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I started the Bariatric Advantage Multivitamin Chewy - I feel nauseous right after taking one.... anyone else the same? Do you get use to it? Or is it better to switch vitamins?

Thank you so much Christina! That was very encouraging and gives me confirmation I’m stepping in the right direction. Same here, my PCP is great, but she herself has said she struggles with weight and tries every on/off label medication out there for weight loss. So a nutritionist definitely makes me feel more comfortable. My nutritionist will also be bariatric oriented. I’m so happy to hear your success! Thanks again for your support 😊

Hey everyone! Got a new job and found that we have bariatric surgery coverage. I asked my PCP to send a referral to the bariatric clinic in my area. That was done the week of Thanksgiving 2020. Got a call from the clinic and met the surgeon December 17th. Only have three month supervised diet and have to lose one pound a month! Working through all my pre op requirements. Had my psychiatrist evaluation Thursday. She asked when was my quit smoking start date because my window of time is closing! I am freaked out! Most people I know have had 6 to 12 months before surgery date. This creeped up so fast! Only test left is the endoscopy scheduled for April 20th. After that blood work as well as nicotine compliance test. So TODAY is my quit day! I can do this! Waited twenty years for this opportunity!

I hope this information is helpful for WLS patients who need to have a colonoscopy. I have one scheduled for Wednesday. After telling my gastroenterologist that I had WLS and have significant nausea problems, he prescribed Suprep for my colon prep. With Suprep, you have to drink 4L of water, preferably in one hour. I know I won't be able to do this, so I searched online and found medical articles that said bariatric patients can take longer to drink the 4L since their stomachs are so small. https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/which-bowel-preparation-should-be-used-for-colonoscopy-in-patients-who-have-had-bariatric-surgery/ . But the article stated that the authors prescribed a 2L alternative, Moviprep, for bariatric patients because it is much more easily tolerated. What upsets me is that I didn't find out about this until after I had purchased the Suprep. To even make matters worse, I found an article from the American Journal of Gastroenterology showing that of the three most common preps -- Miralax, Moviprep, and Suprep, "Miralax was successful in 87%, compared to 74% for Moviprep and 69% for Suprep" in adenoma detection rates. https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2013/10001/comparing_miralax__versus_moviprep_versus_suprep.548.aspx So I am really frustrated and upset right now. Not only will I have to drink double the fluid amount that I could have, had my gastroenterologist prescribed with consideration to my WLS, but I have to take the prep that has the lowest rate of adenoma detection.

I've seen a lot of articles and YouTube videos about eating at restaurants after weight loss surgery. I would suggest googling something like "restaurants after weight loss surgery" for tips. Something to keep in mind, though, is that most of these articles are about going out to eat on rare occasions, not eating all of your meals from restaurants. It's hard to lose weight if you're always eating at restaurants because (1) you don't really know what's in the food, so you can't track your intake accurately, and (2) the food is loaded with extra fat and sugar. In terms of tracking your intake, chain restaurants are probably easier because you can find the nutrition information online, and the food is usually pre-packaged and just heated up at the restaurant, so they're probably not adding a bunch of extra butter or anything. You can also find a lot of articles about the healthiest foods at various chain restaurants. Salads with grilled meat are usually a safe bet, but you have to watch the dressing. Always get dressing on the side, and maybe use your own light dressing instead. Trader Joe's has some amazing super-low-calorie dressings (green goddess and spicy cashew). A sandwich without the bun is another option (some places will even make you a lettuce wrap instead of a sandwich). A lot of restaurants have dishes that are basically meat plus sides, and you can order veggies as the sides. Just watch out for the sauces (ask for sauces on the side to be safe). Regarding portion size, why can't you take a measuring cup with you to a restaurant? It doesn't necessarily have to be a measuring cup, but you can carry a 4-ounce plastic container with a lid in your purse and use it to measure half a cup. Of course, once you get some practice, you will probably be able to eyeball the correct portion size pretty well. A lot of people recommend asking for a box when you get your meal and putting some of the food in the box to bring home so you don't over-eat (I've seen this recommended just for general dieting purposes, not just for WLS patients). You could measure out a potion to leave on your plate and put the rest in the box. Yeah, it might look weird, but I guarantee you won't be the first person who does that. Finally, when you say you don't cook, are you open to heating up prepared foods? Like frozen meals? Unfortunately, most frozen meals aren't very bariatric-friendly because they usually have rice and pasta, but there are some decent ones with cauliflower rice or just meat and veggies, or they have the rice in a separate compartment so you can leave it out. How about semi-homemade? It's not difficult to heat up some frozen veggies and pre-packaged meat. One of my go-to meals consists of frozen cauliflower rice + canned black beans + salsa from a jar + chicken + shredded cheese (I usually make my own taco meat chicken in the Instant Pot, but frozen grilled chicken works, too). It only takes a couple of minutes to throw all that stuff in a bowl and stick it in the microwave. Another easy option is bagged salad mix + meat + light dressing from a bottle. I'm 7 months post-op and I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten restaurant food since my surgery. I've found that I don't really enjoy it anymore because I can't eat the foods that I used to order at restaurants, I can only eat tiny portions, and it seems like a waste to spend so much money on a restaurant meal when it's pretty much the same as what I would make for myself at home.

Awesome Job on choosing self-care. I opted for the nutritionist. I’ll tell you why. This is a MAJOR change in your life and it should be a journey of celebration. I love my PCP but that’s what he is- general. My nutritionist has been AMAZING. She is SPECIFICALLY TRAINED IN Bariatric nutrition needs and has worked with 1,000’s of patients with long term success. Bariatric nutritionist can guide you through your specific journey, listen and partner. They can give you resources a PCP can’t and prepare you for surgery and life after surgery. I felt completely prepared. All my anxieties were relieved and I got into HEALTHY Bariatric habits that made the transition easier. I’m 7 weeks post and am so glad I choose a nutritionist who specializes in Bariatric- no mixed messages. Bariatric living has become a habit I don’t even think about. Worth the extra $ - you’ll get what you need - not just push through the insurance checklist. Hope this helps and congrats 🎉 on your journey. You deserve to look and feel good! Best, Christina

For the first 6 months of post op, I was taking Pro Care Health Bariatric Multivitamin without Iron. I pooped on an average of 6+ times a day. I know.....TMI, but this is a real problem. Since I had my 6 month follow up, the docs told me to take the same vitamins, but the one with 45 mg of Iron. I have been on them now for about 2 weeks. Now I am constipated, cramps, really have to push to poop, and it hurts my bum really bad. I am only going every other day now. This is a HUGE change from before, in only a short period of time. I am very worried that this is now the norm for me. I don't know if there is anything I can do about it. I just want a happy medium. Any suggestions would be great.

My insurance required a six month monitored weight loss program. I had to go to both the bariatric surgeon and see a nutritionist in that time. It helped that I also attended a weight loss support group that the nutritionist held... it took three weeks to get approved though so even if they tell you it'll take two weeks be prepared to wait about three just in case they bide their time like my own insurance company did. Congrats on the start of your journey!

Hi everyone! I’m just starting my process and was hoping maybe you all could give me some feed back of your beginning experiences. I’m very fortunate to have an insurance plan provides coverage for bariatric surgery (I am not sure which procedure I will be having yet- appt with surgeon is on 3/25). I just spoke with the coordinator at the surgeons office and she said that I have the option of doing a 12 month nutrition program through my pcp, or I can meet with their nutritionist for 12 visits at $35 each that insurance doesn’t cover. They have it set up that I am doing two nutrition appointments a week, so that meets the insurance requirement around mid May. Did anyone else have that happen? What was it like for you? I look forward to conversing with you all during this process. This is a big step and I have read people’s stories on this site and it is truly inspiring.

I'm 10-days post-op and very happy to say that things have been going well. I've had no trouble getting liquids in and so far (cross fingers) my new little tummy is doing well with almost everything I've given her. I am on full liquids and will be for three more weeks. For my meals so far I've had Fairlife shakes, a couple of the bariatric pal soup mixes, yogurt with peanut butter protein and SF caramel syrup added (it was so good!), and Pero fake coffee with genepro in it. It would be nice to add a little variety over the next three weeks. Does anyone have a favorite full liquids recipe to share? I'll take favorite pureed recipes too since I'll be on that stage for another 3-4 weeks after graduating from full liquids. Thanks in advance!

My Dr requires I use either bariatric fusion or bariatric advantage protein powder for my pre-op diet. I was given samples of all of the flavors of the b.a. except the coffee flavored and the orange cream. I was wondering if anyone has tried the Orange Cream and what they thought of it? So far I'm not a fan of either brand but I'm required to purchase 2 tubs of one brand from the drs. And I really don't want to be stuck with awful flavors.

My Dr requires I use either bariatric fusion or bariatric advantage protein powder for my pre-op diet. I was given samples of all of the flavors of the b.a. except the coffee flavored and the orange cream. I was wondering if anyone has tried the Orange Cream and what they thought of it? So far I'm not a fan of either brand but I'm required to purchase 2 tubs of one brand from the drs. And I really don't want to be stuck with awful flavors.

Mine is 4 protein shakes / day and 4 cups of non starchy veg/day. I have to use either bariatric advantage or fusion shakes. I haven't started yet, but the samples they gave me of the shake flavors are terrible 🤢

I recently bought/tried the Bariatric Pal Peaches & Cream Oatmeal. It is not good at all. Very weird consistency. It also tasted very bland. For the costs of these things, you would think they at least tasted good. Another waste of $$$.

I am on the fence with this topic- Yes, my weight was largely due to my own poor choices, and didn't expect the world to revolve around me. But, a doctor's office that caters to an overweight population should have bigger and heavy-duty chairs. Any bariatric doc should have this as a priority, especially if they care about having to replace broken furniture and, more importantly, subject their patients to the shame and discomfort of wedging into a chair that is too small. One of the things about losing weight is that I don't need the big chairs anymore. My Bariatric surgeon's office has mostly huge chairs, but now that I can, I seek out the small ones in the lobby, as a small victory.

I recently tried the Bariatric Pal's Honey Nut Protein Cereal. I don't think I would waste my $$ on it again. It is expensive. $15 for 7 small envelopes.

Has anyone had bariatric surgery at Walter Reed since COVID started? Looking for recent knowledge of the process. I have my 3-hour starter seminar later this month, but would love to learn more before then!

Just tried the Bariatric Pal Hot Cocoa. It is so good! It tastes just like regular hot cocoa. I was very surprised.

So...lets really think about this. If we can eat soup, broth, jello and protien drinks, why in the hell can't we drink? I have yet to hear anyone (on boards, at my bariatric group, or in bariatric literature and studies) offer a satisfying justification.

Not sure for you ... I have the same & a bad pe ..I could not become therapeutic on warfarin so I’m on Eliquis twice a day for life & my bariatric doctors are aware of this . & I also take atenolol .

Shannon, I'm so sorry to hear that you don't have a support team. Are there Bariatric Support Groups through your hospital? I would look there, you could find others that are in the same position you are in and also people that have had the surgery already. First and foremost though you have to remember that you are doing this for you, to make yourself healthier, and it really doesn't matter what everyone else thinks. None of them have offered to pay for it have they? It's your money spend it how you want! Just kidding. But seriously, it is your life and you have to live it for you and if this is what you want in your heart then follow your heart no one can take that from you. Hang in there you will do great!

Hello, everyone! So, after having little to no restriction for quite some time, I finally found a doctor here in South Carolina who was willing to do fills without charging a huge amount of money and making me jump through hoops like Roper St. Francis hospital systems did. After multiple appointments with this new doctor it became clear that I have some sort of leak or disconnection somewhere in my band. The very first appointment he pulled almost no fluid out, then even after adding fluid in the band for two more appointments in a row after that, the same amount of fluid was not pulling back out and I really didn't feel anything restriction-wise. On our 3rd appointment, after once again only being able to pull a tiny amount of fluid out, the saline had a yellow tint which my doc stated indicated that blood was present and getting into the band. This solidified his suspicions that I had a leak. He felt that was the issue at the previous appointments, but he said seeing that tint was a dead giveaway. This doctor and his staff were so helpful and wonderful, but I feel their total pricing for having a revision is a little steep. Perhaps I am simply ignorant, and I expected it to be expensive, but wow. It's not the pricing of the VSG itself that I'm surprised by, it's the price they're adding on top of that for just taking out the band. They want about $25,000 total to revise me from band to sleeve and it also seems like they want me to do two surgeries rather than one. Financing is available, but I worry about taking out that amount. To break it down, they are charging $15,500 for the VSG (which is fine) but then another $9,000 on top of that just for the removal of the band itself. Just to clarify, the only doctors who ever touched my port and/or band was my doctor in Florida who placed my band back in 2013 and then this new doctor in SC who only did those fills I was speaking of prior. I know that the doctor here in SC who did the fills did not cause the leak with a puncture or anything since there was little to nothing in the band in the first place at the first appointment. I also hadn't seen my original doctor in a few years, and in between him and this doctor here in SC, no one else has messed with my band/port. The last time I saw/had an adjustment with my original doctor, I was good to go and had the right amount of fluid and restriction. It's been the last couple years that my weight has started to creep back up and I began losing restriction. I have no clue why the band began to leak or what caused it. As stated before, no other doctor messed with it, and I've not had any sort of accident that could have caused damage to the line, port, etc. I even had an Upper GI in 2020 when I was trying to go through Roper St. Francis hospital's bariatric department for fills and they told me the band was in it's proper place and there was no indication of a slip. They just said the liquid they had me drink during the imaging was going through fine and there seemed to be no restriction present. The point of my rambling is this...since the issue with my band is not anyone's fault and seems to be some sort of malfunction with the band itself, does anyone know ANY loopholes, per say, in order to avoid paying an arm and a leg for the charge of the removal of the band. Again, I'm not haggling over the price of the VSG, I'm attempting to haggle the price of the removal of the band itself. I know business is business, time is money, revisions take more time and resources, and our medical system here in the US is crazy expensive. But, I personally feel like I should not be financially penalized by way of extra cost for the removal of the band itself. The VSG part of the surgery itself I'm happy to pay for and am not trying to negotiate the price of, it's just disheartening that the band is essentially broken and my options feel like, 1) either keep a useless foreign object inside my body that serves no purpose, or 2) pay an exorbitant amount for it to be revised even though its failure is not my doing. To add to my annoyance over the situation, the band has been intermittently causing me discomfort; particularly at the port area. My surgical doc placed the port in the center of my abdomen right above my navel and as of lately, it'll feel sore and has even felt slightly swollen a couple of times. It almost feels as if the port moved or was pulled from the inside. The discomfort is similar to the discomfort you feel when a surgical incision or a cut is still tender...that's the best way I can describe the pain/discomfort. **In addition. I do have insurance, but it covers nothing bariatric. Any constructive advice is welcomed and I appreciate anyone who took the time to read this long-winded post!

I just called and Ontario still has not opened up Bariatric surgery. The waiting game is killing me.

Developed GERD right after surgery. It was mostly controlled by diet and omeprazole until December 2020 when I began having massive issues. My PCP switched me to pantoprazole/famitodine which helped but as I was still continuing to have issues I was referred to the gastroenterologist. Gastroenterologist decided I needed both a colonscopy and endoscopy. Yesterday was the earliest they could get me in for one. Colonscopy came back with mild diverticulitis and they are recommending I increase my fiber and fluid intake to manage it. Endoscopy came back with a lax LES and a 12 MM antral nodule that has to be biopsied. Hoping the nodule comes back as benign and not cancerous. The lax LES seems to be the reason why I am having so many issues controlling GERD. I have a follow up appointment to discuss with the doctor in a few weeks. Google is telling me linx procedure is the best option but some posts here are saying revision to bypass is better for bariatric patients. Putting my concerns about the antral nodule aside, has anyone had any experience with a lax LES and severe reflux after VSG while at a healthy BMI? I don't want to have a revision and lose a ton more weight. I can lose more as I am in the upper range of a healthy BMI range but I am happy with my current size. Was linx reccomended to you or revision? If you had a revision did you lose a bunch more weight or just a little?

So it seems to be losing weight isn't the same after you've had bypass. Of course not right away! I'm a little more than a year post op and haven't lost weight since I don't even know when. I often think the surgery was a failure as far as weight loss goes, it DID reverse the type 2 diabetes I had! THANK GOD. However, before surgery I could do a caloric deficit and lose weight, count or watch carbs and generally lose weight. I have no clue what to do now. Am I eating too much am I eating too little?? WE DONT KNOW. In general in your opinion what is the ideal amount of calories for weight loss being a bariatric patient?