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Good morning everyone, My name is Robin Bartlett. I had gastric bypass surgery in 2002. Currently, I am completing my graduate degree in counseling psychology and am doing a study of the lived experiences of women who have undergone bariatric surgery. If you’re interested in participating, please send me a private message so I can give you more details about the study and the interview. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Welcome...this a a fantastic forum for awesome information and advice. read away and you'll loose yourself for hours at a time absorbing al the great information you get here. Pre-Op diet, I was on Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacement shakes

Imagine this. You and your doctor agree that you need to lose weight. You tell your doctor you’ve been thinking about weight loss surgery. Your doctor lets you know his or her thoughts about WLS, and they’re very negative. You may not need to imagine it because it may have happened – or be happening – to you. What should your next step be when your own doctor is not supportive of WLS? Doctor’s Orders: Lose the Weight Almost all Weight Loss Surgery patients and nearly everyone who’s considering getting WLS had a similar experience to the following. You go for a routine visit to your primary care physician, endocrinologist, or regular doctor, and you get the news you’ve come to expect: you’ve gained a little weight since the last appointment and you’re developing obesity-related problems. Bottom line, your doctor says, is that you need to lose weight. It’s no secret that you need to lose weight. You’ve probably tried a thousand different diets. They may have worked, but only for a time. Then any weight that left came right back, with a few extra pounds. You recently started thinking about weight loss surgery, and you bring up that idea to your doctor. “Weight Loss Surgery Is the Wrong Choice” Some doctors are against weight loss surgery. They have the same reasons as anyone else who may be against weight loss surgery. They say it’s the easy way out, or you can lose weight on your own, or you might have complications. It’s great for them to express their concerns to you since that’s their job. But it’s not okay to deny you the opportunity to lose weight just because they don’t like the idea of WLS and may not have ever done any research into it. The Ideal Doctors are supposed to be compassionate, understanding, and competent. If that sounds like a tall order, it is. But it’s not unrealistic. You need to feel comfortable discussing your health and health decisions with your doctor without your doctor making you feel like a failure for not losing weight already and for considering Weight Loss Surgery. You Come First Your doctor should put you first. Putting you first means taking into consideration your future health, your dieting and weight history, and your own beliefs about whether weight loss surgery is right for you. Your doctor should put you ahead of any personal beliefs or biases about weight loss surgery, or lack of knowledge about it. Seeking a “Second Opinion” You’re always entitled to a second opinion when it comes to your health and healthcare decisions. You may not need an official “second opinion” on whether you should get WLS if you’ve already decided you’re going for it. What you do need is an opinion from a doctor who will support you. You can consider switching your primary care doctor if it’s important to you that your PCP be supportive of your WLS journey and during it. You may even want to find a doctor with some understanding of WLS and how to help you prepare for and recover from it. That’s not always possible, for insurance and logistical reasons. It may not be desirable if you like your PCP otherwise and don’t want to jump ship. A Supportive Bariatric Surgeon Whether or not your family doctor approves of Weight Loss Surgery, your surgeon absolutely needs to be on your side. While you can expect bariatric surgeons to be supportive of you getting WLS, that’s not the only thing to consider. Consider whether the surgeon makes you feel confident you’ll get the support you need and that you will succeed. Whether because of their poor bedside manners or lack of attention to detail, some surgeons will keep you in doubt about your decision. Those are not the right surgeons for you! You may need to have initial consults with one, two, three, or even more surgeons before settling on the one that’s going to boost you up. A Personal Decision Ultimately, weight loss surgery is your decision. You can decide to get it, or not to get it. It should be a decision based on what you think will help you lose weight, how much risk you’re willing to take by going “under the knife” (although it’s laparoscopic these days!), and how you think it stacks up against your other options. It should NOT be a decision based on what your doctor thinks or how uncomfortable you feel talking to your doctor or surgeon about it. It’s up to you.

I'm so grateful for my GP. It was her idea to refer me to our bariatric clinic a couple of years ago. I saw her a week after surgery for a check up and drop some meds. She was so happy for me she was Teary eyed. Said that this would change things for me health wise so dramatically. And it has already. No more high BP pills, no more migraines and my resting heart rate is 30 beats slower per minute.! I'll be forever grateful to her for encouraging me to go this route. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Wanted to create a dedicated thread as I don't see a lot of posts about Maimonides in NY. I have my first consultation with the bariatric physician's assistant and a nutritionist as well as a virtual consult with the surgeons on July 12th. They sent me a welcome packet that stated which steps their clinic requires for surgery. The steps are to schedule a 2-in-1 appointment with the PA and nutritionist, An endoscopy, blood work, and a psych consult and they do provide someone if you don't have your own. and cardiology/pulmonary evaluations which are an EKG and sleep study. I have pre-scheduled everything but the psych eval. Prior to the surgery, they also request that you get clearance from your PCP, so I would make that appointment as well. I will update this thread as I go through the process for others to reference. Metroplus basically told me they don't have requirements as long as your BMI is over 40 or 35 with sleep apnea, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Hi big shell, Welcome to this site. My first suggestion would be to visit a bariatric surgeon and discuss your choices with him/her. Your surgeon will let you know which route they feel will work best for you but the decision is yours. They will also talk to you about which option will be best if your are hoping for a pregnancy. With the band I know they ask you to wait about 12-18 months, when you become pregnant they open the band up fully, you eat normally but healthy!! then after the baby is born, when you are healed and ready, they will start again slowly with fills to get you back on track. I had 100lbs to lose and after visiting a few seminars in my area I chose my surgeon. During my initial consultation we discussed the options. I decided on the lap band because I was afraid of the permanent alteration to my body. I have had good success so far, a friend of mine went the gastric bypass route and while her weight has come off faster, my food tolerence and side effects have been better. Either way is a big step, but it's the first step in changing your life dramatically for the better!! I always remeber my band is only a tool in helping me lose weight, it's not a magic bullet. I get out of it what I put into it. By thinking this way I am never disapointed and don't get discouraged. My surgery was easy, recovery was fast and I was back to a normal life in a shorter time then if I had bypass. Every one is different and healing, pain etc will vary but I have been happy with my lap band choice. good luck and let me know how you are doing. G'Ma

@@mid I use the Bariatric advantage strawberry kind and it is like a starburst !! I couldn't take the pill I was getting really sick off of it. My doc told me to order online and I'm glad I did ! They taste great.

Sweets and high fat don't make every person sick after the surgery, and most of the time it is a short term effect for those that do get sick from them. I couldn't touch high sugar for about 6 months, but guess what? That effect wore off and I could eat anything now with no serious repercussions other than gaining weight. I know that, so I don't eat crap foods all the time. I do eat stuff like a cupcake or a cookie for special occasions, but I plan out my day so I know I have room in my calorie count and I eat healthy 90% of the time, so eating something "bad" occasionally doesn't derail my whole life. Relearning how to eat healthy during the honeymoon period is what the surgery is really all about. You have to throw out everything you used to do and establish good eating habits while the restriction takes care of the portion control. That is what everyone is supposed to learn how to do during the honeymoon phase after surgery. It is really sad that the doctors don't explain this part better to every single patient before they have the surgery. If you don't do this, then the weight loss will happen in the beginning just because you're not able to eat as much, but likely will slow down sooner, and also regain is very likely once your metabolism adjusts in a year or two and all you still eat is crummy foods. Anyway. You definitely need to try doing the 5 day reset. It will help remind you how your stomach feels and feel the restriction again, and should help you detox from the sweets/crap food cravings - eating high carb usually makes you crave more carbs - it is a vicious cycle. You made some mistakes, but the sleeve is still there, ready for you once you're ready to recommit to eating correctly. You lost the best time to make fast and easy changes, but if you put in the work, you can still make it happen. But you have to be willing to do the work. Start tracking every bite of food and sip of drink. Get your Protein and Water goals figured out, keep your carbs low (under 100 definitely but if you can push it down to 50 grams/day that would be even better), and get your calories for the day down to around a 500 calorie less than you burn in a day. Throw out all the junk food in your house. Tell friends and family to not tempt you with foods like that and don't go places where you'll feel weak until you get control of yourself. Think of it like being an alcoholic or trying to quit smoking. You don't go places where you'll feel tempted and you ask friends/family to be supportive of your struggle and not offer you things you shouldn't be having, and do your best to remove the temptations from your path. Exercise - find something you enjoy doing and then do it a minimum of 5 days a week. Even if it's just walking a 2 miles around your neighborhood after dinner, it's something if you're currently doing nothing. What seems to work best food wise is whole foods, that you cook yourself. If it comes in a box or frozen package, it probably isn't a very good choice. Learn to read labels REALLY well, and figure out things like net carbs, sodium levels, etc., and check out both here and bariatric recipe sites like http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ Proteins should be the main part of each meal and every snack: things like fish, chicken, lean cuts of beef, cheese, yogurt, even Beans and lentils. Healthy vegetables - leafy greens, red peppers, squash, zucchini, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower... watch the ones that are high carb like corn and green peas as even healthy veggies can have high carbs sometimes and you need to be aware when you eat them. Should also be including healthy fats like coconut or olive oils and things like nuts or avocados have fat too, but it's a good fat (just watch the amounts and calories). Watch things like lunchmeat that are usually high sodium (again, read labels!) and be aware of times of day that you might be weak and have healthy Snacks on hand to prevent the quick stop at the drive thru or dropping by the office vending machine. MEASURE everything. You can't rely on eyeballing food amounts. Get a digital scale, and weigh your food so you get accurate calorie counts. It is way too easy to guess and over-estimate your food portions. And you might need to see a counselor that deals with eating disorders if you can't get control of your eating and get your head in the right space to succeed at this. Please don't take this as being mean, but worrying over what others did and comparing your lack of success while eating bad foods isn't helpful or realistic. But here's the thing. You aren't a failure unless you give up completely. Don't give up, and you will succeed.

Brenda, I send you a private message before I saw this thread. I actually had surgery at Brandon Regional, but wish I had gone to Tampa General. My wife had her surgery done by Doctor Murr at Tampa General, and I was there for most of her care. Tampa has an entire unit for bariatric patients, meaning all the nursing staff, and techs, and everyone, will know the best way to react to anything you have. Going through the process is much easier at Tampa General, and you get a much clearer picture of everything that is going to happen, and exactly what you are paying for there. Had I not worked for Brandon Regional, and had I not cared about the drive to Tampa General, I would have had my surgery there. They will treat you extremely well.

I think that is the pill that I'm on, but I only have to take two per day. They are kind of big, but fortunately I don't have issues taking pills. I think if you contact bariatric advantage they will send you a sample. I take two of those and two calcium chews every day.

Hi Folks, I did not find a topic of patients travelling within the EU and Turkey for BARIATRIC surgery. Your personal experiences in this forum can be very useful to people of our fraternity. Cost wise, Turkey bypass cost is just over £3k and Riga or Lithuania is about 30%+. The UK costs are a minimum of £11k. This makes medical travel very cost effective. I was advised in the Emirates that Turkish hospitals are very good. Can we generalize though? I do understand that one cannot be overtly critical. The goal being - minimizing risk. I have come a cross various clinics with reviews that are questionable. I cannot obviously trust all service providers with myself. I look forward to all replies and thank you all in anticipation. I wish all those having surgery ,wherever you may be , the very best of luck with your new body. Sent from my Z1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m in my third month post op and my hair just started falling out like crazy too I take my vitamins religiously too , bought from bariatric site.. I need to add protein... ugh.

I absolutely understand! I had to do the same - 2 weeks of liquids pre-op, then 2 weeks of liquid post-op. I was so sick of protein shakes! Have you tried thinning out some yogurt? Soups? I finally got some clear protein drinks (lemonade and kiwi & berry from the Bariatric Pal store) and they were a nice break from the sweet protein shakes. I'd also mix a little sugar-free Hershey's syrup with my fair life milk to make high-protein chocolate milk. Hang in there! You'll make it! Make sure you're staying hydrated. That will keep you full longer. On my 3rd week post-op, I was able to have pureed foods and could definitely tell a difference in my energy level (a lot more energy!). Refried beans and little cheese were my go-to food as well as unflavored protein powder mixed with mashed potatoes thinned out with Fairlife milk, with a little cheese. Those were really good and filling. Today (week 5), I begin soft foods. I had some sliced turkey breast and avocado for lunch and my pouch has been ok with it so far. Stick with it! You'll get there and it will be worth it!! HW 280 CW 254 SW 274 DOS 8/24/17

Your system needs water to keep things "moving" correctly. And Berry78 is right - it doesn't always have to be plain water. Try flavored water, tea, coffee, things like that. Dehydration causes lots of other problems in bariatric patients like us, so drink up!

I just downloaded Lose it, having a hard time navigating, I see a forum with a lot of topics. Do you know if there is one for Bariatric Surgery? Would like to customize some things.....Thanks in advance!

My family were totally against my having the vsg. Their fears were that I was not well enough (I have fibromyalgia) to survive the surgery itself and that I might have post op complications. They also felt that I could actually lose weight without bariatric surgery. Unfortunately, I did have post op complications that required re admission to hospital, then contracted clostridium difficile. It was very serious and obviously all of their fears were justified. But four months later, the drama is history. They do learn to live with your decision and they still love you. I did try and explain my reasons for going ahead with the surgery during the three years or so that I was in the pre op bariatric program, but they all really were just dead set against it. They felt that I was risking my life having elective surgery. Now that they can see that I will live and now that they see that I can sit with the family during meals and eat some food (I mostly just fake eating), things have calmed down. Even if they stay against the idea, I definitely think you should always inform your family that you are having surgery. It is upsetting, I know. I had no idea how frightened they actually were that I might not wake up from the actual surgery, until the day after. I feel that I didn't understand their specific concerns. Maybe I wasn't listening well enough. Regardless, my relationships were not permanently damaged because I went ahead with the vsg. As long as you feel comfortable with your decision and have done your best to inform them, you will be okay. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

That's what I've noticed with a lot of the bariatric patients that I follow on social media. Keto/ low carb and some version of plant based diets seem to be popular. I've recently stopped eating most meats ( except fish) and my body seems to prefer this. Congrats on your weight loss and new life!

I have bariatric fusion. they have everything in them. they are chewable. makes it easier.

Why Does It Matter? Support during your Weight Loss Surgery journey can help you succeed. It is motivating to know that the people who love you are on your side. Through the long days of diet restrictions and dramatic lifestyle changes, your journey will be easier if your family members and friends pitch in however they can, whether with verbal encouragement or concrete changes such as avoiding eating off-limits foods in front of you. Still, it is important to remember that you CAN succeed, whether or not you get the support you hope for. Get to the Heart of the Matter First, make sure you know why they are against your weight loss surgery. It is often because they are afraid for your safety. They may know people – or know people who know people who know people – who had complications from Weight Loss Surgery. You can talk to them about the real risks of surgery – using statistics rather than hearsay – compared to the risks of remaining overweight. Still, do not assume that your safety is why they are negative about your decision. It is important to let them express their concerns and to address them directly. These are some other common reasons why your family and friends might have a negative gut reaction to your exciting news. They may be worried that you won’t be able to stick to the Weight Loss Surgery diet, and that you’ll be disappointed with the results. They may think you don’t need it. A lot of family members have trouble seeing how overweight you are, and understanding how much it interferes with your life and health. They may feel insulted. Parents especially may feel as though they have failed if they see you, their child, opt for surgery. They may feel threatened. Your significant other, for example, may be comfortable in the relationship you have had for years, and may worry that the way you feel about him/her will change as you lose weight. They may not know what it means for them. Friends may worry that you won’t want to hang out with them anymore, especially if your time together tends to revolve around food or if they think of you as their dependable “fat friend.” Whatever the true concern is, address it directly. Reassure your friends and family that you are doing this for you, and that you will not become a different person. Offer Them a Role Some friends and family members may feel overwhelmed by your news of Weight Loss Surgery, and that can lead to their negative response. Surprisingly, offering them ways to be more involved in the experience can actually help change their minds. They may feel better about your WLS once you tell them the details about the prep, procedure, and diet, and may even be grateful if you let them know specifically what they can do to help. Address Meal Times Directly Food is central to relationships at home and in social settings, so it is understandable if your loved ones are worried about how your upcoming Weight Loss Surgery will affect the time you spend together. If you think this may be a concern, discuss meals at home and in restaurants with your friends and family. Let them know that you will still be present at the table and interested in being good company, even if you are not eating as much as them or ordering the exact foods that they are. If you are comfortable with the situation, they are more likely to be. Agree to Disagree In most cases, family members mean well. It may be hard to remember or see in the heat of the moment, but they often do genuinely want the very best for you. If you have already tried your hardest to convince them to support your Weight Loss Surgery decision and they are not ready to do so, your next hope is to keep them as an ally in other aspects of your life. Hopefully, you and they can agree to disagree about your Weight Loss Surgery. You can let them know that you respect their opinion and will not be pressuring them to support your WLS. In exchange, you can ask them to continue to be your friend regardless of whether you are a bariatric surgery patient. Be Patient Sometimes, it just takes time. Your own Weight Loss Surgery success may be the best argument for why your loved ones should support you. It may take weeks, months, or a year, but they may come around as they see how happy you are, and as they realize how much they miss you. Bariatric surgery is a lot easier when everyone you love supports your decision, but that’s not always the case. Don’t let resistance from family members and friends get you down, though. They’re probably trying to act in your best interest, and in most cases, you can still get Weight Loss Surgery while keeping strong relationships with them.

What risk to health concerns you, with increased Protein intake? A body with healthy kidneys is able to deal with any potential protein overload. ETA: Bone loss is generally not an issue unless protein is eaten to the exclusion of other necessary macronutrients. But eating a high protein diet that includes vegetables and/or fruits--which tend to buffer the acidity of the urine produced by a high-protein diet--prevents the "withdrawals" from the body's calcium stores and bone loss.) But the point is, really, that for many of us, there IS no overload. Getting 80 g of protein permits maintenance of muscle mass while losing weight (when combined with exercise), helps with healing from surgery, and may help prevent the hair loss that plagues so many bariatric patients. My doctor monitors kidney function routinely, so I'm not concerned about potential health risks from protein. But then, while I do think it's tremendously important, I don't think that achieving a set number of grams is the most important thing on the planet. I aim for it, but if I don't get it, I'm comfortable that most days, I do.

With one third of the adult American population being obese, it is no surprise that there are florence, Italy, Austrian researcher Philipp Hohensinner and his collaborators discussed the role of bariatric surgery in improving and possibly reversing the premature aging phenotype of previously morbidly obese patients. http://acsh.org/news/2016/07/28/bariatric-surgery-may-reverse-obesity-associated-premature-aging/

Shianne Burns Gastric Bypass @ Boston Medical Center Referral date: 12/06/17 Bariatric program start date: 1/22/18 Program finish date: 5/30/18 Approval date: 6/12/18 Surgery date: 8/8/18

Surgery was done by Dr. Mario Almanza (http://hospitaljerusalem.com.mx/bariatric-sleeve-gastrectomy.php).

Did anyone drink the Special K protein shake for pre op diet...I am drinking bariatric advantage and can only drink 4oz a day its that nasty....anyone have any other suggestions?

The bariatric buddies cookbook has purée recipes. To find the link, type "Recipe Frenzy" in the search bar. The original post is a collection of online bariatric cookbooks.