FluffyChix

@DropWt4Life Thank you so much for this perspective!! Woot! I hope that's the case with me. The only thing I have to go by is my recon/cancer surgeries and I felt like poop for about 6 weeks. So I really am praying that I can bounce back like you guys! Thanks for the idea about doing that ahead. I did make the bone broth and have a bit of stew and chili put away already for mechanical soft phase. I also have deconstructed chicken pot pie that I can puree. The nut was actually talking about the baby food purees for the liquid stage. That I can use them to replace protein drinks if I have a day where I'm not tolerating dairy. She just said to thin them down like a thick cream soup. I was pretty excited by that! I saw these cool little baby food freezer containers like a large ice cube tray, but silicone and holds 2.5oz. I'm thinking about ordering from Amazon Prime and making some of the purees now!

I bought a couple to experiment with just in case I feel too tired after surgery to deal with blending things. I also have to watch eating dairy on days that I'm having asthma issues. So the nut told me I could thin down baby food to pourable/soup consistency and use it during my liquids phase (2-3 weeks post op). I was surprised at how little protein was in 1 small 2oz jar of turkey (couldn't find chicken). I also bought a jar of butternut squash--very low in carbs compared to some of the others. I plan on making turkey gravy and turkey stock from the Thanksgiving turkey and will mix some of these into the stock/gravy to up the protein. I've no idea how they taste, but 2oz of turkey baby food has 4g of protein...it was $0.98/jar. If it works and doesn't taste horrid, then hey, why not? I also want to try a chicken/butternut squash rosemary and thyme soup.

Welcome and I want to reassure you that this isn't "mental" weakness or lack of moral pulchritude! It's a true physiological response. Honestly, the only way that I know to make this pre-surgery journey "easy-er" is to start getting healthy today--now--while a screw up will only cost you 3-4 days of semi-unpleasant back tracking rather than cost you a trip to the ER from a busted staple. I'd switched from caffeine to decaff years before--very slowly. I did it by starting with a 1/2 cup of caff and 1/2 decaff and stepping it down. I limited my diet drink with caff to one per day. Eventually I mixed in more and more decaff to caff until it was all decaff. I switched to decaff diet dr. peppy. Then I gave the diet drinks up completely. I went low carb Atkins diet a very long time ago. It's 2 weeks of misery to wean off of sugar, flour, grains and to get into the beginning stages of ketosis. But if you can do this now before your surgery it will make your blood sugar even out. It will make fasting for the tests simple and will make your pre-op liquid diet very do-able and without issue. And after surgery, you will only have to deal with the effects of the surgery rather than having to deal with the surgery, the liquid diet, the ketosis/carb withdrawal, and caffeine withdrawal simultaneously. Cuz 1 at a time is hard enough, but all of those at the same time feel like withdrawing from what heroine must feel like! Hugs and you can do it. Pick one thing (the hardest one) to give up and start in the morning!

@Luisajfc Why not wait another day or two? Agreed! Not everyone should be allowed to be a parent!! I figured re: PT, that it couldn't hurt. You know? I am so weak and I hope it might help me prepare for surgery. After surgery will be a new year (hopefully) and I will ask to have therapy again. To further heal and build strength! OMG, they had me balance on a 3in thick memory foam mat with one foot heel to toe in front of the other. And I couldn't balance! My best was like 11 seconds! I've known I had balance issues from chemo, and have fallen a few times, but thought I'd improved. Clearly, I have not. Oh well. Everyone has to start somewhere!!! I think for you now being so close to surgery and not having an order for it or have had intake, you should wait until post-surg. Then do it for sure when you're cleared to resume exercise! ((hugs)) Hope you've had a better weekend and Auntie Flo is gone for the next month!!

Just curious minds and all, but have any of you had experience of losing too much weight pre-surgery to qualify for WLS with your insurance company?

@FlyFatA$$Fly That's outstanding being so close to goal so quickly after wls! Congrats to you!! I was very worried about dropping below that 40BMI deck. It now doesn't look like that's going to happen. When I was eating only about 850/900 cals per day, I was losing about 13lbs per month and it was a real possibility that I would have exceeded my 35BMI deck. But the surgeon asked me to raise my cals up to 1500cals/day--and that effectively stopped that! LOL. I've been up and down within the same 10lb window now for about 60+ days. LOL, some days it's fine, but other days I am so frustrated I want to like, gnaw a leg off to lose 80 ugly pounds! ROFLMAO! Or maybe, I should just roll on the floor and concentrate on actually laughing my ass off! *snort* My (hopefully) last appointment with the surgeon is next week. Supposedly they've submitted me for insurance approval, so I guess I will find out on Thursday how that's going. I'm hoping the pre-op diet will allow me to lose about 10-12lbs. I have to be on it for 2 weeks pre-op. That will drop me closer to the 35BMI range for the day of surgery! I would have about 70lbs or so to get to the first goal of 150lbs.

@AHappierMe Congrats on your surgery and your weight loss. So glad you're already seeing improvements in BP and pulse! And OMG, men! (your hub's losses) Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em! hahahahaha Mr. Fluffy will lose so easily if he just blinks. My losses are like carrying a 50lb bag of feed uphill, nekkid, barefoot, over hot coals--both ways! *snort* I'm so hopeful the RNY will help with my hunger. It is truly psycho hunger!

Congrats on choosing a surgery. I found it has really helped me knowing what I would finally be doing! Hope surgery happens quickly for you and that you get the help you desire with losing and killing the sweet tooth!!

Good morning all! Have had a good weekend. Lots of muscle spasms/soreness from the first PT visit on Friday. Eeeek! Am I out of shape! Yesterday. I'm ready to get this show on the road. I do not like Limbo Land! @Luisajfc So glad you're feeling better, but dayum. I've no idea how you guys raise kiddos. LOL. I totally get the tired and wanting to just lay on the couch after being sick. So sorry your little one has had a tough go with the congestion at night. It always gets worse in the afternoons/evenings! I'm crossing my fingers we will both hear from the doc/insurance early this week! I see the surgeon again on Thursday...

Gosh, I'm so sorry. This doesn't make sense. Wouldn't this have been caught on your pre-op EKG? It was one of the first tests I had for the whole process. If it was a matter of being too scared as you were waiting for surgery and your heart rate was high, there are meds they could give you to help calm you down which would lower your heart rate? When I had my EGD, my bp was crazy high (170/104). The anesthesiologist came in and was concerned. I told her I was really scared. She asked me what my bp runs at home and I told her about 140/90. She said, ok and that was where she would keep me during the procedure--that she didn't want to take me down too low. So I'm sure they modulate all of this. Can you talk to the surgeon?

Congrats!!! Yay! Have a safe trip and can't wait to watch your journey! Cuz you know, I'm a voyeur!

@sunshinetinks ((hugs)) sweetie. Sorry to hear about the virus. Be sure to use your spirometer and get those fluids in!!!

@Berry78 No hon. Not meaning that at all! Sorry it came out that way to you. And I agree, the mirror is a TERRIBLE way to judge your endpoint. I also think listening to our fam/friends to determine that endpoint is almost as bad. We absolutely have a skewed sense of reality about our own bodies. Our families have lived/supported us at our heaviest. For most of us, our fam/friends have NEVER experienced us in a skinny/normal frame. We all know that this surgery and the quick wl makes us look drawn initially. So they of course, respond with concern because they don't know as much about this process and surgery as we do--who have lived it for a year of longer. So they start saying out of concern for us continuing to lose without an endpoint, that we're too thin, or look sick, or are too skinny. They are trying to coax us into a reality that is comfortable for them--within their reference frame given their perception and the amount of information they have about weight loss. Cuz, you know, we're supposed to be fluffy and have padding--not bones and definition. The same for us. I can honestly tell you, I have no earthly idea how I really look. Not to myself, and not to others. I am now feeling so small. Skinny even. *snort* From my mouth to God's ears! LOL! As if! Then I catch a full length glimpse of my reflection in a store window or door and say, "Holy crap! Who is that fat girl?" And I realize, it's me. Then I ask when I got so old and crone-like!? I apply such harsh filters to myself that I would never in a million years think, much less apply to anyone else--especially someone I love or like. That's why I suggest using an analytical tool that uses empirical data rather than visual filters and interpersonal bias. The DEXA would be my go-to tool for this. I also am educated about the whole regain/maintenance nightmare. My RD told me on Thursday that the struggle is real--as if we don't see that here all the time. She said I could expect a 10-20lb regain between 2-3 years. That it will be very crucial for me to work hard to get it off in the first 6-9 months, because of my medical history and drug situation. I'm on a hormone blocker that shuts down my estrogen/progesterone/androgen conversion. So that's why I said what I did. And I was definite to explain that it was MY bias I come from and not a rec for @apu. It's a hypothetical for "if this was me." And in the end, I'm just some schmoe on the internet who has zero real life experience yet with WLS. ((hugs)) girl!

@Berry78 and @geraldine1206 First off, I agree you look fantastic and are such an inspiration! I don't want to crap all over her triumph thread. You wanna take this over to a new thread? Gerri, can we use you as a perfect example?

Congrats! So excited for you and love reading about your journey! (Your avi makes me laugh every time I see it. Sounds like you'll be up and at 'em, skinny, and giving the Aunt Jemima treatment to some lucky girl soon!)

Congrats to both of you! I totally get what @Berry78 is saying. But I do think that the people closest to you also see you through a filter that isn't always accurate. I know BMI isn't the whole story. If you really truly think you are getting too low in body fat, then I would highly encourage a Dexa body comp. They will give you the true picture of where you are. They aren't that expensive. Most major universities do them in their sports medicine areas. $75-$150, but well worth it in my opinion. Honestly, for me, the last thing I would want to do is squander my honeymoon period by not losing as much weight as is possible with my given dynamics. So I would/will let that test be my North star, rather than the biased filters coming from fam/friends and even docs/nuts. I have absolutely NO--ZERO interest in going through this march through hell only to stop short of the big finish. I have zero intention of being satisfied with "overweight" after all the angst and hard work. I want to be seriously on the low side of my normal BMI range as determined by the DEXA. I know that there will be regain. Some put it as high as 20lbs. So I want to account for that in the early days. I also know that after about a year, the fat will redistribute in my body and my face will look fuller, etc. So, if it were me, I'd smile, say "Thank you," and continue with your appointed rounds until YOU are satisfied and feel great in your body. But remember, our brains can also lie--and those bastages DO lie! LOL.

@vanwest83 Did you get the hospital worked out? How did it go? @TheNewMrsR and @sunshinetinks Saying prayers you feel better today ladies! I tried the PremProt Fruit Punch and to me it tasted so close to the old full throttle Hawaiian Punch with very little aftertaste. My nut said they make great popsicles. I picked some up at Sam's yesterday and will try making 3oz popsicles. They can replace the sipping on fluids temporarily! @Luisajfc How's your cold this morning? Are the fam hanging in there? Any word from insurance? I found a bunch of YouTube vids about cooking pureed foods and cooking after bariatrics, but a lot annoyed me cuz they look like they are eating WAY too much food. I want to be sure to try to stick to the volume guidelines given to me by the RD so I don't stretch my pouch. Dr. Duc Vuong says the way to stretch your pouch is by eating just 1 bite too many over the course of a year or two. Crap! I don't want that to be me!

Technically I am done. I have another appointment with the surgeon next week cuz I think she wants to see me each month, so this is November's appointment, but it's not a required thing for insurance submission. She told me at the last appt to keep my last RD appt but that they would go ahead and submit to insurance. I just don't know if they did or not. You know? I haven't talked to them. So now I've done everything except the hospital blood work check-in, etc. I won't do that until we have approval and the date gets set.

My nephew is a surgeon and told me that any time they go in and touch a gut, it releases all kinds of hormones. The gut/brain connection is extremely interrelated. So not only are you dealing with the after effects of anesthesia, you've just had lots of people in your guts, stirring them around and rearranging things. You're also dealing with carb withdrawals, and you've taking medicating by food off of the table. You're probably not sleeping well either. Dayum. I bet Super Man would probably cry after his WLS too! ((hugs)) Keep reminding yourself that you will feel better every day.

@Rainbow_Warrior Gosh so sad for your (and your family's) loss. ((hugs)) Getting healthy to be there for his children--wow. No. Words. I'm still pre-surgery, but Mr. Fluffy has been with me through thick and thin. We've been trying/wanting to get healthy for so long--making baby steps along the path, experiencing set-backs and detours/stalls in forward momentum. Lucky for him, I do most of the cooking and my rule is: everyone eats what mama eats (and is thankful for it). LOL. So you know. There's that. I started walking laps in the house and now he's joined me. We've seen his A1c go down as well as his weight. The doc thinks that in another 20lbs, he may be able to reduce his diabetes meds. So we're pushing for that! He really wants to get to a healthy weight and has a goal of 175. He has another 50lbs to go and has already lost about 55lbs. In our case, we take an active position to grow together and to be interested and inclusive/respectful of the other person's journey. We both want each other to be healthy and to feel better, so that life isn't so hard. I think if you have the right mind set, then that is 80% of the battle. But, I think you have to genuinely like your partner and there must be respect and trust. I don't think that's unique for WLS. I think that's necessary in any relationship. I think this journey has actually made us stronger.

I don't know yet which day. I don't want to call the doc office cuz they "have their ways" and a serious 'tude if you don't stay in your place. So don't want to become a perceived PIA. I just wanna be fly and cool. Even though I'm eating my nails to the stubs lol. I have an appt with the surgeon next week--so I think they'll prolly give my next step then. She knows my goal is to be done by Dec. 5 at the latest, so hopefully she will make that happen! Sorry to hear about your sick fam!!!

Here's a JAMA excerpt. I can't unlock it for the full study. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2601499 I'm going by my surgeon's rec that RNY is more effective at potentially reversing T2. Of cource, it's possible for DFU errors (user errors ) and you could potentially re-eat your way back into your disease.

@Luisajfc How's the cold sweetie? Were you able to try the sambucus? I swear it's a miracle potion for virus--even the flu if you catch it early enough! Hope the period is feeling better! Did you stay home and nurse yourself? @FL*Girl Doncha just love the iced coffee?? @ClbsMm2000 You're doing so great girlie!!! Only 5 more days. Woot!!! @Aries331Good to see you! Jump in and tell us how you're feeling! @sunshinetinks Congrats on your surgery and thanks for sharing your after report! Don't forget to come back here and continue to post with us Nov. babies!!! @Apple203 I hope you come post with us. I am betting you will be a November babe as well! Still no word from the insurance company or the doc. I had my last visit with the RD yesterday and she was so encouraging and told me I was her star pupil. She said I could request post-op referrals any time I felt like I need a fine tuning. I really like her and we work well within my low carb paradigm. All total, I lost 16.3lbs with her. Today I have my first official PT visit this afternoon. *ick* I'm trying to keep an open mind. I really like the therapist. She seems very compassionate and caring. But I've no doubts this will hurt like an SOB. But positive note here, I really believe it will help me build core strength and endurance that will help me heal as surgery approaches. Maybe after surgery, the doc will re-order PT to help me get back on my feet once I'm cleared to resume exercise. I'm hoping from there that my balance and strength is enough improved that I could start restorative yoga for cancer survivors at MDA or the Y. Fingers crossed! Have a great day to everyone!!! To all Nov babes who just had surgery. Congrats! Happy healing!

How exciting!!! Happy for you!

Well, all those dudes that say you look bigger in RL are asshats. You look fantastic. ((hugs)) LOL! Thanks for sharing! We visual aids!