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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!

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...

Hello All! I had Surgery on 10/18/23 😊 I am usually in Facebook support groups, but lately they are too busy being negative and quick to tear others down. So, I am here for new scenery. I also noted most the talk and experiences are VSG, and less RNY Gastric Bypass. They are always talking bad about Bypasses until they need a revision to Bypass from VSG. So far I am doing really great! there's some hard moments, such as post op pain, gas, and one episode of dumping. (I think i ate too fast. Eating and talking). I am down -22 lbs. I will be one month post op on November 18th!

I was sleeved in 2017. In hindsight, bypass would have been better given my history of GERD. Fast forward years later, COVID piled the weight on (working from home, lockdown, job stress (worked in healthcare during pandemic) and I'm up 65 lbs. That i can deal with though. I know the bariatric lifestyle, and I know what I need to do to lose the weight healthily and such. It's the GERD. I'm up to 60-80 mgs of Prilosec daily, plus antacids and other H2 blockers as needed. I sleep elevated and just always generally feel like I have a pit in my sternum. I've subsequently relocated to a new state since my surgery, so I feel like I'm starting all over. I have an appointment with my PCC this week to discuss the GERD issue. Given what people are stating on this board, it seems like that a RNY may be an option. Honestly, I just want to know why it has escalated so bad over the last several years. It doesn't matter what it is; it comes up. I drank some unsweetened almond milk two hours after dinner, and about 10 mins later I literally burped it up like a baby. No warning, nothing... All over my bed. Other times, it's that hor burning awful acidic in my throat and chest. Makes me cough. I try to eat crackers to help absorb the acid, which is not healthy. I'm really quite scared that's something serious. What have your experiences been like? Will I go through a whole program again? I just want relief. What questions should I bring up with my doctor. What tests will they run? This is still a fairly new PCC relationship and several thousand miles away from where I first was treated/sleeved.

Babyspoons, what a fantastic visit! That is so exciting, I'm glad you are having such a great surgery outcome. Being able to see those numbers normalize and knowing you can start coming off of meds is just thrilling!! So many of these things CAN be reversed or reduced with surgery. It is just such a modern miracle to me. They took me off my blood pressure meds when I was in the hospital and told me I likely wouldn't need them anymore. I've been checking my BP at home and sure enough, it is steady and normal. No pounding headaches like before. I feel really blessed. And my GP took me off Ozempic and decided not to put me back on anything because I had surgery and she said she expected my follow up in 3 months to show normal levels! My fasting blood sugar in the hospital was 87!! I'm just so happy over it all...

My water intake is good. I am not deficient as of my last visit less then a month ago. I contacted my dietician and she said I may be eating to fast or not chewing my food well enough. I agree on both. I notice some foods bother me more then others. I struggle with meat. And always if I eat or drink to fast. I just need to check myself and slow down.

I feel pretty awful now if I guzzle water so be careful with that, it hits our tummies hard to take in that much fluid in one go. I know it sounds weird because I'm not a bypass patient but I get dumping symptoms (nausea, pressure, dizziness, fatigue) if I take in too much water too quickly and it leads to wicked diarrhea if I'm not careful. Remember to slow down... If you are drinking too fast it is possible you are eating too fast too. This could cause all the issues you are describing. I've found that what I thought was slow was not slow enough. Take your slow and double the time and try that!

If I'm calculating right, you are about 6 months out. You lost all that weight in 6 months?! Take some time to be fiercely proud of yourself and your body! At 6 months out you are probably not done losing, but you are in the realm of stalls for sure. Are you keeping track of your body measurements? Sometimes when the scale doesn't move the inches do. Your body has a lot of reorganizing to do as you drop weight, sometimes it needs a time out to make sure everything is going to continue working! Losing weight this fast is actually pretty hard on the body. I wouldn't stress it by changing up a bunch of things trying to force the scale to move, it'll just take your body that much longer to recalibrate. Honestly, this is probably just a stall and will take TIME. The body will not let go before it is ready to, no matter how much you punish it... Surgery is rough and I swear the majority of the struggle is with our head game. If your mind isn't right with these things, you will experience it all as a suffering and be angry at your body for not cooperating. I think most of us have spent chunks of our lives hating our bodies. This surgery and weight loss is an opportunity to heal that, but only if you take it. Let go of the diet mentality. Show yourself some kindness. Celebrate how far you have come in such a short period of time. And trust things will move when they are ready to move. I'm talking to myself as much as I'm talking to you, I have to remind myself of this EVERY DAY. ❤️

When working with clients I would ask them a simple question Do you want to lose 20 lbs or do you want to look like you lost 20 lbs? This always helped me get a snapshot of their thoughts in the fat loss zone. Which is more important to you - The scale weight or a smaller pants size? After my surgery I had a lot of mental work to do on this! That weight can come off so fast at first but when I added strength training, I have been able to increase my metabolic rate which will help me maintain my losses in the future.

Foamies can be unpleasant if you eat too fast or too much or something that is too dry or too coarse. I find it can happen if it’s something my tummy decides it doesn’t like (like it recently decided it didn’t like eggs anymore though I’d been eating them without issue for 4 years). But I wonder if it may be dumping because of the nausea & tiredness which you don’t get with the foamies. While generally caused by fats & sugars, other things can set it off too like starch heavy foods & even dairy in some. But yes certainly needs a visit with your surgeon to see what’s going on.

Great job! My doctors are very happy with where I am. I've regained about 10 pounds, which I'm not super happy about, but here we are. LOL! My personal weight goal is 150. My doctor's goal for me is 163. The lowest I got was 166. I'm struggling with food choices, right now. I'm eating too much protein. But proteins are easy, grab-and-go, fast to prepare, so they're what I tend to reach for. But, they also make you gain weight, if you eat too much of them. I'm trying to strike a balance. I've also developed hypoglycemia. So, I have to eat about every 2 hours. When I prep my food, I do better with my eating. Again, the grab-and-go thing really helps. And having veggies already washed and cut up, in the fridge, encourages me to eat less protein and more vegetables - which I really need to be doing. But, overall, I'm doing really well. I'm no longer diabetic. My cholesterol is normal. My blood pressure is actually on the low end. I'm off of all my obesity-related medications. I had my final visit with my therapist, on Tuesday. He thinks I'm in a really good place and don't need him anymore. Besides a couple of little speed bumps I've had along the way (an issue with my diaphragm and the hypoglycemia) this has been an amazing, wonderful, journey. I have no regrets.