catwoman7

I don't have it, but from all I've read, it can be managed through proper eating.

Good Lord people! At two months out, I had lost 27 lbs. I started at almost 400 lbs. I have lost over 200 lbs and am currently at a normal BMI. You folks are average if not above. 37 lbs in two months is *not* slow. People lose at all different rates for all different reasons (age, gender, starting BMI, metabolism rate, amount of muscle mass they have, whether or not they lost a lot of weight pre-surgery, etc). Yes, there are a few who drop 30 lbs the first month, but they are the exception, not the rule. Most seem to lose in the 15-25 lb range the first month, and then around 10-12 lbs a month for awhile, and then it drops from there (if you start out as a "lightweight", you'll lose even slower). You need to adjust your expectations. If you stick to your program, the weight *will* come off!

nope - I had RNY and had almost no pain at all. Both surgeries are done laproscopically, and both involve cutting things and moving things, so it's not going to make a difference pain-wise. It totally depends on the person.

you'll end up taking quite a few unless you go with the patch. In that case, that covers most of the Vitamins you need although many people still end up taking a couple of other supplements because patch either doesn't include them or doesn't have enough of them. I don't find the supplements as much as a pain as I thought I would. I take some in powdered, sublingual, liquid, or chewable form so I don't feel like I'm taking as many as I am (powders and liquids you can often mix in with food or beverages). I take a small handful of pills in the morning, a couple before dinner, and then Iron and Vitamin C before I go to bed. Then I just have to take a Calcium chew a couple times a day and....voila! (my first calcium dose is at Breakfast - I use a powdered form (Upcal D) and mix it in with my Greek yogurt)

I don't think any surgeon would give you a calorie recommendation this early out. They'll just tell you how many grams of protein and how many ounces of Fluid you should have. That's really the only thing that's important right now. If you strive to meet those two goals, there's almost no way you're going to be taking in too many calories.

btw - I meant *portion * creep, not Protein creep! YIKES! also, your stats are better than I thought - I was going by the ones you listed on your profile (e.g., current weight - 255). You've done really well! And yes, as the above poster said, you may just be in a wicked stall. You're getting down low enough that they may be frequent and longer (I only had one or two until I got to be around 20-30 lbs above goal. Then it was a constant struggle!!)

are you weighing/measuring and logging all your food? "Protein creep" happens to a lot of us (including me....). Two months sounds more like you've gone into maintenance, and you still have a way to go.

if it's any consolation, I've heard some people claim that a few months after they hit their lowest weight, the fat sort of redistributes a bit and they start looking better - although I don't know if it's true for *everyone*.

52 lbs in three months is phenomenal. You'll need to adjust your expectations. I know you'll see people who drop like 30 lbs the first month, but they're few and far between. Your weight loss is excellent - above average, I'd say. I *was* a slow loser - the medical resident at my clinic told me that (not what I wanted to hear...). The first six months or so, I was consistently behind the curve. BUT, I've also lost 227 lbs (ALL of my excess weight - I'm now at a normal BMI). Your rate of weight loss has little bearing on your final result. Your hard work and commitment, on the other hand, has a *huge* bearing on your final result.

I'm in maintenance now, but it seems I stalled every 4-6 weeks - if not more. And yep - I freaked every time. I kept thinking my weight loss had stopped for good. But then, it'd start up again. No rhyme or reason. The only thing you can really do is stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days if you have to.

they sent me home with something - I think liquid Tylenol with codeine, but I had almost no pain so I never took any. like another poster said, you can't take NSAIDs after surgery, so ibuprofen is out.

I had acid reflux and I didn't want to risk it getting worse with the sleeve. Acid reflux is very common with the sleeve. It's uncommon with the bypass. Ulceration is also not common with the bypass.

57 lbs. I wasn't given a specific amount I had to lose, though. I think they were more interested in whether or not I could stick to a plan long-term

I went with RNY because I had acid reflux pre-surgery and didn't want to risk it getting any worse (it often gets worse with the sleeve). I also liked the fact it has lots of long-term data behind it. RNY isn't the most invasive - DS is. And RNY is technically reversible, the sleeve and DS are not (DS has a sleeved stomach). According to the ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery), you will have to take Vitamins for life with any and all surgeries, including the sleeve. There are more vitamins involved with the RNY and the DS (DS requires the most), but you'll need to take vitamins regardless of the surgery. you do NOT need to take Protein supplements for life with the RNY. I still take them at almost two years out because I malabsorb protein (and may have done this even pre-surgery, but we don't know because they didn't do a baseline before my surgery), but most RNY'ers just do Protein shakes for the first few weeks or months. also, there are both lightweights and heavyweights that do RNY and the sleeve (normally DS is reserved for people with higher BMIs, but not the other two). It makes no difference if you have more or less than 100 lbs to lose, as another poster claimed. In fact, if you ever watch "My 600 lb Life", sometimes people are too large for the RNY, so he does the sleeve instead. But for most of us, either surgery will work regardless of starting BMI. It comes down to personal choice and whether or not you have certain medical issues, like acid reflux, that may make one or the other more appropriate for you. not all RNY'ers dump. The statistic I see thrown around this board all the time is that 30% of us do, but I don't know if there's any hardcore research behind that number or not. Suffice it to see, there are lots of us who don't. I never have. Do a lot of research on the different surgeries before making your decision - there is a lot of info out there on them. And talk to your surgeon as well - he/she may recommend one over the other depending on your medical needs.

yep! About 50 lbs ago, I started getting offers for senior discounts. Granted, I'm in my late 50's, and it's 55 at some places (but 60 at most places), but still, I always looked young for my age and have never in my life until a few months ago have been offered a senior discount (at places that offer it at 55, I've always had to ask). I now say yes even at the places where it's 60 (even though I'm not 60 yet), since they were rude enough to ask!

btw - most of us deal with constipation long-term. It's not the surgery - it's the protein-heavy diet and the some of the supplements (e.g, iron). It does get better further out when you can eat more fiber, but it's still a struggle for many of us. Just experiment with different treatments and combos of treatments to figure out what works for you, then keep on top of it. You don't want to get so backed up that you end up at the ER! Some things people use include Benefiber, prunes, Miralax, Milk of Magnesia (although MOM is only OK for occasional use), Colace, Smooth Move tea, magnesium capsules or tablets, etc. Just play around with some different things and see what does the trick for you.

btw - we can't take regular tablets or capsules of B12 because we can't absorb them. But we CAN absorb sublinguals since they go through your skin (under your tongue) rather than your stomach. So that's why I'm surprised he didn't give you this option. Most surgeons do. And it's WAY cheaper than the nasal form (we can also do B12 injections - but the sublinguals are cheap and do work for most people)

I "only" lost 16 lbs the first month. In total, I have lost 227 lbs. You are right on target with your weight loss. You'll see people here and there who lose 30 lbs the first month, but know that they are the exception. Most people seem to be in the 15-25 lb range. That is, the first month. After that, things slow down. Stalls are common, even in the first month post-op. I had my first one weeks 2 & 3. When it broke during week 4, I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. Just stick to your program and the weight will come off.

a lot of people take sublingual B12. I'm surprised your surgeon didn't give you that option. My sublinguals work great - too great. I've had to cut my dosage way down because my B12 level is now through the roof (over 2000)

the prep for a colonoscopy is most definitely worse than a sleep study!! (I've had both)

sleep apnea - I don't think they'd deny anyone for that. I think the issue is the anesthesiologist has to know about it so they can take precautions pain - I had pretty much none, other than sore abs for a few days having people there to care for you - my husband took a week off work to stay with me, but after the first couple of days, I would have been fine on my own something going wrong - it happens, but fortunately, it's not common. These surgeries have come a LONG way and are among the safest surgeries out there. They're safer than hip replacement surgery, and they do those every day! stroke - not sure what to say here, other than hopefully they'd let you know early on if they can't do the surgery because of the stroke

I went with RNY because I had acid reflux pre-surgery. I didn't want to take the risk of it getting any worse (it doesn't *always* get worse with the sleeve, but it often does)

I personally would try to stay at the low end of the range they gave you, if possible. These first few months are going to be critical. It will be far, far easier to lose weight now than it ever will at any other point in your life. Take full advantage of it! On the other hand, if you're really active or just don't feel well at that low end of the range they gave you, then come up a bit. I had to - learned later that I malabsorb protein, so that might have been part of it. Plus I'm fairly active.

I felt that way the first few weeks. Your body's been through trauma, and you're not taking in very many calories. It takes time...

good I'm glad to know and even at 1000/1200 are u still loosing? HW 289 CW 230 bypass 11/22/16 yes - but very slowly. But I'm also 19 months out. I don't think I went over 1000 until I was almost a year out. I remember being at around 800 for several months, then 800-1000 from about six months to a year out.