Losebig

Not sure it helps with insurance, but gerd is often caused by a hiatal hernia, which is fixed during surgery. I had mild GERD and a VSG and it’s been totally gone since surgery

I hiccup once and quickly learned that means I'm done.

I'm only 3.5 months out, so pretty new though down close to 70 since surgery. My nutritionist thought cravings were normal and helped with some ideas that would help but not be too off plan

I find I lose more weight on vacations because I’m active. The key for me is to have the right foods available so I eat enough and hit goals. Waaaay different than pre surgery where vacation was basically eating all day

Fairly common at first, but usually gets better. I had a couple weeks of insomnia too. Try melatonin

Yes, as you eat less it seems like taste and smell ramp up. I can smell really well now and strong flavors can be too much. The artificial sweeteners are super sweet, so I had to water down my shakes too.

Keep up on pain meds, it improves drastically in a few days. If you don’t have sufficient pain control talk to your dr, pain can slow healing.

If you can manage it a few days with no carbs will help curb the cravings. I crave salty stuff all the time, so let myself have some in moderation. Just track calories, protein etc and stay within nutritionist guidelines. The cravings may be stress, Head hunger, anxiety etc. try doing things that keep you busy and away from food. For liquids more than a couple months out you can have a lot as long as you don’t gulp. 3.5 months out and if I sip constantly I can get 40 oz in an hour. Being thirsty makes you hungry so try to get at least 64 oz before any “treats”. I aim for 70-80 a day. For capacity liquids pass right through, as does anything that dissolves to a liquid (I.e candy, ice cream, etc). Your carb capacity will be much higher than your protein capacity for many carbs. When craving try 3-4 oz of dense protein and you should be full. Unfortunately the surgery can’t cure cravings, but it can help restrict volume, control hunger and give a chance to rebalance your diet. Im struggling right now too with carbs, it isn’t easy, but don’t give up. Hang in there!

I had BCBS of MA and it was surprisingly fast. They didn’t have any special requirements beyond what the surgeon wanted and a BMI over 40. I can’t remember the exact time line, but I know I actually delayed my surgery for personal scheduling reasons by about a month, so had I pushed I could have done everything in probably 1.5 months. I didn’t need any specialist work ups (was in good health just obese), so if you need those it could stretch things out a bit depending on scheduling. BCBS of MA was really easy to work with. If you call their services line they can actually send you a packet with all their requirements and expected costs given your specific plan.

I keep reading about the "honeymoon period" and my program alluded to it being easier to lose weight early on due to the maximum restriction and potential lack of hunger. I'm curious though how long is the honeymoon period? For folks who have been out a little longer did you have a honeymoon period and if so how long did it last? Just wondering what to expect. I'm pushing myself very hard to keep losing and have been doing decently, though hunger is increasing somewhat and I feel like weight loss is starting to decrease a little bit (but is still good).

about a week

Get in before they change their mind! That's great news that they waived it. I switched to UHC just after surgery and my UHC policy explicitly says it does not cover WLS.

Nice, it definitely has an effect if you haven't had it for a while. I haven't added it back in regularly, but tried it and didn't like it anymore for some reason...

Thanks! All very helpful. I'm coming up on 3.5 months out so probably still in that period, albeit with less extreme loss than the first couple of months. It's definitely easier to maintain 1,000 calories a day now than it was with just dieting alone before surgery

I personally found I was more motivated post surgery. I had a lot going on going into the pre op diet and definitely had some cheats on it (nothing crazy). Post surgery has been great as has weight loss. This is a big and life changing decision though and you need to make sure it is what you want to do. Personally I was scared going into it and yes at times I do miss being able to eat and the enjoyment food used to bring. I am happy with my choice and my new relationship with food, temporary enjoyment of food was a trade off I'd make again in second for health and fitness.

I’m eating mostly protein, so have to take miralax daily. I go every other day or so.

I try to keep busy, so end up doing a lot of things. I travel a fair bit, usually to places to do outdoor stuff (fishing in FL, snowmobiling in Maine, boating, etc). I love anything outdoors and bike, kayak, hike, walk, fish, boat and keep active in conservation activities and groups. At home on a normal day I swim, do outdoor chores (think construction / home improvement / woods work). Basically anything physical and outdoors and I’m happy, if its productive too I’m even happier!

I didn't get one. I did have to do a barium swallow and h pylori test plus some blood work, but that was it. I think like anything else it depends on your history and other factors.

I don't have a ton of variety, but do make a few things. The most common is ground turkey with taco seasoning. If I make a pound it lasts 3-4 meals, I eat it with .5 oz mozzerrella or Mexican cheese and half an ounce of sour cream. I also usually do a couple chicken dishes, BBQ chicken tenders, rotisserie chicken or just plain. If it's just plain I eat it with fat free chicken or turkey gravy to moisten it. Other ideas that I eat much less: haddock or similar fish (frozen usually), pot roast, ground beef, steak. I also enjoy a variety of turkey or chicken sausages, they keep for a while so are a good backup. Fat free hot dogs are also good.

Definitely could be surgical pain since that is right in the area where everything was done. May be worth talking to the surgeon about just to be sure

What part of your back? Sometimes upper back neck or shoulder pain can be deferred pain, especially if you had a hernia repair. Did you have back issues before?

don’t loose hope. They’re grammer isn’t to bad. No need to waiste you’re time on it or loose sleep. haha sorry couldn’t resist.

Best to get it checked out, it could just be dehydration, it could also be an issue with kidney function or something else.

My instructions were exercise as you get more comfortable. I walked a lot and hiked the first few weeks. I think it was probably week 6 when i got into more intense stuff (once the lifting restriction was lifted) - then I jumped right in.

I don't think it's cheating... but lets just assume it is for a moment. if it's cheating then congrats! You found a shortcut to get healthier, feel better and be happy. If VSG is cheating to get there then awesome and good for you! If you had a magic button that did the same thing that might really be "cheating".. and you would press it, so would he and anyone else. He's not being supporting and that's a whole other issue, but you might make the point that cheating or not is totally irrelevant and you're making big important changes for your health and happiness and you'll do whatever is necessary to get that done. You might ask if Chemo is cheating for cancer patients, or if surgery is cheating for other ailments? Congrats on making an important and positive life choice for yourself. If he can't get behind you and support you in your journey find others who will.