Search the Community

60lbs down since the start and 52 since the day of my surgery. 13 inches off my waist and 10 off my apron belly. Feeling more confident. Still a way to go

60lbs down since the start and 52 since the day of my surgery. 13 inches off my waist and 10 off my apron belly. Feeling more confident. Still a way to go

Since you've been doing your homework, you probably already know that your chance for any complication is just under 6% and your chance for a serious complication is about 2.5% with the RNY. On the flip side, you have about a 74% chance of curing your sleep apnea and a decent likelihood of reaching a BMI in the healthy range. I am scheduled for surgery next month, so I can't tell you about my experience with it yet. What I can tell you is why I am choosing it after almost 7 years in my hospital's non-surgical weight loss program. I am 5'6 and 49 years old, with 2 teen/tween daughters. At the start of 2017, I was 249 pounds and on blood pressure meds, no other co-morbidities. My primary care doctor referred to me to the weight management center. They said aim for 1500 calories per day, 30 minutes of exercise 5 days per week, and check in with them every month. I was motivated and started tracking my food and exercise. I went in for nutrition, psych, and medical meetings as directed. The weight came off. I was thrilled! I got down to 202 in 6 months. I was so close to being under 200, and I was certain I could easily get to at least under a BMI of 30 to no longer be "obese." Piece of cake! Or rather, some suitably healthy cake alternative. Like apples, maybe? And then I stalled for months. I never hit that magical 199 on the scale. I kept doing everything the same and my weight didn't budge. I ate a little less. I exercised a little more. I gained 5 lbs. I gained a few more. I became discouraged. Life happened. I would lose 10 lbs, gain 8, lose 5, gain 15... I tried various meds but couldn't afford them longterm. I lost health insurance for a year and couldn't afford to go to my regular check-ins, which I know were partially responsible for keeping me at least a little motivated even when the scale didn't cooperate. I got health insurance again, and went for my physical. My blood pressure had worsened and now I was prediabetic. My doctor urged me to go back to weight management. I had to wait 3 months for an appointment, and despite wanting to lose some weight in the interim (so the doctor there wouldn't be disappointed in me), I weighed in at 251, which tipped me over to 40 BMI. That was the most I ever weighed. When the doctor recommended I consider weight loss surgery, I knew that was the answer for me. One thing I learned in all this is people can lose weight, even a lot of it. The likelihood of keeping it off longterm without meds or surgery is around 10%. Between a 2.5% risk of a serious complication or a 90% chance of being obese and on blood pressure meds the rest of my life, and risking diabetes, I prefer to take my chances with the surgery. It's not the losing weight that worries me, but the keeping it off that I don't think will happen without it.

Lily2024 first, congrats on making a positive life changing decision. My advice to you is if you go into your RNY with the strongest foundation possible then that is the best case as you have weeks of lower calories and activity. That said, there can be arguments made to which is better: weights vs cardio? I think a balanced approach between the 2 is always prudent. At the end of the day, the best workout plan is the one you stick to! So most importantly stick with what you enjoy so you are motivated to stay committed to the plan and pick back up when your recovery plan allows. Hope that makes sense. Generally I work out 5-6 days a week which involves mix of weights and cardio. Training for the Ironman, I spent most time focusing on the 3 disciplines: swim, bike and run. In hindsight, I wish I would have made strength training more of.a priority in that process to help with foundational strength and recovery. But I chalk that up to lessons learned! Learn2cook: thank you and yes I have plenty of pictures of my progress. Journaling is an area of which I need to improve but I have started jotting down some notes.  As for other goals, yes! My current goal is to get back to normal or whatever my new normal is. It’s funny how life hands you tests along the way. On 10./29, I suffered from an Ischemic stroke where clots hit 2 parts of my brain. Turns out I have a hole in my heart that’s a birth defect. I have my issues but it could’ve been much worse. A blessing was going into the stroke being in such good health. Had I still been obese, I may not be here today. So now I need to channel my Ironman attitude into putting in the work towards my recovery. So my fitness journey isn’t over but surely has taken a Detour. But attitude and effort are the only things I can control so I will do what it takes. Good luck in your journey!

Yep that was me. im more cautious this time round. I am only 19 days post op. But it feels so different. I was told to stick to fluids for 3 weeks. So still a bit longer. And then runny puree for 3 weeks. I can drink and wait an hour before drinking again. I’m struggling with plain water. before I would have a coffee for breakfast and then wouldn’t have anything till lunchtime.

I had my gastric bypass 11/10, now 11 days post op. Feeling pretty good, excited about soft foods in another week.

I went 5 days after surgery (had been on month preop before that and had some gaps as well). Was told to take still softener twice a day after surgery and that still wasn’t cutting it. Advised 7-10 days is normal but I could take miralax or milk of magnesia if I was uncomfortable. Milk of magnesia did the trick in about 5 hours.

I’m 19 days post op! On puree stage Struggling with this stage because of the food consistency! Back to work today I’m super nervous anyone else feel like this?

I am a chronic pain pain patient and my pain specialist has ordered my pain meds every 4 hours for 10 days just in case.

10 days after surgery for me, if i remember correctly.

Amazon have a great deals on bariatric vitamins, and you can get an subscription that qill give you about 10 % off the vitamins

My gastric sleeve surgery date is 12/19/23 and would love to connect with others having surgery in December so that we can support each other on this journey. 😊

Wow 10 days post op , 4 days post op and your already allowed to eat? My DS surgery was November 9th and I’m instructed to still follow a liquid diet. I’m dying here I want FOOD! All I have is broth, water sugar free jello decaf tea water and more water, oh and sugar free ice pops.. my mouth is dry and my tummy is empty I want solids.

I got a post-op call from the nurse today to check in. She suggested either miralax or milk of magnesia though said that 7-10 days of no bowel movement after surgery is normal.

Thank you!!!! Yes, luckily it's only about 10 pounds I need to lose and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to achieve it.

I've been a lot more careful with my eating since July, but last week I had a business trip to Las Vegas. I didn't go completely crazy, but I was eating in restaurants every day and the food was so salty. Plus flying, which always causes me some water retention. I weighed myself Sunday, the day after I got home, and I was up 10 lbs! But I know this was almost all water because I weighed today and I'm back down to where I was before the trip. A big, salty Thanksgiving meal and a couple days of leftovers would probably do the trick!

You will do fine. Being anxious is normal. I had the sleeve on 10/27 and had no issues at all. I was never even tired. At times I question whether I even had the surgery (which I have heard from others) because I have had no pain, nada. I was tired and dizzy the first day after surgery, but that is normal. I am losing weight (and following my doctor's recommendations exactly), and I have no hunger (except some head hunger--which I counteract by trying to focus on what is really going on--smells of food being one). Remembering your why is a very good way to deal with head hunger or any other obstacle you might experience. So many people say this, but it really is the choices you make on a daily basis. As to wiping your butt, they want you up and walking ASAP to get rid of the gas--if you can walk, you can wipe your butt. Good luck!!

Hi everyone! This is my first post on the boards. I had my surgery on 10/23. I'm feeling pretty good but I'm nervous about going back to work. I know I still need to have my protein shakes throughout the day. But I guess I'm just nervous about being tempted by the things people bring in. Going back to work next week so wish me luck!

I mean, I kind of hope OP was a troll, because it's terrible if someone was really feeling this bad about their decision to have surgery. On occasion I've regretted my surgery, like when I was losing a lot of hair, but overall I'm happy that I've lost 50 pounds. I wish I could lose more, and hopefully I will. I dislike how my neck looks now and I'm dreaming of having a neck lift or even a face lift, but mostly I did this for health. I'm positive I would never have lost 50 pounds on my own. I was losing and regaining the same 10 pounds over and over again, and would have just kept doing that. I don't really miss food, since I can eat pretty much anything, just a lot less. Like I'll have a hamburger sometimes, but just 1/4 or half. I kind of like saving on groceries, since I eat less.

I had the bypass on November 10

I got an answer within 10 days when mine was submitted in 2021. I had to do 3 months of supervised diet. I think my out of pocket was something to the tune of about $175 for the actual procedure.

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.