Hello I'm going to ask two different questions first question I'm 8 weeks out tomorrow and feel like I'm running out of ideas for food...What are some meals you guys enjoy???................... Next question I have two jobs the first job is the job I hold insurance with however, I'm ready to quit that job and go full time with job #2 however I will not qualify for insurance on job #2 until 2018 plus the insurance sucks.....My question is for the sleever who were sleeved in Mexico are you guys flying back and forth for check ups? How many visit do we actually need in our first year?? Yes I am trying to find insurance that I can pay out of pocket although I know it's going to be super high.....Any advice is welcome thanks

Sent from my SM-G900T1 using the BariatricPal App

Unless you have complications there is no reason you *need* to follow up with a bariatric surgeon. I don't know anyone who had surgery in Mexico who does. The standard advice I have seen is to see your PCP at 2 months, 6 months, and 12 months post-op. Have your regular blood and urine tests as well as vitamin and mineral levels checked. Weight and blood pressure checked and recorded.

The lab work, without insurance, is what may kill you cost-wise. You may need to do some serious shopping around for that, but it's important.

As far as food goes, I'm not much help as I tend to focus on eating for nutrition rather than to stave off boredom. I really don't care if I eat the same things over and over again, so I don't ever really think about "new ideas" for food. That said, here's mostly what I ate during weight loss phase:

breakfast: chicken or beef roll-ups in romaine lettuce (with pickle relish, hot mustard, etc.)

lunch: chopped chicken breast with green veggies and a little light salad dressing

dinner: poached egg on refried beans, tuna salad bake, lamb chops, steamed curried scallops, steamed cayenne pepper shrimp, chicken breast baked in yogurt, turkey-spinach-goat cheese burger patty, sardines in mustard.

Good luck!

The lab work can be ordered by your PCP and depending how it's coded ( covered benefit) , it should be covered by insurance. Prior to my surgery journey, my Pcp ran the same blood tests to see if I was deficient. This applied to several different insurance companies that I worked with or for. Obviously things can change but I have a friend recently who had a,self pay procedure done, had an infection which insurance picked up the cost per the benefits for the infection. You going to your PCP for follow up care like weight checks, blood work can be considered as covered.

I never had any followup with my surgeon, other than letting him know how great I was doing. My daughter is a gastroenterologist, and lives in a neighboring state, but she didn't need to do anything. I simply have my primary care doctor run blood work annually. I also saw a therapist for 2 years and attended local bariatric support groups up until about 8 months ago. Unless you have medical complications, followup psychiatric and emotional support is where you should focus your resources.

As for food, there are dozens of bariatric friendly cookbooks and recipe websites. Just google and you'll have a hundred different options within minutes.

You can buy insurance on your state's exchange for the year it is not offered by your employer if you quit, or you have the option of paying for your insurance through COBRA at your current job (assuming it's a company with 50 or more employees) for up to 18 months after leaving as long as you are not fired for misconduct.