losergrl75

Your plan should be able to provide you with a letter showing your benefits and how much you have met. You have $1400 deductible left and $3000 coinsurance so oop left to meet is $4400. But your provider can require you to pay the $4400 up front before services are rendered. I would ask where they are calculating the rest of the charges from, perhaps the anesthesiologist or radiologist are out of network which is quite common. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

How much of your deductible have you met? Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I worry about how I will mentally adjust to maintenance. I'm within pounds of my goal weight, but I've gotten used to almost 9 months of the scale moving down. It will be weird to have it stay the same. Maybe because I have yo-yo dieted for the last 15+ years, in my mind if the scale isn't going down it must be going up. I feel like that worry, is stealing the excitement that I should be feeling. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I eat both hot sauce and buffalo wings with no issues but I did have a hiatal hernia repair during surgery and haven't had any issues since ( suffered from acid reflux pre) Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Ahhh. I feel soooo much better reading your reply!!!!! How far out are you now? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I am 8 months out and still don't eat until I'm full. I measure at home ( eyeball portion size out) and eat just that much, nothing more. I am satisfied but not stuffed or uncomfortable. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Lmao that would be me and I love my little kangaroo pouch. It beats the hell outta my preop stomach that was larger than when I was 9 months pregnant! Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I had very minimal swelling and never had an issue eating my portions during liquid, puree or soft food. It freaked me out too, I half way teasingly asked my surgeon if he was sure he took my stomach out at my 1 month post op. I think we are so used to trying/failing diet after dist before surgery that we subconsciously assume we'll fail this too. My MD and NUT pointed out that eating my portion, feeling satisfied but not stuffed was exactly how we're supposed to be training our bodies/brains to eat during this time. They reminded me that if I'm measuring my portions and eating just my measured portion that's NOT overeating. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Me too, if we were in a 3 seat row I'd make my hubby sit next to the other person. I was paranoid about ending up the subject of someone's viral social media rant! Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Walk all day at the zoo, amusement park, beach etc. without numbness and tingling in my legs or the bottoms of my feet feeling like they're on fire. Work in my yard and flower beds without having to take ibuprofen due to knee pain. Play on the floor with my grandbabies and get up without assistance or having to brace myself. Comfortably fit in airplane seats or booths at restaurants. Wear underwire or strapless bras. Go shopping at any store and know I'll find something in my size ( this is a blessing and a curse lol). Buy boots at the store instead of ordering online because I need extra wide calf. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I call that my kangaroo pouch Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

You look fabulous! Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I loved me some simple carbs preop. I am 8 months post op and if I have them, my body craves them like a crack head. The longer I abstain the more the cravings decrease. In terms of junk food, I try to have better alternatives in the house. For example,u hubby loved his caramel salted truffle gelato and Garrett's popcorn. He has never had to worry about weight a day in his life grrrrr. To combat that, I keep artic zero and halo top in the house on nights seeing him eat ice cream really get to me. And I keep the either smart pop or boom chicka pop when I really want to throat punch him and steal his Garret's Chicago Mix. Although, the popcorn can be a slippery slope for me. It's a slider and you can eat way more than you should. So I have to measure and stop myself from going back. On nights where I'm out of calories for the day and a snack is out of the question, I get up and clean the kitchen, get on my phone , go watch TV in another room etc. Anything to distract myself. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I don't really consider myself an ethnically diverse eater, we mostly have chain restaurants in my area, but I do like spicy ( not necessarily hot) foods and have had relatively few issues tolerating them post op. I had a hiatal hernia repair during surgery and have had no issues with acid reflux since.

It's short for life hack which is something you do to manage your daily life, enhance it , make it more efficient, etc.

I think exercise helped a lot with me having minimal sagging skin. I started walking the indoor track 2 weeks post op and started walking/jogging at about a month out. By 6 weeks out I was doing spin class twice a week and C25K three mornings a week. I don't do C25K to complete it, I just have found that I work out better when someone tells me when to walk and when to run. So I worked myself up to week 6 and just keep repeating it over and over again. I might eventually complete it one day

You look great Babbs! I had to chuck a little at your post because I tell everyone that I don't want to be a little old lady, they're boring as hell, I plan on being an old broad. And proud of it!

I'm 40 and had surgery 1/14/16. I'm 5'2" , my HW was 242, SW 225 CW ~148. I have bat wings ( but not too bad, still wear sleeveless shirts), a little bit of saggy skin on thighs and stomach. Saggiest body part are my boobs, but a push up bra takes care of that lol Here's a bikini pic from when I was 6 months out ( nothing more recent) Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I have not, when I was trying to decide between Ipsy or Birchbox a couple people I know said go with Ipsy. I like makeup and they said you get more makeup with that box and more general beauty ( cleanser, hair products etc) with Birchbox. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App Ipsy has larger sample sizes than Birch. My daughter gets both - perfect bday present for a 16 year old Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App And I love the super cute bag you get every month. I actually use them as clutches when I go out at night and don't want to carry a purse. They are perfectly sized for phone, cash, phone and lippie! Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I have not, when I was trying to decide between Ipsy or Birchbox a couple people I know said go with Ipsy. I like makeup and they said you get more makeup with that box and more general beauty ( cleanser, hair products etc) with Birchbox. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Subscription beauty boxes. I currently get Ipsy and Sephora Play. I get a Walmart box every 3 months and try to catch the Target box. Thinking about adding the Essence box into the mix. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Has your husband ever struggled with weight issues? Mine has never struggled and in fact works in the fitness industry. Unless someone has personally struggled with weight, it is really hard to understand the struggle. Initially, I think my hubby had reservations because of his background in the fitness industry. He has the mindset that anyone can lose and maintain if they just work out more. Even though I had struggled PCOS for years, he just didn't understand. Once I had surgery and he saw how it helped reset my metabolic rate so that finally something was working inspite of my PCOS he was all on board. He sees firsthand that I'm putting in the work and that has completely changed his mindset. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Thanks so much @@KristenLe ! I was taken by surprise the first time. Now it's like a running joke with hubby and I whenever I say Hi to someone if they'll know who I am or not lol

Here's a F2F before and after. I actually have eyes and cheekbones again. I didn't think there was that much of a difference, but I've ran into about 5 people in the last month who had no idea who I was lol

Before July 2015 weight ~240 Surgery date was 1/14/16 @ 225lbs. Current weight bouncing back and forth between 149-150.

My surgeon uses your very first weigh in from your consultation since they expect you to start losing during your six month medically supervised weight management process prior to surgery. Using myself as an example, I weighed 242 the day of my consult and my surgeon put my excess body weight at 123 lbs. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App