move along, folks, there's nothing to see here...

Tomorrow, I'll be spending ALL DAY in appointments to satisfy my Aetna requirements.

My first appointment is with Dr. Williams who is supervising my 3-month diet program.

I think I've done a good job sticking with most of her suggestions.  I've stayed under 1800 calories a day for all but one of the days.  I have taken my multi-vitamin and Calcium supplement every day.  I have made sure to get 3 servings of low-fat dairy.  I have restricted my animal proteins to 6 oz. per day.  I probably need to put a little more effort into making sure I have enough water & vegetables.  I definitely need to get off my arse and exercise!  I think I've lost 4-6 pounds since my first visit on Dec. 29, but I'm not sure because I didn't check my home scale against the doctor's scale on the first visit.  My goal was 1/2-1 lb a week, so I think I'm good there.

Afterward, I have my first consultation with the nutritionist.  It's a one-on-one meeting for an hour.  Not sure what to expect from that.  Will we talk about my nutrition needs prior to surgery or will it be geared toward what I will be eating after?  Maybe both?  My two remaining consultations will be in a group setting (and free!)

Next, I will be going for my psychological consult.  This one is actually not required by Aetna (since I don't have a history of depression), but is required by my surgeon.  Dr. Kant (the psychologist) says that they just want to make sure that I don't have any underlying psychological problems that could derail my success.

I called Aetna last week and was told that they actually will cover both the nutritionist and the psychologist!--I will just have to file the paperwork on my own.