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I am 54 years old, mother of two grown daughters, grandmother of 5 grandsons and 1 special needs granddaughter. My weight problems started around the age of 30, after I quit partying. At first I just gained a few pounds here and there. I yo-yo dieted for years. I tried Herbal Life, Weight Watchers, and Jenny Craig. I walked miles, and I got a gym membership. I lost, I quit, I gained it all back and more. I had a hysterectomy in 2007, and my hormones and metabolism went nuts. At my heaviest, I was 283. My husband said if I reached 300, he would leave. I think I wanted him to since there has been no intimacy, or affection for that matter, for well over two years. With no partner, no friends, and the responsibility of caring for my 92 year old mom on my own, I really didn't care anymore. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea. I was borderline diabetic. 3 of 4 of my siblings are diabetic and there was prior history of diabetes and heart disease in the family. One day I received a phone call from a bariatric nurse from my insurance company. She and I talked about all the co-morbidities, and she suggested I look into bariatric surgery. I went to a seminar, and the journey began. I had gone to Jenny Craig for 9 months, so I had satisfied the diet part. I went through all the tests and was scheduled for the vertical sleeve to be done on July 31st. I drove myself to the hospital that morning, had the surgery and spent the next two days being sick and alone. I had no visitors, no phone calls. My husband was working out of state, my mom was at home alone. I called her when I wasn't throwing up. My daughter picked me up and gave me a ride home in my car. She has 3 kids of her own and doesn't really have the time or inclination to stop by to check to see if my mom or I need her help in any way. She calls if she wants me to do something for her. I am 6 weeks out today. I'm not sure how much I've lost, but I think it's a little over 35 pounds. I overate at breakfast, so I've felt pretty sick for the past couple hours. I knew half way through I was full, but forced it, took bites that were too big, and didn't chew long enough. I don't often do this, so I deserve to be suffering now. Physically, I think I'm doing alright. Emotionally, I am sad a lot. I often wish I could have lost the weight and kept it off with diet and exercise. I know in my heart, it would never have stayed off because I lack willpower and the desire to be healthy. I figure if no one cares, why should I. I'm working on my feelings. I'm hoping when more of the weight comes off, I will feel better about everything. So that's the story. Please don't be too critical of me. Good luck to each of you as you go through your sleeve journey.

Can you say yum??? Ordered Bari wise hot chocolate from bariatric choice and it is delish, about 80cal no fat less than 5gm carbs and 15grams protein!! I miss my coffee and hot chocolate this time of year and this really hits the spot!! I purchased a few of the variety packs (about $11) for 7 and love the mint and raspberry chocolate trying the amaretto and its yummy too!

Yeah on mine, James M. it said " vomiting of a prolonged period" well I called my Bariatric Clinic in such a case, was told by one of their Nurse Practioners I was delusional, I knew dang well there was NOTHING WRONG with me and to stop bothering them. Oh I have not called them again, I will be 10 months on Friday next and I don't believe I should still have frequent episodes of emesis My local community hospital, knicknamed "the BandAid station" is even worse, sad to say. They are not sure WTF to do with me, maybe they hope for constipation, fever, headaches and other "easy peasy "things, something within their competences. But a bypass patient, like a purple- spotted giraffe, interesting to look at, but what DO YOU. REALLY DO WITH one?👈👩👉

I did a comparison on my blog between O-purity (by Unjury), Bariatric Advantage, Celebrate, Centrum, and Flintstone completes based on nutritional profile and cost. I personally chose opurity because it is only 1 a day. I also decided on a sublingual B12, as the other 2 bariatric vitamins (bariatric advantage and celebrate)I analyzed had 833% B12 and o-purity only had 100%. O-purity is 29.99 for a 90 day supply, bringing it to about 0.30 a day. The other two brands are more money with less pills. In addition, I am also taking 5000mg biotin and Coromega orange omega-3 squeeze, which is not bad for what it is.

Hi, You responded to my post yesterday about a texting buddy. Maybe we could chat and be helpful to each other. I was banded in 2008 and was initially successful but have gotten off my plan for the past 2 years. I still have a significant amount of weight to lose, so maybe we could follow each other. Basically, you need to stay under a certain calorie level (I like to do 1000 but a lot of people consume 1200 or 1300 and still do well) and also make sure you are getting enough Protein to heal, keep you full, and avoid muscle loss. I also benefit from doing very low carb, but everyone is different. The protein shake in the morning is fine. You can have your calories at whatever time you want, as long as you stay under your daily calorie count. How many calories did you enter on that web site? From what I've read, staying as low as 800 calories per day for over 3 months can slow your metabolism to some extent, but you would still be losing weight. I think for bariatric patients and anyone who has a significant amount to lose, the calories listed on those sites might be misleading. Anyway, good luck with your journey. Where is your surgeon located? I one time went to a Dr. Gee in San Dimas, but it says San Diego on your profile, so I wasn't sure if it's the same surgeon. Let me know if you want to chat. I think it would be helpful to call or text someone every day to make sure we're both following our plans. Annie

You don't need your Dr's OK to attend the Overview class, so try to go to the first one you can because it's a required step before getting the referral to the Bariatric program. I didn't think the point was to scare people away. What they told us is they found so many people decided not to have the surgery after going to the longer Orientation class that they make all people go to the Overview class first so they understand WLS surgery and the alternatives. I thought the class was pretty good. The instructor also told us about how Kaiser's Bariatric program works. Lynda

My employer offered the coverage and many ppl took advantage. In one year 11 ppl had VGS. One week before my consult they dropped the bariatric coverage because it became "too costly" So I am stuck obtaining loans and using my meager saving. My surgery is now 10/22/14 Good luck to you, I hope it works out for you

Surgery is June 3rd! My dietitian said gummies do not have Iron. I used to take them. She said after surgery Flintstones chewables are fine 1 week after surgery. I also will be taking b12 sublingual (they dissolve) and citrical chewables. I tried the bariatric Vitamins and they made me nauseated.

My office set me up with Nascobal (B12 nasal doses) and their bariactiv vitamins. It's submitted through your insurance and you pay $25 or less a month. It was designed specifically for Bariatric patients. I have been taking them pre surgery and I really like them (all chewable/dissolvable). They were also really quick and helpful setting it up through my insurance. A lot cheaper than buying new each month.

You may be a tad too tight. You should be able to get and keep Water down. Were you given some water to drink immediately after the adjustment? And it went/stayed down comfortably? If you have not improved since you posted your note, call your bariatric office. Someone should be on call. I'm guessing that you're in Belgium and may have had the fill close to 20 hours ago. The amount of saline in your band means nothing. What does matter is how well any amount works for you. It's possible that even a fill that seems good while still in the office can prove too much after a while.

My surgeon doesn't allow his patients to use Premier since it's a concentrate protein, but before I knew this I tried almost all of their flavors and wasn't a fan of any of them—I don't like the aftertaste. I really like Bariatric Eating's Inspire—it's whey protein isolate, they have a lot of flavors, and it doesn't have a powdery texture/aftertaste.

I know somebody that had by-pass. He lost almost 200 pounds in a little over a year. 3 Years after that he had gained it all back thanks to Budweiser. The surgery may work for you but need to look at cutting back a little more on the alcohol. It's empty calories. All carbs and sugar. I binge every few weeks or so but not on a regular basis. Another thing to keep in mind is that alcohol causes the loss of inhibitions and if you get a good buzz on you may decide to hit the buffet. I'd definitely discuss it with a bariatric surgeon and nutritionist.

I can only speak from my experience. I had several of those "I can do this without surgery" moments throughout my life. I first started down the path of surgery in 2013/14. I was doing the Tim Ferriss Slow Carb Diet (6 days/wk, eat only beans/meats/veggies, 7th day is cheat day) and having great success. I explained what I was doing to the bariatric surgery coordinator and her response (paraphrased) was, "That's nice, but you won't be able to do that post-surgery." I didn't want to hear that, figuring that I had already lost 40+ pounds this way and cancelled my appointments. I ended up losing roughly 150 pounds on that diet, but gained it all back. Why? It reinforced binge eating habits and didn't set me up for future success. Like a lot of overweight people, I thought my next lifestyle change (clean eating! intermittent fasting! keto!) would be the one that allowed me to lose the weight and keep it off. I finally realized that I was only fooling myself. It takes an incredible amount of discipline to lose weight and keep it off without surgery. You have to commit to eating a certain way for the rest of your life; I have yet to meet someone who did a diet for 6 months, lost the weight, went off the diet and kept the weight off. I reached a mental state where I had two choices: 1) continue living my life as I had been or 2) making a truly radical change, the change most likely to keep the weight off. I chose Option 2, because I owed it to myself, my wife and my kids to be the healthiest person I could be. I do not regret my choice. But while I do not regret my choice, I don't go around telling other people to do it. I don't think I would have succeeded in 2013 the way I have today with the surgery. In 2013, I would have seen it as "I do a surgery, I eat less, I lose weight, winner, winner, smaller chicken dinner." That is a set up for long-term failure. Now, I see it as "I have been given a great chance to live a healthy life and I need to take advantage of it." Until you reach that mental state, you are not ready to succeed with this surgery.

Thank you Xine. I think I'm going to start a journal - that is EXCELLENT advice. Complete with gel pens and stickers - I'm a kid at heart. Small update - I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea as of last week. This process is moving very quickly; my meeting with the Nutritionist and my Cardio test is tomorrow. I am actually going for the sleeve instead of the lap band...both my PCP and my bariatric surgeon thought it would be a better fit for me.

My doctor recommends the surgery for anyone with a BMI of over 35. He refuses to do it however for people under that BMI because he says that it is a more complicated decision then. He also does the surgery under the circumstances that your weight has caused health complications in your life. For me it was tired knees, elevated cholesterol (still in the normal range but about to break through) and endometrial hyperplasia caused by my PCOS. He said that he even has some women who specifically came to him to do the surgery in order to lose weight and reduce their PCOS symptoms in order to get pregnant. I read an article about the benefits of bariatric surgery with PCOS and obesity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334389/ Here is the article. It is suggesting that we really look into bariatric surgery as one of the treatment plans for PCOS related obesity and MS. My uncle is a gynecologist and he told me straight up one day, if you want to control your PCOS, you need to lose weight and if at this point, you can't do it then maybe it is better to just get the surgery done. You are exponentially more likely to be affected by an obesity or PCOS comorbidity than any complications from this surgery. Especially considering that the sleeve has been relatively successful, only 0.08 mortality rate and very low complication risk. That is why I finally took the decision. Sometimes I can have severe anxiety issues and I just couldn't deal with the pressure of feeling that at any point I could become pre-diabetic from my weight and from my PCOS. MY weight wasn't just affecting my physically, it was seriously starting to deteriorate my mental health. EDIT: I would also like to add that there are several genetic obesity related comorbitidies that run in my family which only further fueled my anxiety. I now feel 10000x better knowing that I am controlling it. The list includes: Cholesterol, my father got it at an early age and he wasn't even overweight, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, sleep apnea, strokes. One of my uncles has the trifecta: type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol. Sometimes I couldn't sleep at night imagining myself becoming ill like him.

@@crazywomanincage - I'll try to find that post with resources and send it to you directly by a DM. In my short-lived BariatricPal experience, I feel that feeling like you trust your Bariatric Team is the gauge you should follow on where you ultimately have surgery. I too had concerns about just coming to Mexico for surgery. However, my doctors have been very involved in my pre-op stage through the post-op transition through Skype, phone calls, emails, and not just because I'm related to half of my BT, but I have the sense the right team care this deeply about their patients regardless of blood ties! Keep in touch and good luck!

So I just got my sample packages of Proteins from bjs bariatrics and I hope I find a flavor that I like. I've heard everyone love double stuffed cookie flavor hope its good. Contains 23g of Protein [ATTACH]15035[/ATTACH]

I am in the exact same boat as you. I had VSG in May 2013 and lost about 90 pounds. I have now gained back about 25 and I am starting to panic a little myself. The last time I went to the doctor I had gained some and they told me that that was typical to gain back about 15 to 20 percent of what you lost. I am thinking about going back on the bariatric shakes just for a short while to shrink my stomach back up. Good luck to you.

I have to drink bariatric advantage, and I don't have any food to track, just the protein right now.

I'm still trying to get approved through insurance, but my self pay back up plan is to look more into Dr Tersigni in Coose Bay, Oregon Bay Bariatrics - Steve Tersigni, MD - Coos Bay, Oregon Denise had this to say about him: "I was banded by Dr. Tersigni on the coast and he charges 10,000.00 It didn't seem worth it to me to go to Mexico when Dr. Tersigini is 5 min from my house. He's really great. I know a lot of people come from Portland to go to him. The lady that was banded the same day as me by him, lives in Portland." Denise822 vbmenu_register("postmenu_461870", true);

I have read so many articles and talked to several Bariatric doctors who continue to tell me that my pouch will not stretch however your brain somehow adapts allowing you to consume more. At about the one year mark I noticed depending on what I choose to eat, I can eat 1 cup of food max. I am now 19 months post op and I still have that same restriction. I can eat 2 to 3 ounces of dense Protein and a bite or two of veggies/fruits and I am almost overly full. However if I eat a bowl of cream of wheat, I can eat almost a full serving. I believe what I have researched, that we adapt, our brains do that. Our stomachs don't stretch. Incidentally I have also learned that I can over indulge in things like Cheezeits! I do eat them but if not careful I can mindlessly nibble way over a portion! I know this because I gained 2 lbs eating the wrong stuff for about 2 weeks. Boy was I pissed at myself. I got back on track and within 1 week I lost those 2lbs eating the right foods and never feeling hungry. Also, I noticed when I was eating too many carbs those 2 weeks I had several episodes of hypoglycemia! It came on so very quickly that it was scary. It became a vicious cycle. Eat too many bad carbs your body will crave it. So now that I know what not to do, I think I will stick to the plan and if I want Cheezeits, I will measure out one serving and watch my carbs the rest of the day!

Hi all, the ONE biggest mistake I made post op was not joining a gym and going hard core into gym life. I have regained a solid portion of my initial weight loss. I am struggling. New surgeon put me on Contrave for a few weeks to kick me in the butt. As part of this process, he also asked me to focus on eating 6-8 times a day, with dinner being the only 'meal' and all others being protein focused mini-meals such as a shake, a hunk of cheese, and a deviled egg, a quest bar, a few meatballs, etc. At the same time, I joined the local community center and had a trainer set up a program for me to get started. My ultimate goal is to get fiercely strong, buff and hopefully have enough muscle ratio that my metabolic burn will stay consistent and I can eat like a lifter. A little piece of my brain has a HUGE dream that someday, I'll be fit and buff enough to compete in a fitness competition....But for now, this is just a simple program to get my metabolism going. I'm a bit nervous that I could potentially drop my blood sugar while lifting and get that horrible hypoglycemic feeling. I've dropped before during times of great stress. I THINK if I eat half a quest before I lift, and half WHILE I lift that would help. I don't really have any access to somebody who can guide my process. The trainer at my gym is solely trained in basic exercise science. The NUT at my doc's office is looking at ONLY a bariatric approach. I really would love to find a trainer who could expertly design an eating plan AND a workout plan for me. I'd love input from those gym life folks who can recommend to me WHO to see, what to eat pre workout, intra workout and post workout, and any suggestions for getting myself going in the right direction, once and for all.

I know how disappointed you are. I went through the same thing a couple of years ago, however I was told to keep checking back with the insurance company because they're always changing things. In September 2010, I called the insurance company again and heard the same thing that did not cover the Lapband because of a clause in our group medical insurance. I went to my employer and asked him if he could ask his contact at the insurance company about this the next time our insurance renewed. He gave me the contact person and I immediately contacted them. To my surprise, she said that in July 2009 the State of Maryland passed a law that all insurance companies have to include the Lapband as a benefit. I was so excited, but then they found out I lived in Delaware.....so I once again had my heart broken, then to my surprise the rep that I originally talked too said that doesn't matter since I work in the State of Maryland and my insurance guidelines are through that state. Needless to say, I was so over joyed and thanked God!! I have gone through all of my pre-surgery requirements and just need to get clearance from the Lung doctor. They are telling me my surgery will be sometime in April. I'm telling my story to show you not to give up, just keep pushing and trying and hopefully you can find a loophole as I did. Best of luck to you!!

I'm at Baptist Nutrition and Bariatric Center in Jackson with Dr. Cummins - I think Dr. Cummins does some work at River Oaks, as well - who is your surgeon?

Hi, I have been lurking around for a while and I finally have a date.:clap2::clap2: This Wednesday at 12:30. I am self pay so I was able to get in really quick. I am soooooo excited. I never thought I would say that about having surgery. My doctor is Dr. Brady with Southwest Bariatric Surgeons in Austin, TX. Tammy