ColieCallwell

All of this too!

I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't think we ever are prepared to lose a parent, and nobody really talks about how hard it is. I lost my mom in 2019 and was devastated. It sounds like you are re-focusing and looking for healthy outlets. After my mom died, I joined a crossfit gym, and honestly, it helped so much with my anxiety. I am terrible at it, but I love it. For an hour every morning, the only thing I can do is focus on getting through the workout. It's nice to have an hour every day where your brain is so occupied with something that you can't think about anything else. And then when it's over, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Also, the people at my gym are really friendly and encouraging, so I've made a few friends, too. You might have some luck making friends at your gym. I move a lot with my job, it's so hard to make new friends as an adult. Running clubs are another good way to meet like-minded people. In the last place I lived, I joined a martial arts gym, and made some really good friends there. (I join a lot of gyms, but I'm still fat, lol. I'm getting the sleeve later this month...you can't outrun a bad diet!). Just thought I'd offer some suggestions for meeting people. Life can be really hard to navigate. You've got this! This quote helped me put things in perspective after my mom died: "Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living - heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life, and it’s breathtakingly beautiful!" Take care and keep us posted how you're doing. You can do it!

-get rid of that stinkin' cpap machine -run a sub 10 min mile -do real pushups -be under the weight limit on my kid's trampoline so I can jump with him -go horseback riding -have more energy!

I haven't had surgery yet...but I would kill to lose 19 pounds in 6 weeks...just sayin! [emoji846]

I'm cash pay also, surgery scheduled for 8/26. I've also struggled with my decision to spend so much money on myself, but honestly, how much have we spent through the years on Weight Watchers, this diet plan, that diet plan, a nutritionist, gym memberships, diet bet...for me, the list goes on and on... (I even once signed up for 6 months of a service where I got blood glucose monitors for $200 a month, thinking if I could just see what my blood sugar was doing I could lose weight). And if we don't get the surgery, how much will we spend on health issues related to obesity? You're worth it. Don't feel guilty.

I am SO excited! I'm scheduled for 8/26. I went and bought a bluetooth water bottle that tracks my water intake, (it lights up to remind me to drink, and every time it does, my 5 y/o yells "Drink!" - my husband says we're getting him ready for college, haha), a BT weigh scale that syncs with my phone, a BT measuring tape that syncs with my phone, a bunch of protein and blender bottles, freezer storage containers so I can make some bone broth ahead to freeze and have after surgery. I ordered all the success books my surgeon recommended, and have read 4 out of 5 of them. I bought a bunch of bariatric cookbooks. I have probably watched every single episode of My 600-lb Life. I am *trying* to take 30 minutes to eat my meals, and not drinking for 30 minutes before/after meals like my dietician recommended (it's hard!). I'm trying to go with the flow, but I'm too Type A. I'm sure out of all this planning, only about half of it will be useful, lol. Anyone else overthinking/obsessing??? Am I setting myself up for failure? This time next month, we'll all be in the thick of it!

My surgeon doesn't require the pre-op diet either, yay!

Just got my surgery date! August 26th!!! Super excited but scared too!

Fitbit watch and scale will do all of that with the associated app. You can pretty much track whatever measurement you're interested in. It's all bluetooth so connects to your phone. I like seeing my heart rate, and they've recently added a blood glucose measurement - not sure how that works, if you have to get a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) or not.

I've also been wondering if the VSG is worth it, or if I should just buckle down and "diet" again. I've met with the surgeon and am on the schedule for all the pre-op insurance requirements, with hopefully surgery in October. I met with my PCP yesterday who was very supportive of the surgery. I bought the book, "Ultimate Gastric Sleeve Success" by Dr. Duc Vuong, and found it to be a great easy read - I highly recommend it. I think I'm much more confident in my decision to have surgery now.

Yep. You can contact your insurance company and they should be able to tell you the requirements for the surgery. My husband had RNY in December 2020, and he was recommended this surgeon by the insurance company. I'm using the same surgeon, but having the sleeve. For my insurance (BCBS) I have to: - Attend a WLS informational seminar before I could schedule an appointment with the surgeon. This was put on by the surgeon via Zoom. They scheduled this for me when I called to start the process. I think they do these once a month at her office. -Meet with the surgeon, (I ate a huge lunch before I went in hopes of ensuring my BMI was high enough to qualify, lol. It worked). -Attend a diet and nutrition class led by the surgeon, (this was 1 hour by Zoom). She explained the post op diets and what was allowed/not allowed after surgery. She mostly does not require the pre-op liquid diet...only for those with tight abdomens who need to shrink their liver so she can more easily access the stomach. -Attend 1x per month for 3 months meeting with a nutritionist where I show *some* weight loss at each meeting. I didn't ask what happens if I gain. My husband did this during 2020 and said it was all via Zoom - they just asked him what his weight was, and he told them he lost a pound or two. He didn't get on a scale, but he ultimately lost weight between his 1st appointment and surgery date. -Psychological evaluation, (my surgeon's office uses a service where you can schedule this via telehealth for anytime of day). -Lab work -Chest xray They scheduled me for all these appointments in my first meeting with the surgeon. So far, my pre-op appointment is scheduled for 9/29, so hopefully my surgery will be sometime in October. I can only know what my surgeon told me, which specifically was not to lose too much weight, (even 10 lbs) or I could disqualify myself for surgery. I'm just going to be as healthy as possible and if I lose too much weight and get disqualified, I'll self pay. I hope this is more informational than my last response. Good luck to you!

If it's not too invasive for me to ask, how much did you spend in total? Travel, surgery, etc.?

I'm in the same boat as you. My BMI is 35.5 with a comorbidity (sleep apnea). I met with my surgeon last week. My insurance requires about 4 months of classes, etc. My surgeon told me not to lose any weight during that time or I could un-qualify myself. She told me not to go and lose 10 lbs on her during this time. I'm considering self pay just so I don't have to worry about it AND not lose weight for the next 4 months. I'm ready to get my life back. Of course since I'm not supposed to lose weight, I've lost 3 lbs. [emoji52]