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Hello all! Question around how many calories is everyone consuming a day now ? I have trying to figure out if I’m consuming to many or to little because I have been stalled for three weeks and I am very frustrated. I just don’t understand and my Bariatric center has no nutritionist because the one we had up and retired because she re thought her life because of COVID-19. We then got someone else n she got a better job offer closer to her home with better hours so now we don’t have one again. The last time I saw a nutritionist was in April. I have the paperwork they give you but it’s very little it’s just mostly pre op and i5 said after you should be consuming 700- 1100 cal a day . I exercise twice a day 25 minutes walking in morning and 30 min on stationary bike after work at night. Thank you in advanced for your help!

There are a few websites out there with bariatric friendly recipes. I like this one the best. Bariatric Foodie Puree Recipes

Pre-op it was Optifast, and I could only get them either from my surgeon or from the Bariatric Clinic Office at HRH (I got mine from my surgeon). POST-op I used Isopure Dutch Chocolate (powder) exclusively...i found this was the least sweet of all the powders I tried. I blended it up with water, ice, a tsp of decaf instant coffee crystals and 2 tsps of Benefibre. In the mornings I may add a capful of Miralax if I was backed up (which happened often!). I also had some Isopure Unflavoured to add to food. I got these online from https://www.bodybuilding.com/en-CA/index , found this to be cheapest, even with the conversion and shipping costs. The giant tub (with the handle) is the best value. But maybe try a sample first before you commit to such a large amount (my husband drinks it too, so it was worth it for us). My surgeon was XXXX. Had 7 follow ups with him (1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year). Again very uneventful. In and out really (I did not have any complications nor issues with weight loss). He's great. It was kind of a downer to have to go so far for so short an appt (I'm in north T.O., he's at Sheppard West), and his office was always very busy, so I often had to wait past my scheduled appt time to see him. Not really a big deal, but worth noting. There is no plan to see him again, but I was told to give them a call if I ever find the need to (I haven't). Edited to add: I put my surgeons name, but just removed it. Figure maybe I should DM you this info instead, lol...I sent it to your mailbox. Edit to add, part deux: I should mention that there are also (separate) follow ups with the clinic at HRH (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years). My next scheduled appt will be next year at my 3 yr anniversary...i actually have no idea how long these will go for. I see the Nurse and the Dietician at these follow ups. I get my labs done, then they adjust vitamin regimen if needed, as well advise me on my reported eating. Personally, I don't get anything out of these follow-ups in terms of dietary advice that I don't already know. But getting my labs done is good. Also it sucks to have to drive all the way there and pay $25 for parking.

That seems unusual. I have had 2 bariatric surgeries and both times was given not only pain meds, but also prescription stomach meds/acid reducers and anti-nausea medications. Are you having surgery in the US?

Dumping maybe?read about it as far as diabetes goes it doesnt hurt to check. I lost my craving for candy since those bariatric calcium chews in strawberry came into my life.

As Tek indicated, do you really want to go down the dieting road again, and then learn how to maintain a healthy weight? keto will work as well as any other diet out there - about a 95% failure rate beyond a year. The usual problem with these diets is that people get tired of them and quit, or they reach their goal and go back to their old habits because they never established the healthy dietary habits that help maintain their weight. There is such a thing as "bariatric keto" which tailors it to WLS needs - basically higher protein and lower fat. It is essentially old school Atkins, but people can tell everyone that they're "doin' keto". The problem of all the other diets still remains which is what do you do once the fad fades - keep on with a "so yesterday" diet or jump onto the new latest thing? If you do want to adopt keto as a lifestyle, I suggest that you do just that - take is as a serious iifestyle and learn how to live with it and minimize the nutritional deficiencies that are inherent in it. Think of it as similar to those who chose to go vegetarian/vegan - if one looks at it simply as not eating meat, then trouble is lurking as one needs to learn how to get adequate protein, and the right kinds. Likewise, with keto, one needs to learn how to get all of the vitamins and minerals that we normally get from carbohydrate rich foods (all of our fruits, veg and grains.) At least, if one is really serious about it, our Covid19 days are a good time to try it, as with our normal social distancing protocols, one will be less likely to offend others with their keto bad breath and BO.

1 week post op and prob on other meds i would call and ask your bariatric nurse. Normally when im sick like that i take dayquil but with covid and being so close out just check to be sure its ok with your set of comorbities and current med lists. Dayquil comes in liquid form if you decide to try it

We didn't have any pre-op diet, and many surgeons don't need to impose them on their patients. The big question here is what your surgery for? Talking about bile reflux problems, implies that it is to resolve that complication as opposed to weight loss, If you haven't regained substantial weight, there is probably little need to go through with any extensive pre-op diet. A few years ago I was looking at the prospect of a surgery with a bariatric center, though it was for reasons other than weight loss, The RD went through the usual nutritional spiel and outlined their pre-op diet. When I asked her if I really needed to do that as I didn't need to lose weight and didn't have fatty liver, she simply said, "let me ask the doctor..." since she didn't have the authority to make that decision. (The answer was no, I didn't need to do it.) So, if your weight is normal-ish and you don't have any liver issues, there is little value to the diet (other than the usual day before thing to ensure a clear GI tract. Curiosity here - what are they doing to resolve the bile issue? The DS will knock it out for sure, but few surgeons can do that. Moving the roux limb further down? Just curious.

Hey everyone, I am looking into bariatric surgery and was wondering what hospital or doctors in New York City do you recommend? I have metroplus and have an upcoming doctors appointment and want to ask for a referral. Anyone has experience with Metroplus and what are their requirements? I called and all they told me is up to the doctor to decide.

Barimelts aren't bad. I've also tried Bariatric Fusion and BariatricPal chewables, and I think Barimelts are the best of the three. You don't even have to chew them -- they dissolve in your mouth. You probably don't need to take bariatric vitamins pre-op, though (unless your doctor told you to). Flinstones chewables or something similar would probably be fine.

I bought the ProCare Health bariatric multivitamin chewables (3 big bottles) so I'm stuck with them. They're not great, but I'm used to them now. I believe they are a berry flavored. I won't get those again.

Good Morning, My bariatric team gave me a few choices but this is the number one choice. Celebrate - Essential Multi 2 in 1 Chewable (Multivitamin and Calcium) Orange/Pineapple I will take two a day Celebrate - Iron +C Chewable (Grape) 1 per day I haven't tasted them but I have heard from others in my area that they are good.

Good Morning Everyone! So I have to tell my Father that I'm having the surgery on November 10th and I'm telling him tonight. I'm really nervous about it. He is the sweetest thing on Earth so I'm probably causing my own anxiety. The thing is my Aunt Susie (whom I'm named after) had a gastric bypass 46 years ago<<<yes you heard that right 46 years ago! In those days they reversed the operation after the patient lost their weight. My Aunt had the first operation with flying colours. The reversal was another story. After surgery while still in the hospital she got sepsis and eventually went into a coma and passed away. She was only 31 years old with two young children. It is a tragic, tragic story and I'm sorry for telling it however I don't want my Dad to be completely freaked out. I'm not at all freaked out. I have been on this journey since August 2019 and I have gone through all the medical and psychological testing required. I've done my research and the team that is taking care of me is from a "Bariatric Centre of Excellence". I'm not afraid. I'm excited. Besides that I'm pretty healthy. So any advice? What would you say? Would you even tell him? Suzanne

Overall using Blossom was a great experience. They really took care of you. Having drivers pick you up for all apts took the stress out of allot of the process. Everything was discussed with you (also watch their videos) and there were no surprises. Surgery day is the worst. Walking that day really helps. Also, take the medication they give you if you need it. They give you a bag with all of the items you will need for after the surgery. My biggest worry was my five hour flight home and then a 2 hour car ride. For me, I had no big issues. I just took my time. Each day you feel a little better. I choose Blossom because I would not qualify for bariatric surgery thru my insurance. My BMI was 35. I am 10 weeks post op now and down a total of 40 lbs since I started my pre-op diet. It is crazy to think I have lost that much weight and I am not hungry. Let me know if you have any addtional questions.

Sorry if this is hard to understand, I am in actual tears and I just don’t know what to do. I desperately need advice or comfort or just something from people who may understand what I am going through and maybe know why I am feeling this way. My mom and I had the bariatric sleeve surgery done 2 weeks ago and the experience with her that I have had has been mostly miserable and upsetting. I am extremely obese and have always had a very difficult time keeping the weight off. Long story short I went for a doctors visit and my doctor recommended that I get the bariatric sleeve to help me, since with certain medical issues such as PCOS it can be hard to lose the weight without help. My mother begged me to do it and said that she wanted me to be able to live past her and my dad, and then she went and said that she would do it with me. Now, to some this would seem like a thing of encouragement, and while I do believe that may be part of it, I truly do not believe that that is the true underlying reason. You see, my mom is an alcoholic (she is viciously mean when she is drunk), and I believe that she is very self-absorbed. Not in the way that she thinks she is the greatest thing to walk the planet, but in the way that she always needs to be the center of attention. We haven’t always had the best relationship, as she has said and done many things that have really hurt me, and every time that we have tried to talk about these issues (when she wasn’t drunk) she always has some excuse, or blames everything on her past trauma, or how she just wants to let loose and have fun. A spitting example is how she once told me when she was drunk that she was just wanting to let loose, since she lost some of her twenties -aka the party years- due to having me. Almost every hurtful thing and word that she has said has stuck with me for a long time, and when my family tried to go to family therapy, my mom decided to stop since the therapist “kept saying that everything was her fault.” Another key thing is that she is also overweight, but not nearly as big as me, and she has tried hundreds of diets and pills and has never stuck to any of them for very long. Anyway, I tell you all of this so that maybe you understand why I think she mostly wanted me to do the surgery since I am clearly at more of a health risk and part of her wouldn’t feel right doing it without me. This of course could all be in my head. So no, on to the real problem at hand. Ever since we have been released from the hospital she has not been doing well -I am a college student and came home for the recovery process but plan to move back to campus as soon as possible. At first it was just minor things that bugged me a little bit, such as every time a food commercial came on the television, she would moan about how the food looks so good and yadda yadda. This was minor, but it still bugged me since I too had gone through the surgery and did not need to hear her constant moaning about how good something looked on the tv. This coupled with the constants complaining about how much she was hurt, and how much she hates the blood thinner shots that we must give ourselves, slowly started to drive me up the walls. I HATE needles, but just recently I have been able to give blood and receive shots without crying, while she has literally been fine and delt with needles for years, but all the sudden she claims that she hates needles (which I mean who doesn’t, but come on). After I got annoyed enough, I watched her do the shot and saw that she had been doing it in a way other than the nurses had showed us, and when I tried to point it out to her, she waved me off and said that she was doing it the way that she was showed. Another thing with her complaining about her constant pain. The first night we got home, - 2 days post op- we both slept on the recliner couch. The next night she tried to sleep in bed, even though I had warned her against it. She tried for a few days, each day complaining about pain, while I suggested that she try sleeping on the couch again. I sleep on our recliner couch for nearly the two whole weeks that we have been home. I have finally been able to sleep in bed for the past two nights, and my pain is almost gone, while she claims to still have pretty bad pain. And guess where she has been sleeping the past few days. The couch. Now comes the parts that have really been getting to me. She has not been following the diet plan that our Doctor gave us. First it was her not drinking enough fluid, which I constantly had to tell her to do. Then, it was the incident that occurred a few days ago. Our doctor has us on full liquids right now, which consists of things like sugar free pudding, low-fat yogurt, chicken broth, and instant mashed potatoes. Well, a few days ago she went to the store with my brother, I cannot remember why I did not go, but I did not. When she came home, I went into the kitchen and saw a bag of open potato wedges and I instantly knew that she had some. So, I went and asked her, and she said that she did and that she made sure to chew them up well and that her stomach tolerated them just fine. Then I found the little foil covering of sour cream and knew that she had some of that as well. And while sure, potatoes mashed in your mouth is similar to mashed potatoes, the things that get me are: 1. They’re fried, which is an absolute no no as of right now, and 2. They aren’t on our list of approved foods so why even chance it. Anyway, I tried to move past that one and dropped it. Then tonight came. My mom made my dad and brother biscuits and gravy and eggs for dinner. I had some of the scrambled eggs because those have been approved by our doctor, and apparently, she had more than just eggs. Then, just a few moments ago, she came into the living room with a small bowl of chili. We are not supposed to be having chili for another day. And again, I understand that its only one day, but that fact that she cannot follow simple doctors’ orders has driven me mad. Now here’s the real kicker. Not only did she have the chili before she was technically allowed to; she put Fritos Scoops chips in it. Now I know for sure that we are NOT supposed to be having those. And then the smell of it and the anger drove me crazy, and I excused myself from the room, claiming that I had to go charge my phone. Well, after I did not return for a few minutes she came looking for me and knew I was upset. I told her I didn’t want to talk about it and that it didn’t matter -I said this because my opinions and feelings have never ever felt like they mattered to her, especially when we are in conflict. She came and sat down and kept pushing asking me why I was mad and said things like “so you’re mad because I had chili one day early?” and then she used the, “I have already lost weight” which I replied I wasn’t talking about her weight and that didn’t matter. She also said that it should not matter since she didn’t make me eat it. I then told her I didn’t want to talk about it now and she finally left. I know that I shouldn’t worry about it, and that I should just focus on myself, but it kind of feels undermining to me. She did not need this surgery as much as I did, but even still I feel like she doesn’t really care or understand how much effort this is. I honestly believe that she thinks she just going to get skinny and not have to do anything. She doesn’t exercise and clearly, she doesn’t have the willpower to not eat something if it looks or smells good, not to mention that fact that she never watched the hour long lecture the doctor wanted us to watch and just asked me what it was about and told me that she would watch it that night at work. Heck, she didn’t even know what the bariatric sleeve surgery really even was until a few days before the surgery when I mentioned that part of our stomach was going to be removed. I am just getting really upset at this point and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to have to lie to the doctor or listen to her lie to the doctor again -she has lied about her alcoholism, tobacco usage, and what she has been eating before the surgery- when we have our first post-op appointment. And I don’t even want to bring these things up to her, because she gets very combative when she gets defensive and is never able to see things past her own perspective. My dad says that it wasn’t me who needed her support in this, but that he thinks she needed mine, but at this point I don’t even know what to do. How am I supposed to support her when she cant even follow simple rules and restrain herself from eating things that she is not supposed to be eating? How am I supposed to look at that and make my own progress when she is making it seem like its fine to just go back to eating whatever I want whenever -which I know is not true. I know I have more willpower and restraint than she does; that fact has been made abundantly clear to me. I am just at a loss. I know her surgery is going to be pointless and she is going to complain when she plateaus or even gains the weight back. How do I keep myself from getting so upset over this? Am I just crazy? Am I acting selfishly? Please help. I am sure I did not include some of the information or things that have happened, but I know this has already been a lot to read.

I think in my program book it says that taking a fiber supplement is okay did you try reaching out to your bariatric nurse To see what she suggests? Diarrhea on top of healing ugh. Hope you feel better

I had the sleeve, not the bypass so this may or may not help, but... I had also had multiple abdominal surgeries prior to my bariatric surgery. My surgeon did say the surgery took him a little longer than usual due to adhesions and scar tissue, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. I haven't had any major complications either. I know everyone is different, but that's how it went for me. ☺️

^^^^^^^^^^^ THIIIIIIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I have been big my entire life and i've tried EVERYTHING and was afraid that bariatric surgery would be the same way. So far, this is working the best for me (bypassed in July) and I feel more confident with this than I did with anything else. Sometimes our minds are our own worst enemy.

My biggest fears are: 1. Dying- I am the breadwinner for my family, have two young children, and two elderly parents with dementia I take care of. I need to be here because there are a lot of people counting on me for pretty much everything. 2. It not working- I feel like I hear so many horror stories of it not working, or people losing only a small amount of weight before nothing happening. I know it generally works, but you can’t help but be concerned that you might go through all this for nothing. 3. Regain. This is not my first rodeo with weight loss. Over 10 years ago I lost 150 lbs (without surgery) and had an amazing experience being “thin” for the first time in my life with all the accolades, pride, etc that comes with it. Only to gain it all back plus a lot more. I am doing everything I can to try to make this time different but I’ve done it to myself before and I’m terrified I’ll do it again. 4. My freaking insurance finding some dumb loophole to deny my surgery that they submitted for last week! Or Covid causing elective surgeries to be cancelled again and my husband losing his job that has the Bariatric coverage medical insurance before they resume surgery. Or basically some new reason that I get denied after so many years trying to make this work. 5. Complications: a leak, chronic issues, being nauseous forever, a clot, having to have the surgery revised later due to gerd, or any other issues that I can think of. So basically what are my greatest fears? Everything, it looks like. Ha!

I see - very interesting. Soda wasn't a big issue for me as I've always preferred flat drinks, so I never questioned my bariatric team's prohibition on it. Good to know it's not quite as bad as they made it sound, LOL.

For Ontario, the requirements are one of either: BMI of 40+, or... BMI of 35+ with 2 documented co-morbidities (i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc) If you qualify, your PCP has to refer you to the Ontario Bariatric Network, and if they approve you, its all pretty straightforward from there. In Ontario, it takes about 8-12 months from date of refferal to surgery (if attend all your appointments) Check out the OBN's website for more info: https://www.ontariobariatricnetwork.ca/ (or ask your PCP) Good Luck!

I had two major fears: 1. I would have some sort of serious complication. For some reason, people delight in telling you horror stories once they know you are having bariatric surgery and all that gave me anxiety. 2. I was afraid it wouldn't work. I don't know why, I just wasn't confident that the surgery would be effective for me. As it turned out, both fears were unnecessary. I had no major issues with surgery and I'm happy with my results so far. 🙂 And now I get to be a counter-example for all those horror stories, LOL.

Yeah, I had a similar issue and I found a brand I could tolerate (Evolve in my case). I ran it past my bariatric team, they reviewed the nutritional info and gave me the thumbs up. So if there's something that works for you and has about the same macro values, they might be fine with it.

VSG - 3+ yrs ago so slightly different than what maybe happening this year: I called the local Bariatric Surgery practice to inquire about how to start the process and was told to attend an in person seminar where all of the information would be discussed After the seminar I called to set up an appointment with the surgeon. At the appointment my insurance was processed, weight taken then official first meeting with the surgeon where we discussed my health & medical history as well as my options. I chose to move forward with surgery ASAP. The head nurse/office manager set up my first nutritionist appointment for the same day because the NUT was available right after my consult. I was given info on the diet I needed to begin to follow (I needed to meet just once or twice more with the NUT prior to surgery for more instructions and weigh ins). At checkout from the initial consult, I was handed a huge packet of info on the next steps/appointments. There were some the office set up and some I needed to do on my own. I needed to meet with my primary for insurance authorization & prior weight loss history. Next was the psychologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist , sleep study, and my neurologist (case specific) Final steps were endoscopy and barium swallow test then the final required WLS seminar. Once it was all complete, all materials were submitted and I waited for insurance approval. Once approval arrived I was given options on surgery dates. Prior to surgery I needed to complete pre-op lab/paper work including meeting with the anesthesiologist about 1 week before surgery. No pre-op diet required but I did one for ~ 5 days because I was nervous. Day of surgery (5 am) was just more paperwork then briefly meeting with the team one more time. Administered light sedation then headed into the OR suite, met the surgerical team, placed on surgerical table, wired with monitors/leads, IV placed and then placed under general anesthesia. From initial call to surgery day ~4 months. *Revision to RNY (1+ yr ago): At one of my regular follow up appointments I told my AMAZING Surgical PA that my GERD symptoms had increased significantly. I was scheduled to see the new Surgeon immediately (original one left the practice). At the appointment with my new Surgeon it was suggested to conduct an endoscopy immediately. It was scheduled for the same week. My new Surgeon conducted the endoscopy to have first hand info on my anatomy since they were not the original Surgeon. A few days later we met again to discuss my options (revision or several months of repeated balloon dilatations) I choose revision and was scheduled for 12 days later. Please note that I was "fast tracked" and I didn't need to repeat any of the initial prerequisites because I was at goal weight and demonstrated significant need for the procedure. No insurance issues either for the same reasons. But this time I had to do the 2 week pre-op diet. The day of revision surgery the same as first surgery. Good Luck with your journey ❤️

I had to attend a virtual seminar, and then I had an appointment with the bariatric surgeon. When I went to that appointment, I also met with the patient navigator, who gave me a checklist of everything I had to complete prior to surgery. This was dictated partly by my surgeon and partly by my insurance, and it varies from one patient to the next (they had a long list of requirements and marked off the ones I needed to complete). The items I had to complete included: Three months of medically supervised weight loss with my PCP (one appointment per month for three months) Preliminary bloodwork (they let me do that with my PCP) My preliminary bloodwork showed thyroid issues, so I also had to go to an endocrinologist and get an ultrasound of my thyroid Upper GI (barium swallow test) Nutrition consultation with the bariatric nutritionist at my surgeon's practice (this is usually done in person, but I did it over the phone due to COVID) Psychological evaluation (one appointment in person, which included some tests and an interview, and a follow-up appointment by videoconference due to COVID) Group nutrition class (virtual class due to COVID) Group consent class (virtual class due to COVID) Pre-surgery appointment with the surgeon a week before surgery COVID test Pre-surgery testing (EKG and bloodwork), which is normally done prior to surgery day, but due to COVID, it was done on surgery day