Cheeseburgh

#5. Watched an online mindful eating class that included relaxation.

The first few months I pretty much just ate shrimp cocktail every time I went out to dinner.

I have Aetna. My Doctors office had a checklist of everything and all appointments needed. I imagine yours does too. Once everything was complete and submitted they sent it to Aetna and I was approved in a week. I believe I was 4.5 months from start to finish. I think that is best case scenario. I was pretty lucky, none of my appointments took a long time to get and I didn’t have any complications that would have extended my time. I had to go to 3 appointments with the nutritionist and could not gain weight. I had to have a home sleep study, get an endoscopy, bloodwork, see surgeon twice, see a psychologist and I think a pulmonologist. I would have to go through my folder to be certain. I think you can use whatever Dr you wish if you are willing to pay for it. Aetna does not cover the psych evaluation, however they require it. It is a long computerized questionnaire administered by a psychologist. I think it was $150 or so. My Doctors office told me they make sure they cover all the bases so your insurance can’t say no. Aetna actually had a nurse call me for a few months following the procedure to see how I was doing and asking me if I needed anything.

#4 Exercise. Went to gym, did an hour of elliptical/bike/stepper, followed by 15 minutes of strength training on machines.

#3 Learn the Cyrillic alphabet just because I’ve always wanted to.

My Doctor/surgeon is not referenced anywhere here either. He is highly rated, young and a great surgeon. I didn’t think to check here, I just looked up ratings, reviews locally.

Starting weight 153 Goal: Get into the 140’s. I start my gym membership this week so I hope it helps. I seem to hit stubborn weights that take longer to shed. 154-153 turns out to be one of them! Surgery date: 8/13/18 VSG

1 night, my Dr would have approved 2 but I wanted to go home.

Thanks, yes I bought some new items. I have a prosthetic bra and it is definitely too big and I’m looking lopsided! I’m waiting to lose 5 more pounds before I get refitted. I am not big chested so it’s noticeable if I don’t wear the right top.

I took the big step of cleaning out all of my closets. I boxed up the good stuff and sent that off to consignment and the rest is getting picked up by AmVets on Thursday. I gained weight kind of quickly after chemotherapy & steroids, I was pleasantly surprised my clothes from a few years ago were too big also. Almost everything left is activewear and workout clothes. It feels nice to be myself again after a 5 year hiatus!

H pylori thread

Does anyone know the standard protocol with H pylori? I remember being worried if I tested positive it might screw up my surgery date. My Dr did tell me some people need 2, sometimes 3 rounds of antibiotics before it clears up.

I had to have an endoscopy to rule out H pylori (sp) prior to surgery. If I had tested positive I would have been required to take antibiotics, have another endoscopy to make sure it cleared up. I’m sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. Were you tested prior to surgery also? Did they do a biopsy of any kind before? Were you just diagnosed after the surgery? I feel terrible for you.

Thank you for posting your daily meals. I see both of you use Isopure Dutch chocolate. I’ve never tried that, it looks like you mix it with fairlife? Do you get the low carb or no carb? Does one taste better? Sorry for all the questions, I saw it on Amazon and wasn’t sure which one you prefer.

I need to find mine. I should go through my Baritastic app and see if I spot a trend. Most days I have 700-750. I’m losing weight slowly but surely. I don’t know if I could feel satisfied with 500-600 calories everyday though. I’m 7 months post op.

7 months post op. 58 year old female. I had zero complications also. I spent one night in the hospital and I was able to drink water without any problems from day 1. I didn’t struggle with any of the food stages, other than disliking the soft stage. I’ve only had 3 instances of food feeling “stuck”, but nothing major. I avoid dry chicken now. If I hadn’t lost my appetite, I would have been skeptical that they finished my surgery!

I’m glad I found this thread. I’m closing in on my goal weight , I’m pretty impatient but I’m not setting a strict timeline for myself. I am older (58) and the weight simply comes off slower than I wish, but it does come off. I’m losing around 4 lbs a month now. I weigh everything I eat, measure everything I drink and chart everything everyday. I’m the type of person who will have to do this forever as a part of my life. I eat 650-900 calories a day. (I stay around 750 90% of the time) My weakness is a late night snack of 100 calorie crackers, (gasp) but it keeps me sane and I count it. I keep my carbs 20-60 a day depending on my mood. I drink water and coffee and get about 80 oz a day. I have not had a “bad day” yet... I hate working out but it really does make a difference with me. I would like to build up my muscle mass so I can have more calories once I hit the maintain stage. I have a home gym but I do the bare minimum here so I’m joining the gym in my hospital this month. I’m Im still very motivated and plan to stay that way. I look forward to exchanging ideas and stories with everyone.

I went on vacation at 2 months also. I bought protein shakes and kept them in the mini fridge and one in my purse while I was out sightseeing. We did eat at restaurants a lot and I ordered appetizers (shrimp cocktail) grilled fish or chicken or soup. I checked the menus online so I could plan ahead. I think the destination would be key to planning. Greece sounds perfect, the Mediterranean diet is pretty healthy!

Hi I’m new here, I had VSG in August 2018 and I am far from an expert! Have you calculated your basal metabolic rate? My nutritionist and Dr did that with me and if I want to MAINTAIN my weight I can eat 1250 calories a day. I am eating 700-900 a day getting close to my goal weight and now losing about 3-4 lbs a month. I do elliptical 20 minutes a day 5 days a week and just started weight training. I need to up my exercise, so I’m joining the gym this month. You can check your basal metabolic rate online. Mine was within 50 calories compared to what the Dr told me. Age, gender, weight and activity level determine your number. It changes as you lose weight.