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While I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, your doctor has a lot to say about whether or not you are approved by your insurance. Your doctor will ask your insurance company if you are covered in the beginning, then you will start based on what they find out. So you have a six-month "medically-managed weight loss" requirement. This means that you must follow what your doctor sets forth for those six months, including any dietician/nutritionist appointments. From what I was told by my surgical team is the doctor will submit a report after the six months and request for an insurance review. The insurance company will review the policy requirements and compare that to the report the doctor sent. If you meet the requirements, you will be covered. Since the six-month "medically-managed weight loss" requirement was not told to you as a specific amount of weight necessary to lose to be approved, you may be good to go with only a few pounds lost. The big thing to get from this is any psychological eating issues taken care of and learn how to portion control and eat healthily. Your doctor will know if you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from losing a bunch of weight, and this will be specified in his report. One thing also to remember here - if your doctor does not think you are doing what you need to be doing to be approved, he will definitely tell you. I recommend asking as many questions as you have to your team and follow what they are saying you need to do. You can do this. It is not impossible or no one would ever go through with it. Many of us have had set-backs, stalls, gains, and frustrating conversations with doctors/insurance companies. It is all part of the process. Nothing you are doing, nor will do is a waste of time - especially if you are doing it for your health. Good luck!

Thanks guys, I just felt like whining this morning.

So I am 6 days post op on full liquid diet. Wife gave me egg drop soup with a little shredded chicken and veggie and it has been no biggie. She “surprised” me today for dinner with Chicken soup with shredded chicken and veggies from a Mexican restaurant that she pureed with a little rice. About 4 oz worth. holy Moses.....about 5-6 bites in, I got some pretty significant tightness in middle of chest. Stayed around for about 10 min. Like the kind when I first started the protein shakes. Fine now. Sipping on protein water. Told her next time let’s added some broth to it to thin it out even more.

This are the top tips I recommend to people getting started.... Here's my top 13 tips! Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery. Don't use protein shakes before you absolutely have to! I made the mistake of supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

And" instant" only,works for cofee and a few other places I life.

Not sure if pureed food is included in full liquids, I know it was not in my program. In my mind full liquids are just that, liquids. Broth, protein shakes, popsicles, a little plain greek yogurt and water was all I had for the first 2 weeks. You need to be really careful since you sleeve is healing.

August 27, 2018: The gastric bypass procedure reduces the size of a patient’s stomach by more than 90 percent. This procedure affects people physically and emotionally, said Alex Brecher, who launched the online community Bariatric Pal (bariatricpal.com) after his own lap band surgery in 2003. The website has message boards, a store that sells a wide variety of products for men and women who have had weight loss surgery, and even helps arrange less expensive surgeries in Tijuana, Mexico, for patients whose insurance won’t cover the procedures. http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-fea-bolt-bariatric-20180802-story.html# Brecher, who traded in his lap band for bariatric surgery earlier this year, said the dramatic weight loss can also bring about some unexpected emotional issues. “Some people aren’t ready to look in the mirror and see something other than an overweight person,” Brecher said. “They see that different face looking back, and a lot of times they realize they still have to deal with the emotional things that got them to being overweight to begin with. When you lose weight and you’re not able to lean on food for emotional support, it can bring the other stuff to the surface.”

You'll be fine, don't let the anxiety take control of you. There really is no need for it. I was as you say "eerily" calm all the way through the entire procedure. I had thoughts about the concerns but I look at things as " If it happens it was meant to" and I don't dwell on them. Anyway A HUGE Congrats to you for approval from insurance and getting your date.

Eggs are a good source of protein. It took me about 6 months before I could eat more than 1 and I still have a problem eating 2 at a sitting and I am about 1 year out. Off subject a little, did you know you can order scrambled eggs at McDonald's? It's about 2 eggs and they only charge about $2.00. I am not certain but for people like us it is probably the best choice we can make while away from home.

Wow, how times have changed. On August 2, 2017 I had my very first appointment with Kaiser to discuss VSG. At the time, I was somewhere around 320 lbs, down 27 lbs from my highest weight of 347. I was a 44/46 waist, 3XL shirt, and moving around was a struggle after a while. Fast forward 12 months later and I am now 180 lbs, wearing a 32 waist, L shirt, and have more energy than I have had in years! I put on shorts that I used to wear and was able to fit my new body into one leg! If I can do it, anyone can. Much of the struggle is mental and requires a lifestyle change. I still enjoy myself, cheat on occassion, have a beer, etc. but I am much more mindful and aware of what goes into my body.