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What does your nutritionist say about your caloric intake given your activity level? Also, how much muscle mass have you gained? I've gained 20 lbs since Feb according to my smart scale . That's part of it anyway.

FORGIVE THE LENGTHY MESSAGE. NEED TO GIVE CONTEXT I am wondering if any one experienced this my starting weight was 139kg before surgery on the 15th of January 2023 on day of surgery it was 131kg 2 weeks post-op i was stalled for 8weeks which was not a bother to me at the time i healed quite quickly with no complications and was moved to solids within 3 weeks by the dietitian too. between January and April i lost some weight down to 111kg Since april i have not lost anything. I have gained and lost 3-4 kg since April till date which is September 6th 2023 I do everything many people say on every platform which had never been a challenge namely Monitor what i eat: I eat between 88 - 1200 calories I have more protein than anything eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, shrimps carbs are mostly bulgur wheat. which i have sparingly 2ce a month. Plantain i have daily to balance my protein intake but not as much as protein. I prob have more grams of protein a day and that includes protein water. I work out 4-5 days a week for up to 1:30 - 2:00 hours each day In April i worked out more 4 days a week 2ce a day 2day time cardio 1:30 hours night time strength training. no weights heavier than 25kg i take my vitamins biotin and all recommended as well as powdered collagen Recent bloods shows everything within normal range. I am going into my 5th month and i am still 111kg Since April. My dietitian is numb on what is going on, the nurse recommended liquid collagen ( which makes no sense) and have said hormones.... but hormones cannot affect this 5months straight. I did bloods to check my thyroids and it showed elevated parathyroid (no idea what that means)..... not gotten an explanation as my vitamin levels and calcium levels are normal my nails are very soft and brittle and my hair falls like the weather ( only blessed to have a full head of hair but cant say it is helpful soon) No ...... the clothes i wore in April are still the same September. measurements are the same..... the only win i am getting from this is that my knee and ankle dont hurt as much when i workout. i dont burn out as i used to and i work out more than i used to before which was walking up to 50k-70ksteps a day. I have never been one who drank alcohol and havent started post surgery. I have never been one who ate junk food like crisps, tacos, burgers. I have not been diagnosed diabetic nor with PCOS i noticed when i had no carbs in my diet i lost fast but when i introduced carbs as suggested by the dietitian everything came on hold I NEED SOME SIGN THAT I AM NOT IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR A LONG DREAM!!! Cos it feels pointless having done the surgery not to be an effective tool Anyone in a similar predicament before

FORGIVE THE LENGTHY MESSAGE. NEED TO GIVE CONTEXT I am wondering if any one experienceD this my starting weight was 139kg before surgery on the 15th of January 2023 on day of surgery it was 131kg 2 weeks post-op i was stalled for 8weeks which was not a bother to me at the time i healed quite quickly with no complications and was moved to solids within 3 weeks by the dietitian too. between January and April i lost some weight down to 111kg Since april i have not lost anything. I have gained and lost 3-4 kg since April till date which is September 6th 2023 I do everything many people say on every platform which had never been a challenge namely Monitor what i eat: I eat between 88 - 1200 calories I have more protein than anything eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, shrimps carbs are mostly bulgur wheat. which i have sparingly 2ce a month. Plantain i have daily to balance my protein intake but not as much as protein. I prob have more grams of protein a day and that includes protein water. I work out 4-5 days a week for up to 1:30 - 2:00 hours each day In April i worked out more 4 days a week 2ce a day 2day time cardio 1:30 hours night time strength training. no weights heavier than 25kg I take 2-3 liters of water throughout the day no compared to 3 months ago. Up to 1liter during my work out and the rest throughout the day. mostly sips. I do get hungry but try to drink water to quench or use the plantain (carb for the day) to satisfy myself i take my vitamins biotin and all recommended as well as powdered collagen Recent bloods shows everything within normal range. I am going into my 5th month and i am still 111kg Since April. My dietitian is numb on what is going on, the nurse recommended liquid collagen ( which makes no sense) and have said hormones.... but hormones cannot affect this 5months straight. I did bloods to check my thyroids and it showed elevated parathyroid (no idea what that means)..... not gotten an explanation as my vitamin levels and calcium levels are normal my nails are very soft and brittle and my hair falls like the weather ( only blessed to have a full head of hair but cant say it is helpful soon) No ...... the clothes i wore in April are still the same September. measurements are the same..... the only win i am getting from this is that my knee and ankle dont hurt as much when i workout. i dont burn out as i used to and i work out more than i used to before which was walking up to 50k-70ksteps a day. I have never been one who drank alcohol and haven't started post surgery. I have never been one who ate junk food like crisps, tacos, burgers. I have not been diagnosed diabetic nor with PCOS i noticed when i had no carbs in my diet i lost fast but when i introduced carbs as suggested by the dietitian everything came on hold I NEED SOME SIGN THAT I AM NOT IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR A LONG DREAM!!! Cos it feels pointless having done the surgery not to be an effective tool Anyone in a similar predicament before

Good luck on your surgery and journey to a new better you! As far as telling people, i told everybody!! Some people are not that open though. Tell whoever you wish and if you dont want to tell others and they ask you about your weight loss after surgery just tell them you are eating less and watching what you eat.... that is the truth after all right?! I wish you much success on your journey!

I have been large all my life, but always felt healthy and mostly able to do what I wanted. I gained about 40 pounds during Covid and after struggling to get it off and no longer feeling healthy, my doctor recommended seeing an endocrinologist who recommended WLS. I was not interested, at all, so decided to try Ozempic. I was on it for a year, lost my Covid weight and a bit more, and was really surprised how it changed my cravings and interest in food. After my health insurance stopped covering Ozempic, I started researching other options and realized that WLS would give me some of the same effects I appreciated from the medication. I am on a long journey though because my health insurance requires six months of nutrition counseling and that ends in a work window when I can't take time off, so I'm hoping for a March 2024 surgery date. It's giving me plenty of time to plan, research and prepare! 🙂

I was is SO MUCH PAIN every day. It hurt to walk, climb stairs, carry groceries in, sit. I was always out of breath and had zero stamina. I was uncomfortable in my skin and the negativity that was running through my mind. I absolutely hated for my husband to see me naked, and pictures were very cringy to look at. I also dealt with mental health, and the medication I was on contributed to my weight gain (I gained 60 lbs in less than a year). I was just tired of being fat, unwell, and unhappy. I struggled to lose weight and needed help. I also had sleep apnea and high cholesterol. In the long term, I wanted to be well for my family and, eventually, my grandkids. I wanted to enjoy the second half of my life (I just turned 41). I didn't see that future at 262 lbs and the physical and mental condition I was in. Now, 71 lbs lighter, I have minimal pain (arthritis is still an issue), I'm growing stronger every day, and my stamina is higher. I strut around naked in front of my hubby and am confident in my own skin. I'm off all mental health medication, and my cholesterol is normal. I'm still having some sleep apnea issues, but I'm hopeful those will resolve by the time I get to my goal weight (30 lbs to go). And I feel hopeful for my future. I'm so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have this surgery.

Hi Pat - I'm 68 and my weight loss has been slow,too. I can't exercise they way they want me to, but I try ! I've only lost 13 pounds in 3 months since surgery , but the doc and the dietician are blaming the bronchitis I've had for 2 months now. (The cough just won't go away ) I like to snack on string cheese , ritz crackers and I also bake some great cookies, they're like low carb trail mix in cookie form and I enjoy them because they take so long to chew ! LOL

From what I understand, weight loss post revision is always slower than the rate at which you lost with your original surgery. Plus you’re losing from a lower weight (if I read correctly) so that will result in a slower rate. What does your team say? Are they concerned? When losing I only had one snack a day: a high protein yoghurt or yoghurt drink, or I had some fresh fruit. Check with your dietician for what’s best for you & your needs. I never exercised but I lost all my weight & more. Exercising only contributes to about 10% of the weight you have to lose. So in your case if you want to lose those 45lbs, exercising will only result in about 4.5lbs. Of course many other benefits to exercising especially for your family history. Maybe start with walking. You don’t have to go to a gym. All I do now is stretching & use resistance bands. Do about 4 sessions of 5-10 minutes of various activities. Mainly for my back & to remain limber. All the best.

Hi everyone! I hope this post finds you well wherever you are in your weight loss journey. I had gastric bypass revision on June 12, 2023. My original bypass was done in April 2002 so it’s been 21 years. Original weight loss was 123 lbs. However, I only maintained that loss for about 8 years. Then slowly I started eating poorly and Bedouin knew it I had gained back 45 lbs. I’m 71 years old. I did the revision for my health because there’s so many heart problems in my family. As of Sunday, September 3rd I’m only down 20 lbs. I’m discouraged but I know some of it has to do with not exercising. Can you share some of the things you snack on? I’m good with my meals but not sure if I should be making other choices for snacks. Thank you.

Welcome to the Forums! Good luck on your Weight Loss Journey!

Month 6 weight— 129.8 Just hit six month, feeling really good, and at goal!

@RTL1234 I did not have swelling like this with the sleeve and I am assuming since the hernia repair as well is the reason for more incisions. On the positive side yesterday when I got on the scale I lost 5 of the 7lbs from surgery (fluids, air, swollen, etc). I know it's not actual weight. We will see how things go this week. Last night was the worse with itching! I found some Zyrtec dissolvable tabs in my cabinet which helped a lot! When I read up on it - it said it's a better choice than benadryl since the effects last longer (fingers crossed). Liquids - On for two weeks post op until my follow up appointment next week on the 12th. I will be completing my blood thinning ejections then as well. After I'll be on puree for 2 wks then soft foods for another 2 wks. I'll be glad to move forward just because I can add more variety to the previous weeks. This is definitely helping me re-familiarize myself with getting the right amount of protein and fluids in daily. I was told to wait to start my vitamins 1-2 wks after, I'll start those this week. I purchased the ones from Bariatric Pal (capsules), I can open them and mix the powder in when I make my protein shake. Yes! I did find a way to mix it up for this last week of fluids! Today will be cream of bacon made the same way I did my soup yesterday. Exciting right? LOL

I'm great! Had GB on 8/16. I have energy and on phase 2 of my food plan- soft/puree diet. So far no vomiting, nausea or discomfort at this moment. I tried egg bites recipe on tik tok and canned chicken nuggets. Easy recipe to use and very few ingredients. I'm looking forward to eating salads and sushi in the near future. Heaviest weight: 260lbs Weight start of program: 249lbs Weight day of surgery: 235 Today's weight: 223 I'm 5'3

Today, marks my 6 month surgery anniversary so I wanted to update my stats. I will update again at the 12 month marker. I look forward to seeing the results of the survey. 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE (at time of surgery) , HEIGHT - F, 62, 5'5" 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) - 6.5 LBS 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. - 202.5 LBS 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery - 187.4 LBS 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery - 170.8 LBS 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery - 149.2 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery - TBD

If you mean the line where the red arrows I added to your image are pointing, then I think that is just a mark/pressure mark or line from a crease made when you are sitting and you get a belly roll. To me it looks totally fine, infection lines tend to run up going toward the heart. Is the large incision where the green arrows are pointing? If so when I zoomed in it looked healed and not infected, although I could be wrong. It looks like an atrophic scar. If it is healed and dented like that make sure to keep that dent clean and dry so as not to get an infection, however, if you get an infection from dampness, it would likely be a yeast infection and can be cured with some Monistat cream. Of course, if you get an infection please see your Doctor first. I used to work for a pharmacy and often insurance would not cover the Rx yeast infection cream, it was $$$ so we would have people just buy the Monistat with the tube of cream in it instead. Atrophic scars, stay indented, it will very likely be way less noticeable the more weight you lose. I know that sometimes people use filler to plump them up and some people get CO2 laser. Ultimately I think it would be wise to discuss your concerns with your Doctor or Surgeon team just to ease your mind.

41 days out & nearing the end of the soft food phase I was only eating 1/4-1/3 cup of food so really just a couple of bites. It took me 6 months to be able to eat about a cup & then another year to be able to eat about a recommended portion of most foods. I still have my restriction. I don’t feel it every day of course because I learnt not to eat until I feel it but that took time. There are days when it kicks in earlier than I expect - ate something more dense or rich, something that sat too heavily in my tummy, ate a little more quickly, or for some other reason my quirky tummy has that day. Some people can eat more from early on but it’s an individual thing. I remember saying to my surgeon at 8 months I can only eat what I can physically eat & he agreed. Do check with your team though to be sure everything is okay. If they want you to eat more you may have to eat your smaller meals more frequently. E.g. 4 or 5 small meals vs 3 meals of the size they recommend to meet goals. Worth discussions with your team. The healthy way of eating comes as you progress and are eating a wider variety of foods. At the moment you’re still healing & recovering & slowly introducing foods into your diet. In time you’ll work out how & what you want to eat in the long term. Think of the time you are losing weight as your time to learn better habits, about better nutrition, making better choices & what way of eating works best for you. I.e. a sustainable way of eating so you can maintain your weight that isn’t restrictive but complements how you want to live & enjoy your life.

You have done amazing! What a difference a year and a lot of work makes! My last drs appt is this coming up week but my 1 year anniversary isn't until the 19th. So I'll hopefully update at my 1 year mark to make it official I have the same outfit from the beginning that I have been taking pictures in. Its been fun to watch the difference. I haven't taken pictures the last few months though because the weight loss really slowed down but I'll have to take one for the year mark. If I can figure out how to share it here then I will

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 most definitely felt this way. I had a complete pity party for myself. I needed it. Why can’t I do it on my own? Why is XXX so skinny and eats whatever they want when I eat one slice of cake and gain 5lbs? The negative talk resonated in my brain. I can’t do this, it’s too hard, I love food too much, I’m a side baker I can’t taste my baking. But guess what? YOU CAN F****** DO THIS!!!!! As for complications, I’ll just throw this out there. Vomiting - had some the first few days of post op however, I knew that I get like that with anesthesia, so my doctor and I did what we could to minimize it. I’ve since had my gallbladder removed one year later, and am having a revision as I have a hiatal hernia and severe GERD. So…would I consider those to be complications? Sure. But I would do it over again 100x!!! I have gained so much throughout this journey. And continue to. My current surgeon feels my initial surgeon should have chosen a bypass for me originally, which I asked for but they recommended sleeve so that’s what we went with. Current surgeon feels that with my co-morbities at that time, and other issues, I shouldn’t have been a candidate for a sleeve. Okay so all that to say, again I wouldn’t change it!!!! I tolerate literally any food with my sleeve. Now things sit “heavier” than others so if I’m eating that I may be miserable (like feeling stuffed not sick). After some tragedy in my family, I stopped eating well and started eating just snack food. I gained 18lbs. But then I crawled out of the hole and said okay, this has to stop, you’ve worked wayyyyy to hard to go backwards, get it together! Here I am, back on track, still have some of the gain to lose, but grateful that I have this tool aka my sleeve to help mitigate that for me. I used to love following people on IG/social media but I had to stop. Before my sleeve I looked at thin people and felt pangs of jealousy and constant comparison. Then after surgery and losing weight (not even to goal weight haven’t made it) I looked at the VSG “influencers”, the same way. Constant “oh her surgery was two weeks before mine and she’s already lost 100 lbs and I’ve ONLY lost 70”. It was perpetuating the SAME cycle I was in. So I just had to stop. Every now and again I search out the hashtag but for the most part I don’t because this journey is unique to YOU. Sorry for the novel, and if you made it through it, that’s great! Lol

happy one year anniversary fellow september 2022 surgery friends! my surgery was september 7, 2022 so my one year anniversary this coming week. i went back and found this picture - i panicked minutes before my surgery because i hadn't taken any before pictures and took this just before i went to get prepped, surgery weight 355 lbs. and i took this one today, 206 lbs ☺️ highest weight: 410 | surgery weight: 355 | current weight: 206 | goal weight: 185 gastric bypass surgery was the best decision i ever made i wish you all healthy reflections as we reach our one year milestones! -kukui 😊❤️

I first looked into weight loss surgery about 15 years before I actually went through with it. Like you, I was scared away by horror stories and all the changes I would have to make and the things I would have to give up. I was also particularly concerned about vomiting because I got the impression that WLS results in vomiting at the drop of a hat. BTW, I am 3 years post-op and I have had exactly one bout of vomiting since my surgery. I think it's really important to go into the surgery with realistic expectations. If this forum is any indication, way too many people get WLS thinking that it will work like magic, and they're completely unprepared to make the lifestyle changes that are necessary to use the WLS as an effective tool. So I think it's a good thing that you are prepared for the rough parts of the surgery, and it probably won't be as bad as you think. Not gonna lie: the beginning is really hard, but once you get 2+ years out from surgery, you will probably be able to eat fairly normally, and if you play your cards right, you might just find that you no longer want to eat the way you used to. You'll establish a new normal for yourself where you won't constantly feel like you're "giving up" what you really want. I highly recommend a podcast called We Only Look Thin. It's run by a couple who each lost over 100 pounds. They didn't have surgery, but a lot of their journey resonates so deeply with me. Weight loss (especially when you have a daunting amount to lose) is largely a mental battle, and this podcast absolutely nails it. They are amazing at verbalizing the mental processes that I've gone through, and they are very honest about their struggles. They have some great reality checks about things like fairness, excuses, and mental loopholes, and they have some fantastic advice for navigating the everyday struggles of weight management. Now, I didn't start listening to this until after I had lost 200 pounds, so it might be easier for me to hear and realize, "Yep, past me made a lot of excuses. Past me didn't take responsibility for my eating habits," than it would have been when I was still making excuses and resisting the changes that I was going to have to make. But maybe it would have been easier for me to make those changes if I had heard this podcast before I started than having to figure it out as I went.

Wow, everybody has lost so much. I've lost about 20 kgs. or 44 pounds after surgery, and 23 kilos (50.7 pounds) overall. My goal for the next year is to lose another 10 kilos (22 pounds) and get to 81 kilos. My weight loss has slowed down to a crawl, but that's also because I fell down the stairs outside earlier in the summer, and hurt my leg, so I haven't been able to exercise that much.

Hello! I’m new here. ☺️ I’m 36 years old and had my sleeve done on 08/15/23 at 250 lbs. … It’s only 09/01/23 (2 weeks out) and I’ve lost 16 lbs at 234 lbs. My ultimate goal weight is 150 for a height of 5’5” so I’m hoping to lose 100 lbs. I am a new mom and have a 6 month old at home. I not only want to be able to keep up with him better, but just feel generally better about myself. I already feel an improvement. 🙂

@RTL1234 Hey there! Surgery went well per surgeon. Swelling is a lot! I look like I'm in my 2nd trimester! 😕 Thankfully they gave me an abdomen band that helps stabalize me while up and walking which helps tremendously. My weight day of surgery went from 195 to 202 due to fluid/swelling etc. I pray it starts to subside soon.

Surgery went well - it took me the rest of the day of surgery to have some conciousness. I do not understand why they begin to attempt to get you out of bed when you are still under the influence of the anesthesia and can barely keep your eyes open. The next day was much better and I was able to walk slow laps around the floor. My surgeon had the staff provide me with a stomach band that wraps around and closes with velcro which helps tremendously hold my abdomen stable when up and walking around. I still have lots of swelling and I am about 7 lbs heavier (per scale) than on surgery day due to the swelling, fluid etc. I hope that within this next week most of that will subside. Weight DOS - 195 Today - 202 I am staying on target with protein/fluid requirements 60g/64 oz - I was given Boost Glucose Control Max in the hospital and decided to get a pack of that as well as a pack of the Premier Protein Shakes both 160 cal/11oz/30g protein. I had an issue of jaundice while in hospital and upon coming home my face and body had a distinct yellow tone. My blood work had elevated as well a low levels due to surgery. I looked up my pain meds which all had an effect on the liver and could cause levels to increase. I made the decision to stop these pain meds. I was also given liquid Oxy which I was able to take a couple half dose to help with the pain. This morning I was able to get away with Tylenol (powdered). My skin looks like it is getting back to narmal as well. I am not saying it was the medicine, it could have been just the trauma of the surgery and or a combo of both, I followed what I thought was best for me. I don't have an appetite which I am not complaining about at all & I am consuming my nutrition one sip at a time. I'm anxious to hear how you guys felt 2-3 weeks after surgery with the swelling , fluid weight etc. ❤️