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no - this is the surgeon's requirement. There are surgeons who won't operate on patients who have BMI's over 60 because that's considered "high risk". The insurance company isn't going to consider that particular piece when deciding whether or not to approve your surgery. In fact, they'd probably prefer you get under a 60 BMI as well so your risk of complications is lower. I was initially worried that if I was too successful in my six-month supervised diet that was required by my insurance company that they wouldn't approve the surgery. But that's not what they're looking for. They're looking to see if you're capable of following a plan long-term, since that's what you'll need to do AFTER the surgery. They don't want to fork over thousands of dollars for someone who's likely to not follow rules and just gain all the weight back. So if anything, this 80-lb required weight loss is likely to improve your chances of being approved -- not disqualify you for being too successful. I lost 57 lbs before surgery by working with a dietitian and gradually improving and shaping my eating habits to align with what I'd be eating after surgery (gradually increasing my protein intake, gradually weaning myself off caffeine and simple carbs, gradually reducing my calorie intake, etc). If you don't think you'll be able to do this on your own, then find a dietitian who's had some experience working with bariatric patients. I was really surprised I was able to lose all that weight pre-surgery - but I think it was a combo of wanting to do whatever I could do get the surgery -- and the accountability of working with a dietitian (i.e, knowing I'd have to report to someone every month on my progress).

Glad to hear you are back on track toward reaching your goal. Thank you for sharing your challenges with us. The stalls, ups and downs & difficult aspects of bariatric surgery are something that many, if not all of us, will face at one point. Hearing your experience can help someone know that it is possible to overcome their own obstacles in this process. Wishing you continued success & keep us posted on your progress. 😊

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you are, say, 5'5", getting from a BMI of 60 to a non-obese BMI of 30 would mean an additional weight loss of 180 lbs. (on top of the other 80 lbs.) which even the most hardened insurance company would see requires surgery. But definitely ask your bariatric center for guidance and access to a nutritionist/dietitian to help you get those 80 lbs. down.

Most bariatric surgeons require some amount of weight loss or compliance with a pre-op program before surgery. That is very, very common. Its highly unlikely though that insurance would use that as the basis to deny surgery, given that even after the weight loss, your BMI would still qualify you. Additionally, if you have any obesity related health issues (diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, etc.) than it would further justify the need for surgery. I would say go for it and use the pre-op process to prepare your heart and mind for the life long changes that will come post-op. You're going to do great!

I think that's pretty normal. I'm just a few weeks out from surgery, but I am already nervous about this. Have you considered talking to a bariatric therapist? Also, agree with above posters about tracking your intake and keeping up with exercise. While exercise does not have much role in losing weight, it's been shown to be pretty effective at keeping weight off - provided your eating is in check.

Has anyone have a bariatric mindset book and workbooks Sent from my U307AS using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Footballmom92! You can try to do searches in the forum to see if there are posts by others that started out at a similar weight. I found the article below about a young man that had weight loss surgery. He was close to 600 pounds. Have you started researching doctors yet? Perhaps you can see if your doctor or one you might go to has patients with similar starting weights so you can use the same nutritionist or be in same support group if they have one. Maybe there is a group on Facebook you can find so you can connect with others there. This forum is also a great support system, we all may have different amounts to lose, but can easily relate to, share advice with & give support to each other. https://www.treatedwell.com/i-would-not-be-here-today-kingsport-man-says-bariatric-surgery-saved-his-life/ Wishing you lots of success on your path to a healthier weight.😊

For years people would Comment on my weight...as a teen, when athletic, I was told I looked too masculine, or my grandmother would tell me (while underweight) that I needed to diet or I would end up overweight and over 300 lbs like my dad's mom....which, eventually, I got there. As an obese adult, strangers made rude comments in stores, restaurants, where ever. Their kids picked fun as they did too. And it only got worse the heavier I got and didn't matter if my kids were with me or if I was solo. Fast forward and now I get from strangers questions like "do you have cancer", "are you sick", and on 2 occasions the automatic store door wouldn't open and I was told if I ate more I wouldn't have that issue. Or one man said "let me show you where the cookies are, you need to eat those and not that rabbit food"... Recently I was hospitalized for 3 days incase of emergency surgery for bowel obstruction. My intestines had flipped, but flipped back on their own. I used to have chronic IBS-D now it's IBS-C. So after discharge I was prescribed an rx and 4 OTC meds to help me with keeping regular and avoiding bowel obstruction and surgery. While picking up the OTC meds, a rather large woman and her 18-22 y.o. daughter were on the same aisle...of course, observing my purchases and out loud the mother told the daughter "the reason why she's that thin is because she buys all that stuff to sh!t herself to death...she is anorexic ..don't let me ever catch you doing that. That woman is mentally ill." They walked away. I was left standing there in awe that , that even happened. My husband was like wtf? Well Saturday we had my daughter's 18th birthday. It was just us 4 and my dad. He hasn't seen me in like 2 months. And in front of my kids, he says "you do not look good. You look sick. You have taken this weight loss thing too far and you have got to stop. You're face and eyes are sunk in, your bones are sticking out and you need to gain about 50 pounds". I am 148 now. My HW 325. SW 311 3/9/20. I do not think nor does my bariatric surgeon feel that I've lost too much weight. Heck, his GW for me is 136. I am 5'6". I don't know what people are seeing but my point of this post, as long winded as it is, is that the negative comments just never seem to end. I thought for sure that I would lose weight, get healthy (point of surgery...healthy and save my life, not skinny) and feel great about myself. But it seems no matter what size you are, someone, somewhere always has something negative to say about one's appearance. Does it ever end? People suck. That's why I'm a cat person.

The reason they tell you to avoid spicy food is because it can be an irritant to the stomach lining especially right after surgery. Spicy food can also irritate gallbladder issues and cause heartburn in some people. If you’re not in any pain and it sat well then you should be fine. If it keeps bothering you mentally you can always call your bariatric team and talk to them for reassurance.

I am definitely going to talk with a bariatric therapist. It can sometimes be isolating, so I wasn’t even thinking about that. I do have that resource in my program ❤️

Well it has been 5-6 days wince my surgery!! I had to stay two nights in the hospital then went home in immense pain. Up until today I have not been able to get no real anything down. the most I got was 10 ounces of plain water yesterday. I can not take these lovely bariatric chewable vitamins, they made me sick immediately. I feel like a baby in that at 7pm every night I seem to get "colicky"!! I am 52 but am blessed to have a husband that does not mind burping me!!! :) This morning I am feeling stronger, I have talked with my NUT and gone over everything. I have taken two very long walks managed to get down 12oz. of water an some protein shake. I feel like I can see a light at the end of this tunnel. I am sure that I will have many more speed bumps but today I am strong!!!! Have a blessed day Everyone!!

It's great that you've taken control of your surgery, but it sounds like you should consider talking with a bariatric therapist. This should be someone they have on staff, but if not, hopefully they can refer you to someone. I'm shocked that they haven't done that. Congrats on your 100+ lbs weight loss. That's a thing to celebrate!

Are these the only options available to you in the UK? Would you be able to order from Bariatric Pal? I like the ProCare Health one a day with 45 mg iron, but NOT the chewables. I tried two brands of chewables and they made me almost throw up. For the calcium, are you able to find calcium chews? They sell those here at the pharmacy and at big box stores and online (we have brands like Viactiv). I believe they sell them here too. Not sure if the shipping costs would be prohibitive. Sorry I don't actually have an answer for you for the UK

I would have in a second if it wouldn’t have added in multiple months to my surgery wait. I did call another bariatric program because I was completely dissatisfied with my surgeon, dietician, and the general office for too many reasons to count. If you don’t feel comfortable, I’d highly suggest switching if it won’t compromise your plan. If you’re already going through the process, your medical records can be sent over and you generally won’t have to repeat certain components depending on your insurance.

Thanks! I skimmed the food forum, I only saw one recipe for cookies in the last few years, but I may need to look more carefully. Online, it seems a lot of “bariatric friendly” cookie recipes actually have sugar, brown sugar, or syrup. I did find the one below, which looks promising! https://weighinradio.com/blog/recipie/bariatric-baking-hermit-cookies/ I think it is just the tradition of putting a recipe together with my daughter, and smelling it come out of the oven, which will be so appreciated if I can do it in a healthy way…less chance of straying.

Thank you, I will look for these sugar-free candies! Might be like the sugar-free frozen custard… I don’t necessarily crave it, but would feel left out if everyone else were having it at a special occasion. Does anyone have a cookie recipe that is bariatric-appropriate? My family always bakes holiday cookies, so I would love to continue this tradition, albeit with something healthy for me.

Best of luck on your journey, not just the drive. It's so hard to move emotionally and physically, but I hope you can at least enjoy some of the beautiful scenery. I love to travel and although I usually fly, I do enjoy all the beautiful things I see out of the car windows once I land. I hope you love your new home and adjust quickly. Also, I hope you can easily find a new bariatric clinic to help you move on in that part of your journey as well. Especially consider finding a bariatric therapist as I suspect that will be challenging with all the stresses of settling in!

Hello! I'd opt for surgery..either through the province or privately. My personal belief is that fasting, along with a host of other 'diets' are fads that don't have long term success. I had my surgery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada through a bariatric program, and was covered by healthcare. If you have specific questions, let me know and I'd be happy to answer what I can

I tend to agree with this. You’re not going to dump on water. I’ve never dumped but had the foamies countless times. The sides are very similar to dumping but take a look at what you consumed to know the difference. Also, I wouldn’t put much faith in ER doctors when it comes to bariatric surgery. Take this as first hand experience from working in an ER for 10 plus years as a nurse and being a bariatric patient myself.

Well said, @The Greater Fool. I was one of the fortunate ones & didn’t feel hungry & wasn’t interested in eating for ages. One thing I did discover was real hunger feels different from head hunger. For me, I feel restless, like something is wrong but I don’t know what. I can then logically understand why I should feel hungry - missed a meal, it’s been a long time since I last ate or haven’t eaten much today. With real hunger I usually don’t mind what I eat as long as it’s nutritionally sound but if it’s a craving (yes cravings still occur but I can recognise & manage them way better) I know exactly what I want to eat & aren’t satisfied unless I eat it. Like @vikingbeast, if I don’t succumb to the head hunger straight away, the desire passes. Real hunger remains. But that’s me. The psychology behind why we eat is fascinating & confusing & challenging to understand & recognise & manage & …. Even simply coming to terms with portion size is huge. How can what seems a tiny serving be enough for my body to function when I used eat to T-H-I-S much. Sometimes we just can’t work though this alone & therapy can be very helpful with the psychological aspects. Your surgeon or medical team should be able to recommend someone with experience supporting people having or who’ve had bariatric surgery. Good. Luck.

Oh no! PCS during recovery! A few options: 1. Pack a cooler with protein shakes in case you end up in some food desert (LOOKING AT YOU WESTERN TEXAS) with nothing you can eat. Also, get some Isopure which helps with protein if you're truly stuck. 2. Meal prep some if you can. Maybe you can freeze it and keep ice on it? I transported frozen pork roll from New Jersey to California in February in the cab of my truck. 3. Order small portions at restaurants and then just throw away what you can't eat. Wasteful, but better than starvation. Also, just to reassure you—truck stops have AMAZING c-stores with things like protein shakes and protein bars and cheeses and things. Like, I was blown away that in way-the-he||-and-gone western Oklahoma, the Love's Travel Stop had a HUGE range of stuff that would be bariatric-friendly. If there's stuff you can eat now that you love that's Georgia-specific (my dad used to live outside of Brunswick), take some with you for comfort. Boiled peanuts spring to mind... If you want, share the route and maybe I and other Bariatric Pals can share suggestions for places to go. I've driven all over this country.

I lean toward the long term solution, as this is a long term problem (you didn't get this way overnight.) you should expect it to be a long term effort to solve it. I like to think in terms that this surgery, whichever you get into, is not a cure but more of a "do over" where you get set back more or less where you should be physically and you get to start over again. You need to learn how to avoid the traps that got you where you are now, and how to live to maintain a healthy weight in the long term. Many post op bariatric patients repeat the same process that they did when dieting - lose weight and then start to regain when they start going back to "normal" eating - it just takes longer, as it 2-3 years or more rather than just a few months or a year with basic dieting. We need to learn how to eat and live to maintain like a "normal" person, and that takes time More later, but I have a lap lane reserved at the pool at the gym in a few minutes. Time to work on that maintenance some more.

Hi, that does sound yummy! I am in the process of trying to figure out which multivitamin to order. Either from bariatric pal or another site. I can't remember the name right now. hopefully once I start vitamins it will get better.

I wouldn’t pay one percent of that fee for a “fasting coach”. How ridiculous. You have a fourth option, which is bariatric surgery in one of the border cities in Mexico; most are in Tijuana. You fly to San Diego (now that it’s allowed), then it’s 20 minutes to the border and your clinic picks you up on the Mexican side. It’s much cheaper than self pay in either Canada or the US, and the doctors tend to be US-certified as well as obviously qualified in Mexico. You’d want to talk to your PCP in Canada before going this route to make sure she’s comfortable with ordering labs (for iron, vitamins, liver function, lipids, metabolic panel, etc.) afterwards. I am two and a half weeks out and having the sleeve has already given me so much of my life back. Between pre-op and post-op loss I am only 5 kg from the halfway point of my journey.