SpartanMaker

I haven't really had any bone broth in a while, so can't recommend them at this point. If I try a few, I'll be sure to let folks know if some of the are particularly good (or bad!). My goals are probably a little unique to me, but the thing I've learned about being on the diet and exercise yo-yo too many times than I can count, is that I do better if I start SLOOOOOW. For example, right now, my goal this week for exercise is just to ride my recumbent bike at least 3 times a week for 8 minutes each time. Every week between now and my surgery, I plan to up the number of minutes by two. Thus next week, the goal will be 10 minutes, 3 times a week. It's possible that even going up by 2 minutes a week is too aggressive, so if it doesn't happen, I won't sweat it. The reason I picked that amount was that I was hoping to be around 20 minutes a day 3 times a week by the time I hit my surgery week. I think if I get there, I'll feel better and recover faster. I'm sure to some that seems pitiful, but it's what I think I can do. It would do me no good to be too aggressive and then hurt myself. For what it's worth, I don't plan to do any strength training until about 4 months post surgery. I know that probably seems like a long time to some, but I didn't get so badly out of shape overnight. I have to keep reminding myself to be careful and not overdo things. Diet-wise, I have 2 goals right now: Start talking smaller bites and replace 1 meal per day with a protein shake. That's really it. I'm lucky I suppose in that I don't eat a lot of junk food, so I don't have to overcome that issue too. Over time, I really need to start working on the whole complete chewing thing (which is a HUGE problem for me), but I realized I have to start with smaller bites. Until that's a habit, I won't add complete chewing to the regimen.

I agree with a lot of what's been said above. I think the way to think about is that weight loss is heavily dependent on what you eat, whereas how healthy you are is heavily dependent on regular exercise. Like any pithy statement, it's not an absolute, but it is a good guideline. My point is that you can lose weight without exercising, but if like me, your real goal is to improve your health, we can't rely on weight loss alone. In fact, also like you, I have several physical issues (I'm a disabled vet), but I'm also honest enough with myself to know that some of my physical challenges are due to my weight. One of my main motivators for having WLS is to make exercise less painful so that I can improve my overall cardiovascular health via exercise.

So far, I just ordered a bunch of new flavors of Premier Protein shakes since I have a hard time finding them locally. I also put Bone Broth, Sugar Free Jello & Gatorade Zero on my shopping list for this weekend. I'm a bit of a planner too, so I've also created a list of weekly diet, workout, and other goals between now and surgery, with a different set of goals post surgery.

You might want to discuss your plans with both providers? It's not uncommon for doctors to want 6 weeks or more between surgical procedures (yes, having your wisdom teeth removed is considered a surgical procedure). Better to know now, than to find out when you go in to have the work done! Your WLS may or may not be okay with this timing as well, so it's better to check.

I hear you. I sometimes play word games with myself to make it seem closer. For example, instead of saying it's 6 weeks away, I say it's "next month". It's silly, but that feels a lot closer to me!

I would first recommend talking to your insurance company to find out if they cover bariatric surgery, and if they do, what all is required/covered. One thing I learned is that even at the same insurance company, the coverage and the requirements to qualify can vary widely. This is because most larger employers actually are "self-insured". This means the insurance company just administers the health plan and your employer is the one paying the bill. As a result, the insurance companies let the employers have wide latitude in what they will and won't cover and what the qualification requirements will be. For example, I have United Healthcare. I was also on United Healthcare last year, but with a different employer. The bariatric programs are quite different in terms of what they required and what procedures they'll cover. Note that some insurance companies also have specific providers they recommend. Once you clarify all that, check with your bariatric program/physician. The bariatric program I chose required a psyc eval, an upper GI scan, and three months of meetings with their dietitian, even if the insurance didn't require those things.

I know how you feel! Right now it's about all I can think about since after 2.5 years of trying to get this done, I finally have a surgery date.

I'm new here as well. Scheduled for Sept 20th.