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Totally agree with everything you said. Loved your analogy, too. It is amazing how WLS helps with health issues. I have a diabetic friend that lost about a hundred pounds through diet but still had diabetes, gained some weight back, then had the Sleeve Surgery and within 2 months is totally off diabetic meds as well as his other meds. My experience has to do with gastric problems. For over 4 years I have had gastritis and colitis causing, vomiting daily and severe diarrhea to the point of not being able to leave my house. After many tests, 2 colonoscopies, 3 EDGs, and many, many meds it was finally discovered I had developed a hiatal hernia, ulcers and a damaged pyloric caused by having about 5 times too much stomach acid that was destroying my stomach lining and allowing the acid to seep throughout my digestive system causing severe intestine problems. I was sleeved on 9-1-22. From day 1, no more gastric problems at all! And have lost 30 pounds so far. Congratulations on making a decision that is best for you and continued success in your journey to better health. As stated, it is not a "cheat', or the easy way out. It is what is best for YOU!

I agree with @GreenTealael 100%. Your bariatric team is in the best position to help. We here on the forums really know nothing about you. To start with, your profile isn't filled out, so we don't even have basic info. Beyond the basics like starting weight, goals weight, current weight, age, gender, and height, I'd ideally need to see your food log, and would have your percentages of body fat and lean mass. Finally, I'd want to understand what you mean by "I work out 6 times a week for over 50 mins". Exercise type and intensity make a ton of difference here. Even those things might not be enough though and that's where your bariatric team can help. There is one universal truth if you're not losing weight: You are eating about the same number of calories as you're burning. Without some potential metabolic and endocrinological testing that your doctor can do, it would be hard to know if this is due to Eating more than you think Burning less that you think in exercise A slow metabolism due to the loss of lean body mass Maybe even a hormone imbalance As pointed out, the simplest place to start is making sure your are logging your food accurately. It's really easy to be off by several hundred calories and this can easily be enough to make a huge difference in how much you lose.

Lucky you. It will be harder when you have no restriction. It's essential that you use this period to learn how to eat differently and continue to hold the line. I lost half of my weight-loss prior to surgery. Because of complications, after my RNY>RNY revision surgery I had three endoscopy procedures which stretched my pouch and anastomosis. After a few weeks I had very little physical restriction. I've had to work very hard to eat differently and continue to lose weight. My post surgical loss is now equal to what I lost prior to surgery, and I struggle every day with cravings. I need to keep my calorie count in the area of 1000-1200 per day. I eat almost no sugar, flour, white potatoes, rice, or processed foods. But--it's worked and I will continue to do this for life, recording every morsel in my (Baritastic). app I know that as soon as I start to return to old eating habits I will regain what I have lost. It's hard work, but so worth it. Hang in there!

Current recommendations vary a bit, but most suggest that to lose weight and prevent re-gain, 250 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week are needed. Of that, at least 150 to 180 should be aerobic activities such as brisk walking, running, swimming or bicycling. Moderate by the way, is defined as attaining a heart rate of 50-70% of your max heart rate. The easiest way to estimate you maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 50, your max heart rate would be 170, so 50% to 70% of that would be 85 to 119 BPM. In addition to the aerobic activities, strength training should be included. The recommendation would be to perform 2-3 sessions per week for 30-60 minutes. Detailed recommendations are beyond the scope of what I can add here. For beginners, bodyweight training would be my recommendation. Doing so you'll be at a much lower risk of injury and IMO, bodyweight training should be the foundation of all other strength training. Google "bodyweight training for beginners" and you should see some recommendations. Just make sure the website is from a reputable source. there are lots of "fads" out there and some of them could be harmful. The reason strength training is so critical is that muscle is significantly more metabolically active than fat. By gaining muscle, you'll actually increase your overall metabolic rate, meaning you'll burn more calories even when you're not exercising. This means you'll be better able to lose weight or maintain weight at a higher overall number of calories than you would otherwise. In addition, strength training can help you age gracefully by reducing the risk of osteoporosis, improving mental acuity, improving balance and physical functioning, and helping manage pain. Finally, in addition to the aerobic and strength training recommendation, I also think it's a good idea to participate in functional fitness that helps improve balance, coordination, and flexibility. There are lots of options here, but yoga and tai chi are good choices if you need recommendations.

I had my Bypass back in February and have been losong weight extremely slowly if any, I've only lost about 30 pounds in 8 months. I have felt almost no restrictions, I am being disciplined and not eating anything I shouldn't, eating portioned meals although sometimes its difficult to know since I dont feel any restrictions. I work out 6 times a week for over 50 mins and drink plenry of water...what can I do? Sent from my SM-S908U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Was cleared at 6 weeks, but as some others here, I don't formally exercise. I just focus on moving more in general and have adopted a more natural, guilty-free, movement-based lifestyle for staying healthy, nothing to do with losing weight. Losing weight for me is a completely separate issue, it is an emotional, mental and keeping up a healthy diet issue.

I just wanted to give an update on my experience with ESG after having a VSG 8 years ago. I lost 120 pounds on the VSG and regained 60 pounds. The surgeons I talked to were hesitant to do a surgical revision due to potential complications. I did an ESG revision 5 weeks ago. Since then I lost 10% of my body weight, which is over half of what I had regained. I was very pleaded with the ESG procedure itself, I had it done on a Wednesday and was back to work on Monday. I had lost 4 weeks of work with the VSG. My program at the University of Michigan does a full 6 week liquid diet which I contribute to most of the success. I think the ESG success needs to be talked about more. It's lower risk with a speedy recovery.

Well I actually did a lot of research and it turns out it doesn’t matter when the dr checks your levels, if it’s over 200 you are diabetic whether you have eaten anything or not. It’s a random test and it’s listed on that CDC link you sent me spartanmaker. (And Thank you for that by the way it was very helpful). I did the test today and they said he was looking to see if it was over 140 though which would point to the possibility of pre diabetes but it wasn’t even close. It was 114 after eating worse than I have since my surgery so I’m definitely not diabetic. I also did my labs this morning which included three thyroid tests so maybe something will come of that. If not, I did ask him for a referral to an endocrinologist to make absolutely sure nothing has been missed. He said if my thyroid labs are good he would be inclined to agree with the surgeons that is my bipolar meds making me eat more but seeing an endocrinologist couldn’t hurt for my peace of mind. I have to admit when she gave me the very positive results that I am not diabetic I felt a little let down just for a second. Of course I don’t want a diabetes diagnosis but I AM very much desperate for an answer. Some answer. It’s just so darn frustrating. I just feel like such a failure that I went through with this huge invasive surgery and I am gaining it back. I think I am most annoyed with myself for not asking more questions and pursuing more tests BEFORE I did surgery. I guess what’s done is done though and I just gotta keep trying. I did lose two pounds before my big high calorie meal today. That’s something I guess. Lol

Wow thats awesome to hear. Any advice for people who recently gotten the lapband surgery.?? P.S thats awesome youve lost so much weight. Congratulations!

These comments are encouraging. I’m revising from my VSG (2015) to RNY in 8 days and I have SOMUCH anxiety about it! I’ve lost more weight this year than I did post VSG thanks to a combination of severe GERD, aerophagia from my CPAP, and Ozempic. It’s worth it if it resolves the GERD and aerophagia (maybe sleep apnea altogether but I won’t hold my breath 😜). I’m just worried I’m trading one set of problems for another. One specific thing I’m worried about is immediately post op. I still can feel viscerally the heaving/gagging in PACU once I was extubated and they were trying to wake me up. It felt like I could breathe due to those dry heaves! I’m scared of going through that again!

So I think the answer is... It depends. If you take the MFP recommended calorie counts, it should ask you if you wish to adjust your calories down for every 10 pounds you lose. If you miss changing it when it asks, you can always change it later yourself. (Though see below, as you may now be in "manual mode".) If you don't take the recommended calorie numbers and use your own numbers, then this "manual mode" won't ever ask if you you wish to change it. It says the same until you change it yourself. As far as Fitbit, if you have MFP and Fitbit linked, calories burned should be adjusted down as you lose weight. When they're linked, Fitbit should pick up your weight from MFP and will use that as part of their calculations. FYI, it bases the calories burned on heart rate, as well as height, weight, sex, and age. It might be a good idea to double check your fitbit app to make sure it's showing your latest weight. I have seen them get out of sync for some reason? Keep in mind that it's up to you if you want to add in those exercise adjustments from Fitbit to your MPF calories or not. You can change a setting to add them, or ignore them. I normally don't add them in since I think it overestimates calories burned, but the counter argument is that by adding them in, you give yourself permission to eat more on days when you really need to. For example, if you had a hard workout, or really active day.

I am revising to MGB tomorrow due primarily to weight loss. I never had issues with GERD or heartburn. I didn't take care of my sleeve and when I tried getting back to basics 5 years out it just didn't quite work, I just couldn't lose more than a couple pounds. I went to my surgeon in Mexico to see if a resleeve were the way to go but he advised against it for me. He said MGB is way less invasive and will really help me with the weight loss I'm hoping for. I am self pay so after a lot of research I am doing what seems best for me.

The mini bypass has been kicking around for a long time - it was around the periphery of bariatrics some twenty years ago when my wife and I first started looking into WLS, and it's still there today, not having achieved mainstream status (and many, if not most, US insurance companies still don't cover it.) in the meantime, the BPD/DS, VSG and now the SIPS/SADI have gone mainstream, gaining acceptance by the ASMBS and insurance industry. It would pay to understand why that is. When I last looked into these things, 2-3 years ago, ASMBS was fairly positive about the SIPS/SADI, but they didn't yet have the data to recommend it; they apparently do now. I would suggest looking through their site to see if they have any current opinion on the MGB and why it doesn't get on their recommended list. Amongst the MX surgeons, the MGB seems to mostly be sold as a cheaper alternative to the RNY rather than a technically better one. Classically, bile reflux is one of the problems with these simplified, single anastomosis procedures. There are claims that some techniques have been developed to mitigate that problem, but I don't know how much of that is real progress and how much is marketing. The MGB does seem to be more mainstream in other countries, so there may be something to the claims of improvement, and it simply lost its best opportunity to be sold to the US industry and authorities. Given that, I would be apprehensive about getting it done while living here in the states, if for no other reason than long term support - how many US doctors, bariatric or otherwise, understand it, and how to treat you in the years ahead should there be a problem. It's something like owning a French car here in the States - parts and service are a problem. My wife has a DS, which has something of that issue, despite being mainstream and approved, as it is still something of a niche procedure, with few surgeons understanding it. It, however, has the redeeming value of having demonstrably better performance - both initial loss and most particularly regain resistance; the MGB doesn't, as it's not markedly different than the RNY or VSG in performance. Have you had your GERD evaluated as to its cause? A hiatal hernia or shape issue can usually be corrected while still maintaining the sleeve, though some surgeons may not be well practiced at that and would simply revise to a bypass to correct it (the old "VSG + GERD=you need an RNY" thing rather than fixing the basic problem - it might need an revision, or it might not.) In correcting regain, these revisions seem to be only moderately successful - count on maybe twenty pounds or so - about what one would expect from the intense dieting required around surgery time, and one can expect similar results from a hiatal hernia repair. Basically, you have already learned how to eat around a small stomach, so shrinking it further with a revision doesn't yield nearly as good a result as your virgin procedure. Some do show remarkable improvement, but they seem mostly to be those who take the regain seriously and swear to "not let that happen again" and really buckle down and get with the program. One can almost consider the revision to be a placebo. If I were looking to seriously tackle a regain problem, I would lean more toward the BPD/DS as that more directly addresses the metabolic problem, though not the GERD as it retains the sleeve - that would remain an issue as to whether the sleeve itself is the cause of it and that can be corrected.

As far as the kid, there is such a fine line. You want to teach them how to eat healthy but without giving them a complex or making them feel bad about themselves. Otherwise, you could create an eating disorder on the other side of the spectrum. (Anorexia, etc) My SIL struggles with weight and when her daughter got chubby, made a big deal and was worried about her dealing with what she had dealt with through her life. But IMO opinion did it in a bad way. She's 16 now, healthy and happy but the risk was there. The other part (and forgive me if I sound rude) but not your kid not your problem. Just love your niece for who she is and when she is with you, offer up healthier options and do activities to stray away from boredom eating. If she asks you questions in regard to your weigh loss or whatever you can then just explain how you eat and explain healthier choices. Side note: I never say anything to people but sometimes it makes me sick to see how much people eat. I was one of those people so it even makes me disgusted with myself too. I don't judge (although that sounded horribly judgy) and never comment, some of these people aren't even overweight in the least so eat what you want and live your life. I guess it gives me flash backs or maybe minor PTSD. haha Everyone is allowed to eat what and how they want and they have to deal with the results, regardless of what they are.

At my initial appointment with the surgeon I was 100% sleeve ready. We discussed my health, history, medications and personal goals. During which my severe GERD obviously came up. I was on 2 prescriptions and still always had TUMS on had. It was miserable and NOT controlled by the meds. This was a big concern for him (my surgeon) as sleeve patients already have a higher risk of developing GERD or is worsening. There was NO way I could deal with it getting worse. Honestly, I don't even know how it could. I was up a night vomiting fire, so bad my voice would be hoarse for the next few days. With that and the amount of weight I am aiming to loose he highly recommended bypass. I was scared, (to me) this was much more of a surgery. More risks, the whole vitamin thing.. etc. He said it was totally my choice, he would do either surgery but that was his recommendation. He provided some additional information and told me to think about it and next time we talk I could let him know. I read, and read, and read everything. Weighing the pros and cons. I decided that the GERD part alone was enough to make me move forward with bypass. Right away I stopped 1 of my GERD meds, I had to stay on the other one as directed by the surgeon to help heal and reduce the risk of ulcers. No issues with stopping 1 and didn't need TUMS. One the surgeon allowed me to stop the second medication (2 months post-op) I did. And still ALL GOOD! I am off all medications and have had NO sign of any acid reflux related problems! NO REGRETS! I don't know how to get you into the mindset, do research. Looking forward to the relief of GERD alone would get me there.

This is hard. I also realize now how much I was eating and am sort of disgusted by it, but I really try NOT to project that on other people. First off, I don't know where I will be in another year or two or four. I hope I will continue to use my tool properly, but I may not, and then I am just being judgmental and a hypocrite. Second, to the point @ms.sss made, I didn't like when people commented on my food intake before surgery, so why should I do that to others unless they ask for advice? All those comments do is make people defensive or sad or angry, and often leads to people doubling down on what they are doing, perhaps getting depressed and eating even worse, and often being afraid (when they are ready) to ask for help. Lastly, it's not like I have been the paragon of weight virtue for 40+ years of my life, so I am not exactly well positioned to tell other people what to do just because I've had some success now. I try to be very honest about my surgery (personally I think it is important to combat the stigma around surgery and obesity) and what it has helped me with, but I try to make it about me, and what changes it made for me, without commenting or directly connecting to their actions. There are ways to support people positively without saying things outright: making lower calorie/healthier options for family gatherings, engaging them in fun active activities, etc. A bit of leading by example, without saying something directly. I know this is hard - my Greek extended family is obsessed with food! I try to steer them toward not needing to have so much for the holidays (2 desserts instead of 5, for example) or making one of the options something healthier, but you have to be careful to not make people completely tune you out. It's counterproductive.

When I had my sleeve, I was excited for it. I wasn’t overjoyed - I’d rather have never been obese in the first place 😅 - but I wanted to have it, took it very seriously, made all sorts of commitments to myself that were destined to fail (I’ll never have a cookie again - yeah, sure buddy). I was in the right mindset to succeed. I’ve regained some weight, but what’s really motivating my revision is GERD. All I can think about is that I didn’t want a bypass the first time around for some specific reasons (dumping, flatulence, nutritional deficits). I’m not excited for this. I’m not eager to make certain lifestyle changes. In short, I’m not in the right mindset. Who else went through this? How did you prepare yourself?

I had this happen at about 100 lbs lost. Went to a meeting and someone I hadn't seen in more than year (from a previous employer) was amazed and clearly wanted to ask a lot of questions. It was very reaffirming because sometimes it is hard to see the changes on a day to day basis. Most people don't mention my weight directly, but a lot of comments about how I look amazing or look really different. If I ever get close to my goal (in another 100 lbs) I'm sure the reactions will be even more pronounced.

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.