Search the Community

I swear this is not a paid review, but I eat the Bariatric Pal Lite Entrees a few times a week that you can buy off the store on this site. Super quick.

My bariatric office didn't care because I exceeded their weight loss expectations by a lotttt; they said I would only get to 165 at best. The plastic surgeon also had no opinion. He said I can do it whenever I feel I am ready. My weight has been between 129 and 133 for 6-ish weeks now and my dietitian said if I lose more weight, I need to gain it back so if I go lower post-plastics, it won't really impact the plastics because I'm supposed to gain it back. If that made sense. I am one year post-op today. If I wanted insurance to pay for my tummy tuck, I would have to be 18 months post-op. I don't think they'd approve it anyway since I don't have rashes or anything so I'm just paying myself now. I'm so ready for this. I had a breast reduction in 2017 and I am SO GLAD I did because my boobs would be SO DROOPY after all this weight loss (they were a 48H and taken down to a 46D.... and are now a 36B). So even if I lose (or gain) a little more weight... I doubt it will have any real impact on my skin.

So I will probably get a lot of kick back from this, but here it goes. Alcohol seems to be such a compromising issue for so many folks. The truth of the matter is, that NO amount of alcohol is good for you. Yes, there are antioxidants in red wine, but even very light alcohol consumption increases risk of throat, mouth, and GI cancers. Alcohol is a very strong chemical that is damaging to living tissue. Period. Think about why an alcohol swab is used on your skin before a shot. It cleans and kills. There is absolutely no reason for a bariatric patient, of all people, to drink alcohol. Yet, it is so hard to make the total break. It is the same argument I hear all the time with patients who smoke - "I just smoke 5 cigarettes a day," "I just smoke a pack every week," "I just smoke socially." When we all know that ANY amount of smoking is not good for health. All I am saying is that if we make this huge effort to improve our health with WLS, and we are willing to make total lifestyle changes to be successful in the long run for life, why do we try to compromise and flirt with seeing how much we can get away with concerning alcohol? Is it our addictive nature? Is it social pressure? It is a bit of rebellion? I believe it is a issue that is worth exploring deeply for each person and really asking the hard questions about WHY it is so important to continue drinking at all when there is absolutely no benefit, and only harm that can result. So fire away at me. I've said my 2 cent's worth and won't bring it up again.

Well I am the Dexilent success kid, as long as I take it I have no further ulcer production, but I grew them while on Omperazolr both times, while under my gastroenterologist and my bariatric surgeon's care- just extremely LUCKY my insurance co-pay is only $8.30 because I COULD NOT AFFORD the OTC pricing. I take 60 mg but have been told the 30mg size will go generic in 2020 if not yet this year. An interesting FYI, my Doctor Needleman wrote a script for2 of!30mg capsules , Wal-Mart went and changed it to the 60 mg they had on hand anyway! Did they ask first? DOUBT IT STRONGLY, I once worked at Wally World but not in THAT department, and I know how devious they CAN be and often are. Like anybody that works at a place 11 YEARS, I know the skeletons and what closets they are hidden in.

I had been Struggling at over 300 Pounds since I quit smoking back in 2008. When I quit I was @ 275 and ballooned to over 300 in months. I looked at bariatric Surgery in 2010 and actually took my insurance required classes and decided not to because of the restrictions of certain foods and told myself I could drop from the 315 i weighed at that time. In 2016 I had got to my heaviest at 366 pounds. 2017 was the year I said i was making changes and dropped to 333 I also started looking at bariatric surgery to help me, then i started taking the weight loss surgery classes again from Kaiser. After the 12 weeks of classes I had dropped to 310, and by March 2018 I was 306 on surgery day. Now I do say why didn't I do it sooner, we all end up saying that after, but I do recognize that mentally I was not ready 9 years ago. I did meet one guy who decided not to have surgery and has lost 60lbs on his own, to date and I commend him on his hard work and changes. I know that the surgery was the tool to help me make the correct choices to keep myself at a healthy weight. Good luck with your decision. 👍

Doctors' philosophy on this vary from a few weeks to never again depending upon their experiences. The basic issues are: Healing - alcohol is somewhat corrosive to the stomach lining so one needs to give things a chance to heal first, Alcohol tolerance - rapid stomach emptying means it tends to hit faster, and with less (i.e., a "cheap drunk") so care must be taken there, Transfer addiction - we can no longer satisfy whatever addictive tendencies we have with food, so it is easy for transfer that addiction to something else, like alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, etc. What was a casual habit of a glass of wine with dinner occasionally can easily turn into full blown alcoholism. Liver health - starting as morbidly obese, or worse, our livers are not usually in very good shape to begin with (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that are often prescribed) and the liver is further stressed from its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are rapidly losing. It doesn't need any more stress from ingesting a known liver toxin like alcohol (not a judgemental thing, just our physiology at work). My surgeon is also a biliopancreatic (livers and pancreas) transplant surgeon, so he is in the no alcohol as long as we are losing weight camp (and ideally forever) and indeed we sign a contract to that effect - he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table! Those are the issues in play, and some aspects bother different surgeons to different degrees, so they have different policies. Check with what your surgeon's policy is, and decide for yourself - we are all adults here.

Yes. I had a few things, documentation from my bariatric surgeon, documentation from my OBGYN (sorry if TMI but my loose skin was causing irritation in my public region), documentation from my primary where I had 2 yeast infections inside my belly button due to the skin fold. I had visits spanning from about 5+ months before I decided to see a plastic surgeon.

Hey November surgery friends. We're getting close! I'm thinking about you, Friday peeps for sure. Sending you happy healthy vibes. I'm having my surgery in Mexico and just made a post-op appointment at my local bariatrics practics for follow up care in mid-December. That was my last important hurdle to jump to give me peace of mind. My head is full of dreams as I make plans now for a special 30th Anniversary cruise with my hubby in March. I won't be at goal weight, but it's fun to think that I'll be snorkeling and dancing with more ease!

I got my surgery done last week by Dr. Julie Kim! She’s actually the first dr to perform bariatric surgery in Massachusetts, if I’m remembering correctly! highly recommend! I went through Mount Auburn Weight Management Center at Mount Auburn Hospital! Good luck, Megan

I am on all chewables- my multivitamin, calcium citrate (I use Bariatric advantage chews), Vitamin D3 and a disolvable under tongue sublingual B12. Going to get my blood work done first time this week after surgery for my 3 months and we will see if they are working.

Sorry if TMI, but who else can I ask? Doing protein shakes and was so happy to finally that delicious premier protein drink you guys recommended , except about thirty minutes after at work I had to run to the bathroom ... this didn’t happen when I tried it yesterday. Never happens with Bariatric advantage... happened a couple times with other drinks like quest and iconic protein. As you can tell my dr didn’t give me much of a pre or post op consultation . Also what is “dumping “

My doctor recommended Bariatric Fusion chewable. I found the orange cream flavor on Amazon. 4 chewables a day gives you all the iron, calcium, B12, etc. you need and they taste good. Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

Just curious, have any of you done a thru-hike or pilgrimage after bariatric surgery? In particular, has anyone done the Camino de Santiago after bariatric surgery? How was it? How did you handle eating? Did you gain/lose/maintain weight? Insights you can share? I had surgery Sept 4th. I am losing weight at a nice pace. I have just reached a BMI under 30. I am walking 6 miles a day now (still easy walking, but at a brisk pace). I am just beginning to do Yoga/Pilates again (when I can get my daughter to dance in time for me to get to class). And I have just booked a flight to Paris/back from Barcelona... but in between I am planning on doing the Camino de Santiago (French Way) from St Jean Pied de Port! I am super excited. I am planning to up my fitness routine steadily until I leave. I am already buying any gear I don't have and trying to figure out how to keep weight down in my backpack. Buying smaller clothes will sure help that! Hopefully I am a Medium by then if not smaller. Anyhow, any tips on what you did to get you through a thru-hike? This is my first thru-hike. I have always wanted to do one, but I am using this as more motivation to keep going on my weight loss and getting fit. I selected this one because I don't have to carry my tent and all my food for many days at a time, and I SHOULD have an actual bed to sleep in every night. Anyhow, excitied, nervous, and really not sure how I will be handling food by then. I am doing better with hydrating now. I am eating small meals without problems. I have never gotten sick from anything I ate or overeating.

This is very informative, thank you! I am hoping to get the ball rolling before I even meet with the bariatric team so that I'm really in a good space when I begin the process. I have begun incorporating more movement into my days and prioritizing protein, but I know I have a ways to go before I'm at a point where I'll see weight loss. It sounds like you're in a great place and I'm sure you're going to do great post-op!

115 pounds lost is phenomenal. How did you do it? Did you have to adopt a different strategy for the last few pound The last pounds can be painfully slow. We have less body fat to burn. No different diet or strategy . Reaching a lower BMI was not important to me. Its just where I ended up. I wish there was less emphasis on BMI. The goal to me is healthy. You said “The final pounds of weight loss are difficult and - because of the type severe restriction to get there - are not often sustainable” I agree that severe restriction is not sustainable. I did not use severe restriction to get to my BMI. I used bariatic basics and the calories/macros that kept my body in weight loss mode. Many do Bariatric basics, Keto, intermittent fasting, whole 30. Vegan paleo Etc. These are weight loss phase diets. You said "Ketogenic diets are not really recommended long-term for bariatric patients" Maintenance phase diet is a totally different long-term food plan.(ask your office for your plan) My instructions add calories, carbs, and fats to slow/stop weight loss. It’s been sustainable for me at five years out. You said " There's a risk that if I go back to a diet with 'forbidden foods', I may start thinking about it too much again (which - for me - would be counter-productive). You may want to work with a counselor to address this issue. Restricting and thinking about food too much is counter productive. I hope you find your own balance with all this. None of this is easy, right?

i did some additional digging, and asked 2 co workers for assistance in research.. Dr Mast specializes in breast reconstruction where as Dr Cheng specializes in all the contouring. I have decided to go with Dr. Cheng for the arm, thigh and tummy tuck. While i want the breast lift done, it is least of my priorities. I will decide down the road, and if i end up doing it, it will probably be Dr. Mast since that is his specialty unless Dr. Cheng and i come up with a different plan. there are 2 other reasons.. Dr Cheng is local, and part of the hospital where i attend support group meetings but did not have the surgery. According to the folks at the support group, if anything is done via their hospital then that automatically makes me part of their bariatric program instead of having to pay a 300 fee to get in, just to get further follow ups if needed. I do not foresee needing them as i will be a year out in 9 days and have not had any issues (knock on wood). but if the need arises, choosing Dr Cheng also provides me that benefit of seeing their bariatric drs, without having to foot an extra cost.

I have no fixed opinion about this issue - I'm just interested to hear other people's views and approaches. I've got to the point where my BMI is about 27/28ish and I've lost oodles of weight. I've only lost a pound in the last 7 weeks or so, but I have lost inches, so I'm not too worried. However, I think my weight loss is beginning to 'bottom out'. Ideally, I should lose another 14-20lbs, and to this end, I was thinking of using a ketogenic diet for a few weeks. However, I've had some conversations with medical types about it recently (a retired doctor who's a friend, a bariatric nurse and the nurse at the local GP's surgery). They all said slightly different things, but the common threads of what they said were: If reaching the BMI-25-target is important to you, then by all means try! The final pounds of weight loss are difficult and - because of the type of severe restrictions needed to get there - are not often sustainable. The differences in health benefits between a BMI of 27ish and 25 are negligible. Ketogenic diets are not really recommended long-term for bariatric patients. I might still lose more weight using a balanced diet (with small portions) and although it would take longer, it would be more sustainable. From my own point of view, I had stopped thinking about food so often and I felt that this diminished importance of food in my mind was good for my mental health. There's a risk that if I go back to a diet with 'forbidden foods', I may start thinking about it too much again (which - for me - would be counter-productive). However, I know that some of you guys have achieved (and surpassed) that magical BMI of 25. How did you do it? Did you have to adopt a different strategy for the last few pounds, or did you just keep on plugging with the good habits you had learnt? As I said, I'm not here to pre-judge; different things work for different people...I'm just interested in hearing about a range of strategies that work.

Theoretically, yes. BUT, apparently FMLA does not have to be approved for cosmetic surgeries. I recently got a warning that if I used ANY more sick leave, I would be fired. I missed a lot of work this year due to bariatric complications and most recently my back injury, and didn't know enough about FMLA to know I should have requested those issues be covered so they weren't. They had already approved the FMLA for these dates and if I go and change the dates and ask for new FMLA forms to be completed, I am 100% sure they would deny it. I am going to really go over all this next Monday with the plastic surgeon. I also have an appointment scheduled with my rheumatologist on December 6th, the Friday before I would be returning to work post-op, in case I move forward with the surgery but am still in pain. He would be able to prescribe antiinflammatories or something else to hopefully get me through.

This is Bariatric Pal. Yes, people are serious about this.

Loridee11, just got a call from bariatric office wanting to move my date up to December 10th! Woohooo! She said pending insurance approval since I have met all of my pre-requirements! If not it will be moved to Dec. 31st instead of 30th

@336Mike how much was your TT and how was the recovery from that compared to the bariatric surgery?

I never worried about carbs and fats while losing, as if the calories are low enough to promote the desired weight loss, and the protein is appropriate maintaining your muscle mass (typically somewhere around 60-80 g per day for women, 80-100 g for men), then the carbs and fats will be functionally very low. A good default for calories seems to be in the 600-800 range (some with stronger metabolisms can get away with more, but it's good to start low because it's very hard to cut back once you're used to one level). RDA for fiber is around 25 g per day, and that seems to work well for most on a bariatric diet. Sugar should usually be minimized, particularly added sugar in processed or packaged food; that which is naturally occuring in our fruits and veg are less of an issue, and has a purpose for us (or nature wouldn't have put it there - the added stuff in the packaged foods is just there to sell it to us and make up for the flavor stripped out by the processing.

Hello I hope you find your procedure everything you hoped it will be, I can tell you about my experience and hope it gives you some peace going into yours. I had my surgery 9/11/19 Can you run down exactly what you went through whilst in hospital? - Surgery check in was normal and pre op was as expected. registration, Started IV, medical history, then the surgeon came in and told me the would be giving me a sedative before going to the operating room. After the medication was pushed I remember waking up in my room with a dry mouth and being thirsty. The pain notice of pain didn't happen until a few hours later, but just a word to the wise stay on top of your medications and advocate for your medicines while they have you up and walking after surgery. Take small sips of water and walk. They gave me a 1 oz "shot glass" and told me to fill 3 to 4 an hour while in the hospital How did you feel in the first few days to weeks.. Where you able to drink much Water? Did you feel hungry much?- I am now a few weeks post surgery and have just noticed 2 days ago that I was hungry for the first time, but I was full almost immediately. I think I have associated hunger with thirst too, so I realized I was behind in my H2O. I don't think hunger is a big factor, at least at first. I hope it is a long term thing, but that would be too good to be true. Was the pain bearable? - I will be honest - sometimes the pain took my breath away - but that was my own fault. I was trying to be brave and not take the medications provided. I would recommend not doing that. You don't have to suffer if you stay on top of it. I made sure I had some liquid Tylenol on hand too so I could transition off the strong stuff without too much of an issue. I was told nothing bigger than a tic tac for the first 6 weeks as far as medications go, so follow what your docs say. It sounds like other docs don't give that same advise. And in the first weeks or months are you still feeling restrictions on how much you can eat or drink in one go? I always have a Protein2o or a shake in my purse. I am happy with the restrictions, and love the fact that I can go virtually all day without having to stop for food somewhere. how we're meant to get enough Protein if unable to drink much liquids? protein shakes - post surgery I used protein shots I found on Baritric pal store. these were strong in flavor so I diluted them with 1 oz of water so a 2oz 16g protein shot - https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/bariatric-predigested-protein-liquid-protein/products/liquacel-liquid-protein-1oz-packets-available-in-5-flavors -

Meal prep for the bf (non bariatric portions) Pot Roast with Carrots & Onions, Cheesy Cauliflower Rice, Broccoli

https://www.laparoscopic.md/bariatric/bypass/changes