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Yes, health concerns are a very good reason for her as she has statistically better health outcomes being between 19-24.99. I have several degrees and pretty much argue from a position called fact. This posters feelings are valid and don’t shame her for going for it!

I started this journey in January 2019 after a visit to Joslin for a type 2 diabetes check-in. I knew I was very overweight, but had never been recommended for Bariatric surgery! I thought that was for the “other fat people”, you know, 500+ pounds. I was kidding myself. I took the recommendation seriously and went to a meeting for those interested in Bariatric surgery. I decided I wanted to try some lifestyle and food changes myself before I made such a big decision. It was my teenage son telling me he was worried about me not living through my fifties that kept me moving in the right direction. This is probably the time to tell you that I have always enjoyed healthy eating and usually made pretty good choices with food, except for the times that I didn’t🙄. For me, eating is only a part of the extra pounds. I am the main character in a genetic horror film! The film stars me, before major weight gain, starting off with Metabolic syndrome (that includes Hyperlipidemia (crappy HDL), High blood pressure and high blood sugar), Arthritis (2 surgeries, 1 procedure, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy and stenosis- for almost 2 years, unable to work or even stand for more than 15 mins before excruciating pain set in), PCOS (hormones, fertility drugs, hysterectomy), and finally the cherry on top of the extra pounds? Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea. So, after I changed some of my behaviors, food choices and had an RFA of L4, L5 and SA, I was ready for help to move into the next phase. This phase began on December 30, 2019 at 204lbs. I am now 1 week away from my VSG surgery and feel ready and excited about feeling better, eating better, moving better and ultimately being here, not only for myself, but my son. Today is the 7th day of my pre-op diet and I weigh 180.2 lbs. I feel proud and know that this surgery will be an amazingly powerful tool to have on my journey.

The shock of the surgery & reduced food intake speeds up your natural hair loss cycle. My dietician said that vitamins & supplements won’t stop the loss. All they may do is make the new growth stronger when it starts again. My surgeon told me my body had better things to do with the reduced nutrients I was consuming than grow hair. Relax. Accept it is happening (you don’t need the added stress). Your hair will stop falling out & will grow back in its time. It may take 3 months it may take 10. I lost a good 50% from about month 3 until month 7. I cut my hair to just above my shoulders at about month 5 so it wouldn’t take as long for the new growth to catch up to the length of my existing hair. Also the loss didn’t seem as obvious with the shorter length.

I'm only 8 months out, but I physically could not manage to eat a McDonald's burger and fries. If I really wanted to, I could probably eat 3 bites of a 1/4 pounder, or 2 bites and maybe 10 fries? I have no desire for fast food burgers and fries though, and this is coming from someone who used to eat McDonalds or other fast food at least 5x a week, if not more. Now it's just way too greasy, and not appealing to me. When you start on solids, you will see what I mean! Your taste buds will definitely change!! Case in point, I've had a tube of cookie dough in my fridge all week (planning on making cookies with kids), and the thought of eating a spoonful of it, makes me gag. Another thing I used to love to eat!!

I tolerate a lot compared to some people on here. I have had to resort to a bunless small burger to get protein on a road trip. I tolerated it fine and I also had 8-10 fries. It's a slippery slope so I wouldn't recommend even trying it until you are in maintenance and then it's an occasional thing. The 8 french fries I had were greasy and salty, and I tolerated it fine compared to high sugar foods. The pouch physically limits eating more than that but eating unhealthy food does make me feel blah afterwards, sometimes bloated and gassy but not ill. So immediately I am limited on the amount and 30 minutes afterwards I am reminded that it's not always worth it. That helps me a make better decisions the next time that food is around. Keep in mind that I have tried a wide variety of unhealthy foods but it is rare that I eat them, as in less than once a week. I can tolerate one cookie, maybe a fourth of a candy bar etc. I feel I am in control and can have that small piece be satisfied and move on. I am also very mindful to not have the rest of the food sitting within reach so the temptation is not in front of me. When i have a craving I also choose "healthier" substitutes like chocolate covered almonds or sugar free pudding vs a cookie or piece of candy.

Hi Gang! So good to read your recent posts and catch up. I've been away for a couple weeks navigating life and wanted to pop back in and read and update. Boy can I relate to ALL the recent posts. Like others my hunger is back. Not terrible but since it was gone for about 7 weeks I certainly notice it's return. It causes me to eat too fast and then I too experience that ROCK ON THE CHEST feeling. I find I have to go walk in my backyard and gently twist at the waist to find relief after nearly every meal. The twisting and holding briefly at the waist while walking seems to help move the food or gas along a bit. You might try it if you're struggling like I am. Hope it helps! Like @Groovymommy I'm not exercising enough. I do walk for 30 minutes every evening. But it's easy and time for me to dial it up with some weights and harder cardio. Really inspiring to hear about your weight losses! I'm progressing at my slower rate and pep-talking myself into believing it's right for me. I'm 9.5 weeks post op and have lost 25.5 pounds. Hoping to say 26 pounds gone by this Tuesday at 10 weeks post. I will say my greatest joy is my daily 1 cup of Fairlife 2% chocolate milk mixed with cold brew coffee and a little whipped cream. There's no doubt it increases my hunger and the constipation but I've decided it's worth it. YUM! Also started taking Senna. Two pills right before bed and it helps keep me regular with no side effects at all. The colace was starting to make me nauseous and so I was very happy to discover the senna. Give it a try if you're struggling. Very gentle. I'm getting between 60-70 protein a day. Hit 48 oz of water daily despite by best efforts at more. And get about 800 calories a day. I know my daily carbs are a little high. My nut recommended under 40. I try and keep them at 60. And never higher than my protein. But I just can't give up that Fairlife and coffee with whip. As far as deep analysis... I've been doing some too. I sure do relate to the discoveries that come from not loving much food anymore. The desire for it is like a drug. The lack of satisfaction from it is like a little nagging whisper in my ear. I do see how other addictions can become an issue. Carbs taste good and go down well but I can only eat very little or I feel sick. And everything else is harder to digest. I think acknowledging those feelings of dissatisfaction is helping me manage them. I still see my eating like "rewards". I get those protein grams and drink that water so I can have my carb treats. I'm afraid I'm just wired that way. But really admire those who find joy in healthier things. Let me state here to make it official that I plan to kick UP the exercise starting now! My first WL goal is 60 pounds and at 25 i'm nearly halfway. Time to dial it up. So great to hear from you all. Keep popping in, Bypassers, let's help inspire one another! ONWARD!!

When you get to the soft phase, it is much easier. I feel almost normal again now that I'm there! I also avoid sucralose and other artificial sweeteners and it is in almost all those shakes. I don't drink regular milk normally, but the Fair Life Core protein shakes are what I've found the least artificial and I tolerate them. They don't taste as gross as Premier and some of the other ones. I plan to go back to almond milk as soon as I can, but I'm following my doctor's plan until I get farther out. Once I can get all my protein from food I plan to eliminate all that artificial stuff. I am just now able to sleep on my side or stomach again. I have been sleeping in a recliner. It's weird though, in the hospital and the first week after surgery I was able to sleep on my side, but after he pulled my drain out on day 10 I got sore and couldn't sleep on my side. I have no pain at all now though. I'm feeling great! I had heparin shots in the hospital, but they put me on Eliquis after I came home, which is a pill. I take half a pill twice a day. I'll be glad when it's done. Being on a blood thinner makes me nervous. Sent from my moto g(6) using BariatricPal mobile app

I waited 10 years before I decided to have plastic surgery(surgery date January 3, 2005) Because I wanted to learn how to maintain the 4 E’s-Eat, Exercise, Excitement of when I had my weight loss surgery, and Enjoy my progress. I never set a goal weight because this is a journey for the rest of my life. My goal was to be smaller than what I was before my gastric bypass surgery. Goal met. Clothing size at surgery: 24/26 and clothing size today: 4/6. A Good surgeon will only do one procedure at a time because of the time the patient is under anesthesia. 12/7/2015-arm lifts took 4 1/2 hours 2/17/2017-liposuction to knees and calves took 3 1/2 hours 12/10/2019-extended tummy tuck with pubic lift (6 pounds of skin removed, all stretched marks gone with removal of skin and 3 of my ports from gastric bypass gone). New belly button Drains for 2 weeks. Scar is like a small straight line beyond the hips. Took 4 1/2 hours 3/13/2020-lipo360 of stomach, flanks, and back (11 pounds of fat removed). I can feel my rib cage. Took 3 1/2 hours. Planning breast reduction and lift surgery for November-in treatment for varicose veins at this time. Did consultation this past Monday and my surgeon stated the procedure would take about 4 1/2 hours Because of molding the new breast . He is going to liposuction my under arms to remove fat.

Hey guys today is my 3 year surgeversity and let me tell you it's been a crazy journey with many ups and downs!!! I'm 5'2" I had the sleeve done on aug 16 2017, at age 19. Surgery weight was 275 lbs. At 1 year post op I reached 168 lbs. After that began my struggling I would notice my weight start to go up and I would yoyo diet. I realized that being I was pretty young and naive I never listened to my surgeons instructions and advice. For the last 2 years my weight has been fluctuating between 165 and 185. Typically I'm in the 170's. Although I never even got to a bmi out of obese range when I get to 160's I'm pretty happy. If anyone feels like their surgery isn't a success (which I felt in the past) just look where you came from, yes I'm still obese but I'm 100 pounds lighter! In feb this year I got really sick I was 177 and I went down to 164. I was so excited and really wanted it to stay there and possibly go down even more but then covid hit... I went back up to 178. 3 weeks ago I started feeling really sick again I had no appetite and crazy abdominal pain. I went down to 174 and eventually went to the er they discovered I had a large hemmorogic cyst on my ovary and they couldn't see blood flow to the ovary. I was rushed into emergency surgery. They tried to do it laparoscopic (small incisions and fill with air) but they couldn't so they made a 6 inch incision. Luckily for me the ovary ended up being fine but recovery has been a struggle. I had crazy swelling of 6 inches around my tummy and severe pain and nausea. Luckily at 2 weeks out the swelling has mostly gone down and I currently weigh 171. But I can not for the life of mine eat I'm super nauseous all the time and have terrible stomach cramps. The only things I can tolerate are chips and cookies. I'm really worried that once the nausea goes away I'll be used to eating junk and start the trend of gaining weight again. Also I have no energy because my body isn't getting any nutrients I'm on 6 medication because of surgery! Anybody have any ideas for healthy foods while nauseous? I would really appreciate feedback and advice if anyone went through similar experiences. Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Woot woot! So proud of myself for getting through the surgery! This was actually my first. Here are some things that I have noticed, so tell me if you’ve experienced the. As tell! 1) My stomach growls! Like a lot. It kind of sounds like hunger growling, but I’m not hungry. Maybe it’s just my body saying “thank you for finally doing something about this weight”. But either way, those digestive sounds are active and that’s a very good sign!! 2a) The pain is... different. I’ve always been a “stomach sleeper”, but currently doing so is almost unbearable. So I’ve been forced to sleep on my back. That, combined with the ferocious gas that I still have is like a personal F*#K YOU to my spine! Haha. 2b) The pain in the front.. is it even pain? If I’m laying down, it’s like I can almost forget that I’ve even had any surgery. But God forbid that I need to get up! Feels like there’s a cork screw in my right side, going as deep as it can! I think I’ll just stay in bed for a while. 3) SLEEP! Oh my goodness am I sleeping a lot! I tried to get some good exercise on Friday during the day & was able to walk for an entire hour without any nausea or pain! But that night, I slept for almost 20 hours! I have to remind myself that my body is in a state of shock, I’m not consuming nearly half the calories I did a month ago, and that it’s OKAY to rest. That’s what I need the most.

@kossde, I have noticed the same issue. I only recently, during this horrid COVID-19 pandemic, realized that my monthly cycle is a surprisingly huge impact on the numbers of the scale. For my sanity, I no longer weigh myself as often as I did before. Honestly, I rarely even look at myself in the mirror. If it wasn't for all of this loose skin....aiyiyiiiii. smh🙄

Hi! I just had SADI -S on July 24th. It was my first wls. I had to stay 3 nights in the hospital because I had some nausea and vomiting, but now at almost 4 weeks out I am feeling great! I'm doing well with fluids, but it was challenging at first, especially with the protein shakes, which I HATE since our surgery. I started using collagen peptides mixed into liquids and was able to tolerate those. I stayed on clear liquids for 2 weeks post op, then a week of full, and Thursday I started soft foods, which has got me feeling like myself again! My drain was in for 10 days. My surgeon does the SADI-S with his partner so I had 2 surgeons. After my surgery, my main surgeon went on vacation, so I followed up at 1 week with his partner, and he didn't want to remove the drain, so I had to wait until I saw my surgeon at 10 days post op. [emoji2368] Anyway, the fluids and protein get easier every day. I had a tough time with the clears because I don't like broth or any sweet drinks, or jello, so that didn't leave much. I forced myself to drink Protein20, and mixed my shakes with decaf coffee to tone down the sweetness. I didn't have much of a sweet tooth before, and since I had surgery things taste 100 times sweeter! I'm feeling great now that I can eat things like eggs! I'm glad to find someone else who had my surgery! It isn't very common. I look forward to comparing notes! Sent from my moto g(6) using BariatricPal mobile app

of course she should be allowed - but only 10-15% of bariatric patients make it to a normal BMI, so she's already one of the few who pulled that off. also, that range you gave - it depends on age, too. I don't know how old she is, but a lot of doctors these days like their older adult patients at a 23-27 BMI. Older folks in that range have the lowest mortality rate.

I had gastric bypass surgery on January 3, 2005 and I have done very well. No issues with my pouch-dumping or vomiting because of following doctor’s orders-no carbonated beverages, no sweets, no fried foods, no eating and drinking at the same time and exercise 5 days a week. After trying skin wraps in my arms and seeing no changes my husband suggested arm surgery. I had my first plastic surgery in December 2015-arm lifts (7 inches of skin removed from both arms). I was so happy and still very happy with my results. February 2017-liposuction in both legs(knees and calves). December 2019-extended tummy tuck (6 pounds of skin removed). March 2020-lipo 360(11 pounds of fat removed from stomach, flanks, and entire back). With removal of the excess skin I am able to wear size 4/6 in dresses , 8/10 in pants and some junior clothing. Starting size 15 years ago was 24/26. Preparing for breast reduction surgery around October or November. All surgeries have been preformed at the same practice. I am glad I had surgery many years later because I learned to plan/prepare meals daily. Exercise 5 days a week, and continue to follow the 4 D’s: Desire, determination, dedication, and discipline. Please share your story with me.

But bmi 19-24.99 has best health outlook so original poster should be allowed to reach for it 🍀

Once you start shopping for protein powder online, you'll start seeing ads for other protein powders. You should look at the ingredients and nutrition info to make sure they meet your requirements. Here are the ones I purchased (I think I found all of these through ads on Facebook): IdealFit (IdealLean) (You can also buy individual sample size packets if you don't want this many) 1up Nutrition (I bought the "summer body starter kit," which allowed me to choose my own samples, but that no longer seems to be available; it might have been a special offer that you can only get to by clicking an ad) Northbound Nutrition Waves of Whey Strength (Unfortunately, the samples are 5 packs of the same flavor, so you'd have to buy 10 packs just to get both flavors) KetoShop (There are two different sample packs; I got the zero carb just because the flavors were more appealing to me) P.S. None of these are referral links and I do not benefit in any way from them.

So, the Built Bar site has been down and since I loved them, I have been lurking around waiting for them to reopen. They tasted pretty good and most of them had 110 calories. Turns out Updated Lawsuit: Built Bar Fired Worker Who Raised COVID-19 Concerns. So forget them. What's a good, low calorie protein bar that tastes good? And yes, I realize these are about as nutritious as candy bars, but for 110 calories, they were working out for me.

Based on everything I've read, plus discussions with my nutritionist and my surgeon's staff, the post-surgery weight loss is completely different for everyone. Some people lose a ton of weight really fast, others lose very slowly. The important thing is, fast or slow, it's still weight loss. Those of us who have lost quickly are going to slow down eventually, and we're all in it for the long haul. Honestly, losing quickly worries me a little bit, because I know I'm losing some muscle mass as well as fat. That's why it's really important for me to improve my protein intake as well as starting some strength-building exercise. My weight now is the lowest it's been since before I had my daughter in 2006, but I'm still a long way from Onederland. Gotta keep keepin' on! BTW I finally figured out a way to get a big dose of protein every day that I actually enjoy. Iced protein coffee! 10 oz of skim milk (or whatever milk you like) 1 scoop of Isopure (or any brand) unflavored protein powder 1 teaspoon of instant coffee 1 tablespoon of flavored coffee creamer Throw all that in a blender bottle, shake the hell out of it, then pour over ice. You could also blend it with ice to turn it into a frappuccino-type drink. Nutrition info: 240 cal, 2g fat, 20 g carbs, 20g sugars*, 35 g protein *These are mostly the sugars in milk, which are not simple sugars and do not cause dumping syndrome etc. You can cut about 5g of sugar by using sugar-free or unflavored creamer, but I love my vanilla creamer.

You are doing great losing 10 lbs . That is 100lbs in 10 months !! It goes by pretty fast too. You still have a little over a month for the wedding . I am sure you will be feeling much better. ☺️

I had a Loop DS on July 24th. I had 5 incisions, and one drain in my upper left abdomen. My largest incision was above and to the right of my belly button and is about 1.5 inches. There is another incision to the left of my belly button that is about an inch. The other incisions are all about the size of a pencil eraser or smaller. I have to say this surgery was harder than any other I've had. I usually wake up fine from anesthesia and bounce right back. This time I was so nauseated. I had some pain, but mostly in the back and I think that was gas. The day after surgery I was still nauseated and I had to go for my swallow test, and threw the contrast right up. I ended up staying 3 nights because of the nausea. My husband was so worried because I was really out of it for the first 2 days, which has not happened to me with surgery before. Even though I felt so sick those first couple days, I walked as much as I could. The nausea was gone the day I went home, and I haven't had any since. I had to keep my drain in until 10 days post op when I saw my surgeon, and I was sore after it was removed. I also ended up having pain in that area and in my back, and actually took a Percocet. It was so weird because I hadn't had much pain since coming home. I later found out it was a kidney stone which I've never had before. Anyway, overall, the post op pain was pretty mild for me, but I did have a couple days of bad nausea and some vomiting in the hospital, but now I feel almost 100% back to normal! I just got to soft foods yesterday, and I feel great now that I finally get to eat! Sent from my moto g(6) using BariatricPal mobile app

I have BCBS also, and you have to read the requirements very carefully. They basically require 6 months of monitored weight loss plan, documented every month by the PCP. Failure to be able to lose 10% of body weight, in spite of the supervised program is qualifying for surgery. When I first read the requirements, I thought it said I had to LOSE 10% to qualify - to demonstrate compliance with the program, but that;s not what it really says. I think I stayed about the same weight. I was tipping the 40 BMI, but what really helped me was getting a sleep apnea diagnosis, which lowered the qualifying BMI. BCBS is tricky. Just read those requirements over and over until you understand them thoroughly. As long as your PCP also documents all your weight loss attempts very thoroughly, you should not have a problem. My PCP did an amazing job. She knew how to "play the game" and told me she had never had any of her patients denied WLS.

First appointment was 12/04/2019, thought I would have been having surgery by now. Does it normally take this long to get through the process?

Well it really depends on you. Do you take NSAIDS or feel like you need to because if you have RNY you can't take them anymore. Ever. I mean, you could take tumeric which is natural, but no asprin, naproxen, ibuprofen, etc. I was bouncing back and forth on whether to have the RNY, DS, or Loop DS and in the end I chose the Loop DS. I'm almost 7 months out now and I'm happy with my choice. I have had some weird experiences though lol. I had two issues with constipation which confused the hell out of my surgeons office and they told me I was the first Loop DS patient they'd had that had that issue! x'D Apparently my body processes Iron REALLY well so I only need one multi with iron in it and take two without. Also, when you have to go... you have to go! Your stomach will give you about a 5-10 minute warning and that means you best find a restroom... or is that just me? 🤔 Anyway, in the end it's your life and the choice you make is very much your own. I suggest just looking up all the info you can find maybe making a pro and con list for each surgery and just choosing the one that has more pro's. That's my suggestion. I wish you the best!

I had the sleeve nearly 10 years ago. I gained a lot of weight since then and am blessed with the possibility of a do-over. I had a consultation today to start the process for a revision. An EGD will help the surgeon determine which surgery is best for me--the DS or the RNY, but he suggested I research to get an idea of what I might prefer. Per my reading, the DS is for people with severe morbid obesity (BMI >50), which I do not have. Also, there's supposedly a greater risk of complications from this surgery. However, I read it provides higher weight loss than the RNY. I read about possible ulcers, bowel obstruction, etc and I'm afraid. Is there any way to prevent these issues, or are they just inevitable with any type of bypass surgery? (I know this is a question for my doctor, and I do plan to ask.) Ultimately, like anyone, I just want help to get thin and healthy. I don't want to be sickly or have life-threatening complications as result of weight loss surgery. I want to take full advantage of this 2nd chance, lose all the weight I didn't lose the first time around, and KEEP IT OFF. If my surgeon does not have a firm opinion on which surgery I should get and he leaves the option to me, then I'm not sure whether I would get the DS or the RNY. Do you guys have any information or experience that might help?

My pre op diet was 2 protein shakes and a salad with protein. Thats it. I got an cancellation date which made me only do the pre op diet 10 days. My surgeon did not say I had a fatty liver due to my shorter pre op diet. I had my vsg at Blossom in Las Vegas. I am now 4 days post op. I have no regrets with the vsg or Blossom.