*Lexie*

My dietitian said that your weight loss will slow and gradually stop as you get close to goal. But you are so active, that may not be happening. You are training for a half marathon, do you feel strong and good? If so, you're probably fine where you are. If you start feeling weak during those long workouts, then you may want to increase your calories a bit. Seriously though, it's a great problem to have. I hope I have the exact same problem. :-)

Wow, what a bad situation. My surgeon's office is very organized and structured and it gives me a lot of confidence in them. It's a tough call because I would be excited to get the surgery and wouldn't want to wait through the process of finding a new surgeon and jumping through all the hoops again. But aftercare is important too so you likely won't stop dealing with this office after your surgery. If I was self pay, I'd be checking to see what sort of discount they're going to provide for the mistake they made, especially if they don't want me taking my business elsewhere. That might seem taboo to some but you'd never tolerate this service in a restaurant or hotel and pay full price. P.S. Great profile picture!

246 today

No HD?? I can't believe they have you in such wretched accommodations. Keep the updates coming. They're like crack to us pre-op peeps.

This is a great thread to read. It's so bizarre, my surgeon's staff has said that recovery is really tough and almost everyone has nausea. When I read posts on here, it seems the opposite. For most recovery is easy and for a few, it's really tough. Wondering if they are trying to prepare us for the worst. I've had gall bladder surgery, a c-section and a tummy tuck. Recovery from a tummy tuck was very difficult, to me any other surgery should be a walk in the park in comparison.

248 today. 8 more to go.

Very exciting! When I first got on here and would read posts where people would say they had submitted to insurance, I would think, uh okay... But my doctor's office should submit to insurance this coming week and I'm so excited. Now I understand all those posts. I hope you hear back quickly.

I hope it tastes like beer after surgery. That'll make it easy to never drink it again.

I'm doing all my pre-op homework and making healthy changes. Of all the changes: exercising regularly, no snacking, staying away from processed foods, etc., the one change that gives me pause is giving up my delicious Diet Pepsi. I confess that I don't want to stop drinking it. So I ask...do any of you that are post op drink soda?

Mine will be Pasta with chicken and roasted red pepper sauce, bread and spiced oil and maybe a little ice cream for dessert. Now I'm hungry...

I felt like you. I got down to 150 and ran a half marathon. After a few years of starving just to maintain my weight, I eventually started gaining. Unlike you, I gained it all back and then some. I hated myself, felt weak, felt like I was a complete failure. I was ashamed that I turned to surgery (am getting ready to turn to surgery). Then I decided that it's unproductive to keep punishing myself. Who cares how I am successful as long as I'm successful. I could hold out and try to show my strength by trying to do it without any tools like surgery or pills but likely I'll just stay fat so that's a dumb idea. I'm going to do whatever it takes to lose weight and keep it off and I'm not going to feel one bit bad about it. Everyone who goes through this works their tush off (literally) so it's not the easy way out. Stop wasting time on feeling bad about yourself and start thinking about how great it will feel to easily keep that weight off next time.

249 today

My psych eval was on the first things I did. I think it depends on the psychiatrist because my meeting was 2 hours long and it was a lot more than just making sure I knew what I was getting into. She did make me cry and I don't think I'm that emotional of a person but when she started asking me how I felt about gaining weight back and being at my current weight, it was a bit emotional. Overall, I got a paper later that said I should work on "developing emotional regulation" and that she thinks I have anxiety. So I took her advice and got a workbook on anxiety and started reading it and I just don't see it. I am truly being open minded but I don't have any of the symptoms of anxiety. Course I don't want to tell her that because she might think I'm in denial or don't want to face something. I am afraid of her brain witchcraftery. I don't buy into the things she said but I'm putting my head down and go through each of these pre-op hoops one at a time. Look at this as just another hoop you have to jump through and you will get through it. If it helps, I learned recently that the most prescribed medications in America right now are anti-anxiety and anti-depressants. I'm sure they've seen tons of people just like you and everything will work out just fine. Remember, they are in the business to get patients to surgery, that's how they make money.

I'm just excited right now, even after reading about some of the struggles people have. I figure I'll just be better prepared. And in the long run, it's worth discomfort for a limited amount of time. That being said, I'm pretty sure as soon as I get a surgery date, I'll go from excited to scared so fast that I'll get whiplash!

Thank you for posting this. I think it's great for those of us getting started to really understand that this is not a magic bullet and that if we don't do the work, the surgery will not work. I know for me that there was a little voice in the back of my head that said if my stomach was smaller, I would automatically lose weight, no matter what I did. But the truth is, that is crazy, food addiction thinking. I am on a pre-op plan and have to lose like 15 pounds to be approved for surgery. I've tried to do exactly what I've been told, eat balanced meals, no snacking and exercise. I have lost half the weight I need to lose without counting a single calorie. That is very freeing for someone who has counted calories her whole life. It shows me that if I maintain these habits, I will be successful post op. Everyone has given you all the tips and you probably already knew what you were supposed to do. Now, it's just a matter of putting what you know will make you successful into practice. Start small if you have to with slowly cutting out grazing and doing some walking 3 days a week. You'll see results from the small changes and it will prompt you to keep making changes. Best of luck and welcome back.

You look younger in your current picture and you look smaller than 240lbs. So inspiring! You'll really start living now.

I feel you, waiting is the hardest. My consultation was in early June and then I had the psych appt in early July. My surgeon requires an 8 week skills course and I have to lose 15lbs. At the end of the course, if I've lost the weight, they'll give me a surgery date. Oh but wait, there's more. They have a 2 week pre-op diet too. So I finish the course on September 9th and I'm hoping for surgery by the end of September at the earliest. I really thought about going to see another surgeon to see if there were less pre-op requirements but I really do like all the education they provide and I think it will really help. Their goal is that you're not surprised by anything after surgery. So I'm sucking it up and going through the long drawn out process because I know it will help me be more successful. Here endeth my rant.

If you are so hungry that the cat is starting to look appetizing, your liver is probably shrinking. Just kidding!

What a great topic. I don't think this only happens with weight loss. When I quit smoking, I would hear people brag that they just put those cigarettes down one day and never looked back. Well, that did not work for me because I was addicted to smoking. I used the tools out there to increase my chances of success and guess what, I haven't smoked for two years and that's really what matters. I heard the same thing of mothers that would brag about natural child birth as if they are superior because they opted out of the drugs. We all get the same thing in the end, a baby. What does it matter how we get to our goals as long as we get there? At this point I would sell my soul for sustained weight loss. But no one's in the soul buying business so I'm going to do whatever it takes to make me successful. And when I am successful, it won't matter how I got there. It'll only matter than I met and maintained my goal.

I'm hoping for a September date. I'm working through an 8 week skills class required by the surgeon. In 2 weeks they'll submit for insurance approval but I won't get a date until the class ends on September 9th. I'm hoping for the end of the month.

Congrats! I have the same coverage and am hoping to submit for approval in a few weeks.

Today's weight - 251

At 254 this week.

Here's my 2 cents. In the last year, I gained around 30lbs while trying very hard to lose weight. What I'm doing isn't working. If I don't try something new (i.e. WLS), I can probably expect to keep gaining year over year. I truly believe that if I trust my doctor and follow their instructions, I will be successful. I have seen repeated posts as well as feedback from my doctor that people that get WLS and aren't successful are the ones that either received little or no education on what to do or didn't utilize the resources provided them by the doctor.

Love this topic! I'll try not to repeat too many things already listed. ~Feel comfortable in my own skin ~Go dancing ~Actually go to the bar where the dancing is happening ~Cross my legs comfortably ~Wear cool boots that actually fit my calves ~Run a marathon ~Wear a bathing suit in public ~Wear a pair of beautiful heels without fear of breaking the heel or a body part ~Wear a skirt ~Getting a haircut without worrying about how fat my face will look