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Hello I am new to this forum. After research and thought, I was to get the Gastric Sleeve. I have 3 friends that have had major success with it. I am on my husband's insurance from his job with is BCBS of Georgia. I looked on our online account and I cannot find anywhere if it says that our particular plan covers weight loss surgery. Our card is the Bronze plan. Its says Blue Open Access POS and a little box to the side says PPO. Can anyone tell me please? Thanks in advance and I look forward to getting to know all of you!

I think you are very lucky your body responds so well to weights. Can you afford to hire a personal trainer? Even if it's just for a couple weeks they could give you some help in toning muscle, but not bulking up. I would think if you lighten the weights you are using you will be happier with the results, but I am no proffesional in weight training. Hope this helps and best wishes.

I have a bit different approach. I have been tracking my weight daily on my scale - same time of day & always without clothes. I keep this on a spreadsheet & monitor stuff like TOM, exercise, and alcohol intake. The graph I get from this data shows my ebbs and flows throughout the month & gives me peace of mind if I see something unusual. What I mean is that it isn't usually UNusual - it's just the way my body works. Now, the stall I had 2 weeks prior was not part of my normal routine since having surgery, but now I have it documented. It will be interesting to see if it follows a similiar pattern in the future. Of course, this is what works for me - you need to find out what works for you.

Hi everybody, i had my sleeve surgery last week (09/06). It thankfully went perfectly and no hassles except what was to be expected. I am losing weight, but have a small concern. Until two or three days ago when I was on clear liquid diet and stomach was healing and swollen, I could barely swallow and keep up with the dietary needs. But last couple of days, I feel that I can drink a decent quantity of full liquids without any problems. E.g. I can down a 32 oz ninja blender cup of Protein smoothie over about one hour easily. One week out of surgery is that normal. I am not going to get cocky and indulge in real food for the next 4 weeks as my surgeon told me to, but is there anyone who had the same experience. I mean being able to down a 24 to 32 oz protein smoothie over one hour and take big sips, one week out of surgery. Thanks and please share. Jilani

I'm curious. If you require a tummy tuck, yet are thinking of becoming pregnant when goal weight is reached, should you still get said TT? Would the skin stretching become an issue, or grow with you during development? Thank you for any candidness, Lori

Hi everyone. Have been reading a lot about people getting scared and questioning their decision to have VSG and wanted to share. I’m scheduled for January 15th (a week away aghh!) and I’m currently starting week 2 of my pre-op liquid diet. The weekend was very hard because of going out with the family and them wanting to eat. But I stuck with it...but during that time, I started to freak out and question if my life was going to be like this, not being able to go out with family, friends, and never being able to eat again ( I was getting very dramatic-might have been the lack of calorie intake lol). I was really questioning my decision and even thought about calling the doctor today to postpone. I started to convince myself that I could do this on my own (especially since I’ve lost 11 lbs on the liquid diet). In the past, I’ve lost up to 70-75 lbs on my own and kept it off for over a year. So why not be able to do it again? By Sunday night I had pretty much convinced myself and was ready to call my doctor today. Then I remembered that I had never taken pictures of myself at the start of my liquid diet, which I had wanted to do to see if I saw a difference in the two weeks. So I took the pictures and had my epiphany....I hated what I saw and for a long time i had convinced myself that I looked and felt great when I didn’t. Body dysmorphia is real. When I would lose weight I still felt fat and ugly, when I wasn’t. And when I gained the weight back, I avoided mirrors and pictures and felt and imagined being smaller than I was. So I’m back on the wagon and even though I am still scared, I am excited again and will try to remember why I am doing this. Even though I’ve lost some pounds now, there is no way I could live off of protein drinks, jell-o, and broth for the rest of my life and I’m sure if I started eating again it would all come right back. Sharing because I hope other people can relate and for support bc I think we all need it, especially me. Now to finish this darn liquid diet! [emoji846]

i AM ALSO GIONG TO HAVE MY FIRST FILL ON 4-5 AND i HAVE NOT LOST AS MUCH AS aI thought I would. So weird. I am working oiut adn doing all the right things, but my weight is stalling. sounds like you did too...did you find any solutions to this issue?:thumbup:

So this is my first post. I've been researching and contemplating bariatric surgery for a few years now, but it's only recently that I decided to put my foot on the road and start the journey. A little background: I'm a 38 year old woman, 3 kids, and husband, cat mom (hoping to bring in a dog soon too, hehe) I've been overweight all my life. All 3 pregnancies were with gestational diabetes, but I managed without meds, and that has been the only time I've ever lost significant weight. Actually, prior to my first pregnancy, I cut out soda, and stopped relying on hamburger helper/boxed meals for dinner, and went from 255 to about 230. My weight over the years has fluctuated between 200 to 230. My biggest problem now is diabetes. I was diagnosed with type 2 a few years back. I'm on metformin, which my body doesn't handle well. In 2015, I lost my mother, who was over 300lbs and had diabetes to complications from diabetes. It has really scared me, enough that I've had anxiety issues since, and what's really pushing me to find a way to lose weight. After all my research, I'm aiming for the sleeve. I've been to my program's orientation, and met with the Nurse Practitioner. I now have loads of appointments, and a goal of losing 12 lbs by January 24. It feels like a lot, only because my timing is poor and I'm doing all this through the Christmas season. While I'd like surgery in March, I'm actually thinking May would be better since my older kids would still be in school, but my husband would be home (he's a professor) so that he can take care of my 3 year old. I could try to time it right so that it happened over his spring break too, but that's going to take the stars aligning just right, lol. Anyways, I feel like I'm taking on a whole bunch of stuff at once, and I'm not sure how to handle it all. My husband is a good man, who listens, but as he says "I'm not a therapist and other than listening, I'm not sure how to help you." I've got an appointment with a therapist, but not until January, so I'm on my own. So I guess here's my questions...how do you keep focused? I have little direction at this point, and find my confidence wavering. It's always a stressful time of year for me, and while I realize that I have to change how I handle stress, I feel a bit "thrown into the fire" by doing all this now and not say...next month, when I'd have more time to learn more ways to deal with everything. (Another back story, December goes like this: Christmas Eve, Christmas, my oldest' birthday, my youngest birthday, and 10 days later but within the 12 Days of Christmas, my middle child's birthday.) I find the site here too big so I'm not sure where to read in order to get more positive stories and other helpful information. I read a few books, but I guess I'm not ready to invest in any sort of emotional eating books. I'm counting calories and watching what I eat, and trying to exercise more, but really, that's not enough to keep me focused completely. So what other resources do you use? Sites with good articles and information, positive stories of success, etc? And finally, on a grosser note, and a rather...embarrassing question to ask, but how are bowel movements after surgery? I mean mostly on the long term, but I ask because one of the biggest factors to not just simply "losing weight with diet and exercise without the surgery" is I can't handle the thought of being on metformin for the rest of my life. Even at 1000mgs, the loose BM's are horrid and painful and interfering with my every day life (with my current primary care physician pushing for me to move up to 1500mgs despite my protests). I have this worry that I'll still be dealing with intestinal issues after surgery. So if you have had the surgery, and were on metformin, did you get off of it? If you've had intestinal issues in the past, have they continued after surgery? Sorry for the novel!

@@fatchocobomom Hello and welcome!! I am relatively "new". I had sleeve surgery 9 weeks ago. I can address the pre-op focus portion. I have Neve been diabetic so I can't offer advice there. Congratulations on your first steps towards getting heathy! I agree that starting your pre-op diet during the holidays and birthdays might be difficult. (Seems you and your husband really like the month of March..wink wink ). My advice on staying focused is to visualize the life you want. Can you see yourself diabetic free and in smaller clothes? Can you imaging yourself pain free and active? How about summer clothes, feeling sexy, and healthy for your kids? visualize that life as you go through this busy, festive month. (I started mine just before halloween. I kept seeing everyone partaking in the stuff I loved, the foods of fall, the holidays, etc, but what I had in my mind was how I would look and feel next summer because I am NOT partaking in all of that stuff). During my pre-surgery work ups and diet, I stayed on track because I was determined to get the life I want. It was only possible if I stayed on task. The day of surgery was a celebration in itself, like a second birthday. Your husband sounds supportive, so perhaps he will prepare the yummy foods for your kids birthdays, etc. As for losing 12 lbs before Jan 24, it's doable. I lost 17 lbs on the pre-op liquid Protein diet. If you replace one or two meals a day with Protein shakes and then eat one meal lower in carbs I bet you will see the weight start dropping. Whether you decide to start this month or next, if you want a new life bad enough, you will find yourself jumping through hoops and staying on course. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey!!

Since my appointment for my colonoscopy last month, I've lost 12 pounds. I have about 15 pounds to go before I can leave the "morbid obese" level. If my BMI drops below 40 and I don't have any underlining conditions, will that effect my qualification for surgery? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I got sleeved on 4/22 also.it was also my b'day. I know what you mean. I keep thinking am I doing the right thing. I feel like I am not drinking enough but I am because I am logging it. Everything went so well. I am not have too much of a difficult time swallowing. My doc gave me anti esophagus spasm pills. They have worked wonders for me. I am not in a great deal of pain. Just sore & achy. I get ahead of the pain before it gets me so to speak. I also had a hiatal hernia repair. Never knew I had one. Also have another one which we'll fix later. I have taken a month off from work. I read where people are anxious about losing the weight. I,to tell you the truth, am not all that concerned. I did the surgery to get off my diabetic meds & I went home on Wednesday not needing to take any. So my sleeve sisters, I hope we can share our stories. And we need to hang in there & hydrate

I have always paid attention to "fat" people. Constantly comparing myself to other's sizes, and now I think I notice even more. It's not hard to do when there are so many people overweight and the problem it's becoming for so many in this country. I tell people my goal weight and they tell me I am crazy, but I think because so many people are overweight now we don't think of lower weights being ok. I feel bad for the people I see with such huge amounts of fat they need to loose, because I know how they feel! Wish I could help more people with this struggle!

I chose a sleeve because I didn’t want my intestines messed with, or to have malabsorption issues. Sleeve was less invasive. As far as how much weight you have to lose, you can lose just as much with a sleeve. A woman I worked with went from 410 to 170 with a sleeve in less than 18 months. But if you have any issues with heart burn, beware. Sleeves are bad news for people with GERD. I had only mild and occasional heartburn before and I am suffering big time now.

I picked bypass because of how much I had to lose! I started at 340. My surgery weight was 311on 4/23 & I'm currently 276. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Can't overstate enough about those fluids and protein! It's the hardest part for me, getting all those fluids in. I'm 8 weeks out, and if I'm a little light on the fluids, I get bound up. If I'm light on protein, weight loss and energy drop off. I am at the point where I can put benefited in my water bottle, but more importantly I have to actually drink ALL the water! ^Benefiber

Rid my house of all bad or trigger food/drink items that I might be tempted by as a post op. Bought second hand treadmill, elliptical and bike from Craig's List. Kept a personal video journal starting a year before surgery through meeting my weight goal after surgery. Took before pics and measurements. As far as what I wish I had done, I really can't think of many things as I did a ton of research, except maybe not buy as much in quantity for some things - like Isopure. Some stuff definitely went to waste. But I'd rather be over prepared rather than under prepared. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi 15 days post op and I am not losing anymore weight but the 30 pounds so far, actually I think I gained 2 pounds but I think that is from fluid intake I drink over 64 ounces a day and also it might be muscle growth because I walk a mile and a half a day at least 40 minutes brisk walk. I read so much about the stall and I guess it will just go its course. I will remain vigialant and only weigh myself once a week instead of every morning. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Whoever scheduled your move so close to surgery should be shot... Other than trying to get other people to do the work and you go curl up in a ball somewhere, I don't have anything constructive to add. Just know that you'll get through this! Just be sure not to lift more weight than you are allowed. [Hugs]

I've had that experience, although for me it only seemed to work when I was earlier in the process. The first Christmas after the sleeve, I really couldn't eat a lot, but I did enjoy cake and cookies- I didn't lose weight but I didn't gain. The second Christmas after the sleeve I think I ate 30 bags of Peanut Butter m&m's and a plate of fudge. I actually lost a pound. Christmas is the only time I really allow myself to eat junk, but this Halloween I had a bit of a cheat day where I had caramel popcorn, buffalo chicken, and a few other things I rarely eat. I woke up 3 pounds heavier and it has taken well over a week to lose that weight. At over two years out from surgery I have to be VERY careful with what I eat and how much I eat or I absolutely gain weight almost immediately. I miss the honeymoon phases (and m&m's).

OK so I had surgery on July 25 20011. The weight is shedding off of me very fast, thats a good thing. My concern is that with the fat lose there is also muscle lose. While I am on this journey of losing the weight and reaching my target goal, I still want to maintain fitness. I do not want to be a sucked up frail 41 year old man that reaches his target weight! I don't think it will be possible to gain muscle mass while losing weight at this pace? I also want to focus on cardio fitness strength and muscular fitness strength and size. Can I please get some feed back from you guys on how you went about achieving these type of fitness goals???? Thank you!!! ; )

I wasn't quite as big as you when I started, but I did start my six month pre-op diet program at 397 pounds. I lost 99 pounds during the six months pre-op (I was so ready to make a change, so I took the plunge into keto eating), and lost the rest of my weight down to goal (180 pounds) at one year and 4 days post-op. That would have been a total of 217 pounds total by one year and 4 days post-op. Here are my questions for you: How many calories do you take in per day? Carbs? Protein? What do you do for exercise? Do you track everything you eat and drink? I ask these questions to maybe get a better picture of your journey. Everyone loses weight at different rates, but when you start off at a higher weight, it usually comes off at a quicker pace if you are doing what you need to do. (But there are SO many factors at play...) I won't even get into the relationship thing in this post. But, I will say this -- everyone deserves to be with someone that loves them for who he or she is, not for who he or she could be...

Hi guys. I am at the point where I want to set my goal weight. I am not sure what is realistic? My current weight after losing a few pounds from dieting is 211 (my surgeon told me not to go any lower before surgery) I am 5'4", medium bone structure, medium muscle tone. What is a realistic weight to get to?

I am between 5'5" and 5'6" and my goal weight is 140, which is still in the high BMI range for me. I would like to be around 25% body fat. Last time I got my body fat checked in a hydrostatic weighing system I was around 58% body fat. I am more concerned about body fat/size than weight. Ideally, a 6 or 8 would be amazing for me.

I love eveything you said. I have so many haters. On my preop diet while i was eating a salad... a family member said why aren't you eating "real" food? I told her I'm on a diet (i am a secret sleever). She goes and says "If you get to be that big theres no way you will lose the weight"... so needless to say i have many people who have eyes on me wishing me to fail... that is a great motivator. I dont think i will ever put that persons ugly face on my elliptical but i sure could use that for workouts as motivation. Thanks sooo much for the advice. It does give me perspective. I am so grateful beyond words can express that I made this life changing decision to save my life. Sent from my SM-N950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app