OutsideMatchInside

coffee for breakfast Fish,Crab,Shrimp. Baked or sauteed. 3x a day sometimes 4 to get my Protein depending on what my Snacks are. I still use Protein drinks on occasion to get my protein up or if I am going out on a date. I have Quest bars or protein brownies every now and then. I eat zucchini and cucumbers and rutabagas. Boar's Head Tavern Ham Sometimes I make a burger. and eat it with no bun. Grass Fed Beef. I don't eat turkey or chicken, they are too hard to process for me

Asking your provider (insurance provider?) or asking the hospital what their cash price is? These are 2 different things. My surgery billed at 38K but the insurance agreed rate was under 12K (what BCBSIL actually paid). A lot of hospitals in the US offer cash prices in the 11-12K range. http://kcbariatric.com/compare/ http://www.hoab.org/procedures/gastric-sleeve-st-louis-mo/ I believe someone who posted on here said blossom was 10K and that was in 2013. http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/27844392/blossom-bariatrics-at-the-forefront-of-low-cost-weight-loss-surgery Everyone has to make a choice that is comfortable for them. You don't really have to have long term care from your surgeon, you can do your follow up care with your primary. If cost is an issue, there are lots of avenues to explore. Depending on where you live in Illinois a BCBS single plan is going to cost you around $300-500 or more a month for one person (it varies by age and county). I think the lowest out of pocket max on a plan is $4500. So premiums and out of pocket are going to be 7500-9500 alone. Might as well cash pay, because you are basically cash paying at that point anyway. Unless you have your heart set on using Northwestern or University of Chicago, I don't see any other center in Illinois being worth the cost and hassle of insurance.

@@AlexaLasVSG I am not mid 20s, I'm late 30s but when I was mid 20s I worked in NYC. I am going to tell you right now, being on either coast, being a normal size is important when looking for work. How you look matters a lot in society no matter what people tell you. I live alone and from the 2nd day after surgery I was alone. I was driving on the 3rd day. I had a decent energy level by week 3 and I was basically at normal energy at 6 weeks. You are not out of commission as long as you think you will be. If the sleeve was as widely available when I was in my 20s and as safe as it is now, I would have done it with no hesitation. Once you lose weight so many new doors will open for you, that I doubt you will regret your decision.

I think it is better if people catch things early on. I don't think people should wait until they hit super morbidly obese and have done a lot of damage to their body to have surgery. And the sleeve is not as drastic as people think.

283 CW 270 Goal

Yeah basically if you wait until you are thirsty of hungry it is already too late. You want to never be thirsty or hungry.

I walk 2-5 miles every day. I have to walk the dog (I got a dog right after surgery, and part of the purpose was to force me to be active). The bare minimum we do is 2 miles, if I go shopping and push my steps I hit 5 miles a couple times a week. The average is about 3.5 miles a day. I am adding in additional workouts on top of walking this week. Yoga and weights because I don't want to just lose weight I want to be fit and look good in my clothes. Dropping this amount of weight in less than 6 months, I am just far too loose feeling. I just wanted to add my personal opinion on gym equipment. I can do an hour on the elliptical and barely break a sweat. Walking in my neighborhood on real terrain is far harder. When i was just going to the gym and using the elipitcal, I was barely losing any weight. As soon as I stepped up my walking, my weight loss dramatically increased. Gym equipment just tries to mimic physical activity. If you can do real physical activity and do it outside with more variables, you will burn more calories. Also, once you get up to 30 minutes on the eliptical, try to build up to 20 minutes on the stairmaster, that is going to be a better workout and burn more calories.

Before surgery I told one of my really good friends and told her not to tell anyone. She promptly told her husband and her mom. I ended up telling her that during pre-op testing surgery just isn't an option for me. Then I had a different friend come and be with me for surgery. She thought that "don't tell anyone" did not include her husband and her mom, when I feel like anyone means anyone. So once you tell people, they can take it upon themselves to tell whoever they want, so once you put it out there, it is just out there. I have kept secrets for her and she has previously been able to keep secrets. I don't know why she felt this one was something she could blurt out. I know you can't really trust married people to keep secrets, but again, she had done it in the past. 3 people know about my surgery and they all live several states away. I don't have an office or co-workers, I work for myself from home, so I don't have anyone asking questions about my weight loss.

I had issues with this the first 2-3 months. Now even though it is freezing cold, I seem pretty well regulated. I am colder than I used to be but not the constant freezing cold I was before. My poor furry dog was dying near the end of summer when I was comfortable with it being 78/79 in the apartment

My advice is to constantly drink all day, even when you are not thirsty. You want to keep your stomach "full" at least the first few days, once you get used to it, it won't be so bad.

A lot of people are not up on nutrition. Even Drs, I know a few personally that I went to college/grew up with. Most people have very little idea of what low carb is, let alone what people eat after weight loss surgery. I would have had the spring rolls if I wanted them. The carbs and calories in a wonton wrapper is a rounding error if you are an active person. If someone budgeted their calories for the day to include eating out it wouldn't be a big deal, but I can understand following your Drs plan exactly. WLS is still very rare, even thought it is increasing dramatically, it is rare and I wouldn't expect every Dr to be well versed in it. It is like thinking a Corporate Attorney is up to date on child custody laws.

Just because you have a surgeon in the US doesn't mean you will be seeing that surgeon long term. A lot of them pass their patients off to PA. Even if you don't go to Mexico. you can get a cash option in the US cheaper or about the same as what you are going to spend on double premiums, out of pocket etc.

Why the time you pay for a whole year of premiums and out of pocket, it would be cheaper to just go to Mexico, or to Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas.

@@luvkoko Quest Bars - Apple pie is my favorite Almonds EatMeGuilt Free Brownies Deli Ham sugar free cocoa

I find Salmon really hard to digest. I have tried it a couple times since surgery but it is as bad as chicken and turkey for me.

I think the sleeve requires more self control. Once people heal, most people can eat almost anything. The thing is, bypass people can do the same thing. And malabsorption doesn't always last, your body can adjust. As a youngish, single person, I went with the sleeve because it has the absolute longest history as a safe procedure. People have had large amounts of their stomach removed for a hundred years to cure stomach issues. I am single and I live alone. I wanted something with less potential for complications and easier recovery. 5.5 months out I have lost 81lbs. I started at 365, I weighed 358 on surgery. Also, anyone can gain their weight back or never meet goal. I know someone that had bypass 2 years ago, never met goal and started regaining at 1.5 years out.

Protein is the building block of the body. Even though you are losing you can regrow hair pretty fast if your protein intake is high enough. If you aren't getting enough protein in, your hair won't regrow well.

Are you meeting your protein goals daily? Are you taking iron? Are you taking a multi with zinc?

Most NUT and Dietitians just use the food pyramid and they don't think outside the box they are useless. I incorporate some paleo principals in how I eat, but mainly I eat Keto. I try to eat organic most of the time. Premier Protein is full of chemicals, but it is the highest protein, lowest carb ready made shake you can find. Post op, the first few weeks, you might want to use it. I live alone and I didn't have anyone around to help me with things. It was nice to just be able to grab a ready made shake that required no effort. Also since it has so much protein, it makes it easy to meet your base protein each day, which is really hard in the beginning because you can ingest so little at once. Also most mix shakes get thicker when you mix them, especially with a shaker. With a normal stomach that is nice, because you feel full. It is terrible with a tiny healing stomach. They are just a tool to get you where you want to be, using them for a few weeks won't hurt, you but not meeting your protein goals will.

How much Water are you drinking? An hour after eating you should be trying to get your fluids in. Are you taking anything for stomach acid? Once you are healed unless you have a stricture you can eat non stop all day. You have to measure your food, track your Protein and eat till you meet your goals. That is it. In between you should be chugging all the water you can take.

On my DVR, 600lbs life is 2 hours and includes this episode, they don't have this listed as a separate show. @@Sleeve_Sistah85 I am old enough to remember when TLC was actually educational not exploitive, so the current way the network is disappointing to me.

There is a recipe sharing forum http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1052-recipe-sharing/

I know a lot of people love MFP, but I am not a fan. I have a fitbit and I use Lifesum to track my food because it allows for different types of diets and make suggestions off those diets for you. I follow a ketogenic diet and it has that built in. Lifesum would would with your Apple Watch. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lifesum-healthier-living-better/id286906691?mt=8 You can use a Fitbit Flex in Water, that was one of the reasons I bought it. If I ever live near another good quality gym with a pool I might look into a tracker just for swimming. http://www.wareable.com/fitness-trackers/the-best-waterproof-fitness-trackers-796

10 days out you should be resting and walking enough to keep your blood flowing, but resting. The first 3 weeks I had a lot of energy but I got tired very fast. Rest.

You won't feel restriction with liquids. As soon as they hit your stomach they start sliding though to your intestines. I had a live swallow test and I could watch on screen. As soon as you are on soft foods you will feel the restriction. Also if you gulp liquids right now, you will feel restriction. The fact that you aren't feeling restriction says that you are taking small sips and doing the right thing. You really don't want to push it right now.