catwoman7

my pouch (I'm a bypass patient) doesn't tolerate really acidic coffees, so I try to find some that aren't all that acidic. And some aren't. I usually get coffee at Aldi's (it's not labeled as "low acid", but still, it doesn't bother my stomach). Just experiment with a few brands/types and see what your stomach will tolerate.

some places do sell "petite" calcium citrate. The pills are smaller than those horse-sized ones. I think I got mine at Walgreens.

a lot of people take a capful of Miralax every day to keep on top of it (I think it's the same as Movicol in the UK). There are others who take stool softeners every day - or magnesium tablets - whatever works. Chronic constipation is unfortunately a common issue with weight loss surgery patients.

They're giving you the average statistic. Statistically, gastric bypass patients can expect to lose 70% of their excess weight. But like with any other statistic, you're always going to find people on either side of that. There are people who only lose 30 lbs - and there are other people who lose 100% of their excess weight. If you want to lose more than 70% of your excess weight, it's certainly possible. It'll take work, but you'll find several examples on here of people who've done it. re: wearing the same clothes at 250 that you used to wear at 235, that's because you're building muscle. A pound is a pound is a pound, but a pound of muscle takes up a lot less space than a pound of fat. Muscle is very dense. So even though the scale reads 250, you probably appear exactly the same to the outside world as you did when you weighed 235. also - muscle holds a lot of water - that accounts for some of the weight as well.

if you're eating 1000-1300 kcal/day and exercising and weigh 248-291 lbs, you're not in maintenance - you're stalling. Unfortunately, stalls are very common. And a 91 lb loss at this point is amazing. You're losing a lot faster than I did. Stick to your program, and quit weighing yourself so much. The weight is going to come off as long as you stick to your program, whether fast or slow. I was close to a year out before I'd lost as much weight as you have, and I continued losing for almost two years. Be patient and just stick to your plan.

the food restrictions and only being able to handle a couple of tablespoons of food at a sitting is temporary - a few months at best. Once you're about six months out, all food restrictions are lifted - it'll be more a matter of moderation, plus what your sleeve or pouch will tolerate. at seven years out (and actually, for quite a long time), no one would be able to tell I had bariatric surgery by the way I eat. I'd probably be considered a "light eater" - and I really don't eat any differently than many of my never-been-obese women friends. When I go out - I'll order an appetizer. Or order an entree and take half of it home. so yes - after the initial few months, you should be able to indulge in your passion again. You'll just have to do it in moderation and watch your portion sizes.

yep - 30 minutes after you stop eating. Doesn't matter how long it takes you to eat. I was told I could give up the 30-minutes before rule after I was a few months out - but I was also told the 30-minutes after rule was for life. you do get used to it after awhile.

that's standard for bypass for sure. My clinic has the sleevers on the exact same vitamin regimen as the bypassers (so, this one, in other words), but some clinics don't have the sleevers taking quite as many. In the future as you get labs done, they may change some of this based on whatever your blood levels are.

I'm not familiar with that company, but two plastic surgeons whom A LOT of bariatric patients have used are Francisco Saucedo in Monterrey and Laura Carmina Cardenas in Tijuana. here's Dra. Carmina Cardena's site. So far I haven't found one for Dr. Saucedo but will keep looking. It could be he doesn't have one -- or it also could be that he's now retired. I'll check https://www.beauty-enhance.com/ Here it is - Dr. Sauceda's site (I guess?) Hmmm....looks like he's scheduling under this group now. Maybe because of a decline in business during the worst of the pandemic? Not sure. http://www.medicaltourism.com.mx/

I only lost 16 lbs the first month - but my weight loss continued for 20 months. I lost 235 lb altogether (have regained 15-20 lbs, which is unfortunately very common after you hit bottom, but I'm OK with that now...). Anyway, my point is, the weight WILL come off, whether fast or slow, as long as you stick to the program.

I'd do whatever your program says to do. Early out, we were required to drink whey protein isolate because it's the most absorbable form of protein, and there's really no other way we could get enough protein that early on without it. Later on, as we were able to eat more and were getting most of our protein through food, we could have other kinds of protein shakes if we wanted (for example, protein blends) - or, if we were able to get ALL of our protein requirements met, we could give up the shakes altogether. If you're required to have whey protein isolate early out, then neither Slimfast powder nor Slimfast ready to drink shakes are going to do it for you. The protein in them is "milk protein concentrate", plus a lot of other things.

I was going to say the exact same thing as the others. Do they think having (heart) triple bypass surgery is a sin? Or removing some sort of cancer growth? Or how about tooth extraction? Sheesh. Find some new friends, I say!

yes - you can reverse an RNY. However, they usually only do it for serious medical issues that can't be resolved any other way. I'm not sure why you'd want to go from RNY to sleeve, though, since RNY is a stronger surgery. Unless you don't really want to lose more weight (you said you've put on 60 lbs) and are more concerned about getting stomach acid back (not sure why you'd want this - plus GERD is a potential risk of sleeve). I've heard of people having RNY revised to DS, when they reverse the RNY, create a sleeve, and then do the intestinal bypass part of the DS - but very few surgeons are qualified to do this. I would probably consider some of those surgeons, though, since they'd have the most experience (even if you just want the sleeve part).

my taste didn't change in that I liked some things that I didn't like before, and vice versa, but it DID become more intense. Sweet things tasted sweeter; spicy things tasted spicier. I don't notice it anymore and haven't since I was a few months out. Not sure if it went back to normal, or if I just got used to it. at any rate, yes - changes in taste are pretty common after surgery.

P.S. old timers on this forum are probably sick of seeing this photo, but this is me BEFORE I had plastic surgery. I lost over 200 lbs, so I had TONS of loose skin. See it there? No - I didn't think so. It's pretty easy to hide. And easy to get rid of if you want to pursue plastic surgery.

I'd take the loose skin any day of the week over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY FRICKIN' DAY!! However, mine did drive me nuts after awhile (it was easy to hide, but *I* knew it was there...), so I had it removed. Poof! Gone.

I never had issues with fluids. I could always drink more than they said I might be able to, and when I told the PA at my clinic, he said that was fine - not everyone has issues drinking. also, any drinking issues are usually normalized once people are a ways out - so it's definitely not a "life" thing.

the people who gain it back are those who let bad eating habits slip back into their lives. most people do experience a 10-20 lb rebound gain after hitting their lowest weight. It's not inevitable, but it does seem to happen to most of us. As far as gaining it all back, though, yes, it happens to some - but not most. If you monitor yourself, though, and keep up with the good habits, then you're not going to gain it all back. serious health changes? That would be super rare. You're much more likely to experience serious health issues by staying obese. Most people see vast improvements in their health after surgery. Fatigue is common the first couple of months after surgery - surgery is a major stress on your body (any surgery - not just this one), and you're taking in very few calories to boot. After that, though, you'll probably have more energy than you do now. hormonal changes are temporary. That should all stabilize sometime within the first year. Permanent hair loss would be extremely rare. no weight loss at all would only happen if you don't follow the program.

yes - definitely don't stress about it. There are so many things that affect your rate of weight loss that you have little to no control over - age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic rate, etc. The only two things you do have a lot of control over is how closely you stick to your program and your activity level. Do well with those and the weight will come off, either fast or slow. I was a slow loser from the get-go, and I lost over 200 lbs. So it can be done..

I didn't have my surgery in Mexico - and didn't have a sleeve - but I want to comment on just one item: do NOT rely strictly on cost. The most important thing is the surgeon's reputation, skill, and experience. Look at reviews. Lots of reviews. There are excellent surgeons in Mexico, and there are also bad ones. Do your homework. It's not worth dying or having severe complications to save a buck.

by light yogurt I'm guessing she means something like Dannon's Light & Fit (which you can get anywhere), Kroger's Carbmaster (at Kroger and Kroger affiliates), or the 100-calorie "protein Greek yogurt" that Aldi sells in a 4-pack. But there are others. There are others out there as well - but those three come to mind.

^^^^ agree with everything she said. At seven years out, I've never dumped - and I know a lot of others who haven't, either. Unfortunately, I'm sure I could inhale a pint of ice cream and never dump.

check with your clinic. Surgeons are literally all across the board with this. There seems to be no consensus at all. Some people are drinking it even before they leave the hospital. Other patients are told they can't ever have it again, for the rest of their lives. Most seem to be somewhere in the middle - as in it's OK after a certain amount of time (one month, or three months, or six months..) and/or in limited quantities (1-2 cups a day, for example).

yea - I was told nothing but walking for the first four weeks, and no strength training until eight weeks out. as far as calories, no way you could be eating very many. We were told to just count protein grams and fluids when we were early out....no calorie counting.

re: no appetite - that's very common for the first few months after surgery. Hunger and appetite almost always come back sometime during the first year - mine came roaring back at five months out. To be honest, I wish it never had. Although it's very weird and a bit unsettling at first, it'll never be easier in your life to lose weight than it will be right now (and for the next few months), when you're never hungry and don't give a flip about food. Take full advantage of that!! in the mean time, you do need to keep hydrated and get your protein and other nutrients in - so if nothing else, eat and drink what you need to for those reasons.