Forsythia

Once I was cleared for a general diet, I was able to have salad. Although, I had one before that at a work lunch. Went down fine.

Sandra, there is an insurance forum a little bit further down on the main GS page. Check there to see if anyone has posted previously about Tricare. What I did after I went to the seminar was to call my insurance and ask about WLS. I spent 20 or so minutes of my time on the phone asking about the surgeries they covered and what my obligations were. So I knew going in that they covered sleeve, band and RNY, and that I had a deductible, out of pocket max and would need to go through a six month program. Grill those insurance reps. Make them earn their paycheck!!

Since your boss is a man, tell him you have female issues. Guys don't like delving into that area. Or mention some intestinal distress. No one likes to gossip about your bowels. But really, its none of his business. If he asks just state that the procedure is personal and you prefer not to talk about it.

I doubt his problem is with the actual surgery per se. His issue is his own insecurity about weight/food/your relationship. He could be worried that you will get thin and leave him. He might be wondering how your relationship will change post op. Things you used to do together- eat out, rituals like.. how they are going to change. Maybe it would help to take him along to a nutritional class or to meet with the surgeon/nutritionist? If the thought has never crossed his mind to have surgery he probably just has a ton of questions.

I'd say my thing is the gym. I'm in there for almost two hours. But honestly that is my time to decompress and deal with work/home/etc stress.

The funny thing is that I look in the mirror and logically know I have to look smaller, but I don't see it. I've lived with being fat for most of my 37 years. I went to my salon today and my stylist said to me "girl you look good. I can totally see how much thinner you are" . I even noticed that their smocks now button all the way down. Before I couldn't button past the third button. It's just a very strange disconnect between what I see vs what is real. But I never did have issues looking at my face. I'm cute. LOL!!

I think benefiber helps. Also lots of Water. When I don't get all my water I can tell because going is difficult. And I never had issues with constipation before surgery.

I had a two week stall. It sucked. Immediately after the surgery all the fluids come off and it is magic. But then the body is all "OMG WTF just happened to me? Hold up!" It takes a bit of time to figure things out!

Awesomesauce!

Stopped all my pills at my one week post op visit. My sugars are between 90 and 115 consistently.

This is true. It does come off slower if your bmi is lower. But stalls happen. You can try adding another snack if you think you need more calories. You can ease back into working out by walking as tolerated as your foot heals. Be vigilant about logging your food. Maybe you just need to try lower carbs or something.

I think I'm just going to have to deal with loose skin there. Fitted tops have always been tight in my arms even when loose in the chest and tummy. It's just odd where the fat chooses to deposit itself. My legs have always toned up well and have much less fat and excess skin. My lower legs are downright slim.

I got two separate EOBs. The hospital charges, then the cost of the sleeve itself. I live in Chicago and went to a hospital in Chicago and the charges were $48,000 for the hospital stuff. The VSG was billed for another $7000 on top of that. My total out of pocket expense was right around $1800 (I had met my deductible but still had part of my out of pocket maximum to meet). The fascinating thing is to see how much the insurance will just write off. The hospital can charge what it wants but BCBS or Cigna or Aetna are only going to pay a predetermined amount.

I think I am having sympathy pains for you. Like, I felt my stomach clench when I read this! Take it easy and feel better!!

I have a lot of curly fine hair. I'm black, and my hair is natural (I've been told I have good hair, but I don't know what that means because the curl is a beast). I stopped relaxing it in 2012 after my stylist told me she wouldn't give me highlights if I kept relaxing it. I'm almost 10 weeks post op. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't lose too much. I've been taking a pre-natal Vitamin with Biotin, Vitamin D and Vitamin B12. But If I lose hair I can always buy a wig. My mom lost all of her hair when she had chemo.. it grew back. All things are temporary!

I'm creeping closer to the 250s. Woot. My next goal is 256, which is 50 lbs down from the weight I came home from the hospital at, and half of 100 lbs. I've been making good gains with my strength training. I have been using a 30lb barbell for dead lifts and bench press. But I think I am ready to try the 40 lb bar for both of those exercises. I also think I can go up to 15 lbs dumbbells on squats. Normally I am sore but lately I am not sore after all of the lifting. So it is time to heavy up, as it were. In some ways, it is nice not to be sore. Being sore makes sitting down to pee a challenge. But I also know that if I am not sore, my muscles are used to it and need more of a challenge. So time to suck it up, buttercup. No one said working out was supposed to be easy. LOL. My wedding band and and engagement rings barely stay on my finger. I suppose I could move it to my right hand since ones dominant hand is usually bigger than their non-dominant hand, but I figure all of the busybodies out there would question my marriage if my rings are not on my left hand. Funnily enough, my husband has lost not one, but two rings and has not worn a wedding band for at least a year and no one says a word to him. He lives a nice busybody free lifestyle. I bought swim goggles and a swim cap. A lycra spandex one, not a rubber/silicon one. I don't need those things snapping my hair off. It's not like swim caps keep your hair dry anyhow. Mainly it just keeps it out of the way and keeps your goggles from tangling up in your hair (also snapping it off). I am determined to use the lap pool at my gym, but not without some kind of basic protections for my hair and eyes.

What exercises are you doing for them? Chest Press and Pec Fly work the triceps, along with actual triceps exercises like triceps dips, triceps kickback and skull crushers. Also push ups are a total upper body workout. My triceps are my nemesis. I feel like fat went to that area much more than other body parts. Ugh!

I have been off my diabetes meds since my sleeve. Typically my sugars run between 90 and 115, post sleeve. I was on metformin and glipizide before.

Captivity! LOL. I'm down one band size and one cup size from a 44D to a 42C. But only only a little over two months out.

I took seven days off of work. Really I could have gone back to work five days after my surgery but I just didn't want to go back to my job. LOL.

I started lifting as soon as my six week clearance was over with. Sometimes I think that building muscle might be slowing the downward trajectory of my weight loss, but I would rather be stronger and have more muscle definition than be thinner but flabbier. In the end I know that that is only temporary as muscle burns more calories and since I am not overeating the weight will come off in fits and spurts as it is wont to do.

You'll be happy to know that Nina and Louise FINALLY buried the hatchet and VS is back together.

I have a weird relationship with pictures and mirrors. I have to make sure my hair is just so and make up is on and I am stating a certain way.. but I don't hate pictures. I don't mind a selfie either. I can usually make my face look skinny enough. I will post all of my professionally done wedding pictures for anyone to look at because I looked cute. LOL! I don't allow anyone at work to take any candids of me. Those are always unflattering. Nope. I'm really vain though. I'm always looking in the mirror at my face and pores and wondering if I am starting to get wrinkles and crows feet. Sometimes I will look in a mirror and be all like "Hey girl, you look good" and sometimes I'll look in that same mirror and be all like "No, Andrea, no.. put something else on!"

There was a questionnaire that I had to fill out. And the psychologist had a med student with him. As if that wasn't extra intimidating. Darn teaching hospitals. I was sweating. To be fair it was hot that day but I never stopped even after sitting in the air conditioned waiting room. After all that he was like, well, you're fine. No diagnosable issues. LOL.

*shakes fist at sky* This is one of those times I regret never getting my license! Oh well!