DougNichols

What would you recommend I add to chicken broth from the store, to make it not-so-nasty by itself? I tried shrimp ramen packet, and that was pretty good. Any other ideas? Need to stay liquid only for the first 3 weeks after surgery, and seeking some flavor.

My date is 1/31, so I'm just barely getting in on this January thread.

I'm all SlimFast shakes + one meal per day. And I'm not losing any weight, despite 45 mins aerobics 3x week. This sucks, I'm starving.

Good luck! I hope all goes well.

Oh my - in one sitting? That's my total for the day right now.

My guide says "flavored Water is ok", so I'm wondering about carbonated flavored water as well. For those on a SlimFast liquid diet + one real meal per day (5 oz meat, 2 cups veggies). thanks!

I'm feeling REALLY weak and almost sick. I want to workout, but there's no way, I'd pass out on the machine. Does this get better, or stays like this for all 4 weeks until surgery?

Yes, they are. The surgeon's sheet says "1200 calories, 120gm carbs -> lose 5% of starting weight" So apparently carbs don't matter that much.

It's liquid! Up to 5 high Protein SlimFast shakes (I'm using powder + milk, cheaper and you get more liquid) One meal = 5 oz lean meat + 2 cups veggies FatSecret says I'm consuming 1200 cals. I'm doing 1 shake for Breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, then Dickeys BBQ brisket platter with double green Beans at 4pm. I toss the bread and sauce into the trash. Then another shake at 8pm, go to bed at midnight. I'll keep my FatSecret logs updated every day from now on.

Well my BMI is over 50, therefore I qualify for an unheard of FOUR WEEK pre-op diet. Looks like I'm purchasing a lot more Slimfast shakes from Amazon, plus more Protein drinks! I'm also starting a YouTube journal, will post a link once I get it up and running.

Thin Women, Big Men Make More Money

What Aetna plan do you have? What's the formal name on their site of it? You should have an out of pocket maximum for the year. You should not pay over that amount, no matter what the total surgery cost was. Sounds like you need to work out with the insurance why you exceeded that number.

I would have ripped the waitress a new one, called the manager over and let him rip her another new one. Then demonstrated how cheap *I* was by not leaving a tip.

Aetna just approved me. WIN. Now one more visit to the surgeon to see "if I need any tests", then I'm sleeved end of January sometime.

That's just insane.

That was the night at the clinic, alone. Doctor's consult afterwards was different. I think they tossed a high number at the insurance company, to see what they would pay.

That's gotta be a ripoff, but it's appearing in my insurance claims. What did everybody else's sleep study charge their insurance providers?

Every Aetna story has them approving within a couple of days. I called, and they said they are "reviewing", yet I've heard nothing for a solid week. So it's probably one guy, who's on vacation for the remainder of this year? I'm impatient!

Grats! Skipping food for Christmas day (and drinking on New Year's Eve) is a small price to pay for a new life.

According to my nutritionist and surgeon's office, the nutritionist does ALL OF THOSE THINGS. Which makes no sense, I know. My nut only spends like 10 minutes with me every visit, asking if I exercised and reviewing my meals.

Did they say he works out 2.5 hours PER DAY? Wow.

Can I drive home after the 24 hours, or still need to have someone else drive me? What's your condition after the full day at the hospital?

I was told the expensive CPAP machine was OPTIONAL for surgery, and OPTIONAL for daily use. During surgery, the anesthesiologist will just "make some adjustments" which eliminates the need for the machine. And of course after surgery once you've dropped weight, your sleep apnea will probably vanish. Are you sleeping fine without it? If so, call your surgeon and see if your answer is the same as mine. Which will save you some cash.

Several people have recommended a heating pad too, which helps. Thanks for the great recommendations! I had not heard about the mouth swabs.

Do it! I'm 5'10" and about your weight. Currently jumping through all the insurance hoops, surgery probably late December or early January. Good luck, it'll change your whole life!