diamondsandpearls

Hey September sleevers,
So update I've officially dropped my 1st 25lb since surgery on 9/14. I started at 209 dropped to 202 after the preop diet and now am at 5 year low of 176. I'm so excited people it was the best thing for my health to get this surgery and I'm loving my sleeve.
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Certainty
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Thank you.. Hw 226sw212cw170...4'11 sd6/1 Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

I had my sleeve 2 days before you and I'm down 16 pounds (25 pounds if you include my preop diet pounds lost). I've lost count how many days it's been since I've lost a pound. I started at 220, 211 on surgery day, 195 today. I chalk it up to starting at a lower BMI and I tell myself the slower loss will be better in the long run for my extra skin.
Hang in there.
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OMG calm down!!!!!! You are doing great by the way. By the time I hit 6 weeks I had only lost 25 lbs. My goal was to get to 30lbs by 6 weeks but I didn't---- SO WHAT!!!!!! My goal was to get to Onederland by 10/1 and I didn't--- SO WHAT!!!!!! Those are just personal goals that I set to push myself. As long as you're losing not gaining. There are some weeks where I only lose 0.8 lbs, some weeks I lose nothing. Then I have a good week. Your body needs time to adjust and calibrate. Do you measure yourself? It's not all in the scales. At some point I was honest with myself and knew I wasn't as active as I should be so I stepped up my activity level. From 2 days a week to 4-5 days a week. Weight loss picked up--I saw better results. Keep doing what you are supposed to and it will happen over time. Think BIGGER PICTURE. Long term. Not day to day. Try weighing at the same time preferably mornings and try to limit your weigh ins to once a week. Log your weights and observe your trends. You will find you are doing much better than you think you are. Hang in there and try not to be so hard on yourself. You're doing great.

Certainty
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sleep
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What did I do in the first seven days post-op? I followed my bariatric team's orders to the letter - liquids only, high Protein and low carb -- and that was for four full weeks, not just the first seven days btw. Why would I think I know better than they do? My track record proves that I'm not good at making smart choices with respect to food and my health. Why would I override the health and medical judgment of the people who I trusted with my life?
I really hope the person above who is talking about eating ice cream, pizza, prime rib and coke 10 days out of surgery is a troll, and based on that hope I'm not responding any further to them.
When did I start losing the lbs? Not really sure, I stayed off the scale until my post-op 4 week weigh-in. Why would I stress myself out by getting on the scale so soon after major surgery? That's a trauma to the body that is going to cause weird metabolic responses, and I wanted no part of freaking out over it and getting tempted to toss my team's plan for me out the window.
I'm glad I stayed on plan and resisted temptation to just do what I felt like doing. Minus 200 lbs, went from a size 6X to a 6 (okay really more like an 8 or 10 but in some brands I can wear a 6 so I like to claim it!). My team knew what was best for me, I trusted them, and it worked out great.

Great idea!
I'm new here, just logged on for the first time today.
I am 49 years old and mom to 11 kids. Five are adults are on their own, 6 still at home. The 5 youngest were all adopted internationally over the last 5 years. All 6 kids at home have Down syndrome. I have 5 grandkids. Two years ago I arrived home from Serbia with one of our newly adopted kids, and the next day went for my routine mammogram. I ended up being anything but routine, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I ended up having a bilateral mastectomy and going through chemo. I had 14 major surgeries in 20 months. In my spare time I ride my motorcycle, unfortunately it hasn't left the garage in two years. I was hoping this would be my year, but life is still in the way. I love to do crafty things, like clay sculpting and oil painting. I'm not very good, I just like doing it.
Chemo did a big number on my body, but through it all my weight has stayed pretty much the same. I've gone up a little, but nothing exciting. I just can't move anymore. I have chemo-induced arthritis through my entire body. But my cancer is estrogen fed, and fat holds/produces a small amount of estrogen when I don't what a single cell of it in my body! My oncologist wanted 60 lbs gone as soon as I could do that in a healthy way. Unfortunately the stress of being told I "have to" lose weight sent my scale the wrong direction. I just finished 6 months of the dietician visits my insurance requires, and received approval from the psychologist. Now I just need insurance approval and hope to be on the surgery schedule early November.
So who am I? I am am wife, mother, grandma, biker babe, breast cancer survivor, warrior b***h!

I'm looking forward to being able to walk into just about any store and know they have something for me. As opposed to asking if they have a plus size section or going to specialty stores.
Also, I'm looking forward to one day having another baby and during my pregnancy people not asking if I'm carrying twins or assuming I'm further along then I am. By the time I was 5-6 months pregnant with my son, people would ask me when I was due and when I would say in 3 months, they would ask me if I was sure (yes I'm pretty sure of my due date) or just look totally shocked.
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Here I am less than 36 hours before I take my seat on the losers bench. Currently on day 12 on my 14 day liquid diet. Pause to knock on wood, I made it with out cheating and no major craving episodes. Hopped on the scale this morning and I'm down 14 lbs since my pre-op visit, 36 since I started this journey in March 2016. Someone today applauded my weight loss and commented, that if I can do this without surgery, why am I having surgery. Well my friend I said with a smile on my face. These 5 months have prepared me for the rest of my life. See, I've lost massive amounts of weight before, once I took phentermine and lost about 50 lbs, of course when I got off the drug I gained about seventy. About 7 years ago I went on a high Protein, low carb diet, joined a gym and exercised 6 days a week. I lost a whopping 90 lbs, of course along came a job change, a new roommate, a change in habits.... and I gained 110, imagine going to bed one night wearing a size 10 and waking up in the morning wearing a size 22. I know it didn't happen like that, but that's what it felt like happened. See yo yo dieting is real, the struggle is real, and the mind and body play tricks on you. Each time you lose and gain your metabolism slows, your mind tricks you into craving the sweet, the fatty, the salty. Your body wants more, and it stores more (fat that is). That's only part of my story, but you get the drift. I've gone through it, and that's why I am going through with it.

So, here are a few things I wish I had known before I had my surgery (I was sleeved 5/23/16):
The gas...oh my goodness, the gas. It hurts, it stinks, and sometimes you can't trust a fart. Lovely.
Surgery doesn't make it easier to lose weight. It actually makes it more complicated! Protein, carbs, sugar, fat...It's all scientific now. If I don't get my protein, I hold Fluid and don't lose weight. If I eat sugar, I don't lose weight. If I don't get all my Water for the day, I feel hungry, tired, and--you guessed it--I don't lose weight. I even landed in the ER getting 4 bags of fluid and a CT scan to check for complications. And my insurance got a bill for $7,000. After the one they got for $29,000 just a month previous...more on that later...
Mood swings from hell will descend upon you, and you will be powerless over it at first. Now, I am learning that I tend to cry right before a stall breaks. Fat stores hormones that have to go somewhere when the fat goes...extra PMS? Yes, please! NOT. Yes ladies, your period may go completely haywire for a while. FUN...
Speaking of stalls...the weight won't always come off in a predictable pattern. It may not come off as fast as you want it to. If you stick to your plan, you will lose weight, but along the way you will stall. You may not lose anything for a while, even though you're doing everything right. You will get concerned, you may think the surgery isn't working, but if you stick to your plan the weight will come off. On it's own schedule, though, not yours. The human body is incredibly complex and very good at learning how to NOT starve. Some people believe in starvation mode, some don't, but don't test it. You don't want to get sick and malnourished. You may need to exercise more and log your food to make sure you haven't slipped up, but the stall will break. Eventually...
You will become acutely aware that people who know you had the surgery are watching you. Watching what you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat. Watching to see if you lose weight, and if you don't lose weight FAST, everybody has an opinion about whether or not you should have had the surgery and if it will work, and you may hear horror stories about somebody's friend/sister/brother/cousin/coworker who had the surgery and gained all the weight back. Or never lost it at all. Stick to your plan, and remember why you made the decision to have surgery. Be ready to avoid toxic people as necessary. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So be careful who you tell. If you are married, consider your spouse's feelings. Talk about it. You will need them on your side if at all possible. If they aren't, it could be problematic. Be ready to have hard conversations and make decisions based on those conversations. You may learn things about your relationship that you never knew, which can be good or bad.
You will have regrets. Mostly in the beginning, but be ready to wonder what in the hell you were thinking when you had this surgery. It's hard! There is an overwhelming temptation to believe that this was supposed to be easier. It's not. It's effective, but it's a lot of work and it takes a lot of self-discipline.
People may judge you and say that you took "the easy way out". See the previous paragraph. And then see the second paragraph. You may have to educate a few people. Or tell them to get lost, your choice.
If you didn't already know it, you may find out that you have a serious problem with food. Get that fixed, and do it before you waste a lot of time and heartache. Go to therapy. The surgery will NOT fix your brain. I cannot stress this enough! You will find out that food is the glue that holds our lives together. We Celebrate with it, we mourn with it, we reward ourselves with it, and sometimes our social lives revolve around it. All of that has to change. Food is fuel. Period. You will not enjoy eating out for a while, if ever. The portions are RIDICULOUS, and most of it is nothing you should be eating anyway. "I'll just have a small salad..." No, you won't, not for a while. You won't be able to eat raw vegetables for a long time, and never before your doctor clears it. It's the last step. And it may be never for certain foods. BECAUSE...
Your taste will change. What your stomach can tolerate will (obviously) change for a long time, and maybe forever in some aspects. You may hate what you once loved and love what you once hated. Go with it. And get over your addiction to caffeine, because that has to go, too. Not forever, but your surgeon will have an opinion about when it's okay again.
If you smoke, a reputable surgeon will not do weight loss surgery on you. They will most likely test you for nicotine, so don't cheat, just quit. You won't heal as well and it's just plain bad for you.
You will have no vices for a long time. Because...you can't drink alcohol either! Not for a LONG time. Just look that one up, because I quit drinking a long time ago and I don't even care about this part. Except: you may trade old addictions for new ones. You may need therapy to fix this. If food was a coping mechanism for you, you had better have a plan for new coping skills. BECAUSE...
This is stressful as hell, if you hadn't figured that out. You hair may come out. Be ready. Biotin is rumored to help, but it isn't a sure thing.
You will need to take Vitamins for the rest of your life. Don't be cheap and skimp on this one. You need bariatric vitamins. Deficiencies can set you back in significant ways. It's not worth it. Take your vitamins.
Now. If you're still reading this, you may think I am one hell of a "Negative Nelly". Nope! I am a realist. You should be scared. You should think long and hard before you have weight loss surgery. If you even qualify for surgery, you've cleared a significant obstacle. If your insurance covers it, that's another significant obstacle out of the way. Soooo...If you have a surgeon willing to do it, and you can get insurance to pay for it (or if you can make it happen as self-pay) DO IT. If you still want to have weight loss surgery despite knowing how much it can suck, then you will probably do well. BECAUSE...
IT'S WORTH IT. All of it.

Here's some info...
Walmart:
B12 sublingual (500 mcg) - $4.44 for 200-count
Flintstones Complete chewable - $13.44 for 150-count
Wellesse Calcium (liquid) - $6.97 (16 day supply)
You may also want to check Puritan's Pride. They run very good promotions for Vitamins.
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I just got my approval today the same day my insurance got it lmfao August 8th. We'll be recovering together

Oh geez, where to start...
Most of my horrible fat-related public embarrassment has occurred in the last year as I've acquired a significant amount of weight that took me from being overweight but still able to buckle my seatbelt on an airplane, still able to fit on a rollercoaster, still able to sit in a student desk at parent/teacher conferences, etc.
This year, I had to request a belt extender for the first time. I couldn't ride a rollercoaster at six flags for the first time (my 13-yo son was incredibly embarrassed but also very sweet. He was pissed that they didn't make the seats big enough for everyone to ride he doesn't realize that I made excuses not to go back after that ).
I also BARELY squeezed into a student desk at my son's parent/teacher conference. The teachers (all 6 of them!) watched me struggle and then asked if I wanted a chair
I want to be rid of back pain, tension headaches, plantar fasciitis, and ankle stiffness
I want to date (hell maybe even get married)
I want my boobs to shrink so I can buy a bra from Target if I damn well please
I want to wear the adorable outfits I have pinned on my Pinterest! (which includes skinny jeans & knee high boots)
Do CrossFit again, and eventually compete
Play softball again
Lead a financial peace class
Cut my hair to something short/sexy/sassy/badass
Shamelessly flirt
Take up Yoga
Travel the world
Honestly, I could go on for a while...

I finally got an answer back on whether or not my coordinator got my packet to submit to insurance. It's funny how 5 words can make your day. Now I just have to wait for her to submit it lol. Even more wait ☹️
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I sent my coordinator all my test results and weigh ins so she will probably be submitting to the insurance Monday or Tuesday. I'm so anxious! I hope I get a quick approval. I'd like to get the surgery mid July.
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Hi, I'm pre-op too. Based on my timeframe, I'm looking at the end of August/early September as my surgery. My surgeon is Dr. Irgau.
I agree it would be nice to have a support group in Wilmington somewhere. I made it to the one at Christiana once but it was crazy to get there. I had to leave work early and with all the traffic it took 30 minutes (it's normally about 10-15).
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I'm following this thread. I have Empire BCBS too. At my initial appointment my BMI was 39.2 (I had a previous sleep apnea diagnosis) but after receiving my new sleep study I've learned that I no longer have sleep apnea. I still have two months to go in the process but I'm nervous about approval if I'm not at a BMI of over 40. I've gained a little weight (which my nutritionist says I shouldn't) so now I'm nervous about that too.
Hoping you get approved!
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Being able to ride on rides at the amusement park with my daughter.

Shopping somewhere besides Lane Bryant for work clothes.