Search the Community

SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter Hey Sleevers!The lull of summer is ending, and autumn is just around the corner. How did you do in meeting your goals this summer? We hope you met your weight loss and health goals, but if not, don’t worry. It’s the perfect time to get back into your weight loss routine if you got sidetracked during a summer vacation. Pick yourself up, return to your bariatric surgery diet and, of course, let us help! Here is what you’ll find in this month’s newsletter. Sleever Poll: How Did You Find Out About SleevePlicationTalk.com? Your Sleeve Plication lunch – Packing Your food for a Busy Day Keep the Forums Positive! Take a look at the newsletter and then join us at SleevePlicationTalk.com! We’re always looking for more participation, and we welcome your feedback, so drop us a line whenever you want! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Sleever Poll: How Did You Find Out About SleevePlicationTalk.com? A. Search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc…please tell us which one) B. Friend or family member C. Your surgeon D. Your primary care physician (PCP) E. An offline support group F. Your nutritionist or dietitian G. Someone else from your doctor’s or surgeon’s office (e.g., a nurse or receptionist) H. App store (e.g., iTunes, Google Apps Marketplace) I. Another way. Mark your answer and discuss it in the forums! Your Sleeve Plication Lunch – Packing Your Food for a Busy Day By mid-September, many of us are back into regular routines. If you have children who take their lunches to school, you make sure their lunches are appetizing and healthy. Your own lunch deserves just as much care. These tips can help you create easy sleeve-friendly sack lunches to take to work. Have these helpful items on hand: An insulated lunch bag A small spoon, fork and knife A set of small containers with tight-fitting lids Plastic baggies An insulated beverage container (unless you stick to Water bottles) Once a week: Figure out how many days you will need to take a lunch to work in the coming week. Plan your lunch menus, make a shopping list and get the groceries you need The night before: What can you do so that packing your lunch is easier in the morning? Measure your chicken breast Pack a serving of leftovers from dinner in a small container with a tight-fitting lid Wash and cut some fruit and vegetables Pack your utensils and a bottle of water Count your crackers Portable protein: Just as it does when you’re at home, Protein comes first when you’re on the go. These are some ideas for brown baggers. Tuna or chicken in cans or pouches Hard-boiled eggs (If you have a fridge at work): cottage cheese Fat-free canned refried Beans or low-sodium pinto, black or garbanzo beans Low-fat string cheese or light Laughing Cow cheese Lean ham or turkey breast Leftover grilled chicken or fish Peanut Butter If you’re still in the pureed foods stage, try lentil Soup, Protein shakes, hummus and Greek yogurt. Nutritious combinations: Combine your protein with vegetables, fruits and whole grains for their Fiber and other nutrients Dip and raw vegetables, such as carrot and celery sticks, grape tomatoes and cauliflower florets salad with chicken or tuna and shredded low-fat cheese Peanut butter on whole grain crackers or with apple slices Ham and low-fat cheese rolled up in a small whole-grain tortilla Greek yogurt with high-fiber Cereal or melon One-half small whole-wheat bagel with fat-free cream cheese and canned salmon If you’re post-op and not at the solid foods stage yet, try fat-free cottage cheese with pureed canned peaches, fat-free refried beans with low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and instant oatmeal with skim milk and Protein powder. Have extras on hand. You might get stuck working late or unable to make your planned lunch-time trip to a grocery store. Stash protein-containing Snacks at work for those occasions. Protein Bars and powder, canned tuna and chicken, roasted soybeans and almonds provide protein and do not need refrigeration, so you can keep them at work or in the car. Lunch after weight loss surgery can be a disaster if you opt for fast food or whatever’s in the vending machine, plan, but you can easily pack a healthy lunch that fits into your diet. Plan ahead, have the containers and utensils you need and focus on lean protein and other nutritious choices so that your lunch supports weight loss. Keep the Forums Positive! You come to SleevePlicationTalk.com for information and support. Unlike many other online forums, SleevePlicationTalk.com maintains a positive atmosphere and has zero tolerance for rudeness. We welcome anyone who is interested in weight loss surgery, regardless of their personal beliefs about it. When you see a post that is inappropriate or offensive, please report it using the “report post” link located at the bottom of the post. We realize and appreciate that nearly all members try hard to be welcoming, helpful and polite. These are a few tips to help you avoid avoid accidentally saying something that can be hurtful to another member. Say, “my surgeon told me…,” not, “the only right way is…” Say, “I think I would choose …,” not, “You made the wrong choice.” Say, “Have you considered…?,” not, “You’re not ready for your weight loss journey.” Say, “I have found that …,” not, “The right way is …” Each of these statements let you give your own opinion and advice without accusing other members of doing something wrong. Thank you for keeping the boards positive! That’s what we have for this month’s newsletter. Thank you for reading it and for your contributions to the board! You can always check out the old newsletters in the archive section. Take care of yourself and each other! Sincerely, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers! Summer’s over and we’re into the beautiful days of early autumn. No matter where you live, we hope you’re getting a chance to get out and enjoy the weather! Any activity you do counts toward your weight loss, health and pleasure, so make an effort to get outside and get moving. Don’t forget to take your SleevePlicationTalk.com app with you so you can read the newsletter and keep up with the boards! Here’s what you’ll find in October’s newsletter. Member Spotlight: We’re still recruiting! Sleever Challenge: Lend a Hand! Having a Healthy Autumn: A Few Tips for Parents – and Other Busy SleevePlicationTalk.com Members! Weight Loss Surgery: Not the Easy Way Out! Can’t wait to get started? Neither can we! Enjoy the newsletter and please feel free to let us know what you think! Thanks for your support. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Member Spotlight: Still Recruiting! If you want to be in the spotlight or you want to nominate someone else, let us know in the Spotlight Forum or send Alex a private message. We’re always looking for outstanding members to highlight! Sleever Challenge: Lend a Hand! We like to challenge you to try something new or unusual in each newsletter. The Sleever Challenge is a non-competitive way to push yourself a little further and experience something new while gaining confidence. Why do we ask you to post what you did? It helps motivate others and give them ideas for their challenges! This week’s challenge is pretty simple. Before the next newsletter, we’re just asking you to help someone. It can be any kind of help, from helping an elderly neighbor take the newspaper in to volunteering to give a motivational talk at your local weight loss surgery support group meeting to making dinner for your spouse even when it’s not your turn. This challenge does more than make someone else’s life easier. It makes you value yourself more when you see how powerful you can be just by being kind to others. Don’t forget to let us know how you helped someone! What did you do? How did it make you feel? Let us know how it goes in the Sleever Challenge forum! You can always check out any of the previous Newsletter Challenges and give us updates on those. You can always see the old challenges in the archived newsletters. You’ll see challenges on food, fitness and more! It’s never too late to try something new and exciting! Make It a Healthy Autumn: A Few Tips for Parents – and Other Busy SleevePlicationTalk.com Members! Okay, we know that the autumn is a busy time of year. If you’re a parent, your children are back in school and their activities are in full swing. You may be juggling work with your chauffeuring, catering and cleaning business – aka, taking care of your family! Most of us are pretty busy even if we’re not parents. It’s easy to use not having enough time as an excuse for getting off track with your weight loss. You might eat foods that you know you shouldn’t because you feel you just can’t squeeze in the time to prepare a healthy snack. We’ve all done it. You rush out the door in the morning and are busy all day. Some of these happen along the way. You are starving by lunchtime and grab a few truffles that make you nauseous. you dumping syndrome. You go by the vending machine for a soft drink that’ll make you feel sick within minutes. You realize at the end of the day that you haven’t stopped to drink for hours, and you have a headache and your stomach hurts. You know you should be eating lean Protein, but the closest thing you can find is pepperoni from the company’s pepperoni pizza – so to be polite, you eat the entire slice and it causes an obstruction. You start to depend on Protein shakes because those are the closest thing to a healthy meal that you can find at the company cafeteria. You don’t have to let a hectic schedule get in the way of your health! What can you do about it? Here are a few tips to make the most out of every day Prepare some of your meals and Snacks at the beginning of the week. Wash your fruits and vegetables so they’re easy to prepare when you need them. Cook some your Proteins - chicken breast, fish, seafood, lean beef and/or veggie burgers – and freeze them in single-serving baggies or containers. Cook up bigger batches, put them in single-serving containers and freeze them so you can defrost them when you’re ready to eat them. This is a great option for healthy side dishes, such as whole wheat Pasta, carrots or Beans. (You don’t have to make too much, since your single portions post-surgery are pretty small). Place snacks in single-serving bags if you buy a multi-serving package Plan your Breakfast the night before so you don’t have to think about it in the morning. Take the time to make a grocery list. It’ll save you time in the end. Using a list will keep you from forgetting foods and needing to go back to the store during the week. You’ll be faster in the store because you won’t get distracted. Sticking to a list will keep you from buying foods you shouldn’t. Buy ingredients for breakfast Buy snack foods Make sure you drink enough. Stash Water bottles in your car and at work and keep them filled. It’ll encourage you to drink throughout the day and you won’t have to take the time to run to the kitchen each time you need to drink. Stick a pitcher of water in the fridge so you see it several times a day. Keep healthy snacks at work so you never find yourself starving with nothing healthy to eat. Beef Jerky and canned tuna, chicken, beans, vegetables keep for months. Frozen foods to consider keeping around include grilled chicken and fish, veggie burgers and vegetables. Yogurt, low-fat cheese, cottage cheese and deli meats are high-protein snacks to keep in the fridge for a week or more. The more you plan, the better off you’ll be. You’ll save time and be more likely to eat well. And remember – you’re worth it! We suggest picking one or two strategies and working on them until you master them, then moving on to a new tip. Let us know how helpful the tips are! That’s a lot to chew on for this newsletter, so we’re going to end it here. There’s no end to the news, tips and conversations over at SleevePlicationTalk.com, so come on over via your computer, smartphone or Kindle! You can always check out the old newsletters, too, in the Newsletter Forum. Thanks for coming along in this newsletter and for being part of our fantastic community! We couldn’t do it without you. Have a great month and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter By Hey, Sleevers!The weather’s warm, zucchini and watermelons are abundant and the Summer Games are providing inspirational moments for all of us. We hope life is good for you and you’ve been achieving your own goals this summer. To help you stay focused, here’s another newsletter from VerticalSleeveTalk.com. This is what we’ve got for you: Burning Question: What are the Best Sources of Protein? Member Spotlight: Kyllfalcon! Sleever Challenge: Record Your Diet! Life with the Sleeve: What’s Your Emergency Plan? We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and you get inspiration and a few great ideas from it. Of course, when you’re done reading, come on over to the VerticalSleeveTalk.com board and talk about the newsletter or anything else that’s on your mind. Also remember to drop me a line any time if you have comments or suggestions for the boards. Thanks! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder liquid diet after weight loss surgery, Protein shakes and Protein powder can help you meet your needs. Fat-free milk is another good source, and it also has Calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones. In the pureed foods stage, you can add in things like canned flake chicken, extra-lean ground beef and light tuna. Tuna has an extra benefit because of its heart-healthy omega-three fatty acids. Fat-free yogurt is another great option. You always want to look for lean meats and fat-free or low-fat dairy products instead of full-fat ones. That’ll help you limit your calories and reduce saturated fat, which is unhealthy for your heart because it raises your cholesterol levels. By the time you get to the soft (semi-solid) foods and solid foods stages, you have a lot more options. Fish, crab, white-meat, skinless chicken and turkey, and egg whites are almost pure protein – plus some essential nutrients. Be very careful to avoid any bones or gristle in your fish or meat. Some vegetarian options are tofu, Beans and low-fat cheese. Melted cheddar cheese makes a delicious topping for almost anything. Always eat slowly, savor the flavors and chew your food well before swallowing. Choosing Proteins that are lowest in calories and saturated fat will help you lose weight and stay healthy. Did you miss the previous Burning Question? You can always see the earlier Burning Questions in our scale victories has been while clothes shopping. Her old size was a 3x. After surgery, she mail-ordered a 1x pair of pants, and it was too big. She exchanged it for an XL, but that didn’t work, either. She finally settled on a size large – and we bet it’ll be too big for her soon! Kyllfalcon’s also proud and relieved to say that she can still enjoy family parties while losing weight! She can share in the pizza and birthday cake, but now she’s in control and knows when enough is enough – and when the party’s over, it’s time to get back to business. Kyllfalcon’s arthritis has improved a lot, and her blood pressure is under control. Water has been a little tough, but she fixes it up with Crystal Light. She reports a pretty smooth weight loss journey so far, and we think her success is due to her positive attitude. Kyllfalcon counts VerticalSleeveTalk.com as part of her official support group, along with friends, family and coworkers. She visits each day to get and give support. Some of her tips? Keep fighting – if you fall down, “get right back up to fight another day.” She also encourages you to “see yourself thin and healthy.” Thanks, Kyllfalcon, for being such a great role model and sharing your story in our member spotlight! Each newsletter features a different VerticalSleeveTalk.com member in the sleep. You should plan your own diet and exercise so that you always know what to do. Keep a log. An Olympic athlete keeps a training log to record each day’s workout and be able to look back and see what worked and what didn’t. Keeping your own diet and exercise log keeps you on track and lets you look back to see what patterns led to success and where you could have improved your choices. Visualize success. Most successful athletes take time each day to visualize their victory. They think about running that last lap in record time and accepting their medal on the victory podium. You can think about the bikini that you’re planning to wear next summer and the proud look on your spouse’s face when you two go out to dinner in the future. How will you let out your inner Olympian? Let us all know in the member Challenge Forum! Tell us what you did and whether you think it worked for you! The challenge is completely non-competitive, but we’d love for you to share your experiences. You’ll help inspire others to chase their own dreams. Miss a challenge? No problem! Just go back to the old newsletters to see what the challenges were. It’s never to late to try something new and tell us about it on the forums. Life with the Sleeve: What’s Your Emergency Plan? It’s Sunday morning and you haven’t been able to eat or drink all night because of nausea and vomiting. Your surgeon’s office hours are from Monday through Friday. You wait miserably until first thing Monday morning, when you call your surgeon. The receptionist is horrified to hear about your ordeal and says, “Why didn’t you call yesterday? We have someone here 24/7 for emergencies!” This scenario comes up all the time on the boards, and it’s truly heartbreaking because in most cases, the suffering you feel is entirely unnecessary. You should know what number to call when you have trouble. If your surgeon didn’t give you an after-hours number, ask for one. You should never have to wait a whole day just because your emergency happens on a weekend. And with that advice, we’re done with this newsletter. You can always read it again and look through old newsletters in the Newsletter Forum. We’re always happy to hear from you and to see increased participation on the boards, so log in and get talking! Thanks for your support. Take care of yourself and each other, Alex ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=newsletter

Hi, I know how you feel. I know you say that you don't need encouragement. But please allow me this being well over a year post op. There will be times when no matter how well you stick to your diet or how much you exercise you just wont lose. Then when you least expect it the pounds start falling off again. With that said, my surgeon advised me to consume no more than 900 calories a day. So you have to reduce your intake. Again, I know its hard. Also, are you taking your vitamins? Because believe it or not it makes a difference. My starting weight was 542 lbs so I know the exercise thing is a little tricky, but Richard Simmons makes a exercise video. I cant remember what is called, but you do it sitting in a chair. I used it when I first started. There is also a pedal thing like on a bike. Again I cant remember whats is called, but I'm sure you've seen them. Anyway, I sat in a chair and used that, but I also used in to exercise my arms too. Anything to just get your body moving. I hope I've been of some help. Good luck!

Thanks for posting. I find I still have an issue with cocktails. I'm a social person with a need to have a couple cocktails when I go out with friends. I know this is slowing down my weight loss but I'm so stressed with my hectic life I can't seem to not order or make a drink. Granted I only drink 1 or 2 drinks but it still bothers me that I do that. Any suggestions???

I'll also add, that this friend hasn't really spoken to me in years until he started selling this stuff, and now he all the sudden wants to talk to me and try to sell it to me. (was probably trying to think of all his friends who were overweight!) Anyway, if I thought there was a weight loss fad out there, trust me, I'd do it, and I might lose the weight, but give me a couple years, and it will be right back on. I feel that I need the surgery to help me keep it off for life. I do not want to be on pills/supplements for life, and I am not one that wants to go to the gym all the time, I work full time, and have two small children who want me at home when I'm not at work. Exersize will consist of what I can do with them at home, or around the block. I can't go to the gym that he works at 40 miles away. This surgery is not a whim decision that I've made. I've been thinking about it for about 2 years now and feel that it is right for me. I ignored him on FB and he seems to have gotten the hint. I did tell him though, that if I hit a stall, I would contact him and see if he could help me get over the stall.

Coops, your such a lovely lady, i hate to hear you are down right now! Stalls suck! I have been watching your ticker for months now... actually from about Sept of 2010... and I have seen that number go down... slow but in the right direction. What I hope is that you really ENJOYED that chocolate and that toast... those are just a wonderful part of life, and you deserve to enjoy your life. I suggest you just write down what your eating, in fitday or something like that... even if you feel your in an 'off' time for following the plan. This will help you remain conscience of whats passing your lips. I too have had some chocolate eggs (yes I said the plural) and a half a cookie the other day. I am on a mini stall, but I believe that will end sooner or later. I am keeping my calories in the zone, even if the carbs are a little elevated. Perhaps its time for a little spa day? Facials and toenails? Don't forget to be good to yourself girl. Perhaps some inspired reading or movie watching? Time will pass wether you are working on your goals or not, might as well dig in and do something non weight related every day to move those goals along. Your wonderful! Don't forget it girl.

I am also 5 months out exactly (surgery 12/17) and my weight loss has slowed as well. I am OK with it- I feel SO much better 100 lbs lighter (pre- and post-op loss). I am at the point to where I am happy if the number on the scale moves down at all, and it still is, just not as fast. I think you have done a marvelous job- the cliché is true- you didn't put it all on in 5 months, it's not going to come off in that time either.

Hi, I'm pre-op but I wanted to know what was tough for you? Also can you maybe speak with your nutritionist about revamping your weight loss? Do you work out?

Just curious for those of you that have had the lap band whether or not you had an excessive amount of extra skin after losing weight? I already know I will want a tummy tuck because I have saggy skin from having children, but I'm afraid it's going to look even worse after I lose the weight I want and need to. How's your skin looking?

Hello all! I've got my surgery date! Looks like I'll be an April bandster!!!!!! I am the first case on April 24th! I cannot believe it!!!! I was expecting something to slow things up. But, I guess not! Now, I've got to set my sites on the preop diet two weeks out (Good Friday - I guess no chocolate bunnies for me!:sad:). Who CARES! I'm gonna get healthy and lose weight!!!! :biggrin: :biggrin: :w00t::woot::crying: YIPEEEEEEE!!!!!!

I was banned on the 24 in Mexico with a BMI of 33 everything went well I was also a self pay. It has been 1 week I have lost 12 lbs. I met a lady at the same office I had my lapband and she was normal weight and had just had hers done one day prior to mine. I questioned her about why she didn't seem to need to lose weight. she said she had a extra 20 lbs she could not get off and so she came from Canada to Mexico. I saw Dr Carlos at Bajnaor Hospitlal, the cost was about 2,ooo less than others I saw. Everything was good, the place was clean everyone spoke english. If you have any questions let me know Lauri-Ann

hey guys. If you're in the New York area August 1st and 2nd there is a 2 day WLS event. The first is a meet and greet the second is a Brooklyn Bridge walk followed by a pot luck picnic. Details are in the flyer. RSVP @ weightlossneetupnyc@gmail.com

3.5 years of listening to me go on and on about weight loss, Protein, and pretty much anything and everything WLS related. He has to be 100% sick and tired of me and the surgery by now, but he keeps that smile on his face and continues to tell me how proud he is of me.

I'm so excited and just have to share the news that insurance has approved surgery! I have been going through all of the motions since January and am so excited! A little about me: I'm 46, mother of two kids (10 & 7), and I teach 6th grade. I had medullary thryoid cancer and my thyroid was removed in 2008. Even though my thyroid hormone levels are within range, weight has been a problem ever since the removal of my thyroid. Have I mentioned that I am SO EXCITED?!?

Hi Everyone! I meet the surgeon for the first time tomorrow (well today)!! I'm so excited and scared at the same time. This has been a long journey so far and I still have a ways to go. I'm hoping for a surgery date in November as I have 2 more visits left with nutrition. I'm also nervous that the surgeon is going to say I need to have the bypass versus the sleeve (what I really want) because of my starting weight So I wanted to get some ideas on important questions I should ask the surgeon or questions that maybe you wish you would have asked but didn't! And did anyone's surgeon recommend 1 surgery but you chose another? I would definitely appreciate your responses Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I can't help with the hair loss or A1C, but I can tell you about the last 20 lbs, how that was for me. It was HARD. I had to commit to hand to hand combat with each of those pounds. Here's what I did: --very strict eating regimen. I stayed under 1100 calories per day, no exceptions. Three small meals and no snacks other than protein shakes. No grains, no starchy veggies, no sweets, no tropical fruits, and no liquid calories other than protein shakes. NO EXCEPTIONS to any of this, no "small quantity of good food and occasionally more carbs" -- that's how people in maintenance get to eat, not people trying to lose the last 20 lbs. --weigh or measure virtually all portions and track religiously -- fanatically even -- on MyFitnessPal. --vigorous exercise at least 5 days per week, 30 minutes per day, but do not count calories burned or give yourself permission to "eat back" calories burned. Exercise for me had to include a mix of different types: HIIT, running, circuit training, weights. --if my weight stayed the same for two weeks, I switched over to 5/2 eating for two weeks and that would get the scale moving again. Good luck!

I'm just looking for people to talk to about all of the changes, fears and concerns of this journey . I'm so afraid of not loosing enough weight not sure if that is normal :\

U r so correct yes that is very much me! So today after such a good eating and exercise week I gain 1.4lbs, lord I am getting frustrated! I just keep telling myself see this is why u need to do this but goodness dealing w myself is so hard! Impatient and on going irritating slaps of reality make me crazy.

Hi!! Oh my gosh, don't apologize for venting!! :biggrin:) I do want to share with you my experience. I am 33 now, and also had PCOS. I don't know if I still do, because I have lost weight and haven't had a recent check. My doctor several years ago said that "with my PCOS, the chances of having a baby were remote, and the chances of having a healthy baby were slim to none". I remember his exact words when he told me this. Right after he dropped this bomb on me, he said that there is a big solution to this--and that is weight loss. Anyway, I just want you to be comforted that there will be a good chance that your problem might be solved with weight loss. Don't lose hope!!!!! Let me know if I can help you in any way (especially to vent!!) :thumbup:) Cindy P.S. I had mine done in Mexico 2.5 weeks ago--but I know the local hospital here requires 2 forms of birth control before they will put in the band, because people become fertile as heck afterwards...lol!

I am currently waiting for an upper GI scope on 6/22. This will determine if I have ulcers. If I do have ulcers, I will not be able to have the procedure. If I don't then I will hopefully move on the fast track to getting everything done. I would really like to have the procedure before school starts in the fall because I don't want to miss any work. My husband goes in for his first meeting with the weight loss center in a couple weeks. We are really hoping to have the surgeries done at the same time. :thumbup:

Ryan..welcome and happy for u that u r getting the sleeve. I am 8 weeks post op and seeing great results. I am not a fast loser. But very happy with my weight loss thus far. Try to stick to your liquid diet 100 percent. There is a good reason that they put u on a liquid diet prior to surgery. If u get head hungry ..keep yourself busy. Go for a stroll, if u are not weather locked. Go to the mall and look at people passing by ..do whatever it take to keep yourself compliant. Good luck and keep us informed on your progress.

I am 33 years old and have been overweight my whole life. I need to lose well over 100 lbs to get to my healthy weight and after having three children back to back and being diagnosed with PCOS, I'm really fighting to lose weight. I have been working with a clinic for almost a year now and have lost about 55 lbs thanks to medication and nutrition/exercise. It does not come off easily and never has for me. I have recently been discussing surgical options and have my first consultation with a surgeon in a few weeks. I'm nervous for many reasons, but I want to do something good for myself and my family. Honestly, I want to feel healthy and try to counteract what PCOS has brought me. I take metformin and Victoza right now to help with appetite control and countering PCOS. I have my consult in a few weeks for the sleeve since that is apparently the best choice for me, but we'll see. I'm looking for support and hopefully folks that have been there done that and have some advice to share!

I just used UHC as an example of bariatric revision policies for my appeal. Here's what they say: Surgical revision or a second bariatric surgery is proven for inadequate weight loss if the original criteria for bariatric surgery (BMI, co-morbidities and patient selection criteria) continue to be met. Surgical revision of bariatric surgery is proven for complications of the original surgery, such as stricture, obstruction, pouch dilatation, erosion, or band slippage when the complication causes abdominal pain, inability to eat or drink or causes vomiting of prescribed meals. You can see it all on their web site at: https://www.unitedhealthcareonline.com/ccmcontent/ProviderII/UHC/en-US/Assets/ProviderStaticFiles/ProviderStaticFilesPdf/Tools%20and%20Resources/Policies%20and%20Protocols/Medical%20Policies/Medical%20Policies/Bariatric_Surgery.pdf

I just turned 57. I had surgery Feb 19. Since Jan 2014 I have lost over 50 pounds. My blood pressure is normal. I do not snore and gird is gone. Also arthritis pain is gone thanks to surgery. While I hope to lose more weight I am so happy. I seem to lose slower than others I feel healthier than I have from several decades I just recently started walking and exercising. I would recommend surgery if you have your doctor's blessings. Good luck and keep us posted.