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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.

Well I signed a contact twenty years ago and I wasn't informed all that much about what I signed up for... Maybe because it was so long ago.. I do now know and understand the deal but the problem is simple.. So I had a car hit me when I was crossing the street and spent six months in a hospital followed by six months of a resting home to recover followed by a heart failure and another five months in the hospital followed by multiple hospital trips and lost all my original muscle.. I was always average strength but it's another thing to be told you might have a heart attack if you don't gain muscle. So I did everything I was told to bring me to this point. I have gained ten pounds of muscle in the last two years and I gain average of a pound a month. Only in the sorta person I need advise and someone to tell me what to do so that I don't make mistake. This might be a result of brain damage from my accident or maybe I'm just a big dumb guy I dunno.. But I did my own math if I eat 4200 calories I absorb 2200. So it does make sense I can't bulk however I'm taking enzymes and my doctor said the enzymes turn your ds off so that you can absorb everything you eat with them.. Now I'm fine tuning everything. Maybe my ds is to powerful and I'll learn that I really can't bulk and yes I look more defined in the mirror I think. But because my skin is stretchy it's hard to tell. I have gone from 175 to 178 so hopefully that's going to keep going up. My only real goal of taking the enzymes is to increase my protein which is 6.1. Before I worked out I was capable of maintaining my weight but my doctor told me I lost so much muscle that to not regain it would be dangerous to my health So regardless of anything I have no choice but to gain weight. If that means eventually eating 6000 calories so be it. But I really think the enzymes alone will solve my problems. I plan to take the enzymes for 3 months then get off then for two months then back on them in a bulk cutting kinda formula however I'll admit I don't know that this will work. I've gained weight in the past getting up to 240 in the resting home but that was eating six full meals a day with no working out and tons of high fat snacks and sense then I've gotten hypoglycemia which makes gaining weight difficult because I can't just devour sugar like I used to be able to. Man I used to love pudding cups... Anyways no I didn't know what I was getting into I was 19 and all I wanted was to lose weight but to still be able to eat as much as I wanted. Which is what I got. I never understood the risks. Never. That's why I got all these problems and it's hard to dig your self out of a ditch.. I would work out more if I thought it would help but I just lift weights 3x a week and I have a trainer and a bunch of great doctors who help.. The thing is the DS shouldn't kill me.. I should be able to figure out a way to make this work and my real issue is I'm 6"3 and a man so I require 3200 calories a day is what my trainer said. I only absorb 2200 thus I'm taking enzymes I'm focusing on absorbing protein and enough calories to feed my muscle building and I'm getting blood tests and scanning my body for progress it's a really scary time for me because I know I can lose muscle fast if I forget anything.. finding this website has helped me relearn just got crazy this surgery can be... For real you all helped me so much... But I can not except life as a weakling I'm 39 and a man and people need me so I can't just except things the way they are. If a normal person can build muscle I can to. It may take more work and more intelligence on my part but that fine I'm willing to do anything to be average if that makes sense.. in fact I was debating going to the gym today because my back hurts but you just motivated me to go . 😁 Thank you. Have a nice day. Please information is key here any advise on maybe how many calories you eat or your macros would be helpful to me because I do have a little problems working stuff out in my head and so the more information I can't the better I can deal.

Hi, yes I too had a dreadful week last week of impending doom and what have I done. It was a horrid feeling and I just couldn't see how I would ever feel 'normal' again. I was desperate about eating the wrong stuff, eating too much, never being able to eat again etc. Just starting puree today so maybe I'll feel a bit more positive this week. Good luck to you on the beginning of your journey to better health

Hello. I had my sleeve gastrectomy on June 13. I lost 30 pounds prior to surgery and have since lost another 72 for a total of 102 pounds. I am ecstatic except I can barely eat anything. Initially, I figured my progress was just slow, so I didn’t rush the stages. Then it was discovered I had a stricture as I was throwing up any solid food. I’ve since had two endoscopy procedures, but things don’t seem much better. I am mostly on a soft diet as a lot of solid food, even if eaten in very small quantities and chewed very well, will cause me to throw up. Many foods cause diarrhea. In fact, I’ve had chronic diarrhea this entire time. My doctor says to wait another month before a third endoscopy. I am taking Imodium a couple of times a week to curb the diarrhea because it’s getting to be extremely irritating. I am barely eating because I can hardly tolerate anything, and I am having a very difficult time meeting my protein goal. Protein shakes cause extreme fullness and diarrhea and sometimes vomiting, so those are out. I do drink protein shots which go down well, and I pretty much live on fresh mozzarella cheese and yogurt. Even the thought of a lot of foods is a turn off because they aren’t appealing and make me gag or I’m afraid of how I’ll react and psych myself out. I am at a loss as to what to eat. Luckily, I am getting my water in, 64+ ounces per day, and I do eat Pedialyte popsicles to help with electrolyte loss which my providers are concerned about. I’ve researched and researched, but I’m finding nothing. Has anyone had this issue? How did you solve it?

SomeBigGuy is absolutely correct. I remember sitting in Weight Watchers meetings before I had surgery, rolling my eyes (at least to myself) at these barely overweight women moan and complain about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs. And here I was, 200+ lbs overweight. But now I totally get it!! The closer you are to normal weight, the harder it gets to lose even 10 lbs - when pre-surgery I probably could have dropped that in a week or two! But it all comes down to percentages - and how close your normal calorie intake is to your normal calorie expenditure (which at normal weight, is pretty much even). You still have a ways to go, but those percentages have changed - so you'll lose the weight as long as you stick to your plan, but it's going to take longer to lose the same number of pounds that you could have lost when you weighed 300+ lbs. But keep at it - it WILL come off!!

at three weeks out, I could barely eat anything! the amount you'll be able to eat will gradually increase and at some point level off. I probably eat about half as much as I did pre-surgery - but at this point, no one would be able to tell I've had bariatric surgery. They probably just assume I'm a "light eater", like many of my never-been-obese women friends are. If I go out to dinner, I usually just eat half of it and bring the rest home. Before surgery, I'd eat the whole thing - and sometimes dessert, too!

Try not to get discouraged....Some of us are just slow losers!!!! I'm 4 weeks post-op (9/7/20 Bypass) and have only lost 14 pounds. I'm doing all the things I'm supposed to be doing! Take your measurements! In four weeks I'm only down the 14 pounds....but I'm down 23.34 inches! I've learned to not compare my journey to others and to not let the scale define me! Just keep following what your Dr/Nutritionist's program and it will happen.

Week 1 of pre op is done… just protein shakes (mixed with water) and veggies. Surgery date is 10/16- VGS. Any suggestions for vegan/plant based shakes? I’ve been using Planta and it’s pretty tasty but at four shakes a day it’s getting old and I need to change it up. I can get my required water intake in easily- love love love those sugar free A&W rootbeer packets.

ok! so for the first time in almost 2 weeks, i woke up hungry! i've been sick for what feels like forever so i guess this means im officially better! so i felt for salty things so i made a weird plate of food reminiscent of my pregnancy days: toasted dinner bun with butter & cheddar, a handful of sour cream and onion chips and a peice of chicken skin cracklin'. 508 calories for all of it, ate all the chips (of course, lol), half the sandwich, and just a bite of the chicken skin cracklin' (it was NOT yummy). i'll probably eat the rest pf the sandwich later, but im def tossing the cracklin'. im looking forward to eating some food again now that i actually want to! and to regain the 7 lbs i lost while being sick (i look a little deathly at the moment, boo)

I am lucky I have Kaiser, so its already approved when I got the referral so yay!! Was the cardiologist a requirement for your insurance? He didn't mention that to me, but my appt was literally okay you did the orientation, the nutrition class, now lost 15lbs get that official weigh in then call us and we will get the next step going....I am very anxious and I am self sabotaging myself! I was 5lbs away 2 weeks ago then gained 5lbs because I let myself just not care now back to 5 more lbs. This is so hard!

Okay this is long and boring at parts but here it goes. I am 3 years post sleeve and I have gained all my weight back . First of all I was on the smaller side to have the sleeve but I do still have all the same struggles and if I had waited until I was older it was just a matter of time until I was a higher bmi having the surgery. The fact that I have lost and then gained it all plus some within less than years is probably proof of that. Anyways, with the sleeve I did lose a big chunk of weight. I went from 235 to 168 which I could not have done with regular diet. But, i was always able to eat a little more than I should at every given stage and everything was easy for me. From day one I had no gas pain and water was easy to get down, then fluids and protein which were easy to keep down, I had no food intolerances and advancing through each stage. I was living my best life watching the pounds fall off but I was alway able to eat just a little more than everyone else at the same stage. Well, while the hunger hormone was gone and I was focused I was able to eat exactly what I SHOULD be eating and I measured my portions to the Amount I should be eating and I was satisfied. So lost most of the weight the dr suggested I would. i held that weight for a few months but then the hunger started creeping back and between the hunger and the extra room in the pouch I started gaining in spite of still making healthy food choices (my food was fine but my portions were too large and too frequent). Well, even though I knew I was losing control my friends and family continued to look at me as doing great..I was still on the road to getting to where I needed ti be in their eyes. I was ashamed. I was failing yet They kept complimenting me and offering me food. They were saying things like your doing so good, you can have one slice or pizza or one brownie. It won’t kill you. It’s okay that you’ve gained a couple pounds I’ve gained a couple it’s Christmas. You can lose that. Well I have since learned that no I cannot just have one of anything to do with carbs or I crave them for a week but I didn’t know that back then Anyways, was still going to my surgeon asking for help but I have bipolar disorder and the meds I take for it limit what other meds I can take so I cannot take many of the weight loss meds they had to offer. And the one I can take worked wonderfully during the day but when it wore off I ate all night Fast forward a few months and I stepped on the scale and I was back over 200. That sucked but I wasn’t giving up. went back to my surgeon asking about revision to bypass. I have heartburn gerd whatever you call it and clearly the sleeve wasn’t working so I wanted to know my options. Well let’s go back. I knew I didn’t want to have surgery if I was going to just repeat the yo-yo that had just happened so I decided I wanted two opinions this time. Well the second opinion dr had a cancellation so I seen him first. He was on board. He was going to bypass a shorter amount of bowel so i had less absorption issues and my meds Would work fine he said which seemed to be his concern even though it wasn’t really my question. I just needed my dr to say that it shouldn't be a repeat of last time and I was going forward. Well even though the bypass was an option he presented to me to start he said he wouldn’t do a bypass for me. He thought it would be a bad call with my mental health issues. This was confusing to say the least because I have one dr saying it’s fine and another dr I really respect saying it’s not and I started this thinking bypass was always an okay option in terms of mental health but worried the surgery just wouldn’t work for me. I am of course concerned about my mental health so took some time to think about it. I tried for a while to find a bariatric therapiest but none near me are taking any new patients. I even asked the surgeon and he said he would look into it but be never did. Anyways I called around for the better part of two days. They all just do the evaluations now for surgery. I have had every hormone test and lab they have that could possibly be the problem. I changed all my meds in case they were the issue. I tried everything myself and my doctors could think of but I kept gaining. When I revisited the idea of surgery I was scared. Anything that was going to upset my mental health again just isn’t an option I decided. I already know what life without my medication is like and I do not want to go back there. I continued to gain. I got back up to 245 and I am miserable. I am so depressed when I look at what I have let happen to myself. I had a chance and I blew it. I am disgusted when I look in the mirror. I decided that the weight is causing me to be more depressed so I needed to get some real answers. I went back to my surgeon. Not to ask him to do the surgery but exactly why he thought it was a bad idea. The plan was to take that info and talk to the other surgeon to make sure he had considered that and see why he wasn’t worried about it. Well, surprise…my surgeon is on board now with doing a revision for me. When I asked why he said no before he said something about a nite in my chart that said I wasn’t complaint with my meds back them and he didn’t know I have a psychiatrist and psychologist and take my meds but now he is comfortable doing surgery. So, frustrated I had to wait until I gained almost 50 more pounds to get here but excited he is willing to do it I am researching the other surgery he thinks will be a better fit for me called the SADI. At the same time I am still not buying the note in my chart thing. Cause that was never true. I guess the important takeaway for those of you here that are just starting out is even if you do regain don’t lose touch with your team and don’t give up. I feel like my dr wavering in whether he would do the surgery didn’t help but I could have asked more questions sooner and I wouldn’t have so much to lose this time. Plus, hopefully you guys can take the weight loss meds and won’t be facing a second surgery.

Hi there!!! I have been summoned, I see lol Ok, so a little about what I've been through, and then I'll give any advice I can. I had the sleeve in May 2022. Initially, I was doing awesome. Lost a lot of weight, got off several meds, health issues corrected, it was awesome. Right up until it wasn't. Around 6 months post op, I started noticing some reflux issues (which I had never had before). It steadily got worse and I had to have a barium swallow (NASTY!!!) to see what was happening. I had severe GERD, gastritis, and esophagitis. I also had a narrowing esophagus. So I was put on Nexium (40mg once per day). The GERD steadily got worse and worse until I was put on 80mg of Nexium daily as well as Pepcid for break through (which I took daily). It still didn't completely help. I was on such a high amount of PPI for such a long time that I ended up developing an OBSCENE amount of polyps all through my stomach and duodenum. This year, I had 7 surgeries to remove all of the polyps, stretch my esophagus, and have a revision to a bypass. I also had to have the part of the stomach that's bypassed removed because that's where so many of the polyps were forming. When I had the sleeve, I had so much pain, trouble tolerating anything cold, trouble taking pills, trouble getting in enough water. It was completely miserable. With my revision to bypass, it was like the heavens opened up and the angels started singing to me. No pain meds at all beyond Tylenol. Up and around within 4 days. Was able to take pills from day 1. No GERD at all. No constipation like with the sleeve. Able to get my fluids in from day 1 (drank a 20 oz of water in the hospital within 2 hours of getting back to my room from recovery), no issues with temps of liquids. My only regret is that I didn't just get the bypass to begin with. Because of all the surgeries, my abdominal wall weakened and I developed a ventral hernia that was repaired 3 weeks ago. Still recovering from that one. I was freaked out at first at the thought of getting a bypass. It's why I opted for the sleeve to begin with. I was afraid of dumping, I was afraid of malabsorption, I was afraid of getting a stricture. Well, I only dump if I have too many carbs, so I just avoid them for the most part (I never even get to my allotted amount, I'm always way under). I haven't had any stricture, but if I do, it's a super easy fix (and after everything I've already been through, I'm not even a tiny bit worried). And malabsorption is only an issue with extended release meds (I don't take those now) and vitamins (take bariatric ones or double up on the regular ones). There was nothing to be worried about, but I let the chatter from those that weren't in my position freak me out and cause me to choose the sleeve instead of the bypass. My advice to you is to not listen to anyone else. You and your doctor know what's best for you. The revision will give you your life back. Being pain and complication free is worth its weight in...well...everything. When you look at everything you've been through up until this point, the recovery from the revision will be a walk in the park. It's better for your health (physically and mentally) and it will allow you to get back to your life. This surgery is supposed to afford us the chance to have the life and health we've always been meant to, and complications can really do a number on us. The revision will be a godsend to you, mark my words. I don't have a single regret.

It's been several years for me. I've never had an "accident" (either during the pre-surgery diet - or after), but I'm sure I was probably using the bathroom more than usual since I was drinking a lot. I would just get enough shakes for a week or so for now, because a lot of people's tastes change and shakes they were OK with before surgery they can't tolerate after. You don't want to be stuck with a bunch of protein powder or shakes (because you're right, they're not cheap) that you can't tolerate after your surgery. we had to drink only shakes that were 100% whey protein isolate the first couple of months - I don't know if they sell powders like that at Walmart or Target, but you can probably get them through Amazon (there are no pre-made shakes that are 100% whey protein isolate). However, not all surgeons require 100% whey protein isolate shakes - some are fine with blends. So if yours is OK with blends, then you should be able to find them at any of those places you mentioned.

I think as far as WLS there is no such thing as "normal." Each persons "journey" through this is different. I'm only 2.5 months PO and I eat my 3 meals at a cup each and I'm still hungry (and its not "mind hunger"), I too never had nausea or any of the side effects of surgery some talk about it. In fact I, like another person on another post questioned the actual surgery being done correctly. I just continue to eat as I should and hope my body will adjust. I just figure the fight against being hungry will be a life long battle that I plan to fight and win. I just try and occupy myself ignoring it. Am I happy about it? No, after all its why I had surgery but it is what it is. Plus, for me I get up early, 6 am and I'm up until midnight or longer - that's 18 hours with 3 meals only consisting of 800 total calories a day. I don't snack, or if I break and have one its a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Like a lot of long time veterans say on these forums, no two ppl are the same, yes we all have the surgical incision scars but that's where everyone being the same ends and to " trust the journey" and just take a day at a time. Its a process, body and mind - yours is different and unique to you. Sorry I can't be of more help... Just try and think short time, step by step your body could change as well as your hunger within days..weeks, months

When I gained a little. I drop more weight when the stall is gone. For me the stalls come and go. Letting me accomplish my goals . Stick with it.

I bought mine from this site the Bariatric Pal version. My program requires I take a multi with 45 grams of iron and this site had exactly what I needed, I did not know before I bought them how long I was required to crush my pills or use a chewable, so I bought the 3 months supply. After surgery, I found out I only needed to crush or use chewable for one month. That is okay though because I do not mind the chewable. Now to save a few dollars I bought the pill form of calcium citrate from Walmart and honestly I was so sick of crushing that horse pill and having it ruin my food over the course of 2 weeks AND after my first post-op appointment, I was told when I am done with the month of crushing, I would need to cut the horse pill, of calcium citrate in half to take it. This prompted me to just spend the money and buy the chewable from this site as well, and I am so glad I did. Both the multi and the calcium citrate are the bariatric pal brand. On my first day of taking the chewable multi, I did think it was gross, but on the second day, it tasted good. (this was right after surgery of course). I will be buying the year's supply of multi pills for $99 when I finish the ones I already bought, because that is the best deal since I did buy 3 months worth, and that will get me through to my first blood test and I will know if I should keep the same iron level or change it before I buy a years worth. As for the calcium citrate, I can't promise I will be the model patient, regarding taking it (and no, for anyone wanting to course correct me, I do not want a list of reasons why I should thank you ). But will likely keep with the chewable because I do not want to put the effort in of having to keep a pill cutter on me and make a production of cutting my pills around people. I can just throw some chewables in a bag and call it a day.

@gabbieox7 I'm going through the exact same thing. At 3 weeks I couldn't eat/drink anything without getting sick. I went in and had a scan and everything looked normal, the doctor even had me get fluids. I'm not 4 weeks post op and still having the same issues. Some days are worse than others. The doctor did say it can be normal for sleeve patients. I just want to feel normal again.

I had my sleeve done in 2014. I had an endoscopy done last week. Doctor says I have a hiatal hernia, esophagitis and gastritis and recommends the Roux-en-Y procedure to repair and revise. I’m scared for that procedure for some reason. Is it common for the doctor to recommend revision & repair over just repairing the hernia? He said that it could come back larger so that’s why they don’t recommend just the hernia repair. Anyone heard this? I’m trying to make the best decision. Thank you! :)

I quit slowly, just using things up at home and not buying more. Then once that was done, a few weeks later I started introducing a few artificially sweetened things. Unlike a lot of people, Im not anti-fake sugar. But I need a break from sweets for the fake stuff to taste good. I still use moderation even with fake sugars, but I like flavor packets in my water sometimes, a flavored syrup in my coffee as a treat, or a flavored yogurt or pudding. I don't crave fake sweeteners though so I just use them selectively. I don't find they create a craving for real sugar, in fact, they help me walk by sugary things because I know I have my own safe version at home. But keep in mind I never binged sugary foods so it could be different for someone who did have that issue. Sweet things are not a trigger food for me.

Congratulations on your success. I could have written nearly everything you wrote. I, too, was extremely large man, though I had RNY and my surgery was open, so that was different. The first 2 or 3 weeks were the worst what with the huge incision, staples, and a drain that made the slightest movement a joy to behold. Like you, my pre-op stuff went without a hitch. Well, on the Lung function one where they put you in a booth and you do a bunch of deep breathing. Yeah, I couldn't fit into the booth. I was worried about the Psych test but apparently I fooled them completely. I likewise didn't have an exercise plan aside from the plan to not worry about exercise until I got to a svelte 100 pounds overweight. Walking is what I focused on. Once I got to 100 pounds overweight I had an exercise plan that didn't include a gym. I didn't really have any complications related to the RNY. I wanted the "complication" of dumping and lo! I dump on sugars and fats. Dumping has been a great educational tool for me. I have had issues with anemia but I had other issues that contribute to this, so the RNY just made it easier for me to get anemic. The non-scale victories are indeed the best. Being able to weigh on a home scale was a hoot. Congratulations again. Good luck, Tek

Since we all started at different weights, heights, etc., I find comparisons to be best evaluated by percentage of body weight lost. At 6 months, I had lost 28.5% of my body weight. Now at 7 months and one week, I have now lost an additional 4%, for a total of 32.5% of my starting weight. Comparisons are a gauge but be careful when comparing yourself to others. We may all be vying for the same destination of better health and slimmer selves but our journey is uniquely our own with hills and valleys.

Welcome to the forums. Let me try to hit everything in no particular order. Much of this is general stuff that may or may not be helpful to you, but may help others that read. Congratulations on your successes to date. Beer: Be very careful of transfer addiction, which is common when one coping mechanism, such as food, is taken away so we find another mechanism to replace it. Additionally, with a bypass alcohol is harder on the liver than with normies. Again, be careful. Muscle loss: Is very common and expected. Rapid weight loss such as we experience causes loss of fat, muscle, and in many cases organs (which is why rapid weight loss for too long is unhealthy). Additionally, it takes extra muscle to move our pre-op bodies around. As we lose weight we require less muscle to move less weight around. 6 meals: At a year out it's ok to make rational adjustments based on your experience and requirements. As an example, I'll share a personal anecdote: My plan is 3 meals a day of 3-4oz protein 1oz veggies. No protein drinks or snacks. This is my surgeon's hard and fast plan, period. At about 2 years post-op I decided to challenge myself to a 'Couch to 5K [C25K]' program that gets one to running 5K in 30 days. It turns out I enjoyed running so started binge running. As my miles per week increased my surgeon increased my meals to 4 per day. Then 5. Then 6. Then added a protein drink. I very much disliked 6 meals per day as I felt like I was always eating. When I stopped running it was back to 3 meals per day. Point of the story is there are times to make rational changes. In your situation, it may make sense to reduce your meals (and slightly increase meal size. Or if you want to stay close to where you are, 3 meals + 3 snacks. Or whatever works for you. I'd wager that the author of your plan would be on board with rational changes. Compliance: In the first several months patients will lose weight no matter what they eat or drink. Being compliant to your plan builds success with the positive reinforcement of losing weight. It's the new, healthy habits that keep you from regaining weight. Trying to start compliance when the weight loss stops too soon puts us into the same diet and fail cycle we lived pre-op, with the same results. Good luck, Tek

First we all fluctuate. It may be a pound or two or it might be more. Tracking your weight will allow you to see your natural fluctuation & help you recognise that versus weight gain. Secondly, a 50 pound weight loss in about 5 months is great. Why do you think you are failing? Does your surgeon, dietician or team say you are failing? The only people who lose more than that in the first months are those who start at much higher weights than you like on My 600lb Life. They may start at losing 50lbs a month but that doesn’t last. Like everyone their rate of lose slows as they lose weight. I echo others suggestion of tracking everything you put in your mouth - solid or liquid - ensuring you weigh & measure everything. Do it for a few weeks, then discuss your food records with your dietician to check you aren’t missing something or confirm you are on the right track. PS - Real fruit is always a better choice than fruit juice. You get more nutrients, better fibre & still get fructose as a natural sugar to help with your diabetes.

I have only had 1 other surgery in my life and that was getting my tonsils' out as an adult, and was in tears before even getting into the gown. I am so nervous about the upcoming surgery - not sure why. But curious about some things? 1) I will start my 'liquid diet' on 11/16. My job takes me into peoples homes, and I go house, after house, after house. I'm worried about having an 'accident' due to the liquid diet. I know it's not even November yet, but has anyone been on a liquid diet and did you experience any accidents? Thanks. 2) I'm working on getting prepared in advance. All the drinks, vitamins, etc. are so expensive via the Kaiser, online places like this one, and such. Has anyone found protein shakes and vitamins with the recommended requirements via bariatric surgery/doctor through Walmart, Target, or Amazon?? My friend gave me 1 Fairlife Protein drink, 30g protein. It was good. I'm hoping this counts. Any thoughts/ideas? Thanks. Thanks much in advance for any/all replies. Shawna PS: I hope I'm doing this correctly. I don't even know where this will post at? Still new at this. FYI: I look at this site at least 1/week or more.

I cant say for everyone but I was not able to eat beyond my stomachs capacity. I did not try the slider foods. Still can not. When you are healed enough to get the full signal, about 6 - 8 weeks out, if you have one mouthful more it will sit in your chest like a brick. You will probably become very nauseous and will be unable to drink for hours till you have got rid of the extra food. It will be a very unpleasant feeling. There is no way that I can eat when I feel this way. As for worrying if it was the right decision ? yep I did. Its lots of money to take away from the family. It cost me over £12.000 so that would have been lots of holidays they would miss. It was a huge leap into the unknown for me. All I knew was at my age and size my heart was struggling with the most simple household tasks. Then they told me I was diabetic .... no brainer anymore. I booked a appointment with the surgeon the same week. Everything has failed for all of us before. Doctors now believe that Bariatric surgery is the only way to keep weight off. I am not at maintenance yet so can not say if its easy to do it but I know it takes work and regular monitoring. I am overjoyed that I was able to do this. I am a different woman now. TBH I feel blessed