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What do you do when people your not close with ask how you lost weight? I have told all my close family and friends my plans for bariatric surgery but its not something I could see myself advertising to others. For example I work with a lot of men. I feel like it will be awkward if they ask how I'm loosing the weight.

I had to crush ALL my meds for 6 weeks. I came out of the hospital off my diabetes medication and high cholesterol medication. The only meds I was on were my vitamins and mental meds. I got the chewable Celebrate baritric ones (search Bariatric vitamins on Amazon). They were pretty nasty crushed up. I just used one of my 10ml medicine cups, poured some of my crystal lite fruit punch into it, poured the crushed on top of that and do it like a shot with my fruit punch as chaser. So, so, so, gross. I also had to open my tablets (omeprazole) and pour it into my shot. So that was me.

I just wanted to share some Costco finds that are Bariatric friendly. I found these this week and they have made my meal planning super easy! -Sukhi Chicken Tikki Masala: 1/2 cup is about 145 calories with 17 grams of protein. The box comes with 2 bags. One bag provided me with three 1/3 cup servings and one 1/2 cup serving. I’m freezing the other bag for another time! -Sous Vide egg bites: one egg bite is 145 calories with 9 grams of protein -Paleo Chicken Sausage: 1 link is 160 calories with 16 grams of protein -Fairlife chocolate protein drinks If anyone has any other great Costco finds to share please do!

Try protein hot cocoa. I found it much easier to drink warm beverages in my early post-op days than cold. The Bariatric Pal hot cocoa mix is delicious but you can get other brands of protein hot cocoa on Amazon.

@ynotiniowa I'm a nurse working crazy hours in hospital too. Donuts, cookies, cupcakes and candy on every counter, that's a nurse's life at work, that's why I needed bariatric surgery...lol. I went to work after 6 weeks, so I was eating regular food and it was not so obvious to others. You will survive 12-16 hr shift by eating Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, protein cereal with Fairlife protein shake, tuna pouches and prepackaged small containers with protein rich/nutrition foods (chicken, turkey, chili, veges etc). Wish you good luck and success!

I am planning on having my surgery on base. The bariatric center there is very highly rated, so I'm good with the location. I'm in the pre op stages (psych eval, nutrition, ect). At my initial appointment with the surgeon, he said I qualified because of my sleep apnea. I have tried other attempts at weight loss through Weight Watchers and Noom, but it wasn't supervised by my doctor. I also work with a nutritionist, but she hasn't been tracking my weight. Anyway, my question is, if you had your surgery on base, what was the approval process? Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I expected a diet plan from my surgeon or the dietitians. What I got was a booklet of recipes and items I knew from my personal pre-op research online was not appropriate for a post bariatric patient. I have pretty much had to figure it out on my own. My surgeon at a support group meeting even said the surgery he performs doesn't cause malabsorption. Dude if you did the surgery you said your did - Yes it does! I never went back to a meeting because I knew I knew more about my nutrition than my surgeon. I kept the packet to the day (25 years ago) just for amusement.

My surgery was 2.5 years ago, so it's sort of a distant memory at this point... I don't mean to scare anyone -- I actually hope it will be reassuring to know that (at least for me) waking up from surgery was the worst part. I remember being in the bed in the waiting area before surgery with an IV, and then nothing until I woke up. A lot of people remember being in the operating room, having to move themselves from the bed to the table, but I don't remember any of that. I woke up in a lot of pain and for some reason, I had it in my head that something went wrong and they didn't complete the bypass. When I was able to speak, I asked, "What happened?" I guess the nurses thought I was disoriented and explained that I was in the hospital and I just had gastric bypass surgery. I felt intense regret, wondering why I did this to myself. I could barely move, but I remember looking around and seeing the monitor showing my vitals. I had a blood pressure cuff on my arm that periodically ran, and it was a lot higher than normal, but nobody seemed concerned. I didn't really feel the incisions, but I had a lot of pain that I assumed was gas pain, based on what I had read before surgery, and I knew that I was supposed to walk to help with the gas pain. I kept asking to get up and walk, and the nurses told me I had to wait until they took me to my recovery room. I stayed in the hospital for one long, rough night. I was trying to walk as much as possible, up and down the halls. I made the mistake of walking at dinner time, and the non-bariatric patients had actual food, and the smell nauseated me. I got a meal tray with a protein shake, water, apple juice, coffee, and fruit cocktail (it was supposed to be sugar-free Jello, but apparently they were out and decided that fruit cocktail was the next best thing, LOL... The bariatric nurse was very upset that they had given me something that I shouldn't eat, but of course I knew better and did not eat it). Between walking, I tried to sip as much as possible, and it was very difficult. Fortunately, I had IV fluids, so plenty of hydration (and I had to pee very frequently). After the first few hours, I had very little pain and did not need to take any pain medication. I did have discomfort in my stomach, like cramping/spasms, so they gave me anti-spasm and anti-nausea medication. I had leg compression machines on my legs while I slept. The nurses came in to check on me periodically. My surgeon came in once. Once the anesthesia wore off and I was fully awake, I was eager to get out of the hospital and go home, and I felt like I had to wait forever. In hindsight, I'm glad they kept me for longer than I wanted because while I was there, I was getting hydrated with IV fluids, which was good because it was so hard to drink fluids those first few days. Once I got home, the first few days were not pleasant, but I had very little pain and recovered quickly. So if you feel completely miserable when you wake up, just know that you will get through it and things will likely improve very quickly.

I'm four days away from my gastric bypass surgery! Since I'm a nurse (with experience as a pre and post op bariatric patients) my anxiety about the procedure itself is fairly low. Honestly, I was more terrified when I had oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth lol The nutritional component and meal progression is second nature as I have preached it so many times to our patients. I work for the federal government and have been blessed with great health insurance so getting approval was a breeze (my provider submitted my info on a Monday morning and received the approval by early afternoon the same day). I am taking 5 weeks off to recover, time to go through the progression and some "me time". (which includes welcoming my 2nd granddaughter at the end of February). My concern lies with the fact that as a nurse, I work the craziest bizarre hours and how I can consistently coordinate the correct "good habits" while at work. My hours typically are 3:30pm to 8am (yes 16 hours evening into the next morning) and 11:30 to midnight (12 hours). I would love some feedback from other healthcare peeps who deal with the 24/7 demand in our field while maintaining adequate nutrition, exercise and keeping a schedule while at work, even when distractions or "train wreck" situations comes up on the job. My boss has been great and when I return I believe I'll mostly work 12 hours shifts (which will be a godsend so I can have enough sleep) but any advice on how to avoid falling back into the normal "pitfalls" that nursing can foster? Nurses literally are the worst snackers, vending machine finding, "let's order out" people ever!!! Thanks in advance! Jacki

So I'm going to just copy and paste part of my about me section to make this a bit easier lol: "in May 2019 I had VSG, and for about a year everything seemed to be doing fine. Initially, I was successful and almost 100 lbs down. I got down to 174lbs within a year. Almost 14 months later, I was dealing with a new stressor in my life (an abusive situation) and ended up developing extreme GERD, reflux, and would feel burning acid come up each night--sometimes choking on it and breathing in my own stomach acid. I ended up suffering with bronchitis and pneumonia due to the extreme GERD several times within a short period of time. My surgeon stated that this is one of the possible side effects of VSG as well as extreme stress, and offered revision to do the RNY and a hiatal Hermia repair. All went well, and at first, I seemed to have recovered well. But now, here I am in 2023 and I have slowly gained over 30lbs in the last 2.5 years, going from my lowest post-bariatric weight of 174 lbs to now at about 207.7 lbs. Not really sure if it was a result of surgery, or poor eating habits (or both), because from the moment I woke up from surgery and in each phase of my bariatric diet, I felt as though my "pouch" or new stomach was no longer feeling restrictive, and I was able to eat much larger portions than before. " I know 30 lbs may not seem like " a lot" to most, but to me it is a big deal and has been stressing me out a lot. Lately, I have been considering seeing either my old surgeon or possibly a new one for a check up to see if there is something "wrong" with the size/my surgery failed. Or perhaps, maybe this is hormonal, stress-related, etc. One thing I would like to add is that the majority of this weight regain started the moment I started taking SSRI medication (which I am still on for anxiety and depression). Looking for advice on what to do....as I have been trying to motivate myself to get back on track...

Do any of the military bases have a hospital that does the surgery? I'm getting mine done at an Army hospital here in Colorado. I do advise some caution, though. Our bariatric center here has high standards and is a Bariatric Center of Excellence. Good luck. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

i dont know what part of Florida you are at but i got my surgery done at the Baptist Bariatric Center in Jacksonville, Florida. They have several surgeons. Process was pretty simple.

You stated "My primary care put in a referral and Tricare approved it for Dr. A" and "my weight loss trial and all the pre-reqs are done". So I am assuming you completed these thru your Primary Care Doctor and they have all the documentation. I also assume you have Tricare Prime not Tricare for Life (what I used), either way you have recieved insurance approval. You must be in the panandle or down in the muck near Clewiston but there has to be more Bariatric surgeons than just that one office within an hour. But I woud NOT go with a surgeon that is still seeking insurance credential. Tricare is adminstered by Humana which is not a small organization. There are many Bariatric Surgeons throughout Florida. Just curious, is this specific surgeon in the same medical network as your primary doctor? I would request a new surgeon or center thru your Primary Doctor. Submit all the "completed" documentation to a new surgeon and explain your employment situation. They might still be able to sched for March/April

So I started the process in September and definitely was not prepared for how much time everything would take mainly due to the insurance requirements around a weight loss trial. I thought everything I had done in the past would have counted, but it did not so I had to start a new weight loss trial. My primary care put in a referral and Tricare approved it for Dr. A at a surgeon's office over an hour away (closest bariatric specialty). When I tried to schedule the appt, I was told that Physician A is revamping his practice and would like to have me be scheduled with Dr. B. I agreed, as long as the referral was still good. Apparently that was not quite the question I should have asked. Fast forward to 4 months later, my weight loss trial and all the pre-reqs are done. I emailed the clinic with all the information and had not heard anything in 10 days, so I asked for an update. Today's update is this: Dr. B is not yet credentialed with Tricare so they can't even submit for approval until that is done. They have no estimated time frame and can't tell me when the process started. According to Tricare's website, it can take 60-90 days for a new provider to be credentialed. Additionally, when I asked if I could have my surgery done by Dr. A since Dr. A did my EGD and all my labs, they responded saying they asked Dr. B and he said no. I'm beyond frustrated because I only have a small window remaining where I can take off (Feb - Mar). After that, I will have to put it off until August or September. To clarify, I don't work a standard full time job. I am a contractor working through a recruiting company for a hospital org to implement the software system and their go-live is in July. I don't get paid for time off and I don't get FMLA. So now I'm either stuck in limbo for potentially months until they get him credentialed or I could see if another surgeon would be willing to take all the existing labs/imaging/documentation.

I wish it was a range of responses. The questions per my bariatric program are all short answer. It may even take 2 sessions to get through them all

Hi. 50 year old male. Had bariatric sleeve surgery in June of '19. Went from 341lbs to 238lbs between the start of the process leading up to surgery (end of 2018) through March of 2020. After Covid hit in March of 2020, I had a lot of changes (as did many) in my life, from quarantine to moving to a different region, etc. With surgery you have a 1 year "Goldilocks" period where you will lose almost all of your weight. After that year, some of your hunger (due to increased Ghrelin production) will return. Unless you learn and incorporate new lifestyle changes (including exercise and eating habits) during that first year, you risk the chance of putting that weight back on. Foods to stay away from are high caloric liquids and ice creams. I found them to be far less difficult to overindulge in vs things such as pasta I found difficult to eat. I found that I could still go through ice cream and cheese-related snacks just as frequently) albeit in smaller portions as I did pre-surgery. Back to our story. I had my most recent physical at the end of last August where I had gone up from 238lb to 274lb. Around this time I noticed my sister-in-law had lost some serious weight from one month to the next. She said she was taking Wegovy. I asked my doctor who instead gave me a sample of the 2.5mg Mounjaro that he had. Now what I write is my personal experience. Not everyone will have the same result. Almost immediately I found that I had the same LACK of appetite that I had post surgery. I don't know if it kick-started the effects of the surgery or if I just have reacted well (so far) to the drug. This question is how I found this thread in the first place. As of yesterday, I have gone down from the aforementioned 274lb to 225lbs. So, that's almost 50lbs in just under 6 months. Positives: See above. Side effects: I have fortunately had none up to this point. The most I could say is that I need to go number 2 only a couple of times a week. I don't feel constipated though. So, this could simply be me having less food in my stomach. I have read that other people have experienced things like diarrhea, constipation, rashes, headaches, and lethargy to name a few. Also if you take insulin, liptor, etc, your doctor will want to monitor you for the first few weeks to make sure your blood sugar levels don't get too low. Again, everyone is different, so I can only tell you my experience. Administration: 1x a week epi-pen like sub-dermal injection. While some people have complained of pain at the time of administration or itchiness the following day...again, I have had none of that. For me, the process has been painless. In fact, the first time I gave myself a shot, I thought I messed up as I didn't feel anything. Only a pinhead sized dot of blood let me know it was successfully administered. You keep the box (4 pens in box equaling a 1 month supply) refrigerated. Dosage amounts: You start at 2.5mgs and increase it each 1-2 weeks. So you go on to 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, etc. The highest I think is 15.0mgs. I'm currently at 10.0 and can't even fathom going any higher. Things to keep in mind (and this is important): 1. Because this is a new drug, there are no generic alternatives to offer, so, this can cost out of pocket over $1K a month. As the medication's current focus is for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes (and pre Type 2), having either of those conditions will help (but not guarantee) the chances of your insurance company covering it. 2. Due to the success many people are finding with Mounjaro, supplies are not always great. I've had to wait 1 week or 2 as they were on back-order. What do you do once you've reached your goal weight?: This is an interesting question since the drug is so new. In speaking with my doctor, I suggested that maybe taking a maintenance dosage (say back to 2.5mg) may be the way to go. He said that has been the most used idea, but again, this product was only approved by the FDA 8-10 months ago. That's about it. Sorry for the length of the post, but I tend to over-explain. If you have any questions about the surgery itself, I'd be happy to tell you all that I have experienced.

Hi! I've been doing some cupboard cleaning and I found that I have a full case of Bariatric Advantage Clear Protein drinks (https://www.bariatricadvantage.com/item/clearly-protein) and 7 or 8 bottles of Premier Protein Clear Protein Drink. I would like to pass it along to someone that can pick it up. I'm in Brentwood, East Bay Area.

That's how my preop diet is going to be as well. You will like this site. It's very helpful and it will definitely be a good place to talk to other bariatric patients 🙂

I've looked at some bariatric cookbooks and I do not think they are worthwhile. There are tons of free recipes available on the internet. After the first couple of months, you don't really need bariatric-specific recipes (but don't sleep on the ricotta bake -- it is delicious and I made it regularly during my pureed and soft food stages). I have found a lot of wonderful recipes on Pinterest. I've had the best luck searching for "skinny" and "WW" (Weight Watchers). "Healthy," "low-carb," and "keto" also have some good results; you just have to make sure they meet your requirements ("keto" recipes in particular can be a mixed bag, because some of them are very high in fat, which can cause dumping for bariatric patients).

I have fibromyalgia (officially diagnosed 12/22) and deal with pain daily. I'm not on any of the medications they have available and trying to learn my body, what it's capable of, and living with it. Has anyone had either the sleeve or bypass as well as fibromyalgia? How has the surgery affected your fibro symptoms? Thanks! Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I have fibromyalgia (officially diagnosed 12/22) and deal with pain daily. I'm not on any of the medications they have available and trying to learn my body, what it's capable of, and living with it. Has anyone had either the sleeve or bypass as well as fibromyalgia? How has the surgery affected your fibro symptoms? Thanks! Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

There is a site on Facebook called Nothing BUT Bariatric Recipes They might be able to help you. I think there is another called Bariatric Eating but Im not sure.

I never used a bariatric cook book either. There were some recipes in a book about bariatric surgery my surgeon gave me & I did make one recipe a few times (a tinned fish frittata muffin thing - tasty & I often swapped ingredients for variety). But I’m not someone who uses a lot of recipes. May start with one for a new idea but rarely follow them exactly. Took things I usually made & just prepared them using healthier ingredients & better cooking methods. Though there wasn’t much to change as I was pretty healthy in the meals I prepared myself. Used spray olive oil or non stick pans or cooked some meats in the oven or grill so need for oil. Already didn’t use prepared sauces & such like pasta sauces. I kept things pretty simple as it was easier to work out protein, other nutrient & caloric content.

I'd recommend you to contact your insurance company and the bariatric surgery program in your new state. Find out what steps you'll need to take. In some cases, you may be able to transfer your existing progress to the new state. However, in other cases, you may need to start the process over. It's also a good idea to ask about telehealth options for the nutrition classes. So that you could complete the classes online even after moving to another state. Btw, this it's going to be an overwhelming period. If you hire a good movers company, such as https://acelinemoving.com, you'll have less stress. I hope I helped you.