Was Just told not a good candidate for surgery by nutritionist

[SymphonyOfDreams 21]

My first required nutritionist visit. Their take:

Given the high risk nutrition behaviors as described above, pt does not seem nutritionally appropriate for surgery. Recommend 4 months of individual RD visits to improve the patient's chance of success after surgery. If the Patient chooses to pursue the recommended RD visits outside of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Weight Management Clinic; a return visit for a dietary re-evaluation is required to assess whether changes have been made to address the high risk behaviors indicated above

Complete bummer. But I guess I was expecting up to 6 months of supervised diet as an insurance requirement, so maybe this is not a bad thing.

[I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ 804]

It's not a bad thing. I've seen plenty of people on here who had for example, an eating disorder... they took some time to deal with those issues and get in a better place before surgery, so that when they did have surgery they would be successful. It's better to work on issues prior to surgery than to have the surgery and then not do well. Because the first eighteen months of surgery are so crucial to not fk up, that's when maximum weight loss takes place (typically).

Follow your teams recommendations and you will do great!

Best wishes!

[SpartanMaker 767]

9 minutes ago, I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ said:

It's not a bad thing.

Agreed. Remember that WLS does not fix your head. You have to be mentally ready to take advantage of the physiological changes the surgery provides. If you're not ready, the likelihood of ending up right back where you started is pretty high.

[Starwarsandcupcakes 2,046]

The OSU program is great and they know their stuff. If they suggest that you do RD visits before pursuing their WLS program, then I’d follow their advice. Also, take the time to seek out therapy for any disordered eating habits you might have. The OSU team should be able to direct you towards someone.

[Old Salt 64]

1 hour ago, SymphonyOfDreams said:

My first required nutritionist visit. Their take:

Given the high risk nutrition behaviors as described above, pt does not seem nutritionally appropriate for surgery. Recommend 4 months of individual RD visits to improve the patient's chance of success after surgery. If the Patient chooses to pursue the recommended RD visits outside of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Weight Management Clinic; a return visit for a dietary re-evaluation is required to assess whether changes have been made to address the high risk behaviors indicated above

Complete bummer. But I guess I was expecting up to 6 months of supervised diet as an insurance requirement, so maybe this is not a bad thing.

I have not had my meeting with my nutritionist yet, so I am wondering a couple of things if you don't mind sharing:

What "high risk nutrition behaviors" were identified and were you aware of them previously?

Did they discuss the timeline (4months) with you in person or it just showed up on the report?

I have had some very good people on here tell me (as well as read) that those pre months are the key to a succssful surgery. But am still very curious of the timeline. I am resigning myself to 6 months, however, would be overjoyed if it was only 4!

Thanks!

[Queen ApisM 427]

I would not be discouraged. I learned a lot in my required nutrition program - and that wasn't because of insurance since I was self pay. It was part of my program regardless of whether you were self pay or not, and I thought it really helped prepare me for surgery incredibly well. In fact, I also gained some weight (instead of losing) and they had me do some extra nutrition visits and I am so glad they did.

[Starwarsandcupcakes 2,046]

19 minutes ago, Old Salt said:

I have had some very good people on here tell me (as well as read) that those pre months are the key to a succssful surgery. But am still very curious of the timeline. I am resigning myself to 6 months, however, would be overjoyed if it was only 4!

Thanks!

I believe it’s an additional 4 on top of the required 6.

[LookingForward22 320]

On 08/30/2022 at 18:50, SymphonyOfDreams said:

My first required nutritionist visit. Their take:

Given the high risk nutrition behaviors as described above, pt does not seem nutritionally appropriate for surgery. Recommend 4 months of individual RD visits to improve the patient's chance of success after surgery. If the Patient chooses to pursue the recommended RD visits outside of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Weight Management Clinic; a return visit for a dietary re-evaluation is required to assess whether changes have been made to address the high risk behaviors indicated above

Complete bummer. But I guess I was expecting up to 6 months of supervised diet as an insurance requirement, so maybe this is not a bad thing.

In my experience and opinion, take this as a good thing and the time to address any issues that might trip you up. The surgery can be a great tool, but the head hunger and the psychological component is equally important.

A pass on to surgery with no real guidance was a big red flag and one of the reasons I left my first program. Without that guidance I didn’t think I could be successful. My new program had the guidance and support I felt I needed to be more successful.

Mine was a three month program and there were times I wish it had been 6. I managed to get everything in… and feel fairly confident in my path.

Best of luck. That time will fly by!!!

[SymphonyOfDreams 21]

11 hours ago, Old Salt said:

I have not had my meeting with my nutritionist yet, so I am wondering a couple of things if you don't mind sharing:

What "high risk nutrition behaviors" were identified and were you aware of them previously?

Did they discuss the timeline (4months) with you in person or it just showed up on the report?

I have had some very good people on here tell me (as well as read) that those pre months are the key to a succssful surgery. But am still very curious of the timeline. I am resigning myself to 6 months, however, would be overjoyed if it was only 4!

Thanks!

The timeline and me not currently being a good candidate were not brought up in the 60 minute phone call.

As for high risk nutrition behavior, I can only imagine the fact that I am an emotional eater. I am purposefully researching therapists to address this, and find it odd that the RD wants me to see RDs for 4 months about this.

Frankly, I found the call a little confusing. She asked me what a typical food day looks like right now. I am not eating healthy at the moment, neither the choices nor quantity.

She did give some hints about healthier selections, but really concentrated on Protein. It was brought up several times during the conversation.

[ShoppGirl 4,789]

21 minutes ago, SymphonyOfDreams said:

The timeline and me not currently being a good candidate were not brought up in the 60 minute phone call.

As for high risk nutrition behavior, I can only imagine the fact that I am an emotional eater. I am purposefully researching therapists to address this, and find it odd that the RD wants me to see RDs for 4 months about this.

Frankly, I found the call a little confusing. She asked me what a typical food day looks like right now. I am not eating healthy at the moment, neither the choices nor quantity.

She did give some hints about healthier selections, but really concentrated on Protein. It was brought up several times during the conversation.

I’m not surprised that she focused on Protein. That will be your main focus post surgery. Your fluids, protein and Vitamins will be all you take in for a while and since you will be eating smaller amounts they will need to be the main focus thereafter in order to be able to meet your daily requirements.

[ShoppGirl 4,789]

As for their requesting additional nutritionist visits I would take that as a positive. My psyc evaluation didn’t even get into eating behaviors and my nutritionist visit just consisted of them going over the pre and post op diets so post surgery when I realized that I am a boredom and emotional eater I was on my own. I wish My team had caught and addressed these issues pre surgery.

[LookingForward22 320]

My program wanted me to implement eating habits that would make the transition into the liquid diet & post-op eating plan easier… including a focus of Protein, fluids and Portion Control. We also touched on my emotional eating some - but things happened and progressed so quickly … not as deeply as I would have ideally liked. BUT I have continued to work on those things post op and I’m really grateful for the time I had pre-op to help me get ready.

[SpartanMaker 767]

5 hours ago, SymphonyOfDreams said:

I am not eating healthy at the moment, neither the choices nor quantity.

This actually may have been what she was responding to. If you are not eating healthily right now, this would be a bad time to have surgery. People that have WLS, but don't eat well afterward, tend to have worse outcomes. My guess is she wants to get you to a point where you are making healthy choices consistently so you don't have to try to learn this while you're healing and dealing with the other challenges post-surgery.