MichiganChic

I like mine hot, black, and strong, first thing in the morning. Right now I'm drinking a breakfast blend pod. I used to order my beans from a coffee roaster, grind just enough for a cup or two, and make my own pods for the Keurig. Again, hot, black, and strong. Ahhhh......love me some coffee. Sometimes I'll have some iced coffee, or chai latte tea, or other flavored coffee with a little bit of creamer later in the day, but I try to avoid that because it interferes with my full time job of taking vitamins.

It really depends on your policy. They are all different, but you can get your information by calling them. They will probably send you something in writing.

Purge! I just do it a little at a time. Right now I have a big pile that fell over in my bedroom, but I've taken four trips to the Goodwill and I'm getting down to nothing much but the few things I've bought to get me through. And I'm good with it I pray I never gain that weight back, but if I do, I still don't want to wear dated clothes - even if I am fat!

I had the same situation. My surgeon asked that same question. I listed every diet I had ever been on, and estimated for how long. They laughed at me because I had been on more than most. This probably is not for insurance at all, just information gathering for the surgeon. He/she wants to know your history. After that initial conversation with the dietician, it never came up again. My insurance did not require a waiting period or a supervised diet for me due to high BMI. I think the lower BMI people with the same insurance need 6 months of supervised diet, and I don't know when that would start, but my guess is that it's not retroactive (I'm guessing, I don't know). Just put down the best information you have, and the sugeons office will handle the certification. The insurance will dictate the hoops to jump through, if any, to be pre-certified. Even not requiring much of anything other than some lab work, xrays, and a psychological exam, it still was about 2 months from seminar to surgery.

Wow, thanks for sharing. As the mother of a thin, popular, cool kid, I can and have purchased clothing there, though I never liked the racy pictures and advertisement. My beautiful, cool, and NICE daughter deserves to be associated with better brands than that. I like Tom's shoes, for example. I'd much rather spend my money at a company like that, and also send a positive message to her, as well as have her portray that positive message to others. That article really sent a horrible image to my mind.

2 weeks of full liquids (shakes) totally 800-1000 calories a day. That was by far the hardest - much worse than the post op diet for me.

I think I can eat more than others, too. I don't make a habit of it, but I can. I think my stomach has been pretty much healed and no swelling since about 2-3 months. I'm hoping I don't continue to experience less restriction. I also still have hunger. However - compared to pre-surgery, there is no comparison. I could have easily eaten 4 cups before (maybe more, never measured like that) and could eat all day long, and had some kind of a crazy drive to eat. Now, I am good with eating small amounts, my hunger is certainly manageable, and I'm learning not to graze. All those things combined will make the difference over the long run!

I think it is normal. You lost 24 pounds quickly, now your body has to recover (or something, I don't know what it actually does, lol). Seriously, you can only hang on to weight for so long until your body will start to burn stored fat for energy. I had a couple of weeks where I lost nothing. I lose a little at a time, and it all adds up, and averages out. It's an unrealistic expectation that we will sustain a super rapid loss. I know that some people do, but I think that's exception. Having a realistic expectation is half the battle in this process. I admit that I did not have realistic expectations at first, and thought I could/should continue losing .5-1 pound a day. Now that I have accepted that it can't happen, I'm a lot less irritated!

I'm 4 months out, and doing pretty well in general. But I just had a visit from the demon from hell......the closet eater inner self! I have the house to myself, and for some reason, as soon as I realized it, the thing that came to my mind was "I wonder what I can eat?" I even started to think about was might be available before I realized what was going on. I was a closet eating grazer before surgery. Must be why my kids couldn't figure out why I was so heavy - I was super effective at it. Anyway, I've been a model post VSG citizen, and I have not grazed at all, but I could. I knew this day would come, and I know it will again. I think grazing is more than just a habit, so changing my habits isn't going to fix this one. It's going to take a lot of will power to fight it. I'm interested in how others conquer this one?

Hi, thanks for checking back. For some reason, I never saw all the other responses on this thread, but I was happy to see others with the same issue. As I read my original post, I remembered that day. I did OK that day, and for the most part, I do on most days. I am finding some are more difficult than others. I still want to be a stress eater....so I avoid stress. I'm surprised at how I've learned to just let things go instead of perseverating on it. I wish I had been able to do that before, but I couldn't. I also hope this is a new skill, as opposed to just having less stress now . I know that this is going to be a lifelong struggle. It's how I'm wired. I will say that head hunger is powerful and real, but it's no where near as bad as it was before surgery. I do have physical hunger, but it's greatly diminished and very manageable, so I think that makes it a little easier to combat the head hunger. Before, I had both things working against me. I always knew I had great will power, so I was mystified that I couldn't control my eating. I really think the surgery has dealt with the physical issues enough that it allows ME to deal with the mental issues. So, that's where I am today. I hope I can say the same thing in another 5 months or 5 years! I'm a little wary of thinking I've conquered this because I have failed at this my entire life, and I think it's too soon to declare victory. I'm very happy so far

Wow, great job! Lookin good.

At 4.5 months out, I can order what looks like a normal meal (though it might be an appetizer), and eat it slow, take most of it home, or share it with my husband, and no one is the wiser. But as far as feeling different from other people, I felt like that before surgery because I could eat all of whatever it was. Now, I think I feel more like other people because I eat less.

I wore them home from the hospital. For some reason, I never had much incisional or abdominal pain.

Right after surgery, my sense of smell was just like it was when I was pregnant, and I'm too old for that, lol. Now, 4.5 months later, it's still more sensitive than before surgery. In fact, I thought the ground turkey I was cooking was bad, so I pitched it and went and got more...and the new stuff smells the same, but I know it's not bad.

Wow, Sannah, what a wild (not in a good way ) ride you've had! Sorry to hear you still have issues, but so happy to hear your positive approach. Some day, all this really will be behind you....just gotta make it through to the other side. Regards.

Wow, that's phenominal! Yay for you!

LOL, I will never drink pop again, though I never drank soda since I'm from the midwest. And in Michigan, we sit on the couch, though I do a lot less of that since I got my new tool I think they sit on davenports in Ohio

Beautiful face (before and after) and super cute nose. I can see the difference, and I'll bet you continue to see changes as you get to goal.

Wow, that's scary! You hit the nail on the head, fat people have higher surgical risk, in general. So sad someone died on the table! When you see it first hand, it really does give a whole new meaning, doesn't it? I just don't think there is any way to communicate to people that while the overall risk is low, when you fall into the 1% category, it's suddenly 100% YOU! I'm an RN, have worked in surgery, and fully understood all of it, yet, when I decided to do this, even I kind of glossed over that fact. I'm also very thankful to be one of the lucky ones. Glad you are OK, too.

You rock, great post!

Aussie, so sorry to hear about the recent loss of your dad. I agree, this is a big ol' surgery, and more importantly, it's a life changer...it can be good or bad, depending on how you adjust to it and manage it.

Thanks for posting. Nice, easy read, and I think right on the money.

Fage 0% greek yogurt is my favorite. The others already covered the sugar aspect, but it is really high in protein, though it's thick, so you'll probably need to wait till you are at the full liquid stage. I still find it very filling at 4.5 months out.

My advice is to fully understand the procedure and the aftercare, as well as the lifelong changes that must accompany the surgery in order for it to be successful. I especially urge you to condiser the potential complications, which you can get a pretty true understanding of by searching the complications forum on this site. Once you've done that, put yourself in the shoes of someone who lived it. You really need to decide to what your risk tolerance is. Really serious things can happen, even if it is only a small percent of the time, but if you happen to fall into that category, the complication is 100% yours. It sounds like you've witnessed firsthand a less than perfect outcome with your aunt, so you already have some firsthand knowledge of it. One other thing I'd like to say is that while gastric sleeve does not reroute your intestines, it is still just as invasive. It's a major surgey, complete with all the risks of any major surgery. Not trying to dissuade you at all, just giving practical advice. For me, the risk was worth the benefit. I did have a minor complication (infection) and it quickly made me realize that while that risk is low, when it happens, you are the one stuck with it. I'm almost 5 months out, and I'm happy I made this decision. For me, it was hope to avoid obesity related complications and hope at a better life. I don't know what the future holds, but it is promising!

Try a new battery. When that happens to me, I take the number I get twice. I always want it to be the lowest too.