Allow me to introduce..myself
murphyraven
Posts: 163 Member
Hello,
A bit of a lurker here. I am starting my 3 month diet for insurance approval in June. If all goes well I'll be sleeved sometime in September.
A little about myself.
My highest weight is probably around 270 or so. Size 20 women's pants and men's XL shirts.My current weight is 263 at 5'6&3/4" I've been overweight for all of my adult life. Some of it is genetics, most of it is food choices and an inactive lifestyle. I've tried about every diet and program you could think of. I've lost 50 lbs and gained it back with interest a few different times in my life. I'm a sucker for sugar and fast food and have used food for both comfort and rewards.
When the subject of WLS was suggested to me from a doctor about 6 years ago, I was devastated. At the time I thought what most people who haven't done the research thought, its the cheaters way out, blah blah. I set out to prove her that I could lose the weight by traditional means. After several years of yo-yo'ing about 35 lbs with the scale inching higher every time I gained it back and having to have my gallbladder removed due to stones I decided it was time to do some research. I ended up deciding on the sleeve after the research as well as a family friend's testimony on how it changed her life. I know now it's a tool and not a "cheat". In some ways it may be harder then some of my diets as there is little room for error and I can't go back to how I was after the surgery.
I was very fortunate that my husbands job has health insurance (Cigna) that covers the majority of the cost of surgery. I *just* squeaked by on the BMI requirements as I do not (yet) have any of the other issues that would allow me to be approved. I am hoping by taking this step I will avoid getting diabetes, etc instead of trying to get rid of it after the fact.
Nice to meet you all I look forward to being able to contribute my success stories as I journey down the road to a thinner and healthier me.
A bit of a lurker here. I am starting my 3 month diet for insurance approval in June. If all goes well I'll be sleeved sometime in September.
A little about myself.
My highest weight is probably around 270 or so. Size 20 women's pants and men's XL shirts.My current weight is 263 at 5'6&3/4" I've been overweight for all of my adult life. Some of it is genetics, most of it is food choices and an inactive lifestyle. I've tried about every diet and program you could think of. I've lost 50 lbs and gained it back with interest a few different times in my life. I'm a sucker for sugar and fast food and have used food for both comfort and rewards.
When the subject of WLS was suggested to me from a doctor about 6 years ago, I was devastated. At the time I thought what most people who haven't done the research thought, its the cheaters way out, blah blah. I set out to prove her that I could lose the weight by traditional means. After several years of yo-yo'ing about 35 lbs with the scale inching higher every time I gained it back and having to have my gallbladder removed due to stones I decided it was time to do some research. I ended up deciding on the sleeve after the research as well as a family friend's testimony on how it changed her life. I know now it's a tool and not a "cheat". In some ways it may be harder then some of my diets as there is little room for error and I can't go back to how I was after the surgery.
I was very fortunate that my husbands job has health insurance (Cigna) that covers the majority of the cost of surgery. I *just* squeaked by on the BMI requirements as I do not (yet) have any of the other issues that would allow me to be approved. I am hoping by taking this step I will avoid getting diabetes, etc instead of trying to get rid of it after the fact.
Nice to meet you all I look forward to being able to contribute my success stories as I journey down the road to a thinner and healthier me.
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Replies
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I think you meant to post your current wt at 263:). Feel free to lurk. My food diary is open. I am 16 lbs from maintenance. I was sleeved 11/20/13. It is a wonderful tool if you accept the process and commit to the lifestyle. Anyone can out eat wt loss surgery and 50% of pts do. But 50% do not. The biggest hurdle in my opinion is stopping emotional eating. I quit medicating with food almost a year before surgery. My mantra is "when death and destruction come into my life I grieve, I pray and I deal, I do NOT eat". Using "Life" as an excuse to medicate with food is what got most of us here. I also do not reward/celebrate with food. That said I still have trigger foods that I no longer eat. Wheat products, rice, potatoes and corn tortillas are out of my diet. I have a 34 yr track record of being unable to portion control them. They are my Kryptonite/binge foods. I can have a couple tbsp in a recipe but they cannot be the main ingredient. As a sleever your diet is 70%protein,25%veg-no potato,5% whole grain carbs. So dropping the high glycemic carbs is pretty much mandatory anyway. You only get 650-950 cals a day until maintenance anyway and you don't want to waste them on empty carbs. If you can, go to a support group meeting. I go every month. It helps reinvigorate me and keep me on track. Every month newbies come to our meetings to quiz us about our experience. Good luck.0
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Yes, thank you for catching that. See, even my fingers cannot believe how heavy I am.
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Welcome Murphyraven to the group. You and I are on about the same timeline. My surgery will likely be in September or October.
Mangopickle I love your Mantra. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
A 50% success rate is much higher than the rate of success of losing weight and keeping it off by traditional means.
I am so very grateful that I found this group a few weeks ago.
Have a great day everyone. :happy: 0 -
Welcome Murphyraven!
Thank you for sharing your story. You are smart to address your weight issue now while before time catches up with you and you find yourself in a worse position. You seem to have a good perspective on everything, and I know you're going to do just great.
Be well…0 -
Welcome, and congratulations on your decision! I was just about where you are when I started the process. I'm 5'6" and weighed 275 at my first pre-op consult. I was sleeved in July 2013. No complications and I've done well. I weigh 164 now and hope to lose another 10 lbs. The sleeve is a wonderful tool, but as others have told you, you still have to commit and work hard. Keep us posted on your progress. Good luck!0
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Hi Murphyraven! Let me start by saying you are much wiser than I. I was in the land of denial much longer than you. And then I "explored" all the WLS options for a few years before I finally got honest with myself that I was just plain not able to do it on my own. I was mid 50's and 386 pounds when I had my sleeve. You're right, this is a tool. And it's a great tool. Use it wisely and use it forever and you will get the weight off and you will keep it off. Glad to meet you and please let me know if I can help. Pat0
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Welcome! I am also in my 3 month supervised diet with Cigna. My hope is to have surgery at the end of July. I am trying to use this 3 months to work out my emotional issues so that I can make the most of the sleeve. The emotional eating is the hardest to deal with and it's hard for me to let go of the "I deserve this" because it's been a hard day, because I'm on vacation, because it's a Friday, etc. Good luck to you on your journey!0
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Hi, I'm a lurker too! I'm going through a three month nutrition program, i finish next month and then I will get my surgery about October/November due to the waiting list at my surgeons office. I am 5'7" and my highest was 297, I've lost 3lbs since the start of my nutrition program. I've just been lurking many boards and websites, trying to get a mental and emotional grasp on the decision I am making. I'm scared and excited... Not so much worried about pain, because I've had two c sections and gallbladder removed. I'm more worried about eating and making sure I plan ahead with food so I'm lost after surgery on thinking way to much on how do I eat.0
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Welcome, Iskina. Looks like you've got plenty of time to prepare. The time will go by fast.0
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Hi iskini. Welcome to the forum. My surgery should be around September or October as well. Feel free to friend me if you like. 0
