of supervised exercise and diet - what kind of diet was it? Were you given a menu and then had to cook accordingly? What about exercise?

I'm oh so curious about what happens next.

When you went to your consult - was that the start of the six months? Or did you have to get in for another appt with someone else to get things started?

I'd love to hear what things were like for you! Although, I know every doctor is different...

Hi ld, hopefully I can help ya figure some of this out!

I was sent to an RD by my insurance company and was in now way affiliated with my surgeon. I had to do 6 – 1 Month appointments. She pretty much just talked to me and asked me what I did for the last month. She would weigh me in and pretty much at the end of the appointment she would write out suggestions for me to complete by my next appointment. Funny thing was she never made me follow up.

It wasn’t until I completed my six months that my PCP was able to recommend surgery for me. However, yes, all insurances and doctors requirements are different, but at least you have one point of view to go on.

IMO those appointments were pretty much a waste of time. I do though have an appointment to see the RD that works for my Surgeon. I think since she sees only WLS patients she might have a better view on how to handle my personal situation.

My RD had a list of goals that needed to be met before surgery. Patients who were having surgery sooner had to met all of them pretty fast. But I picked a couple a month to work on. For instance, in June I started eatting more fruits and veggies (because they are so good that time of year!). And I gradually decresed my soda intake until I wasn't drinking any. I also made it a goal one month to only eat out twice a week, then once a week, and then rarely. I didn't lose a lot of weight (which is good because I didn't want to risk losing too much to be approved) but it eased me into the changes that I need to make.

My surgeon works in tandem with a registered dietitian on staff at the same hospital. After having my consult I was scheduled for my first appointment with the dietitian. That was my official start to my 6th months. Our first meeting she went over what my pre-op diet was going to be and what I needed to start doing to adjust to life after my band.

My doctor cut out soda/liquid calories after the first consult. It was his first requirement along with eating within 45 minutes of waking up and no more than 3-4 hours before bed. My dietitian didn't give a particular menu of what to eat but just said to be sure to choose Protein first and try to get in 2 fruits and 2 veggies a day while limiting carbs. I was also told to take 20 minutes to eat and to not drink with meals.

My dietitian appointments are all about getting ready for life after the band. I don't know if this is typical but I really love it.

I did my 6-month diet with my surgeon. He has his patients have protein shakes for breakfast and lunch, then a high-protein, low carb meal for dinner. My 6 months stretched out to 10 months because I got pneumonia in the middle. I lost pretty well -- almost 45 pounds, and that's with lots of cheating in the middle. I feel like it gave me a good boost for my post-op life. I had to tell the nurse every month what kind of exercise I was doing. Sometimes, the only thing that got me through the day was the realization that soon the diet would be over and I'd be post-op.

I had to see a dietician through my insurance and she would give me goals that on the next meeting I had to show thru a journal what I was doiing and also lose at least a pound or two.