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I had originally gone to my surgeon to repair a symptomatic ventral hernia. I had not even considered surgery for weight loss before I spoke to him. I just did not realize it was an option for me. Over the last year I had a number of things go wrong, aside from losing my job due to covid, my husband died of alcoholism. He was a cruel drunk and I spent the last two years with him wearing a headset to block out his raging and hiding in video games from his cruelty. I gained a lot of weight quickly. My labs were growing increasingly bad, my liver enzymes elevated, and then I was diagnosed with parathyroid disorder and prediabetic. Finally it dawned on me after I was given the option for weight loss surgery, it was time to reclaim my life and move forward and find my happiness. I was told the surgery would likely correct the things that had been popping up as long as I follow the program and lose the weight. That is what I am doing and my life is slowly being reshaped as I take each step towards a healthier lifestyle.

I don't know your stats but 800 calories a day doesn't seem too high to me. Unless you're really tiny and inactive, you should be able to lose on that amount. I mostly eat mini-meals throughout the day. I start eating at about 6 AM when I have coffee before work and I eat every 2-3 hours or so until about 6-7 PM (like maybe 6 AM, 8 AM, 11 AM, 2 PM, 5 PM and 6-7 PM). I'm naturally more hungry in the daytime and not so much at night, so I don't usually need to eat at night. It looks something like this: 1. 6 AM: Morning latte (made with Kitu Super coffee, 10g or Protein and no sugar) 2. 8 AM: 1 scrambled egg 3. 10 AM: Yogurt 4. 12 PM: 1 chicken thigh 5. 2 PM: sugar-free pudding 6. 4 PM: Lunch meat wrap made with Mission Carb Balance tortilla 8. 6-7 PM (Nighttime snack): cheese stick When I was still losing, I restricted carbs but not calories, so if I had a hungry day I might eat a little more or conversely I might have a low appetite day and eat less. I ate around 800 calories a day from 6 months through about 18 months, so I guess that's why it doesn't seem excessive to me. I did not have weekend treats while I was losing (although I did have special-occasion treats, like Christmas and my birthday). The more often you eat on-plan, the faster your weight loss, but you get to decide the balance between losing weight and enjoying life. Just be alert to how things affect you, so you can adjust if there is a problem.

Nearly had the sleeve in 2014. Backed out at the last minute. The actual tipping point was COVID. I am under 40 and have two children. The idea of being high risk for a virus that can kill me for being obese set me off. I am almost 2 weeks post-op and down 63 lbs from my highest weight last August. I am officially half way there- hopefully my new tool will help me get there!

Hey everyone! I am just going into week 4. I must say I am hungry a lot lord than expected! I drink plenty of water but I’m never satisfied in the evenings what is a typical normal day for you? do you have treats at the weekend? i feel stressed I am having up to 800 kcal already let me know if I am being silly or what ideas you have and ideas of what to eat! Thank you!!! Daniella

Dumping Syndrome is generally linked to Gastric Bypass. It's from your food going from your stomach to your small intestines too fast. There is also only something like a 25% chance of you even having it. Gastric Sleeve has far less chances of that happening because your intestines aren't messed with but if you eat too fast then yeah, you'll feel like vomiting. Doesn't mean you will, but you may gag a bit. Also, drinking will cause your stomach to empty faster and could 1. make you hungry faster and 2. cause a dumping episode because you sent the food too fast through your system with the drink. If you DO decide to go the surgery route, you have to decide on whether you want the 25% of getting dumping syndrome with Gastric Bypass or the 30% your GERD will get worse with the Sleeve

I’m just about to start the process with Kaiser so cal. Have an appointment with my PCP June 2nd to see what all I need to do. What other things pre op have you had to do? I’ve been trying to find someone else in so cal Kaiser but most are up north or out of state. Any info you can share would be great!!! Thanks!

Hi there, I listen to a podcast called Half Size Me, which has changed the way I think about weight loss. One of the things I’d recommend is using the free Happy Scale app, which gives you an average weight, so you can track even small decreases over time. Then focus on losing a pound a month - it will take you 2 years, but 2 years will pass and you’ll either be where you are now cycling the same 5 lbs, or 22 lbs less. It’s just about small, but consistent changes - so not giving up when it seems like the scale isn’t budging, since it might just be inching down. Good luck!

hello, I have never done this forum thingy b4 !! but here it goes i had sleeve surgery in 2015 at Kaiser went very well .. So point is that i don't have Kaiser any more and i have to get a revision due to acid damage now!! i have IEHP insurance can anyone suggest a good bypass surgeon ???? PLEASE HELP!!

I meant to post back in March but been busy with life. I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe. For those who got sick with the virus or lost loved ones, I offer my deepest thoughts and sympathies. I was part of the group who got the by-pass done just before everything went on lockdown last year. It's been quite the journey. I've been fortunate to have been able to work from home all of this time, although I do expect to return to the office sometime later this year. To date, I have lost 92 lbs. since the start of my bariatric journey and 104 lbs. from my highest weight. I had the surgery at 62 years of age and I was pre-diabetic, with high blood pressure and a BMI of over 44 and Stage 2 kidney disease. My highest dress size was 24 and I had severe acid reflux, back, knee and feet problems. At present, I can likely get into a size 18 and my bust size has gone from DDD to DD. I absolutely have no regrets getting the surgery -- it likely saved my life in many ways. Pre surgery I did a lot of reading on here as I wanted to know as much as I could about what to expect and I appreciated those who were 6-12 months out from surgery coming back to talk about their experiences, so I wanted to pay it forward. I will begin by breaking this into 4 sections: How I feel, What I think about myself, What I appreciate about myself now, and My work in progress. How I Feel: Physically I feel great and I consider that a blessing. I still have problems with my feet but that is mainly due my falling arches more than anything (although I did strain my ankle a few weeks ago attempting to do HIIT exercises -- don't ask). I've been most frustrated not being able to go to the gym to workout so my main exercise is walking long distances and doing online sculpturing classes. I do plan to return to the gym soon to step up the weight training. Walking up a flight of stairs without gasping for air is just simply divine! Having blood pressure that avg. 117/75? Lovely! I do still have to sleep somewhat elevated as I do have occasional bouts of reflux but nothing like before the surgery and I can't sleep on my right side for too long. But I can now sleep on my back without having severe back pain (the draw back is that my mouth is always open when I do). My blood work for the most part shows most areas in the normal ranges and my kidneys are functioning well. What I think about myself: When I was still in my 20s, I managed to lose 80 pounds and I gained it all back and then some. What is different about me now vs. then is that I still saw myself as fat, even though at that time, I was 16 pounds away from my goal weight. When I look at the pictures of me then, I couldn't see what I see of myself now. Even if I never lose another pound, I am so very cool with me being at this size right now. We are all different, especially us women, but yet we compare our bodies to an image that is not necessarily natural or realistic for most of us. Now I look in the mirror and I 'see' skinny and that's only because I'm tall and can carry more weight without 'looking' fat. That's also why the bottom line for me will always be the numbers on the scale, the volume of food I eat and the calories I ingest because the numbers don't lie. But poor body imagery can screw your mind up every time. What I appreciate about myself now: I think that it's so important to note the things that most folk who are thinner often take for granted. I try to keep a mental list of the things I can do now vs. before: Crossing my legs! I so love doing this! I can cross my legs without needing to hold my leg in place with my hand. I can keep my legs crossed for long periods of time without leg cramps; I can get a 4.5 mile walk in within 1 hr, 15 min vs. the 1 hr. 45 mins. in the past. I was able to work up to 10 miles in one session last year; Love having a resting heart rate in the 50s-60s; I can actually go to Costcos and buy some clothes! I haven't yet done so, but I will be able to start shopping for clothes in the non plus size section (that will still feel weird though); I like the fact that it can take me 2-3 days to finish a meal that I would normally eat in one meal. Volume control is a major game changer for me. I can't believe that I don't miss ice cream! My Work in Progress: The weight loss is slooooooooooooooooooooow now. I'm so close to that major milestone of onederland that I can taste it! Drinking enough water is still a struggle; Yes, sometimes I do overeat (and yeah, I pay for that!) Some foods that I like I can't really eat that much of anymore. I have to remind myself to make sure I get in enough protein. The protein drinks really helps even now. I still feel somewhat guilty when I have to throw food away because I'm full. I still snack a lot and I will on occasion, have that one sweet item that I want. I don't crave sweets and I'm so very grateful about that. Interesting that I want more savory things now. Being consistent is what I have to constantly work on. So ask me anything and I will check in from time to time to answer your questions. I would love to hear from others who had the surgery just prior to the great shutdown of 2020. Whatever you do, stay true and focus on your journey. It doesn't matter when you get there, only that you do in your time.

Oh my gosh!!!!! This is the BEST thing I ever did? My one regret: (and I have heard this SO many times...). I wish I would have done it sooner! I was 57 when I had the sleeve done 10 years ago. I lost 80 lbs and just in the last couple of years I have put 15-20 lbs back on which is why I am back here to figure out how to stop the gain. I went in with the mindset that this was a very exciting time in my life and I was finally going to get a handle on it and I did!!! I wrote a book called Queen of Crop where I kept a blog faithfully each week....I suggest you do as well because it will be a very exciting year for you. You will be in the Honeymoon phase for the first year....but listen and learn so you don't regain. Sadly, my surgery was very early on and I was traveling for a year so had very little (if any) follow up support so here I am fighting some weight gain. But oh, the freedom of feeling thin!!!! Good luck and have fun with it. My passport photos taken exactly one year apart!