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I have no sense of time. This is my 2nd go around but always battling my weight against metabolic disorders and chronic illness. I started out on my own my highest weight over 215lb and reached 124lb. It didn’t last no matter how hard I fought to eat right. At some point it just kept climbing until I was nearly back where I started. I lost height due to spine problems (and hysterectomy apparently does it too) I also used to be big boned as a teen but now (due to my medical conditions) my bones are very small. As big as I still am my wrists and fingers are bony. It’s weird to me. Sometimes I am afraid to fail after all this. Sometimes I wonder why I just couldn’t do it on my own anymore and just eat like a normal human being. But apparently my body has the metabolism of a sloth. I’m still not tolerating anything but protein drinks, and maybe a little bariatric pal soup. Even those are hard to stomach or swallow. Water? I used to love drinking water, I’d get 8 glasses before lunch. Now it’s painful. So I barely drink. Im 5’ 0” my weight day of surgery 203lbs that was almost two months ago? So far I am down around 30lbs. I stagnate and then it drops a little. I’ve been marking a calendar each day. I have a lot more to lose ...

I think you've just invented the "Bearded Dragon Diet for Bariatric Patients"! 🙂🙂

So, is the issue that you are not getting enough nutrition, or your not getting enough calories for fitness purposes? They really are 2 different ideas. If its about general nutrition, then you have got to supplement somehow. An extra protein shake, a quest bar. Something you can keep with you and eat on the fly. If its about competition nutrition, you might want to consider mass gainers. Yes...i know...talking about a mass gainer in a bariatric forum is like talking about the bible in a brothel (not something that is easily done, but could produce some great results). Im curious what your overall goal is here. Nurse Mike

That is if you're Brittany, BulletWithButterflyWings is from Arkansas, home to both Bill Clinton and Mike Huckabee, so by extension Sarah Huckbee Sabders, Donald Trump's soon to be Ex-Press Secretary. AND we ❤ you both oodles, you both brighten Bariatric Pal!

September 5th 2018 at exactly 7 AM. EDT. the Ohio State University- WEXNER MEDICAL Center 410 W 10th Avenue Columbus Ohio. I live in Mount Vernon, a smallish city of 20,000 48 miles NE of Columbus, which was the absolute closest facilities offering RNY. No Big Thing in the long run, I ended up with the Big Kahuna , Bradley J NeedlemanMD, the chief of Bariatric Medicine and Metabolic Weight Loss, a full professor in the College of Medicine, and actually a pretty wonderful guy to know as well as a Perfect Surgeon. When I was having my pre- surg physical which my son Tomkitten accomplied me to, he went over, shook TK's hand and said "I promise, I WILL TAKE VERY GOOD CARE of your mother!" Didn't have to do that,but he read my situation correctly, knew it would give TK and I peace of mind to make such a promise. How am I recovering? Ah, a very loaded question! Now keep in mind what happened to me is a pretty rare occurance, in all of Bariatric- Pal-dom there are maybe 4 others currently. To back up a little I went into my surgery with an ulcer, I named him, as I do many of my possessions, Hector, a small and not ready to perforate gastric ulcer,i was on a stronger PPI (protein pump inhibitor) called Dexilent, lucky for me insurance covered because without it would be over $300 monthly for a once a day med. I made it very clear to Dr Needleman that I was a proven Ulcer Grower. Well after my surgery they prescribed Omeprazole , the very one I was taking when Hector was discovered by my gastroenterologist at that time Dr Mujataba, pronounced Moo Shah Ba. I hollered" What are You doing to ME ?" Was figuratively told to just shut my mouth, they had done many cases, THIS would work best. Wrong Wrong Wrong! At 2 weeks I restarted complaining, told them SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG! And I got all kinds of replies, I was impatient, delusional, still merely swollen inside. But I kept up complaining , finally I suspect to shut me up, they scheduled an Endoscopy on October 12th, when I woke up Dr Noria,my surgeon's Junior partner shook my hand . She said Congratulations , you were right, we were wrong , you have 3 ulcers within your pouch, the opening is strictured down, you have 5 additional on the back wall of your jejunem, the portion of small intestine your pouch is now fastened to and they look ANGRY. Now sleeves seldom ever stricture and even the average RNY diesbt as a rule. And we have been trying to heal them since, I take Carafate 6am- noon- 6pm- midnight for what seems like forever. Frequent endoscopy to check the status, took turn for worse the end of November, malnourished and anemic of protein. Had a PICC line inserted in my upper left arm the next day, was on TPN ,that's total parental nutrition , for 3 months 12 hours a day. Was finally taken off of it the end of February, although I had been steadily losing a pound o4 2 monthly, I dropped 30 pounds in a month, in March I required an Iron INFUSION, would have thought I was due another in June but nobody interested enough to have ordered complete blood labs yet. I started at 365+ and BMI of 52, at nearly 10 months I have lost down to BMI31.1 and just under 200 pounds. So I are doing well if not perfect, and even if I Had known the bumps, bruises, twists and turns to my journey, I WOULD DO IT AGAIN in a❤beat, the positives still outweigh the detriments. Why did I not elect the VSG, I needed the certainty of quicker weight loss, I have had arthritis since 25, horrid GERD, sleep apnea, and had a First Cousin , my June-Ellen die on the operating table at the Cleveland Clinic of previously undiagnosed Esophageal Carncer, was there a hereditary component? Not perfectly certain but why take that risk when the Gold Standard of Bariatric Surgery was available? Medicare/ Medicaid picked up the tab for one surgery, would they pay later for a revision? Doubtful!!!❤ So I would say my surgery had a 85-90% percent success, still a high B+grade if not a Full A, and the story isn't over, I may still make it ALL THE WAY! I am optimistic, I came too far to stop progressing, this tired old jalopy at 73, still quite a few miles left in me, even if I'm not a Ferrari, DON'T COUNT ME OUT! I will make it to VICTORY yet! ❤and a Great Big Hug -----FRUSTR8

I third this! Caramel Bariatric Advantage chews are delicious! I feel like I'm having a treat!@ Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

You could have a small amount of blood pist- surgery but it should be well- digested down towards black and tarry, if it is bright flaming red, a cause for concern, bring your bariatric team back into the loop. For at least 6 weeks, you are legally Their Baby! Let them know, please? You are important, you do matter, I'm a grandma twice over, if you were mine I WOULD WORRY- shoot I would frog- March you into the office and Great- Grandma Frustr8 would get some action, even if you sat silent. I fight for and protect My Own and I done adopted YOU!

Right?!? I don't even WANT to put rice/pasta/bread in my mouth. Those were my vices and I don't need them in my life. I can't eat fish, either, and pretty much can only handle turkey as far as meat goes. It's really hit or miss with meat. WHO CARES. Food is fuel, nothing else. I really think OP is a troll. The things s/he was complaining about are extremely obvious things that anyone having bariatric surgery certainly would know. I can't conceive of her not knowing the limitations. Everyone drinks water, lol. And there is ALWAYS SOMETHING you can eat virtually anywhere. I've never had a problem. I even went to Christmas dinner less than 2 months out from surgery and managed to have some shrimp dip and a few green beans. With my gym supplements, I take about 20 supplements a day and I am more than happy to the rest of my life because I feel a heck of a lot better being 120lbs smaller.

Too true, too true, but we will do with what tools we have. I just felt bad you weren't given credit for all you have done already. Rather like " If you still think I'm too large, you should have seen where I came from!" GSVguy, I look at my pre surgery pictures,I cry because I didn't realize the size of me I was presenting to the world🌎! And I thought I was looking good, really I did. But out of that train wreck I built and am still building a NEW ME! I am still legally obese at 31.1, almost ready to drop into Overweight, but I started at 52, that is Abundantly Morbid Obesity, probably within death in a couple years if a ❤attack , stroke or cancer didn't carry me off first! That is a very Scary Larry circumstance, Bariatric Surgery was my best hope and almost my last hope, so even on my discouraged days , I might bad-mouth myself but not my surgery! It gave me back hope, I just got to stay the course until I can take a VICTORY Lap. If you have read my past postings you'll notice I haven't always had sunshine , flowers and bluebird singing in the trees. But I will still prevail, I HAVE COME TOO FAR TO JUST COME THIS FAR! I am not a quitter, I am Red-headed, stubborn, and I'm gonna hang around till the finish. If I die in process, so be it, but I WILL HAVE TRIED. And the Gold Ring may still be mine!

Glad you have therapy to help with all the things you’re dealing with. I’m sorry you’re not getting your back issues/pain resolved. The Dr’s statement “You just need to lose weight, that's really the only thing that will help." was unnecessary, ignorant and less than helpful. We all know things are not that simple. Food may be the lesser of the evils now, but you also know its just as damaging to keep in this cycle of food to cope. I don’t have answers. I know how dark of a place that has been for me in the past. My heart goes out to you. You’re not alone in not exercising. It’s your situation. Some bariatric patients are in wheelchairs. Many exclude exercise due to mobility issues/pain. What is your physical ability currently?

I second this! Tried Celebrate chews and they aren't near as good as Bariatric Advantage.

I LOVE the Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate chews. They taste like starbursts!

Your bariatric surgery team. Mine has follow up, for years, and if I need to talk to a dietician or psych about stress eating or whatever, I can.

I used the ones from Bariatric Pal store until I ran out, then reverted to my caplet Prenatal vitamins. I have a humor-type one for you. Just once I would like to read a medication that says WARNING: May cause permanent weight loss Remove Wrinkles Tighten up loose body areas Increase Energy Levels. And What a Wonderful World that would be!

I am following my Nutritionists recommendations. She was head of bariatric nutrician at MT. Sinai in NYC. She prefers that i get nutrients from a healthy diet. I do take b complex and calcium in addition. Sent from my VS996 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'd like to respectfully disagree. I wrote an article on this exact topic a little while ago... Flintstones Multivitamins: Tasty and Inadequate for Bariatric Surgery Patients “Complete” But Lacking Essential Nutrients What does a “complete” multivitamin contain? It could provide anything from all the essential nutrients to just a few. There is no legal definition for “complete.” In the case of Flintstones “Complete” multivitamin chewables, “complete” apparently means that it has all 13 vitamins, but only 6 of the more than 15 essential minerals that you need. Quantity Is Critical For bariatric surgery patients, it is not only important to get each of the necessary vitamins and minerals, but also to have the right amounts. You need high amounts of some of the vitamins and minerals, and Flintstones chewables simply do not deliver. For example, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) suggests at least 12 mg thiamin (vitamin B1) per day, while a chewable has 1.5 mg. You will also be short on: Vitamin A Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin B12 Iron Calcium And more. “Doubling Up” Does Not Work If one tablet is not enough, can’t you just take two? Well, not really. First, getting twice as much as certain nutrients may still leave you short. For example, 2 Flintstones chewables provide 1,200 IU of vitamin D, while recommendations for post-op gastric bypass patients are to get 3,000 IU per day. And no matter how many chewables you take, you will never get enough of essential minerals such as selenium and chromium, since the chewables have none. Multivitamin: What Is in a Name? We usually refer to them as “multivitamins,” but most often, we really mean, “multivitamin and mineral supplements.” Sometimes, a “multivitamin” that you buy off the shelf really is literally a bunch of vitamins with few or no minerals. Do not get confused by the name when purchasing your supplement. Read the supplement facts label to see which nutrients are in the supplement, and how much there is. Safe Choices, Your Way To be sure that you are getting the right supplement for bariatric surgery post-op needs, you are best off choosing a bariatric supplement. It may be a tad more expensive, but it could prevent deficiency diseases such as anemia or peripheral neuropathy. Choosing a bariatric surgery-targeted multivitamin instead of a kids’ supplement does not mean you have to choke down capsules if you cannot stand them. You can always opt for another form, such as Powder or a Soft Chew. For help figuring out which vitamin and mineral supplement may be right for you, you can look at the attached ASMBS guidelines or check out our Bariatric Vitamin Guide, which breaks down recommendations for each surgery type. Also, be sure to talk to your doctor about your individual needs before trying a supplement. ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf

Probably by her doctor or Bariatric Clinic. At least that is MY Guess.

Great idea! I would totally listen, and wold love to contribute too. I’m 4.5 years post-RNY and ran my first marathon yesterday. I try to stay engaged with the patient group from my surgeon, to both give and receive support, but there’s no one else like me there and most are in a very different part of their journey. The Bariatrics specialists haven’t been any help in my journey since I hit my goal weight, and the non-Bariatrics nutritionists and trainers haven’t had much idea what to do with me either. PM me if you want to talk more.

Hi! Did you return to your team for help & tips first? That might be the place to start. But also motivation may be hard to find on your own so maybe returning to bariatric support groups if you've stop attending. Have you attempted to refine your diet again? Perhaps removing the foods that arent on your initial plan may kickstart weightloss immediately. Good luck 💜 YOU can do it 🏆

Hey guys. I was wondering, if there was a podcast that focused on Bariatric fitness and nutrition once we get to maintenance, would anybody listen? I feel like trainers and nutritionists that understand caloric needs for a Bariatric patient who wants to excel at physical fitness are hard to come by. So I had the idea of starting up a podcast to talk about it. A little info, some guests, discuss some research, whatever. What do you guys think?

walking I could do right away - in fact, I was encouraged to do so. Other exercises I had to wait about a month on - strength training they said to wait even longer than a month (may have been eight weeks for that, I'm not sure) 8-9 lbs the first week is great. You are not "My 600 lb Life", so do not expect to lose as much as quickly as they do. The average range for weight loss for the first month seems to be about 15-25 lbs for us more "normal" bariatric patients, so you are just fine. I lost 16 lbs that whole first month, and I started off at over 300 lbs.

The night I went to my seminar and found out what was required I adopted a "bariatric" lifestyle. That was one month before my first surgeon's visit and 5 months before surgery.

The scientific literature is pretty clear about weight loss...calorie restriction is a much larger part of weight loss than exercise. It's simple math...if you figure out how much exercise is required to burn 300 calories vs how easily you can consume an extra 300 calories in a day then you'll see my point - ex. one Boston cream donut can complete undo 45 mins of exercise. It's also psychological - if you could eat a perfectly isocaloric diet and exercise without any compensatory eating (eating more because you're exercising) then sure you can slowly lose weight with exercise alone. The problem is most of us do not know out isocaloric point and most of us can not maintain this lifestyle over months/years without seeing significant progress. With surgery it's also much easier to go into an extreme calorie deficit - how much exercise would you need to do to burn 2200+ calories per day? An immediate deficit many bariatric surgery patients experience pre vs post-op. This is not to say exercise is not important. Most of the adaptive physiological changes working against us (loss of muscle mass and the subsequent decrease is resting metabolic rate) can be minimized with exercise post-op. It's also important to realize calorie restriction gets the weight off quickly but most of us didn't gain weight quickly - it was relatively slow over years/decades. If you gained 100 lbs over ten years that means an average excess of just 100 calories per day over that 10 year period. You can see how even moderate exercise post-op/weight loss can help to tip the scales towards weight maintenance. Of course post-op diet is still king for long-term weight loss and maintenance....the old saying you can't out-train a bad diet is true.....

I’m sorry you are dealing with this. I’ve had difficulty with thinning hair for some time. I started to keep it short because everything pulled my hair out in clumps. Even just to comb it. I can’t afford to lose hair, mine is like baby hair, very thin strands. I usually keep it extremely short. But then it’s hard going for haircuts. Post op. I’ve been taking gummy vitamins but I make sure they are Whole Foods vitamins. Garden of life makes a good Whole Foods women’s multi vitamin. (There are others as well I might try rainbow light chewable multi vitamin next time) And Natures Way makes a good hair skin and nails gummy with extra collagen. Even if you can swallow pills gummies or liquid vitamins absorb better. And even better if they are Whole food based. I also take omega gummies for the EFAs. A b complex. And of course calcium. For hair, You need vitamin A, b complex vitamins too especially biotin and also collagen. I get my vitamins from vitacost and always get coupons. I haven’t bought bariatric specific vitamins because the multi vitamin all have iodine and I’m allergic. Some basic vitamins like centrum do nothing and don’t absorb any benefits at all. I use cleansing conditioner on my hair and a scalp massage brush in the shower. Since a healthy scalp helps healthy hair. I’m not as far along so I don’t know what will happen with my hair. I’m just taking it one moment at a time. I hope you find the answers you need.

Hi, everyone! Hope all of you are well and doing great after your surgery, or you are all ready for your big day! Just a quick update on me, in case anyone wants to see what a few weeks out may/can look like. I will be 4 weeks out of my RNY on Monday. I think I am finally starting to feel more like myself again. I am feeling like I have a bit of a bariatric routine going for vitamins, food, and water so it isn't quite taking over so much of my daily focus and I am starting to feel more energy, too. I am able to eat some soft chicken, fish and shimp now without trouble. (I weigh each "meal" out with a scale, about an ounce worth or less, and log it down.) I have a calorie limit of 300 calories this week, which bumps up to 400 next week. I have never felt nauseous, but I only eat till I feel any pressure at all and stop. For those on only liquids still, hang on! It does get sooo much better with just a little bit of real food. I have been just meeting the low end of my 60-80 grams a day protein goal- though I think it will be easier with a few more calories to use, if I need them. So far I have still needed a whey protein shake to meet my daily protein goal. UGH!!! Good Lord, if I never, ever taste another whey shake again that would be great... I am SOOO over those puppies. I feel like I can taste that stuff all the time. GROSS!!! Honestly, the hardest thing for me is getting that 64 ounces of water in daily! I am full for so long after eating, I think I just don't want to drink even. I am doing better everyday though. Wishing each of you the best in your journey and looking forward to reading more about everyones great progress !!! 💙