationship…ugh.. that’s a different thread lol)

since my secondary insurance knows it’s not primary, they had to show what the primary would pay (zero) before the second would pre authorize anything (only secondary has coverage)

I found this Gastric Sleeve Food List By Stage that I thought that may be helpful. It’s close to mirroring what I received from my nutritionist with a few little exceptions (each plan can be so different!) Figured it might be a nice guide to refer to - might give you ideas for each stage to have variety.

Great work!! keep it up!! I know how hard it is. Be proud you are working it! what kind of diet are you following or just watching what you eat overall?

oh, my! that must have been very very frustrating! you are right, there is nothing that can be done but go with the flow as best as you can. we are technically going into fall, but here that doesn’t mean much. it’s still around 85F/29C … A tv station posted on facebook this morning that it’s 100 days till christmas and the average afternoon temperature for christmas is 55f/12C …. tho we do have about a month it gets chilly in january I am impatiently waiting for things to fall into place. Done all I can, now it’s up to everyone else !

I have heard that it is difficult to say the least if there is an exclusion to the policy.. most people self pay in that case.. (and fyi school employees in Georgia have bariatric surgery covered now.. I have GA teachers insurance via my husband who is a district employee)

the bubbles in carbonated drinks have a pressure to them that can do things to your stomach. (hence burping if you drink them too fast) the bubbles you are seeing in the shakes are non pressurized air trapped so should be fine!

great job with the hard work (and it’s soo hard)… just keep on and things will fall into place… also talk to you out psych about his opinion of your recovery. maybe there is more he sees or he isn’t really seeing your whole picture. i am only about 9 months in “remission” (seven at the time of psych eval) … this past week has stress tested me and the “worst” thing i did food wise was turn to an extra serving of sugar free jello and ate it in a stress snit… it is freeing not to be held back due to the compulsion anymore…

i have BED but made big strides before the bariatric surgery process started and eve tho I am still in a new reality my psych eval wasn’t too concerned. I strongly suggest no matter what you look into why you binge with a therapist or in another therapeutic manner BEFORE surgery. I had circumstances come together which made me able to face my demons and am now better for it. BED goes so far beyond food. Food is only a symptom, not the real problem. feel free to reach out anytime in PM or on here (anyone/everyone) anytime!

frustrating to have dates moved!! my surgeon hasn’t given me a date yet … just beginning of october

Honestly, I told my husband Chinese and Italian are out till post op able… but I have contingency that I have researched in case that’s where we go. for chinese most things have cornstarch (high carb) or other breading and sugar… (even beef with pea pods is high carb due to cornstarch in dish)…ordering from a menu I can get egg fu young patties, no rice and no gravy. It’s one of the very few low carb options. (Unless they will do stir fry with no thickeners and a non sweet sauce) italian, my contingency dish is simply an antipasto appetizer as my meal and just avoid any non keto parts… I looked up each restaurant I could go to and get dishes and substitutions that fit my eating plan. Having an app on your phone helps to look up things on the fly… I use carbmaster and it works well… may take longer to order, but worth it

Yes! There are so many things I have not been able to do with my weight, I am looking forward to be under weight limits for things!

wow, cant imagine how stressed and bad that must make you feel… did it start right after surgery? have you had your doctor or screen you for nutritional deficiency?? especially post op that could make a big difference …i hope you find an answer

Some cycles I have no food differences, but some (like this one lol tmi) it comes with lots of cravings as hormones fluctuate. Often it’s sweet and junk foody cravings.. (been resisting but hard!) Also been wanting more volume, but been adding extra veg to satisfy that.

simply the act of putting down my utensil after each bite makes me take my time chewing.

the body does that sometimes. you can’t worry about daily fluctuations, more like weekly trends. remember - 1 gallon of water weighs 8 lbs - so if you are retaining or lost up to gallon of water from your body that could cause the number to fluctuate or keep it from going down if you are loosing fat. do you do body measurements ?

pre-op here… even tho I know this is what I want, I have natural doubts and reservations about undergoing a major surgery. I have been writing my whys. Why do I want surgery? What will it get me that other methods won’t? What sort of life will it allow me to have in six months? a year? Five years? also, what am I most afraid of? How likely is it or how would I deal with it? it helps me to write it out like that and process it mentally.

look at enjoying appetizers or side salads - some places will also allow people kids meals! or look at the a la carte options; instead of a meal a meat and one side or just a side may suit you. most importantly enjoy yourself!!!!