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Hey all! I have my final meeting with my surgeon on Tuesday. (I was on a three month plan) What can I expect at this meeting and what are some good questions to ask?

I really can't say how to lose 10lbs in one week.. but you can do meal replacements. Switch meals with protein shake for a week, and probably hit the gym 4 times. (You'll drop both water and a tiny bit of fat). It may mot be 10 lbs, but you'll definitely drop something..

Watch out. Hungry will probably resurrect itself in the coming weeks. You seem very prepared for it though. Glad all went well.

I will be one week sleeved as of tomorrow! While I'm so glad I made it one week. What the heck am going to creatively come up with in the "Full Liquid" Stage to spice this next week up? I've put spices in my soups, my bone broth. I've made 3 different types of jello. I drank my probiotic lemonade. A sip of Kombucha here and there. Iced tea, with lemon. All different kinds of protein drink flavors. I am out of ideas..... anyone else have that trouble going into the second week? I just want some baked soft fish.... which is another week away..... LOL!

I agree I did it all in 2 weeks. Surgeon called today. He wants to do a endoscopy and as long as I get all the dr to send in their clearance I can have the surgery before Easter. I'm so excited. I can't believe this is gonna happen.

... 150 more to go, with momentum on my side! Also, I will reach my first cycling milage goal of >100 miles per week by the end of this week. Thank you all who have provided insight into this process so far!

For those of you that have Aetna and used the 3 month Multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen, what exactly did you end up submitting? The clinical policy bulletin states the following items must be done: Behavior modification program supervised by qualified professional; and Consultation with a dietician or nutritionist; and Documentation in the medical record of the member's participation in the multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen at each visit. (A physician's summary letter, without evidence of contemporaneous oversight, is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of the physician's initial assessment of the member, and the physician's assessment of the member's progress at the completion of the multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen.); and Exercise regimen (unless contraindicated) to improve pulmonary reserve prior to surgery, supervised by exercise therapist or other qualified professional; and Program must have a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely delivered remotely); and Reduced-calorie diet program supervised by dietician or nutritionist. The nutritionist is having me document 90 days of diet and once I have that, they will submit it. I'm fine with doing the documentation, because it's important to track it and I'll need to do it in the future. That said, I don't see in the list of "to dos" where a diet log is required for submission. In the end, I know I'll get the surgery - but I was hoping that we could use the date of my physician consult vs the date that I first met with the nutritionist for the calculation of the 90 days. There is about a 3 week difference! If I would have known, I would have started to document my diet earlier! I've got everything else completed and just have to finish this component! Oh...the waiting begins...

I've been fighting a battle with my allergies the past 2 weeks :-( If I go in a little stuffy do you think they will cancel? Feeling concerned Sent from my SGH-T999L using the BariatricPal App

I feel like this is taking a long time, but then I read what you all are doing and I seem to be moving pretty quickly. October 22 will be 2 months and I will be done with all requirements by November 1st. That's like 10 weeks or so. I just hope there are no red flags on the tests and that there is still room on the surgery schedule. Sent from my LGLS992 using the BariatricPal App

Yep, Atkins talks about carbohydrate intolerance. Many obese people have it. Sugar, by the way, is carb. Everyone has their own tolerance limit. If I want to have any weight loss at all, I have to stay under 30 carbs. If I want to just *not gain*, I have to stay under 45gm. For serious weight loss I have to drop it under 20. Everybody is different. I am an insulin resistant diabetic and found that carbs aren't the only thing that stall my weight loss. So does *excess* Protein which can cause the same effect as carbs. .

Hello Future- I am sorry you feel shafted. I hope that your wait is not extended by to many days. I guess you can be thankful that you are able to receive surgery and have a chance to loose unwated, unhealthy weight. My doctor is 5 1/2 hours away. I am blessed to have found him and I plan to utilize the travel time by thinking about my menu for the following week, writing in my journal, talking to other lap band friends, etc. Driving that distance to your doctor will probably be the easiest thing you will do in this new journey. This will be an extra expense due to the price of gas and I can justify it as I will not eat near what I previously did. Explain to your boss your situation and perhaps he/she will work with you. Just continue to work towards to being a healthier you. Good Luck!! God Bless, Grammy

Girl, I understand completely. I realized today that it is 1 week away, too,and I became very anxious. When they called to schedule my preadmission testing, I freaked out. I am getting very anxious. I am the sole provider for my family and am really struggling. My insurance isn't covering the procedure, so I don't even know if my life insurance would pay if something were to happen. At the same time, I know it is very unlikely for there to be a serious complication, and I need to do this for my family so I can be more active with them. I also need to do it so I can maintain the work I do for the next 20 years in order ot continue to provide for them. We need to do this, we will do this, and it will all be ok! That is my mindset right now! Ask again tommorrow after my last preop appt and preadmission testing and I am may be freaking out again.

I was banded on the 5th and having a great week I'm so glad to be on the journey still learning how my band works haven't had very much hunger issues. I see the dr. On Thursday 8 days out and already lost about 9.5lbs post op 45 since my 1st consultation goal about 65more lbs having a blast. Returned to work Tuesday and I had let everyone already know what I was doing beforehand and have had so many people come up to me and telling me how they have seen such a change in my look. Isn't that cool?

You're not crazy. Sounds normal to me. I'm just under 4 months post op and I learn new things all the time. That sour feeling does go away after awhile, it varies for everyone, but I am one of the oh-so-lucky ones that gets it along with my period every month. For the first few weeks I felt every bit of everything I swallowed. Taking pills was like torture. It DOES get better though, everything sort of smooths out after awhile. It's a learning process. You will start to figure out what hurts and what doesnt, what you can and can't tolerate. Take it from me though, get in that protein! Protein has been the hardest thing for me and after weeks of getting in very little (if any at all) per day I have noticed how weak my muscles are. It's almost harder for me to climb stairs now than when I was 100 pounds heavier! Live and learn, I'm getting in that protein now and feeling better. Just my own personal tip. Congrats on the surgery. Just take it one day at a time, come to these boards (or call your doctor) when you have questions, and you'll be a sleeve pro in no time.

I'm getting sleeved next week and I'm very nervous but usually when I'm nervous or ready to freak out, I tend to get very quiet and do my deep breathing exercises. I used to listen to relaxation CDs when I would have anxiety before bed and it really helps me clear my mind and stay calm. I also did hypnosis with the home birth of my 3rd child and it really conditioned me to stay calm and relax. I haven't had a anxiety attack since learning these techniques. I'm more worried about the breathing tube more than anything because anything that could possibly irritate my throat and make it swell tends make me want to freak out. I know I will be fine though

A month out and stuck at a 20 lb loss so far. It's the dreaded stall. But I'm happy with the 20 lbs and I know the scale will move again any day now.

Sleeved 3/4/2013 5 weeks out 30lbs lost.

Only you can really answer this question, but it depends on so many factors. Have you seen your psych and feel that you are in a good place in your head or so you feel like you still have unresolved issues? Remember this surgery will only cute your stomach from being hungry, it won't cure your head so if you are an emotional eater or a depressed eater or whatever, that problem is still there and needs to be addressed. Whether you address the problem before surgery, directly after surgery, or all along the way is up to you, but if you don't take the time to fully address the problems you already have to weight loss, don't expect surgery to fix them. I was originally planning on a Christmas surgery because my hubby would be off work for a few weeks and I thought it would be the best for him, but as I'm going through the process, and talking to my husband about it, it's come to my attention that I ought to be thinking about me during this. Isn't it harder on me to wait when there's no reason instead of just getting it done and maybe making some visible progress by then? Will it really hurt him that much to take a couple days off to help with the kids while I attend to MY needs for just once? What would I gain from putting it off? Nothing. So as soon as I've completed my requirements I'm picking a date and doing this thing. I don't see any positives to waiting.

N2B8R, thanks you (and thanks everyone!) I had already had a 6 month supervised diet from almost 2 years ago and my medical history (i have a BMI of 40 and Hypertension) and they had the info for about a week, asked for more info ( not sure what Amy at Dr Curry's office sent them that time) but they approved me. Good luck to you! Gayle

well I got my answer today and i got my APPROVAL!!!!!!!. I'm so excited about this and will get another call in about a week after all sign off and get my surgery date!! Thsi is amazing and i can't beleive it's really going to happen! ~~Gayle

Yes! It happens to everyone. I'm 9 months out and had stalls quite a few times. I just reached my goal weight. Yay! It will pass .

Hello all!! It's terribly strange for me to say that in just a few weeks I'll be celebrating my 2 year sleeve-aversery! In some ways it feels like I had my sleeve done years and years ago, and other ways it feels like just yesterday. I thought I'd pop back on because I remember reading these posts before my sleeve and wondering what I was in for. I also remember wondering why there didn't seem to be many veterans on here. If I may, let me give you a little insight on what it's like 2 years later. My highest weight was 342.2 (every oz counts right?) and now I stay between 168 and 171....if you're doing the math...171.1 is exactly half my weight. Odd isn't it? I was never one to really work out. I would walk in the neighborhood, maybe. But working out? No way. I can remember reading posts about people finding the fun in working out and I thought they must be nuts. Funny that I have now become one of those folks. I am at the Y every Mon/Wed/Fri and alternate between Zumba and a strength class. Depending on the week I'll add yoga in on Tues/ Thurs but I'm not always able to fit that in. I've competed in several 5k's and will be doing a mud run this Saturday. The most exciting thing for me is that in August I got my Zumba certification and hope to begin teaching that soon. Two years ago, had you told me that fitness would become this important to me, I would have laughed at you. As for food, I feel as though I eat fairly normal. I do stay away from breads because I don't like the way they feel in my stomach, and for me, one bite could easily lead to 7. Sugars? I do allow myself a very small dessert on Sundays only...my mom cooks a big Sunday dinner for the family and I do allow a taste. My portions are different from where they were in the first few months, but still no where near what I used to eat, or what everyone else is eating for that matter. I still measure deli meat and proteins just to make sure my portions stay in check. I can tell you that I have zero regrets, aside from the old cliché regret that I wish I had done it sooner. I'm enjoying shopping and feel pretty again...which ladies, let's be honest. Cute clothes do not come with x's or w's attached to the size. I have gone from a 26 and 28 to a 6. It's unreal! Recently I was asked by my doctor to film a web spot for him which later turned into a commercial and 3 billboards (which still blows my mind). I'm posting the link just so that, if you're interested, you can hear a little bit about my story. I'm hoping that any of you who might be on the fence, hear this or read this and trust that it's truly a life saving procedure! Little things like walking up the stairs without getting winded, fitting into a booth, tossing your meds...crossing your legs....all of this is possible! And let me also say this, I swore that even after my surgery I would stick around this board. To help and encourage others, to stay in touch...but let me tell you. I am no longer a sit in the chair and surf the web kind of girl. Our tv is rarely on. I think, the reason why you don't see many old timers on here is because they've found their energy...they're out and about. We haven't left you and we certainly haven't forgotten where we started from....but life is now night and day better. I wish all of you luck in your journey and pray that you have successes beyond your wildest dreams!! The link to my story is : http://www.srmconline.com/weightloss/Pages/My%20Journey.aspx Click on hear my story, I'm Kristin Wishing you all the best!!

Hi I'm also new to this site. I had to do a pre op diet for 2 weeks. Consisting of 800-900cal. I bought my food from the hospital I'm having surgery at. My surgery is this Monday.

Hi i am a 34 year old mother of two; I have been trying unsucesfully lose weight for about 8 years. I lose 20 and gain 30 lbs back. I see my surgeon this week on 12/3 for all of the pre-op clearances. I am really looking forward to a new healthier life style. Angie