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Best: hey I noticed a lot of people have their very strong opinions, but you didn't really respond. I know you are knew to the forums and I hope these passionate responses didn't scare you off. If you are working with a board certified doctor, Bariatric Doctor, I would follow their plan. That being said I would seek a second opinion considering how different your doctors plan is from most other bariatric surgeons. Is there a specific reason you doctor wants to use this very strict plan? I hope everything works out for you and I wish nothing but the best. Please stay happy and healthy. ❗️????

No, my entire bariatric team would have come down on me like a load of bricks if I tried anything like that. I don't think I could have anyway.

Scrambled eggs, a chicken and brocolli cheese casserole that I found in a bariatric surgery cookbook (the chicken is shredded and very moist), today for lunch I had deli rotisserie chicken slice rolled up with swiss cheese. For a snack I had a mini baybel light cheese. I started soft foods yesterday. This weekend I plan to have meatballs one day and "tacos" one day (lean ground beef in taco seasoning with low-fat cheese)

Bariatric surgeon Jaun F. Zavalza

I started drinking healthwise beverages when I had my lap band. They have coffees, hot chocolate, and flavoring a to add to water (like crystal light) and other protein foods. They have 0-1 carb and low calorie. They don't pack the same punch in protein that some of your shakes do but it is a refreshing change for people stuck in a rut or who have strayed from their protein drinks. There are several flavors to chose from and last I checked it was about 7$/box. With summer heat coming on it is a nice change and you definitely get all your water in with them. Just wondering if others have heard of them? I seem to have been given a whole list of protein supplements that are never mentioned on here and at the same time I wasn't told about the proteins that are popular on here. One thing I can say is do not buy the Bariatric proteins that some of the dr offices sell.... YUCK

Hello Everyone! I am new to this forum, although I have been reading everyone's very informative and inspirational posts for many months now! As my gastric sleeve journey is about to take off, I thought I should finally introduce myself to the group as I hope to post here throughout my journey... About me... I am what you would consider a gastric sleeve 'lightweight', although I have never thought of myself as "light" in the past 10 years! I am 5'2" female and 210 lbs, making my BMI 38.2. I am a self-pay patient as my BMI is "too low" (under 40) for insurance coverage. I am "pre-diabetic", have borderline high blood pressure, and ahve a strong family prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure. I want this surgery for my health. I used to be very fit. I was never an overweight child, but the pounds started creeping on when I went to college. Faced with buffets at the college diner and 24 hour pizza places, I gorged myself and the pounds slowly packed on. Eating became about "fun" and not nutrition, and I was tempted by sweets, fast foods, fried stuff.... I used to be very conscious about nutrition and have a wealth of information in my head about calories/protein/fiber of different foods. Somehow I am lacking the ability to translate that knowledge into my habits and hoping the sleeve will give me that missing tool I need. Fast forward 10 years later and I have never been able to "control" my weight. I have gained and lost 60+ pounds twice. My highest weight was 230 just after delivering my son... a weight that puts me at morbidly obese. Over the years, I have tried all sorts of diets--- phentermine prescribed by doctor (twice), weight watchers, atkins, medifast, slimfast, other physician controlled diets.... only to lose weight and have it come back. I am sure you are all familiar with this. I am looking forward to this surgery to get me back into a healthy range where I belong, and to give me a tool to help me eat nutritiously, and not purely for taste. My sleeve journey so far... I am planning to be sleeved my Dr. Tiffany Jessee at Suncoast Bariatrics in Tampa, FL. She has excellent reviews and very high patient satisfaction scores/very low complication rate. I met her at her informational session and am very confident in her. I have already attended the info session, nutritional counseling, and psych eval. Next up is my surgical consultation (next week), endoscopy and then pre-op diet. I am aiming to be sleeved n January. My support system is primarily my husband. He is amazingly supportive. He, too, needs to lose 30lbs or so, and I hope that with my smaller portion sizes and healthy choices (as I am the cook for us), this will also help his health. I also want to use these boards for support and plan to attend support group meetings. I realy don't want to tell anyone else in my lifea bout this surgery... I think they may hve a negative attidue about this and I am trying to surround myself with motivation and positive attitudes so I have the best chance at success here. I am really hoping I can get through the next few months fine (pre op diet, surgery and initial recovery phase) and get to a point where I dont ahve to think about the sleeve all the time and my choices are my "new normal". Thats what I am really hoping for out of this surgery. Does anyone have a similar circumstance to mine and want to stay in touch? (e.g., sleeved at the same time; similar starting stats; location in FL)? Good luck to all on your sleeve journey.... I can't wait to be on the other side and on the losers bench!

Hello All, my name is Steve Hudson, I am 43 and pre op gastric sleeve. I weigh about 340, im down from 261 for my pre surgical weight loss. Anyway I write a blog called cutting the fat with a knife. I will post the address at the bottom. What I am trying to do is im going to keep this blog very blunt in cases telling people the things that I feel men need to know. The reason is that I have seen many cases where men avoid the life changing and potentially life saving surgeries because of the stigma that other men have. The macho peer pressure that I am sure many of you have gone through. 1 year post op I will compile this blog into an E-book for men who are thinking about WLS. I even have a few hospitals and weight loss centers that are asking for copies when it is complete. So far almost all the books out there are by women and deal with a lot of womanly issues. I was reading one book and there was two chapters on bras and panties another on pregnancy etc. Not at all a help to me. My surgeon is actually going to appear on the blog as an ask the Bariatric Surgeon byline once a month. OK all this being said, I would like to ask you al some thing now and then to see how your experiences coincide with mine etc. So the first question I would like to ask , I will post it maybe in a top ten type list and give credit to each contributor of course unless you wish me not to, keep it a couple of sentences if you would please. Here's my first question. Was there a final straw, event or moment etc. that made you move from thinking about WLS to actually taking the steps to have it done? If so what was it? Thank you for your help. Even if you do not wish to contribute but wish to check out the blog, I do many video taste tests of various Protein powders, ready made drinks etc, with even more to come. Thank you all for your time. Oh and this book will not cost anything it is not a money issue it will be free to all. I am absorbing any costs myself. http://cuttingthefatwithaknife.blogspot.com

Www.WLSvitamins.com has vitamins made special for bariatric patients.

You referred to your bariatric surgery binder...I was wondering if this is something the dr's office gave you and if so, when did they give it to you?

I was told the shortest possible time would be about three months (I did my six-month supervised diet before I was formally admitted to the bariatric program, though. Although that was a requirement of my insurance company, not the bariatric clinic). I had my surgery about six months after starting in the bariatric program.

Deputy I'm going to keep that in mind but I just spent a pretty penny on bariatric advantage brand n ugh made me sick MrsG ya imma try eating something tomorrow before vitamins actually I think I wanna try taking them at night Logan ugh it must be the brand yes I was so sick all morning n now scared to try again but I knw I need my vitamins :-(

I've recently had a horrible experience, need to vent, and wondered if anyone else went through something similar. This past Sunday, I got stuck and vomited. Not the first time it's happened, so I expected to spend the next couple days on liquids. Monday morning I tried a couple sips of warm tea and it came up almost immediately. I called my MD's nurse and explained the situation; she asked me to come in Wednesday at 1PM and she would get me worked in. (My MD is in the clinic all day Monday and half a day on Wed/Fri, other days he is in surgery, doing rounds at the hospital, or at a nonbariatric clinic right on the same block as the bariatric clinic. Also, he is the only person who does fills/unfills. He has no partner or another person trained.) I agreed with her suggestion thinking that the band would loosen up enough to dring at least by Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I couldn't swallow my own spit much less Water. So, I called the clinic again on Tuesday. By this time I'm desperately thirsty, I've lost 10 lbs since Sunday, I'm vomiting up what little spit I'm producing and accidentally swallowing at least every 2 hours. My temperature is over 100 and my skin turgor is getting worse; my eyelids and skin over my knuckles would stay up in a little peak if I pinched them. I was peeing in small amounts sporadically. I knew I was dehydrated and voiced my concern to the nurse. She responded that he was in surgery all day, and she would try to get ahold of him. And, if she didn't call back, come in the previously arranged time on Wednesday. I responded that I didn't think I could wait that long. Her answer to this was to go to the ER. I was astounded! During the year and a half that I've been a patient, the MD and staff have constantly hammered into me to just give them a call if I need anything . I take this to mean that if an urgent situation like this arises, I can call and get their help quickly. I was very wrong. She did call back and told me to be at the clinic at 0830 Wednesday morning; the MD would come in between hospital rounds. I was so tired by this point and agreed. The next morning my husband drove me to the clinic (by this time I'm very weak, I'm down 12 lbs d/t Fluid loss). I check in and am told that it could be one hour or even three hours before he comes by. By this time I'm so tired and dispirited that I can hardly think. I burst into tears and say I'm going to have him take out all of the fill, I haven't had anything to drink in nearly three days, I've tried to get an appointment for the past two days, my husband has to be at work at 10, etc... I can't even completely remember everything I said, my brain was so clouded. I sit and the desk clerk tells me he has been paged. By the time I see him, it's nearly 11AM!! I had him take all of the fill out although he was initially going to just take a bit out to "decompress", but I insisted. I have a one-month appointment made, but I'm really debating going back. I love my band and don't regret having it done, but don't wish to risk a repeat of this experience. I am about 20 lbs away from my healthy weight and have learned a lot of great habits, so I don't doubt that I could do it. It would just be more slowly. Has anyone else had an experience like this? How did your doctor respond? Sorry so long and thanks for reading:redface:

Considering moving my aftercare to another bariatric practice - if they'll have me. Could use some feedback - as in am I crazy to consider doing this? Here's the deal: I had gastric banding in early March and lost 27lbs in prep for the procedure. In the two weeks following the surgery I lost 12lbs. Since then, I've had four fills giving me 4.8cc in an 11cc band. My weight has not changed give or take 2lbs - so I'm 238-240 - regardless of activity level and apparently, what I consume. I'm hungry within 2 hours of eating and can eat pretty much anything, but since my surgeon's practice states "No in-between meal snacks" I really try to hold the line which means there are quite a few meetings in which my loud, literally howling stomach is the source of discomfort for me and an amusing distraction for others. Couple this with the fact that I'm a Type II Diabetic who controls her blood glucose with a small amount of medication, diet and exercise. By the time I do breakdown and eat the forbidden "snack" rather than waiting for the next meal, I'm often sweating, hands shaking due to my blood sugar having dropped too low. Thus there's a chance I'll eat too quickly - we know what happens then or I eat the wrong, but safe items like ice cream or candy that melts quickly, and raises my glucose so I feel normal. Beyond the obvious problem of not making progress with my band is that I'm not getting through to my Bariatric Practice. 1) I haven't seen my surgeon since the operation - he doesn't "have time" as he's busy with new patients. 2) I see a PA for my fills. She's almost always overbooked and frazzled. When she complimented me on losing 25 lbs between fill #1 & #2 without even looking at me and I said, "Excuse me? I haven't but a pound or two!" She had to check the chart - "Oops! My bad - I read it wrong!" 3) I keep telling her (see above) and the reaction is basically, "Uh-huh...well, let's get this fill in". After fill #3 she told me I had 5.5cc in the band; last week she advises me it's only at 4.8cc?! 4) No labs have been ordered, the saline hasn't been removed to check the band is holding what it should, no fluoroscopy - and no concern that I'm getting nowhere - just "see you in four weeks!" Last week's trip in for my big 0.6cc fill was the same experience as fills 1-3. I arrive on time and wait for over an hour and a half - and it's an hour drive each way, so I've had to take at least a half-day off from work. While I wait in the over-crowded waiting room, wishing I'd brought something, anything to eat, I watch the single PA juggle fills and consults for pre-surgical patients, have a melt-down because the surgeon has asked her to squeeze in another post-op having problems. Meanwhile the bariatric nurse is ranting at another pre-op patient about his "failure to lose weight" on Medifast, when in trots a pizza delivery guy with two large pies for the staff...right through the waiting room of starving bariatric patients. When it's all said and done, I leave with a raging headache, a long drive and the need to find a convience store for OJ - not a "clear liquid" but better than having a hypoglycemic incident on that hour drive home. Thoughts? Comments?

And as for vitamins--I ordered the Bariatric Advantage multivitamin in berry flavor. I can hardly chew it. The flavor is just gross to me. Haven't found a new one to take yet....

That's so not true with all drs. What a poop! My surgeries were all in MX and when I had complications (bands) there were several different bariatric drs more than happy to help me. Fact, I had one that didn't charge me.. ! You can see your PCP for after care and if there's more serious concern they will locate a dr. Jeeze Louise... What ever happen to the ethical obligation drs agree to when they graduate? Some drs just SUCK!

So Bariatric surgery is not covered on my insurance but with all my health issues my doctor seems to think my insurance will cover it.... Has anyone's insurance covered it even though it's not listed??

I was NOT able to get my procedure covered by my insurance last year even with 2 comorbidities. My policy stated that there was a Bariatric Surgey Exclusion. My medical necessity did not matter. My company did not pay the premium to include bariatric surgery on our group policy, making it an exclusion on our policy. So no, they would not cover it and I had to wait till open enrollment to drop that policy.

I have my surgery date scheduled for June 16th! I'm in the kaiser Sacramento bariatric surgery program with Dr. Grinberg. My highest weight was 287, my "starting" weight at kaiser was 283 with a -15 pound pre-op goal weight of 268. I am now 262. All my lab work is done, my psych eval is done. I just have a few pre-op appointments to go. My clothes are falling off of me, but I refuse to buy clothes. I'm so excited for this new change. I'm also having my gallbladder removed at the same time. Is anyone else having that done too?

MMM.. Are you ready? I do not have to do liquids diets but I'm pushing the liquid Protein shakes. I went to a Bariatric protein tasting on Saturday and got so many samples. Some I never would have thought to buy without tasting first and they are good! Anything you think you will miss the most? I did measurements and before pictures already. I am hoping to be down 50by October.. What do you think?

415 to under 235 I had to do this twice so Never again and Never forget! About 8 years ago i found myself over 400 lbs. I wont put blame but I do have to say I was in an abusive relationship with a women that drank.. So I ate and ate and ate some more. I Decided one January morning that everything was going to change. I advised her unless she stopped drinking it was over. SImple as that and i walked out the door of my home in NH and started walking.. Every day i walked and walked a little longer every week i would increase my walking . Well come May I had done away with her and it was all about me at that point. I ended up getting to about 250 lbs on my own. No surgery this time.. I was happy but had a ton of excess skin. I did my legwork and found a plastic surgeon who did 2 seperate surgeries. My Upper body and my lower body. I will say the upper body surgery was not to bad to remove the "man boobs". The Lower Body the Pandectomy procedure was something I would never do again and glad I dont have to.. Very painful procedure and a scar all the way around my body. Im glad I had it done and im glad the second time around my tummy went back to being flat as a board. So back to my story.. I had both surgeries feeling good no issues and then one day out of the blue, and ill never forget it was a couple of days before Thanksgiving I stopped going to the gym.. Dont ask me why I have no clue why i did this. I was invisible. I was working out 6-7 days per week and felt good and i just stopped! The weight started going back on. You all know the struggles of a YOYO person. Up and down and up and down. Well soon after that my father passed away. Very very mixed emotions and a heavy heart. I balooned back up to 415lbs + or -.. I stayed that way for the last couple of years.. At almost 45 years old I didnt know what to do. I knew I needed help. I didnt think i could do it on my own again. I found Dr Jiser the chief bariatric surgeon at Lowell general Hospital in Ma. He advised me I was a great candidate for the "Sleeve". he said i would see amazing results and the sleeve was slowly catching up to the bypass as far as results go, So I went for it. I started in April at 415lbs. I got down to 372 on Surgery date June 24th 2013. I kissed my wife and my mom and said lets do this. i was dedicated. I worked out and walked and walked and walked and then started lifting weights again. Well here we are Jan 11th 2014 9 months after taking the initial step in April.. I weighed in just the other day at 232lbs. Thats -183lbs in 9 months. Amazing. Even Dr Jiser said i was so far ahead of schedule. i went from a 52inch waist to a 34. I went from a 4x shirt to a large. I am off all medications!!! I will never ever go back. I am happy. all the frightening stupid things that "NORMAL" people can do I can now do. We all know how frightful it was to get on an airplane or go to a show. Nothing worse then needing an extended seat belt or wondering if you would fit in the movie theater seat. Well No More. never ever again will i be worried about having to get an aisle seat so i wouldnt bother the person next to me. i recently went back to Aruba. We go everyyear and the reactions were funny and amazing. Hardly anyone knew who I was. It was funny but it showed me i was such a different person. The weight loss has also opened my eyes to the discrimination we all face or faced. We all know that people looked at us "heavy" people differently.. I have noticed so many people have a different attitude towards me. It is for the better now but it also shows me how my weight before made people discriminate against me. Well here I am about 20lbs from my high school weight. I want so badly to be able to take this and help others. Id love to start a support group.. Id love to be a counselor at say a weight watchers but amazingly enough to do that I would have to weigh about 180lbs. Yes that is not happening. I have never been that low and will never get that low. I would look unhealthy. Im trying to break through and figure out ways to reach out to people in similiar situations and help. This weight loss has changed my whole life. I will never look back but I will never forget!! Christian Zaccone Zacconechris@yahoo.com

Ok I speak english now. http://www.supersizedcycles.com/ Tom Stormcrowe is a big biker and uses the Royce Union Bike, he has lost a lot of weight now. He had bariatric surgery and then began to cycle. http://theamazingshrinkingman.spaces.msn.com/

Yes. I am definately biking, as a matter of fact, I'm road racing now and able to ride 126 miles in a day now. My average training day is 50 miles and I am now riding a road bike. In the works for future races are a race called the Lotoja for next fall (2007), which is a 200 mile/one day race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming and I'm looking at putting together a team of post bariatric bicyclists for Race Across America (RAAM) next summer if I can get the funding. This is a 3100 mile race from Oceanside, Ca to Atlantic City, NJ in 12 days or less. The RAAM team is intended to show just what post-bariatric patients are capable of and an attempt to overcome a lot of the negative stuff in the news recently concerning the bariatric horror stories!Re: Plastic Surgery: Yes, I'll definately be having the plastic surgery to remove excess skin, It's king of a have to case, I have a very large apron from the excess belly I've lost. These things happen when you lose 30 inches of waistline!:guess Future plans: I'm going after my Nursing degree and RN and am targeting the world of Bariatric Nursing as a career path.

Seeking Health is one of the few with methylfolate and methylcobalamin. Those are the only ones recommended by the heme/oncologist I have. This is not bariatric, this is the only one that my MD/PhD recommended and I sat for 1x for 5 weeks with his chemo patients since I had to get IV Iron. Only one was rail thin. The rest were healthy looking and dang sure weren't no 20-30 years old.

So, I have Highmark BC/BS and my policy has the bariatric and reconstructive surgery riders, so I just found out I was approved for both a panniculectomy and abdominoplasty, which is AWESOME!!! But they denied my request for the brachioplasty, and I have medical documentation of the same issues on my arms as on my stomach. The stomach was approved but not the arms. The surgeon's office said I would receive my denial letter for the arm lift and it would include an appeal process. I will definitely appeal. I'm just wondering if anyone has had any success with appealing for a brachioplasty or really appealing a denial for anything. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

It took me about 10 months to finally get a surgery date. Unfortunately I work for a hospital and with their insurance you are forced to stay within their facilities, forcing me to way long periods of time for some appointments. Requirement wise I had to fulfill the following: -weight loss of 5% of body weight -night oxygen saturation study -2 support groups -2 dietary appointments -psych evaluation -multiple appointments with a bariatric nurse practitioner -multiple appointments with my surgeon -pre operative class -chest X-ray -ekg -blood work I think that covers it all! Don't get discouraged by everything you have to do before surgery, it is all for a good purpose and helps fully prepare you. Best of luck!