I am weighing all of the positives versus all of the negatives while trying to make a final decision about surgery. I have been considering the gastric sleeve surgery for years, and am now closer to making decision than I have ever been . The referral has been made and I have scheduled my consultation. So far, just about everything I have researched has me leaning towards going for it except my fear that I won't be able to afford the expense of groceries in the future. Why are healthy foods so expensive? And the protein and vitamins expense is scary to think about. I have joint pain, apnea and high blood pressure as well as a rare disease and know that my future health would benefit from the surgery, but I'm so poor! Is bariatric surgery only a solution for people with more substantial finances? (I have insurance and some savings to help with surgery costs). And advice?

One factor on the pro side is that you'll be eating so much less food that you'll be spending less on groceries and/or eating out. And think of all the money you'll save from not buying snacks! ? I don't buy organic or anything, so I just buy regular old food as cheap as I can get it like at Aldi or Kroger or Sam's Club. There are protein shakes at Walmart, Amazon, and Sam's Club. I buy my vitamins at GNC, but once I don't have to do the soft chews anymore I'm going to get the buy 1 get 2 free at Walgreens and save some money there. I don't know how expensive shipping is to Hawaii, but you can find a LOT of good protein food options and vitamins online. Good luck with your decision.

I save hundreds a month simply from not ordering food or going out to eat. And food costs are also down because I only need 5 bites of something. Definitely a plus on the pros and cons list of the surgery.

I am weighing all of the positives versus all of the negatives while trying to make a final decision about surgery. I have been considering the gastric sleeve surgery for years, and am now closer to making decision than I have ever been . The referral has been made and I have scheduled my consultation. So far, just about everything I have researched has me leaning towards going for it except my fear that I won't be able to afford the expense of groceries in the future. Why are healthy foods so expensive? And the Protein and Vitamins expense is scary to think about. I have joint pain, apnea and high blood pressure as well as a rare disease and know that my future health would benefit from the surgery, but I'm so poor! Is bariatric surgery only a solution for people with more substantial finances? (I have insurance and some savings to help with surgery costs). And advice?

Bariatric fusion has vitamins you will need for about $30.00 monthly

On 1/27/2019 at 2:55 PM, sheslittletex said:

I am weighing all of the positives versus all of the negatives while trying to make a final decision about surgery. I have been considering the gastric sleeve surgery for years, and am now closer to making decision than I have ever been . The referral has been made and I have scheduled my consultation. So far, just about everything I have researched has me leaning towards going for it except my fear that I won't be able to afford the expense of groceries in the future. Why are healthy foods so expensive? And the Protein and Vitamins expense is scary to think about. I have joint pain, apnea and high blood pressure as well as a rare disease and know that my future health would benefit from the surgery, but I'm so poor! Is bariatric surgery only a solution for people with more substantial finances? (I have insurance and some savings to help with surgery costs). And advice?

You won’t be dependent on protein shakes long term. You will use them in your first food stages after surgery because your sleeve restriction is tight. Real food phase, you will be able to hit your protein goal (60-100grams) without shakes.

On 1/27/2019 at 2:55 PM, sheslittletex said:

I won't be able to afford the expense of groceries in the future. Why are healthy foods so expensiv

Your first food stages liquids, puree and soft foods won’t be very exciting. Easy to shop for.

Something to try pre-surgery. Make a grocery list with foods allowed on your real food dieticians plan.

• Keep it simple. No processed foods.
• What is the cost to purchase protein sources? (eggs, dairy, beans, sea food/fish, poultry, pork, beef, soy)
• How expensive is it to buy fresh or frozen fruits and vegies in small amounts?
• How expensive are spices, olive oil, marinades?
• Cook meals at home. Keeps cost down with no hidden calories.
• Freeze left overs in small bags/containers for meals later

Look up bariatric friendly recipes. (make sure they fit your plan and calories and macros for the day) Use a food log app. Bariatastic or myfitnesspal.

https://www.bariatriccookery.com/recipes-2

https://insidekarenskitchen.com/recipes/bariatric-friendly-recipes/

https://www.pinterest.com/bariatricfoodie/pins/

Wait, you realize this makes zero sense right? You can easily afford the food- you will barely be eating lol so groceries will stretch.
Plus if you stick to basics (chicken, veggies, eggs, greek yogurt etc) it’s not expensive at all, you just have to know where to shop.

You may even be spending more of food now if you eat out often and also portion. Remember you will be unprocessing your diet so it gets cheaper.

I find cheap meats at target and costco (costco literally lasts forever and chicken drumsticks are only $7 for a pack of 30) if cooking isn’t for you, you can do rotissierie chicken etc which is also affordable.

I will say protein shakes and vitamins might add up but there are ways around that too. And also once you get further out, you may not even need shakes like that. Oh and water is dirt cheap.

Unfortunately, the surgery cost itself i can’t advise on, but i would consider reaching out to your hospital directly. They may have some financial aid available to you, that you may not know about yet. Good luck.

Thank you, everyone!

I actually found that for me, the pre-op diet was far more expensive. Here in Finland, the pre-op diet is for 1 month, and involves drinking 5 protein shakes a day, which are anywhere from 1,69€ to 1,99€ each depending on which brand. And then you have a small amount of protein and up to 500g (1lb) of select vegetables per day. We were spending loads just on the protein drinks alone.

Now our grocery bill has decreased since I barely eat anything. For the most part, it's just my husband eating now, and I tend to take a little of whatever he is having, so long as it is something I can eat, and it falls into the healthy category.

We still do buy some of the protein drinks from time to time, but usually only 1-2 every few days or so, versus 5 per day. They were the biggest chunk of our grocery bill each month.

I am weighing all of the positives versus all of the negatives while trying to make a final decision about surgery. I have been considering the gastric sleeve surgery for years, and am now closer to making decision than I have ever been . The referral has been made and I have scheduled my consultation. So far, just about everything I have researched has me leaning towards going for it except my fear that I won't be able to afford the expense of groceries in the future. Why are healthy foods so expensive? And the Protein and Vitamins expense is scary to think about. I have joint pain, apnea and high blood pressure as well as a rare disease and know that my future health would benefit from the surgery, but I'm so poor! Is bariatric surgery only a solution for people with more substantial finances? (I have insurance and some savings to help with surgery costs). And advice?

Do you have an "Aldi" near you? Their prices are way cheaper than anywhere else. They also have a protein powder that I believe is very similar to the unjury, about 90 calories more per serving, but actually has more protein and it's only $14 for a much larger size.

Going to check Aldi's tomorrow, sounds like a good protein price to me.?

You eat less. And for shakes you get 35-40 meals for 70-79 bucks.