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First of all, I'm so proud of you for reaching out to get treatment. That is truly the hardest part! As a fellow anxiety sufferer, I can tell that it DOES get better. As someone who also had WLS I will tell you, from my experience, any amount of weight my meds may have contributed to is NOTHING compared to feeling healthy and strong and not carrying the burden of chronic anxiety. I was on treatment prior to WLS so its hard to say what impact, if any, it had. But even if I were starting today, knowing it might impact me weight, I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat. YOU ARE WORTHY OF GOOD MENTAL HEALTH. That being said, Zoloft may contribute to a ~1% weight gain over the course of the first year of treatment, which is pretty negligible. And its helpful to remember that the med itself doesn't cause the weight gain, the changes in habits it can lead to are what cause the gain. So if you stick to your good habits (hit your protein, drink your water, move your body) you will be just fine. We are rooting for you!

Does this medication cause weight gain?

My doctor has prescribed me Zoloft for anxiety. I had gastric sleeve surgery in May, and I am scared the medication will cause weight gain. Does this medication typically cause weight gain?

I would definitely work with a trainer. At first, I did a lot of stretching and treadmill and exercise bike. Once I was told to add weight training, I reached out to my cousin (who is a professional personal trainer) and she worked with me to design workouts tailored to my needs and limitations (I have MS, so I can't do all the things everyone else can do, such as running and jumping, so we worked around that). It's been tough but really rewarding. I would look at going to a gym and having a few (think at least 3-4) sessions with a trainer to learn about your body, your strengths and weaknesses, your limitations, etc. Once you have that, and a work out routine, down pat, you can do your thing on your own.

Good job! I wouldn't put future weight loss on a schedule because as you [editorial] approach goal it usually goes tediously slow. When you only lose 30 it will make you feel like a failure rather than the success you actually will be. But that's me. Then again, I'm a freak so I wouldn't pay much attention to me if I were you. Good luck and continued success. Tek

If you haven't been to the gym or done weights before, it maybe worthwhile having a couple of sessions with a personal trainer. After a couple of sessions have the trainer give you a program which you can work on for a period of time and then increase the weights as your strength improves. There are many beginner programs available for free online...bodyweight programs without any equipment or resistance programs using bands or hand weights.

Hello, all! I had gastric bypass on December 29th, so I'm only 6 days post-op, but I hit my first personal benchmark of losing 20 lbs since my 2-week liver shrinking diet pre-surgery today. If you are a visual person who is still on your weight loss journey or are looking to gain muscle, I wanted to share an awesome FREE app that helps track your progress visually and automatically takes measurements for you. It's called Me°-Three-Sixty. (No waiting for a partner to take your measurements or trying to do it yourself while holding one end of the tape measure awkwardly in your teeth or armpit.) As you continue to take scans, you can compare two scan dates side by side, both visually and with measurements. The measurements are approximations from taking a front facing and side view photo, but as long as you are consistent in where you stand & distance from the camera, the progress will be the same but may differ from actual tape measure. I took a scan pre-surgery and then took another one today. The app calculates the change in inches and percentages between any two scans. You can also use the slider tool and see what your body might look like with a weight gain or weight loss up to a certain pound percentage. Anyway, I thought you might like to try it out while you have something to compare a "Before" photo and it can still be in an anonymous way. I also loved Baritastic app, so if you know of other awesome apps we could benefit from please drop them in this thread!

14 lbs in three weeks is pretty normal. Most people who aren't the size of the patients on "My 600 lb Life" seem to lose 15-25 lbs the first *month* after surgery. And since you're a revision patient (weight loss is usually slower for revisions than for virgin surgeries), I'd expect you'd be at the lower end of that range. You're only at the three week mark, so I'm guess you'll be 15 lbs down (if not a little more) by the end of your first month. not having an appetite at all is completely normal. Hunger usually comes back sometime during the first year after surgery. Mine came roaring back at five months out. Honestly, I wish mine had never come back. Although it was weird at first, I must admit it was easy to lose weight when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food. THings got a lot harder once my hunger and appetite came back. So take full advantage of that!! also, even though I was a slow loser from the get-go, I lost 235 lbs (at least originally - I gained about 20 lbs back in year 3, which is also common - most people have a 10-20 lb weight rebound after hitting their lowest weight). you are doing absolutely fine - actually a little better than expected since your surgery was a revision. I think you're doing great! P.S. I lost 16 lbs my first month - and I had a virgin surgery AND weighed almost 400 lbs. You're what we call a "light weight" at 222 lbs - and this is also a revision for you - so you're doing very well!

I am heading into my 13th year after VSG. I come back here from time to time, when I need to touch base with folks who "get" it. I only shared my WLS with a very very few people; and people who have met me in the last several years of course do not know.... and I do not talk diet with anyone really. I talk about being healthy, eating intuitively and things like that. I being my lunch to work and if my staff want to order in lunch - I let them pick and then I find something that I am okay with. burgers ? Fine. I don't get fries. I cut the burger in half, eat a few bites of the burger and then take it a part with a fork and leave the rest of the bread. And I have half a burger for dinner. Coming back here from time to time allows me to re-center myself. And when it is time to lose a couple pounds or if I have lost some more, I come here and update my ticker, and this is a safe place to come back to. I too let about 40 pounds creep back on and a few years ago came back and documented my slow but sure weight loss of... now 50 plus pounds. I started 14 years ago at 320, got down to 175. went back up to 220. Now at 165. I purposely took my time to lose the weight. My goal was to lose 10 pounds a year. I lost 45 in two years, and then took another break for a couple years... have lost 10 pounds in the last 6 or 7 months. I am beyond pleased. I will be 67 in a couple months. You can do this ! And don't beat yourself up over it. Be gentle with yourself.

I’ve seen it described as lasting 18months. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I think how long the honeymoon phase lasts is individual much like most things during this process. There are just averages which you can use as a guide. Some people find their hunger comes back after 6 months which is a signal of the beginning of the end of their honeymoon. It doesn’t mean they’ll stop losing, they just have to work harder. Another signal is when your weight loss slows down considerably which happens to everyone when they get closer to their final weight. Mine started slowing a lot at 5 months when I was almost at my goal. I continued to lose for about another 11 months without meaning to. I lost around a kg +/- a month during that time.

I am a mental health professional. I DO therapy along with other things... I got my VSG in 2010. MY mental health appointment with a therapist was this: Her: Oh you must be so excited, soon you will be slim like me ! But you need to save a ton a money to get plastic surgery afterwards because this *** won't pay for it. Me: Blinking. Well, you look great; but I am about 25 years older than you, and I think our perspectives may be different. Her: So, I went to Mexico, do you want the information ? Its like surgery and a spa. Blah blah Blah kept on talking... Me: ( holy crap, I need this recommendation I guess I play her game ) Oh I would love that, thank you so much, so tell me about your weight loss journey because I can see how wonderful you are doing. Her: 40 minutes of telling me all about her weight loss and dating. ( I was very newly divorced, and no she never asked). I was terrified that she would not recommend me.... because she knew NOTHING about me at all. I called her three days later on a fishing expedition ...... and she told me she put in her recommendation for me. I waited until AFTER my surgery to send MY notes to the clinic supervisor. DO I know that my childhood had molded my eating behaviors ? Of course. My grandmother and mother lived in Europe during the Holocaust. They managed to escape - but not before surviving on scraps of bread. Healthy meant being chubby. I had to re learn as an adult what HEALTHY was, then to connect all that and re learn so many things. Did that therapist ever know that ? of course not. she never glanced at my autobiography because if she had, it would have made it into the report. Which I requested afterwards. It does not mean your experience will be like that. Find a good therapist. Do not rely on one session to make or break your desire to have a personal tool to help with your weight loss.

15 months post op Starting weight 575 Current weight 298 Keep showing up and putting in the word it's not easy but it's so worth it. You can tell when I started lifting. The last 4 pictures are the last 4 months.

Hello All, I've been lurking here for a while and have appreciated your transparency and vulnerability. I was on this forum almost ten years ago after having a gastric sleeve. I never met my goal weight; over the years, the weight returned. Last month, I was only 50 pounds short of my highest weight. So, on December 12th of this year, I had a revision to gastric bypass. I feel a little discouraged right now because I don't feel I'm making the progress I expected. I lost 11 pounds my first week, but I am only down another 3 pounds for the next 3 weeks. So, I am only down 14 pounds at three weeks post-op. I do not have an appetite at all and am having difficulty getting anything down but liquids, although I was cleared to begin soft foods today. I couldn't even engage in the puree phase too much. Protein shakes are very hard to get down, so I've transitioned to Isopure (which is more of a liquid). Despite eating little to nothing, my weight loss is slow. It could also be attributed to my starting weight being a little lower than most. I started at 5'2, and my starting weight was 222. Additionally, I take bipolar meds, which are known to cause weight gain. Any words of advice or encouragement? I'm feeling down right now.

Congratulations on your weight loss!!

Thank you so much for posting this! Wow. What a knowledgeable bariatric surgeon. He even said 27-29 for BMI. I really appreciated hearing him explain that ‘ideal weight’ is sometimes just not the goal for us bariatric folks. At a BMI of under 25, I think personally I would look sickly.

Stop putting yourself under pressure. You won't magically stop losing weight after a certain time span. You stop losing weight when you're in a caloric equilibrium and you start losing again when you're in a caloric deficit (even years out).

I thought the "honeymoon stage" for bariatric surgery was 18 months, not ten? I'm almost five months past my surgery date, and I've lost a little more than half of the excess weight. I doubt I will lose it all in the next five months, as my weight loss has slowed down from the first month or two. I'm hoping I will have more time than that.

I think I must be the only one here who doesn't count calories or watch what I eat anymore. I'm 3.5yrs post sleeve and I've lost 10 stone. My weight has stayed the same for a year now, and I only weigh myself once a month, it never changes regardless of what I eat. I have gone back to eating a lot of crisps and cakes and chocolate, my addiction is back full time. I just can't eat a lot of it. I suffer with depression a lot and this is when I eat. I live alone, am disabled and just don't get out so I eat. I don't have take alway meals and my meals are very small but I snack constantly. It doesn't bother me now, I don't think I will ever be able to not eat sweet stuff, the extra skin left from weight loss is soul destroying and I hate my body as much now as when I was fat, if not even more. Losing weight to me, has not been as good as I expected.

Hi. I am a food addict and had my gastric sleeve 3.5 years ago. I have lost 10 stone and my weight has stayed the same for a year now BUT the cravings are every single day and I eat something like cakes crisps or biscuits every day. I can't stop. Luckily my weight doesn't go up as the amount I can eat is limited. The surgery does not get rid of the addiction and I don't think i will ever not turn to food when I'm feeling down/sad/depressed which is a lot. I hate my lonely life, I thought losing the weight would make me happy but it hasn't I just now have loads of awful saggy skin that I can't afford to have removed so in a way I'm now worse off for having surgery. I think when you have weight loss surgery you should have loads of follow up therapy to help with the mental and emotional problems but here in the UK it isn't offered. 😢

Worry is natural as we are bombarded by the "scaries" of our fears and risks. However you and we know this is better than what we've been going through with our weight all these years...you've got this, keep us in the loop we are in this together ❤️

I have a follow up with my primary today but am fully ready to be sent to ER or go to ER if not directed to. Luckily I've been with this primary for more than a decade...heck...maybe almost 20 years and he knows 1) I am no pain weenie 2) I'm not a hypochondriac 3) I don't seek out pain meds and honestly most don't seem to be worth much HOWEVER when I'm in excruciating pain these days, I'm ready to try anything almost to get even a moment's relief The pain, as many stated, is almost like before removal. I can be in general discomfort, great discomfort or 'curl into a fetal position and try to breath thru it discomfort'. They don't warn you/inform you that having your gallbladder out is not a magic fix and also I wish I had known more about the downsides of not having a gallbladder, not that this would have changed me getting it removed or not but I sure would have been more mentally prepared. I have some of the 'follow up if you get these symptoms' type things going on but NOT the heavy hitter ones like jaundice (yellow eyes/skin) nor high fever. I've had blips of a few low grade temps, whatever they call it these days - 99.4, 99.2, 99.8. My daughters and I are odd as our normal body temps almost never show 98.6, we are all 3 about 95% of the time shown as 97.X. I don't know why and if that is even significant or just normal for many ppl. The discomfort/pain is 'alive' for sure over here (oof, and the bouts of nausea and 'flushing'/redness/clammy-soaked skin). Now I also have a continued burning sensation where..I guess my gallbladder used to be? My stomach gets very bloated/distended. I did a video the other night because I kid you not, I looked like I was 4 or 5 months pregnant. I was a bit taken a back as I'm used to seeing my saggy/deflated stomach and alarmed as I thought...OMG...how much weight have I gained over the holidays...!! (Answer - 8 pounds)...I do know in the past 2 days I've become very constipated so I just know that this is going to end up being a big focus if any scans are done. Yeah, I know...there is a lot of 'stuff' in there. The constipation is due to some unwise food choices and the fact that I'm not eating as much fiber as normal and I tend to have 'cycles' of constipation even when my diet is steady, predictable, relatively low in fat and high in fiber. I've taken stool softeners for past few days and just took a laxative. Anyone know if 2 to 4 years post surgery, can you have SO much constipation that you look VERY pregnant? For the ongoing pain/discomfort/burning I've tried: Not eating for most/90% of the day, drinking broth, doing a day of protein shakes, eating very little, eating a lot (not planned but it happened)..and none of this has impacted/alleviated the discomfort so I'm honestly..puzzled. Dang, I remember the bypass post op months when sometimes things didn't feel right - in hindsight I had some struggles with abdominal spasms and I'd get scanned and they'd be like 'nope, everything is ok'. I guess I should remember it is OK to go in and be seen and get verified that 'everything is ok' I guess that is why i honestly cringe at the thought of going to ER's, etc. Obviously I mentally know at this point that 'not going' is not a solution either. My appt with primary is in roughly 2 hours, I'll be mentally prepared to go wherever he feels is best if he does want me to go be 'seen/scanned', etc. TY to all who have taken time to comment. Hopefully for those who have not had their gallbladder removed you now know to do a bit more research/ask questions. Not saying this should change a recommendation to get a gallbladder removed but there are things you may need to do to make adjustments to your 'diet' post removal that did not get mentioned, nor was I fully aware of the gallbladder's role in our bodies and the fact that nothing else that I'm aware of 'leaps' in to take over that role. I SHOULD have done my homework. I've had 2 years of warning that my gallbladder was NOT Happy. I could have been better prepared. Blah.. Will let y'all know what I find out today and spread what my experience shows me/informs me/clarifies for me in the hope it may help someone else out down the road.

at nine months out, you're probably still not absorbing all your calories. That malabsorption lasts up to two years at best - so watch out! Once that ends, you're likely to gain if you go over your calories (well, not with a one-shot deal - but if you do it for too many days over the holidays, YIKES!) other than that, though, you've done great with this! Congratulations!!

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I posted or updated. Mainly because there isn't much to update. (Just over 9 months post-op) First: I am going to go a head and admit that through the Holidays I sucked! I ate too much (not to be sick, but over my calories) and the wrong things at times. Reset- Holidays are over so I admit it and I am moving on from it and back on the horse and focused! The worst part of this (or at least what I am calling the worst) is that I still lost some weight through it. I am saying this is bad, because other than knowing I shouldn't have done it, there was no "punishment" in my mind. Honestly, I wish I would have just gained a few pounds. But, it didn't seem to stop me from getting re focused and back on track so I will take it. 9 month update: No changes except weight and NSV's! I can eat anything (including what I shouldn't) I don't and have never dumped. I still track everything I eat and drink, still stay within my calorie range (less the previous comment). I had my 9 month follow up with my surgical team. They called me a rock star. I was very proud of myself and how well I am doing. I still don't exercise, they still don't care. LOL Well, kinda, of course it has other health benefits but they are not concerned for the weight loss aspect of it. I am well ahead of schedule, and my Nutritionist has already started talking about my maintenance calories and how to start upping my calories slowly and safely. I told him to slow down, I still want to loose another 43 lbs to hit my goal! He agrees that is achievable, but was merely explaining where my calories would likely fall when the time comes. Which, is about double what I currently eat so he wanted to bring it to my attention so I could mentally prepare for how much more I would to eat to stop loosing weight. He explained that some people struggle physically and mentally to increase so greatly so he wanted me to have time to process and prepare for it. He said I would fall between 2000-2300 calories a day WITHOUT exercising, more depending on the intensity and frequency of exercise. Yeah.. that's a lot. I still drink a shake a day to maintain my calories and proteins, 70g protein or more a day and 80 oz fluids a day or more. Pretty much all water, and usually 1 sugar free drink a day to switch it up. NSV's are ENDLESS! Really, as we lose weight so many things change. Even some bad, like my bony ass knees when I sleep I have to stagger them so the knees are directly on top of each other because they hurt like crazy in the morning! I could go on for days about this subject! Body dysmorphia is real, like really real! When I was my heaviest, I knew I was fat but when I looked in the mirror I didn't see a 422 lbs person but when I saw pictures of my I did.. man I did.. I was sick to my stomach and so disgusted! Now, At almost half that size when I look in the mirror I still see a fat girl but when I see pictures I am like WHOA I am so small. I found out my cousin is 1 size smaller than me, but when I look at her I see someone very small and when I look at myself I cannot believe we are only 1 size different. I look so much bigger! I love to see pictures of myself now! I encourage them rather than hiding in the back of them. I buy shirts from everywhere, and really only because I can. HAH I have never been able to buy a souvenir shirt, they never fit. Not even close to fitting. Now I literally buy them everywhere I can, to an rate of just wasting money because I shrink out of them faster than I can actually get use out of them. To finish up: I hope to hit my goal weight by my 1 year follow up but I know 43 lbs in 3 months will be tough! My original goal was 225, which is much more reasonable to loose in these next 3 months. But 210 is my ultimate goal as that will be half of my starting weight which is pretty freaking cool! 422 down to 250 26/28 down to a 14 4/5XL TALL shirt down to a 1/2x regular shirt Good luck to all!!!! ❤️

I had my gallbladder out 17 years ago, a month after my daughter was born and I still experience pain like that. I call it the phantom gallbladder and one GI doctor said that I wasn't wrong. After I had my weight loss surgery I mentioned the pain to my surgeon and she said it's possible there could be something wrong with the sphincter.

Hello Everyone! I had roux en y gastric bypass back in 2011 and have since had multiple complications that I had to have surgery to fix such as gallbladder removal and repairing a perforated ulcer. Has anyone had any success in getting revision surgery after roux-en-y with Medicaid or Tricare covering the revision? Start weight was 315. Went down to 114 (which was around the time I got very sick) and started steadily regaining in the past 2 years. I never feel full, always hungry, and always nauseous afterward with bad reflux. I was diagnosed with GERD as well. Has anyone here successfully gotten Medicaid or Tricare to cover the procedure? I am in Maryland. Thanks!