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Welcome, and congrats on getting your surgery! 20 pounds in two weeks is awesome. The first few weeks are the hardest because you are very limited in what you can eat but you're not seeing all the rewards from the weight loss yet. The good news is that it gets easier! At two weeks out, you're probably either on purees or soft foods, right? It won't be too long before you can start eating real food (it may feel like an eternity, though). I've discovered some great new bariatric-friendly recipes on Pinterest that I really like. There are times when I miss being able to eat like I did before surgery, but at 6 months out, I'm getting used to my new eating habits and I'm loving my results. I, too, have had to work on slowing down my eating. I bought a set of tiny forks and spoons (they are listed as cocktail forks/spoons if you want metal rather than plastic baby forks/spoons), which helps for taking smaller bites. I set a timer to go off every 30 seconds, and I try to chew for the first 30 seconds and then wait another 30 seconds to take the next bite (so 1 minute between bites).

Hi all, When I finally decided to have WLS, I knew it would be self pay. My insurance just doesn't cover anything to do with bariatric or help with weightless. I really am not interested in going to Mexico. I prefer to have a doctor who if I need them, I can drive to in a matter of 3 or 4 hours (just in case). I thought I found that doctor. Did more homework and checked out his reviews and paid $400 for a consultation. I was super conformable with him and his staff. I knew that some tests and labs would need to be done - but DANG! When I called, before making the consultation appointment, the first thing I asked was the cost. I was told around $25K to $30K and they even sent me a couple of websites that they said some of their self-pay patients had good luck with on getting financing. (The 2 financing sites had a max amount of a loan as $35K) So I figured that was good since I wouldn't need the full max amount that the approval odds were in my favor. Now, with my lists of labs and tests in hand along with the other items that are required for this surgeon. I started calling the numbers they gave me for EKG, ECHO, Psych. Evaluation, Chest Xray, GI Swallow, etc... and the prices at this point this evening are totally $46,876 (that is with several of the places stating the the fees for the EKG is just the image, there will be extra fees for a doctor to review them) and I haven't called the hospital yet because they require a pre-op visit (which will of course have a huge fee). Just feeling deflated, and at a loss. I know (in theory) my health is priceless - but in the real world there really is a price tag and it is simply out of reach.... For everyone here at BP- you all have been an inspiration - no matter where you are at on your journey.

Don't worry about being selfish, or taking resources away from the pandemic - if they need to cancel/postpone your procedure because they need the staff elsewhere to deal with the pandemic, they will do so. There was a time early on when it was "all hands on deck" in many places to help deal with the overload (while in other places many were twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do because all the elective procedures had been cancelled out of uncertainty as to how the pandemic would evolve, but hadn't hit their region yet and they had nothing to do.) Many hospitals are in financial distress these days because they haven't been doing many of the elective procedures that pays their bills (in the meantime, the insurance industry is fat and happy because of all of the "elective" treatments that have been put off. I have a nephew who works for a bariatric clinic, and their surgeons started lobbying the hospital in the early summer (or before) to let them start working again, as the bariatric business makes very little impact on the critical side of the hospital - they rarely have need for the ICU, and their patients are short term, a day or two, so if COVID cases did ramp up such that the hospital needed the capacity, they could easily shut down the WLS procedures and empty those beds within a couple days to make room. So, actually, you are doing them a favor and helping the health care system by having your procedure and helping to use the capacity that would otherwise go to waste.

Hey all, so I've been lurking for about a year, off and on and finally made an account once I received a surgery date. Backstory in a nutshell: This is not my first rodeo. Been on a bajillion diets and yo-yo'ed for too long. Had some success, some lasting years, but my Achilles heel is keeping it off. I like to exercise so mostly that part of the equation has not been a sticking point for me. I started my journey to WLS on Oct 2019. I wrapped up my insurance-required steps by April 2020 BUT initially had been doing so well on my own with losing that I thought perhaps I wouldn't even go the WLS route. Then covid happened and threw me off balance a bit, but I kept to my exercise and keto/low carb diet with success. Things went wonky in June when I broke my ankle and then again in December when I sprained that same ankle (grrrr). All my progress stalled while I healed and it didn't take much for me to gain nearly all my lost weight back in about 7 months. I asked my bariatric team to go ahead and submit my paperwork in November, I think. Processes were slow due to the virus, but I was shocked to get a pretty quick approval and surgery date for Dec 17. That was put on hold, but just this week I received a call that elective surgeries were being scheduled again. I have pre-op visits on Jan 22 with the anesthesiologist and surgeon. I am not sure if I'll have to do a pre-op diet. Guess the surgeon will tell me Friday! I'm pretty excited and trying not to be too nervous about the days ahead. I'm married and have two kids (ages 18 & 20). My username is kind of a private joke. No matter how heavy I am, I've always thought I had nice ankles. 😄 So anyway...Hi! 😊

Where I live unfortunately insurance doesn't cover anything. However, my doctor did say that bariatric surgery is eligible between 40 - 35 BMI especially if you have other problems ie. diabetes and or other problems. But NovaLuna is right to keep checking with the insurance. But also I suggest if you've made up your mind about your surgery - just maintain the weight you have right now. Once the surgery date is fixed you will anyway go through an intensive program for about two weeks prior in which you will lose some weight. Better to keep your insurance intact - Bariatric Surgeries are certainly not cheap. Good Luck ❤️

Oh jeez! 🙄 Life right now could have not been further off track for me. Here is the sum of all that's happened in a week! 1. I lost my 2-year Marketing Specialist job here in Dubai, United Arab Emirates - my role due to COVID is REDUNDANT and no longer required as APPRENTLY they don't have enough $$$ - but i know the whole story at the back end and who said what and all the politics. 2. I was on a weight-loss stall which FINALLY got over but then ^^^ that happened 3. I started feeling sick especially because i started vomiting up at least once a day 4. WHICH LED TO ME GETTING COVID 19 because HEY! us bariatric pals don't have a good immune system! So post op almost 2 months and IM SUPER SICK! i have Asthma as well. I have alllll the covid symptoms you can think of and I'm isolated in my home. Thankfully all my close contacts are fine but MAN O MAN does covid suck more when u CAN'T EAT ANYTHING! All I want is a big ass burger and a milkshake or SOME SORT OF SAVORY food item but i can't even keep down protein let alone SOUP! It's been horrible - my nutritionist said i should just try to EAT or DRINK whatever i can at this moment. But BUT! there is a brighter yet a little worrying side. Ive lost about 3kgs! in 3 days. (sorta happy in a selfish way) but i have such a strong feeling ill gain it back as soon as I'm covid free. but hey! 1.5 months and I've lost nearly 20 kgs! WOOT WOOT! haha.. trying to not die between these 4 walls so I'm trying to look at the brighter side. However every inch of my body hurts as i cough up a storm. Is anyone in a situation like me? I hope not but if u are - let's relate? Btw i posted an image here pre-op in my first post ever id like to post it again next to a recent one -> could use the motivation to stay breathing 1. Me at 130kgs 2. Me at 116 kgs same dress 3. Me at 113kg

So after 3+ months of advising my doctor that I was having issues with the onset of dizziness upon standing up from the couch, things finally came to a head - my head. Sunday night marked the fourth time I blacked out from standing up and walking after being seated on the couch. The first time, I was able to brace myself against some furniture and stayed upright. The second time, I only managed to sort of brace myself and ended up dropping to my knees. The third time I slumped against a wall and slid down hard onto my knees and elbows. Sunday night, I tried to brace myself against a wall when my vision started going dark, but must have leaned forward too much. Came to on the floor seconds later with blood pouring out of a gash above my eye and the entire left side of my face in utter agony. Oh...and all of my neck muscles screaming from when I have to assume my face hit the floor full speed and my head bounced. 4 hours in the ER with bloodwork that showed no issues, an EKG that was perfect, chest X-rays that revealed nothing, and a CT scan that (fortunately) showed no bone damage or bleeding in the brain. Aggravatingly, my BP also registered as normal, even when they had me do orthostatic readings. I look and feel like hell. Have not slept well the past two nights (last night my upper left teeth hurt). And right now I've got some nerve issues due to the swelling in my face that have made my left nostril almost completely numb. As far as post-op complications go, I am sooooooo over this one. I'll trade it back for the constipation! (Okay, not really because I don't really want to deal with THAT again either). On the plus side, ending up in the ER with a head injury (5 stitches in my eyebrow) seems to have finally gotten my doctor to stop claiming that this crap is normal for bariatric patients and he is finally getting me the cardiac consult that I have been asking for since the first time I blacked out. Less thrilled about this knocking me off track for the time being. I do not feel well enough or comfortable enough to workout on my treadmill, so my exercise is definitely going to suffer this week.

Thanks for the input! The person who advised that it would help if I weighed less than my last supervised diet visit was a bariatric coordinator. She said it was because they have to document a downward trend...but...you all have a good point as she likely does not know that my insurance simply requires 6 months of visits. I did not have to lose a certain amount of weight and was already approved. I'm going to try to not stress about it and just see how the appointment goes. Hopefully once I meet with the surgeon it will work itself out.

I had my Gastric Bypass Surgery and Galbladder removal on Aug 24th 2020, just almost 20 weeks ago. I have lost 68 lbs since Surgery and 88 lbs since my heaviest weight in May of 313, Im about 224.4 now. Everything is going along pretty textbook except for 1 thing. I have horrible Aching Continuous Pain in my legs (especially my left leg, outer thigh close to the side of the knee and a lil in the outer calf sometimes. It's not fatigue and I get plenty of all my vitamins and supplements plus I eat a high protein, nutrient rich diet and add electrolites to my 64+ oz of fluids each day. I am having Telemedicine appts with my Surgeon and my Nutritionist today thankfully and I plan to consult them on this but have any of you experienced this? Tylenol muscel creams and some stretching usually helps but I have had nights where they just didn't cut it and it felt like my bones were on fire! I definitely cannot continue to endure this nightly as I have for the last few weeks. I understand that a large quick weightloss can change your gate and how your body carries the weight causing nerves, tendons and muscles to respond this way but Jesus It's awful and it quickly goes away if I get up and walk around. It starts promptly with lying down in bed and persists regardless of position. I have chronic severe back issues that began about 12 yrs ago, My pain & loss of mobility along with weight gain topping me off at 313 lbs (I'm 5 ft. 3") got so severe that I had 7 back surgeries in a 3 yr period that ALL failed. DDD Degenerative Disc Disease, Spinal Stenosis and a some herniated discs prompted my Back Surgeons to declare me officially inoperable, so they along with my Primary Dr. & Counselors recommend I have Bariatric weight loss syrgery & I'm so glad I did! Its very frustrating for Me now tho to have regained about 80% of my mobility and reduced the regular daily & constant pain in my back by about 60% so far only to have this awful pain in my legs at night every freakin night now. I'm losing sleep nightly causing me to be tired all day, get less done, not exercise, be easily irritated in the day, agitated and frustrated. I NEED this to go away and I cannot take any opioid pain meds outside of the required serious post op situations. I am in long term recovery from a physical addiction to pain meds caused by an over prescribing horrible Pain mngmt Dr. Side note: That Pain mngmt Dr. is No longer allowed to practice medicine. Any shared experiences and info is much appreciated 🙏

Congrats on Bariatric Surgery! I had my Gastric Bypass Surgery and Galbladder removal on Aug 24 2020 and honestly I was discouraged by my initial weightloss because I was comparing my losses to others. I was told to set reasonable obtainable goals for myself to start off and to focus those goals around fluids and protien and never the scale. I am at almost 20 weeks post op and I've lost about 68 lbs so far, 88 lbs since May. I was reminded by my surgeon tbat everyone gained tgeir weight differently so We should expect to lose it differently. I am proud of every singke pound I lose and I have also had weeks where I lost nothing. I will say snacking was the culprit there! Lol.. Just focus on the actions you can control, simple healthy guidelines and see how your body responds to them. No more than once a week weigh ins are best I know my weight can fluctuate due to salt, hormones, time of tge month etc so I don't weigh on my cycle and I shoot for every Sunday evening as a guideline. Message me anytime for anything!!

I agree I think there are not may Bariatric surgeons creating content for the general public. I appreciate it a lot.

I've been working with a bariatric clinic since mid 2020 and completed my 6 month supervised diet with them, however, I've decided to move to a more robust and supportive program somewhere else. I have my first visit with the new place on 1/28 and am hopeful that everything will transfer over and they will simply need to resubmit the authorization to my insurance. (I had already received my authorization letter for the initial clinic) The person I spoke with at the new program made the comment that it would "help a lot if I could lose some weight and weigh less than my last appointment with the old program". This is not a requirement of my insurance, so, I'm thinking this is more a requirement they have set. Anyone have any pointers on how to lose several pounds over the next 10 days? I have an immensely hard time losing weight. I have been able to maintain the weight I had at my last appointment, but, my scale has not consistently gone down. I'm lucky to lose and keep off a pound a month and my scale has crazy fluctuations from day to day. I already do the following: - carbs at or under 100g a day - 128-152ozs of water a day - only eat 3 meals a day with no snacking Appreciate any advice or guidance.

I don't think Bariatric surgeons tells what to except in terms of detailed weight loss. They went you to come in every couple of months and will ask a couple of question and will how he sees your progress. I hate going to the doctor and Covid19 didn't help. So, I asked a surgeon friend of mine(not bariatric surgeon) what to except in terms of weight loss in first year and he said if you stick to your diet and calorie intake on average except to lose 1 month: 10% of your weight 3 months: 20% of your weight 6 months: 30% of your weight 12 months: 40% of your weight and my weight loss fits exactly with this except for the 40% weight loss mark which I reached by 10 Months due to higher exercise intensity and really watching what I ate 6 months after surgery. My BMI was around 40 and I had no Pre-OP diet requirement, so I didn't lose any weight before surgery.

You need to look at the statistics from large research studies and not base it on what you see on the boards. Long time vets who are still hanging out here after several years post-op are likely to be patients who were very successful. And it could be that for many if us, staying active in the bariatric community might be one factor in our success. The statistics show that the average RNY patient loses about 70% of their excess weight, and the average VSG patient loses about 65%. Most patients end up somewhere around that peecentage. Of course you will always find people who end up above or below the average, and some WAY above or below that. The percentages get smaller the further you get away from the average. A 100% loss is a couple standard deviations from the mean, so you're not going to find a ton of people who end up there. My surgeon discouraged me from my goal of 100% loss, saying that only about 10% of his patients make it the far. But, i did it. And so did a few others from my clinic. But we're not the norm. I've checked the research. Studies show that about 10-15% make it to a normal BMI. Most end up overweight or class I obese (both of which are infinitely better than weighing 300+ lbs). But some of us do make it. But it takes some serious commitment and hard work. You can do it.. but it'll take a lot of dedication and effort.

Have you guys heard anything about when they will resume surgeries at Kaiser... I had an appointment Friday and the nurse made it sound like it wasnt going to be anytime soon...that whole apt was bizarre i met with a doctor from the bariatric program but it wasn't the surgeon ... he referred me to the surgeon... my apt with the surgeon is next week... i still haven't heard anything about a psych test.

I think a lot of people base their expectations on shows like "My 600 lb Life", because we get a lot people who post about being disappointed when they "only" lost 15 or 20 or 25 lbs the first month, when that's actually pretty normal. You have to keep in mind that the people on those shows start out MUCH heavier than the average bariatric patient - and generally speaking, the higher your starting BMI, the faster you'll lose - at least for the first few months, anyway. You're doing just fine!

The bypass and sleeve are very similar. I’ve seen you comment about people who’ve gotten back their weight, but my girlfriend and her mom did the sleeve 5 years ago and they have kept all their weight off. I have friends who’ve done the sleeve 2-3 years backs and they are still in great shape(no weight gain after 2-3 years). People who gain weight years after are people who start eating unhealthy and don’t follow the plan their Bariatric team has given them. My friend was 298 and in 9 months lost 150 pounds. She exercised and followed her diet. Simple. What is this myth you talk about? 18 month window? You’re always going to keep losing until you start eating to maintain your ideal weight. There is no window that magically stops you from losing. Who is giving you this information?

Hi everyone I will be Starting the process of my weight loss surgery on the 26th of this month I have first choice health insurance through the state of South Carolina I am going with the prisma bariatric institute in Greenville South Carolina and I would like to know if anybody else has went with them and use the same insurance I am using thank you in advance

Do you still have access to your postop dietary plan that was provided to you by your team? How much in quantity do they expect you to eat at three months postop? Most plans are asking people to eat no more than 1 cup by volume or 4ozs by weight for quite a bit of time post op. Some things to consider: Are you allowed to eat bread by this point? If yes, Was the sandwich mostly bread? Or vegetables? Was it mostly meats or cheeses? If you really want that sandwich experience, you may have to make your own where you can control the portions and macros using Bariatric friendly substitutes, like lettuce wraps. But please ask your team about food stages, amounts, etc, first.

All the information you need is here on this forum. You may not know many people in real life who have been through this surgery, but everybody here is in some stage of the process of weight loss surgery. If you haven't already, I would strongly recommend that you spend some time looking through the archives of this forum -- it's a gold mine! YouTube is also a great resource -- there are quite a few YouTubers who make videos about their WLS experience. I was pretty well prepared for surgery because I spent months reading this forum and watching YouTube videos about WLS. It seems like the most common questions that come up include: Stalls - Almost everyone has a weight loss stall within the first two months after surgery (commonly called the "three week stall" but it can happen earlier or later). Do not be alarmed. You didn't do anything wrong. The surgery didn't fail. Stick to your plan and you will start losing again. Weight gain from surgery - Many people weigh more when they come home from the hospital after surgery than they did before surgery. That's temporary and it's because they pump you full of IV fluids in the hospital. You're better off not even weighing yourself for the first couple of weeks after surgery because it is honestly meaningless. Fluid & protein goals - It's almost impossible to meet your fluid and protein goals in the first couple of weeks. Most surgeons tell you to get at least 60 ounces of fluids and 60 grams of protein per day. It sounds easy but it's not at the beginning. Do your best and don't worry if you can't quite get there. Dehydration is a serious thing that can land you back in the hospital, so you do need to sip as much as you can, but it's not the end of the world if you can't get 60 ounces. Pro tip: try warm fluids (tea, broth, protein hot cocoa) if cold drinks are difficult. Hair loss - Most people start losing hair around 3 months after surgery (it's a phenomenon called telogen effluvium), and there's not a whole lot you can do to avoid it. Protein and iron deficiencies can contribute to hair loss, and some people say that biotin can help to prevent hair loss, but you will almost certainly have some hair loss no matter what you do. It will grow back. Vitamins - Your surgeon should have given you a list of vitamins that you will need to take. This varies a bit from one surgeon to the next, but most say to take a bariatric multivitamin (or a double dose of a drugstore vitamin), iron (which can be included in the multivitamin), calcium citrate (most drugstore calcium supplements are calcium carbonate, so make sure to check the ingredients and buy calcium citrate), and B-12 (sublingual, injection, or nasal spray). You'll have to take chewable vitamins for at least the first month or two. Vitamins come in different forms (chewable, melt-in-your-mouth, capsules, liquid, patches), so if you have issues with one form, try something else. The BariatricPal store has a great selection of vitamins and they frequently have sales. I purchase most of my vitamins from there (BariatricPal brand). Constipation - Nobody likes to talk about toilet stuff, but constipation is no joke. A lot of surgeons recommend taking Miralax daily (note: Amazon has a generic brand that is much cheaper). Don't wait until you get constipated to take something. Prevention is easier than treatment. Other than that, the one thing you should do today if you haven't already is take your "before" pictures and measurements! Most of us have very few "before" pictures because we didn't like the way we looked before weight loss and avoided being in photos. You will want to have some pictures for comparison when you reach your goal weight. You will want to have your starting measurements so you can see how far you've come. Good luck! Stick around and let us know how it goes!

Try sugar-free items to kill the cravings. This site's store has A LOT of options for "fake treats," IE, treats that are both pre-portioned and don't contain sugar or anything to harm you (in fact, a lot contain vitamins and protein). I don't crave sweets near as much as I did pre-op, but when I do want something sweet, I find a sugar-free, bariatric-friendly product works well. Russell Stover's also makes VERY good sugar-free chocolate. Just a piece is enough to satisfy me and it's inexpensive. There's also Breyer's Carb Smart ice cream and Smucker's sugar-free hot fudge if you have a hankering for something of the ice cream nature. Their SF hot fudge I KID YOU NOT tastes EXACTLY like the real thing! I top my coffee with it and SF Cool Whip if I want a "mocha."

Yes, these were. and you're right, that's just what the bariatric nurse said. My body is basically trying to readjust to complex carbs and fiber. The good news is that taking a probiotic seems to be helping some.

I spoke to the bariatric nurse and It's looking like it's my body getting used to complex carbs and fiber again. I meet with my surgeon this week and I'll know more, but based on what she said, it looks like that's the issue. She told me to try a probiotic and it has provided with some relief.

Hey guys ive had the sleeve done roughly 10 years ago when i was 21 years of age, did well lost all of my weight was in the best shape of my life and in the last 3 years now at 32 years of age I have suffered from extreme gerd 2 hital hernias repaies and now on my 3rd hital hernia and have gained 35 lbs back . Intermittent shoulder and left under armpit/rib pain I have seen a new bariatric doctor who seems very understanding and knowledgeable and has offered me to options. 1 revise to gastric bypass Or 2 repair the hital hernia and put in a linx magnet system to help with gerd. I really don't know what to do here. I have regained some of my weight and in the last 3 years have been in pain with shoulder and chest due to what I belive is my hital hernias and Gerd. I wanted to get with the community and ask you guys/gals first hand what you recommend and why. One topic that came up was ulcers with the bypass and medications that i take such as meloxicam. Which i can switch to something else. I currently take omeperazole, temazpam,meloxicam and duloxetine. A big part of me wants to get the bypass just becuase I have regained the weight but he kind of scared me with complications that some people can have with bypass. I dont see much talk her about the linx system for sleevers is this something new that most people just don't know about or doctors just performing for bariatric patients? Please give me your thoughts

Thank you! I have Medicaid so I know the preppy requirements will be different. I’m just feeling like I should have a million questions but I don’t. I guess that could be because I have two family members who underwent bariatric surgery.