Donna4545

Here's another one I found, for cheeses. Calories in Mozarella Cheese - Calorie Charts

Somebody sent me their mailing address so the broth is spoken for now.

I got the Richard Simmons box set, too, but I'm waiting until I'm cleared for exercise before I start it--it's a little more strenuous. DVDs are a godsend--it means I don't have to go to the gym, which I absolutely hate.

My surgeon does 4 leak tests-2 during surgery and 2 after. He's got a zero complication rate, and it probably has something to do with that thoroughness. I'm sure everybody gets by with what they've had just fine, but those 4 leak tests gave me great peace of mind, and it was well worth it to have a drain in for one day.

I'm starting my 4th week out of surgery, and have hit the dreaded 3 week stall as I transitioned to soft solid foods. I looked at my calories eater vs. calories burned ratio for the past 2 weeks on fitday.com and saw that I'm burning 20% less calories since starting solid foods. I'm not yet cleared for any exercise but walking, but clearly something had to be done. I don't like walking in the mall, the neighborhood, anywhere. I cant stand walking without a destination. I am so out of shape walking is about all I can do, though. I found a walking DVD and tried it out this morining, and it solves my problem completely. It is a 30 workout by walking that burns calories equivalent to a 3 mile walk. If anyone else is in my situation, here is the info: Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home: 3 Mile Slim & Sleek Walk DVD It wasn't too hard for me, which means it isn't too hard for anyone lol, and is a great way to ease into exercise when you're heavy and out of shape. I plan to do it every morning before my shower.

Oops, just realized I misread your name, and it's not Beth but wanttoBETHin lol--anway, PM me your mailing address!

Hi Beth- This is for your post-op clears phase, so don't use them during your pre-op diet. Just send me a PM with your mailing address and I'll get them mailed to you. Good luck with your surgery! Donna

Good luck! It sounds like they really make you jump through hoops! Let us know what happened. I would check with the insurance company a week after the papers are submitted. That's how long it took BCBS to approve mine.

My mom was very against my surgery--until after I had it. Now SHE wants it! The reason she was against it was because she remembered all the early Gastric Bypass horror stories from the 1980s, and was under the impression that my intestines were being re-routed. There were a few key facts that calmed her down: 1. Surgical risk is no different from having your gallbladder out (very low) 2. My doctor had a zero complication rate 3. They are just making my stomach smaller, nothing else Now that she sees that I've done just fine after surgery, she's way more accepting. And with the weight loss, she keeps bringing up her own problems losing weight, and has hinted that she's like to have it done. Don't give up--people can change their minds. They're against it because they don't know about it, and fear of the unknown is pretty strong. Educate them and they'll probably come along. Good luck!

Although I lived in LA for years, I couldn't get through the Kaiser process, so it wasn't at a Kaiser. I live in North Dakota now, and my surgery was at St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck. I really did feel good after surgery; there were no problems at all. Even being the hospital was fine. It sounds weird to say this, but my surgery was actually a really good experience. So don't be scared. Part of what made it such a good experience was the staff's expertise with bariatric patients. For example, ask for a scopolamine patch behind your ear to prevent nausea (ask when the anasthesiologist comes to see you), which is a common post-op complaint, and totally unnecessary. Walk around, sip you fluids when they let you, sleep on your back, and you will do fine.

I think 3 days in the hospital isn't needed unless you have large incision surgery. I stayed overnight, went home the next afternoon, and felt fine throughout. Everyone is different on this account, but if things go well you have just as much of a chance of feeling just fine, like me, so don't go into prepared to be miserable.

I got a bunch of stuff at once, so I got free shipping--didn't think about that. I like vitacost.com too because they have 4.99 shipping no matter what size order, but they don't carry the syrups.

I still get hungry--not "head" cravings, but actual hungry rumblies and a feeing of emptiness. Starting my 4th week out I can eat 1 cup of soft solids--I hope that's not too much. After that I stay full for a long time. I've found that drinking crystal lite pretty much all the time between meals helps.

I would check with the clinic to see if they will allow you to wear a gown other than theirs for surgery.

You aren't losing a stomach you are gaining a healthy lifestyle that will FORCE you to eat more reasonably.

I have a few packets of

I had a drain so that they could do the leak test, and I'm glad they did. I would rather have that extra "safety step", and having it in is really no big deal. They took it out before I left the hospital. I also had the radiology leak test where you swallow stuff before they discharged me. I appreciated the thoroughness of the surgeon in using the drain.

When I need protein/calories and I'm busy, I'll just have an RTD Protein drink or shake. It keeps the calories from creeping up. Plus, fast food is really expensive (it starts to add up) and made from the lowest quality ingredients they can get away with. 90% or more lean ground beef is just as healthy as ground turkey. I found a great chart for comparison of protein/carbs/fat: How Much Protein Content is in chicken, Steak, Seafood, eggs? Hot dogs are a bad idea unless you can find them without nitrites, and additive which is bad for you. I'm a big fan of quick and easy--I'm starting to post soft food recipes on my blog (link below ticker) and the leftovers can be taken to work/frozen/modified to feed the family. What do you put in your coffee? Is it real cream? (200 cal tbsp); half and half (100 cal per tbsp). Take a look at the calories on your creamer, it could be "hidden calories". I have a "no fast food" rule. If I ever have to go to fast food, I would try to get something like grilled chicken. I know we're busy, but we can't eat like we did pre-op, we have to find ways to adjust. It's a pain in the ass, and it takes effort but we have to find a way. I think the suggestions here are a good example of that. On the stretchy stomach, in my researching it, what I remember is that at the 2 year point, after the stomach is thoroughly healed, and even though it is the least stretchy part of the stomach, you can still stretch it if you push it. You can also stretch it early out, which is really bad because it puts pressure on the staple line. Just do a google on "vertical sleeve gastrectomy stomach stretch" and you should find some medical articles.

When cooking from scratch at home, this chart is coming in very handy: How Much Protein Content is in chicken, Steak, Seafood, eggs?

People are obese for different reasons. I think the biggest reason is sedentary lifestyle, car culture, and American food culture. Then there a subset of people who have been sexually abused, traumatized by other people's reactions to obesity, traumatized sexually or emotionally. The mental health community seems obsessed with the idea that all overweight people have been abused, are emotional eaters, or are re-enacting some form of trauma on themselves. There are people like that, and I have sympathy for them as they have double the work to do to get healthy. But I get so tired of the questions from mental health professionals in that direction. I got fat the old fashioned way: I was raised in American food culture, and put on weight until I became insulin resistant and couldn't get it off. I don't hate myself. I don't absorb other people's contempt for fat people. I'm generally optimistic. I don't have eating disorders. In fact, what I probably need is a therapy for dealing with therapists. What I need is support for the changes in lifestyle habits, making new habit patterns, getting things done--practical stuff. Just a little support on making the transition from bad eating habits to good eating habits. I wish I could find a therapist who understood that.

I was 300 lbs when I was in Europe and was able to fit in the smaller seat, and for some reason I didn't need a seatbelt extension like I do the in the US. You'll be fine.

Did they give you an exact reason why they turned you down? If so, maybe you can find grounds to appeal. If you can establish medical necessity, you will probably win.

It would be a co-morbidity. I had it once, and they gave me gel inserts to put put in my shoes to cushion the heel. Mine went away on its own after a couple of months, and I don't wear the inserts any more. It comes from strain/weight on the heel while walking or jumping around. You should tell your doc anyway, though, just because it's good policy. I don't think it'll make a difference in your surgery.

Well, I'll tell you this much.My insurance covers plastic surgery for the reason of "correcting a congenital abnormality". I have one of those that I never fixed because I always wanted to wait until I lost weight. The purpose of the documentation now is to show the breasts are like that BEFORE WLS weight loss, so they can't say the abnormality is a result of WLS. The changes due to WLS won't be relevant, and I'll get my boob job covered, which will correct whatever WLS-caused issues in the process of correcting the "congenital abnormality". So like I said, it's a unique situation, and not very many people are going to qualify for a post-WLS boob job this way. At least something good came out of my abnormality!

LOL--I did the happy dance too when I got my date. Congrats! See my blog archives (link below ticker), there might be some useful stuff in there for you, and there are links to other VSG blogs.