rosestara

I start my first class of 6 on Saturday I'm hoping for a December operation
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I got my call today for approval for June 20 so I have to start liquid diet the 6 is everyone planing on having a day where you eat what you want before surgery? I am planing on going to my favorite restaurant Saturday is that weird
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I hope all goes well!

Finally had my surgery on 5/25, back home and doing good so far. Had one nice chuckle while I was being poked and prodded during my 3 day hospital stay. Had my surgery at OSU (Go BUCKS!). Due to heart problems and a couple of the meds I was on, my stay was in the heart step down unit, instead of the bariatric wing. My surgeon came to see me each day, along with a cardiology team, and nutritionists. This is where it gave me a chuckle...
After seeing a few different "straw topics" get posted in the past few weeks, I had asked my surgeon about it during my pre op. He said that he has no problem with his patients using a straw, and that excess air would not stretch out the sleeve. As I was taking my meds on Fri (using a straw to sip water), my surgeon and the cardiologist came in. A couple of minutes latter the nutritionist and bariatric counselor came in. She saw me sipping Water to take my meds and immediately told me I could not be using a straw. From there it was a rehash of every post I had read on here, between the 4 of them.
FYI, my surgeon and cardiologist won out.

looks like you are doing a great job. Keep it up!

Thank you for sharing, 2017 better watch out for us! Blessings!
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I don't have any advice. I just wanted to say that we are on the same schedule. I just had my first of 6 appointments on May 23rd. Well actually it is the first of seven because it has to be 6 full months so the first visit doesn't actually count. I am also hoping for a December surgery.

*follow your eating plan
*eat your Protein
*take your Vitamins
*drink your Water
*go low carb
*low to no sugar
*exercise
*as you lose weight & get into better shape - keep revamping your exercise, don't sweat it if you don't lose every day or every week - it's gonna come off so don't dwell on it
*enjoy the journey because it goes fast
*don't obsess over losing the weight
(try not to anyways)
*enjoy other things going on in your life
*Celebrate weight loss with non-food things
*if you do go out to eat at a restaurant - don't get too anxious; you're gonna have healthier options but even if you do choose unhealthy you're only going to have a small portion so it's not gonna hurt your progress (just don't make it an everyday habit)
*stay away from your trigger food(s) - they can get you into trouble... mine is popcorn. (Or aka crackcorn)
*enjoy the compliments - don't turn around with a negative comment like "yeah but I have loose skin or I still have X amount of weight to lose"
*just smile and say thank you - you know you deserved that compliment and know how hard you worked to get to where you are...
*don't let anyone get you down with saying shitty things like "I knew of someone that lost all the weight only to gain it back" --- you are not that person they are referring to.
*really push yourself with exercise (later on) - you won't die even though you may feel like you are.
See what you're made of!
You'll feel so good afterwards knowing that "I just did that!"
It's addicting. You'll want to continue to push your own limits.
*try new exercises and such
*your incisions will be tender, red and sore. If they are oozing pus then get them checked out - otherwise they should be fine
*that left (or sometimes right) shoulder pain is the leftover gas/air they pumped up your stomach with from surgery - it'll go away
*that extra painful area (left quadrant) on your stomach is where most of the work was done. It will be sore longer. (Bypass patients anyways) - the pain will go away eventually
*do what your doctor says about eating, drinking, exercise, everything. Follow the rules!
*Just remember why you had this surgery.
You want to be healthy and happy.
***No food or drink will make you as happy as how that new dress or pair of jeans fit. ***
- Or when you are able to walk or jog without being so out of breath
- or when you can fit in an airplane seat comfortably and not need a seat belt extension.
- or when you don't have to worry if that plastic chair will hold you
- or you can bend down to pick up that pencil you dropped and get up easily
- or having that social anxiety anytime you go out in public
- or looking around a crowded room only to be mortified that you're the biggest one there
- or taking the elevator up one floor and being ashamed of it because you know what people are thinking
Don't let the food control you anymore.
***Nothing tastes as good as being fit and healthy feels.***
*Don't think you have to have a certwin food because you'll never have it again; it will always be there. It's not going anywhere. You're just choosing to not have it now - you're in control. McDonald's will still be around 100 years from now, so don't fret.
*Breathe.
*You can do this.
It's easier than you think. You will have a tough time at first because everything is so new and you're most likely withdrawling from carbs, sugars, junk etc. But once that is out of your system - it does get easier, honest!
And when the weight starts dropping your priorities and cravings change.
You'll crave more successful weight loss then you will carbs! You'll think to yourself "that *insert food of choice here* isn't worth it!"
You'll crave exercise. Your body will anxiously await to move!
*Weigh and track your food. It helps a lot. I use Myfitnesspal. And I have a fitbit. Friendly competition is motivating
*Take one day at a time, again, try not to obsess and have your weight loss consume your mind. There are other things to your life right now too.
*Every few weeks or month - go thru your closet and try on smaller clothes - this is a huge motivator! I forgot to do that so many times and totally bypassed clothes and then never even got to wear them. (Brand new clothes, dammit!)
Gave them away with the price tags still on them.
Anyways, you can do this!
If there's any other questions - just ask
Heather
**if there is anything someone wants to add -- please do!
Let's all help each other be as successful as we can possibly be!
Surgery date: September 21 2015
Starting weight: 273.4
Current weight 168.4
Loss of 105 lbs so far.
18 to go

I decided to go semi-public and actually blog about my decision and journey. Writing it down is the best way for me to process my thoughts and emotions, and I just couldn't not do it.
Though it doesn't auto post to FB or Twitter or anything like that, so it's internet public, but not real life public.
http://becomingmandikaye.com/

good luck

We don't have classes at Banner. Today I had my visit with my surgeon and I like him a lot. I also met with the nutritionist. So since my insurance requires 6 months of visits, they let me schedule appointments for the next three months. I also was able to schedule a appointment for my psych evaluation since they are in the same building. My appointment is in two weeks. i will also need an egd and cardiology appointment but I don't need to do those until later. We are also required to attend just one of the support sessions that are offered every week.

Good luck on your journey guys! Have you checked out your insurance yourself to see what it requires? It seems odd that if would have 90 days w/PCP and Nut vs 6 month pcp. Seems like one or the other. At Banner, I know they require 3 months for everyone even self pay people then if your insurance requires more time then you do that. My insurance requires 6 months. I have my first visit with my surgeon and nutritionist on Tuesday! I already got an email from the nutritionist with some general diet stuff. They said that their office requires all patients to lose some weight at every visit or else they may make you start over again. They expect 1 to 2 pounds a week. I'm really excited to get started!

Good luck on your journey. I am also just starting out. I went to my initial session at Banner Gateway last week and I have my first appointment with the surgeon on May 24th. It will be interesting to compare our journey. I almost went to Bridges but I picked Banner just because it was much closer to my house. My insurance company requires the 6 month supervised diet thing so my surgery won't be until November or December.

As my one "dear" grandson says, "Look, Granny! You've been slimed!"
Then my other "dear" grandson pipes in, "No, I think Granny has rabies!"
Anyone want a couple of "dear" grandsons?????
Really, "sliming" is a sign of drinking/eating too "something". Whether it's: too fast or too much, or too sweet, or too rich.
You will "know" it when get it AND you will NOT forget it.
Just try not to experience it in front of two wise arse grandsons!

Weight regain is based on a patient's ability to make the necessary lifestyle changes and continuing to adhere to a bariatric friendly diet plan, NOT what kind of surgery they had. The type of surgery doesn't dictate success or failure, an individual's behavior does that.
I will add in an exception....with the malabsorption of bypass, you may be able to get away with eating off plan without regain more so than a sleeve patient. I have two good friends that had bypass almost 10 years ago and I would certainly regain if I ate like they do. However, they suffer from a variety of illnesses related to nutritional deficiencies. Personally, I'd rather take on the added accountability and stick with the healthier lifestyle required in order to maintain my loss.
And as for studies comparing weight gain between the two surgeries you probably won't find that many. VSG just hasn't been around long enough to have accumulated enough long term data. But really, that data is only going to tell you what OTHER people have done, not what YOU are capable of.

I stayed 2 nights. Originally planned on just one night, but the nausea got the best of me. I'm not going to lie, the first week or two were rough. Many 'what-did-I-get-myself-into' thoughts running through my head. I'm just coming up on my 4th week post op. However hearing from people that are 2,3,4 years out is comforting. It won't always be this hard. Your body WILL adjust and your new plumbing will adjust.
I go back to work Monday after 4 weeks off. I'm nervous about the fatigue due to my job requires sharp mental focus. I've come a long way and so will you. Congrats on your new life! You will never regret it and good luck!

Well I use MFP anyway so I like that it syncs to fitbit and shows my calories there. I used to track my food on fitbit but I like MFP better. I can't remember why I like it better because I stopped using it years ago to track my food. I have recipes stored on MFP. I cook a lot and MFP allows me to build recipes and store then there and I can see all my nutritional info. Also in the past before I was thinking of doing this surgery, I used to fitbit and MFP to help me decide how many calories to eat a day. It is more useful when each app can see your activity level and calories to come up with a daily calorie goal. For example, if my calorie goal was 1200 calories then MFP could see that I burned an extra 500 calories with exercise on the fitbit and it would tell me that I was allowed to have extra calories that day based on my activity. Or on fitbit, it would see how much I ate and it would tell me how many more calories I needed to burn to reach my goal of losing 1 to 2 pounds per week.

I have a fitbit and I love it. I have worn one daily since 2011. Since I have had my fitbit for so long, I never had the chance to use the other fitness trackers because most of them appeared later. I wear the fitbit ultra on my bra daily. I like how small it is. I like how it easily syncs to myfitnesspal and i like the information that you can see on your fitbit and the free app that shows and stores all your data. I can see steps and calories burned and my sleep and since it syncs to myfitnesspal it shows the calories I have eaten vs burned for the day. I know that some trackers require you to pay a fee to see your information on the computer. I have weights and activity stored on the fitbit website since 2011. I just think it is easy. They do have ones you can wear on your wrist. I wore the first one they had years ago but I preferred the one I wear on my bra. Now they have several different ones available that also track your heart rate. I haven't tried those.

All went well. I went to my new pcp today and she listened to my story and said she will do whatever I need to help me get the surgery, She said she has helped about 8 other people have surgery. I can't believe it since I kind of picked her at random. I am so happy that step is done, now I am going to the informational session at banner tomorrow.

I have an appointment with a new pcp this coming tuesday. I have no idea what she thinks about weight loss surgery. I asked the office staff and they said that all their doctors believe in working with patients to help them achieve what they want. They said that can't imagine one of their doctors just saying no, I can't have it. So I went ahead and made an appointment. The doctor I picked has a special interest in exercise and nutrition. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. She might try to convince me that I can do it without surgery. But I know I can't because I have 20 years worth of dieting that proves that. So I have an appointment with pcp on tuesday and I go to an information session at the bariatric office I picked on wednesday. I am going with Banner Gateway. I will let you guys know what happens with my new pcp!

This is the best Protein Shakes I have ever tried !!!! Being 4weeks post op I have not been able to drink any of them due to the fact they make me sick . But I tried this one and it taste so good almost like strawberry milk and they don't make me sick if your looking for a good one that taste good you should definitely give this one a try!!! Oh and GNC will let you try them befor you buy they also have banana chocolate and vanilla !!!
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I began having smoothies about two weeks post op using either a plain yogurt (Greek, Icelandic, or Bulgarian) that is high in Protein and low in carbs or plain kefir as the base. I most often use frozen fruit rather than fresh for the convenience, and my favorites are raspberries (high in fiber), nectarines, and the mixed berries from Trader Joe's. If I'm adding spinach or kale I also use it frozen. Del Monte has a fresh peach cup that is no sugar added, and only has 12 carbs. If I'm going to a regular grocery store vs. Trader Joe's or Ralph's I'll stock up on them for smoothies. Trader Joe's also has frozen sweet potato cubes that are delicious in smoothies, and lower in carbs than some fruit. I make those with Fairlife milk.
A bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Wiener has a video on YouTube about the "set point smoothies" he advocates.

P.S. The ONLY bright side I see to waiting for 8/1 as a potential surgery date is that New Year's Day will be my 6-month anniversary, and I think that's a very cool date. I think starting 2017 off 60+lbs lighter will be AMAZING.

That's me making lemonade out of lemons. I'm still a totally impatient Type A person who would have preferred a random day in March, LOL.

Monday I finish up my 4th month (my 5th appt with DR)! it has gone by real fast! Getting pumped up and ready for surgery!

It went well amen.. surgery was only 1hour my doctor said... I gotta the room and started walking hours after..i feel good they released me tonight... I'm home relaxing watching TV and zipping hot tea.. That's what's going to help you... Trust me... I feel good Surgery went well I'm happy.....
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