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I have heard on here that the weight loss is definitely slower after revision than the first time around. And it can sometimes be less than the initial surgery. But everyone experiences super slow loss those last few pounds.

Congrats on your fabulous loss so far, you have done amazing in such a short time. Shooting for a goal weight is good but if you cant achieve it, don't be down hearted. It may affect your progress. Just keep working your plan and see where you get to. It must become obvious when we get to our set point. I am a little bothered by the 20lb bounce back at 3 years out that people have talked about.

Hi 👋 Now I know that my own “team” should have helped me with this. But they didn’t. Now that the world is a smaller place and consultations can happen online, does anyone have names of *reliable/responsible *well educated and certified Psychologists especially for us bariatric surgery patients? I didn’t see anyone pre-surgery and I know that I need to both address why I got so big - and - how to get over those issues - and - how to keep losing now. All of us have limited money, right?! I hate the idea of spending my kid’s college money (which is what any extra money we manage to save ultimately is), on a psychologist who sees one patient like me in a lifetime and has to look everything up before I get to her and after I leave. You know what I mean? It also can’t drag on forever.. I just don’t have the means to be going for more than six months or so. Ideas for across the globe welcomed ❤️ Xx Lorna

On 2/15/22 I underwent revision from VSG to RNY due to hiatal hernia and reflux issues. My surgery weight was around 230 lbs, actually a few less due to three days of liquid diet. In the 5 months since revision surgery I've lost about 40 lbs, but have been at a steady weight for over five weeks. I'm currently around 15 to 20 lbs away from my final goal. I had a post surgery follow up with the surgeons office and they just suggested I try to stay closer to the dietary guidelines. I probably was a little short on protein but in the couple weeks since have worked diligently to increase protein and reduce carbs. Yet the scale hasn't moved. Looking for experiences from others who had revision without a large amount of weight to lose. How did it go for you? Is this just a stall or my new normal? Should I expect to continue to lose, or am I pretty much at my new set point after five months?

You will always loose weight with a calorie deficit. When you get to soft foods, and really for quite a while after that you will stay in a pretty large calorie deficit and continue to loose weight. As you get closer to your goal weight the calorie deficit lessons, and your weight loss will slow down. Don't worry, follow your plan and you will not gain weight.

I'm particularly impressed by your weight loss during your second year! I'm not familiar with the Loop DS procedure, but in my case (gastric bypass), it became very difficult to lose weight after the first year and I had to start watching my food intake pretty carefully--so you are clearly doing something right. I had a 20-pound regain fairly quickly in maintenance (the beginning of the second year). However, I actually lost too much during the first year and needed to gain about 15 pounds so I didn't look so skeletal. (Sorry.) I have found maintenance pretty easy by sticking basically to a high-protein, low-carb, low-fat diet. If you are getting 100 grams of protein a day, that's great! You can definitely eat more that 1300 calories without gaining weight. However, it really can be terrifying after eating so little for so long. As someone mentioned, it really is trial and error. I'm able to eat some sugar, have an occasional glass of wine and high-carb treat without too much trouble. You are clearly very disciplined, and you know your own body better than anyone. You'll figure it out. Good luck!

Congratulations on your weight loss!

So I saw my surgeon today for my six month appointment.. I can't BELIEVE it's been 2 years since my surgery. My life has changed so much for the better in so many wonderful ways. Anyway, I'm about to start maintenance. I figured I was close to finished with weight loss because it's been pretty slow for a while, and I feel good and happy with the 205 I have lost. Most of my weight was lost the first year. I have lost 42 since this time last summer, and most of that l lost in those first 6 months. The dietitian recommended I start adding 50 to 100 calories a week of carbs or fat. I currently eat 1300 calories a day. I usually get about 100 of protein (I had the Loop DS). So I'm supposed to start adding gradually to get my calories as high as I can without gaining. I'm excited but SO nervous. I know people have a 10 to 20 lb. rebound gain quite often and I really want to stay as close to my weight now as possible. I weigh 187. I'm 5'3" so that's still pretty much for height but considering I started at 393 I'm pretty happy. I wear a size medium or large which I'm thrilled with. I never cared about being skinny. I have always been a curvy person. I just wanted my health and life back, which I have! But I would like to stay under 200 pounds, so I don't have a lot of room for gaining any back. I know I'm rambling here but I just need some encouragement from those of you who are farther along than I am. How was maintenance for you? Sent from my Pixel 5a using BariatricPal mobile app

I thought I would tell a little about my journey. 7 years ago (July 5, 2015) I had a rare bilateral cerebellar stroke. There are lots of things that come along with that (fatigue-mine got minimally better. For me a lot of cognitive, psychiatric and physical defecits. I am now disabled.) I was already overweight (my stroke was not due to this) but after the stroke I went from working over 8 hours 5x per week to barely awake (especially for the 1st year after). I gained 60 lbs the year after my stroke & no matter how much I tried I couldn't lose any. I have difficulty with exercise, stamina, central vertigo (I puke a lot), dealing with body temp differences (if I am hot I puke). So it is a challenge. I am 50 but 43 when I had my stroke. My Neurologist talked to me about considering weight loss surgery. I said absolutely not 3 years ago; but, I decided last year I had to do something. I am too young... I'm not ready to possibly die an early death due to a 2nd stroke. So I started my journey to see if I could qualify and if Medicare would cover the surgery. I would say it took about 4-6 months for my insurance to approve surgery and so I began to embark on getting ready for S day. I started at 284 lbs and lost down to 263 the day of my surgery (gastric bypass). It has certainly not been an easy journey... fear, pain, huge adjustments. I had my surgery May 23rd, 2022. Today, I am so much better after surgery. Now the real work begins. I am now 228.2 lbs and my body can feel the positive of this all over. I am all in. I want to take my health by the horns and even shock myself. I am certainly a loner (anxiety with panic attacks and continued PBA-pseudobulbar affect also known as emotional lability) socially I suppose I am more of a hermit now. No more social butterfly but I have accepted the me now and love myself. One thing I am struggling with now is taking my meds all crushed 🤢. I am waiting on my order of vitamins and minerals from BariatricPal so until they get here I am taking regular over the counter stuff per my Dr's instruction. The iron pill (crushed with a little crystal lite sprinkled on top) is absolutely disgusting! I dry heave after I take it. I dread doing it. 🙄 How are you guys doing?

Congratulations on all the hoop jumping and your upcoming surgery. Some advice you didn't ask for: The first weeks after surgery can be a pain, literally and figurately. Be prepared mentally, this too shall pass. You may have absolutely no issues, but be prepared for the worst. Follow your plan. I hope it is a rational plan and not a crash diet, but which ever it's the plan you signed up for, so follow through. Get off the scale. You don't need it messing with your mind. You know if you are following your plan. Just keep doing that. The scale will lie to you. Don't compare your loss to others. You will be losing weight faster than you ever have, yet it will feel slow. Celebrate your successes and forgive your failures. Good luck, Tek

3/30/22 - Weight 317. This is the highest I've ever been. I call my fried that has had the sleeve and revision (Duodenal Switch) surgery. I set an appointment to meet with his surgeon on April 12. 4/12/22 - Weight 313. It's my first appointment with the surgeon. They weighed me at 316 lbs with clothes on. The doctor suggests the Gastric Sleeve. The staff explained the process is somewhat determined by my health insurance. I will need to see the surgeon for a total of 3 office visits (each one month apart), and we scheduled follow-up appointments for May 10 and Jun 10. I need to lose weight before each visit. They said if I think I have gained weight to call and postpone the office visit until I can show a loss. I also need: Blood Work, Medical clearance from my doctor, a Psych evaluation, clearance from a Cardiologist, a visit with a Dietician, and An EGD to examine my esophagus, stomach, etc. Yikes. What did I get myself into?

It was two years after the pandemic started that I made this decision. In early 2020, I was at my heaviest and the COVID-19 pandemic forced me to work from home. By December I hit 300 pounds for the first time. Fast forward to March 2022 I was at my highest weight of 317. It's been two years of wearing gym shorts and t-shirts, working in the spare bedroom, and now we are starting to work a bit more in the office. My clothes do not fit me—my belt is too low, my gut hangs over and it’s difficult to keep my pants up and my shirt tucked in. It looks like I’m carrying a huge sack of something under my shirt. I don’t want to be in the office with co-workers seeing me like this. This was my “Oh Hell no!” moment. Hindsight being 20-20, I should have decided to do this a year or so ago. My friend was trying to sell me on the surgery, but I wasn't buying it at the time. I wanted to lose weight the healthy way and be a role model for my 20-something son. As it turns out, he's happy with my decision. And being (morbidly?) obese is not being a role model. Here are some issue I'm having. I'm sure most can relate to one or two of these: I can’t breathe when I bend forward. It’s really difficult putting socks/shoes on. I almost suffocate when I try to cut my toenails. I have to rock back and forth to get out of my recliner (or the toilet). My lower back hurts. Some is because I have had back problems, but I’m sure my weight doesn’t help. My knees hurt. Again some of it is chronic issues, but I am certain that I will get some relief by losing weight. My ankles are almost always swollen and sometimes my hips hurt if I walk any distance. My doctor’s office had to send me to another lab to get an X-ray because I was too heavy for the X-ray table in their office (WTH?) I’m wearing 3X T-shirts and they've started to get tight. My gut hangs out under the shirt if I wear anything smaller. I’m embarrassed to take my shirt off in front of anyone. I won’t go swimming. Even with my closest friends. As mentioned above. I look like hell wearing khakis and a polo shirt to work I am only on cholesterol medication at this point. No hypertension. No diabetes. I'd like to keep it that way. Off the top of my head, I know of at least seven friends/family that have had weight loss surgeries. I think all would or have endorsed getting the surgery. On the other hand, I’ve spoken to a few friends/co-workers that had never had the surgery and got mixed responses. I guess that’s how it’s going to be. Those that have not had the surgery are probably thinking that surgery is the lazy way to do this. I get it. I probably felt that way too. But I really don’t care at this point. So the journey begins,

Hello. First, CONGRATULATIONS on your weight loss and maintaining it! My surgeon explained to me that it was very likely for Bypass patients to end up Anemic and to need iron transfusions. Especially if already anemic before surgery. Before surgery I was already slightly anemic but managed with OTC iron supplements. I now take a multivitamin with iron and so far so good but I am only 3.5 months post op so who knows what the future holds. I also believe the 30 minute rule is life long, at least with my team it is. Sometimes if I feel like I just REALLY need a drink while eating I will eat 1 ice cube and it seems to do the job.

Could just be how your body works & how it reacts & respond to different things. I sometimes weigh more after I poop than I do immediately before - weird. Yes, exercise only contributes 10-20% of the weight you have to lose (though I read recently it’s only 5%). Personally I never exercised throughout the my whole weight loss journey & I lost all & more of my weight. I’ve tried all sorts of exercise programs over the years. Never really enjoyed any of them & they never helped me lose or maintain weight. Hate sweating & have never reached that exercise high people talk about. Never felt great like you do just icky & exhausted. More likely to have a drop in my blood pressure & a hypoglycaemic episode. ☹️ I do a few minutes of gentle stretches at night more for my back than anything else. Wouldn’t burn 20 calories 😆. I do do incidental activities like park further away from where I’m going, take stairs not the lift, make multiple trips up & down my stairs when I could do it in one or two trips, etc. but that’s it. Yes, I know there are lots of benefits to exercising and with all things you have to do what is best for you. PS - Glad you’ve found a therapist.

For a short while perfectionism isn’t a bad thing. It’s pretty important that you follow the post op phases to protect your healing tummy. Most of us do our best during the weight loss phase as well but in maintenance you definitely don’t have to be perfect all of the time. You can have some of your favorite foods in moderation.

How do people date after massive weight loss? Regardless of surgery or not. I am married, and don't plan to date but you never know. If it goes South, it's me and great dane for life! Still even self conscious after being together for 18 years! But, my point is in regard to all the extra skin? I have lost over 100 lbs and have 90-100 more to go! I have already had extra skin removed 10 years ago after loosing 140lbs but then gained it back. Now my skin is different. I gained it differently. I have a flat tight lower belly but the top is like an extra pair of boobs now. And frankly, bigger than my actual boobs! I hate my skin but I hate being fat more. I don't know if I will get more skin removal surgery or not. I watched a video of a woman using a body suit after loosing almost 200 lbs. Her body with the suit on was slim, tight and curvy. So, you're wearing that on a date or multiple dates with a person and it goes further. Then what, just take off the body suit and let it all out? Do you have a conversation with the person before it gets to that point? How do you address these things?

I think there are two parts to it. 1. As someone mentioned, exercise tends to increase water retention as muscles hoard it to help with inflammation. 2. Part of weight loss stalls is that your body adjusts to your routine. When you stop exercising for a few days, you change the routine, forcing your body to re-evaluate. I've experienced the same phenomenon with my exercise and have decided that I will live with the slowed down weight loss to be in better overall health (my blood pressure and resting heart rate numbers are great).

There is some water retention associated with exercise, particularly if you continue to challenge yourself and increase things over time, as inflammation occurs where tissues are rebuilding themselves after the exertion, and inflammation requires......water. So, yes, it is not unusual to see such things, particularly when people increase the amount of exercise they do in an attempt to boost their weight loss rate (and get the opposite effect, at least temporarily.) As noted above, exercise is great for your overall health and longevity, but doesn't seem to make a big dent in weight loss (the experts are still debating exactly why that is!) at least at the relatively moderate levels that most of us are working at.

Congratulations on your loss. I haven’t yet shopped from the bariatric pal store. I do buy low calorie snacks from the grocery store that are empty calories though and have them on occasion. It’s obviously better if you can find ones you like with protein added so it actually fills you up. Keep up the good work.

I was told that exercise is important for your overall health and to aid in keeping weight off but it doesn’t really contribute THAT MUCH to weight loss. The biggest majority is diet. Perhaps you ate less while you had company and maybe you even did more activity around the house or around town than you normally do because you had company? I honestly don’t know, just speculating??

This calculator was encouraging to me, because even though the scale is not right now, it kinda gave me numbers to dream about. Of course there is no universal thing for all of us, and who is to say it is accurate lol, but it helped ease my anxiety now, thinking about the long term. https://sleeveclinic.ca/weight-loss-calculator/#:~:text=The amount of weight you,75% of their excess weight.

Which surgery are you having? The Sleeve doesn't change any digestive plumbing so if the T is in a pill form it shouldn't be an issue. Gastric Bypass does change the plumbing. The pyloric valve is bypassed and everything you eat or drink drops straight into your intestines, a small amount of which are bypassed. This creates a malabsorption of some things, like calories, and can impact how well some time-released meds work. My experience is some time-released meds work well enough and others not so much. It's largely trial and error. Some more critical meds my Doc doesn't take the chance and I take some pills multiple times per day. Things that are injected or are dermally absorbed wouldn't be affected by WLS at all. Early on most people can't eat a lot of calories and many post-op diets run a severe calorie deficit which will result in loss of fat and muscle. Us fatso's had extra bone and muscle to support all that fat. I imagine T and the gym could reduce the muscle loss. Your current knowledge would apply still post-op. I did dermally applied prescription T pre-op and asked about it when I was having surgery. Being dermally applied there was no issue, but pills follow the caution included above re: malabsorption and time-release. Good luck, Tek

Hi guys! I'm pre op and currently on trt prescribed by endocrinologist with legal stuff bought from pharmacy. Anybody has experience with it and bariatric surgery. I hope testosterone will help me prevent muscle mass loss, before I was fat I've spend decent amount of time in the gym a any my lean mass is slightly above average. Trt was a lifetime decision so I intend to keep it that way. I will obviously consult it with endo and surgeon, but just curious if you have any experience. Have a great day!

I am seriously considering getting my hair cut if I start to lose too much hair. Unlike a lot of others I was already thinning and shedding well before surgery so hair loss is nothing new to me. I was given a topical medicine that included 7% Rogaine in it and I have been on that medicine since February. One of the things hair loss taught me is I will survive and that life will still go on with or without hair. So why the heck not embrace it and get a cute hair cut. (if I can decide which one I want)

As others have said, supplements won’t stop your hair falling out. The hair on your head is already dead & was going to fall out at some time. Can’t stop a natural process. It’s just falling out faster because of the stress your body is going through. Supplements may make your new growth stronger but won’t make it grow faster. My loss started around month 3/4 and lasted about 3 or 4 months. I was in early maintenance by then & eating more & a greater variety of foods. All you can do is ensure you’re getting in your protein & a broad range of nutrients. I agree with the suggestions of cutting your hair. It will take less time for your new growth to catch up to the shorter length. The clumps in the shower don’t look quite as bad with shorter strands either 😁. Shorter hair often looks thicker & bouncier because you don’t have the weight of your long hair pulling it down. You can always grow it again.