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@@fatchocobomom Hello and welcome!! I am relatively "new". I had sleeve surgery 9 weeks ago. I can address the pre-op focus portion. I have Neve been diabetic so I can't offer advice there. Congratulations on your first steps towards getting heathy! I agree that starting your pre-op diet during the holidays and birthdays might be difficult. (Seems you and your husband really like the month of March..wink wink ). My advice on staying focused is to visualize the life you want. Can you see yourself diabetic free and in smaller clothes? Can you imaging yourself pain free and active? How about summer clothes, feeling sexy, and healthy for your kids? visualize that life as you go through this busy, festive month. (I started mine just before halloween. I kept seeing everyone partaking in the stuff I loved, the foods of fall, the holidays, etc, but what I had in my mind was how I would look and feel next summer because I am NOT partaking in all of that stuff). During my pre-surgery work ups and diet, I stayed on track because I was determined to get the life I want. It was only possible if I stayed on task. The day of surgery was a celebration in itself, like a second birthday. Your husband sounds supportive, so perhaps he will prepare the yummy foods for your kids birthdays, etc. As for losing 12 lbs before Jan 24, it's doable. I lost 17 lbs on the pre-op liquid Protein diet. If you replace one or two meals a day with Protein shakes and then eat one meal lower in carbs I bet you will see the weight start dropping. Whether you decide to start this month or next, if you want a new life bad enough, you will find yourself jumping through hoops and staying on course. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey!!

I did the surgery through So Cal Kaiser. Most people that have a job with no lifting can return to work in a few weeks. My job requires heavy lifting so I was off longer. At the 2 week point I believe you will be at the stage where you can have strained cream soups, yogurt. So Yes I think in your line of work you should be fine. Many office workers go back after one week. Best wishes to you!

So I'm an elementary school teacher and I want to do this so bad now but I didn't realize the process took so long..... I'm thinking since I have Kaiser in San Jose CA I might get surgery in 6months :-(.... Which will put me at Easter break.... Do you think two weeks will be enough and then I can return to work? I do better with structure so I really don't want to wait til summer .... This mean I will get 1 week off for Spring break and will have to take 5 days sick leave....

style="margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#d8dde8;color:#5a5a5a;font:normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif;position:relative;"> Hey BariatricPal Members! It’s that time again…time for a monthly newsletter. It’s a way we can reach out to you about the happenings on BariatricPal and the world of weight loss surgery. We hope to motivate you by sharing ideas and introducing you to inspirational people. So here’s the run-down of this month’s newsletter! • Don’t Let Summer Slip Away: Your WLS Must-Do’s • Member Spotlight: Meet Elode! • FDA Approves Gastric Balloon as Obesity Treatment Enjoy the newsletter, and then log in to BariatricPal to spend a little time. You can talk about weight loss surgery and whatever else is on your mind, and see what’s on everyone else’s mind! We want to know how your summer is going. Thanks as always for your support of BariatricPal. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Don’t Let Summer Slip Away: Your WLS Must-Do’s! Remember putting things off this winter or spring? “I’ll do it in the summer,” when the snow melts or there’s a little more time or the days are longer. Well, have you done what you said you were going to do this summer? If not, you’d better get moving! The days are long and hot now, but summer doesn’t last forever. Don’t let it pass you by! Take the Next Step What is the next step in your weight loss surgery journey? Is it deciding about whether to get WLS? Is it deciding on a surgeon, or figuring out which type of WLS you want, or crunching the numbers to fit it into your budget? Is it getting more protein, finding a WLS buddy, or starting an exercise program? Take that step! Don’t wait until summer is over, because things tend to get busier in the fall. If you can get over your next hurdle now, you will be stronger and in a better position to get healthier. Eat Well and Get Active Okay, that’s not a summer special…but you can eat well and get active summer-style! Why not check out a local farmer’s market and see what’s in season? Keep going back every week for delicious in-season produce with a selection that changes slightly all the time, and challenge yourself to make healthy recipes with it. For bonus weight loss points, walk or bike to the market, or at least walk around it a few times to burn some calories. And how can you use summer to your advantage to get active? Without snow or ice, the streets are yours to pound. You can also hit local pools, and trails, and see if your neighborhood park has a circuit training loop set up – many do! To beat the heat, exercise early in the morning or in the evening, stay in an air-conditioned gym if needed, drink a lot of water, and listen to your body. As summer passes, take a few minutes to take stock of where you’ve been and where you’re going. Staying aware can help you stay focused, and make any necessary adjustments to your goals and plans for reaching them. Insure Nutrition We are always thrilled to welcome a new newsletter sponsor into the BariatricPal family, and this month, Insure Nutrition is giving us the pleasure of doing just that. Our latest sponsor, Insure Nutrition, is an online company that specializes in getting health insurance coverage for nutritional supplements. Its Post-Bariatric Surgery Nutrition products includes Premier Protein shakes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors and OptiSource High Protein drinks in caramel and strawberry flavors. Checking if you are eligible is easy. Insure Nutrition encourages you to use its online form to find out if you qualify. Our sponsors help make BariatricPal newsletters and other services possible. We encourage you show your thanks by considering them first for your bariatric needs. Unjury and Opurity BariatricPal is proud and excited to announce two new sponsors for our newsletters. The new sponsors are Unjury, a supplier of wonderful tasting, highest quality protein supplements, and Opurity (from the makers of UNJURY), highest purity vitamin supplements for bariatric surgery patients. Their support lets us keep BariatricPal newsletters coming to you each month. Unjury was founded by a master’s degree dietitian who has been helping patients since 1974. It is committed your health. You know the importance of getting enough protein after weight loss surgery, but you also know that meeting your protein goals can be challenging. Unjury makes your task not just easier but actually enjoyable. Product flavors include Chocolate Splendor, Chocolate Classic, Vanilla, Strawberry Sorbet, Chicken Soup Flavor, and Unflavored. These ready-to-use protein powders come in single-serve and multi-serve containers, and contain high-quality whey protein to keep you full and nourished. Launched in 2007, Opurity is dedicated to using the purest ingredients in its supplements. Opurity Bariatric Multivitamins have two unique big advantages: First, each multivitamin requires only one tablet per day*. Second, Opurity is so dedicated to quality that it is unique in using no ingredients from China. Choose from chewable orange-berry multivitamins for gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients or for lap-band patients.Opurity also sells chewable calcium, vitamin D and folic acid/vitamin B-12 chewables. All supplements come with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed. They return policy is: “Yes you can return it.” Support from Unjury and Opurity helps us continue to bring you the services you enjoy on BariatricPal, so please support these two brands! When looking for your bariatric surgery supplements, first visit Unjury.com and Opurity.com. Purchasing from these companies helps support BariatricPal. Thanks to Unjury and Opurity for your generous sponsorship, and thanks to BariatricPal members who support our partnership! *You still need calcium and sublingual B-12. Member Spotlight: Meet Elode! This month, we are thrilled to feature Elode as our Member in the Spotlight! She is a 5’8” travel nurse who struggled with her weight for years. She had been overweight since the age of 12. Her mother and brother are morbidly obese, and Elode worries about them a lot. She says she wanted to get the surgery to motivate them to follow in her foosteps. Elode decided to get the gastric sleeve after gaining 60 lbs. in a year and hitting a high weight of 267 lbs. She got her surgery done in November of 2014, and has since lost nearly 100 lbs! She is down 97 lbs and is going strong. Her main challenge was and still is eating slowly, but she was expecting this to be a challenge and is working on it. Since getting the gastric sleeve, she feel better and younger. Exercise is easier, and clothes shopping is much better, especially since she is not limited to Plus-sized clothing. She enjoys paying attention to what she puts in her body, and watching the scale go down. As a great moment, she points to a recent 8-mile hike that she and her daughter completed for the first time. Elode uses BariatricPal to receive support, and she enjoys keeping in touch with the people she’s met on the boards. Elode also gives a lot of help to others here at BariatricPal. She loves sharing her experiences with newbies. For those who may be struggling with their weight and weight loss surgery, she says to stick with the basics. “Know that it’s going to be hard at times, but remember why you wanted this in the first place.” She suggests writing a list of reasons why you got your surgery and reading the list when you’re feeling down. Thanks, Elode, for being in our spotlight and also for all you bring to the BariatricPal community. We are all grateful for your contributions and are happy to see your success! Do you want to be in the Member Spotlight? Is there someone you’d like to nominate? Let us know in the Member Spotlight Forum or send Alex Brecher a PM with the subject line “Member Spotlight.” We want to share your story in the newsletter! FDA Approves Gastric Balloon as Obesity Treatment On July 28, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Reshape Dual Balloon for use as an obesity treatment. The Reshape Dual Balloon is one of a few different intragastric balloons available in other countries, and the first to be approved in the U.S. You can read more about intragastric balloons on BariatricPal! How It Works The dual gastric balloons are placed in your stomach and inflated under anesthesia in an outpatient setting. The balloons help fill up your stomach so you are less hungry and not able to eat as much. The balloon stays in your stomach for up to six months. The intragastric balloon is meant to be used only with proper nutritional support for the entire time you have the balloon. ReShape stresses the need for changing your eating habits and staying informed and engaged. Is It for You? The Reshape Dual Balloon is for patients with BMI of 30 to 40 and a comorbidity. The balloon is a non-surgical option that may be appealing for patients at the lower end of the overweight BMI ranges who do not want an invasive procedure. As with WLS, you need to be willing to change your eating habits with the balloon. You cannot get the instragastric balloon if you already had WLS. Weight Loss and Maintenance The balloon is not for patients who are at the higher ends of the BMI ranges. The balloon is expected to help you lose only about 7 percent of your total body weight. If you weigh, say, 300 lb., a loss of 7 percent of total body weight would be equivalent to an expected loss of 21 lb. Another major potential drawback to the balloon is that you can only use it for a short time. If you do not adapt the new eating changes and form new permanent habits before the balloon is deflated and removed, you will regain the weight back. In one study, patients regained an average of two-thirds of the amount of weight they had lost within six months of getting the balloon out. Don’t forget to check out our article on intragastric balloons for more information on how they work and who should consider them! We hope you enjoyed the newsletter and are ready to keep up with your WLS successes…or get back on track if you’ve been a little slack. Don’t forget to visit BariatricPal if you ever need ideas, support, or inspiration.

Hi there... HumbleMom here. Am Pre-Op RNY - waiting for insurance approval. Most likely will have surgery next month (2/2014.) Was born and raised in Memphis, TN and am still here. Have been a wife for almost 21 years ~ looking forward the next 21+. Mother to 3 children, one of whom passed away at 8yrs ~ more about this in future blogs. Am happy in general ~ my life is full of love and laughter, family and friends and all those little positive intangibles we tend to take for granted. My faith is intact, meaning my relationship with God has weathered the death of my son. God and I are good ~ I have MANY questions for Him, but I also have to thank Him for all He's done for me and for all He continues to do for me. For financial reasons, I dabble in cybersecurity. For fun, I read, cook (sometimes healthy, sometimes not), needlepoint and am learning to play Bridge. We have three dogs, all different sizes, all rescues, all quirky and all amazingly lovable. You can see from my profile that I'm a big girl. Like just about everyone else here, I didn't get this way overnight.My weight crept up on me over time, over pregnancies, over typical stress, over unbelievable stress and over many a wonderful meal shared with good friends. Also like just about everyone else, I'm a very well educated obese person. I KNOW Weight Watchers inside and out and have been very successful with it over the years, having lost (and regained) myself several times over. Jenny Craig and I have been good friends, albeit never for long. I've tried Nutrisystem and Medifast ~ ordered the products, received them, organized the cupboards to house them, tried them for a few days and then promptly sold the remaining items on eBay. I've walked, done couch-to-5k, done pilates, attended exactly ONE Bikram yoga class (WHAT was I thinking??? If you are a Bikram fan, my hat's off to you!), used a personal trainer, worked out in a members only gym, worked out at my office gym, walked some more and then walked even more. And like just about everyone else, each new this-will-change-my-life endeavor has proven successful (except the Bikram yoga!). I've lost weight, I've toned muscles I never knew I had and I've increased my endurance more than I ever thought possible. UNTIL… I wasn't losing or toning anymore because I'd stopped. I'd stopped because I ~ well, that's part of this puzzle. Why DID I stop? I don't know. I seriously need to find a counselor who can help me with this strange dance of mine with food, exercise and health. Know of anyone in the Memphis area? Please share! So, long story short, I'm hoping this surgery will be the missing tool from my arsenal of knowledge needed to become a healthier me. While it will be nice to look more attractive, I'm here for other reasons. I want to be able to hike and climb volcanoes with my sons. (True story ~ more later!) I want to quit the daily meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, GERD and depression. Or maybe I should say I want to trade those meds for vitamins, calcium and b12 supplements! I don't want my family to bury me because I literally ate myself to death. Much better to perish on the side of a volcano, right? I'm tired of walking into a large department store filled with beautiful clothes and being relegated to shop from the Women's sizes hidden away in the tiny corner of the basement. I mean, come on. NOTHING tastes that good! I have 'eaten' my way into that corner and I'm tired of it. Those clothes in the other 90% of the store are much, much cuter! I want to shop from THOSE racks. Actually, just knowing I have the choice to shop from those racks is enough for me. I'll probably end up at the consignment store anyway. Well, that's me in a nutshell. Obviously a fan of lists! I need to get to know others here. I need support and I want to support you! I need to know I'm not the only one who can't stand a certain type of chewable bariatric vitamin! Won't you please be my neighbor?

I was told I couldn't eat salads. I'm 6 weeks out and have been scared to try. Does anyone who's 6 months or more out have problems or is it just another " some people do and some people don't". I felt being "stuck" last night for the first time and believe me I won't try anything that I knowingly know that could get me stuck. I also lost 26 lbs. in 3 1/2 weeks and am stuck. Has anyone gone on a "diet" after being banded? What's the trick to get the scale to move?

I have 1 or 2 salads a day. I only have about 1/2 cup spinach leaves in each with a few peppers and it goes down just fine and I am only 8 weeks out. I do the spinach because I think it taste alot better

Can't overstate enough about those fluids and protein! It's the hardest part for me, getting all those fluids in. I'm 8 weeks out, and if I'm a little light on the fluids, I get bound up. If I'm light on protein, weight loss and energy drop off. I am at the point where I can put benefited in my water bottle, but more importantly I have to actually drink ALL the water! ^Benefiber

I am! I went to my two week post op visit today and my blood pressure was 94/62! The surgeon didn't seem too concerned,just said it would get better (the dizziness ) in two weeks when I start my Vitamins. I feel a tiny bit better when I get more Water in. Good luck to you!

I had the same problem. Had a pretty bad cold and a horrible cough. You know those kinds of coughs that seem to come from deep within. I had that kind of cough for over 2 weeks. I started hurting in my stomach right around where the band is. I called my surgeon and spoke with one of his Nurses and she said that it more than likely was just a pulled muscle. She told me and I am going to tell you, unless you start having severe pain constantly, don't worry. If you start having constant severe pain, then, call and get an appointment set up. Hope you get to feeling better!

One day at a time is all it takes...I am 4 weeks post op and things are going well...you will be just fine. Keep up the great work!

Hi 15 days post op and I am not losing anymore weight but the 30 pounds so far, actually I think I gained 2 pounds but I think that is from fluid intake I drink over 64 ounces a day and also it might be muscle growth because I walk a mile and a half a day at least 40 minutes brisk walk. I read so much about the stall and I guess it will just go its course. I will remain vigialant and only weigh myself once a week instead of every morning. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Just keeping repeating "Just because I CAN doesn't mean I SHOULD!" That's the mantra of bandsters for the first few weeks until you can get some restriction. It's the hardest part of the experience but very well worth it. You can do this!!!

I've had that experience, although for me it only seemed to work when I was earlier in the process. The first Christmas after the sleeve, I really couldn't eat a lot, but I did enjoy cake and cookies- I didn't lose weight but I didn't gain. The second Christmas after the sleeve I think I ate 30 bags of Peanut Butter m&m's and a plate of fudge. I actually lost a pound. Christmas is the only time I really allow myself to eat junk, but this Halloween I had a bit of a cheat day where I had caramel popcorn, buffalo chicken, and a few other things I rarely eat. I woke up 3 pounds heavier and it has taken well over a week to lose that weight. At over two years out from surgery I have to be VERY careful with what I eat and how much I eat or I absolutely gain weight almost immediately. I miss the honeymoon phases (and m&m's).

My post op diet instructions were to try to get in 70gm Protein (using protein shakes) and 64 ounces of Fluid a day using full liquid diet. I'm on post op day 5 and will be on this diet until my post op appt at 2 weeks post op. I was not told to count calories at this point. Hope this helps, Wanda

It might be your pylora...with this operation your digestive system works pretty much as it did before. The pyloric valve works and release food into your small intestines. You have a very new and tender stomach, and you can feel things more at first. All that gurgling as your new tummy gets used to things. For the first six weeks, it is a time for healing, and you're doing great with your liquids. It's great that you had no complications. Best of luck. Do what your doctor says, and you will be fine. Welcome to the losers bench.

Congratulations! I too am having a little farewell party to "bad" foods this week.. Particularly Chinese which I LOVE egg rolls! Feel like I'm having a funeral and wake all together.. ???? I am going today to start testing out Protein Shakes, I heard premiere protein is pretty good and high in protein, 30 grams I think, you can get it in bulk off Amazon and even with prime(free shipping)! Let me know which ones you prefer!! Oh and I am also Vitamin shopping as well, my vit d was low and I really need to start those this week!

I've hit the dreaded 3 week stall as well. I just keep plugging away. I hear it takes your body time to kind of catch up and get used to the changes.

next week is going to be crazy... taxes tomorrow and dad to mankato. Work is really busy (good thing). Easter this weekend. I am want to stay focused and on track.... OUt look is good

Hey everyone. . It's now two weeks post surgery and im changing my diet... sadly cos im allergic to Iron I could not have any Optifast or sustagen or that so ive been living off drinking yoghurt and juice tried a cup of Soup strained but just could not do it! Has anyone got any good suggestions on what to eat at this stage. Im finding my weight loss has started to really slow down was losing heaps post surgery and now im just losing 300 grams or 600 grams. Also did anyone have any problems with constipation?? I don't know if anyone takes anything to prevent this or if we are allowed?? Hope everyone is doing well!! :tt2::tongue2:

I couldn't feel my port after surgery but I had a gigantic bruise in the area since my pre op nurse thought it would be a good idea to give me my Lovenox in my lower abdomen... Anyhoo, 72 pounds later I can easily feel my port under the skin. When I touch it I feel pressure, not necessarily pain or tenderness. Since you're only 3 weeks out from surgery, your port site is still healing, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Congratulations!!!! Think of it as a blessing, you will be so busy this week getting things done prior to surgery that you won't have enough time to sit and worry about the surgery or be nervous. Before you know it the surgery will be over!!!

My ankles 124 lbs ago measured 9 inches. It's driven me nuts that in a year, no amount of weightloss and exercise has decreased them. So I give it another go today...8.5!!! Yeeee hawww!!! 1 year and 1 week is all it took to lose 1/2 inch and it feels like a major victory!

I had my final sixth month weight loss appointment today, so my doctor's office is submitting everything to insurance tomorrow. The NP told me today that she's "certain I'll be approved", but I don't feel like I really can believe that until I actually receive the official approval from insurance. Insurance has 15 business days to approve/deny, then I have pre-op apts, will schedule surgery, etc. I'm going on vacation for a week starting May 27th, so theoretically, we are planning on surgery the week after that once we return. It feels surreal to be at this stage but I am just waiting for something to go awry. Hoping for a quick response from insurance so I can breathe again!