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Hey there! I was wondering if I could get some feedback from individuals who have combined bariatric surgery with the ketogenic diet, and what your progress has been with it. Specifically wondering if you've seen it maximize your weight loss.

So it took 3-4 months at Blossom Bariatrics? They have not mentioned anything about months of waiting, but I did just complete the 6 months my insurance required before turning around and saying it was not even a covered service. It feels like it has been one road block after the next.

Hi Crigney21! I'm also going through the process with Kaiser in Portland. I am currently on step 4. Once my PCP approved me I received an email from the Bariatric department that said I was approved for the program. So far, through step 3, it seems as though unless there is an issue with my labs, the doctor doesn't feel I'm ready, etc. then I am going to have it. Let me know if you want to chat more! I know I was fishing so hard to find someone else who was going through it at Kaiser in Portland because each Kaiser is so different.

I always feel that I need to start by suggesting that you call your bariatric team and let them guide you. They are familiar with your specific plan as well as you personally. Soooo, the pureed stage can be the most creative level of WLS menus. Anything you can cook in a crock pot and then blend in a blender is a "go". Step out of the box---like chicken cooked in diet root beer in a crock pot sounds whacky, but is really yummy. Pureed foods have to be smooth--not tasteless, so don't forget your seasoning. Cottage cheese just needs to be blended down until smooth. I hope I have helped a wee bit. Be creative and have fun with the pureed stage. Prayers going up for you and your imagination! PS: The soup question? yes, you can. Better yet, make your own bone soup, add some nutritional Protein (for added protein and flavoring) and dig in!

Try The Bariatric Center at Providence in Waco, TX:scared:Dr. Sims and his staff are simply great and very helpful too!:whoo:

I'm an insurance agent so I can only from my experience. When there is an exclusion in a policy such as bariatric surgery, any complications/problems associated with that said excluded service/surgery will be excluded as well. I know some people have had part of their hospital bills covered after a complication, but it all truly depends on how your own personal policy spells out exclusions, and how the hospital codes the bill to the insurance company.

Hi Tiff - bariatric surgery is NOT excluded from our policy, but I do not qualify. My BMI is 36.5 and I have no health issues. I'm not to worried, I'm healthy and I trust my doctor, but you NEVER know, right??!! I am traveling out of state though, so when I'm back home, if something happens, I would have to go to the ER, I wouldn't even have MY doctor near-by. I was just wondering if anybody had any idea!

It sounds like they need another psychologist in the office to make things move along faster. My psych eval was a waste of time, lol. I literally walked in and we talked a little about the surgery and what brought me to bariatric surgery to begin with and when she found out that it was all due to being on steroids for 7 years due to a disease that I have, she's like... yeah you're clear for surgery. It took 4 hours to do a nuclear stress test?? I hope your heart wasn't going bonkers for 4 hours. It was probably wondering why you decided to run the Boston Marathon. 😂

My paperwork should be submitted to BCBS any day now. Waiting on my Bariatric coordinator.

i'll be having my surgery with dr. sherrod from southwest bariatrics. he seems very nice and i've found that he really listens to what you have to say rather than giving you canned answers. i've got a very high bmi so i've had to have quite a few pre-op tests (sleep study, ekg, echochardiogram, exercise, nutrition, and blood work) so i've been just sort of plugging away getting things done. i just finished the last of them on friday, so i'm just waiting for the results to make it to dr. sherrod so i can schedule my very last pre-op appt. with him and schedule this dang thing!

Drinking Complex Carbs when you are on a liver shrinking diet/trying to drink your liver is counter intuitive. It might be fine for a normal surgery but not a bariatric surgery. Plus no nutritional information on their site or on Amazon. No thanks. I won't touch anything that won't tell me what is in it. Found the nutrition information. It is only available on the medical version of the site. 50 carbs, no thanks. I was a diabetic prior to surgery, this would not have been an option for me at all. Not worth having surgery cancelled due to elevated blood sugar and it would make it seem like I wasn't following my pre-op diet as instructed.

All my Vitamins and Protein shakes were delivered to me today. These are the brands that I decided to use. I bought the variety pack of Premier Protein Shakes which include the flavors chocolate. Strawberries and cream, and vanilla I also ordered Premier's Mixed berries smoothies in a 4 pack. The vitamins I decided to use are Bariatric Advantage Multi Ea, and Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate Chewy bites in the caramel flavor which came highly recommended by Kaiser. Also, The Blender Bottle, and Isopure liquid Protein in the flavors Grape Frost, and Fruit Punch which is not pictured. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

I take the Bariatric Advantage Ultra Multi Vitamin with Iron. It's a capsule, so it slides down very easily and there is no taste. Their caramel calcium citrate chewable are delicious. Might be worth a try.

I am 8 days post-op, feeling great!! Two shakes a day and 1/4 cup puréed food twice a day as well. Getting my liquids in. Put an app on my phone called Baratastic. Love it!! Can track everything, food, Water, weight. I am down 14lbs since surgery day (April 20th). Getting out and walking quite a bit. Doc appt not until May 15th, should be able to add more things to diet then. Really craving some sort of carb!!! A wheat thin sounds awesome right now!!! Have had no complications so far, no throwing up, etc, hope it stays that way!! Did not like my Calcium citrate in pill form (so damn big, even the petites) so I ordered the Bariatric Advantage Carmel chewable ones, so far loving them!

Has anyone had insurance deny your consultation appt with a surgeon?? My bmi is about 48 I'm 270 and only 5'1. Comorbidities had high cholesterol and I'm in last stages of finishing my sleep study with a diagnosis of sleep apnea. My insurance will cover any bariatric surgery... I'm calling the insurance rep tomorrow but very bummed ....

You have to be careful with this surgery because not everything involved in the workup is covered by insurance. Many of my blood tests were not covered, despite the fact that the surgery is. It's good to check with the bariatric center and find out every test they expect of you (get the codes for each procedure and test if you can), then run those by your insurance company to find out what is and what isn't paid for by them. Good luck!

Haha - yay! I now have a bariatric sistaaa! I'm no longer nervous about anesthesia. I'm sure I'll start freakin out again in a few minutes. *zennnnn*

Yup, agree with you. Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate are two good companies to start out with for supplementation needs (Vitamins and minerals). I have no problem with that, but would suggest nectar or unjury as great Protein shakes for a newly sleeved individual. They are both solid brands and work well. In fact, my WLS center also recommends Bariactric Advantage for supplementation and Syntrax Nectar for protein shakes. That being said, I am 1 year post op so am a mature post op and somewhat new vet. I have been around the block a few times in my journey so far and have learned much and have much to share around shakes and supplementation and their impact on weight loss and fitness. I hope you do not read my post as anti-doctor or anti dietician. Quite the opposite in fact. In the first six months, it is critical to follow doctor orders to a "T" both dr and dietician know how to make their patients successful. Of course you are aware every doctor and dietician can potentially give different plans to their patients that may not be consistent with other patient doctor and dietician plans. After 6 months ( or when you feel is a good time), you can start to form your own strategies in terms of diet and fitness. The level of tweaking that you do is highly individual. The shake mentioned in this thread from GNC is just another tweak to the lifetime eating plan. Re-feed may not be an ideal shake for me, but I wanted to give it a try for reasons mentioned above in this thread. I also take cake batter muscle milk light and GNC Wheybolic or Isopure vanilla bean for recovery shake. I am so much a shake person at 3 a day. I eat small protein based meals for the other 4 meals. By small, I mean 3 oz lean protein and perhaps a veggie.

I have GEHA. I went to a gastric sleeve seminar in July 2013. Since then I've been jumping through the hoops. First my hospital (Mercy) said I wasn't morbidly obese, so I couldn't have surgery unless I had a co-morbidity. So I had a sleep study done and I had sleep apnea so that qualified as a co-morbidity. I started the 6 months of visits with my PCP, I've had the psych evaluation, met with dietician, went to an all day seminar. This week I meet with exercise and activity. I've had to keep a food and exercise log (started both of those last August). I've also met with surgeon and the RN in charge of the bariatric program. To my knowledge, I dont think they have submitted anything to GEHA yet. I called GEHA last August to see what was required and they mailed me a sheet of requiements. My recommendation is start tracking everything now, exercise, food journal, monthly visits with PCP. If your BMI is not 40 or greater, you'll need a co-morbidity (sleep apnea, diabetes). I'm hoping to have surgery in May or June.

I'm about a month and a half out from my surgery, and I've lost 43 lbs. My scale number on Friday morning said 315 lbs. This morning, it was 317-318. Think this is just normal fluctuation? My diet hasn't changed, and I'm getting in my 60-80 grams of protein a day and all my water. I did try something this weekend that I ordered from the bariatric pal store, the guilt-free brownies that have 22 grams of protein in them per brownie. (Could only eat half a brownie at a time) I still ate under 700 calories per day. Weight gain makes little sense to me at this point unless it's just fluctuation or retaining a bit of water

I knew my husband was having a hard time with my choice for WLS, in the past when we discussed my having wls he'd be less than enthusiastic and downplay it, basically saying I was all talk and wouldn't do it. But he seemed to come around and was supportive, we had some heated conversations, mostly since he thought I'd leave him once I lost my.weight, which I have no desire to, before I love him, yes he is a big guy but I've always been attracted to men like that. I told him, I love him and only him and would never leave him, he seemed to come around and be ok and we'd be ok again. Towards the end of my requirements and pending approval of my surgery it was harder on him I could tell but he was still supportive, we talked about vacations we'd take, more family pictures, renewing our vows and having a baby of our own Adobe muy weight and PCOS made it hard to conceive, and all the things I was afraid to do because of my weight, I was happy and excited about our new life together But I didn't talk about my Surgery or fears, because I knew his fears were bad too. So my Surgery was August 19, and in the hospital and home he has been pretty good about getting with the kids, but I handle myself and do most things for myself, but getting out of our new bed which is lower to the ground is challenging at times. But the last few days he's been distant, and suddenly last night before bed, he just says he is leaving, because he doesn't want to be left and that he knows I'll leave once I've lost my weight. He then got out of bed and went outside to smoke. I was shocked and devastated, I love him, been in love with him for 8 years, we were just about to file the paperwork for him to formally adopt my children from a previous marriage, and now he says he is leaving since he can't handle being left. My children are involved, they love him deeply and that's their dad and that's my husband, I can't believe I'm not even 2 weeks out and get this dropped on me. He had been asleep all day so I haven't been able to talk to him, I want to go to therapy to try and reassure him and work.through this, I don't want to lose my marriage because he has fears of something I'll never do, or because he's heard other people did that to their spouses once they lost their weight. That's them, not me. I think his so called friends have been telling him this bs and to expect the worst. It's crazy how can people try to destroy a family and put more fear and doubt in a man at a time like this. My husband does have a history of depression, PTSD and bi polor disorder but it's been managed, but I do think he stopped his meds because he wouldn't do this to me otherwise. If I can't get him to see reason or go to therapy there isn't anything I can do. I'm lost and hurt.

I can't speak for the type of WLS you are considering, but I would never have had a lapband had I known I'd develop complications from it. (Obviously.) But for those who are complication-free, WLS is a game-changer and a life-enhancer. My advice for those considering WLS is be smart. Find the best, most-experienced bariatric practice. Do hours of research. Learn about all complications and ask yourself if you can live with any/all of them, compared with how you are living now. Demand 100% compliance from yourself, and be ready for this. You cannot game WLS and expect a the kind of outcome you want.

I love you, but your bar sounds like a date with dumping. "dates, honey, mesquite flour" are all so high in fructose so liver bomb. Cricket flour though poses a really neat option for bariatric patients. It has more iron per gram than any other protein source. I would think it would be pretty bioavailable too. It's just very difficult to wrap my head around eating crickets...*chirp*

I was considering sleeve, but am getting gastric bypass a week from tomorrow, During the process I had an endoscopy and they found a hiatal hernia that was causing heartburn. Therefore bypass was better. Also, if I’m doing this, I want the weight loss to be worth it. My BMI is right under 38 today (198.5 lbs). I got two opinions from bariatric surgeons at different practices and both recommended bypass.

You will be alright. Although for future reference, remember to stop after you initially make a bad choice. That thinking of "I might as well eat all that I want, since I've already blown it" will get you into trouble. One bad food choice shouldn't have too much of an effect on your weight loss. It is the continuation of bad choices after the initial one that will lead to weight gain. Think about it, when you run a red light, do you decide to go ahead and run red lights for the rest of the day? No, that would be silly. It is the same for food choices. If you make a small slip up, own up to it and move on with your bariatric diet.