webhopper

Yes; getting vsg.

My surgeon is Dr. Ladd Atkins in tulsa

Starting weight 260

Current weight 237

I am 5'6''

I'm currently on full liquids diet

I am scheduled for 4/21 !!!

I'm so excited and also nervous!

Started my pre op diet which is a full liquid diet yesterday... so far things are going great. I had lost 14 lbs between my first seminar on Jan 9 and my last appointment with the Pcp which was march 28... I'm so excited and cant wait!

I ended up being self pay but its really ok; because its so worth it!

Have you thought about going to Mexico? I went and had a fabulous experience.

Which surgeon did you use in Mexico?

Well, I definitely did think of going to Mexico, my husband is definitely against it, because if there were a medical emergency when I got home, how would I get follow up care?

I will discuss again with my husband tonight but I think for us the answer is going to be that it's not an option.

Will wells Fargo let you take a loan against funds that are not FDIC insured?

Omg I hear ya; if I couldn't get a loan for what I needed I would cry!

Agree with you; if it was the only option I would take it and feel glad.

I don't like the idea of opening a new credit card for the 0% interest..

Did anyone do this?

Income: 145k per year from wages; rental property; investment dividends

We owe on two houses and 1 car. 401k balance is approx 100k fully vested. We have 20k in stocks that cant be sold and 2 paid off cars 2008 and 2007 year models. 1 paid off boat.

I'm thinking that a personal loan wouldn't be a bad option. Would anyone here do a collateral loan to get a cheaper rate from the credit union? Collateral loans run about 7.9% interest but then your car or boat title has a lein.

Comments; suggestions?

By the way I told my mom and she was less than helpful. She suggested that I'm not fat enough for surgery and that I should use "freeze my fat" or just do another diet instead of making a permanent surgical change to my body.

I don't think she realizes that I'm literally 100 lbs overweight. I think its her form of denial

To me; my body and health is worth the cost

I'm not waiting until I'm so fat that I cant get around

Care Credit is 14% percent interest... with that rate i could put the surgery on my Amex without having to open a care credit account.

I guess I have a few options; open a 0% interest credit card; take out a personal loan; take out a 401k loan.

Basically that is my options.

I am 32 yrs old; good credit and a relationship with a great credit union; their rates are 9.9% for an unsecured personal loan.

Would love to hear how others have paid for their surgery?

I'm not above opening a new card if need be but I'm not paying 14% interest. I have about 20k in my brokerage account with wells Fargo; anyone know if you can borrow against that even though its not Fdic insured? I would sale the stock but I'm not legally allowed to do that until ive held them for a minimum of three years due to insider trading rules.

I'm thinking of doing a loan... anyone know of a bank specializing in these types of loans?

My insurance has a bariatric surgery exclusion....

Makes me so mad because I called them on 1/3/14 to make sure I had the benefit and they said yes. Then; the bariatric coordinator called and said that I have an exclusion....

So I guess I'm switching to self pay

Really makes me mad. I also called cigna today to double check and sure enough the lady said that it is excluded.

Kudos Greg! Totally a memorable experience for sure!

Nothing wrong with getting a little rough

Uh, I take offense to that. Most of us are decent guys. Any past bitterness on your part shouldn't be held against all of us.

I agree... not all men are dogs.... my husband wouldn't cheat.

I'm almost 11 months post-op and cannot eat dairy at all!! Prior to surgery, I LIVED on dairy.

My dietician says its common to become lactose intolerant after bariatric surgery (I didn't know this). It drives me CRAZY because as if my diet wasn't restricted due to the surgery; now its even WORSE. I also now have a Protein deficiency because all those wonderful dairy sources of Protein I can't partake in. I've been working on finding things that work and found the Lactaid products to work well for me. I also like the So Delicious brand ice cream; its lactose free, but somewhat hard to find near me.

Try really finding those Proteins anywhere before you run into a problem.

Hey there! Have you tried almond milk or soymilk? I went completely off of dairy in my 20s because it made me break out and have eczema. Try making a Protein shake with an almond milk or soymilk base

I took my husband with me to the seminar, and I am taking him to the first PCP appointment for the supervised diet plant. He will be in class for the first consultation with the surgeon, but to me that's not a big deal. He is very supportive of the decision to pursue weight loss surgery and he will do whatever I need him to do, according to him. I feel lucky to have him on my side, even though I had to argue the sleeve vs the band issue to him... he was sold on the lap band, and I didn't want the lap band at all!

Seems like the Protein would be denatured by the temps...

I went to a lap band seminar with Dr. Ladd Atkins and I am really impressed by the way he interacted with everyone at the seminar and how caring he seemed to be and will be using him for my sleeve surgery. He does plastic surgery and aesthetics as well so if I need a lift afterwards I will know right where to go.

Thanks for the advice! I can def ask the nut... if its a no no then I can go with cottage cheese as a more palatable Protein drink base. The sugar alcohols are not absorbed in the stomach; they are absorbed in the small intestine which makes them safe for diabetics.

For a Protein shake I mix 3 tablespoons of either yogurt or cottage cheese; ice; scoop of protein (20g); frozen fruit

For this question I was thinking of replacing the reg nonfat unflavored yogurt and ice with frozen yogurt since it isn't as bitter and has a creamier texture. Without the protein I agree that there isn't a good enough nutrient and protein content to eat by itself.

vanilla.jpg" rel="external nofollow">http://www.braums.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/nsafy-vanilla.jpg

http://www.braums.com/ice-cream/no-sugar-added-frozen-yogurt/vanilla/

I guess its def something to ask the nut. If I get in a bind with trying to keep the reg yogurt down post op then the frozen yogurt is an option I think. I wouldn't go to a normal grocery store; braums is a dairy producer that also operates a chain of restaurants; ice cream stores; and fresh market groceries that sell braums dairy products and fresh groceries and produce. They offer a lot of healthy choice foods and tend to focus more on that.

I don't know how braums frozen yogurt compares to what you find on the shelf at a grocery store.

My shake is made with ice cubes blended into it and it goes into an insulated cup with a lid. It goes into the cup at 730 and I sip it until 945... so it takes me an hour and 15 minutes to drink it; mostly because I stay super busy at work.

Make your oatmeal more watery than usual; the Protein needs a little moisture to be able to turn into a pasty consistency. Let the oatmeal cool a bit before you add the protein.

Cottage cheese is a great way to sneak Protein in to your diet

I love the fat free small curd as a base for Protein Shake. Add ice cubes and two tablespoons of cottage cheese; some fruit; Protein powder; and some milk and you've got yourself a nice protein shake

I see a lot of folks saying that frozen yogurt is bad...

The non frozen yogurt has 0 fat; 5 Mg cholesterol; 150 Mg sodium; 510 potassium; 15 carbs with 15 grams coming from sugars; and 11g of Protein.

The frozen yogurt from Brahms has 2 grams of fat; 10 mgs of cholesterol; 60 Mg of sodium; 6g of sugar and 10g of sugar alcohols; and 4 g of Protein. It is no sugar added and has the splenda label

Would the frozen yogurt be bad to use as a Protein shake base?

I like the consistentcy better but ive heard a lot of negative remarks regarding frozen yogurt.

Reg yogurt is fine.... I actually like cottage cheese better as a base though; yogurt plain tastes so bitter. Any insight?

I cant do Greek yogurt; it is too acidic for my tummy.

Thanks y'all. I have not been sleeved yet but ive started incorporating Protein shakes for Breakfast to get the habit established.