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Did anyone here start their bariatric supplements before surgery to get a head-start? If so, did you find it helpful in the end? Not only would I like to be as healthy as I can be before surgery, but I'd like to establish this pill-taking routine so once it's time to start supplementing however long after surgery it won't be a scramble to figure out where to start. My dietician is on-board, but I'd like some real-life feedback LOL Thoughts?

Woweee that's a lot!

Right...I'm going to start the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews and they only have 500iu per chew...3 per day = only 1500iu. My vitamin guide sheet says I need 3000-5000iu of D3 per day so I need 2000-3500iu more. I think I'll just buy a bottle of 3000iu, take it in the morning then just take the chews by themselves and hit close to the max iu per day requirement.

Geez I'm sure it'll work itself out. You can't be the only person to have to go through this crap.

Interesting!

Ahhh sounds like you have Blue Cross or something. I have Anthem Blue Cross and they require the BC Center of Excellence junk too. So your surgery was performed in the right place and your doctor just charged wrong? That's messed up.

How did you end up finding out that they were trying to charge too much for your surgery?

^^ THIS ^^

I was JUST talking to my mom about this last night. Personally, I don't know anyone that has done it, but I've scoured the internet looking for people's before/after pics. Looks like it helps somewhat, but if you have drastic loose skin, I'm not sure how much it'd help. Best thing is a consult at a place that does the procedure. Most places do them free. Lots of celebs use it...Britney Spears, the Kardashians, etc. For pics, I've found a lot on Pinterest, Google searches or on the actual websites of facilities that perform the Cool Sculpting. Here's one Google search I used to find the pics below https://bit.ly/2RDgDVd :

I agree with @nenes78. As much as I know I will hate it at the time, taking pictures week by week is the best thing you can do for your peace of mind. 500 people can say you look great and fabulous all day long, but that won't mean beans unless you believe it yourself. The proof is in the pudding (sugar-free, of course) and that pudding will be your pictures! Do it now before you get too far ahead!

One thing I haven't gotten to discuss with the RD yet is how soon after surgery are supplements started? I've already bugged her once today so I'll save that question for later. Were you taking supps immediately after surgery or did you have to wait a certain amount of time?

One more thing...hair loss is one of my biggest fears next to loose skin. Most bariatric multivitamins I've seen have a good amount of these things already. Here's an interesting link I saved the other day...Supplements That Help Avoid Hair Loss https://www.tijuanabariatriccenter.com/blog/2018/01/30/supplements-that-help-avoid-hair-188771

Cool. Noted. Also, I've been drinking collagen peptides in my morning bulletproof coffee for about 3 months. My hair has grown SO long and very quick. I'm not sure how collagen is absorbed after surgery though. With the sleeve, you might be able to benefit from it. Not so much after bypass. But this stuff is amazing. You can put it in anything. No flavor, nothing. Invisible magic!

Yesss, Biotin! How much are you taking? I think there's biotin in this multivitamin, but not sure how much at the moment or if it's enough. I'll be doing bypass.

I'm in the same boat as you! My 3rd RD visit is coming up. 3 more to go after that! What I'm working on right now is getting my supplements in order. I'm going to start taking them now to start forming the habit. If you haven't already, figure out which ones you're going to buy, how much they'll cost, etc. Get ahead of the game! My RD gave me a pretty extensive PDF of all the recommended brands that offer the corrected dosages of nutrients. Of course, tolerances and tastes will change after surgery so what you pick now, may not agree with you later BUT at least you'll be prepared with something to get you started. Good luck!

I don't have UHC...(Anthem Blue Cross). I also have to have 6 dietician visits, which are all done over the phone once per month. My RD told me whatever I do, do NOT miss a visit because I'll have to start all over again. You might want to check on your policy requirements

Yeah! And if you can't walk (weather, etc.) go for a drive and crank the tunes while he's cooking. I think the smell of food would be harder to get through vs. just seeing it. Good luck, you can do this!

Here are some awesome sites to check out low carb/zero carb "breads" and other goodies for when you're ready: - https://www.thinslimfoods.com/ (they have actual sliced bread products) - https://www.thinslimfoods.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=34 (here's the bread ) - https://knowfoods.com/collections/frontpage (magical things here) - https://shop.thinkproducts.com/ (more magical things)

My mom is deathly afraid of me having bypass. She doesn't nag me or preach to me, but some comments she makes give me the impression that she's freaking out on the inside. Thanks to this forum and other sources I'm loaded with knowledge, more than I can share with her in one sitting or in terms she can grasp. That knowledge has alleviated my fear of the surgery and the life after. How I can help my mom understand that this surgery is not going to make me wither away and die?

I dug around and found this really great PDF called How To Support Someone During the Bariatric Surgery Process. Mom is getting this PDF! It looks really helpful and simplified. https://www.uhn.ca/PatientsFamilies/Health_Information/Health_Topics/Documents/How_to_Support_Someone_During_the_Bariatric_Surgery_Process.pdf

Yessss! Now that you mention that I remember her telling me once before..."Well, you're not 600 lbs, you don't need that kind of surgery, do you?" I'm the most overweight person in my entire family. Everyone else is naturally skin and bones. I'm approaching 40, never known what "skinny"/healthy weight feels like and I know that if I don't make an impactful change now, it'll progressively get more difficult to manage as I get older and approach menopause. When I was 28-29, I dropped about 100lbs on my own in about 9mo. by just eating like a person that had Lap-Band. Gained it all back after a pregnancy. Tried the same approach at my current a few years ago and got fatter! I'm like whoa...ok...this is nuts. Tried keto for 2 years, lost 45lb then got stuck. Then boom, my employer changes insurance plans that covers bariatric...things happen for a reason! There's no way I'm turning back now. You said "They have a hard time untethering their view from the individual in front of them who might be fat, but is coping."...that really makes sense. Thanks so much for your help with perspective.

Agreed. Perfectly put

Awww you're too sweet! You actually took the words right out of my fingertips LOL

Yes! This makes complete sense. I'm the oldest and currently the only one able to help my parents financially when they need it. I have 2 other siblings that can help them with other non-financial things. One thing is for sure, if I do die accidentally, my folks will be set because they're the beneficiaries of my life insurance. To be honest, I'm worth more dead than alive! LOL Aside material things, I know she doesn't want her child in danger and she knows she can't protect me from anything that can go wrong. She also knows I'm not changing my mind on having the surgery. It's partly a control thing. If I were in her shoes, I'm sure I'd feel the same way. Best thing for her is to learn more about what going to happen so it's up to me to help educate her in some way she can understand.