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before/after magazine article



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A local magazine did an article on my weight loss journey and I thought maybe it would encourage those of you thinking about a VSG. It is the best decision I ever made!

Transformaion_AmyDownsPagelayout.pdf

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What a transformation! You look incredible. Tell us how you are maintaining and what you are eating now. Are you staying within what window of weight?

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Wow! What an awesome story! Congrats on a amazing transformation...

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I pretty much can eat anything (darn) with no problems. I get full faster than "normal" people but in an hour I can do the whole thing again. Too much sugar will make me feel icky but it takes a lot of sugar to get me there. Dense foods like chicken breast will fill up my pouch. I try to eat protien centered meals and tend to be very good during the week days and then on weekends it ends up being a free for all. I hope honestly is okay on this board? Anyway, I don't want to end up 355 again so that is why I am here to reign it back in and use my tool to ensure a healthy life continues.

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Very inspiring and honest! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm only 12 days post op and just beginning this journey. I know I have alot of learning ahead of me.

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Fantastic article Amy. Thanks for sharing! I just took up cycling myself, in an effort to find an exercise I can enjoy. :-) So far so good!

Thanks again!

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jersey girl - that is exactly how I found cycling. My weight loss had slowed and I wanted something that would be fun. It is fun!!!!

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What an awesome story. I completely understand where you're coming from re: weekends. It's something I really have to focus on to make sure I don't lose it all (or should I say gain?). Congrats on the article and the journey. It truly is an inspiration.

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I hope you will join us in the Veteran's section of VST......I'd love to hear more from a fellow veteran..... :P

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Yes, I want to join the vetern's forum but I can't until I have 100 posts. Hey this counts as one, right?! LOL

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Yes, I want to join the vetern's forum but I can't until I have 100 posts. Hey this counts as one, right?! LOL

You are a veteran too me. You had surgery in 2008 and that more than qualifies you as a veteran too me. Go ahead and join us, newbies still post there and they are very new. So please join us! You are a veteran.

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    • KeeWee

      It's been 10 long years! Here is my VSG weight loss surgiversary update..
      https://www.ae1bmerchme.com/post/10-year-surgiversary-update-for-2024 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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