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Every surgeon has different recommendations. When I was in pureed phase my options were much more limited than a lot of others on here. Even bariatric pureed recipe books I couldn’t follow. It’s important to follow your surgeons recommendations. You can reach out to your dietitian who should be able to give you some ideas.

I got to thinking, now that I was not spending all those precious moments eating, how would I fill-in my dash? Do you know what I mean by the dash? It's that short line that will appear on my tombstone and sums up my life. And along that dash are the many moments in time that make up my life. What would I do to make this life, my life, a life that is worth living? Years ago I came to the realization that my life is the dash between the date I was born and the date I die. Do you know what I mean by the dash? It's that short line that will appear on my tombstone and sums up my life(span): 1964 - 21XX (yes, I’ve set my intention to live long). And along that dash are the many moments in time that make up my life. So, I got to thinking, now that I was not spending all those precious moments eating, how would I fill-in my dash? What would I do to make this life, my life, a life that is worth living? And so, I acknowledged my gratitude to G-d, my healthcare providers, my coaches and mentors, myself, and those who joined me on this journey of lifetime weight loss and obesity management. I became able to live my life fully, filling my dash with moments -- each one precious in its own right -- and making a difference in my relationships, my community, my organization, and society. How did I do this? Well, with my relationships I learned to put the past in the past, to stop holding resentments in the present time from things that happened a long time ago and which I could do nothing to change. I found that I was being held a prisoner by my past because I kept putting it in the present time. In this way, I was not able to move forward. So I made a conscious decision to create every moment... I chose to be who I am with someone, not based on what happened in the past, but on who I want to be in that moment, which is usually a delicious and loving relationship. To make a difference in my community, I volunteered. As a member of the Shade Tree Commission in my town, I was able to get many street trees planted in my community, and in my neighborhood, and even on the street that I live on. This improved the beauty of our neighborhood and thereby increased home values, and also improved energy efficiency by way of reducing heating and cooling costs for homes. I also worked with the mayor to get three street lights installed on my block so as to improve safety and security. In my organization, I was a much better employee now that I was no longer miserable and hating myself and everything because I was obese. I was no longer held back by my obesity -- let's face it, there’s an unspoken discrimination of obese people in our society. Once I lost the weight, I was immediately promoted and continued to see my career soar over the many years since my weight loss surgery. And I contributed to society by writing as an obesity health activist under the avatar My Bariatric Life so as to share my experience — please see links below this article. And in the past, I have written other blogs, and a newsletter, and have hosted a forum on an Colleen Cook’s BSCI weight loss surgery patient web site. I want others of the “formerly fat” like me to come to know for themselves what I have come to know for myself and for my life. There are many more things I will do to fill in my dash... I have only one life -- this moment right here, right now, followed by the next precious moment. I give up the acts of the past and declare my independence from food obsession. What I am creating for myself and my future is the possibility of harmony, joy, abundance, and greater possibilities. And THAT is who I am. How will you fill in your dash? Living larger than ever, My Bariatric Life Visit me on MyBariatricLife.org, Flickr, Vimeo, Twitter, YouTube, StumbleUpon, Google+ View my Borne Appétit recipe collection on Pinterest

I am in the East Bay. I had my surgery in Pleasanton. We have NO BARIATRIC WEIGHT LOSS SUPPORT GROUP in Walnut Creek- crazy!! I've been wanting to start one but it seems so hard to find people to come!

Jessica, welcome to LBT! I was a financed patient--bariatric procedures were excluded from my insurance policy. I went to my seminar on May 19th and had my pre-op testing on May 21st. On the 21st, I made the appointment to have surgery on June 18th. I could have done it on June 11, but I was out of town that week nmmama, you might want to consider posting a specific question as its own thread; you'll probably get more responses that way! My experience is all on my blog. Maybe looking around at blogs people have would help you out (look at signatures throughout LBT for links, as a lot of us are also bloggers :biggrin:.

http://blog.wellesse.com/blog/-not-set--2/what-is-protein-and-what-types-of-protein-are-best This article and many more say collagen can be more bioavailable? If there are more than two schools of thought about collagen then I am going to try to investigate the claim that it isn't as available. Where did you get your info from? I want a more scientific break down before I can decide if I should use it because it is less expensive and in some products I like for example Bariatric Hot drinks, Soups, etc. Thanks for bring this to our attention I would have never known to research it!

I currently have lap band and was successful in the beginning but now it seems every other month I'm having to unfill. I wish gastric sleeve was more known almost 3 years ago when I had the surgery. My insurance now doesn't cover any bariatric surgery but was wondering if there were any loop holes to go through to get some of it covered? My latest upper gi showed a hiatal hernia and I thought I once read something similar to this. Any suggestions?

Not so far, 3 months out taking Bariatric multivitamin twice daily. So far so good.

HealthWise is an excellent brand for microwaveable meals. The only downside is they're not sold in stores and have to be ordered online. I find I can eat their pasta-based dishes without worrying about weight gain or dumping. Their lasagna is especially delicious. As a side note if you ever do have a hankering for pasta though, I highly recommend you try out the Great Low Carb Bread Co. I mastered bariatric-friendly macaroni and cheese thanks to their macaroni and am more than pleased! Unfortunately, a lot of what we can eat as far as "quick fixes" just aren't sold in stores and/or are hard to find. It sucks. 😕

Can you keep liquid down? If not, this is an emergency. Either see your bariatric doctor today or go to ER. If you can keep liquids down, it is still urgent but not an emergency. Dehydration is very serious and happens very quickly. Getting this much worse so quickly may mean you have a slipped band.

I never used Protein supplements/drinks. I am not saying this is the way to do it, but I really didn't have any other choice. I tried over 20 different brands and flavors, and they either tasted horrific or they made me vomit. So, I got all my protein from food sources once I hit the mushy/soft solid stage. I eat a completely normal diet and have for months. There is absolutely nothing in my plan that is bariatric substitutes. I do choose to use some ingredients in my recipes to increase protein count, cut carbs, and fat when I can. I'm cooking for not only myself, but my family as well. So, it has to be conducive to all our liking.

my office requires chewable. no gummies bc they have hidden carbs and sugars. no capsules bc they add additional barriers on absorption. My surgeons office gave us a full long list of their recommendations, and broke down which ones had additional supplements we had to add with it (example, if you take flintstones complete, you need to add calcium and b complex) I chose the one that was a complete that didnt need additional supplements, and the dietician said that she does not see defiencies with that one, its bariatric fusion, the one that says complete chewable. https://www.bariatricfusion.com/collections/bariatric-multivitamins

Welcome to the world of the banded. You have taken the first step. Work with your bariatric people & listen to their people. We will cheer you on & try to inspire you & wish you a future of good health & happiness! :wub:

I still have to take the chewables for a while and I bought some from Bariatric Advantage, but I hate the taste. I have to grin and bear it when I chew them up, and then I chase them with a bite of food to try and wash the flavor out of my mouth. I can't wait until I can just take a Centrum and swallow it, and not worry about tasting it. The only supplement I have that's decent is the calcium chew, which is basically like a caramel. But the iron chew sucks and the multivitamin is really bad.

Mehta Bariatrics has a monthly support group in New Brunswick, NJ. You can google them to get the information.

So I got to meet my new surgeon yesterday. My employment has a special clause that says "all Bariatric surgeries will be done at..." So even though I was in a WONDERFUL program, if I want to be revised, I must switch. Not very happy about that since the follow up and guidance is really poor with my hospital vs the competitors hospital (btw, they carry the blue center of distinction from bcbs). Anyway, I refuse to stop defeated so forward we go. Plus the best news ever is that after surgery I can return to my program. I'm feeling special!! Fast forward, I met her and she is nice and supportive of my revision. I was worried that she would see my continued weight loss as a cure and the band would not need to be removed despite my severe reflux, slight dilatation, and now slipping (which is what I thought happened but could never prove!) and she doesn't want to wait for surgery. So EGD is scheduled and we meet again may 17th to see what insurance says (which I hope isn't a problem, I have looked at policy and it should go through but never know with them!) Then I get my date! It's been a long road but the light at the end is getting brighter!!! Just wanted to share with my friends here.

Ok, I am going to give it to you straight: Yes, most of the bariatric Protein drinks are TERRIBLE! But I assure you I have found the one that tastes great! If you have a Sam's Club and/or costco in your town, head over there. They have Premier Protein shakes in chocolate and vanilla. They are truly amazing! They taste great! 12 premixed shakes for $18.88 at Sam's Club I promise you and many others on this forum will tell you the same - they do not disappoint. http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Protein-High-Shake-Chocolate/dp/B00796NFHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360964613&sr=8-1&keywords=premier+protein+shake Good Luck and let me know what you think!

You know how people who were one thing, and then reformed themselves all of a sudden become fanatical about that thing they used to be? Ex smokers are one of the best examples, policing the ranks of those who continue to smoke, evangelizing them to save them from that particular sin. They are especially known for their zeal. I sort of felt that way today. After my post op check up (which went very well), I drove up to visit my parents and help my Dad with a few chores around the house. While we were working, my Mom declared that we needed to go to the store to get some things she had been wanting for a while. Now "we" translates and "Dad and I". As for the store, she did not care, as long as it had everything she wanted on her list. It was that discussion that led to the circumstances where I found myself a short while later. We wound up in the mecca for fat people. There were more fat people there than at the Golden Corral on 10% off day. Yes. I am talking about Walmart. I hate going to Walmart. I don't like having to walk for what seems like miles just to discover they really don't have what I want. What's even worse sometimes IS finding what I want. Then I have to stand in line to check out - a line that stretches into the hazy distance like people lined up waiting for Judgment Day. And today was even worse. We were at a Walmart in a popular vacation spot for people from a very large city whose initials are N.Y.C. So it was fat people with an attitude. I also made the mistake of texting Mrs. LittleBill to tell her I was at Walmart, thinking she would at least sympathize. I received an LOL and a list of stuff to look for. So now I had two missions. We had to park so far away from the building that all we could see was the top, peeking over the horizon. I am pretty sure we were in a different zip code. The parking lot was solid with vehicles. In the distance I could see people dodging back and forth between the city drivers zooming around looking for the best spot. I said to Dad, "Maybe today isn't such a good day to try and go in there." He turned to me and said, "It's not worth my life to come home empty handed! We're going in!" We eventually made it to the door. I grabbed a cart, and waded into the mêlée, calling out to Dad that we could split up and cover more territory more quickly. It was like a cross between bumper cars and the demolition derby. People were smacking into one another left and right, coming out of the ends of the aisles like they had been fired out of a cannon. Baleful glares and insincere apologies were exchanged with abandon. And in all of this, there was a huge number of human juggernauts, cruising through slowly, yet unstoppable. They drew my attention with fascination. Like the ex smoker described above, I looked from person to person, thinking: "You need bariatric surgery. You need bariatric surgery. You REALLY need bariatric surgery! I can't believe I used to look like that! Did I really look like that!?! This place is a GOLD MINE for my surgeon!" It was actually kind of weird. On one hand, I felt something of a kinship with these people while on the other hand I was repulsed. I think a lot of the latter had to do with attitude though. I really get impatient with rude people. In one sense it was something of an NSV for me. I am still fat, but I am not the land yacht I used to be, and to a degree, I felt a whole lot slimmer as I negotiated the killing fields of the retail environment. It was also something of a wake up call, to learn that I do not perceive myself in the same way that I used to. I am going to have to work on that one for a while. It kind of snuck up on me and grabbed me by the throat. But at least I made it out of there alive.

Here is a list of common used abbreviations on this board #/#/# in signatures: weight pre-surgery/current weight/goal weigh AF: "Aunt Flo" -- menstrual period BC: Birth control (or BCP: birth-control pills) BIA: Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. BMI: Body Mass Index BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the minimum number of calories you need to sustain your current weight. This includes resting and sleeping. BP: Blood pressure DS: Duodenal switch (another type of bariatric surgery) EPGSHFLYADV: Excruciatingly Painful Gagging Sliming Heaving Feels Like You're About to Die Vomitation FAT MASS: This is how many pounds of your body is fat. FAT%: The percentage of your body that is fat. FFM: Fat Free Mass. This is how many pounds of your body is not fat. GBP: Gastric bypass surgery GERD: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease GP: General practitioner LPD: Liquid Protein Diet MO: Morbid Obesity (or morbidly obese) NP: Nurse practitioner NSAIDS: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (a class of painkillers--which includes ibuprofen--bandsters should try to avoid because they can add to ulcer risk). NSV: Non-scale victory -- a weight-loss achievement that has little to do with numbers OTC: Over the counter (i.e., non-prescription medications) PA: Physician's assistant PB: Productive Burp -- what happens when something eaten can't go down due to restriction has to come back up PCP: Primary care physician RNY: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (the most popular type of bariatric surgery) TBW: Total Body Water. This may be expressed in pounds or as a percentage. The average % for a healthy adult male is 50-65% and for female 45-60%. WLS: Weight-loss surgery

I really like the cappuccinos and the fruit drinks from American Bariatrics - and no sugar alcohols. I just had my first experience with sugar alcohols in the Big Train Fit Frappe drink mixes - brutal - my system did not do well with it.

I went to Dr Taggar, and had an amazing experience. But he doesn't offer BLIS, only dr wizman does. Also, check out Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas. Cheap flights, nice hotels and his price is somewhere around $11k. Was one of my top choices, but I chose Dr Taggar. Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

Ok seriously it sometimes takes having a 'come to Jesus meeting' with yourself... I've been there. For REAL. I had the regain. I had the 'I can eat everything just in small amounts' self talk. I had the people come up to me 2.5 years post VSG and ask me if I was pregnant!!! Now at 4.5 years post, I've lost my regain, lost even more and am getting ready (finally) for my skin surgery. For ME, it took an ugly health issue to get my act straight. It's different for everyone but you have GOT to find your "WHY". Once you do that, then you need to just get back to the VERY BASICS. attend some bariatric support groups. track your water, activity and intake. empty ALL the junk food out. start taking your own food to EVERYTHING so there is no temptation. Go back to your surgeon office. talk to them. seek out EVERY form of support you can find. attend an Overeaters Anonymous group in your area, or a Food Addicts meeting. Do WHATEVER it takes. Sadly, statistically the regain odds are not in our favor. Let's all prove those odds wrong.

No. You can still have the sleeve. I just had the endoscopy done a few weeks ago and they also discovered I had GERD and an ulcer as well and both the GI doctor and the Bariatric DR told me that if anything, the sleeve surgery might help the GERD go away after I lose weight. I just hear that the reflux can be a little worse right after surgery in some people, but that’s temporary.

Hi, I just joined the group. My daughter suggested it as she herself is a successful 5 year RNY bypass patient. From watching her I kind of know pretty much what to expect. The good and the bad. I am 57 years old and a single parent. As for myself, I didn't really start to have a weight problem until after having kids. Through the years the weight slowly piled on. On top of that I developed type 2 insulin dependent diabetes in my late 30's. My youngest was born after I became diabetic. I also have several other chronic conditions as well. The last 3 years I have been in and out of the hospital with septicemia, cellulitis, osteomyelitis, diabetic foot ulcers, two partial toe amputations on both feet and diabetic ketoacidosis. It has roughly been every 4-6 months that I've been in the hospital for at least 1 1/2 to 2 weeks followed by 4-6 weeks of IV meds via PICC line plus home nurse visits, OT and PT visits. It's only been the last 5 months that my blood sugars have really been under control and that my feet have been healed. I was finally able to go and see the bariatric surgeon and start the process to finally reach the goal of having RNY gastric bypass surgery. I received my surgery date approximately 3 weeks ago. I am now on the last day and a half of my liquid diet before surgery. the Protein powder that my daughter gave me is disgusting (she just laughed and told me to get used to it. HA) and is difficult for me to choke down. I need to try different brands to find one that is more palatable for me. My biggest problem is that I have healthy (I am a good cook, like to cook and like to eat and enjoy food) eating habits. It's just that my portions are way too big compounded by the last 3 years of not being able to walk as the wound care doctors wanted me off my foot as much as possible. So, I became more sedentary. And, voila! I gained weight and couldn't lose it. So here I am and the big day is almost here. My daughter will be taking me to the hospital and staying with me. My son-in-law will come to the hospital after the kids go to school. He's staying home with the kids while my daughter stays with me for a week. My oldest son will be coming also to the hospital. My youngest son isn't (both of my sons are autistc) sure yet. My neighbor will cook and watch over my sons for me until I come home. Now that I've introduced myself, I'd love to hear from others. I am extremely excited and a little nervous. But it won't be long. Monday morning at 5:30am. I've also been thinking about the walking and eating. Anyone else having surgery on the 1st? Anyone willing to be buddies with me?

Kaiser Fremont Bariatrics recommends the following labs at 6 mo., 1 year and then annually: Chem 10, ALT, AST, PT, Albumin, Prealbumin, Ferritin, Iron/TIBC, CBC, Serum B12, RBC folate, B1, 25 OH Vit D, PTH, Alk phos(metabolic bone disease) Vit A, glucose, lipids, HbA1c. Use “PNL BAR” in Order Entry in HC, Consider copper deficiency if unresolved hypochromic anemia. They also recommend annual bone density screening.

Not on dialysis SandiJ but I just wanted to say hello, and wish you the best. Hope that you find the answers you need! My sleeve was done outpatient in a great hospital, and I was home in 8 hours. I think you need to consult with the finest Bariatric surgeon you can find.