Suzi_the_Q

Hmm... yeah I don't watch the money videos, just the WLS ones. That's disappointing to hear though.

You can sub tofu for any meat mentioned? (Except the chicken crust, I don't think that'll work.) I also found this almond flour pasta recipe that looks really good, but only if you can tolerate xanthan gum. It does req. eggs, but all pasta has eggs in it so maybe you could tolerate it in something? Or sub with cheese instead? There's also egg substitues out there that might work for you. You can even use this recipe to make gnocchi and ravioli (I'm jazzed to try it myself!) BTW when you buy almond flour, check the ingredients because some add rice flour and other carby things. Make sure its JUST almonds. I use it to "bread" stuff too. I also found a recipe for lowfat cottage cheese alfredo sauce made with regular milk- looks amazing, adding it to my list. https://40aprons.com/cottage-cheese-alfredo/ https://www.thelittlepine.com/almond-flour-pasta/

I just wanted to say re: STDs - THIS is why you get to know potential partners before having sex with them. Talk openly, honestly, candidly about STD testing and status. Request paperwork from their Dr. Be forthcoming with these as well. Yes it's ok to ask this of potential FWB. You're respecting the sanctity of your health and body as well as theirs. Ask if they have other partners too. USE CONDOMS ANYWAY. If you can't TALK about sex, and sexual health, you shouldn't be having it. Also, don't be a douchebag and f**k up someone's marriage (your own included). Bad karma.

Hey there, I'm Italian too (pre-op though) taught how to cook by my 1st gen Nona. I'm on my 6 month pre-op slow-carb diet plan rn. For pasta what I'm doing is using a food processor to mince veggies and garlic together, cooking and seasoning it with the meat (I half cook the meat first), then adding the sauce to it (about 3:1 veggies to meat, tonight I used carrots & broccoli) then instead of eating it with pasta I eat it over red beans. It's still carbs, but not the kind that make you fat or spike your blood sugar since they are slower to digest and have protein and fiber. The veggies meld with tomato sauce seamlessly and you get a lot of good nutrients in every ingredient (vs. the empty calories of pasta.) (I'm a bit of a child in that I often prefer hiding my veggies from myself.) I agree with the above re: cauliflower crusts, just be careful about store bought ones and store-bought pre-made cauliflower crust pizzas because they can sometimes be a lot more flour than cauliflower and that's not the droid you're looking for. Best to make your own honestly. For risottos I find using riced cauliflower to be a pretty good substitute- it's super yummy when cooked with some marsala or sherry & chicken broth (I like mushrooms, shallots and garlic too). You can also get a spiralizer and use that for an alt. pasta with zucchini, squash or carrots. Cream sauces can be tricky because the usual recipe is heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2. You can use milk with a little low fat cheese for flavor then thicken with a little xanthan gum. That is IF you can tolerate dairy. This is of course for once you are on regular food. For a while you're gonna have to take things slow and figure out what your body needs and can handle. A lot of these cravings are part of the brain aspect of weight loss. Your bariatric team should include a counselor and/ or support group (besides us!) that can help you with it. ***I swear I didn't add all these hyperlinks- wth?

My dr told me that alcohol was a serious no-go post op. She literally described it as becoming as addictive as CRACK because of the way the body processes it (post bypass)... was she exaggerating?

Another way to do it is to give yourself a "cheat day." If you get in the mindset that you only have those things one day per week, you can hold out if you're craving it until that day. I'm that way, but not everyone is.

I just took my written test last week, it's really no big deal. Some of it is obvious, like "do you hear voices?" kind of thing, some of it is stuff like t/f "I had a great relationship with my father." Some of it is things like t/f "when I am upset, I turn to food for comfort." Then there was this, IMO trick question: t/f "I like everyone I know." (I answered false, but there's more than one connotation to that one, isn't there?) You'll do fine.

6 months Medicaid.

That all sounds about right- thank you for all of your input- puts me more at ease about the whole thing.

That makes sense, thank you!

Yeah, 170 lbs. is seriously a no-go for me. We shall see I s'pose. I think they seriously underestimate both my motivation and my ability. Just gotta get the inertia going in that direction.

They put me on a special scale that sent an electrical current through my body.

Maybe try pureed potato soup?

What do you mean by "everything" please?

Have you had your gallbladder checked?

That's the difference between a custom made corset and an off the rack sort. The off the rack kind will have gapes in places, but the custom ones are made to your measurements, so they will be fitted. There are a lot of custom corsetry shops on etsy that you can work with your specific needs to custom make a garment for you that is more supportive of your lower abdomen. It may be tricky though because your hips stick our farther. Maybe gussets would help to alleviate that? Definitely contact some professional corsetiers though. This lady is my favorite, though she only takes a few orders at a time. She does send a muslin mock up of your corset so you can work on fit etc before the real one is made. She's been in business for over 20 years. https://www.facebook.com/ElectraDesigns http://electradesigns.net/ - web prices are old, best to contact on FB

Thanks! I can't wait to get my body back, honestly; pregnancy followed by major back injury did me dirty! Re: corseting- you can see the waist to hip ratio is pretty good here, if that's what you're going for. And absolutely DO NOT exercise in a corset. You could hurt yourself and will likely break the steel bones in it too. If you must wear something while exercising, there are waist trainers designed for that. The key is to go about training very slowly in small increments. The link I included above goes over how to do it in a very safe, conservative way. It's definitely not for everyone and requires a lot of patience and attention to your body.

Oh, that’s the BEST part- they want most of this done before my next appointment, on June 23rd. 😳 Next week I have my pap, iud, ultrasound, mammogram, upper GI X-ray, and my lower extremity bilateral. I just did my fasting labs and ekg today. Bloody whirlwind! It’s not like I’m getting surgery this month (I wish!) Ugh!

Just had my first appointment with the surgeon today, and holy gods the number of appointments I have immediately ahead of me! I have appointments for: Fasting labs; EKG; Pap smear; Mammogram; Ultrasound; IUD; Upper GI x-ray; Lower extremity venous duplex bilateral; I have to collect and measure my water intake and pee output for 2 days; Psychological computer test; 3 Nutritional evals; Psychological evaluation; Physical therapy evaluation; 7 weigh-ins; Plus, I just had this funky catheter/ bladder test; AND I have to make an appointment with my Sleep Dr. to get my CPAP adjusted too! (I have yet to schedule this appointment), and have 2 support group meetings TBD. Giminy Crickets- I'm kinda reeling at the enormity of it esp. since most of these tests/ appointments are happening in the next 2-3 weeks or so. Is everyone's experience this... exhaustive or am I just lucky that I have very *thorough* doctors? Oof. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited as Hell, but WOW. They gave me a binder to keep track of it all. 😳

My PCP is a women's health clinic, specializing in all women's things plus medi-spa stuff too (vaginal rejuvenation, anyone?) The bariatric clinic is tied to my local hospital. Honestly, I'm ok with all the hoops, at least they are thorough and I have never had surgery in my life aside from oral surgery to get my wisdom teeth out. Otherwise I'd have to drive at least an hour for every appointment vs. 7 minutes and I have anxiety and agoraphobia issues so that's not very likely to succeed. All the hoops might be because I have medicaid too, they're known for being pains in the ass no matter what Dr. you go through.

Now I wonder if my PCP was BSing me about the IUD requirement....

This was me back then. Not too extreme.

I did not damage my internal organs and my blood flow is fine. One has to be very careful though.

My pcp said they'll require me to be on birth control so I don't get accidentally pregnant during this process, the surgeon didn't mention it at our 1st meeting yesterday, but maybe she saw I had the IUD appointment on the books? I can't stand hormones so I go with the copper IUD (extra cramps, yay!). The surgeon requires that you're up to date on pap and mammo and I was due anyway. All together it feels a bit over the top though.

Maybe you should see your (or a) bariatric doctor? This might be something in their wheelhouse.