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I wasn't brought up with healthy habits, and even kept a lot of my bad habits up due to time constraints, so even though I am on "Normal" foods I wanted my changes to be forever so I have learned to read nutritional values, memorize carb and protein amounts in foods, and even taught myself to use a Wok to stir fry, and grill indoors, a change recipes and alter them to fit my diet and I stay away from fast food, I learn a lot on Google about cooking, and and even found some websites that give bariatric friendly restaurants, and I do give myself 1 cheat day per month

I am Dr. Kim's patient as well. I went with the cheaper Bariatric Advantage that he offers for 55 a week......TALK ABOUT GROSS. Don't let them convince you to buy the alternative brand. My friends who have tried optifast said they are good. I have no suggestions on other options but I can definitely tell you to not buy Bariatric Advantage.

Im going with barker bariatric as well. I only have to do a stress test and the stomach scope but still dont know if im going with bypass or sleeve. Any suggestions?

Hello all you lovely people My name is Susan and I subscribe to this thread and have been following it..."lurking" if you will. I am VERY angry with my bariatric surgeon's staff. Maybe you all can help me? My husband and I are both jumping through the bariatric hoops in the hopes to be approved for the sleeve. Because my husband is diabetic and his health is primary, I have been firm in that I would like him to have surgery before me. The doctor and staff understood and set up the nutrition and dr supervised appts within the 90 day period, which I know you all know about. They told him on his last appt that his 90 days start from his first nut appt, not his first dr sup'd appt. These two appts were 2 months apart due to their scheduling. So now they are saying that his 90 days extends to the end of May when it was supposed to be all wrapped up THIS month. Please advise me. Did your 90 days start with the NUT appt? Is that true? I'm so pissed. This is what THEY do all day, every day! And they screwed it up and just say "oh, sorry". I can't tell you how depressed we are over this. Thank you all.

Dr Holden took out my gallbladder a little over a year ago. Shes really nice and knows what she is doing. She does her surgeries just like Dr Kim as Dr Kim has trained her over 3 years. Dr Kim did my sleeve 3 years ago. In my opinion Dr Holden is just as good as Dr Kim since he taught her his ways. I would also like to tell you about Kim Bariatrics amazing after surgery support. KBI has monthly fitness events and monthly support groups.The private patient only Facebook support group has helped me a ton through my journey. Its very helpful to have a page where its all Dr Kim and Dr Holden patients only going down the same journey. We do monthly 5ks/10ls, monthly Breakfast and dinner get togethers, fun events like going dancing, skating, painting, etc. There are even accountability daily exercise post and weigh in post once a week to whoever likes to be accountable. I lost 90 lbs and am keeping it off! Good luck to your journey whomever you choose.

Atelectasis, or a partial lung collapse is a known complication of general anesthesia. It could happen with ANY surgery and is not specific to bariatric surgery. That's one of the big reasons we have to do that incentive spirometer. Do your incentive spirometer as directed in your post-op instructions. Make sure you're communicating with your doctor with your symptoms.

If you are thinking of having a particular clinic or hospital do your surgery, just call them up and ask them how much it is. I did that with the Scottsdale Bariatric Clinic, and when they told me $19000 (this was last year) I decided I was going to Mexico.

Thats so stange I have Empire Bc/Bs PPO of New York and my first three months were covered for everything even my first fill! My Nurse NP(surgical assistant who does the fills)did not feel I needed a fill with in the three month time frame since I had lost 40 pounds. I had my and one any only fill on Ocotber 25,2006 of 1cc which I did not pay for, just paid for the office visit. My monthly follow ups are with my Nurse Np and dietican and they are not covered by insurance, they each charge $80.00 each which is out of pocket. I am able to get remburished for my out of network fees up to a certain amount. I have to sumbit recipiets each month. I have lost 57 pounds since my surgery on June 13th and Iam 8 1/2 months out! Most fills after the first three months are usually not covered by insurance,I would call your insurance ask for Medical Management department and ask alot of questions on how Lapband bariatric surgery is handled. I had to do this with Empire when getting my approval for surgery they were both informative and very nice. Good Luck -- Hang in there the journey is so worth it! Lisa

I agree with you on all points. I am working with my psychologist to locate a psychiatrist who will at the very least have some knowledge on eating disorders and perhaps know of one who has knowledge of ones body chemistry change after having bariatric WLS and how this may have an affect upon the various anti-depressant drugs in particular SSRI's. She, my psychologist is very together. I am going along with the protocol of this current neuropsychologist in the interim and who knows perhaps something good will emerge. All and all I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON ANY PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS for any great length of time and I am a huge advocate for natural/homeopathic/alternative nutriceuticals and substances. It's just that at present I am so UN-empowered due to the anxiety and morbid feelings/depressive feelings and fears etc. I just don't have the wherewithal to forge ahead as I in my (former unsleeved)state would have. I am out of omega 3's just finished a bottle of Carlson's Fish Oil in liquid form and barely could take it since it kind of sickens me taste and texture wise since the surgery. I'm going to order either fish oil capsules (since they are soft) or Krill oil since they are neat and small as well as taking 5000 IU's of D3 daily and B Complex and I also need to get some Vitamin E. I'm taking a multi liquid but after this bottle I'm going to switch to chewable or just ones small enough to swallow because I really don't like the taste of the liquid. I'm taking you up on the humming BTW, I do believe now that is the reason some people actually go around and hum...it is to relieve anxiety! Thanks so much for giving me so much. You stated that Abilify is the most weight-neutral of the anti-psychotics IMHO. What does IMHO stand for and is this drug for anxiety? Do you know if their are side effects? I'm just curious since I know you wouldn't be taking it for reasons of psychosis. May I ask you how long you have been taking Abilify? Warmest Regards and keep me posted please on your surgery date as it approaches...I'm overwhelmed and so I get lost in confusion often times. -Lis

With all that has been going on with you...that's just a shame! I've been lucky...my doctor is very PRO WLS...she is considering it herself Now I'm getting ready for my first new knee, the first orthopedic that I saw what very happy with my weight loss...when I saw him over 2 years ago, he was a very negative Nancy about the possibility of surgery with my weight...and that I HAD to lose to get the knees repaired. Even tho his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired, he seemed genuinely impressed...tho he did make a little comment about how so many people fail (I think -check your stats, dude!)... but over all a good visit. Then I go see the actual surgeon for my knee surgery and he was Mr. Positive about the whole experience...tho he doesn't look like he's ever had a weight problem We shared tips on cooking and love of raw almonds Tho it could be because my bariatric surgeon is part of the same medical group... I don't know... but, for the most part, it's been a positive experience

No matter which surgery you get.. you will experience some of the same things. I put this information out there to let people know they are not alone and you may not receive the support from your family/friends. You will receive 100% support from the bariatric community. Losing the weight is easy, but their is no way to truly prepare for the mental challenges ahead of you. Keep in mind that we all go through the same challenges and we are all fighting obesity together. Best of luck to you! And Congratulations on getting your surgery date!

Dave, Thank you for your great questions. I did the math. I originally lost 60% of the my expected weight...I am now at 38%. I started to slip when I went back to college to complete my degree....poor eating habits, stress, lack of sleep, while working full time. It took me just over a year to complete my degree---then I realized what was happening. I still feel great, but I kick myself for letting this happen. The health benefits are still there....my diabetes has not caught me yet, but it is breathing down my neck.....this in itself I enough to get me moving. I just found out my insurance will not cover bariatric services of any kind so for now I will skip this years visit. I did speak with the nurse over the phone and we chatted for awhile. Back to basics she suggested. I also went to the support group meeting not much help there. So I am reaching out to you here in hopes that I will get some support and make some connections to keep me on my path. As for motivation, I was bound and determined to be successful, I still dream of reaching my goal weight, or close to it if possible. I have set small goals for myself, like getting another 10 pounds off before Feb. I need to stay away from the junk, exercise more, and regulate my intake of Protein and carbs. This sounds so easy.....I wish it was.

Hello, I am sorry sorry to hear of your complications and I can only imagine the frustration you must be feeling. It does sound like possibly the doctor is at fault and it may be a malpractice issue. Possibly another opinion from a different bariatric surgeon--that's what I'd do for sure. Or maybe meet with a lawyer, some have free consultations, to see if your doctor is at fault. Maybe you can recoop some of your money or get it fixed for free, the way it should've been in the first place. I'm praying for you that you get this figured out and back on a healthy track. Best of luck!:thumbup:

My experience..... My consult appointment was yesterday. The whole staff was very friendly. I really like my Doc. My appointment didn't really go like I thought it would. I did the whole check in height weight. Found out I am 5.1/2 ft. but I actually think I'm 5ft. my hair kind of got in the way, (updo, I know stupid). I met with the nurse, we went over a couple things, the doctor came in, he asked me a lot of questions that are normally on your new patient questionnaire which I thought was weird.. Like my nationality, am I mixed, married... and so on. We didn't talk about my past weight loss attempts. What I've been doing to lose weight. Or why I gained weight over the last month. He had to of known I've been seeing my PCP since October for weight-ins. Anyone else have to fill out a questionnaire that asked you how much money you make a year? There were a few other questions I thought were strange, but I cant remember them. I also received a check list, which most of it is already done. I'm not 100% sure what supporting documentation for weight management is... another question for insurance, I guess? Anyways, the Doc then brought me and another patient in for a little slide show of bariatric surgery procedures and risks. Which went into a little more detail than what I've found online and I found it interesting. After the slide show, I went back into my exam room and had physicals. Found out my ideal weight is 109lbs, that seems impossible to me. He said "120-125lbs is good." My goal is 115lbs. He brought up my heart murmur. So, now I have to get cardiac clearance before he'll do the surgery. I forgot all about it, I was told when I was 16. But no other doctor brought it up again. Surprising, because I've has a few surgeries. And because of my heartburn I have to do an EGD, which he will perform in a couple weeks. He mentioned that my BMI is 43. I'm assuming he meant I needed to lose some weight before surgery.. but he could of also meant I needed to do the weigh management for the 3-6 months, being that my bmi isn't above 50. So I will need to clarify that with him. There was so much information thrown at me, it took me till after dinner to process it all. When I was finished up with the Doc. I met with a lady that scheduled my EGD and handed me lab papers and I have to get a chest xray. Then off to another room and met with the NUT, which ended up being a group meeting, the other patient was there again and then we met individually with the NUT. I thought the NUT would go over eating a healthy well balanced diet.. lol.. duh, no it was about getting enough Protein in. and I found that I am not . so my goal is to get my 80g of PRO and working out a little bit more. She gave me a sample of vanilla unjury, which I will be trying today. The whole process took 3hrs. And I only had to paid the NUT, which was 130$. I have dual coverage and it paid for my appointment with the doctor. Oh, I cant forget the pre op diet. Boy am I ever lucky... I get 3 meals a day 3 scoops of Unjury between meals. This plan seems easy enough and fulfilling. The plan consist of Protein, Free food & Extra Food Choices. It reminds me of the 1st stage of Atkins, with some exceptions. Unlimited FF, which is zero cal beverage, coffee, tea, raw veg, herbs and spices, vinegar, mustard, lime, lemon juice. I will be using the FF to make my own salad dressing. I need more that one serving of dressing on my salad. I can have 4 EFC (guys get 6): 1 small fresh fruit or 1/2 cup fruit, cooked Cereal, potato or rice, low carb tortilla, 1 slice whole grain bread, English muffin, sandwich/bagel thins, low cal bread, bran buds or Fiber one cereal, 1 cup v-8, tomato juice, Soup or any food or beverage that is 60-80 cal per serving. For Breakfast select 1 protein, and 2 protein for lunch. Dinner 4-6 oz very lean meat, 1-2 cups low carb veg and 1 large salad with 1 serving of salad dressing. approximate nutrition 120-150g of protein, 100g of carbs estimated 1,200-1,500 cals and 15-30g of fat. I think that is the best Pre-Op diet I've seen so far, well other than the eat what ever you want ones. I feel like the insurance coordination was not on the ball. I asked her some questions and she seemed confused and didn't know exactly what my insurance was requiring of me. Hopefully I can get a clear answer from my insurance company. I really want to know if my weight-in from Oct count or do I start from yesterday. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

I am not a big movie goer but when I do go, I cut beef Jerky up into finger nail sized pieces and munch on those because I am a salty person. I bought some of these yesterday thinking they might be good for a sweet treat. I will let you know! http://www.bariatricchoice.com/wonderslim-bariatric-protein-mini-crisps.html

I started Vitamins two weeks after surgery. I started with the Bariatric Advantage ones and still take them twice a day. In the beginning I found I had to take them earlier in the day rather than later. Now it doesn't matter much when I take them. There was no way I could do chewables, just thinking about them makes my tummy upset. I hope you find something that works for you, especially since it is something you have to take the rest of your life.

I've been doing as much research as I can about Dr. Veninga, and like you, I've come up empty handed. There are a few members on obesityhelp that have used him for other procedures, just not the sleeve. The good news though is that I haven't found anything negative :confused1: fyi- he's also part of the TLCedge surgical group. More than likely, I will end up using him too as he has an EXCELLENT cash price and he operates at a bariatric center of excellence. Good luck to you, and if I find anything else out or actually schedule my consult ( I want the money in hand for the surgery FIRST. Don't want to get my hopes up and have them dashed b/c I'm a bit short. I REFUSE to finance) I'll keep you in mind.

So I am coming up on my 1yr mark. While I am happy that I've lost 142lbs from HW in Feb 2018, 93lbs since sleeve, my weight loss has virtually been stalled. My macros are have been on point(1200-1400 cals, 90-125g protein, 50-60g carbs per day) while walking 4mi six days per week plus 1.5hrs lifting at gym 4-5 days per week. Per Apple watch, I am burning 4500-5500 cals per day depending on workouts but yet scale has not moved in more than 2lbs in two months. Frustrated as heck but I haven't let off the gas pedal. My personal goal is to lose another 35lbs while getting by BF 15-20%. Definitely have much more noticeable definition in arms, shoulders, and legs but yet scale not moving. Could overtraining be the reason for my stall??? Am I just not able to get enough calories in to keep metabolism burning?? Have I reached my loss period??? I am afraid if I lower cals, I'll start to lose my muscle gains. Any trainers out here with experience in bariatric surgery? Anyone go through this??

Dr Dietrick in Tampa. Paid $14,500 for the sleeve. He has a payment plan for his portion of the fee (about $5k) but I paid all at once. Stayed in the hospital one night. I was able to get my insurance to cover the pre-op bloodwork and the EKG though by visiting my primary care doc and having her order them. She made sure not to say they were for pre-op (we were worried insurance would deny it then). Surgeon was excellent. My surgery got cancelled because of the hurricane but he cancelled his vacation the following week so he could take care of the patients like me who had missed their dates. I am 5 months out and had to get my post op bloodwork two months ago. Tried to fool insurance again but since the tests were all for vitamin deficiencies it was pretty obvious it was for post bariatric surgery testing. It was all denied. Ended up costing me $1200. That was a cost the doctor did not prepare me for. Luckily I don't have to get tested again since my levels were all ok.

I think it's great that you and the hubster are doing a major food overhaul. That will be a great benefit to you and your family, but I have to ask... You're only 3 weeks post-op and allowed to eat anything you want? I'm not a medical professional and not employed by your bariatric surgeon, but at 3 weeks post-op, I wasn't allowed to eat brownies and graham crackers. I was allowed to eat liquid and pureed food. The reason for that is that the post-op period is all about healing and not so much about weight loss. In order to digest stuff like brownies and graham crackers, your stomach has to expand and contract to break the food down enough to pass into your intestines. That movement can disturb the position of your band against your stomach. In fact, one of the most common causes of band slips (which could require more surgery to fix) is failure to follow the post-op diet progression (Clear liquids, full liquids, purees, soft foods, solid foods). But...if your surgeon's post-op regime allows you to eat anything, so be it. And now I'll go on to answer your question about go-to sweets. The failure of sugar-free pudding cups to satisfy your sweet tooth doesn't surprise me. I felt the same was as new post-op, mostly because I was accustomed to eating 1/2 gallon of ice cream every night, plus Cookies and donuts and candy whenever I wanted. Most successful WLS patients find that they need to go through an uncomfortable period of weaning off sweets before they can give up that stuff forever. I'm not saying that you can never eat sweets again, but if sweets are your weakness, your ability to limit them may be totally absent, and if you want to lose weight and maintain that weight loss, sweets may be something you need to give up for the foreseeable future. The more you eat sweets, the more your body depends on and craves them. For a while I played with eating candy like sugar-free Reese's PB cups. I found that it was just as easy to eat a dozen of those as it was to eat a dozen of the regular stuff, so I ended up with a bad case of diarrhea from the sugar substitutes and (guess what?) stalled weight loss. Then I tried Atkins indulgence bars (or whatever they're called), especially one that tasted like a Mounds bar. I would tell myself I'd eat just half...ha! And then I'd have the diarrhea again and tell myself again that I'd never eat that stuff again. Finally I found some treats that worked. Now, you may be able to eat any amount of this stuff now, but may not be able to eat that much later on when you've had some fills, so I'm afraid you're going to have to exercise some self-restraint. Your band is not ever going to jump out of your throat and fling that naughty food aside. It's not going to ring alarms or flash red warning lights or scream, "Leepers! Cease and desist!" OK, finally I'll get to the sweet stuff. Thank you for bearing with me this far. When I'm in the mood for chocolate, I eat 1/2 of a chocolate Protein bar. Be sure to read the nutritional info on the package because a lot of Protein Bars are meant to appeal to body builders who want to gain weight. If there's more than 15 grams of carbs or sugars in a Protein Bar, I give it a pass. When I'm in the mood for ice cream, I peel a banana, put it in a zip-lock bag, and stick it in the freezer until it's very cold. It might look kind of brown after that, but once I stir a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips into it, it tastes like fabulous. You could even stir it into that blah sugar-free pudding, top it with sugar-free Cool Whip, and have yourself a choco-banana Sunday. Even better, combine 1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter with the banana, and you have a choco-monkey treat. If you're truly allowed to eat any food now, including solid foods like fruits and veggies, I can give you some more suggestions. Just let me know. Jean

Just got some bariatric fusion in the mail today.

Hello! My doctor has a weekly support group that is conducted at a few different locations in Northern Illinois. I got confirmation today that it is open for any bariatric patients, not just his patients. So - if any of you are interested in joining any of the meeting - come on down! Tonight will be the first meeting I will be attending. The address of the locations are at the bottom of the schedule. NORTHSHORE UNIVERSITY HEALTHSYSTEM Bariatric Surgery Support Group 7–9 pm – Patient facilitated and/or discussion guided by specialist October 2008 Oct 6 Vernon Hills Colleen Diamond, Physical Therapy Student Oct 16 Glenview Colleen Diamond Oct 22 Glenview Robin Ross, Ph.D. Lap Band Group Oct 27 Highland Park Colleen Diamond November 2008 Nov 3 Vernon Hills Group Run Nov 19 Highland Park Woody Denham, M.D. Lap Band Group Nov 20 Glenview Dr. Karol Gutowski, Plastic Surgeon Nov 24 Highland Park Dr. Karol Gutowski, Plastic Surgeon December 2008 Dec 1 Vernon Hills Group Run Dec 18 Glenview Dec 22 Highland Park LOCATIONS Vernon Hills 225 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Vernon Hills (Near Kohl’s and Sam’s) Glenview 2100 Pfingsten Road, Glenview, Conference Room A on 2nd floor Highland Park 777 Park Avenue West, Highland Park, Meeting Room 1B Evanston 2650 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, Meeting Room G954 Contact Information Dr. Woody Denham – Bariatric Program Director (847) 570-4120 (office)

These are all reassuring responses. I am glad to hear others think that there is still a fair amount of liquid content in the soft food stages so it may pass through easier too, with chewing so well its almost liquid. Not drinking before or after meals so good there. I do hope I start to feel it with more solid foods, for sure! Pammie, my sleeve twin! when do you get to start eating 'real" solids? I get to start regular bariatric diet next Wednesday. Which is just in time, because i have to take my first business trip post surgery next week, its looking like.

I have a direct communication style (just as much in real life as anywhere else) so I'm glad you were able to see the message for what it was. As I wrote it I did quite a bit of editing to try and make sure it wasn't 1) harsh or 2) preachy, but to the point. I'm just "that girl" who kind of lacks "that filter"! And actually I shouldn't even say justification so much as "cognitive distortion" (using fancy terms like that makes me feel like all the $$$ I spent on a psychology education was worth it! ). That little voice in our head that says, "Well you just blew your diet with this slice of pie, so you might as well take the rest of the day off from it too" and makes all the other things "ok" that are actually working against us. EAS strawberry creme is one of my favorite RTDs, but it has to be COLD. Their vanilla is ok too, but not as enjoyable as the strawberry. You can also blend in (I assume) sugar free syrups (DaVInci/Torani become our best friends), maybe a little PB2 (dry Peanut Butter that's a fraction of the fat, but tastes amazingly like the real deal when mixed into something). There's a brand called Syntrax that has a line of "Nectar" Proteins. The most tolerable (IMO) flavor is Roadside Lemonade - you can get sample packs of it. If you add in some sugar free lemonade mix, it sort of has a "lemon creme" flavor. If allowed, you can also try powders with milk instead of Water (if you haven't already). The extra Protein & stuff in the milk should give you a better sense of satiety. There's also a brand of RTDs called "Premiere Protein" - I know Sam's and costco carry them. Their chocolate is a favorite of a LOT of bariatric patients. I think it's ok, it's not my favorite. The other day I bought a case of their vanilla and don't care for it much at all, even "doctored up" with syrups, BUT they are 30gm protein per 11 0z and that's seriously hard to beat. Gelatin proteins have their place, but they're really not the best protein for us. If you can, whey isolate is one of the better ones. (I'd rank it #2). I don't think your unprepared for surgery in any way because of it. It's sort of a junk protein for our needs. I've posted the nutrition/scientific reasoning before (as have others), you might want to search for "gelatin protein" or "incomplete protein" and do some reading up before you make any purchases. I'm sure you'll do great. You're here getting help, for one. That puts you in the top 10th percentile already.

After maintaining my 40lb loss since May, two weeks ago I really noticed I was up 5lbs and eating 1800-2000cals so I made an appt. I was really nervous to go in to see my surgeon (I usually see the NP) because I feel a bit like a lapband failure having only lost 40lbs since January. I have been eating all the time, a lot of crap, but even good stuff in large amounts and STILL wanting to eat off my own arm. He was sooo great! He congratulated me on seeing the signs and coming in for a fill. He ended up giving me a full ML after doing a half and the barium swallow not showing much restriction. I left feeling renewed like I can really do this again and won't be hungry all the time.