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6 years postop... the long haul.
NCL04321 replied to Saxons's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Sorry you are having such a hard time. I think what you are experiencing is not the norm for people who have undergone this surgery. I just had the surgery 6 months ago but (knock on wood) have not had any of the complications you are experiencing. I know this is the best thing i have ever done for myself and am thankful everyday that i had VSG. It is permanent, but so is the weight we have unless we get help medically to lose it. The chance to lose and keep off 100lbs plus is 0% as someone else mentioned above. I appreciate your honesty and letting others know that these things can happen, but for someone considering this surgery, please dont be discouraged as the outcome this person had is not the norm. A majority of us think this is the best thing weve done and wish we did it sooner in life! -
Let's Talk About Maintenance
Arabesque replied to maintenanceman's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Aah the how often to weigh debate. The responses seem to swing from very rarely/never to daily. I weighed every day for the first two years or so but now weigh 3 or 4 times a week. In the past if I thought I was putting on weight I wouldn’t go near the scales. If I didn’t see the number on the scales I could believe I wasn’t putting on weight even if my pants were very tight or bought the next size. So me weighing as I do now is about what I need to do to keep myself honest. I say you know you best & weigh yourself as you need to keep yourself motivated & on track. Has my hunger returned, yes. It did so slowly. Has it increased since it fully returned, no. There are still odd days or times I’m not all that hungry at all. (Wish that happened more often 😁.) I try to eat very much to a routine & not eat outside of that. If I think I’m hungry I consider if it’s real hunger or head hunger. Such as when did I last eat? Did I eat a smaller portion at my last meal? Is it almost time for a meal? How am I feeling - bored, sad, annoyed, stressed, etc. It can be an ‘interesting’ discussion I’m having with myself. 😁 This helps most of the time. I’m sorry about your injury @huskymama especially after achieving so much. But you didn’t have to go back to shakes to lose your weight just go back to how & what you were eating before your injury though smaller portions as you can’t be as active at the moment. Meet your fluids & protein goals. Eat your protein first then vegetables & last any carbs you’re allowed if you are able. Return to lower fats, carbs & sugar. Check with your dietician for ideas & guidance. Focus on upper body exercises because of your injury. Search for some exercises for those with limited mobility online. You can do this. -
Emotional Trauma
maintenanceman replied to tiffanyb12211's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
WLS solves precisely two problems... being fat and (hopefully) associated health co-morbidities. The rest is work that you have to do. That said, being fat often makes us feel like crap for so many reasons. No longer being fat frees up a lot of energy and mental space to do that work. I have found that engaging in high quality therapy pre-op and during weight loss and maintenance has been very helpful in processing all of the changes and taking full advantage of the opportunities for transformation. I can't imagine going through this process without therapy as a space to process it all. -
Cleared for Exercise 3 weeks post op
saramelie replied to Nicnak's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Cleared for cardio and light weights training (less than 15 pounds) 2 weeks post-op. Clearly not the norm. -
October 2023 surgery buddies
Omomifu replied to Shotputqueen's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hi I’m new this forum and this is my first post i had my gastric sleeve done on 17th October and been fairly ok ever since - few moments of regrets but this is something I needed to do more than wanting to do Pre surgery I was constantly obsessed with food - I would plan in advance that if I’m going here il eat this and on this day il eat this and so on ..obsessed with takeaways and even had a tiktok channel with all the nice food places I go to etc ..food was my life..I’m 36 and this lifestyle made me diabetic and I still think I’m young and shouldn’t be diabetic. Iv seen peoples lives change for the worse since becoming diabetic and this worried me…this is why I say I did this because I needed to rather than wanting to i know 4-5 people who have done the surgery and iv seen what they eat after a year..their appetite has gone up more now and rather than losing weight are maintaining it by the food they are eating ..the food they are eating now gives me motivation which is unfortunate that I know this isn’t forever -
It's fall in Wisconsin and - I'm COLD !!!
ChunkCat replied to KathyLev's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Oh no... I am cold by nature already, my weight never seemed to impact it. The doctor seems to think it is a thyroid thing, I think my thermostat is just damaged. LOL But if I get even colder after this surgery I'll have to start buying long underwear!! 😂 My partner runs hot and keeps the house at about 70 all year round and is STILL hot, so I wear layers all year round. Except for socks, I HATE socks. But I might have to get over that and start wearing socks and slippers.... If it makes the summers more bearable though it isn't a bad deal, I don't cope with heat well at all. I got heat stroke a few times and they say once that happens your internal thermostat is never the same. Plus I take meds that make me sensitive to the heat and the sun so I wear long sleeves year round. It sounds like this will continue indefinitely... Good to know for future shopping! -
Let's Talk About Maintenance
pintsizedmallrat replied to maintenanceman's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Trying very hard to maintain, but the hardest thing to get into that state is my BRAIN. I've not only spent the last 2 years meticulously monitoring every bite of food I put in my mouth (even though my doctor didn't insist upon it I've been counting calories since day 1), but I spent the last 20 YEARS in the mindset that if I wasn't actively trying to LOSE weight, I was going backward. So, at 41, I have to learn how to eat to maintain which for some reason is VERY hard for me. I can't get out of the "weight loss" mindset. I don't eat enough. I monitor and measure and check and re-check everything. I pour myself a bowl or plate of something and put half of it back. I just can't seem to accept that I am *done* losing weight. -
Actually, I have 2 questions: 1) I had a gastric sleeve almost 5 years ago; after losing 60 lbs., my pannus changed size & shape, becoming EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I stopped losing weight, gained back 20 lbs., and fortunately maintained my net 40 lbs. weight loss. Does anyone know if I can has DS after a gastric sleeve? 2) I originally wanted DS but the bariatric surgeons in my area did bypass or sleeve only. I live in eastern Washington State; does anyone know of surgeons anywhere around my area (WA state, Idaho, Montana, or Oregon) that perform DS?
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Calories at maintenance shock
Arabesque replied to Hope4NewMe's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
That seems an awfully low caloric goal for maintenance for someone your height & weight unless you are not active at all. Have you checked a BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculator (linked the one I used below). It’s not perfect but it will give you an idea of what you may need to be consuming to maintain. Of course other issues that calculator doesn’t consider (like medical issues, medications, genetics, metabolism, muscle mass, etc.) can impact how many calories you may need. I checked mine a few months back out of interest & discovered it recommended about what I had been consuming (1500 +/- calories) for someone my age, height, weight, gender & activity level (not much lol!). So it was about right, at least for me, as I’ve been pretty stable with my weight (except for about a 5lb gain because of a medication issue - sorted it & lost 3 of those lbs without doing anything). You may be surprised how much food 1500 calories actually is. I eat about a recommended serving size (e.g. 3-4ozs meat & a good cup of green vegetables), eat three meals a day & about 4 snacks. But I am pretty careful with what I eat so mostly nutritionally dense foods that are predominately low processed. Best thing to do though is to slowly increase your calories & watch the scales. You may need more or fewer calories than what your dietician suggested or the BMR calculator recommends. Be careful though. An extra 100 calories a day will equate to about a 10kb gain over a year - gasp! https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html -
Checking in. Just short of my 6 month mark (11/15/2023). Down 99 pounds (SOOO CLOSE) at 225. I have a stretch goal of 35 more pounds (190) which my wife hates. She is pretty happy where I am now and worries that I will look "anemic" if I lose that much more, but I was at 192 when we first met 20 years ago, so that has been my blue sky target (although I would be ecstatic with anything below 200 and happy under 210). Been working out 5-6 days a week, but my diet has been middling honestly. I have been eating too many carbs in the afternoon. I think they are better carbs than they used to be (Nut Thins mainly), but they are still far from ideal. I need to be eating more fruits and veggies for sure. I am also pretty much back to my normal alcohol consumption (which isn't much, 2-4 drinks a week, and consists mainly of red wine). Weight loss has slowed down considerably, but is still pretty consistent. Because I am a numbers nerd, I have been tracking a bunch of stuff since I started and here are my month by month losses 5/4/2023 6/1/2023 35.9 6/1/2023 7/1/2023 19.9 7/1/2023 8/1/2023 16.0 8/1/2023 9/1/2023 10.7 9/1/2023 10/1/2023 6.3 10/1/2023 11/1/2023 9.6 11/1/2023 11/6/2023 0.3 I have my 6mo follow up with the nutritionist next Wednesday where hopefully she will tell me that I am not losing too much muscle (something she cautioned me about on my 3mo visit). I'll post some before/after pictures sometime in the next week as well. And finally, welcome to the thread Meana, great results so far!
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Mashed-up Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cups on Pureed Diet OK?
Arabesque replied to Wildflower Bohême's topic in Post-op Diets and Questions
Best advice is stick to your plan. (Have to admit I’m surprised by the peanut butter. I know some use peanut butter powder to add as a flavour to their shakes but not actual eat peanut butter until maintenance but then plans are different.) You said candy is a trigger for you. This is a head hunger not a real hunger. Have you spoken to your therapist about this? They’ll help you identify why you crave candy, what situations, what emotions, habits, etc. trigger it & will help you work out strategies to manage your craving. This is part of the head work we do to change our relationship with food & our eating. Remember the surgery changes your body not your head. Sure, once your weight stabilises, you’ll work out how much & how often you can have some of your old favourite things, if you even still want them. I didn’t really crave sweet things as such but certainly enjoyed eating something sweet every night after dinner. Now I rarely eat sweet foods - a couple of times a year & don’t miss it. I have about 5g of added sugar a day. I do very little artificial sweeteners (in yoghurt & protein bar but they don’t taste sweet at all) or sugar substitutes either as I’m pretty sensitive & foods can easily taste excessively sweet. Who would have thought food can be too sweet! If I want sweet now I have some fruit. The sugar alcohols can cause bloating & diarrhoea in many which is why your plan likely says to avoid it. All the best. -
This is a favorite breakfast smoothie for me as well as my 15 year old daughter. I'm pre-op right now, just as an FYI, and my daughter is an active kid at a healthy weight who likes to start the day off with a quick, nutritious breakfast. I have a 16oz blender cup, and this fills it fully, but if you have a 22 oz or larger, it would let you make it a little thinner. For me, the ginger is key to masking any taste from the powder. I use the kind that comes in a squeeze bottle from the produce department. I don't add any sweetener and I personally love the natural flavor of it. The blueberries disguise the green from the spinach in case the color turns you off. You can weigh and measure everything to be sure how much you are getting the first time around, but I tend to just wing it now since I've done it so often. I may make some changes post-op based on nutritionist recommendations, but overall I think this is a pretty solid smoothie recipe that you can change up in several ways with different fruits. Oh, you can also use Greek yogurt instead of skyr if that's not as easy to find, but I'm a big fan of the Siggie's brand skyr. I also love to buy the mixed fruit blends from the freezer section to get lots of variety in one bag. All of the produce I use is frozen, including the avocado. Oh no! I just realized I entered hemp seed twice in my recipe. That should be a tsp of chia seed!
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October 2023 surgery buddies
Wildflower Bohême replied to Shotputqueen's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Everyone has been going through so much! I'm glad for all of us though. My RNY was on October 16th. I haven't posted since then since I had a really hard time the first week, but I'm doing better now, thankfully! Post-op in the hospital was fine, but after that I had a hard time getting any liquids in. Day 3 at home, I only got 6 or 7 ounces in, and kept throwing up nothing. I went to the ER, got 2 liters of IV fluids and had a CT scan which was fine. I was having serious buyer's remorse about the surgery. I was not happy. But sometimes it's just hard to see that things will change. Because they do! My surgeon (who talked to me twice on the phone for about 10 minutes each, once while she was going to dinner with her family! So thankful) had me go to a hydration infusion clinic every day last week, to get 2 liters a day. They had wicked nice nurses, one of whom had had an RNY with my same surgeon 4 years ago! She has kept her weight off and is doing really well, despite having a rough start. She was so encouraging! We talked a lot. I feel so much better now! It's not perfect, and I keep forgetting to take SMALL sips, lol. I'm on full liquids until Tuesday/Halloween, so I'm planning on making a pumpkin puree something-or-other to celebrate. There are a bunch of recipes online for Pumpkin Whip/Pumpkin Fluff, if anyone is interested and in the puree stage. There's always pumpkin soup, if full liquids are better! We shall see. -
There is a lot of good information above and, as you’ll see, see it varies. My doctor gave me several. For me, the first one was based on getting out of the “obese”category of BMI, that was 240 pounds. The second, which I just hit, was getting out of the “overweight” category of BMI which was 200 pounds. The last I think is 187 pounds based on healthy weight. You’ll find yourself gravitating towards weights that you may have hit in the past as you lose, but you’ll know what to strive for as you start getting closer to them on the scale. I do suggest setting several as you go down rather than one large, low weight. It helps to hit the mini goals as you go.
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I will share my 6month post sleeve progress.....I am 54 and 5'1. I was 230 on surgery day, and now weigh 162.5. I have lost a total of 67.5lb. I have lost a total of 54 inches all over plus more, but I didn't start my measurements till 1 month post op. As of yesterday, I have lost 9 inches off my waist, 12 inches off my hips, 7 inches of left thigh, 8 inches off my right thigh, 4 inches off right and 4 inches off left bicep. 1 inch off my neck and 7 inches off my chest. Figures we lose weight in our chest 😭😜. I feel amazing already! I will be honest and say exercise has been at a minimum since the surgery. I know I will have to start exercising regularly for muscle tone, my heart etc. My 6 month bloodwork was awesome and all in the normal zone. Even my iron was in the normal zone this time. My A1C was 5.3 (it used to be 5.6-5.7). My cholesterol is 180 (which used to be 238 for many years). My knees hurt less, I am no longer on the CPAP machine, and I feel better about myself. I have not had any nightmare incidents relating to weight loss surgery. The only thing I still deal with is constipation which seems to have gotten a little better with broadening my diet. I average 700-800 calories a day. I consume 60-70g of protein. I know I do not drink what they recommend in ounces, but I am not far below the liquid requirement. This is one of the best decisions I have made in my life to help myself. Thank you to everyone on here for the great advice and support.
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Help a design student: WLS app feedback!
adrienne0906 posted a topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Hello Bariatric Pals! I'm a design student that is working on my Senior Capstone project. I'm designing an app + device for Bariatric Surgery patients to give support and help them be a success in their weight loss journey. Since I'm designing an app + device, my concepts thus far are about how that system could help support someone, both immediately after the surgery, and many years afterwards. I broke my concepts into 4 areas: Motivation/Inspiration, Accountability, Connection to other people who have had surgery, and Strengthening a network of family and friends. I picked this areas to emphasize because I see them as very important to a person's success or failure--if my design could address all of these areas, that would be ideal! For your reference, I'm attaching a presentation I made in class with some illustrations of my concepts. You can answer without looking at it, and it would still be super helpful! : ) My initial questions are: Which of these areas do you think is the most important? Do you think that there is an area you could have done without and still been successful? In relation to the device: What role do you think a device should play in your weight loss journey--should it be a wearable product that you can take with you anywhere? Would it feel more appropriate or interesting if it was something you would use only in your home? Thank you so much in advance for your feedback. In future posts, I'll include a link to my blog, where I'll be documenting my entire process, and you guys can see what I am designing. If there are any other things that occur to you, such as features for an app or device you think would be super helpful and make you feel supported in your journey...let me know!! Sincerely, Adrienne adrienne_pearson_concept_phase.pdf -
Atypical antipsychotics (or psych meds in general)?
Theia103121 posted a topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I was just wondering what people's experiences were with weight loss surgery while being on an atypical antipsychotic. I have bipolar 1, and I'm on Seroquel and Abilify. I know the Seroquel contributes to my weight, but whenever we've tried to get me off of it, things have always worsened. Did you lose weight more slowly? Did you have to go off the medication? I'm especially curious if you've had gastric bypass surgery. -
A perspective on what it is like YEARS after gastric sleeve. I was sleeved in January 2018. Start weight was 265 lb, and I am now 174lb. I wanted to get to 160, but haven't got there. I am 5ft 9. Am I glad I did it? I'm conflicted on this. It's SO permanent. I get very tired of not being able to eat a normal size meal. Going out to eat is expensive and frustrating, cause I can only eat about 1/4 of what is on my plate. Cooking seems to take away any appetite I might have (it's like the smell kills my appetite), so by the time I am ready to serve a meal to my family, I cannot eat a bite. I still suffer nausea and vomiting, yes even 6 years down the track. Even if its just dry retching and there is nothing in my stomach. I suffer from reflux which I never had prior to surgery, so I take a PPI every day. I also take vitamins, because my food intake is so tiny. But a lot of the time, I throw them back up. I am chronically anaemic due to lack of red meat or substantial leafy greens. The only thing that seems to help is to take tiny sips of iced water to try and settle the retching. Eating a small meal can take an hour, because I have to wait for my stomach to empty before I can take another bite. Eating sugary or carbohydrate foods makes me sweaty and shaky, and I still battle bouts of dumping syndrome (I am not diabetic). I suffer from irritable bowel syndrome due to the surgery, and I burp lots! Hardly ever prior to surgery. This is all awkward in company for lunch or dinner, and I don't feel I want to announce to all dinner companions (who may just be friends of friends) about my surgical history! I have lost 90 lbs, dropped 3 dress sizes, but if I had my time over, I wish I could have lost the weight through diet and exercise. I really do. So just know... there is no going back from this surgery. It's totally permanent.
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Don't you hate when your own words come back to get you?? LOL But I aim to take your advice and stay away from those foods as much as possible, as I have seen that creeping back into them really slows/stops people's weight loss or leads to regain. Just because you can eat a thing, doesn't mean you should I suppose... When I had to go gluten free for about 5 years I found that focusing on what I COULD have and what would nourish me was much wiser than focusing on all that I could NOT have. It became a game to see what new, interesting thing I could try to expand my palette. I discovered a lot of things that I wouldn't have ever tried in my old way of eating. Like charcuterie boards! OMG I love those things, so many little bits of things to try. I found that a few bites of a few things was much more satisfying than a large volume of one thing. I think remembering that post surgery will help a lot...
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Hi there, Generally doing okay but have had a couple of bad days where I’ve struggled with cramps and bloating. Drinking water going well but some foods still upset my tummy. Weight loss has been steady. Lost 26kg ( 57.2 lbs) since my surgery on the 17th of July. Have my 3 month check up soon.
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Hi there, Generally doing okay but have had a couple of bad days where I’ve struggled with cramps and bloating. Drinking water going well but some foods still upset my tummy. Weight loss has been steady. Lost 26kg ( 57.2 lbs) since my surgery on the 17th of July. Have my 3 month check up soon.
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May 2023 surgeries
CarolineLittle replied to WVJess2Less's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Just checking in. It's 21 weeks since I was sleeved now. I'm down to 120.9 kilos, for a total loss of 34.1 kilos, or 75 pounds. I've lost exactly 22% of my total weight. I'm 5.9 kilos away from being halfway to my big goal of 75 kilos. Everything is going well, I need to be better with fluid and definitely need to be more active. My weight loss is very obvious, especially in my tummy. Down about 3 dress sizes I think, I haven't really been clothes shopping yet. I do need to though, especially for pants. I still have tops I can wear that were once too tight. I hope you're all well and @SynleeI hope you're closer to getting answers. -
Weirdest None-Scale-Victory - I'll go first
HeatherE replied to chiquitatummy's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
So happy for you! I took my son zip lining in Sri Lanka over the summer. He would never had done it himself and unfortunately my husband exceeded the 200 pound weight limit. Was so thankful i could go with my nine year old! -
I met with the nutritionist and surgeon last week and have received a surgery date of December 27. It's about a month later than I thought it would be, but I'm trying to make the best of it and not be too disappointed. My doctor's office only does 2 days of liquids prior to surgery, so while it does mean I will be on liquids for Christmas, I will have Christmas Eve without any restrictions (which is our bigger celebration day anyway). And I still get the surgery done on this year's deductible, which will help a little financially. So until then I am just working on establishing an exercise routine and healthy eating, but I don't have an additional weight loss goal that I need to meet. I'm sure the time will fly, but it feels so far away when I had been crossing my fingers for mid-November.
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So, I'm not an expert, but I've been doing a lot of reading and watching videos from reliable medical professionals (like the one I shared above, and the videos from Dr. Matthew Weiner in Tucson). I've also had friends and family members with both bands and sleeve surgery, and seen all of the ones with bands eventually fail, while the sleeves have had at least moderate success. Full disclosure: I'm scheduled for a bypass in December. The most important thing about all of this is it's not your fault. It's not about getting your head right, it's about getting the right tools. And the band is just not a good longterm tool for almost everyone. The biggest difference between the band and the sleeve or bypass is that while the band relies on restricting your eating, the sleeve and bypass both change your metabolism. It's not just about capacity, it's about a fundamental shift in how your hormones communicate with your body. Do you still have to have good nutrition, and be mindful, and work on your life issues that influence how you eat, and all that good stuff? Definitely. But choosing a metabolic surgery (sleeve or bypass) totally shifts the playing field in a way the band didn't. I think it was one of the videos from Dr. Weiner where he said it was like getting a second chance to draw a new card from the genetic lottery. Good luck with your meeting with your doctor, and just remember, this isn't your fault. It's not because you're not strong enough, or good enough, or any of that nonsense people like to say. It's because you got dealt a crap hand in the gene department that makes it really hard for you to manage your weight, way harder than for a lot of people, and it's okay to use every tool available to make it easier.
