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Ive lost 31lbs since June 1st - I was sleeved June 9th - since the 9th I have lost 24 lbs Since my surgery I have been eating basically 0% fat Greek Yogurt - Fage is a good brand. You can mix with Splenda for taste if you like. Also, Progresso Light Soups in the blender so there will be no chunks. Campbells Select Harvest is really good too. I eat 2oz at a time, 3 times a day.... and do sugar free popsicles as a filler in between - WORKS GREAT! I also do 2 Protein drinks, Mid morning - and a few hrs before dinner. 25 grams each to give me 50 for the day. ( i need 40-60). Highly recommend the GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 - leanest that i have found and tastes good. (chocolate tastes like choc milk ) My Dr says to walk 10-20 min right after eating. So I follow orders! One time I didnt... and felt the difference Walking right after helps it settle, and helps you burp etc if you need to. I highly recommend it. I must be doing something right 31 lbs since June 1 baby! Good luck you will do great!!!!

I like the Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi's. The bariatric formulations, ironically enough, have too many calories and carbs for me to be comfortable taking them. I tried adding them up one time and it would cost me something like 60 calories and 12 carbs to get my vitamins, calcium, and iron from bariatric formulations. Instead I use Trader Joe's, Citracal Petites, and for iron, whatever is on sale at CVS or the grocery store. This gets my needs met for 10 calories and 2 carbs . . . and about a fifth of the price of the special bariatric stuff! Yes, I am cheap with my dollars, calories, and carbs. I get my labs drawn regularly and my vitamin and mineral levels have always been excellent.

I use infant sippy cups.... Measure out my target for 15 minutes and keep it by me... So every time I see it, I take a sip. I learned this trick on my Lapband journey nearly 10 years ago.

Hey all, I go back to the doctor today for my 3rd fill. I currently have 5 cc's in a 10 cc band. Here's my dilemma. I have learned over the last month or so, that to lose weight, I need about 1700 calories per day. If I go too far below that, I maintain or even gain weight. I don't have much restriction right now but worry that if I get another fill, I'll have trouble getting all of the calories that I need in. My doctor doesn't go by calories, just amount of food and how long that keeps me satisfied. I've read on here that some people are doing between 600-800 calories, however that doesn't work for me. I'm not really sure why, I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that I've dieted for the past 30 years and that's completely messed up my metabolism? Does anyone else have the issues with needing more calories and what should I do about my appointment today? Thanks for the help!!!

I love these election results! Congrats on your weight loss. However, if I were you, I'd really add those 10 extra lbs on because they do count. You have lost at least 120 ls! Keep it up!

Got my approval today and scheduled surgery for October 10. October sleever! Yay! I am so psyched. Anybody else getting sleeved around then?

Ask your dr about the Vitamins you need...you can also go to InsureNutrition.com and fill out the form to see if you qualify for free vitamins, Protein shakes and/or scar cream. For me, I have to take D3, CoQ-10 with a Multivitamin, and of course, B-12 every morning...but everyone is different... Good luck...

I have found meals and Snacks that work for me- I don't have a ton of variety in my food intake. Breakfast- a low carb protien shake (I am very tight in the am.) Lunch/dinner Protien: Perdue perfect portion chicken breast Lean pork loin, tuna on kavili garlic crackers (only 50 cals and 10 g carb), fish, boca burger Veggie- brussel sprouts, asperagus, spinach, canned grean Beans, yellow squash Snacks low fat cheese sticks cottage cheese (they come in a snack pack- perfect size) berries (they are low in carbs) almonds (1/4 cup) Hope this helps! Good luck!

The wait usually depends on the insurance requirements you have to meet. In my instance, I went to my first seminar Oct. 29, got an appointment to see the surgery Nov. 6, decided on the sleeve and was approved on Nov. 10, as long as all my tests came back ok. I chose to be sleeved on Dec. 29th, as it gave me enough time to get all my testing done before the date I selected to be operated. Today my Dr. turned in my clearance forms and I'm officially good to go for the 29th!!!!

Amazing results. Thanks for sharing. VSG 10/11/17 HW= 360 SW= 292 CW= 224.2 GW= 220 (6'5") [emoji256]

Tell me about it! 9 days post op and the constant shoulder pains gone! I only get it when I feel a burp coming and the burps r nothing to write home about there tiny inside bubbles just.coming up mostly! Mornings r my hardest I'm naucious and horrible diarrhea :-( hoping its only temporary.. Good news I'm down 17lbs.from surgery day.. Banded August 28 2012<br />Starting weight 293<br />Day of surgery weight 273<br />Current weight 258<br />Goal weight 160 5ft 10

I was sleeved on 10/10 and am still in the soft food stage. I think you are skipping ahead. Go back to puréed or soft foods. My surgeon said I can stay in phases for as long as I feel comfortable and then keep trying slowly to move on to the next. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am so frustrated.....I need to vent so here it goes.... I started this process in July. Being that my BMI is greater than 50, the 6mo weight loss program was waived. I submitted all of my information at the end of July to my surgeons office- OSU. I went to an informational seminar on August 5th. First appointment with the center on August 31st along with the psych evaluation on August 30th. On September 30th I had an EGD. On October 9th my information was submitted to BCBSM for pre approval for the sleeve surgery. October 9th and 16th I had my dietiatian classes for life after surgery. On Ocotber 29th and three times before that I had contacted BCBSM to verify they had all of my information they needed to preapprove me. Finally on the 29th I was told that I was pre approved for the inpt hospital stay and the procedure itself. Being so exicted I called my surgeons office to notify my insurance case worker. He stated that he hadn't recieved anything and he would contact them. After playing phone tag between him and BCBSM for over 5 hours he finally got ahold of a real person at BCBSM who notified him that I had not been pre approved for the procedure, that they never had a precertification form or paper work for the surgery itself, just the inpatient hospital stay. The lady at BCBSM told him he sent the info to the wrong fax number and gave him another to refax everything to. She then informed him that it would take up to another 30 business days for approval - this all occured on 10/29-10/30. So my information was resubmitted on the 29th of October. I have been in contact with BCBSM several times since and they will not give me any information, other than the fact that it is not them (BCBSM) that requires preapproval for the surgery- it is the physicans office. BCBSM only requires preapproval for the hospital stay. They keep telling me that the providers office will have to contact the provider inquiry line for that information. My insurance worker, who I'm sure is sick of me, will rarely answer my phone calls and rarely return them. I have left multiple messages. It has been well over 30 business days since my information was submitted. I believe if I don't hear from him by tommorow I will be in contact with his office manager....If they don't help me I will be finding a new surgeon. I have invested so much into OSU's program I really don't want to go somewhere else. I feel as though I have been very patient, I have had all my requirements met since the end of september. I love the office and physicans but I have had nothing but a horrible experience with the insurance cordinator.....BCBSM has not very helpful in the communication department either.....I feel as though I have slipped through the cracks. Anyone else have this similar issue and if so what did you do to resolve it?

I was sleeved 8/19 and haven't lost any I'm sooooooo sad

Yes, it happened to me -- funny, for me it was exactly 8 lbs too! And yes, the answer is to get back to basics And, since getting back to basics I have lost that 8 plus another 10, and now I know for sure it's in my power to get to goal. Good for you for saying +10lbs is NOT ok. You have the power to do this too!

My IUD is my best friend ....well at least for the next 10 yrs lol

Amazing! You do not even look like the same person. You also look 10 years younger!

My surgeon actually gave me a card to show when I go out. It says that I have had a surgical procedure that limits my consumption to 1/10 of an adult meal and basically ask the to reduce the price of my meal to senior or child's meal. Not sure if all restaurants will honor it. I'm two weeks out and tonight is the first night I will go out to eat. I plan to have soup but curious to see how I will do

Not sure where you live, but you can find several doctors in the US that charge 10-11K. I chose to go to Mexico too. I've heard great things about Dr. Garcia on the forum, and I'm sure you'll be very happy.

Not being able to spend an hour in the grocery store shopping for food has led me to find something else to do! I actually have time now to spend 10 minutes in the magazine isle! I am addicted to the Tabloid Magazines all of the sudden! I was planning on taking up painting, but this is much more fun! J/K, I'll paint too! Wondering if you have found any new interests or hobbies?

Unified Group Services? The insurance card also has an HFN 10 logo on it. I am waiting to hear back from them, but also looking for someone else who has used them.

I'm a pear and despite my BMI being 19 and all my chest bones showing, I still have a fair amount of padding on the backside and thighs. People tell me all the time I'm too thin but as soon as I get enough weight on me to hide the ribs in my chest, I have a muffin top and saddlebags. I have to stay skeletal on top for my lower half to be anywhere near acceptable to me.

my sleeve surgery was done on 01/29/13 so 16 days ago. i started this journey at 370. lost 25lbs before surgery. so when i walked into surgery i was 345. when i came home from the hospital i was 355 probably from all the iv fluids. today i weight 328. but i've been 328 for like the past 2-3 days. i'm not going down anymore. is this normal? did i plateau ?? should i be exercising more?? i've been trying to walk 30 minutes daily in the gym. way too cold outside. i did start my stage 3 diet on tuesday any tips/advice is much appreciated. thanks

That is so great that your eczema has gotten so much better. I too suffer from severe eczema and completely understand the pain and embarrassment. My eczema was actually getting better during my first few weeks post-op but just last week when I was moved over to a regular modified diet all hell broke loose! I can't even sleep and Benadryl or topical steroids aren't helping I asked my dr about a wheat or gluten sensitivity and they kind of look at me like I have 10 heads. That was really the only difference between now and then. My allergist hasn't found and food allergies either. It's very frustrating! I've decided to kind of test this myself and cut all gluten out of my diet and see if there is any improvement.

It wasn't until my 3rd fill I felt the band was helping @ all....2 wks later when I got my fourth fill I FINALLY have restriction and I have to eat small portions & small bites....It is really hard, but when you the right amount you will be able to tell! Promise my total is 7.0 in a 10 cc band