ColieCallwell

Yayyy!!!! Good luck!

August 20th! Hooray for us!

Sent from my LM-V405 using BariatricPal mobile app

Aug 30! Just scheduled! I’m super excited and sooo nervous

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post. I too took the lifting route. i do it through crossfit. But it has done wonders for my body!! it has so many benefits when done correctly and will only help us as we get older. Congrats to you on your success!!

Heavy Weightlifting completely changes your body!!! I’m 8 years post-op and I incorporate 5-6 days of weightlifting into my routine. I ONLY do about 10 minutes of cardio (10 minute run) each workout day, which in actuality is my warmup before I stretch and lift. I also incorporate hypertrophy (higher rep, lower weight) training into my workouts to help with muscle growth, but the most empowering part is getting strong and hitting new PR’s (personal records).

When I first started lifting, I could not lift too much weight. The lower weight WAS my heavy weight. I would find a weight that I could rep 8-10 times before failure. My squats literally started with the bar (a standard Olympic bar weighs 45 lbs). Now, after 6.5 years of consistent training, I can squat 245 lbs, deadlift 320 lbs, bench 185 lbs, curl the 40 lbs dumbbells. I really wanted to fill up my arms & legs with muscle to lessen that loose skin (which I still have, but not so noticeable), so I worked hard. I researched, read, incorporated. I was—and still am—constantly learning, correcting, and incorporating. I learned how to diet for optimal muscle growth, which optimally includes 1 gram of Protein per body weight and complex carbs, and good healthy fats. At first I didn’t know what complex carbs were, so I looked it up😂, picked out foods I liked, and incorporated them into my diet. I’m not going to lie, complex carbs are the hardest to consume because of their density (and my sleeve still works when I’m eating the right foods—freak’n sliders!), but I make it work by eating small frequent meals throughout the day (I eat about 6-8 different times, including shakes). I also discovered a supplement drink in powder form called Karbolyn (by EFX Sports) that would help me hit my complex carb macro goal.

Anyway, long story short, when I first lost all my weight, I got down to 140 lbs, and a size 4-6. Now, I weigh between 155-160, and still wear a 6 (the 4’s are too small for my arms because they’ve grown with muscle mass 💪🏼😆💪🏼). I’ve literally shred the fat and have added muscle mass. And since 1 lbs of fat takes up way more space than 1 lbs of muscle, I’ve been able to pack on more muscle in the same amount of space. Weightlifting is where it’s at. Man or woman. I’m just trying to inspire women because women tend to fear lifting heavy and fear that they will look manly. I assure you, I do not look like a man. 😂🤣

This measuring tape is awesome. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and its ‘FITINDEX’ app works well with my older Bluetooth enabled scale.

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]

Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

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.

Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

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.

Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

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!


Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I think we need to see pictures!

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!


Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

Best estimate is right around 6k. That includes flight, sleeve, and gallbladder removal.

timmytommy, ColieCallwell, I'm surprised you wouldn't be approved if you lost too much weight durring the process. I thought insurance used your starting weight for approval. This just proves how everyone's path to surgery and requirements are different.
timmytommy, what you'll need to accomplish during your six-month pre-op depends on what your insurance requires and what your doctor/ surgeon wants/needs to prove that you're physically and mentally ready for surgery. You may be required to do the following:
Begin a medical weight loss program Lose weight Have psychological evaluation See a registered dietician (RD) See an exercise therapist or get on an exercise plan Attend a support group for bariatric patients Reduce soda/ alcohol Stop smoking/ using tobacco products Make dietary changes Increase Protein Start a vitamin/ Supplement routine sleep studies/ Maintain CPAP/BiPAP compliance Labs/ Tests: blood panel for CBC, thyroid function, B12, HgbA1--for prediabetes/diabetes, other Vitamins EKG/ cardiac stress test EDG (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) Good luck!