fatsolovescandy

Oh, but some good feedback--Unjury's chicken broth is amazing. It has saved me. Today I warmed a can of potato Soup, puréed it and added unflavored Protein Powder. That too was delish.

@@*Lexie*
ahhhh, it was worth the "weight"/wait for the great before and after pics
i'm very sorry about your "situation"
apparently before surgery "you lost your head"
still no where to be found!!
i hope you can show yourself
would love to see how pretty you are
i "think" some people might not want to show their face, don't want anyone to know they are on this board
but if they are reading posts - that means THEY are also on the board
nothing to be ashamed of
just a thought, i could be wrong
ONE time i was wrong
i thought i had made a mistake!!
happy 9 month surgiversary!!
keep up the good work
kathy

@@*Lexie*
hey bud
the above "quote" came up when i tried to see you and your great pictures
i am closing my eyes - and i can see how wonderful you look
80 lbs gone!!!
i knew there was a reason i was "seeing less and less" of you on the board
keep up the good work
i know you will
kathy
congrats

@@laguerr13 Now that is the kind of problem we all hope to have! Congrats!

Three things:
1. Stick to the plan. Resolve yourself to it. Don't plan on just eating the same food just smaller portions. That won't work. For me the first 10 months were "to a 't'" at least 65g Protein, no more than 35 g carbs & at least 100 oz Water. That's it. Simple.
2. Do the hard emotional work to figure out what your food issues are really about because they're probably not really about food. I've written a lot about how I've gone about doing this in my blog. I try to be as honest as possible. Check it out if you're interested in more on that.
3. Realize that your sleeve won't "make you" lose weight & it certainly won't "make you" keep the weight off. The extent to which you are successful depends on the amount of work you're willing to do & HOW you use your sleeve.
Good luck!

Hi @MarceMonster. Here’s the formula I used to get to goal weight:



• Start every morning with a Protein shake for Breakfast.
• Eat 60–80 or more grams of Protein daily.
• Drink 64–120 ounces of fluids daily. (I drink tons of Crystal Light, or generic, sugar-free/decaf iced tea.)
• Do not consume any starches or sugars.
• Get all carbs from green veggies, legumes, and dairy products.
• Do not consume empty liquid calories/sugar (fruit juices, ice cream, etc).
• Try to avoid alcohol. It’s empty liquid calories that turn to sugar in your body and can lead to poor choices.
• All Snacks must be protein-based (Jerky, nuts, cheese, Greek yogurt, deli meats, etc.).
• Get some exercise 4-6 times a week.
• Never leave the house without a plan for what you can eat and drink while you’re out. If necessary, bring food and drink with you.
• Restaurant eating is not hard: 1) skip the bread; 2) order a meat (or legume/bean) dish; 3) replace the starch with a second vegetable; 4) skip the dessert. You’ll probably end up taking some of the meat and most of the veggies home for another meal.
• Beef/turkey Jerky is my secret weapon. It’s saved me more times than I can count, so I try to always have some in the car for emergencies. You can buy a bag of jerky almost anywhere. It’s kind of expensive and not great for sodium-restricted diets, but it’s also high protein, low fat, okay sugar, and a 3.5-ounce bag is a meal by itself!
• If you fall off the horse, get back on immediately – at the next meal. Not tomorrow, and definitely not next Monday. That’s what got us here!
• Go to Bariatric Support Group meetings in your area, if possible.
• Participate actively in online forums like BariatricPal.
• Read as much as you can about the process and the journey; and especially, read posts and articles from those who had their surgery a few years ago. Try to understand what lead to their successes and/or struggles.
• Share your story and reach out to help others who are behind you in their journey. By helping them, you’ll help yourself as well.
• Have a goal weight in mind and strive to get there. (I weigh myself every single day.) But also set lots of smaller goals. It’s fun and inspiring to achieve them.
• Always be looking forward. Don’t look back over your shoulder waiting for the heavier person to drag you back. Let that person fade into history.
• Believe that the slimmer person in the mirror is the real you.
• A little vanity is okay. Enjoy how you look. Accept compliments graciously and don’t deflect them. Have fun trying on smaller-sized clothes that fit now. Compare before and after pictures. Take pride in your accomplishments!
• Accept that this is a somewhat selfish process. That’s okay, too. You don’t have to apologize for it. And don’t let other people interfere with your progress. We have to make our weight loss program a priority in our lives.
• But at the same time, recognize that your journey affects your friends and loved ones as well. Be sensitive to their reactions and their emotional needs, without allowing it to derail your program.
• And finally, try to have fun losing the weight and getting healthy!

Hold onto your determination! That's what'll keep you going during the difficult times and the stalls. Good luck!

I'm still pre op so I feel a little left out ????. But I'm going to play anyway. ????
I've lost my feeling of being the odd man out, as I'm the only obese person in my immediate family. I'm steadily losing my cloak of invisibility as my surgery date draws near, and I find myself withdrawing more and more from the shadows each day to live in the sun. I've lost my desire to try out all the latest fad diet gimmicks. I've lost the belief that since I've been fat most of my life there was just no way out.
And on the flip side: I've gained a whole bunch of new real life and forum brothers and sisters to share my wls journey with me. I've gained a true appreciation for words like "hope" "patience" and "perseverance." I've gained the understanding that you're never too old, too fat, or too overridden from comorbidities to have a second chance at life!
Sorry to shanghai the topic, but I can never resist coloring outside the lines!

Okay. Here's a little reality check.
The lower the BMI, the slower you will lose. Those of you with 40 or below BMI as a rule will not lose as much weight the first month as those of you with 40 or higher BMI.
Males lose faster than us gals. Fact. Infuriating, but true.
You will not lose 20 or 30 pounds every month. After the initial fast weight loss month or so, it stabilizes to more "normal" losses. 2-5 lbs a week. Then as you get closer to your goal, it's more like 2-5 a MONTH.
Don't compare yourself to others. There are just too many variables to what a normal rate is for weight loss. Any weight lost is a victory. And from what I've seen here, you all are winners!

As someone who works in the insurance industry, if it isn't covered by the plan you or your work purchased, it isn't covered. I can count on one hand the times we have extended coverage when it wasn't there and every single time was because we made a mistake and informed the person they would be covered only to later turn around and discover that we were wrong and misread the policy. Aside from that, I can't imagine it being overturned and if it was it would be a CEO decision. I don't want to be discouraging but the likelihood is slim to none. Bariatric Pal has a great program in Mexico that a TON of people have posted about having great success with. Good luck on your journey!

UPDATE: I got approved!!!! Cigna actually called me????. An RN just wanted to know if I had any questions or concerns prior to my surgery next week... yes, she said next week????. I was stunned because I didn't know I was approved much less scheduled. But I followed up with my Dr's office and they said they have to put in a "dummy date" for the submission but I'll get my actual date after my results visit where they officially review with me the findings of each test I was required to take as well as review any pre-surgical diet requirements. So, that appointment is Monday July 20th and I'm hoping to have surgery a couple of weeks after that if the surgeon's schedule allows. I'm so freaking excited! Thank you so much to everyone for their support and encouragement. I'm grateful that this resource exists☺️.

Oh, but some good feedback--Unjury's chicken broth is amazing. It has saved me. Today I warmed a can of potato Soup, puréed it and added unflavored Protein Powder. That too was delish.

You won't be alone, mine is on July 28th also along with a few others. Let's take it day by day and support each other post-op. We can do this together.

There is a brand-new group on Facebook for July 2015 sleevers! It is a PRIVATE group, so none of your friends will be able to see you are in the group, in case you're not sharing with others yet. It is not a searchable group, so if you'd like to be added in, you need to send me a friend request and I'll add you. You can find me at www.facebook.com/heleneval BTW, I am July 14….next week!!

Surgery date July 14th! Can't wait. liquid diet sucks

@@bnm4 Wow!!! Congrats! I've heard that setting an alarm for every five minutes and then drinking a medicine cup full of Water every time the alarm beeps helps tremendously.
Hope you stay hydrated! Take care.

I'm pretty sure the statistics i read were that sleeve patients on average lose 60-70% of their excess weight, then the rest is up to you. I think i googled weight loss surgery long term weight loss. You should get all kinds of statistics. Also, i see a lot of people on here who actually make it to goal weight. There is a lot of support here to help you along the way

My Fitbit Charge HR.

My blender for my Protein shakes, crushes ice like a champ. Me to measure my food. My Water bottles with straws so I get my fluids in every day. My Bento boxes to pack my small portion lunches and Snacks in.

My food scale. At 8 months, I still measure my food regularly.

Giant Water cups and Protein Shake cups and blender!!! My shakes and water I sip on all day!!!!

My Water bottle. I feel like i don't quite get enough Water so i take it with me where ever I go. To the store, shopping, friends. Its one of those Tervis ones with a loop in the lid for easy carrying. I was sleeved 3 weeks ago today. Oh and chapstick, but i carried that around pre-surgery too.

I am feeling much better. As for the gum vs mints... they said no to mints because that is actually swallowed. The gum isn't and the main idea was just to wet my mouth since the ice chips were making me vomit.
I too was the first surgery at 730am and I wasn't able to drink actual Water until today. Yesterday was just ice chips until I tolerated them long enough. I'm sure had I tolerated those though they would've let me drink a little water. Believe me though, I have no desire whatsoever for fluids other than to wet my mouth. The IV has me completely covered on that front. Try not to worry! It really is not bad at all!
And yes @@bnm4, it's funny how farting makes us happy now when they get bigger! LMAO!! I am counting everyone since its something funny to me that makes me feel better.

I had my surgery on the 30th and was able to come home that day with this new 72 hour pain pill my surgeon put inside me, so now that it is starting to wear off in getting the real deal. It's still not as bad as I was expecting but I am a lot more puny today.
I slept through the night perfectly! Which was so nice because I didn't the night before. I've been able to keep down Water, Vitamin Water, and chicken broth. I'm still taking my nausea medicine- just as a precaution. And I'm still doing pain medicine every 4 hours during the day since I'm active.
With just a little incision pain/soreness - I've been able to walk a mile on the 30th and 2 miles yesterday which really really really helps get rid of the gas. (To add on to whoever was talking about the small farts- they get bigger and better to give you something to look forward to hahaha ????)

@@haleylhs
I'm only just shy of a day out from surgery and still in the hospital so I'm not sure I can comfort you much. I actually feel pretty good. I haven't had to push my Diluadid button much. The most pain I've had is from the gas but this morning (it's 4am) my stomach is much less distended and even though I haven't had a BM yet I am feeling much better. (Exciting TMI moment for me: I just barely farted for the first time and it was A-mazing! LOL) I also have a really bad Migraine but I get those normally anyway and we're working on fixing it. I have just barely started keeping ice chips down. Yesterday I threw even a couple pieces of ice up everytime. My mouth is very dry and it's annoying but I keep at it. My nurse said I could chew on gum but upon looking in my purse I realized I had none. So, husband will be bringing some when he gets here after dropping the kids off at daycare. I think that'll help a lot. So, you're right you won't be drinking for a bit, but really in the whole scheme of things it was very minor and plus yes you are hooked up to the IV.

As for the drain coming out of you - that is Dr specific I've noticed. My doc said only his RNY and DS patients had drains. I don't have one but to tell you the truth it probably would've been better than just dripping from the big hole where they removed my stomach. I had quite a lot of Fluid come out yesterday and got me wet enough to change my gown and bedding.They put a gauze pad over it and it's been ok now though. A drain isn't too bad though - I've had them with previous surgeries - and its no big deal, in my opinion.

Lastly, I don't feel like I just got hit by a bus. I feel like I just had another c/section or my hysterectomy. The pain from the gas yesterday was annoying but the pain meds helped knock me out so I didn't care. I got all 4 of my walks in and that really did help. So far I am not having second thoughts. I can tell you I did start freaking out the day before surgery but this isn't so bad... yet. LOL Hang in there! You can do this!

@@haleylhs I just received my chewable Vitamin from opurity (same company that makes Unjury). Was super excited, all the reviews were positive and said it tasted better than Flintstones....oh boy. NOT. Super gross, almost choked chewing it. Plus it is HUGE! I was excited that it is a 'one-a-day', but no surprise since the thing is ginormous!!! I think it would fine to grind up in a smoothie, but no way I could chew this thing the first week after surgery. Going to try dissolving it in Water tomorrow. But, needless to say, super disappointed. Guess I'll have to find something different at least for the first couple weeks---ugh. This stuff is too expensive for 'trial and error".
Looking forward to any vitamin suggestions!