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I had the sleeve and loved it.....until I didn't. I lost 116 pounds in 10 months. I was working out 5 days per week. I was doing weight training, core and strength training, and cardio. THEN I started having major GERD symptoms. They were insane. I was put on 80mg of Nexium daily and still had break through GERD. Also has gastritis and esophagitis. 4 endoscopies and 1 colonoscopy later (and upwards of 30 polyps removed) I was scheduled for my revision from sleeve to bypass. I just had it done on the 28th. And while the recovery SUCKS majorly, I know once I'm past this, I'll have my life back. Oh, and I never had any reflux or GERD before, which is why I chose the sleeve to begin with.

And I have a couple of questions. Why are we not allowed to have any kind of anti-inflammatories? I was told never again. I can't even take turmeric. Also, were you ever able to take pills comfortably? I was told no pills for the first 8 weeks (except for 2 of my MS meds because they can't be opened or crushed and don't come in liquid form) and I absolutely struggle with those 2 pills. They're hard to swallow and they hurt. Will it always be this way? And finally, I know there's a lot of different answers for this, but I just want to get a general idea. How much weight did you lose if you had a revision to bypass? My surgeon said I could expect to lose about 60 pounds (but he also said I stay really strict with my diet and exercise so I could actually lose 70 or so, since I lost more with the sleeve than he initially thought I would) so I'm just trying to see if it's realistic to think that I could lose 60-70 pounds in a year if I stick to the diet and working out.

The first 2 weeks after my sleeve, I had a lot of pain, difficulty walking, and I was constipated. I'm now on the other side of my revision from sleeve to bypass, and I have........... a lot of pain and difficulty walking. Not sure if I'm constipated again or not. It's been 2 days since my surgery, tho, and I haven't gone yet. So probably.

Has anyone ever tried long distance hiking after having the VSG? it’s on my bucket list but I wonder how this surgery will affect my ability to hike 20 miles per day for 3-4 months straight. I’m also curious about anyone who has taken up extremely physical activities post VSG like marathons, long distance cycling, triathlons, things like this. Does the sleeve preclude sustained vigorous exercise like these? Thanks!

Nice! We will have to keep in touch. What are you doing in these next 4 weeks to prepare??

Here's another one im sure people can relate to......not having to use the handicap stall in the restroom anymore! I fit in a normal stall now!!!!

I am so sorry, @Layla1222. That's so hard. I don't know if this is an option, but I'm in the program at Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric & Metabolic Center. My surgeon is well known and respected. If you're looking for another opinion, I would highly recommend. I have some serious health issues, which is why I chose this program. My surgery is in a few weeks, but so far I'm incredibly impressed with the specialists. I wish you all the best, and I'm praying for you now... Don't hesitate to reach out. 💟

This is my second comment on this but now I wish I'd taken two weeks. lol. I took off Wed-Mon. Wish I'd taken off two weeks because I'm currently Mrs. Grouchy at work.

5'2" female here, 235 lbs at the beginning of my 2 week pre-op diet. which put me at a BMI 43 I am including BMI here because asking about total pounds lost to a group of people with a wide range of starting weights and heights doesn't really give a good "view" for "comparison" (and we all know we shouldn't compare ourselves to others as it may lead to angst, but i also know that we all do anyway 😕, i just hope that people don't give in to any angst it may cause...which is why i *think* @Arabesque responded they way she did.) with that said, i reached goal at 7 months, but continued to lose more weight for a few more months. To your question though, at 8 months, i had lost 116 lbs, which put me at a BMI 21.9 at the time. you are much taller than me, and according to your stats, your starting BMI is/was 46.5, so my 116 lbs loss would be equivalent to a loss of 157 lbs for you (i.e., for you to reach a similar 8 mnth BMI of 21.9) as im writing this i am already reconsidering pressing "Submit Reply" because i already know my experience is not the same as many on here, and I really dont want to endorse comparisons because i have seen/read how it makes people spiral. at the same time, you asked, so.... hopefully others will respond with the reality of the VERY varied results we all experience and you will see that everyone's experience is soooooo different. so there you go. do with this information as you will. Good Luck ❤️

I had a surgery with Mario Almanza and he’s by far the worst! I would avoid at all cost!! I wish I would’ve walked out after 17 patients. I was the last one on feb 20th 2023. I woke up in so much pain and I immediately complained and they kept saying it’s gas pain. Every way I turned they said it’s gas pain. They called his assistant who spoke English I explained to him this pain is not normal. He said it’s gas pain and there is other patient with more serious problem he has to go see. I was in disbelief. Im currently 4 months in dropped over 60 pounds not because only surgery because I’m so malnourished. I cannot eat any type of food not even liquid I vomit daily 5x. I’ve been in and out the hospital every other week. found out dr Mario Almanza cut into my lower esophageal sphincter where acid travel and bile travels freely and I’m diagnosed with severe GERD, gastritis, and damage to my esopgahas. Doctors found stitching also stables in my lower throat area. I was told there is no fix to this issue I have had 4 dilations. I was told I could get the bypass but it might kill me. I am young my life is completely ruined I have reached out to Alamnza multiple times no response so I decided to leave public comments on his instagram and he blocked me! Please avoid this horrible doctor!

Once you’ve lost or almost lost your weight you’ll start exploring what you can or can’t eat, how much of it & how often. It may be you can have ice cream once a week or maybe once a month. It’s all about discovering what works for you, & balancing maintenance of your weight while still enjoying your life. Yes, dumping is a possibility which will restrict your ability to tolerate sugar or fats. But it doesn’t affect everyone - less than about 30% I believe for bypass & less with sleeve. Some even work out how much they can eat without dumping or find non sugar or low fat alternatives.

This too will pass. Stalls are a normal & important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body shuts down & takes time to reassess your new needs because of the weight you’ve lost. It resets your digestive hormones & enzymes, your metabolism, etc. You’ll start losing again when your body is ready. Just stick to your plan. If the non moving scale makes you anxious, I agree, put it away while in a stall. Try taking some body measurements every couple of weeks instead as many see a reduction in body measurements during a stall.

The day of surgery thanks to the pain meds all I wanted to do was walk walk walk and that helped me so so much. I was not drinking as much as I should have, please be sure you do. The second day I was a lot more sore. Please be sure you have someone with you, it can be hard to get up or into bed etc. After a week, I felt so so much better!

OK TO EVERYONE PIST SURGERY !!!!! Congratulations !!!! Give yourself a hand !!!!! It gets easier and easier and when you go from 285 to 141 you will be like ok I LOVE BARBIE CLOTHES 🤗For those of you that don’t exercise you will lose half of what you want to lose !!!!!! Start water aerobics and do it 5-6 days a week you will be proud . For those of you who don’t you will stay at 180 and no smaller !!!!! It’s a numbers game I had my surgery August 2014 started at 285 one year later 141 !!!! This is the time to put on your big girl panties and work harder then ever you have one year after your surgery to lose what ever your going to lose. !!!! You want pictures I will show you

^^^Great quote^^^ I stayed off the scale till my 2 week and 5 weeks follow up. So if I had a stall I was oblivious. LOL

here are the 15K+ posts (and no, I am NOT kidding) from members who've experienced the infamous "three-week stall" (i.e, just about everyone...): https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three-week stall

No, this is not all you are going to lose. When you had surgery you automatically signed up for a marathon event. It will time for you body to do it's own thing. It is a week by week proposition. Focus on the horizon every day. When a year has gone by then reassess. Set other goals to attain. Exercise. Trips. Hobbies. Other rewards. Enjoying each day.

Stalls suck. I totally get that. But it's a reality of our journey. I've stalled 3 times in 8 weeks and have still managed to lose 50lbs since the start of my pre-op diet. You got this. Trust the process.

Get rid of your scale. It doesn't help with weight loss. Worse, it messes with your mind and causes you not to trust your plan. You will hear an unbidden voice in your head suggesting you change things up just to get the scale to move. I guess I was lucky because I was too large to fit on a home scale. I had no choice about weighing at home. Talk about trusting your plan, I had no choice. Then I discovered I never saw a stall. Not a single one, so I was never tempted to change things to please the scale. I didn't vex about a number on a scale. The scale had no power to make me happy or sad. The whole thing was an education and wonderfully freeing. Trust your plan, not your scale. Good luck, Tek

I was out-patient and my surgery was last Wednesday I returned to work this Tuesday but only because I work in a office. If I had even a slightly active job I would have taken two weeks off. Today is day 8 post-op and my tummy muscles are very weak.

Ive been soooooo tempted to start something a week early. I can eat tuna and shaved deli mean next friday and I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!

I had19 teeth extracted 2 bone graphs and a bone removed from my pallet. last year (2022) on April 25th and was fitted dentures. The bottom plate has never allowed me to eat with them, and it took 9 months for my gums to heal before I could eat (chew- or gum) again .I lived for 9 months on Ramen noodles, rice and multi vitamins. So when it came time for my pre-Bariatric surgery "diet" it wasn't a big deal. Because I had just lived through a 9 month what I called "Denture Diet" My peak weight was 245, In Nov 2021 I was referred for Bariatric surgery. Due to the fact that I suffered from Insufficient veins in my calves, causing edema in my legs and feet. Spondylosis in my L 3-4-5, Osteoarthritis in my SI joint where the sacrum and sacroiliac meet at the pelvis and the anterior cart edge in my left knew was gone. I was fit for compression socks, heavy duty knee brace and at times I had to use a cane to get up and down and to catch myself if my knee buckled.( I fell getting out of bed, 3x in 6months) I developed hyperlipidemia, and was Pre-Diabetic. I couldn't stand for more than 10 mins , squat, bend, lift, ( making the bed, sweeping or vacuuming was torture.) or walk more than a block or shop for more than 30 mins. Because of Covid everything was severely backed up, once all of my pre-surgery testing and procedures were completed, it was Feb of this year( 2023 ) . I was cleared as a perfect candidate, but again -back log. At the time they said it may be June to sometime in August before the surgeon would available , and maybe longer to find a clear OR. It took so long to get scheduled there were a couple of procedures and test I had to repeat. On April 20 (23) they called me, there a was last minute cancellation for May 22, 2023, was that doable ? Oh heck yeah ! So on the 25th they had me starting my Pre-diet, All liquids except for Cottage cheese, At almost 3 weeks in, they were concerned my weight wasn't dropping as it should be ,and asked if was following the liquid diet, I was like what ?. NO .I wasn't told to. She said yeah on the 25th. Ok well this may mean we have to re-schedule. I was so upset. She said she was going to get ahold of my Case nurse to see what to do. A couple of hours later, I was like wait a minute. I called her and said I think there was a mis-communication. I have a copy of the diet, it didn't say Liquid . Just that I was suppose to start this diet on the 25th, and on the 20th right after she called I went and stocked up on EVERYTHING, and had the receipt to prove it. I asked when you said liquid did it include Cottage cheese. She said yes, Thank goodness. Yes I HAVE been on that diet since the 25th. I am very fortunate, I am a crazy fast healer,. I had all of this trepidation about healing right, and being able to get around ASAP. I am almost 60 and everything had been falling apart. My roommate is a very empathetic, compassionate , and a generous person, but what she is not, is a caregiver. So I was concerned about that. So I had my surgery on May 22, at 9 am. Woke up later in a hospital room, I had a horrible pain in my shoulder and it felt like someone kicked me in the gut. Tuesday morning I woke, still a little sore in the tummy ( like a pulled muscle) but other than that I was fine. At 3pm she came into discharge me, and told me to call my ride ( roommate) I ended up having to walk down to the nurse's station, because she said she would be right back to get my IV out ,but she didn't return, so I hunted her down. After I got it removed , she said she was going to go get a wheelchair. So I got out of bed, got dressed, gathered my things and sat on the bed and waited, and waited, my roommate called , I am here what's going on. I said she had to get a wheel chair. So I waited some more ,after like 30-45 minutes . Once again I walked down to the Nurse's Station hunting for her and pulled a "Karen", some guy showed up with my wheelchair, quickly. My roommate had been waiting in the Patient Pick-up zone for almost an hour and a half, she was fuming. I get home, go to bed, my roommate goes and picks up my pain meds it was liquid Tylenol and Liquid Gabapentin and Celebrex. When I took the liquids I almost threw up...WTH ? Out of curiosity, I looked up the ingredients. Freaking FAKE sweetener. I cannot tell you how many times I informed them I could NOT use any fake sweeter, because it gave me severe cramping stomach aches, vomiting, or IBS. Just two days before the surgery they tried to give me three Ensure to drink ,which I already knew had the fake sweetener, and said no can do, Keep them. And now my pain killers had them. I was like do you feel actual pain? Not really, just some tenderness. So I threw them out. The rest of the day I was up and around, doing things. And the next day it was like I never had the surgery. I live at a Studio Apartment complex with 16 units. My roommate is the on-site manager. So as I went back to my normal on the 4th day, ( with the weight lift, carry, push-pull restrictions), and the tenants were all like " I thought you were having surgery this week ?" I said " I did. On Monday." None of them could believe it. So that is my story. I am disappointed with my weight loss so far, ( it's been a month) as I have only lose 17lbs since the surgery. But I also considered, due to my 9 month "Denture Diet"( I lost 25 lbs,but once I was able to eat again I got back up, so, it may have changed the immediate weight loss factor. I have lost 45 lbs. So maybe that is why. So below is my pre-food, my favorite a plate FULL of (Foie de Veau Lyonnaise) Calf liver in onions. and my new diet. 4oz ( with a total of 2oz of food) containers with liver, mashed potatoes and broccoli.

I’m almost a month out of surgery and I had little pain. The hardest thing for me has been not chugging liquids. I know I want water, but a sip here and there doesn’t quite quench my thirst. Nor do I have time to sip every two mins! This week I went for a two mile walk in the hills and realized my energy is way off. I had to stop and have a sip every five mins it seemed.

Ill be 3 weeks post op tomorrow and its really hard!! I just want something solid to eat....like meat! I have one more week till I can start Tuna and shaved deli meat so Im excited about that. Ive hit my first stall and its a little discouraging but i see pics and can definitely still see a difference. I cant really stomach anything with artificial flavor like the drink enhancers or anything like that. My taste buds have seem to changed. I cannot take the protein shakes no more, i cant eat refried beans anymore or cream of chicken soup. and i use to love those things....People keep telling me it gets better so im keeping hope!!!

I felt this!!! same with me! Im 3 weeks post op now!