Babbs

False statement? I hate to sound mean, but you have a reading comprehension problem. I never said there weren't other causes, I just mentioned that a lack of protein can cause problems. Instead of calling me a liar, you might do some web searches on the subject of hair loss and protein. How your body reacts to surgery relates to your case, but their are others who would have done better had they followed the recommended diet plans. So you want to put the blame of hair loss on the poor, unsuspecting newbie to WLS by telling then it's all their fault their hair is falling out? Poppycock. I never called you a liar, and was just pointing out that eating all your protein like a good little patient will NOT prevent hair loss. That is a true statement. I've been on this forum for almost 2.5 years. I've seen hundreds of post about hair loss. And I've yet to see one that said they didn't lose hair because they ate all their protien. Most people lose hair for several reasons, and unfortunately there isn't squat we can do about it. Minimize it maybe, but not prevent it.

Get a second, third and fourth opinion. I'm sure there's a surgeon out there that can figure out a way to perform either a sleeve or a bypass. Don't give up! And don't take that one surgeons word as the final say! I'm rooting for you!

This is a false statement. I ate protein up the wazoo (80 grams a day) and still lost hair. It's a combination of several things to do with the surgery, and almost impossible to prevent.

What I've found with these surgeries is that after the initial rapid weight loss, the weight loss for most actually evens out to more 'average' rates of loss like with conventional diets. Mine wasn't fast by any means. I also found when my weight loss would stall, increasing calories would not only break the stall, but jump start my weight loss again. I did that periodically the first year until I was at 1200 calories and hit my goal weight. To maintain my weight, I then upped my calories to 1300. Doing that also helped set my metabolic thermostat so I wasn't stuck having to eat 800 calories for the rest of my life. I've said it before, but I really think these surgeries mess with our physiology. The 'ol "calories in/calories out" adage seems to go out the window, and most of the time in the losing phase INCREASING calories is the key to steady, healthier weight loss. Once our metabolism adjusts, then things seem to go back to normal when too many calories will result in weight gain. That being said, from the hundreds of posts I've seen and in my own experience, there is little to nothing we can do to prevent hair loss and most loose skin. Sure exercise, age, heredity etc has a lot to do with skin elasticity, but once certain areas are stretched out, there's just no going back without surgery. And hair loss is truly the luck of the draw.

I try to stick to real stuff, but you really can't get away with never having artificial sweetners, as it seems to be in everything. I try to do a nice mix of both, but also limiting both the best I can. I'd say I eat clean 90% of the time. It's definitely like walking a tightrope at times!

Do you not own a scale? How has your eating been? Have you been sticking to mostly Protein, limiting complex carbs and sugar? Could you just be bloated? I'm sorry but it would drive me nuts not being able to get on a scale just to see what's going on for comparison. I think it would probably put your mind at ease, too, when you think you may have gained but actually haven't.

I agree. Too many carbohydrates in cereal. And not to mention breaking the "no eating and drinking at the same time" rule with cereal and milk. At 2+ years out, I can count on one hand how many times I've had cereal. And it was only after I'd lost all my weight and was in maintenence.

PS There's TONS of great low carb recipes online!

Try not to over think things. I'm not sure what your typical dinners are, but say you do meatloaf one night. Kids get the taters, you eat the meatloaf and the veggie. Spaghetti? Kids get the Pasta, you eat the sauce and the meat. So basically instead of completely changing your typical menu (besides making some modifications to make them healthier, like ground turkey instead of beef for meatloaf) you be the one that's adapting by just eating what you can from it. There's usually always a Protein and veggie, right? You just skip the starch and let the rest of the family eat it. See? Easy peasy.

I concur. Eat! Eat your protein! Are you tracking your Protein and calorie intake? And if not, how do you know what you need to do to get your weight loss moving again? You're at the 'easy' 65-70% of weight loss that's touted as the average loss with WLS. To get to the goal line, you've got to work harder and smarter. Your body is now complacent, and you need to shake things up. Increase protein, fluids, calories and activity. Eat ONLY lean protien and veggies with every meal and only protein rich Snacks like cheese, nuts, Jerky and greek yogurt. Get rid of the sugar and carbs. Try to steer clear of processed food. Everyone is different, but at a year out you should be at at least 1000-1100 calories and 80-90 grams of protein. You follow those guidelines, and I gaurantee you'll get to where you want to be in no time. If you really want it, you get there.

Yes! I'm 49, and I find myself doing the silliest things because I can now. I found myself jumping rope at the gym the other day. I haven't jumped rope in probably 30 years. I did great! My bladder....not so much. I hike, climb trees and rocks, run around with my dogs, ride my cool beach cruiser bike, run a couple miles, and can climb over 100 floors on the Stair Climber. Sometimes I find myself wanting to push limits physically just to see how far I can go. It's the best feeling in the world. It gives me a natural high! Start working on muscle strength and stamina now, and by the time you've lost most of your weight, there will be no stopping you at your age! Aches and pains from being older is the only thing that can stop me now, lol.

I made this yesterday! https://kitchendivas.com/balsamic-raspberry-garlic-chicken/

@@LipstickLady Good. Were you finally able to take Alex into banning her?

Great article. Great find! What people don't understand as they gleefully exclaim in these threads "I'm 6 months out and I eat or drink XX all the time and I'm still losing weight!" is that their bodies are on auto pilot for the first 6 months to a year. The sheer lack of calories results in weight loss, and you could be eating mini chocolate donuts for Breakfast every day and still lose some weight because your overall caloric intake has decreased drastically. Then our metabolism catches up to us. That's why it's so important to cement healthy habits while that glorious honeymoon period is still in full swing where the restriction is great and the hunger is low. Once we get to our goal and are comfortably in maintenence, it's really human nature to want to push things. Dip our foot in the pool so to speak. Having that ONE cookie turns into 2 or 3. That ONE alcoholic beverage every week turns into every day. That one rare fast food hamburger you have on the run because you were ill prepared turns into 2 times a week. Some can moderate to those things. Most can't (otherwise we wouldn't have needed surgery, right?). We have to learn what each of our individual limits are and go from there, because the further out we get from surgery, the more the weight wants to creep back up on us, even when we're towing the line pretty well. It's a cold, hard truth that most don't understand.

The good news is you've done absolutely nothing wrong. It's very normal to stall at around 3 weeks out from surgery. 99% of us did it, and if you search "Three week stall" on this forum or even Google, you'll get a thousand results. Stay the course, keep getting in your liquids and Protein and it will pass. Promise.

Good luck with your surgery.

Standard recovery time after major surgery is 6 weeks. I didn't start to feel human again until around 5 weeks. Be patient, take it easy, and give yourself time to heal.

I like the cut of your jib.

Sure. I had one drink 4 months post op, then a couple more 8 months post op in Hawaii. Even now in maintenence, I rarely drink because I'd rather eat my calories. Just make sure you're healed up well and it won't interfere with your fluid, protein and weight loss goals.

I've known some VERY knowledgeable pre ops and newbies, and I would be lying if I said I never have learned anything from them. That's what's awesome about sites like these, everyone can contribute something to our shared experiences. @@KristenLe comes to mind. In my opinion, one of the most knowledgeable pre ops I've seen, and I'm sure others would agree. She had surgery this week, and admitted as knowledgeable and prepared as she was, it wasn't quite what she expected. It's kind of like before having kids. We ALL know what's best for other people's kids.....until we have our own. The experience is much different than the expectation, and we soon find out what was best for their kids may not be what's best for ours. Experience tells us that. Your opinions are welcome, but don't tsk tsk and wag your finger at others who obviously have more experience than you and pretend to know what's best for THEM. Not only is it kind of ironic, it's actually pretty rude and presumptuous.

No, it won't. My sleeve isn't stretched. from what I've been told the carbonation is more the potential problem then anything....Also if you so compare it to crystal light, it really depends bc there's crystal light pure made with truvia which is stevia a natural sweet plant not artificial sweetener Although the truvia is combined with a tiny bit if sugar alcohol which I learned also makes me sick but that's another topic One thing to consider though is that research has illustrated that sugar vs sugar free drinks both stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin bc tge body takes it all as sugar period... It just seems ur doing urself a disservice by drinking si called chemical filled drinks, sodas etc but if nothing else is good enough or works.. idk...it is ur body You realize you're talking to a 3.5 year veteran of the surgery who has lost all of her excess weight AND kept it off? I think she's got this. yeh cause being a vet and keeping it off means you know everything and a newbie can have nothing helpful to add ...ok Usually someone with actual experience is a good indicator they may know a thing or two about the subject matter, yes. Are you for real?

The benefits FAR outweigh the risks. Believe me

I ate every 2 hours the first year. Now at 2 years out it's more like every 3. That's worked for me so far. When it doesn't, I'll change it. Do what works for you.

The only negative side effect for me is GERD, but I had it before the surgery. I take medication for it. No biggie. I have never dumped. I have never thrown up. I can eat anything I choose to eat, no food has ever 'disagreed' with me. All my labs are perfect. No deficiencies. I lost my excess weight, and have kept it off for over a year. I feel completely normal except I can't eat as much in one sitting as other people. Most of the time, you're going to see people who ARE having difficulties on forums like these, just because it's a support forum. Do your research and look at statistics of the complications and go from there. You're going to have skewed results more likely from support forums.

@@BigJohn58 Hi John, I have a friend who had the DS 4 years ago who was your size. He initially wanted the bypass, but like you, the surgeon thought because of his size, he would do better with the DS. He did very well with weight loss initially, but feels the side effects weren't worth it. He lost 200 pounds in a little over a year, and continued to lose until he was around 180. He insists his surgeon botched his surgery, and I'm not sure how exactly, but he throws up all the time and and has constant diarrhea. He had a second surgery ( I honestly don't know, but I think it was some sort of partial reversal), and has since put on 100 pounds. He still has the vomiting and diarrhea and really regrets it. Now I don't know if those are 'normal' side effects of the surgery or not, but I do know it's one of the most drastic of all the surgeries, and is as a rule used for larger patients. I agree with everyone above that said to get a second opinion and weigh your options from there. Me PERSONALLY? I don't feel the sleeve is appropriate for the amount of weight you need to lose. I think you would do really well with the RNY bypass. My hubby had a bypass 10 years ago at 300 pounds and lost all his excess weight and has kept it off for 9 years. He has almost no side effects. Take that with a grain of salt. Ultimately only you and your surgeon know what's best. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decided!