mschan218

Hi! I agree with you that Premier Protein has the best flavor. My nutritionist had no problem with it. The problem I did have was being able to consume any Protein drinks since my sleeve on April 24. Nothing agrees with me. I was told to stop drinking them for about a month or two and then try again. I have also tried Ensure, Glucerna, Muscle Milk, Carnation Instant Breakfast. I was then told that 90% of their patients can't tolerate artificial sweetners. Nice finding this out after I stocked up on everything low fat, no fat. So, I have been carefully eating regular foods, finding out what agrees with me and what doesn't.

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I can feel the self love emanating from this post! THAT arrival is one of life's goals for many on earth I believe. I'm exceedingly happy for you dear!!! And thank you for sharing your story!

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It's peeling back the layers, literally and figuratively, of who we really are. Wonderfully written. Thank you!

Today I had an "ah-ha" moment. It took 4 years, but I think I get it! It was triggered by this before photo popping up in my Facebook memories from 5 years ago, (coupled with my most recent post-op photo taken last week, down 120 pounds since surgery in 2013). (attached below)
....And then reading the following quote on a friend's post:
"Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about unbecoming everything that isn't you so you can be who you were in the first place."
I've struggled for years since losing the weight after surgery with questions of "is this the 'real' me, or am I just pretending and the 'real' 'fat' me will resurface sooner or later?" "Can people really change long-term?" It felt like the obese, sad, self-hating "me" was a monster waiting just below the surface to re-emerge. Give enough time and the right circumstances, the "real me" monster will rear it's head and I'll find myself back at nearly 300 pounds.
Guys! I get it now! It's not about change. It's not about the "sticking power" of change. It's not about willpower or determination. It's not even about counting carbs, Protein, calories, and ounces of Water. Sure those are tools that help. But it's not about that.
It's about doing the hard emotional work to figure out why I was hiding myself behind 150 excess pounds. It was about allowing myself to have a voice and using it. It was about demanding self-respect and respect from others. It was about leaving behind, painfully as it was in some cases, the toxic people in my life who emotionally damaged me. It was about processing the feelings that I didn't allow myself to feel for 18 years.
Once I realized this, once I did this work, I could little by little shed the layers that hid who I was. I don't hate myself anymore. I'm not even angry at myself for letting myself get to be 300 pounds like I was when my journey started. I realize now that I was coping. I was doing the best I knew how to do at the time. I look at that person in the "before" picture below and I feel compassion because I know she did her best.
I'm able now to let go the "fear" - and trust me, it's a literal fear - of that "real me" monster re-emerging from just below the surface. I can let it go because I realize, this is the real me. It was actually opposite. It was all the hiding I was doing under the emotional eating and the 150 excess pounds that was hiding the "real me."
So I have to on some level disagree with those who say this is a process of change. Sure, you have to change your behavioral choices with food and exercise or none of this will work. But for me it was not "becoming a new person" or "changing" who I am as a person. For me it was about simply allowing myself to feel and allowing myself to return home to who I was before I was hurt and who the universe intends me to be.
Feel free to check out my blog linked in my signature for more of my journey!

Men never admit they have small penises up front or say anything about their shortcomings when naked. Why should I handicap myself when men don't.
I've never had a man be like oh girl let me warn you, I don't have a 6 pack!
I don't disclose anything about loose skin and no one has ever commented on it once. I don't hide the fact I have lost weight, but men I date don't even ask me about it or care. They know I'm active.
I've lost a lot of weight. Even though I look good in clothes, you can look at me and tell I used to be fat. The arms are a dead give away. They already know what they are getting into before I take my clothes off.

April 18th!!

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Such an inspiring story and beautiful pics...CONGRATULATIONS!
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The chicken was very moist, it was like a slow roasted rotisserie chicken. It didnt bother me at all, in fact I made chicken salad out of it today and had some for lunch. I literally have 3 or 4 meals out of it. :-) What amazes me is the first few weeks you really realize how much of our social lives revolve around food...

My body is big and my calfs are super small... always have been. I wish they were bigger haha! It's amazing they support me. I also have tiny ankles, weird looking connected to the top half of me lol.

I used Decaf cold brew coffee for the first few days. At first it was 1/2 coffee, 1/2 shake, and then I slowly tapered off the amount of coffee I was mixing in until I could just drink the shake plain. I also have used a splash of sugar free peppermint or hazelnut Torani Syrup (the kind they use to flavor coffee) and blended with ice to make the drink more like a milkshake.

Yeah weight loss will help PCOS but not cure it, but the differences are like night and day.

My only problem with pcos is the 5o'clock shadow and dark spots on skin on armpits, I'm lucky enough to not have anything else and I'm not diabetic nor do I take metaformin anymore.

I have successfully had a baby without help tho and that's after being told pcos would make me infertile - guess what doc - got that wrong lol.

Surgery in 20 days so looking forward to never having to wax my chin again!

I am/was a pretty text book case of PCOS and had a hysterectomy and one ovary removed at 34. I also had severe endometriosis, an extreme case of adenomyosis, and a good amount of fibroids. I'm 42 now. I am now almost 8 months post op vsg and have had the following PCOS related issues clear up:

Blood sugar is no longer abnormal, so no more insulin resistence
Cholesterol is now normal
Blood pressure is now normal
I don't have near the dark hair/facial hair problem like I did before
I no longer have the dark skin Patches common to PCOS on my neck, armpits, or groin
My remaining ovary has not been troublesome
Hormones much more stable, even with the crazy hormone stuff that comes with VSG weight loss in the first few months
If there's something specific you'd like to know what I didn't answer, please ask. I know my case is a little different since I had a hysterectomy and don't have periods but I still have PCOS.

And we complain about 3 months or six months or even a year!!!! Shame on us!!!!! Congratulations hon! This calls for a celebration 🎉 🎊🎈💐

Ten long (very bloody long) years of weight management programme in Scotland and I have a date!
18th April at 7.30am.
*happy dance*
liquid diet for 15 days and also my grans funeral on the 7th and pre op assessment on 11th.
Trying to work out calories for a shot of tequila to toast her or she's getting toasted with a slimfast! [emoji41]

So your deductible has to be met before the insurance will pay, so that for sure needs to be met prior to surgery (most doctors work this way). This is where it depends on the individual surgeon on what they require. Let's say, after your deductible, you are responsible for 20% and the insurance covers the other 80%. The max out of your pocket would be $3500 before the insurance covers your surgery 100%. Some offices make you pay the max out of pocket and some bill you after. Just call and ask so they can tell you a for sure amount.

Need approval.
In my case my weight management process started in September 2015, after a long an arduous process of dietary changes and weight control, and numerous approvals from different professions, got my 12-week pre-op liquid diet date of Feb 1st 2017 so had a rough date of April 20-26 until got a call late January with an OR date of April 20. They hold the date with the hospital pending confirmation, then it's done.
The process for me might be a little different though. While the process is more rigid in Canada (have to appease the gatekeepers of approval), there's no concern or worry about coverage, as long as you have approval it's covered 100% by universal healthcare.

I'm getting sleeved with my sister on the 25th!

Bumping this..
April 20th here, after a ridiculous 12 week pre-op diet!
Let's keep this updated on how everything goes.

SW: 244
CW: 150
GW: 140
I still sometimes think someone's playing a joke on me - after 10 years of feeling awful, my body finally feels really healthy and I'm loving what I see in the mirror.
Best thing I've ever done!

How much loose skin do you have? If it is a lot, you actually may be at goal weight. Your sudden craving for simple carbs is your body's way of telling you it has started coming close to running out of reserves. *possibly*

The weight loss could be muscle losses if you aren't eating Protein as well.

Eat protein, green vegetables, and add starchy veggies. Potatoes and sweet potatoes, winter squash, Beans, lentils, etc.

Start with 50g of carbs, and increase by 5-10 grams a day. Doing this methodically should tell you where your sweet spot is. You might get up to 100g or 150g a day.

Watch your weight, appetite, energy levels, etc. Foggy head might mean you need more Vitamins too.

Good luck!

If you have dark hair and light skin, laser hair removal is awesome. I have PCOS and had it done maybe 15 years ago. It didn't come back.

Had to upload it in web browser mode. Wouldnt let me do it in the app.

Here you go...thanks!

My reward for hitting 230 is skydiving (haven't done it yet, but it's coming!). I've always said I'd get a tattoo when I hit 200, and I went ahead and paid for the art a few weeks ago. It should be done sometime next month. Really stoked, it'll be my first! It's Hebrew calligraphy for "set apart". It'll be on the back of my neck/spine. I've got 18 lbs to my final goal of 159. Maybe I'll reward myself with a thigh lift?

I like to go to the track, drag racing and Autocross, so I'm leaning towards a 4th generation Camaro like this: https://www.google.com/search?q=4th+gen+camaro&safe=off&client=ms-android-google&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj39OfCi5vSAhXi6YMKHYHxCzwQ_AUIBygB&biw=412&bih=604#imgdii=CZsZMjO0mA-6EM:&imgrc=r8QSJnwUePO4BM:

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