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So I started the process in September and definitely was not prepared for how much time everything would take mainly due to the insurance requirements around a weight loss trial. I thought everything I had done in the past would have counted, but it did not so I had to start a new weight loss trial. My primary care put in a referral and Tricare approved it for Dr. A at a surgeon's office over an hour away (closest bariatric specialty). When I tried to schedule the appt, I was told that Physician A is revamping his practice and would like to have me be scheduled with Dr. B. I agreed, as long as the referral was still good. Apparently that was not quite the question I should have asked. Fast forward to 4 months later, my weight loss trial and all the pre-reqs are done. I emailed the clinic with all the information and had not heard anything in 10 days, so I asked for an update. Today's update is this: Dr. B is not yet credentialed with Tricare so they can't even submit for approval until that is done. They have no estimated time frame and can't tell me when the process started. According to Tricare's website, it can take 60-90 days for a new provider to be credentialed. Additionally, when I asked if I could have my surgery done by Dr. A since Dr. A did my EGD and all my labs, they responded saying they asked Dr. B and he said no. I'm beyond frustrated because I only have a small window remaining where I can take off (Feb - Mar). After that, I will have to put it off until August or September. To clarify, I don't work a standard full time job. I am a contractor working through a recruiting company for a hospital org to implement the software system and their go-live is in July. I don't get paid for time off and I don't get FMLA. So now I'm either stuck in limbo for potentially months until they get him credentialed or I could see if another surgeon would be willing to take all the existing labs/imaging/documentation.

I mean, i have doctor records from physicals 4-5 years ago that have my weight and everything. I haven’t had any medical problems yet, just slightly high cholesterol. I have been a member of weight watchers for years but off and on.

So the 5 year history typically means they want to know how long you've been obese, what comorbidities you have and how long you've had them, what meds you've had to take for them and how long, etc... The supervised diet would be either 6 months working with a dietician or having done things like doctor supervised keto, or Jenny Craig, or Weight Watchers, or a low calorie/low fat diet (again, doctor supervised). If you have done any of these, they want to know the results.

Hi all - Going with a surgeon in NJ and completed all my preop requirements and they submitted for approval on 1/10 anticipating a surgery date of 2/8. I called insurance to get a heads up and they said they just sent out a denial today for not enough information, specifiying 5 year history and also a 180 day weight loss program, which my surgeon never mentioned. I started the process in September so if i knew i had to be in a specific program, i would have started. I havent talked to the surgeons office yet but i am guessing 2/8 is out of the question. For reference, i am 39, 5'6, 360 lbs and i have been over 300 since 2010. What do they typically need and who does the supervised diet? My other concern is how long all this testing i just did is good for. I had a stress test, stomach ultrasound, echocardiogram, lots of blood work, upper GI study, psych eval, and all required nutritonist appts. am i going to have to do this all again?

Weighed myself today and i seriously thought i gained weight. but finally i am under 200lb at 197. I have not been under 200 since i was in high school. So happy. It took around 2 months to loose nearly 10lb being this far out from surgery.

My surgeon suggested weight training after 8 weeks, however you have to listen to your body. I had surgery 9 weeks ago and lifting a carry on still causes pain in my bigger incision and sometimes depending on the activity feel a slight numbness there.

Was cleared at 6 weeks for light weights/higher reps. At 9 weeks starting adding more weight/lower reps but no where near my pre-surgery lifts yet. I can tell I lost some muscle mass/strenght probaly due to the couple of months of inactivity. Still concentrating on cardio and low wgt/higher reps for awhile. Just trying to maintain for now and hopefully in a couple of months start working on increasing strength again. Surgeon gave clearance for everything including ab work. I think the greatest benefit from getting back in the gym is the postive impact on my mental state (Love those Endorphins!). But with the always caveat, check with your surgeon for advice tailored for you. Luckily, my Doc was very supportative of my gym return.

Hi. At 4 weeks post surgery, I was cleared with no restrictions to go back to strength training. I had been training for the past months leading up to surgery, so that may have had something to do with it. However, Dr was very clear about easing back into it and not starting where I left off. First session, I was exhausted and couldn't complete my 1 hours session...even doing light weights. So, once cleared, pace yourself and listen to your body! Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

First of all, i want to thank you for all the support and encouragement you've given to us, newbies. I’m getting my surgery in 2 weeks and i have some questions about strenght training. How long after the surgery did u go back to the gym? I used to be a hard lifter, legday was my favourite day(especially deadlifts, hacksquats) and im kinda scared i wont be able to do this anymore. So how should i start? light weights at the beginning? It’s still ok to do cardio after the workout ? Help 🥺

My new NSV: I was able to finish an entire spinning class without panting for breath or quitting early! It’s amazing how much losing weight can make working out easier! Now I’m training for a triathlon coming up in a few months!!

Huge congratulations to you - I know you've posted several times recently about your journey and it's inspiring. Please can I ask what you do in your planned weight loss phases now? Do you calorie count, track protein and/or other macros, restrict any food groups, follow any particular route?

Hi. 50 year old male. Had bariatric sleeve surgery in June of '19. Went from 341lbs to 238lbs between the start of the process leading up to surgery (end of 2018) through March of 2020. After Covid hit in March of 2020, I had a lot of changes (as did many) in my life, from quarantine to moving to a different region, etc. With surgery you have a 1 year "Goldilocks" period where you will lose almost all of your weight. After that year, some of your hunger (due to increased Ghrelin production) will return. Unless you learn and incorporate new lifestyle changes (including exercise and eating habits) during that first year, you risk the chance of putting that weight back on. Foods to stay away from are high caloric liquids and ice creams. I found them to be far less difficult to overindulge in vs things such as pasta I found difficult to eat. I found that I could still go through ice cream and cheese-related snacks just as frequently) albeit in smaller portions as I did pre-surgery. Back to our story. I had my most recent physical at the end of last August where I had gone up from 238lb to 274lb. Around this time I noticed my sister-in-law had lost some serious weight from one month to the next. She said she was taking Wegovy. I asked my doctor who instead gave me a sample of the 2.5mg Mounjaro that he had. Now what I write is my personal experience. Not everyone will have the same result. Almost immediately I found that I had the same LACK of appetite that I had post surgery. I don't know if it kick-started the effects of the surgery or if I just have reacted well (so far) to the drug. This question is how I found this thread in the first place. As of yesterday, I have gone down from the aforementioned 274lb to 225lbs. So, that's almost 50lbs in just under 6 months. Positives: See above. Side effects: I have fortunately had none up to this point. The most I could say is that I need to go number 2 only a couple of times a week. I don't feel constipated though. So, this could simply be me having less food in my stomach. I have read that other people have experienced things like diarrhea, constipation, rashes, headaches, and lethargy to name a few. Also if you take insulin, liptor, etc, your doctor will want to monitor you for the first few weeks to make sure your blood sugar levels don't get too low. Again, everyone is different, so I can only tell you my experience. Administration: 1x a week epi-pen like sub-dermal injection. While some people have complained of pain at the time of administration or itchiness the following day...again, I have had none of that. For me, the process has been painless. In fact, the first time I gave myself a shot, I thought I messed up as I didn't feel anything. Only a pinhead sized dot of blood let me know it was successfully administered. You keep the box (4 pens in box equaling a 1 month supply) refrigerated. Dosage amounts: You start at 2.5mgs and increase it each 1-2 weeks. So you go on to 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, etc. The highest I think is 15.0mgs. I'm currently at 10.0 and can't even fathom going any higher. Things to keep in mind (and this is important): 1. Because this is a new drug, there are no generic alternatives to offer, so, this can cost out of pocket over $1K a month. As the medication's current focus is for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes (and pre Type 2), having either of those conditions will help (but not guarantee) the chances of your insurance company covering it. 2. Due to the success many people are finding with Mounjaro, supplies are not always great. I've had to wait 1 week or 2 as they were on back-order. What do you do once you've reached your goal weight?: This is an interesting question since the drug is so new. In speaking with my doctor, I suggested that maybe taking a maintenance dosage (say back to 2.5mg) may be the way to go. He said that has been the most used idea, but again, this product was only approved by the FDA 8-10 months ago. That's about it. Sorry for the length of the post, but I tend to over-explain. If you have any questions about the surgery itself, I'd be happy to tell you all that I have experienced.

Hi All, wondering if anyone has had this issue and can offer any advise: My surgery was on 1/9/23. At my appt on 1/17/23 I was down 35 lbs, 10 of which was from the week prior to surgery being on liquid diet. My doctor switched me to purée as of 1/17 which I’ve been following to a tee. But ever since switching my scale has been stuck, no loss and actually up 1 lb yesterday - back down that 1 lb today. I’m worried because I’m told the biggest weight loss happens in first 90 days, did I go through all of this for just 35 lbs lost?😩

I had my surgery on the 9th today I am 2 weeks out today. My surgery day weight was 275 lb (I am 5’ 8”, male, 40) and today it is 262 lb (13 lb down) still on all liquid diet but I expect the surgeon will advance me to soft diet tom at the 1st post op meeting Gas pain was real took 10 days to go away weird enough I can drink a lot - comfortably. I can down a 16 oz water bottle in 5 minutes. Is this normal? good luck All!

Thank you for sharing your weight loss journey. Its very useful information for the future

This is my progress so far 8 months post op and 18 lbs from my goal weight. HW 225 SW 197 CW 134 HT 5'1"

I had a VSG 12 years ago. I was 54 years old. I can make the math easier. I am 66 - quickly approaching 67, this spring. I was miserable, recently divorced, single parenting a teenager, working.... and my weight had hit 320. I was, at that time 5'3", and morbidly obese. I went on my own diet, and lost just over 20 pounds, went to the Doctor and requested weight loss surgery. I did their 12 week mandatory pre diet and classes. I was approved, and got my surgery. Fast Forward.... I lost weight to about 175 pounds. I went from a women plus 28 to a 14/16 petite.... depending on the clothing. I also Lost my younger brother, mother and then my father during those last 12 years. And I gained back weight. I weighed 220..... So Just before the pandemic, I decided to try to lose 10 pounds in a year. Thank goodness for my VSG. My body remembered how to do this. I lost the ten pounds in the matter of a couple months. I decided that since I had issues with regain, I would pause and maintain the weight loss for at least a month or more, before starting to lose weight again. I wanted to LEARN how to maintain the loss. Each 5 or ten pounds, I would stop losing ON PURPOSE - and maintain the weight I was at. I lost back to 173 pounds. I weighed that is graduate school. 1983. I maintained my weight for the past year between 172 to 175. A couple months ago, I decided to try to lose a bit more. The scale was reading 175 more often then I wanted. So.... I did it again. Even more slowly. Right now, I am doing my " lets maintain this for a while" thing.... and weigh 164 I think I might have weighed that in college... like maybe 1978.....before going back for the Masters Degree in 1981. My old Navy size 16 petite that I bought two years ago are too big. I just bought TARGET jeans in a size 14. Age does weird to a woman's body, as does loose skin.... But I can tell you this.... my VSG is still there. I won't ever be 'skinny' - but I am basically barely overweight (you get a few extra pounds on the SMARTBMI scale adjusted for age !) and I am more than thrilled. Do I eat perfectly ? Nope. I have a treat every darned day. A couple cookies or a small dish of ice cream.... or a bit more carbs than are necessary... But I am so flipping "normal" - I am not the heaviest human at work. Someone asked me to "slide" in to sit at a table that was close to the wall because I could "fit". I stood there staring at them..... If we have take out delivered to the office, I participate. I order something that I can eat for another two meals after having lunch. Challenges ? Plenty. Did I manage to raise a great kid, who is doing well ? Yes. Have I figured out how I need to eat to "DO ME" ? Finally. At 66 years young !!! 2004 pic.eml2022pic.eml I tried to put in pics 2004 and 2022 320 pounds and now 164 pounds

FYI, I am 65 and my surgery was 12/30/2022. Not that long ago but I dropped 40 lbs in the year before surgery and constantly struggled with the feeling that nothing worthwhile was happening. Noticing my negative focus on what hadn't changed and then deliberately looking for evidence that my progress was real helped me not give up. Since surgery 21 days ago I have dropped an additional 20 lbs. I look in the mirror but I don't see it. But I have more energy, feel better physically, and have fewer weight related pain. The progress is real. I just have to remind myself what to look at when I am tempted to be discouraged. [emoji4] Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 65 and had my sleeve surgery 12/30/2022. I had to go back on Ozempic the second week simply because the cravings were driving me crazy. Worked nearly immediately. Do you what you must to make it work. The obesity is more dangerous, more debilitating, and more life enjoyment stealing than weight loss meds. Help your surgery work for you! [emoji4] Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello everyone, I’m new here I am really struggling… I had surgery 3/7 of 2022 and started at 250. I am now 123 and seem to lose a pound or two each week which is way below my goal weight that was 150. I have so many issues eating pretty much everything. I can only eat or drink small amounts. I am extremely exhausted. I feel faint a lot. I can’t sleep. I had major issues eating at first, but around August my PCP told me eat what I can and stop trying to force the protein. I then ate - which was mainly fruits and veggies. I started feeling better for about a month and then got Covid. Since I have been struggling again to eat. I feel sick. Nauseous. Over heated each time I eat or drink anything beside water. My throat and my mouth get all mucous like or slimey. My arm pits sweat, but not under the shoulder it’s where your forearm meets the upper arm. Dizzy. Weak. My throat feels like it constricts a lot when I eat most things. This has pretty much been the norm for me since my surgery. I try and eat slowly. Chew every thing a million times. I can do any protein drinks because they make me sick. I dry heave and spit up foam. I can’t exercise for lack of energy and have zero muscle left. Any one else have anything similar? The doctors say it will get better. When??

I had surgery at 58. Looking of global demographic data, it would appear that the average age for weight loss surgery in most Western countries is between 45 and 50. Asian and Middle-eastern countries tend to have a younger demographic.

Hey Buddies! Today makes 5 months for me! I was sleeved 8/22:) Thought I would post my progress. Today I’m down 71lbs from my pre-surgery weight. I’ve also lost a total of 45 inches all around. Including 11 inches around my waist! Can you believe it?! I am so glad I decided to track that along with my weight. 🤗 I rewarded myself with an exercise bike!! Lol. On Friday I had jeans and a t-shirt on and the difference must be telling because lots of people commented on my weight loss. But more importantly I noticed I was once again sitting cross legged without even thinking about it. I don’t even know how long I’ve been doing it,🤣 but I was pretty damn excited.

I think most of us are like you and don't want to gain weight. Just be faithful to the basics that got you there.

Nobody wants to regain weight. Though sometimes it happens. It could be our body’s set point & therefore our weight settling. The second/third year bounce back regain does happen. Cravings, boredom, emotional issues are always there in our heads driving us to eat especially for us. If your way of eating or exercising is too restrictive & not sustainable. Complacency. Health issues. Medications & just life in general can all contribute to a possible regain. I accepted it might happen. I also decided I’d do everything I could to reduce my chance of it happening though knowing some things would be beyond my control. I made changes & have stuck to them. I still watch what I eat & how much I eat. I randomly check calories & nutritional value. Monitor my fluid & protein intake every day. I prepare & cook most of my food avoiding high processed foods & prepared/ready ingredients or meals. It’s not difficult, restrictive or limiting. It’s just what I do - habits, routines & a sustainable way of eating. And yes, I have treats just not often. I’m 3.75 years out & I had a small but rapid regain (2kgs) at about 2.5 years. Wasn’t happy but accepted it had happened. Then my doctor suggested it & some other symptoms might be because I wasn’t absorbing my HRT meds. Changed to a patch & she was right. The weight is slowly dropping off without me doing anything (& that included over Christmas). This is my opinion, my experience & what works for me & my life. Others will have different experiences & suggestions especially those who are further out than me. All the best.