weeziebeth Member

By no means do I understand the Affordable Care Act in all its detail, but pretty sure it eliminated pre-existing exclusions. Since this is a federal law and not state, this means even self-funded programs (which many large employers have) are subject to it. While the insurance company/plan/etc can choose not to offer WLS…

I'm so sorry you are both having surgey delayed for an ivc filter placement. However....if your surgeon wants to place the filter try to trust the process. It is much better than having to deal with a clot in your lungs later. Really though, I don't think that it should delay it that much-outpatient, no real recovery time.…

I like Chike but only really cold and even a little slushy-actually make coffee ice cubes and blend with it.

I think so many here can relate. I don't know how you get past it other than by just doing it. Some have continued to weigh daily with a daily tracking program and seem to feel they are not so taken back by daily increases or decreases but have a visual for the overall trend and that seems to help. I am in the preop stage…

Welcome! I am working through the supervised diet period working up to surgery. This is an amazing group and you will find transparency, encouragement, and wisdom here.

Congratulations and beautifully written! There are so many gems in what you posted but the one I am going to take away this morning is 'focusing on the nutrition of my food instead of my weight.' Thank you for your commitment, encouragement, and honesty.

First of all I am so sorry you had such a rough go of things-that must have been incredibly difficult. Do you have a support group through your surgeon's practice or in town at all? Or possibly a therapist you can work with. I can imagine you have been through quite a bit of trauma with all of this-being on TPN for three…

That's fantastic! Keep up the strong work!

I love this-the honesty and grit and the whole nine yards. What a tremendous job you have done! Good for you in really looking at yourself, being brutally self-honest, and doing some good self-care.

Great prep work! I am particularly impressed you did advanced directives and a living will. From my perspective I think everyone (and I would bold or italicize this if I could), regardless of their age, circumstances, or health should do this. I would actually encourage you to designate a power of attorney for…

Rob, you said it perfectly! Relentless, you have made great progress in the last few months! Keep pushing forward. I have a mantra I learned from one of my nursing instructors many years ago-relax, relate, release. 1. Relax-take a deep breath 2. Relate-what can I learn from this, how do I apply this in my life-does it…

I feel the same way-haven't found a shake or drink I like yet! I don't care for artificial sweetner at ALL-for various reasons including taste and everything I have tried tastes so incredibly treacly fake sweet. Going to try the unflavored in some chicken broth or other soup and maybe thinning some of the shakes down with…

I'm not sure I would view it as a reward but as celebrating an accomplishment and, new normal or not, significant chunks of weight loss is an accomplishment to be celebrated. Where we might have celebrated with food before we look for other ways to celebrate-handbag, zip lining, new wardrobe, etc.

You just pulse cauliflower florets in the food processor (or use a box grater) and then prepare as you would couscous, minus the liquid. So.....I saute some onion or leek or some such, maybe a little chopped dry fruit (a little goes a long way here) and then add the cauliflower in-saute briefly-just until warmed through…

Cauliflower 'couscous'. Such an amazing fakeout. Love to have a mediterranean style chicken and the cauliflower makes a great substitute for the couscous.

200lbs-SKyDIVING! Weight requirement is under 230 but I know I'll feel more comfortable at a lower weight.

Thanks-that sounds fantastic!

Thanks all! Mangopickle, would you mind sharing your recipe for the wraps? I've had chick pea crisps before that were really good and I love a good fresh sandwich so I bet a wrap made with quinoa/chick pea flour would be delicious.

Excellent! That is a NSV I would relish!

Many things scare me about WLS, the ability to eat around the sleeve included....and maybe even primarily. It is something I am not at all certain I can do. But that's part of what the pre-op process is about. I am glad for my insurance's 3-6 month medically supervised diet period...it is a good time to think, work at the…

Amazing accomplishment! Congratulations!

: I think that there are several issues involved with mental health and WLS... ...Great Stuff Snipped... I have absolutely no regrets about having WLS. WLS along with CBT have changed my life in ways I never dreamed possible, but it has required a great deal of physical and emotional effort to get to where I am today.…

Congratulations-to both!!!

yup, that's pretty darn great! Enjoy!

The permanence of the procedure is something I think you really have to wrestle with. You have to know within whether you are truly ready to not go back to the way you ate before and that your relationship with food must change. It is a very real consideration. I have a good friend who knows I am considering surgery and…

I really just like plain unsweet ice tea with a big squeeze of lemon-decaf is fine. I do have a 'special blend' that some seem to like. I use 3 bags family size decaf tea bags (your favorite brand) and 2 bags decaf constant comment. It adds a little orange flavor. Occasionally I will add a little splenda, but not often and…

Thanks all! One of my primary stumbling blocks has been fear of failure-seeing others go through surgery and have varied results-losing much at the beginning and then gaining much back. Also, I have worked in critical care for more than 10 years and, while poor outcomes or problems are rare, those are the people I see.…