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I had a sleeve done on Dec 19th and since prep started I've been furiously gathering recipes for once I settle into a regular diet again. If anyone is interested in gathering inspiration go ahead and follow my pinterest board Bariatric Recipes under my account Katelyn Huizinga. There is something there for everyone. Another great resource is the youtube channel Protien Treats, she basically makes sugar free and high protien treats like pancakes and cinnamon sticks ect. Sent from my SM-G920W8 using BariatricPal mobile app

I just stick with Chicken Curry. The one think my body can't stand is Roast. My stomach will send that right back up even if I just eat a tiny bit of it because it's too heavy and the fat content is too high. You'll know it's too high if you do what I did or if you dump from it. If you have gotten the bypass. My portions are tiny compared to anyone else's that I'm at the table with, since I'm the only one in either side of my family who had bariatric surgery. Hw-273 Sw-226 CW-146 GW-130 Size- 4 or 6, Small in sweats. Small in shirts. depends on how it's cut or made. Bra Size- 38D Surgery Date- April 26th, 2017 RNY "Only those who try will become" FFX

Hi I started on this journey in 2015, part way thru, job terminated in Jan 2016 so lost insurance. Thought I'd muddle along but after diet failures and second knee replacement last February, realized I wouldn't last longer being the weight of a redwood tree when inside is a lovely sugar maple waiting. Hi from to,bloom forth. I'm a little older than many of you saplings but I'll make a success of this journey and I hope to be here firmly rooted for many more years. Hope to have my surgery at Mount Carmel in my state capital of Columbus with Dr Marcus Miller. He and his Bariatric Nurse Navigator Amber are great. Not frightened of my future RnY, only wish it was tomorrow. Happy New Year from Central Ohio. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey BariatricPal Members, I have a question for you: What characteristics does the perfect bariatric product have? I’m guessing there are some that we all agree on: Taste for protein powders, protein bars, and bariatric snacks. Easy to mix for protein powders. Easy to swallow for bariatric vitamins. But what else? If you are rating a product that you bought, what are you likely to think about as you leave comments and decide how many stars to give? Please let me know. Thanks!

I have met with Dr Patel and he seems nice enough. I also made an appointment to speak with Dr Englehardt with BMI of Texas but he charges 6k more for the same surgery! Any recommendations would be appreciated!!

If you have type 2 diabetes currently, you might find a surgeon willing to do surgery. What are your specific current comorbidities? Have you done your research and thoroughly weighed the benefits -vs- risks of permanently altering your anatomy? Has a bariatric surgeon agreed to do sleeve surgery for you? There is nothing "easy" about weight loss. With the sleeve, or without it.

I logged your food in MyfitnessPAL (free food log app) Download food log here I hope you choose to log. It is the best tool ever. Logging helps to see if you are fueling your body correctly. It's also a motivator. At the end of the day it will tell you....If every day was like today you will weigh X amount in 5 weeks. this is an estimate i don't have your exact amounts of food, what you ate for supper or food brands. 1 breakfast sausage link winco 95 calories .5g carbs 1 large egg fried 120 calories .4g carbs 1 oz cheddar cheese 110 calories 0. carbs 1 pop tart toaster pastry 200 calories 37g carbs 1/2 white bread . 70 calories 14.g carbs 1 tablespoon olive oil mayo kraft 35 calories 2g carb3 4 oz winco deli turkey 90 calories 1.5 carbs 10 potato chips 150 calories 14 carbs SUPPER GUESSTIMATE: 2 0z grilled chicken breast 120 calories 0 carbs 2 oz french green beans 13 calories 2 g carbs 1 dinner roll 176 calories 29.5 carbs 1 jello sugar free pudding cup 60 calories 10g carb total of 795 calories 61g protein 58g carbohydrates 34 fats 21 sugars I'm saying this because I care and I want to see you successful long term. (If you don't change over to healthy foods you are going to feel regret when you don't see the results you want) I'm not sure what your bariatric diet instructions are. You might want to check with your dietician. This is what I see that is making you hungry: Carbohydrates and sugar will slow or stop your weight loss. Once you eat carbs and sugar you crave them more. Time to detox off them. My dieticians instructions that may help with your hunger and to fuel your body for weight loss. Exercise, water, protein 60 to 100 grams. Plant based carbs. Keep carbs low (no potato bread, baked goods, crackers, chips, fries ) 3 meals with 2 snacks for the day. Spreading your food out 6 meals a day will help with hunger. 4 oz Lean meats, (protein shakes, bars, quest chips) sugar substitute (no sugar) Vegetables are your carb source eat as much as you want with your protein. the fiber will help you feel full longer.cheese and sugar free yogurt. fruit in small amounts (avoid apples and bananas for now they are high in carbs) Getting your water in will help with weight loss. Drink 30 mins after your meal. This will help with hunger. After you lose 75% of your weight you will add healthy low glycemic carbs to slow /stop weight loss for maintaining your weight. healthy low glycemic carbs: two tablespoons brown rice, sweet potato, whole wheat pasta and bread If I have left out anything I hope others will add more suggestions.

Yes, me too! The journey in it itself is exciting. The doctors I’ve seen for testing(blood work, upper GI etc.) are even so supportive. And love my surgeon and his team too. Everyone is sweet and supportive. And they have given me so much material.lol. There’s so much to learn. Have you tried Youtube videos? Dr. Wiener is good to watch, very informative, I’ve also heard Blossom Bariatrics is good, then you can just type in gastric sleeve journey and find people who have documented their whole process. There are so many resources out here.

Whenever I asked them if they covered bariatric surgery of any sort, they said no... So, I switched to something else... But that was a while ago, maybe they switched up what they covered since then. I was once on Medicare but now I'm on another insurance as well. Hw-273 Sw-226 CW-146 GW-130 Size- 4 or 6, Small in sweats. Small in shirts. depends on how it's cut or made. Bra Size- 38D Surgery Date- April 26th, 2017 RNY "Only those who try will become" FFX

Congratulations! I am 5.5 weeks pregnant also but I am 20 months post gastric bypass! I talked with my bariatric surgeon and he suggested I take two prenatal vitamins a day, but he had no recommendations for brand. When I had my first my OB told me any OTC prenatal would do as there wasn't a ton of difference between them. Since you had a sleeve and don't have the malabsorption (like with bypassing the first portion of small intestine with bypass) I would think your vitamin needs wouldn't be as big of a deal! I'm excited this time around to actually look pregnant and not just extra fluffy!

Hello, I have BCBS as well. I had a sleeve gasterectomy in spring of 2015 and had no issues getting approved. In spring of 2017, my original surgeon and I saw that a full duodenal switch was needed for the absorption component so yhe process for approval began again...EGD, psychological evaluation, PCP visits and approval etc. Since BCBS only covered one bariatric procedure per lifetime, The situation with the second surgery is that it needed to be proven to be medically necessary and that I had been compliant with the sleeve gasterectomy in 2015. After the completion of my tests and visits, my package was submitted to my insurance company. As you guessed it, DENIED. I knew I had to act quickly since it was denied in the fall, this meant my deductibles has been met and in order to not have to pay them again in 2018, I needed to try to push for approval before 2017 ended. I knew that the appeal could take longer than I would need and after what decision I would be given, I would either have to have the surgery in 2018(deductible) or have to start the process from the beginning. Although I was frustrated about the denial, I decided to start doing what I knew to do, fight. You see I work for a medical insurance provider and advocate daily for members to receive the care that is needed, be it from physicians or the insurance company. I had assisted many members before in getting various approvals for different treatments that was needed to better their life. I went over all the things that I knew a review board and medical director would want to see/know before granting me a 2nd opportunity. Upon doing this I realized that my surgical team did not fit my needs this time around and to appeal the initial denial would be pointless since the evidence/tests needed for the insurance approval were not done by my original surgeon. I did additional research and found a surgeon in Texas that was well credentialed, accepted my insurance and also did initial appointments by phone since I was a patient from another state. After reviewing ALL of my medical history that was sent to him and discussing the prior denial, we forged forward. After phone 'visits' I was scheduled for an EGD with this doctor along with a 3 part stress test(breathing, legs and heart to check for clotting and exercise)...during the EGD I was also given a ultrasound of the gallbladder. This doctor was extremely thorough and was making sure that I was given every possible chance for the insurance to not deny me. When the package was submitted after all of the tests, I made sure to tell my insurance coordinator at the surgeons office additional things I wanted included such as my fitness gym contract, diseased gallbladder ultrasound, receipt from latest pcp appointment(that insurance company didn't show in their records)...I knew I had a better chance at approval if BCBS saw that not only was I being compliant but that I needed a cholesctomy(gallbladder removal) and that I would pursue the 2nd surgery until it was granted. With the cost of treating my comorbities, I'm sure the insurance saw that it was less expensive to grant the surgery than it was to treat the ailments that existed bc of my weight. By the amazing powers that God put in place, I was granted the second opportunity to change my life. My surgery took place December 14, 2017. Prior to surgery my co-morbidities were high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes(with injections daily), edema in lower extremities. Please don't give up!!! My apologies for the long reply but I hope it helps someone that needs the strength to keep fighting. God Bless! Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

fatality rates on these surgeries are extremely low. 0.3% for gastric bypass, even lower for sleeve. That means you have a 99.7% (or greater) chance of making it through. The techniques have improved so much over the last few years and they do so many of them now that they've pretty much become routine surgeries. People have died having their tonsils taken out. But seriously - what are the odds of that happening? Same with bariatric surgery. It's not the same as it was 30 or 40 years ago. I would not worry about dying on the operating table *at all*. You're much more likely to die from an obesity-related condition than you are from the surgery. In fact, doing it could save (and extend) your life!

I had my gallbladder removed yesterday and was not expecting the pain that I am feeling in the belly button. Saying that though, I’ve been up and around and would be fine to go back to work by Monday (I work from home though and can take breaks as needed). I feel like I delivered a baby from my belly button, LoL! Next up is my appointment with the bariatric surgeon. I am ready to get this started! Hope y’all are all doing well and Happy New Year!

My surgery was 12/18/17. No regrets at all! I feel better every day. The only thing is, I tire out easily. I was extremely tired after a trip to the doc and nutritionist a week post op. It’s a 2 hour drive one way. Also, because I was a revision from lap band to Bypass, my surgery was 5 hrs long due to scar tissue and my surgeon took his time and didn’t rush things to get it done properly. That last was from his PA. She is impressed with his patience in surgery. That’s exactly what you want in a surgeon! I was on full liquids the first week with no issues. After my first post op, I was able to advance to soft, puréed foods. That’s working out well too. I won’t lie to you, that evening after surgery, I was sore. Obviously, my stomach hurt, it hurt to move! I had right shoulder pain from gas they put in your stomach for surgery. But the nurses I had were awesome and experienced in dealing with Bariatric patients. Even thought they came in during the night to check vital, I still got a good sleep. Felt so much better the next day. I walked, sat up on the chair for 3 hours and was able to eat jello. I saw my doctor, nutritionist and his PA all before going home. I hope this is as the information you were looking to get. My highest weight 309, I do not have my surgery day weight, thinking it was about 301. According to the doc’s office 1 week our 290! I’m happy with my results. I haven’t stepped on the scale, but plan to every Tuesday. I would be happy to answer any questions for you. Good luck on your decision.

Hi everyone. So I recently found out I am 5 1/2 WEEKS pregnant. I am 11 months Post OP from a Bariatric Sleeve. I understand you are to wait to conceive well after a year and a half to two years however life happens lol. I am looking to start Pre Natal pills and really want to chose the best option as you know as a Bariatric patient you already lack those necessities in vitamins and nutrients. I just really want a healthy baby! Thank you all!!

The goal should be healthy at whatever that weight might be for you. Here is my issue with statistics. Per my surgeon's office : St Luke's for the state Idaho follow patients for five years at each check up. The problem is that many bariatric patients stop coming to follow up appointments. Surgeons offices see a drop off of participants in the first to second year. St. Luke's is still required to send in the statistic even when they know for fact they are not accurate. These are factored into the national average. St lukes also says its normal to gain around fifteen after goal. Your body naturally wants to settle at a certain weight. I don't judge people that have lost 100% of weight, Lost below the norm or have weight gain. I also don't judge " if your body does not want to put up with a diet and calorie restriction" Things that I see when I talk to local patient in my area: (not saying all these issues will cause weight gain either) Gains can be small or a major for many reasons...Healthy issues, wrong type of surgery for the individual, not properly screened by the mental health process, muscle mass gain, eating/exercise disorders, mobility issues, hormone issues, Pregnancies, complications from surgery and going back to poor choices/behaviors (I'm sure I missed more examples) Personally, I never wanted to be considered a statist in this process. Each of us have different goals. it's a choice of what weight makes you comfortable for goal and maintenance. I hate the word failure. It might be you cannot lose weight due to the examples listed above. Could be a set back gain. What my life looks like at 3.7 years out for life I live on protein, sugar substitute, dairy,vegetables, healthy carbs and fruit.( I eat all food groups) At goal I indulge once in a while. When I have a weight gain. I go back to basics and get back down to where I am comfortable. Maintaining for me is chasing the same 10 to 15 pounds.Weight loss is slow.

if you use a BMI calculator to find out whether Arnold Schwarzenegger is at a healthy weight, you might be surprised to learn that the BMI chart considers the former Mr. Universe as obese - not only now, but when he was in the prime of his body-building career. At just over six feet tall and about 235 pounds, the younger Schwarzenegger's BMI was over 31. So yep, Arnold himself....could get turned away by insurance companies and have his premium hiked....for his "obesity" based on an arbitrary number that has nothing to do with the reality of how much lean mass your body carries compared to fat mass. Would it horrify you to know that the most commonly used tool to determine obesity was created by a Belgium astronomer in 1830? And that even though we have really good metabolic testing devices that can accurately measure our fat and lean stores and give a much more accurate measure of our health....we still routinely use this archaic formula? To be fair....most of us can be fairly accurately represented with the oldschool BMI chart. But a few of us are badly misrepresented by it. See Arnold above. I've been a victim of the BMI chart most of my life. At 180 pounds, I was in athletic shape in my 20's. Had a washboard stomach and was doing huntseat trials (jumping horses in patterns) competitively. I'm 5' 6" and have extremely muscular legs, buttocks and arms and very broad shoulders. My husband says I'm "an amazon warrior...not a delicate beauty". LOL. Which is a nice way of saying I'm a sturdy Czech woman. One of the things that impressed me early on about my bariatric group was that they use a metabolic analyzer to determine our fat/lean composition and set a realistic and healthy goal weight. According to my metabolic analysis, I would have zero percent body fat at 145 pounds...the weight that would be recommended to me by a doctor using only a BMI chart. Most women my age do best with about 25% body fat....so my goal weight was set at about 170 pounds by my group using metabolic analysis. (I'm older now, so my lean mass is a bit less than my horse-flying days) I strongly recommend metabolic analysis for figuring out goal weight, calorie goals, etc. Human bodies are not standardized. Accuracy in measuring factual composition can be huge in developing the appropriate diet protocol for the individual.

Hi Marchers, Whatcha got going on in preparation for surgery? I started PT yesterday -- 12 visits pre-scheduled before surgery to start getting into shape. It's part of my Center's "Bariatric Optimization Program", or BOP. Piggy-backed onto PT to strengthening my knees and hips. :-)

@ Bariatric Hero. You're so funny. I just read your second post.. Lol @ the cohort People can be real a*****e-ish, very insensitive. I have a tendency to say too much, habitually honest but I'm working on the concept, that you see be honest and be quiet Lol

Bariatric Hero Way to go girl/guy.. I am so proud of you. Look at you Well, I'm sorry, I can't help but wonder if I'm "on board" but you're right. I keep hearing that from people who've been in this for a while. Don't compare

I just read some studies that stated at the average first month loss is about 16-18% of excess weight. So...if you have to lose 100 pounds...you should lose about 16-18 pounds. If you have to lose 50...you should lose about 8-9. On surgery day, I was 230 and I'm hoping to reach 170...so I had to lose 60. I lost 10, and will likely lose about 12 by my one month anniversary.....which seems to be in the ballpark of the study. 16-18% of your excess weight seems to be the answer bariatric surgeons will quote for first month's expected loss. That said...people often report a stall at around week 3...which might be the body trying to conserve for repairs. Push though your stall....add a little extra exercise, get your healthy calories in.... and I'll bet your scale will get moving again:) Also...keep in mind that people are all different and every body works a little different. Do your best, keep steady, and eventually it all averages out. I should mention that my group pushes for higher calories and more exercise sooner. I've been eating 1000 calories a day since the start of week 3 with no problems, and walking at least an hour or two every day.

I've never actually seen stats on this, but I've been hanging out on bariatric boards for about five years, and I'd say the average weight loss for the first month (not first two weeks - first MONTH) is 15-25 lbs. I know you see people who drop 30 lbs the first month, but unless they're on "My 600 lb Life", they're an outlier. It's just not all that common, but most people seem to have that expectation. I lost 16 lbs my first month, and I weighed almost 400 lbs. I've also lost 100% of my excess weight. Your body will lose at its own rate. The only control you really have is to stick to your program. So do that. Keep your nose to the grindstone and don't compare yourself to others.

I've been hanging out on various bariatric forums for about five years. Most people who regain say it's because they've fallen back into old habits. They're eating too much and they're eating crap again.

I think the OP has challenged us to look at reality. it can be a little discouraging to do this while you're working really hard and looking for the best outcome possible. Statistics back up most of what s/he said in the OP. People do regain weight. Statistically, it's a fact. There are also people like Introversion...who almost replace their food addiction with a health obsession. No offense, Introversion, I absolutely admire you....but you're unusual. Most 120 pound women are not as active as you, not doing the cardio you do...and certainly can't eat 2200 calories a day. You're in top athletic shape and that's incredibly cool....but you're not the norm. I think we can learn a lot from studying outcomes of whole surgery populations, particularly long term studies. If you've ever looked at the "estimated weight loss" calculators...you know that different people have different results. There's a big difference in weight loss between the top 20% and the bottom 20%. Some can be attributed to behavior and choices, and some seems to be the luck of the draw (or the curse of the draw...lol...depending on which way you go). I know one thing that has changed recently, is how doctors and dietitians are approaching calorie intake in the weeks after surgery. The old school of thought was to take advantage of inappetence and have patients lose as much weight as possible during the honeymoon phase of surgery by restricting calories severely. There used to be more tendency to limit patients to 500-800 calorie diets for months after surgery. And yep, people lost weight fast. What we're learning now, however, is that that rapid weight loss and super low calorie diet can reset the metabolism to a starvation level that actually can inhibit weight loss after a while, and can be correlated with more regain years down the road. A newer strategy being increasingly embraced in the bariatric community is to move patients up to a 1200 calorie diet as soon as possible after surgery, and encouraging exercise early on. This idea is to reset the metabolism to burning through a normal number of calories ASAP...and giving patients the energy to exercise hard and safely. Food choices are extremely important, but addressing exercise habits in resetting metabolism is becoming increasingly more important. Bariatrics is an emerging science. We're learning so much about the science of gut flora interactions, the roll of hormones and addictive behavior, genetics...all sorts of variables. Will your body pick a set point that is difficult to overcome? it's an excellent question. One I don't think we have a solid answer to, yet. Lot of different theories and a lot of studies to consider. It's fascinating stuff.

Unless you have serious commodities...specifically, type 2 diabetes.... I don't think a Canadian surgeon is gonna touch you for sleeve. Gastric balloon, possibly, but not sleeve (unless the following information has been updated) Currently, Canadian clinical practice guidelines suggest bariatric surgery for adults who have had previous unsuccessful attempts at losing weight by lifestyle modification and who have • A BMI of 40 kg/m2 or higher (class III obesity); or • A BMI of 35 kg/m2 or higher (class II obesity) and obesity-related comorbidities. These guidelines are in line with recommendations used in other countries. With preliminary evidence of positive results for those with less excess weight, some experts now suggest considering patients with BMIs of 30 kg/m2 to 34.9 kg/m2 (class I obesity) and type 2 diabetes for bariatric surgery. https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/Bariatric_Surgery_in_Canada_EN.pdf