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I take the Celebrate Bariatric Vitamins in Berry flavor and I actually like them. I also take the Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate in chocolate flavor and they are pretty good too.

I take the EA from Bariatric Advantage. They are chewable and I actually like them. I also take a gummy D because I am deficient and a liquid b12. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

EDIT: Only just noticed this is a year old thread...hey ho! Hope all ended well. —————————————————— So sorry you had to deal with that crap. Ignore him. As has been fantastically said I’d address afterwards if you can’t shake it off. They’re almost all narrow specialists with god complexes. All the nursing staff will tell you to ignore them on subjects outside their remit. My surgeon has the best mortality stats and outcomes as well as numbers of procedures for this part of the country, but he is a social disaster zone outside pure factual consults and theatre...his secretary and the ITU staff confirmed as much. Just before sending me home 2 days post op he said “Great, now eat what you did before, just less” NUT was there too and her eyes near rolled out of her head. At 3 month follow up he spent 10 minutes not making eye contact and mumbling aggressively when I asked why I was having no post surgery bloods until 1 year. Not ideal, but my surgery and post surgical recovery has been great, my GP did interim bloods and his NUT is fantastic. If he had sufficient self awareness to backfill for his failings by recruiting her then some credit due, but kid gloves are off next consult. If we fall out then so be it. Sincerely hope you don’t let it get you down and find a great bariatrics aware fitness specialist to backfill for his muppetry xx

I have my bariatric appt tommorrow at Sammc 18sep13 at 8:00 to 12:00 / What do we need beside have a high bmi

I can tell you I couldn't function on what you're allowed. I restricted my carbs in the beginning - on my own, not dictated by my doc/nut. I felt like crap. I had no energy. Then I started exercising and it got worse. I was down in the 20 range for carbs at that point. I burn between 500-700 calories in a 60 minute cardio work out, depending on what I'm doing. After going to my doc and explaining my situation I let her know I increased my carbs to about 50-60 and she agreed that would be good and to concentrate on the Protein. She asked how I'm getting in more carbs - I told her I was adding low-glycemic fruit to my shakes (berries or peaches) or I added 1-2 tablespoons of fat-free refried Beans to a meal and I started adding 1% milk to my shakes. She said these were great ideas. Right now, I'm taking in 800-1000 calories per day. I'm getting about 50-60 carbs per day and meeting my protein gold of 80 grams of protein. I exercise 5-6 days per week - mostly cardio right now, 60-75 minutes. I have lots of energy and I feel great. My suggestion would be to go to another bariatric nutritionist to get a 2nd opinion. I think the theories here are correct - you need more. 500 calories is not enough to sustain you.

The only one that had that effect on me was bariatric advantage. I actually use one a week to keep me regular. Lots of fiber in that baby lol. Maybe you could switch them up, see if a different one has a different affect or try mixing it with milk maybe add a blended banana or some applesauce?

Ok my dear, I've read a couple of your blogs and I have to reach out and encourage you to renew your mind to all of this. Until you do, it won't work! 1.) Weight loss and gain is personal, there's no need to seek other people's approval or acceptance. 18lbs is GREAT, it's 18lbs closer to goal and 18lbs less fat than you were. Men, especially Dad's opinions mean a lot to us, but remember the only opinions that matter right now are yours and your health professionals. From your posts it seems like you're just now starting to realize the "fat" of the matter.. yes I said fat, in place of fact. It seems like you're just now truly starting to see yourself as fat which is a GOOD thing, even though it doesn't feel like it is! When you're able to look at yourself with such a critical eye, it will serve as motivation to do something about it. 2.) Renew your mind. Ok so you're fat, you don't like the way you look in pics, you think the band is going to fail you, there's "no way it'll help you lose 100lbs". Stop right there my friend...can we say self-sabotage? When you speak defeat, you've already lost. You might as well eat twinkies and ice cream - they slide right through. So I urge and encourage you to renew your mind to a positive mindset. Take everything day by day, meal by meal, choice by choice. You didn't gain this weight overnight and you're certainly not going to lose it over night. The band is a TOOL, we hear/read it all the time and that's true. It's a tool to HELP YOU, but if YOU aren't ready for the help it won't do YOU any good. I really think you're at a pivotal moment in you're journey. You're awakening to the new you, change is never easy and it's so much easier to just give up. But YOU CAN DO THIS! Just think of it this way... just like in life, your path is yours and yours alone, your lapband journey is the same. Don't compare yourself to others, do what works for you and live your life. You didn't report the multitude of pounds you gained to anyone, so why report what you lose to anyone? Let them see for themselves. Yes the fact is, the bigger you are the more you have to lose for people to notice, but let them notice...Just go on with your days going down your path and doing what's right for you. Remember the only approval you need is yours and it'll feel SO much better when those "Wow you're really losing weight huh?" comments and compliments come your way because they'll be real and honest, not fished for or charity out of seeking approval. Stick to what works for you and in a year or so's time when you've lost that 100lbs and everyone is ooo'ing and ahh'ing you'll have nobody to thank but yourself. Do this for you, nobody else. Renew your mind...renew your mind....renew your mind! Accentuate the positive!

Hey y'all. I've noticed for the last 3 weeks after I eat I am getting some pretty fierce heartburn. No reflux coming up, just that clean-burning sensation. I had bad acid reflux and heartburn pre-op that totally disappeared. I am taking Prilosec. It definitely doesn't feel like an ulcer or anything and doesn't hurt while eating. It's a very distinct heartburn sensation. Doesn't seem to be correlated to any type of food. Just happens shortly after I eat anything. Any thoughts on this? I was taking Arthrotec which is an NSAID but also mixed with a medicine to protect your stomach lining (prescribed by my bariatric surgeon and later by my primary care for a disc herniation). I stopped that and now I am on Celebrex, also an NSAID but required by my plastic surgeon 10 days pre-op skin removal and 10 days post-op, and also "safer on tummies". Again, this is coupled with the Prilosec. But yeah... heartburny! Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

I also have UPMC for you. And also go through Hope Bariatrics with Dr. Felix. I do not think they will have an issue with that. They want you to try and lose weight while on the 6 month visits to show that you are committed.

i am about 6 wks post-op. I feel great and i'm glad i decided to do this. I am located in Mesa. If there is anybody out my way who is looking to start their 2wk liquid diet. I still have a lot of the bariatric advantage protein powder. Please let me know if anybody needs any.

Doctor offices get a cut of the sales of the bariatric advantage products. As for protein drinks with real high protein content... The body can only absorb around 25 grams at a time. You have to wait at least 2 hrs in between servings.

Betty, your fall sounds just awful but I'm so glad you've already lost so much weight that you were able to catch yourself and not break any bones. It's a victory, no? I'm glad you're on the mend. I just have a second to write because I'm at home with my family and it's Christmas night, but I did want to check in and say I've been keeping up with the exercise even while on vacation. I walked 35 minutes (largely up major hills) for the last 3 days and I ran 2 miles this morning on my step mother's treadmill. I'm looking forward to getting back home and having some time to get back on my regular schedule, but I'm doing ok for it being vacation. Don't know what my weight is, but I'll worry about that when I get home. I'm pretty sure I'm not gaining and that's all I can ask for this moment. My uncle is a bariatric surgeon (he didn't do my surgery -- I actually didn't even know he did bands, I thought he was exclusively bypass) and I saw him today for the first time in a year. He's not the most tactful chap and his questions were uncomfortable, but I'm pretty happy with how I handled them, so that's that. It's one of the things I was worried about this season -- one of the stresses of coming home, and I'm glad it's behind me. Take care all. Check in with you soon. Julie

Good Morning, I am the practice manager at the Comprehensive Obesity Management Program (COMP) at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson, MD 21204. Please feel free to call us at 443.849.3779 for information about our program. and lap band surgery. When choosing a bariatric center look for a Center of Excellence and find out in advance which programs are covered by your health insurance provider. I hope to hear from you. Jeanne Gayle Practice Manager COMP at GBMC 443.849.3779 main office line www.gbmc.org/bariatrics

I have been in touch with the above group and find them very helpful if a bit pushy. Has anyone any experience of them please?they seem to be only using bariatric surgeons(rather than general surgeons)which can be only good. However they are a lot more expensive that my other choice Chris de Bruyne in Belgium.Either way as I am in Ireland I am going to have to get on a plane and travel so distance isn't really an issue. All experiences welcome!!thanks

Hello all my doctor suggested BA for my pre-op diet it comes all together drinks and bars that last 2 weeks for 180.00- could I just buy protien drinks from a local store and use other meals trying to stay on a low budget and try other protien drinks to get some idea on ones I like. Any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appericated! Thanks

Matrix makes a decent unflavored protein ..no smell. Get or at bariatric choice.

Here is the email I sent out following my surgery to family and friends. Well I finally was released from the hospital on Sunday, Sept 14. I had some issues swallowing the liquid vicodin (way too sweet and thick). I had to wait to come home until I could swallow pills since the liquid wasn't hitting me very well. First of all I have to say that the staff at Blodgett Hospital (in Grand Rapids) on the Bariatric Floor and Dr.'s Foote and Kemmeter (from MMPC Weight Loss Specialists) were awesome!!! The staff on the 4C were amazing. They were helpful in any way they could. They were encouraging and never once made you feel like you were taking the easy way out. Requests for assistance were promptly responded to. I saw Dr. Foote and Kemmeter in the hospital as well and they were also great for support and answering questions. While Dr. Foote was my surgeon, Dr. Kemmeter ended up in the OR with him as well because of some minor issues that came up. The morning of the surgery was a little tense, but I think I was just anxious about getting shots and the full meaning of this surgery. I broke down a little bit in "pre-op" holding because the woman next to me had her blood thinner shot before I did and completely freaked out over it!! Like screaming in agony freaked out...needless to say when the nurse arrived to give me my shot, I was very nervous and broke out in tears. Needles freak me out and after having two kids, I have gotten use to shots, but after hearing her response, I was not looking forward to that particular shot. The nurse was very reassuring and informed that it was a small sting and the sting continued for a slight time after the shot. I calmed down enough and she gave me the shot. I had to stop myself from laughing too loud, because it was a piece of cake. Thankfully it didn't hurt because I had to have the shot twice a day while I was in the hospital. The anestigiolost came in and asked a few questions and then got me ready to take back to the OR about 10:05. My surgery was scheduled for 10:15. I vaguely remember giving Tim and my mom a kiss and then the trip back to OR starting. I don't know if anything else was said, but my doctor's office gives a med in the IV that causes you to "forget" what happens going into OR. I woke up in the recovery room around 4 pm. I dont remember much about that, except that it sounded like they were trying very hard wake me up. They also kept saying "everything is fine..." and I heard a few murmurings about how "she has been through a lot, but she is doing well." They took me up to my room and I talked briefly with Tim and my mom. Tim stayed for a while, but my mom had to leave to go get my kids some dinner. Tim told me a little bit about the surgery including the fact that I ended up with a "Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy" instead of a Duodenal Switch. I knew this was a possibility and I was okay with that. I took my first walk around the floor around 8:30 and then repeated it every 4 hours. The nursing staff did a great job of trying to time their vital checks so they were right before my walking time. The next morning Dr. Foote came in and explained a little bit more about what happened. It appears that I did need to have my gallbladder out. It was in bad shape and he felt that it would help with my recovery. Then they did the sleeve portion of the surgery, which involved removing a portion of my stomach. They also removed my appendix which is sometimes done in preparation for the Duodenal Switch. After removing the appendix, Dr. Foote noticed that I had something that is sometimes referred to as a "2nd appendix". It really isn't an appendix, but it needed to be removed. After doing this, he measured my intestines to make sure there was enough to perform the "switch". He was a little concerned about the intestines being too tight. While doing the measurements, he found a small mass on the outside of my upper intestine and the bottom of my stomach. At this point, I believe he called Dr. Kemmeter in to the OR for a second opinion. Because of the location of the mass and not knowing the nature, they determined that completing the Switch would not be in my best interest. If I had already had the switch done and then the mass needed to be removed, it may have caused some issues. They decided to just complete the first portion and give me the sleeve only. Because of all of the things they ended up doing, I did end up with a small drain in while I was at the hospital. They did do a biopsy of the mass and sent it to pathology to be tested. On Friday morning, Dr. Foote informed that the mass was benign. He still wants me to see a specialist to monitor it, but he felt confident that it would not need to be removed. I did great with getting around at the hospital. By sunday morning, I really felt like by the time I got home, I would be able to do without the pain meds. However, when they removed the drain tube, I realized that the pain meds would def be a necessity. Unfortunately I have to take 2 to lay down, but when I take 2, I have a harder time sleeping.

just wanted to share. found this online today. maybe its been posted already but i wanted to pass along for those looking for some guidance. of course follow your doctors instructions. but i found it helpful because my nut didnt give me a lot of guidance. http://www.muhealth.org/documents/bariatric/Bariatric%20Booklet%20VSG.pdf

oh ok thanks ! i will try that Matrix makes a decent unflavored protein ..no smell. Get or at bariatric choice.

Hello everyone! :-) This is my first post here. I was recommended to check out this site after posting on OH. Some info about me: I'm 25 years old, female, 5 feet tall and 263 pounds. I want the DS surgery. So far I've had my surgeon consultation and first dietitian appointment. I have all my other evaluations scheduled in the next month. My first issue I'm hoping for advice with: I went to my consult adamant that I want the DS surgery. Unfortunately I am NOT good at standing up for myself or disagreeing with doctors. When the surgeon asked what surgery I want, I said DS and he basically said that I do qualify at my BMI, but he would recommend I do the sleeve because I'm young and have a long time ahead of me to deal with the side effects and deficiencies that come with the DS. He said that if I'm not successful I can always have the 2nd part done and convert to a DS. He asked me what I thought about that and because of my shyness I said okay to the sleeve. After coming home and doing even more research, I'm even more adamant that I want the DS for many reasons: 1. I want to lose 120 pounds and KEEP IT OFF. The DS has the best results and least chances of regain, which I have a long history of. It looks like the average weight I can expect to lose with the DS is at least 90-100 pounds, while with the gastric sleeve I would probably only lose about 60. While losing 60 pounds would of course be wonderful, I would rather have the surgery that can take me to my total goal. 2. I have heard that the DS lets you eat the most normally. 3. I want to have the best possible surgery now, one time. I don't want to have to go through surgery again. 4. On the same note, getting a second surgery approved will be extremely difficult and probably denied, so if I don't lose enough weight or if I gain a lot back, I will have to self pay which I cannot afford. 5. Taking Vitamins and committing to blood work and follow-ups is not a problem to me. I look at it this way - I can have this surgery, take daily vitamins and go to the doctor regularly to check levels; OR, I can not have the surgery and continue to have weight issues, take daily medicines for co-morbidities and go to the doctor regularly for my health problems. So, I plan to call the office today and let them know I have changed my mind and want the DS. I'm worried that my Dr. will be offended or something, because I have known a lot of doctors that can be arrogant and hate being questioned. At my consultation he was extremely nice and didn't give me any indication that he was that type of person, but I'm still nervous! So my question is: what do you recommend I say to the doctor to support why I disagree and want the DS? If for some reason he refuses to do it for me, can I transfer the evaluations I've done to another practice/surgeon without having to start all over? Next issue: I had my first dietitian appointment on Monday and I'm very worried that he doesn't know and understand my insurance requirements. My Cigna plan requires 3 months (so 4 consecutive monthly appointments) of a physician or dietitian supervised weight loss program. When he mentioned I would be seeing him one more time, I told him that my insurance requires 3 months of visits. He went and got a packet with a description of the requirements for all the different insurance companies and said I was right about that. He then said that I could just see my PCP for some of the appointments. I said I want to do the 4 appointments all with him because it is supposed to be with the same doctor and I do not want to do ANYTHING that could get me denied. He said that was fine and we could meet monthly. Another concern of mine is that my monthly weight loss program requires documentation of my weight, dietary program and physical activity. He recorded my weight and taught me about the 1200 calorie diet plan he is prescribing for me and gave me papers with all the details and recommendations, and he taught me about the Protein and other diet requirements for after my surgery. The appointment was very informative and helpful, but we never touched on a physical activity plan at all. Maybe I am being paranoid, but I'm very worried about problems with insurance after the horror stories I've seen in the forums. I want to make sure every detail is perfectly followed. So what I was thinking of doing is seeing my PCP every month on top of the dietitian appointments, just in case it's not done correctly by the dietitian. My PCP is great and strongly supports my surgery. I'm positive he would do the weight loss program with me and follow all my requirements. Do you guys think this is a good idea? Could seeing both the doctor and dietitian at the same time for the weight loss program possibly be a problem for any reason you can think of? Okay, now one more topic! I am really sorry for this incredibly long post, I just have so many questions and concerns. I have checked and confirmed my bariatric surgery coverage in a few ways. I call the Cigna customer service line twice to confirm that my specific plan covers weight loss surgery and both times was told yes, it is covered. But I just don't trust the people on the phone to always be correct. I also signed into my account on the Cigna website and used the cost estimator for my plan, and it said that I can expect to pay a $300 co-pay for bariatric surgery. Lastly I read the coverage booklet posted by the employer providing the plan. The only mention of bariatric surgery is in the exclusions section, but this is what it says: "Payment for the following is specifically excluded from this plan: .... • for medical and surgical services intended primarily for the treatment or control of obesity. However, treatment of clinically severe obesity, as defined by the body mass index (BMI) classifications of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute guideline is covered if the services are demonstrated, through peer-reviewed medical literature and scientifically based guidelines, to be safe and effective for treatment of the condition." Is it just me or is that a bit confusing? I'm thinking this means that the plan does not cover any obesity treatment for those who do not have "clinically severe obesity". A BMI over 40 or between 35-39.9 with co-morbidities is defined as clinically severe obesity. So I definitely meet this requirement with a BMI of about 52. I'm also thinking that the last part about treatments that are peer reviewed and scientifically shown to be safe and effective means that the 5 procedures covered in the Cigna bariatric surgery coverage policy are all covered (gastric Bypass, gastric banding, RNY, vertical banded gastroplasty and BPD/DS for those with BMI over 50). I just find it odd that weight loss surgery is ONLY mentioned in the exclusions section. This booklet may be outdated - the "effective date" in the beginning is February 2009. Well, if you made it through this post, I appreciate it and applaud your patience! :-) Thanks so much for any advice or insights you can provide.

Your body has all sorts of sneaky ways to try to keep you fat. It wants you to stay fat forever, and is flooding your brain with messages to be "nervous" and be scared of the surgery. Don't let your fat impact your decision to get rid of it and get healthy. This surgery is incredibly safe and your surgeon and his/her team are skilled at keeping bariatric patients safe, I am sure. As for the pre-op plan, many surgeons have plans similar to yours. You trust your surgeon to open you up and work on your major organs . . . trust him or her to know what kind of pre-op will work best for the patient in question. I know it's tempting to go online and survey what everyone else's doctor is doing and wonder about differences, but *every* surgeon has their own way of doing things.

I am there with you. My surgery was scheduled for Set. 2, all appointments were done and they submitted on the 17th. The band removal was approved that day. They also denied the revision. The reason given was that even though the band caused complications, I was non compliant since I said in the dietary consult that I didn't always follow the post bariatric diet. Of course the fact that I had days I couldn't eat anything because of the band just wasn't mentioned. Also, because my BMI is now only 33.47 and I did lose with band, I don't meet the conditions for coverage for the RNY. Now as I see it, they are punishing me for actually loosing weight with the wrong tool. I was never able to have more than 4cc in the band so I never really had the restriction to only be able to 1/2 cup or less for total success. The REAL problem is my doctor's nurse. She isn't returning my calls. I didn't know about the denial until I had called several times about instructions for my pre-op appointment at the hospital. At that time (20th) she said the doc was doing a phone call with the insurance company. Several more calls to her (no response) I called the insurance company (TRICARE) and they said they only had a request dated the 19th, and no other follow up. They offered to send it over again to that department. I again called the nurse without response so I called the nurse who does the seminars and she did a face to face with the nurse. This was on the first and she did tell me the surgery had been cancelled, but the other nurse would get back to me. Nothing again so I called on the morning of the third without response. Without doubt this has been an ugly long weekend.

It wound up being a pretty major ordeal for me. With less than 2 weeks before my surgery, I was still getting prices that were all over the map, some of which were unbelievable because I knew that i had both a $5000 bariatric co-pay and then a $2000 additional out of pocket max. This meant that I knew that I would owe at least $7000, plus any amount above the $13000 maximum that my insurance would pay. Finally, I just went to the hospital and asked to speak directly to the patient account director. Once I had there information, I knew that my out of pocket would actually be $18,000. As a result, I had to switch surgeons and hospitals and do some shopping around. I'm now scheduled for November 10th.

If you are suggesting that because some Doctors provide different instructions than others, that the patient should eat whatever they feel like based upon chatter on an internet forum, then you are doing a serious disservice to the patient. The assumption here is that the patient has performed due diligence in their selection of a surgeon, and they have chosen one that is very experienced both in General Surgery, Bariatric Surgery, and specifically the Lap Band. If this is the case, then there is no reason NOT to follow their directions to the letter, and plenty of reasons for them TO follow the directions. There are generally accepted protocols and methodologies for installing, filling, and maintaining the Lap Band, but as more people have the Lap band, and more research is performed on the outcomes, these protocols change. Doctors will also change their own instruction to patients based upon their own observation on the outcomes of their surgeries. In other words, they KNOW what works for THEIR patients. And you should listen to them. If you do not TRUST your Surgeon enough to follow their instructions precisely, then you have very likely chosen the wrong surgeon. “The fact that there is a wide range in 'advice' regarding postop diets suggests that there is no real reason for one person being on solids in a week and another still on nothing but liquids a month later other than the personal preference of the doctor.” And just where do you THINK the Surgeon gets his or her “personal preference”? From their EXERIENCE in compiling the results of the surgeries. A competent surgeon performing surgeries of any kind will keep track of what works and what doesn’t, ESPECIALLY in situations like this, where the outcomes can be so variable. They have their preferences for a reason…..they have WORKED for that surgeon. There is one other reason to follow your doctor’s advice that people usually do not take into consideration. If for some reason things do not go well with your Lap Band, and if any of the numerous “bad things” that can happen do happen to you, and you end up having to sue your surgeon, one of the first things they will ask you is “did you follow your doctor’s instructions?”…..and you had better be able to say YES without hesitation. I am not going to get into a discussion here about lawsuits and the Lap Band and malpractice and all of that, but there have been situations where lawsuits were necessary, and to be on the winning end of the lawsuit you have to be able to say in all honesty you did indeed follow all of the instructions provided to you. IF you are continuing to have problems, not losing any weight, etc, then you need to seek out a 2nd opinion, from another Bariatric Doctor….one that you have researched THOROUGHLY. But until such time as you feel that way, you really NEED to follow your Surgeons’ instructions.

I haven't met very many people who I know have had bariatric surgery - it's not as popular in Canada yet as it is in the US. Plus I'm 25, and there are few people in their 20s who get this surgery. But I mean, if you ever see someone who's been severely obese for decades suddenly drop 100 lbs in a year, the odds of it being via surgery are almost 100%.