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Well we had a major snowstorm here in the Southern Tier of NY with over 4 ft of snow-I think shoveling all day yesterday put me over the top with weight loss lol. I woke up this morning and FINALLY got that scale to move under the 200 lb mark (no stall but just a slow down in the last week or so). I started a new job a few weeks ago at a factory and adding more hours this last week for Christmas with overtime. I am on my feet with some heavy lifting and physical activity but it's helping with the exercise part. I had gained about a lb a week ago and figured it was for the muscle content with the increased movement to my daily normal activity but now it's going down fast again. Also marks 100 lb weight loss since program start this year-holy cow! My Dr and hospital scales are all one lb less then my scale-actually down to 197- but who's counting that close? ME, that's who! lol. I don't think many people outside of this group can understand how much my life has changed and is changing for this surgery. I work and am tired but no excrutiating pain for days after with just a few hours on my feet. Honestly I can bend, move and be fast with productivity at my workplace and feel awesome with a good day of work. I can take a freakin bath!!!! and feel just so skinny! My husband and I have a renewed relationship in all aspects but one aspect not mentioning that has been awesome :-)! Hey, I'm old-not dead lol. I sit down and have room with my animals able to sit on a lap that I now have and I am able to easily bend to clean the pens, guinea pig areas and even to play with my chihuahuas or walk with my family. It's just surreal how different and wonderful I feel. Oh I have my precious Holland Lop bunnies that are basically free roam and 9 guinea pigs rescued. I clean constantly and able to do that on top of work with really no problems. 40 more lbs to go. My birthday was Jan 21 of this year- I turned 48 and hit an unbelievable depression. I truly hated myself as the scale approached 300 lbs and I couldn't even walk. That's what spurred the research for medical weight loss and was able to start the program a month later-changed my life!! So grateful! I now wear a size 16/18-holy cow! Last year I barely fit a size 28.

Hi all, I did a research on bariatric procedures and surgeries, and found that I am interested in the intestinal barrier sleeve (aka duodenal-endoluminal sleeve aka removable gut sleeve) procedure. Even though it seems pretty effective, the least dangerous (besides the gastric balloon, maybe) and reversible, it is not popular compared to other types (no idea why, but it's not well known to public). In short, it is a two feet long flexible tube (barrier, sleeve - not to confuse with the famous "sleeve" bariatric surgery where the stomach is cut!) which is put in the upper part of the small intestine and physically prevents the food from absorption. I.e. its action is similar to a malabsorption surgery, but without the surgery (the tube is inserted by endoscopy, through the mouth, and could be removed in the same way at any time). You can find more info if you google "intestinal barrier sleeve". So, I have 3 questions: 1. Why is this procedure not widespread despite its attractiveness? 2. Has anybody in this forum did it (or wants to do)? Any ideas, impressions, considerations? 3. Any hospitals in Eastern Canada (or North-East USA, or Mexico) which perform the procedure? Search for "intestinal barrier sleeve Canada" only brings information about the classic sleeve surgery. Thanks to all in advance! To the moderator: since the procedure has no dedicated sub-forum, I've put it here. Please move to the correct sub-forum if I was wrong.

I have wanted to have surgery 20 years ago! My insurance wouldn't cover even with my comorbities. My new employer (22 years later) covers bariatric surgery! Went to my consultation today. My insurance requires only 3 months medically supervised program! No sleep study since I already have a cpap machine. First appointment is with the nutritionist January 19th!! Here we go! Hooray for me!!

Definitely file an appeal and also let your surgeon's office know what's going on. They obtained pre-authorization I'm sure, so they probably have documentation that can help. It makes no sense to approve a surgery and then deny the hospital stay associated with it (two days is not an unreasonable stay for bariatric surgery). Also check with the hospital business office and let them know. There may be something wrong with how they submitted the claim. They want to get paid, so it's in their interest to help you sort this out. Sorry this is happening, it's stress you don't need. But there's a good chance that decision can be reversed. Good luck!

they're probably having to shuffle people around because of all the COVID patients. I wouldn't worry about it. Like someone else said, you may get even more attention in the PACU unit than you would on the bariatric surgery floor.

It will / already has!! I can do dishes without excruciating back pain already! I also have slept on my back some... the problem is I have permanent nerve damage. Part of the reason I got Bariatric surgery was so I can have another surgery where they implant into my back a nerve blocker. I had to do this 1st because they imbed it into the fat in my back. They knew I was on the path for Bariatric surgery and wanted my fat on my back to be stable otherwise I would need another surgery to reposition the nerve blocker after I lost weight... so it’s a process and I’m praying if I lose enough the nerve pain will be bearable and I won’t have to have that surgery!!

My surgery is tomorrow and they called me today to tell me my surgery is still on. Only one change, I will stay in the PACU overnight until I am discharged home. I was supposed to go to a bariatric surgery floor afterwards. I am freaking out, but is it really that big of a deal? I have very bad anxiety to begin with so I feel like the world will end but everyone says I will be okay. Opinions? Recommendations? Please help

I think it is the Joint Commission that hands out Center of Excellence ratings. It might be worth a call to Joint Commission to report the poor care. But before that, maybe you just want to give a little heads up to the office of your intentions unless they start giving you better aftercare. Center of Excellence isn't just about doing good surgeries, but doing good follow up, as well. Do a little homework and find out what the criteria are for Bariatric Centers of Excellence. Discuss this with the office MANAGER. If they want to keep their rating, they need to take care of issues - not just knock off patients who have problems. If the office manager is unwilling to listen, go up the chain of command.

Oh that's terrible! I haven't experimented with premade home delivery meals, but I'm sure they come with bariatric macros with low carb, low fat, low calorie, etc. if you explore for them. Good luck!

I see all these companies that premake meals and send them out weekly. has anyone found one that's good for weightloss and bariatric? I'm so off track and have been doing this all on my own since the day I had the surgery. I had the WORST weight loss center in history. I had complications with dehydration and they told me that I would hurt their Center of Excellence score if they found out so they just stopped helping me a week after my surgery.

Ok, I know no one asked, but because I am anal and a self-proclaimed research queen, I did a bit of a deeper dive of the reviews on Baritastic and downloaded the app for a bit of UAT: (Mind you I have been using MyFitnessPal for 3 or so years so I am a little biased) I find Baritastic layout quite busy/cluttered (MFP is waaaay cleaner) The set up for daily log is by 3 meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and snacks which is fine if this is how you eat, but I eat many little meals a day so.... I HATE ads. Page loading is noticeably slower than MFP (though this could just be me) If I wanted extended services, like social groups, recipes, reminders, etc, this app would be a nice all-in-one. But I dont, so.... Looks like there is no desktop version? Not sure this is such a big deal, but I do find it much easier to import recipes and edit them on a desktop. From the very small sample of reviews that I read, there is a general consensus that MFP's food database is superior (I have not used B enough to have an opinion on this). The big PRO of B for me is that it offers two of the things I paid premium for in MFP for free: Net carbs & timestamps. Based on this, I'd probably still go with MFP as my needs are less "bariatric-wholistic" and I'm a sucker for simplicity (use and looks). If I never used MFP, all the above may not bother me so much. But I did, so....

I had a ton of flare ups after my surgery for some of my autoimmune issues. I blamed it on the added stress to my body. Ended up on steroids. Definitely some rocky times after surgery, but it ended up OK. As others have said, it all depends on which autoimmune disease. Make sure your doctors talk to each other if needed. My rheumatologist told me he didn't know much about bariatric surgery (and he's head of his department in a major hospital).

I'm not really sure that I'm asking for advice, more just griping. I'm over 2 years out from surgery. I eat healthy - pescatarian and mostly fruit/veg/protein. Almost no refined carbs (my body does not like them). I'll let myself have a small dessert on my birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (knowing I wont feel great after) - something fairly low cal/sugar. Stay under 1000 cal /day (any more than that and I gain - even though I'm still teetering on an obese weight). I have two issues: 1. It seems like every month new foods do not do well with my stomach. So far: dairy, most raw veg, some cooked veg, some fruit, cocoa, peanut butter. New this month - apples. They just are cutting up my stomach. It makes my stomach hurt. Shouldn't this have all settled out by now? My surgeon and NUT say yes, but it doesn't for everyone. I'm basically on a very limited diet in terms of variety. I mean, its better than I was in months 4-18 of this journey where I was in extreme pain no matter what I ate and struggled to get more than 600 calories, but still not fun. 2. I'm in my early 40s. About a year after surgery, I started getting the worst hot flashes 5-10 times a day. That has tamped down, but now it seems like about 15-20 minutes after I eat, I get a hot flash. Every damn time. Could be wholly unrelated to surgery, but still irritating. Anyway, not really looking for anything here. I'm just a person that sometimes needs to send my frustrations out into the world to start moving past them. And this seems like the place to toss out my bariatric surgery related issues. I hope all of you are well.

Stopping ketosis? Yes and no, depending upon how one defines it. As far dropping ketones that are detectable in a urine test, that is a normal result of burning off your fat stores - which is what we are trying to do - irrespective what diet is used. All it takes is a suitable caloric deficit, so that is pretty much unavoidable if you are losing the weight that you want to lose. If one is aiming for high numbers or pretty colors on a keto stick, and gushes about how the bad breath and body odors that they are getting is a sign of burning fat, then no, that is not at all necessary. I followed a very strict "no fad diet" regimen - no Atkins, Ornish, Paleo, South Beach, Zone, Keto, etc., and had to work to stop the loss when I approached goal weight. I quite specifically avoided symptomatic ketosis (along with other classic low carb diet symptoms such as fatigue, lethargy, brain fade, hypoglycemia, etc.) by maintaining as balanced a diet as reasonably possible within our post bariatric protein and low calorie requirements, though ketones were detectable in the normal urine tests - that is normal when metabolizing the fat. One does not need to go overboard on consuming excess fats to drive one into ketosis - that is just part of the keto fad and has nothing to do with burning your fat stores in losing weight. The protein in your urine may just be a passing thing (no pun intended...) or may be indicative of something else. I have often passed detectable amounts of protein in my urine, even well before WLS, but that's just me. It can be a sign of possible kidney problems, or maybe not - it is something that we monitor. Our post bariatric diets are not so much high protein, as they are adequate protein bur low on everything else; in a year or two when you are much lighter and maintaining your weight, your protein levels should be about the same as they are now, but everything else will be higher to fill out the extra calories that you need to maintain, and to provide the nutrition that you need. If you look at bariatrics historically, you find that dietary style (low fat, low carb, keto, paleo, etc.) makes very little difference to overall weight loss, as that is primarily determined by the caloric deficit created by eating so little for that first year or so. Indeed, if you look back 20-30 years ago, patients were often advised to "eat like you always have, just less...." and it worked. Of course, what didn't work was them maintaining the loss as they never learned to eat sustainably to maintain their weight. So, it is entirely reasonable to eat a basically healthy diet that, for a time, is protein biased (we can supplement most everything else) and not worry about whatever the fad diet of the day happens to be - eat with an eye towards how you should be eating five years from now. Those who follow the fad diets have the same problem that non-WLS dieters have - learning how to eat sustainably once they have lost the weight and no long have to "diet".

Wow, did they not call and verify if you had bariatric surgery in your policy before speaking with you?

If it gives you anxiety then modify it to fit your post op general food calories and protein that your surgeon gave you. If you need to maybe see a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric patients. I know mine has always been helpful with ideas and given me loads of reassurance. You can do this. You’re worth being healthy for.

My condolences to you. I am so glad that others have taken the time to offer you support. Let's keep doing that, but honestly, Lynda, please consider getting into counseling. Grief is complicated and more so when you add our current pandemic and bariatric life all combined; a strong, effective grief counselor could offer you some much-needed support at this time.

I had RNY, not VSG, but it's similar. Your volume will be unrealistically restricted for the first few months or a year, but after that, not really. Although I eat much less than I did pre-surgery, no one would be able to tell anymore that I had bariatric surgery. I eat like my never-been-obese women friends do who are "watching their weight". At restaurants I'll usually order an appetizer and eat that - or else order an entree and take half of it home. no I could never eat half a large pizza again at one sitting like I could pre-surgery, but I can eat 1-2 pieces. But 1-2 pieces is what my mother eats - and most of my skinny friends. so to answer your question - yes, of course you'll be able to eat at weddings and when traveling abroad. You won't be stuck forever eating 1/2 C of food or 600 calories. But you'll be eating much smaller portions than what you probably atepre-surgery (or you should be eating much smaller portions - unfortunately, regain is real!! Luckily, it's easier to eat small portions and be satisfied with that after surgery)

We have Anthem/BCBS of Indiana and like others I had to have nutritional counseling, meet with behavior therapist, release from my family physician, records of previous attempts at losing weight as well as medical records from various records shared with the bariatric surgeon. My original request was denied 16 days after submitting the "packet", but once resubmitted it was pproved within 24 hours.

I don't think it's particularly normal with bariatric surgery, although some people have that issue (it's more common with the DS than the other surgeries). Can you just cut out those items that cause it?

Hi I am 15years post op & I have terrible bloating every time I eat bread brown rice pasta pizza.... I am I gluten intolerant Is really terrible smelly bowl movements normal with bariatric surgery My doc has pasted away & don't have someone to ask these questions to Sent from my CLT-L29 using BariatricPal mobile app

So glad to hear he’s coming around! I think that is a common fear with partners. Realistically the divorce rate after bariatric surgery is high, but a lot of that is people who settled for a partner now discovering options, or a person in an unhealthy relationship being willing to pull the plug.

Is there anything in particular that you are worried about? If you have specific concerns, you should talk them over with your bariatric team. They've probably heard every question under the sun and can set your mind at ease. But if it's just that general "OMG, SURGERY!!!!" feeling, I think we can all relate. There's no question this is a big step. Maybe review what led you to choose surgery in the first place. Is your next diet going to end any differently from your last diet? Are your hypertension and pre-diabetes going to improve without the surgery? How does the risk of having these conditions compare to the risk of surgery (not just now, but over time)? If your reasoning for wanting surgery was sound, then it probably still is.

Let's see, a few things: 1. You may have a few uncomfortable days when you're wondering what you got yourself into. Don't worry, it gets better quickly. 2. Being "full" will feel different after surgery and you'll want to learn to recognize that feeling quickly. Overeating or eating too fast after surgery makes you REALLY miserable. 3. You'll only be able to eat a tiny amount at first. Just getting enough water and protein in will be tough. Don't worry, you'll be able to eat more soon. 4. Stick as closely as you can to the eating plan your bariatric team gives you. 5. About a month after surgery, you might stop losing weight. It happens to almost everyone and it's called the "three-week stall" here on the forum. Don't worry, you'll start losing again. 6. Don't buy a lot of clothes as you start losing weight. You'll be blowing through sizes really quickly. Just get a few inexpensive pieces until you know what size you are eventually going to be. 7. Don't compare your progress to other people. We have a different metabolism, dieting history, lifestyle, etc. Some people will lose faster than you and some slower. It's all good. 8. You will definitely reach a point when you can have your favorite foods again, although likely in small portions and not very often. Some things might taste different after surgery. Just a few tips! Hope all goes well with your surgery. 🤗