2bfit

Stay positive! It will all work out! Good luck!

UHC is pretty easy to qualify with. You should be a-ok! I qualified and I had UHC H M O. No comorbs and a BMI of 42. I was denied at first but I appealed. DO NOT GIVE UP!

Fingers crossed! Good luck!

Well, I just got back from my doc appt. It went very well! He is very pleased by my progress and he actually smiled...twice. WOW! I have a stoic, soft spoken doc but he is one heck of a surgeon. Zero complications aside from acid. He is calling in an rx for Prevacid. I sure hope it works! Other than that he told me that I far exceeded his expectations and he expects me to reach my ideal body weight of 140. I also have to get labs drawn to check my Vitamin levels.

This is food for thought:

At the end of the appt he told me that the insurance company is keeping a close eye on my progress and that they keep records on all patients who have had the sleeve to monitor whether or not they should continue to approve the procedure in the future. I have UHC *** and I jumped through hoops to get approved but they finally came correct. I do know they are one of the first insurance companies to cover the sleeve. Some still only cover LapBand and Gastric Bypass.

So! Needless to say I am going to do my best to make sure that I stay on track. The thought of somebody not being approved for this in the future is something I do not want to be even partially responsible for. I feel like I was given a gift and a second chance at life. I am so happy I chose the sleeve!

You are welcome! I think the most important thing to remember is that every-BODY is different I figure if I am a semi slow loser and if I am exercising then I will not have as much loose skin. I figure as long as the numbers keep going down I am heading in the right direction.

On average I am losing about 3lbs a week. Considering I have only stalled once at two weeks out, I am happy with that number.I am consistently losing. It looks like your numbers are going down and that is all that matters. Good luck to you!

Hello VST family! It's been a while since I have posted. Life has been busy! As of today I am 11 weeks out and am down 35.4lbs. My BMI is 31.1, I am obese YAHOO! I have had some good days and some bad days. My biggest challenge is controlling the gurgle/gnawing feeling that my sleeve loves to hit me with and the occasional Constipation. There are some days I feel completely normal and forget that I even had surgery. I love those days because my sleeve is cooperative and not gurgling at me. The restriction is most noticeable with certain foods and there really has not been much I have had that has not agreed with me. I am staying away from (forever) greasy fried foods and am trying to adhere to the plan as much as possible because I still have another 40lbs to go. I no longer have problems getting in my Fluid or Protein. YAY! I have also found that I will have to use chewable vitamins from here on out. I tried to take a regular Vitamin and my sleeve threw a fit! I also have not experienced a lot of Hair loss but I take a Biotin supplement that is probably helping.

As for exercising, I average 4-5 days a week with weights, running/walking, push ups and sit ups. I sometimes think it is slowing down my weight loss because I am building muscle but I highly recommend exercising because it has helped a bit with the loose skin. And it REALLY helps with the inches. My problem area is my thighs (always has been) and now I have bat wings (sort of) which are of course only noticeable to me (according to my hubby). The best part about having lost weight is that exercising doesn't HURT anymore and I still have energy afterwards to do household chores. My husband calls me the Energizer bunny.

I have been keeping track of inches lost and here is the most recent info:

Heaviest weight:

230 lbs, Chest 46, Waist 43, Hips 48, Thighs 27.5, Calves 17.75 Now that's a whole lotta love going on

Current weight:

175.4 lbs, Chest 40, Waist 35, Hips, 40.5, Thighs 22.5, Calves 15.5

I have lost about 29 inches off of my body and the sad thing is I still look in the mirror and feel fat. I am hoping one day I will not see the heavy girl anymore.

The other thing I have finally experienced is food mourning. Never had it until last Friday. I took my son to Applebees and we shared some chicken. I looked over and saw this guy mowing down a burger and I suddenly missed food. Darn it, he made that burger look good! I wanted to smack him. But you know that feeling you used to get when you would order something delicious then finish it all and you would get that great sense of satisfaction until you got up from the table of course and your pants were about to burst. But you know what I am talking about? It was almost like food porn.

After that I did fall off the wagon at one point but thank goodness the sleeve kept me in check. I was emotionally eating during my mourning period. It is very hard when you are stressed because food can no longer comfort you. But that feeling only lasted for about 2 days and I got myself in check real fast. Funny thing is the worst thing I ate when I fell off the wagon was Peanut Butter pretzels and a couple of peanut butter Cookies.

I will say that I am painfully aware of how much my family is eating now. I almost feel like the food police but I am just so afraid my boys will have the same problems I have had with food if they don't check themselves now. It's a fine line but I am cooking healthy and they actually love it but they eat so much it scares me. But again, they are growing. My 10 year old is 5'2" and weighs 135lbs and my 13 year old is 5'8" and weighs 165. So it's not like they are overweight but I don't want them to be either.

I have not experienced any problems eating out. My husband loves to share his food with me because it saves him money! I get to pick the entree and we share. He eats well, as do I, and the bill is cheaper, a definite win win! Sometimes I share with one of my boys. Worst case scenario I order Soup and I have not had a rude waiter yet because between my husband and two growing boys they eat what I don't finish

I took my car into the shop where I always go and I was talking to the guy behind the counter who always helps me. He was looking at me like, "Who the heck are you?!" Then I took off my sunglasses and he said, "Sorry, I didn't recognize you! You look so different, what did you do?"

I apparently look different but I don't feel different yet. The good news, clothes! I am shopping the clearance racks to save money because the clothes start to fall off after a month. No complaints there!

I have a check up with the doctor on Friday. I am hoping he is happy with my progress. I was not able to see him for my one month check up because I had to go out of town so he has no idea how I am doing. Luckily, I have had no complications.

Other than that I am just plugging along and trying to stay positive. I hope all my fellow sleevers out there are doing well. Keep up the good work and thank you to all of you who are on this forum. You have definitely made this process a lot easier with your support. It is so nice to be able to talk with people who understand exactly what you are going through!

Take care! :wub:

Just hang in there. You are doing great! As long as you are losing then you are a success in my opinion. I think it is better to lose it a little slower so that you do not have as much saggy skin.

I am 9 weeks post op and since my surgery I am down 30.8 lbs. I average about 2 lbs a week. I have been pretty stringent with my diet and everyone does lose at a different pace. I eat a lot of Protein and I do exercise (sounds like you do too) and I try to stay hydrated. I also take a hair, skin and nails supplement. So far I have not lost any hair. Quite frankly I do not have any to lose!

Just be patient with yourself. Like you said it didn't come on overnight so it's not going to leave overnight either Just think of where you were before the surgery and allow yourself the victory of having lost 34 lbs! WOOHOO!

thank you everybody! I am starting to finally feel again. Since I can no longer gorge myself into oblivion I have to feel every emotion and deal with it. I must say feeling "beautiful" was not what I expected from the surgery but it sure is a great addition to my thought process!

I will be married for 17 years in March. Our marriage was great before the surgery and even though I was heavy I still had a pretty decent "drive" so that part of our relationship has never suffered. I guess I am one of the lucky ones in that respect.

Now that I am down almost 50 lbs, there is an even greater "drive" I do not feel self conscious during the act anymore. I actually feel, well, beautiful for once. Having this surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself.

I have so much energy and I am so much more positive now. I am sure all of that makes me even more attractive to my husband. He never treated me any differently before but I do see him appreciating me more now. He is a guy after all and they are visual creatures.

You know it's funny I am down almost 50 lbs but I still see the fat person in the mirror. Well! Not anymore!

Yesterday after church I went to the store while the family waited in the car. I walked in and there is this man making a bee line towards me. He walks up to me and says, "Well, hello beautiful" I stop and look around to see who he is talking to but he was talking to me! I couldn't believe it! I told him, "Well, thank you! You just made my day!" He replied, "No, thank you, you made mine!"

Wow! I was glowing when I came out of the store. It has been so long since a guy, other than my husband, has paid any attention to me. I forgot what it felt like.

I sure do love my sleeve! :wub:

We drove from CA to PA some of it on Route 66

You know I thought about going outdoors but it was 27 degrees out. Definitely not a fan! I would have had polar bears chasing me!

Hi all!

So today was the great weigh in after my 2 week hiatus and as of today I am 8 weeks post op. I am down 28.8 lbs! Big ol' happy dance in progress! Surprisingly I lost about 7 lbs while on the road traveling. I thought I was going to come home weighing the same amount as when I left. I did way better than I thought. Jerkey and string cheese were my best friends while traveling.

I am able to eat quite a bit more and I am able to get my fluids in finally. I struggled with Fluid intake the most I think from day one. Some days I am able to eat more than others and some days I have to remind myself that I need to eat. While on vacation I did indulge in a couple of bites of things I should not have. But I used my sleeve to control myself whereas in the past I would have stuffed myself into oblivion. I made the commitment and I plan on sticking to it. I think people have the impression that the sleeve will keep you from wanting to eat things you shouldn't. Not the case. It helps you take control. As long as you understand that you will do well.

The only downside is my clothes are falling off of me, my skin is starting to sag a bit (not being able to exercise while on the road didn't help) and I am always cold. However! These are things I can definitely live with! While we were on vacation I was told that I looked like a model and my husband told me that he is officially married to the hot wife! WHOOOHOO!

I am so happy I can barely contain myself. I would do this again in a heartbeat!

Well, here's an update. I am a little over a week into my 2 week hiatus. Eating while on the road has been at times a bit of a challenge. I never realized how easy it used to be to just pick up some crackers, toast, bagel etc and go! Now I am doing all I can to get my Protein in while on the road. I am doing ok with my fluids but I do feel that I am not eating as well as I should be. Because I am on vacation I have had a nibble of a brownie and a nibble of dark chocolate. Not the whole thing mind you but just a nibble and that makes me feel guilty. I know I am still losing weight I just don't know how much because I am nowhere near a scale at the moment but I feel it.

I am on regular foods now that I am over 6 weeks out and I have found that nothing tastes the way I think it will. You know foods I thought I would want once I could eat again. The basics of the diet still taste the best. According to my nut I can slowly incorporate different foods now as long as they agree with me. But I am afraid! I feel like every choice I make is a bad one. Too many carbs, not enough Protein etc. I am doing my best but I am really ready to go home so that I can feel like I am more in control of my meals and menu.

Anyway, that's the long and short of it. I am definitely feeling the restriction and I am not gorging so that is a definite plus. I guess I just need some support from my fellow sleevers!

Thank you, thank you everybody! I do not know what I would do without this forum! I am packing as write this because we are hitting the road tonight. I will definitely follow everyone's advice! Thank you again!

Tomorrow I will be 5 weeks post op. We have to take a road trip from CA to PA. Any ideas of what I should bring to eat while on the road? You know truck stops and gas stations don't even have clean bathrooms so I seriously doubt they will have anything good for me to eat!

Well, I take a chewable Vitamin, a sublingual B12, chewable Vit C. something for hair skin and nails and Calcium. I think I am getting all of my required Vitamins.

Who knows! Maybe it's a lack of sleep

I am almost 5 weeks out and I am experiencing dry eyes and blurred vision? Has anyone else had any issues like that? I don't think I am dehydrated because I have been getting in my fluids and protein....:/

Hi all! I am almost 5 weeks out and yesterday I got on the scale at 191.8! I restarted the Couch 2 5K program (I highly recommend it!) yesterday. I woke up this morning and my weight is 192.6! WTH?! My legs are sore and I am sure I am swollen but has this happened to anyone else? I would imagine I will have a fluctuation but I really did not like seeing the scale go back in the wrong direction! :nonod:

Thank you so much! I can't wipe the smile from my face! :cornut:

Today is my official 4 week post op. I have had some up and downs but I am happy to report I am down 18.4lbs!

It has been an amazing journey. I am having to learn about my body all over again. The only time I have regretted this surgery is dealing with the Constipation and occasional nausea. But I think I am finally getting a handle on both. And trust me the "regret" was tiny compared to how happy I am that I have made this change for myself! There are times I have forgot that I actually had surgery. I don't know how to explain it. I thought I would "feel" different but I don't. Aside from the mental note that my stomach is much smaller than it used to be. The only time I remember about the surgery is when I sit down to eat. It's so hard to describe. I am happy that I am finally able to drink more liquid without such an effort. That's a definite plus!

I am also having a hard time with artificial sweetners. They leave a really bad taste in my mouth. I used to have them in my drinks all the time. It's interesting how your taste buds change. All the things I think I would like leave me unsatisfied.

I had to buy a pair of sweatpants (I am buying cheap until I lose more) and I am in a large 12/14! Before the surgery I was in a tight 16! My husband keeps complimenting how great I look. He says my face and eyes look so bright. He even called me his tiny dancer! I never thought I would hear "tiny" used to describe any part of me! Best part is, I am only a month out! I can't wait to see how he reacts when I get to my goal weight!

Well, I am happy to report that after a good nights sleep, I am feeling much better. I am not sure why I was having such a rough time but maybe I just needed to go back to full liquids for a day to let my body catch up? I do take Pepcid and I also have Zantac. Pepcid seems to work the best for me. I think I will just stay on a full liquid diet for another day just to be sure. The nausea is gone. So that's a definite plus!

Thank you Cheri! I hope to be at your weight one day!

I will see how I feel tomorrow when I wake up. Maybe I am just exhausted? I have not slept well for the past 2 nights. Crossing my fingers for a better day tomorrow! If not, I will be making a phone call!

Thank you PreciousCargo & Afro_Cyster! I started taking the nausea meds. I started feeling really bad after I had what I would consider my first real BM (sorry TMI). It was absolutely awful. But I swear I have been struggling since.

I have been trying to push fluids today and went back to a full liquid diet today. Hopefully, that will work. I don't think I am dehydrated because I have been drinking the recommended Fluid intake. I just feel like I am taking 2 steps back. My energy level is zilch!

Hi all, I have been fighting some intense nausea for the past couple of days. What is that all about?! No vomiting but I am having a hard time eating. This just came out of the blue. Help!

That is amazing! Congrats!