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Hey chavezmommy! I've mentioned on my previous posts that I stop losing weight after my fifth week after surgery and I have followed a low carb, moderate Protein and high fat diet since then with great results. Sometimes I overeat and I've been fluctuating between 60 and 57kg (my goal weight is 55kg). I have incorporated since last week a juice fast of four days that led me to an over 2kg weight gain but an amazing feeling of accomplishment. I stopped the juice fast and went for a 24 hour fast of non-caloric-liquids like tea, coffee and Water. After the fast I ate a bariatric portion dinner and went back to 57.5kg again. It had taken me a lot of trials and errors to find what is best for me and definitely I believe that this lifestyle is the safest and must correct for me because it prevents me from binging and brings me towards my weight goal. I also would like to add that my blood tests looks amazing: Vitamins, minerals, etc are all great, blood sugar, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol (the bad one) are perfect, so there is no reason that I'm wrongdoing. Let me know if you want to try this! Best, Ariana

Good riddance to bad rubbish. How do you move on and date? In my opinion, very carefully and very slowly. It sounds like you need to grieve and recover from your marriage before jumping back into the dating world. Do you have a good therapist? Have you considered attending a 12 step recovery group like Overeaters Anonymous? Are you attending bariatric support group meetings? Take the time to get to know yourself, recover and heal (physically and emotionally), learn how strong and resilient you are, and focus on health and wellness. Another relationship can wait until you are steady in your own feet. Yes, I am looking into finding a new therapist since I moved away from where I used to live. Hoping to find a good one soon. You're right, no dating for me until I am healed from this pain. Thanks

Ok seriously it sometimes takes having a 'come to Jesus meeting' with yourself... I've been there. For REAL. I had the regain. I had the 'I can eat everything just in small amounts' self talk. I had the people come up to me 2.5 years post VSG and ask me if I was pregnant!!! Now at 4.5 years post, I've lost my regain, lost even more and am getting ready (finally) for my skin surgery. For ME, it took an ugly health issue to get my act straight. It's different for everyone but you have GOT to find your "WHY". Once you do that, then you need to just get back to the VERY BASICS. attend some bariatric support groups. track your water, activity and intake. empty ALL the junk food out. start taking your own food to EVERYTHING so there is no temptation. Go back to your surgeon office. talk to them. seek out EVERY form of support you can find. attend an Overeaters Anonymous group in your area, or a Food Addicts meeting. Do WHATEVER it takes. Sadly, statistically the regain odds are not in our favor. Let's all prove those odds wrong.

@@cutee1985 what kind do you drink? I was using Bariatric Advantage for preop and liked them but now I can't stand them! I got some Isopure drinks today to try, and someone had suggested GNC protein shakes (thank you to whoever that was!) I just drank 1/2 of a chocolate peanut butter one. It wasn't bad. I haven't been able to drink a whole one yet and not enough water but getting better. Follow up tomorrow and hopefully get to start purees. Yippee!

"You might want to check on here. Bariatric Pal, Diet Direct, they sell cereal. I have the Honey Nut Os and love them. Pre sleeve I'd eat, each little bag is like 15 g Protein and around 9 carbs. If you really want cereal it's worth it. I don't normally eat it, not cuz I don't want to but know the dangers of a box ...all carbs and sugar." I agree with the above advice completely. First, I think you should ignore cravings for carbs. Studies have shown the less of the processed bread products you eat the less you want them. Try to give into them as rarely as possible and the cravings will occur less and less frequently. If you absolutely MUST have cereal then a low carb, high protein version is best even if expensive. In fact all the better that way you don't buy a bunch and build it into your diet. Buy one at a time and use them as sparingly as possible. Using all 39 of your 40 carbs in one moment is not a good idea.

Bariatric Fusion Chewable. It contains everything you need so you don't have to take as many pills, unless you have a deficiency. You can also crush it up and add it to water or food.

I actually just purchased a year worth of the bariatric pal multivitamin one w/iron chewable to be stocked up. It was 140.00 after the 10.00 off coupon which isn’t too bad. I am going to order the calcium chews as well. I was hoping to find them somewhere else cheaper as 32.00 monthly seems very expensive or the calcium tabs. Does anyone else have any advice on the calcium tabs? And did anyone start these vitamins before the surgery?

I have the same problem, my insurance company has a specific exclusion for any bariatric surgeries as they consider them to be "elective" surgery akin to cosmetic and not medically necessary. What a ridiculous idea. By the time I admitted to myself that I needed to have the lap band surgery there were already problems caused by my weight. The somewhat good new is that I have spoken to a lot of people with my insurance company and the only things they won't cover are specifically related to lap band and they were pretty minimal. Fills, erosion, slippage, and anything the specifically and directly relates to the band I say it's worth the risk. The odds of running into these issues seem pretty small and the possible benefits seem to greatly outweigh the risks. I'm going in on the 21st!

Yesterday was my first day of the liquid pre op diet as well! I ended up getting the ready to drink "Oh Yeah" brand from my doctors' office. They're ok. I had tried the Bariatric Advantage and those taste better even if you have to mix those ones up. I did ok on the hunger thing up until the afternoon and then I started getting really hungry despite the shakes. I went to bed with a hunger headache and woke up with a hunger headache. My nutritionist told me that the goal is to get about 70 grams of protein in per day, not much less and not much more. So, whatever protein drink you choose, just make sure that it totals up to 70grams of protein a day. I also get to have 4 oz of cottage cheese twice a day and 4 oz of juice. I've opted to go with the fruit chillers that you freeze so that I feel like I'm actually "eating" something. I guess part of my struggle is in my head. My initial pre op showed an elevation of white blood cells so I had to go on antibiotics and move my surgery date. I had my blood drawn yesterday to see if the white cells have gone done. I'll find out what the results are most likely tomorrow. So, if the white count is still elevated then I'll have to move my surgery AGAIN and see a hematologist. So I'm just hoping that I'm not going to be doing the liquid diet for a few days only to find out that I'm going to have to start all over again. I think once I find out that my white count is ok it will be mentally easier to deal with the hunger.

Thanks for the support everyone; this is exactly why I love this board! Jack, the waiting does/has renewed my dedication; "I'm patient", but ready Magic, I have United Health Care thru my employer.

At the seminar, my Bariatric Center said a girl would be calling with my 7 appointments-- I almost freaked!! Yep, 3 hospital tests, psych eval with psychiatrist, two visits to the pulmonologist, one to the cardiologist (plus the stress test back at the hospital!)--then I had to schedule my six monthly visits to the nutritionist my insurance company required. Mix in two visits to my PCP trying to get my letter, and then another complete battery of tests at the hospital before surgery. Your story, as Jack so aptly stated, is OUR story. And yes, the co-pays (PTL for insurance) were wretched--in a year when gasoline is at a premium, the Bariatric Center is 50 miles from home, with the majority of the doctors at least that. And yet none of it will be enough to claim on the income tax... :think My final words to you are: IT IS SO WORTH IT!!!

Hi there I am Bobby, I live in NC and I am 28. I have always been a big man all my life. When I was in 10th grade in high school, I weighted roughly 419lbs. I lost a little weight since then, but I am still morbidly obese. I have stayed in the range from 360 to 380lbs. I have tried diets from all veggie down to 500 calorie diets, not eating just taking Vitamins and drinking Water and milk. During that process I may have lost 6 to 10lbs but then I gained 20 to 35 back. I was told about the Bariatric Surgey about 4 years ago. I was recently told about the Lapband Surgery by my new doctor her in NC. So I have been researching it for about a month. And I didn't really find anything out about the outcome of the Lapband. Some say you have an external object outside of your body, so the fills can be done. Can anyone help me figure more out about the outcome of lapband surgery? I know the weight loss out is spectacular from the photos I have seen. But if that valve(if you can/could call it that) is outside the body. I doubt this surgery is for me.. But I could also be very wrong, It maybe perfect for me. Thank you for you help and time.. P.S. I am just worried if the object is outside my body.. I will damage it in any/some way..:phanvan

Simple as pie. Look here, Toronto Weight Loss Obesity Surgery Lap Band Bariatric Surgeon Gastric Bypass , call the clinic or send them an email and tell them you are interested in the surgery and they wil get the ball rolling. It starts with a phone consult, and if you are interested they will walk you through the next steps liek some paperwork/questionaires you need to fill out. Andrew

I found this information and I thought it was good to post it's something that some of the long term sleevers have concerns about even some of the newbies have concerns about what if: Weight regain after bariatric surgery can be an uncomfortable subject and one that both surgeons and patients want to avoid talking about, but can’t. To be sure, weight regain happens – the real question revolves around the cause. We understand that the choice to have weight loss surgery was a big one and the return of weight (in any amount) is disappointing. But understanding the way our bodies work and what may be behind the weight regain can help us address the issue more effectively. First and foremost, don’t get down on yourself. In all likelihood, your surgery did work and you are doing the right things, but our bodies change. As our bodies change, so too do our needs. Natural Regain: Some weight regain after bariatric surgery and especially gastric bypass is normal. If you regain 5-10% of your excess body weight after a few years of losing consistently, don’t fret. Speak to your surgeon, but it is likely no problem at all. Diet modification: Many of us tend to overdo it in our diets. It is tempting to over-diet, but the results can be counterproductive. Crash diets can even cause us to retain more fat than a diet of moderation. Be sure that you follow your diet plan closely and work with your dietician to ensure the very best results. Exercise habits: As with diets above, there is a fine line between good and bad exercise. Understanding the exercises to which your body responds and working with an exercise physiologist can help ensure that your exercises are doing good and not harm. Pouch or stoma enlargement: The stomach pouch and/or stoma (the opening into the stomach) can in fact stretch over time. This can cause mild or significant weight regain and can be corrected with one of several simple outpatient procedures. Revision Surgery can be effective, but ONLY as a last resort. Simple outpatient procedures and even major surgery can be used to revise an unsuccessful primary procedure. While revisions are generally effective, they do carry a higher risk of complications and all other solutions to the weight regain should be implemented before considering a revision procedure.

i'll be having my surgery with dr. sherrod from southwest bariatrics. he seems very nice and i've found that he really listens to what you have to say rather than giving you canned answers. i've got a very high bmi so i've had to have quite a few pre-op tests (sleep study, ekg, echochardiogram, exercise, nutrition, and blood work) so i've been just sort of plugging away getting things done. i just finished the last of them on friday, so i'm just waiting for the results to make it to dr. sherrod so i can schedule my very last pre-op appt. with him and schedule this dang thing!

My current OBGYN has referred me to the bariatrics team at LGMC. He advised that there were other, pharmacological forms of treatment that we could try before using surgery as a solution, but I was insistent that I needed to take this next step as all that I’ve tried has failed and I didn’t hold out much hope for other "similar but different" treatment options, let alone I was afraid of being kicked off of insurance before finding/completing treatment. I weigh 242lbs. I went to a mandatory seminar at LGMC within a week of seeing the doctor. I was worried it was going to be more of the same, trying to talk me out of surgery as an option, citing it was “easy to lose weight, fatty”. To my joy, that was not the case. They took my insurance card and my weight. I sat through a presentation about the different surgeries offered by one of the laparoscopic surgeons. I was visibly the smallest, youngest person there. It has made me think that I am less worthy of a surgery. I don’t know. I just feel like I might be thought less deserving of this tool. The nurses advised they would use my insurance information to call and check on coverage and call me back within a week. I felt giddy. Elated. Just, lighter. Relieved. I got a call back promptly from the surgery center and have scheduled my first meeting with a surgeon. The nurse also let me know that the only requirement from my insurance was to have a psychiatric evaluation. Our first meeting is scheduled 02/21/2017. I'm excited to meet the surgeon although just the appointment is $250! I will be calling them Monday to see how much the surgery will cost and what my out of pocket will be-if they know. This money will be contributed to the total amount of surgery if I go through them, but if they are 5k more than someone else, I might want to look at other options. I hate to let my frugal flag fly, but money is not disposable to me. While it is important that I go through a reputable surgeon, I can’t bankrupt myself doing so. There must be a balance. Their program and facility are very impressive, though. I know someone who went through self-pay with them. They have a very involved team for the bariatric surgery center, and a high success rate. I think they put a lot of effort into it because we live in the south with a high rate of morbid obesity and a culture of “clean your plate”, so it’s easy to fall right back into bad habits. The first ingredient in many things my family cooks is butter. My adopted family is French – Lebanese, several family members have wrestled with weight gain over the years. On my birth mothers side, they are Italian- American with few weight issues in immediate family. My paternal grandmother, it seems, lived with undiagnosed PCOS, and I pulled the short straw when it came to inheriting those genes. Though, I am the tallest, so nyah! I feel nervous about the evaluation. I know why it’s necessary. I just worry about being denied and having to start over or something. Unfounded worries about something that probably isn't that bad. Reading everyone's posts here has done a lot for my internal dialogue. I feel like if I keep a level head and don't stress about everything coming up, take everything one step at a time, I will be ok.

Lisa you are going through stages of grief. This is a process and I hope you can find a therapist to help get through this. It's not just about eating. It's about depression. Perhaps you can talk to your PCP or bariatric doctor about the depression. It is really super hard to lose a person you love so much and to see him fight as hard as he good and to lose the battle at the end. I'm talking as a therapist bc I am a therapist.... talk to us as much as you need too. Everyday.......

I would be careful also about using all the specialists that the surgeon's office recommends, UNLESS they are all in the same office. I had one surgeon recommend a separate psych to me and I made the appointment and after i was in there with her she told me that I would have to come back 3 MORE times at $200 each time in order to get a clearance for bariatric surgery. I found a psych on my own that charged $175 for one visit of 45 minutes and got my letter when I walked out. So just be careful.

I had lapband surgery in March of 2004 and now am exploring the idea of a revision to gastric bypass surgery. I have been very fortunate not to have any complications from the band, I just haven't used it the way it was meant and since I'm so far into the game the chances of me losing more weight are very slim. I just discovered that my health insurance plan will exclude bariatric surgery beginning April 1, 2012. so, on a whim I decided to attend a surgical weight loss seminar sponsored by the healthcare system that I work for. The surgeon seems optimistic that he can remove the band, get my 3 month medically supervised diet complete, and get an authorization from my insurance for the gastric bypass surgery. I'm interested in hearing about everyone's experience with RNY surgery, whether you started off banded, or not. I'm also looking for a community of support and ideas. I haven't been an active participant of a weight loss forum for quite a while, so I'm excited to be back and to make some new friends.

Glad to hear everyone's updates on how they're doing! Sounds like it's going well for most of you! On day 9 of 14 for the liquid diet, and proud that I've followed it to the letter! Interestingly, I've been trying to time my drinking water to stop 30 min before/start 1 hr after shakes or meals and one of the certified bariatric nurses at the hospital orientation last night said that was unnecessary! I told her I thought it was so the protein would stay with you longer and make you feel fuller, but she poo-poohed it and said "You're trying to get back to a normal way of eating. Do most people time when they drink and eat or not drink with meals? NOPE!" That was interesting. She also said she wouldn't recommend more than 60-65 oz of protein because you don't need more than that and it will just constipate you. And they don't really watch carbs I guess because the shakes they use in the hospital are just Carnation Instant Breakfast which I would think have too much sugar/not enough protein. It was kind of surprising. She was great though and very smart and down to earth about everything. I was glad to hear they don't use catheters and they let you drink water the same night of your surgery. They also make you walk a lot and do some sort of heavy breathing test every hour to help get the anasthesia out of your lungs/system. She told everyone not to expect to do a lot of sleeping in the hospital! Can't believe there's less than a week to go!

Have you considered RNY? They get dumping which from what I understand is one of the most powerful ways of curbing yourself when you give into the carbs. It seems so drastic and complicated at first, and I think that's at least part of the reason why some people (including myself) lean towards the sleeve or band initially. However, it does have a great track record and I know an RNY patient personally who still dumps if she eats too much sugar and she's more than 6 years out. If you really want the sleeve or decide to stick with the band, you may want to try to work with a bariatric therapist. There is so much tied up in how we got to where we are weight-wise and learning to change behaviors and coping mechanisms is difficult. Also there is a pretty good book called Emotional First Aid for bariatric patients that is pretty good. Good luck to you. Congratulations on your success so far and I'm sure you're not doomed to fail. You just have to find what works for you!

Yes Tealael! There is research in regard to hair loss and l-lysine but I am not aware of any research of its use specifically to bariatric patients.

Mrs Sabe try this link here's dr v - http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+profile+David+C+Voellinger+kll.html Not sure he makes me giggly. My coworker said dr b reminded her of a surfer dude. I am unsure because I am focused on the numbers and the skills, not hte looks. Mrs Sabe how does dr K look? I would never say which of my dr's makes me giddy. Hee.... It's not the spine center dr. Yes i'm 32 trapped in an old ladies body.

I'd get a consultation with a dietitian who has some experience with pregnancy post-bariatric surgery:) I seem to recall Iron was stressed during pregnancy, calcium, a good balanced diet.