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Hi there I'm a new user, posting from Perth, Western Australia ☺️ I considered weight loss surgery for 2 years and had consultations with 2 different surgeons, discussing gastric sleeve, endoscopic gastric sleeve and the balloon. I was even booked in for surgery (VSG) over a year ago but was talked out of it by a friend who believed I would regret it and that I am not big enough. Fast forward to September 3, 2020 and I was on the operating table, getting the MAGENSTRASSE & MILL procedure! It's an option I did not previously know about. I couldn't find any information about this procedure on this forum, so thought I would post, incase anyone is interested ✌️ Magenstrasse & Mill is seen as the precursor of the gastric sleeve and was first performed in the 80's, in the UK. It sounded a little barbaric and was open surgery at the time. However, my surgeon here, Dr Alan Thomas, suggested it for me (as a low BMI patient) done in a safer method using modern equipment and technology (obviously!). In my words, 80% of your stomach is sectioned off from the rest (mostly), creating a chamber, which due to physiology, can not be filled with food. NO PART OF THE STOMACH IS REMOVED! For me and also for my family, who were against me getting any type of weight loss surgery, this felt reassuring. Whilst not recommended, the procedure can be reversed. A traditional sleeve can be formed at some point too, if required but there should be no need because it is expected the weight loss results will be similar to the results you would get from VSG. There are other benefits to this surgery that you can research if you wish. The recovery time, scarring, restriction and diet recommendations are all the same as VSG. I've copied some findings from a medical publication (NCBI) much better than my wording! Our aim was to evolve a simpler, more physiological type of gastroplasty that would dispense with implanted foreign material such as bands and reservoirs. The Magenstrasse, or "street of the stomach", is a long narrow tube fashioned from the lesser curvature, which conveys food from the esophagus to the antral Mill. Normal antral grinding of solid food and antro-pyloro-duodenal regulation of gastric emptying and secretion are preserved. The Magenstrasse and Mill procedure is the simplest and most physiological gastroplasty yet described. Many of the drawbacks of vertical banded gastroplasty, adjustable banding and gastric bypass are avoided. It is safe, has few side-effects and leads to major and durable weight losses, similar to those produced by other types of gastroplasty. I'll try to check in and answer any questions. I hope this helps, as I couldn't find much information on this surgery and don't think many people in Australia have had it! Tomorrow marks one month post-op. The weight is coming off very slowly but I'll use this forum for positive vibes and accountability

I started feeling less restriction about 15 months after surgery. As many others have said, "You can't chase the restriction." In other words, you can't let a feeling of restriction determine the volume of food. You have to pre-choose your food intake and eat just that amount. This is learning how to eat normally. It is hard. I struggle with it, too. Before surgery, I could put away HUGE volumes of food. I have no idea where it all went, but once I started eating, I could not stop. I have those same feelings now - like I want to keep eating once I start, and if I eat slowly enough, and stretch out my meals, I can put away a lot more that I should. I have to work every day to write down my meal plan and then do my best to stick with it. And to STOP once my meal is finished. Intermittent fasting helps. I don't eat until noon and then try to stop by 7 pm. I can still put away a lot of calories in 7 hours, however, and it is a new learning curve to learn how to eat 2 good meals a day, with some raw veggies in the afternoon and a small yogurt fruit bowl for evening dessert. No second helpings and no other snacking - regardless of how full I feel. The volume limit has to come from your head, not your pouch.

Met with the dietian yesterday. She said folks with a low BMI don’t lose weight as fast. She said it may take 6 months for me to lose 50 lbs. she also said the body will stall and not allow for too much weight loss. I am going to trust the process

OK then I did understand. I don't believe I'll "never do that again", but I've worked hard for a long time on my relationship with food and I hope that will help me when the time comes. I have spent a long time changing my diet long before surgery. I don't eat things like processed or fast food. I eat mostly vegetarian. I prefer healthy food. I'm not saying I never want junk, but I just don't keep it in the house. I know I will have treats now and then in the future, but they won't be a major part of my diet. I didn't get as fat as I was by not eating a bunch of crap, but I did work on that for years before surgery so I hope that will help me. This is a lifestyle change and it's important to me to change my life and live healthy. I'm just going to keep working on all my habits, working on my mental health, and use this tool to the best of my ability. Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am having my surgery on October 8th. I am currently on my Preop 14 day fast. It is very hard but I am determined to win my obesity fight once and for all.

I have the sit n spin one but for some reason my when I peddle the up down movement is very painful in my right hip. It kinda doesn’t go up n down normally it try’s to go side ways a bit. I know my hip doctor had me get that over a year ago but I can’t take the pain after like 3 min even with Percocet. Which I don’t want to use. But I have the Tony little Gazelle and I love that but because of the hip I can’t make it go very fast . I do 25 in morning but it only adds up to about a mile n a half but I never get out of breath or sweat. It’s always something right lol

Thanks ♥️, I eased out of it with just liquids then light fare. As always (on Yom Kippur) I was not hungry while fasting.

@GreenTealael Happy belated Yom Kipur! How was the fasting? Did you feast afterwards? Last night's dinner, forgot to take after pic, I was only able to eat half of it. Soybean spaghetti with my favorite homemade beef sauce! 😋 I'm still not sure about the noodle texture though, but it did the trick for now.

My doctor was pretty sure the bypass would eventually get me off most meds. The nurses in his office said most bypass patients eventually get down to only having 1-3 pills a day as well as have fast weightloss. I noticed you added your stats wtg on that weightloss so far!

I’m glad I read this because I wasn’t told the hunger glands came back! I was set back 2 weeks because I’m deathly allergic to cats & my eyes & throat almost completely swelled shut so I didn’t exercise for 1st 2 1/2 weeks. I only lost 19 lbs including pre op shakes but I started walking and swimming yesterday. I hope I make it past honeymoon stage because my surgeon said I should have lost minimum 35 pounds in 4 1/2 weeks. I’m still having trouble with water & shakes bc until the abandoned cat hiding in house was removed, I was pretty out of it. So I’m really just starting. So the lack of hunger only lasts 2 months? Ugh . I’m just glad I finally had the sleeve surgery so I have it in my head to really start serious again. It’s weird I didn’t lose laying in bed not taking much in because swollen throat. Second that Persian cat was removed to neighbors I was better fast. Thanks for everyone’s questions and advice on here.

I remember going to my 1 month follow-up. I was still my my 6 weeks of pureed food. The morning of the appointment, I was a little rushed so I took a bite of a banana, chewed thoroughly, and everything went swimmingly. In fact, I was so proud that I told my doc. I don't remember the exact words of the lecture I received. It as a scathing rebuke of me thinking I knew more about his surgery than he did. He explored my deficits both moral and intellectual. He made it clear that MY decisions got me to needing surgery. What in the blue hell made me think my opinion about the plan was the way to go at this point. That if I can't follow simple rules I will fail both fantastically and completely. As I said, I don't remember the words, but I got the message loud and clear. Follow the damn rules. Darned if it didn't turn out Doc was right. So, let's look at the rules the OP not only broke but demolished: 1) During puree stage, EATING a breakfast sandwich. Why not puree it first? Then you would at least be within that rule; 2) Were the actual foods on your plan? 2 slices of bread? Really? 3) Taking 2 hours to eat it. This is not eating a meal this is like climbing Everest. You were set on conquering this breakfast sandwich regardless of cost. This is the fast track to not losing weight, and in fact, gaining it back quickly; Tell the Doc about this post. Maybe he can include it in future documentation on "How not to do it." It's STILL not too late. *IF* you take the following steps: 1) Talk to your Doc about this 'achievement'; 2) Get thee to a mental health professional. Get help. 3) Get back to and stay on plan. Good luck, Tek

I drove 5 days after post op. Just be sure to don't drive after taking pain meds. I could have driven probably a day or two earlier, I just didn't have to. I have a desk job so I would have been ok to go back to work 3 days after surgery. Also I've always been a fast healer.

Thank you very much, Lily!! So, my weight on the day I met my surgeon( 12/20/2019 ) was 276.6 lbs. He asked what my lowest weight as an adult was and that was his goal for me. It happened to be 190 lbs. His reasoning was that this is the weight my body was most comfortable at. (Day of before picture, I was down to 264.6 lbs.) I happen to subscribe to Dr. Weiner's set point views. I think that surgery can/did change my set point and also healthy eating and intermittent fasting is helping reestablish a new healthier set point, that my body can be comfortable at and hopefully maintain. My nutritionist gave me a goal of 165 lbs, but honestly, I feel I can still do better. I'd like to be between 140-150, but we'll see. I am currently at 192.2 lbs which puts me at a 84.4 lbs lost. I just tried to change my stats, but I seem to have forgotten how!🤔 I think your surgeon's goal is awesome! Weight is just a number, that they are discovering is less significant to health as they thought! This is especially true for people who have been obese for some time in their lives. (None of the times I was 190 lbs in my life,was I ever able to wear size 8 jeans or medium anything, just sayin!) Our goal, I believe, should be where we feel happiest with our shape/look/size. Don't worry so much about a certain number, you're doing great already and well on your way to being healthiest and happiest! Enjoy the ride, girl!!!!😘😘😘

I had my surgery on 9/14 and the throbbing lasted for about 3 days and I still feel pain when I sit or get up too fast on the right side of my stomach.

This is me at my mid-goal photo. I still have about 40lbs to go! I can’t believe I’m this thin again! The pants were my daughters and I had to ask her to bring me some things because nothing fit. Top is a Large and trending to Medium pretty fast!!

I liked the thick shakes pre-surgery, but I couldn’t handle anything thick post-surgery, so my nutritionist suggested Unjury and the high protein Slim Fast shakes thinned out with some Fair Life milk. Otherwise, I ended up getting the BariatricPal broths (chicken and beef) and those have been a great substitute for the sweet shakes so far.

Dinner last night : Greek salad and novelty sized mushroom ricotta bake 🤣 (I barely ate any because I began fasting again (in anticipation of Yom Kippur) and I'm not as hungry and can handle less)

Hi Missy & All! Am new here too. Had surgery Sep 8 . Hospital gave me 64 pill containers. I fill a tray & keep close bc it is overwhelming! I even fill w/sugar free jello & yogurt. Sugar free popsicles are my saving grace! I keep a water pitcher close to refill because I can get really lazy. ( Only put that in case the mean, snarky guy on here replies hahaha!) U can Call Nurse or get plastic shot glasses at liquor store/Amazon or ketchup containers at fast food. No, bad trigger! DON’T do that! Amazon is better! (That will really get snarky guy going.omg! That character is funny if u haven’t experienced his dagger replies.) I gotta have humor bc cars are literally floating in street from Hurricane Beta. Haven’t seen or heard rain pelt down & flood like this since Harvey. Prayers for Texas please!! So glad I found this wonderful encouraging place!

For the first 3 months the cravings are horrible. I hated protein shakes they made me physically sick. I craved pizza every single day. At night I dreamt about pizza and ice cream and hot fudge Sunday’s. You have to let your stomach heal. I just ate a lot of chicken noodle soup, and stuff like that. I’m a big guy built like a linebacker. I love pizza and 1 year later, I can eat 1 slice and I’m overful and stomach hurting. Cramps, but I satisfy my craving. I can’t stress enough let. Your stomach heal. 25 days after my surgery last year was Halloween. I saved every single piece of candy last year in the past year I’ve probably eaten 3-5 pieces of chocolate candy bars etc, but that Halloween I craved and horded every piece of candy we passed out and I couldn’t touch it a year later it’s still in the cabinet. I try to eat healthier too but because I’m a big guy, I just don’t get enough calories going in to gain weight. I work out 4-5 days a week doing cardio. they should have given you pain killers after surgery. If the cravings are going to threaten your life and kill you eating something that is banned, then take a pain killer once. Once only. I did that when I drove to Wendy’s and smelled the fast food. My cravings went away and I drove home before the high kicked in. I almost killed my self considering banned food 30-45 days aft surgery. I still hoard food, over order, take food home I never eat after words, etc. I’m trying to live with the new me. we’re all in this together. After about 6 months the dreams of food went away. The cravings are controllable now. No more painkillers either, only if I have bad cramps eating something sweet. Girlscout cookies almost sent me to the ER the pain is so bad. Same with sugar cereal. I can’t touch it period. remember this too shall pass. Alcoholics Anonymous is a great support group. When I need to stop having a pity party, I go to an AA meeting or I get on my knees and pray. I’m not an alcoholic but AA is unconditional love. They accept and not judge everyone. If you sit and listen to other people fighting addictions and dealing with life, you will get a better perspective on your own healing and issues. ‘’cheers. Mark

I feel great though i have not met my goal which was primarily my fault. I stalled by eating incorrectly snacking, not drinking protein. But I have been disxoplined now. Im going to the gym, taking my vitamins, drinking my water, doing my shakes. I have no regrets at all. I underwent the first WLS in 2009 and it was the lapband. I loss the largest bulk of my weight from 2009 through 2015. Though i faced a plateau for one year due to an erosion of my stomach i gained some weight back but i still had no regrets. If i ever need to reconsider i would do it again But this time around I realized that i need discipline so i put myselt on Intermittent fasting.

Thank you GreenTealael! I have measuring tape, I'm a seamstress 🙂 I measured myself last month so I am ready for that. I got a H2OPal water bottle last year to help me with my water intake, I really like it. I have a silk pillowcase anyway because my hair is crazy without it. Pill organizer? For vitamins or will there be a lot more happening? I have some of those but they are not large sized. Just the plain 7 day ones you'd get from a drug store. Also @Lynnlovesthebeach I forgot that I did get one of those! I am really finding it to be a good tool also. Not just to make sure I'm not underestimating the food I'm eating but also works great for baking. I never realized that it would help so much in getting the right texture for the gluten free baked goods I make for my son (he's celiac). Am I going to be hunched over in pain like I was after my c section? Also on another note, I'm so bummed, my surgeon got all my labs and my A1C is a 7.1, and she thinks it's too high, so yet more time I'm going to have to wait 😞 I am having my endocrinologist send her a letter releasing me for surgery, I hope that helps me get on the fast(er) track!

Hi. I started out at 203 lb. 5 ft 2 I had my vsg in 2010. Dropped weight way to fast. Not by choice. Lowest weight was 110 lb. happy weight was 125-128. I am sad to say I am now at 156. Not happy at all. I blame myself and also my husband. Me mostly.. I feel right into the spot where he made me feel guilty because i was small and he gained. He started to offer and push more food. Remember this is your body. Your life. Don’t fall for it. Stay strong. I am officially back on track today.

first, alcohol is a lot of empty calories. Second, they want to try to avoid transfer addiction. Unfortunately, developing alcoholism after WLS is supposedly not that rare. that said, most surgeons do allow occasional social drinking (like one drink!) after a certain amount of time. I had to wait a year. Now I probably have three glasses of wine a year - and it hits me FAST!

There is a lot going on right now, and many, many people have gained weight during the pandemic, so for you to lose even a little weight and not gain any is a victory! If you're looking for someone who has been there, I have! Check out this post I made 7 months ago at the beginning of my journey: My surgeon wanted me to lose 20 pounds before surgery and I had NO IDEA where to begin! My PCP was no help at all. Guess what? I've lost over 100 pounds since then, 70 before surgery. When I went in for my last pre-op appointment 2 weeks before surgery, the nurse questioned whether my initial weight was recorded correctly. I did two things to lose weight before surgery. The first thing is what you are already doing: logging everything I ate. So you have already made a good start. The second thing I did was intermittent fasting. This can be a little controversial, and some doctors don't like it, but it worked for me. I did a 16-hour fast every day with an 8-hour eating period. That meant I ate lunch and dinner (and I allowed myself to eat snacks in between), and then fasted until lunch the next day. It was hard at first but got easier. This helped me because in addition to cutting out breakfast, I cut out all the snacks I would have had during that time period, and when I got used to going 16 hours without eating, I ended up cutting down on snacks between lunch and dinner, even during the time I was allowed to eat. I also think it made me feel less deprived. Let's say I wanted pancakes at breakfast time. I would just tell myself I can have pancakes, but I would just have to wait until my fast was over. And splitting my calories between two meals instead of three meant I could eat bigger, more satisfying meals. If I really wanted to eat 4 slices of pizza, I could, as long as I didn't have a big lunch. Speaking of calories, MyFitnessPal gave me a calorie goal of 2190 calories per day. The first week, it was a challenge just to stay under that, but I gradually reduced it down to an average of 1500 calories per day. I would suggest you challenge yourself to reduce your calories a little bit, let's say just by 100 calories per day for a week. Try some lower-calories substitutions, like light salad dressing. Measure out slightly smaller portions. By recording everything I ate and staying within a calorie limit, I had to be strategic about what I ate. I wasn't ready to give up all the foods I loved, so I looked at what I was eating and found the healthiest things that I already liked. I used those to fill me up so I could also afford to indulge sometimes. A big thing for me was eating salad for lunch every day. I discovered I could make a generous salad with lots of grilled chicken for about 300 calories. Then I found a light salad dressing I like and that put it under 250 calories. Popcorn was one of my favorite snacks because, while not the healthiest choice, it really filled me up for not a huge number of calories (BTW, I still ate the blast-o-butter kind, but a whole mini bag is just 210 calories). A big side of green beans sauteed with 1/2 tsp of butter is less than 100 calories. I discovered Built Bars, which are these amazing protein bars that taste like candy bars -- honestly, I think some are even better than candy bars -- and they became my daily treat. Maybe I didn't HAVE to lose 70 pounds before surgery, but I think it was good to start changing my habits for a while before surgery so that surgery wouldn't be such a shock to the system. Only time will tell whether or not this will all lead to long-term success, but I am glad to be down over 100 pounds from my highest weight, just two months after surgery. You can do this!

i'm down 41lbs since surgery -- i have 25 days to hit my goal of 50 lbs down since surgery. ive been slacking this week w/my diet and exercising, but plan to kick my butt (again) to get back on the right tracks. it's interesting seeing how fast my body is feeling better and even getting stronger w/workouts. def haven't experienced this before.