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I know it is nearly a year since Fluffy Chix started her Bariatric Journey. Most of the US plans 6-7 months, in that time the average person has dietician appointments, cardiology, pulmonology, psychology, weight appointments and meet with the surgeon. I didn't have to but many programs have you start an exercise program or meet with a lifestyle coach or trainer. Mrs Gamgee who lives in Red Deer Alberta and is going thru her provincial and national health plans will have 2 years on her journey. Here you usually have to meet the BMI criteria and or have comorbities like diabetes, sleep apnea and a few others to speed things up unless you're really,lucky with your plan or are self pay. Its like the joke about welfare- it isn't fair and you never get well. Someday,I feel like the number 2 sled dog, the view never changes. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Look for Fluffy Chix's postings, she lives in North Houston, humorous as all get out. I know there are other Texans,on Bariatric Pal,i just don't remember all of their,towns. I'm in Ohio myself. Look for the thread about hometown pals there may be names of other Texans there. Best wishes on your upcoming surgery. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m restarting the journey too! I had lapband five years ago and lost 120 pounds. I moved, saw a different bariatric physician and he removed FIVE cc’s from my band. All I had to do was think about food and I gained. So, after gaining back close to fifty pounds, I went back to see my lapband surgeon. He slowly got my band filled back to where I started losing again. I’m 15 pounds from my goal weight and am really struggling. I’ve got lots of stress and an emotional eater. I am asking for support, and will gladly return it. I’ve gotten my Leslie Sansone walking DVDs out and have exercised the last two days. I know that’s not much, but it’s a start. Thanks to anyone that read this long post :-)

Once upon a time I had a doctor ( not my Bariatric Surgeon,not even my current PCP) tell me: I'd like you to weigh 148 lbs. My answer: I would too but I don't see that it Will be happening without Bariatric Surgery. If wishing weight away would work none of us would be overweight. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Great article Creekimp13! I hate that sometimes I still feel like that little girl who needs her Mommy's permission even though I go my own way. I know she will always have something negative to say when it comes to my weight. However, I am doing this for me. I just read your comment about 75% of bariatric patients end up divorced. That is scary. I am also doing this so I can get a hip replaced so I can keep traveling with my husband. He is also following a high protein, low carb diet because it helps him feel better, especially with his joints. We both are in our 40's but feel like we are in our 80's! That is going to change for the better.

After surgery, many people seem to suffer from this problem. Recommendations from past threads on this website are: Smooth Move Herbal Tea Prune Juice (warmed) Prunes (4 in the morning and 4 at night) Magnesium citrate Insoluble fibers (Garden of Life Raw Fiber or Renew Life Triple Fiber). Haribo Sugar Free Gummy Bears (Be very careful with this one because it can lead to diarrhea.) Aerobic Magnesium 07 Ground Flax Seeds (but don’t try to grind it yourself). Use 2 tablespoons per glass of water every night before going to bed. Bowel Clear (herbal blend) What worked best for me was an apple a day just before bedtime. But you must eat the skin of the apple along with the pulp.

I was a self-pay patient (my insurance would not provide any coverage due to my BMI being too low to meet their criteria), so I took on the responsibility of educating myself about the surgery prior to having it. I did not attend any classes, have any counseling, or meet with my surgical team in advance, but still felt reasonably equipped with knowledge and confident on the day of surgery. Several reputable bariatric centers - like Stanford, UCLA, and the Mayo Clinic - have information and instructions they provide to their patients available online. I read through it all, as well as published studies in journals and articles, and also found the videos of a bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Wiener who posts on YouTube to be very helpful. I gleaned valuable information from online forums, too, so I was prepared for the "dreaded three week stall" and other common experiences. 1. Did your team discuss your post surgical diet with you in detail before your surgery? No. I received an email with a PDF of the post-surgical diet, and instructions for the 48-hour pre-op preparation diet in advance, but did not discuss it. Had I felt the need to, I could have contacted the surgeon's nutritionist prior to surgery. 2. Did your nurses go over your immediate diet with you in your hospital room? No, but I met with the surgeon's nutritionist the day after the surgery. 3. Were all stages of your diet given to you in written form? Did you understand when to start each stage? Yes, and yes. 4. Did anyone ever tell you not to eat or drink more than a certain number of ounces per hour? I most clearly remember Dr. Weiner's advice on his videos about being careful to avoid having too much liquid at once, but in the month post-op I really could not have tolerated copious amounts anyway. On my instructions it said "sip, sip, sip" to emphasize that you shouldn't guzzle back liquids. 5. Did anyone ever tell you what could happen to you if you ate foods that you weren't approved for yet? It's on all the information bariatric centers and my own surgeon's office provided, but what really captured my attention was reading on this forum about the horrible experiences people had when they ate solid food too soon. That was the best motivation to not deviate from the post-op dietary instructions. I also learned from my own body. It wasn't ready yet to advance, so I stayed on liquids and then soft foods for a little longer than the timeline given. 6. Were you allowed to order a meal in the hospital, and if so, what did it consist of? No. I was brought Gatorade and then broth. I was not at a hospital; I was at a clinic specifically for bariatric surgery, so they did not provide typical meals. 7. Did you have a clear understanding that the surgery was permanent? Yes. ---- I know doctors are all different and we all go to different groups that handle information differently....I just wondered how well these basics were covered for you. Did you feel well prepared to monitor your own Fluid and nutrition after surgery? ----- I made sure the basics were covered and felt prepared. -----Is a lack of basic instructions a common thing? ----- I think basic instructions are commonly provided, but we're all unique learners and have our own level of incentive to remember and follow instructions. I am grateful I didn't have to attend classes because I preferred getting the information on my own and making sure I was familiar with it, but that was a personal preference.

My gut says that an unhappy marriage and/or the feelings of renewal having left (or planning to leave) an unhappy marriage can be part of the decision to have surgery. Not that having had surgery creates a wedge in the marriage, but that surgery becomes part of the rebirth in the aftermath of an unhappy marriage. For what it's worth my husband is loving the confidence and boost in physical well being and ability that surgery has afforded me.

The amount of revisions due to stretching on this forum seem to be a rare occurrence. US national library of medicine link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4485844/ Conclusion Long-term weight loss in patients following bariatric surgery requires regular and supportive management by qualified health professionals. Based on the literature reviewed, our principal recommendations to optimize long-term weight loss include: ensuring that the patient understands how the procedure works; offering pre- and postoperative education sessions; ensuring the patient utilizes self-monitoring strategies; tailoring nutritional supplements; restraining liquid calories, pureed foods, grazing, and eating out of home; engaging in an average of 60 minutes of physical activity per day; and conducting lifelong annual medical, psychological, and dietary assessments. Stomach stretching? there is a paucity of long-term clinical evidence to describe the rates of occurrence.

Somebody else on Bariatric Pal put fishing sinkers or similar in his pockets and didn't tinkle before the weigh in so they'd be heavier. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

There is a risk with everything you do. You have to look at what the risks are and weigh them against what the outcomes could be. It was hard for me as I took care of bariatric surgery patients and we had some not so good outcomes. Make sure you research your doctor and the program for outcomes, ask questions. Good luck Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

It's kind of like when you're in your late teens/early twenties and not only you can eat any junk food you want and not get fat, you could probably eat the styrofoam container it comes in and be fine. Then, as time goes on, those bad habits catch up to you. Then you end up fat enough that you have to have major surgery... You can probably get away with not tracking what you eat, drinking as much as you used to drink, eating with little to no plan, etc. for a while. You'll probably lose some real weight, too. Then you won't. You probably won't lose all you want to lose. And you'll be much more likely to gain most of it or all of it back. This isn't a fear or a superstition I have. It's a thing I have seen in these forums repeatedly. It's what it looks like when someone doesn't make the commitment to changing they need to make and they blow it. It happens gradually, and it's not a straight drop down, so people usually don't even realize they're doing it. All of this said, I don't think you're doing *that* badly in terms of what you are eating. The scary part isn't the specifics of what you're eating/drinking, it's that you don't seem to have a plan or track things. You seem content to just go with what feels right and trust it work out. I would only remind you that trusting yourself to eat what seemed okay made you an obese person who needed bariatric surgery. It wouldn't even be that hard to get back on track. It's just taking a step back, talking things over with your nutritionist, starting to log what you do on MyFitnessPal, trying to have a plan and accountability. I wish you the best, man.

The US divorce rate is 50%. The divorce rate for people who have had bariatric surgery is 75-85% Read that again. If you have had bariatric surgery, your chance of getting divorced within two years is 75-85%. Split the difference....and 8 out of 10 of us....will get divorced in the next two years. There is no way in hell I would add alcohol to that equation and those odds. it is really important to pay attention to your relationships and do the work required to keep them healthy. I don't see alcohol as a beneficial part of that. My marriage is incredibly important to me. 25 years this year. I have seen way too many marriages go down the crapper...over something as utterly unnecessary as alcohol. Given the physical changes in digesting and tolerating it....and the fact that we're already losing a big coping crutch (food) and that alcohol abuse and dependency are documented to increase post surgery.......it just seems like the perfect storm for a really bad outcome. To me. Others will have different views and keep rolling the dice. To each their own. Free will, and all that:)

Risk for Alcohol Abuse Intensifies after Bariatric Surgery: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/887243 Food for thought.

Q: Can I drink alcohol after surgery? A: Alcohol is not recommended after bariatric surgery. Alcohol contains calories but minimal nutrition and will work against your weight loss goal. For example, wine contains twice the calories per ounce that regular soda does. The absorption of alcohol changes with gastric bypass and gastric sleeve because an enzyme in the stomach which usually begins to digest alcohol is absent or greatly reduced. Alcohol may also be absorbed more quickly into the body after gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. The absorbed alcohol will be more potent, and studies have demonstrated that obesity surgery patients reach a higher alcohol level and maintain the higher levels for a longer period than others. In some patients, alcohol use can increase and lead to alcohol dependence. For all of these reasons, it is recommended to avoid alcohol after bariatric surgery. (American College of Surgeons, 2011)

A gal who used to post on here framed it best for me... like me (and you) she had lost “on her own” several time and always gained if back. She called it weight MAINTENANCE surgery. It allowed her to keep it off. It’s done the same for me, for four and a half years. There’s a lot of biochemistry involved in who becomes obese and why it’s hard to lose and keep it off. Ghrelin, leptin, gut microbiome, seratonin.... sometimes the surgery is also a reset of some of those systems and can change the “thermostat” of where your body wants to be. It did for me. Do you listen to podcasts at all? This one is quite eye opening— https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/weight-loss-surgery-podcast-bariatric-lap-band-rygb/id662443588?mt=2&i=1000373855300

I was sleeved July 2017 and weighed 233lbs then. I had been through every diet known to google and I would lose a bit of weight, plateau then gain the weight back and more. I am a health professional myself and know that every surgery has risks. However, there has been a lot of research and improvements done such that bariatric surgery is now a very safe procedure. Complications still happen to some but the risks have been significantly lowered over the years. I am one of those people who had zero complications. The surgery is one of the best decisions I made for myself and my health. I have lost close to 60lbs now, eat well and exercise regularly. I am now more positive, confident and generally relaxed. Hope you make the right decision for yourself and your health.

I had the sleeve and currently I just take the bariatric multivitamin twice daily. My last iron levels were slightly low. Will have more tests closer to my next appointment and the doctor said if I am lower, I might need an iron supplement.

Everyone has to weigh the benefits vs risks and decide for themselves. Good for you for digging in and doing that work. Wish you the best no matter what you decide. (I love my sleeve and wish I'd done it years ago) Cool article you might enjoy: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/12/7/16587316/bariatric-surgery-weight-loss-lap-band

This is a little off topic. But can I please ask the purpose of the forum? There appears to be a lot of nasty people on it. I thought the purpose was to help other members. Am I wrong? I see people attacking others who come here to look for help. I have enough problems getting ready for this surgery. I have been made fun of because of my weight my entire life. It is disgusting to see it happen on a Bariatric Forum where people are supposed to help each other. I am on many Bariatric forums on FB. None attack members like I see on this forum.

I may not have made the best choice by eating more than I should but I was never told I shouldn’t eat more than a certain amount at a certain period. It’s absolutely disgusting that fellow bariatric posters would think I’m faking this post or post negative comments to others!! Shame on you! We are here to support each other, not necessarily our choices but if you can’t answer my questions or provide insight without insult don’t bother posting. On a Side note, I agree with @nomore fatty patty @low bmi sleevein regards to doctors treating you here regardless of where you got your initial surgery done. But I think you do need to do considerable research for an experienced doctor in Mexico to reduce your risk for complications. Read reviews and try to get a recommendation from someone who has had it done there already. i already plan to call the doctors office first thing in the morning and had previously offered his nurse to take any test or see my doctor that day if necessary but neither was asked of me, so how can I take the ER suggestion seriously.

Hi Belinda- there are several other North Carolinians on here, I'm sure they all will be weighing in to say Hi also. I've been on Bariatric Pal a couple months but according to my avatar I'm a Guru in Training, might be a kind of compliment, but if you want a friend here I am. I am still pre surg, should have a RnY early-mid March, I'm kinda resident over age candidate, 72 so I am old enough to be your grandmother if not great grandmother. You can ask me most anything, if I don't have the answer somebody else will. We have a lot of WLS veterans still active, I have learned loads from them myself. I'm having the RnY because I have GERD,sleep apnea and all around its better for me. I have tried fad and structuralized diets , nothing gave me success. I've had arthritis since 25, had 2 knee replacements, sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm over 300,lbs at 5ft9in so BMI over 45, don't want to die at this size. I'm in this to win this. I will have my surgery in Columbus, our state capital,50 miles from where I live. Where in NC do you live and where do you plan your surgery at? Please keep us posted and like I said, Ask away. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Any advice on surgeons on Westchester area ? Bariatric/Sleeve

Discuss this with your surgeon. Extended release medications are a problem with gastric BYPASS patients as their intestinal path is shortened. Gastric SLEEVE patients have no change in their ability to absorb medications, including extended release, as these drugs are absorbed in the intestines. It sounds like your psychiatrist isn’t familiar with the difference between the different forms of bariatric surgery (which isn’t that weird, your psych probably hasn’t seen the inside of an operating room since med school). It sounds like your psychiatrist needs a consult with your surgeon regarding how your metabolism is and isn’t affected by your surgery. By the way, consults happen all the time, you wouldn’t be asking for anything out of the ordinary.

Who’s your surgeon? Anyone using cooper Bariatric?