Miss Mac

According to Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple, a fitness website bent toward primal eating (which is low carbs like our plans), a stall can be broken by either eating more and exercising more or eating less and exercising less.

I agree with JeanZ_RN. While I am fervently working toward my goal weight, carbs are not my friend. I try to keep them very low in the ketosis range, 20-30 grams per day. That's not much, but potatoes, noodles, rice, pastries, and bread is what got me into this mess in the first place. Since my doctor just raised my Protein requirement from 70 to 80 grams per day, there is even less room for carbs. I am not going hungry without carbs, and I still manage to have my 1/2 of a banana nearly every day.

That is not enough food or nutrition for my 3 year old granddaughter. I was an anorexic teen because I did not want to be 300-500 pounds like the rest of my family. It eventually caught up with me, but that's another story and why I had a sleeve. Anyway, my doc has limited me to 600-800 calories, which must MUST MUST include 80 grams of Protein. You had better believe I have gone back to tracking because I do not want to fall into that fear of food ever again. See a psychologist. You are wasting away and are succumbing to unhealthy patterns. This is all about being healthy and happy. Good luck, and let us know how you do.

Before my surgery, I could drink pop and tea all day long. I could drink 3 glasses of pop plus my meal at a restaurant, or a 2 liter while working on my computer or watching TV.......so I just put that energy into sipping my non-carbonated fluids throughout the day. And I keep Water by the bed for when I wake up at night I can drink some more. About when it feels like my eyeballs are floating, the doc raises my quantity from 64 ounces to 80. Help me....I'm drownnnnnnning

That's like one of the best landmark victories....and Onederland is coming up soon. Congratulations!

It seems like I am always looking for the Stall Whisperer. This last stall was seven weeks, for crying out loud! So......I took my Water from 64 up to 80 ounces, and the Bariatric Physician changed my calories from 800 down to 600 (which is where I was in my pre-op phase). Stall broken and I have lost three pounds in the last week. Man...we knew this was going to be work. Also, I am right on my four month mark, and the doc reminded me that it is my turn for the hair to start falling out. She STRONGLY EMPHASIZED to be dead-on serious about getting my Proteins and fluids in.

My largest incision hurt occasionally for about six weeks and then backed off.

Do you have anything else on this list that insurance companies use for qualifying co-morbidities? Obesity Comorbidities To follow is a list of comorbidities (additional conditions or diseases) related to obesity which may help you in qualifying for weight loss surgery. Family history of heart disease Family history of stroke Family history of diabetes Family history of heart attacks Hyperinsulinemia Diabetes High blood pressure Coronary-artery disease Hypertension Migraines or headaches directly related to obesity or cranial hypertension Congestive heart failure Neoplasia Dyslipidemia Anemia Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Degenerative arthritis Degenerative disc Degenerative joint disease Recommended joint replacement from specialist Accelerated degenerative joint disease Asthma Repeated pneumonia Repeated pleurisy Repeated bronchitis Lung restriction Gastroesophageal reflex (GERD) Excess facial & body hair (Hirsutism) Rashes Chronic skin infections Excess sweating Frequent yeast infections Urinary stress incontinence Menstrual irregularity Hormonal abnormalities Polycystic ovaries Infertility Carcinoma (breast, colon, uterine cancer) sleep apnea Pseudotumor cerebri Depression Psychological/sexual dysfunction Social discrimination Premature death (of a family member who was obese)

The biggest disadvantage of this high tech age is that we don't get the tone or inflection of a personal conversation. I wish you good luck and good health.

Normally I try to respond with something encouraging, but this confession has me gobsmacked. I got my sleeve in December 2013 also, and all of those foods would have made me ill and given me the runs, plus I would not even consider sabotaging my sleeve. It's been too much damn pain and work. Sounds like your doctor is more of a friend or relative than a physician whose Hippocratic Oath is to "First do no harm". So, to avoid the risk of Miss Mac sounding mean or insensitive I will say no more.

Did not find any ready-to-drink shakes that I liked, but as for the powders: unjury chocolate - cold with almond or coconut milk/water hot (maximum 140 degrees) with almond or coconut milk/water and dollop of lite whip cream Unjury strawberry Sorbet with Crystal Lite Lemonade Syntrax Nectars - any flavor mixes well with Crystal Lite Lemonade (Grapefruit + Crystal Lite Lemonade tastes like Fresca) Celebrate brand bariatric supplies makes a vanilla Cake Batter Protein powder that tastes pretty good with Almond Milk I bought all of mine on-line.

An apple that has morphed into a pear as my belly droops from weight loss.

I am so glad I am retired from a large government agency where I interacted with hundreds of people every week in making my rounds. And I can guarantee that NO ONE would have noticed if I gained or lost a hundred pounds overnight. Just to show you how invisible overweight people are at work, I was having a stroke while making rounds - in a V A Hospital, and no doctor or nurse even noticed! I managed to drive myself 12 miles home in city traffic, and figured out to call an ambulance when I got home. Geeze Louise.......it is a crying shame how invisible we are. So, don't take it personally. It's just the way the world is.

I have been trying to lose weight on my own since 1976! I just finally got sleeved to break the cycle, because I would not have even been alive in another five years. With my compounding weight-related health issues, my body was shutting down fast. As soon as I heard about the sleeve, I knew that was the answer for me. If you do decide to hold back, look into the Paleo / Primal lifestyle of eating and letting go of fake foods made in factories. Those of us who have had weight loss surgery are typically eating high Protein (60-80 grams a day) and as low carb as we can go. I wish you good luck and good health whatever you decide.

I get the sugar free creamsicles, fudgesicles, or fruitsicles from Aldis or Krogers....ususally 15-35 calories. When I need something creamier, I go for Greek Yogurt with a little vanilla and sweetener. Also, 1/2 banana frozen on a popsicle stick or put through the processsor with a little yogurt hits the spot.

I take stool softeners daily, and Miralax or prune juice as needed. Anytime I have whey Protein I need a laxative chaser.

Two days........but I had to be proactive about it. Packet was submitted on a Wednesday. I called BCBS on Friday and was told it was approved. I called the bariatric office on Monday and they had not heard anything.....their certification specialist was off for the week (Thanksgiving). By the next Monday, I had received a letter from BCBS that I was approved for a five day stay for my surgery. I called the bariatric clinic on Tuesday.....did not get a return call from the cert, so I faxed them the letter I got....right away got my surgery date from the surgeon.

Congratulations on making such a life-changing decision. I am glad you made it home safely. I am not too far down the road in Alsip, and got my sleeve on December 23, 2013 at Loyola. Here's hoping your recovery goes well....wishing you good luck and good health!

I am a retired federal employee still carrying BCBS Federal. My primary physician provided me with a print-out of the past two years of office notes, and I highlighted my weight for each visit, along with with any comments or recommendations from the doctor. The bariatric center took me through a three month program which included a monthly nutrition visit and bariatric physician visits, two visits with the psychologist, and two with the surgeon. There was also a cardiac clearance, a liver ultrasound, and EKG, and upper endoscopy. I also included a personal letter explaining how my co-morbidities were affecting my quality of life and how the surgery would give me a powerful tool for improving my health outcomes and lifespan. When the final packet was submitted, it was approved in two days. My BMI was 40.6, but BCBS Federal will approve a BMI of 35+ if yo have multiple co-morbidities.

It's not uncommon with my doctors. My PCP will not prescribe on another doctor's diagnosis, and that includes the pain clinic, the orthopedist, the spine surgeon, the gastro-intestinal clinic, the foot doctor and the bariatric clinic. Everybody does their own thing.

I have several exercise videos (well, 33), but Leslie Sansone's Walk Your Belly Flat is my favorite. It can be done in house, in place if you lack space. Each segment lasts about 12 minutes. As for the shakes, I was told at my 2 1/2 month visit to keep the shakes to one a day.

Absolutely go see your docotr. You could dehydrate very quickly. plus you don't know if it is bacterial, viral, or just digestive.

Two weeks at our house. It took that long to get some energy back,

I never met a potato I didn't like.

My daughter had a partner who ditched her the same week her cat of 14 years died. She was really down in the dumps until a friend suggested that she join up with the roller derby crowd. What a great way to get out agression and get exercise at the same time. Yeah, being abandonned hurts...badly....but at least there is a new way to keep her mind occupied and her feelings in check. If not now, this may have happened sooner or later. Whatever the dynamic of a partnership is, weight loss surgery changes relationships as well as bodies. This surgery still needs to be about you and improving your health. One thing that happens unexpectedly is that when we go through the physical changes, we find the "real" us that has been hiding behind years of fear, shame, and loss. I hope that you still will have at least one person (parent, sibling, friend) that can be your support through the medical process. Then you can hope that on the other side you will find a new life that enhances who you really are. Please do not give alcohol any power over your health and happiness. Here is a quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Hopefully it will give you the courage you need to follow through with your surgery and begin your new life. "Whatever you can do, or dream you can.............BEGIN IT! For boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."