Little Green

No, you'll have to do the 6-month diet with your surgeon's office, sorry. No wiggle room with BCBS. Don't miss any appointments or you'll have to start over... not that I would know from personal experience or anything...

3 bags of cold brew iced tea and 1 bag of mint tea = the best-tasting unsweetened tea you ever did drink! It's not extremely minty, just enough to give it a hint of, "Hmm... that's delicious! What is that?!" and kill some of the bitterness.

Thank you Fluffy!!! No way I'm checking out, believe me. If anything I'm excited at the thought of weighing less prior to surgery and getting my husband more prepared to do his own cooking while I'm progressing through the various post-op food stages. I might also just feel relieved at being "done" with all the drama surrounding the date. What a week, I'm telling you. What a week.

Thank you so much! And yeah... whew. Now if you're able and willing to pay yourself, it's often much easier to get things done. It's definitely way more complicated when insurance gets involved. I just... I don't even know how my situation got so screwed up I do agree somewhat with the bolded. It makes me feel weird (not judgey, just weird) that people can hypothetically have surgery within weeks of even coming up with the idea. I'd been reading about WLS in depth for nearly 2 years when I walked into the surgeon's office the first time! So I think there's some pros & cons to the system for sure. But there's something to be said for making the decision and moving forward immediately. Leaves much less time for the emotional pity parties and food funerals

You guys, Larry derailed the topic. Honestly I think @BigViffer had the right idea and to me it's more likely Larry was a scammer than an actual perv. He cast a very wide net trying to find a mark, but we all reported him right away so he went bye-bye. I thought it was funny - but I'm really sorry it made people uncomfortable and I hope none of my jokey comments added to that discomfort.

So I'm going to take the next few days and mull this over, but I'm considering postponing my surgery to May. (I have authorization from the insco through June.) The point of all the hurrying was to get it done in February before everything with my husband's job imploded... now that it's in March and whatever happens with the insurance will happen regardless, it's more of a PITA than anything else because it's in the middle of my school semester. I'm feeling so amazed at how everything got so complicated, lol. I originally wanted to have surgery in December but I screwed it up when I missed an appointment and had to restart my 6-month diet. So then the plan was January, but waiting for all the testing to be completed pushed it back again. Now you guys know the story of February in painful detail so I won't repeat that... and now it's in March. So................ I just don't see the difference between March & May, practically speaking, and May is more convenient in many ways. Again, I'm going to sleep on it for a bit. I don't want to be rash. I'll discuss with my support system and make a list of pros & cons before deciding. (Is it super petty that one of the appeals of having surgery in May is that one of the pieces we're singing in the music program this semester has a high C and I'm the only one who can hit it-- and I was worried that I wouldn't get to sing it after surgery???? Lolololol okay don't answer that. *angel face*)

Haha! Of course! And even if you weren't, I'm as foul-mouthed as they come so you still wouldn't have offended me LOL. I've been out and about all day visiting with my family so I wasn't checking in on BP. No worries!!!

Awww. How sweet you are I'm going to regret it again when I restart liquids, I know!

@Apple203 I'm not sure what "release your guard rails" means LOL. Whole30 eliminates grains and legumes and dairy, Dr. Weiner promotes whole grains & legumes as healthy and doesn't care much about dairy as long as it's low-fat. Not sure how that's Whole30 approved, lol. "He" throughout my post is Dr. Weiner... I thought that was clear, sorry. Is there something I'm missing as to why people say Dr. Weiner promotes the same diet as everyone else? I've read his book and watched all of his videos, many 2-3 times. I've never seen another bariatric surgeon request his or her patients eat mostly veggies and focus on plant proteins. (Except Dr. Garth Davis who's a vegan.) The immediate post-op diet for my surgeon is the same as everyone else. Focus on protein & water. (Except my surgeon only asks for 50g protein.) We have a graduated list of approved foods as we progress through the diet. Obviously I'm planning to follow that to a T for my own safety! I'm talking long-term.

Really??? LOL I actually think it's pretty darn different. The standard advice is to eat your protein (and the word "protein" in that context almost always means meat or dairy) first and then if you can fit in other healthy foods, do it. (As you mentioned in your post, fitting in 1-2 oz of broccoli around your protein, maybe, if you have room.) In contrast to this Dr. Weiner strongly emphasizes eating vegetables first and fitting in protein around that. He also recommends plant foods - veggies and legumes and fruit and raw nuts - ahead of meat and dairy and has fairly low protein requirements - about 50g compared to many bariatric plans encouraging 80-100g. (Of course he isn't vegan by any stretch and I've seen him recommend yogurt smoothies and small amounts of animal protein, etc. He even said in one video that he doesn't think that a fully plant-based diet is "necessary for the general population." So yeah, while we're claiming him he's not necessarily "ours," know what I mean? Just a good resource!) While Dr. Weiner's diet is "low carb" compared to our pre-op sugary diets, it's certainly not low carb in the bariatric sense. You can't eat many fruits and certainly not any beans and whole grains and still remain under 30-50g carbs. It's also low-fat. Difficult to be low-fat and low-carb at the same time! He also promotes eating in abundance instead of focusing on calories, a huge difference from most bariatric plans. You just need to eat your abundance from healthy plant foods (Obviously you still end up eating fewer calories because you're eating high-volume, low-calorie foods but it's the mindset that helps make a difference!) So on a spectrum with keto/Atkins on the left and veganism on the right I'd say he's definitely well across the center line to the right, while most bariatric plans are basically keto except with low-fat dairy and some wiggle room for beans. Sorry for the long post, Fluff - I am fully carbed again, having eaten an abundance of fruit, oats, and rice in the last couple of days that I've been free from my liquid diet. So I'm all peppy and ready to argue again!!! Heehee!

Dude you would so dig Dr. Greger. You love research and that's literally what he does - comb through every article published in every English-language medical journal every year and break down research for laypeople. Come on Johnny... join the veggie train with us. There's a metric f-ckton of evidence for it!

I don't expect anyone to believe me at this point but they moved my date again lol. March 8. So get ready, maybe, kinda sorta. Until the next update.

We do have COBRA coverage... if it comes to that. It's $1500 a month *guts clench violently* but that's cheaper than self-paying for surgery. I'm just not sure how it works and if it's considered like a continuation of the previous policy where all the coverages and claims are still kosher, or if it's a new policy that starts, or what. Right now my husband is pretty sure he can get back to work before then, although my blood pressure is still not ready to hear all the details of that situation yet maybe another day or so of solid food and then I'll be ready.

I already told them I needed it done before the 20th and that's why they got me in on the 15th. Then the snafu happened. Supposedly it was going to be the 19th but there are certain Mondays that the surgeon does not operate and that was one of them I'm at peace. Plus, now I can have hibachi with my parents tomorrow night and then enjoy my mom's birthday party Sunday. I also found some vegan premade shakes at Target so that gives me time to try them and maybe buy some in bulk so I don't have to keep drinking Premier whey protein lol. I just can't bear the phone tag games anymore, so I'm just going to take the 28th and rest with it. THANK YOU ALL for listening and responding and encouraging me. What a 72 hours it has been, lol. I love my BP friends and I'm just so darn thankful for you all!

I've thought about it, but no. I need a solid date and solid plans and solid food and... solidarity and... solidness. No more waiting for phone calls. I'm going to look at the bright side. (I'm sorry my thread has been full of mood whiplash, lol.) One nice thing is spring break at school is March 5-11 so I won't be missing classes that week and may even be able to go back on the 12th depending on how I'm feeling. I'm sure there are other nice things I'll think of. I'm having WLS and changing my life. Ultimately it won't matter when it was. Just need to get my husband's work stuff sorted out and then we'll be good.

Surgery is now scheduled for the 28th. I'm....... it is what it is. I'm hoping I wake up on 3/1 and still have health insurance so I'm not on the hook for the bill from March 1 & 2. I'm free from the liquid diet for now and start again on Valentine's Day.

My only suggestion is to maybe find some lower-protein options? The Premier Protein shakes pack a darn PUNCH at 30g a piece! Several of my protein options are only 15-18g so that's how I'm able to fit in more calories at roughly the same amount of protein. But... then again, if you are happy and mostly not feeling hunger, then don't change a thing! Super proud of you!!!!!!!

Why white-knuckle your hunger when you're eating half the calories your RD recommended? *WAGS FINGER STERNLY AT FLUFFY* Eat some more if ya want. I'm so glad you're having a great time so far! I think your already restricted carbs were probably the key to a smooth transition. Unlike me who was having banana smoothies every day

DO I STILL HAVE A CHANCE, EDDIE?!?!?!?!

Idk about you but I'm milking this thing for all it's worth, @FluffyChix! My mom and my husband both. I'm not allowed to drive for 2 weeks post-op so they can chauffeur me around and wait on me. I feel much better. My meal was delicious, the massage was great, and I saw The Greatest Showman which was really wonderful! Then I had some retail therapy at Target... whoops but it was fun! Of course I never did get a call from the scheduler today. This office, I tell you... The reason I chose this hospital was because my husband was treated there after his accident and it was a stellar experience from start to finish. I guess there's a big difference in emergent injuries vs. elective surgery! Or maybe just a big difference between the actual medical professionals and the admins who run their offices *prays no one from my surgeon's office reads these posts* Sorry, just tired of the snafus. I'll give them until around 11am tomorrow to call me, and after that I plan to call and not hang up until I get my new date.

Baths are the primary joy of my existence. I desperately hope I don't have this issue!!!! *frantically researches waterproof cushions to sit on*

Thank you Apple & Fluffy... hugs gratefully received, and I'm sending hugs back. Therapy was helpful, just the process of getting it all out and crying, etc. I also listened to some good music on the drive over. But physically I think I've hit a limit. My under eye circles are a dark charcoal purple color and I'm flushed and itchy all over. So, I decided to skip class and take care of myself for the rest of the day. Since I was technically told to stop the liquid diet, I'm going to chance it and have a meal tonight (from Zoës Kitchen, rice and beans with pita and hummus, mmmm) then get a massage and see a movie. I physically cannot handle this stress anymore, unless I add some fuel to my emotional reserves. Plus, lack of nutrients, lack of sleep, and stress all combined may cause me to get sick and postpone my surgery which would just start the cycle over. Everything will be all right. My husband has been on the phone all day trying to get things worked out for returning to work, and he's making some good progress. I don't have the capacity to hear the updates right now lol, but he seems in good spirits, so I'm taking that as a good sign. We will get through this! I WILL have surgery, there's nothing to stop that from happening. It's just a question of when. And whenever it is, that will be okay.

I'M STILL SO MAD I WAS TAKEN OFF THE SCHEDULE. IF ALL YOU NEEDED WAS A LETTER YOU COULD HAVE KEPT ME ON THE SCHEDULE AND JUST TAKEN ME OFF IF YOU HADN'T RECEIVED THE LETTER BEFORE SURGERY. THERE WAS NO NEED FOR ALL OF THIS. I AM SORRY FOR THE CAPS BUT I FEEL HELPLESS AND IMPOTENT, A SHIP TOSSED ABOUT IN THE WAVES OF BUREAUCRACY. *PUTS ON GOTH MAKEUP AND LISTENS TO EMO MUSIC*

Thank you everyone. I'm more confused today than yesterday. The sleep doctor's MA faxed the letter over this morning, yay!! But now there's a "huge case" on the 15th so it won't be on that day. They haven't worked out which day it will be. But the class is still scheduled for the 14th, so it will be the 19th at the earliest (surgeon has clinic Fridays). The scheduler is supposed to call me back today once they work it out. She told me to stop the liquid diet, but then asked what surgery I'm having as if to say something else about the diet, but we never got back to that topic and I didn't realize until after we hung up that I wasn't sure if she really wanted me to stop the diet. If so, that means surgery would be more than two weeks from now. I'm going to ask when the scheduler calls, but man this situation could not get any less clear if it were a mud pie. I'm going to compromise on the liquid diet and add smoothies & fruit back in addition to the shakes & bars. (I might knock back on the shakes, too, over 100g protein per day has been making me anxious.) So that's the silver lining - delicious banana smoothies. I have therapy in an hour and I hope to find some strategy for dealing with the head-to-toe electrical buzzing in my body. Maybe a Xanax. I try to remind myself that my worrying doesn't change the outcome. Unfortunately that never helps, lol. I'll keep y'all updated.

Aww, Eddie. You just messaged ME and said you wanted to be the special person close to MY heart! How are you gonna mack on me & Crystal at the same time??? And all the other women you've been posting about in other threads, too? Please stop. This is gross.