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This is where the saying "those who can't teach" comes into play. Everyone has their own inner battles and struggles, and even though we might not be good at taking our own advice, it doesn't mean we do not know the right or healthy way to do things. That being said defiantly go to medical professionals YOU feel good about and you are comfortable with. It is okay to get a second opinion and of course change doctors, this is your health and your journey, this is about you and you need professionals who you feel good about.

Cool thank you @MsTeeTee

Yes, I do currently I have a nose piercing, 3 dermals in my neck, a conch, a triple ear lobe, and then two more on one lobe so it makes a triangle shape. I also think the little titanium clip the Dr. put inside my right breast should count lol I used to have a double conch, but I took one out and it closed up before I replaced the jewelry. I also used to have a Monroe, labret, tongue, auricle, and double cartilage, I also had my septum done twice but I no longer have it. After surgery, I am going to do my auricle again as well as some other ear designing. I want to also get one more nose piercing next to my current one and another on the other side. After I am happy with my weight I am going to get my belly button done, I never did it when I was younger because I was a kid and only "preppy girls" got that. I personally feel like a hoop is the best jewelry choice for the nose because it is easier/less annoying to take care of and heals better.

Can you get a second opinion? If so please do, and also ask the new Doctor what exactly the first medical team did, so you know that information for sure.

I am not sure. Are you self-pay or is your insurance paying? I know with my insurance it is a requirement to be nicotine-free for 6 months, so if you don't pass the nicotine test the surgery is canceled. If you are self-pay it likely will not matter and they will go ahead with the surgery, unless it is a specific requirement that your surgeon has.

Congratulations! May I ask after you gained into the two's again, did you find that when you refocused and lost those 60lbs, was it the same, easier, or harder than when you had tried in the past prior to surgery to lose the weight?

Break it up into small goals, 2.5 lbs or 5 lbs at a time. Celebrate each goal you reach with something fun, but not food or drink-related. like watching a movie, getting your nails done, taking a bubble bath with a book you have wanted to read, making something, a painting, beaded jewelry etc. just throwing some ideas out there for ways to celebrate along the way, to make the 15 lbs less of a drag. You can do this, and yeah it is a lifestyle change, but so is every "diet plan", once you get over this hurdle and have your surgery it will be a lot easier with a reduced stomach. I know you can do it!!

DId you find someone? Rockwood in Spokane does DS.

This is wild to me, I was just in Denver, but I only had a tea a Starbucks. I do live in Corporate's home state so maybe that is why we have more options. Their website does say they have sugar-free white chocolate sauce, which is what OP needs if they want the modified drink to have the same consistency. I did notice the menu of the Starbucks in Denver I was at was very limited, they only had two tea options. Oh and when I say very, very small town I mean 7,000 ppl.

I don't know how many Starbucks there are where you live, but have you asked about sugar-free options at other locations? Because where I live (a very very small town, with 4 Starbucks, and 3 more in the town less than a mile away) They have all sorts of sugar-free options, I get sugar-free Irish cream syrup, but one location where I live does not offer it. I know for sure one location has sugar-free white chocolate sauce.

So I looked up the ingredients and it says Espresso, milk, and white chocolate flavored sauce poured over ice. To make it at home, you can use espresso or coffee, skim milk, or something like almond or soy milk. It looks like DaVince and Torani both make sugar-free white chocolate sauces and Skinny Mixes makes sugar-free white chocolate syrup. In-store, you will have to ask if they have sugar-free white chocolate sauce (this could vary by location) if so and you want cow milk ask for a skinny sugar-free iced white mocha decaf, otherwise just say you want a decaf, iced mocha with sugar-free white chocolate and almond or soy milk (whichever you prefer) Did your surgeon say you can no longer have caffeine after surgery? Most people usually still can, although it is wise to be mindful if you have high blood pressure.

Definitely ask your surgeon. My book from the clinic says I can never have it again. I spoke with my surgeon and I told him I really only take it about 4 times a year and he said it would be fine for me to take it then, he told me if I was taking it every day or a few times a week then it would not be okay. So I think how often a person takes it is a factor.

I have a friend who got roux-en-y in our mid-20s. She lost a lot of weight, I have known her since childhood and she had always been heavy, gaining rapidly in high school. After high school, she had 1 child. She then married someone, got weight-loss surgery, got breast implants and a panniculectomy then proceeded to have a set of twins and two more kids. She managed to lose all of her pregnancy weight, by not gaining excess weight while pregnant and she did not re-stretch her skin. I think you should go for it. In my opinion, you should live in the present. Life has no guarantees, and you want to be comfortable and happy now. You may or may not have children in the future, but don't let the hope of something, hinder your happiness now. The best way to keep a handle on how much your skin might stretch during pregnancy is to monitor yourself, and not gain more than recommended. A couple of scenarios- 1. You meet someone, are not comfortable in your skin and let it hold you back. 2. You meet someone, have children, and are so busy with family life that getting the skin removal surgery is put off for several more years. 3. You have the surgery, you meet someone, have kids and your stomach does not stretch. 4. You have the surgery, meet someone, have kids, your stomach stretches just a little bit you decide it's no big deal or you just have another surgery.

tl;dr at the bottom I could use some advice. I went to see my dietician today (not a bariatric surgery dietician, I can explain why I am seeing her if you want to know). She knows I am going to have weight loss surgery as long as I hit the goal weight my insurance told me I need to be at. I have to be at the goal weight by June 24, 2023, in order for my insurance to pay for my surgery. I had a weigh in the doctor's office a couple of days ago and weighed 301, my scale at home said 302. However, on the same day, the scale at a friend's house said 313. I knew I had this Dietician appointment two days later and I knew she would weigh me. I continued to weigh myself at home (after getting new batteries) and I was at 302 then 299 and today at home I weighed 303, right before my appointment, when I got to her office I was weighed and it said 313. I am concerned about what to believe since the doctor's office and my scale show similar numbers. I also bought a new scale today and it said 313. The Dietician told me I needed to eat more protein, which honestly I struggle with. she said I needed 150 grams!! I said are you kidding? that seems like a lot. She used my weight to come up with this number. Should I really be trying to eat enough protein for a 300-lb person or should I be eating protein for a goal-weight person (mine is 170)? also, my clothing is loose like I lost the 20 lbs mine and the doctor's scale shows, and not 10 lbs like everyone else's scale shows. Also, I have always naturally been more muscular even when I was 120 lbs and did not eat any protein aside from what is in plants. tl:dr- should I be eating enough protein to support a 300lb person or should I be eating protein for a "normal" sized person? AND should I trust the Doctors scale more so than the Dietician's scale?

Did you by chance have a medication change like maybe got Nexplanon?

From what I remember they cover all obesity-related surgeries, but I do not remember ESG being on the list specifically. I also think that members in Virginia had fewer hoops to jump through than members in DC and Marylin. This is from the CareFirst site. Blue Distinction® Specialty Care The hospital you select can have a direct impact on the care you receive and your procedure results, but finding the right facility can sometimes be a challenge. The Blue Distinction Specialty Care recognition program identifies health care facilities with proven expertise in delivering specialty care. There are two designations: Blue Distinction Centers - Health care facilities recognized for expertise in delivering specialty care. Blue Distinction Centers+ - Health care facilities recognized for expertise and cost efficiency in delivering specialty care. Blue Distinction focuses on high-volume, high-risk and high-cost areas of specialty care, including: Bariatric Surgery centers provide a full range of bariatric surgical care services, including inpatient care, post-operative care, follow-up and patient education.

I am not very picky, but I have ISOPURE unflavored protein powder.

Have you considered unflavored protein powder? You can add it to water or even sprinkle it on food or jello. Depending on what your dietician at the clinic where you have surgery says, you likely will be able to have a broth of some sort, since those are more savory that might be perfect for you and you could add unflavored protein powder to that as well just to boost the protein.

Have you considered unflavored protein powder? You can add it to water or even sprinkle it on food or jello. Depending on what your dietician at the clinic where you have surgery says, you likely will be able to have a broth of some sort, since those are more savory that might be perfect for you and you could add unflavored protein powder to that as well just to boost the protein.

Lipoma? When I read your story and now that I see the picture I was thinking possibly a lipoma. I remember an episode of Dr. Pimple Popper where a lady had lost a lot of weight, and she had this bump on her back, I think it was her upper back. She had gone to a GP who was no help, eventually, she made her way to the show, and Dr. Lee removed it. Her previous excess weight made the lipoma blend in , but as she lost more and more weight, it just stuck out more. Definitely get it checked out for peace of mind though.

Hi, what are people doing with these syrups? just putting them in coffee? or are you making other drinks? if so what are some recipes you would be willing to share? TIA

Also the food choices I eat are nutrient-dense for example lunch or dinner is two slices of Daves Killer thin slice bread, toasted with hummus, sprouts, avocado, tomato and either 4 slices of turkey bacon or vegan bacon. I might eat rice with shrimp and asparagus, with strawberries. Breakfast is something like one thin slice of Dave's Killer bread, avocado, egg, and everything bagel seasoning. I found that I have a McDonald's egg McMuffin breakfast with coffee and no ham and it does not negatively affect my weight. I also on the advice of my bariatric nurse, who also had the surgery eat one big meal every once in a while, it helps me drop a couple of pounds by the next day.

TL;DR - more cardio, no snacking, eat on schedule 3 times a day. I had to do this, I have not had my surgery, I am just waiting to be scheduled. The surgeon has gone over all my labs and tests and approved me for surgery. I had to lose 5% of my body weight and keep it off while I wait for everything. I struggled like no other to do this, which was wild because in the past, and as recently as the last fall I had dropped at least 30lbs super quick. Basically, I changed my eating, but this time I wanted to learn how to eat food without being on some kind of restriction, like no carbs, or low fat, no sweets ever, cabbage only, two shakes a day, and a sandwich for dinner, type thing. I knew I did not want to live the rest of my life after surgery struggling with continued "diets". I started seeing a nutritionist, who was not much help, but she did get me on scheduled eating, having a meal within one hour of waking and then eating every 4 hours for a total of 3 times a day. I was already drinking 96 oz of water a day, but I bumped it up to 150oz a day. I lost 10lbs in 2 weeks doing that. Then it stopped losing and I still had not met the 5% goal. So I added exercise, I started weightlifting and swimming, 1 hour of weights, 1-hour swim and my weight did not change. However, my clothes started getting loose, but I needed to meet that weight goal. So I stopped swimming and just focused on weights for 45 min and 20 minutes of walking. still my weight stalled, but my clothes got looser. I had a week before my final weigh-in and I stopped exercising, drank less water, took laxatives and water pills, and basically ate air. I made the weight goal. After that I was like okay what is going on? I started back with weights and eating my weight went up 5 lbs. Finally, I learned that I was more than likely gaining muscle ( I was getting stronger) The muscle gain weight-wise was canceling out the fat loss, so my weight remained the same but my clothing was loose. This is great, but not so much when you need to be at a certain number in a certain time frame. I switched things up to 30 minutes of elliptical x mode and 30 minutes of stationary bike, put 30 min. dumbells for arms and my weight started dropping again. I am currently 10lbs below the approval goal I needed to be at and I have kept it off during the 2 months the incompetent office lady lost my paperwork, I would have already had surgery two months ago if it wasn't for her. So I have lost 9% of my starting weight. After surgery, I plan on resuming weightlifting since muscle creates a metabolism change.

From what I understand the main reason for the pre-op diet (aside from the 24 hours or night before surgery diet) is to shrink your liver, or rather to get rid of the fat around your liver to make it easier to operate. IDK if they showed you a diagram of what's going on inside of your abdomen, but your liver and any fat around it is basically in the way of where the surgeon needs to go. With that being said, based on your profile stats, I do not think sneaking the pickles or a "few" pretzels will make a difference. I think you will still lose enough around your liver with the calorie deficit. However, please be honest and aware with yourself, regarding how much you really are sneaking. Also, do not sneak food during the time right before surgery, your surgery could get canceled over that because you could aspirate on the food during surgery. Maybe see if you can find a more savory-flavored protein shake, I have a coffee-flavored one I enjoy. Also, call your team and get some clarification on the tomato soup and ask them for some suggestions, like can you have sugar-free jello. You may also try some chicken or beef broth, as those are not sweet at all and are relatively inexpensive. You got this, one day at a time.