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I am facing the same dilemma concerning quitting dipping tobacco. I am trying to decide if I want the bariatric surgery and been told I need to quit dipping before I can have the surgery. I am willing to quit pre surgery and for a while post surgery BUT, I REALLY DO NOT HAVE ANY DESIRE TO QUIT DIPPING. I understand the health risks associated with dipping and am willing to live with that. Am 61 years old and have already given up drinking and smoking and cut way back on what I eat but still need to lose weight (about 60 lbs.). All the response to this post are still about smoking and long term health associated with dipping. As previously stated, I want to dip and am willing to live with the risks. So, the question is, how will dipping post surgery effect the healing process for surgically repaired area and at what point can I dip again after surgery? Any info out there on this?

It's quite the conundrum. I have heard of instances where a person was denied surgery for losing weight pre-op and disqualified by insurance, but it depends also on your number of co morbidities which can allow for a lower BMI. I may have seen the same video you are referring to and like you, was worried that if I lost too much weight, insurance may deny me. If there's any truth to it...IDK. But I had a very high BMI and lots of preexisting conditions, so I was worrying needlessly. I say check with your insurance plan and ask your doctor for specifics. Good luck!!!

According to my doctor , the insurance company goes by your weight on the first day of your doctor visit. I was in the same boat ... lower BMI and pre-existing conditions. The pre surgey diet would put me on the edge of the required BMI . I have United Health care and it was no problem !

Hi there. I’ve been watching a few videos on the 2 week pre-diet and was wondering… I am on the lower end of qualifying BMI, only qualifying with my insurance company because of other health complications. Can the weight loss of the pre surgery diet present a problem or is the insurance process already sealed before the diet begins? I yo yo between a BMI of 37 and 42, have been more diet conscious since starting with the nutritionist and am dropping a few pounds a week. With a minimum of 2 more months to go before the pre op diet, I’m worried I’ll be pushing the margin (though know I’ll never see a healthy weight without this surgery)

I started walking day 1 after surgery to prevent blood clots every few hours for 5-10 minutes. I continued on with that until I was up to a mile once a day. Started inside on my treadmill and walking outside for now until it gets too hot. Today at 10AM it was only 70 degrees with a cool breeze so pushed myself to go round the lake a second time for 2 miles total. 😤 Not bad for someone who was almost completely sedentary pre-op, My bariatric team advises nothing harder than walking until 6 weeks after surgery. Weeks 2-4 light physical activity. Low impact walking and stretching. Weeks 4-8 add cardio activities. Increase walking distance and/or speed. Biking, water aerobics. Easier on joints. 5xs a week for 30 minutes and build from there. Week 6 add strength training twice a week in addition to cardio. I have yet to start the strength training. I had a hiatal hernia repair at the time of my RNY so I'm a bit apprehensive to start. But I do look at the weights as I pass thru the room to go sit in the infrared sauna. LOL Good luck @Nicnak

Hi! I'm new here but I read this and wanted to reply. At my two-week appointment, I was told to wait one more week before getting on the treadmill. However, since the surgery, I was told to walk around inside my house (South Texas so too hot to walk outside after surgery) 4 times a day. I was literally counting 600 steps 4x a day. Tomorrow, I'm getting on that treadmill but still gonna take a slow stride. I'm freaking out because my weight loss is so slow. BUT, the PA told me I could use the treadmill at 3 weeks and I could start driving, just to be very, very careful because of the seat belt. Maybe start with just walking at a comfortable pace.

I’d wait a bit longer for anything intensive. Like others have said it was about six weeks before I was cleared to lift weights. But until that point, it was mild stretching to stay limber and walk, walk, walk.

I was told to start walking right away and more intense/weight exercise at 6 weeks. And even then, my surgeon said if it hurt my abdominal area to stop and try again in a week or so.

Hey! I just hit a month post op and the past week or so I’ve noticed every day my weight fluctuates 4lbs (roughly)… has anyone else noticed this? I feel like losing/gain 4lbs a day seems a little crazy… just wondering if this is another one of those “wait it out moments” for us. Hope everyone is doing well!

I has my VGS about 6 weeks ago. I have always had a good appetite, was a chubby child. In my teens through to about 50, I was able to manage a good appetite with a lot of physical exercise and I loved it, loves my muscles. I ran, power yoga, spinning. some weights, never a body builder. I had my child at 35 and that was hard on my body. I had/have a lot of back problems so slowly my running was taken away, then spinning. I managed to keep up. Power yoga routine, but it was hard on me. Went thru menaopause and divorce at 50 and life unraveled. COVID hit and with personal issue I went to work and came home to lay in bed for two years. The weight piled on, muscle went away and I couldn’t find my motivation anymore. I felt like I had thrown away an adult lifetime of fitness that I had worked so hard for and had wanted so badly. I decided to go for surgery because I just felt at this stage in my life, I wouldn’t be able to get back to my previous fitness and weight loss at this age was just about impossible. I had the surgery, did well. I am getting plenty of protein, but all the plans I had for creating a new physical fitness rebirth haven’t gone nearly as well as I wanted. I am not giving up, but everything is just harder. Still trying to find my MOJO. I have lost weight, but maintaining and maybe building a little are my Quest. Getting older, losing your hormones is discouraging. It happens to everyone, but you can’t really prepare and “ be ready” because it’s like having a child, you just don’t know how it really is until it happens. I am really interested in any supplements or tricks, certain exercises routine a anyone has learned. I am trying to focus more on weight training. I have never really like just doing weights. That is one thing I loved about power yoga, it a lot of muscle work without feeling like just doing a bunch of boring reps!!I am researching EAA supplements. Would love some testosterone, but that is costly over time. Look forward to figuring out this journey with this group!!

Tomorrow, it'll be five months since my surgery. I can share that the first two months were the hardest. I now find myself eating intuitively. The only food that I avoid is bread. My weight loss has slowed down, but continues to steadily decrease. On my surgery date, I was at 229 pounds. I currently weigh 173. The biggest change is that my knees and back are no longer in pain. I am able to work out without any issues. The only down side is that I have begun to lose my hair in clumps. While this has been frustrating, I am so thankful for this surgery. I feel so much more comfortable in my own skin! I hope all my February surgery pals are having a positive journey as well!

The last pounds can take ages. In the end I was losing grams (ounces). Have a chat with your surgeon & dietician & review everything. This may be your new set point so losing less than this and maintaining a lower weight will be very difficult. It could also be an extended stall. You’ve been doing so well I can understand you being concerned.

That was me too. I bounced between 60-75kg (healthy weight to overweight range) most of my life but peri menopause then menopause & suddenly I was obese. Could lose a couple of kilos but would take several weeks & that as on those extremely low calories diets of 500 calories a day too. I’d gain the weight back like in days. The surgery boosted my metabolism & I keep it burning by eating regularly now - no more meal skipping for me which was how I used to try to maintain my weight. The fatigue will improve as you begin to eat more each day. Try an electrolyte drink to give you a boost on days you need a little more energy. You may be able to start some fruit soon. I think I could from my third month. Check with your dietician. The sad news the weights won’t help with your loose skin. It will only help with the muscular structure under your skin which has been stretched out. My arms are quite nicely toned from using resistance bands. I even get compliments which I think is hilarious as my loose skin is still there but then I don’t wave my arms about too much 😉. Only way to get it rid of it is surgery. All the best with your progress.

I started seeing a slowdown in weight loss around 13 months post OP and now the scale is hardly moving. I read that the rate will be high at first and will slow down as you about to reach your goal weight. I still want to lose 5 kg more but I'm not stressing about it. Planning to start exercising and hopefully that will help. I read some people here have tried fasting / IF to jumpstart the weight loss. I remember you posted about trying IF. How is that working for you? The important thing is to not stress too much about. I always remind myself that I've gained all that weight over a number of years and to lose it all over a few months would be a drastic change. Good luck

My losses slowed down about the same times as yours. Once I went nearly three months before I lost again. I tend to go down in blocks of 5lbs at once. I try and walk more. I am thinking of going swimming again but the loose skin is holding me back. Try and change things up a bit. Finds some new foods. Expanding my diet like being on holiday has really been good for my weight loss. I think that at some point we have to call it a day but I am sure you will go further than you are at the moment, My problem is that I am not too bothered if I stay at this weight.

Good afternoon, everyone. I'm new here. I was looking for some kind of forum where I could interact with others like me. I think I may have found it. I live in South Texas, and I had a sleeve gastrectomy in Mexico in 2009 when I was 35. I initially weighed 340 lbs and lost 149 lbs. and went from a size 32 to a size 14. My goal was a 12, but I was really happy. I was exercising 5x a week on the elliptical for a whole hour nonstop! I kept the weight off for approximately 6 years. Unfortunately, all kinds of tragic events started changing my life. In 2014 my father passed away, and I took it really, really hard. I ended up on Xanax and Ambien. In 2015, I got divorced. In 2016, my mother passed away. In 2017, I was transferred from a job I really enjoyed to a brand new location with all different people to work with. Then the COVID Pandemic kept me teaching from home for a year and a half. It was literally one heartbreak after another. Rather than looking for actual help, I helped myself... to pills, alcohol, and crap food. Over the past 9 years, I regained all my weight. Even though I still felt restriction in eating (i.e. only half a burger or 1.5 slices of pizza, with no sides or drinks and I was done). I was 10 lbs away from my original weight before my sleeve. Last year, though, my school district sent out an email stating that WLS was now covered by our insurance. I was so excited! I looked into it, made many calls, and thought coverage was out of the question because I had already had a surgery. Our insurance covers "one surgery per life." However, since my first surgery was private pay, they went ahead and accepted covering my revision to a bypass. Today is my 18th day post op. I've lost 42 lbs altogether since May 11, but only 10 of those lbs since the surgery. I feel a little blue because I was hoping for more than a 10lb loss in 3 weeks. I lost more weight at the beginning when I started a semi-liquid diet to prepare for surgery. I was doing 3 shakes and one solid, no-carb meal. I know that revisions are slower than virgin surgeries. I am doing as much reading and research as I can. I just can't help it, I guess. After my sleeve, the weight loss was phenomenal. Right now I am consuming 450 cals, 60 g protein, and keeping my carbs under 40g. I am walking around my house (not outside because South Texas) 4x a day and was told I could start on the treadmill this coming Monday. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I'm also trying to find ways to consume fiber without a lot of carbs. I've eaten 1/2 cup of pinto beans twice but, man, that's a lot of carbs. I wanted to try raspberries, but I'm afraid of the little seeds getting stuck in my sutures. Any advice, thoughts, suggestions?

I am back to excercising but i gain weight according to my scale afterwards. I drink tea and gerber apple juice which doesnt have much carbs. I usually drink things under 30 grams of carbs and i keep my calories under 500 a day

KNOW YOUR WHY & why you are doing this. You will have buyers remorse at some point, but it will be temporary. I've had days where I've literally thought, what have I done? I miss abusing food, ect. But it's short lived & then you remember, you're losing weight, taking care of this body you hold up a permanent residence in & after awhile, you don't really care about food like you used to. I use to live to eat! I could eat sooooo much until I was sick. I had binge eating in a bad way, now I can't believe how much I could eat in a single sitting! Would last me a week now haha! I am 5wk PO down 31 lbs since surgery. My starting weight was 248 lbs I am currently 217 lbs I want to be around 135 lbs is when I felt optimal but I felt good at 150-160 lbs in the past too. I am 5'6 See where my body puts me & how far I'm willing to go. I am not going to cheat on my diet until maintenance stage, it's just not worth it. The honeymoon stage you keep hearing about it real & you only get ONE so I'm taking full advantage of it. If you have any questions or anything you can message me anytime on here or my toktok @kno_ur_why.

.I had my sleeve done on May third. I am 60 and have been in menopause for 8 years. I have never been heavy til menopause happened. 3 weeks before my surgery i started my pre diet. I ate 540 calories a day of protein and very low carbs. On my surgery day I had only lost 1 pound :(. I feel that with age also comes the slower metabolism. I am doing okay with the weight lose. I am a vegetarian, so it is interesting not getting to eat any fruit. But I am sticking to the strict diet given by my doctor. Only 1/4 cup a meal. I have been lift 5 pound arm weights as I know my arms are going to have alot of excess skin. It is strange to see my skin as it appears I am like a deflating ballon :). It is alot to get used to. My fatique is off the chart, but I am doing the best I can. One day at a time

It's only been a month and a half. Way way too early to decide the surgery has been a fail. You could be having hormone issues, water weight, or it could be a natural fluctuation. I always gained 4-6 pounds when a stall hit and then when it broke, I'd immediately lose that weight plus an additional 2-3 pounds right off the bat. How is your exercising? How often are you eating? Are you dinking anything carbonated? How are your calories and carbs?

Hi there my June friends - I hop you re all well. I had my surgery on 1st June (bypass). my starting weight was 215lbs and I am down to 184lbs. I have been able to eat purees foods straight out of hospital for 3.5 weeks and am now on soft food (food that I can get a fork through). I eat about 4-5 small meals per day and try to drink a litre and a half of water. I have not had any problems so far and am enjoying a wider variety of things to eat. I've been swimming almost each morning since just under 3 weeks out of surgery. I think I am doing ok - just so glad to have had this opportunity to help me to manage my weight. There is still so much to learn about this new tool but I am going to enjoy the journey 🙂. I hope you are all happy with the decision to have weight loss surgery xxx

Had my follow up with surgeon yesterday after having done all testing and nutrition classes that he asked of me. He congratulated me for being so swift and for losing a bit of weight since last visit. He said I’ve been cleared with everyone but I have one more visit with the nutritionist before she can clear me in 2 weeks and then a final follow up with him!!! I’m so happy I couldn’t sleep last night. Thought I would have to wait 6 months that Keystone First requires but they have years of documented proof that my weight has been a problem and a huge factor in my health for over 15 years. Praying insurance approves me after next visit (fingers crossed)

I am almost 11 months post opp and the last 2-3 month I have seen a dramatic halt in weight loss. It's to the point that I feel like I should have went with bypass instead of sleeve. At what point did you see the slow down? Did anyone plateau before they were even close to the goal? And did you do anything in particular to get the weight loss going again?

Yay a fellow Texan! I’m up in north Texas. I had my surgery in Plano, but that’s about an hour from where I actually live. I guess that amount of weight loss is normal? I started at a slightly higher weight not too far off from yours so we seem to be tracking about the same, but I bet you’ll pass me up soon. From what I’ve seen, the weight falls off of men a little faster. This week has been slower so far. I’m down about 5lbs. Food is still going okay. I’ve had yogurt, strained soups and a tiny bit of pureed beans. Nothing crazy and only very small amounts. I’m able to finish my protein shakes and I can drink around 65-70oz of fluids for the day. You’re so lucky you get to eat eggs. I’ve been craving them. My first post-op appointment is next Tuesday. Maybe he’ll let me then too.

I haven’t had any regrets. 5-7 days after surgery is when you think “what the hell did I just do?” But then you are able to drink a little more protein each day & then you progress though all the food stages & you slowly start to feel better as the weight starts falling off. Then you feel amazing & wonder why you didn’t do it sooner! I think most of us were scared before surgery. It’s a natural response.