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I am having a bypass on 25th October. I'm UK based so not had to lose any weight beforehand and so I'm currently around 270lbs and 5ft 8inches tall. I start my pre-op on October 11th and it's a yogurt and soup diet which should be relatively ok as I love both. Not sure if I'll love both at the end of the two weeks though!! Best of luck to all of you having surgeries early October!

This has been amazingly helpful to hear everyone's experiences and advice. Thank you so much for the understanding, support and great information. I've learned a lot and I'm grateful. I'm fine on my 1000 calorie diet for now until I reach goal and then I'll do some experimenting and see what calories my body wants to be at. I know I'll have to keep watching it over the years too because I'm worried about that 3 year gain I've heard about. It was a shock because I just wanted to feel like I had achieved becoming normal if that makes any sense. Now it seems that 2000 calories isn't exactly normal so I don't have to feel left out. Thank you for the support and help!

Hi everyone. I was given a referral to the Options Program, but wasn't given any information on surgical options, just the shakes and meals. When I asked the Staff, they said my Dr needs to give me a specific referral before I can talk to anyone in the program. I asked my Dr, he said the referral he gave me should have covered it. What do I need to tell him to do? It took me 4 Dr switches to get one that would even have a discussion on weight loss, most of the Dr's in the past have just said stop eating cookes and drinking soda. When I would tell them I don't eat or drink either, they would then tell me I need to calorie count. We all know where that leads. I am a bit nervous, I have tried just about everything under the sun, done nothing but yoyo, so I am looking to explore the surgical options. I am open advice, the thought of surgery is a bit unnerving. Thank you.

I am new to this site. My RNY is scheduled for June 28th and I have kind of been obsessing lately. Scouring the web for articles and success stories---it is how I manage my nerves. It is nice to finally find a user friendly and active site for support and help. Looking forward to getting to know everyone. I'm 36 yrs old and a mother of three. (Ages 7, 9, and 15) I've been heavy all my life except for about 6 years through most of high school and part of college when I was running track and very involved in gymnastics. Those days are over now. Weight loss is my ultimate goal but I also suffer from sever acid reflux. The doctors assure me that the RNY will cure or at the very least greatly improve the condition. To me that is as much of a motivator as the mirror has ever been. At the moment I am trying out different Protein shake recipes and dieting to prep for surgery. Anybody else doing this?

I'm going to try and keep this from being too long, but there's so much to say!!! First I'll start with my newest NSVs. I'm officially in a size 18 clothes (from my original size 30), size 10 shoes (from my original size 11), size 6 1/2 ring (from my original size 10), 18" chain on a necklace (from my original 24" chain), and 2x jacket (from my original 4-5x). I can now comfortably fit on a massage table without fear of it creaking or breaking. I can now ride a bike because I'm within the weight limit. I now am able to hit my favorite thrift stores and walk out with seriously cute clothes that look nice, sit well on me, and actually fit comfortably!! My asthma is almost completely gone (I only have it when I get super sick now instead of all the time). My blood work came back and my hormone levels are almost in the normal range (I have PCOS) and my cysts that completely COVERED both ovaries are totally gone (without having taken any meds or done any hormone therapies!!) I did a 6 mile hike this past weekend with my son. I am completely pain free and am able to go full on beast mode with my workouts again. I can go up 5 flights of stairs before I need to stop and rest. Now for my new chapter in life and old dreams becoming new again. So years ago, I wanted to become a nurse. I completed all of the academics with a 4.0, aced all the labs, but couldn't do any of the clinicals because I couldn't do all the walking, I was 400 pounds, and my health/joints/back were way too bad. So I gave up on it. Then about 2 years later, I thought "well, maybe I can be a medical assistant. Surely THAT'S not as hard" and once again, I couldn't do the externship because I couldn't do the physical stuff. So I went into other areas for work, ballooned up to 421 pounds, worked remotely, and made good money. I loved what i did, but there was always a part of me that regretted not being able to go into the medical field. That was my heart's desire. So fast forward to now. I'm between jobs and miserable. I had to stop working because of all my complications from my first surgery. Now that I've been cleared, I can't get hired anywhere. So I decided that now is a great time to go back to my dream of working in the medical field. So on Sept 5th, I start school to become a certified pediatric oncology medical assistant. Most of my previous credits transfer over, so I only have about 6 months of academics to do and then the externship. Then I sit for my certification exam and then I get to finally FINALLY do what I've always wanted to do. By my 46th birthday next June, I should be right where I want to be, doing what I want to do, and hopefully at my goal weight. I'm sitting here in tears as I type this, because I thought this was something I would never see happen. I resigned myself to being morbidly obese, extremely unhealthy, and needing a cane to get around. I may not be at my goal weight (the weight comes off a lot slower with a revision, and also as your bmi gets smaller and you get closer to your goal) but I believe eventually I'll get there. But the things this surgery is giving to me, the dreams I can live out, the health and wellness and years of my life I'm getting back..... it was all worth it. The complications, the uncertainty, the pain and healing and stalls.... all completely worth it. We all start this journey wanting the numbers on the scale to go down. But there's SO MUCH MORE this surgery gives you. I will never, ever regret my decision. Never.

Congrats on getting past the stall! I hope you get your "new" knees soon! I really don't understand the reason the nurse gave you tho, yes your body is/was healing, but, with minimal eating AND healing your body should be not only using what the minimal meals you're eating to heal but whatever reserves you may have i.e. fat aka weight - which usually means more weight loss not less. Sorry, just my working in healthcare along with my past physiology schooling at odds with that reason...it may be true, it just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe someone can explain it to me?!

Ooh yours is just a day after mine! I'm scheduled on the 16th for gastric bypass for which I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am 😴 FINALLY. I first met with my surgeon in November 2021, and after a lot of ups and downs, I have finally made it! I started Ozempic in March this year and have lost 53 lbs, and a total of 68 lbs from my high weight of 276. Today is my last dose, as my surgery is in just over 2 weeks. Feels so weird to say that. Today I had my endoscopy and the doctor told me that I'm cleared. Plus, I found out the other day that my insurance gave their approval, so I'm all set to go! As far as pre-op diet, starting one month before surgery, I've been limited to 45g carbs/day. One week before surgery, I have to do a full liquid diet with a max of 35 carbs/day. Good luck everyone!!!

It’s a very different situation. I had RNY back in 2004. I lost a lot of weight and maintained it for 18 months. Then it started creeping back on. When I was finally ready for a revision (somewhere around 2014-ish, different team), the team kept losing my endoscopy results. I finally lost interest. In the last few years, I’ve felt ready to try again. My insurance has changed, as have revision methods. My insurance approved a procedure called Endoscopy with Argon Plasma Coagulation. They make the opening to the stomach pouch smaller by zapping it and creating scar tissue, making it smaller. I had the first procedure in 2022. Unfortunately, the surgeon didn’t tell me that there were more to come. No one reached out to schedule the next procedure. I assumed that the revision consisted of that one procedure. That’s why I thought the revision wasn’t working for me. When I spoke with my surgeon, she was surprised that I had done as well as I had with just that one time, as well as the fact that no one had contacted me to schedule the next procedure. I’ve had the second procedure, and I have continued to lose weight. I know the stalls are maddening, and if it continues for more than a few weeks, talk to your surgeon.

Most, if not all, of us have experienced a stall in weight loss not long after having the surgery. Check your bowels; you may be constipated. Just stick with the program. Talk to your surgeon, if you don’t see progress. I did that and discovered that I had had only the first of several procedures in my revision surgery.

I too had a stall (RNY) and was shocked because my food consumption was almost nothing. I checked with the surgery NP and was told this is quite common because my body was focused on healing not losing weight at this point. Once I started eating more and after about 5 weeks post surgery I started losing ~ 2 lbs a week. Seems slow but I'll take it. I Just keep plugging along and we will get there. I was so hoping for new knees by Christmas but at this rate (I still have 40 lbs to lose to be at required BMI) I guess it'll be by early Spring, hopefully.

Yes, I do currently I have a nose piercing, 3 dermals in my neck, a conch, a triple ear lobe, and then two more on one lobe so it makes a triangle shape. I also think the little titanium clip the Dr. put inside my right breast should count lol I used to have a double conch, but I took one out and it closed up before I replaced the jewelry. I also used to have a Monroe, labret, tongue, auricle, and double cartilage, I also had my septum done twice but I no longer have it. After surgery, I am going to do my auricle again as well as some other ear designing. I want to also get one more nose piercing next to my current one and another on the other side. After I am happy with my weight I am going to get my belly button done, I never did it when I was younger because I was a kid and only "preppy girls" got that. I personally feel like a hoop is the best jewelry choice for the nose because it is easier/less annoying to take care of and heals better.

I don't track, I only ever spot-check my calorie intake. Right now I'm maintaining my current weight, at between 1,200 and 1,300 calories per day. I have about 15 pounds to go, to get to my goal weight. But, I'm happy where I am. I'm an easy keeper, right now. I'm healthy. I can accomplish most things I want to do. I would like to lose the extra few pounds, but I don't really feel like working that hard. I reckon that when I can start working out, I'll start losing again.

I’ve been worried these past few weeks, since I went on a work trip and felt I messed up with my eating plans. I honestly think I have hit a stall because of this. I’m not seeing or feeling any changes in the way my clothes fit. HOWEVER.... I just had my yearly OB check up, and for the first time in over 20 years... there weren’t any cysts on my ovaries!!! I have been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) since I was about 17-18, when I was still a healthy weight. It’s something that wouldn’t go away with diets, medicine, or anything else. NOW, 8 months after my WLS, still weighing about 50 lbs (23Kgs) more than I did as a teenager, I’m PCOS-free, with no meds!!! And chatting about it with my medical team, they reminded me that the changes are not only on the scale.. but the overall improvement of our health. And not to let a little bump on the way (trip) or a stall to negate all the progress that I’ve made.

Did they test you for Graves' disease? I assume they ran thyroid tests, but I have a number of people in my life who have had Graves' and the inability to keep weight on despite eating constantly is a top symptom.

Have they done any blood work or scans to rule out anything serious? At 97lbs, your BMI is almost to the underweight category. I'd keep pushing for tests just to make sure it's nothing serious. Especially since you said you're eating more; which I'm assuming is to gain weight.

You certainly need to get a second, and probably third, opinion to find out what's going on; they should be able to explain to you, in layman's terms, what your situation is and what the options are for treating it. That is usually a straightforward and insurable step here in the States, but I don't know what hoops you may have to jump through in the UK. It does sound like something's not right in what they did (which is why you want a second, impartial and uninvolved opinion,) as strictures are not common with sleeves that are done correctly; they are common and easily treated with an endoscopic dilation in and RNY, and that may work with a sleeve stricture, or may not depending on what caused it (usually a misshaping of the sleeve.) I did quite a bit of research on these topics a few years ago when they found a cancerous polyp in my stomach; fortunately it was very early and all treatable endoscopically, but all of these various options were discussed and researched. There are some Facebook groups specifically for patients with partial or total gastrectomies, which is what they are proposing for you. The most common approach here, and what it sounds like they are proposing for you, is a Billroth 2 gastrectomy, which has been around for about 140 years, and is the basis of the RNY gastric bypass, The main difference between a partial or total gastrectomy is whether they can use some of the remaining stomach to form an RNY like pouch (partial) or remove all of the stomach and attach the esophagus directly to a loop of intestine, or an additional roux limb as in the RNY, and form "stomach" pouch in the intestine where the esophagus is attached. So, going without the stomach is possible and entirely livable (there are several books on Amazon about "eating without a stomach" which go over what is basically a normal bariatric diet progression.) To the surgeons I was dealing with (at a major regional cancer center,) the total gastrectomy was a much bigger deal surgically and recovery wise than the partial, as attaching the esophagus directly into the intestine was a much touchier procedure with a more extended recovery and healing time (on a feeding tube for several months,) than going through even a small pouch of stomach tissue - something else to consider with whatever choice you have in surgeons (try to find one who has done a lot of these.) One of the things that stood out as fairly common amongst the Facebook group was problems with bile reflux, and you can see how that could easily happen by looking at the altered anatomy. The surgeon I was dealing with said that he did not experience those problems if he kept the various limbs within certain minimum lengths (which presumably some other surgeons didn't do in order to minimize malabsorption and weight loss,) so another point to consider in finding a surgeon who has some direct experience with these problems.

This is exactly what I was saying, just worded differently, but I should have left off "same weight" and stated that's the difference in weight goals tho...I knew better.

I feel your pain...the water consumption along with the waiting before and after eating makes it a chore trying to get the large amount of liquids in..especially because I'm not thirsty. I keep waiting for the intolerance to foods, the feeling of full (yes, I'm aware it takes months for the nerves to regenerate to fill "full") something that would keep me from wanting to eat other than I didn't go through all this to not lose weight. Add on top of that I've not lost any weight for 10 days - I've about had enough! Yes, I'm getting my protein in, no I'm not over eating (1/4 cup max each meal 2 meals with one high protein shake) its just stuck! I know I'm supposed to let the program work..but hey!! I'm doing my part..when does it do its part? 😋 So, yeah I feel your pain!

5'3" woman here and I'm maintaining on 1200 calories per day, and that's with at least 90 minutes of cardio per day. I can relate to the feeling of shock about having to stick to such a low calorie count forever because I wanted to cry when my surgeon estimated that my maintenance calories would be around 1200-1400, maybe 1500 if I worked out a lot. Being short is a real drag. So as I see it, you have a few options (which you can mix and match to find a balance that works for you): Adopt and maintain eating habits that keep your calories low. I have found some go-to low-calorie foods that allow me to keep a low calorie intake without making me feel too deprived because I enjoy what I'm eating. 3 years out from surgery, my restriction isn't what it was immediately post-op, but it still helps, especially when I'm filling up on salads and other low-calorie veggies. Increase your exercise. Unfortunately, that doesn't help a whole lot because diet contributes far more to weight management than exercise, but for me, increasing my exercise from 60 minutes/day to 90 minutes/day allows me to maintain about 5 pounds lower with the same number of calories. Accept a higher maintenance weight. A lot of people get way too focused on a number on the scale as their goal/maintenance weight. The number on the scale, or your BMI, doesn't tell the whole story. You list your goal weight as 140 pounds, but if you are satisfied with your health, quality of life, and appearance at 150 pounds, maybe that should be your goal weight, and you can maintain that with slightly higher calories than 140.

I'm in need of a new camping chair for this camping season. I know the kind I'd like and have found a few with a heavier weight limit but I'd like to hear from "real" people if they really hold up to the hype. Currently I'm just over 300 lbs. The chair that I'm looking at has a 500 lb weight limit (pictured below). Sounds good, but I've noticed these types of chairs have mixed reviews (partiularly saying that they don't really hold that much weight) Anyhow, here's an example of the type of chair I'm looking to get. Any suggestions? Maybe something different?

I had this happen (I'm an inch shorter than you and at one point had gotten down to 91 pounds, unfortunately.). My situation was caused by an autoimmune condition; among other things it made it so that my enlarged spleen was pushing against my sleeve, reducing my capacity to nearly nothing. It was awful because I could FEEL that I was hungry and I wasn't able to eat. I ended up resorting to, at my dietitian's advice, drinking part of a shake intended for people needing to GAIN weight (Ensure Complete, I think is what it's called, the bottles have about 300 calories). As I am someone who gets dumping syndrome, I had to break it up into very small portions (about 1/3 of the bottle) and I would drink that portion 30 minutes after my meals. It helped; I'm back up to 103 now which is where I feel most comfortable. Another really dense food that shouldn't mess with your blood sugar or macros would be peanut butter. It's one of the highest calorie things you can eat, but it's also full of healthy fats and protein, especially if you choose a low sugar variety. I know it's hard, and it's a hard thing to talk about to most people because no one really understands how distressing it is to suddenly find yourself underweight when you spent years struggling to lose (I got a lot of "Exactly why are you complaining?" even from people who meant well.). You're not alone. I know it's a real problem that is really upsetting, and it's OK to have feelings about it.

Not necessarily; men typically have a higher percentage of muscle mass than a woman who is the same height and weight. While everyone is different, in general a man will be able to consume a greater number of calories in a day.

She and I are the same height, so BMI targets are the same. The BMI formula is the same for women and men. We all know BMI is a less than ideal measure, but it's a reasonable approximation of what a "healthy" weight is. 130 is really scraping the bottom of the "healthy" BMI range.

The story behind the 2000 calorie per day number is kind of interesting. It's to make it easy for food labels. The USDA wanted to be able to give nutrient information for comparison between foods, so they surveyed lots of Americans in the 1990s to see how many calories they ate per day and got a range of 1600-3000. But putting a range of nutrition values on a food label is messy and confusing. They decided on 2000 because it makes the math easy. But 2000 is actually too high for most adults not to gain weight, which might be why almost 70% of Americans are overweight or obese!

btw - I mentioned above that the old rule of thumb was that it takes about 10 X your weight in pounds to maintain your weight (although again, that varies according to several factors listed in my above comment). That's for women. For men, it was 12 x your weight in pounds (again, old rule of thumb that varies between people - although I do think it gives a good starting point - you can experiment with that and then go up or down depending on what your weight is doing)