Search the Community

Ordered from Amazon and having one for breakfast. I give it a 9 out of 10. Sent from my [smartphone] using BariatricPal mobile app

AWWWW Jaelzion - Thank you for keeping me in your heart !!! Yes, I am still around ! More than 10 years later you CAN take some control back. If Depression is a problem, talk to your doctor - even your regular doc and ask about a referral for therapy or for some medication - antidepressants are a wonderful help - and although they take 6 to 8 weeks to kick in well, they can really help you to lift yourself out of a chemical imbalance that causes us to have depression. (yeah, I am a therapist/social worker too !!) But do not allow yourself to be depressed about YOURSELF. Take one thing. Just one thing and turn it positive. Mine was "no more fried potato food" I stopped eating french fries and potato chips. Then I added more healthy foods back to my diet. I remembered how much I really liked eating healthier .... and I added more and substituting a healthy choice for a not so healthy one is a VICTORY EVERY DAY. And not eating out ? I forgot how much added salt is in things. THAT took weight off me too. No, it isn't easy. But I did it. I have kept those 45 pounds off since October 2020 and here it is January 2021 and .... I have lost another 2 pounds. I know, not alot. But I had told myself that at 45 pounds I was stopping and going to maintain my weight. Maybe lose 5 pounds in the next year. Maybe not. And look at that. 4 months and down 2 more pounds ! YES AND WHOOPPEE for meeee !!!! Celebrate your victories like crazy ! I will be 65 years old this year - actually in a couple months... and I will weigh what I did in graduate school when I was .... 25 ! I am not thin. I won't ever be thin. I am "overweight" for my height and age. And you know what ? I am okay with that. Because I WAS SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE. I weighed over 300 pounds. I now weigh 173. My BMI WAS 58 - it is now 31. And IF i were to have the extra skin removed ? I would probably lose another 10 pounds easily. But I don't need to do that. Or want to. I'm good. Figure out where you can be "good" with yourself. Then start on the road. YOU CAN DO THIS.

Omg Gradycat we got sleeved the same month 2 years ago ! I also have gaine 12-13 lbs with covid and some family tragedy . Working to take it off now and once I stop eating sweets after 7 it seems to be working . I feel so depressed about it but know I still have lost 60lbs and I will get this 10 back off ...protein first !

Yes, Dr. Francisco Sauceda! I had my surgery January 2019 and I am very happy with my results and he was fantastic, along with his nurse, Paty. She's an absolute gem! If you'd like to get more details and some feedback and some pictures, feel free to private message me. There's one very major thing that I would do differently, but I don't want to put that out here. Good luck with your decision!

Hey @ANewJourneyAwaits, I'm 10 days post-op too from VSG and I literally came on here today looking for an answer to the exact question you asked! I haven't been having any trouble with hitting my liquid or protein goals and I feel relatively normal. Sure, like you, I can't gulp down anything and I'm still pacing myself but it's not nearly as restrictive (or painful) as I thought it was going to be. I made friends with a few of the other people who were having VSG at the same time as me and on our group chat I'm hearing a lot about how they're dealing with naseau, not being able to hit their goals, not being able to tolerate certain foods, etc. And, I'm sitting here thinking, "Am I the one doing this all wrong?" Because I haven't dealt with any of that. So thank you for posting and everyone else who commented, that really did help put me at ease. – Minnesotan-Guy

I had gastric bypass in November 2019.

Same. I felt basically nothing for my breast lift (0/10) My TT was like a 7 on the pain scale...but for me it lasted quite a while (much longer than GT’s 2 weeks) (Arm lift was also a 7 and lasted even longer)

Hi I haven't been on one of these forums in a looong time. I had a sleeve done in 11/2010. It has gone well and MOST of the time I hovered between 185-210 (which was fine with me as I was nowhere near my high of 300). about 1.5 yrs ago I started having trouble keeping some foods down...I figured I was just eating too fast or too much. I was losing weight but not too fast. I had post-menopausal bleeding in 12/2019 so we did the whole cancer check thing (esp with the vomiting becoming more of an issue). Everything came out fine so I was referred to a GI who found a hernia. Had this repaired in 6/2020. Since then I have done well to keep anything but liquids down. I had an upper GI done and my stomach is the shape of a barbell. (1/3 normal sleeve, middle 1/3 severely narrowed, last 1/3 normal sleeve). Referred to another GI who did another EGD and colonoscopy and found I had almost a complete blockage in my stomach (11/2020) (he also got a good view of how I look like skin and bones without clothes which I think REALLY concerned him). He sent me straight to the ER to be admitted and I had surgery 2 days later which ended up being them taking the scar tissue that was wrapped around my stomach out. Still no improvement. My new GI had his nurse call me because he wanted to have an appointment (12/28) and see how I was doing post surgery (5 weeks out). He immediately ordered ANOTHER upper GI (12/30) which looked exactly like the one from October. We discussed going to a different surgeon and I picked a new bariatric surgeon (I tried a few but they wouldn't take me since they didn't do my original surgery in 2010 and the one who did is no longer in network). Once the surgeon saw my upper gi results he had his nurse move my appointment up a week. (1/5). My GI sent a message to the surgeon prior to my appointment so he had a heads up about me. First he wasn't happy I hadn't been referred earlier to him by my first GI. He said there is no fixing the middle part of my stomach and the only thing to do is revise to an RNY. He wants to do it as soon as ins approves. (Today I spoke with them and it is marked high priority and I should have an answer by tomorrow). I made sure they knew I could only keep liquids down and it had been thing way since June. I also mentioned I have gone from a size 14/16 in Dec 2019 to 4/6 now. (I just bought a size 4 straight skirt and it fits perfectly). I have a TON of loose skin but clothes hide it. In July I just bought a new bra 36 B now I am a 32A. The guy on the phone at Aetna took these notes to add to my file in addition to the ones my surgeon sent (the upper gi series, etc). Originally my file wasn't marked high priority until someone on the clinical team looked at it. SO, now you have my LOOONG backstory. I am kind of scared about the RNY. How is the recovery? This will be my 3rd surgery in 7 months. My body has not been getting the calories it needs for quite a while now (even protein shakes take a long time to get through). It's actually probably a miracle that I am still able to function as well as I have been at work. All of the covid changes have been kicking my rear but it has been a very productive year for me despite this whole mess. Thankfully I have an amazing admin assistant and colleagues who have been pitching in here and there to help when I absolutely needed it...but I am a workaholic so I have taken very little time off for recoveries. What can I expect of an RNY rather than the sleeve? Has anyone had any complications like this so far out from the original surgery? Obviously I am not doing this to lose weight...I am actually doing it to gain weight. This has really been crazy mentally after all those years worried about losing weight. sorry for the book. I would love input from anyone :)

I had “the works” done in one 12.5 hour surgery. 360 degree/lower body lift Long thigh lift Arm lift Breast lift and augmentation Liposuction January 2019

Hello. I tried several different proteins sources after my surgery (10/24/19). I didn't like any of them just the way they came, The prepackaged ones being too thick and overly sweet. I now drink this easy concoction daily (still). 3/4 scoop Unjury Chocolate Splendor 1/4 scoop Unjury Unflavored I adjust according to my flavor cravings for the day sometimes I make it less sweet than the ratio I gave here. It's easy to get the ratio right, just fill one scoop 3/4 full (or a half) full and top it off with the unflavored. Nothing to it! Good luck on your journey! Sarah P.S. Unjury has 2 different sample kits for sale, (I swear I don't work for the Unjury company). https://unjury.com/bundles/basic-sampler-kit/

Somebody asked a similar question here: Here are the ones I purchased (I think I found all of these through ads on Facebook; none of these are referral links and I do not benefit in any way from them): IdealFit (IdealLean) (You can also buy individual sample size packets if you don't want this many) 1up Nutrition Northbound Nutrition Waves of Whey Strength (Unfortunately, the samples are 5 packs of the same flavor, so you'd have to buy 10 packs just to get both flavors) KetoShop (There are two different sample packs; I got the zero carb just because the flavors were more appealing to me) My favorite was IdealLean and that's my go-to brand now (I love the birthday cake flavor mixed into yogurt -- that makes for a great high-protein meal after surgery -- and the chocolate brownie is my favorite chocolate Protein shake). Once you start shopping for Protein Powder online, you'll start seeing ads for other protein powders. I've seen some appealing ones recently, but I'm all stocked up on protein powders so I'm not buying any more right now. You should look at the ingredients and nutrition info to make sure they meet your requirements. You might also want to try clear protein powders. IdealFit has some (including samples) and you can buy Syntrax Nectar samples in the BariatricPal store. They do not have the same thick texture as the shakes, so you may find them more palatable. I also recommend trying protein hot chocolate; I find it easier to drink than the cold shakes.

Knowing it happens made it easier for me to accept when it did. It’s just your body taking a breath to get used to all the changes you’ve been making. I’d heard all the stories about upping or lowering your calories, changing your activity, etc. but I just stuck to my plan & I started to lose again. The first one lasted a week. I had a couple of what I called mini stalls where I’d lose less than my average loss across a week. My last one was my worst. One kilo off goal & I sat there for 2 & a half weeks. Longest 19 days in my life. You’ll get through it & you’ll start to lose again.

I purchased sample sizes of a bunch of different brands so I could get some variety and figure out what I liked before I bought a big tub. My favorite was IdealLean and that's my go-to brand now (I love the birthday cake flavor mixed into yogurt -- that makes for a great high-protein meal after surgery -- and the chocolate brownie is my favorite chocolate protein shake). Once you start shopping for protein powder online, you'll start seeing ads for other protein powders. I've seen some appealing ones recently, but I'm all stocked up on protein powders so I'm not buying any more right now. You should look at the ingredients and nutrition info to make sure they meet your requirements. Here are the ones I purchased (I think I found all of these through ads on Facebook): IdealFit (IdealLean) (You can also buy individual sample size packets if you don't want this many) 1up Nutrition Northbound Nutrition Waves of Whey Strength (Unfortunately, the samples are 5 packs of the same flavor, so you'd have to buy 10 packs just to get both flavors) KetoShop (There are two different sample packs; I got the zero carb just because the flavors were more appealing to me) P.S. None of these are referral links and I do not benefit in any way from them.

Im thinking that so long as you keep on top of total calories consumed, it doesn’t really matter how it gets in? l mean, consuming 3000 calories in 3 dedicated meals vs 10 mini-meals will still result in weight gain. And consuming 800 cals in either manner will result in a loss. I think for a lot of peeps (myself included) grazing is a necessity. There is no way I could eat all the food I eat in a regular day in just 3 meals (unless of course my “meals” were like 3 hours long or something). But of course, do what works for you, as we all have different MO’s that work for each us. Its really trial and error: follow a plan and keep following until it is no longer giving u the results u want...then change as necessary ❤️

This is what I posted in the post op section. I have to say, being day 3 after surgery I have asked myself a number of times what the hell have I done....then I have moments of comfort which removes all concern. It took me nearly 12 hours to come out of the anaesthetic properly, and I had the awful sweats and nausea, but no vomiting. I remember only the Ice packs put behind my shoulders and the cold towel on my head.....ooh it felt so good. The nurses were just smashing and I'm going to send a thank you hard to them at the ward. I came home the day after surgery. I've had two bad nights, but last night felt so much better and slept 8 hours straight. I am already 4kgs down since surgery so that gives me hope. My first night home I was worried about my intake of Fluid. I struggled to consume even one cup of liquid a day. Yesterday I got through an entire Optifast shake, one cup of warm coffee, and about 500ml of Powerade zero. What has worked for me through trial and error (haha that auto corrected to "terror") 1. Don't drink laying down. Try and sit upright as possible, it reduces the chance of pain. 2. Small sips mean exactly that. Wet the inside of your mouth, and don't do more than two at a time. 3. Room temperature liquid gives me less issues 4. Make a shake in the morning and aim to complete by midday. Same for the afternoon 5. Keep on top of standard pain relief. Here in Australia we have panadol which is safe for bariatric patients. I tried dissolvable ones but the contain effervescent bubbles... not a great outcome 6. When pain is felt, stand up tall, take s deep breath through the nose and slowly out through the mouth. At most it has been two breaths and the pain is gone 7. A cool shower, clean hair, clean jammies and clean sheets make everything feel better [emoji16] 8. My headaches are likely to be caused by coffee withdrawl. I added 1tsp instant (powdered) coffee to a choc or vanilla shake. Voila!! Headache gone Just my thoughts, and hope some of these ideas can help others just having had surgery. Day 1 I was 7/10 discomfort, and full of unfounded regrets. Today, day 3, 1/10 discomfort, totally happy with my decision to have taken this route. How are you all doing? Sent from my SM-G950F using BariatricPal mobile app

I have to say, being day 3 after surgery I have asked myself a number of times what the hell have I done....then I have moments of comfort which removes all concern. It took me nearly 12 hours to come out of the anaesthetic properly, and I had the awful sweats and nausea, but no vomiting. I remember only the Ice packs put behind my shoulders and the cold towel on my head.....ooh it felt so good. The nurses were just smashing and I'm going to send a thank you hard to them at the ward. I came home the day after surgery. I've had two bad nights, but last night felt so much better and slept 8 hours straight. I am already 4kgs down since surgery so that gives me hope. My first night home I was worried about my intake of fluid. I struggled to consume even one cup of liquid a day. Yesterday I got through an entire optifast shake, one cup of warm coffee, and about 500ml of powerade zero. What has worked for me through trial and error (haha that auto corrected to "terror") 1. Don't drink laying down. Try and sit upright as possible, it reduces the chance of pain. 2. Small sips mean exactly that. Wet the inside of your mouth, and don't do more than two at a time. 3. Room temperature liquid gives me less issues 4. Make a shake in the morning and aim to complete by midday. Same for the afternoon 5. Keep on top of standard pain relief. Here in Australia we have panadol which is safe for bariatric patients. I tried dissolvable ones but the contain effervescent bubbles... not a great outcome 6. When pain is felt, stand up tall, take s deep breath through the nose and slowly out through the mouth. At most it has been two breaths and the pain is gone 7. A cool shower, clean hair, clean jammies and clean sheets make everything feel better [emoji16] 8. My headaches are likely to be caused by coffee withdrawl. I added 1tsp instant (powdered) coffee to a choc or vanilla shake. Voila!! Headache gone Just my thoughts, and hope some of these ideas can help others just having had surgery. Day 1 I was 7/10 discomfort, and full of unfounded regrets. Today, day 3, 1/10 discomfort, totally happy with my decision to have taken this route. How are you all doing? Sent from my SM-G950F using BariatricPal mobile app

Having just completed my 3rd week post op I wanted to post an update in case it helps anyone with a late December surgery date still in that first week. I guess having read so many people saying minimal pain after Gastric Bypass, and felt recovered "pretty quickly"...left me with exaggerated expectations of my healing. I should have really asked a bit more of what is minimal pain mean, and what are the typical expectations days after surgery, a week after surgery...when do I not feel any pain? The first week was definitely rough, pain was moderate (to me), meaning I felt every movement I made and was uncomfortable in all but a few positions. Day 8 for me was finally a point where I felt I could get up and down without much discomfort, and walk around for longer period of times with pain being too much. I declared I finally started feeling human. Each day after that it gets....better. Not dramatically...just a longer slower upward trend than my patience and pain threshold was ready for. I had no obligations to be anywhere for 2 weeks - and WAS SO THANKFUL I did that. I am back at work week 3 but definitely not at 100%. And I just sit behind a desk. I would say for just doing computer work for 8-10 hours I am at 75% of where I was pre surgery. And very worn and more hurting at the end of the day. From a physical standpoint of any type of real movement ie Hiking, or long walks...I'd say I am 40-50% of where I was... So for anyone in those first 2 weeks wondering like I did why I am not up and feeling great....maybe this will be some type of encouragement. The key takeaway for me is...each day is an improvement...and taking time to heal is ok...it's not a race...a journey. Each body is different. I am thankful for no real complications, and am very pleased at the initial weight loss I have experienced since prepping for surgery, and over the past several weeks. That is also helping to motivate...and know each day is a healthier me as well. November 26th - 290 December 15 - 270 (Surgery) January 6th - 245 I would have NEVER believed that was possible. So thankful there is a tool that can help me get my health under control. Hope this helps someone out there struggling through pain...just rest, do the best you can each day to stay hydrated..and time WILL PASS..and you WILL feel better. Just takes time...

I have BCBS FEP too, and what they want is documented weight for the last 2 years. For me, my surgery was in 2020, so I had to provide a note from my MD for 2018 and 2019 that documented my weight. In addition, I had to see my primary care provider for 4 consecutive months for weight checks and counseling, plus a psych evaluation, abdominal sonogram, a visit with a dietician, and an EGD. Then it went to BCBS FEP for approval. It’s a long process but it’s worth it.

Hi. I had the band surgery May 2010 and it only worked for a couple of years. So after gaining my weight back, about 65#, primary doctor suggested sleeve. Went through all the steps last year for my date 11/21/2019. However, surgeon had difficulty removing band and port due to severe scar tissue. Still didn't get hiatal hernia repair either. Gained back pre-surgery weight as required, started process again that April with Dietitian but after 3 months canceled due to weight gain, then in August lost 33 lbs using Optavia program by mid-November and set date Nov 30th. Since then I've lost another 19#. Well worth it. Sent from my [smartphone] using BariatricPal mobile app

I had the sleeve 4.5 years ago. For the past couple of years my teeth have gone down hill DRASTICALLY. I have been in and out of the dentist chair more times than I care to count. I just went for my 6 month cleaning this morning and I have 14 cavities. I had 4 the last time they saw me and now another 10 are popping up. I've never had the best teeth around but before surgery I would get a clean bill of dentistry health at every cleaning. No cavities for YEARS. Anyhow, the dentist is suggesting using Xylitol products (as many as I can consume in the day she said lol) I have used Xylitol tablets that you stick between your gum/cheek. But she's telling me about using Xylitol drink mixes (like crystal light) and has also recommended finding candies, gums, chews, etc with 100% Xylitol. Any suggestions?

Hi everyone, I had the lapband done 10 years ago and had it taken out in October 2019 in an emergency surgery. Have surgery for the sleeve February 19th. I’m uneasy about it with the permanent aspect of it. I did very well with the band losing 170 pounds. I’ve regained this past year waiting for my surgery date for sleeve. Any former band people who got the sleeve who have encouragement? Though doing well with the band I had a lot of bad habits that I know won’t work with the sleeve. I can’t convince myself I can do this. With the band I feel betrayed because I thought I would always have it. It worked well for me. I’m scared! Thanks!

I understand completely! I’m 2 months out from VSG and have had two stalls that have each lasted about 10 days. It’s SO frustrating!! The weight will start dropping again. Just yesterday I started losing again. How are you doing with exercise? I find if I don’t walk, I slow down in weight loss. Hang in there. As frustrating and maddening as it is, it can’t last forever!

I read the eye shadow thing like 10 times until I realized you were looking in a mirror!!! LOL

Hi all! Looking for any good tips and tricks to start back losing pounds. My surgery date was 10/7/20. I am 143 and my goal is 128 by May 2021. I ate small amounts of about everything over the holidays and drank my fair share of wine/liquor. I was able to maintain my weight in December so I didn’t gain but no loss I am back to eating much fewer carbs and trying to get my water and protein in properly. Don’t scream at this part— I also take phentermine so it can take any hunger feelings away. I haven’t had any negative side effects from it before and none this time as well. I only plan to use it to help get to my goal.