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Myth One: I’m going to FINALLY be a NORMAL weight! A few people get there, but most don’t. In general, the success of weight-loss surgery is sometimes defined as achieving a 50 percent or more loss of excess body weight and maintaining that level for at least five years. So…let’s say you’re a 5’5” woman whose normal weight should be around 150….and you weigh 250 pounds. If you have bariatric surgery and get down to 200 pounds and maintain that for five years…you’re a success. According to a University of Michigan study of bariatric patients over seven years: Normal weight (BMI less than 25) was achieved by 2.3–6.8% of patients. 47% of patients achieved a BMI less than 30. And this of course, means about half of people who do bariatric surgery never make it to a BMI under 30. And I know this sounds REALLY FATALISTIC…but in all honesty, ANY weight you lose is so good for your health. Even 10% weight reduction is associated with tremendous health benefits. The surgery IS an invaluable tool. I don't mean to diminish that. I'm just saying... Bariatric patients get sold on this idea that weight loss surgery is salvation, that everyone gets skinny and healthy and that you never have a bad relationship with food again. There is this false idea that everyone is transformed and lives happily ever after, that food will never again be a challenge and that you can't end up right back where you started....which, very realistically, you can. And many people do:( There is this unspoken idea that you'd have to be a serious screw-up to gain weight after bariatric surgery. Guess who gains weight eventually after surgery? Almost everyone. You still have to pay attention. You still have to log your food and watch the scale and keep track of your triggers and not escape into denial. You still have to work on your mental problems with food. Fixing your stomach doesn't fix your head. The first year, you're all honeymoon dreamy and nothing is a temptation. The second year, the third year, the fifth year....things get a little tougher. Am I trying to talk folks out of it? Absolutely not. This surgery is an amazing tool. But that's all it is. The whole equation of solving the problem is a lot bigger and more compex. For what it's worth...my two cents... Work hard, be consistent, be patient. The best outcomes are achieved by folks who keep at it, who are unphased by losing slowly, who create livable realistic changes in their eating habits that are permanent. Avoid extremes. Extremes don't last. Extreme low calories, extreme exercise, extreme food choice limits, extreme structure...backfires. Life demands moderation and flexability. Don't punish yourself. Gently modify your life with workable new goals that you can stick with. Make livable changes that endure. And when you screw up (everyone will) pick yourself, dust yourself off, and get back to work. Don't waste energy on guilt or anger at self. Just get back to work. Modify. Adjust. Livable permanent change is your goal.

Uh no, you shouldn't get over yourself, you should set some boundaries! As a WLS patient, you have particular requirements for your food. It's unkind and unfair to eat all your food knowing that you will then be left with nothing to eat. If he absolutely loves your bariatric foods, that's great - he should contribute to the cost and then you guys can buy enough for the two of you. Problem solved!

At the risk of sounding awful, I'm just going to say, I've ALWAYS hated sharing food! In fact I generally will buy extra snacks so that no one asks me for mine. And when they do anyway, I scream nasty things to them in my head but smile and share anyway. The thing is, I've always been a pretty slow eater. People think that means I don't want my food but I do! For example, I can make popcorn last the entire movie because I eat them one at a time. My boyfriend eats popcorn by the handful and is done by the opening credits. When we share, I've had 10 bites and he has eaten the entire bag! Thus, I get my own popcorn or pretzel bites but then I come off looking selfish or greedy when I don't want to share mine. It's annoying. Or when we go out to eat, I purposely save half my meal until later but most of them time he will ask me if it's OK for him to have it later that night. Anyway, all of this I to say, I see it being way worse now! Lol. I find myself always telling my boyfriend to stop eating my food. I'm going to eat the rest later (maybe! But I should at least have the option). All of these high protein snack are soooo expensive. I brought those bariatric protein reeses cup (yum) but can only eat one at a time. He will eat my second one and have his own set. The box came with 10. They are now done and I only had 3 cups. I'm not supposed to have popcorn yet but I ordered this gourmet bag for charity before my surgery that finally came last Thursday. My nutritionist said I can have them at week 6 and I WAS going to patiently wait for then but my boyfriend asked me to open them to try it out (They were heaven!) He then proceeded to have one serving at a time over the last 2 days and now they're done. I ate more then I should have because I felt like I should atleast have some before they were gone. I feel like arguing about food is sooo petty but it's starting to annoy me. It doesn't help that he did not have the surgery but seems to be losing more weight than me eating/drinking all of my protein! Lol. Im really not mad he is losing weight too but I just feel like he can maybe contribute to purchasing all of these expensive items. It makes it a little harder for me to stay on track when all the things I buy are finished so fast. I'm sipping on plain water as a type this because I didn't realize all the crystal lite was finished! I should just get over myself right? I was the person who generally brought the groceries before surgery. I still buy normal groceries but now also include specific things for me. What do you guys think?

Understandably, you'd feel defeated. It sounds like you've had one frustration after another. I'm sorry for that. I like LoveSimcha's idea of finding a student health plan that covers the surgery. If you can make it work, that's a great option. Even if your insurer won't pay for surgery, they may pay for preop assessments if the provider is in-network. Getting a sleep study, labs, psychotherapy, dietitian visits, and a medically supervised weight loss program covered, your physician just needs to prove medical necessity for those services. Do you have a Health Saving Account or a Flex Spending Account? If you do, you could use this. I know it wouldn't cover it all but it could soften the blow. Medicaid covers weight loss surgery if the facility has the Bariatric Center of Excellence designation and the recipient has a BMI of 35 or higher with one comorbidity and a previous medical weight loss attempt. Do you or your partner's employer offer benefits to part-timers? If not, you could request to temporally reduce your hours and apply for Medicaid the day after your coverage expires. Medicaid coverage begins the day you apply. Income limits depend on if you are single or married. You'd need to determine yours and reduce your income enough to meet eligibility. Lastly, you could check your state's marketplace for a private insurer or pull from your 401(k). I know it's not ideal, and you could take a financial hit, but it could be an option. I hope this helps. I know this situation is disappointing. Please don't give up, you can make this happen. 😊

I am sorry this is going on with you. I don't know much about your state's health insurance but I know a person here in NJ that did not have coverage for anything bariatric and decided to go to college (he took one class) in order to buy health insurance through the college - the health insurance from the college offered bariatric coverage. Apparently a lot of people do this in order to get some covered items like fertility treatments, weight loss surgery or even eye corrective surgery. Might be something to look into.

For anyone who hates when someone is feeling down on themselves, then leave this post now lol. I don't have anyone who I can discuss this with in my everyday life, so I'm talking about it here. But I'm just feeling so defeated. I went ahead and made an appointment with my original surgeon to talk to him about revision from band to sleeve. My band has some sort of leak or disconnection in it and will no longer hold fluid. It's useless. Now, him doing the surgery is not the problem, I'm sure he'll do it. The problem is money. I work for the state of SC but they don't cover anything bariatric (BCBS Peba). I've applied to 4 or 5 different loan companies to see what rates they'd give me for loans and the first two said they'd give me a loan, but they won't give me the amount I need to cover the procedure. Then Care Credit and Prosper gave me a flat-out "no". I'm now in the headspace where I feel like calling up my doctor's office and saying forget it and I shouldn't even bother taking the trip to see him if I can't even finance the surgery. This just sucks. I feel like I've hit a wall and it's so disheartening because up until now I have been feeling so positive about taking the steps to get revised and now it seems like even though I want this so badly that it's not going to happen. If anyone else has had issues with finding financing but found a solution, please let me know.

I had the sleeve and very little pain so far as well and I am 4 days post op. I mean I felt it getting up and lying down but other than that I was just weak and I skipped the morphine and had just Tylenol. Now that I am home I have had to remind myself not to overdo it so yes this does happen but based on reactions from the doctors and nurses it is anything but the norm so I wouldn’t expect it. I am not hungry either. I have to force myself to eat and to drink and I have been keeping a log the last two days to measure fluids and protein and set alarm to check progress a few times a day cause it is easy to forget. I have been drinking the clear protein juice because it’s fluid and protein and not quite as sweet as the shake which I normally don’t mind but it bothers me when it takes several hours to drink it. My doctor who is head of the bariatric program at my local hospital says the typical patient has the decreased grehlin for a year or two but for some it lasts longer. This matters because we can’t rely entirely on eating smaller portions. We must change WHAT we eat or we will gain it back when the hunger hormones come back.

Can anyone recommend a protein water? Looking on Amazon, I feel 90 calories is a little stiff for water (premier protein). Gatorade Zero has a 50 calorie option but I'm not a huge Gatorade fan. Looked at Nectar in the Bariatric Pal Store but it's pricey and I'm not sure about the taste. Would love to know if anyone has a favorite. Sent from my SM-N981U using BariatricPal mobile app

SORRY....BUT For me I have had ZERO HUNGER...NONE! I am not sure how long this will lst if it is a few weeks, months or years. My surgeon who has been doing Bariatric surgery for over 30 years told me I may not experience any hunger for up to 4 years. I trust him.I also had zero pain and had a lap band removed the same day, thats just me but I can't be alone. He has much more experience with this than anyone on here other than some bariatric doctors. I am going to stick with what he told me for now until something changes. I hd Sleeve surgery not bypass. Thanks

I decided to try/buy the turkey chili from the bariatric store. It tastes pretty good, and has a great texture. I thought everything was good until the massive cramps, and pooping started. OMG!! I was doubled over in pain for over an hour today. It was awful! I still don't feel well, and wasn't able to each much of my dinner. I will never buy that again! Another waste of $$.

I'm kinda with Greater Fool on this, in that almost anything will work at this point, and even for the next few months. 20-30 years ago, it was not uncommon for bariatric programs to tell their patients to "just eat like you always have, just less..." and they lost weight just fine eating the same way that got them fat in the first place. At least they did for the first few months to year and then they started gaining again because they never learned how to eat sustainably. It is not unusual to see people come into these forums after having failed at (insert favorite fad diet here - Keto, Paleo, IF, Atkins, Zone...) and they continue eating that way and gee, all of a sudden that's the only diet that will work with your WLS. I did much the same thing, too, adopting a basically balanced nutrition oriented diet that I could do forever - worked on evolving that for several years before surgery, then tailored that for the lower post op intake and continued with that as the intake naturally increased over time; still doing that ten years later. IF works like most of those diets - by forcing a reduction in caloric intake. Some cut out fats, some carbohydrates, IF cuts out time, but they all are a mechanism for reducing caloric intake, which you really don't need at this point as you can't eat much to begin with. As noted, stalls will come and go, and there are as many personal experiences and hypotheses as to how to "break a stall" as there are people. I really have no input on how to break a stall as I never really had much of one, even at the dreaded three week point. Chalk it up to better diet, stronger underlying metabolism, not worrying about them - who knows. As to your experience, consider that you have a data set of one - and it's real hard to establish a trend with a single data point. Just go with the flow! Good luck

Hello All, I am in Maine and I am surprised to be having my consult with the bariatric surgeon on Monday March 15. A couple questions; Is there anyone else here that has had the surgery in Maine? Which will help with the following question... how soon can you expect surgery after your initial consult? I am a little excited and nervous at the same time. I put off exploring bariatric surgery for years and finally decided enough was enough... any feedback you can provide will be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance!

Hi! I am in your same boat. My original bypass was 11 years ago, and I am having a revision on Tuesday. It is a much more risky surgery because less is known about modifying a previous bypass. My doc is making a smaller stomach pouch and POSSIBLY distallizing (moving the anastamosis between stomach and intestine) further down the line. He tells me that after this process I will likely lose 10-20% of the excess weight. We shall see! Surgery 11am Tuesday. I should add that I see a bariatric team and they are very particular about candidates for revision; I'm not sure I would trust a surgeon who is not specifically doing WLS to make a revision recommendation. The science/data is just not out there yet. So! Good luck! See a doc who knows what they're doing! Let me know if you have questions - I'm happy to update along the way.

That is fantastic!!! I hope I lose 7 pounds. Like you I’m starting at a “lower” weight. It’s day 4 of 14 days and I’m down to 200 pounds. I was 226 pounds in December when I started my bariatric journey. Keep up the good work! When is your surgery? Mine is March 22. Wondering what my final post op weight will be. Great job!

most of us aren't. I think a lot of people's perceptions are based on "My 600 lb Life", but the people on that show are not "average" WLS patients. Most bariatric surgeons wouldn't operate on anyone that large, so they go to specialists in high-risk bariatric surgery, like Dr. Now. I worked with the pre-op classes at my clinic for about three years (before COVID, that is). I would say the majority of patients are about your size. 40-ish BMI. And then there are usually a handful who appear to be in the 300-400 range. And once in a while someone who looks to be over 400 (although of course I'm just guessing...). But I would say the majority (of women, at least) are somewhere in the 200s. I've never seen anyone anywhere near the size of the people on "My 600 lb Life". But I think that's what people think when they think "bariatric patients". I know I did... Yet I was the biggest person in my co-hort when I went through. I was very surprised. you won't die. Mortality rate is about 0.3% - which means 99.7% of people sail through just fine. My surgeon has been at it for over 20 years and hasn't lost a patient yet! Also, most of us have little to no pain with these surgeries. And they'll always send you home with pain meds, so if you are one of the unfortunate ones who DOES have pain, you'll be able to manage it.

Just had my Bariatric sleeve Done March 2

@DoodlesMom I think I waited 1 and a half to 2 months for my initial consult with the surgeon. However, he is the only surgeon who does bariatric surgeries where I am going, so I assumed he had a lot of other patients and appointments, so I was okay with the wait.

I'm 14 days post-op and I feel this so hard! Every program is different, but mine does not allow cream of wheat during the full liquid stage (which is 4 weeks for me) the options are protein shakes, broths/liquid only soups, and greek yogurt. Things that have given me the feeling of a little variety include: adding PB2 protein powder and sugar-free caramel syrup to greek yogurt. It tastes like peanut butter toffee yogurt and is a favorite. Bariatric soup mixes, especially the cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and cream of tomato. mixing Pero (fake coffee) in with a packet of protein hot chocolate.

Many companies offer free samples. You can definitely get them from Bariatric Advantage and Pro Care Health. Celebrate Vitamins has a $10 sample pack with a $10 coupon towards a purchase. I decided on Pro Care calcium chews (less variety than Bariatric Advantage but prefer the taste. I wasn’t a fan of the berry vitamin. Called back and requested a sample of the citrus which I ordered for when I can take my iron vitamin. Unjury has a small multi but I preferred Pro Care’s taste. Those were the brands recommended by my Bariatric dietician. Not all Bariatric vitamins have the same nutritional value. Good luck!

I finished all BCBS insurance preauthorization for the bariatric program on 2/25/2021. When I called the next day to schedule my initial consult, the soonest available was May 20th, 2021. It feels like an agonizingly long wait. I'm wondering how long everyone had to wait for their initial consult?

I'm not a doctor or pharmacist, but generally, the sleeve doesn't promote any particular issues with medications. The malabsorbing procedures like the RNY or DS can have issues with extended release meds depending upon the XL mechanism used, and the RNY can have issues with some meds known to promote stomach upset. Check with your bariatric surgeon or a pharmacist to make sure. el

Hi all - I'm currently working my way through the insurance waiting period to get the Gastric Sleeve. How often does everyone follow up with their bariatric facility on this process? I want to ensure things keep moving along as I have been working this process for nearly a year across two different facilities. I followed up with them last week and they stated they were waiting for one last piece of paperwork to be processed and would likely be submitting the next day and that they would let me know once they had submitted. My current plan is to follow up once a week, but, I also don't want to become that annoying patient everyone hates to see an email from. I had been previously approved by my insurance with the original facility I was working with, however, decided to change to a new facility due to some ongoing communication issues that left me feeling uncomfortable about the original place. I'm sure the fact that I had been previously approved is making me a bit more anxious about getting this done again, so, I'm trying to keep that in mind as well. It's such a long process and is definitely hard to stay focused on the bigger picture at times.

So I am 52 years old and wanted to see if other are experiencing the same issues I am. In all I am doing great but I had COVID just prior to surgery and was cleared 2 weeks prior. I weighed 305 Lbs when I started this journey and 28 days later I have lost 59 Lbs I believe as of today (03/08/21). My Doctor says that I am in the upper 1% of weight loss for his practice which makes my wife proud. After surgery I found that the rumored stuff was true. I lost my hunger sensation. I had no urge to eat AT ALL. I was weak and only wanted to sleep. I needed Meds for pain but it was not overboard. In about a week I was fully up and a little slow. My loving wife who does not have weight issue shouldered my recovery almost like to was new puppy. She is a task master and gives no quarter. 28 days later I am fully mobile and wanting to get on with life but my Doctor and the Bariatric Center he works in is very diligent on a day by day strategy of how to succeed. My wife reads this binder they gave us as a field guide to survival. You will notice that a lot of Military references in this and that is due to being a 26 Year Army (USA) Retired Officer. I got out when my thyroid started acting up and my weight got out of control. I am proud of my career but could not face Soldiers when I was not fit to fight. It kills me that I am not that man anymore. As I said my wife is a Task Master and I need that. I am at this point only allowed to have 2 Ounces of food a meal (x3) and 8 ounces of protein shake a day. I constantly drink water or non-suger or non-carbonated drinks like Propel. All seems well but I have noticed that life seems a little "Blah". I work from home and work in the yard for short periods but generally life seems bland. I do tire quickly and that is slowly improving. I know this is due to low Calories, the surgery recovery and minimal diet but ..... I also have the added issue of COVID Recovery. I have little taste and little smell left. I can smell and taste some things but generally I do not smell food like everyone else. I think this has helped a little with the need for food. I have begun to go on walks with my wife and about a full block is all I can handle. This kills me since in my 30's I was a Olympic level athlete and was the one leading the pace but now.... I hope to get back to something like that again but it's hard to see since I have so far to go. On the Bright side my wife and family have said they seem to have cut the Grumpy out of me. I do seem to be very ungrumpy lately. It may be the weight loss and actual progress or it may have been the fact that I was prediabetic and hunger made me HANGRY. At first I did not see the gains I am making but I have slowly begun to see them. My cloths are almost falling off and many people have said I look very different but others have said I look sick since the first place I lost weight was in my face. I am also a little pail due to being in side for month. The biggest event was when I put a coat on that I had to squeeze into prior to surgery and it actually fit with room to spare. I think I have lost about 6 inches off my belly. In another post after this I will describe my pre-surgery issues and how I felt and my mental state. It was not good. I will keep this Thread going for a while in the hopes that other will see it and let me know what to expect and if I am not alone on this issue. I am prideful and push myself to get better and hate to feel week. May be I will post my presurgery pics some day but for now that make me cringe.

For me, I just stumbled upon your post the same day I made my profile. I have been a long-time member of another bariatric site that the membership really decreased. With some increased downtime while working with my endocrinologist I really wanted to find a supportive and active community that understands the struggles of WLS and the positives of it. I was hoping to find support or perhaps some other tips for my hypoglycemia as well. Your post and story touched my heart and I hope you will be able to find your answers to get back to living your best life with your little ones! You are in my prayers!