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Hi all, I'm a sleeve patient needing to switch to a bypass due to GERD, and I'm hoping to hear from folks about foods they cannot eat because of their bypass. In particular: How tolerant are you of sweets/sugar? How do you do with "gummy" foods like pasta, rice, and bread? Are there other foods you find painful to eat? Separately, what is people's experience with side effects: Dumping syndrome Flatulence Others I should be aware of? For those who had there bypass 2+ years ago, do you become more tolerant of these foods and/or experience fewer side effects over time? For instance, I couldn't eat ground beef for the first year and a half after my sleeve; it hurt. Now I can. I ask because I've heard anecdotes about the severity of dumping syndrome (like, will I be able to have any sweets at all?) and that some people find pasta, rice, and bread painful to eat. I just got back from Italy; I like my sleeve because I can still eat my favorites like pasta and gelato but I can't go overboard. That's why I chose it over the bypass, and I did really well. Some weight regain, but I've kept off 70% of my initial weight loss. I'm 80% satisfied with my sleeve. Honestly, I'm a little scared of the lifestyle changes a bypass will entail. I made a lot of changes for my sleeve, but my understanding is the changes required of the bypass are more intense. I had a long time to prepare myself mentally for the sleeve versus just a few months for the bypass, and while I was so unhappy with my body pre-sleeve that I'd so almost anything, I'm not so unhappy today. If it weren't for my GERD, I'd likely get re-sleeved than convert to a bypass. Be honest, but, ya know, don't be afraid to say reassuring things 😅 Thanks so much!

I was hoping to get folks' opinion on the mini-bypass vs the bypass. Because I'm considering a revision, my thinking is I'd rather have the less dramatic revision. There are fewer adverse effects and nutritional requirements with the mini, and if in the future for some reason I need to convert to a full bypass, that option is on the table. On the other hand, I regret not going with the bypass 6 years ago. I didn't know how bad my GERD would get, but I also didn't think I'd regain as much weight as I did (40 pounds out of 140 lost). Who else has thought about these alternatives? What did you go with and why?

it's not uncommon for liver-related enzymes to spike during rapid weight loss, since rapid weight loss is hard on livers. HOWEVER, it's good that they're checking out just in the off-chance it's due to something else. Keep us posted!

I love this so much! Everything about it. Everyone deserves decency regardless of size, shape, age or color of your skin. Society as a whole has turned to a complete **** show and has made people (mostly women) feel as they need to be 5'2" and 100lbs with big boobs to be worth some sort of respect. I totally understand about being tall and broad, as I am 6ft tall and also very broad. It always messed with me regardless of weight. I have the shoulder span of a giant and don't get why. haha It actually came up in conversation the other day that myself, my wife and 2 of our close friends all weigh within 5 lbs of each other and the physical appearance differs as if there was 50 lbs difference. It is crazy. I actually plan to get a picture of all 4 of us together and make a post about it. People look different, regardless of weight. Who are you to judge or even care?!?! If it is not "your type" that is COMPLETELY ok but there is no reason to still not have respect and basic decency!

From memory (and happy to be corrected if my memory is faulty), daily calorie allowance is based on weight (entered in your profile settings) and adjusted up if exercise is added. Calorie allowance is not adjusted via check in weight entered. See 'Update diet/fitness profile' in the following link to enter current wegiht so as daily calorie is adjusted. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/settings Not sure how many lbs/kilos up or down are needed to see an adjustment in the set daily allowance though. Edit add: Just played around with my settings and calorie allowance changed when I updated current weight in the account settings. I use the website not the app so don't know if the settings are the same in the app.

I am using both for maintenance calories. As everyone knows, these tend to be a little off but I still love using them since it gives me some kind of guideline, and I find tracking fun and enlightening. My questions are: When I input my weight when I lose or gain, does the calories adjust to the new weight I input or does it always go by goal weight and Fitbit activity alone? Also, those of you that use either, do you find the calories (or carbs if you are on low carb) requirement to lose or maintain, too high, too low or just right? Thanks in advance.

The way I look at, other than sharing what you went through, there isn't much you can or should do. My sister and her husband have the opposite problem. My sister who has also never had a weight problem, have children who don't eat at all. They are skin and bones. Literally. One is always sickly. I mentioned it once and she said "They are fine if they aren't hungry, no reason to force it on them." I love her and her kids so much but it simply is not my place. Maybe your niece will slim down naturally since your sister has never been overweight. Maybe my nephews will gain weight. If they do see doctors, then I am sure they mention the weight if it is abnormal. If they don't listen to doctors, there is no way they will listen to us. Criticizing others only puts distance between those we criticize, so it is better to concentrate on ourselves, who we can change. That's my two cents.

I’m with you on the quantity of food people eat & add the quality of food. It almost makes me feel physically ill. Can’t stand ads, social media posts, movies, tv programs, etc. which show & celebrate the excess. Shudder. I can understand your concerns for your sister’s family & how you feel torn about what to do. My brother struggles with his weight like I did (do - as we always will) & I watch his children eat seemingly all the time & not always the best choices. The only thing is they are very active. Lots of sport & outdoor play & while they are young & that continues it will help. Though I worry most about the second daughter & son who I feel are very much like my brother & I & their maternal poppa. All I feel I can do is set an example. When they ask why I’m not eating or not eating much I tell them I’m careful about what I eat & how much I eat because I don’t want to put on weight again & I want to be healthy. When they’re with me, the food options are always more nutritious & I subtly restrict the quantities & how regularly they eat. (How about we go outside for a while & then we can have morning/afternoon tea.) It may be all your can do too. The worry is if you say something it may cause dissension & alienation.

Mine was high too. It could be just part of the weight loss when lots of things go out of whack for a little while but it’s good they’re doing since tests to ensure it’s not a sign of another issue like your gall, a blocked bile duct, or any other cause they can do something about. My surgeon was a little concerned but asked if there was Gilbert’s in my family. Turned out it is as we discovered my dad’s only surviving sibling has it. I let my surgeon know & he said if it continued to be high it likely was Gilbert’s. The symptoms were pretty much me too. Almost 3.5yrs out & yep it’s still high. It likely always was but no blood test had picked it up previously. Doesn’t cause me any issues except my stamina isn’t the best & I take longer to recover from viruses, etc.

Relax you’re doing fine @MyDogsLoveMe. Twelve pounds in three weeks is a pretty darn good achievement. People who lose at a faster rate initially usually start at a much higher weight than you did. Plus we all lose at our own rate. Some weeks you may lose more the next may be less. As long as your general trend is downwards you’re doing great. Struggling to eat much more than your protein is the way it goes at least for another couple of weeks when you may be able to get in some vegetables. In your soft food stage, try adding a few vegetables & see how you go. I remember being able to eat a single green bean or a small spoon of steamed cabbage back then. I was able to throw a few vegetables (tomatoes, onion, celery, mushrooms) in soups & mince dishes & let them simmer away for ages so extra mushy. You’ll slowly be able to eat more & a greater variety of food. Remember you are still healing & are starting the retraining of how & what you eat. Oh, and I still take about an hour to eat a tub of yoghurt & I’m almost 3.5yrs out. I eat slowly & taking more than 30 minutes to eat anything is usual for me.

Wow! Well I was going to opt for the resleeve but my doctor recommended against it for the amount of weight I need to drop. My big day is coming up, I’ll share updates as I go along.

I make soups. Roast veggies in oven with avocado oil and tiny pinch salt. Carrots mushrooms broccoli cauliflower tomato Most times I need two trays. I try different protein. Easiest is a roasted chicken from supermarket. And while is is cooled down I devine and saute meat with onions and more avacado oil. Add roasted veggies ( two pots sometimes) add salt free broth( Campbell's ) and water. Low salt Soyasauce, Hossein sauce , Worcester sauce. Simmer for 20 min. Let cool and use emersion blender and grind up. It if too thick add some more liquid. I track all my ingredients by weight and using my fitness tracker add to my recipes. It will tell you calories and vitamins and protein values. To add portion size in tracker I weight total puree soup and divide by 250( it equals a cup or portion. ). Then you can track can calories per amount y you eat. Healthier and you control salt and fat intake and will know calorie count. ( Most of my soups have 70-90 calories per serving. Sometimes it is a bit thick still I'll add water to thin out and make a bigger portion. 250X2 . Works with super soft well cooked roasted beef or stew. Avoid potatoes, ( starch turns to suger) good luck hope this inspires you .

Sorry I'm going to rant LOL I need to vent. I'm so glad I found this topic - the post weight loss treatment is REAL and it honestly is rough. I personally grapple with the idea that to society often makes me feel that I deserve less kindness when I inhabit a bigger body. I've lost a good amount of weight but in no means am I "small" and I'll never be "small", like "petit" because at the end of the day I am broad and a 6 foot tall female who often looks taller given my shoe choices. I find though that the more I slim out, the more "acceptable" society makes me feel for being a tall woman. I started this journey at 340 lbs, 6 feet, female, you best believe I come from feeling like an absolute monster but that's internalized self hatred from bullying. The only thing that should be is unhealthy, not undeserving. I'm at a place now where I look pretty average. I still have a deflated apron belly and loose cellulite on my thighs - I could stand to lose a couple more pounds and I plan to, however I now look pretty "normal". My clavicle, sternum and ribs are visible. I have a jaw line again. My upper arms are flabby but I usually cover them. My forearms and wrists are pretty slimmed out. You can feel my hip bones and see them ever so slightly from my deflated belly. The unique thing about me now is just that I am a tall girl. I was called a lot of names up until recent. I'm sure some people would still have some choice words for me lol but overall people are treating me much differently. I am in a place where I am seeing a lot of the same people I spent a lot of time with in a professional setting while I was 340 lbs. The same guys that used to talk to me about weight loss are asking me to hang out and trying to always catch a chat, but not about weight, just about me as a person and I absolutely hate it. Where was that decency a year ago? I find that as a 20 something year old female, the treatment from males has made a complete 180 turn. I'm not asking for their respect, but they're more likely and willing to give it to me with this new body. I have nightmares about men in my life (from family to flings) that I care about telling me they only like the parts of me that look thin but can't accept me because of my loose skin apron belly. This body bullshit is so engrained in my psyche, it gets deafening at times. I cannot have a healthy long term relationship because I'm constantly afraid of being rejected for being too big. I am working on it with a therapist but it still sucks. But yeah, people are just nicer and if they're not chatting me up or offering me free things or trying to invite me somewhere they're not gawking at me (which is a good baseline). I like that I feel I have more freedom with dating. I ditched the BBW apps and that was honestly an NSV for me because of all the fetishists on there, but I am still hurt by the folks who see me as a person now, and never did before all of this. Look, I know I made myself morbidly obese and I chose to get the surgery to fix my mistakes and learn a better way... but I struggle immensely with feeling like I deserve kindness given that most my life I was morbidly obese and bullied by everyone for it, friends, family, relationships etc. I know in reality it's a good thing to be treated better, but it does get to me that the shitty treatment exists in the first place. You can call me a snowflake or a p***y or whatever (scuse my French) but this is a real thing. Sorry rant oveerrr mic drop

I too am frustrated. I started at 229 the day of my surgery (10.11.22) and have only lost 12 lbs. I see people have lost 20 lbs or more. Now I'm worried I won't lose anymore weight and I'm doing all of this for nothing. I am taking in my protein and liquids and don't have a lot of room for actual food. I have a yogurt, and ricotta bake I'm going slow because it took me almost 2 hours to eat one yogurt. I started walking more what else should I be doing? My surgical followup is later this week so I'll see what my surgeon says. Scared but excited.

I watch everyone else around me eat and I now can’t believe how much I ate before! It’s one of the most insane and interesting things I’ve noticed since having GS surgery. I don’t want to offend others, however, I just can’t believe how much we do (gatherings and social activities) involve SO much food! I went to breakfast with my sister, and our and her significant others various family members and I was just like WOW! My sister and her family eat like crazy! I see my little niece 7yrs old, wait for it… 128lbs! Eat all day long! My sister has never been big (gained extra weight from pregnancy, still not a big girl). I am like you have to get my niece’s weight under control now or else she will be on the path to weight loss surgery. The father is bigger and his so is his entire family. They ALL including him have some type of medical issues from being overweight, do not see an issue with this! I was saying it was crazy before I had the surgery!! It’s literally out of control now. They eat out all the time and my sister cooks meals in between. My niece ALWAYS says she’s hungry! Her dad is ALWAYS asking what did you feed my daughter today. Kids at school and in stores have called my niece fat. And she gets really upset about it. She already has horrible asthma. She’s been hospitalized a lot of times. Mind you…These are the same people kept telling me I was a nice size…. However, I was NOT healthy. I don’t want to seem like I am better then everyone else now but it’s crazy and upsetting that my niece whom I was in the hospital room when she was born will have to go through a bunch of you know what over food. The dad is like he doesn’t see a problem and my sister is like she will lose it once she gets taller or more active. I see a whole food addiction, because I had it as an adult not as a child. My family is like why are the doctors not telling them she needs to lose weight. I don’t know what or how to put it to get through to them that this is an issue, because everyone has a right to raise their children their own way. However, it will probably get worse.🤷🏼‍♀️ idk….

(Cpach81) Yeah, I was worried I was taking in too many calories and by association too many carbs but I am losing weight now so I must be doing something right. My doctor didn't say anything about calories but did say I should stay around 40g of carbs which I am doing. Thanks I am getting around 1100 calories already so the trick will be to stay at that amount as my diet progresses.

I just thought of something else Minnesotans can relate to - WLS makes you lose weight FAST and our metabolism/body thermostat can't keep up with all the insulation we are losing! When it dropped down to 40, which isn't really that cold, I had to wear an extra heavy sweatshirt or a jacket outside, even when I was taking a brisk walk! I didn't even think of this as I was planning for surgery, but now that we've had some cold days, uffdah, this is gonna be a COOOOLD winter! haha

I wonder what that person took that she reacted to? I have to agree with SpartanMaker that its related to an ingredient in the medicine, it may be the dextromethorphan, but it could also be that the medicine has alcohol. The problem with NSAIDS/Advil type medicines, is not that you'd react wierdly, its that NSAIDs are a lot of work for your liver to break down and since you're tummy is already stressed and small, the liver takes on MORE of the breakdown work. So taking Advil/NSAIDs after weight loss surgery is very damaging to your liver. Smaller tummy = much lower tolerance and slower breakdown - so yup, you can get drunk really fast and stay that way for longer, you could have an adverse reaction to things with sugar (even lactose in dairy products), that you never had before, etc. I found this article which was kinda helpful: Cold and Flu Season after Weight Loss Surgery (utahbariatrics.com)

Nice work! It is definitely important to have bilirubin checked and to have it followed up with a gallbladder check! Steady and swift weight loss leads to gall stones very very commonly! Years ago, when I was in my 20s, I basically starved myself on WW and lost 40 - 50 lbs (can't remember) really fast....then I started having pain (you don't necessarily have to have pain!) and it was my gallbladder full of "sludge" which is just lots and lots of little grainy stones. I'm not surprised your doctors are having you do the Ultra Sound, etc because its best to be safe! If they do find blockage and you have it removed, consider yourself lucky to be getting it out BEFORE its INCREDIBLY PAINFUL! Best wishes!!

I know elevated Bilirubin can be concerning, but your doctor is being proactive, and I have confidence everything will work out. Congrats on the weight loss and the rest of your tests coming back good!!!

Hi! I know where you are, hahahaha! Love it! Feel free to ask questions here or anywhere in this forum, people are great! It feels super scary, I know, I was scared, too. You'll feel better physically in a week or two, you'll be healed in 3 months. In those 3 months you'll be on the diet plans to help your tummy heal, which can be boring, but man you'll lose weight fast! Best wishes to you!!!

So just came back from my surgeons office for the 6 month follow up. Vitamins all looked great. My iron has gone back up to normal levels. But unfortunately 1 blood test did not and actually is higher than when i personally had it tested a week before which is something called Bilirubin. So they are ordering 1st an ultrasound to see if there are any stones or blockage in the gallbladder. After that if it shows nothing then they are going to do a HIDA scan to check function. Shall see how it goes. but they were impressed with the weight loss in 6 months. They did tell me to eat more lol

Hi there! My surgery was July 11th and I was 3 months post op about 2 weeks ago. It is so weird to not be on an assigned restricted diet. I know we have to watch out for soft breads, dry or tough meats, fibrous vegetables, stringy fruits, rice and noodles - but that doesn't feel like "follow this plan" type of stuff anymore. I kinda feel a bit lost and while I'm trying new things, I'm sticking to a lot of the things I'm used to. Oh! I tried 2 pieces of candy - they weren't even fun size, they were the ones that are just like a little square - I really wasn't impressed with them and I don't think I care about candy anymore at all. For reference I tried 3 Musketeers and Snickers, most people eat them in two bites each, I broke it down to 3-4 bites each. The rest of the night last night, while handing out candy, if I felt hungry (this is after dinner) I snacked on Toasted Sesame flavored seaweed, its good! Crunchy and light, with a bit of a nutty flavor, I learned about it from the instagram account theguacwarddietitian - she has awesome videos for recipes, foods to get from the store, (especially Trader Joe's), and other really upbeat and positive motivation stuff! Oh, so I've been eating a lot of foods that I started eating on the "easy to chew" step of my plan, which was the last step before normal foods. I just started adding beef though, I dunno I had this thing in my head that it wasn't "easy to chew?" or it was harder to digest? I'm weird! I tried eating a hamburger patty, I can only eat like 1/3 of it, and I serve it on top of lettuce/tomato/pickle and put ketchup/mayo on it. Its a mess but tasty I also added eating like 2 mini squares max (a serving is 4 squares) of Ghiradelli dark chocolate mini squares - SO MUCH BETTER THAN CRAPPY HALLOWEEN CANDY! I started losing weight in March, I lost 30 lbs before surgery and since July 11th I've lost 57 - I'd say 57 in a 3 1/2 months is pretty good! But a total of 87 since I started practicing healthy eating habits in March! I don't measure myself but I have gone from a women's size 24/26 or 3X (mens 1X) to a women's 18/20 or 1X (men's XL). So I'm pretty happy about that, too! 1st Pic - me in Jan 2022 (325) 2nd Pic - me in May 2022 (approx 305) 3rd Pic - me last week, Oct 2022 (240)

This so so inspiring to hear. Your weight loss alone is incredible but the work you did on your inner self is absolutely amazing. Keep it up.