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I have lost weight also just by working out and eating better also....just to have it come back, MANY times. I needed bariatric surgery, perhaps as a last resort. I have met my goal, and still loosing. I have no desire at all to over eat, nor do I have any bad cravings. I say bad, because everyone has "Head" cravings, say for Cookies. But when I pick one up and take a bite, I quickly realize I really don't want it and throw it away. being banded is the best thing I have ever done, don't regret it for any reason. cannot predict the future but the way I feel right now I cannot see this as ever failing.

If bariatric surgery is excluded from your coverage, you will not get insurance to pay for any reason. If your policy is through an employer, you can request that they change policies to one that includes it, or get a group of people at work that are interested in the surgery and provide statistics and data to management / HR about how some very expensive health issues are corrected with WLS. Wouldn't they rather pay $20K for WLS than $200K for heart bypass and rehab?

Hey guys! As of today, I'm 2 weeks and 1 day away from changing my lifestyle and looking towards long term health and a better quality of life. Surgery is on 2/2 with Dr. Alvarez in Piedras Negras, Mexico. So glad. I joined a gym and actually worked out today! It felt great! I've been eating healthy and tapering off the junk food. It's amazing how much better I feel eating clean foods, working out and having the surgery in the line of sight. This time next week, I'll be on the pre-op diet...for 8 days... wish me luck! Sharing an excellent resource... if you don't already have it, it's a great read and the excellent advice the author provides is based on her experience counseling bariatric patients: The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery by Cynthia Alexander. Everyday I learn a new strategy for help along our journey. If you purchase it, let me know what you think!

Eat enough protein. It is Rule #1 of WLS Surgery 101, and for good reason. Hitting your 65 or more grams of protein each day can help you reduce hunger, improve your immune system, and gain strength. Even if your bariatric surgery is long behind you, check weekly, if not daily, to be sure your protein intake is as high as you think it is. Drink more fluids. Lose more weight, stay fuller, and prevention dehydration fatigue and headaches with enough fluids. The goal is to get at least 64 ounces of water or other fluids each day, but a lot of bariatric patients have trouble getting there. You can help yourself out by putting out for 16-ounce water bottles (or a 64-ounce [half-gallon] pitcher) and making sure you finish them by the end of the day. Or, use a high-tech tool such as a Hydration Reminder that synchs to your smartphone and will not let you forget to drink! Water, ice water, water with lemon or mint, decaf tea and coffee, and low-calorie flavored water are all good choices. Find a friend. A weight loss buddy is worth her weight in gold. Paand weight loss If one friend is good, more friends are better – the more, the merrier when it comes to help eating right, exercising, and reducing stress. The Forums can help you connect with other patients looking for a friend. Go to the doctor. It is easy to see why going to a doctor is necessary if you are thinking about surgery or have it scheduled, but it is not only your surgeon whom you should see. Pre-op or post-op, seeing your primary care and any other of your regular doctors can help you stay healthy or get healthy. You can monitor important measures such as blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and make action plans for any other conditions, such as knee pain or sleep apnea. Take your vitamins. There is no substitute for a healthy diet, but a healthy diet is not always enough, especially for post-op patients. Talk to your surgeon or doctor about any vitamins you should take, and take them as recommended to prevent deficiencies. If your health is not motivation enough to get you to take your vitamins, consider this: staying nourished can also help you lose weight by keeping up your energy levels and metabolism. You can give yourself a hand by using aids such as a Tespo vitamin dispensers or choosing your favorite forms of vitamins, such as Patches, Pills, or Chewables. Smile. Smile when you greet people. Smile when you say goodbye. Smile when you are talking and listening. Smile for no reason. It really works. The very act of smiling can help convince your mind that you are happier. Plus, smiling at other people will make them more likely to be friendly to you – and make you happier. All that extra happiness can make it easier to do your daily duties, such as eating right and working out. These six strategies are simple enough, and they can help the pounds come off in 2018 with less effort. They are worth working on daily if you are going to hit your goals this year. Happy New Year!

Hello everyone. I just had my first appt with my bariatric surgeon. I truly thought I would get a no for surgery due to my past hiatal hernia surgery that I had when I was 8, im 31 now. The surgeon decided that he would suggest a lap band or a sleeve depending on what he uncovered during surgery. He scheduled me for October 7th and I will find out then if he was able to even do the surgery. It's a "Let's open and see". I am praying I can get the sleeve. This will be a long 3 1/2 months.

Hello! My name is Elky and I am hopefully having bariatric surgery in July! I have "classic PCOS" with all the classic symptoms. It is very hard for me to lose weight. I only lose on a VERY strict no carb, no sugar diet, which is very very hard to keep without help. I talked with my bariatric nutritonist about this and she thought that maybe i should consider the gastric sleeve instead. What do you all think about this? My insurance doesn't cover the sleeve with someone with my BMI, but my doctor says he can try to appeal to the insurance. Anyone out there know anything about this? TIA!

Hey! I would recommend going to bluegrass Bariatrics in Lexington. It's where I'm currently going and they are fantastic! Medicaid will cover it completely, at least mine does. But you will however still have to go to your family doctor. My insurance requires 6 months(non consecutive within the last 18 months) of you visiting with your family dr. And being on a "diet plan". Every insurance is different but that's how mine works. I did a lot of research about where to go in KY. They are a few other places you can go too but I honestly didn't hear good things about them :/ idk how close you are to lex. But I def. recommend it! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am scheduled for an abdominoplasty next week. During my initial consult, I asked about liposuction for my waist. I was told that I didn't have much fat but had left over skin. Oh good I thought... He has a plan to give me a waistline. Then I started looking at pictures and procedures. I soon came to realize that after abdominioplasty most women's waist lines look pretty androgynous. Some look like they had less waistline than before surgery. Well I thought I will ask all these questions during my pre-op visit. Little did I know that I would not see the dr. during the pre-op visit. It was just a visit with the nurse about do this and don't do that. I asked the nurse what procedure he was going to do... Was I getting an extended abdominoplasty to get rid of the extra skin on the waist? Oh no I am just getting a regular abdominoplasty. so I asked her about the waist and I was informed that I could always come back for more plastic surgery. I have to admit I am disappointed before I even get this done. I have limited funds for plastic surgery and repeated visits are not an option for me. My bariatric surgeon says he is the best in the area.. so I guess I just have to trust that and accept whatever result I get. I have taken bellydance lesson for the last 4 years and was soooo looking forward to having all that work pay off. All the hip work I can do just gets lost with out a waist to show it off... sigh... just want to cry.... Khy

http://bariatricfusion.com/meal-replacement-32-oz-tub-cappuccino.html Bariatric Fushion Link

My bariatric doctor did not refer me to my primary care doctor. They referred me to a dietician that did my 6 monthly visits to get my insurance approval. The dietician visits were done over the phone and super helpful. She taught me so much about what to expect and helped me start some of the changes ahead of time. You should ask your bariatric doctor for a referral. Sent from my SM-J700T using the BariatricPal App

Hi all, My insurance does not require referrals, so I didn't talk to my primary care doctor about weight loss surgery prior to having a consult with the bariatric surgeon's office. At the initial consult with the bariatric surgeon's office though they indicated I would need to complete 6 months of medically supervised dieting with my primary care. Today I had an appointment with my primary care to start the 6 months of medically supervised dieting required by insurance. When I was explaining the insurance and surgeon office requirements it seemed like she had never dealt with weight loss surgery, and she seemed a bit unsure of what her role was in this whole thing. I tried my best to explain... and showed all the papers I had received from the surgeon's office. The surgeon's office also gave me forms for my primary care to fill out during each visit, and I'm worried not enough details was provided by my primary care (when she filled out the first of six forms today) to help my case for insurance to approve my surgery. Has anyone experienced anything like this? It is very unlikely that insurance will approve my surgery anyways, so I'm almost considering skipping the 6 months of dieting with my primary care and paying myself... But then I also worry my primary care doctor won't be able to provide care post-op if needed, since my impression is that they weren't familiar with the process for bariatric surgery and insurance requirements. My primary care doctor seemed supportive of my decision to pursue weight loss surgery, just not informed of the process... Any thoughts?

just bought it last night and started reading it The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery, Second Edition

I wish I had the opportunity to do this in my 30s. How different my life would be now! I feel like a person has to be all in to get wls. If there is doubt then I'd say don't do it. I first started thinking about wls about 15 years ago. But I said no....I just need to workout and make wl a priority. And I did...I lost a good 70 pounds ..then put it all back on again. I started looking into wls again about 3 years ago when two of my cousins had it and lost over 100 pounds each....and are keeping it off. It wasn't until I had a comprehensive physical in August with blood work and organ testing did I find out how my body is starting to break down after 52 years of carrying so much excess weight. That is when I asked for a referral to the bariatric clinic. Nothing can convince me that I can lose weight and keep it off without this surgery. I have been overweight since I was 9 years old and it is going to end on February 24th!!!!

If I am craving something sweet, I have one of my Bariatric Calcium chews. I ordered them from amazon. Sometimes I will also make half of a chocolate Protein shake and heat it up so it tastes like hot chocolate. Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

I was required to do two weeks of shakes and then clear liquids my last day. For my shakes I did Bariatric Advantage as recommended by the surgeon's office. That was a rough two weeks. The last day I just went to GNC and loaded up on one of everything they had. I think I ended up living on tea, broth, and that gawd awful Isopure with 40g of carbs in the bottle for the last 24 hours.

My wife and I went directly to the surgeon and he is not part of a bariatric clinic. He also has annual follow-ups just like your clinic. He does have us use our PCP to gather the labs that check for nutrient or other issues.

@@395Ron I didn't know they made bariatric protein products? Where can I get those? I just got kroger brand lol

My consultation with Dr. Gangemi at UIC, and I’ll be starting the 6 month process in January. Anyone have experiences at UIC that they wish to share? Complications? Recommendations? TIA!

So has anyone ever gotten a 6 pack after having bariatric surgery? Losing weight and retaining muscle is one thing, but are you able to get definition and put on more muscle after this procedure? Just wondering what the likelihood is considering the dramatic decrease in food intake and the whole sagging skin syndrome. Thanks guys.

My doc is requiring a diet with product called Bariatric fushion. I think that is better when you take what the doctor recommends. Of course they always don't make it that easy. Protein is very, very important because it helps the healing process after the surgery. Also, there must be a certain amount of carbs because carbs help maintain blood sugar. Bariatric Fushion has 27 grams of protein, 121 calories per serving plus all of the required Vitamins and minerals. When milk is added, the protein (and of course the cals go up). I def would speak to the nutritionist because you want to make sure to be all ready for surgery. Good luck!

I am Dr. Kim's patient as well. I went with the cheaper Bariatric Advantage that he offers for 55 a week......TALK ABOUT GROSS. Don't let them convince you to buy the alternative brand. My friends who have tried optifast said they are good. I have no suggestions on other options but I can definitely tell you to not buy Bariatric Advantage.

Most bariatric surgeons want each patient to have the cpap machine. Anesthesia can be tricky for anyone, let along an overweight person. It just helps with recovery as well. I has trace of sleep apnea which means it was barely detected during my test but the docs said I had to have it since I was going through the bariatric program

My bariatric doctor did not refer me to my primary care doctor. They referred me to a dietician that did my 6 monthly visits to get my insurance approval. The dietician visits were done over the phone and super helpful. She taught me so much about what to expect and helped me start some of the changes ahead of time. You should ask your bariatric doctor for a referral. Sent from my SM-J700T using the BariatricPal App That makes more sense to me - doing the 6 months of required dieting with a dietician... I don't know if it's insurance or the surgeon's office, but they told me to see my primary care for it

Post op would be done by the surgeon, but what I meant above was long term continued primary care. My primary care doctor should be aware of how to treat a patient that has undergone bariatric surgery (i.e. certain medications to avoid long term post-op, what Vitamin supplements are taken, etc.).

I know for a fact that she has done a lot of lapbands. In the spring I was referred to her by my family doctor, as she was doing a clinical trial at st Joes. She was involved in a study where she would do 50 gastric bypasses, 50 lapbands, and then 50 people would just receive nutritional counselling. Results of success would be measured monthly for 6 months. The purpose was to study the effects of weightloss on diabetes. Anyway I applied for the study, because it would have meant that I could have got the band for FREE!! However I did not meet all the criteria for the study, and you couldnt choose which treatment you received. I think when people here "study" they dont realize that involved performing surgery. Presumably she had done other bariatric surgeries prior to heading up this study, and getting funding for the study.