vikingbeast

I'm sorry, but the above is terrible counsel.
A 50 ml shot of vodka is 110 calories (for Americans, a standard 1.5 oz. shot of vodka is 96 calories.) 8 shots of vodka is nearly 900 calories just in alcohol, completely empty of nutrition. Most post-surgery diets ask you to stay under 1000 calories a day.

My surgeon specifically said that if I'm going to try "composite foods" (as he called them), to try the individual components first... so for pizza you'd try cheese, and bread, and Tomato sauce. Given the amounts they're talking about it's hard to imagine eating more than a bite or two of pizza.

I have CIGNA, but they are just the coordinator (my employer self insures).
The requirements they had were ridiculously easy:
Letter from my PCP recommending me for surgery. New Patient Orientation / Post-Op Nutrition Education (combined into one) Surgeon Presentation ("This is what gastric bypass is... this is what sleeve gastrectomy is...") Psychological Clearance Attendance at one bariatric support group meeting About 20 pages of forms, quizzes, etc. I had to send in. That was it.

I am obsessively monitoring the case rates in my county, which have gone down a little bit, but school started. My VSG is scheduled for 9/14 and I am desperately hoping they don't shut things down. My spies in the ER say things are busy but not panic-inducing. All I can do is light a candle and pray to whoever the patron saint of fat people is.

Oh yeah, some are disgusting. Many of us find our taste buds change temporarily after surgery & you may find the shakes you enjoyed pre surgery suddenly are just terrible. Or you may become lactose intolerant for a while. Have a couple of different brands, flavours & lactose free options available just in case.
Good luck with your surgery.

So glad to hear you are getting support. Maybe she can thwap some sense into her son while she's there... if he were around here he'd get the chancla, no matter how old he is.

Also, if you are denied, talk to the benefits coordinator at your work, because in many cases they can overrule denials, especially for larger companies that are self-pay.

I found the most success (pre-op) when I combined diet with weight/resistance training. What about buying some dumbbells or kettlebells? You can find training programs online if you're not yet comfortable going to the gym (understandable!).

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

So glad to hear you are getting support. Maybe she can thwap some sense into her son while she's there... if he were around here he'd get the chancla, no matter how old he is.

I am obsessively monitoring the case rates in my county, which have gone down a little bit, but school started. My VSG is scheduled for 9/14 and I am desperately hoping they don't shut things down. My spies in the ER say things are busy but not panic-inducing. All I can do is light a candle and pray to whoever the patron saint of fat people is.

So glad to hear you are getting support. Maybe she can thwap some sense into her son while she's there... if he were around here he'd get the chancla, no matter how old he is.

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

I could lose every gram of fat on my body and still be in the Obese category for BMI (yes, I know everyone says this, but I have receipts—and decades of powerlifting and strongman aren't going to suddenly disappear off my frame no matter what I do). It's strangely freeing, and allows me to use body fat percentage as a guide instead of the useless-to-me BMI. It was nice for the one moment where they needed my BMI to qualify me, but if I had 15% body fat I'd still technically qualify for surgery (35.8 BMI).

I'm expecting lose some lean body mass—can't go that low-calorie and not—but this is all about reducing comorbidities and allowing me to get to a spot where I'm not tripping weight limits on things all the time.

Today I imagined getting on an airplane and not having everyone scrunch their faces slightly ("please no please no please no please no oh thank god").

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

And that is one reason why I did get vaccinated—because I can, and the sooner we reach "herd immunity", the sooner it's safer for the immunocompromised like you and a very, very close friend to go back out into society. Did I have misgivings? Oh, yeah... but as an obese person, that thing has got its sights set on me and I decided the benefits far outweighed the risks.

(Not here to preach! If you have questions or concerns, talk to a doctor you trust.)

I found the most success (pre-op) when I combined diet with weight/resistance training. What about buying some dumbbells or kettlebells? You can find training programs online if you're not yet comfortable going to the gym (understandable!).

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

I found the most success (pre-op) when I combined diet with weight/resistance training. What about buying some dumbbells or kettlebells? You can find training programs online if you're not yet comfortable going to the gym (understandable!).

I'm still three weeks pre-op but I felt every word of your post in my bones. And all I will say is that, now that I've committed to do this for myself, I wish I'd had the courage to do it 15 years ago. Too young? No such thing. They do it for teenagers. And if you're young, your skin is more elastic which could mean less issues with loose skin.

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.

Today I was walking through the center of town (closed to cars) and was people-watching... how easily they moved, how energetic they seemed to be.
I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the idea that a year from now, if I stick to the plan and keep working the way I know I can, I could be that way.
I've been so obese for so long that I can't imagine a life where I can just... go to a store and buy pants. Or just... decide to sleep somewhere else without having to pack up my CPAP. Or just... run for the sake of running. I literally cannot imagine it. It should be a source of motivation, but it's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it. And then I get all overwhelmed.
I've failed so many times before, that I don't dare let myself hope.