M2G

I am not a runner by nature, but I CAN run ...I chose a treadmill setting that has varying speeds and inclines and some of the higher speeds force me to run-jog. I get most of my exercise from my treadmill, rec center classes, Water aerobics, bike riding and my 5x a week habit of Curves. Now the heels, I was never much for them either because it's hard enough to carry around an extra 100+ lbs let alone stick those extra lbs up on heels. But I have a few pairs that I'm wearing a LOT lately. One pair I found for $6 at Goodwill and they were hardly used at all. They make me very tall (I'm alreay 5'6" so when I add 3 inch heels look out!) but anytime I EVER wear them people comment on how great I look...hard to disagree that the heels help your overall shape...tall and slender!

Oh my goodness....that sounds like a very scary complication, but I am SO glad you have a caring medical team looking out for you. I am also so glad that you are able to keep shakes and some mushies down. I know strictures are much more common with bypass than sleeve and you are SO right when you say if you happen to be in that 1% you feel it 100%. Despite all you've been though I am hoping you can heal normally without any further operations and continue to eat normally and lose weight. Thanks for sharing your story and know that I'm thinking of you as you heal and recover.

WOW! Amazing tranformation in such a short time period! Congrats!

\/ \/ \/ CHECK OUT MY NEW GOAL LADIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Had a chat with my surgeon today and everything went really well. We chatted about how I'm doing and he said he thought that I should change my goal because he wants ME happy with my BODY. Not the BMI chart or his stats, but he wants me to be happy WITH WHEREVER I LAND. God, I love this man! He also mentioned pastics (GASP!) because he felt I was too pretty to not "finish the job" as he put it. He said it's his nature though to FINISH the job. He said his closet is cleaned out, his car is tidy and to him personally, having WLS and then not finishing the job with plastics is like driving a car around with no paint. I'm not sure how I feel about plastics yet, but he really felt like my arms and legs look great, but the wrinkly tummy, well that is another story. At least he has me thinking. I don't know why but feeling like I'm THAT much closer to goal has me super happy today! Thank you all for your input...it is so valuable to me!!!

Jes you've done amazing!!!! I believe you will attain whatever goal you set for yourself!

:jaw: OMG NO WAY!!! You look amazing I would not have guessed that you were even the SAME PERSON!!! Incredible. Congrats, well done!:clap2: I noticed your "Diet" soda is missing in the 2nd photo. :wink: I haven't had a single sip of the stuff in over 13 months...but I wouldn't trade one sip for the way I feel now!

WOW!!! Absolutely amazing! YOU LOOK GREAT!

Sooooo, my ticker says I have -42lbs left to lose to get to GOAL. And I've been waffling about changing my goal. My original goal was set by my sugeon. I know exactly why he made the goal too, because I would be just inside the chart for having a healthy BMI. HOWEVER, this goal is about -25lbs LESS than my lowest adult weight. In other words the last time I weighed what he set my goal for I was probably 13-14 years old. At my 6 month checkup, my surgeon was wanting to bump my goal up +15ish lbs...just by looking at me. Which I did take as a compliment. But I didn't change my goal. Now that I'm almost 1 year post-op and things have just slowed down to a snails pace, I am actually reconsidering my goal, taking into account what my sugeon said. If I change my goal I would really only have -27lbs to get to goal. I'm seeing him again tomorrow for my one year post-op check and I will ask him what his feelings are. I think he is going to say let's bump it up. Truthfully I want that healthy BMI also but it just feels like it is taking an eternity to get there. I would ideally be at or below goal by my two year surgiversary...seems reasonable. I think what will happen is I change my goal and then see how I feel when I "get there"...I don't like being in-between sizes like I am right now (14's are feeling a bit roomy, 12's feel tight, etc.) So I guess it all just depends. That's all I have for rambling today...I will update after my visit with my surgeon!

I'm Sheila and on the 'fence' so-to-speak about my final goal. I have not been a super-fast easy loser (unfortunately) BUT it's not because I'm eating crap and not working out, so it's all good. I figure that the worst part of my journey is over. The insurance required hoop-jumping, the surgery, recovery, and learning a new relationship with food is all hard work and that is done. So now it's just onto the final goal however long it may take. I've been a regular exerciser for 7+ years (I was a religious 3x a week for the last 6 years but in the year since being sleeved up I'm to 7x a week or more...some days I workout twice!) I do low-carb, track my food, drink tons of Water and get in all my vits. I average about 80-100g of Protein daily. So all is good, just having patience with being on the slow loser train!

I had blurred vision for a good week post-op. For me I was told it was normal and it would pass and that was true. No dizziness for me, although for my hubby (who is also sleeved) he was the same as the above poster...he was told to keep taking his BP meds and 10 days post-op he passed out. Our PCP immediately took him off all BP meds and he has been without ever since. (He is 7 months postop.)

I have lost 83lbs and several band sizes but no cup loss yet (still a D and sometimes a DD ) but I still plan on losing another -40lbs...I am guessing I will eventually maybe end up in a C cup...only time will tell.

Here is a portion of my other post just in case you don't see it addressing what the requirements were for ME and MY PLAN! Also our plan stipulated that it was BMI of 35-39.9 with at least ONE co-morbidity (and it actually spelled out which ones would qualify as a co-morb) OR a BMI of 40.0+ or greater, no co-morb needed. I fell into the 40+ category and my husband did too (just barely) but he also had a covered co-morb so he would have been approved even if his BMI had slipped below 40, whereas my BMI HAD to stay above 40+ the entire duration of the 6 months of check-ins. My UHC nurse case manager made sure to spell that out for me that I could NOT slip below 40...I appreciated her honesty. It is ALSO part of the reason that I did not do any type of pre-op diet, of course I could have lost a few lbs since my BMI 4 points above the danger line, but I wasn't planning on risking denial over my BMI!!! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BMI of 40 would qualify if medically necessary. The last part probably all you need is a letter from your PCP stating that they THINK surgery is medically necessary...I had to get that from my PCP who was a willing partner in helping me get surgery...thank goodness!!

Cheri, I do think that each plan is very specific and while UHC may have some generalized guidelines, there are still little details that change per plan. I would absolutely TRY to submit any and all records you have to get out of whatever waiting period is needed, but don't pin all your hopes on their requirements being satisfied. I spoke with my PCP because I was concerned about my husband. He did all of his monthly (6 of them) weigh-ins at my PCP's office while I went another route and used my surgeon's office (our PCP is MUCH more convenient for my husbands schedule and MUCH closer to our home whereas the surgeon's office is a good 45 minute drive.) Anyway, I was concerned about my husband getting "denied" based on him seeing them vs. the surgeon and guess what? My PCP told me he had someone that had UHC and they did all the required check-ins and the man was waiting for bypass surgery. They denied him (obv. not sure of the specifics of "why") but in the meantime the man developed diabetes, HPB and high cholesterol. Isn't that awful? My husband was approved without a problem, so that was a big sigh of relief. Also I did check with a WW leader who goes to my Curves. She has been a WW Leader for over 20+ years. The WW leaders do NOT have to be registered dieticians...so I guess it would give UHC grounds for denial. Also our plan stipulated that it was BMI of 35-39.9 with at least ONE co-morbidity (and it actually spelled out which ones would qualify as a co-morb) OR a BMI of 40.0+ or greater, no co-morb needed. I fell into the 40+ category and my husband did too (just barely) but he also had a covered co-morb so he would have been approved even if his BMI had slipped below 40, whereas my BMI HAD to stay above 40+ the entire duration of the 6 months of check-ins. My UHC nurse case manager made sure to spell that out for me that I could NOT slip below 40...I appreciated her honesty. It is ALSO part of the reason that I did not do any type of pre-op diet, of course I could have lost a few lbs since my BMI 4 points above the danger line, but I wasn't planning on risking denial over my BMI!!! Good luck, do not give up, that is what they want!!!

Awww, that is so great! My PCP has been the same for the last 10 years and has also seen me try AND fail every single fricken diet! I always brought up WLS to him but he never jumped right on and said LET'S DO IT. However, when I told him what I was doing, he was 100% supportive. I think he just liked the idea that I had done my research and it was ME saying let's do this and NOT coming from him. He's been totally great about me and my husband both having surgery. Gotta love those good drs like that.

Congrats on your success!!! You are right, we have to WANT this bad enough to cast aside all the fear and doubt and really dig in and make those changes.

Awesome NSV!!! I am buying jeans and other clothing at goodwill and thrift stores and finding good deals on brand-name stuff! Side note: ARE you planning a tummy tuck? I am just interested on a man's take on this...hubby is sleeved also and about 25lbs away from goal, although I doubt very seriously he would want/need any plastics. His BMI will hover around 27-28 when he is at goal which is he FINE with, to get a 'normal' BMI he would need to go down to around 160lbs and he feels that is too small for his frame/build (I agree!) I see that your BMI will be NORMAL when you hit goal...just curious on the whole plastics discussion from a male view point!

My specific plan stated that it could be submitted but it had with a dr., registered nurse, or registered dietician. I don't know how strict some of the weigh loss plans (like WW, Jenny Craig, and other diet-type centers are but I am not sure that they strictly employ "registered" dieticians.) I think a lot of WW leaders are people who have had success with the plan and believe in it, and go on to become leaders (again I don't know what their process is at WW.) And of course it all had to be documented. And you couldn't skip a month, etc. It had to be 6 consecutive months. I'd done a million diets over the last 18 years but only had documentation on a few of them. Plus they all had to be within the last year. So doing WW 5 years ago doesn't count. Wish I had more concrete information and maybe someone who's plan was accepted for approval will come along here and spell out what rules they had to follow. I would say generally *most* insurance companies want you to START OVER and then can ask for specific documentation instead of accepting someone elses documentation. Sorry, wish I had better news for you!

Ricotta is awesome. You can make it savory or sweet...it's flavor is much more mild than cottage chesse and it blends well. You can sweeten ricotta with sugar-free Torani syrup (or whatever brand you like) or with splenda and a little cinnamon and eat it for "dessert" ...YUM! I'm not sure on Protein from cottage cheese vs. ricotta... I'm guessing they might be about the same ...okay I just looked them up on my food logger and it seems 4 oz of 2% cottage cheese has about 15g protein whereas the same amount of part-skim ricotta has about 12g. There you go! I do think the ricotta has a milder flavor and takes on whatever you add to it whereas the cottage cheese is a bit sharper ...more overwhelming. Good luck, either choice is yummy!

I am now in love with shredded chicken. Place chicken breasts in about 1 cup of chicken broth and leave on low for 8 hours or high for about 4-6 hours and take out the chicken before serving and run your fork through it. YUM. I've done it with taco seasoning and also with BBQ sauce...you could add whatever seasoning you like. Leftover meat in our household *always* gets eaten later or the next day!

I bought one...shoot I can't even remember which one it was, but the two recipes I tried were both awful. I'd stick to Eggface...her stuff is awesome, the whole family loves them and they are FREE! Can't beat that!

Absolutely STUNNING!!! I saw the after on OH (different befores, right?) and I will say it again, your LBD that you got for a STEAL needs to be posted in the LBD thread over in the success stories. I can't believe you are SO close to goal...HOW EXCITING!!!!

I have UHC and was originally going for the band. My case manager was the one who spelled out the 3 types that MY plan covered: RNY, Sleeve or Band. I had never heard of the sleeve. Even after going to the surgeon's seminar, I was still planning band. Then my hubby wanted to join me (I was about 3 months into my 6 month required supervised "diet") and he didn't like the sound of the band. Begged me to research the sleeve and I did switch mid-stream from band to sleeve. Same surgeon, he never blinked was totally fine with choice because it was my decision. I had not yet submitted to insurance (as I was still in the process of the 6 month supervision) so the surgeon's office changed all the paperwork to be sleeve and I moved foward. I'm now almost a year post-op and am soooooooooooo happy I don't have the band. One surgery and you are done. My hubby is now also sleeved and we both love it. We did both lose our hunger but not every VSGer does, so beware. Also please don't have surgery thinking you will never again have to "diet"...you will have to work your sleeve giving the proper amount of Protein, Vitamins, Water and don't forget you will need to exercise. It's not easy but it is SO worth the effort. In my personal opinion the band should be marketed as TEMPORARY. Very few people have the same band for 10 years or more, especially without trouble. The is erosion of the stomach tissue, band slippage, vomiting, acid reflux, port trouble and there are TONS of people who get bands and either have them taken out or revised ot a different surgery. Even my surgeon's nurse had a band for 5 years and it slipped and she revised to the RNY. She was the surgeon's nurse and was a perfect bandster...there is just too many things that can go wrong with a band. With the sleeve, once you are healed you are done worrying about future problems (at least I was!) Do your research but if you can get the sleeve, I would recommend it over any other type of WLS. You have to do your part and of course the sleeve won't prevent you from eating cheesecake, Cookies, ice cream and all the junk food in the world, that part has to come from you. You choose to eat healthy and have a healthier life so that you can battle the obesity monster. The sleeve is a great tool but you have to use it properly. Good luck to you on your journey!

Oh I forgot, my plan stipulated that my surgery had to be at a Bariatric Center for Excellence surgery site...and it was not outpatient, although I have heard that some VSG procedures are. I spent one night in the hospital and was released the next morning.

Were you assigned a "case manager" I had two. I had a case manager - the person who answered all my questions and could look up specifics on MY policy and give me yes or no answers, and a nurse case manager - the one who all the paperwork was submitted to and she was the SOLE decider of whether or not I was approved. My case manager was much more accessible than my nurse case manager. When I made the inital call to my UHC insurance and spoke with someone concerning having WLS, I also wasn't told about the 6 month diet....but that was the FIRST of many calls, it wasn't until I was assigned a case manager and moved forward that I was told about the 6 month diet. So initially all I needed to move forward was the BMI over 40 (or 35+co-morbs)... so just beware that you may not be getting the whole picture just yet. Not to burst your bubble or give you bad news, but I felt totally defeated when they told me it would take 6 months. Now of course I would do it again in a heartbeat, even if it meant more $$ by going into the next year because the sleeve was worth every red cent I paid for it. Your plan I'm sure is different from mine and maybe you don't have to do a 3 or 6 month supervision diet, but most of them do have some type of requirement like that. Don't forget there is also all of the tests, cardiac, pulmonary, blood tests, physch eval, etc. It sounds as if you are planning on having surgery this year and I obviously don't know the details of your plan, but if you are at the very beginning, just be prepared that having surgery may take a while. It may not happen this year. Best of luck to you on your journey and PM me if you have questions because I miss a lot on here...soon you will be where I am, but be prepared for things to take a while. Hang in there!

Yep, the face definitely changes...for the better! You look so much younger, but still have the same great smile!