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My pre-op was a 10 day liquid diet. My surgeon's office did have a suggested brand but it didn't agree with me (made my stomach sick). On my own, I researched and found a vegan protein shake that didn't upset my tummy. The macros were almost the same, so they gave it a thumbs up.

You can watch some great YouTube videos by Erin Branscom (My Level 10 Life) about the process. I liked them so much I joined her facebook group, and I never do stuff like that (I don't agree with everything she says). I have never heard of anyone coming home on oxygen. Mostly for sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass (the most common WLSurgeries) they are done with small incisions, and I can't imagine why you would need to come home on oxygen unless you required oxygen before surgery. At the consult the surgeon will probably take a medical/surgical history and talk to you about the various procedures. I haven't had surgery yet so I can't answer most of your questions.

I don't remember what i lost the first two weeks, but the first MONTH I lost 16 lbs. That's pretty normal. It seems most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month. Of course, you'll always find some who lose more or less than that, but that seems to be about the norm. At 10 lbs down during the first two weeks, you'll likely end up in that range at the end of four weeks, too - so, your loss is absolutely normal.

Hi guys, I'm new to this community but have been struggling with my weight my entire life. I've been considering WLS for the past year. I would very much like to undergo surgery this year. I have access to a large academic medical center through my employer, and the weight loss clinic there has excellent providers (I say this to say I didn't see a hack). I saw one last year and we discussed my history of disordered eating (restricting then binging/purging, yoyo dieting, hiding extra food from others) and was very candid. I also have a history of alcoholism (sober 10 years). The provider I saw told me I was very different from the patients she usually sees which leads me to ask this community - are there really so few bariatric patients with eating disorders and other mental health conditions??? I'm just looking to hear from others with similar experiences who are traveling or have traveled this road.

Sounds about right to me. I am averaging about 4lbs a week(3.7) at the 8 week mark. That includes 3 stalls 5-10 days each. Good luck!

I have lost 10 lbs since surgery two weeks post op today. I feel like it should be more, but I have not really started on walking yet and plan on that today. Should I be dropping more? I was on full liquid for one week and started purée the 2 week. I’ll be on purée for one more week then will be on soft foods. TIA

Good morning. Today I am supposed to start my 2 week pre op diet. I have struggled hard the past 2 days and am a wreck. I even think about the surgery and I cry so hard I can’t breath. Let me go back a little bit. My insurance does not cover the surgery so I am paying myself. That also means that it all is happening really fast. My initial consult was March 5 and surgery is May 6. Also no prerequisite were required like a psych evaluation. I started calorie counting and exercising in my own in February and since I have lost 24 pounds on my own. From 291 to 267. I never had the 6 month wait with working with a dietian to see if I could do it on my own. This is the first time I’m trying to change the problem not bandaid it with weight loss pills. And it looks like it is working but will be slower than surgery. I’m on track for 10 pounds a month. I have no underlying conditions such as blood pressure or diabetes. This surgery is scaring the poop out of me and I’m so close to backing out. Has anyone been here and done it on there own? I feel like there is no part of this I can mentally handle. I can handle tracking my food and losing slowly.

I am pretty happy with most aspects of my life, and my mental health is good most of the time, I just can't seem to lose weight and keep it off, which is definitely something that upsets me if I'm already depressed - like for about 10 years I only ever considered WLS when I was really depressed, because I was convinced it would kill me. It wasn't until during COVID, I had become sedentary and was in even worse shape that I realized the weight was making it impossible for me to do what I love, which was enjoy travel. Now I'm still a little scared of the surgery, but mostly I'm excited.

if you're happy at your current weight, then stay there. If you're not and want to be lower, then you'll have to either decrease your calories or increase your activity level, or both. Whether or not a lower weight is worth what it takes to keep it at a lower level is totally up to you. Some people would rather be a little looser with calories and/or not have to live at the gym to maintain a lower weight, so to them, being 10 or 15 or 20 lbs overweight is worth the trade off. Others are willing to make the sacrifice to be at a lower weight. if you do want to continue losing weight, know that the closer you are to a normal weight, the harder it is to lose. I remember years ago at Weight Watchers meetings listening to normal weight or slightly overweight women whine and complain about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs. I just rolled my eyes - yea right, I'd think - try losing 100+ lbs. But now I totally get it...

I'm still waiting for my surgery, but have you tried parmesan crisps? I'm someone who craves more salty/savory and they can really hit the spot sometimes. My favorites are everything bagel flavored from Costco or Amazon. Only 160 calories for 19 crisps, 1 gram of carbs and 16 grams of protein!

Hi. I had my gastric sleeve surgery awhile ago. I initially loss weight, then gained, then loss. In 2019, I really started to try to loose weight by changing my diet. My diet is a low-carb, no sugar, high protein diet. Pre surgery, I was 289 pounds. In 2019, I was 252 pounds. By mid-2020, I was 178 pounds. Since then, I haven’t lost any additional weight, but I haven’t gained any weight, either. At 178, I’m still a good 15 pounds overweight. My PCP told me not to be concerned, since I feel good and have lost a lot of weight. Has anyone plateaued above the ideal weight for their height? Have you been able to overcome the plateau to loose more weight? If so, how? Should I be satisfied with what I’ve lost and focus on maintaining my current weight? Any insight you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

At 3 weeks out I was able to remove the extension on my 44D bra for the first time in 10 years.

Anyone still have an throat pain? Mine is still here and I'm 2 weeks post surgery. Met with an ENT provider today. I reported sore throat l, pain in right ear, pain when swallowing, and sometimes pain when opening mouth - just right side. He put a scope down my nose to my throat. He said he saw a little bit of swollen tissue on the right side of my throat, but that's it. No infection or damaged tissue. No issue in my right ear that has the pain. He said just to wait it out for maybe another week. Just very uncomfortable pain. Worse at night. Throbbing at night. Took pain meds the last two nights so I could try to get some sleep as it hurts worse at night. Ugh.. Everything else is ok. No stomach pain. No incisions. Pain. Gas pain is down to maybe just 5-10% not very frequently. Oh, my chewable vitamins are nasty. So, deciding if I will just deal with that OR order a different flavor. Also, I cant imagine working and trying to get everything in each day..any day that I have a doc appt, I get behind with fluids and protein and cant just chug down more when I get home so I usually end up not meeting my goal that day. I take water and a protein drink with me everytime I leave home. But, finishing them is harder when not home. Oh, did a 1 hour walk for 3 miles around a lake at a state park yesterday. Hahaha. Could not believe it. Felt ok. I usually just walk 45 minutes a day in my neighborhood. But, Sunday and Monday went to parks to walk. Both had great water views. Crazy tired Sunday after my walk. It was just maybe a 30-40 minute walk plus lots of resting at hreat water views. I was tired because I did not get enough water or protein before the walk. Yesterday was hike through the forest around a lake. I had taken in more water and protein before. I felt fine. Shocked myself. Hahhaha. Took a protein shake and bottle of water with me to use during the hike.

Hey yall the countdown has started. I have 10 days til surgery. I am so excited! I got everything I need biotene spray, vitamins, tylenol,shakes and everything else. I take my covid test on sunday.

This whole process of getting my insurance to approve this surgery is a freaking nightmare. I started this whole process in August of 2020. I did everything the surgeon and insurance required of me. Got a tentative surgery date of 12/9/20. I was so excited! My insurance denied me in November. They said they needed more info and I needed more classes ( I had already done 12, I just did all of them in 2 months). So my team added on 4 more classes, once each month and resent all of my info highlighting the info ins. claimed to not have. Got a new date of March 19. End of Feb. I got ANOTHER denial because they are STILL claiming to not have all of my info. My team sent it yet again and got confirmation that it was received. I was rescheduled again and again and again, each time having to have it pushed because the ins needed more time. Always more time. It's finally to the point that I stopped scheduling because the back and forth with the ins. is endless. I got another denial last week because now it's different info that they didn't get. Stuff that was previously sent on multiple occasions but now is just magically not in my file. So my team sent it all again and the waiting starts all over. I have strayed so far off course I have gained back everything I previously lost and then some. I know I need to get back on track just in case by some divine intervention my insurance actually approves my surgery I'm not scrambling to get back down at the last minute but it's so hard. I've fallen back into my depression pit and just feel hopeless. There is no way I can self pay. I don't want to give up but that little nagging voice in my head just keeps telling me it will never happen for me. That I'm just not worth it. I wish I could afford an attorney or an advocate aside from surgical team but that's not in the cards for me either. Blah... Sorry to be a Debby Downer, I just don't have many people that understand where I'm at that I can vent to.

I was originally going to have surgery in April 2020 (could have scheduled for March, but April was better for work). Then everything shut down due to COVID and I was postponed until July. It was an extremely depressing time for me, waiting, while the world we know went off the rails. I did not make healthy choices during that time and gained about 10 pounds. Surprisingly, the time flew by and I started my pre-op diet in late June. I lost 15 pounds on my prescribed pre-op diet and had surgery on July 6. Waiting was awful, but the time really does fly. I hope you can find more peace and health while you wait than I did. Just keep your eye on the prize! 💕💕💕

I have been going through a rough time mentally and have lost too much weight from my sleeve and started restricting my diet so I don't stretch my stomach. Starting to get help to overcome this. My boyfriend has been a saint and helps me because I have been at my lowest. He has issues too. He is only 24, I am 29. And has already had his 2nd open heart surgery. SO he is dealing with a lot too. I am trying to recenter myself and find a happy balance, but I just can't switch to happy overnight and be like yup all fixed! He told me today it feels like he has lost me and that I don't want him around. Which is not true. Just I am someone who needs me time too especially through this emotional rollercoaster. I try to practice mindful eating because my hunger and fullness signals are VERY similar and I am trying to decipher which is which and after dinner he comes up and grabs me around the waste and like throws my stomach around. Or at night time he wants to lay ontop of me. Which was ok before for a little bit, but I now weigh 114lbs and he is 285lbs. I feel crushed and it hurts and he gets mad saying I feel like I am going to hurt you and you don't want me touching you. It isn't that at all! I am just fragile right now and trying to get better and I do not want to lose him. We live together and talk about kids and marriage and I feel like I am ruining everything I have ever dreamed of. A little backstory, I used to weigh my food the 1st year and a half outta surgery on a food scale at 4oz. I was happy and enjoyed a lot of foods. Then My providers said NO not 4oz of weight WE MEAN VOLUME! What I can fit into a measuring cup. I had an endoscopy to make sure I didn't stretch my stomach and they said I was good. But if I kept doing what I was doing it would eventually stretch. I got SCARED and restricted my self to 1/3cup volume to ensure I never would overeat. Well then I started mourning food and felt deprived. It is so hard to find food to mush into a measuring cup! Eventually I got full off my 1/3c or what I think fullness is?? And eventually couldn't even finish that. Meat no longer sits well with me and neither does eggs or dairy. I had Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy August 6th 2019. My HW was 352lbs and now I am 114lbs. Now my providers say don't weigh or measure anything at all just go by how I am "Feeling" and that is hard for me! I eat 3 meals a day with a protien shake in between. I am so messed up about eating and where I will be in 3 - 10 years because medical journals say that ultimately the sleeve is a failed procedure in the long run and that terrifies me. Multiple published medical journals, sites my surgeon belongs to, say most gain their weight and stretch their stomach back 3-10 and gain anywhere to 20 - 80 - too ALL OF THEIR WEIGHT BACK. SO here I am freaking out and could possibly lose the love of my life, but everyone just expects me to turn around and be happy and not worry and say so ya gain a few pounds, go ahead you can overeat this one time..it wont hurt you! No, but those habits will! Tat is my long rant.. I am so sorry...

I am 13 months post rny. My stomach pains started back in November and increasingly got worse along with nausea as the months moved along. I had a barium swallow test in January. All normal . only thing it showed was liquids move through my pouch incredibly fast. I was hospitalized in February. Had a CT scan, normal. Labs normal. Pain increased to almost constant and daily to the point it felt like a blow torch inside my stomach and I felt like I was being stabbed and my organs ripped out. I was hospitalized again just last weekend. Had an EGD Tuesday, again normal. And saw the gastrointerologist yesterday. He prescribed linzess for IBS-C which was in addition to the Robaxin, zofran, protonix and malox prescribed last weekend. Gastro stated stress/anxiety/increased depression could be triggering the stomach issues. But I have been in a sort of remission from severe IBS-D for 10 years. So he's going to compare my CT next week with February for any changes and in 2-3 weeks add buspirone which acts on the gut and anxiety. And is waiting on records from colonoscopy 3 years ago before ordering a new one. So more waiting to see. But if all else fails, exploratory laproscopic surgery may be in the near future due to my prior issues with adhesions.

1. I went into TJ Maxx for the very first time in my life looking for skinny syrup. I ended up purchasing an XL Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt dress that I found for $19 this weekend and had to go back to exchange it for a L today. I thought I was atleast going to have to hold it for a few more months because I wear XL shorts, some L but XL men/unisex tees. I guess not any longer. 2. When having labs drawn last week I actually fit in the chair and with the little safety arm down in front of me and there was room for a small child to fit in there too. Last year pre-rny, this was not a possibility. 3. I can bend over and tie my own shoes. 4. My belly no longer touches the steering wheel..not even if i move the seat up close.

I love these lists! I’m still 52 lbs from goal, but so far I have a whole list: 1. Not feeling like I have to rush home to get into pajamas because it’s the only thing that doesn’t feel like it’s strangling me. Bras just fit better when you arent as fat, who knew. 2. Chairs! Chairs with arms! Flimsy looking chairs! Patio chairs! 3. So much variety in clothes, and I can wear styles I like instead of huge frumpy cardigans over everything. I can thrift now, and shop in pretty much any store. 4. I feel like I have energy and interest in doing things again. I don’t just want to hide out at home and eat all weekend long. 5. Not being terrified of running into someone I knew 10+ years ago in public because of how fat I’d gotten. 6. I can go up the stairs and not die. I can exercise and not feel like I might die. Amazing. 7. I wore a pair of shorts yesterday and they weren’t Bermuda length! And my thighs didn’t start a small fire. 8. I like my facial features so much better now. My eyes look bigger, my jawline actually exists, and I look more like myself. 9. At my heaviest my arms stuck out weird because of the fat, and my legs were always at a weird angle because of fat as well. I can rest my arms by my sides and stand with my feet together.

I bought sari wrap skirts from Darn Good Yarn. They come in multiple sizings and are easily traded on their Facebook group. My old xl/plus wrap around me twice now (my highest size was a 24/26 and they fit). My current is the regular as I’m verging on a size 10 and they’re perfect for wearing as dresses and shirts, too (depending on if you get a mini or ankle). Plus, they’re 2 sided so you can wear one side one day and the other the next! These are 3 from my recent purchase.

I’m 95% sure I want to move forward with sleeve surgery but, I’m scared. The bulk of my fear is that I’m going to do irreparable damage to my body... or that I’m going to go through all of this and nothing will change, I’ll fail and still be this heavy (or will lose very little weight). 1. Did you feel the same way? Absolutely. I really didn't have confidence that the surgery would work for me. I wasn't overly afraid of complications, but I did fear that I would have the surgery and lose only a few pounds. 2. Are you glad you did it? I'm super-glad I did it. I had no major complications. I haven't had any real problems adjusting to my new way of eating. Best of all, I lost all my excess weight, reaching a normal BMI for the first time since I was 10 years old. 3. Do you have any regrets? I regret waiting so long. However, for various reasons, I know the time was right when I did it. I might not have been as successful earlier because my circumstances were different. 4. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before you had surgery? "Hey, it's really going to suck for the first week or two after surgery. Don't worry, almost everyone has a tough time at first. But your tummy will heal and before you know it, your new way of eating will be second nature."

Yes @Arabesque! Willow to me too! Loved that show💕 I honestly didn’t even understand what Husband was trying to accomplish with his original project, but I am hoping we have no major backyard projects for 10 years after this one. It is costing a fortune even with Husband doing the majority of the labor. 🙄🙄 it is all stuff that NEEDED to happen to correct some issues though. Another sigh 😔

Thanks. I know to experience it as well and had the lapband over 10 years ago and remembered it happening weeks or months later. Just not right away. Thanks!