LilMissDiva Irene

Here is a link to a list: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-surgery-thread/

Good morning fellow Septembarians... LOL Um yeah... @ Cherice, Rock ON!!!! Wow you are losing amazing stats every single week, especially for you being so close to goal!!! I hope that as time goes on and I'm getting better at doing what I know is best for my BOD I can keep up with ya!!! You're going to hit goal very soon - and we'll all be here to help you CELEBRATE!!! @ Meri, Welcome!!! I love to check in with all the folks who were sleeved around the same time as me. It really keeps me motivated, and hopefully it will do the same for you. Good luck!!! @ Julia, please don't worry about the scale. I'm very positive it's only Water. If you're doing the right things it can't be anything else. Maybe try bumping up your water intake? I've gone up to 100 oz per day on the days I do my workouts. I also drink lots of water during my workouts too. I want all those poofed out fat cells to go right down the tubes!!! LOL!!! Hugs - I know you'll post a very good week next week - you are amazing at what you do!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well for myself - I seem to lose really good right after weigh day but stall out for a few days until Wednesday. What kind of justice is that??? LOL No matter I'll take it. I'm also going to make sure I'm not weighing in more than twice per week again. I really try to follow this rule - but as I was approaching some really huge milestones I found myself getting a little bit obsessive with it. So, back under the bed the scale goes. Tataaa!! This week I am down to 226 Lbs - and officially official, I weigh less than I ever did with my Lap Band. LG!!! That's 9 Lbs in 2 weeks... yay!!! Last Week: 229.8 Lost from Last Week: -3.8 Lost from Surgery Day: -46 Lost from Pre Op Diet: -55 Lost from Highest Ever: -104 Pounds until my BIG GOAL: 72 I have a new Mini Goal in place!! That will be a fun one. My husband said he's going to let me pass him up (Yayyy!!!) then he's gonna get on the ball. He said he has to keep up with his young, fit Wife... Heee!! Good luck for next week all!!! I'm going to work hard and do my best to continue seeing a worthy loss every week.

I think you're doing good, and shaking things up a bit to hopefully break a stall is the best thing (it's always worked for me). I hope it works out for you! You're very close to goal too, so I guess as they say it gets harder as you get closer. You'll get it!!! It's almost getting to be the warmer sunnier weather too, that always wakes me up from the long winters nap!!! Whoooottt!!

Hi Lynn, welcome to VST!! Glad you could join in! I'm not sure I can answer your particular question regarding your Insurance, but I do hope someone out there on the boards can. We have many folks who have had their surgeries funded in many different ways. All the best to you on your journey! The sleeve is so worth the wait!

Hi Golfbuddy, Welcome to VST!!! Though I'm not sure about your particular Insurance Provider - and I do hope someone with CIGNA will chime in to help out, I just wanted to say I do hope it all works out. One thing I wanted to point out is you mentioned your Dr. had you on Meridia. Is there any way your PCP can pull up records with that? I would think that would be considered Medical proof for some amount of time you had tried to lose weight. Just a thought. Let us know how everything works out!

Yay Sarah!!! I don't think doing the 5 day pouch test will hurt your sleeve at all. It's actually just the Post Op diet crunched into 5 days instead of 4 weeks. You can do it!!! Let us know how it goes, and definitely let us know when you hit your halfway to goal, goal!!!

What an excellent story!! Congrats to both of you, and thank you so much for sharing. It's nice to hear how folks futher on the line out are doing. Yay!!!! Two more for the success camp!!!

Good luck! I've been working on my 5K as well. Like coops, I hope by the time the weather gets nice again I'll be fully able to do my jogs outside.

@ natalie, that was a very good post! Thank you for opening this up to us, because I think there may be a lot more like us out there. The initial desire to want to help, but aggravation toward those that scoffed the surgery and then to make an about face simply because they don't want to be "fatter". Namaste!! @ thin - I too am going through this. I'm losing weight very rapidly and I don't think there is one person that knows me now that hasn't commented. They've all been kind, but they also seem to pat their bellies and say - "yeah I need to lose a few myself". I know of a few gals here who are taking action, but I just encourage them. I of course know what the outcome will be, but I don't say anything. Only 3 people here know I'm even sleeved.

I'm hoping for you too, to have the insurance cover it. If not - at least you have your options mapped out. Good luck!!! You will soon have your sleeve and on your way to a thinner, happier and healthier you!!!

I think being a little scared before any major surgery is completely normal and should be expected. I'm wishing you all the success in a quick and fast and of course safe recovery. Hang in there... the time will go very fast.

Wow that is really great info, thanks for sharing. I guess with anything it really boils down to what I think works best for me. I happen to agree with these articles and that I really do burn more fat while doing my morning workout in a fasting state. When I'm doing my routines this way, I do lose weight faster. I do about an hour in the morning and about an hour to an 90 minutes at night - but for that I do have a low carb Protein shake before starting. I don't seem to have as much energy for my night time workout - so I do have a little something before. For some reason though I think I get the most out of my AM workout.

Well congrats on that 6 Lbs loss!!! That is really great!!! Even though I don't think an average loss of 2-3 Lbs per week is bad in the least... But it really matters what YOU think. Keep up the good work!! You will see your goal in no time!!!

I was one who used to only weigh once or twice per week. But recently I have been getting really close to some major goals that I've been working on for so long - so I'd been finding myself weighing every single day. My Hubby is getting annoyed with it - and says I'm not supposed to be doing it, but I do it anyway. He's right though, I really shouldn't. When the scale says something I don't like I get moody. Well now that I've seen what I've wanted for the longest time, I need to stop getting on it every day and go back to regular routine. Yah well - I'll at least try, its a hard habit to break. Good luck all!!! It really is better to not weigh every day. Celebrate ALL the good that comes during weight loss!!! Congrats to you My New Life!

@Susanne - what an amazing NSV!!! LOL I bet you were just like... - at least that's how I do when I realize I'm doing something for the first time in a long time. Whoohooo!!!! Continue to rock that sleeve lady!!! @ Jane - that's so funny you mention a booty that you can rest a plate on. I was talking to a lady this weekend that mentioned a butt and called it a "shelf". OMG -- I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!! LOL!! Now, she's the nicest lady so I know she meant no harm, in fact she said it that way to avoid just saying "fat butt"... haaa!!!

Oh wow whooohoooo!!!! An itsy bitsy (at least to me) Medium - you rock that sweatshirt lady!!!!

The whole head hunger thing can happen to you no matter what type surgery you get - and I have the sleeve, so I'll just chime in here quickly. Do not be overly afraid of this. I have had head hunger many many times, it does win sometimes, but most of the time I'm able to squash it and move on. My stomach can't hold hardly enough food for me to actually worry about it too much. Sometimes I can ignore it and it just goes away, there have been a few times though that my head hunger has won. Those are usually the times I know it's close to "that time" and it's not as easy to just not do it. Don't let this keep you from doing what you feel in your heart is the best thing for you and will get you to where you have been wanting to be. Slim and healthy!!

That is great, congrats to you!!! I know I love my sleeve for sure!! I want it to be my Valentine...

WHooot!!! Sounded like a very good appointment! Heehee!! You go wit your bad self!! Congratulations!

I've just overcame a three week stall that irked me so bad! Yes I was happy for the weight I'd lost to date, but I really don't think my body type is one that should have long stalls. So, when I go a third week and no loss, I investigate everything I'm eating/drinking and how much, when and how its all prepared and I re-evaluate my workout routine. I tweak it to fine tune to what I know works for me and it seems to get things moving back in the right direction. Losing weight comes with a lot of patience and getting to know your body. You have to find what works the best for you and continue to do that through to the end. Logging your food and writing down a certain routine for workouts (if you workout - not everyone does) so you keep track of what you are doing. If you are still stalled, try changing some things or trying new ways. Good luck!

Whoohooo!!!! Congrats on your new sleeve and your cousin as well!!

Sorry I didn't even read your post before posting what I did. Most of the time when it comes to carbs I don't usually because what I follow and others follow are very different. My whole meaning behind what I wrote is that everyone's body responds differently to carbs and even different types of carbs. I was only answering the OP's question. Some don't do well with it and can gain weight just by smelling it. Others can eat it all day and not gain an ounce. I'm more in between - I can tolerate some but too much (and certain types, such as corn) can have a negative effect on me. However super low carbs doesn't do me any favors either and can slow down my metabolism by a lot. It all comes down to each one of us has to find what works well with our individual bodies and what doesn't. If it doesn't work, well... then I say don't do it. If it does work great for you, then that's what you should do (as long as it is healthy!) It goes back to that old theory: If everyone was jumping off a bridge, would you do it too? Hugs!!!

Is it the "bezoar" you're talking about? There is a thread here about it... its very informative and should be read by all here.

Yes and no - there are good carbs (complex & fiber) and there a bad carbs (empty & sugar). I eat carbs if they are good, but really only a few bites per meal. Most of the room I reserve in my tiny stomach is for proteins and some veggies (which are considered carbs too). They make me feel good, keep me full of energy and staying well balanced just keeps me healthy over all. I do not count eat carb gram as I only have so much time in my day and I'm already logging my food. Whatever I'm doing right now is working really well for me as I've lost about 10 Lbs in the last 2 weeks. If I stray from what I know works, my weight stalls. Yes, this includes limiting my carbs to the extreme. Every BODY is different! Study the difference, and if you need some carbs, choose the good ones. Of course you should always follow your Dr.s advice!! If he says no carbs, then thats what you should do, or have a talk with him and present your side. You have to come with facts though.

I found those manual analog scales can be bumped off course every single time you step off it. Good luck trying to get it to even read zero. I chose the Taylor digital scale and bought it from Target for less than 30 bucks. It's not got all that fancy stuff - just tells me how much I weigh. I take it for what it is because it always says what my Dr's office scale says and she's got one of those Detecto Scales. Good luck!