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I had gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago. I was incredibly determined and managed to lose 180 lbs. in a year's time. I'm 5' 9.5" and I went from a size 28 to a size 10. Now, I've regained a lot of weight and I'm starting over. I thought it might be helpful to list the steps that caused my weight gain. My goal is to tackle these 6 and starting moving in the right direction. Does anyone else have additional things that contributed to regaining weight? Stop weighing yourself Stop tracking your food intake Stop exercising Drink liquids with meals and ignore the 15 minutes before/30 minutes after rule Start eating your old favorite foods Stop visiting Bariatric Pal forums

It is inevitable that you will lose some during the process - when you are 100 lb lighter, your legs have that much less to carry around all day long and things adapt - you don't need as much leg musculature as you did before. Trying to reallocate the muscle mass and limit the loss is the best we usually can do - I lost about 10 lb of lean mass going through a similar loss to what you will be doing. I had been doing regular gym workouts (weight circuit and swimming on alternate weekdays) for several years before surgery and worked back into that over time after. I used to be able to leg press close to 500lb, but its more like 300 these days (it's also ten years later, and my goals have shifted some; Covid doesn't help either.) I have never been overly intent on numbers but rather strength endurance that allows me to do the things I like to do, along with the occasional aberrant chores like tree trimming or ditch digging, without significant muscle pain - exercise most everything so they are all used to getting some regular work. There are others here who are more into it who may chime in with more specific advice. During these Covid days and limited gym availability, look into TRX as a possible home alternative that can work a lot of different things in a limited space and budget. Good luck

Hey all, It's my first time posting here! I really love how everyone here is so supportive of one another! I am having my surgery done on October 6th. Luckily for me the nerves haven't kicked in yet but I do think about my post-op results a lot. I am a male and I think my biggest worry with this surgery is that I will lose too much muscle and appear very weak after surgery. I haven't really done much work out since I assume I would just be wasting my time and energy only to lose all that I gained. I am thinking about getting a 10/15lb dumbbell and working my arms out with that over the 6 week period where no more than 15lb lifting is allowed. I know the Protein is key as well. I was wondering if anyone had some tips on retaining muscle? Especially in the shoulder/biceps area. By the way, good luck to anyone having surgery soon.💪

Hey all, It's my first time posting here! I really love how everyone here is so supportive of one another! I am having my surgery done on October 6th. Luckily for me the nerves haven't kicked in yet but I do think about my post-op results a lot. I am a male and I think my biggest worry with this surgery is that I will lose too much muscle and appear very weak after surgery. I haven't really done much work out since I assume I would just be wasting my time and energy only to lose all that I gained. I am thinking about getting a 10/15lb dumbbell and working my arms out with that over the 6 week period where no more than 15lb lifting is allowed. I know the protein is key as well. I was wondering if anyone had some tips on retaining muscle? Especially in the shoulder/biceps area. By the way, good luck to anyone having surgery soon.💪

Im from VA but in WA. Had my sleeve in 2015, and insurance approved revision to DS. I didn't have to do the 6 months etc., because of reflux and other comorbidities. My dr suggested the DS because of the success rate as a revision. Plus I saw how the bypass did my mom, my surgery is scheduled 10/22

AMEN!!!!!!!! 19 months now post op, I don't even think about loose skin anymore. I am too busy enjoying my new life. I thought about plastics soon after, but am so glad I did not go through all the expense and pain and risk. It doesn;t matter. My hair is back as good as new, and my amazing new body does more that I had even hoped for. It looks a little funny without clothes, but not an issue since I don't make a habit of going out in public naked! Besides, it is so fun wearing cute clothes now, that even with some sags and loose skin, I still look a LOT better now that I did 100 pounds ago!

I had gastritis, Barrett's esophagitis, a Barrett's polyp, and a hiatal hernia. The polyp was removed. The hiatal hernia was repaired during my gastric bypass surgery. I was put on omeprazole after surgery and follow up scope showed total resolution of the Barretts! However, there were signs of eosinophilic esophagitis which resolved once I stopped whey protein. THEN....... I developed a bleeding ulcer 9 months post op. Fortunately, it also resolved with omeprazole and remains resolved now 19 months post op, with no medication. With the weight loss and elimination of whey protein, and time to completely heal (doc says maybe a rogue suture caused the ulcer), it seems that all issues are now resolved. I continue to avoid all caffeine, soda, and alcohol. PS: Chronic gastritis (inflammation) and irregular Z-line are very common findings in the general population. Once you lose weight and reduce the acid reflux, this may well resolve. It is nothing that will prevent surgery, and surgery will most likely help.

Experienced plenty of stalls. They are just part of the process. IMO there is nothing that causes or breaks stalls as long as you are following your plan. I just focused on the bigger picture. Instead of thinking, I have lost only 1 lb this week, I'd think I've lost 10 lbs this month for example, or 60 lbs since surgery.

I've had two surgeries--a sleeve, and then a revision to RNY because I developed GERD after my sleeve. Nine years ago, I lost 100 lbs with the sleeve from a starting BMI of 36 and kept it off, so that was a big big plus. I don't recall much pain after the first two days or so, and my recovery was uneventful. The cons were that my sleeve was very picky about the foods it would tolerate. I could not eat scrambled or hard-boiled eggs. I could not eat dense protein like tuna, salmon, or chicken breast. I could not eat pasta, bread, or bready things because they balled up inside my stomach, absorbed stomach fluid, and then hurt. I lived on seafood, steak, dairy products, and vegetables. I did not dump. I developed GERD a couple of years after my surgery but I loved my sleeve so much I did not want to consider a bypass, but after a year on 3x the regular prescribed dosage of PPIs plus OTC antacids that still did not control my reflux and regurgitating everything I swallowed multiple times I decided on RNY. I had my RNY on June 29 of this year, and maybe because I'm ten years older than when I had my sleeve my recovery was a little bit harder and more painful. I definitely felt like my insides had been rearranged. RNY is way different from the sleeve to me. I don't have that tight feeling anymore that I have eaten enough so I have to measure my food, but I am used to eating a small amount so it's not a big deal. I can eat eggs and pasta again. I don't dump, but I became lactose-intolerant. I lost 10 additional pounds following the RNY surgery when I was on a liquid/puree diet, but I haven't lost anymore and my BMI has leveled off at 20.

You have exquisite taste as usual, Tea! They're all gone unfortunately .😪 I will not be going back on zulily anytime soon, my shoe addiction has reached a new high!!! Don't even ask how many pairs of shoes I've ordered in the last 2 months!! My only excuse is, all boots were under $15, and all the rest under $10. Still, don't ask, cause I'll never tell! (15 shhhhhh)😏

Hi, I had the gastric sleeve in March, 2019. All my cons are from immediately after surgery. I had quite a bit of pain but it was controlled with IV and then oral pain meds. I wasn't able to eat at all for almost 2 weeks (I mean nothing). I drank protein drinks (not shakes but clear drinks) and that was it for about 10 days. Then I was able to drink shakes and soon I moved on to soft food and purees, etc. By 1 month out, I could eat soft regular food. I did have some early reflux issues for the first 3 months or so but that resolved and I don't experience it now. I had to learn what "full" feels like with my new tummy. I ate too much one time because I didn't recognize that I was full and that was totally miserable. Terrible stomach pain, nausea, I broke into a sweat and finally I threw up. I never did that again so that's the only time I have experienced that. All my "cons" were resolved by the time I was 3 months out from surgery. On the "pros" side, I had very little hunger after surgery and my appetite is still very low. I guess the surgery really did remove a lot of my Ghrelin-producing stomach tissue because I'm rarely hungry and when I am, it's different from that insistent, intense hunger I had pre-surgery. It's like now my body says "Excuse me, we need to eat something" where before it was saying "FEED ME NOW." I lost slowly with the sleeve compared to others I know who had surgery but the weight loss has not stopped yet. I am still slowly losing (about 2 pounds per month) and so far I am down about 110 pounds. I am only 18 months out so I don't know what it will be like years from now, but as of now I am really pleased with my results and I don't have any current cons to report. Edit: I did think of one current "con". I have a lot of loose skin on my abdomen. At some point, I will probably have it removed (which I will have to pay for out of pocket since it's not covered by my insurance). I guess that could be considered a con, but loose skin is better than tight fat!

gastric bypass and the sleeve are the two most common weight loss surgeries. If you have issues with GERD, bypass is usually recommended since it often improves or even cures GERD, whereas the sleeve can make it worse (it doesn't happen to everyone - or even a majority of patients, but it's common enough that they'll usually recommend bypass if you have it). If you don't have GERD, it really comes down to personal preference. I had RNY (bypass) over five years ago. I've been very happy with it and would do it again in a heartbeat. I originally lost 235 lbs but have gained about 15 lbs since then (it's very common to have a 10-20 lb rebound after hitting your lowest weight). you do have to eat very small amounts while you're in weight loss mode - but this isn't as hard as it sounds because you have a much smaller stomach, and also, most people lose their hunger for a few months after surgery (unfortunately, it does eventually come back for most of us). However, most of us can eat more once we hit our goal. I've been in maintenance for 3.5 years and can maintain my weight if I stick to about 1700 calories a day. This is really about the same as a lot of my never-been-obese female friends. When I go out to eat, I'll either order an appetizer or if I do get an entree, I'll take half of it home with me. A lot of my women friends do the same, so I'm sure no one can tell at this point that I've had surgery. Good luck with your decision. I've been really happy with mine and should have done this YEARS ago!

Hey hey! Ull be glad to know we have similar starting stats! I am 31 years old, had a BMI of 40.67 and was a size 18-20. I was 252lbs at my highest (10 days prior to vertical gastric sleeve surgery) and I was 242lbs on 7.27.20 (day of surgery). I am 5ft 6. I am 2 months post op now. Already i am down to 206lbs. I have lost 45lbs in total and 35 in two months since surgery.my bmi is 33.25 at the moment. I no longer have hip and back pain, my face is back to looking like "myself" again, I wake up happy every single day now and don't feel like I need to to hide away inside the house because of shame. I wear a size 16 at the moment. I have always had a big butt. Washing and wiping my own butt before surgery had started getting difficult which was one of my main wake up calls. I no longer have any issues with this at all only two months out! I could go on and on. There are sooooo many pros to having wls of any kind! My husband was skeptical that wls was necessary and wanted me to diet and work out with him for another year before we considered "something so drastic"..he now agrees this is exactly what I needed and is glad we didn't wait another year of me feeling the way I did about myself. As far as recovery, it was very easy for me. Sharp pain from incision sutures for abt a week, maybe 1.5 weeks. Within 2 weeks I had no pain. Can eat very little (have to remind myself to eat bc im not hungry and it seems kind of tedious to eat now bc its only like 4-5 bites of something) and i have no desire to eat sweets or junk anymore. That is huge for me bc I would easily and regularly consume cookies, brownies, candy bars, chips and crackers by the box/package by myself in just a few days. I craved snacks all day everyday. The only "con" i am experiencing is that i loved water before surgery and chugged it all day everyday. Now it's another thing i have to remind myself to do and it feels so tedious because i can only sip water now, not chug. Oh oops i forgot.. vitamins and meds are another "con" for me because I was not any meds prior to sleeve surgery and didnt take vitamins. Now i take like 3 meds and vitamins daily. My stomach is so small it feels as tho I've eaten after just taking my meds. I used to be able to throw back 3 Tylenols and swallow at once but now i take each pill one at a time because i feel like im gonna choke on the smallest pill size. I think this is just a fear tho..like a mental thing..and not actually a legit concern or something that is experienced by others lol. Anyways, i hope i covered enough for u. If u have any other questions, feel free to ask. Im an open book and wish i had found this app when i was preop. I did find TONS of videos on YouTube that convinced me sleeve surgery was just as good of an option as bypass for me tho! The videos I watched showed sleevers years out remaining successful and losing over 100lbs. The videos showed me ppl experiencing restriction and maintaining their goal weight years out which proved to me that bypass wasn't necessary for me to reach my 100lb weight loss goal and maintain it. This was encouraging for me because i was self pay and sleeve is cheaper. I would not let money be a determining factor tho. I was kind of forced into sleeve anyways because I am a smoker..still trying to quit at this point. OHHH BTW My mother had bypass 13 years ago and has remained at her goal wait this far out. This made me believe bypass had a higher success rate because she gets dumping, forcing her to not eat certain things or too much. Many surgeons disagree abt whether sleeve patients get dumping. I can eat whatever i want post op without getting sick but obviously can only eat a small portion. Many surgeons and patients argue about whether this restriction is lifted a few years out but there are ppl on here who will tell you they still have restriction with sleeve years out so it's hard to know what each of our bodies will experience. Do your research, watch youtube vids, listen to what people have to say, but most importantly choose a good bariatric team and trust your surgeon! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there! Fingers crossed for you that your referral goes smoothly and you can have a good meeting with your doctor about bariatric surgery options. I've had two bariatric procedures. The first was in 2011 when I got Lapbanded. At that time, the only real options for me were Lapband or Bypass as insurance carriers in my area viewed Sleeve Gastrectomy as "too new" (never really got that as it was part of Duodenal Switch, but also my insurance didn't cover that outside of extreme circumstances). I chose Lapband because frankly, RNY scared the hell out of me, despite the fact that my Mom underwent it and was and remains wildly successful with it. I was younger and the thought of rerouting everything was too much for me, plus I'd seen my mom go through dumping and that also freaked me out. So I went with what felt like a good choice for me. And it was good until it wasn't. I did lose weight! Until it started coming back. And then my band slipped and I apparently developed a minor hiatal hernia from it that I likely lived with for a long while without knowing it was there. When I found out about it as part of my revision process, it suddenly made all of the regurgitation I'd suffered from for years make sense. The Lapband is really the best option for people who are in the 30-35 BMI scale and need that extra help to get closer to what is considered healthy. It is rare that Lapband weight loss is equivalent to that of RNY, VSG, or DS. The Lapband requires a lot of upkeep because it's effectiveness is based on how filled the band is. So you will have a lot of appointments in the first year or two where your doctor adds more saline to the band to give greater restriction...takes some out to lessen the restriction...then adds more...removes some. It's all a game of finding the elusive "sweet spot" where the band is filled the right amount to allow for continued and consistent weight loss. It is fairly common for a Lapband to slip, which present all kinds of difficulties. When it slips, it is no longer in the position is it supposed to be. Thus your pouch ends up no longer being the right size. It can also lead to hernias when it slips. Slippage CAN be fixed, but you're looking at another laparoscopic procedure so that they can put it back to the right position. Which requires removing all of the fluid from the band, doing the procedure, and essentially starting at square one again. That said, it is STILL a useful weight loss tool for those that it is appropriate for and who achieve success with it. There are plenty of Lapband success stories! In July, I had revision surgery to remove my Lapband and to have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy done instead. I am older than I was in 2011 and realized that making major adjustments to my insides was not actually a horrible thing in light of dealing with bad knees, a bad back, sleep apnea, CPAP dependence, and the risk of onset of any number of other comorbidities that I have been fortunate to avoid. I'm only 12 weeks out as of today, so I don't have the breadth of post-op experience that others here have when it comes to VSG, but I can't say that I regret the decision. I have continued to lose weight since surgery, adding to my pre-surgery weight loss. None of my clothes fit me anymore, yet I am still wearing them because I can't see the point of shopping for new clothes when I am still losing weight. Seems like a waste of money to do that! The cons for VSG? Strangely, I'm not encountering too many yet. I actually found I was in more pain post-op from my Lapband surgery than I was recovering from VSG. Any of the others cons I've experienced are not exclusive to VSG surgery. Almost every bariatric patient complains about dealing with constipation at some point. Discomfort from eating too much in the immediate post-op phase as I learn my body's signals and how to read them to know when to stop? We all go through that too. The biggest con that I can think of is that if I'd chosen RNY over VSG, my post-op weight loss would likely have been quicker, so I might have been down another 10-20 pounds by now, though that is not guaranteed. It is just very likely as RNY statistically has a greater percentage for weight lost than VSG. As for what you've heard about bariatric surgery patients only being able to eat small portions, that is generally true across the board. That is one of the key features of ANY of the weight loss surgeries. It's a GOOD thing, though. Many people get to the point where they consider these surgeries because of eating too much. It's an unfortunate aspect of how many world cultures have evolved when it comes to food. The US is probably the worst about it. Think about when you go out to eat at a restaurant, especially a chain restaurant. You open the menu and you get a list of appetizers in your face to tempt you. So we order an appetizer or two. Then we order our entree which comes to the table is a massive sized portion that is, realistically, enough food for at least 2 people. Yet we're trained to believe that this is an appropriate portion of food. Let alone the fact that it's frequently overloaded with carbs and fat. So between appetizers and your entree, you've probably eaten 3 meals worth in one sitting. On top of everything else you ate that day. So by getting a surgery that provides you with a tool that limits how much you can eat at a given time, you're able to retrain your body and brain to realize exactly what and how much the human body needs to survive and thrive. A good bariatric team will be there to help you change your relationship with food so that every meal and snack you eat during the day, provides you with the good nutrients that the body needs, while limiting the intake of the "bad" ones that the body still needs, but only in the quantities that it needs. Carbs and fats are not actually bad. The body needs them to survive. It just doesn't need them in the quantities that we frequently take in. It is NOT an easy journey, but it is a deeply rewarding and fulfilling one that will, quite literally, change your life. Welcome aboard and I look forward to seeing your journey and offering support every step of the way!

My sleeve was 12/17/2019. My RNY revision was 8/11/2020 due to severe GERD and hiatal hernia that caused intractable hiccups. Seeing as I was only about 8 months out from my original surgery, I’m still losing weight.

Ok starting with the Cons - Yes you have to adjust your life and drinking large amounts of alcahol is over. Yes there are bumps and rough times during the journey. You have to get the surgery to save you life! Just like i had to! The reward is off the scale good and you will be happier and healthier. The surgery is a toll and you have to run the workshop, I truly feel like many here this was the best decision in my life i had made Male - Sleeved June 19 2019 at 377 pound and weighed in Dec 27 2019 at 215 Been able to hold the weight since then to now TRUST ME DO IT - AND IF YOU CANT GET INSURANCE TO DO IT PAY FOR IT YOURSELF - Take a loan or put it on a visa. Do not let money decide this for you, you have to decide to do it

I’m getting prepared to have a bypass. Had the sleeve on 10/17/16

Hi, SAS. I'm so sorry to hear that you feel this forum is not a supportive environment. Aside from my surgeon's office, I actually found Bariatric Pal to be the best place to turn for support, advice and information. I learned so much from the other members here and found that as a rule we encouraged each other and cheered the successes of other members. I have seen the types of "shaming" posts you are talking about, but in my experience they are few and far between--and I think they are far outweighed by the positive and helpful posts. You will sometimes see "tough love" posts in response to people whose behavior suggests that they are not taking their diets seriously, but sometimes that's what they need. There's a difference between that and bullying or shaming. I had my surgery in February 2019, and there was a thread for all of us who had surgeries that month. We became like a social club and really got to know each other, and I found that tremendously helpful during the first 6 to 8 months. (I will admit that we are no longer very active now that we are all in maintenance.) Like you, I have not found any other sites that are as active as this one. I would urge you to stick with Bariatric Pal for a while. Hopefully you will find the support here that I have, and you can simply ignore the few people who engage in shaming. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have via a private message if you like (although I had bypass, not a sleeve). I wish you all the best going forward, and I hope you find the support you need, whether it's here or elsewhere.

I was 59 when I had surgery and am now 61. No regrets whatsoever, and just wish I had done it sooner. I was also told by a doctor that I should consider surgery after decades of yo-yo dieting, including multiple commercial diets (Atkins, Optifast, Nutri-System, etc.). Yes, I lost weight every time, and gained it back much more quickly than it had taken to lose it. My doctor was blunt: I had another 10 to 12 years before a major cardiac incident that I might not survive. That was the push I needed to get surgery. He also told me that there was little possibility at my age of losing a meaningful amount of weight and keeping it off. I also considered surgery the "easy way out." As anyone here can tell you, however, that is definitely not the case. It's a tool that will help you lose a lot of weight quickly, but it still takes lifelong discipline and a mental shift in the way you view food. I didn't realize before surgery how easy it can be to gain the weight back after a few years if you return to your old eating habits. The bottom line: DO IT! Your health and quality of life will be improved immeasurably!

Yes, but the reflux doesn't have acid in it. My vagus nerve was cut and that has something to do with acid release in the stomach, so I don't have acid, but whatever is left in gastric juice after the acid is removed burns just like the acid did. I had my esophagus widened, too, because I had a stricture, and now the lower esophageal junction valve doesn't work any more, so it is easier for the reflux to come up. That was a risk I knew about going in to surgery. My surgeon swore I would not have acid reflux after surgery and technically he is correct, but I still have gastric juice reflux. I am still trying to figure out what causes my heartburn. Sometimes it's food related and I think the iron I take also might cause it. But I want to be clear, on a scale of 1-10, where I was and where I am now. Before surgery, I would have said my quality of life with GERD was about a 2. My reflux was not controlled at 3X the regular dose of omeprazole and I regurgitated everything I swallowed multiple times. I woke up numerous times a night with acid. Now I'd say I'm about a 7-8. There are many days when I don't have reflux or heartburn and I don't regurgitate anything anymore. I wake up one or two nights a week.

I've been making some tasty meals but my phone is dead and I havent been able to take pictures! 😭 Come on pixel 5/iphone 12... My recent fav has been shiozake, japanese salted salmon. Cut salmon into 2 oz filets, marinate in sake for 10 mins, pat dry and coat in salt. Line a tupperware with paper towels and stick it in the fridge. Broil on a sheet pan for 5 mins, no need to flip. I do this for breakfast every morning these days, so easy and good

I had my surgery 7/27 of this year. Due to COVID-19 my practice didn't allow guests into the waiting or recovery rooms, so I don't think it will strike them as unusual at all. The nurses and surgeon were very busy getting prepped for surgery so I doubt they would care if nobody was around with or without COVID restrictions. I will echo loridee's comment- Having my cell phone on me was able to help distract my mind while in the waiting room. I didn't end up using it much post-op.

I got my date! October 19

I am 6 years out from surgery. I started out at 371. I am now at 234. I’ll answer your questions in the order you asked them: - What foods do you avoid? (Fatty foods? Carbs? Can you tolerate small amounts?) Foods I avoid: Rice! and Carbonated beverages. Both have a very negative effect on my stomach even now. Rice seems to grow once it gets in my stomach causing it to feel overfull. Carbonated beverages are to be avoided anyway but occasionally it’s the only thing around to sip and never has there been a time that I didn’t regret it! - Do you have diarrhea? Occasionally but it’s rare and usually something I know is going to happen. Constipation is a bigger issue and my go to remedy is a slice of plain cheesecake. Seriously. It works better than anything else. To help keep things moving I am sure to add real butter to any carbs I eat. Sometime I use MCT oil to help keep things moving but be careful cause it can cause very loose stool.  - How many Vitamins do you take? Have you experienced Vitamin deficiencies? Have you had to get infusions? I use PERSONA now for vitamins They do an assessment that determines your vitamin needs for me that is one Bariatric Multi, 8 Calcium Citrates spaced out in three doses, Vitamin D, and a Probiotic. I was seriously anemic and had to do iron infusions until I had a hysterectomy July 2019. Now I’m normal and won’t need them again. I take powdered Collagen in my coffee everyday to keep my hair growing, my skin from drying, and my muscle from aching. - Do you struggle to maintain your weight loss? Do you feel like you are constantly on a diet? Weight loss is a constant struggle, you will not lose on a smooth downhill slide. It will fluctuate and drop suddenly then rise and fall like ocean waves. Keeping the weight off is the challenge and with the DS weight gain is less likely it still is very possible if Carbohydrates are your source of comfort in times of struggle and stress. You won’t feel like you are on a diet, you will feel like you are a slave to your stomach. You’ll spend an hour making the most delicious meal and take two bites and be full. You’ll find that foods you once loved now don’t make your new stomach all that happy. But with all that you lose and all that is frustrating comes so much amazing stuff like feeling average sized. Shopping in a average clothing store, sitting in theater seats or airplane seats or really any seats and not worrying about what the person next to you might think. Saving so much money cause you can split meals with friends.  - Anything else you wish you had known before surgery? My words of advice: find a local support group or an online one if you can’t find one in your area and stay faithful to going to meetings and events for at least one full year but two would be better. Your family and friends will have no idea what you are going through and will say things that will be surprisingly hurtful but they won’t mean it that way, like “Wow, you look how small you’ve gotten!” (Internal thought: I must have been huge) You’ll need people who know not to say those things and instead say “You are making great progress! I am so glad to see you again!” Good Luck! It gets better! Walk Sip Walk Sip Never Trust a Fart! 😜

No surgeries. Yeah, the worst is the unknown. I've had more surgeries than I can count, so I'll take you through it. First, do what they tell you to do. It probably won't end the world if you're a few minutes off, but try to stick to the instructions. Things vary by surgeon and surgery, so I won't get into any specifics. If I hit on something your surgeon didn't mention, don't vex. For WLS, they may have you on a special diet, possibly liquid, for weeks before. This is because they want you lose weight to shrink organs and give them room to move about in there; They will likely turn off the last time you can eat or drink. This is because they'd prefer your stomach and upper intestines empty; You will be asked to show up at the hospital on the day of the surgery. They find it difficult to operate if you're not there, so it's best to show up; They will have you gown, setup your IV, maybe give you something to relax you. Now is when you start waiting. Once I was old enough to read, I started bringing books. Cell phone might work, but some hospitals are testy about cell phones; Eventually, the Doc will come in and say hi and talk about things. My Doc made sure he asked everyone 2 questions: "You know you can die?" and "Do you want to continue?" Yours will do it slightly differently; More waiting; The Anesthesiologist will make an appearance. The order of Doc & Anesthesiologist may be reversed. The Anesthesiologist will talk about things like smoking, what issues you may have had in the past, and whatever else tweaks his/her fancy; More waiting. How the book going? A Nurse will come in, get rid of anyone waiting with you, then wheel you into the OR. It's cold. They'll scoot you onto the operating table. Everyone is doing something but you. You're just laying their; Soon enough, everyone settles into starting positions, the starting gun fires, and we're off. Your Anesthesiologist will ask you to count backwards from 10. Or the alphabet, or whatever this Doc does; OK, 10, 9, 8... You sleep through all the exciting stuff; You become aware that you are more or less awake. Someone will notice and come over to check on you. You're doing fine. The get you more awake, eventually your whoever can come in to sit with you. They'll bring your book, but you really don't have the focus to do much of anything; You're Doc told you if you are going home today or not. Back for mine, it was a 3 day thing. Nowadays, you might have an overnight stay, maybe not. I don't know if you're going home. Pay attention. It's hard, so don't worry about it. If you're going home, they'll get you stable and awake, give you instructions; More waiting; They'll come in and tell you to get dressed; More waiting; Ooh, going home paperwork! More waiting; You could have gone home hours ago, why are you still here? And out the door you go! After a bit more waiting; If you're not going home, they'll get you stable and move you to your room; This is mostly wating; If you get a magic button (for pain) push it. They may want you to drink (or not); They may give you food if the docs want's you to have it. (Mine wanted me to have puree, but I had 3 days to go); Enjoy the rest; You're now on the way home. Enjoy the ride; Good Luck and enjoy Tek