BigSue

Interesting... I'm 8 weeks out and I averaged about 400 calories per day in weeks 3-6. At my 6-week appointment with the dietitian, she said I should be aiming for 800-1000 calories per day now, which seems like a lot. I'm finding that's not even possible with the guidelines I was given (3 meals per day, no more than 4 ounces of food per meal, avoid Snacks except Protein Shakes, 60-80 grams Protein, <60 grams carbs). I've averaged 470 calories per day for the past two weeks -- about half of what I was told.
I'm starting to think I should ignore what she said and stick with what I'm eating now. I'm fine at my current level of calories, not hungry, and have plenty of energy, so why the heck should I eat more? Shouldn't I take advantage of this time when I have no desire to eat more than 500 calories per day and lose as much weight as possible? I've tried to follow my program's instructions so far, but this seems pretty far from the norm and I'm afraid it will hinder my weight loss.

your primary care physician can order it.
in my case, my insurance doesn't cover them unless you're 60+ years old - but maybe they would have if I'd have explained it was for a baseline due to an upcoming bariatric surgery. However, I found out through doing one of those scans they often do at sports labs (at universities) and commercial places - I went there to see what my fat percentage was when I was trying to decide whether to go into maintenance or lose another 10-20 lbs. You can get those at any age since you pay for it (although I think I was able to charge it to my flexible spending account, now that I think of it...). I was 58 years old at the time, but there's no age requirement. The scan gave me that info (fat percentage), but it also gave me my bone density. The technician couldn't tell me I had osteoporosis because they're not supposed to diagnose things, but she did say my bone density looked a "bit below average" and I that I might want to mention it to my PCP. Well, I sent the scan over to my PCP, and she saw right away that I had osteoporosis and got me into treatment (at that point, my insurance would have covered a scan even though I was under 60, because I'd be diagnosed with it. I've since had a couple of other scans that my PCP ordered).
your insurance may not have that age requirement, though. Or even if they do, if you're doing it to get a baseline for bariatric surgery, they might cover it regardless. Just talk to your PCP.

Here (in Ontario) we can get diagnostic tests performed and covered by provincial health insurance if your PCP orders one. Mine ordered one...his suggestion, not mine. But even if he didn’t, I probably would have asked him to anyway.
So first step, I think would be to go see your PCP and discuss.

8 1/2 months after surgery and 14 months after starting my weight loss journey, I am officially in One-derland!!! As of this morning I am down from a starting weight of 333.6 to 199.3.
😎🤸‍♀️🌈

I was told to avoid Pasta, bread, and tortillas for at least the first year because they can form a lump of food in the stomach that is painful to digest. I don't know if that's true or just a scare tactic to keep us away from "bad" foods, but I think someone like you who is already having problems with liquids and purees should definitely be cautious and avoid these foods.
How about eating the lasagna without the noodles? You can probably pull the noodles out. Ricotta bake is basically lasagna filling, so you can try that. I added some turkey meat sauce to it once I started eating meat, which makes it meat lasagna sans noodles (but I would suggest starting without meat). If your goal is just to get carbs, maybe try diluted apple juice; this is what I was told to do in the liquid stage. Ensure High Protein Shakes also have relatively high carbs, and that's what they gave me in the hospital. You could also try unsweetened applesauce.

I was told to avoid Pasta, bread, and tortillas for at least the first year because they can form a lump of food in the stomach that is painful to digest. I don't know if that's true or just a scare tactic to keep us away from "bad" foods, but I think someone like you who is already having problems with liquids and purees should definitely be cautious and avoid these foods.
How about eating the lasagna without the noodles? You can probably pull the noodles out. Ricotta bake is basically lasagna filling, so you can try that. I added some turkey meat sauce to it once I started eating meat, which makes it meat lasagna sans noodles (but I would suggest starting without meat). If your goal is just to get carbs, maybe try diluted apple juice; this is what I was told to do in the liquid stage. Ensure High Protein Shakes also have relatively high carbs, and that's what they gave me in the hospital. You could also try unsweetened applesauce.

Weird -- it was kind of the opposite for me. I used to hate drinking unflavored Water ("Life's too short to drink plain water," I used to say), but now I don't mind it, and sometimes I even prefer plain water. I do still like flavored water, too, but I drink a lot more plain water than I used to. Maybe you could try calorie-free water enhancers (Mio, Crystal Light, etc.). There are many flavors available, so you should be able to find one you like.

I'm glad it worked out for you! I'm plenty fat for my insurance to cover the surgery, but I still paid $4500 out of pocket, and I spent a lot of time going to all the various pre-op appointments. On the upside, all my followups, labs, and prescriptions are free for the rest of the year (since I met my out of pocket maximum).
I'm not sure if you need to go to a bariatric surgeon for followups, but I would guess that a local surgeon would accept you as a patient. Even people who don't go out of the country for surgery move and have to change doctors. I know my surgeon takes patients who have had surgery with other programs. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

I can't answer your question because I've never seen that product, but have you tried cauliflower rice? I hate cauliflower, but somehow, cauliflower rice is not bad! I wouldn't eat it by itself, but with sauce and mix-ins (like meat and vegetables), I can almost convince myself that it's actual rice. It's very low in calories and carbs, and you get the added benefit of eating more veggies.

I had to get a UGI x-ray (a.k.a. barium swallow test) before my surgery, and it wasn't bad. The hospital where I went wasn't fancy enough to have a machine that lifts you in the air. I just had to lie on a table and tilt my body in various positions. There was also a portion where I just had to stand in front of the x-ray machine. I had to drink sips of the barium liquid while they took the x-rays. It didn't taste good, but it wasn't horrible. It was pretty quick and painless. Once they started, I think it only took about 15 minutes. I didn't even have to take off my clothes. Yours might take longer since you might have a GI problem (mine was just to make sure I didn't have a GI problem before I got surgery), but the upside is that if they find the problem, they can fix it and you'll feel better.

Yeah, this forum is really helpful for preparing. I do not like surprises, so I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- before I committed to surgery. I also watched a ton of YouTube videos and found those helpful as well. Some of the ones I watched are Kimberly H, Minnie Me in TN, My Level 10 Life, Clusie L, Timetodeflate, and Foodie Turned Sleevie. There are many more (which you'll see on your recommended videos once you start watching WLS channels), but a lot of people just have a couple of videos about WLS.
Like so many things in life, WLS is a tradeoff. You have to make big sacrifices, but there can be big rewards. It was important to me to understand going into it what I would be sacrificing and what benefits I would get. It was daunting to think of what I would have to give up for WLS, but when I looked at what I hoped to get out it -- to get my health back, get my mobility back, and so many other things that I have missed out on in my life because of my weight -- it was a lot easier to accept those sacrifices.

Welcome to the post-op side! Hang in there... My first few days after surgery were miserable (including intense regret when I first woke up), but I'm 7 weeks out and it all seems like a distant memory now.

Yeah, this forum is really helpful for preparing. I do not like surprises, so I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- before I committed to surgery. I also watched a ton of YouTube videos and found those helpful as well. Some of the ones I watched are Kimberly H, Minnie Me in TN, My Level 10 Life, Clusie L, Timetodeflate, and Foodie Turned Sleevie. There are many more (which you'll see on your recommended videos once you start watching WLS channels), but a lot of people just have a couple of videos about WLS.
Like so many things in life, WLS is a tradeoff. You have to make big sacrifices, but there can be big rewards. It was important to me to understand going into it what I would be sacrificing and what benefits I would get. It was daunting to think of what I would have to give up for WLS, but when I looked at what I hoped to get out it -- to get my health back, get my mobility back, and so many other things that I have missed out on in my life because of my weight -- it was a lot easier to accept those sacrifices.

A lot of people experience nausea from Iron supplements, especially if taking them on an empty stomach. It might help to take it with food. Also, there are different forms of iron. I just checked the ProCare Multivitamin and it contains ferrous fumarate. Carbonyl iron and chelated iron tend to be easier on the stomach.

Click on your username on the top right of the screen, then click “My Surgery” under settings. Then click “Progress” on the left sidebar, and that’s where you can edit your weight.

@regina r, what I said above only works on the BariatricPal website. It looks like you’re using the app. From the app, you can update your stats by clicking “Profile” on the bottom right and then selecting “Patient Information.”

Hang in there! The first few days are miserable, but it gets dramatically easier after the first week or two (especially once you get to purees and can start eating things resembling real food). I think the protein and fluid goals are unrealistic for the first week -- everybody has trouble meeting them in the beginning. Have you tried protein Soups or hot chocolate? I found that warm liquids went down easier than cold.

On a related note: I won't miss being unable to see the clock in my car because I have to raise the steering wheel so high (to make room for my belly) that it blocks my view. I still have a long way to go before I'm not fat (not sure if I'll ever get to that point), but I can now put the steering wheel at a height that doesn't block the clock!

I had RNY 4 years ago and have tried a variety of supplements since. At one point I was diagnosed with very low Iron and Dr. just suggested taking iron tables.
I recently found attached from Kaiser which I thought was well laid out and, as current supplements were running low, decided to follow this plan.
So far, so good.


Bariatric Supplements - Kaiser.pdf

you're right in that some of this stuff goes out the window when it comes to bariatric patients because we don't absorb a lot of things - or don't absorb them as well - as "normal" people.
re: endocrinologists vs bariatric surgeons: my endocrinologist has me taking half the Calcium that my bariatric clinic suggested, because she said I was excreting a TON of calcium, which is really hard on your kidneys. So I'm obviously absorbing it better than most bariatric patients do. So we've been playing around with the doses, rechecking bloodwork every couple of months, and then adjusting up or down as necessary. I do think this is more of an endocrinologist's bailiwick.
five weeks of taking too much or too little of something is fine. Usually when they increase or decrease your dosages of things based on your bloodwork results, they re-check in a couple of months to see where you're at and then adjust if necessary.
re: Iron - I take carbonyl. A lot of bariatric patients seem to take that since it's easy on the stomach. I take 100 mg a day (all at once), and my labs are good. I'd cut back at one time but my ferritin got too low, so now I'm up to 100 again. We don't absorb all the iron we take, so even if that amount would be toxic to normal people (and I'm not sure if it is, to be honest), it might not necessarily be toxic to bariatric patients.

I actually progressed more slowly than what my program said because I don't want to eat anything that will make me sick. I was allowed to start "soft foods" in week 3 (which included eggs, canned chicken and tuna, soft cooked veggies, etc.), but I mainly stuck with pureed foods. I started eating shredded canned chicken in week 5. I'm 7 weeks out now and I still haven't tried eggs because I've seen a lot of people say they don't tolerate eggs. My program says I can eat "regular" textures now, including raw veggies, but I'm still eating mostly pureed or very soft things (like refried Beans, cottage cheese, and ricotta bake) because I know they won't give me any trouble. I have had some issues with shredded chicken and ground turkey (in very small pieces and swimming in sauce) and butternut squash noodles getting "stuck" and feeling like they might come back up, so I'm reluctant to try anything denser or firmer than that.

I used Protein Powder mixed with almond milk.

Study after study has shown that dieting alone is not effective for long-term weight loss. Roughly 95% of people gain back all the weight they lose from dieting, and often more. Most bariatric surgery patients, on the other hand, maintain weight loss of at least 50% of their excess weight long-term. Many bariatric surgery patients do regain some weight, sometimes a significant amount, but typically still maintain some amount of weight loss (whereas without surgery, they’d most likely be gaining steadily over the years).
The amount you can eat after weight loss surgery gradually increases, but usually not to the point that you can eat as much as you used to. People call the first couple of years the “honeymoon period” because that’s when it’s easy to lose weight, since the restriction is strongest. WLS also changes the hormones in your body that cause hunger, so at least for a while, you don’t feel hungry. They say it’s important to take advantage of the honeymoon period to change your eating habits so they become permanent even when the effects of the surgery weaken. Some people experience changes in taste after surgery and come to dislike sugary or fried foods (and these foods can even make you sick after WLS, which creates a strong disincentive to eat them).
So yes, it still takes work and lifestyle changes to lose weight and maintain weight loss after WLS, but WLS makes it easier than dieting. Many, many people who have repeatedly failed at weight loss through dieting alone have been able to succeed with WLS. (FYI, I’m only 7 weeks out from surgery, so I don’t have personal experience to back this up, but I’ve read a lot and watched a lot of videos from people who have been through it. There a lot of people on this forum with amazing success stories.)

Study after study has shown that dieting alone is not effective for long-term weight loss. Roughly 95% of people gain back all the weight they lose from dieting, and often more. Most bariatric surgery patients, on the other hand, maintain weight loss of at least 50% of their excess weight long-term. Many bariatric surgery patients do regain some weight, sometimes a significant amount, but typically still maintain some amount of weight loss (whereas without surgery, they’d most likely be gaining steadily over the years).
The amount you can eat after weight loss surgery gradually increases, but usually not to the point that you can eat as much as you used to. People call the first couple of years the “honeymoon period” because that’s when it’s easy to lose weight, since the restriction is strongest. WLS also changes the hormones in your body that cause hunger, so at least for a while, you don’t feel hungry. They say it’s important to take advantage of the honeymoon period to change your eating habits so they become permanent even when the effects of the surgery weaken. Some people experience changes in taste after surgery and come to dislike sugary or fried foods (and these foods can even make you sick after WLS, which creates a strong disincentive to eat them).
So yes, it still takes work and lifestyle changes to lose weight and maintain weight loss after WLS, but WLS makes it easier than dieting. Many, many people who have repeatedly failed at weight loss through dieting alone have been able to succeed with WLS. (FYI, I’m only 7 weeks out from surgery, so I don’t have personal experience to back this up, but I’ve read a lot and watched a lot of videos from people who have been through it. There a lot of people on this forum with amazing success stories.)

I used Protein Powder mixed with almond milk.