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My experience is the same as @chrissymcm08. I’ve lost 83 lbs and rarely have knee pain now. Before the sleeve, I was told I would benefit from knee replacement. I was referred to Bariatrics by an orthopedic surgeon because my BMI was over 40. My BMI is now 30 and still going down. Knee replacement is the last thing on my mind now. So much happier!

I have heard the pouch test can be very successful but only if the person doing it is in a position to change their lifestyle ahead of time. The pouch will help you with restriction but you have to go back to basics and follow the plan as if you had surgery 5 days ago. If you don't, it will be a temporary fix again and you might lose some weight but in the long term it will come back. You have to remember the pouch is the tool that will help you but it is 100% up to you to ensure that what you put in your mouth is within your plan. As I am sure you know, the older you get the harder it will be to take that weight off again. That being said, I would suggest talking to your nutritionist and a therapist to help you get back to basics and stay there. We are forever in that obese category, even if we have lost all of our weight. Obesity is a metabolic disease and requires treatment every day. I might also suggest you have a Bariatric lab panel pulled so you can see where the deficits are in your nutrition. I am guessing if you aren't following the food plan, you likely have not been following the Vitamins and Protein plan either. These things determine you long term health. I wish you the best of luck and really hope that your are able to get back on track soon. Please keep us posted.

I just started using frutis fall fight shampoo and conditioner. So far less strands in my comb. I sure hope this works. It has biotin in it and the bariatric vitamins have 150 per cent of biotin everyday. The vitamins were not working but this shampoo seems to be. Will let everyone know after a few weeks.

That is for sure! Dr. Nowzaradan is a bariatric surgeon. WTF is he doing performing plastic surgery? I have never in my life, through all of my research of plastics and bariatric surgery heard of a surgeon that was doing both. They are both very highly specialized fields! I would never let a bariatric surgeon perform plastics on me or vice versa. It's insane! And the two younger doctors on the show... what is up with them doing tummy tucks with no muscle repair? That's pretty useless! No muscle repair, no lipo, everyone of their patients have a shelf and a terrible scar. Well, I'll cut them a little slack with the scar, because we aren't really seeing the patients a year or more out, when scars will really start to fade. But the no muscle repair or lipo makes it truly just "skin removal" surgery, which is not what most people think when they think of a tummy tuck. It will definitely require later revision with muscle repair for anyone to get the "flat stomach" they are hoping for.

Hate is a strong word. Kids can make you crazy at times but there is no greater love than the love of a child. Yes, they hate you from age 15-25, but after that, it's another renewed, kinder, stronger, more appreciative love that comes back to you. Don't knock it until you try it. I too had just dogs for ten years before a child, there is absolutely no comparison.

The American Diabetes Association has pretty good information. Here's a short article: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/bariatric-surgery.html I also read their book: https://www.amazon.com/Things-About-Diabetes-Weight-Loss-Surgery/dp/1580406149 The American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery has a longer article: https://asmbs.org/patients/surgery-for-diabetes If you're interested in wading through medical studies, I'm happy to point you at some. I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea, so I didn't want to start there. The short version of what studies are finding is that many people (above a BMI of 35) experience a very fast improvement, so quickly after surgery that the drop in body weight can't possibly be the cause. There are a lot of theories about what the cause is, but there are enough pieces of evidence both in favor of and against each of them that it seems like the best answer is "it's a variety of mechanisms." No matter the reason, because of the speed of the change in people's diabetes after surgery, you might find that your current need for 100 grams of carbohydrates per day to keep your numbers stable may not be the case after surgery--almost certainly won't, in fact. (I'm not saying you will definitely be able to control your diabetes with diet alone -- it happens for some people, but some others are merely able to decrease their reliance on medications. Just, the things you know about your body will change.) Someone posted the Kaiser Permanente list of post-surgery foods on here, not long ago, which I only remember because they were throwing carbs in there right away, where my surgeon's nutritionists are very focused on protein, then vegetables and fruits, and only much later carbs. So different places will have different rules, and if you want a look at that particular set, to see how it matches up with your needs (keeping in mind that those may change!), that might be worthwhile! Anyway, best of luck in making your decision!

I did not realize you were talking about full blown, knock-your-socks-off work outs. I agree that iron man/woman workouts can wait until later. Many bariatric patients would not be able to do those kind of work outs until some substantial weight comes off, anyway. But building in some reasonable cardio and strengthening exercises should start from the beginning, IMHO.

joeint - did your PCP refer you to a bariatric group? If so that group/surgeon will have a list of things you'll need to complete prior to the request for your surgery be submitted to your insurance. Most folks have to have 2 Psych evals, a visit with the surgeon, a WLS seminar of sorts that explains all the options, nutritionist visit so they can explain the stages of eating after WLS and also to see what you're eating now and while trying to lose weight for the surgery...usually 2 visits with them as well. After that there will be some tests such as bloodwork, chest xray, abdominal ultrasound, some folks have a sleep study and/or stress study. Each group is a tad different but, there are requirements by each insurance.Some insurances want a supervised diet from anywhere of 3 months to 6 months. Some don't require it etc. But your bariatric center/surgeon will help you with all that. Good luck and welcome to the forum/boards.

It really depends on what is required by your insurance. For a person new to the process, my insurance requires that you attend a seminar, meet with the surgeon, have a psych eval, physical, pre surgery nutritional counseling, liquid diet, and then after the surgery something like 12 months of phone nutritional counseling that is pre-paid prior to surgery. I'm waiting to see exactly if I have to start the whole process over (it was actually pretty easy and quick), or if since I was a lap band patient and had it removed if I can just start from the consult and be good to go from there. Definitely talk to your insurance company though. Research Medicare bariatric surgery guidelines - I've found that most insurance companies base their guidelines off of that. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be Good luck! disclaimer: I work for the insurance company that also provides my coverage, so I have access to all of our guidelines and requirements

Okay I will definitely be looking y'all up on Facebook! I'm not sure how the whole process works but the bariatric surgery consultant is the one who said that the referral was approved. I still have to get approval from surgeon and psychiatrist and I am praying hard I do. If I don't do something drastic I don't think I will make it past 40 :-(

Hi Chris, first you should call Aetna Customer Service and tell them that you need to check your contract for bariatric surgery. Make sure you plan does not exclude this procedure. Also, ask your doctor's office to give you the CPT billing code for the surgery and double check with your insurance carrier on the rules associated to receive approval for this code. Aetna tends to be one of the insurance carriers that requires you to jump through alot of hoops to get approved so be prepared. That's why we call it a journey. Visit your PCP and make sure he/she can document your weight progress over the past two years. Then document all your attempts at losing weight utilizing OTC pills, Jenny Craig, WW, etc. This should give you a good head start on your road to insurance approval. Good Luck!

I found an app and it's called "slow mow eating timer".. it was .99 but I feel like $1 is definitely worth it! I have been using it all day to really concentrate on eating slower and I have to say this app is quite impressive. You can set it to make a sound, buzz, or flash on your screen which is helpful if you're out and about. I tried the bariatric timer, but wasn't feeling the whole donut bit. Lol

I think the first step is as @@Bandista suggests. If you need bigger guns after that, there is a law firm in the U.S. that works for people in your situation. You'll find it by googling Walter Lindstrom Attorney. The name of the firm mentions WLS or bariatrics or obesity. You can't miss it. I'm only providing the name, as I've never heard from anyone whom they actually represented. I believe they work nationally. (There may be others, too.) If you do contact the firm, please let me/us know what they say. I may be in the same situation you're in. Best wishes to you.

Had surgery 2/22 and so far I'm doing awesome with staying hydrated, bowel movements, gas, walking, pretty much everything except getting protein in! I've found that I tend to get nauseous with the few powders I have on hand (isopure zero carb, isopure clear, & any bariatric fusion) I can seem to tolerate one milk based protein premade shake I picked up yesterday as well as plain low fat milk. However the stats aren't the greatest on the shake and I can't get enough in a day... any suggestions to help with this? I plan on adding unflavored protein powder to my purées when I start them on 3/2, but till then I'm not quite sure what to do... :/

Do you all mind sharing with me which doctors you used in Mexico? Right now, I am looking at Dr. Ortiz at ALm and Dr Ismael Jonathan Vazquez at Bariatric Select. I can't find much on Dr Ismael Jonathan Vazquez.

Beba, at my surgery consult on 12/09 my bmi was 61. My surgeon does all of the bariatric surgeries, but I had already knew that lapband was for me. He made sure I knew my stuff and also asked exactly why I wanted that particular surgery. I had already made lifestyle changes so he was confident that I made a good informed decision and was a good candidate. Weight was never an issue...I was actually worried that he wouldn't do the surgery due to my size, but he quickly told me with a giggle that I was NOT the heaviest he had ever banded. I had surgery on 3/2 and I am doing well and down 37 lbs. So all in all if you have educated yourself and know that lapband (and all the hard work/maintenance afterward) is for you then stick to your guns. Because this is a long term commitment be sure that you're comfortable with the surgeon and his office staff. No one says you can't research others before making a decision.

Yes, I have PCOS as well. I was actually diagnosed years ago - probably more than 15 years. But in the past few years, things have gotten bad, and while I was not yet diabetic, my doctor upped my dose of metformin to 3 times a day. Even taking all that metformin, I was struggling to even maintain my weight, let alone lose it. And I knew diabetes was around the corner because things were getting worse and my dad got it around this age. This is the main reason why I chose to have bariatric surgery. I think PCOS is a very common reason. I did my surgery self-pay, so I did not have to go through the pain of a doctor monitored weight loss regime before hand. However, I have read others talk about it on here. It sounds like there are two point of the monitored weight loss regime. One is to make sure you can follow a restricted diet, since your diet will be very restricted after the surgery. I am 3.5 weeks post-op, and I probably spend more time and energy on food that I did before the surgery - I have to eat more often, and I have to track my food to make sure I am getting protein, and I have to make sure I am getting enough water. Not everybody is up for that, and those people who aren't ready aren't successful long term. The second is to reduce the amount of fat stored in your liver, which makes the surgery safer. It sounds like you are following the advice from your doctor well. He knows you have PCOS and about your medication problems and why you are struggling with weight loss and how hard you've been trying. Your profile says you have lost 26 pounds - so that's not nothing. A 26 pound loss is enough to reduce the fat in your liver, and to show that you can follow a diet. So let us hope that you still will be approved. Also, talk to your doctor directly about this concern - she probably has dealt with insurance companies/patients before. If you're wanting some suggestions on how to get your diet back on track just to make sure you are approved, I wonder if you have thought about low-carb? I'm not an anti-carb fanatic, and I hope to be able to eat reasonable amounts of carbs in the long term now that I've had this surgery. But before surgery, whenever I was having trouble controlling my appetite, low-carb usually got things back on track. At it's core, PCOS is a metabolic problem with your glucose/insulin metabolism and low-carb helps. And doing low-carb pre-op will prepare you for the post-op diet. The post-op diet isn't strictly low-carb, but when you can't eat much and you need to make sure you get your protein, it pretty much ends up that way.

HI! I am new here:) I will be joining BCBS Illinois in feb and will be jumping their hoops to have VSG. I came across this in my research today and am wondering what your thoughts are, or if anyone else has read related info. it states that BCBS (Illinois, tx, OK, NM) has decided in conjunction with HCSC (their parent company) and ASMBS (american society of metobolic and bariatric surgery) to eliminate the pre operative 6 mth diet requirment. It states that it was announced on sept. 21, 2011. I have called bcbs and they say they have no knowledge of that policy change. HOWEVER... i have read a ton on this board and it appears that many people didnt know in febuary that they would be making the policy change from 3 mth diet to 6 mth diet that was done in march. AND in sept of 2010 people had no idea that VSG would become a covered surgery in Oct. so it seems like maybe you wont know about the policy change until it happens. thats what im hoping for. i will do this however i have to, but it would be amazing to not have to wait the 6 mths. http://asmbs.org/2011/12/hcsc-removes-mandatory-pre-operative-weight-loss-requirement/ thoughts? tricia

I was banded by Dr. Kurt Roberts with Yale Bariatric group in New Haven, CT. Was banded on December 18th, 2008. Have had one fill of 1 1/2 cc's. I really don't have any restriction. I eat about a cup to a cup and a half of food and would love to eat less. I have lost 18lbs, but that was in the first two weeks. NOTHING since. Can anyone tell me what the 'norm' is? I feel like such a loser that I can't even lose a single pound!! I'm beginning to regret this surgery and thinking of gastric bypass. Please help! I will take any type of feedback you are willing to give. Thanks bunches! Brandy

Palms of Pasadena - with Dr Robyn Ache from SunCoast Bariatrics... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G530AZ using Tapatalk

My menu for today, at 4 weeks out: Breakfast: Premier shake 160 cals, 30 protein Snack: Chobani Greek "hint of Strawberry" yogurt 120 cals. 12 protein Lunch: 1/5 of a hormel prepared meal with 20 g of protein 200 Cals, 10 protein Snack: Turkey/cheese roll up 142 cals 5 protein Dinner: 1/2 serving of bariatric cookbook "Egg Roll in a bowl" 134 cals, 10 protein Snack: 1/2 Premier shake 80 cals, 15 protein I try to get between 800 and 100 cals per day, but some days I don;t make it. I ALWAYS make my 75 or more of protein. Today looks like about 830 cals, 82 protein, 42 net carbs, 8 fiber, 27 fat. I am losing about .65 pounds per day according to my app. I have not yet stalled, although I'm sure I will.

Of course professional psychiatric therapy would be my first suggestion. You may check with your insurance to see if it is covered. If not, there are self help books out there, free support groups through local bariatric programs, etc. Look for books or programs that deal with addiction and cognitive behavior therapy. Do whatever you have to to find the help you need. You need to uncover the reasons you turn to food and work to develop new outlets for your emotions. Another addiction recovery program mentioned in my support group was Smart Recovery. It appealed to people who weren't comfortable with the 12 step process of OA. They offer online, personal and group support. Food addiction is hard. I know I would not have been successful postop without the psychological support. 1/2 dozen books, 3+ years of personal therapy (which was more valuable than surgery itself), 5+ years of group therapy (free) and now free online forum support.

Della Street, When is your surgery? If you haven't had your psych eval, or nutrition consult, I really liked the psychologist, Dr. Olin, and the nutritionist Michelle Berman. They regularly work with bariatric patients.Dr. Olin is in Tempe, and Michelle is in Mesa.

Congrats.I have surgery on the 15th.My preop appt with surgeon is the 8th.I will also meet with the bariatric nurse that day to.She will go over my post op diet.

Now would be a great time to try the chewables you will need post op. I use Twin Labs Calcium Citrate with Magnesium and D (60 wafer bottle--4 a day dose) available at Vitacost.com for $7.67 each, $4.99 shipping for any size order. I order about 5 bottles (plus Twin Labs liquid Fish Oil for my Omega 3s) so I only have to order every 2 months and it all comes for $4.99. I actually paid $17.99 for it in a Healthy Options store, so this is a great price. You can also try Bariatric Advantage (bariatricadvantage.com) for their Calcium Citrate. I am pretty sure it comes with D. Citrate is the better form of calcium (absorbs better than carbonate) and the Vitamin D should be D3 or cholocalciferol.