MINI-Me

Coops has great advice! I know that for me, my best tool (besides the sleeve!) was tracking my food. That way, I made sure I got in all my Protein (plus some) and stayed below a certain calorie limit. If you are like me, a little past 6 months, I found I could eat more. So, I upped my daily calories to 1200. And guess what? Not only was I satisfied longer, I lost more weight. Everyone has their favorite sites, but for me, it's www.myfitnesspal.com - seems to have all the foods I need & I love the recipe converter. I put all my family favorites there & it's been really easy to count dinner (& usually lunch the next day!) If you need a buddy or someone to talk to, feel free to send me a message. I know what you mean about husbands who "just don't get it". My husband is 6'5" and hasn't had a weight problem his entire life - no matter what he eats. He tries hard to understand, but just can't relate. Good luck - your goals are within reach! Go for it!

You have done an AWESOME JOB. It's a good thing you aren't the "real" Mrs. Santa ... otherwise, Santa might forget to take his journey around the world every December 24th. Congratulations on a new life and new outlook on life.

Thanks ... I'll have to investigate that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a brand new netbook, a fast internet speed ... no problems with other websites ... except Vertical Sleeve Talk. It's very irritating to try to read and/or answer someone's post. Load times for pages can take around a minute. When you finally do get to a thread, you have to jump through hoops to get back to the most recent topics (there doesn't seem to be enough room for the link at the top due to all the advertisements)! I totally understand the need for advertisements to finance the site ... however, when there are so many pictures and movement that it detracts from the purpose of the site - communication and information about surgery - there is a problem. All this is being said to let you know that I am not avoiding you or ignoring the questions . I've been trying to read and keep up, but I simply do not have hours a day to wait on the pages to update. Is there something that can be done to find a happy medium???

my track record says no way, no how. The sleeve gives me the discipline by limiting how much I can eat at a time. I finally have the means to be successful. Yeah!

Congratulations!

You will have a new way of eating to get used to for sure. But, it's not that hard ... it helps that it physically hurts to eat too much. Good luck on your journey. Definitely be thinking about what you can eat post-surgery. You will want to have that on hand when you get home from your VSG procedure. Best of luck!

This is going to be almost impossible for anyone to answer unless they have your same insurance and same surgeon. Do you have an Out of Pocket Maximum? If so, that should be the maximum you will have to pay. Otherwise, have your surgeon provide the codes he will be billing and his charges. Then, call Aetna & have them tell you their allowed amount and payment. Your copay should be the difference in their paid and the allowed amount. The surgeon may be able to give you similiar information about the hospital charges.

Very cool. Today marks 11 months for me. We rock!

As soon as I knew this was the surgery for me and what I needed to "beat" my obesity, I could not wait to schedule my appointment - the sooner the better. Have you thought about talking to your family & getting their reaction instead of just guessing?

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/protein-drink-caution/q9u0ntmi?rel=msn

SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Avilda .................270.............196..............184............12 (12-9-10 191 down 5) Back on track!!! BlackBerryJuice...........208...........155...........155..............0 (Dec. 19th goal - reached a week early!!!!) Brendasgonnalose 335......244.............235............4 ( 12-20-10 239 down 3) Chilo1.............216...................169..............154................15 (down to 160- so back to original goal of 154!!!)) Dansha...........220..................220...............195................25;) DJackson........246.................230...............220................10 Filosophia Scandinavia...205...205.............187...............17 (Will be sleeved on the 30th November) Fit ..................290.................250.8..............235.8............15 GayleSBennett ....232.................201................189...............11 Good Luck everyone! =) Juliarh............303.6.................236.6..............225................11.6 Kgremmy........225..................221..............199................22 (being sleeved 12/14/10) Labrys............238..................208.................193...............15 Laylasmojo......242.................200.6.............185.............15.6 LilMissDiva........247...............236.............226.8..........9.2 Lisalu..............210..................137..............130.................7 livelovelaugh....236..................216................196...............20 Maddie............257.................167................147................20 merieri............240..................206...............190................16 Mini-Me...........203...................126.6..............125.............1.6 (Getting Better!) Mommy2Girls....275..................256.............240...............16 - GOAL REACHED! mp8btpc.........199...................160...............145...............15 pattimomof3NJ.....203.4..........168.1............170...............-1.9 BELOW GOAL!!! Pumpkin97....220...................150...............143...............7 (this is my goal for Jan 1 2011) Sleeve 4 me ...204...................166..............164..............2 Stacy160.........258..................174...............148...............16 StaySea........299...................299.................275.............24 twoboysandagirl..226..........212................199..............13( made goal 8 days post op) NEW GOAL 185 FlyGirl...........260.................227.................219...............8 LeslieH.......212.............212............ 200..........12

Keep us updated on your progress.

Your feelings are completely normal and understandable. Best of luck to you & congratulations!

Diva ... awesome pictures. You are doing great and are such an inspiration with your posts and positive attitude.

Glad to help out. Hope tonight is better for you.

So, this is a case of .... You can have your Sleeve and Drink some too. (OK ... I'll be the first to day, that was bad. Just feeling punchy today! )

What's charged and what's allowed are completely different things. Also - what was included in the charge? Was it the night in the clinic, the 8 hour monitoring, the equipment, the results and the reading?

I am reading this at work and completely burst out laughing. My team must think I'm nuts (well, at least this is further proof that I'm nuts) ... Thanks for the laugh.

Your "gain" is most likely Fluid retention after surgery. I'm sure you were pumped with fluids in your 3 day stay to avoid dehydration. Were you given a prescription for the heartburn? Most doctors put you on a PPI for the first 6 months. If you don't have a script or a way to get one, try one of the over the counter medications - it really will help! Congratulations on your surgery.

The is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME. Congratulations!

What about pork rinds?

You might want to check out this thread: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/11607-i-have-a-question-about-alcohol/page__pid__101020#entry101020

Sip, sip, sip ... it will get better - PROMISE!

I am also on Prilosec. I have an HSA program which means I pay the full "allowed" amount until I meet my high deductible. That total is $50/30 day supply. If you are only paying a percentage of the drug, you should be able to get Prilosec a lot cheaper than Nexium.