Calling all Lurkers!!!

I didn't have the 6 month diet but I did have to go to 12 classes with my Dr group and so it ended up taking about the same amount of time.  THEN we had to do a 4 week optifast diet before surgery.  Each group is different and has their own rules. 

Your last sentence is exactly what I said.  I want my life back.  And I got it.  I lost over 100lbs, all my co-morbidities and meds and at 66 am pretty hard to keep up with.  I go to muscle pump 2x a week, yoga 1x a week, ride and drive my ponies and work full time.  Surgery is the best thing I ever did for myself.

Good luck in your pursuit.  We are here if you need us.

Welcome!  This is great getting to meet everyone!  If your Dr. has good office help they should know if you are going to be approved or not.   I was upset I had to go through a 6 month supervised diet but it turned out to be the best thing I could have done.  I read and lurked on this site and learned soooo many things and met some wonderful people.  I broke my Diet Pepsi habit, worked on not eating before/after meals, tried out some Proteins and supplements, and at the end of my 6 months and everything was approved I even enjoyed a couple of "last suppers".

Hears to a better healthier you.......

Hi Roz,

It's Robin..thank you for responding to my email. So good to hear from you. My surgery is this winter. I can't wait. You look so great in your picture. You are so nice and thin. Looking forward to the losers bench. God is good.

Robin

Welcome Robin.  Good luck on your upcoming surgery.

Keep us updated on your progress.

Linda

It seems like forever between the decision and the date but it will come and it will be for the rest of your life.  In the mean while, post if you have a question or answer and we will look forward to hearing more from you.

God is Good!!!   Thank you for the compliments! If only getting thin didn't mean more wrinkles....LOL.  Even every wrinkle is worth having to be thin and healthier!

Keep us updated on your surgery!!

Hi all,

I'm Merrie. I had my VSG 1/14/14, so I'm about 8 months out at the moment. I started out very lightweight, but the comorbidities (including insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and PCOS) were not controlled and leading quickly to worse issues.  Last November my endo and I agreed this was the best way to prevent issues that were just over the horizon (diabetes).  I started out with about at 34 BMI (so self-pay, no insurance covers when you're that low) and as of this morning am at a very comfortable 22.5.  My insulin, glucose and cholesterol numbers have all dropped to lower than I've ever seen them and my borderline high BP is now well in the normal range.  I'm in the process of transitioning into maintenance, but I'm in no major hurry.  I figure my body will stop losing weight when I'm ready. I still have great restriction, and want to maintain that protein first mentality rather than trying to artificially inflate calories.  This board has been a great encouragement to me, especially in this - seeing posts from people in every stage has certainly made me feel pretty normal with all of this.

I'm also the mother of two kiddos, Ian 6 and Caty 4 and wife to my hubby for the last 14 years.  All three (plus coworkers and friends) have been such an amazing support to me on this journey.  The rest of my family has too - my mom's side has always run heavy and diabetes runs rampant, as does high blood pressure and high cholesterol. People know that I do my homework. They've seen me struggle to maintain just stage 1 obesity for years.  They've seen me struggle to lose even at half the pace of people working half as hard as me.  They've seen me struggle with infertility and all of the other issues that go with PCOS.  And they're all so excited to see me fit and healthy for the first time. I'm positively a small person now (5'2.5, 125 lbs) and am slowly getting used to my new figure looking in the mirror.

Thanks for the reminder to come out of lurking for a bit. I can't say how much I appreciate OH in general and this board in particular.  The daily meal postings give me such good ideas AND educated me on what to expect this first year.  Thanks all!

~Merrie

WOW Merrie, sounds like you have done a great job!!!  Congratulations.

I can tell you maintenance is harder than the losing part...

Good luck.

Linda

Thanks Linda!  That's the great thing about this board. I have no illusions about how the hard work really starts in maintenance.  It will be one day at a time for sure, but I'll be starting from a play way ahead of where I was a year ago!

~Merrie

Isn't it wonderful that we get rid of all those problems with the weight!!!

Welcome and hurray for you.  You have had a great journey and I'm sure you will continue to.  Maintaining is hard so feel free to let us know when you need us.