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From what I've read my bariatric surgeon has a very different outlook on Protein than most that I've heard about. He only approves Protein drinks as a part of the pre-op diet and advises that protein post-op should come from "real food". He also does not recommend the use of any artificial sweeteners. So far, I've been really on board with both of these tactics. I prefer "real food" and cutting out all sweet stuff for months has really helped me not crave sweets at all. That said, I'm nervous about getting my correct amount of protein in. Another tactic I have been using is to only eat three meals a day, to stop myself from getting into the habit of grazing (also surgeon recommended practice). With what my pouch can handle, there just doesn't seem to be a way to get the needed protein in three sittings without severe food type restrictions. (I have been tracking through MyFitnessPal, and yep... it's pretty hard, if not impossible) I'm very tempted to give Protein shakes a try. I know you should always follow your surgeon's directions, and I do plan to discuss with him, but wanted to talk with people who have been down this road before. Do you think protein drinks helped you? What were the pros and cons of adding or subtracting them from your diet?

I have the same problem, my insurance company has a specific exclusion for any bariatric surgeries as they consider them to be "elective" surgery akin to cosmetic and not medically necessary. What a ridiculous idea. By the time I admitted to myself that I needed to have the lap band surgery there were already problems caused by my weight. The somewhat good new is that I have spoken to a lot of people with my insurance company and the only things they won't cover are specifically related to lap band and they were pretty minimal. Fills, erosion, slippage, and anything the specifically and directly relates to the band I say it's worth the risk. The odds of running into these issues seem pretty small and the possible benefits seem to greatly outweigh the risks. I'm going in on the 21st!

Find a counselor who deals with weight issues and/or bariatric patients. Both my counselor and my psychiatrist have heavy concentrations working with people who've had WLS, so they understand my issues.

Way to go! You are getting your head back in the game. Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out. I never use the bariatric store. When you deprive cravings, you want them more. Are there better options that you can buy for sweet and salty cravings? Hope others can jump in here and help with healthy sweet and salty snacks that are more cost effective. make sure food advice fits your food plan.. Sweet: Plain fruit, fruit dipped in sugar free cholate syrup Salad greens, chicken, strawberries, blue cheese and pecans Skinny girl raspberry vinaigrette. Dannon lite n fit Greek yogurt sugar free popsicles Roasted pumpkin and apple drizzled with sugar free maple syrup. sprinkle with cinnamon, (small amount with your protein goes a long way) Salty: Veggies dipped in hummus (cut calories by mixing plain yogurt in hummus) Chicken fajitas or taco salad (no tortilla) Parmesan cheese crisps Cup of chicken broth.

Shellbelle - My husband totally figured out my Vitamins for me.. I have never taken them before and he is kinda freaky about taking them. Anyway here is what I have been taking... 3 calcium chews 500mg Plus D & K per day - Carmel flavor ( very good like eating a carmel candy ) Meijer Brand around 8.99 for 60 chews - 1 chew 3 times per day Vitamin B complex sublingual liguid with B12 1200 units - 1/2 dropper under the tongue once per day in the morning - 10.99 will last a while so not bad - bought it at walmart 1 Bariatric Advantage multi- vitamin ( berry flavor chewable) twice per day. One in the morning and 1 in the evening. 24.00 for 1 month supply I chose not to take the Iron because I had the thermal albation a few years ago and do not have a full blown period anymore.. which is terrific The only expensive one was the multi vitiman - I'm going to shop around on that one I have not taken any of the other ones you mentioned and it's not on my list from the Doctor Hope this helps!!

It's good news you don't need a CPAP machine! I'm curious though, if it isn't sleep apnea, what co morbidity then qualifies you for the bariatric program? They had me do a bunch of blood work at the medical evaluation last week. Everything came back normal except..... My vitamin D levels are really low! Normal range is 20-79ml and mine was 11. So I was prescribed 50,000 units of vitamin D to take once a week for 12 weeks! Not sure if I have to complete the cycle before surgery. I guess it's a good thing I wasn't planning on having surgery until June!

My insurance required 2 years of weight history and diet attempts and then the 6 month requirement was through my bariatric DR and a nutritionist. Can you call your insurance and ask or do you have a member handbook to refer to??

I had my procedure done at the Peachtree Surgical and Bariatrics/Surgery center of Atlanta my surgeon was Dr. Tuggle

My surgery is scheduled for 1/4 and I am getting everything ready ahead of time. I have ordered a bunch of protien samples so I will be prepared to try them post-op to see which ones I like the best. But what I haven't gotten yet, or even really thought about was Vitamins. I don't have much money, and the ones from Bariatric Advantage are so expensive. Does anyone have any advice on some good, inexpensive vitamins that I can take post-op? Also, what about Calcium, Iron, B-vitamins, etc? Are all of those necessary? Can I find these in chewable form somewhere fairly inexpensive? Do I need to invest in Omega-3's as well? There are just so many options and I am getting more and more confused the more I research them!

I have my appt with a bariatric surgeon with a doctor in Orange, Ca on Friday. But even if insurance covers it, there is a cash fee of $3,500 that is NOT covered by insurance. Is this normal? I wonder if my insurance company knows. It just sounds wrong. APR

The Doctors and staff are very good. I had my bypass with Dr. Page and I would recommend him highly. Much of the process depends on your insurance. The Bariatric Nurse Navigator (Amber McNulty) and Nutritionist/Dietician (Andrea Mattison) are always there for you if you have questions or need support. Mt Carmel also has various support groups you can attend before and after surgery. http://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/bariatrics

LOL, I love my doctor. I dont understand why you would think I need another one...bc he lets us eat bread? He is had done over 500 lap band surgeries, and I am lucky enough to work at a hospital that is a bariatric center of excellence. Bread is allowed. It is stressed that for most patients, they dont tolerate bread very well bc no matter how good you chew it, it can feel stuck and just balls up. I cant think of one single thing that is off limits to us except carbonation. I have been on this site for about 5 months now and find it very helpful. I also drink tons of water. I read where sometimes it takes awhile to feel your fill. Thats why I waited two weeks the first time. I will admit though...I like immediate gratification. SO patience in some matters is not always my strong suit!

Getting information regarding the Dr.'s at Citizens Bariatric Center in Victoria Texas. They are Dr. Chang and Dr. McDaniel. I am at the stage of looking for an excellent surgeon. I live in Corpus Christi, Texas. Any use them for their lapband? Thanks, Shawn

This might not sound good but my husband is also looking into getting lapband but does not meet the weight right now. Someone suggested weigh down your pockets to help your weight be higher. Also leave your shoes and on when you step on the scale that will help add a few pounds. My thought is get a few rolls of quarters and see if that helps. And if you are close then maybe gain a few pounds. I know that is not something fun to think about but in the long run if it helps you get approved specially after all the time you have invested into looking into it I would do it. Here is something I copied off of a BMI info for being approved - A BMI of 35 - 40 is generally high enough to qualify you for bariatric surgery if you have comorbid conditions such as diabetes (type II), hypertension, sleep apnea or other potentially life-threatening diseases. So if you have sleep apnea, you have one so far. Has your PCP mentioned anything about being pre diabetic, hypertension. Does it run in your family? Maybe the ins will accept it if there is a family history of it and getting the band will help you develop them all together. Best of luck to you!!!

I do Bariatric Advantage non flavored to add to Water or other things. And Premier shakes from costco. Once I figure out my surgery date then I start the two week liquid diet. I will be only allowed liquid. No solids. I do two to three shakes a day, plus a light dinner. I'm using anywhere from 900 to 1100 cal a day.

**UPDATE** At two weeks until my surgery I took some of everyone's advise and went to see my primary care physician. I felt like a teenager that had to break the news to her parents that she banged up her car lol. I was kind of nervous, so while Iwas getting my 'well woman' exam, I started talking about bariatric sugery and eased into telling her I needed some pre-op tests before traveling overseas. To my surprise she was very receptive of the whole situation and even added in a couple extra tests so I can take those results with me . Overall, much of my anxiety has gone away because now I feel that i do have a local medical professional that I can go to for any hiccups I face after the surgery. What a sigh of relief...Sigh...

At my next post op bariatric support group meeting we are having a cook-off. We have to make a post op high protein soft diet dessert. Any ideas?

Yup, I had my gastric 13 yrs ago. I was really good about staying on track for about 2 yrs. Starting weight was 500lbs. Current weight 300lbs. Prior to WLS I was told I wouldn't be able to have anymore children. To my surprise, a year and a half later and down 100+ lbs. Positive pregnancy test. Unfortunately soon after I got so busy with life, I stopped going to my checkups and have since moved out of the city I lived in and lost track if the bariatric doctor. I need and want to get back on track. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

30 is also rare among those of us "normal" bariatric patients. It happens, but it's the exception rather than the rule. You see that more among the "600 lb Life" crowd, since they're starting at a much higher BMI than most of us are. You are doing fine!!

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.

I have 45 bars left over from my pre-op diet. They all taste very good, but I found I have an allergy to one of the ingredients. For my pre-op diet I was allowed to have 2 of these a day as a snack. Here is the listing on ebay in case you are interested. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-45-Bariatric-Advantage-KetogenX-Snack-Bars-Asorted-Flavors-Metagenics-/280868542722?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416511d902#ht_500wt_1156 Let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you all so much! I cannot express how grateful I'm to your consoling and kind words. I've decided to go ahead with the surgery - Gastric Bypass as per my surgeon's advice. Since I've started a strict diet and exercise regime, I'm confident I'll be in a better position to continue the routine post-surgery. I shall remain in touch with you and seek further inputs as I embark on the bariatric journey / adventure

Hey everyone! I'm sure there are many posts on here for revision but I'm in need of some help. I'm 7 years out of VSG surgery and am embarrassed to say I've gained everything back. The only excuse I have is life got in the way. I've been in touch with my surgeon and have been discussing revision surgery. My issue is, I do not have the same insurance (Aetna) now that I did when I had my original surgery. I'm having a hard time finding an insurance that will cover a revision. My current employers' plan does not even remotely cover anything bariatric wise so I'm hoping you fine people can give me some info of where I can turn. I thought I found a decent multiplan but I've since been told they do not cover bariatric surgery either. Thank you all for your time.

I've just joined the community today and have gone through most of the discussions. But stating this obvious question once again to gain some comfort in deciding to go under the knife. I desperately need your wisdom to help me decide. I’m obese, type-2 diabetic for the past 9 years (I’m 40 yrs now) with uncontrollable blood sugar levels all this while. This summer my tests had traces of Microalbumin and a follow-up test in autumn confirmed Microalbuminuria (Incipient Diabetic Nephropathy, early stages of Chronic Kidney Disease). It was like a bolt from the blue! If I do not take control, I could progress the stages of CKD and also risk having other complications (like hypertension, heart disease and eye diseases). I've consulted an Obesetologist and a Bariatric Surgeon to understand the bariatric surgery options for BMI 36.0 and my comorbidities. They've advised me Gastric Bypass Surgery. I can fund my surgery if Insurance declines. While engaging the doctors and follow-up tests I've also started to follow strict low-carb diet and follow a good exercise regime. In the last 3 months, I dropped weight and now at BMI 28.5 and blood sugar level is at normal levels for a month now. Here is where the confusion is - I know the risks of the chronic disease like Diabetes and Nephropathy + others. I'm only 40 and need to strictly follow the diet and exercise without getting a burn-out for the rest of my life and not let the diseases take over my life. On the other hand, Bariatric Surgery is promising with limited set of post surgery complications/risks. If I weigh the risks of not having surgery and having surgery done, on paper Surgery WINS hands down. I just need someone to tell me to go ahead with the surgery, so that I can focus on preparing myself. Thanks a lot...this advice will change my life and my family's.

I used Pinterest. There are loads of post-bariatric recipes out there.