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I HIGHLY recommend the Bariatric program at GBMC (Greater Baltimore Medical Center). it is top notch with an amazing endowment. Dr. Moeinmolki is unbelievable. Please PM for additional info. I'd be happy to give you insight into all the programs in this area. I live in Takoma Park, MD and spent time researching/meeting/interviewing surgeons at Holy Cross Hospital (silver spring), Shady Grove Adventist (Rockville), Frederick Memorial (Frederick) and GBMC (Baltimore).

Thank you all for your suggestions! I actually found out my employers insurance (which I don’t currently have now) covers Bariatric surgery! So my plan is to enroll in Nov & start my journey in January! Anything I can do prior to get me ready? For the weight loss program is that something you wait for and your dietician gives you or can you pick one and do that ahead of time? Appreciate it!

Hi Everyone, My name is Lamora, and I'm considering starting my journey. I'm a bit on the fence, but I've read up so much on it, but I'm not sure if I qualify. I know my insurance doesn't pay for it though, so I'm considering doing a sleeve in Turkey (medical tourism). About me: I'm 5'2'' 230lbs. I asked my GP about my health status since I don't have any inclination towards anything, but he recommended I speak to bariatrics, but my insurance doesn't cover it, unfortunately, and I don't make enough for consult or nutrition consult. But I average a 1600kcal per day, and I work out 6 out of 7 days a week for around 60 min each day up to 2 hours a day. I actively run 5k's but I just can't seem to drop weight, which was why this has been suggested to me. I did an international trip when I was in college where they lock you up with a nutritionist and they feed you in a hospital and you work out on a CO2 machine, but no matter how much I ran or lifted I couldn't make the CO2 marks I needed to get. And my T3 and T4 are extremely off despite my TSH being borderline. My body temperature is a bit on the lower end at 92-94 F (33-34C). I kept gaining weight on 1800kcal a day with the nutritionist so I dropped back down to my normal 1600kcal a day and I got back to my normal 230lbs weight. The gastric sleeve was recommended for me since I've been having so many problems dropping weight, and when I run I'm starting to feel some knee and ankle pain as I inch closer to 30. I don't think I'm an emotional eater, but I could be wrong... But I do also have a lot of issues with my weight and overall self confidence because my family basically gave up on me. I'm just looking for support and opinions. I really appreciate it. And if anyone has any experience doing medical tourism/procedures and Turkey I would absolutely love your recommendations. Thank you!

I am a type 2 insulin requiring diabetic. Have been for over 20 years. Has anyone been on a pump and got off it after bariatric surgery? I would love to just use an insulin pen and spare the cost of expensive insulin pump supplies. Thanks Mark

I did keto a while back and had the keto flu for about a week. The bariatric diet and keto are actually the same except bariatric diet wants your fats 50 or less per day and keto wants HEALTHY fats higher. I did the bariatric diet for 2 1/2 months and my body hated it. I would stall over and over. I decided to switch to keto again and I haven't had a stall in the month I've been doing it and have steadily lost. No keto flu this time, tho. But it's normal and goes away. I keep my calories between 1000-1150 per day (I work out and need the extras so my body doesn't think it's starving and hold on to everything). I keep my carbs between 25-35 per day. My protein stays around 75-85 per day. My fats are usually around 70-80. And I'm completely sugarfree or very low sugar (such as certain fruits or veggies). I work out for 45 minutes per day, and I generally take in around 75-90oz of fluids (depending on the type of workout I did that day).

Yes and I just asked my surgeon about this yesterday at my 10 day post op. He said you can order a stuff called dexcom from bariatric advantage. And yes it's ketosis from your body consuming more protein then anything else. I am in the same boat with you all on this. But I've been cleared to go to puree and it gets better.

I posted a few weeks back because I couldn't keep anything down. This has been progressive and it been going on for over 6 months. I went to the surgeons office three times with issues and all the Fluid taken out. The last visit in July I requested the appointment to be with the doctore (Atkinson) and still, when I went for the appointment I was seen by the PA. The PA said she would talk to doctor about the band slipping and check with my insurance to re-position or remove the band. I didn't hear back for a few weeks. I called the office and they said that because my insurance was now Aetna, not Blue Cross, Dr. Atkinson would not perform the surgery, even out of network. As you can imagine this was very frustrating. As the months went on, my symptoms kept getting worse. I dedided to start calling other bariatric surgeons in the area and no one would take me as a patient since they didn't perform the surgery. Long story, but I finally went to my regular doctor because I couldn't hold liquid or food down for several days. She contacted a bariatric surgeon and he told her to get me an upper GI. I still wasn't sure if he was going to take me as a patient. Anyway, I got a call from the surgeon's coordinator and she couldn't believe my upper GI. It was the worse slip they had ever seen. She explained that the doctor usually take other doctors patients, but my condition was very severe. My entire stomach has slipped through the band. The band is now located between my stomach and intestines. This can be a life threatning situation. So I was told not to throw up any more until I coudl see the doctor. My appointment is Tuesday and my surgery will be scheduled. Sorry for such a long post but this has been such a bad experience for me and needed to vent. I have a few friends that have the band and it works great for them. But for me, the band has to be removed and can't be replace. I have learned alot with this band and hope to continue my weight loss with other means. If anyone has had this type of band slippage I would love to hear from you as I don't know what to expect with the surgery.

P.S. people used to throw this statistic around on these boards all the time, and i have no idea if it has any hardcore medical research behind it, but common belief was that about 30% of RNY'ers dump. It's less common in sleevers, but they can dump, too. I don't know how accurate that statistic is, but just from what I've been able to tell from hanging out on various bariatric boards for the last six or seven years, that wouldn't surprise me. It seems more people DON'T dump than do.

Hi! I'm new here, and trying to decide whether or not to have the lap band surgery. If I decide to go ahead with it, the closest place I could have it done is Brookhaven Hospital, on Long Island, where there is a group of several doctors with a bariatric surgery practice. Do any of you have any experience with any of the doctors in that group or with the hospital itself? I'd really appreciate any information or recommendations you could give me; especially if you'd recommend that I don't have the surgery! If you'd rather keep a comment confidential, please feel free to send it by email to me. Thank you very, very much. I'm thinking that this operation could save my life. I'm SO glad I found this web site! Your posts are all so helpful! Mama

Hi Casey I guess I could consider myself a "third generation bariatric". Grandma, Aunt, Mom, and Dad all had surgery before my wife and I did. My Grandma and Aunt had it back in the 90s (Aunt in her 20s, Grandma in her 50s). Mom had it in early-mid 2000s (40ish age), and Dad had surgery in 2010 (he had just turned 50). With Grandma, Mom, and Dad, they were so heavy for so long that between getting older and having been too heavy for too long and some damage being done, they still had issues with their joints or health. Grandma and Mom have both had knee replacements, despite remaining relatively healthy since their surgeries. Dad had triple bypass heart surgery last year. My Aunt has been relatively healthy. None of my relatives regret the surgery, but I can bet if I asked my parents or Grandma, they'd all probably wish they had their WLSs sooner. I had surgery in 2017, three days before my 29th birthday. Doctors have told me that, despite my lifelong being obese (probably been "the fat kid" since 2nd grade), I haven't done any significant damage. Pre-op I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and a vitamin D deficiency (I live in upstate NY, everyone has a vitamin D deficiency!). And since my surgery, I've trained and completed two full marathons, and have more to come. I was training for a marathon this spring, but COVID-19 canceled that one, as well as another long distance race has been canceled. I feel like I have the rest of my life to do things I've never even dreamed of doing! When I wife and I were dating, she asked me if I had considered it (I was a 380 pound 22 year old) I took what I call a "typical man" position and told her "I'm young enough that I can lose the weight myself", which was true, but I couldn't maintain it, and I never got as light as I am now (230-240 neighborhood, with approx. 20% body fat). Sorry for the long backstory, but I fully support having surgery in your 20s. Probably 95% of the people I've spoken to about surgery say their biggest regret is not having it sooner. Good luck to you!

I would not. Everyone has the right to live as they wish. Unless he is totally out of touch he knows about bariatric surgery. If I were to have a conversation with him and weight came up, I would then tell him my story. I do have sympathy for people who are very overweight, no insurance, and do not have the means to pay for it themselves. I would donate to an organzation that helped others in a bariatric way.

I'm throwing this here cause it's more of a rant than a question. Just wanna complain to some people who may get it. To get it out of the way, I am not mad at the psychologist, or the clinic or anything like that. I understand why I need more therapy prior to getting surgery and I fully agree that addressing problematic behaviors is important for long term success. The support of bariatric psychologists and support groups is why I decided to go with a hospital close to me that offers that stuff as part of the program instead of going to Mexico where it'd be much much cheaper as a self pay patient. All that being said, I can't help but feel a bit down trodden and frustrated. I go to therapy frequently, and have for years. The past few years I've felt like I was doing really well. I hadn't had any major bouts of depression or anxiety that lasted for notable periods of time. There had been a few hiccups but they were promptly addressed and such. I thought I was gonna pass this thing with flying colors. Alas, nope. My psychologist that was evaluating me asked if any of the doctors or surgeons I had visited over the years had asked about my relationship with food cause she was seeing some concerning things, and honestly they haven't. That isn't to say I haven't talked with my therapist about my weight, it's just that eating patterns and behaviors themselves weren't ever really discussed. It was more just acknowledgement that depression and anxiety had contributed to weight gain. The bariatric psychologist also stated she doesn't think my current medications are working as well as I think, and that based on what I described as "normal" eating for myself, I am self-medicating with food in addition to the medications, and she'd like to make sure that I won't spiral once that food aspect is no longer a possibility. So I am now scheduled to see a therapist who specializes in bariatric surgery and disordered eating (she doesn't think I have Binge Eating Disorder, but she does think that my eating is disordered), and we'll check in 90 days later. The psychologist did repeatedly thank me for being honest though, so there's that 😕 I had a bit of a cry session yesterday when I found out. I am continuing to remind myself that the behavior and mental support part is why I chose to go with the hospital I did over other places. This is essentially what I wanted. I don't want to fail at this. I know it'll pass and a few months (hell even a year or two) is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of my life. It just doesn't seem that way in the moment and I'm just super bummed out.

In my case, day 1and 2 were easy but by day three I was feeling weak, hungry, grumpy, tired and I had a terrible headache every single day thereafter. I completed day 1-6 without cheating but on day 7 which was easter Sunday, I threw out my diet and ate some food. My headache completely went away. On Monday I called my nutritionist and told her about my headaches and how I cheated. She recommended I do the modified diet instead, which is having 3 protein shakes a day, a small meal and a snack. I started this diet on Monday and I haven't had a headache since, and haven't felt the urge to cheat. I found out that wendy's chili salad is a great source of protein and it pretty munch contains everything you need in a small meal. I've been having that for lunch ever since and it's so delicious! (I also try to eat about 2 ounces of grilled chicken with my meal to add more protein) and as my snack I usually have an apple. I ordered my meal replacement protein shakes from bariatric advantange. I find that the chocolate is the best flavor and each shake has 27 g of protein. Their protein bars are great (by the way if you do the modified diet you have to toss out the protein bar from your original liquid diet). I have two days left and then I will be on the other side! I wish everyone else luck!

Before, during and after pictures are so motivating and renew hope. Congratulations!! Sent from my VS986 using the BariatricPal App

The hospital I'm having my surgery at (on Monday) is "designated by the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program as an Active MBSAQIP Center." It also has a five-star rating and an excellence award on HealthGrades. The hospital itself is almost new, beautiful, and it's ranked in the top 10 percent nationally for safety. My surgeon is the head of the department and people rave about him. (He's also quite cute!) Okay, the last thing wasn't a factor, just a nice bonus :-) You don't say what location you are considering--are you looking at Mexico as a possibility? There are definitely good reports by many who have been there--keep checking this site, and you'll see what people have to say.

MorrieKins - here is a link to info on the procedure. These days it's popular to have the band along with the plication....which is what I have. There are others on this site who have it also, and are doing very well. http://www.tlcsurgery.com/education/bariatric-surgery-houston-tx/gastric-plication/

I know they have "Sipping Broths" and I bet most of these things at the Bariatric Pal Store. Reasonable prices, great shipping time frame, and all things formulated from our Bariatric Viewpoint. Why enrich Jeff Bezos and his ever- expanding spider of Amazon? And I will tell you, I have been VERY SATISFIED with my BPStore purchases. Planning to redeem some more of the points I have accrued in the Near Future. I get even better delivery time than many things in my Home State(Ohio) and They are in New York!👍😛❤

My post-op programme didn't limit anything - no calorie goals, no protein goals, no fluid goals even! I learnt all that by being on this forum. I was told just eat as you feel. Seems just basic common bariatric sense to me now to get my protein in first, veg second, fruit third and then other carbs after that. Even now at almost exactly a year out I don't reach 50g carbs or anything like it most days. Other than weekends, when I *choose* to drink some alcohol. So many ways to skin a rabbit, LOL.

@@kimmyco You sound like you are coming from a place of compassion. You have the experience of being in the shoes of a bariatric patient. I see it as you will have a greater impact on other patients. Absolutely not bragging by helping others wherever they might be in the process.

The following extract brought it home to me totally - I can so relate to all the efforts it takes. I wish many fellow bariatric patients would read it - especially those at the beginning of the journey or trying to decide about surgery. Because let's face it: apart from a few lucky ones who can stay at their target weight without much of an effort, this is what we are all facing after loosing so much weight: Extract: "...Janice Bridge, a registry member who has successfully maintained a 135-pound weight loss for about five years, is a perfect example. “It’s one of the hardest things there is,” she says. “It’s something that has to be focused on every minute. I’m not always thinking about food, but I am always aware of food.” Bridge, who is 66 and lives in Davis, Calif., was overweight as a child and remembers going on her first diet of 1,400 calories a day at 14. At the time, her slow pace of weight loss prompted her doctor to accuse her of cheating. Friends told her she must not be paying attention to what she was eating. “No one would believe me that I was doing everything I was told,” she says. “You can imagine how tremendously depressing it was and what a feeling of rebellion and anger was building up.” After peaking at 330 pounds in 2004, she tried again to lose weight. She managed to drop 30 pounds, but then her weight loss stalled. In 2006, at age 60, she joined a medically supervised weight-loss program with her husband, Adam, who weighed 310 pounds. After nine months on an 800-calorie diet, she slimmed down to 165 pounds. Adam lost about 110 pounds and now weighs about 200. During the first years after her weight loss, Bridge tried to test the limits of how much she could eat. She used exercise to justify eating more. The death of her mother in 2009 consumed her attention; she lost focus and slowly regained 30 pounds. She has decided to try to maintain this higher weight of 195, which is still 135 pounds fewer than her heaviest weight. “It doesn’t take a lot of variance from my current maintenance for me to pop on another two or three pounds,” she says. “It’s been a real struggle to stay at this weight, but it’s worth it, it’s good for me, it makes me feel better. But my body would put on weight almost instantaneously if I ever let up.” So she never lets up. Since October 2006 she has weighed herself every morning and recorded the result in a weight diary. She even carries a scale with her when she travels. In the past six years, she made only one exception to this routine: a two-week, no-weigh vacation in Hawaii. She also weighs everything in the kitchen. She knows that lettuce is about 5 calories a cup, while flour is about 400. If she goes out to dinner, she conducts a Web search first to look at the menu and calculate calories to help her decide what to order. She avoids anything with sugar or white flour, which she calls her “gateway drugs” for cravings and overeating. She has also found that drinking copious amounts of Water seems to help; she carries a 20-ounce water bottle and fills it five times a day. She writes down everything she eats. At night, she transfers all the information to an electronic record. Adam also keeps track but prefers to keep his record with pencil and paper. “That transfer process is really important; it’s my accountability,” she says. “It comes up with the total number of calories I’ve eaten today and the amount of Protein. I do a little bit of self-analysis every night.” Bridge and her husband each sought the help of therapists, and in her sessions, Janice learned that she had a tendency to eat when she was bored or stressed. “We are very much aware of how our culture taught us to use food for all kinds of reasons that aren’t related to its nutritive value,” Bridge says. Bridge supports her careful diet with an equally rigorous regimen of physical activity. She exercises from 100 to 120 minutes a day, six or seven days a week, often by riding her bicycle to the gym, where she takes a water-aerobics class. She also works out on an elliptical trainer at home and uses a recumbent bike to “walk” the dog, who loves to run alongside the low, three-wheeled machine. She enjoys gardening as a hobby but allows herself to count it as exercise on only those occasions when she needs to “garden vigorously.” Adam is also a committed exerciser, riding his bike at least two hours a day, five days a week. Janice Bridge has used years of her exercise and diet data to calculate her own personal fuel efficiency. She knows that her body burns about three calories a minute during gardening, about four calories a minute on the recumbent bike and during water aerobics and about five a minute when she zips around town on her regular bike. “Practically anyone will tell you someone biking is going to burn 11 calories a minute,” she says. “That’s not my body. I know it because of the statistics I’ve kept.” Based on metabolism data she collected from the weight-loss clinic and her own calculations, she has discovered that to keep her current weight of 195 pounds, she can eat 2,000 calories a day as long as she burns 500 calories in exercise. She avoids junk food, bread and Pasta and many dairy products and tries to make sure nearly a third of her calories come from protein. The Bridges will occasionally share a dessert, or eat an individual portion of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, so they know exactly how many calories they are ingesting. Because she knows errors can creep in, either because a rainy day cuts exercise short or a mismeasured snack portion adds hidden calories, she allows herself only 1,800 daily calories of food. (The average estimate for a similarly active woman of her age and size is about 2,300 calories.) Just talking to Bridge about the effort required to maintain her weight is exhausting. I find her story inspiring, but it also makes me wonder whether I have what it takes to be thin. I have tried on several occasions (and as recently as a couple weeks ago) to keep a daily diary of my eating and exercise habits, but it’s easy to let it slide. I can’t quite imagine how I would ever make time to weigh and measure food when some days it’s all I can do to get dinner on the table between finishing my work and carting my daughter to dance class or volleyball practice. And while I enjoy exercising for 30- or 40-minute stretches, I also learned from six months of marathon training that devoting one to two hours a day to exercise takes an impossible toll on my family life..." Extract ends.

We have a regular support group meeting at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney, Maryland. We meet the fourth Wednesday each month. It that is convenient to you, we'd love to have you join us. I am told any Bariatric Center of Excellence is required to have such a support group. Check with your surgeon or your hospital to see if they can refer you to a group.

Live in DC and had surgery at Sibley Hospital March 11. Down fifty pounds so far, but it's not easy! I had gastric bypass surgery. Glad to trade emails and be supportive if I can. Wrote a blog for guys on bariatric surgery on Word Press tha might be helpful to men.

I haven't but, I would think a good behavioral therapist who works with bariatric patients would be much more valuable and helpful than hypnotherapy.

Hello all! I am new to this forum. I don't have alot of luck asking questions at my doctor's office so I figured I'd ask here. I am disgusted with my program, to be honest but that's another story. For the past week I have been having pain in my sleeve. It hurts pretty much all day, regardless of what I eat. Sometimes the pain is barely noticeable and sometimes, like right now, it's pretty painful. Feels like there's alot of pressure, like someone is squeezing my sleeve. Today it has been more painful tham usual but I had a bad bout of diarrhea around noon today after drinking some strong coffee. Sometimes it feels like it is spasming. I had my barium swallow x-ray last Thursday and nothing looked out of the ordinary. My bariatric nurse says this is not uncommon. I don't have my gallbladder. The pain is right where my stomach is on the left side. Have any of you experienced this? Have any advice? Thank you!! Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Have a great trip, Babs! Good luck with the renewed resolve. I'm right there with ya!