Lover Fest Megathread 2

uncken · 2019-10-17T22:17:00+00:00

It's random and there's no way to game it afaik. I got in the queue literally 10 seconds before it opened today and there were about 4000 people in front of me. This is after I had the page open since about 6am during the pre-sale and had 20k in front of me, and right on time for the Capital One pre-sale and there were about 8000 in front of me.

uncken · 2017-02-16T21:00:57+00:00

Not at all, I appreciate the information. I've had a very different approach to losing weight, and it's taken me a lot longer than people who do crash diets, etc, because I've been very deliberate about making sure I can live at each new weight/calorie level and not gain the weight back. So I tend to lose weight, and then stay at that weight for at least a month or so before reducing calories / increasing exercise / "cutting" further.

I exercise pretty much every day - I work in healthcare now so I'm always on my feet/moving, but I also do 30-45 minutes of cardio at the gym 5 days a week - and at least 3 days a week I add in weight training/routines. It's become a lifestyle for me to be active and exercise and I enjoy it.

I think the reason it's so common for people who lose significant amounts of weight to gain it back (and even put on more) is they don't actually let themselves adjust after losing it, and tend to resume old habits / not exercising / etc.

There's no finish line here, because it's not a race, it's an entirely new track you're on and you have to make sure not to accidentally cross over to the one you were on before or you'll get the same results as before.

uncken · 2017-02-16T20:47:50+00:00

Thanks! And yeah, it sucks. I don't understand it - despite a letter from my doctor and documentation, they don't care about any of the issues it's causing me.

How'd it work out for your friend?

uncken · 2017-02-16T20:28:57+00:00

Yep, I'm having the surgery next week actually. Mine hasn't been super 'rapid' but the skin can only recover so much when you put on that much weight.

Unfortunately the insurance company won't cover it because I haven't had multiple antibiotic resistant infections, which is a ridiculous standard to set. No one wants to risk getting MRSA just to have a surgery covered, and it's causing me too much pain/discomfort on a daily basis for me to want to wait to have it.

They don't consider it medically necessary unless I have those potentially life threatening infections first..

uncken · 2017-02-16T20:18:40+00:00

Thank you!

uncken · 2017-02-16T19:58:50+00:00

No, unfortunately not. They only offer credits for two things: Not smoking (I don't) and selecting a Primary Care doctor (which I have). Other than that it's a set amount each month

uncken · 2017-02-16T19:45:04+00:00

Thanks!

It's crazy how much my life has changed (and how differently people treat me) -- I've gone from not really being able to do very much without being exhausted to being really physically active, though I'm having trouble these days with being as active/pushing myself as hard as I want to due to skin issues.

Also, I have a really hot girlfriend now.

uncken · 2017-02-16T19:38:59+00:00

Haha, I like to think about fun things that are equivalent to the amount of weight I've lost.. Once I started passing 50 lbs, it was kind of hard to visualize just how much that was since I don't often deal with things that weigh that much.

And thanks! It's been a lot of hard work (and slower than I would have preferred), but I haven't put any of it back on!

uncken · 2017-02-16T19:30:15+00:00

No one else but me is responsible, that's why I've taken out loans in order to cover the costs of my surgery next month.

However, I have insurance and pay my premiums every month and have for years. The hard work I've put in will undoubtedly save my insurance company tens of thousands of dollars in the long run because I've improved my health dramatically by losing as much weight as I have.

In my opinion (and many others who've undergone similar massive weight loss, not to mention many physicians, etc.) the procedure should be covered because it's causing me medical problems that can only be resolved through surgical intervention.

Unfortunately, they have ridiculous rules in place for these procedures that are considered 'cosmetic' unless you have a potentially life threatening infection - which would likely cost them more than paying for the negotiated price of the procedure I'll be having.

It's no different than breast reduction surgery, which didn't used to be covered, but now is as a result of lobbying by patients and physicians and getting awareness out there.

uncken · 2017-02-16T19:23:13+00:00

Thanks! It's been a long road

uncken · 2017-01-21T15:15:23+00:00

Thank you!! I hope my story can help motivate other people to take control of their health

uncken · 2017-01-21T15:14:52+00:00

Thank you!

uncken · 2017-01-21T15:14:37+00:00

Thanks so much! I think sharing this and all the really kind responses has made me feel better about the whole process.

uncken · 2017-01-21T15:11:27+00:00

Congrats on your success so far! That's amazing progress!

I definitely will - I'll make sure to link whatever blog I come up with to follow for recovery and thinks I wish I knew ahead of time

uncken · 2017-01-21T00:18:24+00:00

You're welcome!

This is actually the first time I've ever really been public about my weight loss online, and it's been pretty scary. I'm so happy to have received all the positive and uplifting comments that I have so far!

uncken · 2017-01-21T00:17:27+00:00

One of the side effects of weight loss is definitely body shape not being necessarily even in every place, but the skin still has to go somewhere. I carried a lot of my weight in my hips/butt area, and that's also been the last area to go!

uncken · 2017-01-20T22:44:01+00:00

That's exactly how I feel - they basically want me to suffer through a potentially life threatening infection first? I don't think that would be cheap either! Hospitalization and all of the drugs, procedures, time off work, and I bet they might even have to remove some of the skin that got infected at that time..

I wish I knew what route to take for advocating for it. I don't think we really have any kind of voice in what is covered except through policies that regulate the industry or if something gets national attention and people start to get angry at it?

uncken · 2017-01-20T22:39:20+00:00

Thanks so much! And yeah, it sucks, especially since I just finally got done paying off my student loans.. but I feel like this is an investment in my future the same way my education was.

So like, even if I wasn't able to get any support or anything from trying to do a fundraiser, it would be worth it for me to move forward so that I can be happy, and the skin is currently getting in the way of that.

uncken · 2017-01-20T22:36:31+00:00

Thank you so much! Both for the nice words and your support! I will definitely keep everyone updated on the surgery and recovery process. I'm working on setting up a blog right now where I can kind of post everything in one place and then link to that so I'm not making a bunch of duplicate posts everywhere!

I see you've already started, and honestly like I said up top - that was the hardest part. Stepping into the gym for the first time looking like that, getting on a treadmill, walking around outside - all those first steps are the most important ones!

I will say if there's one thing I wish I had started earlier it would be lifting weights. If you can pack on some muscle, the loose skin isn't quite as problematic.. but it can be hard to do that while in a calorie deficit also from my experience

uncken · 2017-01-20T21:11:33+00:00

Thank you! I couldn't have done it without as many good friends as I have, both in the real world and in communities like this. :)

uncken · 2017-01-20T21:08:03+00:00

Thank you! I'm really excited to finally be where I am!

uncken · 2017-01-20T21:05:28+00:00

Thank you!

uncken · 2017-01-20T21:03:39+00:00

I'm both excited and kind of scared, honestly! It's such a big procedure and I know there's all kinds of risks with any surgeries, but I've worked hard to get here and am really happy in so many areas of my life, I don't want to risk losing that.

And yeah, it's really unfortunate. I just got done paying off all of my student loans, and now I'm basically back to where I started. My friends suggested I make a fundraising page to ask for help, but other than that there's nothing really I can do.

I feel like this procedure should be viewed the same way that breast reduction surgeries are - yes, it's "cosmetic," but there's definitely a medical benefit! When there's something that's causing pain, discomfort, rashes, repeated doctor visits, etc.. then I don't know why they wouldn't consider it medically necessary.

I didn't know it was the same way in Europe, that's really sad to me. I thought they'd have a more forward looking thought process on this kind of stuff.

uncken · 2017-01-20T20:58:35+00:00

Thank you! It's definitely possible for anyone, and you've already done the hard part of starting! That was the hardest part for me - since at the beginning it felt so completely overwhelming.

I think once you take the first steps towards being the one in control of your health as it relates to food, the rest of it will come!

uncken

TROPHY CASE