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I agree with this. My head has been swirling with all the things I've read and experiences shared on this forum. It is a lot to take in. I think what makes this decision harder is that, unlike other surgeries I've had, it isn't quite like a doctor saying this is wrong with you and here is what needs to be done to fix it. This feels more like a choice when I'm deciding to have my insides rearranged (and by which method) and all that goes with it. This makes me feel like it's all on me, which I guess it mostly is. There is also always the little voice that says I might be able to do this without surgery. I'm smart enough to know that this would have worked long ago if I could do it, but it's still part of the mix. Thanks for your comments. You seem to have done very well with your own weight loss. I'm glad your DS worked for you.

I found this, but not sure how accurate it is. https://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/obamacare-weight-loss-surgery.html

Okay so another question I had to ask if I loved lifting five pound weights at the gym last year and working my cardio out on the treadmill would that work a little for my weight loss before I get surgery and when should I start if my surgery is in March or April. Thinking of walking more I try to get out of the house twice a day for now and I drink my premier protein drinks is this something to drink after the workout or during it if it's clear protein I have to get to do this so you think it would work I'm working on it so bad I got so much confidence and encouragement from my family and this support group and a very good best friend of mine.Even tho before I got 6,000 steps or more in if I walked all day with water and a small snack of fruit or veggies. I am so determined to get this surgery I write down everything now just wondering should I start going back to the gym because going on the treadmill makes me realize walking and a healthier lifestyle is better for me then what I did before. Sent from my TMAF035G using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi all fellow bariatric buddies. Sorry to hear about everyone’s hair loss. I started Collagen powder 2 days after surgery as it was suggest by the nurse as one of many supplements I have to take. I wouldn’t know if I loose hair as I never brush it. Short curly shoulder length hair. But I do use a lot of hair products in hair. I am still on soft/liquid foods. And can’t eat eggs on their own. Nor can I still stomach coffee(haven’t had it in 12yrs). Is there any foods you loved and can’t eat now? I have become sensitive to eczema. I have been able to stop my 5yr medication for reflux. I tried a sip of hubbies coke no sugar 4 days ago. That was a mistake🤮 Im still loosing 1kg (2.2 pounds) a week. And can now get 3 of 4 wedding rings on.

Back through the history of this thread I started out posting my meal when I was in the weight loss phase, like a quarter sandwich, lol. Then I posted my dining out meals, from work travel. Then I posted the low carb meal preps I was doing primarily for my bf (cause my diet is anything but low carb!). Then early pandemic I was doing large scale meal prep for three different (but small) households, because of grocery scarcity, and the sudden end to my work travel gave me free time. But I burned out on cooking a while ago. Now I just post the occasional home cooked meal, or something special or fancy. Like @GreenTealael I don't post because how many times a week do people want to see a paper bowls with tater tots and season salt, or an 80% eaten McChicken 😂? This is what currently makes up a large % of my weekly diet (when I'm not in France 🥐🥖🍷) 😂

Don’t know if it’s vertigo as with vertigo, the room spins & you feel nauseous & it usually lasts for a while. (Even with meds, mine can knock me about fur a day or two.) It could be low blood pressure but equally likely that your centre of gravity has changed with your weight loss. You’ve been holding your body in a certain way to counter balance your weight & now you don’t need to as much. You may even notice aches & pains in your joints & muscles as your muscles, tendons & joints readjust to your new & better posture. I had upper back pain but new bras that actually fit helped with that a lot.

My original surgeon left the state unexpectedly so I had a consult with a new one today. I'm down to the point of choosing which surgery I want and I had settled on RNY. This new surgeon brought up SADI DS which he said solves issues the old DS caused, i.e. less malabsorbtion and less GERD than the sleeve alone (something to do with how they deal with the pyloric sphincter). He said the advantages over bypass are less chance of ulcers, increased weight loss and better control of serious type 2 diabetes (which I have). I hadn't considered ulcers in my research so I would like to ask if others with RNY have had issues with these and/or have noticed this being a serious issue in your own research. I did a search here and there are almost 1K mentions in the RNY forum. I would also be interested in hearing from those who had this particular DS procedure (I think it is the most common DS version now?) and developed GERD after, and any other issues with DS in general. I'm still inclined to get the RNY but want to keep an open mind at this point. Malabsorbtion is an issue for me as I do take a number of medications that I will continue even with weight loss. Thanks for any input. I really want to get past the decisions and get this done!

I don't use the collagen gummies because they have too many carbs in them for me. But I will write out what I have been doing for my hair and its making a huge difference in keeping it. My hair dresser is pretty amazed and I'm happy about it I'll add it to another post!

Hey August Buddies! I finally broke through my last stall - I hovered at 203 forever... but it finally broke through with more exercise. I have been doing a regular regimen for my hair and **knock-on-wood** it's working. So I wanted to share with you what I'm doing. 1. Daily take high-quality grass-fed collagen in my water. This is what I currently use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074T8HKGF It has no flavor and dissolves great! 2. Collagen works best with a REAL FOOD vitamin C. It helps the body absorb and utilize collagen better. Not just a regular Vitamin C Ascorbic acid. Here is the link to what I use, and I swear by it. Here is the link: https://shop.drberg.com/vitamin-c-complex 3. I take 2 supplements a day of Dr. Bergs hair supplements. Here is the link: https://shop.drberg.com/hair-formula-capsules 4. Three times a week I massage my head to bring blood flow to the roots of my hair. Even pull and tug on my hair to give it circulation. 5. I use Morrocan oil on my hair after a shower. I try to only wash my hair twice a week to help keep its moisture. So overall, I am trying to hydrate from the inside and from the outside, and so far it's working!! I've seen a little increase in hair loss, but nothing compared to when I was on Keto full-time. I'm also doing intermittent fasting for 16:8. I eat for 8 hours a day and then I'm done for 16. It really helped me get over my stall too. Hope this helps!

i purposefully limited carbs the first two years (fist year-ish, <25g a day, second year-ish, <50-70 a day). my team did not tell me to do this, it came about first by necessity (i had very little stomach real estate and needed to prioritize other foods, and sugar was my enemy number one back then cuz i was in the height of my dumping abilities), ...then i noticed that limiting it seemed to positively affect weight loss for me, so i continued, then it just became habit, then later it became a low-level fear of mine to get back to. ...slowly me and carbs got back together again and we hang out probably just as much as "normal" people do. though breads, rice, pasta, etc still tend to sit heavily in me so its still in smaller quantities. but me and sugar are def in a much better place now lol. i'm 4 years out.

I noticed since some weight loss I have been super clumsy. Its like my equilibrium is off. If I'm walking on a flat surface I will all of a sudden start slanting and usually grab something to steady myself. Has anyone had this happen to them?

I have wavy hair past my shoulders. I wonder if I will have to cut it after all this hair loss.

Ok - breathe. When is the last time you lost 9lbs (for good) in 6 weeks? Or 59lbs in one concerted effort? YOU'VE GOT THIS! ALREADY! If you're sticking to your plan, as you say, then you cannot *not* lose a big pile of weight. It just doesn't come off in a linear fashion - you will experience stalls (many) and big whooshes of loss (fewer). You just have to relax into this and trust the process if you follow the rules - you now have your tool, if you use it properly you will lose an absolute shedload of weight. Enjoy the ride. 🤩

Hi everyone! I’m new here & wanted to see if anyone shares a surgery date with me. This upcoming Friday, November 18th, I’ll be having my sleeve to DS surgery & I’m so darn excited! I’ve been waiting almost 4 years for this surgery. I started in 2019 then Covid hit. Then life hit & everything was basically put on pause. I started the process again last year, but I was working so much that I didn’t take the time out to do what needed to be done for the surgery. Then I got Covid & lost 12lbs in a week. But, the weight came back once I was able to eat & taste good again. Lol…. So now, here I am with a surgery date. I think excited is an understatement! I only lost 30lbs with the sleeve. My weight the day of surgery was 266 (September 30, 2015). In 2016, my PCP put me on Adipex & Topomax. I got down to 210, but I started having issues with my stomach & couldn't tolerate them anyone so I stopped taking them. I’m currently at 232lbs & my surgeon (Dr Smith in Celebration, FL) said that I’ll probably get down to around 170- 180. I asked if it’s possible to get to 160- 165 & he said “It’s very possible”. I’ve prepared myself mentally as much as one could & I'm ready to get this weight off. I know the weight loss will be slower & it will take some time to get these 60lbs off, but I’m more determined than ever to do this! I’m already committed to taking numerous pills a day (meds & vitamins) & will also have to start doing some type of cardio, which is something I didn’t do with the sleeve. I’m looking forward to being able to share my “success” story with all of you! ☺️

because I like to over share sometimes (lol) and just give people a window into a true reality of a very large persons journey struggling with bad habits, eating disorder, anxiety depression etc….… I have decided to show a general weight progression for my weight loss journey so far….it has been far from drops all the time, even when I was doing the right thing! My high weight was July 2021 when I tipped the scales at 456. I am starting the rest of my story in January 2022. I was taking Ryselbus for a bit and was back down to 440. It was at this time that I doubled down to start doing the mental work on my stress eating, emotional eating, binge eating and other disordered eating which had gotten me pretty immobile and huge. During feb, march and April I avoided the scale, focusing on my relationship with food, the triggers contained in my relationship with other people who had made me turn to binging and life in general. Also in some changes in portion size and being able to stop when full (which was hard for me) but April 24th I stepped on the scale and was 426. I felt like I had made progress on me for the first time in a long time. May 8th I was gradually down to 421, then my body did the first drop on may 9th (which I have learned is normal pattern for me) to 414.6 I went up about two pounds and down about two pounds for another couple weeks until finally dropping so to 405.6 May 27th. June I really worked hard on dealing with fast food addiction and some very deep emotional hurts along with work stress and financial stress. My weight varied from 412.6 down (yep, gained!) to 403 at the end of the month. I was gaining, I was loosing, I was struggling to eat better and not loose my head to anxiety and other emotions. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. The whole month tracks up and down and up and down until I started to find my way towards the end of the month and the struggle became easier. June 30th saw my surgeon for first consult. I was 403.2 that morning on my scale July 4th I celebrated my own independence by leaving 400s with 399.6… I had started doing a lot of portion control and making healthier choices. Had nearly eliminated fast food. You would think I would be on a better path, but no, my body was still going to frustrate me. Even though I was eating a consistent diet, my weight decided to go on a joy ride and spiked back past 400 to 411.8. I was devastated and disheartened. How could I gain when my calories were in control and I was not eating much junk??? Emotionally I struggled and dug deeper into my past, my present and what I wanted for my future. I made some emotional breakthroughs and slowly the scale slid down, leaving the month at 396.4 Then August 3rd, 399.9 lbs, my nutritionist appt where I got my surgical guidelines and it threw me for a loop. I was told three weeks of either 1) 4 protein shakes a day and a light meal of lean protein and steamed veggies or 2) 50 total carbs a day….. that morning I had what I thought of a healthy smoothie breakfast with split pea (protein/fiber), berries and a banana with ice… I did the math on the carbs. It was 108 for my breakfast… could I do this?? with my struggles with disordered eating I knew I needed baby steps to get used to anything. Carb counting seemed to give me more variety and feeling of control. I started tracking all foods and reducing my cab count throughout Aug….. a miracle happened to my body as my mind relaxed with the guidelines given to me. The weight fluctuated, but trended truly down. I ended august at 376.3 by September I was (mostly) living with 50 carbs a day.. reading all labels and looking up food, paying attention to portion. Funny thing is my calories only dropped about 200 from my pre carb counting diet, but I was even more stringent with what I would consume… I was ready for my surgery when my surgeon was finally able to schedule ! By making my new habits my new normal, I was down to 365.6 at the end of September. A few hiccups delayed my surgery scheduling (mostly an uncommon complicated insurance issue ) but I kept moving with my new normal… I finally got my date of Nov 3rd, so October was go time. The time to double down and follow things to a T so I could be in the best shape for surgery. My body wasn’t as cooperative even with me doing right as I hoped, but with perseverance I dropped more weight. During the last week in October with changing nothing I went from 362 to 353. My body just finally released the weight… surgery day 351.4 ! Will do a post op so far in a bit…

Congrats! I have been 2 pounds away for weeks now but I can't wait until I join you. I've only lost 30 pounds but I have a few fun nsv like my watch was on the last hole and tight enough to leave marks on my wrist but now it rotates freely around and around. I could tighten it but I love seeing the evidence of the weight loss lol. My wedding ring is getting dangerously loose too. I almost couldn't take it off for the surgery because it was so tight and I never take it off anyway but now I check it often because I'm afraid it'll come off on its own. Little things like that make all that we've done to get to this point worth it

He’s primarily a BBL surgeon. I wouldn’t choose him for a tt, particularly after massive weight loss.

If you’re in a stall you won’t see any weight loss. The first often begins around week 3 & usually can last 1-3. Some people are just slow losers too & that’s okay. Some pre existing conditions can slow your rate of loss too as can certain medications. As @oldsalt asked: what does your surgeon say? Also check with your dietician. Maybe something is missing in your diet or you’ve misunderstood something in your instructions or food list. Can be easy to do with all the information overload. Don’t give up. It may take you longer than you hoped but you will lose weight. And those yoga classes will get easier. You’ll be surprised what you’ll be able to do in as little as a month if you stick with it.

I agree with the suggestions to distract yourself, clean tired teeth & snack on your leftover dinner, a protein or nutrient dense food. You can try having something to drink too - water, warm milk, a herbal/green tea. And, yes, most traditional late night snacking foods are nutrient poor sliders which are easy to overeat. I’d also ask myself why I want to snack. Is it an old habit, an emotional need, are you craving a specific food, flavour or texture? These are all head hungers not real hungers. Recognising them & discovering what to do to manage them is part of our weight loss process. Not easy but worth the effort. If only the surgery removed that part of our brain too. PS - try not to eat too close to going to bed (leave a couple of hours) especially if you’re eating a dense protein like meat as it can cause GERD symptoms.

Hello. I am really really struggling. I have only lost 9 lbs at the 6 week mark after gastric bypass surgery. I lost over 50 lbs prior to surgery. I don’t feel restricted but I am totally following my instructions for intake. Today, I tried beginner’s yoga for overweight people and couldn’t even get near the poses. I feel like just giving up.

Also losing my hair much faster than normal. When i see the amount coming out in the brush or shower it makes me sad. Has anyone tried collagen gummies?

😁 Your post was both hilarious and relatable. I'd glanced at the scale and it said I'd gained almost a stone! I panicked and almost threw the scale. I don't quite have the hang of this "monitoring my weight" thing as of yet, and I don't want to. However, I know it's a necessary evil. This is a fancy, schmancy electronic scale that you cannot put on the carpet (or it'll be inaccurate), and that connects with an app on my phone to tell me my BMI and keeps track of my weight loss/gain. Evil thing, indeed. Thank you for everything!

And you’ll likely experience a couple of them as you’re losing. Stalls are all very normal & very common. They usually last 1-3 weeks. Think of them as your body saying what the hell are you doing to me: less food, change of diet, change of activity, weight loss, … It then shuts the door & tries to come to terms with the changes. Some find that while the scale doesn’t move, a tape measure may show some changes.

You’ve done amazingly well so far. Congratulations. Ok, breathe. Weight loss is never a straight downward line. It goes up & down, plateaus, goes faster at times, slower at others. As long as your general trend is downward you’re golden. We all have a natural fluctuation too from hormonal changes, water retention, constipation/diarrhoea. It’s just how our bodies function. Don’t let the scales rule your life. You know best how to manage it - weigh every day or less frequently. I weighed every day until I stabilised now I weigh every second or third day but that’s what I need to keep myself honest & on track. Don’t forget to that what you weigh on your scales will likely be different to your doctors. Different scales, you’re weighed at different times, after eating/not eating, dressed or not, etc. Also scales are not 100% accurate all the time. A few weeks ago my scales said I weighed 136.2kg & that was after I changed the batteries. It initially read 151kg - about three times my weight. Yes I did have heart palpitations for a second or two. Since it wasn’t the batteries, it may have been the days of extremely high humidity or that it was just time they went to God. I bought a new set … which weigh about a pound heavier than the old ones. ☹️

It's great to hear that you are considering all of your options when it comes to loose skin. It is true that there are many factors that play into how our skin responds to weight loss, and genetics is definitely one of the biggest ones. However, there are a few things that you can do to help your skin bounce back, even if it takes a little longer than you'd like. First and foremost, make sure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet and getting enough protein. This will help your skin to heal and repair itself from the inside out. Additionally, staying hydrated is key for keeping your skin looking its best. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, and consider adding a daily moisturizer to your skin care routine. Finally, give yourself time. It can take months or even years for your skin to fully adjust to your new body, so be patient and give your skin the time it needs to bounce back. If you are still unhappy with your appearance after a few years, then you can always talk to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon about your options. Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely keep all of this in mind as I continue on my journey. Thanks for the advice! I am only a few months out, so I am hopeful that my skin will tighten up a bit more over time. I am being very consistent with my skin care regimen and using sunscreen religiously, so fingers crossed that will help! I am also drinking tons of water and eating pretty well, so hopefully that will make a difference too. I know it will take time and patience, but I am hopeful that I will see some more improvement. I'm so sorry to hear that you're struggling with your loose skin! I can completely understand how frustrating it must be. Have you considered talking to your doctor about surgery? It sounds like you've been doing everything right in terms of taking care of yourself, but sometimes our bodies need a little extra help. Surgery could be the answer for you and it's always worth exploring all of your options. I had never even heard of "turkey neck" until I started my weight loss journey. I was always unhappy with how my neck looked, but I thought it was just because I was overweight. Now that I've lost the weight, turkey neck is one of the things that bothers me most about my appearance. It's really hard to feel good about myself when people are constantly pointing out how saggy and wrinkled my skin looks. But you're right - at the end of the day, being healthy and feeling good about myself is more important than anything else!