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"I mean all the hoops that are required for weight loss surgery, I haven’t done anything like this for any other surgery It really feels like discrimination. How is it that in this day and age they are still getting away with it.?" I wholeheartedly agree. I think about this when I think about skin surgery not being covered by insurance because its "elective" "plastic surgery" yet transitional surgeries are covered and "elective". Both are to help with how we see ourselves, what our inner selves are, our mental health! The differences are one can cause bad rashes, difficulties wearing clothing and getting around/exercising, back pain/skeletal pain from excessive hanging skin weight and is caused by treating a disease. The other involves self perception as well and can cause mental distress, yet is readily covered by insurance and yet involves "healthy body parts." To me it IS discrimination, why cover one without question but not the other? Heck, transitional doesn't even require therapy now. Both are major changes in a life. I always got the impression insurance companies refuse to cover skin surgery because we "brought it on ourselves" opposed to it being an actual symptom from a disease. I have rosacea which is purely a visual thing yet its covered, as is acne, warts etc...all covered. Yes, they're cheaper to cover, but are a disease that's visual that's covered they also won't cause a secondary problems. They will even cover breast reductions for back pain, why not excessive skin for back pain? I personally found no worth to the therapy session, I knew and know what caused my obesity and what I needed to do to get healthier. Some may not. It should be voluntary or required if people start to back slide gaining weight after surgery but to me beforehand was pointless. It would have been more helpful to cover the changes in your life that would be happening. Yes, I was also required to do a group session with ppl who had gone through it or were..but it was a structured topic put on by the dieticians. Perhaps if they offered mentors or group sessions for dealing with life changes..that would be better..ppl who've gone through it, not someone schooled on what its supposed to be like..that would be better opposed to a size two I've never battled with my weight therapist/dietician!

JennyBeez you wrote; " grieve the convenience of high fat/sugar/calorie foods. The ability to go anywhere with friends or family for a meal and not have to worry about 'will I be able to find something I can eat?' and cruising the menu online first." Hi, I'm blonde patriot living in CDA, and I have a problem. I'm a social eater..." This is the hardest for me. I am already sick of doing the menu scans beforehand. It quickly made me realize that 99.9% of the food at restaurants is a no go due to being fried, made with sugar or extremely high in carbs and calories! Plus, if you're like I am, I detest cooking and eating out is what my husband, friends and family do - we enjoy, excuse me I use to and they still do enjoy food and the experience. It took all the joy out of get togethers for me. Plus most food I can eat tastes bland now. Now before anyone says "but you can still enjoy being with friends and family foods just a small part of that" <rolls eyes> they don't understand - it wasn't and isn't a small part of it. When we used to go out it was to eat, we'd share our choices, talk about the differences between this and that choice here and at other restaurants etc. It was one of the main reasons we got together! We had certain restaurants for celebrating birthdays, promotions, good semester grades and holidays etc. We had certain dishes - our favorites depending on what our activities for the day were. Now, I spend the first 15 mins examining the menu picking each thing apart ..does it have fat, too many calories, carbs, protein or hidden sugars will it even taste decent? Is it 300 calories or preferably less? After that I look longingly at others choices I actually want. Then comes the dreaded lets get an after dinner drink or coffee with dessert. So I get to watch that too from the sidelines. Even my husbands and my retirement has changed, we had a list of the places in the U.S. that were known for specialties such as a lobster rolls in Maine, black beans and rice in New Orleans, Philly cheese steaks in Philly, New York pizza etc., for our first year of retirement we were going to rent an RV and travel..visit those places based on our food choices and eat their specialties, they were our destinations. Then, after the first year my husband wanted to "belly up" to the shrimp and lobster bars on cruises for "days on end." Now all this has changed and I'm now resentful at myself and society. Myself because well becoming obese and society for being judgmental and valuing youth, beauty and being thin over the value of a persons worth inside! Yes, I'm thinner and healthier and most likely will live longer (no guarantees)... but...to be honest I don't want to take a walk instead of going to a restaurant as one person said and as my dietician suggests. They're NOT the same thing, one does not equal the other! No friend who wants to go out and about with the girls to shop and eat wants to substitute a walk instead. I DO know its my "new reality" and I do what I must, I'm just not happy about it. It feels as if a part of the joy has been removed, sucked out of life along with a portion of my stomach. Yes...I do try and find other things.. .but yeah well. Everything involved food, go to the beach pack a lunch (not two separate lunches one I can eat and the rest for everyone else), go shopping, go to the theater with dinner beforehand, go to the movies, go dancing - nope no alcohol or anything with calories oh joy - water!!!. Lol no one ever said hey girls lets do a girls day...and hit the gym where we can all sweat together, grunt and watch others pop veins struggling to lift a weight bar for fun! Even my poor husband has had to change, he used to be excited to bring some new food home he found at a new restaurant or even at the grocery store he'd want to share with me...nope not anymore. He just eats it before he gets home to save me and him the having to turn it down. So yes, I mourn not only the food, but the convenience, fun and get togethers. I have even noticed my friends don't call much anymore to "do" lunches because they'd always ask "where CAN you eat now"? The choices were limited or I'd have to ask the server for considerations..making it more work than fun. 300 calories or less is extremely hard to do at restaurants and my friends didn't want to put me through it anymore. So yes, I mourn. Sorry for the long whine/rant but Jenny geez brought it all up again for me.

Here you go: https://www.obesitycoverage.com/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-bypass/how-much-can-i-expect-to-lose

I never really noticed in my weight loss period because it was Covid times and I wore the same old stuff everyday. I was years out of the habit of looking in mirrors too. Nowadays, almost 3 years out, I buy clothes in my size -UK 14 - and they fit me all over. Like people say. the weight / fat distributes itself around your body after you stop weight loss. I haven't had any skin surgery either. People actually ask where I buy my clothes ! and copy me ! Where is the Vogue camera man when you want him ? Ha !

I totally understand the anxious mind, trust me. That’s awesome your weight loss. A great start to this truly amazing journey. I am a little over three weeks post op. Not sure I if I said that before but I have a friend of a friend that had her surgery like a year ago. I touched base with her today and told her how excited I am that I ordered pants that are a size smaller and they come today and they already Fit!! Also I ordered new walking shoes and my friend and I are planning to walk at the same time everyday and chat on the phone since we live over an hour apart. We are starting tomorrow. The goal is 30 minutes but I am going to just do loops around my block the first time so I’m not far from home if it’s too much. She replied and said that she has been biking several miles and that I will soon need to get myself a bike so I can join her. I was like no way. I’m wondering if I can do a half hour walk between the heat and my knees. She was like I started with 15 minutes walking and worked my way up. She said this surgery is Life Changing. She said she has SO much energy now and she feels amazing. She has lost well over100 pounds and has only 8 more to get to her goal. I Just thought I would share a positive story that you can take and try ti picture what your version of amazing looks like. Then you can use that when the anxiety starts to creep in. Seriously. I’m telling you. One step at a time. You’ve got this. ❤️

Are you just doing the treadmill at the gym? If not you may want to double check with your team. I am not cleared for ten gym till 6 weeks. 8 weeks for anything with weights. I am absolutely thrilled for you that you are feeling so good. I Just don’t want you to hurt yourself because of something you didn’t know.

Thank you for that. I have a really hard time dealing with the heat and of course my temp goes way up when I exercise since I’m so out of shape. But the extra weight makes it way worse so I have stayed away from exercise for years. Being absolutely drenched in sweat is pretty gross for a female (I’m talking like hair soaked like I went in a pool sweat) and it’s so embarrassing for me that all I will do is my treadmill at home but that is so boring it never sticks. i am really going to try to just push past it though and start around the neighborhood because I know it will get much better when I lose a bit and get more in shape. This lady at my in person support group walks like 5 miles a day and she suggested walking together. I think I need to start on my own for while but I know that it would be great for me to have someone to do it with so that’s the goal is to walk with her. For now. Hopefully the gym is in my future though. Weird Question, if your hair does get sweaty do you wash it with shampoo everyday or just rinse it with water really well or what. I have oily hair and it took sooooo long for me to get to the point that I could to every other day shampooing but when I was doing the treadmill everyday I was washing it daily and every hairdresser I have been to says it’s not good to wash it daily.

not sad at all! I started walking too girl! When I first got this surgery I committed to walking for 30min 5days a week during my lunch break. I did that for 6 weeks, till I started introducing weights with work out videos with Sydney Cummings, So I did my walks during lunch then came home and did my 30min weight work out, After two weeks I knew I needed to go to the gym where I had more options with weights. The top picture is my first day at the gym and then the bottom is this week. Just consistency and tbh I didn't think I would achieve what I did. I really thought in my heart of hearts I would bottom out around 190 and just be "chunky fit" and I was/am okay with that. Start slowwwwww, its not a race and with consistency you will be shocked with your success!!

haha! girl I gotchu!! From what I read you work out a lot so if your comfortable with weights then lift heavy! I do anymore from 40 to 110lbs depending on the workout. I workout lower body 3x a week! Here are some examples of workouts I do! Also you can totally ask, I am having so much fun seeing what transforms my body lol. I have more written down in another book, but if you want more lemme know!! I have great upper body ones too! Still working on the abs lol I haven't found anything that has helped a whole lot, but with the workouts I do now my core is pretty strong. This is my quick lunch workout paired with 30min of cardio 4 sets 8-10 reps Leg Press Seated Hamstrings Seated Leg Extensions This is my tried and true for a booty pump: Cardio: Treadmill 12+ incline 3+ mph 30 min (don't hold onto rails) Back Extensions 15 reps no weights, 15 reps with weights, 15 reps with the heaviest weights Bulgarian Split Squats Heavy Weights 4 sets of 8 each leg Walking lunges Heavy Weights 4 sets of 8 steps turn around and walk back 8 steps Hip Thrusts Heavy Weighted 4 sets of 8-12 reps This is a machine only: Start at highest weight for 2 sets then finish at last set with 10 reps at heaviest weight, 10 reps at medium weight finish with 10 reps at lighter weight Back extension Glute Kickback Machine Hip Adductor Hip Abductor Leg lift Leg curl

I’m pretty sure that it’s the ones that are more concerned with their patients statistics. Just as the surgeon looks good with low complication rates, it makes their program look good for their patients to lose a higher percentage of excess weight.

Mine was because of regain post sleeve. My surgeon said that the sleeve is a really great procedure and it works great for so many people but obesity is complex and some people just need a little more of a metabolic change to be successful. I have the added complexity of bipolar disorder and anxiety. The depressive episodes and the anxiety cause me to make less healthy choices and some of the meds that go with it that cause weight gain as well. I went with the sleeve because of the meds and it causing less absorption issues and it was certainly wise to try it first but it just wasn’t the right choice for me. I just revised to SADI three weeks ago and according to my NP I am doing great in terms of loss for a revision and my recovery. I certainly feel great and I am not craving sweets which was another reason I think I regained. It’s not at all common according to my surgeon (usually it’s the opposite and sweet cravers stop craving them) but post sleeve I went from a savory person to one that craved sweets. During the liquids stage post sleeve my cravings were for various deserts. Post SADI I am craving Fish Tacos and apples with Nut Butter so I think that may have reversed itself which will make things sooooo much easier.

Yes! I've been having the same discussion with my doctor. I "haven't met my weight loss goal" for the last two weeks because I'm still at 116kg. But, my body composition shows it's because going to the gym has been working and I'm gaining muscle. They just want smaller numbers on the scale and smaller numbers on the BMI. @SleeveToBypass2023 I'm really sorry you've had all this stress. Just sending sympathies.

the majority are due to people who had sleeve who developed gastric reflux (GERD) that couldn't be controlled medically. They usually revise to bypass since bypass tends to improve (or in many cases, cure) GERD. a few are due to people who revise from sleeve to either bypass or SADI or DS because they didn't lose the amount of weight they'd hoped to I've seen a handful of cases in the nine or ten years I've been on here of people revising from bypass to DS (again because they didn't lose the amount of weight they'd hoped to), but that's a complicated revision that's not done very often and then there are a few cases that don't fit it any of these categories, such as Sleeve2bypass's case (she's still here on Batriatric Pal), but those are really rare

Like @GreenTealael, I agree finding a way of eating that is sustainable is key. If you choose to follow an eating style that is too restrictive or makes you feel like you’re missing out or can’t participate, it is destined to fail like any diet we tried to follow in the past. And same with whatever exercise you choose to incorporate. If you don ‘t enjoy the exercise, find it restricts or limits your lifestyle, you aren’t’ going to continue with it. Of course, over time you will find you make adjustments or swap out certain foods or activities as your way of eating or exercise routines evolve. You may explore other options, discover you can have a little of this or that occasionally, try a different activity, or you have lifestyle changes. Do I eat exactly like I did when I first stabilised? No. I can actually eat more but the modifications I’ve made are pretty close to how it was and it still works for me & allows me to maintain at the same weight. You have to be vigilant and keep working at it though. Complacency is a slippery slope. Don’t be afraid to seek support & help with therapy if you find yourself sliding back to habits and behaviours. We can’t always do all of this on our own. All the best.

I am one of those regain stories and my best advice would be to stay involved here and at any in person groups available to you. Also keep your follow ups with your team. They keep you accountable. If you do start to regain, reach out here and reach out to your team, and don’t let shame keep you from asking for support. I thought I would be chastised by my team when I finally did go back but they were nothing but kind and compassionate. They said obesity is complex and we just needed to approach it from a different angle. All they wanted was to help. Also, most of the people that regain don’t regain all their weight by eating bigger portions of healthy food. It’s when the bad food choices start to creep in that the pounds really start to add up. Having a healthy level of concern about regain will work to your advantage but don’t worry about it so much that you aren’t enjoying your fantastic healthier body right now. Congratulations on your loss and keep doing what you’re doing.

@ShoppGirl my biggest incision is kind of dented in also. My surgeon said it will flatten out. It is also where they removed my stomach. Steristrips: I did not have them, or staples. My incisions all have stitches and a strange purple glue covering them. It is slowly wearing off. Food: We had a vegetarian potluck at work today and I did have a small teaspoon of ranch dip, one bite of a very spicy hummus, and a bite of a veggie meatball. I knew I could tolerate the food and did not want to punish myself by not having anything. Today I am 3 weeks and 2 days post-op and wore jeans for the first time. Not the brightest idea but I survived the day. LoL going to change as soon as I get home. I have lost 16 pounds since my surgery day. I am a slower loser and have had a couple of 3 day stalls. I like to weigh daily to see if a certain food or activity affects my weight loss. It also keeps me accountable. I know this may not be good for all people. I can’t wait for my 6 week checkup so I can be cleared to go to the gym. We have a large department move at work coming up in a couple of weeks and know that may pose some problems with my weight restrictions. Hope everyone is doing well and it seems like we are progressing along from all the posts. Keep up the good work. We’ve got this!

damnnnnn!! I love all that activity! how do you fit it into your day?! I sometimes have to do weights in the morning before work, run home get me and the kids ready and all the things then run on my lunch just to get my 60 min of working out in lol! most of the time I do everything in one shot but there are times where the day just doesn't allow me. lol Rock climbing sounds rad! That has got to be one of hellova a shoulder, tricep and bicep workout!

Hi every one I am new here I had my surgery on October 24,2023 my date of surgery weight was 322 and I am currently 198.6 which at times I can not believe how much I have lost but at other times when I am in a stall I feel like it goes so slow even though I am grateful the way my body looks or the way I see myself in the mirror places tricks in my head I also want to know how you guys stay consistent with working out and eating healthy all the time because now at almost a year out I am scared from all the weight gain stories and I am scared because now I eat a little more than before and I just want to go back and I am so scared. My nutritionist suggested this app and so far I love reading everybody story.

Like @Catwoma62 said it’s a switch surgery similar to the DS but the bypass portion of it is modified to make it a little less risky. It fairly new but they are starting to find it to be a good alternative to bypass. little as a revision to a sleeve. It’s a little more aggressive than bypass but the research is suggesting that the weight loss as a revision to bypass is not consistently great and with SADI revision it’s a little better. Plus the ability to keep weight off long term is believed to be better with the SADI revision. Not all surgeons do it yet and many will not reduce the size of the sleeve when they do a revision so they will do some tests to look at your sleeve first to make certain that it is still in good shape or it may not be the better option. There are many other factors in terms of which option is best and the surgeon is best to help you decide but it is another option to ask them about.

It seems to be all carbs that give me trouble, although "bad" carbs make me sick almost immediately. My body went from constantly craving carbs to seemingly not being able to process them anymore. It's really weird. And frankly, annoying. And I agree, a few of my doctors are seeing numbers on the scale and bmi and not me as a person and my overall progress. I've lost 246 pounds from my highest weight. And 213 pounds from my original surgery weight. And that still doesn't seem like it's good enough!!! My current weight is lower than some other people's final ending goal weight. THEIR doctor's are ok with that, yet MINE seem to think I need to lose more, more, MORE!!! This is how people fall into disordered thinking and eating. I'm trying very hard for that NOT to happen to me again, and this is not helping. Also, yes I have started adding a Chobani Complete liquid Greek yogurt to my snacks. They have 20g of protein, 15g of carbs, and 180 calories per serving. I've got myself up to 40 carbs per day with that (without working out) and seem to be doing ok, so I'm going to go up to 45 carbs daily without working out (that's where I was at but with workouts) and then sloooowly try to increase from there and see if I can. My body just really resists carbs, so it's really slow going.

It’s like they are only seeing numbers and scales and recommended weights for heights blah, blah, blah but not the actual person at the bottom of it all. I’m not surprised that you’re pissed, to be fair, I would be too. Carbs - is it all carbs that give you grief regardless of where they come from or specific types like bread, flour, potatoes etc? If it’s all types then it’s a very slow process of getting some in to your body and finding the balance. If it’s certain types then it’s looking at what you can manage and again, slowly building up until you find your balance and a weight that’s working for YOU, not the medical staff. Did you find some good quality fats that you were happy with? Have you skipped the low fat/calorie foods and introduced some higher fat/calorie replacements? You have come so far and done so amazingly well. At the end of it all, it’s YOUR body, YOUR health and YOUR wellbeing, no one else’s. Have you thought about some of the liquid meal-replacement type options that you would give someone if they were ill? Just something that might give you a bit of a boost on top of your iron infusion? Big hugs 🤗

I love to see what people typically eat in a day. I am 8.5 months post op. I've trying to maintain but still losing (eating around 1300 calories a day). Working out 4/5 times a week. Pilates, weight training, walking/jogging and some plyos for cardio. A typical day would be: Pre-breakfast: an oat milk flat white (I can't have anything before my coffee). Breakfast (mind you, was never a breakfast eater before but now I need to eat in the late morning otherwise I feel famished): 1 protein toast with lite cheese, 3 turkey breast slices OR 1 egg and 1 egg white omlette OR light halloumi, with some light mayo/pesto, lettuce and jalapenos. Some days I can eat that in one sitting, some days I need an hour to finish this portion. Snack 1: Fruit, Novo protein chips and a zero iced tea (over the course of 2 hours) Lunch: A chicken salad with baby spinach/arugula, cucumbers, bell peppers, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. No dressing. Snack 2: 5 sugar free chocolate almonds OR a square of 80% dark chocolate. Occasionally another oat flat white Snack 3: a handful of roasted almonds or cashews Dinner: I eat the exact same food pre WLS and what I make for the family sans the carbs most of the time. our dinners are usually elaborate. Protein and Veg so smash burgers (I wrap mine with lettuce but sneak one or two sweet potato fries), Big mac tacos (I use mission low carb mini tortillas), Marry me chicken, steaks, salmon poke bowls, Thai spicy basil chicken, ceviche, stuffed poussins, enchiladas (low carb), soy glazed chicken, etc... it's different every day. Dessert: Chocolate protein ball, or any other healthy dessert I've made (protein cheesecake, protein brownies) My portions are very small though, and it feels I'm eating all day. On weekends I surprisingly eat less, skip breakfast and go longer hours between my meals, but I do eat out and have a little fun with carbs (sushi, noodles, a little bread).

So now I'm just PI$$ed!!!! I've been working with the fairly useless nutritionist to try and gain weight...as you know. Well the nurse practitioner from the surgeon's office called today because they want me to schedule iron infusions (I knew that was coming) and she said I should schedule an appointment to see her because the nutritionist mentioned I'm trying to gain weight and she's confused by that because I'm only barely out of the obese category and I still have more to go before I should be looking at maintaining, nevermind gaining anything. Ok...WHAT??!?! I told her I don't want to lose more because I was already below where I want to be and I'm not feeling great and she said I just need to add muscle. She said I'm losing muscle as well as fat and I need to start eating and doing work outs that promote bulking up to try and gain the muscle back. She said that will actually help me tone up and I'll lose more weight. I asked her how, since muscle weighs more than fat, and she said because I'll still be losing fat while I'm gaining muscle, but I'll also be toning up. She wants me to drop another 20-25 pounds and then add 5-10 back on in muscle. I told her there's absolutely no way that will happen because I don't have the time, energy, stamina, or strength to do it. And do you know what this heifer said???? She said "Well, you can let it slide if you want, but you didn't come this far just to come this far, did you? You're so close to the finish line. Let me help you finish strong." I literally LOST IT. I said "LADY, I FINISHED STRONG 15 POUNDS AGO!!! Since when do you get to decide what our goal weight is? I moved my goal weight twice. First it was 200, then it was 195, then it was 190. I was happy then, and now my body won't stop. I want it to stop. You're the OPPOSITE of helpful." I've never wanted to slap the taste out of someone so bad in my LIFE!!!!

I definitely will post on here my thoughts on the HOKA brand. My husband just had the greatest idea to use bowling shoe covers so I can wear them around for more than a second without getting the bottoms too dirty. Especially since I am 3 weeks post op today and my husband wears his shoes in the house all the time 😩 I have swept the floors a few times but I know from looking at my socks that’s definitely not enough. Ooh and a lady in my in person support group also suggested that brand. She is a year out from sleeve and walks 5 miles a day at least and she likes them. The ones that they recommend for walking on their site says “everyday running/ walking”. I know some people wear running shoes for walking and it’s fine but one article I read said that running specific shoes are designed to be lighter in weight so they have far less padding. It’s fine for short amounts of time they say but for long distances they are not the best choice.

Anxiety is so normal, but don't let it get in the way of what will almost certainly be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. My suggestion over the next few days is to look at the thread of before and after photos to help remind yourself of why you're doing this. I had my surgery 6 months ago and a lot of my experience was similar to GreenTealael's, except I was given a sedative before being wheeled to the OR, and all I remember was being pushed toward the hallway. Next thing I knew, I was in my hospital room. The pain was very minimal and the nurses were so attentive. It turned out I had been in the OR for a lot longer than planned because of some scarring in my abdomen that caused a few minor complications, but I had no memory of that and it hasn't been a problem. I was in good hands the whole time. The first few weeks will be an adjustment, but after that, you'll start getting the hang of your new lifestyle. If you've canceled before only to be back 3 years later to do it, you know this is something you need. A year ago, I weighed over 250 lbs and could barely squeeze into a size 22. Today, I'm the lowest weight I've been in 30 years and I was actually able to put on a pair of my 12-year-old daughter's size medium pants (stretchy ones, but still...). It's an amazing feeling.