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My team hasn't responded to me. That was one reason I came on here... so surgeon is silent so far. That said, i am definitely still drinking protein shakes or wouldn't be getting in the amount of protein I need....although I am also doing Oikos greek yogurt and soft cheeses. I was trying to add the pasta on top of stuff, because at the rate of loss I am experiencing I will be under 100 pounds soon and I cannot afford that in terms of my height to weight ratio. I've already lost 16 pounds in just a few weeks and can't go a couple of months until I have the ability to be less restrictive. I hadn't thought of custard or adding milk powder to my soup however. I'll try both of those. Thank you.

So many layers to unpack… let me first say that if it is your desire to come off some/all medications you need a doctor that will help you achieve that goal safely, if it is possible. Some truly may be life saving and necessary. You need to address it with every doctor that treats you and/or find one that will listen and guide you based on your needs and the facts. Her appearance could very well be something else- If she’d proven competent in other situations, Im not sure the weight loss alone would be a reason to leave. There are plenty of unhealthy, thin/overweight (insert unhealthy practice here, like smoking) doctors too. Keep in mind all doctors “practice medicine”. Practice being the key word.

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.

I had no idea how far this surgery would take me. I also didn't want to dream too high. I had crashed and burned to many times before. I thought that if I lost 60lbs then that would equal what I managed to loose once with Slimming World and again with Weight Watchers and again under my doctor. I smashed through that target very quickly. Then 100lbs came and went. I used to watch the Greatest looser and always wanted to say I was in onderland as I don't ever remember being that weight. My scales clunked down to that dream target too. Now, I am in a place that I am happy in my body. I could happily stop loosing but very occasionally the scales go very slowly down. I posed your question to this forum a while ago. Many answered and told me that my body would tell me when it was at the right weight. It seems like it will. BTW, My NHS doctor wants me under 140lbs but the NHS here will not remove my loose skin so they can go fish . My surgeon and his team are over the moon with my progress. I know I paid for my own surgery but they could have turned me away, I was very unfit. I will always be grateful to them. Good luck at achieving any weight you decide on

I'm sorry but I've seen more than one photo spread of what went wrong with the last Sharan Osborn medical adventure over the years. Somehow I can just pin this photo on her last adventure. What folks near and dear to each of us may not have expressed is that quick weight loss made many of us appear less than healthy, sick even. I know I was surprised to hear it, but not altogether shocked by the news since I saw many others the same way. We each make our choices and have to live with the consequences, both good and ill. Generally most of the consequences are temporary, some less so. Life is a crap shoot. Good luck, Tek

That is totally not me. LOL I question everything. Thank you for the kind words. And I agree. I am the first one to admit to being a nonconformist. I am a little over halfway to meeting my weight goal and who knows how I'll look when I get there. At the moment friends and family are all telling me how great I look, but who knows if that will change as the scale goes down. To be honest, it won't bother me at all to have a rail thin body. But if it comes with a face that ages me twenty years, I don't think I'll be happy with it or need anyone else to point it out to me. Does that hurt anyone else? No. My point in bringing up Sharon Osbourne and my family doc is one... if you read the article, she is warning people against the use of Ozempic. She saw and recognized the effects on her own body and stopped using it. Doctors doling it out to anyone that can afford it, regardless of whether they are diabetic or overweight is hurting people. And some of the side effects are life threatening. And two, how my doctor misuses this drug directly affects me. She's not diabetic or overweight and making decisions on meds for me and others that are potentially harmful to continue long term. More than one patient has voiced their concerns to me regarding her. So, if you have more than one person telling you it's gone too far, it might be advisable to listen. Especially if it's coming from people you love and trust. If it's from people that are jealous of your weight loss than that's another matter and they can wanker off. xD You got that right brother. Thanks for the input.

When I got the band I had been planning on getting a diamond band as my "reward". I got within 7lbs of my goal. I never got to goal and just started gaining almost to my band pre-op weigh. I revised to a sleeve on Thrus 02/09/12. I think I'm going to go ahead and get that diamond band as a reward for going through with the surgery. I think I deserve it! I was really scared. Afterall, I know I'll get to my goal with the sleeve and it'll serve as a reminder to follow the sleeve rules and that my sleeve won't fail me like the band did.

Planning ahead and seeking local support as you progress through the stages of your weight loss journey is a great approach. While I can't provide specific book recommendations, I can suggest a few general types of books that might be helpful as you transition to stage 4 and beyond: Bariatric Cookbooks: Look for cookbooks specifically designed for individuals who have undergone weight loss surgery. These often provide recipes and meal plans tailored to each stage of post-surgery recovery. Nutrition Guides: Books that focus on post-bariatric surgery nutrition can be very informative. They can help you understand the nutritional requirements for your specific procedure and guide you in making healthy food choices. Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Books: While not specific to bariatric surgery, these books offer valuable information on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, making smart food choices, and managing your weight in the long term.

It’s an interesting issue. I do understand the questions it might raise when your health professional makes a decision about their life you don’t understand such as feeling she did not think she really had a weight issue that would necessitate her taking Ozempic. I had questions & worried about my injectables nurse (not as serious as with your Dr). I liked her & how she treated me. She was cautious. She was a friend of a friend’s daughter & they both saw her. Then one day I went for my appointment & her face was deformed (well it was in my eyes). Overdone the fillers I thought. I couldn’t understand why she did as she was very attractive without it & questioned how cautious she really was in her treatments with me & others if she did that to herself. I commented upon it with my friend expressing my concern. Turned out she was pregnant & was having a terrible time with morning sickness, fluid retention & other issues which caused the ‘deformed’ look. So yes, I think the questions & doubts that arise are a pretty natural reaction. Usually we don’t know the real story behind why someone choses to do something or what they are experiencing & we never may. Doesn’t mean their care for us is any less. But it is your decision how you manage it. You have to feel comfortable & secure with them, their recommendations & treatments. The over prescribing issues is a whole other debate. I’d hope as your health improves & your blood work & other tests show you don’t need all your current meds she will stop prescribing those you don’t need any more. I’ve been fortunate with my doctors & I’ve been with my current GP for about 25 yrs but I worry about the day she retires. She initially had her own practice but joined one of those big chain medical clinics a couple of years ago. I dislike the impersonal nature of the staff but thankfully she is the same. My 83yr old mother is struggling to find a new GP after hers decided to specialise in skin cancers. She is finding establishing a new relationship, trust & respect difficult as well as having to go over 83 yrs of medical history with each one she has tried. They probably will start to think she is shopping different doctors to get additional drugs except they’ve all been at the same clinic so far. PS - Many of us experience our faces looking gaunt as we near our lowest weight. Remember my uncle telling me I looked like death (not to my face but to my mum). It settles over a few months as we know. Sure I look older than before (I am 58 not 21 so I should) but I look like real me. I don’t have fat distorting my features anymore. I love having a chin & jawline now, my hooded eyelids have practically vanished, my neck is thinner & longer & I have freakin’ cheekbones.

I've been thinking of getting a helix piercing for quite awhile, just haven't gotten around to it! I have several piercings and a small tattoo (one I haven't seen well due to weight)..not sure I want to see it after the weight loss 😆! I say do what makes you happy!

I am going on 25 years post gastric bypass.. Back when it was open surgery. total weight lost- 140 Now maintaining average if 160

I need to lose 15lbs before getting to the next step for the surgery on my sleeve. I am just feeling discouraged about it. I weighed myself this and I am down some weight but not as much as I would like. I know this is a lifelong thing and I will always struggle with this. Can you guys give me the pros and the motivation because right now I feel like I cant do this.

I am absolutely terrified today after seeing my consultant. I had gastric sleeve surgery 26/07/2022 not for weight loss but to remove a stomach tumour. January this year I started getting stabbing pains under my left rib but wasn't really having any nausea, sickness or difficulty eating and drinking. After a CT scan in May and an endoscopy in August they found my stomach is strictured/stenosis. Today my consultant has told me the only option is to remove my stomach fully and sew my esophagus to my bowel. He said stretching it is not an option. I have an odd feeling (numerous reasons why) that they botched my operation and are trying to skirt around it. My consultant and surgeon keep changing the story. Like only an insignificant amount of stomach was removed. Then it was a full gastric sleeve performed. Then only a tiny amount removed again. Then the tumour was a GIST (sarcoma cancer). Then its just a benign tumour caused by pancreas cells. I've never known such confusing, arrogant, unsympathetic and clueless consultants and surgeons before - they're very worrying. Especially considering my surgeon is also doing private work for Spire. I'm absolutely broken. Any advice or anyone that has had a similar experience would be appreciated. As a side note this hospital in Liverpool has now given me a fear of hospitals. I was put on an oncology ward which I've been in before in a different hospital. I've always been a regular at hospitals over the last 20 years with pulmonary embolisms, 2 cancer scares, chronic illnesses etc and its always been a pleasant stay (even after surgeries) and a bit of a break and a chance to get some rest as I have 3 children. While in this new hospital after surgery it was like a third world hospital. I was lay in someone elses stale urine for a week before they agreed to change my putrid mattress. I caught scabies on my arm and oral thrush that spread to my esophagus and lungs. There was no shower so I had to wash myself daily in the sink. Finally they allowed me to use the mens shower as there was no womens shower which was literally just a shower cubicle with a door leading onto the corridor, nowhere to hang your towel or clothing and due to a blocked drain the floor/tray was flooded so my feet were in stagnant water along with my towel and clothing on a carrier bag on the floor/tray. By the end of my shower everything was soaking wet so I had to "get dry" with a wet towel and put on wet pyjamas before going to my bed and putting the curtain around to get properly dry and changed again. I had pneumothoraxes under my diaphragm and collar bone but was given the wrong and tiniest amount of pain relief. I was left to withdraw from my daily medication that I've taken for 5 years and left writhing in agony with the gas pain, pneumothoraxes, parasthesia and an intense burning sensation through my veins along with a massive headache, vomiting and aversion to light. No one would listen to me to help me to get my pain level under control and I could go on and on about the lack of care and the feeling of death and impending doom on this ward.

I don't use butter, but I do olive oil. I have a spritzer bottle and sometimes use it when baking or air frying. You'd be surprised how little oil you need to crisp things up. But I mostly use 0 calorie cooking spray for that purpose. Also, heating olive oil to high temperatures cause it to lose a lot of its health benefits. Better to have a good nonstick skillet than fry anything. Even with a healthier choice of oil. The thing to remember is that the use of high fat oils can clog up your arteries and spike your cholesterol regardless of our weight. I know a lot of unhealthy thin people. Use sparingly.

Oooh I hope this is going to be a fascinating thread - what is 'it's gone too far' - is it in the eye of the beholder?? We might all have our own idea of that. Thanks for the chance to discuss this OP!! I get asked pretty regularly now whether or not I am well (I SO AM) and whether or not I planned to lose this much weight (I SOOOOO DID). The inference being - you at best look thin of face and body, or at worst look really unwell (in that person's eye). I filter/ignore those comments depending on how much I trust/want to hear about that person's eye! I think allowing people to do what they want to and need to with their bodies for their own reasons without judgement is probably a good thing on a general and totally generic level. I know it can be difficult when people go beyond what we ourselves are comfortable with, and then that it goes up another level if they do things well outside our norms AND societal norms. If they are not hurting anybody then fantastic. Honestly you do you - if you want to have a skeletal face (and get paparazzi to follow you and your daughter for a day of "shopping") and it feels good to you then dooooooo it! And make your money out of it if you need that too. Absolutely ready for a big old discussion on this one. 😍

Hi I have Kaiser NorCal and I went to my primary and just told them I want weight loss surgery. She sent a referral to the Bariatric department as I had a BMI of 38 and high blood pressure so I met the requirements, which for NorCal are a BMI over 40 or BMI over 35 with a health condition. I was contacted by the Bariatric department and I had to watch a video and take a test it was easy. Then I had to weigh in with their department and meet with a nutritionist. After all that was done, I was able to meet with the surgeon and he gave me a go away of what I had to lose in order to qualify. I had to do a psych evaluation. Once I lost weight I did some bloodwork and now I am scheduled for surgery on October 12 of this year. I started this process in January, I was scheduled for surgery in September, but got pneumonia the week of the surgery so it was postponed and now Kaiser is supposed to strike so I’m hoping that it doesn’t get postponed again you do have to maintain your weight the entire process and can’t even go over half a pound of your goal weight. Hope this helps.

He's showing his insecurity. I'd suggest he try counseling with possible couples counseling. I hate to say it, but if he's feeling insecure now...how will he be once you've lost all your desired weight? Maybe suggest counseling for you both...to "help you with your body image"... the counselor will see his insecurity for what it is without putting it on him 😉

Mine is a PA. The key differences between the role of a PA vs. an MD come to light when complex issues arise. MDs have knowledge about complicated conditions that many PAs may not possess. I was not happy to leave my family doc of many years for her to begin with. But my insurance changed with work, and he was no longer considered in network, sadly enough. My company has their own doctors and pharmacy, and the coverage is amazing, but the choice of doctors there are limited. Yes, before ever considering WLS, I wanted to find an internist to sort out all the meds I was on. Some I knew were necessary, some were preventative and some questionable. To be told that I will be on all of them the rest of my life after my bariatric team told me otherwise was disappointing to hear and questionable. She's always been quick to prescribe meds. I didn't see her often but when I did, I always walked away with one or two more. She prescribed Ozempic to me years ago before it became a thing. I didn't take it long, after reading it caused tumors/cancer in mice plus it made me feel horrible every day. Then recently, when I saw her to get a release for WLS, she wanted to put me back on it. I declined. Ironically, we had a discussion about Ozempic face at that time. She told me if I lose too much weight in my face after surgery, to look her up and she will fix it. She owns a business that does fillers. botox etc. So she lives in that world. I guess I've always felt that since she is a PA, she may not be as knowledgeable as an MD when it comes to medication. But I will wait to see what the bariatric team tells me first before deciding anything. Like assuming I would change doctors based solely on her looks? I recently had 3 of her patients tell me they already changed doctors for some of the very reasons mentioned here. So nothing "snap" about it. If anything, I'm biding my time and giving her the benefit of the doubt. For now. Agree... I'm more holistically minded and need a doc who's likeminded. Not someone that hands meds out like candy. I'm not working this hard to be told I can never reverse the need for them. I realize it will take time and I may not be able to eliminate all of them but just never tell me never. Not yet anyway.

I had the SADI-S…it’s been 7 months. Right after surgery my bowels were in turmoil as expected. Diarrhea, constipation. Before surgery I had IBS. Once things settle down my BMs are much more consistent. Most likely because my diet is consistent. As Wellington states above, you can control and use your diet to control your bowel movements. Get out of line with your diet and you get out of line with the results. Yes, there is more flatulence and odor, but it is an acceptable trade-off for what I have gained. Don’t let the small things get in the way of a life-changing decision that can save your life.

I was a self pay in Mexico, and while the team gave me calorie goals and suggested foods, I dont have a strong idea how I am going to continue on this weight loss journey without a nutrional team. I have contact my insurance and am getting a referral for local nutrionist for more personal support, but does anyone have a good book recommendation for moving to stage 4? I do have a good vitamin regime and can leverage the doctors in Mexico, but would like something more local as time goes on. I’m still in purée stage, so thought planning ahead might be a good idea. Let me know, thanks for reading.

Anyone here have weight loss surgery in Augusta, Maine..I am having Dr, Trieu..would like to hear from people from here and other places too...r

So is it just me or does this really change ur relationship! Ive been married for over 10 years and ever since I got the surgery and I’ve lost so much weight it’s like wow my husband is all over me , wants sex all the time , I can really tell he likes the new me or more like my new body. The thing is he’s changing , very controlling and basically doesn’t let me go out not even to family events like I’m feeling like a prisoner ! It’s just getting worst

WOOHOO !!! Congrats on your weight loss ! That's impressive

Hi all, I'm 43 and am meeting a surgeon in 2 weeks to hopefully get on the road to having a gastric sleeve. Im hopeful & excited vistualising how i will look after - tummy flap and all. One thing though has been on my mind, will I look older after surgery when I've lost weight? I'm curious to hear your experiences post surgery and if there were any supplements you were recommended to help prevent your face looking like a deflated balloon full of wrinkles? Sent from my SM-G973F using BariatricPal mobile app