milkD

Just gonna edit my post.
I was given a few Vitamin samples by my doctor so i decided to be a guinea pig if anyone is interested in opurity, Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate. These were recommended because they are specifically for WLS.
Multivitamin:
Opurity BYPASS-Optimized Multi (Orange Berry): This was a HUGE tablet which is no surprise as it's 1x a day and includes all the B12 and Iron you need. I made the mistake of popping it all into my mouth. It was chalky and powdery and had a slight tartness which I did not enjoy. I don't think I can handle these and I'm dissapointed because it's price and 1x a day attribute was really appealing.
Celebrate Multi Complete chewable (Orange and Forrest Berry): 2x a day and therefore smaller than Opurity. I liked the Orange flavor much better though the berry wasn't bad. It was a little tart (which I liked here) and close to a candy like a sweet tart. The Orange was harder though and less chalky and powderty. Closer to a Flintstones. My favorite of all the Vitamins actually.
Bariatric Advantage Complete Multi Formula (Orange): It was ok.. Still too powdery and chalky to my tastes. Not interested in this brand at all as it doesn't have b12 or Iron and it's still 2x a day.
calcium citrate (all of these have Vitamin D included):
Opurity (Orange): It tasted similar to BA Multivitamin to me. Medium chalky/powder. It was better than their multivitamin but it's 4x a day.
Celebrate (Cherry Tart and Berries & Cream): The better of the calciums. The Cherry had a nice tartness and was the most candy-like. It was still medium chalky/powder but the taste made up for it. Berries & Cream was the softest of all chewables. It broke apart and melted really quickly. It was the most powdery but since it dissolved the fastest I actually prefer it. 3x/day
BA (chocolate, Wild Cherry and Cinnamon): My least favorite of all the chewables. These were all horrible. The chocolate was the worst, it felt like putting dry chocolate milk powder in my mouth. Wild Cherry was hard but powdery and slightly tart. Similar to Opurity to me. Cinnamon tastes EXACTLY like a Big Red but in powder form. Almost leaves your mouth refreshed but it's not for me.
To be honest I'm not won over by anything though Celebrate brand was better by far for me. I think I'm just going to try Centrum Complete and add sublingual B12 and Biotin. I thought I was going to take separate Biotin anyway because I don't want hair loss. I'm not sure about the Calcium yet, I'm going to ask my doctor for other options.
I also noticed a lot of people taking the gummy vitamins and they are really tempting however my doctor says those are dangerous because they can cause a blockage. The percentage of values seems pretty random too with some at 50% and some at 200%. There is no iron in them or enough B12.

Amazing story! I am so happy you can finally have your surgery and really live your life. You're truly deserving. I'm headed for surgery a few days before you. Good luck and keep us updated.

I wanted a lap-band first because it is less invasive and reversible if something goes wrong. My doctor recommended the sleeve though. He says the band is too high maintenance. Apparently they don't last forever like the sleeve and a lot of people have complications.
In the end what did it for me is that people on the sleeve lose a lot more weight than the band. If I was going to have a major surgery, endure pain, burden my family, miss work and use all my insurance I better get my money's worth.

I want to wear trendy clothes like tights or jeggings with a long shirt and tall boots!!
I want to be able to paint my toes without trying to contort into an uncomfortable position where I still can't see them too well.
I want to go to the beach or pool in a bathing suit and not have to pretend to myself that I'm just not in the mood for swimming.

I wanted a lap-band first because it is less invasive and reversible if something goes wrong. My doctor recommended the sleeve though. He says the band is too high maintenance. Apparently they don't last forever like the sleeve and a lot of people have complications.
In the end what did it for me is that people on the sleeve lose a lot more weight than the band. If I was going to have a major surgery, endure pain, burden my family, miss work and use all my insurance I better get my money's worth.

Hello!
I didn't have my surgery yet but I want to be prepared. I know I may not be able to avoid baggy, loose skin but I still want to try my hardest.
So if anyone can give me ideas for exercises, videos, machines, etc that have worked for them I'd love to know. I'm worried about my tummy, thighs and arms. Probably arms the most cause I want to wear tank tops then thighs so I can wear a swimsuit. Thanks.

I really do love my hospital/clinic/surgeon. They really care that we do our best and understand everything. Today I went to a pre-op seminar with 9 other people (none of whom were getting lapband, lol). It's the 2nd seminar and they went over nutrition in greater detail.
They gave us free packets of Protein mixes to try like powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury, Bariatric Advantage and Beneprotein. I'm going to try some out this week and see how it goes. I still plan to rely on Premier shake for the pre-op diet but I'm going to pick up beneprotein. Its a flavorless powder that I will add to Soups because I know I will be having tons of those!
they also gave us free samples of some Vitamin brands. The Multivitamins, Calcium and Iron. Man the opurity Multivitamin was really not great and that's the one I had wanted. Again, will try a different brand tomorrow.

The easist way to break it down is you can think of surgeries like this has having three phases.
1) Deductible phase - this is where you are responsible for 100% of the allowed amount charges approved by the insurance company.
2) Co-insurance phase - this is where the insurance company helps to foot some of the bill in your case 80% of it. Most insurance companies have a co-insurance cap and after that's met...
3) Out-of-Pocket Max Phase - this is where you have satisifyed your out of pocket maximum which consists of your deductible cap and your co-insurance cap combined. Once this is achieved your insurance will begin to process at 100% of the allowed amount for the remainder of your benefit year.
So what you'll want to do is when you speak to your insurance company make sure they clarify co-insurance maximum vs. their out of pocket maximum (even insurance carriers often get this confused in their verbage when quoting benefits).
Here's a basic scenario to explain. Let's say you go and have a surgery and all your bills combined comes out to $22,000.00
You're benefits for insurance include a $2000.00 deductible, a co-insurance of 80/20% with a co-insurance maximum of $2000.00 - that means your out of pocket maximum would be $4000.00.
So 22,000.00 minus the $2000.00 deductible leaves us with $20,000.00
20% (your responsibility of the co-insurance) leaves you oweing $4,000.00 of the $20,000.00 - BUT because we have a $2,000.00 co-insurance maximum you only pay that $2,000.00 and the insurance picks up the other $2,000.00 that would of been part of your 20%.
So your out-of-pocket maximum has been met totalling $4,000.00 of the $22,000.00 bill - even if that bill was 40,000.00 you'd still only pay the $4,000.00 for in-network services rendered.
Sorry for the long explination - it just really helps I think to understand how it all works at the insurance company (they definatly don't make it easy to understand up front lol). I know I wouldn't understand it if it wasn't for my loving, awesome, supportive husband who's super cool.

Hey Carlos. I'm also in the San Jose area but getting my sleeve done at Stanford last week of July.
I think you're doing an amazing job and you sound like a wonderful father. Don't worry, next week is July already and August will be here before you know it.
I can relate to your story as my husband is also a stay at home dad to our 19-month son. He too is overweight though his BMI is not as bad as mine. He's decided to follow me though and eat what I do (just slightly more) including the 2-week liquid diet. I'm excited for both of us.
Keep us updated and best of luck to you.

Congrats for you. I hope for only the best. My surgery is on the 24th too

You can also get special bariatric food that is made to be higher in Protein and lower in carbs than the regular versions. You can get protein pancake mix, hot chocolate, fruit flavored drinks, sloppy joe mix, Soups, etc.

Surgery is on July 24th. I cannot wait any longer. I have one more lecture/group session on the 3rd and then preop with the surgeon and nutritionist on the 12th. Hurry up and be end of July already.