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I'm not a medical professional, but I will say there are some scientific studies that show many drugs are metabolized differently in bariatric surgery patients. Some you don't metabolize as well and some are much more bioavailable. I'm really just guessing here, but it's highly likely that the codeine was metabolized very quickly and more completely than it would have been in a person with a normal GI tract. In effect, you sort of overdosed on codeine. After all, 60 mg of codeine is a pretty big dose to start with. Considering your altered anatomy (and lower weight), it was probably just too much.

Probably not a popular opinion here I suppose, but I'm not a fan of ankle weights for otherwise healthy individuals. I wanted to share my thoughts since I've seen these recommended a couple of times. There are some really niche areas where these may be beneficial (rehab for specific populations), but in general there is little scientific evidence that they do anything beneficial. Plus there is some evidence that they may actually cause more harm than good by changing your normal walking gait. Some of that is dependent on just how heavy the ankle weights are, but I don't want to go that deep here. It sort of make sense that you have to work harder when using them, but studies have shown that for the most part, people walk slower when wearing them, thus negating any potential effect. Now if you are walking on a treadmill and walk the same speed you'd otherwise use, then maybe they burn slightly more calories, but slightly is the operative word here. You could just as easily walk a few more minutes and get the exact same calorie burn. Since they do also potentially increase your risk of injury due to the altered gait, I just don't really recommend them. Now if you have some and you love them, more power to you. Feel free to keep doing what you're doing if it's working for you. I just wanted folks to know my thoughts on these. People should decide for themselves if they want to consider using them. Oh, and please don't say they help "tone" your muscles. I'm sure I'm opening another can of worms here, but there is no such thing as "toning" your muscles. Frankly that's a huge pet peeve of mine. Toning your muscles is a total and complete myth that was invented as a marketing term to try to get women to strength train that were afraid of becoming "bulky".

We can probably all remember the nerves. It’s a journey for sure but you will be a few months out and in a new groove before you know it and well on your way to a healthier version of yourself. Take measurements and pictures now and along the way and maybe even write a letter now to your future self to read when the weight loss slows down to give you the motivation to keep it up. Answer the questions of what is your reason for doing this and what your wishes are for your future self. The mental is just as important as the physical in this so journaling and logging your progress using something other than the scale can be really helpful.

I went with the sleeve because my surgeon recommended this based on my age and general health (35, no comorbidities, no history of GERD) I went on the NHS here in the UK so as it was covered by public funds, I only got the choice of sleeve or bypass. I was also hesitant to choose the bypass because my mother had it, had insufficient weight loss and because her operation went wrong and the had to fix something years ago, they couldn't fix a bowel perforation that she had which she died of. So because of her history with that, I wasn't sure that I wanted to go that route. If my surgeon had recommended bypass, I would have chosen that.

As from these posts you can see you ‘re not alone in being anxious about your loss of routine due to surgery or injury recovery. I can add me too. I feared if I didn’t get back into doing some form of my stretching & resistance band routines I would never get back to doing it after my hysterectomy. My innate laziness and dislike of exercise would kick in again. By day 4 I just had to do something so I started very slowly. Didn’t over extend my stretches to anywhere near what I usually did. Avoided certain things. Interestingly there are contradictions with post hysterectomy exercising. No lifting for two weeks, then 5kg, then 10 then all good ( so by 8 weeks lift anything) compared to no heavy weights (>15kg) for 6 months. No core muscle work for 3 months vs start core muscle work at one week. You can understand why I took my own path. If I felt a pull or discomfort I stopped and/or avoided that movement for a few days. I can understand having to avoid upper body work but what about lower body? Like using ankle weights like @kristieshannon suggested when you’re able to walk or get some resistance bands to do some stretches either sitting down or on the floor. Don’t use your arms. If you have circular bands use a chair to brace the band or get your husband to hold the bands. I do some where the band goes around my ankles and below my knees and I pull one leg away from the other. Try deep knee bends, squats, ankle work, pelvic thrusts with feet on a wall, etc. So you’re not doing weight baring exercises but still working your muscles. Even if it’s not your usual routine make it a new, though temporary routine. All the best.

Can you spread your morning meds out so you’re not taking them at the same time? Even spreading them out over 30 minutes may help so you’re not taking large mouthfuls too close together. I can do two mouthfuls to swallow meds but not a third. Struggled to take a Serc tablet one morning for my meniere’s vertigo. Just couldn’t swallow it as it was sticking in my mouth. Finally after 4 mouthfuls I got it down. Then I swear I took 3 steps to go back to bed and up all the water came (& the med 😩). Are any of the meds multi vitamins? Vitamins are renown for making you feel blah or nauseous. Can you split when you take them like I used to take one in the morning and the second one at night. PS Congrats on your weight loss so far. Fantastic!

Hello everyone! I kind of disappeared during the holidays but came back by to poke my head in and see how others were doing. Seems like most of us are plugging away at this 'getting healthier' thing. Reminder (and FYI for any who read this and didn't know) I got the SADI surgery, which is the intestinal revision with the sleeve all in one go initially. This makes me feel extra obligated to update for some reason - maybe because I had to dive so far into my journey to find this option and how eager I was to hear about the results from others. So - my surgery was Sept 5th, and I lost 10 lbs in my pre-surgery liquid diet, which I had for one full week. On the day of surgery I was 352 and now, about four months out, I've lost right at about 70lbs. The weight loss has slowed a bit as I found my balance but I'm still losing 1-3lbs per week on average, about 7 lbs lost in the last 30 days. I got through my weight loss stalls by eating more, as I was only getting around 500 calories per day for a while as I maintained ketosis, with VERY few carbs. That was nice, but my energy was lacking. I shifted to included more fruits, veggies, and upped my protein from 60g per day to more like 75g. Now I get around 900-1200 calories per day, try to really focus on getting my water for the day, and angle for simple protein snacks with a small carb total when I get hungry. I have found cottage cheese to be a life saver as a replacement 'side' - and stirring it into my salads gives the salad more bulk and makes it easier for me to feel full. Eggs are not quite as weird for me as they were for a while - I still prefer boiled eggs over scrambled or fried. I do aim to get at least 5k steps per day and usually make that goal.I definitely slacked on exercise around the holidays and did snack more than a few times on things I shouldn't have. I feel lucky that my intestinal malabsorption keeps me accountable for poor choices. I have gotten the foamies once - and have overeaten like three times by a few too many bites. I feel like my relationship with food is much healthier and am far more likely to cook now as opposed to grabbing greasy garbage food. However your path feels like it's going - this is a great time to correct the course if it feels a bit off track. Your bodies are working for you, and you are working for those bodies! Kudos to all of us for taking these steps to a healthier lifestyle! Remember, too, that no one day of slipping up is going to sink you. As I said to my perfectionist son the other day - an A in school is 90%-100% (generally, anyhow!) so it's still an A even if you slip up one out of ten times ❤️✨

Bile reflux tended to be the biggie problem with the MGB back in the day. When my wife and I first started looking into WLS almost 25 years ago, the MGB was a proposed alternate to the incumbent bands and RNY but it never gained traction with the ASBS (precursor to today's ASMBS). In the meantime, both the BPD/DS and the VSG (and more recently the SIPS/SADI) have gained acceptance in the US bariatric (and insurance) industry. There are reportedly some techniques that have been developed to mitigate the bile problem, and there may be something to that, and why it may have been accepted elsewhere; but in the US, it's time has passed.

Another factor is insurance. For example, I know my insurance would happily (as happily as they do anything) cover sleeve or bypass. Meet the requirements and you could have either one of those, no questions asked. Everything else was considered "experimental" and was not covered. Based on my brother's experience of significant regain after sleeve, plus not wanting to risk GERD and the possibility of a revision, I opted for bypass right out of the gate. I felt like that would be a one-and-done surgery, and I have zero regrets. A few key differences to consider are bypass is a stronger metabolic surgery, so you tend to get more durable weight loss if you look at 5-10 years post-op. But weight regain after sleeve can be managed with GLP-1 meds (if you have coverage or can pay out of pocket). If you have reflux or diabetes/pre-diabetes, seriously consider a bypass as this surgery is great for reducing or eliminating these conditions. If you smoke or require a lot of pain meds, seriously consider sleeve because your risk of ulcers with bypass is elevated by smoking and NSAID use, and the ulcers are very hard to cure. Dumping can be unpleasant but managed through dietary choices. I have had a couple very minor instances of dumping. Once after eating too much sugar (I absolutely knew better when I did it), and once after a few bites of a very rich, very fat-filled Thanksgiving side dish (this one surprised me). In both cases, my heart raced for about 15 minutes to the point my Fitbit thought I was exercising and awarded me "zone minutes." For me, that was the extent of it and nothing I couldn't handle. I'll just avoid that green bean dish next time. Some people do get worse responses. A lot of people never dump at all. One thing to consider if choosing a less-known surgery in the US is your doctors outside the surgeon who performs it may not be very familiar with it. Everyone should know what a bypass or a sleeve is. Hospitals or EMTs might not know much about your anatomy with a MGB or a DS, and that could cause delays in treatment, which in an emergency might become an issue. Not to say don't get those if they're right for you, but you may have to spend more time educating yourself and your healthcare team if you do.

After my PS (I had a tummy tuck + breast lift/augmentation + arm lift all together) I went back to walking. 1 mile post op day one and added more each day after. It isn’t the heavy gym workout that you’re probably used to, but it kept me feeling active. You can add ankle weights for a little extra oomph to your walks.

I started with just walking. My friends all live a descent ways away so we made phone dates in the beginning to get me going. It worked perfectly. I still felt accountable to them even though they were walking around their own neighborhoods. I also stuck close to my own house for a while. I did as many laps around the block as I could but I didn’t go far away just in case I would start hurting or something it would be a short distance back at any point. After I gained a bit of confidence, I checked out the community center and they have fitness classes there for cheap. There is no contract and you can try out as many different classes as you want. I like cardio and yoga and still do the yoga now (plan to get back to cardio as soon as my health permits). There are also videos online but for me, having the group of women that are starting to be more like friends is pretty helpful in keeping it fun. As others have said, though the best exercise is one that you don’t hate. And you may not love it from day one but you should get a pretty good idea of whether you hate it pretty quickly. 🤣 Try a pretty good variety and you will find something you enjoy I’m sure while getting some good exercise along the way.

I live in a rural area. I too hate the gym but love walking. I get out at least 3 times a week, I need the alone time. I come home refreshed and ready for anything the family can chuck at me. I also work 1 day a week in a Charity Shop and oh boy this is physically hard work ! I come home battered after 9 hours there. Whole body and mind exercise This is all I did for weight loss and how I maintain

Its early days, lots of us find some foods totally repellant, for me it was foods that I loved. pre surgery. Chicken, fish and especially salmon were very off my menu. If I even thought of them I heaved. It was like being pregnant all over again. Then some kind soul on here explained that as we loose fat cells they release hormones. Early on we are flooded with these cells because we are loosing so rapidly. It does settle down as weight loss slows. At 3+ years fish isnt totally off my menu but it isnt front and centre either. Eggs revolted me before surgery, now I eat them most days.

Ugh. It pisses me off when doctors make any of us feel like some number they come up with is applicable to each of us when even we know that all of our bodies are unique and the complexity of obesity. A weight difference of three pounds could be ANYTHING!! i know this is a little different because it chemo but it’s really not because like anything it’s not true weight gain so an example is when I come home from chemo I weigh about 6-7 pounds more than I did that morning and the next day. But everytime, the following day I drop it all. I don’t understand the science but it’s something to do with inflammation that any of us could have for various reasons to some degree. Also three pounds I know for a fact I have lost from a bowel movement. I always weigh myself first thing in the morning and I weigh about 3-4 pounds less than if I weight myself later in the day. . Long story short three pounds is absolutely nothing to stress about and if your doctor does then either smile and nod and tell them you will do better or express how ignorant they are being but whatever you do, DO NOT let that get under your skin!! Your loss is incredible. As @Justarwaxx suggested, Don’t let anyone negate how hard you have worked. Instead Celebrate your amazing progress and if anything use his or her ignorance to fuel you and keep going. 100 pounds is absolutely Amazing and takes real lifestyle changes to accomplish. All you have to do at this point is to stick with it and the rest will come off in a matter of time. The time may vary person to person but it will happen. You’ve got this!!

I’m only in the beginning stages. I had an orientation and met with the surgeon then was told I’d get an appointment with a nutritionist. I also need to hit my surgery weight, 11 pounds left to lose.

You're doing an incredible job! Honestly, it’s frustrating to hear about doctors who express disappointment even when patients are clearly making amazing progress. You've lost 60 pounds in 5 months—that’s phenomenal! Weight loss isn’t always linear, and the fact that you’re still losing and so close to your goal is what truly matters. You’ve already proven your dedication, and you’re clearly on track to hit that mark soon. Don’t let any external pressure overshadow your success. Your body is adapting, and you’re working hard—be proud of that. At the end of the day, it’s your journey, and no one has the right to diminish your accomplishments! Keep going; you’ve got this!

it will really be up to you to find what you and enjoy doing...best to try different things and see what sticks. start slow and small! i started off with just walking....i then tried a gazillion other activities/exercises/classes and went through phases of interest. i'm 6+ years out now and the ones that stuck were: pilates, hot yoga, running/hiking, rock climbing, dance, and the occasional swim. as an aside, weight lifting and other gym-type machines are the bane of my existence. i never enjoyed it, and still don't. i went through a couple of years forcing myself to do it, but eventually stopped, because, well, i hate it, lol. but yeah, as mentioned above, find something you actually like, because you will be more likely to keep doing it. good luck! ❤️

Dr Matthew Weiner is a great resource so am glad @NickelChip recommended his video. Another is Dr John Pilcher also a great source of information. It’s not really about popularity or the most performed but about which surgery is best for you. Your surgeon should really take into consideration your current health status and history, your weight loss and gain history, your current weight and how much would be beneficial for you to lose, etc. Also discuss the possibility of side effects like malabsorption, dumping, reflux, regain with the surgeries and what you might be willing or not to live with or manage. Do your research, watch these videos and others they may have and prepare questions to ask your surgeon. If you don’t think they’re as comfortable doing one surgery over another or you don’t feel comfortable with their responses, seek a second opinion or a referral to another surgeon. And remember there are other surgeries beside sleeve and bypass so look into them as well (Sadi, duodenal switch,, RNY, or a mini bypass). I would avoid a gastric balloon or gastric banding but that’s my opinion only.

Congrats on the weight loss and the anniversary! The most important thing is to find something you enjoy because the likelihood you will continue to workout will go up tremendously. As such, I'd actually recommend trying a lot of different things. From a health perspective, I'd strongly recommend at least 3 days (though 4 or 5 would be better!), of some sort of aerobic activity (a.k.a. cardio). This can be walking, running, elliptical, biking, hiking, rucking, as well as group classes. Really anything that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there during the exercise is fair game. Start with where you are on this. If you can only do 5 minutes right now, that's fine, but do try to increase that over time to about an hour per session. I also recommend at least 2 days a week of strength training. That again would be a minimum, because just like for the cardio, more days would be even better. Just be careful that you give yourself enough time in between training to let your muscles recover. My number one suggestion would be to enlist the help of a GOOD Certified Personal Trainer to assist you with program design. Note that there are some really good CPTs and unfortunately some really bad ones. You might want to ask around your network to see if anyone has a recommendation? There are just too many variables involved in developing a good strength training plan to provide a recommendation here. At a minimum, a plan has to consider exercise selection, exercise form, effort level, volume, intensity, frequency, and tempo. Some of these variables are highly dependent on things like your current gender, age, strength level, mobility, trainability, as well as any physical limitations you may have. The point is that program design should be tailored specifically to YOU, and that's really not something I could do via a forum like this. Also, in my many years of experience in the gym as a competitive powerlifter, I've seen way too many beginners make horrible mistakes that could have been avoided with some guidance. These are generally mistakes a good personal trainer can help you avoid. Some of those mistakes will just lead to poor results, but some can end up really hurting you. If a personal trainer is just not in the cards at this point, I would caution you to avoid weight machines or free weights for now. As a beginner, you can make tremendous gains just doing bodyweight exercises and there is a lot less risk of injury taking that approach. Feel free to Google bodyweight beginner routines, just keep in mind that some (just like the CPTs), are really good and some are really bad. At a minimum, I'd want a program that has all of the following: Bodyweight squats of some sort A lunge movement of some sort (I'm partial to front foot elevated rear lunges, but the actual type is not really that important at this point.) If lunges are painful for you, an okay alternative might be a bridge exercise A pressing exercise (probably pushups, but if you can't yet do regular pushups, start with elevated pushups) A pulling exercise (Ideally, this would be pullups, but I recognize these are hard for most beginners, thus an inverted row might be a good alternative Some sort of core exercise. A lot of programs have people doing planks, but I'm personally not a huge fan of planks in any form. I'd much prefer to see something more dynamic like a mountain climber, dead bugs, or hanging knee or leg raises. Best of luck!

on january 10 it will be 1 year since my surgery i have lost 148 lbs but i sitll have 54 more to (my goal weight is 180) i signed up for a gym in late december and i want to start it soon but i need a good workout plan. what would you suggest to someone a year off from surgery?

My understanding is sleeve is more prevalent as a first time surgery, but a not-insignificant number of people have revision from sleeve to bypass down the road because of GERD or insufficient weight loss. There are reasons you may choose one over the other, and you want a surgeon who is just as comfortable with either. If he is suggesting one because he's better at it (sleeve is a much easier surgery to perform) then he is not the surgeon for you! This video has some good information on both surgeries from a doctor who does both:

@NickelChip definitely puts my mind to ease! I haven’t been eating the best- too many comfort foods while I’m recovering so I know with no movement and the extra calories I’ve put on a couple of pounds and as @kristieshannon stated the implants do weigh some which mine are about 4lbs together. I love the results as each day passes and I’m healing, and I know once I get back into my routine that I’ll shed the extra goodies weight off- I am more complaining and being too hard on myself.

Happy New Year! 🎉 I absolutely love your mindset and energy—it’s so inspiring! It’s such a huge shift to leave behind those weight-loss-focused resolutions and instead embrace the positives of where you are now. You've already accomplished so much, losing over 40 lbs is incredible, and feeling lighter and better in your body is such a win. 🙌 Focusing on the present and living fully is such a beautiful way to approach life. You deserve to wear that dress, enjoy those experiences, and celebrate yourself right now, not just when you reach a certain goal. Your journey isn’t just about the destination, it’s about living and loving every step along the way. Here’s to a year of living authentically, celebrating every win (big or small), and feeling great in your own skin. You've got this! 💖

If it puts your mind at ease, the only way to gain 10 lbs of fat in 5 days is to eat 7,000 extra calories per day (in addition to your usual maintenance calories). If you ate like 8,500 calories per day, 5 days in a row, you would remember. Swelling, on the other hand, is an easy way to gain fluid weight really fast. Hope you heal quickly and start feeling back to normal really soon! Once you get through the awkward first several weeks, I'm sure you're going to be thrilled with the results.

So I am trying to navigate everything with new boobs haha. They are bigger than I thought they would be which is not a bad thing. I am 5 days post op and will be getting my drains out Tuesday. Hopefully. I had an appointment yesterday and he said I’m more swollen than he would like me to be, which being sedentary is so damn hard for me, but I am trying! Anywho I go back to work on Wednesday and I am wondering what you all wore to work? Im not sure if I need to go buy more button ups? Or can I put tshirts on. I have no issues lifting my arms above my head but it’s a no no for a few weeks. I’m in a casual office setting. Usually nice tops and jeans. Also I knowwwww I shouldn’t have stepped on the scale but it’s 10lb up and now im unhealthily nit picking my body. I put on jeans and they were so damn tight. Someone tell me it’s not fat weight 😂