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Same for me too, different insurance though. I also had to lose 5% of my starting weight in six months. I really struggled with it. In the past I had been able to lose more than that within 3 months, but this time I had had to see a registered dietician as part of the program. I ate what she told me to eat and I also was required to exercise a minimum of 5 days a week. It took me 5 months to lose the 5%. I went to my final weigh-in at the 6-month mark and I was 1lb OVER the 5% goal. This meant I was not allowed to meet with the surgeon or do the testing the surgeon requires before the surgery. I had to call my insurance and explain to them what happened. They allowed me to have a weigh-in 4 days later. At this weigh-in, I was 8lbs BELOW the goal weight. I have since seen the surgeon, and had all of my testing done. I am not allowed to be over the goal weight at all. It is really hard trying to maintain this while I wait to get a surgery date ( If I am over the goal weight on the surgery day, then the surgery will be canceled) and it has added a lot of unnecessary stress. I constantly weigh myself several times a day, and I am super paranoid about eating. No food funerals for me and I am envious of everyone who gets to do one. If my surgery gets canceled for being 1lb over, which I was told it would be, then I will call my insurance again.

I also had a 6 month period in which I had to meet with a nutritionist 6 times, an exercise person once, a psychologist once, a surgical consult, and my case manager monthly. I didn't have to lose weight but I couldn't weigh more than my initial consult. My insurance used Aetna but then right at the end when it came time for submitting for preauthorization, they switched to Active Health. They required one more consult with my surgeon and she thankfully had a virtual opening the next day (It's a 2 and a half hour drive not including the ferry ride to my surgeon's office). Each insurance is different and the more time I spend in medical billing the more of an opinion I develop about the American health care system. 🙄

I wasn't allowed to gain any weight, either - although in addition to that, (my insurance company) required a six-month supervised diet (supervised by a physician or dietitian), and I lost about 50 lbs doing that.

Since you’ve started maybe just keep to one or two shakes a day & have a meal of portion & calorie controlled protein & vegetables/salads for the other meal/s. You’ve started to break some of your sugar & carb dependencies & it seems a waste to throw that away. A two week pre surgery diet is pretty common though some are only on a one or two diet. They can take the form of an all liquid (protein shakes) or two protein shakes & one meal of protein & vegetables or a specific diet of solid food (I was on keto). Just depends on your surgeon. Mine gives different patients different diets depending on several factors including starting weight, weight loss/gain history & medical status. All the best what ever you choose to do.

Thanks. I've been on 6-7 different plans in the last 10 years and sadly have come to the same conclusion. They both don't want you to be overweight, but also want you to stay overweight because they make it impossible to qualify for anything that would help you lose the weight? It makes no sense at all. Their requirements for weight loss meds are absurd too.

Hi all! Newbie here... I've been lurking for months though. LOL I got notice today that my policy covers the surgery but that I cannot gain any weight the entire time I'm in a bariatric program. I'm curious, how many other people have had this as a clause in their policy? And if so, how did you deal with it? Did you gain weight and get kicked out? I find this to be such an absurd requirement. If I could control what the scale does I wouldn't be pursuing weight loss surgery in the first place! I just gained 10 lbs in the last 3 weeks on a new medication (Lyrica) that I have to stop now because its not worth the gain. Doctors are always playing with my meds, what if something else causes me to gain before surgery?? This is such an annoying detail to have to worry about.

I cancelled my surgery but my goals (lose weight, get rid of prediabetes, improve thyroid and get out of plus sizes) haven’t changed. Started at 270, my first big long term goal is 220. I’m almost there then I’ll go to 170. Anything after that will be wonderful, would love to be at 150. But finding healthy habits that are sustainable long term is what I’m looking at so I can maintain where I land

My initial goal weight was "what is the highest weight I could end up at where I would still feel like the surgery was a success?" For me, that was 275. Once I hit that, I kept going and have maintained at around 220 lbs.

I just picked a weight (kinda random/outta nowhere, LOL) that I had reached by dieting strictly from a much lighter starting weight about 10 years ago and I felt suited me. It was in the middle of my 'normal' BMI and totally aspirational. I never dreamed that I would actually reach it. My surgeon and dietician prepared me to lose 60-70% of my excess weight, which would have left me with a BMI of 27/28 or so (which I would also have been thrilled with)!! I ended up losing more. I would have been equally happy had I ending up losing less - HONESTLY. My body seems to have picked its own new set weight. It's so weird - like I had little (almost no) input other than sticking to my programme. Suffice to say - trust the surgery, trust your body. Don't mess about with the rules. You'll end up where you were supposed to. xxx

I eat it occasionally when I want pasta, because it is a *better* choice, but it is still pasta. It may help if you try to load your bowl with about half veggies and treat the pasta as a "topping" vs the base for the dish. I do that with mushrooms, broccoli, etc throw some alfredo sauce on it, and maybe 1 serving of (cooked) pasta for my husband AND I (and he eats about 2/3 of the amount I make, he hasn't had the surgery yet), sprinkle a little cheese on top and bake it in the oven. You still get your pasta "fix" but not as much. I'm almost 2 years post op, and 15 pounds BELOW my goal weight, before anyone comes for me telling me how fat I'm going to get again. (YMMV, but that's how I've incorporated it into my diet).

i chose an arbitrary number of the mid-point of healthy BMI for my height: 120 lbs (which was more or less the weight i was up to my mid-twenties...im 50 now) By the time i got to 127, i called GOAL cuz i felt i was looking too gaunt and skelator-ish for my liking. I did continue to lose more weight, however, and for some reason or another, got down to a lowest-post-op weight of 109 around 1.5 years post op. fast forward a few years (i'm almost 5 yrs post-op now) and i've basically bounced around 115-120 for most of that time. This morning, i clocked in at 119.8 lbs oddly enough, despite the fact that i weigh about 7 lbs less than the time i called goal due to looking too sickly over 4 years ago, i actually look much, much healthier now. the rapid weight loss phase did a number to my appearance, i guess, and now that i'm on auto-pilot and eating more "normally" (i'm looking at you, carbs!), and getting a decent amount or regular exercise. everything sort of shifted around and settled so i no longer look like dead man walking. oh, and another observation: when i was a teenager, i weighed about 110-115, and looking as past pictures, i believe i actually look bigger back then despite actually weighing more today. soooooooo....that was a long winded way of saying that the number on the scale isn't always the best thing to determine the best goal weight for YOU. but of course its a good starting point, if one is realistic about it. Good Luck! ❤️

Iam 40yr old female and I am 5’7” Starting weight 346. Surgery Weight 290 One month post-op 276 Two months post-op 268 I just hit three months post-op on 20th of July and I am at 257lbs

This is my "ticker." It shows my starting weight (black), my current weight (blue), and my goal weight (green). I'm a revision from a 14-year-old sleeve to a bypass 35 days ago.

Oh wow that’s amazing! Do you mind me asking what your goal weight is and how you are sustaining the weight loss over time? And you’re right we all have something different and with different doctors it’s best to go by what he says then lol

Well, I started my SEMI liquid diet 30 days before I was to start my actual liquid diet because I wanted to. I lost 30 lbs. in 30 days. My doc wanted me to lose weight before he performed the surgery. I would do 3 protein shakes, 5-6 bottles of water, and a good, solid, no carb dinner. I wanted to lose as much as possible to help out my surgeon. My dinners would be bun-less cheeseburgers, pizza toppings (no crust), grilled or boiled chicken, pork chops, steak, and different kinds of cheeses. I would leave out anything that was bread/tortilla/pasta or a "side." Your best bet is to discuss it with your doctor. Follow his instructions. It's different for everyone because we all have different starting weights, different weight loss goals, different pre-existing health issues, and different doctors.

I think my set point is 175, which I maintained for 9 months. I went through a stressful time and gained another 10. I want to get back down to at least 175. I just figured it would be better to do that before my surgery.

Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 19/6 (Australian date format lol). My experience was no smooth sailing and I developed severe complications despite seeing the best surgeon at the best hospital. I’ve felt really scared, alone and isolated so I am delighted to find this forum. my weight was only 92 pre op and I guess I was considered a healthy young woman. 5 days post op I developed a severe burning pain deep inside my stomach. After numerous emergency visits and tests, it was determine I did not have a gastric leak. I had to be re admitted to hospital to manage the most severe pain of my life, for another 5 days and they still didn’t know what was wrong. Long story short, I had to self refer myself to a gastroenterologist who immediately knew what was wrong. I had developed bile reflux from my bowel into my freshly cut stomach which was causing the searing pain, severe inflammatory gastritis of my stomach lining, which then caused pancreatitis and severe spasms of my actual stomach. Because of all of this I could not even get water down and my throat was burning and mouth dried up from bile damage. He put me on a bunch of new intense meds and nearly 6 weeks post op now I am starting to feel normal. It’s been a really scary rough ride and emotional and I haven’t known if I’ve made the right decision. I can eat about 1/4 cup soft foods now which I am grateful for. Anyway I wanted to share my story in case you ever come across someone with these symptoms and doctors don’t believe them / don’t know what is wrong. Great to meet you all! Thanks for sharing your journeys!

I am very happy to hear you are looking forward to your vacation. I am the same as you. I have zero regrets about the surgery. I have settled in around 195. My goal was 185. I am aware that I could try harder to hit the goal weight but I am perfectly happy with 195 and eating and drinking what I want. I do not think the 10 pounds is worth giving up wine and pasta. Granted much smaller amounts of wine and pasta these days but I still feel human when I go out to dinner with my friends and family. At this point, no one even believes me when I said I had surgery. People don’t notice that I eat smaller portions because I am eating the same foods as them. I have way more energy and way more confidence. I am thankful I did not have complications. I have rarely even gotten sick. So for me I am living my best life after a successful surgery. (It should be noted I followed the MDs instructions to the letter for the first year.)

Finally. Surgery day is here! God, I can't do this without You. I completed my 14-day clear liquid sugar-free and caffeine-free diet along with some protein drinks. I didn't cheat once. That in itself is a miracle! I've lost 10 lbs. during this time, and 25 lbs. overall (since January 1st). I was placed on prednisone (steroid) twice this past Spring, which set me back. It causes. much weight gain whenever I'm on it and it takes many weeks to get the weight off. So as I was losing, I'd gain weight while on that medication. So frustrating, but it's behind me, hopefully forever. These two weeks really prepared my mind for this journey moving forward. I will work to continue strengthening this new mindset. Not easy, right? I appreciate the input this forum - you beautiful people - has provided. I hope optimal health and strong minds for you all. Onward! 💟

Welcome to the wide & varied pre & post surgical plans. 🙂 I was put on a keto plan before surgery. My surgeon puts different patients on different pre surgical diets. A friend was on the all shake diet & her friend was on the two shakes & one meal version yet we had the same surgeon. I think he does it based on a number of factors: starting weight, pre existing health status, weight loss/gain history, etc. Maybe your surgeon is the same. I wouldn’t be concerned, just enjoy still having a variety of food choices available to you. All the best with your surgery. PS - Best to avoid fruit juice too as it has a high sugar content. Natural sugars but still sugar & calories. It takes several pieces of fruit to make a glass of juice but you would sit down & eat the sane number of pieces of fruit in one go. Plus it lacks a lot of the essential nutrients a whole piece of fruit does. When you can introduce fruit into your diet again go for whole fruit not juice.

as someone else said, pre-op diets vary widely. All of the patients at my client, even the "light weights", had the exact same diet - that is, 4-5 protein shakes a day, all the no-cal or ultra low-cal fluids we wanted, sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles, and one cup each of tomato juice/V8 and chicken broth. consider yourself lucky. The diets like the ones a lot of us are on are a huge PITA.

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

I very truly feel your pain. I was sleeved in 2009 and I did fantastic the first 6 years. I lost 149 lbs and 9 dress sizes. At first, I wasn't even exercising and the weight just melted away daily. When I got down to the weight limit that could not be exceeded on an elliptical machine that I borrowed from a sister, I started exercising on it. Eventually, I was using the elliptical for an hour, non-stop, 5 days a week. Everything began to change in December 2014. My father passed away and he was the be all end all of existence for me. I am the youngest of 13 kids and was totally a daddy's girl. He was very ill already, but he ended up dying on my mom's birthday from a heart attack in his sleep. I was the first one to get to his house after my brother who was taking care of him called us all. When I got to my dad, his eyes were still open. My brother was dealing with the coroner and the police officer. I really freaked out and thought I'd better close his eyes before my other sisters or my nieces and nephews saw him. So I did. I closed my father's eyes. My heart broke in half right at that moment. I kinda lost my sh*t. My doc ended up putting me on Xanax and Ambien. Fast forward a few months to April 2015, I ended up getting divorced. Then 15 months later in July 2016 my mother died. Her heart stopped, and during CPR administration, her ribs broke and one pierced her lung. It filled with fluid and because she'd had respiratory issues most of her life, they couldn't help her. She died after 3 agonizing days in the hospital. Then in 2017, I was transferred from one job post to another. They weren't even going to tell me until right before I showed up for work, I found out sooner by accident. I'd been at that post for 10 years. It was a retaliation from a supervisor who knew that I knew too much information about illegal activity that went on under his nose. Literally, every year something horrible was happening to me. The anxiety, depression, and meds led to me not giving a sh*t about what I ate and a lot of drinking. I was drinking every night. I wasn't exercising anymore. I was eating anything I wanted to eat. It was still very little food, because I had a lot of restriction. But I was eating every kind of junk food you can think of. I was eating at all hours of the day. I was grazing, as they call it. I could eat every 3 hours. And the alcohol was just straight shots of tequila. By 2022, I had regained most of my weight and gone back up 6 sizes. You can lose weight again. You can detox from carbs. You can go back to protein shakes. This past May, I started dieting (on my own) because the doc wanted me to lose weight before he'd do the revision. I was drinking a protein shake for breakfast and for lunch, then I was eating a good, solid, very low carb (even zero carb) dinner. No alcohol. In 30 days, I lost 30 lbs. And this was before my surgery. It is absolutely possible, but you have to make the effort and you have to have the discipline. The first 3-4 days are tough as you detox, but then it just gets easier and easier. I wish you luck, friend.

Hi all November 2021 people! I want to do a little update because this thread is the only 'diary' I ever actually made - it's fascinating to look back at some of the posts we all made as we went along. I hope you are all doing really well. There aren't many of us posting regularly here any more so I hope that's because you are all too busy enjoying your new life. I am but I just like it here too, LOL. So, my current weight is 139 lbs - it's gone up and down by 2 or 3 pounds within the range 137 - 140 for the last 3 or 4 months but so far no further than that, and I don't take any particular action when those couple of pounds go on. Calorie intake is still about 1300 on weekdays and probably more like 1800-2000 at weekends now (alcohol and limited snacks). I still track everything. I walk A LOT for exercise. I stopped running after a few attempts because even though I enjoyed it it was causing me pain afterwards that lasted for days and then I couldn't do my usual walks so ended up costing me exercise time! I really want to get into some weights but I have such a busy life (excuse alert!) that I am short of time after I fit in all my walks. I am thankful every day that I had this surgery. Honestly, even if I regained every pound tomorrow it would have been worth it just to have this time feeling normal and being able to do normal things. We have a family vacation starting next week that I would have dreaded before, and now I can't wait and am signing up for every single activity along with my children. I would love to hear from anyone in the original gang who still reads but doesn't post much.