Midwest Grateful

I am 50yrs old and had gastric bypass dec. 19. My surgeon recommended gb over the sleeve because I have gerd and he said the sleeve would make it worse. I was disappointed and wasn't sure about being re-routed. I agreed as I trusted my surgeon. I do not regret my decision. I had very little discomfort from the surgery. I have had no problems with gerd. I was hoping that my body would reject sugar but it does not. My surgeon had told me prior to surgery that dumping syndrome is only a possible side effect. I have had a few very mild cases, keep in mind I am a sugar-holic. I can still consume sugar and fat moderately.
I have found that I prefer Protein Shakes to food most of the time. I don't and never have liked cooking. If you enjoy cooking and your recipes you will probably be able to tolerate it in small amounts. One thing I've found is that you don't know what your stomach can handle until after the surgery. It is different for everyone. Some are sensitive to sugar and fat, some are not. There's no way to tell ahead of time. My only regret is that I still get hungry and my stomach still growls (not the gurgle you hear when it's circling the drain that is different). Gastric bypass does not completely get rid of ghrelin. Once I got my routine down it lessened. Hopefully will stop soon.
Don't overthink and worry too much. Just take it one step at a time, your body will tell you what to do. Once you heal, you should be able to eat normally for the most part in small amounts as I do.
This is my first post ever so forgive me if I've rambled or responded incorrectly.

Thank you! My support group I'm in is much smaller so it's nice to have this one so I can hear from others. I do feel great so that is a win in itself! I know men lose faster so I try so hard not to compare to him but dang is it hard lol.

Thanks again!! 😊

you've lost more than I did at that point, and I started out much heavier than you.
there are many factors that determine your rate of weight loss, most of which you have little to no control over - age, gender, starting BMI, genetics, metabolic rate, how muscular you are, if and how much weight you lost prior to surgery, etc. The only two things you have a lot of control over are how closely you stick to your plan and how active you are. If you do well with those, you WILL lose the weight, whether fast or slow.
I was a slow loser throughout my entire journey, and I ended up losing 100% of my excess weight, over 200 lbs.
honestly, except for people the size of those on "My 600 lb Life", most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month after surgery. Since you've lost 20 lbs in six weeks, you were likely in that range at the end of month #1. You'll always find some who lose above or below that range, but they're outliers. Your amount of loss is completely normal (and also, men tend to lose faster than women - hence, your husband...)

I'm so glad you're getting answers and good care! Thanks for sharing, @ChreeMiriah . I hope everything going forward will be smooth sailing. Great news about the bmi 25. Take care!

Another case of I’m glad I didn’t get rid of these shoes or boots this time. Bought these about 10years ago back when I was in my old usual weight range (before my menopause weight gain). I kept them because they were so lovely even though I thought they were too big at 38.5 (now a 37.5-38) & them being wide around the calf. I decided to put them on yesterday for the hell of it & they fit. A little big but thick socks helped then I remembered they did run a little small. Yes, I can put my hands down the sides but putting them over pants helped. Wore them today & two people stopped me to tell me how much they loved them. One was disappointed when I said they were about 10yrs old as she was going to ask where I bought them to get herself a pair.

I'm sorry, @StJules. I haven't had my surgery yet (coming in July), but I've read plenty of posts here that are encouraging re slower starts to weight loss. I'm 62 and wondered if it is slower in the beginning because of age, but that doesn't always seem to be the case. And really, I think there are a few people who lose a LOT in the beginning, but that's not as common. I think they just stand out to us more and we become hopeful...or at least I do. Hang in there. Hopefully we'll all be able to report significant weight loss soon...and more importantly, better health! This is a good forum. I encourage you to keep reading posts that address your concerns. Lots of helpful people here! Welcome! 😊

I’m 52. Sleeved13 months ago. Lost 50 presurgery and have lost 128 since surgery last May. I’m losing slower now than I was in first six months but I still avg 8 lbs a month, sometimes a bit more. I had one major stall from month 7-9 then the pounds started coming off again. I want to lose about 44 more. My doctor feels another 25 is very doable even at my age and 44 isn’t out of the question. She did say after month six, especially for older patients, walking, cardio and resistance training are the difference between plateauing and continuing to lose. I strive for at least 12k steps daily and I have added in the gym five days a week to keep losing. I don’t think age will stop your progress but younger people probably rebound from loose skin better than older people. Wishing you the best of luck. The sleeve changed my life.

I grew up in IL too (Northern, by Rockford)

Hi Aimee! I have surgery one week after you. We have some things in common. I, too, worked in healthcare. I retired from nursing many years ago to get my degree in counseling. So LOTS of research on surgery options...for years. It's finally good to move forward.
I have two friends who had the sleeve almost 2 years ago. Watching their incredible journey is inspiring. I start my liquid diet on July 13th (x2 weeks). I'll look forward to hearing about your progress. Feel free to reach out. Hopefully we'll be back here to share our wonderful experience. 😊 I'm excited, too. I'm a young-ish grandma (62), and I'd like to have my health reverse in as many ways as possible. I wish you well!

Welcome, @DeeLCee! You made me think. I hope to bypass that buyers remorse and replace it with gratefulness, at least that's what I'm telling myself. But I realize this is all new and we're in the process of changing our mindset. I haven't begun packing up clothes yet. My surgery is in late July. I wasn't planning to discard of my current sizes until after surgery. I imagine myself trying on clothes and hoping they no longer fit,,,and then remove them from my closet. I think that will bring much satisfaction. But that's me. I can also understand the desire to take the time now to clean out the closet. As my surgery date gets closer I may want to start getting rid of things. 🤷‍♀️
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around smaller sizes. I haven't put too much thought into that since my main motivator is getting the surgery to improve my health. Getting into smaller sizes will certainly be the bonus, and I should start getting excited about that!
Those are my thoughts. I wish you all the best on your surgery - you're a week before me. 😊 💟

Welcome! I was told to speak with my PCP about one of my current meds, but the other two meds I was told were fine to continue taking. Not sure about which Vitamins are better for nausea. Good questions! It's nice to meet you, @Vlynn57.

This is so encouraging. I appreciate the update. Congratulations on your new lease on life! 😊

I've lost 20 since surgery (4 weeks) and 15 lbs during the preop diet for a total of 35 pounds. That's about what you lost, right? I stalled around 2.5 weeks in that lasted well over a week. Hang in there. It will come off. And like someone said, make sure you're tracking everything, and I'll go farther and say, before you ever eat it. What if you focused on some nonscale victories. For me it was a smaller size piece of clothing or getting my shoes on without huffing and puffing. Just today, I put on a shirt that didn't fit prior to surgery. Your body is doing a lot of behind the scenes work that may not be reflected on the scale.< br>This is not an easy process, and you don't have to do it alone.

What were you expecting to lose? If you're looking for 30+ lbs the first month, that's pretty rare unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". For most of us "average" WLS patients, that much loss the first month is pretty unusual. Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range. Plus most people don't lose much the first week because of the "gain" from the IV fluids you get in the hospital (which of course is just water) - and then there's the infamous "three-week stall" that many of us experience, where you can go a couple of weeks (usually 1-3) without any loss, because your body is kind of recalibrating after the surgery - so you may be experiencing that as well.
you're not going to lose the weight any faster than if you ate the same thing without surgery. With the extreme calorie deficit we have the first few months out, you'd probably lose about the same regardless if you had surgery or not. The difference is, it's much more easy to sustain that deficit with the surgery. Most people probably could not go for months on end eating something like 800 calories. But with the surgery, you can. Your hunger is suppressed, your stomach is tiny, etc. The most I could ever lose before surgery was about 50-60 lbs. With this, I lost over 200, and have kept it off for eight years. No way could I have done that without the surgery.

Welcome, @DeeLCee! You made me think. I hope to bypass that buyers remorse and replace it with gratefulness, at least that's what I'm telling myself. But I realize this is all new and we're in the process of changing our mindset. I haven't begun packing up clothes yet. My surgery is in late July. I wasn't planning to discard of my current sizes until after surgery. I imagine myself trying on clothes and hoping they no longer fit,,,and then remove them from my closet. I think that will bring much satisfaction. But that's me. I can also understand the desire to take the time now to clean out the closet. As my surgery date gets closer I may want to start getting rid of things. 🤷‍♀️
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around smaller sizes. I haven't put too much thought into that since my main motivator is getting the surgery to improve my health. Getting into smaller sizes will certainly be the bonus, and I should start getting excited about that!
Those are my thoughts. I wish you all the best on your surgery - you're a week before me. 😊 💟

Hi all! My VSG is scheduled for July 20th. I can’t believe it is already less than a month away! I am excited and nervous.
I’m a planner and in healthcare. So, when I started considering the surgery, I watched a ton of vlogs and read a lot of research articles. 😂 My good friend had the VSG a few years ago and answered all my questions.
I’ve been more aware of what/when/how I’m eating and have lost weight since officially starting the process in March. I almost completely eliminated alcohol and caffeinate in March so it wouldn’t be too much all at one time. I think that has had the biggest impact on how I feel. Not that I’m an alcoholic, but I’m definitely a caffeinaholic!

I sleep so much better because the changes I’ve made have reduced my GERD. I am excited for the changes to come! I find my clothes are loose and I have more energy too!
I have 2 friends, my husband, my kids, my mom, and my sister as my support system. My job just knows I’m having surgery. They don’t know the details.
I start my liquid diet on July 10 while I’m on vacation! I could have made it later, but I’m just ready to start my new life ASAP!

Hello and welcome! Your surgery day is coming soon. I envy you, actually. My date is July 27th. Looking forward to connecting with you! I also have some physical limitations and it's my health issues that motivated me to the sleeve. I was on the fence for a while on which surgery to have, but I settled on this one so far. Keep us posted on how you're doing. You CAN do this. You deserve to do this. You and I (and others) will be returning here in weeks and months to come to declare how happy we are we followed through. You got this! 🙌

Welcome, @DeeLCee! You made me think. I hope to bypass that buyers remorse and replace it with gratefulness, at least that's what I'm telling myself. But I realize this is all new and we're in the process of changing our mindset. I haven't begun packing up clothes yet. My surgery is in late July. I wasn't planning to discard of my current sizes until after surgery. I imagine myself trying on clothes and hoping they no longer fit,,,and then remove them from my closet. I think that will bring much satisfaction. But that's me. I can also understand the desire to take the time now to clean out the closet. As my surgery date gets closer I may want to start getting rid of things. 🤷‍♀️
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around smaller sizes. I haven't put too much thought into that since my main motivator is getting the surgery to improve my health. Getting into smaller sizes will certainly be the bonus, and I should start getting excited about that!
Those are my thoughts. I wish you all the best on your surgery - you're a week before me. 😊 💟

I like my clothes and am still holding on. I’ve lost weight before on diet so part of me still has that memory of giving stuff away only to buy bigger sizes again later when I regained my weight. But I know this will be different. I’m most looking forward to buying bras in a normal shop. I currently have to buy them online and they’re very expensive.

awesome less than a month away!
i think the closer i get to my date the more exciting it is for me to get rid of anything that’s even remotely loose or loose fitting. i just threw it all in a bag to donate without looking back and anything new with tags i’m going to try and sell and use that money to buy new stuff.

Hi! I'm scheduled for July 27th.

I went to the movies this morning. (My cleaner was at my house & I feel like an lazy ass if she’s working & … I’m not.) Was going to take a pxt of how bundled up I was but the cinema was too dark. Why do the make cinemas sooooo dang cold? I had on a big thick alpaca jumper & a long oversized knitted coat which I used as a granny knee rug & I was still cold.The coat is from my before days & is about 6 sizes too big but it always kept me warm. I keep it as an emergency coat in my car & cause I can wrap it around me a few times now.

You. Look. Fabulous!! Wow, girl. So happy for you! And thanks for the tip about taking pics...and all your input. I always appreciate your feedback in this forum. Thanks so much. You're one of the beautiful peeps here! 🙌 😘 💕

Very encouraging and congrats to you! Keep up the great work!

You. Look. Fabulous!! Wow, girl. So happy for you! And thanks for the tip about taking pics...and all your input. I always appreciate your feedback in this forum. Thanks so much. You're one of the beautiful peeps here! 🙌 😘 💕