DanaInNewOrleans

Are doing something else in place of the shakes? I already don't like anything too sweet so I'm guessing this will affect me too.

Hi Raven, Yep, what I want most is to be basically invisible. Sounds crazy but I just want to blend in and no longer stand out.... My 90 days is up Nov 13 and I'm hoping for surgery at the end of November but that may be pushing it because of Thanksgiving. I wish I would have come to this decision a few months sooner.... My husband is from New York City and we are going to spend Christimas with his family. My in laws have not seen me since I've gained 40 pounds and I'm sick over having to see them even fatter than I was before.

I'm laughing out loud at your post! As far as I'm concerned they can take my stomach and burn it...hell, I think having a little ceremonial burn right there in the OR would be great. That damn thing has been the bane of my life.. I finally came to the realization that I cannot do it on my own. I have literally tried for 40 years. I just want an opportunity to live a normal life -- not just living physically a normal life but mentally normal too. Every one of my thoughts and decisions is filtered through my FAT. I can't take it anymore...I just want to be normal.

This is such a great post!! I'm looking forward to all the responses!! Thanks Dave

I'm in the middle of my 90 day Aetna Pre-Op requirement. I'm starting to feel maybe I'm kidding myself. Here are some of the questions I'm asking myself..... did some of you who had a BMI over say 45 (I'm a 46 BMI) feel similar? Why oh why would this work for you.... you are just fooling yourself if you believe this will work for YOU. Yeah, it works for them but they must not be as screwed up as you or they must have more willpower. They have SOMETHING that YOU don't. Do you reaaaallly think you'll lose enough weight to be normal? Come on, Dana...get real -- that is a pipe dream... You've been morbidly obese most of life...you think suddenly you're going to be riding a bike and hiking, swimming and playing tennis? HA! NAUSEA: I'm highly prone to nausea and I am scared to death that I will have to live with is 24hours a day and I really think I'd rather be fat than live with nausea. I'm not really concerned about the actual risks of surgery. I'm worried about being a failure and I'm extremely worried about nausea. And I am worried about how I'm going to get down the required Protein shakes.... Pain I can handle.

I just added a drop of almond extract to my Prescriptfit vanilla shake. My doc wants everyone to start on a diet plan before surgery. There were two to chose from -- My Weight and Prescriptfit. I chose Pres.criptfit because I already had two full containers ( at like $40 each) when I tried them 2 years ago. I'm a sales rep and the surgery group I'm using was my client so I was in the office all the time and decided to give Prescriptfit a chance. The flavor is not bad --- it the disgusting foaminess and sliminess. I tried adding 1/4 of a banana and I used Soy Slender instead of Water hoping that it would help the texture ( didn't help much). I think on my next appointment with the NUT I'm just going to have to tell her I will stick to a diet before surgery but it will have to be using Atkins shakes and Protein Bars. They have as much protein as the Prescriptfit. Prescriptfit's claim to fame apparently is it has a ton of amino acids as well as protein. The actual diet is 4 shakes a day and 1 food only (veggies, chicken, seafood, etc) for a week, then you pick another food for another week....and so on.

Yeah, that's what I thought! Darn!

lol... guess what? You're right! She is overweight!

This is definitely what she meant but my question to her (which she didn't really address) was what about the people who have to lose say 200 pounds -- is it reasonable to think they will lose 200 pounds in one year? I'm sure weight loss continues. I didn't mean to imply that I thought she meant," ok, year is over, you're done" I just was surprised that she came at it from almost a negative position instead of saying, hey the first year is where you will have the most success so lets make sure you get the most bang for your buck.

Does this mean the powder doesn't have any flavor -- (ie, not as gross) or does it mean it still tastes gross but it is just not a flavored gross?

First nutritionist appointment yesterday -- she was very nice and informative however she said something that kind of took me by surprise. She was looking at my stats -- weight, BMI.... She says ok, "lets see, you have one year to get 100 pounds off". I said yeah, that would be great. Then she says ." you only have a year to do this. This doesn't go on indefinitely, you only have about a year. After that, pretty much where you are is where you are going to stay". I must have had a surprised look on my face because she said again, kind of scolding --- "Yes, you have about a year do get off as much as you can because after that is where you'll stay". That is not the impression I've gotten from VST. I would say, yes, the majority of people lose the majority of their weight in the first year-- that makes sense, but there are many that are still losing after a year. Right? She was also very dramatic when I mentioned I was dreading the pureed/mushy. She said. "we're not doing anything to your teeth -- YOU CHEW" I do not want you pureeing food and only eating mush. I want you to CHEW your food until it is soft. And I DO NOT want you eating baby food, for Gods sake. All these people come here and say their pureering food - ridiculous! They need to use their teeth!" Thoughts? Dana

Is it my imagination that it seems like the guys here have an easier time as far as common complications after surgery? Maybe it's just because there are less guys here...lol.... but it seems like most say it was a piece of cake ( probably not a good analogy huh?) I don't hear them complaining much of nausea or pain. And they don't seem as food specific sensitive. Seems like they're running around quickly too.

I have a feeling based on my track record that I will be a slower loser than many here. I've just got to prepare myself and try not to compare --- that is where the disappointment comes in. Think about it -- if you had lost 79 pounds in a vacuum with no one else to compare to you would be ecstatic right?

I was thinking the same thing Cheri! 79 pounds is wonderful!!

When people talk about being in pain after they eat something...exactly what type of pain? Heartburn type, gas type, gall bladder type, heart attack type....LOL just trying to get an idea...

I second that Cheri!

I was just thinking about asking this same question! What is a concern to me is can it fail even if you follow the plan? I guess my fear is this.... I lost 160lbs doing low carb....over the last 5 years or so I've gained back 60-70lbs (depends on the month). I've never discontinued a low carb life. For the most part carbs are not a part of my life. I'm not saying that I didn't cheat here and there but I'm serious when I say that rice, Pasta, bread, potatoes are not a part of my everyday life..... I went back to very strict atkins...did not lose a pound. Decided ok, maybe by body has just become immune to atkins for losing weight because I've been doing low carb for over 10 years. So I tried Weight Watchers... I GAINED WEIGHT ON WEIGHT WATCHERS. Which I'm sure was because my body was sucking up those carbs like crazy because I had been on low carb for long. So, after that looong introduction to my question..... I'm concerned that my body has adjusted to low carb and less calories ( although I averaged 1400-1600 calories not the 600-800 calories with the sleeve) and that the surgery will not have much bang. I asked my surgeon and he said no, that this surgery completely resets " set points". He explained a little bit but I guess I'm still concerned. One of husband Jay's main concerns is that I will go through this as a " a last chance/resort and what if it doesn't work -- you will be crushed. And then what?" Also, I'm concerned that such low calories will screw up my metabolism even more. Anyone have any insight on this? Thanks!

I would run not walk to another psychiatrist for another opinion. Also, in my AETNA bariatric policy criteria it states that depression in and of itself is not a reason to deny the WLS. Maybe your policy states something similar. I would also send in an appeal based on the fact that your long term psychiatrist should be considered the expert on HIS PATIENT when it comes to mental status issues. And as far as the psyche labels go (" passive dependent") -- most of us walking around could be labeled something. It becomes a psyche issue when it becomes a debilitating factor in your life. Is this a current issue in your life? If so, maybe the surgery is not right AT THIS TIME. Also, being fat has been what has weighed on my life. I have always persevered but every single moment was a struggle due to self doubt and self loathing because of fat. I think it's tough not be labeled depressed when being fat filters every part of your thought process. I personally believe that depression should be considered one of the co-morbidities. How many morbidly obese people do you know who are not depressed at some level. I'm sure there are some who have healthy a self esteem and psyche but I think the majority are depressed and many who say they aren't are kidding themselves.

Hi, I'm so sorry you're feeling sad. I can imagine you're disappointed. I'm sure you were really looking forward to having someone to go through this process with. But you absolutely should not feel guilty!! You may have decided to do this together but you still had to come to your decision first. I would just let her know that you are there if she wants to talk about or if she changes her mind down the road you will be there to support and help her. I have a feeling that once you go through it and she sees your success she may very well change her mind....and then you can be her mentor!

Thanks Dez!

Ok, first I hate that word. It just sounds so crude and gross. And I know it is not referring to what actually comes to mind. But still.... gross I've seen a number of posters here sharing their "dumping" stories. The causes seem to be all over the map. It is subjective to each person? Is the only way to know is by trial and error? That seems pretty miserable. Is there a general rule of thumb? And does this last a lifetime with the sleeve? Will we ever be able to eat a scoop of ice cream in say, 2 years down the road?

Hello Dana????? Of course that is the reason, I just totally drew a blank! Thank you!

www.VST.com Oh my Gawd! I'm obsessed with this place! When I wake up, I'M HERE. When I should be emptying the dishwasher, I'M HERE. When I should be trying to read my Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies book, I'M HERE. When I should be doing paperwork, I'M HERE. When I should be sleeping, I'M HERE. When I'm out with friends, I'm thinking about being HERE. When I'm out having dinner with my husband, I'm thinking, soon I will not be able to eat this, uh oh-lets get home so I can be HERE.....and on and on..... I'm thinking VST will play a large part in my journey.... LOL

Good luck Lila! When is your surgery?

I'm thinking many people break this rule, right? I'm just curious about the actual medical reason for the restriction with the sleeve.