Malin

I'd probably rip a fart and kill the mood. Was that TMI? I doubt it, I think we lost our TMI filter a long time ago on this forum. seriously, so gassy and gross feeling at this point (13 days out) I can wait a bit.

That's a great question! I am a self-pay as well. The total I was given is supposed to be all-inclusive.

I even put on makeup and feel human!!!
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I can COMPLETELY relate @TJ1257 This has been consuming my thoughts the past two weeks. I am like you, my BMI is 38. I do have diagnosed sleep apnea but it's not bad enough for my insurance AL BC/BS to cover it. I also have horrible cholesterol levels (I'm on meds for that) and osteoarthritis (under the care of a rheumatologist). My insurance will STILL not cover it. I guess I gotta gain weight to get this surgery covered. I am seriously considering self-pay...but wow it would be so much better if insurance would cover it.

I'm something of a runner....more like a 'trot' than run. I think you'll be fine by February. Good luck with your surgery. I was doing 5k races before my surgery. I was a fit fat person! I even was in a Couch to 5k last summer and barely lost any weight. pffft.

Walk walk walk!!!

Well I need to lose 50 to get back to my lowest. The weight has gone on gradually over the past 3 years, I knew I had to get it in hand but didn't. How did I get in this position well it's wine and snacking (grazing). My husband and I can share a bottle of wine (or 2!) but it is accompanied by crisps (chips) and a family bar of chocolate. Cakes and biscuits have also creeped in to my diet. See I know exactly what I'm doing wrong. I do have good restriction and if I eat correctly I get full on quite small amounts. The other thing I have done wrong is give up exercise. I don't like exercising but I do know it is essential.

My plan: initially there will be no wine at home and consequently cut out the crisps and chocolate. Exercise. The number 50 is too big for me and quite frightening so I am going to cut it down into sections of 5 which seems so much more manageable.

I have started today and I have used my elliptical and there is no wine in the house.

Walk walk walk!!!

The bullet hole decal--you earned your Redneck stripes today, my friend. Saaaaalute!

CW-192

Hi La La, I'm still on commercial Protein shakes twice a day (I like Jay Robb whey Protein with unsweetened almond milk), but Dr. Matthew Weiner makes a good case for not using them long-term. He provides a more natural recipe here: http://drmatthewweiner.com/a-better-protein-shake/
Hope that helps!

I'm at 215, I'm only 5'4 so my BMI is higher, BUT...I completely relate to the losing and gaining it back within a few months. And like someone else had said on this thread, I question myself if I REALLY need this surgery (and believe me, people have said "You don't look like you need this"). My body has been adjusting very well to gaining 10-15 pounds a year and keeping it. Anyone remember when Angeline Jolie had a mastectomy even though she didn't have breast cancer yet? I'm getting this surgery for the same reason she did, she knew her chances of cancer were very high too. Both of my parents were seriously obese. My mother had a gastric sleeve a few years ago. I don't want to hit 250, 300 and become even worse off than I am now. Yeah, I have to self pay since I haven't been over BMI of 35 for 3 years (just this past year I hit that mark) . But it's an investment in myself and my future.

Bahahahhahaa...I love your forum name.

GIRRRRLLLLLL, that MEME! That is sooooo me. I am not proud of this, but once I ate AN ENTIRE BOX OF SAMOAS..all by myself, in a car ride...and it wasn't even a long car ride, just a ride across town.

I lost 20 pounds the first month after my surgery. BUT...as anyone here on the BP forum will tell you, everyone is different. There's no magic number, no 'typical' weight loss the first month.

February 10th Weigh in--194

I'd be very careful with hotYoga. You're likely doing to sweat A LOT and dehydrate. Start with your normal yoga and wait until you are able to get all of your recommended Water in.

When you can eat at least 1000 calories a day and drink a couple ounces of Water at one time.
If you arent well fed and well hydrated you get dizzy in poses.

We've added a "My Surgery" link to the User drop down now. Hopefully that will help other users find it easier :-)

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I'm so glad to read this thread and see that there are still a bunch of "vets" out there sticking around for us newbs! Thank you SO much - I love to read through archives, but I know I will need plenty of current peeps around to answer my own questions, too. I JUST joined the site in December, and read a ton of stuff, but somehow I missed the kerfuffle a few weeks ago. I came back the last few days and noticed while reading through threads that people's profile photos were gone, names weren't "clickable," etc. I was so confused until I finally found Alex's post that explained it so I'm more in the loop now!

I have to say, I'm new to this forum but not to forums in general. I tend to see it both ways... on any forum there is usually a core group of vets (or "regs" as they are usually called) that make up the bulk of the posting and set the terms of the culture. They tend to see it as "their" board because of the time they dedicate to posting and building a community. Unfortunately sometimes the culture that builds up isn't exactly what the board admins want, particularly if the board is part of a bigger brand. One of the forums I'm a member of dealt with this issue by just removing the link to the forums from their website altogether. LOL. It's kinda funny, actually, we hardly ever get new members anymore which cuts down on the drama! Better for the blood pressure, bad for the gossip factor.
Anyway, even being out of the loop of the "regs" I did notice some extremely presumptive tough-love going around... I'm sure it gets old for the vets to say the same thing multiple times but part of being a member of a forum is realizing how many people never read a single thing before posting - they have a question, they register an account, they post the question. They don't know that four posts down you just told someone the same darn thing for the umpteenth time this week. So, jumping down someone's throat right away simply for asking a question (even if it's, admittedly, a stupid or reckless one) tends to create drama and then people choose sides and jump in to argue it until the house burns down. Believe me, I'm very used to a blunt tone from my previous forum experience and even I had to raise my eyebrows multiple times per visit to BP. That said, I appreciated the actual message of the tough love even if I thought the tone was overly aggressive, and I feel I am armed much better for the battle to come because of those posts.
However, I also think it's Alex's prerogative to call the shots, particularly as he is a WLS professional with colleagues in the medical community. Protecting your brand is very important - it's not just about your revenue but your goodwill and reputation in the particular community you are trying to reach out to. I cringed when I read that some of his colleagues remarked about the negative feedback they had heard from patients about BP. Ouch... there's too much invested into this website to allow that to continue. He makes the rules and we have to play by them. And, I personally did not see reading the PM's as a big deal - but, that is maybe because I am a longtime redditor, where there is absolutely no expectation of privacy from the admins.
So, like I said, I see it both ways. I see why people were upset and left, and I see why Alex put his foot down. I'm sad that there was a mass exodus of knowledgeable people - but I am so glad to read this post and realized many of you have stayed, and maybe we can use the kerfuffle as a reset button to build up another great, solid community here.
Thanks for letting me ramble!

Im so sorry for your loss, i wish I could reach out and give you a hug.
If it doesnt hurt too much can you keep a photo of your sister in the house with a mantra placed below it, go to it when you feel weak and say it aloud 5 times. Something like, 'My sister believed in WLS and I want to suceed in her memory because I know shes looking down on me and willing me to suceed'.
Also if you can, perhaps attend grief therapy or some form of therapy which may be able to support you at this very difficult time. Keep posting here too !
Kate

Many many people opt to self-pay for various reasons. In my case, my insurance required a documented BMI over 40 for five years. Well, I had managed to lose 90 pounds on my own a couple of years prior to researching surgery and had gradually gained it back. My BMI had just crept back up over 40 when I decided on surgery. I wasn't about to wait five more years at that BMI before having my VSG. I felt like the insurance requirement was punishing me for at least having *tried* to lose the weight without surgery.
You should check out the Mexico & Self-Pay forum here on BariatricPal:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/486-mexico-self-pay-weight-loss-surgery/

@Treadmillwalker Doesn't it? To me, it's technological bulimia. I can't believe the FDA approved that.

I'm certainly not a true "vet" yet.....just a little over 8 months post-op, but I met my goal weight a little over a month ago and I plan on sticking around. I have always believed you can give proper advice without stomping on someone's feelings.....Any time I respond to someone, before I click the "post" button, I read what I've said. There is NEVER a reason to be snarky with anyone. That doesn't mean I'm going to tell someone it's okay to eat a pizza 3 days after surgery....but I'm also not going to tell them they are stupid for thinking they can.
Happy Friday everyone!!