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I also thought I ate "very little" at the time I signed up for the program and start the process but when I started logging everything I ate, the areas for improvement were very clear. I also have the issue of being a very small person whose maintenance calories are only 1500; 3 meals a day that are "average sized" to a person of normal stature was always going to be too much for me. It's also common for people with weight issues to think they EAT very little but are also drinking a lot of calories throughout the day and don't count those because it's not "food". Juice, sweetened coffee with cream, sodas, milk...those are all calories, and it would be beneficial if you're one of the people who drinks their calories to start treating those things as food in your mind, not beverages. I hate saying this but most of us pre-surgery probably thought we ate much less than we did, and quantity isn't the only thing that matters: especially when we try to space out our meals we often find ourselves eating more calorie-dense food when we do finally eat. If you have decided to start a relationship with a surgeon to see if it would work for you, this needs to be something you discuss with them during your first visit. One of the first things they're going to ask you to do is keep a food journal and the best thing you can do for yourself is be brutally honest so they and you have an accurate picture of what you are ACTUALLY consuming, and being honest about your portion sizes is a huge part of that.

Thank you! I think all of us have that one thing we dreamed of doing that our weight was holding us back from, whether it was confidence or physical abilities or limitations. It's exhilarating to get to finally after many, many years get to ride that roller coaster we didn't fit into before, or wear a hairstyle we didn't want to try because it would draw too much attention, or play a sport we admired from a distance for the first time. I love hearing those stories!

Thankyou so much for your advice. I will take time away from scales & start just try benefitting my life.. I’m at a 8kg weight loss now at 5 weeks so I’m hoping I’m turning it around a little x

I’m 10 weeks post gastric bypass surgery. Can’t really eat anything- weight loss is slow infact some days scales go up!! I’m exercising daily. What should I be attempting to put in my mouth???

Have you discussed your desire to lose weight & your interest in bariatric surgery with your endocrinologist? Are they aware of how little you eat now which must be a concern with your malabsorption issues. Unfortunately, the surgery won’t stop the weight gain side effect of the meds you have to take. Medications are one of the causes behind weight regain after surgery. Are there alternative meds you could take that don’t cause an increase of appetite/weight gain? Malabsorption issues are a possible side effect of weight loss surgery which would only add to your existing situation. Being aware of your nutrient intake & meeting protein goals is a lifelong consideration for everyone after weight loss surgery. Many will always need to take vitamins to supplement their intake via food. Just some things to consider.

Have you considered seeking the support of a therapist? It seems you may need some help dealing with the why you eat & why you make the food choices you do. They’ll also help you identify strategies to better manage those urges when they arise. Many find therapy extremely helpful. The hardest part of this is understanding your relationship with food, recognising them when they arise & better managing them. We never completely get rid of those urges but we can take away a lot of their power. As @BigSue suggested get rid of the food temptation out of your house. If you don’t buy them you can’t eat them. And delete any home delivery apps on your phone. It was one of the best thing I did. Look for some healthier alternatives instead of traditional ‘junk’ food for those times the urge for something salty or sweet or whatever is too strong. And like @catwoman7 what keeps me motivated is not wanting to be the weight I was again. I want to be able to play with my nieces & nephews. I want to feel better & healthier. I want to easily be able to buy beautiful stylish clothing.

I was in a similar situation as you before my sleeve OP. However - I KNEW that previously when I had lost a lot of weight my reflux had all but disappeared. I really didn't want a bypass so I decided to take the risk of 2 procedures and have the sleeve. It worked out as I had hoped - I lost a lot of weight and that cured my reflux. However, I totally accepted that it might have gone the other way. My surgeon didn't offer me any certainty or promise me anything - it was me who decided in the end. I hope this helps a bit and best of luck to you.

Hey y'all! Glad to see some updates around here. It's been 4 months and some change, and I've lost 70 lbs since surgery! Almost 125 since my highest weight. I feel better than I have in years. I started off as a 5XL and now can wear 3XL and even some 2XL! Went from a 30 in jeans to 24 (which are loose on me, so I think I may be 22 or lower now - I still need to update wardrobe) I had a stall in mid-December and just recently had another that lasted 10 days where my weight only went up and down or stayed the same! Finally started trending downwards again a few days ago. My pouch tolerates everything I've given it. No problems there. I eat whatever I want at this point but still do 1 protein shake/day. I'm hovering around 800-1000 calories per day. Pros: I used to get horrible pains in my lower back and hips and now I have a ton of stamina and can actually walk around a grocery store to go shopping! Sex is a lot more fun! ☺️😆 I can feel my bones. Especially when I sleep on my side at night, my kneecaps actually touch each other (can also be a con lol) I can cross my legs! I can sit on the floor and not feel like I'm going to fall over backwards! It's fun to jiggle parts of my body 🤣 Physical hunger still gone and full cues still intact. I know to stop when the hiccups start. Food bills are so much cheaper!!! I'm content with a happy meal. No heartburn (yet)! Cons: My mood is ALL OVER THE PLACE. Hormones from fat loss make me up and down all the time. I never know what kind of day it's going to be when I wake up. I also have a mood disorder to begin with, so that doesn't help either. Loose skin everywhere!! If I'm too "active" it will make a clapping noise. Like it's cheering me on. 😂 I'm a bit self-conscious about the skin under my neck The rest of it I can deal with, lol. My boobs and butt are leaving. Mental hunger is rude! I have to carefully watch myself from grazing. Some days are harder than others. I think my food addiction has turned into a shopping one. I'm still lazy and don't really work out. I do a lot more than I used to though, so it balances out I think. 😅 Food isn't fun anymore. But that's also a good thing... I can say it has been way easier than I expected it to be though. I thought I'd be more upset about it. Here's some before/after pics! They're from last month, but I don't think I've lost much more 10 lbs since then anyway due to the stall I had. This one was right before the liquid diet and the after is the end of January, so about 75 lbs difference. This was on my way to my first appointment in early 2022 and then last month. I've lost 105 lbs between those 2. This is a fun graph of my weight loss since the beginning of the liquid diet. I weigh myself everyday using this app (Libra) so I can see the trends. Then I only record my actual weight every week in MyFitnessPal. It's worked well for me so far. My current goal is to hit 100 lbs lost before my 6-month surgiversary! 30 lbs to go!

Wow, there's clearly more to this than I had considered! I hope to lose around 30kgs, I eat one small meal a day and will usually have one snack, I haven't counted calories nor do I know my MR, I rarely exercise (very sore joints), I have an exocrine disease and some of my meds are renouned for weight gain. I suppose I wonder if moving ahead with the operation will actually help on my circumstances.

(surgery 2/22) I was indeed released on Thursday! I had the bright idea to go on a long walk outside on Friday which I realized was probably a mistake since I hadn't had much for calories and I also only made my water and protein minimums that day. I didn't measure the distance beforehand and it was nearly 1.5 miles and around 9 degrees outside. Saturday I met goals and working on that for today as well. I was ordered oxygen for sleeping (they said 75% get sent home with oxygen orders, but I am in Colorado so that may be a factor) and I'm also giving myself Lovenox/Enoxaparin shots twice a day. Today I'm able to get out of bed a lot easier, so I think my incisions and everything are healing well. My surgeon used anesthetic and Dermabond on them and I have had no issues with fluid escaping or anything. I'm back to pre-op weight on my home scale, the hospital weighed me much closer to my first appointment weight but I was fully clothed with shoes on.

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