imaginegirl

I went to one bariatric surgeon who said I'd have to go on the keto diet after surgery. I'm a vegetarian, and I have no desire to go on a diet that doesn't allow beans, complex carb grains, and minimally sweetened yogurt (the kind recommended by bariatric surgeons). If I tell another surgeon that I will not go on a keto diet after surgery, are they likely to deny my surgery?

It's good to hear that my diet will be flexible. The surgeon I'm thinking about does have a dietician, so I can talk to them about it. They're more informed than a surgeon about food choices anyway. Thanks to everyone for your feedback!

I am having a hard time not blaming myself for being 100 pounds overweight and having high cholesterol, high blood sugar, fatty liver, and other health problems. How did I get here, I've been asking myself. I was under the most extreme stress of my life for the past several years. I lost track of the fact that stress can affect the heart and cholesterol, etc. or I would have handled things differently. Now I might be having heart problems, which I NEVER though would happen...I'm very careful not to eat foods that are high in saturated fat. Genetics are working against me. My father and brother were about 100 pounds overweight when they had sleeve surgery, and a few cousins had gastric bypass surgery. I've taken medications that affect the metabolic system, so I think that system is totally dysfunctional now. I feel like I've failed my body by not taking care of it. It makes me very sad. On the other hand, I feel like this body isn't really mine. The real me is hidden in this body. But I swear to you I've had the best of intentions. I have done some things right, like eating lots of vegetables and fruits and drinking tons of water. I'm making an appointment with a bariatric surgeon to discuss gastric bypass surgery. That day can't come soon enough. I'm looking forward to being on the path that you all have bravely taken. Has anyone else had feelings like these? I seem to be overcome by them lately.

Hi, I'm considering bariatric surgery. I've been on a medication for decades and have ended up weighing 250 lbs at 5'3". I can't stop taking this medicine, and there are no alternatives. And as with everyone here, no weight loss or exercise plan has helped me lose weight and keep it off. So...as a result of taking this med, I have metabolic syndrome. That means high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and obesity. I've finally come to the conclusion that bariatric surgery might be my best solution. Has anyone else conquered metabolic syndrome (or any of these symptoms) with bariatric surgery? Thank you for your advice!

What if I can't lose weight before the surgery? To lose 10% of my weight, I need to shed 25 lbs. That's a lot and could take 6 months. Has that happened to anyone?

@grruss, vaporizing weed does not involve nicotine. It produces vapor. And the weed doesn't combust, hence it is not damaging like nicotine. Perhaps I misunderstood you.

Yeah, I read that banana pudding and a few others are vegan. That might work.

When you're in the hospital, do they feed you instant pudding and jello? I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat gelatin products. I'm wondering if there are alternatives to these foods in the hospital.

That's a relief!

@Darcell76, I hope you are doing well.

I'm still waiting to hear from the surgeon to schedule an appointment. But I'm wanting to get all of my questions written down so I'll be ready when he does schedule. I got it in my head that they required you to lose 10%. Guess that's not true, thank God.

@Smanky, you give me hope :).

@NinaMariexo, you didn't have to stop smoking before the surgery?

@ChubRub, I know what you mean about the excitement. I've already told family and a few friends because I can't hold back the excitement.

@summerseeker congratulations on being able to walk again! I hate walking, even while listening top podcasts or Audible books. But I guess I'll have to get used to it. From everything I've read, I'll need to walk a few times a day post-op. Ugh.

@Smanky, how did you deal with sugar addiction post surgery? I have a bit of a problem there :).

@suzannethemom, year of ME...I love it!! I lost myself in my family and work problems for years. It's time for me to take my life back!

What a relief. Since obesity runs in my family, I'm prepared to be very diligent about my lifestyle choices after the surgery. I don't want to end up life 2 family members and gain back the weight. Glad your health is better now! Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

One of my registration forms for the bariatric doctor says that recent alcohol use can disqualify you from getting the surgery. I drank heavily for several years and stopped about a month ago. I can't start drinking again and don't want to start again because of health concerns. Do you think this will disqualify me? I searched the forums and couldn't find any info about this, only about post-op drinking.

I'm watching a video given by a bariatric surgeon. Now I see that the surgery can get rid of things like high BP and heart disease. Good news! My only question is that, as long as you don't regain the weight, will these symptoms come back?

I hate to admit this, but I have a problem with wine...drinking a bottle a night kind of problem. That's probably part of the reason I've gained so much weight. That and my compulsive eating. Stopping is hard so I've started going to recovery meetings. I realize you're not my doctor, but I do value your opinions. Do you think it would be better to see how much weight I can lose by not drinking rather than get surgery? Surgery is a hugely important step. On the one hand, I want the surgery to help me lose a lot of weight fairly quickly (it would take forever for me to lose 100 lbs). I know I'll have to stop bad eating and drinking habits and take better care of myself. However, I want the tool of surgery to help me. Is my thinking way off track? Am I putting too much faith in surgery and thinking of it as the easy way out?

I went to a bariatric surgeon who insisted that I go on a high protein, low carb, low fat diet. It sounds helpful, but realistically, I'm a pescetarian who relies on fish, beans, nuts, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cottage cheese for my protein. When I told him I eat fish, he basically said that's good and gave me the impression that I'd have to rely on fish for my protein needs. I would get sick of fish if having to eat it two or three times a day. And he said no protein shakes or any food that's squishy or liquidy. That rules out protein shakes, yogurt, and cottage cheese. And beans are ruled out because they contain carbohydrates. Nuts are ruled out because they're high in fat. I was very discouraged after talking to him. How have you changed your eating habits? Which eating plan do you follow now?

Yeah. I was going to start Weight Watchers in case the surgeon requires me to lose weight. But then I decided to wait to see if he requires it. if he does, I want to get credit for all the weight i lose starting with our first appt.

I've been waiting to get into a certain bariatric surgeon for 2 months because he's been bombarded with interest. In that time, I've had a lot of time to research and ask questions. I am 5'2" and 100 lbs overweight. I've tried several things to lose weight -- going to the gym, doing power yoga, walking, counting calories, Weight Watchers several times, giving up sugar and white food, eating as few things a day as possible. I'm never able to stay on my routine without getting discouraged that I haven't lost much. And of course, I gain back the weight and more. You know how it goes. So...I don't have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or other conditions that weight can effect. I do have a family history of these two and diabetes. Do surgeons make a decision to operate based on your BMI *and* other health issues? What if you don't have other health issues as I do? Is my chance of getting surgery less? My insurance company says my BMI has to be over 40 OR I have to have these comorbid condition. I'm OK as far as that goes, I think unless I flunk the psychiatric exam.

Thank you for the confirmation. I feel better prepared to meet the dr in two weeks.