AmyinMI

Kari "Thanks for allowing me to introduce myself"
your welcome - but thanx for letting "us" meet you
Welcome aboard
Congrats to you and doc for coming to the wise conclusion to have the sleeve!!!!
best decision you ever made
you have so much to look forward to with your new best friend - the "sleeve"
health, happiness, and a longer life to enjoy both
glad your insurance approval went so smoothly
hope your DOS will be scheduled for "yesterday"!!!!
good for you doing all your research!!!!!
nerves and excitement are pre-requisites (msp?) for all soon to be sleevers!!!
these feelings will slowly increase as WLS approaches, but thats ok - we've all been there done that!!!!
I can see that you will be a great addition to our forum
Read all the posts, absorb all our "words of wisdom" and keep coming back with your questions
Welcome again NEWBIE

That's awesome! It's always so refreshing to see success stories. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of myself at a healthy weight!

I'll give you as much insight as I can on what I eat.But mind you this is what works for me. It may not be the same for you and also I can't tolerate a lot of food so I eat very little and it tends to be mushy. I listen to my sleeve as it tolerates this food best. I can eat solids but it tends to be way too heavy for me and unbearable at times.
I drink 52g of Protein in the morning with 2 scoops of Body fortress whey Protein shakes (I add Water, not milk) Then right after I drink 28 oz of Water
lunch maybe 4 spoonfuls of tuna fish (mayo, relish and shredded cheese in it)
30 min later Drink 28 oz
Hop on treadmill for no less than 45 min/ drinking water at the same time
snack may consist of 1/4c. cottage cheese, handful of honey roasted nuts or 1oz of block cheddar cheese.
Drinking 28 oz again
dinner might be chopped up veggies/meat mixture marinated in Italian dressing ( celery, onions, tomatoes,ground beef, corn and pinto beans) It may sound gross but it's delicious! And I add a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese to it.
Drink 28 oz again...
I hope this is helpful, because I'm not great at explaining things. But this is what a day looks like for me. There are days when I don't eat that. but this has been my staple for sometime now.
Once again I hope it helps

1. I always aim for 70+ grams of Protein.
2. 112 oz of Water everyday without fail!
3. Always make healthy food choices and 45 min of cardio 4-5 dys a week.
That's it. That's what I do.

I completely understand. I once wrote on here...I want to cry for her...that girl I see in the pictures....the old me...I feel so sad for her. I can see all the pain in her eyes. She feels like she trapped in a prison, which is in fact her own body.
I thank god every day for my new start in life!

You wont feel normal - you'll feel AMAZING!!!
I'm 10.5 months out - 107 pounds down - 5 lbs LOWER than my goal weight - and feel great!!

Thank you all for your encouraging words, I can't wait until I can for the first time in m life wear single digit clothes.. Lol.. I am staying positive and looking forward to all the great rewards.

At a year out and a size four I can tell you that you will be perfectly normal and happier than ever. I admit the first three months were not so great, but really it's a small price to pay for an amazing future. By 6-8 months I barely remembered the rough part. Now everything feels very normal only I don't crave or want anything. I don't eat much, but I'm very used to it and think in general portions are crazy huge. Best wishes, hang in there. Not only does it get better it gets amazing.

I regret nothing at all. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself in my entire life (another was getting rid of all of my credit cards).
Health issues are resolved. I move more easily, my balance has improved, my skin looks better, my attitude overall is more positive, I can shop in any store now.
I eat out frequently (due to work travel) and enjoy what I do eat, I have a glass of wine when I want, I can exercise longer, I feel lighter, I take more time with my appearance.
Yes, the first 8 weeks had a lot of rough spots, but it was SO worth it.

I'm near Detroit (western suburbs). I'll be sleeved on 2/27.

Hi!! Things are going ok...lol. I started my 2 weeks preop diet yesterday...it's been rough but i know it'll be worth it in the end! 2/26 is creeping up quick and im starting to get nervous! How are things with you?!

I'm in Michigan and have BCBS. My Bmi was 41 but no comorbidities. I had to do a 6 month weight loss program supervised by one of the bariatric doctors, meet with behaviorist, nut, and exercise physiologist. I'm 7 weeks out now. It was worth the wait.

You need to know if your company is subject to FMLA regulations. Get a copy of your handbook. Read it. If it doesn't say that it is, ask the HR person or personnel manager if it is.
My doctor wrote a letter stating the surgery was to treat a long list of conditons caused or worsened by obesity. Even though my insurance did not cover it, my job was protect by FMLA.
Don't confuse FMLA with how you get paid during this absence. FMLA provides job protection for up to 12 weeks in a certain period of time. The employer can require, under FMLA regulations, that you use sick and/or vacation time while you are off.
FMLA is a right. Know your rights. Exercise them.

Thanks for the positive encouragement everyone. Things went really well. I'm feeling relatively good . Just a lot of soreness in my stomach area...mysteriously...hehe. Hope everyone else who had surgery was today are doing great!

Leaving for the hospital soon. Totally nervous ! I am hoping to blog about my experiences.
???? Wish me luck! Thanks everyone!
Sent from my iPhone using VST

Sitting in the waiting room...waiting to be admitted. Feel like I could hurl! Keep fingers crossed for me. Good luck to everyone else who is having surgery today!

I know its a personal choice to tell or not . But can i say that had a Facebook friend not been open with me about how she lost the weight i wouldnt have looked into the surgery. Because of her honesty it gave me hope. And thats why im so open about it.

I told a few people - close family, couple of friends, and couple of co-workers I knew would be supportive. I didn't want to be the topic of anyone's conversation about my weight, or weight loss success or failure, or anything else for that matter. I've found that this type of information in the wrong hands can make you fodder for gossip. Sadly, some of my confidents felt at liberty to tell others....makes me mad/sad. Moral of the story - if you tell anyone, there is a risk that it will get out. I knew that in the back of my mind, and now I'm living it. Not really a huge deal, but I am irritated about it.

I, for some reason, feel like people are ashamed to tell more people about having WLS. It is not something to be ashamed of. Clearly people every day see us all overweight, struggling in our daily lives in one capacity or another. I, for one, am shouting it from the roof tops that I am making the biggest change of my life and getting on the road to a healthier me. I feel like people are either being phony or they are just too ashamed or afraid to open up and be honest about what is going on. Yes, some people are going to say negative things about you getting WLS, but SO WHAT. I have faced the same thing and just had to show them that I do not care what they think; I am going to do what is best for me and for my health. This surgery is going to be a life changer and it is going to bring back my vision.
I went to a support group a few weeks ago and people there were telling stories of how they would tell their friends and family that they had been working out more and changed their diets up when asked how they had lost so much weight. Why lie? Where is that going to get you? I would rather be honest and show them that I made a choice that I can stick with for life. Honesty has always been the best policy and I see no need to change that just to meet another human being's expectations of me.
My cousin, who was my babysitter growing up, just had WLS a little while ago. Our family treats her no differently than they do anyone else. At family gatherings they do not molly coddle her about what she eats or worry over whether or not they need to put certain foods away. Why would they? If you are willing to put your body through this surgery, you should be willing to have the will power to abstain from eating the foods or portions you know your body can't have. She is my surgery role model. I am so ecstatic that she is such and that we have such a supportive family behind us.
I'm sorry if this is offensive to anyone. I am tired of being "that girl" who let weight define her and keep her quiet for so long. All my life I have kept my opinions to myself because I wanted people to like me or be my friend, but now, I don't care anymore. I am shouting it out from the roof tops. Weight loss surgery is about to change my life forever!