5BeautifulDays

I started at the gym (30 min 2-3 days a week) back in October when I was about 8 weeks out from surgery. Now I'm at 6.5 months and usually walk a mile or more a day outside and go to the gym 30-60 minutes 5 days a week. I love how exercise makes me feel, and like the poster above, I *love* seeing my new muscles!

But. It has sure made loss slower (or at least feel that way). I don't know that I'm building muscle so much as strengthening what I have, but people seem to notice big differences in the way I look (and I notice my clothes getting bigger) even when the pounds aren't flying off like they used to. I tell you that I was super disappointed to slip down in to one-der-land only to bounce back up to 201 for going on a week and a half now. Arrrggghh. But, it's TOM and I know it's water/bm issues. It will drop down again and *stay there* next week.

Anyway, I know we all did this to look good, but health is even more important than looks in my book, and exercise is such an important part of that. So good for you!

PS: You mention that your body comp is different than when you were younger/pre-kids. Yeah. Me too. It's amazing what those adorable, lovely, wonderful, little @#@&(&$(#* do to your body! I've had 5 babies and wouldn't trade a one of them in, not even for my old hips. Probably.

Totally normal. *Most* people stall at 2-3 weeks.

It has something to do with glycogen and how our bodies store our extra sugar and fluids. It's also why it's so easy to lose weight the first couple weeks of a diet and then it just stops for a while.

Don't worry, just keep doing what you're doing. The pounds (real ones, not just water!) will be back to melting off soon!

I like Unjury. It blends really smoothly and is fairly low-calorie (100 for 21 g protein). I mix mine in my morning coffee with a 1/4 cup of milk. It tastes great in smoothies, too.

Well, you're probably already there and well on your way to a new life...

But I wish I had known how *thirsty* I would be in the hours before my leak test. I also wish I had known how *cold* I would be after surgery. In August. In Virginia. I had to send my husband out to buy me like 3 different heating pads/warmers. I'm six months out and I'm still cold, lol!

I wish I had known that weight loss and the attendant changes could trigger a sort of "mid-life crisis." Nothing major, I mean--I haven't wanted to have an affair or anything--but I suddenly find myself rethinking all sorts of things I've always taken for granted. And this cat-girl got a big, dumb dog who loves long walks!

I went on an anniversary trip to FL last month--I'm not at goal, but I have definitely shrunk out of last summer's suits. So I went to Kohls and found one (size 18--not 18 W--yeah!). It was fine for my trip. But yesterday I wore it to the pool for a lap swim...it was a nightmare! I guess I've gone down another size, because my boobages kept trying to make an escape! LOL. I need something that will hold.them.in.

5beautifuldays - how well did you do with your "adult beverage"? I'm terrified to even try it due to the horror stories the therapist told me presurgery! I'm headed this weekend to Chicago with a friend and the hotel has free drinks. Do I dare even attempt one?

I had a single glass of plum wine (it was iced, and not much wine--Mickey Mouse is stingy with the liquor!) with some teriyaki salmon. I did break the no eating/drinking together rule for this, because I feared alcohol on an empty stomach more than distention. I felt it, but not more than usual. It *was* out of my system really fast, though.

I won't make a habit of drinking, for sure (I did feel a little bloated after), but it wasn't a bad experience.

I do mostly follow plan. I also track and measure every bite of food I eat, and exercise hard several days a week.

Places I've varied from my nut's suggestions have been fairly small and infrequent. I've had some sweets, an adult beverage, and some bread/crackers--but they're rare treats and I make sure they fit into a day that is still around 900-1000 net calories.

I'm still losing, although it has slowed a little. If I saw gains, I'd go back to the more extreme plan.

43. If I would have had the money and the confidence in the procedure, I would have done it when I was 35 and had my last baby for sure. Would I have done it in my 20s? I don't know, but I think so. I'd support my daughter if she decided to do it at your age.

Oh the Soup was horrendous. After two days I just stopped eating it. I couldn't.

I managed to choke down the shakes for the required week pre-op, but switched to Unjury post-op. I also only used one scoop of the B.A. soup. I used Unjury chicken broth instead for my "soup" portion.

Sorry you're having such a time of it. I haven't had any trouble with the office staff, but I don't recall having any interactions with Martha, either (I was self pay and didn't need to do any hoops other than what Dr. Moazzez requires.

The success rate for keeping it off without surgery is only about 5%.

I'm taking my chances with the sleeve! Actually, I'm not taking any chances. I'm following my doctor's food recommendations, and I'm investing in my health with a gym membership and a personal trainer.

I was sleeved on 8/26 with Dr. Moazzez. I can't say enough good things about him--he's a fabulous surgeon. (And I'm 30 pounds down from my surgery weight today--44 pounds since the pre-op diet!)

I had my EGD and colonoscopy with Dr. Blosser, and again, I was very pleased. One thing that the EGD didn't show, though, was a hiatal hernia that Dr. Moazzez fixed while he was operating. I guess it was small enough that the EGD didn't pick it up.

How do you get complication coverage?

Look up BLIS. They actually insure your surgeon, so you have to use a surgeon who is part of their program. The good news is that they have a vested interest in only insuring surgeons with a very low complication rate.

I was self-pay (with insurance--Aetna PPO). They would cover any complications not *directly* related to the surgery. So if I had a stricture or a leak, that wasn't covered. If I had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia, that was. They covered all my pre-op visits, testing and prescriptions (but not Vitamins and such) and will continue to pay for labs. My follow up with the surgeon's office for the next year is covered under his fee.

I got complications coverage through BLIS for the portion that wasn't covered by Aetna.

You look stunning and slim and very beautiful. I'm sure if you want to, you can lose more weight, but I don't think you should be at all disappointed with where you are at this moment. You are not "big" and you've made great progress! You need to take those fat glasses off!

I don't understand insurance companies. From everything I've read, obesity in every form and fashion leads to more and more health problems or co-morbidities, as the clinic prefers to call them. Heart disease is a biggee and probably one of the most common, other than diabetes. How many insurance companies are paying for knee and hip replacements for people who are obese and their joints can't handle their weight anymore? Those are high dollar surgeries too. Pacemakers, a lifetime of diabetes testing and treatments (dialysis can't be cheap either).

Insurance companies need to look at their practices and come out of the dark ages. Approving weight loss surgery is a way for them to SAVE money!

When I was crying and complaining about this with my husband after we found out about our exclusion, he said that it's because the insurance companies know that there is a good chance they won't still be your insurer when the complications set in. They'd rather not pay today for what *might* ail you tomorrow, because tomorrow you'll be somebody else's problem.

I had a hernia repair as well and had pain on swallowing for at least a week. Not horrible, bend-over pain, just "that doesn't feel good" pain. Call your doctor, though, and have him confirm that all is well.

My husband's employer's plan specifically prohibits WLS.

We got a home loan.

It wound up costing around $20K for everything including follow up, so in the neighborhood of financing a new car. My insurance covered most of the pre-op testing/psych/etc. You can do it even cheaper if you go to Mexico.

Best wishes. I hope you can find a way to get the money you need!

If he leaves, you can congratulate yourself on having lost an additional 200 pounds of @ss.

I have a fast coming up that requires not to have food and Water from sunrise to moonrise (around 15 hours). I am the kind of person who likes to follow tradition when possible but health comes first in this case. What do you guys think? Bad idea not to have food and fluids an entire day? I am scared that I will pass out or something.

I would talk to your spiritual advisor--I'm sure they have a plan that is suitable for pregnant women, children, and the infirm. You might not need to make that many compromises, but it would give you a basis. I wouldn't skip Water, just because it will be very difficult to get it all in in the very few hours you have to eat at night, especially if you're also following the 30/30 rule of no liquids before and after you eat.

Hmmm. If you wouldn't eat at a restaurant, I'd understand your feelings a lot more. It just sounds to me like you're deflecting some of the "blame" for your previous weight to your wife. No one likes to be blamed for things they didn't do. The lack of trust would be a problem for me, as well. You'll trust a stranger, but not her (and let's be honest--the restaurant is *far* more likely to have hidden ingredients that will add calories than something she makes).

Anyway, it sound like something that you might want to explore with a counselor. I'm not saying that this would be a marriage-ender issue, but it's the sort of crack in the foundation issue that can turn into bitterness and resentment that can spoil an otherwise good relationship.

Mine was checking for GERD and hiatal hernia. I also had to do a colonoscopy at the same time due to family history.

He said severe GERD or Barret's esophagus could mean that he would rather do a bypass than a sleeve, because the increased pressure from the sleeve can make reflux worse.

They didn't find a hernia when they did the scope, but he found one when he was doing surgery, and fixed it.

My surgeon actually says no drinking ever after having the sleeve. Never is an awful long time.......

The hospital where I had my surgery recommends this, too. My doctor suggest waiting one year or to be at goal, since the alcohol is empty calories (this seems sensible to me, but I'm a light drinker in a frequently tee-totalling social circle, so it's not a big part of my life).

One of the big concerns is cross-addiction (lots of WLS people at AA!), as well as the ease of becoming impaired very quickly and then driving.

I'm only seven days out, but the hernia repair has been the worst part of recovery, by far. It is very painful to drink, especially at the beginning of the day. Warm tea seems to help settle it. A heating pad on my tummy helps some, too.

I've been going "around the block" a time or two a day until today (6 days out) when I did a longer, maybe 1/2 mile walk on some nice trails with ups and downs in my neighborhood. I almost got home before my body just all of a sudden started hurting and I ran out of steam. I slowed down and got home fine, but it surprised me that so little walking, that really wasn't a problem before surgery, was a lot for me right now.

And costco is just exhausting no matter what--I'm not brave enough to go there yet! Too many people and the lines!