catwoman7

I'm on my second Fitbit. It doesn't have all the fancy features that smart watches have, but it does the job for me.

is bariatric surgery covered in your particular policy? Policies can vary among employers, even if they use the same insurance companies. Some employers choose not to include a bariatric surgery rider, even if the insurance company offers one. if your employer's policy DOES cover bariatric surgery, do you meet all the requirements?

if you stick to your program, you WILL lose the weight, whether fast or slow. I was a slow loser from the get-go and ended up losing all of my excess weight. Your ultimate success is due to your level of commitment - not how fast or slow you lose the weight.

I never crushed pills. I was told I could take anything the size of a pencil eraser (or smaller) the regular way. That covered all my pills except for two - my calcium tablets and some other pill that I can't remember at the moment. So I bought chewable calcium to get around the first issue. For the second, the PA in my bariatric clinic said I could either crush them, or just not take them for about two weeks (which he said should be OK), and then give it a try to see if I could swallow them whole. I went with option 2 and WAS able to swallow them whole at two weeks out.

it's the infamous three-week stall. You just got it a little early. Almost everyone experiences that - if you do a search for it on this site, you'll find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding...). Mine was weeks 2 and 3. During week 4, it broke and I dropped something like 6-8 lbs in about two days. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days if you need to. It WILL break - they always do - and then you'll be on your way again.

I think that's common with addictions. I dream about food occasionally. But more often, I dream I am smoking. I quit smoking in 1994 (i.e., 27 years ago), and I STILL have dreams where I'm smoking and feeling angry with myself because I'm smoking!

P.S. my RNY took about an hour. VSG is not as complicated, so they can probably do it in under an hour. Twenty minutes doesn't sound right, though. Is he sure it was just 20 minutes? If so, I'd ask the surgeon about that... EDITED to add that I just read the comment above about VSG normally taking about 20 minutes - so maybe this is accurate after all..

the fluids are probably OK - they move through you pretty fast Eating a cup of rice was a bad idea, though. You've had nerves cut and likely won't feel restriction right away - they need a couple of weeks at least to start regenerating. Plus you're so early out of surgery that you could do some real damage by not following the food progression. Please follow your food plan. I know it can be challenging, but...

It depends on what you want to do. I think Planet Fitness is mostly machines (but I could be wrong...). YMCA's have other things like pools, classes, and personal training. I've belonged to our local Y for about 20 years. the Y that an above poster mentioned (broken machines, etc) is a local problem. The Y's in our county are great - I've never experienced anything like that. I certainly wouldn't take broken machines, long lines, etc as indicative of the condition of Y's in general. Just be sure to check out places (even a Planet Fitness) before you join - then you should be able to avoid problems like that.

I wouldn't have been allowed to progress that fast, but if your plan allows it, then who am I to say? Be careful, though. It takes real commitment to get to your goal, and a lot of people never make it. I would stick to my clinic's plan as closely as possible. The first few weeks and months are the easiest times to lose weight - it gets progressively harder the further out you get. Don't blow your big chance. There will be plenty of time to enjoy your favorite foods (in moderation, of course) later.

P.S. not sure if you're just getting a standard tummy tuck or a lower body lift (which is more expensive because they do both front and back). I got the latter in one surgery, and a breast lift and arm lift in a second surgery. I don't know what just a breast lift on its own would cost, but I can probably figure a good ballpark estimate. So for the lower body lift plus just a breast lift (no arm lift), my price would have been about $30,000, I think. I probably could have had it done locally for less, but I wanted someone who specialized in plastic surgery for massive weight loss patients, so I had to go to Chicago for that.

it gets harder the closer you get to your goal. I've gained 10 lbs since the pandemic started and am now six lbs overweight. It is a BEAR to get the scale to move. I basically can't eat anything that puts me over my daily 1700 calorie limit, or I stay put or start going up. My brother was here for a week which involved some restaurant eating and more treats than usual (even though I had no "blow outs"). Of course, my weight shot up. It's a lifelong struggle...

no - that's pretty typical for what you'd pay in a large city. It's around what I paid in Chicago. It may be less if you were willing to go to a smaller place like Knoxville, Tennessee. Or there may be a cheaper place in western Massachusetts (far from Boston) - but I'm not sure. I've heard on this site that it's often cheaper in Miami than in other large US cities, though - maybe because it's done so often there, and there are more surgeons? Not sure why, but for whatever reason, people are getting better prices there.

Hmm...I was going to say a stricture, but those are a lot more common with the RNY. I'd run it by your clinic. Not sure what could be going on here..

typically 1-3 weeks, so you're near the end of it

which surgery did you have?

I just count calories now (same range as you were given (1500-1700)), although I'm still mindful of protein requirements. Other than that, I allow myself anything as long as it fits within my range.

I've heard the same thing about thigh lifts. And you're right - breast/arm lift isn't bad.

all of the above posters are correct. With hospital weight gain, it's from the IV fluids. Some people come back from the hospital 10 lbs heavier than when they went in. It can take a week or so for it to work its way out of your system.

I didn't eat popcorn or rice until I hit maintenance at 20 months out. I still don't eat much of either. Neither are very nutritious and take up precious space in your stomach. I ate two tablespoons of ice cream on my birthday three months after surgery. I can handle it, but it's not the best choice. A lot of people (at least people who've had RNY) dump on ice cream, so if you do decide to indulge, be careful with it. I would be careful with getting back into eating unhealthy foods in general - it's a slippery slope. A lot of people never make goal or end up regaining their weight by letting bad habits slip back in....

not all surgeons require it. Consider yourself lucky!

you'll feel the restriction once you move to solid food. In the mean time, just measure out what you're supposed to eat and just eat that. In addition to the fact that you won't feel much, if any, restriction with pureed foods, you've likely had some nerves cut during surgery, and it takes awhile for them to regenerate - so your stomach may not be fully "talking" to your brain at the moment..(i.e., letting it know it's had enough).

a lot of long-time vets use IF to lose regain, so it should be fine. I don't think it would be a good idea for people within their first few months out of surgery, but someone as far out as you are, it should be fine.

this is the first time I've ever heard of this (and I've been active on this site as well as other bariatric sites for 6+ years). I'm not sure it's related to your surgery - I'd check with your PCP.

I don't think that would be an insurance requirement - more likely a surgeon requirement. Your surgeon must just not do it....