Seastars

I'm jealous of your weight los, soccer girl! I've only lost 12 pounds in the 3 weeks since surgery. Phooey.

My concern, and my surgeon's, is that a good workout adds a lot more to the "baseline 64oz" for hydration. Hiking last weekend (not even in hot dry weather), I was taking in 160oz/day. Imagine post-op, when you can no longer chug water, just sip, and have to stop after 4-6 oz to let your reduced stomach empty out. Gonna be pretty hard to sip 160oz., even spread out over the whole day. So that's why my surgeon's going to restrict my length/intensity of workouts for a few weeks post-op. Your team may feel differently for you and your lifestyle. On another topic - you guys are all under 35 BMI, and if you are pre-op you are likely going even lower through a required pre-op diet. We all know NIH doesn't officially recommend bariatric surgery below 35, even with co-morbidities. So my question for you: did your surgeon ever give you a speech about "risks of surgery outweigh the benefits under 35 BMI" or even "don't lose any more weight before surgery, it will reduce the benefits if surgery" speech? Mine did. I was not flattered. Of course I can lose weight - most of us are expert dieters, but also veteran regainers! I recently lost about 15# on a ore-op low-carb diet, but I have no faith at all that I can keep it off without surgery. I need this tool.

WHERE is the application form for Mommy Camp? I want IN! (And I will be able to fit through the in-door soon, ha ha!)

RNYoyo and jaxmom, can I give you big, squishy (on my side only, you leanbodies!) hugs? You guys and silverthreads have really brought my smile back. (That and learning I don't have to do the liver diet, HALLELUJAH.) Thank you!!! And way to go on your strong, healthy recovery!

Thanks! It's so great to have this forum, to get real feedback on things I think may be a challenge later. I may also practice with a camelbak - I've got one but usually just use bottles. Camelbak would better suit constant sipping. Flatter hikes are a smart idea, too. How's the reflux? Any problems?

Thanks, Silver! My surgeon told me yesterday that I can't hike or bike hills for several weeks after surgery, because she thinks I won't get enough liquid in. She thinks I should just walk/elliptical for those weeks. I am really hoping she's being overly conservative - I have June 22 surgery and do NOT want to miss out on hiking during the beautiful weather in June & July! (Last weekend I hiked about 4-5 hours per day, with moderate elevation gains, and needed about 320oz Water each day.) I seriously think I should start practicing "constant sipping." Sounds like it will be a good post-op skill.

How hard is it to hydrate enough during your workouts? I am really nervous about that.

Low(ish) BMI peeps, How did the surgery affect your workouts? I keep searching for advice but it seems aimed at much heavier and less mobile people (i.e., recommending "walking" post-op as a workout). I (and likely most of you) are instead in the "fit but fat" category, used to good heavy cardio workouts near-daily. Did you have to cut back post-op? I know we have to avoid swimming and lifting >25 pounds for a few weeks, but what about running, hiking, biking? How soon was it before you could have a vigorous workout? Did you feel you had enough energy for a workout given your low calorie intake? Was it hard to hydrate enough?

Thank you for the clarification on Medicare/Medicaid! You are absolutely right.

Oops, "premium visit" in my post above should be "premium cost." Doggone autocorrect! Oops, "premium visit" in my post above should be "premium cost." Doggone autocorrect!

Ele Marie, yayyyy! I'm so glad you had insurance coverage for this expensive treatment. California is indeed one of the states where insurers are required to cover Bariatric surgery. I know this is off-topic, but for those considering surgery who, like me, were investigating insurance coverage, the following info might be useful. Prior to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), private insurers largely had free rein to exclude treatments (such as for obesity and other pre-existing conditions) and increase premiums for the obese. 2012's ACA changed that, with a federal mandate to cover Bariatric surgery and nutritional counseling/weight loss plans. But there's a huge exception: states can individually opt out of some of this federal mandate. (That's crazy and defeats the universal-coverage intent of the statute in my opinion.) So, 23 states now require Medicare, exchange and private insurers to cover bariatric or gastric bypass surgery, but 27 states -including mine - still allow its exclusion. And because Bariatric surgery is expensive and usually increases premium visit, the exchange insurers, to be competitive, exclude it. A few private, employer-offered, generous group insurance plans may cover it but this is rare. SO, if you are in one of the 27 states where insurers aren't required to cover Bariatric surgery, very likely any insurance you can get (from your employer or the exchange/open market) will not cover it, regardless of BMI or co-morbidities. If you live in one if those states, as I do, you will almost certainly have to self-pay for the surgery. Here is a good, recent article detailing what I've just summarized: http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/aca-and-health-mandates-for-obesity.aspx I know that is detailed but it may help someone reading to understand why his or her insurance policy excludes Bariatric surgery entirely, when so many posters on this website seem to have insurance coverage.

Yeah, Medicare nationally approves Bariatric surgery, but subject to state regulation. (Medicare is a combined fed/state program.) So each state decides for itself, and about half - mostly in the north and west - won't cover it. The exchange (Obamacare) and most private insurance plans follow suit. Crazy. But that's why many of the Americans on here who talk about insurance, are from the southern states.

RNYOYo, that is fantastic to hear about your energy level soon after surgery! I hope for a similar outcome. Ele marie, my insurance won't cover any Bariatric surgery regardless of BMI, and won't cover any diet or nutritional program. Crazy. So I'm self-paying. My surgeon is willing to go a little below 35 BMI (I have a co-morbidity).

Thank you, everyone, for telling your stories and sharing tips! It is very reassuring. Keep 'em coming! I don't have a surgery date yet (probably late June). I have a BMI of 32.8. I'm most concerned about: -micronutrient deficiency. The longer-term sleeve studies show this is very, very common. Any of you long-termers who can report that your regular Multivitamins are enough to keep your blood levels normal? -being too fatigued and fuzzy-brained to work for weeks after the surgery. I don't need to account for vacation days at my job, and I can work from home if necessary, but I've got a huge project in August that will need focused thinking and writing for most of June and July. More than a week off work will compromise that. So I'd love to hear from folks who were back to a desk job and reasonably efficient, a week after surgery! (Or if not, please tell it too me straight - how long did it take for your brain to return?) -surviving the pre- and post-op liquid diet phases. I like Fiber and crunch! But I suppose one can endure anything for just a few weeks. I'm pretty active (cardio daily) and eat nutritiously (although way too much) with lots of Protein. I don't smoke, drink (alcohol, coffee, soda). So the maintenance phase doesn't seem too difficult (knock wood) - just much smaller portions, starting with protein, and much more chewing! I hope that having a lower (although still obese) BMI and being fit now, will help me bounce back to regular activity (and brain) after surgery.