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Also, Unjury sells pretty cheap bariatric complete vitamins on their website! (I hate their protein powders though.)

Honestly, some of the pre-mixes are cheaper than the powders. You will have to look at the servings per tub versus the number of bottles in the pre-mixed and do the math. It's cheaper for me to use AdvantEdge or Atkins shakes from WalMart than, say, buy the Bariatric Advantage powder. Some of the tubs of powder are crazy expensive versus the pre-mixed bottles. Some are much cheaper. Just be mindful of the servings in each tub.

Congrats on your amazing weight loss and now on building muscle. That is not easy to do at our age!! (Or indeed any age). And thanks for inspiring me to get physical. You and @skinnylife are my role models! You are both so fit and healthy and it looks like you just love life. I want to be y'all! I'm glad you are working with a dietician who understands athletes and bariatrics! Thanks for sharing your food intake! So it sounds like even though it's 5.5-6oz of dense protein, that maybe you're only eating 1/4-1/2 cup of volume beyond that protein--which is probably around 2oz more. So that's about what I expect from my food weight/volume too when my tum is fully mature. BTW, I'm betting you still flit in and out of ketosis at 100g of carbs at your workout level... Wooohoooo, love fat levels being down!!!

Let's take a look at these: #1: most patients will lose 10-15 lb on any substantially low calorie diet, whether solid or liquid. #2: liquid or solid is irrelevant to protein content, though lean meat and green veg will have better nutrition than most any protein drink. #3: liquid or solid diet is irrelevant to change in liver condition - it's the carbohydrates, or lack thereof, that counts. #4: how does one gain a /mental awareness of calories, portion sizes and ingredients when restricted to liquids? #5: so this is just a test or challenge for the patient? #6: it only takes a few hours for the stomach to be empty for surgery, not weeks. This is why most gastric scopes or surgeries simply require no eating after midnight prior to surgery. #7: unless one has to buy a proprietary diet product from the surgeon! Overall, I prefer bariatric surgeons who know their way around obese patients and who prefer their patients to be as strong and healthy as possible going into surgery - which multi week fasts don't do. If a surgeon is intimidated by fatty livers and needs help in working around them, then by all means do everything necessary to make him feel comfortable when he is rootin' around on your insides, but he should also do everything to help the patient feel comfortable with the process - at least let them have some steak along the way!

@crankymagpie that’s so good to hear! Congrats, you are on your way. As for me, I feel like I’m nesting... picking up a few things for post-surgery, (but not too much!) I’ve found my Bariatric Advantage chewable multi’s to be pretty gross, but we’ll see how it goes when I cannot eat! My pre-op diet is pretty low maintenance. I have a protein shake in the morning, fish or chicken with greens for lunch and dinner. No coffee or alcohol. I’ve lost two lbs. lol I’m looking forward to getting this over with with the support of my Mom, who will be staying with me and my two sons during this process. Nervous but excited! I’m happy to hear how supportive your partner has been. 😊 Your protein and liquids numbers are good, plus exercise- keep it up!

Can you comfortably consume 4oz after cooking (by weight, not volume) of dense, dry protein (not talking chili here folks--talkin' grilled chicken breast, grilled hamburger/steaks, pork chops, dense white fish, fatty salmon, etc)--after your surgery? (I'm talking following the rules of protein first, no eating/drinking before/after etc, no combining with "meat lubes" like sauces/gravies/ketchup/mayoMax Max six ounces - regularly. However, I work out like a maniac (e.g. 1000-1500 calories burned per workout) If you can, when were you able to eat this amount--how many months out did you notice you routinely have this capacity? Probably a year after surgery - not sure - I'm 2+years out now. How far out from surgery are you now? See above Do you feel restriction after the 4oz? - Sometimes. Depends on what I've done that day and how long its been since my last meal. I often have a shake before a workout and then a meal after, so maybe. But today I had lunch around 3, did Cross Fit for an hour and came home and ate 5.5 ounces of pork chop and 1/4 cup of rice. How much "other food component(s)" do you eat following your meat (by weight, not volume)? (i.e. Low glycemic/non-starchy veggies, salad, berries/fruit, starchy veg, beans/legumes, grains, processed carby food) So- I still eat my meat first. Then I eat other components. I've started eating other carby stuff because I'm trying to replace fat with muscle and haven't been eating enough carbs to fuel my insane workouts (I work out on average 1.5-2 hours a day, six days a week.) Tonight's class was 1,1100 calories burned. I'm working with a sports dietician who knows bariatrics to get my numbers right. I eat about 115 grams of protein a day and about 100 grams of carbs. I have to have carbs at every meal and some carb 30 minutes before a workout and protein 30 minutes after. (even if it's a protein milk/water/shake). It's working - my body fat numbers are down

After wading through insurance crud, I looked into self-paying and doing it thru Blossom Bariatric's Fast Track program in Las Vegas. My cost would be $6300 all-inclusive, including hotel and transport between hotel and facility for the five days. The selling points include convenience as opposed to the options available with my insurance (closest hospital covered by insurance is a 6-hr drive vs. a 90-min flight to LV), no worries about losing weight before the procedure and getting declined (I'm borderline 40BMI), and no 3- or 6-month waiting period. I have three concerns: 1) Post-surgery followup and care. 2) The "safe sleeve" procedure they do... I can find very little information about it. 3) Not being able to meet the surgeon prior to committing to surgery at the facility. So... has anybody out there had the "safe sleeve" procedure through Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas?

Laughing* love you fluffy. Is this the bariatric version of a hot dog eating contest. *giggling* 😄 I will play. Can I get more dense protein in at four years out. About five or six ounces if I push it. Do I want to eat that much in one sitting? It's the feeling of having to unbutton your pants after a big thanksgiving meal. When could eat this much? - I'm too far out to remember. I do 4oz protein and eat other components until I feel full. The amount is different with each meal.

Congratulations on all your weight loss. Getting back on track can be done. It's does take the discipline you had at the beginning. It's the mental game of WLS. Stop beating yourself down for 11 pounds. You got this! Getting back n track can feel like detoxing for a while. RIde it out. Go back to basics , follow your food plan, Log, be mindful of calories /macros, hydrate and move more. Try intermittent fasting as an option. Sounds like @Matt Z and others have a group going for support. Stay connected with others in weight loss mode. We all have our struggles to overcome. Get temptation foods out of the house go grocery shopping Acknowledge when you feel down and want to eat. Find other ways to soothe emotions keep healthy sweet and salty options to calm cravings move/ activity. Many people that have bariatric surgery also have mobility issues. Exercise can be walking. Do what you can while you heal from your shoulder surgery. Link to the intermittent fasting support group https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/419144-intermittent-fasting-daily-menuresultsaccountability/?page=49&tab=comments#comment-4702084

Congratulations on all your weight loss. Getting back on track can be done. It's does take the discipline you had at the beginning. It's the mental game of WLS. Stop beating yourself down for 11 pounds. You got this! Getting back n track can feel like detoxing for a while. RIde it out. Go back to basics , follow your food plan, Log, be mindful of calories /macros, hydrate and move more. Try intermittent fasting as an option. Sounds like @Matt Z and others have a group going for support. Stay connected with others in weight loss mode. We all have our struggles to overcome. Get temptation foods out of the house go grocery shopping Acknowledge when you feel down and want to eat. Find other ways to soothe emotions keep healthy sweet and salty options to calm cravings move/ activity. Many people that have bariatric surgery also have mobility issues. Exercise can be walking. Do what you can while you heal from your shoulder surgery.

Ask yourself this. How often does Joe Citizen have cases and cases of his favorite nutritional supplement tested at a lab...where he then cherry picks the results and goes to court? If I seem ornery, Matt, I'm not ornery with you... This whole thing blatantly stinks of a competing brand playing dirty...and that angers me. Premier protein and all whey products....in my opinion, are cancer waiting to happen...so I don't care for them personally. Any of them. But I will say that PP is the most palatable of the ready made products I've tasted. It's an extremely successful product that is raking in cash...and its competitors are not happy that so many people prefer it. It's particularly preferred in the bariatric crowd, that as you know has a massive growing market demographic. My advice to competitors: Fix your products. Make them more palatable. Don't pursue this underhanded nonsense. People buying into the sensationalism....is sad and irritating. I apologize if my angst seemed in any way directed at you, Matt. It was not.

It was a petty lawsuit with a crappy payout. Premier Protein cares as much about 9 million dollars.... as I do about spending $4 on a Starbucks. They also deny wrongdoing or misleading advertising. Why do I say it's petty? How is this possible? The plaintiff spent a bunch of money testing a bunch of shakes. A few were found to contain between 26.9 grams and 28.34 grams....instead of the promised 30g. A few were also found to contain a bit more than 30g. Most contained 1g one side or the other....of the promised 30g. World Shattering, huh? The reality is....if you drink these damned shakes as often as the typical bariatric dieter....you're getting on average roughly 30g per shake...even if one or two of your shakes comes up short a gram or two. Who is "injured" by this? It's petty and pointless.

Oh my gosh - did you not get this guidance from your surgeon? Mine gave me a massive like 200 page manual with grocery lists for each phase, meal plans, and nutritional facts and everything. Get whey protein isolate shakes. My surgeon said less than 10g carbs, no more than 3g fat, under 200 calories. Syntrax, Unjury, Quest, Bariatric Advantage, Pure Protein all work. I can't drink whey so I get soy shakes... AdvantEdge, 365 Everyday, and Atkins (half soy). You should definitely talk to your surgeon about what vitamins you'll need. Mine had me buy mine straight from them. I am taking supposed to take Celebrate vitamins twice daily and iron. Unjury also sells good bariatric vitamins on their website, but you really need to know from your doctor what YOU need to be taking since it's surgery and individual specific!

Alex, I have to strongly disagree with your bariatric surgeon friend on the bioavailability of caseinate to weight loss patients. Caseinate is absorbed affectively in the small intestine,,,and provides a steady stream of blood amino acid levels all day....rather than whey...which has more rapid absorption, but spikes your levels dangerously. Would whey be any better? No. That said...as you know....I'm careful with the use animal proteins in general because of the associated risks of cancer, heart disease, and early mortality in people under 65. Consuming vast quantities of milk protein under any circumstance is just a bad idea. Tofu, refried beans, potatoes, nut butters....great choices Pea protien powder with brown rice protien powder. Lot of healthier safer options. Is Premier Protien a horrible product? It's about as horrible as the nutrition advice of most bariatric clinics.

https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/the-skinny-on-drinking-with-meals-weight-loss-after-wls For myself personally, I find it uncomfortable to drink with meals. My surgeon has us wait a whole hour after meals. I have followed the guideline without difficulty. You may not have problems now....

I'm not a huge fan of Premier Protein, to begin with. This is what one of my bariatric surgeon friends posted about Premier Protein.

I see my surgeon in 3 weeks at which point I am hoping he will give me the go ahead for a revision from band to RNY. I am hoping I can still get a date this year as my 25th anniversary is mid Feb and hubby and I are wanting to go on a short trip, preferably somewhere warm with sea and sand. I want to be far enough out from surgery that I can eat "regular" food ( as opposed to still being in the soft or puree stages and also don't want to have any other issues. What are the general recommendations for international travel after bariatric surgery?

Totally agree! My bariatric support group meets every 2 weeks and the #1 breakdown is people saying their partners aren't supportive in their choices. Very interesting stat you posted!

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread! I have been very lucky to be able to avoid cold sores by taking L-Lysine, topical treatments really don't do much for me. Everyone is different, but feedback is very helpful! Back to the original topic, I am curious about Frustr8's question as well! I'm also curious if "most" bariatric patients are experiencing hair loss or is it mainly bypass patients? So far it sounds like I should take biotin and l-lysine to help prevent hair loss, but I understand there's no guarantee. From what I've been reading, doctors aren't entirely sure why hair loss is so common, but it has to be the extreme diet change, it must shock the system. My initial consults are booked for 10/30 so I'm I am reading everything I can in order to be prepared!

Wonderslim Chocolate Caramel protein shake / pudding - Bariatric Pal Cheesecake protein shake / pudding The wonderslim has become a good friend of mine. I love it for that sweetness especially when I'm craving chocolate, which isn't that often anymore. And it must be engraved into my brain, but I'm a sucker for cheesecake anything - so when I found the pudding I was in 7th heaven (well at least my head was)... my belly doesn't care so much anymore. I tend to crave more salty than sweet as of late... I keep a jar of mixed nuts everywhere...

Once my doctor saw the information he was totally onboard. I printed the nutritional info for the bariatric and women’s once a day. Taking both. It doesn’t also mix super well but it’s small liquid and lots of powder. I pour into a bit of diet cran juice to dilute the flavor a bit too. So much easier than choking on pills for me. Good luck!

I've been active in the bariatric community for a few years now - on various boards and volunteering for my bariatric clinic. People are all across the board with pain (as you can probably tell by the responses here), but it seems the majority experience little to no pain. I've had other surgeries and thought this one was a breeze. I had no pain - just really sore abs that made it challenging to get in and out of bed the first few days. But the pain pills they send you home with will help with that..

I’m doing the Tespo Bariatric liquid vitamins and my doctor called in a weekly nasal spray B12. Once I started these I started feeling much better!

It is tough to lose the weight under that pressure with a time constraint, and as others have said, most of us have struggled to lose modest amounts of weight for years and years before coming to the decision to have weight loss surgery. That being said, even if it took you an extra month to lose the weight the surgeon wants you to, that’s still only four months and many of us here waited six months or much longer even for a surgery date so you still would be in good shape. And it would still likely be less time than joining a new bariatric program. Focus on lean proteins, vegetables, and fruits, and stay away from processed foods and soda. Incorporate some modest exercise into your week. These are changes you will need to implement post op anyways. You can definitely lose a few pounds and show progress to the surgeon in another two months just by making those changes. Best of luck!

My surgeon (not my insurance) wanted me to lose 10% of my starting weight before surgery. (I negotiated him down to "what if I do my best, but we schedule at the beginning of flu season, so I don't lose my surgery spot to the case of bronchitis I catch every winter?" And then, by a single pound, I actually beat his goal, anyway, on the day of surgery.) He makes all of his higher-BMI patients do that. I'm not sure how scientifically valid that extra requirement is, but he's one of the pioneers of the sleeve procedure and has done thousands of surgeries, so I guess he gets to cherry-pick for the most compliant patients. I felt like it was kind of cruel and unnecessary, for most of the four months it took, but honestly? In the last week before the surgery and the week since? I'm grateful that I had a chance to follow the "long-term bariatric patient" diet, with its focus on lean proteins and vegetables and fruits and (if those other things aren't filling enough, which eventually they won't be) complex carbohydrates. I learned that it wasn't especially hard, and I could follow it without tracking every bite (which makes me crazy) and without spending hours in the kitchen. I learned that there was room for "cheats"--for breaks from that protocol--and as long as I kept them to a minimum, with maybe a little stricter eating before and after to help mitigate it, I could be successful at following it and not feel miserably deprived. Now, like ... part of my problem is that I am always hungry (which is wild, when you're just a couple of days post-op; the belly gurgles, but it is lying, and oh how I hope this goes away soon). And to deal with that while still following the rules of the pre-op diet, I would do the normal things--drink and see if the hunger goes away, mostly--and if those things didn't work and it wasn't time for a meal, I'd have the smallest snack I could get away with, to stave off the hunger. Maybe it'd be a cheese stick. Or an ounce of peanuts. Or a Greek yogurt. Sometimes I could get by with just a sugar-free popsicle or a half cup of sugar-free Jello. It wouldn't make me full, but it'd take care of the hunger enough that I could focus on whatever it was I was doing. If that isn't the problem you're running into -- if it is emotional, say, rather than hunger-related -- my advice won't help much. (I won't claim not to have emotional eating problems. I definitely had some cheat days that were based around the news, for instance. But other than "don't do it often; be strong," I've got nothing for you, there.) I hope it helps someone, though?