Brooklyn732

I haven't been sleeved yet but I devised a plan that I hope will work. LOL. I have a 2yr old daughter so whenever we go out to eat as a family I will order a full entree and she adn I can share it. That way it doesn't look funny that I'm not eating and I don't have to order something off the kiddy menu that she won't eat anyway. Whenever we go out to eat she never eats what we order for her and she ends up picking off daddy's plate anyway. So I figure it works! Once she gets older I'll have to think of something else. And of course when I go out to eat without her I'll have to have a different plan.

I want to get folks in the NJ tri-state area together via email and eventually have some in-person support groups in Central NJ. We get a lot of great advice on this site and I want to continue to do that, but for those of us who are close geographically, I would love to get together. And I also had the idea of playing "matchmaker" for single sleevers. What do you folks think? More importantly I personally want and need support from all of you so anyone who wants to email can do so. I've already "met" some great people and I'd love to meet more. I've been having personal issues that I was able to "talk" about to people here and I appreciate them a lot for "listening". I also had some doubs about getting sleeved and the great folks here talked me through them. Email me anytime or PM me here. My email is recipes (LOL) email me. I hope to hear from all of you folks!!

You've been here for support from Day 1 so I thank you and appreciate that very much! I haven't met my new surgeon yet but I have an appointment for the 28th to meet him. I'm hearing good things about him. Once I meet him I will be more comfortable and less nervous but I'm still very excited about getting approved and getting a date and finally getting sleeved!! I'm definitely going to stay in touch with you and I hope you do the same. Have a wonderful holiday with your family!!

My opinion is that this is NOT the thing for you son right now. The sleeve is a tool for weight loss. It is NOT the answer to weight loss. I can tell that you are a very concerned parent who wants the best for her child, but the sleeve will not help your son if he doesn't get control of his eating habits. If he binge eats the way you describe, he could do severe damage to his sleeve and to his health. Do you think he could do the all liquid diet? Why don't you try having him do a "pre-op" or "post-op" diet for a few weeks and see if he can handle that. If he shows that he can handle it then maybe you should look into it further. But him getting sleeved without resolving the food behaviors will result in failure. This is just my opinion. I wish you and your son the best of luck!!

I'm in!! My email is kpitrealnj@gmail.com. My sleeve date is in Feb tho. Hope that doesn't rule me out. Feb 16th to be exact.

I went through the whole waiting and denial and approval process with insurance and it worked out fine for me. I'm not sleeved yet but I have a date set for Feb. I am still nervous about the whole process and what it will be like and I ask myself if I really want to have 85-90% of my stomach cut out for good. But then when I look at the 3 high blood pressure meds I'm taking and when I strap on that damn CPAP mask at night and when I feel the strain on my knees, I forget all the other worries and realize that this weight is MORE likely to kill me than the surgery is. And that is a fact!! I've read as much as possible and I continue to read more so that I am prepared for what is to come but you can never be FULLY prepared. But at the end of the day, you are doing the right thing and the short term "pain" of the surgery and recovery will lead to the long term "gain" (or loss really) when it comes to the health benefits. Keep the faith and use the people here as support.

I hate to butt in on the ladies forum but I want to give my $.02. As a man (and I can ONLY speak for myself) I HATE it when I wife has sex with me "just because I want it". If she's not into it, I can tell and I am immediately turned off. I want my wife to want me (one of my reasons for losing weight) and I want her to be into our love making. It means too much to me to cheapen it by making it mechanical or obligatory. Maybe my wife is just a bad actress and I am very glad about that because I don't want her to "fool me" into thinking that she wants me. And it makes the times that we DO make love so much better. I agree with what the ladies have already said. It seems like from what you're saying, you are focusing on yourself so don't feel guilty about that! But have you found a way to communicate your goals to your husband? Is there any way you can bring him into the process? Make him feel like he's contributing in some way and he won't feel left out. For me, the littlest things go a long way. Show him that you appreciate the space that he's giving you and how much it means to you. Things may have changed because of your surgery, but make the change be for the better. If you really love him and want to make it work, there is no such thing as "over-communicating". Sorry for interrupting ladies. I have no idea why I keep wandering into the powder Room...

If you want the wonderful taste of peanut butter without the fat and calories, try PB2. Its a powdered peanut butter. And unlike some of the other "fake" peanut butters, this is made from actual peanuts that are pressed and ground into a powder. The process takes all the fat and oils out of it. And if you want actual peanut butter than you can spread, just add a couple tablespoons of water (or milk or skim milk or almond milk) to the powder and mix it up. Yummy!!

So I was going back and forth with Aetna (well my surgeon’s office was) and finally got approved and my surgeons office gave me the date I wanted (December 20th)…HOORAY!! NOT so fast…Due to some family health issues and me having to be out of state to support my family, I had to ask for them to postpone my surgery…. L But it gets worse!! The earliest date they could give me was February 16th!! I first met with my surgeon on Feb 23rd so this would be almost a year from the time I originally started my process. Now for those who have read some of my posts you’ll know that I have been doing pretty good on my self-imposed pre-op diet and I’ve lost about 48lbs (I’ve been stuck for the last 4 weeks due to holidays, birthdays and just plain bad eating). And I took the advice of some of you and I’ve also started exercising again. I’ve started going to a fantastic “boot camp” type workout 4 days a week so while I’m not necessarily losing rapidly, I am toning up. But I’ve noticed that I am ravenous after working out and I’m making some bad decisions so I have to fix that… Sorry I’m getting off track… So my big issue is that I got a phone call from my surgeon’s office that as of December 31st, my surgeon is retiring and I am going to have to get sleeved by 1 of 2 new surgeons with much less experience!! I was devastated! I couldn’t believe my bad luck! My surgeon has 150+ surgeries under his belt with 1 leakage. The new surgeons have MAYBE 35-40. But they have been sleeving alongside my surgeon for the last month and he personally assured me that he is confident in their ability. My wife thinks this is a sign. I am undecided if I think it is too. But it has gotten me to start thinking that I’ve already lost 48lbs, I’ve started working out and I am doing the right things. I’m 5’9, 295 and I’d like to be 190 (and 5’11 but that’s never gonna happen…lol). I’m contemplating whether this is a sign that I should try to do it on my own. I am torn. I’ve had some good PM advice (thanks Mommy2girls and Christina@MIA) and I wasn’t going to post anything about this, but the decision is starting to weigh on me (pun intended) and I would love to hear what some of you think. Am I just being silly? Is this just a manifestation of my underlying fear of the surgery? I have no clue. All I know is that this seems to be a crappy series of events that is really making me think.

WHOA!! This is the first time i've seen ANYONE mention self-inflicted shots!! I CANNOT deal with needles much less giving myself an injection. What's the deal with this? Is this common? Or is this one of those "depends on your situation" kind of deals?

Thank you so much!! VST has been a great forum for me to find answers to questions I may have felt too stupid to ask but it's also a place where good people support each other. NONE of my family or friends know what I'm going to do and I don't plan on telling them so it's great to be able to interact with all of you here. That's another reason I started the diet and exercise so far in advance. I want everyone to think that all the weight loss came from that. I don't know if they will be supportive, but I don't really care to find out. I know they won't judge me, but I don't want to discuss my decision. My wife knows what I'm doing and whether she chooses to support me or not is her decision. She has been good so far, but I'm doing this for me. I have to be selfish for once in my life.

Thanks again for all the support ladies! I really enjoy this site. M2G you're awesome! Well I called my surgeons office and spoke to the lady who works with the insurance companies and manages the surgery scheduling. She's really cool and down to earth (and has the same bday as me...lol) and she told me which of the 2 new surgeons I should go with and actually told me she thought I would REALLY like him and get along with him so that reassured me. She set up a meeting with him in a couple weeks so I can ask all my questions and make myself more comfortable. So I feel much better about the surgery. On another note I've RE-dedicated myself to my diet and maintaining healthy eating habits. I've been on a roller coaster over the last few weeks with my family issues and work and the holidays. But I'm refocused now. I'm going to continue doing 2 Protein shakes a day and one sensible meal. My other issue was that since I started working out, I get SOOOO hungry at night!! I'm eating nonstop and not always the good stuff. But I am not combatting that with drinking more Water and staying out of the kitchen! LOL. And I had my trainer weigh me last night. After 4 weeks of working out, I actually gained 5lbs. BUT I know its my fault because of my poor eating. BUT....I lost 4 inches in my chest and 4 inches in my waist and hips. AND I gained an inch in my biceps so if anyone wants to see the GUN SHOW, I'll be selling tickets soon!! LMAO!! Can we say NSV?? This is motivation to continue my workouts but also get back into my diet. I'm FOCUSED!! LOL. I may even have to post some before and after pics so show off my sexy. But I promise to keep them G rated!

Syntha 6 is the BEST from GNC. Its in the big red bottle. Its AWESOME. I've loved every flavor I tried but Chocolate Peanut Butter is my favorite.

I KNOW its not just me who thinks you are just AMAZING Tiffy!! You seem to have the best non-BS answers and you're a real genuinely helpful person. I'm not even a smoker and I read this entire thread just because I knew that your post would have some gem of knowledge in there! You ROCK girl!!

Thanks so much for the replies!! I am never usually an unsure person. In my job I am a decision maker but this sleeve thing threw me for a loop! LOL. But I know you're both right and I know the decision I have to make. I am going to get sleeved no matter what! Before I make the surgeon decision, I am going to meet with them and decide if I feel comfortable enough to stay with them. And the way I see it, the diet and exercise I'm doing now just makes it easier for me to maintain my weight loss after the sleeve. And between now and Feb I want to drop at least 25 more lbs. So I'll be going into surgery "halfway sexy"!! LOL. My goal is to get back to my Big Daddy Sexy! LOL. And once I have a goal in my head, I don't quit!! Thanks again ladies! I really needed that boost!

Ok so i clicked on this thread hoping there would be some before and after pics but didn't find any!! LOL... Just kidding. From a guys perspective, (and I'm not a boob man so I may be the wrong one to offer perspective...I love booties!!) this is just part of the weight loss process that has to be gotten used to. It's great to see that you ladies enjoy your boobies as they are now but I'm sure none of you would sacrifice this wonderful weight loss you're experiencing for a full bra. If I were the husband of any of you, i would already be saving for the inevitable boob job JUST IN CASE that was something you wanted. And if you decided you didn't want it...it would go towards building myself a man cave!! LOL. Sorry for barging in on your thread... but I just wanted to say that you ladies are doing an AWESOME job of losing weight and unfortunately the side effect is that there is some boob loss. But it's all part of the NEW YOU. Love it all!!!

I think TexasT said it best. In your case I think you need to resolve your issues with food before you have the surgery. if you don't, you will still lose weight initially with the surgery but you will eventually sabotage yourself. I've seen a lot of stories about WLS "failure" but its not the surgery that fails, its the person. If you aren't mentally prepared to change your lifestyle, in my opinion, you shouldn't have the surgery. I have been on a self imposed "pre-op" diet since August and I'm not getting sleeved until Feb 2011. But I'm doing it so that I'm mentally prepared. I went out to eat this weekend for my son's bday and instead of ordering the entree I ordered a cup of Soup and an appetizer. It wasn't the HEALTHIEST app they had, but the portion was small (ok and I snuck in a few bites of his dessert...lol) and it helped me to realize that even after I'm sleeved I can do the same thing and not feel funny about it. If you need to lose the weight like you say you do, then do the "pre-work" you need to do to get yourself ready for the surgery. If that means talking to a psychologist or a nutritionist or attending OA then do it. This is a life changing decision and you have to be ready to make it. If you do your research, the actual risk involved with the surgery is very minimal and comparable to any minor surgery. So that is really the least of your worries. The bigger thing to consider is if your mind is ready to accept what your body is going to be doing. Good luck to you. We are all here for you.

I'M APPROVED!!! After 2 denials from Aetna, I finally got approved. I guess they had to work out with my surgeon's office which paperwork they were missing or when it was sent or whatever. Who cares?? I'm approved. BUT...unfortunately because of some personal family issues, I can no longer do the 12/20 date I previously hoped for (and the surgeon's office graciously reserved for me). I will have to wait until Feb 2011. BUT...I'm not mad at all. I am still losing on my self imposed pre-op diet and I have started working out 4x a week. So I am going to make sure that this time between now and Feb will be as productive as possible for my weight loss goals. I'm just so happy I got approved I wanted to share it with you all!!!

Well well...this is a great thread. I'm not sleeved yet but with just my pre-op weight loss I've seen some "improvements". If you'd like ladies, I'll post some before and after pics! JUST KIDDING!! LOL. :lol:

I take the plain chobani and add SF/FF Jello Pudding to it to give it flavor! YUM.

I'm hoping to get mine done on December 20th too!! I'm supposed to hear back from Aetna about my appeal on Monday so I'm excited. I really hope this gets approved. I just did my upper endoscopy last week and all I have left to do is get sleeved! lol.

Thanks. I love the fact that I can share here.

WOW!! Amazing story!! Bravo to you! This is how I know I am making the right choice. I can't wait for me surgery!! Congratulations on the new smaller, healthier you!! You should be so proud.