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Hi I had my RNY 3/16 and I am almost 3 months post op. I have had issues with food taste and food turn-off. I’m not so hungry and despise meat-it is hard to eat and not enjoyable. I have lost 51 pounds to presently at 183 from 233. When I have contacted my nurse and at my last appointment was told that not being hungry is good-eat protein. I go to the doctor on 6/7 and had blood work done prior. I am able to get my results and my Ferritin level was high at 230(normal is below 150) ALK phosphates also high 109, MPV & RDW and also high. Apparently with my google med school education I am storing a serious amount of iron! I looked at the symptoms and tiredness and abdominal pain are characteristic, which I do have. I am glad to go to doctor but concerned what is the problem and how do I get rid of iron buildup. I am stopping my Solo Bariatric Advantage Multi with iron until I see my doctor. Has anyone experienced this?

Some instant pudding flavors are vegan, but do contain sugar -- so are unlikely to be on the bariatric hospital menu.

It's ok to go back and forth as much as you need. You are in control of what happens to your body. Until you are 100% sure that surgery is what you want...don't do it. I have thought about bariatric surgery for over 10yrs. Each time I convinced myself I could lose weight without surgical intervention. My last attempt was on a Dr.'s lead weight loss program. I lost 20lbs then went thru a really bad emotional rough patch and gained back the 20lbs and found another 25lbs. The only time you can't change your mind is after the surgery is done. You are doing what is best for you.

I posted some good palatable recipes from my Complete Bariatric Cookbook and Meal Plan by Megan Moore on the foods thread. I just finished the Green Machine Shake made with green apple, spinach, avocado, and stuff and thank goodness for a break in the sweetness. How ironic that lots of sweets got me to my highest weight and now all the sweet flavors are making me wretch. I had a bit of bleeding from the biggest incision site yesterday when I woke up so I contacted the doctor. They say it’s normal when that adhesive stuff starts to wear away. Did anyone else experience this?

I found this recipe in complete bariatric cookbook and meal plan. Thank goodness because I can’t do those sweet shakes no mo. Green Machine Protein Shake. It’s lightly tart and tangy. I taste the green apple essence and it’s creamy. Yum!

I just had my revision from Sleeve to Loop DS/SIPS/SADI two days ago. I was having your exact symptoms BEFORE my surgery from the powder protein shakes. I was using Bariatric Advantage, Vanilla, which is why I logged in today to see if I can return 75% of the bag. Those shakes made me feel horrible, constipated and bloated, WITH diarrhea and all the other symptoms you described. I stopped doing the poweder protein shakes from Bariatric Advantage, and switched to similar count Protein/Sugar/Calories/Vitamins, made by Slimfast. The chocolate flavor was divine after drinking down chalk for 5 days! I bring all this up because this all happened BEFORE the surgery, and it was because of the powder protein shakes. Add Benefiber to every shake, or take Colace twice a day to get you back to normal. Or better yet, switch to the Slimfast Advanced Nutrition High Protein ones. They taste 1000% times better and no horrible symptoms, but you still need the Benefiber or Colace bc of the High Protein. Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello. Yes I had hernia surgery 2 weeks ago and having Bariatric surgery in 2 weeks

I hit a wall with shakes this week. My doc team suggested unflavored protein powder in Gatorade zero. Ugh! No. It was wretched. I found this idea in a bariatric cookbook. Nonfat milk mixed with some nonfat milk powder. It wasn’t gross! I tried a bit then made some more.

Mine did since it was a designated CoE (Circle of Excellence) hospital for bariatric surgery.

I had to attend a webinar where the Dr went over each surgery in depth with the pros and cons. At the end of the presentation he answered any questions we had. I had watched several videos and talked to my friends who have had bariatric surgery (both bypass and sleeve) so was pretty informed already However I still found it useful.

Does anyone's hospital/practice have a protocol called ENHANCED RECOVERY AFTER BARIATRIC SURGERY (ERAS Bariatric)? I'm curious. Thanks in advance

Premier Root Beer float.....mine is being delivered tomorrow. I will try anything at this point because my surgeon's practice only allows Premier or Bariatric Pal pre-surgery.

Just got back from my preop appointments....so many papers. I had my final weigh in and blood work. I also now have prescriptions for after surgery for anything I might need ..ie nausea meds . Hospital gave my surgical body wash and Dr ofc gave me a sample pack (they sell bariatric vitamins) which has some of everything they sell. 10 more days to surgery and for some reason as each day goes by it becomes more and more real.

Other people, although well intentioned, will never have to live in your body or mind. If your medical doctor came around to the idea of surgery for your improved health, that should carry some weight. Also if insurance approved the procedure, that means at least one other medical professional believes it is now medically appropriate/necessary for you to have Bariatric surgery. As always you get to chose, free from shame or ridicule, what to do with your body.

your body, not theirs. Quit listening to the naysayers. for most of us, bariatric surgery was the only thing that helped us get the weight off and keep it off. At almost 400 lbs, I would have been lucky to have seen my 60th birthday. Now I'm past 60 and feeling better than I've felt in years. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. P.S. these "naysayers" are not medical professionals, and they're not experts on bariatric surgery. Again, smile, nod, and let their opinions go in one ear and out the other.

I feel like I should have a sign on my shirt when I go to restaurants, can’t eat a lot bariatric patient!!!

Hey all! Woah, I didn’t mean to make this so long, but I’m a rambler. This is my first post and I'm not sure if it belongs here, but it’s going here lol. I’ve been battling depression and obesity since I was a child. I hit 200lbs when I was 12, and although I was an active dancer in highschool and walked so so so much (my friends and I were mallrats with no cars) and saw a nutritionist in my junior and senior year, I was probably around 215 when I graduated. For a 5’2”, 17 year old girl, that was already morbidly obese and it just went up from there. I was definitely in survival mode for the next few years, on a few antidepressants, working and going to school, just trying to live. The earliest data I have from my FitBit and MyFitnessPal has be at 275lb in 2016, and I know I went up to the 290s in 2017, because 2017 is a blank on my trackers, and knowing me, I was too ashamed to record it. The next I have is 273 in 2018. I went off my antidepressants around the end of 2017, and while I was mentally “white-knuckling” it, I started losing weight. But it was very much a lose 10lbs, gain 15-20 cycle. Then my birth control made it worse. At the beginning of this year, I was stuck in a plateau of 231, and I talked to my doctor about my disordered eating, and she got me a therapist and I got myself a personal trainer. At that doctors appt, I almost asked for a referral for surgery, but chickened out and asked for a therapist and a nutritionist instead. Love my therapist, but the nutritionist wanted me on a 1200 cal diet that didn't mesh with disordered eating at all. An important note here, is that my mother, who has passed, had the RYGB circa 2002. So surgery has always been in the back of my mind. After a series of unfortunate events in March, I lost 10lbs rapidly and realized my bmi (40) was at the cut off for surgery with no comorbidities. At the beginning of April I asked my doctor for a surgery referral. She offered me Wegovy or Saxenda, but I really can’t see myself using injectables for the rest of my life, so she went ahead with the referral. Had the first consultation a little over a week later, did a few zoom classes, completed forms, did the psych eval (actually awful), and today I got an email saying my insurance approved me and my program would contact me soon for a date. My reasoning is that I see my trainer twice a week and my therapist and I are working on my relationship with food, but I’m getting older and I have that historic lose/gain cycle, and my weight has been a source of unhappiness literally my entire life. Surgery isn’t going to fix everything, I know that, I’ve talked to my therapist about that, but she and I agree this would be a great tool for me in conjunction with the other changes I’m making. My trainer, who is a family friend, doesn’t like the idea. But she’s only known me as an adult, she doesn’t see that a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and trying to stay active isn’t cutting it when I’m still carrying an extra 100lbs. A close member of my family wants me to do keto again, because that was my biggest diet win, but that also didn’t mesh with my disordered eating in the long run. Since my consult, I’ve lost about another 6lbs, firmly putting me where I was when I was a teenager, which is a surreal feeling, but it’s being used as proof that I can “do it on my own.” Honestly, my mindset is that I’m eating less in preparation for surgery. There’s been memes shared on instagram stories of people who I know must know I want to get wls done, calling the surgery “body mutilation” and how “surgeons regret performing bariatric surgeries because it's unnatural.” It makes me doubt myself, like is this just my depression wanting to “mutilate” myself, or is this me trying to overcome my depression and finally do something for myself? What was it for my mother? I was too young to ask her these questions and now I can't. This is a very long post to ask; I’m doing the right thing, right? Am I being rational and making sense? I know I can lose the weight, but keeping it off is constantly clawing and if I slip now just a little, the lose/gain cycle could catch up, and I'm so tired of it.

has anyone had a hernia surgery before having any bariatric procedure.

I, too, felt I was taking the 'easy way out'. The truth is though, it's not easy. Bariatric surgery is a tool to help with weight loss. If you don't properly use the tool, you're still going to gain weight. Putting your body through all the prep, damage, and recovery is a lot of work. Following the Post-Op lifestyle is a lot of work. It's all work from start to finish. This isn't easy in no way, shape, or form. Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using BariatricPal mobile app

I texted my doc/team yesterday about my extreme aversion to everything I can eat during the liquids phase. I’m several days out from puréed/soft. I was hoping that they’d say oh ok have a nice scrambled egg. They didn’t. I found a recipe in my bariatric cookbook for a shake with spinach and avocado and Granny Smith apple. I’m going to try that.

I had GBS in Nov 2021 with Dr. Christian Rodriguez Lopez and all went well. I had no issues with cleanliness. The equipment like the bed and IV monitor/stand is dated, but I understand they’re building a new bariatric center. He also fixed a hiatal hernia and that alone has drastically improved my life! This was a good option for me, but I also consulted with my primary care doctor before and after going. Be aware that once you leave, the followup is mainly mass emails about progressing through the different diet phases. I wanted to be sure I had regular followup with a medical professional.

I’m going to try to tackle a couple different issues here. Two weeks ago I was nervous, anxious, scared, and snapping at everyone because surgery was 3 weeks away and I was seriously questioning the sanity of doing this. I cried, I yelled, I ate…then I calmed the heck down. 🤷🏻‍♀️ The most difficult, nearly impossible food item I have had to turn from is Coca Cola.  I did a very relaxed eating plan…couple of Protein Shakes, a salad starting 3 weeks before surgery. I knew that one week prior to surgery, I absolutely would follow my doctor’s pre - surgery plan to a T. I cheated once in awhile, but with surgery scheduled for June 8, I knew that on 5/31, I would be compliant. And, I was. I stayed on plan yesterday., I’ve been completely compliant today. 😊 I found, thanks to a recommendation here, that I love the Premier Peanut Butter chocolate shake. I have had a difficult time finding a shake I like because the pre-surgery selection for my surgeon was Premier or Bariatric Pal. Today I tried PB and chocolate and I’m good! FWIW, I’m doing every.little.thing I can to be nice to me in every category except putting food in my mouth. I went away with my daughter for the holiday weekend and relaxed and was nice to me. I took an entire day off from school today for my pre-anesthesia visit at the hospital, took a long nap this afternoon. Yesterday I was on a tele-visit for post-surgery care with an extremely well-informed nurse who also has undergone bariatric surgery. She was a wealth of information. This morning’s hospital visit really helped calm my nerves. We have amazing health care in Wake County, NC, and I am repeatedly impressed with the care that I have received. I feel much less stressed, and again very comfortable with my decision to pursue bariatric surgery because of those 2 surgeon-required pre-procedure appointments. I’ll continue to update as this moves forward. Thanks for reading. 😊 Starting Weight: 222 CW: 213 GW: 128 Height: 5’2” Age: 67 RNY, Hiatal hernia repair, gastric bypass, gallbladder removal 

Hi everyone, I had lap band surgery in 2010 and went from 330 lbs to about 215 in 2016, however, I started having some problems with the band where I could barely eat or drink anything and kept loosing weight rapidly. Went to the doctor and they did an upright xray with contrast and you could see that everything was stuck in the esophagus. The doctor said the band had to come out. Obviously I didn't want that and begged them to remove all fluid from the band and wait another week but that did not help. It turned out that there was a lot of scar tissue from the band around where it was installed. The doctor wanted to do a conversion during the band removal but the insurance did not approve since I was 'too skinny' and did not qualify. I asked the hospital if I could pay the difference between removal and doing the sleeve since they already had me there and all the staff, etc. but was told it was not possible and it would be $24,000 which I could not afford. After the removal I gained all the weight back and now I am between 320-325 lbs again. I had been with two employers since then but like most of them they specifically exclude bariatric surgery nowadays. Now I am with a new employer and they will apparently pay for it. [sorry for the long background story] I am consider whether to get a sleeve or bypass. After doing a lot of research I think a sleeve would be better since it is less intrusive and the stomach function pretty much remains intact and you don't have to take medication for the rest of your life. What do you all suggest?

Congrats and welcome! I also had surgery in Mexico (9/21/21) and had a wonderful experience! As others have said - trust the process - don't compare your journey to others - give yourself LOTS of grace and patience. All very valid, valuable pieces of advice. I would also add, find some community! Either here, or if your surgeon has a group of some kind, or some other place (I'm a member of BariNation and freaking LOVE it). Finding a support system is SO important. This is a life long process, you will be a bariatric patient for the rest of your life, so preparing your heart, mind, and body are really important. If you aren't already, maybe consider getting into some counseling to help with the mental & emotional pieces as well. It can be overwhelming at first, but YOU GOT THIS!

I’m sorry it has been rescheduled. I guess that’s another reason to go to Mexico. I am an RN and work for a major hospital group…in home health. If I worked for the hospital, they would cover 100%. Since I do home health….they have no bariatric rider so I have to pay cash. I never thought that I would get this far with it. I realize I’ve been on my high protein low carb diet just 24 hours, but not once did I stop and get a Pepsi or food. I took PB and celery, ate tuna and yogurt throughout the day. The hardest part will be spaghetti and potatoes. I love my pasta but that’s what has me at 254 pounds. We can all do this. Best of luck to you and keep me updated!