SandeeD

I put a teaspoon of powdered skim milk in my cup of chicken broth and pretended it was cream of chicken soup! lol

Congrats! That's my date too!

You guys look so much younger and happier:)

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=protein%20bar%20recipes

Yay One More Time! I'm glad you're doing well...the best is yet to come!

Walt, I had Chinese food!???? 14 days of 3 shakes and one small (bland) meal each day...wish me luck!

5' 2.5" 230 pre-sleeved, surgery date 2/25

MrSleeve, I too have the surgery date of 2/25. I start my preop diet tomorrow. The closer the date gets, the crazier my loved ones are getting. Stay focused and steadfast, they'll have no choice but to get onboard.

My pre-op diet starts tomorrow. I hope I can do this for 14 days:(

Wow...you look fantastic! Same height and same starting weight as me.

Absolutely Sarah! For one, my mom is driving me bananas! Everytime I speak to her it's an argument or close to it. It's her passive aggressive way of projecting her fears onto me but it's not gonna happen! She's asked me several times, "Aren't you scared?" I'm like really mom? My reply was, "I would be naïve and stupid NOT to be scared, but I'm more afraid of living the rest of my life in my current condition." It stopped her...for now:) If I have to have less and less communication with her for the next two weeks (during my pre-op diet), then so be it. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother more than life itself, but NOTHING and NO ONE will keep me from doing this FOR ME.

Yes, it is! Yay!!!

1Day, yes honey, we are doing the damn thing! I will be thinking of you tomorrow on your surgery date, you must fill me in on everything, good, bad and ugly! lol Sarah, what's your date?

Girl, 35 pounds gone in 5 weeks??? That's FABULOUS! I'm not yet post-op, but I can't see anything wrong with 7 pounds lost a week. You shouldn't compare yourself to others because everyone's journey is different. Don't be depressed, live up to your name Happy Rhonda! You are making phenomenal progress!

It's sinking in ya'll, we're really doing this!

Yup, they'll call you, they're pretty quick too.

Noor1969, I have the same insurance (Horizon BCBS NJ) and found out the same thing yesterday, that's it's not covered.

They tried both, neither worked.

No shakes for me, my insurance company won't cover it. Glad I tried though.

Correction, 2/25:)

Congratulations OneMoreTime! I'm right behind you girl (2/24), we've got this!

You guys are the best! Thank you for your kind words, and yes, Gmanbat, thanks for making me cry like a baby

I, like most of us here, have many reasons for wanting (and needing) to lose the weight. In addition to the typical comorbidities (i.e. high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and asthma), I also have an almost debilitating spinal condition, permanent nerve damage in my spinal cord. I had an accidental fall in a bath tub some years ago that I thought at the time was a non-issue, but over the years the after effects slowly but surely began to take hold of my body (neck pain, excruciating back pain, sometimes numbness/weakness in my legs and arms, etc.). Walking up the stairs in a normally manner became a problem and then walking itself became difficult and I was forced to begin using a cane (which I’m still in denial about – I have become an expert at holding on to objects, walls, and people to keep me from becoming unbalanced and possibly falling). After years of being misdiagnosed (myasthenia gravis, MS, Lyme Disease), I was finally diagnosed with nerve damage of the spinal cord, which I was told is permanent. So, in addition to being in pain 100% of the time over the years and not being able to do much in terms of exercising, I was slowly adding on the pounds…230 pounds on my 5’ 2 ½” medium framed body. My turning point was I thought about being in my home and a fire breaking out and not being able to quickly get out. That scares me much more than going under the knife. I’m having the surgery on 2/25/14 and I’m never looking back, only forward. Following are some of the things that I am looking forward to being able to do post-op: Walk without the use of my cane or assistance from others. Walk up the stairs like a normal person. Walk long distances without tiring so easily, hell, maybe I’ll be able to run – am I expecting too much? Wake up in the morning and being able to honestly say that I feel good. Being able to sleep in any position besides my back. Be able to seat in any seat (no matter the height) and not struggle to get out of it. Not being the one that everyone has to wait for, help or make special accommodations for. Not be afraid to go certain places because of fear (are their steps? will I be able to sit comfortably? Is there a lot of walking?) These are just some of the things, and there are many more, but these are the ones most important to me. I’m going to begin putting this body back together again, get strong and live my best life starting now! I deserve it dammit!!!

Thanks!

Got my date today...2/25/14.