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While I agree that selecting the right tool is important (right for your needs, health & medical considerations, lifestyle etc.) getting your head right is equally as if not a more important part. Not everyone loses their appetite after surgery & if you do it’s temporary. We all say, the surgery changes your body but it doesn’t change your thinking. It doesn’t stop your cravings, emotions, habits. They’ll still be there when your appetite returns. You have to do the head work as well. It is possible to eat around your tool, to make poor food choices & then not lose or regain your weight. Changing your relationship with food, understanding why you eat (habit, emotional support, craving, boredom, etc.) are essential. It’s like getting a gym membership or buying a treadmill, how successful you are depends upon you changing your behaviours & actually using the treadmill or going to the gym. Many people find working with a therapist extremely helpful in understanding & developing strategies to manage what motivates or drives our eating & the food choices we make. Unfortunately, life does tend to throw crap at us at times, & knowing how to manage the emotional turmoils that usually come with it & not fall back on old eating behaviours will help you continue your weight loss & maintain in the future. As @NickelChip said, Dr Weiner & Dr Pitcher have amazing resources but I do encourage you to consider seeking counselling. Your doctor, surgeon & team should be able to recommend someone with experience in disordered eating & bariatric patients. (Many insurances require at least one visit as part of your approval anyway.) All the best.

And my Bari-Bud @Orchids and Dragons in Texas, a shout -out here! She was my friend Presurgery , she is my friend still. She has perked me up when I am full of Whim-wahs, she is a cool head of reason in the Bariatric wars of life. May you all find your own Orchids and Dragon, sure you can go through all this aline, but it is SO MUCH BETTER when you have a friend, especially, one who has gone through the same things.

Very discouraging! I didn't really even tell my PCP until she received some labwork that was abnormal from my pre-op testing. When she asked me about it, and commented on such a thorough work-up, I explained that I had it done as part of the WLS program and that I was getting the lap band. She was both excited and curious. She's relatively new and wasn't completely "up" on bariatric surgery. I've seen her once since surgery, and I had lost 35 lbs, and she was SO happy. If this doctor is an important part of your care, I would either 1) sit and talk with her, let her know that this was an important choice you made for yourself and would appreciate her support, or 2) give her one last try before switching. I've worked along side doctors for the past 8 years and the one thing that I've learned are doctors are people too. They come in a wide variety, but you should never be afraid to speak up to your physician. You've essentially put them in charge of your care, and your opinion deserves the right to be heard.

I've read that a lot of bariatric pal users, including myself, had to do a sleep study as part of your pre-op stuff. Agree with @@Margie122 . The more comorbidities the better, in a way :-(

Ok my dear, I've read a couple of your blogs and I have to reach out and encourage you to renew your mind to all of this. Until you do, it won't work! 1.) Weight loss and gain is personal, there's no need to seek other people's approval or acceptance. 18lbs is GREAT, it's 18lbs closer to goal and 18lbs less fat than you were. Men, especially Dad's opinions mean a lot to us, but remember the only opinions that matter right now are yours and your health professionals. From your posts it seems like you're just now starting to realize the "fat" of the matter.. yes I said fat, in place of fact. It seems like you're just now truly starting to see yourself as fat which is a GOOD thing, even though it doesn't feel like it is! When you're able to look at yourself with such a critical eye, it will serve as motivation to do something about it. 2.) Renew your mind. Ok so you're fat, you don't like the way you look in pics, you think the band is going to fail you, there's "no way it'll help you lose 100lbs". Stop right there my friend...can we say self-sabotage? When you speak defeat, you've already lost. You might as well eat twinkies and ice cream - they slide right through. So I urge and encourage you to renew your mind to a positive mindset. Take everything day by day, meal by meal, choice by choice. You didn't gain this weight overnight and you're certainly not going to lose it over night. The band is a TOOL, we hear/read it all the time and that's true. It's a tool to HELP YOU, but if YOU aren't ready for the help it won't do YOU any good. I really think you're at a pivotal moment in you're journey. You're awakening to the new you, change is never easy and it's so much easier to just give up. But YOU CAN DO THIS! Just think of it this way... just like in life, your path is yours and yours alone, your lapband journey is the same. Don't compare yourself to others, do what works for you and live your life. You didn't report the multitude of pounds you gained to anyone, so why report what you lose to anyone? Let them see for themselves. Yes the fact is, the bigger you are the more you have to lose for people to notice, but let them notice...Just go on with your days going down your path and doing what's right for you. Remember the only approval you need is yours and it'll feel SO much better when those "Wow you're really losing weight huh?" comments and compliments come your way because they'll be real and honest, not fished for or charity out of seeking approval. Stick to what works for you and in a year or so's time when you've lost that 100lbs and everyone is ooo'ing and ahh'ing you'll have nobody to thank but yourself. Do this for you, nobody else. Renew your mind...renew your mind....renew your mind! Accentuate the positive!

Same exact thing happens to me & my husband. I use the desktop computer a lot and we both access Facebook through there. My husband would NEVER "like" Bariatric pal but it showed on my feed that he did. I also had a minor freak out since I haven't told anyone. I got over it, but i was really annoyed initially.

Mona: With a BMI over 60, any insurance company denying bariatric surgery is either foolish, unethical, criminal, or uncaring (or any or all of the above) and deserves to be reported to the state regulators and maybe sued in court. They are gambling that you will die before having to have medical treatments that would eclipse the cost of bariatric surgery. If the Tennessee state insurance regulators will not step in, it is time to write to both your Tennessee state legislators and to your US congressmen. Each person in this country has one state Representative, one state Senator, one US Representative and two US Senators. Not knowing their e-mail addresses is foolishness on the part of any US citizen. US House of Representatives US Senate State Legislatures I noticed that you are a person who believes in the power of God. Many of our elected officials also claim to profess that belief. Let's see if contacting them will get them to prove whether they really are "Pro-Life" or actually "Pro-Big-Business".

Check out this bariatric surgeon's vids https://www.youtube.com/user/DrMatthewWeiner/videos He pushes a high veggie diet. Now, veggies usually aren't on the diet progression until several weeks after surgery, so be sure to follow your surgeon's diet progression plan until you're fully healed and released to a full diet, but I think this guy has some good advice for long-term weight maintenance.

I am a big fan of the plant-based diet approach. The bariatric gospel on the other hand, tends to condemn that but I think it is a very doable thing. In fact, there is a bariatric surgeon on YouTube who has a video called "eat your veggies first" where in he makes the argument that we have always eaten the Protein first, and if we can get in the habit of eating my vegetables for us we will be healthier and be more likely to keep the weight off. I think in the very beginning, vegetarian diet could be very challenging because the restriction is so significant due to swelling. But I would say 6 to 9 months out, it's quite feasible. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Who did you go with. At St Luke's I had the gorgeous Dr. Sorenson lol. At KC Bariatric my surgeon is Dr. Brice Hamilton.

Oh no, that stinks! I have a friend with BCBS OK, and they were told, last year I believe, that WLS was not covered... but I would imagine there are several different plans, and if you have an approval from late December, I don't see how they can back out now! By the way, I live in OK too, just north of OKC proper... I'm having surgery soon, I hope, down in Norman (my friend is a bariatric nurse down there, so I chose that hospital). I think you're the first person I've seen on here from OK, so I just wanted to say hello!

I actually was shocked with the insurance, it’s not through our regular health plan, its like an add-on that my husbands company has. Every procedure they cover is based on The Dr’s recommendation and not insurance guidelines. The only requirement is our deductible has to be met. It’s really a nice benefit. I was supposed to see Dr. Gorjala but he only sees patients on certain days. I was nervous about Dr. Lytle but ended up completely at ease. A little back story, I did not want the surgery, but all of my local doctors said I needed it. My BMI was only 32 I weighed 188 and am 5’0” and had been on weight watchers after a botched hysterectomy. I had gotten up to 201. I developed a large incisional hernia and no one would fix it until I was down to my ideal weight and weight watchers and gym was not doing it fast enough. My regular insurance would not cover it because my BMI was to low, I was only borderline diabetic, and no cardiac issues or high blood pressure. I was going to file a complaint with the health insurance and our insurance advocate told me about the program. Dr. Lytle reviewed my medical records and had to convince me that my local Drs were right and that I needed to have this surgery to get the hernia fixed. I just met with a local surgeon for the hernia, through the same program and found out how bad things really are, but because I had the surgery I can be fixed. All of my large and small intestines are outside of where they are supposed to be and I have no stomach wall so they need to rebuild it. I will lose my belly button. I live in Central Florida half way between Daytona and Orlando. My next surgery will be in Orlando at ORMC. Atlanta is huge and I do not miss driving around there. Thankfully we were staying in Sandy Springs around the corner from the hospital. We did travel to Centennial Park when we were there for consult. The traffic is horrible there so I can understand your concern. Lol. I want to wish you luck with everything. It sounds like you have been through a lot yourself. I know everyone at Bariatric Innovations will take great care of you! The trip was well worth it. I wanted Dr. Lytle to fix my hernia also and he agreed to do it, but I needed to consult with a local surgeon first. If it wasn’t so far I would have gone with Dr Lytle but because of the seriousness of the hernia I decided to go with a local surgeon to avoid all the traveling.

hello, Dec 20 will mark 3 years since my LAGB surgery. I lost about 40 lbs and stayed the same for sooooooo long. Got my last fill in June. And within the last couple months (started school, started going to gym more, activity level increased greatly, less time to eat) I have really started to crawl out of my slump and start using the the band to it's full potential once again. I have lost about 25 lbs in the last 8 weeks or so. My problem is, I always had a bit of GERD issues, but the past month or so (and even more the past week or so) have been having a lot of it-I usually start coughing when it starts, and can't stop coughing until I take zantac or pepcid. I can take tums for a lot shorter period of relief. (I really have an issue with PPI's and will not take them) I do not want to get an unfill b/c I am losing weight for the first time in years and am very happy with my new, improved body. Also, I can eat anything, just small amounts, and have had no trouble keeping anything down when I take small bites and chew. Reflux is mostly in the AM and when I dont eat for much more than a couple hours. I have vomited, but only 3 or 4 times since I got the fill in June and it was because I was stupid and ignored my signals. I have an appt with my Bariatric nurse on friday, any advice/anecdotes/words of wisdom would be appreciated. -Carlie

It’s the holiday season, and that probably means gifts. A good gift should be personal. It should show your love and support. It might not cost much, but it can be very meaningful. No worries if you’re stuck when thinking about bariatric-friendly gifts. Help is on the way! Here are BariatricPal’s ideas for a WLS gift list. Gift Card to The BariatricPal Store Gift cards are all the rage. They avoid the possibility of giving an unwanted gift and forcing the recipient to go through the hassle of the returns process. You could opt for a generic gift card to one of the mass merchandisers, but why not get one that’s a little more personal? A gift card to The BariatricPal Store may be the answer. It’s good on any product in the BariatricPal store, from high-protein pretzels to single-serve packets of low-carb oatmeal and pasta to bariatric vitamins. Weight loss surgery patients can stay nourished and save time using The BariatricPal Store. Oh, and by the way…it’s a great last-minute gift. It’s delivered electronically so the recipient gets it instantly. A Comfort Basket Everyone can use a little extra comfort after weight loss surgery. A comfort basket can be a great gift, and it’s even better because you can customize it with special treats for the recipient. Here are a few ideas. A cute blanket because some weight loss surgery patients get cold as they lose weight. Some gourmet protein soup, broth, or bouillon to stay hydrated and get warm. Some recipe cards with high-protein, low-carb healthy recipes…and maybe some of the ingredients that go into those recipes. A nice bath soap to encourage the recipient to just…relax. Some bariatric treats like sugar-free cheesecake or all-natural turkey jerky. Product Subscriptions from The BariatricPal Store Once you become a bariatric surgery patient, you’re no longer a great candidate to be a member of a Wine of the Month, Chocolate of the Month, or Cookie of the Month Clubs. So how can your friends and family give you a gift that you’ll remember all year long? Try a subscription at The BariatricPal Store! When you sign someone up for Subscribe and Save, the order automatically ships to their door every 1, 2, or 3 months. You can have The BariatricPal Store bill your credit card. It’ll keep going until you cancel it, so there’s no need to remember to pay a bill or order the next delivery. The recipient will think of you every time they receive a great-tasting batch of bariatric chocolate cake, or a time-saving variety pack of hot and cold breakfasts. Gym Membership for Two This kills so many birds with one stone. It is a gift that says, “I love you so much that I’m willing to go to the gym so we can be healthy together.” It gives you the chance to get fit, and it comes with a built-in motivator: a workout buddy. Say goodbye to excuses when both of you have a gym membership. You can’t let that money go to waste. And when you work out together, you can push each other, encourage each other, gain a little more respect for each other, and, yes, even have fun together. That’s a great gift! The BariatricPal Big Book Pre-op or post-op, and band, bypass, or sleeve, there’s a Big Book on Weight Loss Surgery that’s right for you. The big books have tips, hacks, and recipes for every stage of the weight loss surgery journey, from choosing a surgeon to moving into maintenance. Order a hard copy for curling up near the fireplace on a cool evening, or get an electronic version so you can read the Big Book whenever you want. I.O.U’s Remember back in grade school when you’d make a coupon book for Father’s Day? You might have included things like washing the car, mowing the lawn, or making lunch. Those things may not seem too special, but here’s a hint that they were: your dad may have kept those coupons around for decades. Well, you can create something just as special now. What about some of these coupons? A workout together at the gym, in a group fitness class, or outdoors. A meal that you cook together, so both of you can understand what it’s like to count protein, measure every bite, and put together healthy meals. An afternoon shopping for clothes…which is so much more fun when you can fit into them after losing weight. (For a pre-op patient) Help cleaning out the unhealthy foods from the kitchen, and restocking it with healthy foods. Each of these coupons says, “I like spending time with you. I want to share my world with you, and I am so thankful for your interest.” We hope these ideas are helpful and make your holiday season easier. If you have any gift ideas, please share them in the comments section!

Hello all!! I have been pursuing these message boards for a couple of weeks now and finally decided to join. Here is a little about me...I recently turned 30 years old and am currently at 370 lbs (I'm 6', and carry my weight pretty well). Luckily I do not have a lot of medical complications due to my weight...yet! I just found out that our company is changing insurance plans next year to Medica, which will cover bariatric surgery. I've already signed up for an information session with Park Nicollet, which is next week. Currently I'm still in debating over the gastric sleeve or the RNY bypass. As I'm just starting, I'm really looking for any information that you think would be helpful. I'm not even sure if I know what questions to ask. Thank you all in advance for your support and help!

Hi all, i have UHC also and in my coverage documents it specifically excludes bariatric surgery even for morbid obesity. it actually excludes EVERYTHING related to weight/dieting of any kind. i didn't even bother to try and get them to pay...should i have? i raided an IRA and am paying cash. i'm going to feel like a total dummy if i could have gotten this paid for!!! :drool: my surgery is a week from tomorrow and i am SOOO ready. Janet

I grew up in Venice and live in Englewood now. I had my surgery through Sarasota Bariatric's , who are run by Sarasota Memorial. They have a support group for their patients the first Thursday of every month. I started with their group, but got way more info here. PM me if you need any help with anything.

Fatty liver disease doesn't typically cause pain unless it has progressed to cirrhosis. If you think the pain is from your liver, do you have a heptologist you see? I would make an appointment with that doctor and check in. Your bariatric surgeon probably isn't as knowledgeable in that area and this could be dangerous if it's progressing to cirrhosis.

I was sleeved July 2012. Forty pounds ago I past the surgeon's goal. I just said my body will decide. I follow the rules. I eat clean. I train or dance 6 days a week. Well, I just didn't stop losing weight. I feel I've probably been "at goal" for a few months but I still lose at least 2 pounds a month. The plastic surgeon (who works frequently with my bariatric surgeon) told me to stop, increase my calories and I'd be thrilled with my results. I just really have very little fat on my body. (She showing me as she's manipulating my hanging skin.) So I asked her about "how long" she wants me to be stable. She said it's not about how long before I can have surgery, it's about eating more and not losing anymore. Okay. I get it. It's not easy but I will lose a minimum of 5 pounds of skin/fat in surgery and my BMR will triple in recovery!!! Spin will lose weight, too. To triple my BMR results in a really high calorie need. Higher than I can imagine and I eat 1800 calories now. This is why consults are so important. They can really look at YOU and what you need to do.

I have a blog, but am looking for more people going through the same things as me. Www.adorkabletreasure.wordpress.com November 13: The Major Decision Within the last month, I've decided that I needed a change in my life. This change could potentially change my life dramatically-for the better. I am terrified of what will happen, the long term effects and the process in general. However, I need to do this. I need to do this for me. I need to do this for my son. What is this change? What could possibly change my life so much? Weight loss. Yup, this is another one of those blogs. I've always wanted to lose weight. It just never happened. I think I really packed it on when I was about 12 or 13. I remember coming home for Christmas break and my mom calling my school to ask what they were feeding me. I don't remember when I passed 200 pounds. I remember passing 300 at the end of my pregnancy and being so so grossed out. I've lost about 30 pounds post pregnancy.....4 years ago. My insurance covers bariatric surgery 100%. That was a shocker. I've gone back and forth with considering this as an option for some time now, but I haven't made any progress on my own. It's time for some professional help. Hey, after the year I've had (divorced, moved to a new state, multiple family deaths, new job etc) I need to do something positive for me. And I need to do everything I can to make sure I'm around to see my son grow up. The first step that I took was finding someone who took my insurance. It's new in my area, so not many people are contracted with them. Calling my insurance didn't help, they couldn't find anyone within 50 miles of me. I did find one though! I'm set up to do the seminar on the 30th, and the first appointment with the doctor is December 3rd. I am most interested in the sleeve. Here's to a new, terrifying adventure. December 1: Today, I F-d Up. Well, yesterday and today. Yesterday, I was so engrossed in decorating the Christmas tree that I completley forgot about the WLS orientation. 6:30 came around, and so did my memory that I was suppossed to be somewhere. So it's been rescheduled. For the 10th. Maybe I won't fail at life and forget again. Todays screw up: I totally ruined my brothers Christmas. I forgot to take his Christmas present out of the car.....anndddddd he got in the car today. So his wonderful "big" surprise of an Xbox One was completley ruined. I'm thinking about putting a pair of slippers in the box instead..... On another note, my kid is back!!! December 9th: The Insurance Drama Begins.... So - I just moved to Nevada a few months ago. The insurance that I have is through Amerigroup. According to the receptionist, Amerigroup will only approve a surgery if I am on medication for high blood pressure or diabetes - no matter what the BMI is. I am on neither. Although, my doctors appointment on Wednesday, my blood pressure was 143/107. Maybe I should have that checked. My insurance that is offered through my work starts on January 1st. With Cigna. Cigna only covers 1 doctor in Las Vegas, and it's not the one I am scheduled to go to the seminar for tomorrow. So I am in a bind. Do I go to the seminar tomorrow anyway or should I just say screw it and start with the Cigna doctor? (Who has a seminar on the 15th). So many decisions!! December 11: Seminar = Completed I went to the seminar last night. There was a lot.of information given. The surgeon seems very straight forward, no bullshit kind of guy. I kinda want to know if he takes my insurance, you know sometimes the insurance sites don't list all the doctors they actually cover. I have an appointment with him on Tuesday, so hopefully I will hear good news. It did leave me debating between lap band and the sleeve though. His results from people who have had lap band are great, unlike all the horror stories I've read about it. I troed talking to my mom about it, and without a beat she said "its not like you're going to change your eating habits anyway". So I guess I can count her out for support, even though she suggested it in the first place. I'm going to try and go to the other seminar for my new insurance on Wednesday night. December 13: Officially In The Program It's official. I am on my way to VSG. I'm scared, nervous, excited, and overly cautious. I so want this, I've wanted this for years. Walking into the back office, I was shocked that I had gained 25 pounds since moving to Vegas. I had done so well, and worked so hard to lose it, and it's all back. Starting Weight: 295.2 pounds. What. The. Hell. Meeting with Dr. Teng, he told me that I was basically almost three persons. For my height, I should weigh a max of 140. Ummmm, that's only 155 pounds...no big deal... He asked me what my heaviest was - 310 at the end of pregnancy. He asked what my lightest adult weight was, from 21 years and up - lightest was 270 (I had my son when I was 20). He looked a little shocked. Then he asked what my lightest was at 18/19, which was 210. He said some things I already knew. What I am doing at home isn't working. I have to make the commitment to change. I have to work for it. Surgery is not a band aid, it's a tool. Then he told me that lap band will get me down a hundred pounds, but not much more. He is recommending the sleeve. My next appointment I make a final decision. Overall, it was just a short visit. Information gathering I suppose. The lady at the front desk, who happens to also be the dietician, said that she would discuss more about what happens at the next visit (for nutrition). My insurance (Cigna) requires that I lose 10% of my body weight before surgery. That's 30 pounds. The doctor also told ke that Cigna requires 4 months of nutrition counseling. He said that if everything goes well, I should be able to get the sleeve in March. I don't think he accounted for this being mid month, so I am going to guess April is the correct month. I am going to a nutrition appointment on the 28th. I am pretty sure she said that these were 28 days apart, but she also said something about some class being 1 or 2 times a week. I am not entirely sure what that is. Each nutrition class is $40, that my insurance does not cover. I go back to see the Dr. Teng on January 31st. That is 7 weeks into this program. By then, I should have lost at least 17 pounds to be on track for insurance approval. Here's to the most dedicated I've ever been. Last meal: chicken pot pie, ceasar salad, and lemon cream cheese pie at Marie Callendars. It was fantastic. December 21: Weigh In #1 Welp....it's been a week. I have been overly aware of what I have been eating, and how much. I've gone out to eat and ordered a salad when I wanted a burger. I stashed away the chocolate bars that were bought for me while on my period. I even went into a bakery with my mom and didn't have anything. I got on our tiny, old, hard to read scale. Its past 285, but not 290. So I'm just gonna call that a 287. Which is 7-8 pounds. Ish. Not too bad for the first week. When my new insurance kicks in, I will be able to get a wireless scale for free. Hopefully it ships quickly. I'd like to actually be able to tell what my weight is.

Good Afternoon all, I will be banded next friday, the 15th. I was wondering when should I purchase Protein shakes and Vitamins. I've discovered a website that I think I would like to purchase my items from its called Bariatric Eating. Does anyone use them? Thanks in advance.

I think it's interesting you put it this way because a few years ago I had a similar epiphany about dieting. If my dieting, losing weight but then gaining it all back and then some, was instead a "bad boy" boyfriend that I kept leaving and going back to, all my friend would be lecturing me and begging me to cut out this destructive behavior. But whenever you go on a diet, people get all excited for you and give you all kind of "atta boys". That is how ingrained it is in our society that fat people have brought their problems on themselves through their own bad behavior and all they have to do to not be fat is have a little bit of self-discipline. The idea that there is a biological component to our condition is rejected outright and us bringing it up is seen as "making excuses" and "not taking responsibility" for our actions. That's also why bariatric surgery is seen as "cheating" instead of a tool to break the destructive cycle of failed dieting.

Start with the surgery centers themselves. Call around to all the bariatric surgery centers and ask if they are a "Blue Cross Center of Excellence (COE)". Blue cross only covers the procedures at the centers THEY deem as COE. After talking to tons of Dr.s offices by looking them up on my Anthem Blue Cross website, and hearing that the Dr. is a contracted physician, I would start the process only to find out that the center that the doctor uses is not a COE therefor ABC would not cover it. I called around to about 8 different surgery hospitals/centers before I found a location that was COE. And then from there I asked them which physicians on staff were contracted through ABC as well. And that's how after six months of searching, I finally found the center and doctor that my insurance would cover. Good luck. In this day and age you need to be your own advocate. Alot of Dr.s are dropping their contracts with the insurance companies because they are quite frankly getting screwed by them. I work at a brand new surgery center, and we don't contract with anyone because we would loose too much money and be unable to stay open. Make the calls and make sure you are asking the correct questions, and you should do fine. BTW, blue cross is terrible about paying for the after care. As far as your fills and such, you may need to pay for those on your own. I ended up paying a "fee" after my insurance pay outs to cover the cost of my aftercare (fills, consults, post procedure follow up visits). Again good luck.

:unsure:Hello all, I am very new at this. Doctor and I suggested bariatric surgery at my appt on Thursday. I've had friend who have done the lap band surgery and am intrigued. However, I know nothing and don't know where to start. I know basically nothing about this. Where do I start? I am eager and willing. I need to know what lap band is, time lost from work, how much loss will there be etc..... Any other sites would be helpful also. I want to know what I can before I go the bariatric doctor. Any help would be appreciated.