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Perhaps bariatric surgery etc. isn't for you? There is no "fast" way to lose weight that's safe and healthy. If you're not losing as fast as you'd like perhaps you should consult your doctor...

I live every day with the awareness that I could be gone in a moment. I have an extremely rare congenital abnormality in my brain that makes me at a very high risk for an aneurysm. When we found this out I had a long talk with my partner about how I felt about them, and about our lives together, and about my last wishes. I talked to all my family about it. I vowed then to live each day telling the people I love that I love them and value them, because odds are that when I go it'll be fast and I won't see it coming... Almost two years ago I got cancer. It is hard to face our own mortality, our minds aren't really designed to do that much or it drives us crazy. Thankfully I have a great therapist who helped me process the scary brain thing so we handled the cancer thing the same way... Every time I have a procedure that involves anesthesia I say goodbye like its my last time, with an open heart and a calm mind. My partner knows this. We talk about it every time. And talking about it makes it easier for me to go through whatever procedure it is because I know in my heart my loved ones know I love them and treasure them in my world. I am so grateful for the life I have with them. For some of us, this surgery makes us face our own mortality. I was scared of the surgery. But I was more scared of continuing to live as an obese person with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, etc... I knew that those things made me a ticking time bomb. So I did the scary thing and had my DS surgery. I'm so glad I did!! But the day of surgery before we left the house I said a private goodbye to my partner like I always do before surgery. I knew the odds were this surgery is very safe, but with my other conditions you just never know... It gives me peace to do that. I hope your letters give you peace so you can have your surgery with a calm heart that knows you've spoken the words you needed to say. ❤️

Need help and info on days post op and foods hi I’m new to the group and have so many questions, I had Roux-en-Y Bypass gastric bypass…. so rule of thumb is followed Weeks 1 and 2: Liquid diet Weeks 3 and 4: Puree diet Weeks 5 to 8: Soft diet After 8 weeks: Regular diet But I’m having issues sticking to this, I need help and advice on what I’m doing and if I’m wrong to do this and I can’t find answers, so I’m day 10 post op now as I had my surgery on the 2nd December 2023, first few days kept to the liquid diet that being said I’m struggling with taking so much fluids, any way I would say day 7 I feel fine no issues or anything when I drink the shakes etc and they are thickish shakes so day 8 post op I tried a chunky soup it was potato and leak I chewed the chunks before swallowing and yeah only managed like 4 spoons and done I’m full….. but today 10 days post op again should only be on liquid but I had mash and beans and again only a few mouth fills filled me and I’m fine no pains or anything….. I know they say people heal at different rates inside etc and I do know I heal quick from surgery’s Iv had in the pact ext…… so my question is am I moving to fast is this safe for me to continue should I slow down and go back to what the plan is supposed to happen because with me only being 10 days post op I’m eating at week 3-4 puree diet and to be honest I think I might be ok moving onto week 5-8 soft diet in a few days…. just any advice of anyone who has had this issues or may know a answer from experience or knowledge. many thanks. Meg. From UK. (Manchester)

like others, eight lbs in eight years is actually great. Most people have a 10-20 lb rebound - and usually earlier on than you - usually at about three years out. And fortunately, as someone implied, it's eight lbs and not 40! It should be do-able, although that said, the closer you are to a normal BMI, the harder it is to lose even a few lbs. I've said this before on here, but I remember going to Weight Watchers meetings before surgery and listening in disbelief to those barely overweight women moan and complain about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs. And there I was - 200 lbs overweight. But I totally get it now!!! I've been dealing with regain, too (I'm 20 lbs above my lowest weight and have been since even before the pandemic), but I've been weighing back and forth after all this struggling if it's even worth the struggle (and my doctor is fine with my current weight, so she doesn't "get it" - which is no help!). I know a ton of long-timers who are dealing with the same thing. Some have just given up trying and are just focusing on maintaining where they're at, some have had some success with Weight Watchers, others swear by intermittent fasting, some go really low carb for awhile. And some go back to eating the way they did the first year post-op (not all the way back to purees and soft food - but they way they were eating when they were 6-12 months or so out). Whatever works and fits your lifestyle is worth a shot. But know that it's tough - your loss will be in ounces at this point rather than pounds, so it's hard to see your successes - but it can be done and some people do succeed! Anyway, best of luck to you!

I start my pre op tomorrow. The thing I have noticed even without the preop is if I am dehydrated I can be dizzy. I would make sure you’re drinking enough water. As far as the other. I think some of it might be from the protein drink you might have chosen? I know some of them have that effect. Like when I was on slim fast for a while it would do that. I would check the protein drinks to see if they might contain more fiber or carbs than what is recommended. (I just found out mine do 😒) I spent over $35 for a 24 pack so I’m not going to change now. I just won’t use them for post op if you are having TMI bowel movements lol then maybe you want to add some water or double what you’re drinking because that will cause dizziness because of dehydration. Hope it helps. Also check your meds, if your on any, that might need to take with food that before wasn’t an issue you might need to take when you have your protein drink.

I had the sleeve surgery 9/26/16 and did well with it till I had my gallbladder removed in 2018 then I developed severe gastric reflux. My surgeon found that my bile duct got stuck open after they removed my gallbladder. With the bile constantly running in my sleeve it eroded it causing some precancerous changes. Once my insurance approved for a second surgery we went with changing over to a bypass in June of 2020 to fix the problem. I was very happy that we ended up doing the revision because I no longer had to sleep sitting up and my stalled weight loss finally started back up again and I was able to continue my weight loss journey. Fast forward to the present of this year I have been holding a good weight of between 137 to 145 lbs and no health issues really I just still struggled with dumping a lot cause my new pouch didn't always like food but I maintain weight with the help of shakes. Then in August of this year for some reason I just started getting where I didn't feel well and I dropped like 17 lb like it was nothing. I contacted my surgeon because I was concerned because of how weak and tired I had felt and I've noticed like vision changes my muscles or shrinking rapidly I was becoming dehydrated and all kinds of new things that I wasn't prepared for. My surgeon ordered a upper scope and a lower which come back very good. My lab showed that I did have a couple vitamin deficiencies so I increased my vitamins I actually have to go redo my labs here because I also ended up getting sick and went in the ER in my liver counts were high and they never been high before so we're checking those this week. But now I'm having a harder time eating and getting my body to absorb my nutrition even the protein shakes aren't helping maintain my body weight I am dropping weight still pretty rapidly I'm down to 124 lb now and my immune system seems to have been weakened because I get sick super easy and I try to stay away from other people otherwise that makes it harder on me and I guess get wiped out. I am currently waiting for my surgeon to call me back because I'm getting more concerned about how we come getting it's getting harder to do every daily things such as washing my hair folding my clothes and putting them away my muscles hurt and they're tired and weak and they get all cramped up. I'm blessed to have this surgery but I was never expecting that I would get this new very weird complication of just not being able to eat very well and to maintain weight. I trust my surgery team he's wonderful I'm hoping they can figure this out I'd really do not want a feeding tube or a PICC line I work with the public and that's even getting hard to do and I've almost thought about applying for disability until I get this figured out so I can quit losing weight by exertion. I'm just wondering is anybody else going through something like this or they just out of nowhere started losing weight again and they just can't seem to get it to stop. I'm worried not only for myself but for my family because my kids are still pretty young and I'm not ready to leave this world yet I still have a lot to live for. Hw: 268 SW 221lbs LW 124lns Height 5'2

I had my RNY mid-September and while I'm in a weird headspace where I don't think I'm losing weight 'fast enough' compared with some of the stories I've read here (I know, don't compare, everyone is different; intellectually I get it, it's still something of a challenge sometimes...) I HAVE lost 55lbs. More importantly, the jeans I was wearing pre-op now fit like I'm trying to look like a 20 year old rapper wannbe, hanging half way down my ass if I don't cinch down a belt (which I've had to punch several new holes in and currently wraps around to my side when I use it), and I'm regularly wearing jeans that haven't seen the light of day since I blew up my knees (three months apart, one after the other in 2008)

@SleeveToBypass2023 was my relationship to food supposed to change? I do think I can usually tell the difference between head and real hunger. real hunger usually causes physical symptoms down in my gut like an ache. while head hunger is just that desire for more or for something specific. I can't say I never have head hunger and I deny it all the time and sometimes do give in. But when I say I eat and I don't feel full. I don't believe that's head hunger. Though I could be wrong. You're right that I do eat fast or normal speed. I just eat until I guess I feel full. but it seldom ever comes. Thanks for your lovely advice.

So it's not that you can't have any carbs. You want them last, and you want them not to be "bad" carbs, like from pasta and breads and white potatoes. You should be eating 5 times per day. 3 meals and 2 snacks. You want protein first, then veggies, then carbs. No sugar, low salt (himalayan is the best if you need it). Avoid carbonation because it stretches your stomach out. My bariatric diet stated 60-80g of protein per day, 1000-1200 calories per day, less than 50 net carbs per day, and less than 50g of fat per day. If working out, or if you have a very physical job, then it would be slightly modified to 75 - 90g of protein, 1200-1400 calories, no more than 65 net carbs, and no more than 65g of fat per day. It seems like a bariatric therapist might be a good thing for you, because it sounds like your relationship with food never changed, and you never learned to tell the difference between real and head hunger. And lastly, you should be eating very slowly. You're filling up fast because you're cramming a lot of food into your stomach all at once. After it makes its way through, the food is gone but you're hungry again. Eat slowly, chew it well, follow the bariatric diet, find a bariatric diet, and reach out to your nutritionist and see what they can do to help you get back on track and maybe map out an eating plan for you.

Hi there wondering how everyone is doing???? Current weight is 142 5”3 I eat every 2-3 hrs snack and have three bigger meals which is breakfast lunch and dinner. Still could only have about 5-7 spoon fool of the larger meals. Rice does not agree with me I figure it may never. Alcohol hits me super fast so I have to be very careful!

I haven't seen any posts in a while -- how is everyone doing? I had a sleeve on 10/9, lost 19 pounds really fast, then at 2 weeks, hit a stall that lasted about 3-1/2 weeks. It was very frustrating and I felt like I had messed something up or done something wrong. I wondered if this was not going to work for me and yet I was permanently stuck with a tiny stomach. I hated seeing all the social media posts of all the people who seemed to be continuously losing weight every week while I stalled -- even though I knew not to compare my journey to other people. But even during that long stall, I had to stop wearing a bunch of clothes that were too big, I moved my Apple watch to a tighter setting on my wrist, I was able to stop taking all blood pressure and diabetes meds because my levels were all normal or low, and I even completed a 5K (walking it mostly but still!!)!!! My doctor told me not to worry about the scale -- that "it would catch up." So I just didn't weigh for a while, though I stayed the path on eating, water, protein, and movement. Well, today I got on the scale and have now lost 31 pounds since my surgery. The scale is catching up. What a relief! I'm sure that I'll stall again at some point, and I'll be in a better mindset to just stay consistent and keep with the program and have faith.

One note on long distance hiking: I'm having to do serious rehab on my hips and core in order to increase my walking capability. While my aerobic capacity and endurance are very good, my hips start to physically give out at about 3 miles. My physical therapist isn't really sure what the issue is, but thinks that it's a combination of weakness and poor flexibility from the postural adaptations that happen with extreme obesity (my legs literally point in a different direction than they used to!) and some effect of fast weight loss on the muscles themselves.

How do I lose weight? Fast I need pills nothing is working where is the adapax?

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

Hi KyahRose! I just had the DS surgery on November 1st. I considered SADI-S, Bypass, and DS when deciding on which surgery to go with. In the end I picked DS even though it is the scariest of the surgeries, because I wanted the benefit of my co-morbidities going into remission which the other two surgeries can do, but the DS does best. Plus I wanted a surgery that has a lot of studies behind it going out years, and while the bypass does have that, the SADI does not. I didn't want to have an experimental surgery, enough of my medical care is experimental. LOL The DS has a proven track record and is safe for the vast majority of people who have it. That being said, it IS a serious surgery. You can make yourself very ill if you don't follow the protein and vitamin recommendations, and even the vitamin recommendations from the docs are often not enough. I highly recommend going over to bariatricfacts.com and joining the forum there to talk to the DS vets. I'm over there as Shrinkingmytiara. These are people who have had the surgery 10+ years. They will tell you the good, bad, and ugly and make sure you understand the ugly and what you are getting yourself into. There is a wealth of info on that site about DS and some about the SADI. On FB there is a Duodenal Switch SUPPORT Group (there are a number of them, but I'm in that one) which also has a lot of vets in it. It has people with DS and with SADI. You'll read a lot of complaint posts from people who are having issues (common for any support group) but it'll give you an idea of what some of the challenges are post surgery. Again, your odds of having complications are quite low (though a little higher than the other surgeries), but it is still worth seeing what others are experiencing. I'm sure you could find the same for Bypass. I have had no major complications with my surgery so far. I had a lot of nausea and ended up in the hospital an extra night while we stabilized that and my pain levels. Once I came home I've only needed my nausea meds a handful of times and I didn't need pain meds. I wasn't able to ingest whey protein drinks for the first two weeks but my surgeon told me the body has stores for 3 weeks, so to focus on water and the rest would come. He was right! I can drink them now and am getting protein in what I eat now that I'm on soft foods. I've met my fluid goals every day, some days are harder than others. I've had some diarrhea on and off but my system tends that way even pre-surgery. I could drink lactose free milk and bone broth the first week so those are what kept me going. I actually feel more energy now most days than I did before surgery which is strange to me! I do tire out a little easy though because I'm still healing. My stomach did these spasms while feeling like it was turning in cartwheels inside me for about 2 weeks. They finally faded like the surgeon said they would. I'm diabetic. My fasting blood sugar now sits at 87 which is stellar. They told me to stop the diabetes meds. I had high blood pressure but they took me off those in the hospital and my blood pressure is normal! 105/76 when checked at my 2 week follow up!! I've lost 21 lbs in 3 weeks post surgery, for a total of 35 lbs from my highest weight. I can't wrap my head around that, it happened so quickly! I had a moment post surgery when I panicked over permanently altering my body in such a drastic way, but then I reminded myself that the way my body was pre-surgery was killing me, this was the only path forward to health that I could see. I don't regret it at all. I'm happy to talk with you more about it if you want, and you can feel free to message me if you want to keep in touch! There aren't very many DSers around here active anymore!

I loved the Thai flavors of Kettle & Fire, though they are costly. Not as costly as a dinner out though! LOL I also love the fuzzy navel version of Syntrax Nectars. You can get samples of them pretty easily. I like these more than pre-made waters because there are no sugar alcohols in them. MyProtein makes clear whey isolate powders in Mike and Ike flavors, I like the watermelon the best, the cherry was weird. I had to drink the Premier Protein ready made shakes for my pre-op diet according to my doctor so I tried all sorts of those, I like Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon Roll, Vanilla, and Cafe Latte the most. But they are not my favorite protein. My favorite one is R Kane Nutritionals Pro-Cal powders. They taste like melted milkshakes when you make them with milk. I have no clue what sorcery they used to manage that, but they do. BariatricPal also makes these little protein shots in fruit flavors that are sweet sour and pretty tasty when you need something fast. The tartness makes them easier for me to drink. I will caution one thing, don't buy a ton of things, get samples when you can. Because post surgery your tastes may change dramatically. Mine did, I can't taste sweet spices anymore and I can taste the whey in ANYTHING. I ordered a ton from Unjury and I can't stand any of it... I'm so annoyed. But my biggest issue is that whey sits heavy in my stomach and I couldn't get any protein drinks down for at least two weeks. I'm just starting to ease them back into rotation, but it is still hard to get a whole one down. So have a variety of samples for post op, but be careful what you buy full sized unless you have someone else that will consume what you don't.

Surgery scheduled for December 4th, 2023!! I've been fast tracked because I chose to go the self-pay route VS Insurance. Doc wants me on liquid diet 2 weeks prior to surgery... so no thanksgiving meal for me. A little stressed & second guessing like a normal human would; am I making the right decision? Ultimately the answer is always YES. New things are always scary but there's no way to grow (mentally, physically, emotionally) if you never step outside of your comfort zone.

I had my 2 week follow up with my surgeon yesterday! Incisions are healing well, tummy is doing better, he cleared me to move to purees and said if I wanted to I could even try fish or eggs prepared soft since they both are relatively soft on the digestive system, though some don't do well on eggs. I had yogurt yesterday and it went down well, so last night I had some tuna fish and it was fine too!! No more awful twisting pains, just a dull ache if I eat or drink too fast. I'm so thankful I took that two weeks on fluids, I wouldn't have done as well if it was only one week. I needed the extra week to heal and let some swelling go down. I officially have lost 15 lbs since surgery. That's 29 lbs since my highest weight! The last time I lost 30 lbs was 20 years ago. I'm so amazed. I'm not losing super fast but that's okay, I'm good with slow as long as it is steady... I had enough energy to go through the grocery store yesterday!! I haven't been able to do that in a few years. It was just 45 minutes of walking and standing but it is such an improvement. I'm really grateful for all this. So glad I had the surgery...

Dumping is an interesting phenomenon. I had a good friend about 20 years ago who had an old school bypass and she would dump all the time. She'd sit there with a pack of candy, eat some, breathe through the dumping symptoms, and continue to eat it! This was my first exposure to someone with weight loss surgery. I thought she was insane. She also refused to use protein powders so her hair was brittle and falling out. And she didn't take her vitamins so her calcium was low and she'd get heart palpitations. It scared me off of the surgery for a long time. I didn't want to turn out like her! I'm so glad I learned there are better ways... DS patients aren't supposed to get dumping but I drank too much water too fast once and got all the classic symptoms of dumping, including the bathroom runs. It was VERY unpleasant and I will never do it again! LOL I also had a mushroom soup the other night that turned out to have 33 carbs in it (which I didn't realize until I went to log it). Holy cow I thought I was going to die. Same symptoms. I don't have to imagine what will happen if I try to eat a piece of pie!

Congratulations !!!!! At first, time will seem to just drag with all the appointments - then suddenly , all the loose ends will be tied up and things will happen FAST !!!! I'm excited for you !!!! Keep up that enthusiasm

Fascinating article. Despite having taken several of them myself over the past few years, (including Saxenda and Wegovy), I'm very hesitant to embrace a world where weight loss drugs are the first line of defense against obesity. I say this knowing that at least some of my issue comes down to poor nutrition choices, made far too easy by an environment swimming in garbage foods and a culture that values quick convenience over everything else. When I commit to good nutrition, my weight decreases. I don't get skinny, or even "not obese" but I do lose weight. When the snacks and junk food make their way back in the house and I have stressful weeks with work where I'm at my desk for 12 or more hours and fast food feels like my only option because I'm too tired to cook, I gain weight. In about the past 60 years, we've gone from 13% obesity to 40%, with a 10x rise in severe obesity. This isn't just a weird thing that happened in a vacuum. There are pretty obvious reasons for this, some that could possibly be solved with significant changes to our food policies and investment in real nutrition instead of lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and massive food corporations. Much of our so-called food today has been designed to be addictive, by the same folks who brought us cigarettes, no less. That should give people pause the next time they're in the grocery store looking at all those shiny boxes and bags. On the other hand, in the days when only 1% of the US population was morbidly obese...that was my family. And some of my family lived really long lives, into their 90s. Except the ones who didn't and died young. And you don't know which you'll be until it's too late. Up until my 40s, I was one of those people who had healthy bloodwork despite being 90+ lbs over my "ideal weight." I didn't worry about my weight because I was healthy. But that changed rapidly with middle age as my weight went even higher. Now I take blood pressure meds and am prediabetic. My feet and joints ache and I worry what that means as I age. I wish I had done more to keep my weight lower when I was younger and developed better habits early on. I can't believe how ignorant I was of nutrition facts when I was in my teens and 20s. One thing I know is I can't afford $12k or more a year for the rest of my life to take these "miracle drugs." I'm not sure who really can or should. I'm grateful for surgery being an option, but it's not for everyone, and neither are the drugs. As a society, I would like to see more acceptance of humans in all sizes, and more focus on real health and nutrition instead of fads and gimmicks that make a few people really rich.

Hi Edward, The original thread starter left the forum ages ago, but I'll try to answer being veteran MGB patient now well into maintenance. Regarding "bad things". Honestly, EVERY bariatric surgery option comes with issues from mild to (thankfully rarer) serious. It's worth remembering that people on forums like this mostly ask questions when they think things are going wrong or are looking for reassurance. Stalls are common for ALL procedures. GERD is common in the sleeve but not everyone gets it. Pain? Well yeah, it's major surgery so expect it to hurt. Your body has to recover from about five deep stab wounds, being inflated, and then having the stomach cut apart and intestines rearranged. That will take time to recover from! What I think is surprising is how FAST the body recovers considering what it goes through. And if, like me, you have a hiatal hernia repair at the same time, it's another level of pain to wade through, but it does improve. And I take ibuprofen and aspirin. I was never told "never again". I don't take it frequently, but when I have to, I take it. Nothing horrible has happened, and I AM prone to ulcers. To combat my ulcers, I take Pantoprazole. No biggie. As for the hunger, it seems different for everyone across all procedures. My hunger came back about six months in. The restriction remains though, and some things have remained permanently off the menu, like coconut milk/cream and more than one bite of bread or potatoes. It's different for everyone, but I really am glad I got the MGB/Omega Loop. Worked a treat, I lost almost 120% of my excess body fat, and my lab results are all great so the vitamin intake hasn't been an issue.

Yay! Great job!! Make sure to get that water in, it will prevent headaches and keep you out of the hospital. Good for you getting shakes in, I can just barely get one in 2 weeks out! LOL Glad your pain is well controlled. I'm doing good, thanks! Hoping to move to purees Thursday after I see the surgeon at my follow up. Pain is greatly reduced and soreness is starting to fade. Incisions had an allergic reaction to the glue but the cream they prescribed calmed it down fast. They look great now! Still getting my water in. Had to change my electrolyte formula because the one I was taking had a lot of magnesium in it and was sending me straight to the bathroom with awful diarrhea every time I took it! LOL I found a new one that is working much better now. I weirdly feel like I have more energy now than I did before surgery and I'm not sure how that's possible. I have chronic fatigue syndrome so any boost in energy is VERY welcome. I'm sleeping better too. I hear some people do really well in ketosis, I guess I'm one of them. I'm really thankful for that. I've never been able to get my body to go into ketosis before! So glad I had this surgery...