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I was so afraid it wouldn’t work for me, but it did. I was 160 lbs heavier last summer- miserable, sweating, embarrassed by how I looked, and not wanting to do anything. I’m only a few pounds away from a normal BMI now and I run every day, I have energy, and life is better in so many ways. Both of my kids wanted to be carried down the hall the other week and I realized that together they are 80 lbs, half of what I’ve lost. The weight of them as I was trying to walk was huge- how the hell was I living my life with twice that weight? For what it’s worth all the calculators said I only had a 20% chance of reaching 203 with the sleeve, and was more likely to end up 225-250. I am 180 lbs, almost 10 months out. I said once I got that tool I was going to use it. I have and I still am.

I had RNY surgery so all I know is the stomach portion that is closed off still produces some acid, but shrink's over time because it is not being used. No foods are off limits, but a lot of people do not tolerate pasta, bread, rice. It sites very heavy for me in my pouch, so I cannot eat it very often. ( I am 10 months post op RNY) These foods are high in carbs as well, so the calories can add up quickly. You have to give it time and slowly introduce these foods as you go along. It may takes years before you can eat them again, or maybe not at all. Focus on Fruits, veggies, protein and low carb options.

Hi, Lesley! Nice to see someone else from Canberra! I did move there in 2019 and am seeing a GP to check blood levels. Everything is good, so I haven't needed to see a bariatric surgeon since I've been there. I left Australia for work in April 2021, theoretically for three months. Now I'm one of the thousands of people stuck outside the country because there are no flights, and I have no idea when I will be able to return. I'm very sorry you all are locked down. It must be a particularly difficult time to have surgery there!

Been logging every bite for over 10 years on fitday.com. I like it because of the graphs. I've tried others that have a better database but I always come back to fitday. The problem with fitday is I have to add a lot of customized foods since their database, imho, is below par.

My wife had her RNY in 2019, I remember her pain was so intense that even clearing her throat would hurt her abdomen. Doing my research on how to minimize this type of discomfort beside taking your pain meds post surgery one can also have some relief by using a pillow or a brace to help you support the abdomen. Has anyone had experience with this and did it work for you? Any suggestion on a particular brand? And thank you in advance for all the replies this is a wonderful online community I am grateful for this forum it has really giving me hope and help me manage my questions and navigate thru my anxiety.

I’m 55+, RNY 10/2020. Down 130 lbs and celebrating all the things that I can do again… walk for 30 minutes, go up 70 stairs, sit in a seat at the baseball stadium, pick up things I’ve dropped… celebrate every day!

I fortunately just missed the 400 club, but am 6' 3" with a HW of 382 on 7/3/19, but thought I would "weigh in" on this topic. SW 309 5/18/20 for VSG CW 216 15 months after surgery. I hit my goal weight of 220 about 7 months post op and have maintained in a ~10lb range (213-222). Taking in about 2000 calories daily and doing well. When I start creeping up, I lower to 1800 or so until I get back down. Working so far, still tracking every day, hydrating, exercising, focus on my macros. I've scheduled a tummy tuck in late September to deal with the loose skin. Excited, but nervous about that.

I lost weight faster on the pre op diet but I was a lower starting BMI. I lost 14 in two weeks pre op then 10 in my first month post op and less each month from there. But again I was lower starting BMI so I am a slow loser.

1. My program had me do liquids for 2 weeks pre-surgery and I think it was 10 days post surgery. I think I lost 7 lbs presurgically during liquid phase and 13 lbs in the liquid phase post surgically for a total of 20. That is going to be different for everyone depending on your starting weight etc. 2. A lot of weight is lost during the liquid phase but it is also done for proper preparation and healing of your stomach. I personally think the choices you make once you can begin eating solid food is the most important because this is where you are making the choices/changes that will hopefully change your habits for the long term lifestyle change. I also think the liquid phases are not real life- you have a list with very specific things you can/cannot eat. Once you are on solid food you have recommendations to follow and must choose to avoid the things that contribute to weight gain. I did however keep some of the tricks from the liquid phase (sugar free popsicles, sf jello, broth, protein drinks/shakes to fight hunger. Pre-op I lost 29 lbs from my first surgery consult until day of surgery. (27.3% of the weight lost) Post-op I lost 13 lbs during the liquid phase after surgery (12.3% of the weight lost) 64 of my 106 lbs has been lost during the soft/solid phase. (60.4% of the weight lost) 3. I personally had no brain fog or weakness/fatigue after surgery. I actually felt very enrgized after surgery. I made sure to get some carbohydrates as permitted by my program in my liquid phase (G2 instead of Gatorade zero to add some carbs). Some of the fatigue/fog can be related to anesthesia. Luckily I recover well from anesthesia, but not sure that is something that can be controlled. I had to take 4 weeks off work because I do heavy lifting at work. I really think that time off was beneficial because that is when I developed a new routine of walking 2 times daily and really had nothing else to distract me from making changes to my eating habits, searched for recipes, had time to shop for all the food I needed, and was able to have reduced stress for 4 weeks. I highly recommend if you can afford to take a few weeks off work to do so in order to get organized/develop new habits/heal properly. 't. 4. Advice- listen to your surgeon/program and follow the program. I know some people say that exercise is not important, but I really feel that my activity/exercise level is what has contributed greatly to my current weight loss. I also believe there is research indicating that those that exercise regularly have better long term success than those that don't. Exercise is a good way to get away from the kitchen when you are hungry as well as burning calories and improving overall health. I also learned to roast vegetables which has made a huge difference in my food choices. I used to rarely eat vegetables. I now usually roast green beans, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions etc with my protein (chicken, pork, beef, fish). Learn to read food labels- it now takes me longer to shop because I read the food labels before buying something. Also have found a lot of things at Aldi's that are good choices for my new lifestyle. Keep seeking support via this group and/or other groups. This is also something that contributes to long term success. Good Luck on your journey!

I did not need any pain Meds after 10 AM the day after my surgery. I haven't taken anything since then. They say pain levels diff each patient. On day 11 post op. I go back work Mon but only 4 days then off another wk. Listen to your body I am lil tired so rest when I need to. Pray u will have a speedy recovery. Sent from my SM-G981V using BariatricPal mobile app

Are you getting it done in Mexico? It seems like those Doctors are more lenient on the preop diet. I have been off alcohol for a month now. I bet i lost 10 pounds just with that. On the preop diet which is low carb, low sugar and about 1000 calories a day. Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. good luck to you.

So I’m at 6 weeks mark. And I’ve stalled! The dreaded stall. 😩 I’ve lost 31lbs in 6 weeks (including 10 pre op) My overall goal is 77lbs to be at target weight; so I’m not far off half way! Is a 6 week stall common!? I’m re-evaluating my diet, calorie intake, protein intake and water intake… Constipation has now cleared! Thank god!! 🙏🏻 on the upside I have a 8 inch waist loss! Taking the wins! any idea on what calorie; protein intake you guys are in about 6 weeks post op!? thanks Emma x

A mixture of straight cardio (walk, run, row, bike, ski, swim...), strength training (weight lifting) and HIIT (high-intensity interval training). I do CrossFit (started when I was at my heaviest weight), but it is expensive and takes about a month to get used to the intensity. I have never been stronger, though. As an example, today's workout was bench press (10-8-6-4 reps at increasing weights), then what in CrossFit-speak is called an EMOM (every minute on the minute). Every 3 minutes, 15 calories on the stationary bike and 15 box jumps. Do that 5 times. It was probably only about 40 minutes worth of actual work including a 7-minute warmup, but it's intense.

I’ve lost almost 160, I’m coming up on my 10 months soon. Starting weight 339, current weight 180. I’m a 5’10 woman, 40 years old.

No regrets, almost 10 months in. I’ve lost 160 lbs and I feel fantastic. I can drink with complete ease, I eat more fruit and vegetables than I did pre-surgery, it cured my heartburn issues, and I would have never lost the weight without this surgery. I think I would have regretted getting the surgery if I was in a different place in my life. I was mentally prepared for the upheaval it would have with my routines, my emotional eating, and I went into it knowing that it wouldn’t do the work for me. I talked to a friend of mine recently who is about to get the surgery and my one piece of advice is you have to change what you are eating, because portion control is only a piece of the puzzle. Eventually you’ll be able to eat more, or you’ll start eating more frequently, and if you’re still eating snack foods and candy/cookies/chips/super calorically dense foods you’ll stop losing and probably start gaining.

Well I just found out about this forum so I saw this post and wanted to reply as I am older than a lot of people who have this surgery. Let me tell you that age is just a number. You can be young, have this surgery and be less successful then someone older. I think it depends on the individual. I was not overweight as a kid, and I weighed about 100lbs in high school. I started putting on the weight with each pregnancy and it got harder and harder to loose it as the years went by. Bad eating habits of course played a role, as well as genetics. My body killed my thyroid when I was pregnant with my son, and it just got harder after that to get the weight off. When menopause hit, I really started to gain. I had RNY surgery in Oct/2020 at age 61. I had high blood pressure, severe sleep apnea, sore hips, knees ankles, and feeling short of breath from just vacuuming so you get the picture. Could not walk 5 feet without having to sit down. Crazy awful. (I have asthma too) I have hypothyroidism, IBS, and was also border line diabetic. Yep...time to smarten up and take control of my health. I am 62 years old now and at 10 months post op. Best decision I have ever made and I wish I had done it years ago. I talked myself out of it every time, telling myself I can loose this on my own. Who was I kidding. LOL It was hard at first and I was not prepared for the mental side of it. I sat and cried the second day home from hospital as my brain was screaming at me, scolding me for what I had done. It wanted food, and I felt a lot of depression and remorse. I was not expecting that. It got better as time went on and as the weight started to drop, I felt much more in control, and very happy to see it go. Time to take care of me. I have hit a stall and have not lost any weight in 2 months, but I know this is normal and I am trying not to panic. I expected it would be more challenging to loose this weight because of my age. I do not exercise, but plan to start in the fall, I still have about 60lbs or more to go to reach my goal weight. No going back to my old habits, and If I do, I have this tool in place to help me. Any questions? just ask me. I am happy to share my experiences and happy to hear everyone's stories as well. BTW, You should check out Dr. Weiner's YouTube videos. He is a bariatric surgeon and has good sold advice on this whole process.

I was starving after surgery also. Moving towards real food helped - particularly the step from full liquids to purees. This is where I started to be able to eat some normal protein containing foods, like eggs and cottage cheese. (I really, really hated protein drinks until I discovered my protein powder latte.) After 1-1.5 months, when the amount I could eat also increased somewhat as the swelling went down, I went from starving to really full. Now I'm 18 months out and I still feel much reduced hunger. Personally, I think when people feel starving right after surgery, it is often because they aren't getting enough protein and their body has started to eat its muscles. I was reading a study the other day that says out of all the muscle mass you'll lose in the year after bariatric surgery (about 10-15 lbs on average), you lose half of that muscle mass in your first two months. That's almost certainly because people aren't getting enough protein at the very beginning because of the liquid diet/small amounts you can eat. Sure, it may be head hunger. But either way, I'd try increasing your protein first. Any time you feel hungry, start with whatever you can tolerate/is currently on your diet plan that contains protein.

Hi Jen! I think forming a little group is a great idea! I'm basically in the same boat. Vsg 3 years ago, never got to goal and have gained 10/15 lbs over the last year and a half. I also have pcos and am pre diabetic. I am having a hard time getting back on track and I want to lose about 25/30 lbs. I could really use the support/ motivation from people that are in my shoes.

I definitely felt it was a major threat and therefore got vaccinated as soon as I was eligible. It gave me so much hope until I saw that so many in my state aren't getting vaccinated. I live in a rural/suburban area and most of the people out here are against the vaccine, and masking, etc. I feel safer having the vaccine, but I have a 10 year old son who goes back to school tomorrow who can't get it yet so I'm scared. My mom is also having brain surgery to remove a tumor tomorrow so I'm petrified one of us will get covid and pass it on to her. She is vaccinated too, but I'm still scared. I tend to always imagine the worst so I worry about everyone close to me and can't understand the mentality nowadays where people don't want to get vaccinated to help protect others who can't get the vaccine.. I got it for myself, but also for other people. Anyway, I still always wear a mask and limit my outings as often as possible. Luckily, I'm a bit of a homebody anyway. Ha ha Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my band removed in August, and surgery in Dec of 2019. My surgeon had a weight loss requirement, so I had to lose weight in that time period. As others said, I began to eat my post surgery long term diet during that time and was able to lose weight. For my surgeon that looked like: - 3 meals, no snacks - 100 G of protein a day - Vegetables - Moderate carbs (between 100-150), avoiding processed carbs

I feel this post so hard. I started my journey on 10/5/2020 so it's been almost a year for me. I was diagnosed as diabetic and that's what started it. I"m 47, and I was 311 lbs. Surgery was March 3, 2021 and I am down 111 lbs. I'm right at 200 lbs exactly and ONEderland is teasing me. I NEVER thought I could feel this way. The whole time I was going through the process, I kept thinking... I know it happens for others, but it just won't work for me. I have had an amazing year. Probably one of the best years I've had in decades. I got to ride roller coasters this summer with my girls. My wedding rings fit again. I've started running and I'm prepping for a 5K. I can go shopping in the "regular" side of the store. I BORROWED A SHIRT FROM MY TEENAGER!!! I feel so much better, but TBH, I still can't believe it. It's a process, and it's a mental game just as much if not more than a physical one. Have patience, follow your plan, and work on YOU. You can do it!

So my primary focus is on getting protein first and foremost. Partially because it’s filling and partially because I am working out so much that I need the protein for my muscles. I eat 3 meals a day and usually 1 snack. I definitely try to avoid refined carbs for the most part. Now, I’m not going to lie - I’ve had a cookie 3 or 4 times, or a tiny scoop of gourmet ice cream, but those are occasional one-offs and not something I keep in my house. I’m currently at about 1200 calories a day. My breakfast is pretty boring - I either have chobani less sugar added Greek yogurt with a scoop of genepro protein powder, 15-16 raspberries or 10-12 blackberries, and 1/3 a cup of purely Elizabeth grain free granola, or half an “egg wrap” - which is using a low carb tortilla (I like the ole version), egg, grilled veggies (zucchini, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, zucchini and spinach), ground turkey sausage, and shredded mozzarella. Lunch and dinner are just dependent on what I’ve cooked - usually something like spinach stuffed chicken breasts, a fajita bowl (meat, a little cheese, grilled onions, and salsa), ground chicken burger, taco salad, etc. Snacks are usually one of the following - 3 apple slices with 2 TBS natural peanut butter (just peanuts - no sugar or salt), cashews, chicka boom popcorn (the sea salt one and I measure out 2 cups), or if I am short on protein, “protein pudding” - 1 sugar free pudding cup with a scoop of genepro protein powder. I do also throw in sugar free popsicles and sugar free fudgesicles (but those are part of the liquids and I don’t have to wait to drink after those). My goal is minimum 80 grams of protein. I still try to be low carb and low sugar but my net carbs are usually around 50-60. That is now - I was definitely lower early on - but trying not to be carb phobic of the good carbs now. I was extremely carb phobic at first. Have added more veggies and fruits in the last couple of months, but again, my #1 goal is protein.

I'm on my 4th week and I take 2 bites of whatever I'm having and stop for like 10 minutes or until I dont feel like my stomach is going to burst, and then I keep going. For example I cooked 2 scrambled eggs with tomatoes at about 4PM and now it's 8PM and I still haven't been able to finish it. I hate wasting food so I try to finish whatever I cook even if it takes a really long time because if I dont get enough proteins, I'll lose my muscle mass and the weight loss rate decreases because your body thinks you're starving yourself. It's soooooo annoying not to be able to finish my food in one go especially when it's so little, like not even a quarter of what I had pre-op. But I'm just thankful if I can finish my food, no matter how long it takes and keep the food down without throwing up. Do you guys still have to do this even months after the surgery? I'd like to be able to eat normally although not as much as my pre op days.

the closer you are to a normal BMI, the tougher it is to take off weight. That's because you're already pretty much at an equilibrium (calories in - calories burned) when you're normal weight - or pretty close to it. The last 20 or so lbs are always a bear to take off for most people. My last 20 lbs took FOREVER to get off - and now, slight regains are as well. and it's not just us. I remember so many times sitting at Weight Watchers meetings when I was pre-op and super morbidly obese, rolling my eyes at these normal weight - or slightly overweight - women b**tching and moaning about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs. Yea right - try losing 100, people. Now I totally get it....

When you've been morbidly obese or super morbidly obese (which was my case) for so long it's really hard to imagine a time when you'll be able to walk for more than 2 minutes and not get out of breath. It's hard to imagine going to the doctor and not having them IMMEDIATELY bring up your weight, even when it had absolutely nothing to do with why you were at the doctor in the first place. It's hard to wrap your head around going out in public and not having strangers gawking at you and judging you because of your size. I couldn't wrap my head around that at all because I had been obese for more than 20 years and super morbidly obese for half of that time. I was 32 when I had my surgery (I'm 34 now) so trying to wrap my head around NOT being obese was impossible. I didn't know what that would feel like, and I think a part of me thought that no matter how hard I tried I just wouldn't get there. But I did. I'm 19 months post op now and when I go to the doctor my weight is NEVER brought up unless I bring it up myself. I don't get stared at anymore for doing simple things like going grocery shopping. And, the best part is that I don't get out of breath from just walking. I had a lung function test done before surgery and my asthma was tested as 'severe'. My doctor had me recently do another lung function test and now my asthma is 'mild'. It's hard to imagine how things will be a year or two from now, but you have a lot to look forward to! I wish you the best on your journey!