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Maybe. I'm a slow loser and my new bariatric doctor said zero protein powder allowed. I dont know how else to get the right amount of protein in while I am going through some kidney and gyno troubles and surgeries. But I have stopped mixing it into my fair life milk (high protein low sugar) and now mix it in water or food to get a total of 20 g protein 3 times a day. So according to my old doctor protein powder is fine as long as you stick to the 3 tiny meals a day and according to my new doctor I need to eat meat 3 meals a day and according to my kidney doctor no more than 6oz meat a day (divided into 3 meals.)

Before you begin looking for a doctor you need to find out if your insurance will pay for the lap band unless you are self-pay. Some will only pay for their removal but not placement. If they do pay for it you can probably call the nearest major hospital and inquire about their bariatric surgeons and contact them to find out if they place the band. I just had my band removed after 10 years and my bariatric surgeon said he hasn't done a band in 3 years. All that being said, if you have other medical problems these are best addressed by an experienced surgeon. And the band is promoted as only helping you to lose 50% of your excess weight. So, if you are say 150 lbs overweight then it would help you to lose about 75 lbs. And your surgeon has to be very adept with the fills as very small amounts put in can make a big difference (good or bad). Unlike other surgeries it requires more follow-up.

I ended up in the emergency room today after my lightheadedness and vision loss (vision going black) rapidly progressed after the past 3 weeks. It's a little fuzzy when I sit, but when I stand, I get very, very dizzy and my vision goes dark and I get some confusion. After a ton of tests (labs, ekg, chest xray, urine, orthostatic BP tilt test) ,and a consult with my bariatric surgeon, I was told I had orthostatic hypotension. The surgeon's office said that some people develop this after rapid weight loss and I can try adding salt to my food to raise my BP. Does this get better? Has anyone experienced this? No one told me this was a possible effect of the surgery. I've already had an ulcer, hernia, and gallbladder removal and now this. It's pretty scary because I have to hold onto the wall and stuff sometimes when I walk, and I am afraid I may get dizzy while driving. I just had some heavily salted mashed cauliflower but still feel off. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

About to finish my purée stage in a few days. It’s been challenging because the first few days anything other than liquids really filled me up and it’s been difficult to get in Protein. My advice is start slowly and try to limit your intake to protein only. The first couple days I tried to add in soft veggies because it seems like it makes more sense to try to get in a balanced diet, but then my protein intake took a nosedive and I had a stall. It was weird at first, but I started eating meals like 1/4 cup tuna mashed with Greek yogurt or 1 scrambled egg, or ounce ground beef and 1/2 ounce goat cheese, etc.... I have to trust that my bariatric Vitamins will carry me through until I have room for other nutrients besides all protein. Oh, and my “snack” is 8 ounces fairlife milk, between lunch and dinner. Usually with that I can now hit protein requirements (60gram according to my NUT) and not compromise Water intake (80 ounces or more daily). Just looked over my food logs and I’m actually consuming way less carbs daily than I was on the liquid phase. Don’t get discouraged if it takes you a few days to a week to figure out what your body can deal with during this phase.

First let me say what a spectacular job you are doing! You are changing your life for the better and in doing so, probably doing the same for your children. Congratulations on your success! The divorce rate for bariatric patients is high. You are making changes that can affect your entire family's life style; your husband is fighting these changes. For your sake and the sake of your children you need to decide if you are going to allow him to sabotage these changes and potentially your continued success. His other choice is to hop on board and be a part of something wonderful. I don't know a lot about bipolar disorder but it sounds like a really convenient excuse to blame his sh***y behavior and allow a vicious circle of verbal abuse to continue. If it truly is his bipolar he needs to figure out a way to fix it, be it meds, counseling or both. Please don't allow yourself to get sucked in and try to deal with his insecurities. You will never be able to fix it, he has to want to do that! You can support him but you can't do it for him. Good luck!

I take procare health bariatric multivitamin with 45 mg iron chewable. I'm not a big fan of the grittiness, but I found eating a sugarfree popsicle with it helps get it down. I do love that it has everything except the calcium in it and it is a one a day! You could try eating it with pudding or applesauce, something to coat the stomach might help.

Anybody had success getting approved with this particular plan? How long did it take to get approval? If you were denied what did they require to get approved? My doctors office has never dealt with this particular plan so they sent in my stuff earlier then normal just to see what they came back with for a response. I have spoken to 3 different agents and gotten a copy of their pre auth form and their bariatric medical policy but all are very vague about what they want for proof of previous attempts and number of dietician appointments they require for approval.😕 thanks!

I was given some bariatric advantage HPMR protein powder and since I’ve been drinking it, my weight has stalled. Is that normal with this drink? I only drink it for breakfast and eat healthy otherwise throughout the day. Has anyone else noticed this with protein powders?

Everyone will have different pre and post op instructions. You need to follow what your surgeon has set forth as the guidelines for the program for his surgical patients. It would be difficult for me to allow a surgeon to operate on me if I was not comfortable with how he or she presented information to me but that’s my opinion and maybe you only have one surgeon available to you. Many topics you are asking about such as medications after surgery are often discussed in a group class prior to your surgery date, many times three-four weeks ahead of time. The nutritionist and bariatric coordinator are often the ones at this meeting.

Hey everyone! Just discovered Bariatric Pal and am loving it so far! I am currently on my pre op journey for WLS (Began on September 4th of 2018 and have lost 108 lbs on my own through eating healthy and exercising) and as of today I have finished and completed all testing to be Eligible for surgery 🙌🏻 Any helpful advice, things you wish you would have known before surgery ect that would be helpful advice would be very much appreciated! I’m just so excited to continue this journey and be the best version of myself I can be!

I had an "A-ha" moment when I knew that I HAD to do something to lose the weight. I went to a bariatric surgery info session the next day, and I signed up to meet with the doctor. I did no research before I did that. I was so overweight though, that I was miserable. I did some research after meeting with the doctor, but none prior to. Best of luck with everything!

yea ima basically wait and see what happens since it is listed in my approved programs. I went ahead and started a program with a dietician service just in case they had a prob with ww but I dont get measured monthly with my bariatric dietician services either, they just take my weight..

Welcome Rocketman! Glad to hear you are feeling relief from GERD. When I took my endocrinologist's advice and made a consultation with a bariatric surgeon, I was hoping I could have the sleeve version--but no. With a long history of GERD and gastroparesis, I was told that gastric bypass would alleviate the GERD and the sleeve might make it worse. I was disappointed because I wanted the less-invasive surgery, but decided to go ahead with gastric bypass on Feb 13. I've been taking Protonix for 20+ years and now. Post-surgery my surgeon prescribe more Protonix twice a day (crushed). I'm not sure how long I will have to be on it, but I'm hoping to say goodbye to GERD for life. Allow me to ask: Are you currently on an acid reducer after surgery? If so, how long do you need to take it. I do have some heartburn post-surgery but I'm hoping I won't have it for long.

Yep! my bariatric vitamins provided are chewables to increase absorption! When I ran out and had not received my second bottle yet I used my son's flinstones! lol

“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. The BariatricPal Store has Multivitamin One and a wide range of other multivitamin and minerals formulated according to ASMBS guidelines. 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. BariatricPal Protein One has 28 essential vitamins and minerals, along with protein and fiber, in Unflavored powder or great-tasting shakes such as Chocolate, Vanilla, Cookies and Cream, Peanut Butter, Chicken Soup, and more. 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

I posted this in wrong forum! Moving it here: Am in a tough situation, as most everyone is. While I've been morbidly obese now for over 12 yrs, I had been able to get around and was working on adopting a Keto way of life, not just as a diet as I truly feel physically better when I eat that way. Unfortunately while I've been working on losing weight, it's been much slower than expected (I've hit that female time of 'life' and everything seems to have slowed to a crawl) - I've only lost 46 lbs in the past 6 months. I ended up tearing meniscus on 1 side of my right knee while exercising. I had surgery to trim part of meniscus that was hanging so it wouldn't get caught in knee when it bends. I also have history of throwing clots but I do NOT have a clotting disorder (like Factor V, etc.) I have a permanent IVC filter installed. My cardiologist recommended amount of Lovenox for me to bridge (for 1st knee surgery) to based on my body weight. Well, they don't make lovenox in that 'dosage'. The doctors decided to 'wing it' with the normal amount of Lovenox. Needless to say, I clotted again but I feel decision was made in error (i.e. cause & effect). Since then I've torn meniscus on other side of right knee and my back has started to spasm (diagnosed with herniated disc). No big shock as I've put my body thru too much stress with weight. My issue is I REALLY wanted to avoid surgery & truly wanted Keto as my WOL. The problem is the pain my knee and back are causing is now so severe I cannot take it anymore. I thought I had a big pain tolerance but seems I cannot handle 'chronic pain' as well. With my mobility limited until summer when pool is warm enough to swim in, I'm not losing weight fast enough to get to move on with my life and have the knee replacement my ortho is suggesting but will not do at my current weight.. So, I've been on these boards off & on for a few years, mostly researching & I feel that since I'm 50, I'm running out of time, especially with amount of pain I"m in. I truly want my life back more than I want food at this point and have felt that way the whole time I've been doing Keto. At 344 (down from 390), I'm ready for the pain to stop and I've researched until I'm blue in the face. I do know that I want to start down the road of interviewing doctors, my primary dr already was supervising my keto loss, I have a psych dr but am willing to do eval with another if they won't accept my own. I've discussed possibility of surgery with current docs for 2.5 years now. I was also diagnosed with melanoma recently and after losing my best friend to brain cancer, I certainly feel a bit of concern that since we do not know how many days we will be on this earth, that surgery is definitely on the table. I looked for a Bariatric COE in DFW area and only come up with Baylor Hospital in Grapevine; however, when I look at bios & reviews of the 3 docs they have, none of them inspired me with confidence. Anyone have a dr to recommend who has a long history of performing both sleeve and bypass with great results? I had considered combining lapband with my keto to see if that would help speed things up but looks like with my BMI, that may not be an option? I also have to carefully consider surgery options due to my clotting history. Ortho docs want to do knee replacement when my BMI is lower, until then, I just put up with pain. Any input is appreciated!

I went to see another dietician today, the other one wasn’t helpful. This one was so thorough n found that yes my calorie in take was high but she thinks the issue is too much protein n not enough healthy carbs. She said my metabolism is slowing so I need to decrease protein from 95 to 75 per day. She said that reduction would ultimately lead to reduction in calories. Strangely said my carbs should be no more than 80 but only from fresh fruits n veggies for the whole day. She also said my water needs to increase from 52oz to way over 64oz per day. She said I need to do some form of exercise daily n recommended doing a short 8 minute video daily just to stay moving n then build from there. She also gave me a link to review a graph of the projected amount to be lost after wls based on my preop weight. It showed that I should lose 100lbs over 12-15 months. I’ve lost 56 since surgery total pre n post loss 71lbs. She said I was doing well despite the scale n my feelings n said w these changes she was confident the scale would start moving again. She has me working on 1 goal this week n that is to increase the fluids n decrease the protein. Then next wk I do 8 minute workouts daily n to continue the 1 day of exercise for 40 minutes I was already doing. She was wonderful. I’m to follow up in a month for a weight check. She said on the high end I can set a goal to lose 8lbs by then. So I’m going to try for it. I’m renewed again.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I took in everything that was said. Surgery went well and now I'm home. The nurses on the Bariatric floor said I was their star patient. I was up and walking and doing laps as soon as I felt I could. I have a lot of pain in the incision site where they took my stomach and gallbladder out. I think if it was just vsg, I would be in little to no pain. But I'm home resting, walking and sipping water. Thanks everyone! Sent from my LG-K550 using BariatricPal mobile app

Reactive hypoglycemia is low blood glucose (sugar) that occurs within four hours after eating. Symptoms of reactive hypoglycemiamay include anxiety, fast heartbeat, irritability (feeling very stressed or nervous), shaking, sweating, hunger, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty thinking and faintness. But, reactive hypoglycemia post–gastric bypass generally can occur in patients one year or more after their bariatric surgery. ... The further out from surgery you are, the more tuned in to your body and reactions to food you become. Since you are 9 days post-op, I suspect this is not the problem. Another possible explanation is that you were diabetic prior to surgery. If that was the case and you were taking blood sugar medicine, it might be time to reduce the amount of medicine your were taking. So you might want to check with your doctor and reset your prescription. I was diabetic prior to surgery and I went off all my prescription medicine the day I left the hospital after surgery. Another possibility is that it is not a blood sugar problem but rather an electrolyte imbalance. Common electrolytes include sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. ... When the amount of electrolytes in your body is too high or too low, you can develop dizziness, cramps, and problems with an irregular heart beat (heart rhythm) or symptoms of mental confusion. This may happen if you don't take in enough fluids daily. Another possibility is dizziness can be caused by a blood clot. Embolism can occur when an embolus, or blood clot, forms around a heart valve that is not working properly, or is released within the arteries to the brain, causing a stroke. The effects of a stroke may include temporary dizziness. However, if the embolus travels to the vestibular system, it can cause severe dizziness. This is a very serious condition. Or there are other possible causes for dizziness and fainting. I would refer to your hospital discharge directions. There should be a page that describes when to contact you surgeon's office. On my discharge directions it states: Chest pain, rapid heartbeat and/or dizziness. Better to be safe than sorry!

It doesn't seem like you're being impulsive. You're doing your research. Joining this forum and hopefully others will give you a good idea of people's experiences and not just the clinical information. Most bariatric programs and insurance companies make it a 3-6 month program so that people aren't getting the surgery impulsively anyway. (At least, American ones, I guess I can't speak to how it works in the UK)

By nature, I'm a fairly impulsive person. I decided to look into bariatric surgery after seeing the gastric balloon on Instagram about 3 days ago, from there I went down a rabbit hole of research and decided if it went down a bariatric road, then the sleeve seemed to suit me most. I'm now looking at clinics and checking procedures, reviews, surgeons etc it's only been a few days and I'm fairly sure I've made up my mind I want this done. (I'd dismissed it the past as my best friend, sister-in-law, mom and nan all had problems with lap band surgeries, now I know the differences between surgeries) How long did you research WLS before you decided you were definitely going to go for it? Are there any specifics you'd suggest really looking in to?

I haven’t posted in a long tine either. I’ve not been as successful with the band as some of you. Banded 4/21/2012 and still 57 lb short of my goal weight. Went to the medical weight loss doctor at my bariatric surgeon’s office and starting on phentermine to hopefully get (back) on track. Looking forward to summer when I can swim but meanwhile plan to go back to walking a half hour each day to start. I love reading your posts; I feel that we’re all in this together. Let’s keep it up!

I’m super excited to start this journey. My insurance requires a 3 month program so I still have 2 months to go. I have watched many YouTube videos, researched websites, read books just so I will know what I’m getting myself into. I know everyone’s journey is different but many go through some of the same things. So my question is what advice would you give to someone who’s just getting started on this journey ? For example, I know hair loss seem to be common among Bariatric patients, would you suggest taking vitamins now ? Are there questions you would have asked your doctor but didn’t know to ask at the time ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 😊

I'm alreasy anticipating that. I'm in the UK so we don't get anything through insurance. We have the NHS and it's fantastic for emergencies , but anything remotely cosmetic or bariatric isn't covered by them unless you're practically dead...and even then you need to wait up to 5 years. I will have to go abroad for surgery because a sleeve operation here costs £10,000, twice the price it is in European cup tried like Latvia or Lithuania and it's not down to the quality being any better, it comes down to wages and infrastructure and tax etc, it's crazy. And it's the same price for a tummy truck...which I'm pretty sure I could do with now, so I'll DEFINITELY need one if I drop 80+ lbs! Better get saving 😕

Super helpful. NOT. As stated above, everyone is different but I think in general the expectation is 2 to 4 pounds per week. But this is an average, too. One week you might not lose anything, the next you might drop 3. One thing I did was STOP weighing myself every day - too frustrating. Now I weigh on Weds. and Sun. only and it's much easier to see the downward trend. Also, if you can exercise, do so! make sure you're getting ALL your water and keeping you calories in the range suggested by your program. And finally, sign up for Bariatric Pal so you can track your intake. That way, if you are having a stall you can review what's going into you to see if that's the issue. It will happen, promise!!!!!