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Ask your surgeon's office if they have a bariatric card, Most restaurants honor them and will give you smaller portioned meals. honestly, i never used mine.

The Bariatric Advantage has a High ADEK Multi that is specifically for DS patients. You only have to take 2 capsules a day. I also take 45mg iron and 1800mg calcium. My bloodwork at 6 months out was perfect with this vitamin regimen. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Just a little over 6 months since my surgery and I'm down 125lbs and there have been several weeks that I've stalled and weight loss didn't resume for 2-3 weeks. In fact, throughout the second month after surgery I actually gained 10lbs when I started eating solids. While I certainly haven't reverted back to my old eating habits, I admit I don't follow the strict protein to carb to fat ratio. I just simply don't eat as much. Dumping isn't a problem as I don't get that despite indulging in limited sugar now and then. But I've read that only around 30% of bariatric patients actually experience it anyways. I can eat pretty much anything but I haven't even tried bread or pasta and don't intend to. I've had limited rice with no problems. As long as I chew thoroughly, I've had no problems with food getting stuck. However, I find I have to be very careful with beef jerky. It was the tough kind and I didn't chew it enough and it did get stuck and made me quite nauseous. It lasted several hours but I actually felt it pass through the pouch and the gurgling noises started and I immediately felt better. Papaya enzyme tablets help with the breakdown of any proteins, like meat, that may get stuck. Energy levels have risen greatly and I'm off my Type II diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol meds. I've had to adjust my CPAP settings down and I've actually slept without the CPAP without any resulting grogginess or depleted energy. I can probably go off it at anytime but I'd like to have another sleep study before I stop. Lunchables are a perfect meal size for me and I'll eat those quite frequently as well as the Ore Ida egg cups that have some pouches and you just add the eggs and microwave them. Oddly, I only have a BM every 3-4 days. I could go on but just wanted to post this as encouragement for others out there. When I first had my surgery I was filled with regret as I was going through all the junk food withdrawals. I don't regret it for a second now....and you won't either.

I have used the BariMelts Multivitamin (chewables) as well as the Bariatric Advantage Multivitamin (chewables). The BariMelts melt in your mouth, flavor is pretty decent with only a hint of a vitamin'y taste. But the Bariatric Advantage is like eating Starburst candies

Good 👧 --your mind is set for success. I can call you GIRL because I am older than dirt, everybody seems to be younger than ME. This group will stay alive as long as people keep posting. My own " September Surgeries and Success" is still going strong. We have swiched from surgeries to success and semi-success as we recover and start our new lives. But there are a lot of us still posting, since I started it, I routinely update my struggles there. We have sleeve, RnY, DS and ESG pisting, some of the things are different but a lot of same struggles. And it is SO NICE to have things to share, you don't feel so alone. I live in a small city of 20,000 and I think there are no other bypassers, 2 sleeve friends and that's it. And if you saw the average person in my county, Knox, you would know a lot of people need bariatric surgery And the obese children and teenagers, I cry inside for them!💦😥😪💦

Bryce86, the ORMC Bariatric program is so organized I needed nothing but my hairbrush. And unless you like lemonade Crystal light, you may want to take your own. I didn’t get to my room until 6pm and at midnight I could start drinking clears so I didn’t even need the biotene. Between trying to sleep, walking the halls and using the incentive spirometer there isn’t much time to do anything else. I only stayed one night. Went home at 4pm my first day post-op and so far have had a perfect recovery. Haven’t used any of the pain or nausea meds they prescribed...15 days now. Best wishes to you on your journey too.

Go ahead and slap me but I had few if any of these problems. Evidently OSU extracts the CO2 gas, I had a bypass instead, and I had few of any incidents where I really had to "splint" my tummy. Let me share what I got instead. I'm old, well older than most, because my age made me more than average a fall risk or for reasons only known to them or God, I was on what I call Room Arrest, I am sure there were other patients, never saw or talked to any, if my son hadn't stayed with me, except for when I rang to go to my bedside commode, I was basically alone. Had O2 and cardiac leads the whole time, so I'm sure they were monitoring my vitals. Stayed an extra day, thought I would be dismissed at 11 Am, arranged my transportation to be there, then at the last minute, before they dicontinued my IV they decided to hang an extra bag of sodium so I didn't leave until 2-3 o'clock. As I am pushed down the hall to elevator I THOUGHT I might have seen another patient, waved in case SHe saw ME. Had taken a notebook to get addresses do I could correspond or text people. Still blank. My first week home, was feeling pretty good, giving myself Lovenox shots 8AM 8 PM. THOUGHT OK pretty peachy Kool. Sunday ( my surgery had been Wednesday) I got up and my left side was purple, now isn't that odd? And I watched it progress across my abdomen. By Monday morning 3/4 to 7/8 of my tummy was purple and swollen. I looked like I had been impregnated by an alien and was carryn,g his child. I had expected a little bruising around my incisions but not THIS. Anyway, saw my surgeon on Tuesday, he took one look, said. jokingly" What have You Done To You?" , looked him in the eye, said No No,Bradley J, it is" What have you done to Me?" And only thing he could come up with was one of the trocars had knicked a little skin blood vessel, when I got enough Lovenox blood thinner in me, it popped open and I had a mini- bleed btween my fat layer and the outside skin. Looked and felt worse than it really was. And I was swollen then as I should have been from the operative gas. Well as a reward? he told me I could advance to the next stage of diet, Level 3 , purees and some very soft, well that only lasted a couple days, and I started vomiting with almost every meal, spent an entire OSU football game, and I am a fan, urping,up. And post-surgery. your vomiting is a different quality, not so much projectile but an uncomfortable proceeding. So called the emergency contact # and was told to regress back to level 2 the one I had been on when rekeased, give it time. Maybe I was swollen inside, give it until October. I could try adding things back in, see how I would do, well I did not do well. Oh the weight was dropping off, I managed to retain my vitamins, minerals, various meds by taking them one or 2. at a time with baby sips of water. Gone were the days when I would take a small mouthful of water, toss them in all at once and swallow. By trial and error I have learned what Precious Pouch will allow, protein shakes , half skim milk, half protein shake, strained cream soups although I had trouble with a new flavor last night,her 2 favorites are cream of mushroom and butternut squash, strained veggie soups, prefers a beef base to chicken/turkey, Flavored waters, likes some herbal/green decaf ones , water as long as it isn't room temp, bone broth and Wal-Mart's organic vegetable broths. What does she not like? Cooked cereal even super -runny, cottage cheese even pureed, Greek yogurt, even plain, softened saltine cracker , peanut butter, and anything I might think sustaining that would keep the thundering hunger monster away especially purees. Oh she is a brat, but I have let her have her way and I have been back to see my Bariatric people every other week. On the 9th they decided maybe I need an EGJ,can't be a EGD because you no longer can visualize a By-passers duodenum unless you would g9 in through a open incision, so you,look at the jejunem instead. I had suspected a stricture, okay I am a medical geek, when Dr Noria went,down on October 12th I was right, one of the times I wished I had been wrong. Now I went into surgery with 1 semi- dormant gastric ulcer named Hectorm He now lives in the disconnected portion of my stomach. But doggone if I did have the stricture I also had 5 evil stepbrothers of Hector, 2 in the pouch, 3 on the back wall of the jejunem. And if Hector was Gizmo from the Gremlins, quiet, causing only minimum trouble, these 5 new ones were like Stripe, not at all nice, thinking about breaking down and bleeding sWell Dr Noria(who really LIKES doing endoscopies) stretched as far as she thought she could without provoking bleeding, but it wasn't enough so she tries again on Friday. And I have been on this boring, largely tasteless diet for weeks, today is my 7 week surgiversity. I lost 15 pounds in my liver shrinking diet, all the month of August , and. over 44 pounds since surgery. Nice loss but not a funny way to do it. I exercise until I get dizzy, because my calorie count is so low, try my best but I yearns to progress toward foods again. Since I am meeting my protein and fluid requirements and takin a LL my meds they think I will end up okay. But you are right, it is a brand new world we now live in.

My name is Carly, and I’m new here. I’m from Oklahoma and pursuing WLS at Bailey Bariatrics in Owasso. I attended my center’s seminar on October 11th, and I had my first appointment on October 22nd. I just want to start somewhat of a journal to publicly keep track of my progress toward my WLS. My updates may be long, and I welcome anyone else who has information or questions to post here as well. My first appointment went well. We went over my medical history, talked about the process and what challenges we may run into (my family medical history of heart problems and my bipolar 2 disorder). I also had labs drawn. We get binders with loads of information and a pre-op checklist, which I think will help with my impatience. I spent about an hour looking through it today to soak in as much info as possible. Today I received a phone call to schedule my chest X-rays, liver ultrasound, and pulmonary function test. I’ll have all three tests on November 15th. My next NP appointment for my medically supervised weight loss program is on November 19. My center also provides support groups that I will start attending monthly from November up to and after surgery (might as well start now!). I’m looking forward to the whole process. I’m trying to wipe my brain clean for a fresh slate to take in the education given in the next several months leading up to surgery. Here’s to hoping for WLS in the next 6 months! Anyone else just starting their journey want to be pre-op buddies?

My medical team clearly said to not take Flinstones or children’s vitamins as they don’t contain the right vitamins and dosages for adult bariatric patients.

Hey I haven’t found a chewable bariatric vitamin that I have liked the taste of and was wondering if any of you guys has had better luck. Currently I take NU life advanced bariatric chewable tablets and I found them bitter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Keep in mind that there are plenty of things you enjoy that you'll still be able to eat. You might just have to modify how it's prepared or swap out lower calorie/fat/sugar/etc. ingredients for the full versions. I recommend google searching various recipes to kind of get an idea of how easy it is to prepare foods that are perfectly fine for you to eat but can also be enjoyed in larger portion sizes by other people. That way you and your husband aren't having to prepare different meals. Two books I recommend are: The Gastric Sleeve Bariatric Cookbook and The Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Guide. Especially with your surgery being so close to the holidays you wanna make sure you have a plan to get yourself through a time period that is so food-centric. Alcohol is never a complete no-no. You could always do A shot or have A beer (although I wouldn't recommend the latter due to the carbonation), but maybe not so close to your surgery. A lot of people I've spoken to recommend waiting a year after surgery before reintroducing alcohol and only having 1-2 drinks a month because of how it affects you. It is not at all uncommon for WLS patients to become alcoholics as they replace their food addiction with alcohol, so be wary. I'm 1 week post-op as of tomorrow and the only issue I'm having is boredom with the limited options of clear liquids. I start full liquids tomorrow so that will open up a few more choices for me and pureed foods start on Halloween (so that'll be my little treat). It's definitely gonna be a life changer for you so don't stress too much. Get it done and take each day as it comes as a new learning experience.

I agree, start over with a clean bariatric diet. Then throw in some Intermittent Fasting and watch the weight fall off.

You're starting out on a wonderful wonderful journey. It will be filled with joys , sorrows and days in between. It will seem like the days and weeks go so slow, but the Last Surgery month before? Oh my, it flies! Suddenly you'll start to be concerned. Have I got things straightened at home, what should I take to the hospital? How. will I feel when I go home? Will I be in pain? You may even worry about things you'll laugh about in the future. One bari friend slightly loopy on presurgery. meds asked the anesthesiologist" How soon she could have a BM?" Never did,find out what kind of response she got! Another was afraid she would talk about old lovers , don't know if I relieved her worry. For what it is worth , I had a wonderful surgery day, oh got,to my hospital early because I was a 7am. Still dark out, but once I got there I met the intake clerk, both friendly and professional. Then I went to kinda of a holding area, glad I grabbed a wheelchair, it was down a long hallway into an adjacent buildings then up a couple floors to a presurgery area. Changed into a patient gown, I'm a big girl but the gown was bigger. Went to the BR and had a nice presurgery tinkle, I had rode 50 miles to get there, nearest Bariatric surgery facility, a Center of Excellence, what that is ? Its given only to creme de la creme hospitals so the best of the best. My surgeon had promised as long as I emptied my bladder, I wouldn't be given. an urinary cath. So it was worth it to me, tested my blood sugar, a teensy bit high, went ahead and started my IV, second test my blood sugar was perfect, climb into bed. They went ahead , went over my meds on more time. Gosh I was excited, I had been working toward this day for over 3 years, long story there. Was comfy, everybody treating me wonderful, I'm sure there others also being readied but I felt the center of the World. And coming to see me one more time before surgery was my surgeon. Gosh I like him so much, he is really a very nice person as well as the best surgeon I could find. One thing I appreciated, when he met my Sinn they shook hands and he said " I promise to take good care of you mom" I just melted to hear that. Proved I wasn't a number in his mind, he actually cared for me as a person and somebody's Mom. Since I was first surgery , he brought in many of the operating staff for me to meet. And anesthesia and I chatted, I knew which one was going to be mine. My surgeon excused himself, said he would see me up in the OR. And pretty soon it was time for my transport. Down the hall and into the elevator I went on my bed. When we got there, the doors opened and it was ShowTime. Now I have had maybe 8 different surgeries, this was the finest, most warm one I ever had been.Now most OR are cool to cold, I have jokes with surgeon that they are to freeze the germs to death. But this one was NICE. Pushed me over to surgery table and asked me to slide over, a source of pride I did that without help. And this table was the right size, often I have felt like I would fall off one side or the other. Now another poster said they pulled her arms. out to the side and buckled them down. Didn't happen to Me! Saw Dr Needleman on other side of room and he waved at me. Thought that was So Nice! Everything was calm, my anesthesiologist called me by namw, asked me if I was comfortable? I said Yes Dave I believe I am. I must have drifted off quickly, the next thing I knew I was in my room, no pain, I felt good and my dream had come true. I was doubtful, thought for a minute, maybe I hadn't had my surgery yet. So I lifted my gown, yep 7 little incisions, all with criss-crossed steri strips except the one in my navel. Thought I might have,big ABD,on my tummy, but no he did neat tidy work. And I never had leftover gas, don't remember receiving pain pills, guess I didn't need them . And after a couple days I got to go home, never doubted I had done the right thing for me at the right time and certainly the best surgeon. And I can only wish for you such a good experience.😷👼👍

Months before bariatric surgery, I started making diet & lifestyle changes, such as NO sugar, artificial sweeteners, desserts, processed food, carbonated/caffeinated/alcoholic beverages, smaller portion sizes, no drinking during meals, and minimal bread or rice. This allowed me to lose 30 lbs pre-op. I did not tell my family, colleagues, or friends (except for 1) about my gastric bypass surgery. No one noticed anything different after surgery as I had already been losing weight and was eating less in their presence. This allowed me to focus on myself and not have to deal with negative comments, energy, or misinformation. It worked well for me. YMMV

Many posts about this. Many of us can hold more food as you progress out from surgery. Its seems to be a shared experience for sleevers. Your stomach is not back to normal size. (stretching is rare. You can always get it checked out by your Dr.) Now that you can hold more volume it is important to keep within your calories and macros. The extra volume does not mean you have to overeat or make choices that will cause weight gain. Where your calories and macros should be at this point? You may want a consult with your dietician. We are all different what works for me, may not work for you. Restaurants and travel: Look up menus online to see what bariatric friendly options you have. If you can, go shopping and buy no cook items. If you don't finish a meal you can take leftovers home. Use a bariatric card for small portions.

Shenenagin pics you say .... On this episode of Sorta Bariatric Crap I Eat At 30,000 Feet Sillykitty is on a layover, and can't resist the siren call of PF Changs On this episode of Sorta Bariatric Crap I Eat At 30,000 Feet Sillykitty meets a carb she doesn't like, and doesn't receive the the promised pimento cheese (i.e. protein) that may have redeemed this sad excuse for a ($12!!!!) pretzel On this episode of Sorta Bariatric Crap I Eat At 30,000 Feet Sillykitty gets a rare dinner alone wile traveling and not at an airport or on a plane! (Thai Chicken Massamun Curry) On this episode of Sorta Bariatric Crap I Eat At 30,000 Feet Sillykitty eats a tiny little burger (with bacon!) while waiting for her flight to board

News Flash! Frustr8 weight has lowered. to 290 pounds, 7 weeks post and I have lost 53 pounds since July 31st. Never could have done this without my Bariatric tool. God Bless you Bradley J Needleman, you and your surgical staff have performed a miracle. Well I helped a little, my stricture kept my liquid portions small, whoever wants to claim credit, just go ahead! I think I may be finally going down in clothing size, granted there is still an X after it, but I believe it to be a mention-worthy NSV!😛😛

I never have thought you pretentious, but then I am a Spectrum sister, so your statements and research always ring true. I value you on Bariatric Pal.

Tomorrow I go for my two year checkup. I found some of the notes/lab reports from my emergency surgery and even though my bariatric surgeon didn't do the emergency surgery I am going to ask him questions. What a wild ride the last two years have been, I only wish that I would have gotten the surgery sooner.

Here's my daily journal that I started when I began the 2 week pre-op liquid diet and continued until I was well into my post-op routine. This is the day I had surgery, but there are other pages preceding that page. I think the preceding pages are where I discussed the upcoming post-op diet but I can't remember now. I was pretty exacting about following my RD plan and discuss it at length in the journal. You can read to see what volume I was eating. I also have a cast iron pouch and have been able to eat larger amounts since surgery. But just because you "can" doesn't mean you should. Things I learned: The nerves have been jacked with down there and will take a while to recover, so your tum isn't fully communicating with the brain yet--especially about satiety. Google good RNY post op diets! At 7 weeks, you should probably be eating 1/4-1/2 cup of food BY VOLUME. It's cool to weight your food too. I did both. But I made sure that the amount fit into the volumetric quantity specified by my RD. You can also Google different center's plans and see what's included on them. It really helps to get a feel for how much everyone is eating. There is also a Post-Op Food/Nutrition Area with posts that you should read like "What I eat in a day" and that sort of thing. Hope this helps! Here are a few examples I found helpful: Bariatric_Nutrition_Manual.pdf GBP Diet Manual12611_Tufts.pdf Healthy Eating after Bariatric Surgery 2011_LondBarGrp.pdf http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/nutritional-guidelines-after-roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-surgery.html

I had to go research what my RD said about expected weight loss. I couldn't remember if she'd told me 60 or 65% on average and it's that average that they use to calculate where they kind expect you to land. It's 65% of EBW lost within the first 18 months--but the first 6-9 months is considered the "honeymoon period" where the greatest weight loss typically occurs. EBW is calculated by taking your ideal weight (100lbs for the first 5 feet, then 5lbs for every inch over 5 feet = women ideal weight). Subtract your ideal weight from your Day Of Surgery Weight and you will have your projected weight. Right now, you only need to worry about realizing the pre-operative weight goals set for you by your doc and RD. The EBW clock starts with the morning of surgery weigh-in. Bariatric surgery is technically considered successful if the patient maintains a 50% loss of EBW over 5 years. If you truly modify your behaviors, work on building better eating habits and relationships with food, do the headwork, work with a therapist to heal wounds and addictions and emotional eating relationships with food, you can do much better that the projected amounts and you can maintain better than the gruesome 50% statistic over 5 years.

I am able to swallow bariatric friendly vitamins now and even after week 1 post op. I am 6 months post op now. I didn't take the swallowing ones long because I couldn't tolerate the brand I had. The taste was horrible. I've never tried journey brand, but I've realized after surgery I'm really finicky about tastes. Before, nothing bothered my stomach and made me feel uneasy. See if you can go to that company's website and get a sample. I was able to get a sample of one that my Dr office didn't have but recommended and suggested since I've tried a few and couldn't stand the taste.

And don't forget when you're searching Mexican hospitals and surgeons Bariatric Pal Mx hospital. Alex Brecher founded it, had his own surgery done there last March,if our Founder trusts them with his own life, they have got to be GOOD!

You also can get Torani Sugar free syrups at WalMart, Krigers and most major grocers, and probably on Amazon Even though I go to Bariatric Pal Store for most of my needs. Price is good, delivery phenomenal ' And the stuff is A#1 Every time..

Hiya Penelope, love your name! Welcome to Bariatric Pal, we 💘 love new people, if you have Any questions please ask. I'm from from the other side of the Weight loss family, I had an RNY bypass on September 5th, but I have oodles of Sleeve friends on here so know a lot about that process as well. And we would love to help you along on your journey. As an example , a while back I was having a problem, sure I was singled out to have it and there was no hope for me Shared it on here, 4 people had encountered the same thing and had a easy way to solve it. I'm an inch taller, started out at 355 and am down to 293 , didn't think I would get under 300 but I did it! And I give credit to my surgery, because I couldn't drop my weight by any simple diet, and I have tested a mind-boggling amount of them in my time.7 weeks after surgery, I can see differences in my body, my waist, my legs, my rump and even my belly. And I want this to continue, and I believe with this new tool it will! Join me on this journey, things are always happier with friends!😛🌈😛