kaylee50

Maybe distraction will work. Do you have Netflix or Prime? As a fellow busy professional (not an RN, but also go-go-go all day), I was at a loss being home all day with nothing to do. So I tried to distract myself by watching tv. I binged Jack Ryan (10/10, loved it!), finally watched Stranger Things (very cool), and tried to get into k-drama (really tried, but maybe I’m just not cool enough). I hear Wednesday (Addams Family remake) is amazing. Just stay away from food shows! LOL

During my pre-op research phase I really got into reading studies published online (pub med or other reliable sources), mainly looking for the expected weight loss trajectory if I went through with it. You can Google your specific procedure and find many such articles. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33042006/ - Timing of Maximal Weight Reduction Following Bariatric Surgery (China), N = 409, compares various surgical outcomes by type of surgery, gender, starting BMI, and other factors https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34768441/ - Long-Term Weight Outcomes after Bariatric Surgery (Saudi Arabia), N = only 91, but check out figure 3. I like that they measure by excess weight lost, not total weight loss. Older studies only refer to total weight loss which is meaningless because everyone starts at a different weight. Here's a chapter from a 2020 textbook about weight regain after bariatric surgery: https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/74559 - Great summary of the medical literature, if you are curious about the stats for weight regain after RNY and also want to know what doctors will recommend for you (structured physical activity, tracking diet, re-operation, etc.). Spoiler alert: you are far from alone in this! For RNY, at 2 years, 17.1% regained > 15% of their 1-year post-op weight lost, but it's TWL not EWL. That study was large, N = 1426. Hope this helps. Currently, I am post-op and obsessing about whether my EWL % is on par with successful outcomes in the medical literature for my procedure (Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty). But that's a whole 'nother Oprah.

I still struggle with the need to drink water during meals, at about 8 weeks post-op. I allow myself small sips, no more than if the food was well-sauced. Question for everyone: what about when you eat hearty soup? Does that count as liquid with the meal? I am in CA, so it is just now starting to get cold enough for a [small] warm cup of soup to soothe the soul!

Is it an option to call your surgeon / team and request a consultation? I know it has been 4 years for you, but my team said they would see me back for a free consult even years from now if ever needed. This is a good business strategy, so you go with the same team if you need a repeat procedure. After all, these weight loss surgeons pay a lot of money for advertising. I have often wondered what their cost-per-lead is, when I see their ads online and on TV...but I digress.

Welcome, RDC. What procedure(s) did you undergo? What was your starting weight, lowest weight, and thus, what percentage are you talking about when you say you gained back 20 pounds? If you lost 200 and regained 10%, it is a very different scenario from losing a total of 25 and regaining 20. Most people on this board are extremely knowledgeable and willing to help, but you have to give the basic information for their responses to be helpful.

UGH I am in a stall, too! I am so bummed because I finally got back into the 160s, for the first time since 2016...then nothing lost in two weeks. But I am trying to stay optimistic and sticking to the program. What's funny is I decided to search for "stall" here on these board, thinking I would pull up a few dozen threads. No, there were 17,501 results. That made me feel a little better!

Oh gosh, I totally get what you’re saying. I have seen celebrities after WLS looking gaunt and, I admit, I am one of those who thinks “they looked better fat.” But then I think about the Dragonball Z meme “This isn’t even my final form!” 😁 I hope if I look gaunt, it’s only temporary. I know many people have WLS for their health, not their appearance. That was my primary motivation. I want to be strong enough to play with my future grandchildren. Whatever weight gets me there, that’s my goal.

Hi, RoyalAdpi — just wondering how your ESG went. Hope everything went smoothly. I am halfway to my goal weight at 5 weeks post-procedure. Keep us posted!

Congratulations! And I agree 100%. The best part is I was able to return to vigorous exercise in a little over a week. Exercise makes me feel good; I am one of those that needs it to stay on track. Keep us posted on your progress!

There is an Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Forum here, though the posts are few and far between. My theory is because the recovery is so quick and relatively easy, no one really posts too many questions. It is not yet covered by insurance (even though FDA approved and has been around for years), so most ESG folks are cash-pay patients. But it is an excellent alternative to VSG, especially for folks with starting BMI <40. There are a lot more ESG posts on Instagram, YouTube, and other social media.

Oh, wow! My local Costco has those. Thank you for the suggestion!

Did you stop or reduce any of your hypertension meds? My doctor took me off one (a calcium channel blocker) which serves to limit my heartrate. I noticed when doing cardio that my HR goes all the way up to Zone 5 now, which was nearly impossible for me before. VO2Max also dropped, for the same reason. But OMG how happy am I that I am down to just one BP med? VERY. Edited to add: Exactly how "crazy" does your HR go? Because my primary told me my higher HR is what normal hearts do in response to the stimulus (cardio exercise, caffeine, etc.). You should check with your primary doc just in case.

I am interested in this as well! We went to see Black Adam last weekend (so good!) and I brought carrot sticks just to have something to chew on, in case I was tempted by the giant bucket of popcorn my family was having. Well, I was definitely tempted because of the environment and habit. So I was glad I brought something. But the carrot sticks were just unsatisfactory. It had the crunchy mouthfeel, but I think it also needs to be something salty next time.

I think it is wonderful that kcuster 83 is teflon. We should all hope to be this way. Why give rude people our time or attention? Haters gonna hate. 😉