Introversion

The bigger picture is that she's lost 22 pounds in 6 weeks, which is pretty damned good for a lightweight who didn't start out with an extremely high BMI to begin with. Her surgery day weight was 226 pounds. 6 weeks later she weighs 204 pounds.

You've lost 22 pounds in 6 weeks. I really don't see what the problem is. When is the last time you lost 22 pounds in 6 weeks? I conjecture the answer is, "Never." My surgery day weight was 218 pounds, so you and I started at nearly the same starting point. Most of my monthly losses were single digit (1 to 7 pounds a month). It took me 17 months to reach my goal weight. Although I was a slow loser, I'm dancing on a cloud because this is the first time I've been able to keep the weight off. It's not about how rapidly you lose. Rather, it's about keeping it off for life. Most of us could lose weight without surgery. Personally, I lost 200+ pounds in the 2 decades prior to surgery (lose 30, gain 50, lose 60, gain 90, rinse/repeat) but could never keep it off. You're doing well when the bigger picture is examined. Stay off the scale so often and don't ruin a wonderful weight loss tool with a binge episode. Good luck to you. You can do this.

I'm 2.5 years post-op. I was sleeved in April 2015. I can eat about 8 ounces at one sitting comfortably. Since my capacity has nearly tripled since the early days, I stick to meals and snacks that contain mostly protein. My staples include ham/turkey sandwiches, tuna casserole, meatloaf, blackened tilapia, salmon croquettes, flatbread pizza, and baked chicken thighs.

Some people absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients more optimally than others. Simply put, I need my supplements because I don't absorb them well from food. Due to hypothyroidism, I'm prone to multiple deficiencies (zinc, vitamins A, B12 and D, iron, etc). I've been deficient in thiamine (vitamin B1) 1 year post-op and required an injection, so I supplement with a vitamin B complex in addition to whatever else I take. I also had deficiencies in vitamins A and D prior to weight loss surgery, so I take those. I'm black. Vitamin D deficiency runs rampant in the black community. Our people need triple the sun exposure time to produce enough vitamin D naturally due to darker skin pigmentation, so I'll supplement with it for life. Blacks also have magnesium deficiency more often than those from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. The moral of the story is that some of us need supplements to avoid nutritional deficiencies.

I don't consider myself a true veteran since I'm only 2.5 years out, but I'll respond since this website considers those with more than 1 year of bariatric surgery experience 'vets.' I maintain with the following phrases repeating themselves in the crevices of my brain: "Obesity isn't curable, ever. Obesity is incurable. Obesity can't be cured." Let me explain...while obesity can be placed into remission by achieving a normal weight, the formerly fat person's internal biochemistry will always favor fat storage. There's a reason so many bariatric surgery patients regain some or all of their lost weight: we can't ever eat like our naturally thin counterparts who can eat junk and stay at low body weights. The formerly fat person's body is in the weight-reduced state. A naturally thin woman who has been 130 lbs her entire adult life maintains far easier than a 130-lb woman who once weighed 300 lbs. The weight-reduced, formerly fat 130-lb woman's metabolic rate is slower than that of the naturally thin woman, burning on average 300 to 500 less calories daily even though both ladies have the same heights, weights, and body fat percentages. This is why formerly fat people are primed to regain. In essence, I'll always need to be vigilant. I exercise. I have no forbidden foods. I try to avoid the slippery slope of eating junk and crap because staying on track is easier than getting back on track. Good luck to everyone who fights the battle of the bulge. The battle is lifelong.

Los Angeles has multiple canyons where you and your partner can go for weekend hikes or trail walking. There's Laurel Canyon, Topanga Canyon, Runyon Canyon, Fryman Canyon, Bronson Canyon, Malibu Canyon, Sullivan Canyon, etc. You are also within 20 miles of multiple beaches. Many people in Flyover Land (a.k.a. the Heartland) would kill to be near so many gorgeous, scenic beaches. I was not an outdoorsy person prior to the sleeve, but now I enjoy trail walks and city hikes. Being in nature bestows a certain energy upon the psyche.

The answer to your question really depends on the guidelines implemented by your insurance company and/or bariatric surgeon. I'm embarrassed to admit I gained 25 pounds between the time of my consultation appointment (Oct '14) and the week prior to surgery (Apr '15). I engaged in daily food funerals where I ate multiple servings of my favorite foods 'one last time' before saying goodbye. I couldn't control my appetite. Luckily, my surgeon and insurance company made no comment about the massive weight gain. I underwent surgery 2.5 years ago and maintain my new, lower weight without many issues.

Gummy vitamins may taste good, but are very inappropriate for bariatric surgery patients. As the previous poster mentioned, they lack many minerals and contain grossly inadequate amounts of other vitamins and minerals. A Centrum chewable vitamin or two Flintstones complete vitamins are far more complete than gummies if money is a concern.

The sleeve favorably affects profiles of hormones related to hunger and digestion such as ghrelin, leptin, peptide YY and GLP1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25724939

When you refer to 'sabotage,' is this another way of saying you've reverted back to old habits and started eating junk or resumed overeating less than 2 months post-op? If this is the case, you already know what you need to do without validation from internet strangers: stop doing the things that sabotage your weight loss efforts. Start doing things that will result in lasting weight loss and permanent maintenance of your new weight. It would be a crying shame if you wasted a perfectly good, powerful weight loss tool due to psychological issues (e.g., head not being in the right place). Good luck to you. You can do this.

Only 400 ESG procedures were performed in the U.S. and Europe combined in 2015, so it is highly unlikely that anyone who replies will have undergone it more than 2 years ago. It is still a very, very new procedure.

I love my sleeve because... It greatly reduced my hunger. It provided me with a desperately-needed reset. It addressed the hormonal aspects of my obesity. It serves as a form of portion control. It helped me sign a new lease on life.

Your starting weight was 198.4 pounds per your profile. Since you're considered a 'lightweight' in the realm of bariatric surgery, you'll probably be a slower loser than the others who have replied because they started at much heavier weights than you. My starting weight was 218 pounds. I lost 15 pounds during my first month. However, the rest of my monthly losses were single digit (1 to 7 pounds per month) thereafter.

For me it's exercise. A five-mile run minimizes bloat and water weight gain while functioning as a natural antidepressant (a.k.a. runner's high). Exercise also minimizes cravings for junk because your body will demand better forms of fuel.

I am 2.5 years out and use Stevia even though it is not my sweetener of choice. I prefer Equal (aspartame) and Sweet-N-Low (saccharin), the two much-maligned artificial sweeteners. I do not avoid sugar, although I do not purposely seek it out, either. Most of my sugar consumption is in the form of hidden sugars in pasta sauce, salad dressing, peanut butter, etc.

Nope...the surgeon repairs the hiatal hernia on the operating table at the same time he/she creates your gastric sleeve. A hiatal hernia repair will add 90 seconds to your total surgery time. I also had a hiatal hernia and it was repaired while I was sleeved.

Did your surgeon not provide instructions on what to eat/drink during the pre-op diet? My pre-op diet was strictly liquids. It allowed only shakes, sugar-free jello and pudding, broth and soups. Other peoples' pre-op diets allow salads, baked chicken and lean proteins. The point of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so it will be out of the way during surgery. As long as your meals and drinks are sugar-free and low carb, your liver will shrink. Personally, I think you'll be hungry and suffering from headaches by limiting your choices to 3 shakes a day, but your mileage may vary. Good luck to you.

There's a saying...."Rejection is a form of protection." If this guy is so turned off by loose skin that he wouldn't want to see you again, he's probably not the one for you. I wouldn't warn anyone because it points to insecure feelings about your body. A woman who feels insecure in her own skin may send the wrong message. Most women in the real world don't have perfect bodies due to childbirth, yo-yo dieting, age, gravity, sun exposure, and other issues. This man probably won't be as bothered by your body as you. I would allow things to unfold organically. You cannot hide your body forever in this situation. It may help to view your loose skin and droopy body parts as badges of honor gained during your uphill battle with obesity. Good luck to you!

This may come across as brusque to those with an overly active conscience, but I live my live by the following mantra: I owe nothing to no one. I am not an open book and I owe no one any particular thing, not even the unadulterated truth. Some queries are a bit intrusive. If some random stranger asked about your favorite sex position (missionary, doggy style, etc), would you divulge? If a convicted rapist who arrived home after serving the past 10 years in prison asked for your address, would you divulge? After all, the truth shall set you free! (sarcasm intended)... In essence, my weight loss surgery is no one's business. If not divulging is considered a lie, then call me a liar. After all, it is one lie that has caused me to feel at peace for the past 2.5 years.

You might be missing the fact that people will make stupid, disparaging comments once you inform them of your intention to have weight loss surgery. The general public is mostly undereducated about weight loss surgery and think you've taken the easy way out. They'll wonder why you "just don't go on a diet" or "get a personal trainer." Weight loss surgery is still heavily stigmatized. Although it's your choice to be an open book and broadcast your information, prepare for the onslaught of ignorant comments. Good luck to you.

Not all bariatric programs require tracking (a.k.a. calorie counting) because it reinforces the dieting mentality rather than a lifelong change in habits. My program required no tracking of calories, fat grams, carbs, etc. Just as long as I consumed 80+ grams of protein and 64+ ounces of water daily, that was all that mattered.

Bingo...you hit the nail on the head. Some people fail to realize one important tenet in the battle of the bulge: obesity is not curable. Let me repeat that...obesity is not curable, ever. Obesity can be placed into remission by attaining a normal body weight. However, those of us who are/were obese have biochemical makeups that will always favor fat storage, especially if you've been battling your weight problem for many years. Therefore, it is important to select the right surgery the first time around. For most of us, the right surgery will address both the physical and neurohormal contributors to our obesity. Good luck to everyone who is still deciding.

Those of us with gastric sleeves don't have stomas because our anatomy, including the pyloric valve that separates the distal stomach from the small intestine, is left intact. Since you have a gastric bypass, you do have a simple stoma that can definitely be stretched beyond the point of no return.

Bingo! Although I exercise regularly, it isn't a requirement for weight loss. An astute physician once said, "Diet is Batman and exercise is Robin. In regards to weight loss, diet is 90+ percent of the equation and exercise is less than 10 percent." The same physician also said, "If you study for a final exam and your professor told you that 90+ percent of the test would be on a particular topic, would you focus on that topic (read: diet)? Or would you focus on the other 10 percent (read: exercise)?" You cannot outrun or out-train a crappy diet of processed foods. Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Improved aerobic and anaerobic capacity happens in the gym. Even if you run a marathon every single day, you will still remain overweight and sick if you eat 5000+ calories a day of processed junk foods.

What caused you to lose weight post-surgery? Start doing those things again. What habits have been causing you to regain weight? Stop doing those things. Your post doesn't offer much information or detail other than the fact that you're regaining. If the root cause is psychological (e.g. emotional overeating, binge eating, food addiction, boredom, grief), perhaps some counseling may be beneficial. If you don't tackle the root cause, losing weight and "getting back on track" again will be nothing more than patching the hole because the underlying issue will still be there. Good luck to you. You can do this.