elforman

Before anyone starts to think they'll need to do so as well, let me stress that very few people will need to see a cardiologist before surgery. I'll be able to have my PCP do my pre-op physical and he can do an EKG in his office. The need to see a cardiologist, pulmonologist or any other medical specialist is on a case by case basis. Also, exercise classes are not a universal requirement either. I know my surgeon does not require them for his patients, though he does suggest them. Considering I've got a bad back, arthritic shoulders and bone spurs on both big toes, exercise is a literal pain for me. I've got to lose all my weight without breaking a sweat.

I don't have to. The nutritionist told me at my first consult that my insurance mandated three months of pre-op diet. Based on my profile and health she said just cut out carbs after breakfast as well as anything carbonated. So I said "Should I just do Keto?", she said yes, and that's all I've done. Down 17lb in 7 weeks so far. Surgeon also confirmed I will not even have to do a liquid diet in the days leading up to the surgery.

Don't invest in BitCoin.

As for what will happen, you'll get weighed, you'll discuss your medical history, your history of dieting and weight fluctuation and your weight loss goals, then the doctor will give a recommendation and lay out a plan for you. There will be several subsequent visits planned including a nutritionist/dietician, possibly an endoscopy and/or a psychiatric evaulation, and you'll need a pre-op physical. all of that should be reviewed in detail with you. If you've been hanging out here you'll have noticed by now that there can be very wide differences in doctor recommendations and requirements for pre-op and post-op diets as well as things like hospital stays. My suggestion is to browse through these forums and look at the questions that pop up over and over and over. Anything that comes up here frequently is something you're going to want to discuss with the doctor. A good doctor will give discuss everything with you in advance and give you handouts that will address most of the questions you'll have, but do not be afraid to ask anything, no matter how inconsequential you may think it is. Take notes while you're there. Just do your research and go in prepared. You may have different paperwork hurdles compared to those of us in America and other countries, but there's nothing that will be insurmountable. Good luck.

I check Costco first for everything I never need and they have this: https://www.costco.com/Muscle-Pharm-Combat-Cookies-%26-Cream-Protein-Powder%2c-5-pounds.product.100099591.html I bought one barrel and loved it so much I went back the next day and bought two more. I'm still pre-op and don't need to do a full liquid diet before surgery, but these work great with my low-carb diet.

I didn't have to read past the "foxnews" part of the URL to know that the article would be devoid of any journalistic integrity.

What's the adage I'd heard floating around? You gain an inch for every 20 pounds you lose, something like that? For that I'd be willing to drop 200 of my 264 pounds...

I met with the nutritionist at my surgeon's office and she told me for the first month of my insurance-mandated three month pre-op diet to limit carbs to just the morning and cut out carbonated drinks. Since I'd tried Aktins/Keto before I figured I'd just go with that. I met with her again five weeks later, having lost 13lb and based on my success she told me not to change a thing for month two. As for my routine: For work days I found the Kirkland (Costco) brand protein bars and have one for breakfast, then a hard boiled egg and/or string cheese for a morning snack. Lunch is spinach salad with carb free dressing, a chunk of some kind of lean meat (often leftover from the previous night's dinner), and some raw broccoli. Afternoon snack is a low carb yogurt and/or another string cheese. If I want a snack when I get home I'll have a chunk of cheddar or some pork rinds. I also bought some Carb-Quik baking mix on Amazon, it's like Bisquick but 95% fiber so very low net carbs and I'll have one or two biscuits made from that a day with butter to satisfy my bread craving. Dinner is more spinach salad, another chunk of meat/fish or a low-carb recipe like sausage and cream cheese stuffed jalapenos and a vegetable. Weekends are similar but I'll have eggs and a biscuit for breakfast instead of the protein bar and I also bought the 5lb drum of Cookies and Cream protein shake mix from Costco which I prefer to make with unsweetened almond milk instead of water. However, twice since I began I felt I ate too much the previous day so I did a full day of nothing but the protein drinks all day and a smaller dinner. Very important of course is getting the 64oz of water a day. I found boxes of 8 packets of Hawaiian Punch fruit punch and Wyler's lemonade for $1 each at a local discount store and stocked up big time to ensure I don't get tired of plain water. I'm also fortunate that my surgeon said I do not need to do a pre-op liquid diet as many surgeons recommend.

Yeah, fine, but what if when you've getting your surgery you also want to get your nails done, buy a new case for your phone and pick up some lotto tickets? Suddenly the strip mall isn't so bad any more, is it?

Here's how I keep things in perspective: The odds of complications from the surgery are relatively low. The odds of developing complications from leaving my weight untreated (or trying on my own and inevitably failing again) are significantly higher. So having the surgery, despite the risk, is the correct decision. It's just math.

I can't imagine a diagnosis of binge eating is going to be a disqualifier as long as you've been made aware of it and committed to addressing it. The same goes for things like depression: Awareness is half the battle. You've got nothing to worry about.

Join the gym and you'll meet people there. Try to strike up conversations with people who also look like they're there to combat a weight problem, not because they're into fitness or body building. Also, remember that many gyms will give you a free coaching session when you sign up to help you develop a plan that's right for you, and it's possible the coaches will know of others in your same situation who they can pair you up with.

Oh, where to begin? First off, this may not be medically sound, but if you have 80% less stomach, wouldn't there be an 80% lesser chance of developing stomach cancer? As for nutrition, you'd be amazed at how little food the body actually needs, provided you're eating the right foods. And when that's not enough there are vitamin supplements. Also, you shouldn't feel like you're starving after the surgery because it will take much less food to make you feel full. Certainly there are exceptions since the human body is a messy tangle of hormones and chemicals that don't always work right for everyone. And why doesn't everyone do it? There are hundreds of reasons but it usually boils down to one of these: financial, fear or surgery, fear of complications, social stigma, lack of access, lack of awareness and most of all, the old "I can do it on my own," which I think all of us here have said to ourselves at least five times before realizing that no, many of us can't do it on our own. Finally, it's perfectly normal to think you're crazy for doing this. On paper it reads strange. Talking about it out loud makes it seem even stranger. This is one of the reasons there's a psychological examination requirement before you can be approved. It's to ensure you know what you're doing, that you know what the effect on your life will be and that you're prepared for it with a positive outlook and a reliable support system. If you're like most of the rest of us here, the danger of not addressing your weight is so great you're willing to take the risk of what is admittedly an extreme solution. This is the last resort. So that's all I've got. You can do this. Or you know, it's possible you can't. But if you didn't already feel you need this you'd never have taken that first step, so now you need to see it through.

Well, I had my one month check-in with the nutritionist today and in just over four weeks I'm down 13 pounds. She'd initially told me to limit my carbs to just the morning except for veggies with lunch and dinner, so I pretty started doing the keto diet on my own and apparently it's working quite well. She told me to just keep doing what I'm doing, come back in a month and by the end of April we'll be ready to schedule the surgery. It's starting to feel real...

Surgeons and hospitals HATE cancellations. Your doctor and hospital/surgical center are going to do everything they can to ensure it gets approved. If they book you then end up not performing on schedule they're screwed because they've booked the time and resources.

I've always said I could weigh 140 and still be uncomfortable in airline seats because my shoulders are so broad. i always have to keep my shoulders moved forward to avoid bumping people on my sides. I suppose my arms might rest a bit better if some of the fat surrounding my upper ribcage melts away after the sleeve is done, but I'm not optimistic.

Just throwing this out there as a possibility, but is there a chance that you are seeking validation like that too frequently? My wife has been doing Weight Watchers on and off for a few years and she would ask me what seemed like daily if it looks like she's losing weight or if I liked what she was wearing and if made her look thinner. I finally had to tell her that when you see someone every day you're not going to just suddenly notice a difference, If you only see someone once a month or less, then yes, you'll notice something. But weight loss is too slow a process to notice a change on a daily basis. Believe me, I'm an attentive husband and compliment her frequently without prompting. She does not have to go fishing for compliments with me.

Sorry, I'm a little confused here. Which "they" said it would be covered if it was a medical necessity? The insurance company or the doctor's office? If your insurance policy normally doesn't cover weight loss surgery but the insurance company is willing to make an exception in your case due to "medical necessity" that usually only happens when your health is in imminent danger. While I hope that's not the case, you should expect to have to provide a lot of documentation to the insurance company from your PCP detailing all of your medical conditions and from the surgeon with his recommendations. The two doctors will likely work together to ensure they provide all the information your insurance will need.

You failed. Congratulations, you're human. We've all failed at something. And now that you know what you've done wrong you know how to avoid it in the future and you know what you need to do now to get back on the right path. You've got obstacles to overcome, more than most of us certainly, and for starters you have to learn to be more selective when you do eat out. It's not that hard when you think about it: Ditch the bun on a sandwich, order broiled chicken, order the salad and so on. I'm not saying it's easy to actually do, because if it were none of us would need the surgery in the first place. Bottom line: Don't beat yourself up over this. You fell into bad habits, you're aware of what you did wrong and you know how to correct it. So correct it.

It used to be that if someone was trying to pay you a compliment and call you special and unique they'd say "You're one in a million." The problem is that in a world with a population of seven billion, calling you one in a million would mean there are still seven thousand people just like you. Bet here are some stats showing that around 216,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2016. It's not clear whether that's worldwide or just the US, but if it is the US that would work out to one in every 1,481 people in the country. It's funny how 216,000 people sounds like a lot but 1 in 1,481 doesn't sound like many at all. https://asmbs.org/resources/estimate-of-bariatric-surgery-numbers

Unless he's already made it clear that you will have to do a pre-op liquid diet, don't do or buy anything until you see the doctor. Not every doctor requires a liquid diet prior to surgery. Mine told me he doesn't require it and that I can eat normally up until the night before my surgery. And yes, you can have many other liquids besides protein shakes, though it is important to get your proper amount of protein each day, so the shakes will be a staple. Chances are the doctor will have handouts for you with lists of what's acceptable and what's not for both pre-op and post-op.

When I go to Vegas the only thing that comes back lighter is my wallet. RIMSHOT! Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I'll be here all night! Try the veal!

I haven't had my surgery yet but I know that's exactly how I'll handle it. I'm not shy when it comes to dealing with strangers. I also have a way of saying things that conveys the message that it's the last word I'm going to say on a topic and, fortunately, most people pick up on that.

Don't worry, I'm not crazy enough to take anyone else's prescription for anything. Admittedly, since I'm still about three months away from my surgery date, I've got plenty of time to figure out which of my regular medications I'll be able to take and which I may have to get substitutes for. Although I do appreciate your specifically mentioning NSAIDs. I take Mobic (meloxicam) daily for arthritis so I'll certainly have to find something else I can tolerate before then to make sure I can continue using my arms without pain.

I expect my wife will have a nice stash of strong stuff if I need to borrow any since she'll be having her knee replaced a few weeks before I have my sleeve done. Now I finally know why we had kids: To take care of us in our middle age...