MINI-Me

Oops! Somehow I missed this & didn't respond to your question. Yes - I had a great experience with Dr. Umbach. He is a definitely skilled and competent surgeon. My mother in law is an OR Nurse. She flew with me to have the surgery. I told her that at the 11th hour if she met him & didn't have a good feeling, that we would just go home. She met him, grilled him with questions & was very satisfied with his answers and experience. She really liked the webinars that he makes you go through at home - gave a lot of good information & helped to set expectations for the surgery. If you have any questions, send me a PM & I will be glad to answer. I agree - you don't want to just go by price. An experienced surgeon is a must. Luckily, I got both!!!! Good luck with your search!

I ate them early out ... I hated protein shakes & they were easy to transport.

There seems to be a lot of variety on the post-surgery diet. Yours seems similiar to mine.

I was self-pay with Dr. Umbach in Las Vegas through Medical Tourism. I paid just over $10K with everything included.

I agree on all the discussion about pre and post-op diets. Where I am different is the in/out patient issue. I was outpatient and did great. It was nice to sleep in a real bed instead of a hospital where I would be constantly woken up by a nurse to check my vitals. If I am alseep, let me be asleep!!!!

That is awesome. I'm so glad that you found someone to "give it to you straight" but also willing to work with you. CONGRATULATIONS!

I am so happy for you!

Best of luck to you ... I know that the time between my first seminar and my surgery seemed like forever & at the same time way too fast. In the meantime, let us know what questions you may have.

Glad that I was able to help out. As far as surgery on Monday ... COBRA is guaranteed & as long as you complete the paperwork and pay in the required timelines, it is back-dated to the day your coverage ended. So, you can go ahead and have the surgery. Just be sure you don't forget to dot any i's or cross any t's on the paperwork! )

COBRA is a continuation of the exact benefits you have today - you just pay the full price of the coverage. You have 56 days to apply/pay and you get back dated to the day coverage ended. To keep "active" vs "COBRA" members accounted for in the systems, you may get a new ID card, but there will be no break in coverage. You should not have to re-submit your paperwork since you have the same benefits, etc. If they tell you that you do, ask for a supervisor immediately!

I think most people do it to some degree ... just be careful, you can gain a lot in 2-3 months!

Check out these links: http://www.oroweat.com/thins/ http://www.naturesownbread.com/NAT_Varieties/Variety.cfm?CategoryID=120&ProductID=711 http://thomasbread.com/Our-Products/Bagels/Bagel-Thins/Thomas-100-Whole-Wheat-Bagel-Thins-Bagels-(8-pack)/Default.aspx

I'm sure you are confused ... we all have a variety of reasons why we became overweight. Thankfully, you are not alone in that! Did you meet with this person prior to surgery? If so, how did you get along? If good, try to think of this as an opportunity to grow and learn more about yourself. You can't stay with 12 foods for the rest of your life. You didn't have surgery to be a prisoner to food (you already were that). If you did see them & did not get along, do you have options for another person to see? It will take some time to figure out what is going on with you and your emotions/thoughts. You need to find someone you can trust & really talk to about your fears and concerns. Good luck! Keep us posted. I'm routing for you!!!!!

I weighed 203 at surgery (210 at doctor's office the month before). To get to a normal BMI, I would need to weigh 155. 203 - 155 = 48 pounds of "Excess" Weight 65% of 48 pounds = 31.2 pounds lost to be "success" (EWL) Well, I lost 78+ pounds ... so I guess I'm an overachiever at 250% of EWL. I can live with that!

I use these a lot for "toast" ... For Breakfast, I will often have 3 Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausages & 1/2 of the orowheat bread toasted with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and a bit of Jelly. YUMMY!!!! There is also a "thin" bagel as well. 110 for the whole thing.

Welcome ... you are definitely in the right place. This is an amazing support group that is available 24/7. Get ready to change your life!

Glad it went so well. Just remember to be constantly sipping your fluids!

I drink diet soda almost everyday & have since month 4. No issues for me. But, that's just my experience.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Angie - maybe it's been suggested & I just missed it. When I felt this way (and I sometimes do even today) ... I go look at my before pictures. I even kept a pair of pants that I wore to surgery. I put them on, pull them out & realize how far I've come. I'm not "perfect" & I never will be. That was not my intent when I started this journey - so why do I feel like a failure if I'm not perfect. Heck! I've had children, I weigh in my 120's, I wear size 4, I'm in my 40's ... I'm as close to perfect as I have ever been ... CELEBRATE!!!! This being healthy and thin takes some getting used to ... don't expect it to change overnight. But, don't forget to force yourself to Celebrate. You deserve it - you've earned it!

So, I will admit it. I am a southern hick and I love it. I'm heading to Nashville in about 2 hours. We are going to the Jack Daniels Distillery tomorrow and then end the evening with Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley in concert. Sunday is marked to hit my old stomping grounds (I went to college there in the late 80's) and then a quick stop by the Bookstore on Monday to buy a new sweatshirt (since mine are WAY too big now)! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!!! But ... for the VSG part of this post ... I have to say that packing last night was so much fun. Temps are supposed to be in the mid-60's so I was able to pack some lighterweight clothes and 1 or 2 warmer items for the evenings. Packing small clothes takes up so little space - I used a smaller bag than I used to pack for weekend trips. I love it!!!!!! I'm counting that as my NSV for the month!

Wine is my absolute favorite adult beverage post-surgery. I can sip on it for a long time while I enjoy hanging with my husband and friends. (I used to be a whiskey and diet coke girl. While I can still sip it, for some reason it just hits too hard and too fast for me.)

What an awesome experience for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't you just love it?????

Welcome ... I look forward to watching your continued success!

I love the strawberry margarita mix. I've used it & thrown in 1 or 2 frozen strawberries to enhance the flavor even more. My kids like it with just the ice and mix. Of course, I prefer the "grown-up" method!