Matt Z

You could hit a few local support groups, not just for the sleeve but others as well, so you can get yourself a nice full picture of the process overall. You could also start getting into an exercise habit now rather than waiting for after surgery.

For anyone else interested in their BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) https://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/bmr

Click the drop down next to your name in the upper right hand corner and select "My Surgery" the option to change from pre to post is listed there. You'll see the options for your progress as well.

It's possible that you don't need it. Lots of doctors/hospitals/surgical teams will write scripts generically for a surgery, but not everyone needs them all. If you have gallstones already, then this medicine won't help you at all. (And from what EVERYONE is saying, it tastes like crap). I've got stones and my doctor told me this was the one time that having stones was a benefit... because I didn't have to take that medication.

Please keep us posted on your findings!

This is where the "Don't worry about the weight number" comes in. Clearly you are losing something somewhere if your losing inches and sizes. This is exactly why I love scales with body fat measurements. There were days when I would gain weight, but lose fat. If it weren't for that second measurement, I'd more than likely have lost my damn mind. Now, as long as 1 of the 2 measurements is dropping, I don't stress. I'd say you both were doing great, just keep it up and soon enough you'll see those Lbs dropping off as well! It takes time, but you'll get there!

I've been doing time on an ARC training, treadmill, bike, and lots of weight lifting.

I have the Fitbit Charge 2, it also has interchangeable bands. I've had this one for several years now.

Distance is going to be the factor you want to compare here (unless your area is excessively hilly). I'd be willing to bet that 60 min walk outside doesn't get you as far as that 60 mins on the treadmill.

It's a hard issue dealing with separating enjoyment and pleasure from the act of eating. Clearly you want to like the taste, but focusing on enjoyment can be problematic. I'd suggest checking out different spices you can add after the fact, like you cook up a bunch of chicken and THEN season it when you set it up for consumption. Variety is important when you are only consuming small amounts of the same thing over and over. I get your struggle though, I grew up with a large typical Italian family, food was important. The transition has been tough, but worth it.

NSAIDs are a HUGE No-No after WLS. Hopefully you've discussed this with your surgical team and primary, there are other options besides just Tylenol for your pain relief needs. But you'll be banned from NSAIDs after WLS. They cause some nasty stomach issues due to the change in stomach size.

Max out your water and proteins each day. And never do anything more than you can. It won't all come back right away, but in time you'll be good to go. I'm frustrated at the gym, I can't lift as much as I could for a few things, but I'm able to do much more fat burn and cardio than I've been able to in more than a decade and a half. Just keep at it and you'll be great!

Congrats! Good Luck! and Welcome to the Losers Bench!

I did not do any extra exercise while on liquids, I don't think it's advisable. You can walk, etc, but I would honestly avoid any strenuous exercise. Be sure to talk to your surgical team and nutritionist, it's important to work together leading up to your surgery and for a while afterwards until you get back on your feet.

https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/393130-genepro-stay-away/

Sadly, there isn't anything you can do to "target" fat loss, your body uses fat in it's own way, it's frustrating but really the ONLY thing you can do, is keep doing what you are, eventually it'll start to diminish. I'm with you though, my arms and lower legs are super thinned out, my gut... still sticking around. You said you've lost 6 inches off your stomach line... that's nothing to gloss over, 6 inches is 6 inches! Just keep up the fight and sooner or later you'll see it.

I can't stress dry mouth spray and lip balm for when you come out of surgery and they don't let you drink anything for several hours. Honestly made my first day SO much more tolerable. Bring some comfy sweats with you, they typically let you put them on while you are still in recovery, just having some pants on can make the world of difference! Don't forget a pillow for the ride home so you can put it between you and the seat belt. And any other entertainment things you might want for your stay. You will more than likely be up and walking before you even leave the recovery room and they'll have you walking every hour or so. For home, don't stock up on foods too much, the amount you'll actually need is comically smaller at first. My wife over bought a few things, and they ended up not getting used. Try to find some Protein water or Isopure Zero Carb RTD drinks (the taste is a little odd so it might be worth trying some before you need them) they are high in protein clear drinks and also count for water intake. 2 birds 1 stone. Sleeping can be tough for some the first few nights home, see if you'd be better off in a recliner or if you need extra pillows to prop you up while sleeping. The budget part, the foods are you going to need to eat after surgery (and for the rest of your life) generally are a bit more expensive. But it's important to understand that you eat less, so it balances out.

Congrats and Good Luck! Be sure to bring some dry mouth spray and some lip balm, so amazingly helpful for when you come out of surgery and aren't allowed anything to drink for several hours!

Lipo is for fine tuning / sculpting and not for "weight loss". You said you tried various exercises, but not for how long you tried. Weight loss from working out alone doesn't happen overnight. It takes 2 or 3 weeks for your body to even realize that things have changed. Stalls happen because of this as your body starts to re-calibrate itself. How's your water intake, you can't burn fat very effectively without water. Are you still tracking your food consumption? If your intake is lower than your daily burn, you **WILL** lose weight.

I can vouch that after the bypass, everyone in my house is eating better. My nutritionist has us use a 5/5 "rule", we are to read the ingredients and if there is any added sugar in any form, it can't be more than 5 grams per serving. And for fats, no more than 5 grams per serving. This alone is helping the rest of my family out, you'd never suspect without checking how much extra added sugar are in things that you'd never guess!

There are quite a few reasons to chose the bypass over the sleeve. Besides any reflux issues. Your co-morbidities will play a factor as well. I've seen a few folks (and a friend of mine) that went VSG only to revise to the bypass. I myself originally went with the band back in 2011... and revised to bypass Mar 21st. I honestly wish I went with the bypass from the get go. Both the Band and the Sleeve only provide restriction and both can be "eaten around" with ease. You typically don't get any negative feedback from eating badly with the Band of Sleeve. Did you ask your surgeon why he felt the bypass was better in your situation than the sleeve? They could have a very good, medically driven reason. Personally, having done just restriction and transitioning over to the bypass.... I'd lean towards the Bypass.

Pretty sure most are still on Pureed foods at the 2 week mark. I was eating all sorts of foods... if it would puree, I would try it. Soups, chill, etc. Have you noticed if the problems occur with a non-dairy item like apple sauce? I'm wondering if it's a milk thing...

Coughing and sneezing sucked early on. The pillow trick is very much worth using! Grab that pillow and press it as hard as you can into your stomach before a cough or sneeze, it still hurts, but much less so (and it limits tear or hernia risks)

That's not a bad idea overall, if you can't find a position to lay in without issue. I missed the hospital bed the first few nights for this very reason. It does get better!

My apologies for the Sex assumption. Not sure why or how that happened. Everything above, outside of the Testosterone part, still applies. You can certainly work on muscle building, more muscle will still burn more fat! And that water intake is below the minimum suggested daily intake for normal situations, let alone for someone trying to lose weight (seems the new recommended minimum is actually higher now... seeing between 2.7 liters and 3 liters) I get it can be hard, but there are ways, always keeping your water on you, drinking first when you think you are hungry, adding some non-calorie flavorings. Work on getting that water intake up to minimums or higher (it gets easier the more you do it) and see if that helps! Good luck!