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I found and ordered several books on Half.com for recipes and ideas from people who have had Bariatric surgery. I haven't started cooking from them yet, but I plan to!

I am 54 years old, and have fought the battle of the bulge for all my life. I remember when I wad younger I couldn't find clothes to fit me right so I would buy my jeans in the boys section. I started Weight Watchers at the young age of 16! I married at the age of 19' we had our first daughter after I graduated from Nursing School. I weighed 132 at the beginning of my pregnancy. Never could get back down to my ore pregnant weight again! By the time I realized it, I was pregnant with our second child. They are 13 months apart. I loved being a mother, worked part time. Life was good. Always joining rejoining WW, or trying every new fad diet available. We have another daughter 3 years later. Family complete! Still back and forth with the diets. Never being able to drop the weight. Around the age of 40, I think I weighed around 200 lbs, hoping to see the wonder100's again. It never happened. I was always the biggest mom in my children's classes. I love being around people, and I think very outgoing, but as the weight continues to go upward, I went inward. The beginning if a very deep depression, which I sought counseling for, and still am. But the weight keep going up and up. Jenny Craig came into my life, I between Weight Watchers, etc, etc, etc...you know the picture. 2000 rolls around we have a lot of family tragedies, loss of brother inlays and sister in law in bridge accident, son lost 2 best friends, my comfort, food food, and more food, to bring me comfort! Weddings come around, my husband says, we need to lose the weight, so we aren't fat in all these pictures! Pictures last forever. nicely put. We all joined WW! My daughter (the bride ) made her goal! Me however gained everything they lost! Now for my sons wedding, I found a new "weight loss diet". Medifast! Did good for awhile, lost about 30 lbs, wore a size 16 dress! Quickly gained the weight back after getting off the diet! No surprises. Our last daughter got married in November of last year, husband once again, same statement. But life gets in the way! My mothers health was failing rapidly, my prayer is she would live to see her youngest granddaughter get married. She passed away on my daughters birthday, (yes the one who got married) 1 month, and 10 days before the wedding! 8 days after my mom died, we had a new granddaughter, so there was our ray of sunshine! 22 days later, my husbands best friend died from a brain tumor, then 11 days later, our daughter was married. Well what does one due in those situations you know eat, eat, eat! I had to let my dress out. How embarrassing! I just bought it in August! I was just too much! January of 2014 I weighed 261 at the dr. Office I as devastated. She was so nice, get the weight of she suggested Weight Watchers! Lol! In March a dr. Approached me asking me if I ever thought of doing the sleeve! I always swore I wouldn't do Bariatric surgery! Well never say never! One more diet, try Herbalife, well that lasted 2 months, I was in the dr. Office! My initial weight at her office is 255 so that is my official weight! That is my long drawn out story! I am ready to begin my new chapter, am hoping September 30th in a new start. Still awaiting insurance approval. Hopefully hear tomorrow!!! Sorry this was so long! Thanks for the support on this board. It is most helpful! [ attachment=48133:ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1411351975.746728.jpg] My husband and I I had lost 13 lbs. here!

I have a few questions guys. How many calories do you eat daily? I've only been eating about 800 a day and I've stopped losing again. Should I up my calories a little to see if that would help? The last diet I did was Weight Watchers about a year ago. I consumed 1200 calories a day and lost 2 pounds a week every week. What kind of meats do you buy? I bought lean ground beef, lean pork, boneless skinless chicken breast, etc but I'm finding those cuts cook up drier and can be hard to get down. Since I'm not able to eat much anyway should I buy fattier cuts so they will be more tender? Also I'm always thirsty and I can still drink a glass of Water pretty fast with no issues but my bariatric coach says I should only sip and not take big drinks. Why is that?? Thanks!!

Does anyone have a promo code for Bariatric Advsntage? My nutritionist gave me one, but I can't find it and I need to order some calcium asap!!! Thanks!

The RNY pouch is made from the persons intestines. They still have their full stomach but is considered "blind" because the pouch acts as their new smaller stomach. I have read of people having it "took down" I have also heard of them banding the pouch. I suppose they could make the pouch smaller. I have seen people talk about revising from the RNY to the sleeve, which I guess would mean the pouch would be taken down and then their old full sized tummy would be sleeved. I am not sure if they would leave the intestines rerouted I guess if the person was having nutrtional or protein deficiencies, they would undo that part maybe? It would depend on the dr and the particular patients issues. It is sad that after this long she's still having problems and has had that many operations. I would probably get othet bariatric drs opnion before more surgeries if I were her.

I got the sample pack and so far I've had Perfect chocolate, Milk Chocolate, vanilla and mint cookie. They are really good. Even better than the Syntrax. Especially the vanilla in my iced coffee. I may be ordering that one next time. The mint cookie is good but almost too sweet. The perfect chocolate seemed to have a little of an aftertaste, but not bad. Milk Chocolate tastes just like chocolate milk. And I mixed it with Water. It mixes well in a shaker cup. A lot better than the stuff I got at Walmart (Body Fortress). No yucky clumps or gritty-ness. They do have a few more calories and carbs than Syntrax. They are between 110 - 140 cal and 2-6 grams of carbs and 23 g. Protein per scoop. The ingredients are: Protein blend (whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, egg albumin, hydrolyzed wheat gluten), natural and artificial flavors, soy lecithin, salt, acesulfame-K, sucralose, FD&C red #40. Got them at Bariatric Pantry. About $20 for the sample pack. The 28 serving tub costs about $25 + shipping.

I have anthem bcbs and it was listed under gastric & intestinal when I tried bariatric it wasn't listed buy I found the lapband under gastric & intestinal

Before I had my surgery, I was a type 2 diabetic. I had lost 35 lbs and was really watching what I ate, cutting portions, and doing a sugarfree/low carb type diet. I had improvement in my numbers from my new lifestyle and eating, but still kinda high and still Diabetic. I got off my meds to have my surgery, and never had to go back on my Metformin post-op. I was VERY happy about this! I believe these two articles discuss how VSG resolves Type 2 Diabetes as well as RNY and not just because of the weight loss factor. There are probably other articles, I just happened to bookmark these. Good luck!! http://agajournals.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/bariatric-surgery-more-than-expected/ http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/dia.2011.0151

Hello all! This is a wonderful forum. So many questions answered and others popping up for me. I have Cigna insurance and I am not sure if it will be three or six months of prep but I am willing to jump through the hoops as long as I can see a VSG at the end of the tunnel. I am 57 year old female. I have struggled with anorexia and binge eating, both ends of the spectrum. I have been able to lose weight in the past, but have never been able to keep my weight down. The last five years, what worked for me before is no longer working and I get nowhere. Last year I saw a dietician for four months and lost three pounds and I exercised like a fiend. 90 minutes, five days a week. Three pounds in 16 weeks. It becomes very discouraging. And my company did not cover ANY weight loss services. Last year I hit rock bottom. This year I petitioned the CEO at my company and she immediately agreed that Bariatric surgery is something that a healthcare organization should offer as a benefit to its employees. Starting July 1 this benefit will be added to our coverage. So July 1 I am applying to start the process. Wish me luck! I will be here a lot looking for, and offering, encouragement, validation and support.

Ha! Love the status updates, especially the bacon burping nurse. I think that would just be outright cruelty were that to be a bariatric patient! You made a lot of great points! Already have my pillow, mask and ear plugs packed!

I remember seeing brochures in my Dr.'s office about loans for surgery. There are companies out there that give loans for this type of surgery. I would go to a search engine and type in Bariatric loans and you should find some companies that you could apply to. Good luck!

Hello! I am 7 days post op today and my diet consists of Water Protein drinks Protein soup sugar free Jello Sugar free pudding Sugar free Popsicles broth Bariatric chewable Vitamins I have to do this diet for another week and then I graduate to soft foods if tolerable. My main focus right now is getting in 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of Fluid. It's a struggle to get those amounts in but I keep trying. Good luck to you!

Hey Team BP, Macronutrients are the theme for the next two weeks. Have been working on a lot: Wednesday's class—the counselor actually had me speak about Bariatric Pal, and the support network/informational opportunities that I've see so far. Maybe some of my class members will join in the future! Kitchen overhaul happened on Friday night; tossed everything that was even remotely unhealthy, and totally cleaned out the cupboards. All alcohol was also dumped down the drain. I'm not a big drinker by any means, but people gift lots of liquor and wine to me...it is something I would love to move away from. The six month program has a VERY specific list of foods recommended for consumption, so I bought my groceries online for delivery with Von's. Didn't want to have any bright ideas in the store and add non-recommended foods to my cart. Made my hearty vegan crockpot chili, and meal prepped through Tuesday—I'm a lily when it comes to food, so my leftovers have to be relatively fresh. I can't prep for more than 3 days at a time. This morning double fueled because I just got back from an awesome hike, and it was incredibly smart...burned off everything I consumed and then some. (2) GF everything bagel with avocado, uncured turkey bacon, whipped cream cheese; 1/4c. cottage cheese with fresh blueberries. The trail I discovered today is a little gem! They have signs everywhere that talk about the benefits of exercise hidden around, little reading nooks, playgrounds, AND it's on a lake. This week, my goal is to climb all over the playground bars and such. Misfit had their Shine activity trackers on sale for only $39.99, so I purchased one. It syncs with My Fitness Pal, and doesn't need to be recharged so I can wear it 24/7 for six months. I don't carry the phone with me everywhere, so really needed a solution for food to activity ratios. Onward! ❤️ —FGS Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thanks everyone. Just saw the dr. She said probably gastritis or stomach bug. My CT just showed sludge. I had a slightly elevated WBC that could be stress related. They offered to call my bariatric surgeon but I refused. I will call when they open. I have developed bad GERD in the past month. I'm sure now they will want another endoscopy after last night. They said it was a possibility before this all happened. Well I have been up for 24 hrs now, time to go to nefb

My bariatric doctor stated that WLS surgery has the same outcomes for patients with eating disorders or not. I thought that was interesting. I am more of a portion control kind of person. I think the crucial point is your ability to follow the diet protocol. From everything I have read (a lot) the best you can do is be organized about what you eat. Your WLS will do the rest at least in the short term. Later on, making good choices will be crucial. The hope is you will develop good habits in the first year that will carry through.

I found out yesterday morning that my BCBS of Ga insurance had an exclusion for bariatric surgery/drugs so I will NOT be having any weight loss surgery now. I went through a day of feeling sorry for myself, crying my eyes out and just being depressed and mad at myself for letting myself get to this point. When my husband got home, he hugged me, told me to get dressed and we hit the gym. This morning I went for a mile walk, I will NOT let this little stepping stone get me down any further. Now to find a low carb, low fat diet I can stick with and I will be okay. Good luck to all of you on your journey!

check into when the open enrollment period is and what your choices are, what insurances cover bariatrics and plastics. meanwhile start doing the necessary documentation as people mention various requirements preop, which vary a lot. you could be doing your surgery in just a few mos depending on when your open enrollment happens and whether the company has a 3 month waiting period. and mexico options dont sound so bad, and I am a nurse... research and prepare. love sara

Hi Everyone My name is Salease, I'm a 30+ year old married mother of 3. I haven't always been overweight or as the BMI calculator indicates morbidly obese(NICE!). I weighed about 145-150 in high school , which we called "Thick" back then lol. After the birth of each of my children I gained a little more, and a little more. Even at my heaviest almost 260 pounds (I'm 5'2) I still felt cute in my clothes and still was active. Recently though after the birth of my son (he's 6 months old) I've been in and out of the hospital with high blood pressure issues, prediabetes, gall stones, chest pains (asthma had flarred up), and swollen sore ankles every night. I feel like I'm falling apart. I've always wondered about bariatric surgery, what the requirements were, how much, and etc. So after talking to my primary care and insurance (Aetna) I found out that I do qualify. YAYYYY. I went for my first appt in the 3 month supervised program last Monday. Now I'm off to do the rest of the pre surgical testing required. Anyway just wanted to do a quick intro. Take Care!

Bariatric Advantage has chewable calcium citrate in caramel, lemon, chocolate, and raspberry flavors that taste good. Costco.com sells ReViva liquid calcium citrate in blueberry flavor that is good too. I use both.

I was hoping my insurance would pay. If I had to pay for a trip to mexico from the east coast I mind as well pay in country. My sister had bypass and I do billing for bariatric surgeons so I am aware of the complications. I am scheduled for the seminar tomorrow. I hope I have a better idea what i want tomorrow.

Hi guys...so today was my first day of pre-op. I haven't felt hungry but I think my shakes are making me sick. I had three shakes (Bariatric Advantage vanilla) and everything came back up tonight. Has this happened to anyone else? Should I try a different shake? Any advice or suggestions?

It might be beneficial to you to locate an informational seminar in your area and attend. Due to your neurological issues you would likely still need to have a consult with a bariatric surgeon but WLS would help you to lose weight with minimal exercise. It would just be a question as to whether or not your condition makes you a good candidate for surgery. As to the decision for bypass vs sleeve, currently the sleeve is so popular that for many it's just a matter of preference. For me I didn't want to reroute my internal organs and I was not thrilled at the idea of dumping syndrome. I also had not issues with heartburn or reflux prior to surgery so the sleeve was a better fit for me. I don't think one is better than the other. A good friend of mine had bypass. She is doing well and is very pleased with her results. She was even one of the lucky few to not have issues with loose skin.

:thumbup: My name is Julie, I'm 37. I got my lap band 2-5-08. My starting weight was 258. Now I weigh 205.My surgeon is Dr Michael Lara at Del Sol Bariatric Center in El Paso Texas. I am thrilled I did it. I have to admit the results aren't as dramatic as I had hoped, but it has helped me quit a bit. I guess I was thinking in the back of my mind when they were lecturing about the diet and exercise I thought to myself " I won't need to try that hard !" And even though I'm not really deprived, I do have to work harder than I expected. But as I said I am happy I had the surgery and would absolutly recomend it to anyone struggling with a weight problem.

I read a lot of research on this kind of surgery before even selecting the sleeve, and the epidural is recommended in the research literature, especially for bariatric patients. It enables the anesthesiologist to use less general anesthesia, so there are less complications. Obese persons tend to sequester general anesthesia in our fat, so it takes longer for us to excrete it and wake up. So the epidural reduces that problem. My epidural line was left in for almost the entire time I was there, and I received pain medication through it. It was so easy and very effective. I assure you, I walked around most of the time throughout the days, and never had any numbness. It is not a "spinal", it is in a different "compartment than a spinal". I would do it again. Trust Dr Aceves. He knows what he is doing. You will be so happy that you chose his program.

I'm very interested in this thread. I am 2 months out an the only issue I am having is with vitamins. Someone please help.. I dnt want to get sick or loose my hair! I have tried bariatric advantage an I have tried celebrate, both times I have tried it made sure to put something on tummy an within 15 minutes I was throwing up:( I need a vitamin I can keep down! So far only thing I have been able to take is the flinstone gummys, but I'm worried that it's not enough of what I need. Also if ppl are taking the flinstone gummy are they taking anything else to? Please help... I'm trying to get in a routine an I'm having a very hard time