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I don't know specific to Denver but what is approved varies by insurance company. I had to do mine through my surgeons program (BS/BS). Most PCs won't do this and a lot of public plans are excluded. Call your surgeons office or insurance company and ask where to go. They should know what's approved.

Apparently there was a problem with my liver when they did surgery. It was very fatty still and bled more than it should have. They almost had to give me a blood infusion. So scary, I’m glad I didn’t know that until today. I must not be in too bad of shape though bc they sent me home this evening.

Is goat cheese a part of the pureed phase? Everyone's diet is different but curious if this all falls under pureed bc it's so soft if melts.

We are all different, but truthfully I now like cooking more than eating. Now that we're into cooler weather, I love making savory stews and dishes. I just end up bringing a lot of it to the office and giving away to my staff to keep them fed and happy. The one thing I can't keep around the house is bread - bread is my weakness, I will sell my soul to the devil for a crusty baguette with French butter, or a beautiful piece of brioche toasted with some high end preserves, a buttery croissant (which requires no topping of any kind).... yes, this is the work of the devil! I also am now just hating going out to restaurants. I eat 1/8th of what I order, I am single so the leftovers literally last for DAYS UPON DAYS and then I end up splitting the freaking check with my friends even though I had no alcohol, I did not partake in any appetizers and I gave half my food away. Unbelievably irritating. We need to invent some kind of post-bariatric restaurant etiquette for going out with our friends.

I would be careful doing this immediately post surgery due potential for dehydration, not necessarily bc of calorie deprivation. You're at a high risk for dehydration post surgery and you lose a lot of water through sweat in hot yoga-but consult with your doctor.

Good news I was able to get back on track yesterday after my shambolic weekend. Bad news, I was STARVING all day and am still hungry today. But I'm pushing through--doing a lot of deep breathing and "chanting": Hunger does not constitute an emergency. Hunger does not constitute an emergency. LOL. Followed shortly by: I will not die from hunger. I will not die from hunger. And lastly: Serenity NOW! Serenity NOW! Hahahaha, and I just made this one up: That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Because of the weekend indiscretion, I'm not sweatin' making 1500cals/day. Monday Menu: B-big ass green smoothie (12fl oz So Delicious unsweetened vanilla coconut milk; 18g Isopure Banana powder; 5g psyllium husks; 35g frozen blueberries; 2oz frozen chopped spinach; 1/2 eyedropper vanilla stevia-Vitacost; 4 ice cubes; 2oz ice water) MS-28g hummus; 2oz baby carrots; 1 string cheese L-low carb fish taco (1 Mission Carb Balance tortilla; 3oz leftover blackened tilapia; 1/2c shredded cabbage blend; 2tbsp red fat feta; 40g HEB fresh salsa-medium) AS-psylli tea; 2tbsp LS smooth peanut butter; 2oz GS apple D-meatballs and sketti (4oz Daddy's meatballs; 1/2c Taste of Italy Central Market marinara; 3oz miracle rice, 1tbsp grated parm); chopped salad with 3zeros Greek dressing BS-8g toasted almonds; 7g SF Lily's dark choco chips Daily Totals: 1325cals; 73g protein; 67g fat; 97g carbs; 39g fiber; 58g net carbs

My surgery is on Wednesday...fed my family Thanksgiving on Nov. 7th! lol I wasn't missing out on that food. lol So I am on the 2-week liquid diet, it has been horrible. I cannot expect my family to do it with me. The Protein shakes cause really bad stomach issues so I rather not drink them. I have been living off of sugar-free jello & pudding and chicken broth. A lot of Crystal Light and water. My family will not allow me to cave. They were eating pizza yesterday and I begged them for a bite and they said NOPE. I did get some Cream of Wheat and I cook it to where it is watered down so I considered that a liquid. I use Equal so that should be okay. I won't lie, I miss my pasta and sweets..which most likely got me into this situation. The only thing I pray for is I lose my sweet craving, if that happens I will be golden!

My husband and 2 kids know (19 & 26). Oh, and my sister-in-law, but only bc my husband told her. She's a nurse, and also Extremely opinionated, so I was waiting for the onslaught of tsk-tsking and advice. But, after getting over the shock that I'm having it done in Mexico (another reason I'm not spreading the news, too many naysayers on that as well), she finally agreed it sounded like I had done my homework and wished me luck. Hubby and kids are being really supportive, but no one else in my family has ever had a weight problem, nor do they see me struggle every day w/all of my health issues, so they just won't get it. Best of luck to you!

That would be a massive pain-in-the-arse ... i.e. dealing with the fall-out from that. Essentially not your daughter's fault but makes it hard to maintain privacy. I have three siblings. I'm 61, 'old' sister is 57, brother 56 and 'young' sister 52. My younger sister and I have a great rapport ... and we both swear our middle siblings were switched by aliens before their teens. The middle two are church-addicted and intolerant souls. They phone up to lecture on lifestyle issues, internal family matters and parenting/grand-parenting issues. I will pretend to be asleep if they come to my house for no acceptable reason ... it is just too tedious to deal with their ongoing issues and BS. The 'old' sister blames me and her sister that her kids (32, 30 & 29) don't talk (by choice) to her and her husband any more.

@Aijan Well you stated: My diet is crap. The only stuff that seems to stay down is starchy carbs. bread, potatoes, rice...stuff like that. eggs usually stay down. I don't eat meat (which is fine because it comes up ridiculously quick.) So.....it seems you have tried meat which made me question perhaps trying fish. Pardon me for not having the whole story. So go with TVP, tempeh and tofu products, bread is def not advised, neither is rice and potatoes. And it's a cop out to not show how much protein you are currently ingesting. I call bs. You want someone to tell you you should be eating 60-80 grams of protein a day and keep carbs to never more than 100, but better at under 50, as you will see on these forums by successful vets. So there it is.....

I got the official rejection letter from the insurance company yesterday. I can't even decipher the reason for the explanation and I have about 3 days to understand if I need to file an appeal or if I don't do anything and simply continue 3 more months and refile. Tomorrow is the surgeon's appointment, so I will beg them for help and enlightenment. The surgeon actually spoke to the insurance company herself. Right now they are saying I'm not "medical necessity." So I fell off the wagon big time. I've been struggling this week cuz of the extra hunger (I think from stress, but also from PT and the additional exercise. Strength building exercises always have made me super ravenous after workouts from the time I was in athletics.) Yesterday, I just lost the will to fight it any more. And I'm super sad - not only about the situation, but also at myself for giving into the habit of comfort with food. Today I'm up 3lbs to 233.8lbs. So there you go. My accountability. Saturday' Horrific Menu: B: 2 eggs fried in 1 tsp evoo; 2 applewood bacon; sauteed super greens (2oz froz spin, 2oz super greens, garlic clove, 1oz gr toms, 2oz mushrooms, 1tsp evoo) MS: none L: leftover blackened fish and shrimp (5oz pangasius, 1.5oz shrimp); 5oz leftover broccoli and garlic AS: (here's where it all went wrong--snack monster got me) 308cals; 20g fat; 18g carbs; 4g fiber; 14g net carbs UGH! 1 pck HEB Toasted Seaweed Snacks; 28g hummus, 2oz baby carrots; 2oz On The Boarder Salsa con Queso, 1/2oz pork skins D: (more shenanigans) 2 slices homemade cauli almond crust pepperoni mushroom pizza; chopped salad with 3zero's Greek dressing; 1c Stouffer's mac and cheese (Yes, I said it...STOUFFER's Macaroni and Cheese!!!) BS: 6g SF Lily's Dark Chocolate Chips; 6g toasted almonds Daily Totals: 2080cals; 134g fat; 113g carbs; 29g fiber; 84g net carbs; 106g protein Pretty craptastic day. Now the big issue is to stop the hemorrhaging and isolate it to one day and 2 meals. That's gonna be hard, cuz I hate throwing food away and this morning I get up determined to start a new, fresh day. So I make my black coffee, get a fork, walk to the fridge, open the mac and cheese tray and take 2 gigantic forks full of mac n' cheese--probably about 1/3c in 2 bites. In. 2. bites. *waves buh bye to the elephant penis* *sigh* *smacks head emoji here*

Today was pretty difficult for me. As much as my life post bariatric surgery has changed for the better, in many ways wls is still a struggle for me. Sometimes I worry it will always be this way. Feeling “normal” again- maybe I’ll never feel that again. In 20 years I will still be the same as I am now and what are the long term repercussions on my health? I really struggle with food. Protein is a constant challenge. I find it very very difficult to eat dense protein. It gets stuck so easily, even if I take care to chew the f**k out of it. Chicken and I- not friends. Fish is very challenging. Steak is easier but still, it can go badly. I can’t count the number of times I’ve puked up dense protein. You know that rule, eat your protein first? If I did this I would still be anorexically thin. Once I take a couple bites of protein my restriction is so high I can possibly eat any more. Three bites and done. That’s about it. Lately everything I eat gives me horrid gas. I’m constantly constipated. I try to get enough water but drinking between meals, when I need to eat at least six meals a day to get enough calories, is incredibly difficult. When I drink with my meals it’s a gamble as to wether I will dump or throw up, so I try not to. But in my busy busy life I find it so hard to drink outside of my 6 meals, to grab that bottle of water and get it down when my stomach still only takes sips even after so many years out. I get incredibly thirsty when I eat as well. It’s exhausting. I’m hungry so often. Not physically hungry, although that happens too. But more of a mental hunger or a deep physical anatomical hunger that just feels like I can never really get enough food. I can never, or very very rarely, get quite enough that my body feels truly fed. I’m always in this limbo of not quite satisfied. My stomach prevents me from eating even if my body wants and needs more. I watch other people eat and I envy them. I miss the feeling of true satisfaction and resent the feeling of restriction, especially when I know my body really needs more food!! Sugar and I- we have a very mixed relationship. I love sugar and I don’t fear it will make me gain weight. Carbs are easier for me to digest than protein and so I rely on the a lot to get the calories I need to not become skeletal again. But carbs can often give me dumping syndrome. I’m constantly playing a game of Russian roulette. Will I dump after this meal? Tonight I dumped horrible after a meal of a turkey sandwich and raspberries. I assume it was the raspberries. It’s a constant condition, one that I go through really hard times over and while sometimes I want to just say- ok! No more carbs- see above issues with protein. Following the “rules” doesn’t provide a solution to me. Protein is too hard to get down. Water is so hard to get in. My calorie needs are high. I’m having jaw problems now from the stress on my jaw from so much chewing. I’ve seen my surgeon- he says no sugar. So what’s left for me to eat safely! Protein shakes? That’s not realistic. And I can barely keep weight on as it is. What can I swallow and know 100% it won’t get stuck and I won’t dump. So many people on these forums painting the perfect picture of life after wls. And those feeling like failures when they don’t lose weight. Well I’m a “success story”. I’m thin. And I struggle Every. Single. Day. I wish people would talk more openly and honestly about the long term effects of wls and what it’s like to live with it. What’s it like in an imperfect world for an imperfect person. My best friend had wls and we talk all the time about these things. It’s nice that I have someone who gets it. When people are considering wls they only want to see the positives but they don’t understand the choice they are making. Would I make this choice again? Would I trade my health and freedom with food for a day in the body I have now? Probably. But I’m not sure what that says about me. Will you do the same? Think about it. I’m not saying don’t have surgery. I’m not saying I would go back into my old body. That body had lots of problems too. My mind, my body, my life.. I’ll take it now. But wls isn’t for everyone. I’ve had a few friends chose not to do it, and at the time I didn’t understand their decision. In the honeymoon stage you’re on a weight loss high. I rode that high for a long long time. But now.. years out I’m beginning to understand. Today was a rough day. I have better ones. It would be nice to have a place to get some support for the hard things we go through. Most other people in my life, they can’t understand. For me, having wls is living in a body with chronic digestive illness.

OK, despite the ongoing ravenous hunger from PT, I'm staying the course and am now officially down a few more tenths of a pound to 230.4lbs (nekkidy/poop and pee free) this morning. I'm continuing to ask myself every time I get a hunger cue at inappropriate times, "Why am I eating?" So far, it's stopped me from major jungle fever interaction with mah food! I sit down at the table for dinner and the other meals I'm either working at my computer or else I'm working at monkey business at my computer chatting with you guys in the forum...not ideal. I should ideally be focused solely on eating and sitting at the table. I think doing a pre-workout lunch and a post-workout lunch maybe help with the hungry, hungry hippo problem I've been having as a result of the added exercise and added hunger. Question: Do you eat at your table? Do you eat slowly-savoring and chewing each small bite as directed by your doc? Do you put your hand and fork down between bites? I just read an article that suggests perhaps that people who eat faster are more prone to metabolic syndrome. So HOW do you eat? Eating faster linked to metabolic syndrome article Study about eating speed and metabolic disease rates-yes, it's only an association study and association cannot prove causation... Friday Menu - B-Turkey sausage scramble-1 lg egg, 50g Real Egg Whites; 28g JD Turkey sausage crumbles; .88g BH lacy Swiss cheese; 2oz froz chopped spinach; 2oz baby super greens; 2oz mushrooms, 1/2tbsp evoo; TB mild sauce MS-None-too full L-1 turkey roll-up (Pre-PT=1oz BH smoked turkey; 1.15oz BH lacy Swiss); (Post-PT=1oz string cheese, 2oz GS apple; 6g toasted almonds) AS-2oz GS apple; 24g LS creamy peanut butter D-5oz (raw wt) grilled ribeye; 7oz (raw wt) broccoli with garlic and 1/2tbsp evoo; 1.5oz avo + 1oz grape tomatoes BS-14g toasted almonds; 6g SF Lily's dark choco chips Daily Totals: 1499 cals; 100g fat; 85g protein (still too high); 62g carbs; 22g fiber; 40g net carbs

I have federal BC/BS but it’s processed under blue shield or sometimes anthem. I had 3 month supervised diet, which didn’t mean crap. All it meant was I had to visit my surgeon or GP once a month. So month one was my consult, month two was GP + pre-op blood, and month three was my final pre-op appt. I also needed a psych consult, to attend a seminar and get a letter from my psychiatrist saying I haven’t used illicit drugs for at least a year and he has been and will continue to treat me. The psychiatrist letter might have been an extension of my psych consult as I’m bipolar. Little stupid since insurance sees that I fill my meds every month and see my psych monthly. Just a stupid hoop.

I am 16 years out, had a revision that didn’t work. I went through all the motions as those whose surgeries were successful. Mine wasn’t. A dr there told me that I would only lose 40 lbs. He had no idea of the sacrifices I made. Instead of a revision, which took a waiting period of 14 months, I did not get it done. I regained weight after complications of another surgery. We regain weight for many reasons. So, I felt like the only one who left the hospital empty handed and sad. No one is stupid for trying to be healthier. I was so upset at this “another failure” that I decided to “reset” my mind instead of thinking about the stress of regain and revision. My driving force is what motivated me. These textbook doctors and nutritionists don’t know what’s in our head. They see you for 5 minutes, get their $300-$400, and I’m left to deal with this myself. Even my family doesn’t help very well. I decided that since the drs can’t help me, I’ll be damned if I’m going to fail myself. I’m going through the motions as if I’m a brand new patient, regardless of my hunger or very painful legs. I’m going to prove that jerk dr who told me that I would only lose 40 pounds. What an idiot. I lost weight before, regained and they can’t fix it. Well, I’ll start all over, no matter what it takes. If I binge on diet chewing gum to get through the food urge, fine. It is what it is. I know what I could have done better the first time around. We have another chance because I do not believe in failure, no matter what the circumstances are. Plus, I’m probably older than you, so now I’m told more bs about age. I’m going to prove them wrong, and I’ve already done searches like MyFitnessPal.com. We can’t do anything about the past, but we can control our future. I hope this helps you in some way. - Pam

Anyone have BC/BS Federal and had a BMI less than 40?

I'm Dec 27th, have already been sampling a lot of different stuff w/mixed results. Am on an extended pre-op diet, which for me is mostly about cutting things out a little at a time so I don't feel sick/get headaches, and adding things in slowly so I can get used to them. I used to drink various protein shakes in the 90's when I was a gym rat, and found a few that I liked. Now I have IBS and am finding a lot of the shakes and vitamins don't agree with me. So that's not good. I tried some of the Vitaleph products recommended by Drs. office, but they are expensive and not very palatable. I am saving those shakes for my 2 wk pre-op diet, which is the strictest phase. I got the multi-vitamin patch from BariatricPal Store, bc I have always hated the aftertaste of Multivites, but am not 100% sure how much gets absorbed (watched a series of youtube videos this one surgeon does on nutrition and he doesn't think patches in general are absorbed well, which concerns me). So I have decided to save them for right after surgery and have just got Nature Made Fast Dissolve VitaMelts off Amazon. They got good reviews and were priced well. The taste is fine. I had a little stomach cramping after but am not sure if it was from those or my 1st experience with Premier protein shakes premade. I get a lot of stuff off Amazon bc I am a Prime member and get fast/free shipping on most items, so I've also tried an organic B-12 spray (tastes nice but don't notice any difference in energy), and a Vitamin D3 cream (feels nice on skin, not sure if it's helping increase levels or not though). I also have a melatonin cream for post-op when I won't be able to swallow my nightly melatonin. I found one pre-made shake I really like: Orgain Organic Nutrition Shakes, Iced Cafe Mocha. It's like a nice cold Mocha Frappuccino in the morning, but with less sugar and more protein. So far that's my favorite shake drink. I got some other items off BariatricPal store that I haven't tried yet. I got a box of strawberry smoothie mix, grape juice mix, mixed berry juice mix, and cream of chicken soup mix. All high protein of course. I plan to take some of these with me on the plane to surgery as they will travel well. I will sample before I leave and if they are good may order more for post op. So that's my experience so far, hope it was somewhat helpful. I would love to hear about anything you've tried and liked/disliked, and from others as well. Have a great day and good luck with your surgery!

Thank you for the reference, but I would like to clarify that is merely a weight lifting guide and not a training guide. That routine was really good for keeping what muscle I had and losing fat. Once I started actually building muscle, I transitioned to actual training. Much more regimented and less variety. Lots of tracking and log maintaining. Lots of reading, attending lectures, and eventually one on one coaching led me strength training. (Notice I said a coach and not a trainer) I've mentioned it before, but there was little interest in actual weight training on this board. Many men just want to look good after being fat for so long (I get it) and women think they will "bulk up" which is total BS and cannot happen without serious effort and questionable supplements.

I never even thought about that. Thanks, My Dr knows what I take but to be honest she isn't very thorough. All she is concerned with is making me take 6 UA'S out of 7 times I have seen her. I am on Fentanyl patches. So because Oregon has a large number of peeps on OPIATES and they are trying to get everyone off of them. I really don't have a problem with getting off the patches, I just know this has been the 1 and only thing that I have tried that works, I'm not sure what she has in mind. I told her that I would go back to POT, which is Legal here. But...the feds can still come and arrest you. She thought I was smoking now and about had a fit!! I told her that I haven't done that for at least 10years now. The only problem with POT I get the munchies so bad, I could eat the wallpaper off the wall. A WL person getting the munchies is NOT GOOD!! Sorry, I wrote another book.

Sitting at Dr now for my week check up, im only taking vitamin d bc I was deficient . I got the glue too, no staples and they gave me a nausea patch behind my ear so my recovery has mostly only bothered me at the incision sites. Any one else’s having their stomach actually growl and rumble as if you’re starving?

Happy 6 month to all of you still reading this thread!!! I didn't have time yet to do photos yet, but I will try to do it later tonight or tomorrow. I weigh 154.5! That is 46.5 pounds lost since surgery day and 100.5 from my highest weight. I am still off all my type 2 diabetic meds and my bs are really good. I think time has gone by fast. I feel almost completely normal except I eat a lot smaller portions. I have met my goal and so I am really just working on maintaining and keeping up my new healthy habits. Congrats to everyone!!! I think we have all done very well this first 6 months and I know we all are gonna rock the next 6 months too!!

Tuesday Menu-Well I had another near miss with falling off the diet train yesterday. I credit the power of a full belly via lunch, and also credit mindfulness with keeping me sane and eating healthy-on plan food. Instead of having a mini binge or rather a hedonistic meal, I was able to feed myself a very filling and healthy lunch which allowed me to really get in touch with my feelings so I could process them. And that allowed me to make and eat a very delish, simple, and healthy dinner rather than shoving carby, salty, fatty food down my piehole. This morning I woke up in a much better frame of mind and feel like I "won the day." B-yogurt/cottage cheese blueberries almonds and Fiber One cereal bowl with 1oz Fairlife skim milk, 2 pieces bacon MS-carrots and hummus L-Fried Egg and Swiss low carb wrap AS-psylli tea, peanut butter and GS apple D-blackened tilapia, green beans in garlic and olive oil, Greek salad with Nicoise olives and feta BS-pomegranate seeds, Lily's SF dark chocolate chips, toasted almonds Daily Totals: 1493cals; 98g protein; 80g fat; 93g carbs; 39g fiber; 54g net carbs (Dayum! I have GOT to get my protein down and my fat up! This is entirely too much protein for me.)

Since we need protein powder for the rest of our lives, i had to figure out something. I only want unsweetened unflavored protein powder form healthy grass fed animals. But mixing that with water is yuck. Mixing it with milk makes me feel sweaty and dizzy. FINALLY I have figured it out. I’m now mixing the 20g protein powder portion into a cup of greek yogurt, adding some flax seed and some coconut water (to get the powder stuff to mix), and put them into two little metal lunchbots and taking them with me all day (with coolpack if needed). Finally I can get that extra protein we need, no sugar, no fake sugar. No weird dizzy low blood sugar reaction.

@shedo82773 Girl! This so resonates with me and Mr. Fluffy!!!! Honestly, the man will eat until there is no more left. I have had to start making both of our plates and weighing and measuring everything!! We were eating partners. Maybe even "feeding partners." Food was our thing!!! Finding cheap little dives with huge portions of yummy-heart horrible food was our date!!! Ugh! Even now, it is so beguiling and calls my name! As a child, my dad lost his business. For a long time, we played the $20 game. Where Dad and I used to divide $20 into how much stuff we could get at the grocery store. We fed a family of 4 on $20/week and I raised rabbits which we ate. We also fished, crabbed, and shrimped for food and went gigging for frogs on the bayou. We'd bird and deer hunt. Then later, we were actually homeless and had to move in with a family friend for a while. So food was very important to me. :-/ Bleh! Haven't thought about that for a long time!!!!