Search the Community

I think the best way to resist temptation is to avoid it as much as possible. Don't buy junk food. If it's not around, you can't eat it. I take it a step further and use online grocery shopping (pickup or delivery) so I don't even have to go into the store. I shop mostly from my favorites lists that only contain healthy foods. On the rare occasion I go into the store, all of the temptations are in my face and I find myself tempted to buy something I shouldn't, "just this once." The more you have to face temptation, the more mental effort it takes to resist and the more likely you are to give in. Another thing that helps is having healthy, delicious foods readily available. If you like to cook, go on Pinterest to find healthy recipes that you look forward to trying. I live alone, so I always have a lot of leftovers that I freeze in individual portions, so I have a variety of healthy meals that I can easily grab from the freezer and heat in the microwave with some cauliflower rice. I meal prep a bunch of salads every week and have a variety of Skinny Girl salad dressings on hand. I eat a lot of sugar-free Jello with sugar-free meringue (made with pasteurized egg whites so it's safe to eat raw), and sugar-free meringue cookies. I also eat protein bars (Built Bars are my favorite) as a healthy-ish treat. This is so important, and it's really easy to take for granted once you lose the weight -- to forget how hard it is to live with morbid obesity. I recently saw a guy at work who was so big that he looked like he was struggling to walk out to the parking lot, and my heart broke for him because I remember being that big. I don't really think about it much anymore, but there was a time that I dreaded walking to and from the parking lot or up a couple of flights of stairs because it was so hard when I was carrying an extra 200 pounds. And that's not to mention all the social stigma on being fat, which I never want to experience again.

Can you better explain what you mean by "help me"? Do you need to lose weight? How much? When you say you eat very little, do you know how many calories you're consuming now? Do you know your Resting Metabolic Rate? Do you exercise? What types and how much? Do you have any other medical conditions other than your digestive disorder? Especially disorders that impact your metabolism such as PCOS, Hypothyroidism, Diabetes, etc? Sorry for all the questions, but details matter.

Insurance never really played into it for me. They covered any medically necessary procedure, and it was necessary. The only instruction I had from the surgeon was not to gain weight. A colleague with the same insurance, same procedure, and same doctor, had to go on a 6 month weight loss program prior, that was pretty strict. The reasoning behind that was based on health going into surgery, as well as psych evals. Again, I don't think insurance required anything there either; it was the surgeon and shrink.

I couldn't find any specific answers to this but I did learn that weight loss surgeries are considered "cosmetic" by PSHP. I think you are going to have to call to find out for sure what is paid or not paid and when. Here is the document listing the cosmetic classification: https://www.pshpgeorgia.com/content/dam/centene/policies/payment-policies/CC.PP.024.pdf

If I "cheat" for more than a couple days, my body tells me it's not happy. I have a specific, consistent routine and that includes what foods I eat. Eating poorly makes me feel horrible. That's my motivation; I can and do eat things that aren't on my diet in limited amounts, but it's one meal in an entire day and I'm very careful about portions. I rarely put more food in front of myself than I am comfortable eating to eliminate the temptation (even in restaurants, I will ask for a box WITH my plate and put away everything I don't intend to eat in that sitting before I even pick up a fork.) Basically, I've been there, I've done that enough times to know that a couple days of having to eat extra-healthy to get back on track is a frustrating thing I don't feel is worth it anymore, so I stick with my plan really closely. I'm two weeks short of being 18 months out and my primary issue is being able to keep what little weight I have left ON. I actually have to track my food to make sure I am eating enough to maintain.

I had a gastric bypass because of medical issues. I had a fundolipication that had failed after about 8 years ago. This left my esophagus in an L shape & made it hard for food to go down. My surgeon is one of the top Thorasic surgeons in the country. He told me to get all my info on the internet 🙄 He said that a Roux n y would permanently fit my problem. Because it was a medical problem & not just to loose weight I didn’t have to do all of the things weight loss people do. I did loose 70 pounds then put 15 back on. I think my body has settled on the weight that it is happy at. I know if I go over that my digestive tract will be unhappy.

Hi Everyone, I've benefited immensely from reading all the content on here and am wondering if you guys have helpful advice for me. I'm 7 months out and have been losing nicely till about a month or 2 ago. My appetite and hunger have returned and I'm finding it very difficult to stick to my plan without cheating, reach my protein and fluid goals somewhat, and push myself to work out. Some days my cheating is so bad, it scares me. Obviously the scale hasn't moved downward, it only keeps fluctuating by a few pounds according to my intake. I haven't seen a significant loss in a while. While I'm so happy about my weight loss, I still really want to lose more and am scared about being able to maintain the loss if at 7 months out it's so easy to eat so much junk. I'm slowly building new habits, but at the same time, old habits die hard. I want to hear from you what helped you stick to your plan like glue, what motivated you day after day? How do I resist the urge to cheat? Any and all advice welcome. Looking forward to your replies!

Hello everyone :)! I have my first consultation with my surgeon in a little over a month. I cannot wait to get it all started and I'm excited. This is something I thought about and tried to do on my own for years and I feel as though I'm ready to now use vsg as a tool to help me be healthy and happy now at 35 years old. With that being said, I called my insurance twice to make sure (I have Northwell Direct -ppo ) that they will cover all bariatric surgeries (especially vsg in particular) and to see if they have any pre-approval requirements. According to the two people I've called and spoken to, any bariatric surgery I choose is 100% covered since my bmi is 45, including everything associated with the surgery before and after. Also they both claim that there are no requirements on my plan from my insurance company to get do to be approved...(no weighs-in necessary, no 3 month or 6 month programs, no steps to take.) With that being said I'm assuming that it will be all in my surgeons hands, no? Has anyone been told that their insurance only requires a bmi of over 40 or 35 with comorbidites, and than had a surgeon who had minimal requirements? Has anyone had no requirements (besides bmi) from your insurance, but your surgeon still had you on weight monitoring and/or a 6 month plan? Has anyone had no requirements (besides bmi) from your insurance and been fast tracked with your surgeon? I'm sorry for all the questions, I'm just new here and to all of this and through my months of research it seems to be that the standard for vsg is at least getting bloodwork, getting a pysch evaluation, meeting with a nutritionist and a lot of the times getting a sleep study and/or seeing a cardiologist. I have a ppo therefore I don't need pcp approval to see specialists. I'm hoping to get some feedback for others experience since I can't find one article, post or video on the internet about Anyone who has my health insurance and getting bariatric surgery so looking for tips or insight from others under my exact insurance has been a dud. 😕

Congratulations! I had my sleeve on 2/8 and lost 18 lbs since then. Today was my first day at the gym. My doctor said only the treadmill - I was going super slow. I feel the weight difference on my knee that was giving me a lot of trouble. Definitely feeling the positive effects of the surgery!

Yes. A revision to bypass is what usually occurs if your reflux worsens. In most situations your surgeon will advise against a sleeve if you have existing reflux/gerd. I had reflux but I’d managed it for many years with dietary choices. I usually only needed to take meds maybe <5 times a year. This was why my surgeon decided a sleeve would be ok. I still have reflux but it manifests differently & I do have to take a PPI every day. PS - I think those whose reflux improves after a sleeve is because of dietary changes & the weight loss. It’s not common though.

I'm not sure if that will necessarily cause problems, but you'll probably be dealing with loose skin again after you lose weight...

Use this one last appointment to ask all the questions that you want/need. Have you had a dietician assigned to you. Does your surgeon supply written information on the procedure and after care? Are there follow up appointments afterwards? There is a very informative book called - Your complete guide to nutrition for weight loss surgery. Written by Sally Johnston, Great information on all the procedures, stages and the journey post WLS. Also includes fluid and vitamin requirements.

I know I did this in the wrong order. [emoji849] I had an abdominoplasty and lipo a couple of yes ago after losing a bunch of weight only to go through a divorce and gain all my weight back. I am going to a group meeting and my consultation on Monday. I'm curious to know if anyone has done this and what complications could arise. I'm concerned it will cause problems due to fibrous spots and my belly button being rerouted. Am I a lost cause? Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I agree. I am 9 months PO, and had you told me that I would be able to reach the weight I currently am, I would not have believed you. I didn't set a firm goal at the beginning, because I had no idea where I "should" end up. I did some math with weights around the top of the "normal" BMI numbers for my height, to see what the percentages were so I could have some idea of my progress at 3 and 6 months. Then I ended up dropping weight faster than predicted. The only time I had an actual number in mind was after my 6 month appointment when the APRN told me what they had written down as my "ideal weight" in the computer. It messed with my head some, because I couldn't ever remember weighing that little, so when I got into the range with the same number in the tens place, I was psyching myself out. I had to work to get over that. I still don't believe the number on my jeans (6 - I had to buy new ones because my saved clothes only went down to 10). It's insane to me that I can wear size small t-shirts. I can feel bones in all kinds of places that I never did before. I am still slowly losing, letting my body decide what it wants to do, but my brain is still catching up with what I see in the mirror. I also agree with wearing things you have saved as soon as they fit and as often as possible. Sizes can go by quickly sometimes. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

If I could give it less stars I would. I had surgery at OCC in Mexico over ten years ago (lap band) and the surgery center was state of the art, clean and everyone spoke english. The care was impeccable. This time, after reading many positive reviews, I chose Mexico Bariatric Ctr. Unfortunately, my experience there was the opposite. They were extremely fraudulent in their advertising and the entire was nothing less than DANGEROUS! Here is a list of things that were fraudulent: 1. Only one nurse out of about 20 spoke English. When I asked for jello, they brought me a pillow. They did not know how to use translators on their phone. When I began having complications this is where things could have gone very wrong. I'll explain more later. 2. The conditions of the hospital (pictures below). There was no hot water in our bathroom. The shower was full of thick green mold. The shower doors were broken off and unusable. The floor drain is held by duct tape. The mirror fell off the wall and sat on the floor. We had no handsoap (luckily I brought sanitizer to Mexico with me). The air conditioner was BROKEN. It was so hot they opened the window for us for our entire stay. Unfortunately there is ALOT of construction and traffic noise 24 hrs p/day so sleep was impossible. The trash was overflowing and never changed over a 4 day stay. Needles, bloody bandages were on the floor. The hospital building is dilapidated and should be condemned. Many patients were told that MBC is moving to a new building in April, but when I asked the administrators they said maybe next year and they have no building chosen yet. Ice was made into chips by the pulling a bag out of the freezer and smashing it with a metal weight (like for fishing) for each cup ...this went on outside our room 24 hrs per day. They picked it up with their bare hands, off of a counter that was not wiped clean first, and put it in a cup for you. 3. My doctor never met me before or after surgery until I finally told a specialist doctor and she reached out to him. The anesthesiologist also did not speak to me before surgery. 4. The toilets in the waiting area were dirtier than most gas station bathrooms. The one in our room was about the same. 5. When we requested pain meds the first 24 hours after surgery the nurse stated it was only allowed every 12 hours and we had to request them. On the third day when a specialist had to come see me, we learned that they were written for every 6 hours WITHOUT request necessary. Both my roommate and I were in excruciating pain the first 24 hours and only got two doses of pain meds rather than four. 6. DANGEROUSLY LOW OXYGEN LEVEL. I let them know ahead of time that I brought my cpap and sometimes have difficulties with oxygen exchange after anesthesia. Right after surgery my oxygen level dropped to 80 (normal is 95-100). They gave me a canula (hose that goes under your nose to administer oxygen) but it wasn't giving me enough. So they gave me a full mask. But when night time came and I needed to use a cpap they told me to not use my cpap, but for me that is super dangerous so then they said stop using oxygen....my level dropped to 78! Organ damage can begin at that low of a level. The nurse stated I didn't need oxygen anymore (luckily this was the nurse who spoke english). I asked for a doctor and the specialist came in. They did not have any idea what to do for me. So I decided to wear the canula under my cpap mask. Karla (administrator for MBC came by and said "Don't worry about the canula, the water in your cpap will mix with the air and make oxygen". Ok, first of all Karla is not a medical professional, not a nurse and clearly had no idea what she was talking about and luckily I knew enough not to listen to her. My oxygen level did straighten out the next day thank goodness. 7. I came home with two of my incisions infected. They were red and swollen in about a 3" radius each. Two weeks of doxycycline before they cleared up. Nothing was sterile at this hospital. Nurses did not wear gloves for wound care but when you ask them to, they CANNOT UNDERSTAND YOU! With all that they charge it seems they could buy an ice machine for sterile ice chips, a/c that works etc. Even our toilet seat was broken and you had to be super careful how you sat on it. It doesn't appear that ANY MONEY goes into the hospital. 8. I was charged 450$ in extra fees that they refuse to explain what they are for. You must pay before they will take you to the border. 9. I was overcharged, their receipt shows a $300 overpayment but they won't send it for 12 weeks! 10. I called to speak with Mr. Ron Elli in San Diego who is the director. He refused to speak to me, hear my complaints or respond in any way. I am now 5 weeks post op. I understand that there are quite a few good reviews, but in reviewing them upon my return home I realized they are from 2019 and 2020. Perhaps the hospital was in better shape then, I don't know. Useful Funny Cool

Am I the only one going crazy over all the sipping? I’m told drink 1 oz every 15 minutes and take 15 minutes to drink it. That’s a sip every 5 minutes rite? I’m sooooo full! FYI: I gained 1 pound overnight!!! How??

make sure you're drinking lots of fluids - that can help flush things out. Even for those who aren't having potential kidney-related issues, lots of fluids are recommended if you're on a high-protein diet. I just read that being obese can also affect kidneys and their related values - so it could be that your urea level was high even before surgery (did they do a baseline on your blood values prior to surgery, including your urea levels?). I also read that having WLS normally improves all this. I agree with Arabesque - we sometimes have abnormal readings of certain values (high liver values seems to be a common one, for one) when we're in the rapid weight loss phase. They usually normalize after a few months, when weight loss slows way down. But your surgeon and/or dietitian should be aware of that. I hope someone gets back to you on this - if nothing else, for peace of mind.

Just my weekly check in. Another good week, even with less activity. While I did not lose power, we had an ice storm that took out power to most of my area and closing my gym. I've done little to no walking since Wednesday and no weight lifting since then either. I also have a tendonitis strain in my left arm that's really bothering me. I can barely lift a pot of coffee. So, forced rest is probably justified. Posting a new low today. I'm happy but also concerned that it appears I'm losing muscle mass. I may need to add a new supplement to my shakes to help. But if weight were my only concern and goal... I'm still heading the right direction. See ya next week.

I had VSG surgery in September 2021, and had a REALLY rough go of it recovering. I had a really rare set of complications, ended up in the hospital for a week, and generally felt like I was starving to death for 4 or 5 months. About six months before my surgery, my husband had purchased me a motorcycle. I'm very short, and it was one of the few bikes I had even a prayer of being able to reach the ground on and be able to hold up on my own. I attempted to take the class to learn how to ride and because of the stress of attempting to hold up a 400 pound machine when it was clear my pre-surgery body was still struggling to just carry 150 extra pounds. It was too much. I couldn't finish the class, never got my endorsement on my license, and the bike sat while I was completely terrified of it. After my surgery and I got to a point where I was alert, able to safely drive my car and didn't have concerns about fainting...we traded the too-tall bike for a three-wheeled one that I didn't have to worry about being able to hold up, that fit my dimensions perfectly. At the time I was doing much better than in the beginning, but I was still struggling to eat. I was 5 months out from surgery and still only eating 4-500 calories a day because it was all that would fit. Once I got my license and started being able to ride my new toy, though, I was hooked. It BECAME the reason I pushed myself to eat more, the reason I pushed myself to keep myself hydrated, because I needed to make sure I was nourished enough to be safe, and properly fueled enough to keep going as long as I wanted to. Operating the bike also helped build back a lot of the muscle mass I lost while recovering because it's quite a workout on the shoulders, core, and hips to steer and corner. In a matter of a couple months I went from still incredibly weak, and almost still regretting the surgery, to being stronger, more confident, and having successfully lost more weight than I could have imagined when I started this process. 18 months out, I'm in so much better shape than in the beginning, I'm already considering giving two wheels a shot again, and the confidence I gained by coming out the other side of this life-changing process makes me wonder what else I am capable of that I never dreamed I would be. TL;Dr this is the story of how my weird little motorcycle helped me recover from bariatric surgery. What is your weird thing that helped you recover and get to know your "new" self?

It sounds like you are out of the honeymoon stage, that is, less restriction and more hunger. It is common for many to be able to eat more after a year and get hunger again too. Your doctor is right, and it is generally true that our stomach will never go back to original size BUT some people learn to eat around their WLS and unfortunately gain their weight back. The honeymoon phase is the best time on learning to eat correctly to maintain long-term weightloss.

I am starting a hybrid liquid for breakfast and lunch and a 400 calorie dinner effective Sunday 2/26 through 3/5 and then 3/6-3/7 full liquid ahead of 3/8 surgery. I have hit food fatigue though after having eaten at my favorite restaurants in December and January in preparation for my life change (but while still losing weight and reaching a calorie deficit).

Thanks for your replies. It is definitely baffling and very frustrating. I am limited to the amount of exercise I can do. 5/6 years ago I could run 5k- I now walk maybe 2k most days. Muscle stiffness stops me doing much. I walk the dogs most days and my main hobby is vegetable gardening which keeps me active. I used to do some weight training but have been advised to avoid this by the neurologist. My own research into muscle weakness /myopathy etc tells me that most of the more common forms of it are irreversible and there is no real treatment available. What bothers me though is that if the neurologist is correct and it is a consequence of the bypass - the it could be possible to reverse the situation. Thanks again for your replies.

It can take ages for our heads to catch up with the reality of how we look when we’re losing & have lost the weight. I’m almost 4 years out & last week I was folding my knickers & wondered how these tiny things actually fit around my butt. But they do. Same with how other people see you. It takes time for their image of you to change from the overweight you to the slimmer you. It’s why we get all those how much more weight are you going to lose & you should stop losing you’re getting too thin comments. I picked my goal weight based on the lowest weight I was always able to get down to so I was able to visualise what I’d look like & what size clothing I’d be able to wear. Well that fell to pieces when I lost more. I couldn’t see myself at all. Would be shocked when I realised reflections in stores mirrors & shop windows were actually me. I haven’t weighed this since I was 12 (almost 46 yrs ago now) & I didn’t know how much I actually weighed then so it makes sense I couldn’t understand or visualise it. Proved it to myself by putting on the tutu I wore then but it was super freaky & weird me out at the time at the time. I also did something that probably sounds a bit odd but I used to google the weight & height of celebrities I thought might be about my size to get a better idea of what I may look like. Oh & I second @Smanky’s advice to get in & wear those beloved old smaller sizes when you can. I remember I was only able to rewear a beautiful Dries Van Noten outfit I’d kept twice because in 4 weeks it was simply too big. I also lost my window to wear some clothing because the seasons were wrong. 😩 For a laugh, here’s a pxt of me in 2021 wearing the one tutu I kept & one of me at 12 in 1977 wearing the other tutu I wore at the same concert. (Wish my arms & thighs were still that slim - dang loose skin. 😁)

While the surgery will help with some things, it’s real success depends upon choices you make. Regardless of which surgery you have you will lose your appetite/hunger for a period of time (there are a few people who don’t & it’s with either surgery). You will also temporarily lose your taste for certain foods. It’s often sugar, as foods can become super sweet but it can be any food that smells &/or tastes awful. Neither surgery will do anything about your desire for sweet & your emotional eating. These are things you have to work through yourself. As we often say the surgery only removes some of your tummy/changes your digestive system. It doesn’t remove the part of your brain that drives your head hunger. It’s why many chose to seek therapy to learn the reasons behind their head hunger & develop strategies to help them better manage their emotional eating, cravings, etc. Both surgeries will reset your body’s set point. This is the weight your body is happiest at & is easiest to maintain. What your set point becomes can’t be predicted. Can you lose more than your set point? Yes, but it is harder to do & maintain. Can you weigh more than your set point? Yes because lifestyle demands or choice, medical conditions & medications, etc. can mean we carry more weight. Remember the average weight loss statistic at the three year mark for both surgeries is about 65% of the weight to be lost to put the person in a healthy weight range. Some will lose more & others less. I have a sleeve. I felt it would suit my life better & was less drastic than bypass. I made a number of choices to benefit my success that I knew I could sustainably follow for the long term & not feel like I was missing out. I took advantage of the too sweet phase & decided not to introduce sweet back into my diet - or avoid as much as I could - & so rarely eat real or artificially sweet foods or drinks. I chose to rarely eat take away or fast foods. I prep & cook most of what I eat from scratch & rarely eat medium or high processed foods or ingredients. I also chose not to include a lot of exercise in my life - I simply don’t enjoy it. But these are my choices. You’ll make choices that best complement you & your lifestyle. I also lost all my weight & more & have maintained. All the best with whichever surgery you chose to have.

I haven't heard this one before, and I've been hanging out here for eight years. People do lose muscle as they lose weight, but getting enough protein and regular exercise keeps will keep you from getting too weak. And you're right - you would think nutrient deficiencies would show up on your blood tests. I agree with toodlerue - this is kind of baffling.