Search the Community

I kept getting lost in here so I started a FB PAGE” group” Trina Carrie Robinson Stuart Bariatric buddies

Call your doctor. If you cant reach him/her then go to an ER at a hospital that has a Bariatric Program. Get well soon. 5' 5" HW: 259 CW: 235 GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

I'm a DS patient and I take two 500 mg of chewable calcium, two chewable multivitamins of ADEK (Bariatric Advantage), and one sublingual B12 (3000 mcg). That's it per my doctor's orders. Not too bad at all.

I no longer have my gallbladder, had that removed in 2013 which was 4 year before my bariatric surgery

I don't believe there's a correlation between bariatric surgery and appendix problems. . Gallbladder pain is extremely common however and a large percentage of bariatric patients will need their gallbladder removed

I'm trying to find the three other people scheduled for December 19th at Bariatricpal MX in Tijuana. They told me the valet will take a group of us around Tijuana and to the beach and stuff. I was wanting to get an idea of what we can/want to see.

Don't recall anyone posting that they were eating any of the above. this reads like the pharmaceutical propaganda regurgitated. Lucky you that you haven't had complications, but about 50% of the people who have been banded have been permanently maimed by the band. I hope you don't end up like one of us. seriously, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. My hospital roommate was in the OR for 4 hours while they were removing the adhesions from his band to his liver and other organs. There is a reason it has been banned in some countries...and it is not because of ice cream. My province estimates it is costing the healthcare system 100k in ER visits for every band in the province (prior to revision). The revision rate I've heard from the local bariatric center is around 80%. Every single band study done (even the positive ones) show a complication rate (that requires surgery) in the 30-50% range. You are in the lucky 50%...

Thank you so much! I also tried the bariatric advantage and it did not sit well with me either. I have been switching off with the Apple and orange isopure and now I am just tired of it. I bought the strawberry banana isolate yesterday and tried it this morning, it was ok. I guess it will take some getting used to

Tijuana, México. AT INT HOSPITAL WITH PONCE BARIATRIC

Hahaha well the red hair turned white and almost all fell out in the process. Thank God for bariatric vitamins and hair color 😜😜

Happy Thanksgiving from BariatricPal! #outlook a {padding:0;} body{width:100% !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; margin:0; padding:0;} .ExternalClass {width:100%;} .ExternalClass, .ExternalClass p, .ExternalClass span, .ExternalClass font, .ExternalClass td, .ExternalClass div {line-height: 100%;} #backgroundTable {margin:0; padding:0; width:100% !important; line-height: 100% !important;} img {outline:none; text-decoration:none; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;} a img {border:none;} .image_fix {display:block;} p {margin: 1em 0;} h1 { color: white !important; } h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {color: #333333 !important;} h1 a:active, h2 a:active, h3 a:active, h4 a:active, h5 a:active, h6 a:active { color: red !important; } h1 a:visited, h2 a:visited, h3 a:visited, h4 a:visited, h5 a:visited, h6 a:visited { color: purple !important; } table td {border-collapse: collapse;} table { border-collapse:collapse; mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } a {color: #4a8aca;} /* Unhides cells that we set to hide in the HTML in case the client doesn't support style properly */ *[class~=hidePhone] { display : block !important; width : auto !important; max-height: inherit !important; overflow : visible !important; float : none !important; } *[class~=hidePhone][width="30"] { width: 30px !important; } *[class~=hidePhone][width="40"] { width: 40px !important; } td[class~=hidePhone] { display: table-cell !important; } @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) { a[href^="tel"], a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: none; color: blue; pointer-events: none; cursor: default; } .mobile_link a[href^="tel"], .mobile_link a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: default; color: orange !important; pointer-events: auto; cursor: default; } #userPhoto, .hidePhone, *[class~=hidePhone], td[class~=hidePhone] { display: none !important; } .responsive_table > tr > td, .responsive_table > tbody > tr > td, .responsive_table > tr, .responsive_table > tbody > tr { display: block; text-align: left; } html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tr > td, html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tbody > tr > td, html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tr, html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tbody > tr { text-align: right; } .responsive_row { margin-bottom: 10px; } .responsive_fullwidth { width: 100% !important; } } @media only screen and (min-device-width: 768px) and (max-device-width: 1024px) { a[href^="tel"], a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: none; color: blue; pointer-events: none; cursor: default; } .mobile_link a[href^="tel"], .mobile_link a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: default; color: orange !important; pointer-events: auto; cursor: default; } Store Forums Magazine Activity Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you are spending the day and weekend with close family, in-town relatives, or friends. Maybe you will even enjoy a few minutes of peace by yourself at some point this weekend. We have a newsletter that we hope will motivate you to stay on track this holiday weekend. • Giving Thanks: So Much to Be Grateful For! • Live It Up Responsibly This Thanksgiving! • Holiday Shopping: Time to Treat Yourself! Enjoy the newsletter, and remember you can find plenty more tips and inspiration on the BariatricPal Forums. We hope you’ll find a little time for your BariatricPal family this weekend, after you dedicate yourself to your family and friends, first. Thank you for everything you do to support us! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Giving Thanks: So Much to Be Grateful For! BariatricPal is filled with gratitude for so many things. Leading the way are our members – you! We couldn’t do it without you. You keep our forums going, spread the word about BariatricPal, and drive success in our main mission: to fight obesity with WLS. Thank you! We’re also grateful for: • Our partner surgeons and allied health professionals who support the site and contribute to WLS Magazine. • Customers at The BariatricPal Store who are getting their protein supplements and bariatric vitamins. • The opportunities we’ve had to go to conferences, work with ASMBS, and fight obesity in other ways. Gratitude Can Spur Success Naming what you are thankful for can have positive effects on your weight loss journey and health. Reminding yourself of who helped you and what has worked for you can motivate you to keep working hard to take advantage of the benefits. Why not take a few minutes to think about what you are grateful for? • Your family and friends – for listening to you, agreeing not to eat so much junk food in front of you, pitching in around the house after your WLS, and willingness to work out with you. • Your healthcare team – for the steady support, after-hours phone calls, and successful surgery. • Your online friends – for their tough love, sympathetic ears, and practical advice. • Yourself – for working hard, believing in yourself, not giving up, forgiving yourself, and being an inspiration to others. Live It Up Responsibly This Thanksgiving! How much did you used to eat on Thanksgiving Day? Tally up a roll with butter, a serving of turkey and stuffing, a generous helping each of sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce, plus some pumpkin and pecan pie. Estimates place the average Thanksgiving meal at somewhere between 1,500 and 4,500 calories. That’s a pretty big range, but the exact number does not matter. The fact is that it is too high. Try changing it up this Thanksgiving. You can keep the pleasure and party in the day, but there’s no need to overdo it. Go in with a game plan, make a few recipe swaps, and above all, stick to small servings, and you can get through the day without any hint of guilt. The Great Bird and Friends Rest easy: turkey is a good food! Keep it to a 3-ounce serving, and you will get 25 grams of protein and no carbs. Contrary to popular belief, dark meat is barely fattier than white, so take your pick. Just make sure to take the skin off. Top it with deli mustard and, if you are feeling adventurous, make your own cranberry sauce using your choice of calorie-free sweetener instead of sugar. Swap the Sides Your best bet is to roast vegetables in the oven for the last hour that you cook the turkey. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and onions are good candidates. If you can’t pass up the traditional sides, make a few swaps to cut the carbs and fat. • Mashed Potatoes: try pureed cauliflower and Protein Gravy. • Sweet Potato Casserole: try pureed cauliflower with pureed pumpkin, and use a sugar substitute instead of sugar. • Green Bean Casserole: try Cream of Mushroom Protein Soup instead of full fat, and top it with crushed whole grain cereal instead of fried onions for crunch. Desserts Your Body Can Handle A slice each of pumpkin and pecan pie can total over 1,000 calories. Instead, you’re best off savoring hot tea or Low-Acid Coffee, or enjoying a Hot Protein Drink such as hot chocolate or vanilla cappuccino. If you need a few bites of something closer to dessert, try Maple Pumpkin Protein Muffins, pumpkin cheesecake made with protein powder, or Pumpkin Pie Pudding. Holiday Shopping: Time to Treat Yourself! The holiday shopping season is in full swing. Have you given any thought to what you are going to gift yourself? It could be something to motivate yourself or a reward for your hard work. We’re in favor of gifts that will help make your weight loss surgery journey easier. There’s no need to feel guilty about giving yourself a gift; the more successful you are, the better able you will be to support your family and friends the way you want. Here are some gifts you can get at The BariatricPal Store – and here’s a hint: you can send someone a link in case they’re trying to figure out what to get you! • Milk chocolate, chocolate with almonds, or other Protein Chocolate Bars…since chocolate is a nice gift! • Mantra Bracelets: think of them as a stocking stuffer. • Protein Drinks: try unique flavors such as Hot Mint Cocoa, Cheesecake, and Mocha Cream. • Portion Control Plates, so you can have proper portions of homemade meals anytime, anywhere. • Protein Entrees to give yourself a break in the kitchen while eating delicious meals and staying on track. • A high-tech Body Scale to motivate yourself and track your progress. • Gift Cards, as a promise to yourself that you’ll stick to your healthy intentions. Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving, and a healthy one, too! If you get a chance, we hope you’ll spend a few minutes of your holiday weekend with us over on the Forums – you’ll get the chance to find all kinds of ideas from other BariatricPal members and discover how they handle the holiday season, too. Happy Thanksgiving! Stop paying for nutritional supplements! Check your insurance eligibility now! If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click *|unsubscribe|* or to unsubscribe from ALL BariatricPal E-Mail Click Here.

I always have and always will use Isolate. For me this is because I was extremely lactose intolerant before surgery (and surgery usually makes it worse). Isolate has no lactose, which makes it the best option for me. If you look at weight lifting forums and stuff isolate is generally looked upon as better in quality than other proteins. The biggest reason (in my opinion) not to use Isolate is because it's significantly more expensive than other protein sources, and your options are much more limited (of finding a flavor/texture/drink you like). I think it may be absorbed quicker than other proteins as well but don't quote me on that. The majority of the stuff on my surgeons recommended list contains lactose, and bariatric advantage makes me sick as hell. So whey isolate is the best option for me

Hi bariatric pals! I have had an endoscopy - not for the faint hearted, but at least now I have photos of the inside of my intestines, for the family Christmas card! Bloods good, ecg good, chest x-ray good, nutritionist visit done - three weeks til surgery, no tasks but to wait! Not even per-op diet cos it is open surgery!

I have Kaiser and I had to go through 12 week of classes before I could even get a consult with bariatric surgeon. I received my surgery date at my consult. If you do not have to take any classes, support group class or a psych evaluation then you are lucky. I thought that all of that was the standrd now to go through prior to be pproved for any bariatric surgey.

The no-drinking rule is applicable primarily to those with lap bands and gastric bypasses, but bariatric programs teach it to all weight loss surgery patients out of convenience (or laziness). People with normal stomachs have a pyloric valve that controls the entry of foods/fluids into the small intestine. Also, people with sleeved stomachs have a pyloric valve that controls the entry of foods/fluids as they progress into the small intestine. Gastric bypass patients, however, no longer have the pyloric valve. Their stomach has been turned into a pouch with a simple stoma. If they drink with meals, food will be prematurely flushed into the small intestine. In short order, they become hungry. The 'no drinking with meals' rule is one that originally applied to gastric bypass patients and lap band folks before getting broadly applied to all bariatric surgery patients. Nonetheless, a sleever who drinks with meals won't flush the food into the small intestine any sooner because the intact pyloric valve prevents that. At the most, fluids might lessen the just-eaten meal's thickness into a liquid slurry that exits the stomach sooner.

I love your honesty. And you really explained it perfectly how it can happen so easily. I know this isn't going to be a popular suggestion, but have you thought about trying a weight loss drug? I know some bariatric surgeons and even General Practice doctors will prescribe them under close supervision. Maybe something like phentermine is just the jump start you need? I look at them as just another tool in the toolbox to help is fight the life long battle of obesity.

Wondered if anyone else had this test and what you thought of the results? It's standard with my bariatric medical group. I learned that my body fat percent was much less than it is on a standard height/weight chart due to my muscle mass. Pretty cool! I also learned that some of my previous diet efforts probably failed because I would tend to eat too few calories and get too hungry. MedGem analysis put my daily burned calorie load (with minimal exercise) at 2480 calories because I carry a lot of muscle. So I was told to target eating 1500 to 1900 calories per day. It seems like a ton of calories...but if I eat them, and pick quality foods with low glycemic index carbs, lots of protein and healthy fats...I'll lose weight. (and veggies, of course!) Particularly, if I exercise regularly. I also learned that I would be at zero percent body fat....at 138 pounds! My goal of 170 pounds is based on carrying 25% body fat...which is pretty healthy. Not all bodies are built the same. Not all of us are an accurate fit on the height/weight charts. MedGem was a really cool look into my specific metabolic process. It was just a lot of really interesting information that has helped put me on a better track. Anyone else familiar with this test?

I'm not telling friends and family just yet. I know my family would argue with me about it: that it's a waste of money, too dangerous, etc., and that I should just do it "naturally." My surgery is scheduled for January 11th; I won't see family until sometime in May or June, so... I'll tell them then. And then they can yell at me all they want. (Family: Mom and Dad) I'll tell my boss and my immediate team members at work - mostly because I'm going back to work just a week after being sleeved and don't want them to think I'm just slacking off. At the moment, most folks, both friends, co-workers and family, know that I'm going to Thailand - I've had a vacation to Thailand booked for three years and finally scheduled it. But I'm too fat to go there right now; I've been dreading the trip and finally canceled it. Instead, I'm taking the time off work to go have the surgery. I don't want to lie to my boss and team members about where I'm going. Once my weight loss starts showing and if folks ask, I'll either tell them that I'm on a permanent "Whole30"-style diet (paleo/keto) or flippantly say something like: "Oh, yeah, I had half my stomach removed," depending upon who is asking. But I'm not openly telling anyone and everyone. Of course, I do have an acquaintance/casual friend who used to be quite heavy and very large. She started dropping weight rapidly and would tell us that she was just sticking to a very strict diet. It was only after about six months of this that, finally, my sister-in-law said to me: "Doesn't she realize that we all know she had some kind of bariatric surgery? I mean, we're not stupid!" hah! Um... till she said that, I totally believed our friend's story that she was dieting/exercising it off. Guess I'm the dummy. lol.

you lost over 100 pounds! You can do 20 pounds .Glad you are getting it back on track. Many of us here are battling weight gain. Get back to your bariatric eating plan high protein low carb. Log your food if you don't already. I use myfitnesspal. Hydrate hydrate hydrate! Activity and exercise. for motivation - holiday weight loss challenge https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/405183-holiday-challenge-time-lets-do-this/

Boston area peeps........anyone use the Brigham and Women's Center for Bariatric and Metabolic surgery? If not, where in the Boston/Providence area did you go and were you happy with them?

I'll chime in in case someone cares. Research shows that bariatric patients' blood alcohol levels increase two to four times as high as typical folk after consuming the same amount of alcohol. 2-4 times! So 1 beer for us postop is equal to 2 to 4 beers preop.

I am four days post-op. I chose Dr. Fernando Garcia with Tijuana Bariatrics as well. The experience was excellent. Bedside manner, the facility itself, the staff, coordination of travel, communication from the very beginning, and the surgery itself were EXCELLENT. They even arrange a day trip for you after surgery and take you around Tijuana so you can get some walking in and popsicles. The hotel is on point as far as knowing who you are and your dietary restrictions. The entire experience made me feel like a VIP. If I had to do it again, I would. Like everyone says, do your research and find who works best for you. [emoji5]

Ok, so from your example, you are getting 38g protein when you eat the cereal and 34g when you eat the bacon. A typical female needs a minimum of 46g protein a day, and bariatric patients need 60g protein a day. We need more because of our reduced caloric intake. When we eat fewer than 1200 calories, the body uses some of the protein for metabolic activities instead of muscle/organ maintenance...so we need extra protein. Your intake is wholey inadequate and your body is taking protein from your muscles and organs as we speak. This phenomenon is why anorexics die. The body removes too much protein from the heart and it stops functioning. If you can eat 2oz protein at dinner, then you can eat 2 more oz a couple hours later (or earlier). If you can drink milk on your cereal, then you can have a glass of milk instead of the orange juice. These two changes will bring you up to 60g a day. Because you are 5 months out, I wonder if you've been short on protein all this time. If so, then aim for 80g protein to work on rebuilding the damage. Exchange non-protein foods for protein ones. The hair loss happens to a lot of patients the first year. It should start growing back in around your surgiversary. Malnutrition will keep it from coming back.

I've never consulted with a nutritionist specifically for WLS, and the ones I saw for PCOS weren't particularly helpful. They basically gave the same advice as what's provided online about following a lower-carb but not ultra low carb diet. Since I went the DIY self-pay in Mexico route, I never had to consult with a nutritionist prior to having the VSG in August of 2015. I found ample information provided on sites for bariatric centers, like the ones at UCLA, Stanford, the Mayo Clinic, and also gathered ideas for meal plans and recipes on here, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. That gave me guidelines about what to eat in each stage of post-op, and instructions on long-term eating. I did also receive information from my surgeon's office, but found it helpful to learn about eating in advance. It sounds like you're doing FANTASTIC on your own, so there's little reason for you to spend the money and time seeing a consultant about this point. The only point of possible concern is that from what you've described it sounds like you might be consuming too few calories at this point, especially at lunch. I noticed that my hair shedding lessened when I added in more calories. You may want to have a more substantial meal then and see how that impacts your weight. Otherwise, it looks like a strong meal plan, and quite obviously, it's working very well for you! Congrats!

You haven’t experienced what the op has gone through. You haven’t experienced pregnancy post wls. You are still in early days and think it’s all smooth sailing. And it’s all about choices. I’m sorry to tell you, it isn’t that simple. In a few years things will likely be different for you too. I hear a lot of fear in the tone of your posts and I understand it is scary that maybe what you are getting out of surgery right now won’t last, and you may regain. It’s terrifying. It terrified me and scares me still at times. But being crude and rude to people on here isn’t the answer. If you are having success, good for you. But it’s a good idea to listen with an open ear because some day you may be struggling too. Wls is not a permanent solution. The restriction most people get is temporary. Somenever get it at all. No matter how much weight you have lost- it doesn’t give you the right to judge others. The op is on here asking for support not to be told she’s a failure by her own lack of willpower. I’m sure she is trying as hard as she can. For some reason your statement “I’ve seen you around Bella bloom!!!!” Makes me chuckle. I’m like, the dark specter of bariatric pal... lurking...around...every....corner... with .... a smile.