Penpen

Oh my goodness, you look great!!!! So when I see pictures like yours, it puts my focus back on why I'm doing this. I've been having nightmares about my surgery coming up in 3 weeks. I want soooo bad to run from it and say I'll be happy being fat for the rest of my life! Whatever to self...no way to self...I want to feel as good as you look. I'm so happy for you!!!

Oh okay...I still hope you don't have to go through surgery again! I definitely feel for you!

Hey Diva---PenPen again...well, I totally agree with iegal. The hunger has pretty much gone away. I mean, yes, my tummy would love to eat real food but I'm not in anguish anymore. I cooked pigs-n-blanket this morning for my family and I was completely fine with just having my protien shake. I didn't feel sorry for myself anymore and actually felt really good about accomplishing something. I think the first 3-4 days are total torture but after that it becomes kind of a norm for you...well, and also for me I think just knowing how good it feels to lose weight makes it just a little easier. I had forgotten what that felt like. My husband was getting excited for me too and yesterday morning when I weighed, he watched and I wanted to cry because the scale showed I'd gained 2 lbs back from the 6 I'd just lost!!! What? Well, he reassured me that there was no way I was gaining weight with this diet and it was probably just salt intake causing water to sit on me. He must have been right because this morning I had lost 10 lbs. since I started this diet. You will be fine! Just hang in there. You're not alone.

Congrats!!!! Isnt it exciting? Well, my list is limited just because not much food is involved in my diet. Ugh! Boca burgers chicken Tuna Tilapia (sp?) Fresh fruit and veggies (watch out for sugar in the fruits but other than that, you can have more that other foods but still remain a low calorie food) I'm on a 1000 calorie preop diet right now. I can have 4 Protein shakes a day (800 calories) and then a meat which is not red and leafy greens...no peas (too much sugar). I had a 4oz. Piece of baked tilapia with a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper a couple of nights ago along with a cup and a half of fresh strawberries. It equaled around 200 calories but boy, it looked like a whole bunch. It was very tasty and I woke up the next morning still feeling full. By the way, I wasn't supposed to have the strawberries but I was out of leafy greens. So I'm on my 5th day of the diet. I weighed myself this a.m. and have lost 10 lbs. WOW! Of course, I'm hungry most of the time but have gotten used to it now. The first 3 days are a killer. You may want to take things away from yourself slowly since you still have time so your body and mind don't go into shock like mine. lol I space my Protein drinks out about 2-3 hours which is really hard to do because I'm hungry again 10 minutes after the shake. But I try to drink lots of Water and chew lots of gum. I even made up some sugar free Jello that I thought would help. The only thing is that my taste buds seem to think it's too sweet now. Wow...didn't see that one coming. I kind of like being turned off by really sweet stuff! Keeps us posted on how you're doing. Just keep the right mindset and always remember why you are doing this and you'll get through it.

June 23 Dallas, TX

Hi Gayle! I have dealt with cyst on my ovaries for years and I do agree that they are very painful. I couple of years ago I had a rather large one on my left ovary and after a CAT scan (for a different reason) a month and a half ago, it had disappeared but now I have a rather large one on my right ovary. By the way, I knew before they told me from the CAT scan because indeed, they hurt like crazy sometimes. I was told that most likely they would resolve themselves. They never said anything about surgery. Ugh! Poor you! But maybe they will go away on there own.

Diva...I know how you feel, I'm sure just like everyone else. I will have my surgery June 23. I started my preop diet 4 days ago and had a melt down the first day. My husband was getting ready to let me have it, I'm sure! Lol that was by far the worst day yet for me. I think my body getting used to mostly liquids and no sugary junk made it go nuts. Each.day so far has been a little easier. But I'm hungry all the time and find myself thinking of all the yummy things but as all the rest here have said, the reward will be well worth this temporary pain right now. As for my diet, I'm doing 4 Protein shakes (like 5-6 oz. Each) and 3-4 oz. of fish or chicken or Boca Burger (patty only) and then spinach or something green for supper. I have to stay under 1000 calories a day. The 4 prot. Shakes take up 800 calories. THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS I'VE EVER HAD TO DO!!! lol Did you just see my eyes cross?!?!? Lol I have to lose 15 lbs. atleast before surgery. I lost 5 before I started the preop diet and I've lost 6 more in the last 3 days. I'm hoping that I can drop 20-25 lbs before surgery. The doc said the more I lose, the faster the surgery and recovery will go. Hang in there! We're all in this together. You can do it.

Awesome job!! You have to be proud of yourself! I'm so happy for you!

So sorry you feeling so horrible! I haven't had my surgery yet...coming very soon...but I thought I'd throw something out there. I read a thread on this forum...I think it was on here....where the lady was having a lot of trouble getting anything down and her daughter went out and bought her an inexpensive ice cream cone machine. She used it just for the shaved ice. It worked for her. Just my 2 cents. I may be way off but it's just an idea.

Welcome!!! You will love this forum!! There's so much support here and the things that you're too embarrassed to talk about to others in your life..it's okay to talk about here! Everyone is super nice and wants to help!

I got a call today from my doctor's office and UHC has approved my surgery!!!!! YaY!!! It took them a whole 9 days to approve it. Wow!!! I went in for my doc's appointment 16 days ago but it took them a week to send it to the insurance for approval. I'm so excited but am scared to death at the same time. When I got off of the phone, I wanted to jump up and down!!! Ten minutes later, I wanted to cry! Ha! The emotions have already started flowing. Now, I'm waiting for a call to schedule the surgery.

Congrats to you! This is so exciting isn't it? My surgery is scheduled for June 23. I'm so happy for you. My suggestion to you, would be to find a Protein shake you like before it is time to start. I made the mistake of waiting until the last minute! I started with my husband's shakes (he uses Muscle Milk for his workouts...ugh...nasty after taste that last and last)...I had 2 my first day and was in tears because I couldn't drink any more of it. So, I had to run out and find something else....finally found something 4 or 5 hours after my last tiny Protein Drink. It was a very tough day....the sudden change, too, didn't help! I think, too, that maybe I was mourning the loss of all the yummy foods that I ate so much of before. I thought I was mentally ready but boy, I had no idea. But now, I'm 3 days in to my preop diet and besides being hungry all the time...my Protein Shakes taste pretty good! I started on Tuesday and this morning I was down 6 pounds already...if that tells you anything...lol :lol: My husband just asked me if I was blogging about my meltdown on Tuesday! Why yes, I am! Yes, ladies and gents, it was pretty bad! We had just watched the movie Julie and Julia...and if you have ever seen it, there's a scene where she lays down on the kitchen floor, flat on her back ...balling her eyes out! Okay, so I wasn't on the kitchen floor but it was bad enough that my hubby keeps comparing me to her.

June 23rd for me too!!! Yay!! Congrats!!!! Happy dance from me to you!!! I started my preop diet 3 days ago and I am sooo hungry!!! I have 4 tiny Protein Shakes a day and about 3 oz. of tuna or something like it for dinner. In between, I have sugar free Jello. I'm going nuts! I'm standing here cooking supper for my family right now and am feeling very emotional because to be honest with you, I could eat dirt right now!!! Lol Anything with texture would be good. The good thing is that I've lost 6 lbs. as of this morning...6 lbs. In 2 days....hummm...I want to be excited about it but my tummy says FEED ME!! lol Let me know how you're doing as you go through all of this. This is an exciting time for all of us June sleevers. I'm curious about your Protein bars...how much protien/carbs/sugar/fiber/fat is in them? How many calories are you limited to? I have to get down 15 lbs. But had already lost 5 before my diet started. The doc did say the more I lost the faster the surgery and recovery would go...that's why I'm keeping on...sigh.

Thank you all!!! Yes, UHC is awesome!!! One of the ladies at the doc's office told me before I went through the approval process that UHC was the easiest insurance company to deal with. I sure do believe it!

Hi fattymcfatterson! Thank you! My doctor is Dr. James Davidson. I actually considered using Dr. Barker but went to see my doctor first and decided he was the one. My husband works with a lady that had the bypass done by Dr. Barker last September. She really liked him. I live east of Dallas...past Mesquite. I hope you get approved super quick! Maybe you'll be able to have yours done in July. That would be so awesome.

I want to say thank you to all of you for being so encouraging. As you know, this journey is not easy.

Hi chunkymonky91! Okay, I was very confused as to what UHC would cover and would require for this surgery. I had actually gone to a doc a little over a year ago to see about getting the lap band. They told me that they thought UHC would make me do a 6 month supervised diet but then about 10 days out I got a call from them saying that lap band was approved and that I had to do nothing else as far as the insurance was concerned. I didn't have it done because my husband was completely against it. Now that my husband is on board and I discovered the sleeve. the process has gone so smoothly. I did call UHC before finding my doctor but they could not tell me anything ... Just that everything they consider is based on that individual and their coverage. They do not have a set standard for everyone across the board. This was really nerve racking because of course, I wanted an answer right then. So, here's a timeline of what happened. My husband and I attended the seminar on 5-4-11. I had my first appointment with my doc on 5-11. Now, I had to sign something giving my permission for my other doctors to send records over. I thought that they were having to gather all this past medical history and everything to send to the insurance company. So I waited until 5-24 to call my doc's office to find out if they'd heard anything because the ins co has 30 days to make a decision. I was told that they sent my case to UHC on 5-18 and that usually if UHC had any request they would have heard back from them within 48 hours. I asked if they had any trouble with getting my medical records and was told that they never requested them...that they would only request them if UHC asked for them. Wow, i was really surprised by that. The doc's office seemed to think that this was a good sign. Then on 5-27, doc's office called and said I was approved and UHC required nothing from me. I couldn't believe it. Now I have my preop class next Wednesday. But I started my preop diet 3 days ago. My surgery is on 6/23. I don't know how they decide but if it matters, I am 5'5" and was 280 when I was weighed at the doc's office. My BMI was 46.6. Also, I'm not taking any meds for health problems although I have slightly high cholesterol and blood pressure...I was always told to watch what I eat to control both. Then in the last couple of months my blood sugar levels have been a little high and I'm actually waiting for results from in-depth blood work done last week to see if I'm diabetic. Also, had my back out last year and was almost completely bed ridden for a month. All of this the doctor said he would put in my case because the insuance co wanted a good reason or two to have this surgery done besides the fact that I wanted to lose weight. I really don't know what was the big decider for UHC. I hope this helps.

June 23rd for me. I started my shakes today and have been a total emotional, mushy mess!!!! Ha! I started using my husband's Muscle Milk and YACKKKK!!! The after taste...eeeew! Lol I had 2 this morning and couldn't bear to swallow another drop. So I decided to head to Vitamin World...like 4 hours later. I never knew that being so hungry would bring me to emotional low...oh my goodness! My poor husband said, "And this was only the first day!!!" It's funny now but earlier I was in tears. So anyways, I found something different that the employee said they sale a lot of. I can't think of the name at this very moment but it's in a clear, red jug. It actually taste really good for a Protein drink. So I think I will survive! Lol Wasn't sure this afternoon! Can't wait for my surgery day! I hope all goes really good for all of you!

You look beautiful!!! I was going to say that there's no way you carried 45 lbs. in your face but others beat me to it! I'm sure it's just hard to recognize where you've lost yourself but I bet it is noticeable to everyone that knows you. You're doing so good!!!

I think JG is right!! I know exactly how you feel. I've done this for years, too. I will shut everyone out either because I allow my weight to define me or because the depression I feel is so heavy that I just can't fake being alright. It is so hard facing life sometimes and I'm sick of not wanting to face it. That's why I'm taking this journey. I'm worth it and so are you. I feel like I have been trapped in this body like a prison for years and until I escape it, I'll be at it's mercy! Give it to God...he already knows your pains and hurts!

I can feel your excitement as your story goes!!! What an awesome story!!! I'm so proud for you. That is one of the many reasons I want this surgery so bad. I have an almost 8 year old son and I've already sat on the sidelines for too long. Congrats to you and your new found life.

Okay, I haven't had surgery yet but have a silly question. I'm a pair shaped person with big legs. In the past when I'd lose, I'd lose up top first...boobs always seem to go away the fastest. My bottom half, mainly my legs never seemed to thin down as much. In fact, I always could have stood to lose a little more in the legs only. Is there anyone else out there that has had the same problem and did this surgery/diet with high protiens change the way you lost on your legs?

Thank you all!!! I'm so happy right now! I can't wait to be on the losers' bench. It's crazy to think that I would be so excited about having something so major removed. It just feels like I'm counting the days down to a new me...a new way of life!! Awwwwww!

Hi everyone! After a lot of research, I'm leaning towards having the sleeve done. Now, I have no idea how to weed through the surgeons. I live in Texas (DFW area). Who did you use? What were the pros/cons? Would you use him/her again? Thanks so much!

Yes, one of my big concerns was that I would end up having this awesome tool but not know what to do with it. After talking with Dr. Davidson, I found out that they have a 5 year program to keep you on top of information, your own health, etc. Also, they require you to attend a class before surgery to learn about what you need to do. No guessing!!! Plus you get this really cool notebook that tells you everything you really need to know and more. Plus, I wanted someone who was close enough if I had problems along the way. Thank you for reaffirming my decision.