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Hello! My name is Amanda. I'm 35 years old and I have a son who will be 13 at the end of this month. I live in Brunswick, Ohio. I've started my weight loss journey, and would love to make new friends! I'm working with Cleveland Clinic and considering baratric surgery. Feel free to reach out. Let's help each other! [emoji18][emoji171] Sent from my moto g power (2021) using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello! My name is Amanda. I'm 35 years old and I have a son who will be 13 at the end of this month. I live in Brunswick, Ohio. I've started my weight loss journey, and would love to make new friends! I'm working with Cleveland Clinic and considering baratric surgery. Feel free to reach out. Let's help each other! [emoji18][emoji171] Sent from my moto g power (2021) using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey everyone! I’m new here. I am in the process of having all my appointments for the Gastric Sleeve Bypass. I don’t see a lot of people talking about this particular surgery and wondered if anyone else has had it. It’s supposed to have the same outcomes as the RNY with less complications. This has been a long journey for me. I started the process several years ago and when I changed jobs my new insurance didn’t cover the surgery. That was devastating but now I’m with a much better surgical center and couldn’t be happier with the process. My biggest frustration is that the surgeon is requiring I lower my BMI before surgery. This amounts to about 40 pounds. It feels overwhelming. I keep thinking, if basic weight loss hasn’t worked for me before how am I ever going to accomplish this task! I’ve lost 18.2 pounds thus far. I know it’s good weight loss but I keep getting hung up on the final result and how far out of reach it seems. That’s all I can think of to share for now. I look forward to reading the journey of others.

Most insurance companies will have a "policy bulletin" (or some such term, that was Aetna's) for weight loss or bariatric surgery on their website that spells out the details of their requirements to qualify. BMI of 40, or 35 with certain comorbidities, and a psych evaluation are pretty much industry standards - they all do that. More specifically, they will get down to what procedures they cover (and maybe some that they specifically do not) and what other hoops they want you to jump through - a three or six month diet program of some kind is fairly normal, but not always, and they will spell out what they require from those. Some companies or policies may limit you to one bariatric procedure for a lifetime, and others don't. Beyond that, your surgeon or PCP may have other requirements to sign off on depending upon your health history - clearance from a cardiologist, pulmonologist or other specialist - and the surgeon or hospital program may have specific diet requirements or nutrition classes of their own. While being eager to get this over with, I wouldn't necessarily shy away from a six month diet requirement, depending upon how it's structured. Done well, either with a good RD's guidance or self guidance, correcting old bad dietary habits and establishing new healthier ones pays off in the long run, as that is really what helps to keep the weight under control in the years ahead; a quickie diet to lose a few more pounds (maybe) the first couple of months or pre-op isn't of much long term value.

I feel your frustration! I’ve only lost about 60 lbs in the past year and a half since my VSG. My dietitian isnt very helpful in my trying to get my grams of protein other than adding protein shakes which definitely slows down my weight loss! I’ve resorted to eating (and tracking!) an all protein diet (eggs, fish, chicken, etc..) and adding in small amounts of green veggies. To get to my protein goals I have to add a protein powder like unflavored GenePro to my food and drinks. I only weigh myself a few days a week. Now I’ve developed terrible acid reflux and a hiatal hernia so I’m going to be revised to a RNY. I’m hoping it will fix a multitude of issues!!! Hang in there! Take a look at MyFitnessPal to track your food and macros!

It seems that weight loss stalls are common; though I've been very fortunate to not have one (so far, at least) At the risk of offending you with another pertinent question: are you tracking calories as well as protein? I've lost over 70lb in 4 months - and I attribute that to minimum of 80g protein and minimum 1000 calories each day.

I also had elevated liver numbers for about a year after surgery. As others have said, it's not uncommon and it's because weight loss (esp rapid weight loss) is really hard on livers. My numbers normalized after my weight loss slowed way down. I don't know about that particular test or the GGT, though. Hopefully this is just the normal liver-going-nuts-about-the-weight-loss thing, and not anything worrisome. The biopsy is probably a good idea if the GI doctor is concerned about something. The good thing about livers is, depending on the issue, they can regenerate.

I never had a sleep study done but I can say before surgery I was up 2-3 times a night constantly waking up and having to go to the bathroom. Since surgery 3 months ago I have been sleeping the whole night, in fact I noticed a few weeks after surgery I wasnt waking up for whatever reasons anymore. Happy to say for me I am sleeping better after the weight loss I have. I hope you will notice a big difference as well

My marriage is the same pre op and post op. My hubby has always been supportive of me and never said anything to me about my weight. He was not all in for the surgery and still doesnt care for it. But he has seen the impact physically and mentally for me. I still struggle at times and shame myself. He would never do that to me though. He is a good guy and does his best to build me up. Its my own struggles that I battle with.....I still see myself at my highest weight even tho I can see in the mirror how much my face has slimmed down and I notice the weight loss because of the way my clothes are so loose on me and the inches I am losing from my body......but to get passed the morbidly obese person I still see in the mirror is more of a challenge for me than my marriage. In time I hope I can move passed what I see in the mirror versus what is actual.

Ditto what @RickM said. It’s not unusual for liver function to rise after surgery. Mine settled back to acceptable levels once my weight loss slowed. My surgeon & my GP did keep a regular check & I had almost monthly blood tests between them & a scan to ensure my liver was okay. (It’s how they discovered my gall stone actually.) I’m still glad they are testing to see what’s really going on with your liver. One benefit of the surgery I found is the thorough checks they do on your health after … well at least my surgeon & doctors. Things I would have just ignored or just accepted in the past, they’ll investigate further just to be sure everything’s ok.

Yikes! I think Hop_Scotch was merely trying to explain that various factors could be contributed to a stall and sometimes knowing if a change has occurred or not could be a factor as to whether or not a stall is taking place. I think I can simply answer your question if you'd like. Common only applies to the person who is experiencing it. For myself I lost I think 22 lbs quickly before my pre op, then being on pre op I lost some more. Post surgery I lost 14 lbs in about 9 says then BOOM a stall. I was in that stall for 5 weeks. No weight loss no weight gain. I was not working out to the extent you do because I am pending a knee replacement so I have some mobility issues. After the 5 week stall I then began losing weight again without any problem but at a much slower rate which for me was disheartening as I thought I should be losing more but according to my team I am losing at an average rate of speed and amount. There are loads of threads on the dreaded stall. You could do a search for them if you prefer to read what others have posted versus having to provide your details.

Yep your exactly right. I voiced my concerns on my weight loss and it not being enough but I lost 12 lbs in 1 month since my last appt. My team is happy where I am at for the amount of weight I loss and told me to stop beating myself up over it, They said the very same as you catwoman7.....Im within the average range of weight loss for 3 months post op. Thank you for the pep talk and liveaboard15 keep up the good work. I actually wrote down my last months measurements and of course I lost them so I wrote down this months measurements and hopefully I can compare them next time. I need to do it in excel like you did lol

I didn’t have surgery with Carrum but can tell you that the length of time the process takes is dictated mostly by the insurance company. Some require a 3 or 6 month weight loss attempt where a doctor weighs you every month. Also most require a psyc evaluation and you may also have to do some medical tests to determine you are fit for surgery to name a few of the common requirements. Beyond that, it will just depend on how busy your doctor is. Once I had completed my requirements it was about a month till my surgery.

Hey! I just finished 3 months too and had a really slow loss month (only 2kgs). It’s really ruined my day coz I thought I was doing really well. Unfortunately I think I wasn’t tracking my food properly and have probably been eating too much. My nutritionist advised being diligent for two weeks and hitting 60g of protein and then seeing if there’s any change. (I asked the same question earlier today and most people are telling me the same thing - to track better, so I’m going to try again) hope this is helpful! P.s. I’m working out around 4 times a week with a personal trainer too! She said to stop eating shit as well lol

Your profile doesn't show what your current weight is, only the weight you've lost. Knowing your current weight will give us some context to your post. You may be fairly close to a healthy weight and if that's the case weight loss will be lower slower now. I am assuming you've have dropped clothing sizes, but perhaps weight loss isn't being reflecting on the scales? If by working out you mean weights, any fat loss you may have had in the past few weeks may be masked by fluid retention.

It is common to stall at various stages, however, to know whether its a genuine stall or something you may or may not be doing is a different matter. What you haven't said is how long seen you've seen a loss on the scale? A week? A month? A few days? If its been longer than a few weeks - A starting point is to confirm whether a stall or something else...are you still following your post op guidelines regarding the foods you are eating and the volumes (or weights as provided in your guidelines)? Check that you are drinking plenty of fluids, getting some type of activity most days etc etc. Have you started any new medication that may increase fluid retention? Have you started to exercise or increased exercise intensity? Starting doing resistance / weighs training?

Congratulations on your weight loss! Sorry you have to have a revision. I guess all surgeries come with risks, it could be worse, try to stay positive. Hope you feel better soon!

At 7 months post-op, I finally hit 100 Lbs lost. I am scheduled for a conversion on September 1st due to the fact that a recent EGD revealed a kink in my stomach (the part that empties into the intestines). This kink has caused me to not be able to eat and has resulted in the rapid weight loss. My surgeon is going to convert my sleeve into a bypass to correct the issue. I'm supposed to have my gallbladder removed as well due to the fact that I now have gallstones also. It really sucks to have to go through this all over again (the pre-op diet, the procedure & the recovery). Everyone keeps telling me that I need to get myself better and back to 100%, which I agree, but what is to say this is going to do it. I didn't expect this result from the first surgery. But I guess it is a risk you take in having WLS.

If you weigh/measure the food before you start then weigh/measure it when you finish you can figure out how much you ate. You may not be eating enough if you are really eating 2/3 bites and that's it. If you are not eating your body will go into starvation mode and store everything rather than burning it. Same with the protein, you need to hit that goal so you can nourish your body and it doesn't starve. Maybe try prepping a few days of meals at a time so you don't have to keep measuring your foods, you will just know what it is and can reuse the data. It may make it less cumbersome for you that way? It really is amazing how people "think" they are eating in comparison to how they are actually eating. Tracking is key here, even just until you get the hang of it. Once I decided to have WLS I had my first dietician apt and at that moment started tracking without any change. I was disgusted to see how many calories and fat I was eating in a day. Wondering why I am so fat when I don't really eat that much. I was also one of those "eat 3000 calories once a day" type of people rather than 3 balanced meals. All of these things effect weight loss and/or gain. But when it really comes down to it, it is the calorie deficit that forces weight loss.

Pre-diabetic (on massive amounts of metformin), high blood pressure, and a heart issue pre surgery. Now, hope is the heart issue will improve but not be fully rectified. I haven't taken metformin since surgery (11 months now) and my A1C is great. Fasting sugars are great. Vitamin D which is usually extremely low is normal again. My blood pressure is way down - meds have been cut but I will probably never go off them because they are for BP as well as my heart issue. in fact, I probably should drop the meds again but we are trying to keep me at the highest levels I can tolerate without completely tanking my BP since I need it for the other issue. At my latest heart echo, there was slight improvement in my heart - the cardiologist is excited to see the next echo in a year, since I would have sustained 100+ lb loss by that point.

So let's set aside the actual weight loss part for a moment... I'm curious what improvements folks have seen in their overall health as a result of the weight loss. For example, Normal A1C without meds, normal blood pressure without meds, improved cardiovascular health, no more need for a CPAP, etc. Care to share?

My doc's perspective on this, when we were discussing this leading into my VSG 11-12 years ago (the prospect of "completing" the DS as a plan B to the stand alone VSG, was that you are in the ideal situation - do it before any substantial regain sets it. With the added metabolic issues that you are having with your PCOS, the extra metabolic strength of the DS would seem to be appropriate, When we discussed the two procedures in the pre op groups "back in the day" one of the rules of thumb factoids was that one should think of the sleeve as getting the weight off, while the switch keeps it off. That's not entirely true, (maybe 80/20) but illustrates what the doc was telling me later, which is not to depend on the switch part to provide substantial reversal of a regain problem (or implicitly, count on it to provide some additional weight loss, but not a substantial amount. It sounds like it is consistent with your goal of some more weight loss without going overboard. This assumes the traditional BPD/DS rather than the SIPS/SADI/Loop DS, which I would assume to yield a similar result, if not quite as extreme owing to its usually lesser malabsorption.

Hi my date is the 15th super excited to start my weight loss journey. Sent from my moto g pure using BariatricPal mobile app

We ended with me lying on the table in the cath lab being told that I am in danger of imminent death. Now before I go on, I should explain something else about me. I’m severely hearing impaired. This is important here, because you have to picture me on that table, feeling pretty good (I think they gave me a Valium), and then waking up to find everyone in the room desperately trying to get my attention. I finally come around from my stupor enough to explain to them that I’m hearing impaired, so I don’t understand what’s going on. I’m pretty good at lip reading, but we’re in basically an operating room and everyone is gowned up and has masks on! Finally I explain that I have partial hearing in my left ear, so if they come around there and speak slowly and close to me I will probably be able to understand. It took a few tries, but I finally gather I really am in imminent danger and they were recommending that they put a stent in me RIGHT NOW. Doing so might seem like a no-brainer, but like lot’s of important decisions, there are always trade-offs. I didn’t feel alert enough, nor did I feel like I understood the options I had, so I told them no. Bottom line, they patched me up and took me out to recovery. (I’m sure they were all thinking I was an idiot and that they’d never see me again.) While in recovery, I asked them if someone could explain my options better. Fortuitously one of the heart surgeons had just finished up a procedure and he came by to discuss my options with me (with my wife present as well). After some soul searching and after better understanding the tradeoffs, I actually opted for open heart surgery. The reason is that if they had done the valve replacement via catheter (something called TAVR), I likely would not have been able to have a second one that way in the future. That would have meant that in 10-12 years, I would have needed another valve replacement and they would have had no option but to do it via an open heart procedure. I figured it’s better to get the open heart procedure done while I’m younger and save TAVR for later when I’m likely less able to tolerate major surgery. Yea, we get it dude, but what does this have to do with WLS? It means that in less than 2 months, I went from being excited to be having weight loss surgery, to knowing I’m living on borrowed time. I’m also realizing at about that time that my dreams of weight loss surgery have been dashed, or so I thought. Instead (assuming I make it to my heart surgery date), I was facing the reality of having one of the most major surgical procedures one can have. Oh yea, and I'd get to do it during peak COVID. How fun! We’ll stop there today, but in case you’re still in suspense, I still survived!

I used that wait time to loose weight and develop hobbies so that the actual surgery would “lock in” that pre-surgical weight loss. Maybe it’s just magical thinking, or not, but it worked so far. I ended up waiting 11 months to have surgery from meeting my surgeon. You’ve got this!