SomeBigGuy

I'm a little late to seeing this, but I had this happen with Blue Cross. I was told I had to attend in person meetings for 1 year, and if I miss a single session (no excuses) or gain weight between sessions, I'm out and have to reapply to start over. That's why I'm going with the self pay route and trying to get my insurance to cover auxiliary costs. I've come to terms with having to finance it if they deny it. I'm not happy about it, but I need to get this done.

Mine started today. I think I overdid it with the food funerals last week, and now I feel like I'm starving, haha. I've heard the first 3-4 days are the worst, so hopefully you're over that hurdle now! I can't wait until I am.

I couldn't get short term disability approved, and my company is too small for FMLA, so I'm going back to work the week after surgery. I actually couldn't get a full week so I had to schedule the week of Thanksgiving so I'm only burning 2 days. I've seen others do it in less time, so hopefully it won't be too bad.

I have my VSG scheduled that Monday, so I am right there with you. My family asked me why I didn't just wait until after the holidays, but like what you said, I can't let food be the excuse to push it back further. That and it was the only time I could use enough leave time + holiday time to take off for a week.

As you lose more weight, its important to track the percentage of weight loss rather than only the number on the scale itself. We all have a base weight with all of our bones and internal organs that won't change (if we're healthy) and the muscle and excess fat on top of that are the variable amounts. For example, using big/round numbers for easy math, not for actual healthy goals - If SW is 300lbs and GW is 100lbs, then the total excess weight one would need to lose is 200lbs. If that person goes from 300lbs to 200lbs (100 lbs total loss), that is 50% of excess weight lost. If the person is now at 150lb and still trying to go to 100lb (50lb excess remaining), then a 50% loss would only be 25lbs. While its not the exact same amount of effort, you can use this to frame it in your mind that roughly the amount of effort to lose that first (300 - 100) matches the effort needed for the 25lb loss from a 150lb current weight. Again, these aren't precise or necessarily healthy weight numbers I gave, I was just trying to paint the picture to help reframe things to prevent being unnecessarily negative to yourself. You are still doing great! Also, don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat (I think it is roughly 1.5x heavier than fat for a given amount). As you build more muscle from exercise, you will gain weight, but it will be healthy weight. That's why it is important to also focus on more non scale victories later in the process, since the number on the scale isn't everything as you approach the finish line!

It could definitely be the muscle gains offsetting the fat lost numbers on the scale, which is why the scale number isn't everything. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe muscle weighs about 1.5x as much as fat, so as you approach your target weight you very well could be continuing to get healthier despite the number staying the same or slightly gaining. That's why the NSV's become more important after the initial loss! It's also worth considering how much excess skin may be present. If its a significant amount, you could estimate the weight of that and subtract it from what you see on the scale to get a better idea and avoid discouragement. In that case, the excess fat is gone, and all that's left is the number.

This is completely anecdotal, and not actual medical advice. When in doubt, check with your doctor! I haven't had surgery yet, but I've had referred back pain frequently following Diverticulitis or other abdominal infection. Even after the infection has healed, the lower/mid back pain persisted typically for weeks, and sometimes months because I was trying to stabilize the muscles in front by overworking my muscles in the back. It wasn't until I went to Physical Therapy and learned some stretches and exercises that the pain went away. If the inflammation and irritation from the surgery appears to have subsided, it may be worth asking your doctor for a referral to PT for review. I am hesitant to share the exercises since I am not a medical professional, and I don't know which would be a benefit vs which one may irritate the area you had surgery on.

Just got scheduled for November 20. Getting excited about it. SW: 352 - CW: 320 (plateaued for 1 year) - GW: 200

New guy here. Got my date set for November 20 for a Gastric Sleeve procedure. Kind of nervous, but more excited than anything. How's everyone else feeling for theirs?