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Welcome to the Bariatric Group! Diabetes is a strange critter. With diabetes, you have to remember that your liver will push out glycogen and convert it to glucose overnight, that is why you have differing numbers with the same breakfast. It is also dependent on what you ate the night before. I still get strange numbers, but I'm off all of my medications and insulin for diabetes and I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery. I haven't taken any meds or insulin since the day before my surgery. The highest I have been is 137, and I don't go below 83 mg/dl. I got rid of my Dexcom 7s to a needy friend, and will be giving my syringes and unopened bottles of insulin to my endocrinologist who I see next week on Thursday. Already, it has been quite a ride. From the hormones flying about, to not having to inject insulin and reduced medications, I'm moving better, walking a lot and recently was released to go back to the gym where I swim, cycle and lift weights. I can't imagine my life any different now, best decision I've ever made. Ask me in a year how I feel. LOL

Hello all .I am 47 yrs old and was sleeve in 2017..Before surgery I was 295 got down to 175 . Fast forward I am divorced single mother and I began drinking heavily gained 30 lbs so I did the endoscopic revision where they re-tighten the stomach the first week I lost 7 lbs mind u I had my revision 9/5/2024. I am almost a month out I don’t feel any restriction and I never feel full… The surgeon said I won’t feel any real restriction because Im not on a regular diet yet . i am on soft foods now but I feel myself getting very depressed because I haven’t loss anymore weight please any suggestions would be helpful.I really want to feel like myself again and lose these 30 lbs..

Hi all, I am almost 8 months post op bypass. I'm down 68 lbs (31 kg) I feel and look fantastic and I'm quite happy but I still need to lose 33-44 lbs and well it's barely coming off these past months. Now my question is I'm eating pretty well and counting calories and protien content. I'm focused on calories mostly but I think that's where the problem is. I should focus on my protien only which means I should eat 115g of protien daily which might mean more calories and it scares me.. I m active and go to the gym too (not as gym rat but not lazy) so what am I doing wrong? Do I need to up my protein? Also how much of the food is actually absorbed? Does bypass really mean ill def lose and maintain the weight? I need reassurance. Help me understand what to do now and if I'm safe

I am doing well thank you! On purees now, which is great after weeks of liquid, feeling good, learning my limits and healing nicely! I have not lost a lot of weight for a week, but am taking that in my stride, desperately close to.my first mini goal, but not quite there yet! Overall going very well, I can see the differences already, clothes are starting to hang off me! 😁 Thanks for asking, how are you doing?

Im not interested in hair medicines just yet. I know the rapid weight loss can contribute to this hair loss. So far its just worrying to see how thin its getting but Im not in panic mode yet lol. Im hoping it slows a bit but if not I guess Ill have to deal with it until the journey is over. Thanks for your input very informational

So I'm finding doing this EXTREMELY difficult. I don't think I will EVER be able to take small enough bites and will EVER be able to make my meals small enough so i have decided against the surgery and have decided to try losing weight on my own. I have lost almost 20 pounds so far in the 3 months since I've started so I think I can lose the 150 pounds I want to lose eventually I've been losing about 1/4 pound every 3 weeks about lately but hey any weight loss is weight loss and I technically have all the time in the world the lose the 150 pounds I want to lose.

I'm about the same amount of time since my bypass. I don't recall having an intollerance to almost all foods for extended periods. But for a few days or a week, sure. I don't think you should rule out the experience of anyone based on years post-op because there are people here that know more about weight loss surgeries than you and I. Heck, they give many surgeons a run for their money. Some of us research the stuffing out of weight loss surgeries before we even see a surgeon. Could you fill us in on what's going on? How does your intollerance work? Does it prevent you from swallowing, or does your food come back up? How long after eating? Anything else change during this period? Your previous issues could also provide insight into your current issues. Also, what does your medical team say? Tons of knowledge and experience is on the edge of their seats waiting to help. Tek

One suggestion in terms of your bra is to buy a bra with the correct cup size, but one that actually fits you on the biggest hook. That way you can use the other two or three hooks depending on how many are on it as you lose weight still because usually when they fit you, they aim for that middle hook so that you can gain or lose 10 pounds and it’ll still fit, but you know you’re not gonna be gaining anytime soon. Another option that I thought about doing myself because I had the sleeve and I know that I don’t lose much in my cup size. It’s just the band size is to buy one that fits in the cup, but it’s actually a size smaller in the band and use a bra extender, so it’ll last longer

i've tried these picture calculators and am not entirely convinced they get the cal count right...especially with intricately-plated resto meals with those 10-ingredient sauce swooshes and crab-infused potato puffs lololololzzzzz. my own inquiry mind, ha! i like to know what calorie burn im at, and these days im on super-exercise mode, so i know im probably at a higher level than "normal". plus, i've sort of been trying to put on some weight since February, and my "unsuccessful-ness" of it all is starting to annoy me. (though secretly i kinda enjoy seeing a low number on the scale. sort of. kinda. i thinks. hello eating disorder!) ironically, i feel great. no health issues nor complaints. energy for days, and i can keep up (if not surpass) all the 20-somethings in class (p.s. im 53 this year). so i dunno.

I am almost 2 years out from RNY and haven't suffered one day of reflux since the surgery. I also had a Hiatal hernia that went undiagnosed for years before pre-op testing found it. Caused Gerd from hell along with the excess weight. Both problems resolved with surgery. Also, the enjoyment of certain foods may take a bit. I still struggle with a few different textures. But for the most part I can tolerate most things quite well. I still have a good amount of restriction at this point too. I wish you the best and hope the reflux has become a thing of the past for you.

I am destined to never know what my BMI / weight would be with skin removal. I could only afford one round so would worse than now. I don't think the NHS can afford to start this surgery again so I am destined to be overweight for ever !

Congrats on the weight loss and the anniversary! The most important thing is to find something you enjoy because the likelihood you will continue to workout will go up tremendously. As such, I'd actually recommend trying a lot of different things. From a health perspective, I'd strongly recommend at least 3 days (though 4 or 5 would be better!), of some sort of aerobic activity (a.k.a. cardio). This can be walking, running, elliptical, biking, hiking, rucking, as well as group classes. Really anything that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there during the exercise is fair game. Start with where you are on this. If you can only do 5 minutes right now, that's fine, but do try to increase that over time to about an hour per session. I also recommend at least 2 days a week of strength training. That again would be a minimum, because just like for the cardio, more days would be even better. Just be careful that you give yourself enough time in between training to let your muscles recover. My number one suggestion would be to enlist the help of a GOOD Certified Personal Trainer to assist you with program design. Note that there are some really good CPTs and unfortunately some really bad ones. You might want to ask around your network to see if anyone has a recommendation? There are just too many variables involved in developing a good strength training plan to provide a recommendation here. At a minimum, a plan has to consider exercise selection, exercise form, effort level, volume, intensity, frequency, and tempo. Some of these variables are highly dependent on things like your current gender, age, strength level, mobility, trainability, as well as any physical limitations you may have. The point is that program design should be tailored specifically to YOU, and that's really not something I could do via a forum like this. Also, in my many years of experience in the gym as a competitive powerlifter, I've seen way too many beginners make horrible mistakes that could have been avoided with some guidance. These are generally mistakes a good personal trainer can help you avoid. Some of those mistakes will just lead to poor results, but some can end up really hurting you. If a personal trainer is just not in the cards at this point, I would caution you to avoid weight machines or free weights for now. As a beginner, you can make tremendous gains just doing bodyweight exercises and there is a lot less risk of injury taking that approach. Feel free to Google bodyweight beginner routines, just keep in mind that some (just like the CPTs), are really good and some are really bad. At a minimum, I'd want a program that has all of the following: Bodyweight squats of some sort A lunge movement of some sort (I'm partial to front foot elevated rear lunges, but the actual type is not really that important at this point.) If lunges are painful for you, an okay alternative might be a bridge exercise A pressing exercise (probably pushups, but if you can't yet do regular pushups, start with elevated pushups) A pulling exercise (Ideally, this would be pullups, but I recognize these are hard for most beginners, thus an inverted row might be a good alternative Some sort of core exercise. A lot of programs have people doing planks, but I'm personally not a huge fan of planks in any form. I'd much prefer to see something more dynamic like a mountain climber, dead bugs, or hanging knee or leg raises. Best of luck!

7 years out this November (I can’t believe it’s been that long!) 1. The surgery did all of the work. I didn’t wake up hungry, I didn’t feel like I could eat more than recommended. I didn’t have any (initial) complications that slowed the weight loss process. 2. I was really strict and followed every rule pre and post op. I was super serious because I absolutely needed this to work. My motivation remains for medical reasons first and aesthetics second. 3. I limited calories from liquids. 4. I am finally ready to admit that I have a narrow palate. I don’t like most food and definitely not most fast food but in a pinch I will eat it *some* things. I cook the vast majority of my meals and most are very boring by foodie standards. 5. I was converted from VSG to RNY at my goal weight (GERD etc) and I’m sure the durability of RNY has made a difference in maintaining. 6. I was given a higher BMI range by my surgeon and thank goodness because getting any lower would have been a real struggle without added benefits. 7. I invested in plastics. I shouldn’t make sense or a difference but I didn’t want to mess up the work I had done plus removed skin and fat cells are gone forever. 8. I address the smallest regains IMMEDIATELY adjusting behavior and intake. I’m not ashamed of it or ignore it, I weigh often to stay accountable to myself. 9. I found what works for me and focused on that, adjusting as needed. I try very, very hard not to compare myself with anyone else. I never attached self worth or morality to weight (gained or lost). I think it helped immensely that no one ever bothered me about weight. I realize it maybe a different story if this wasn’t the case. 10. I check in yearly with my bariatric team.

You need to schedule and appointment with your surgeon (or his or her NP or PA) if you really are weighing and measuring every little Thing and only getting 800 calories you shouldn’t be gaining but something is getting missed. It could Be medical or you may be missing something in your count. Either way it sounds like this dietician had already made her mind up that there is only one possibility and she probably isn’t going to be the one to help you get to the bottom of things. Make an appointment with your team and start taking pics of all of your food so you can show them exactly what you’re eating everyday. Make an album with all the food pics and hand them your phone so they can scroll through and see for themselves. When I regained after my sleeve. I was embarrassed to go back to team and thought they were going to be so hard on me and when I went back, I realized I couldn’t have been further from the truth. They were so open and compassionate and understanding and all they wanted to do was help. Obesity is complex and they realize it. They go in this field for a reason. They may not get to the bottom of it in one visit. It may even take a few, but trust me it’s worth.It. Don’t give up.

okay, breath. There isn’t a number or hard rules about what we’re all supposed to have lost by a certain time - 2 months or any other time frame. There are averages around rate of loss, how much you’ll lose, how long it will take, etc. But, as is expected with all averages, there will be those who do more than the average and those who do less. And there’s nothing wrong with that. All the averages should do is give you are idea of what MIGHT happen not what WILL happen. Too many factors influence your rate of loss and how much you will lose: gender, age, pre existing medical conditions, mobility, starting weight, and so on. Some surgeons may have some expectations but unless you aren’t losing anything in the first months (except during a stall) you have nothing to worry about & can breath easily. Actually all of us have to go through trying to work all this out further ourselves. Simply because we are different and what might work for someone may not work for you. Always start with the plan given to you by your surgeon and dietician and then after the first couple of months, start developing your own plan and way of eating to continue your lose and then maintain. Do some research (be critical in your analysis of your research, avoid fads and influencer talk), talk to your dietician, your doctor, ask for advice here and try things out and see how you go. You’ll make mistakes along the way and that’s okay. Losing about 2lbs a week is nothing to be concerned about. 2lbs a week is generally thought to be a good rate of loss for anyone (surgery, medication or doing it alone). I always say celebrate every pound you lose. Congratulations on your weight loss so far.

I completely agree, its not just the weight that's changed.

@ShoppGirl They were nice to me but definitely wasn't coming up to ask me "What I thought of the weather" or trying to find something to talk about just to talk to me (I feel so conceited saying *ew*) but you know what I mean! I can say I have always been confident. like a fake it till ya make type, so I think like you said we are exuding the confidence piece and they are attracted to that? I totally bet your neighbors think someone else moved in. 75lbs in a whole freaking kid in weight that you lost! btw you are soooo close to your goal weight!!!

I was on tricare for a short time years ago but didn’t have it for my bariatric surgeries. But after dealing with the revision process with any insurance I I learned that them covering it for GERD would be far more likely than just for weight regain. GERD it would be repairing a complication or side effect of surgery instead of just doing another bariatric surgery. They consider that more of a medical necessity If that makes any sense.

I just want to respond to the issue with iron. Depending on the type of iron, you only actually absorb a certain percentage of what's in the tablet. I take carbonyl iron, of which the body absorbs close to 100% ("elemental iron" is the amount you actually absorb, vs the total amount of iron that's in the tablet, and I believe carbonyl iron is the only version with that high of an absorption rate). In other versions, the body may only absorb half, or 20%, or 60%, or whatever, of iron that is in the tablet. That would explain the incongruence of the numbers that you're seeing (e.g., 45mg tablet when the required amount or iron is 18mg). I just cut & pasted this from an article I just googled: No, 65 mg of iron is not the same as 325 mg. Ferrous sulfate tablets are often labeled with both the amount of ferrous sulfate (the actual pill) and the equivalent amount of elemental iron (the usable iron). A 325 mg ferrous sulfate tablet typically contains 65 mg of elemental iron. So, while 325 mg of ferrous sulfate contains 65 mg of usable iron, they are not the same in terms of their total weight.

I went with my weight the day I went to the see the surgeon for my initial consultation. This was the highest I was ever going to be.

How many calories are you eating? "5-8 oz" is not a meaningful measure of the number of calories you're eating. 5-8 ounces of peanut butter is a lot more calories than 5-8 ounces of cauliflower. If your weight is stable over a long period of time, you're eating a maintenance level of calories. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you burn just to operate and move your body, so if you're eating the same number of calories at 195 pounds as you were eating at 273 pounds, you're not going to lose weight as quickly, and maybe not at all. If you want to keep losing weight, you will have to reduce your calorie intake. Calorie intake is much more important for weight loss than exercise. Exercise is certainly beneficial, but as you have noticed, it makes you hungrier, and it's very easy to eat more extra calories than what you burn from exercise -- especially if you're not monitoring your calorie intake. Also, don't get too hung up on the number on the scale. There's no magic in reaching your goal weight. You might need to reevaluate your expectations. It's quite possible that your goal weight will be too low for your body, especially if you are building muscle. And don't be in such a rush to get plastic surgery, either. Your body will redistribute itself over time, so some parts of your body that you don't like now may improve on their own without plastic surgery. You may still want to get plastic surgery eventually, but there's a reason most surgeons want you to have a stable weight for a while before you get it.

This is a topic I'm a bit concerned with, honestly. I was heavy all of my life, and normally was the one to initiate contact with men. Men giving me 'the gaze' made me feel uncomfortable, and assertive men who talked about my body made me want to run and hide. I didn't like my body and didn't know what they thought they saw, but it usually made my skin crawl. Now, I'm starting to dress better with more form fitting clothing. I'm excited about looking better, but I don't really WANT attention at the same time. It's a confusing time. Meanwhile, my fella - who was one of those 'chubby chasers' has actually been gaining weight due to temporary inactivity. I've come to realize that he used to be chubby and was picked on for it, relentlessly, as an adolescent. I can definitely see the self consciousness growing in HIM now and it's made it challenging for me to find a balance and feel 'valid' and attractive since his decline in sexuality is matching my increase in confidence. I know that this, too, shall pass, and he'll get on track again - he's already been cutting back on carbs and joining me for my long walks and such, but it's a weird transition. I was never one who was very comfortable receiving compliments or attention I didn't initiate, so I'm kind of dreading the 'male gaze'.

If the OP thinks it's the solution and can find a way to pay for it, then they can certainly try a GLP-1. Keep in mind current studies suggest up to 20% of people are non-responders, meaning they don't work for everyone. Also, even compounded versions can be prohibitively expensive for some people. I would also caution the OP to be careful when seeking out compounded versions. As a nurse, you're in a better position to find a decent compounding pharmacy and also not make medication administration errors. Unfortunately compounded GLP-1s are a bit like the wild west right now, with shady operations and less than ideal directions/administration of the drug. So much so that the FDA has put out an advisory: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss Caveat emptor was never more true.

I am getting frustrated with the slowness of loss. I had the sleeve on 16th of Jan, and initially lost 4-5 kg very quickly, then the last two weeks, I have lost only 1.7kg, (3.5 lbs) I know it can happen, that the body can retain water and it’s not reflecting the loss. I am just venting my frustration. I tried eating more 800-1000 cals last week, nothing, exactly the same weight for 6 days, then a minuscule 100gm loss. It's been frustrating!

Hi! I was wondering if anyone who is 5+ years since surgery is still experiencing any issues? I find that when I eat certain foods, much like when I was about a year or so out, that I have a feeling of being too full and can’t keep the food down. It isnt all the time. And it isnt really if I eat too much or too fast. I still eat pretty small meals at any given time and typically just eat 6 or so very small meals. An example would be if I eat pasta, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 a cup may feel unbearable and too full and can’t keep the pasta down. It could be something random like a handful of jelly belly jelly beans. I would say it happens maybe 1 a week? Just curious if anyone else has this issue. I have done well at keeping the weight off since the surgery and have hovered around 130-140 for the past 2 years. I am fairly active 50’s, 5’5 female. Thanks!!