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I went in for surgery on Thursday the 29th to convert my sleeve to a gastric bypass due to weight loss failure. When I woke up from anesthesia I got the bad news that my surgeon was unable to do the surgery safely. When he got in my belly he found all of the mesh from my hernia surgeries as well as a new recurring hernia I didn't know I had. Apparently I have adhesions of the mesh to my bowel. He says he can repair it and isn't giving up on me but we need a plan B. I cried the entire day I was so upset. Waking up to pain and incisions only to discover the surgery didn't happen after so much preparation for that day I was completely overwhelmed with a feeling of grief. I'm really hoping he is able to fix my hernias and mesh successfully so he can complete the conversion to bypass. Has anyone else gone in for surgery and had the surgeon not be able to perform the surgery? I'm still feeling bummed and I don't really know exactly what's next until I speak to my surgeon again and my new incisions completely heal. Happy New Year

This is true. A weight lifter (or those with similar muscular builds may well show as being overweight by scales and BMI but in fact have a very low body fat percentage. A DEXA scan is a one of the more accurate measures to determine body fat percentage vs lean body mass. Your high blood pressure may well be related to genetics.

I appreciate the concerns about my working out. I'm working with a professional trainer (my cousin, so it's free...yay!!!) And she designed my workouts. I was doing 2-3 hour work outs 6 days a week, and she had me change that because she said it was too much. She also said to target specific areas each day instead of trying to do everything everyday. My surgeon and nutritionist are also aware of my work outs as well as what I eat and they are ok with it as long as I don't overdo it and I stop and rest if I'm sore or if something hurts. I always do stretches before any work out and I take long, hot showers to help my muscles after. My husband usually gives me a massage after weight training, too. I also relax after my work outs. I do them after work so I can enjoy my rest time watching tv or a movie with my hubby and daughter. I do appreciate the concern!!!

I lost about 20 pounds in the first two weeks. Then, I had my first stall. It lasted nearly a month. The weight loss picked up again, but at a much more reasonable pace. My typical pattern is: lose 3 pounds, gain 2 pounds, stall - repeat.

I reckon that it probably won't hurt to eat the meal... But... I started therapy, a couple of months before surgery. I knew that I was going to need help to figure this stuff out, so that I wouldn't sabotage my efforts, after I'm able to start eating a more normal amount of food. Food is just a symptom of a problem with me and the way my mind works. If I didn't have a twisted relationship with food, I wouldn't've needed bariatric surgery. The surgery only gives us a temporary reprieve. It allows us about a year of being able to lose weight - pretty much no matter what we eat. In that time, we really ought be working on our relationship with food. If we don't fix our eating habits, we will regain the weight later on.

Love reading all of your experiences. They have been such a help to me already. I hadn’t posted because I was stuck on “what do I know?” and didn’t want to show myself a fool. My surgery was 12/21/22, so here is my experience so far… lactated ringers IVs are the devil! I went home one day after surgery weighing 11 lbs more than checking in the day before. pain was tolerable with medicine for the first few days. Tylenol only from day 4 out. Today is day 10, and I haven’t needed even Tylenol for the past three days. ICE packs are my best friend when I get ahead of myself and do too much around the house. Two days of clear liquids taught me the real meaning of “to sip” very quickly. Hiccoughs are mild for me, but definitely a sign of having hit the full mark or drinking too much to fast. On puréed stage now. I’m not as impressed with the ricotta bake as I thought I would be. Puréed Deviled Eggs though…. Amazing! Chili, refried non-fat beans, chicken salad, and chocolate egg-pudding (everything pureed) are also on the menu. Trying to focus on packing as much protein into that two ounces as I can. I had purchased a used vitamix a few years ago. If you can find one or afford a new one, I highly recommend it. Beats my immersion blender by miles. Makes bulk cooking for the week much easier too. SERIOUSLY follow that 10 lb lifting requirement. Really hurts when you don’t. BEST part of the past 10 days is todays weigh in. 219.8 this morning!!! I had come home weighing just over 244. I know most of that is water weight, but oh does it feel good! Especially in the way my clothes fit. Happy travels to full health all! And a very happy new year too!

Another vote in favor of a new doctor. He seems like the type who's going to default to "lose weight" as the answer to anything and you don't want to find yourself six months into fighting him to get him to take some seriously while he's insisting you just need to lose weight to fix your compound fracture. If you've never seen this video, I found it to be a really great explanation for why the best weight for a bariatric patient will almost never be the "ideal" weight according to the BMI chart:

You lose weight VERY rapidly during your first month. I lost 25% of my excess body weight in the first month. You continue to lose rapidly (although more slowly) during your second month. Things slow down after that. But enjoy these first couple of months. It's very exciting to see the pounds drop so quickly!

I agree with those who recommend you find another PCP. I would be concerned about this doctor's fixation on your BMI. First of all, as a bariatric patient, you might not need to have a BMI within the "normal" range. I saw a video on YouTube a while back (someone linked to it on this forum) by a bariatric surgeon talking about the best weight for bariatric patients and he suggested that a "normal" BMI may actually be too low. So the first problem with this doctor is that his advice for you to lose weight might not even be correct. The other thing that bothers me here is that I have a dear friend who went to her PCP complaining of malaise, and the doctor dismissed her symptoms and told her she would probably feel better if she dropped 10 pounds (and this is someone I have always envied because she has always been in great shape;). Turns out she had cancer. I would be wary about a doctor who jumps straight to losing weight as the cure for everything. Something I appreciate about my PCP is that she never commented on my weight. She suggested I change my diet and be more active to lower my blood pressure and blood glucose, which are obviously associated with weight loss, but she recommended actual actions and not just, "lose weight." Likewise, she didn't praise me for losing weight, only for improving my health. I wish more doctors would take that approach instead of just using BMI as an all-purpose measure of health.

I know this post is old. But I’m pretty anointed as well. I’m only 1.5 weeks post op and I’ve stalled all week. I’m still only on liquids. In fact, I gained a pound. Why so early???? I’m practically starving. I guess I just don’t understand the science behind it. Nor did I know a stall happens this early. Everyone always talks about the dramatic weight loss early on and then the stalls come. I’m not even two weeks post op. I guess this is the reason they say not to weigh yourself. I am pretty frustrated.

At first, you may not be able to eat anything. I couldn't eat salads for a long while. But mincing up some chicken breast even if it is grilled will be okay. We all have gone out to dinner or lunch. We all have faced the BBQ with hamburgers and hot dogs.... or whatever. Losing weight and maintaining it means learning to eat differently. You will NOT want to eat a whole salad, or a whole piece of chicken. Post op, I recall making myself one small chicken thigh (boneless and skinless) baked with pam and some chicken broth. I cut that up and ate it for several tiny meals over a couple days. There are small packets or tupperware for making your own dressings. Yes, tuna salad has mayo, but many of us need that "wet" quality to our food to digest it anyway. A table spoon of tuna salad when I was a few months out was a good serving ! Life is different. You will be different. At a dozen years out of sleeve surgery, I eat maybe 2 to 3 ounces of protein at a time. That is about half of a half chicken breast, and maybe some vegetables or whatever else I made for family or whoever. I eat two lunches to get in enough protein. You will learn what works for you. When I go out with my adult daughter we order one meal most often. I eat about 1/4 of it. She has the rest. What I am saying is that you most probably will not WANT most of the things there. I do get the bacon thing. I don't eat pork so now that I know they season the grill with bacon.... Dennys is all together out anyway !!!! Do your program, you will feel so healthy and at the end of the day triumphant that you made it through and were successful.

I'm really worried that you're overtraining. While physical exercise is a good thing, it's absolutely possible to overdo it. Some possible warning signs for you to watch for: Feeling tired all the time Trouble sleeping Constant muscle soreness Symptoms of depression Mood swings and/or feeling irritable Feeling stressed all the time Why should you be concerned? Due to your weight, you are at a lot higher risk of injury when exercising. Overtraining ratchets up the likelihood of injury quite a bit more. A significant injury right now could set you back months. Due to reduced food intake, you are at a pretty significant disadvantage recovery-wise compared to someone that does not have to contend with a very low calorie diet. Calories from food (not just protein), is absolutely needed to help post workout recovery. Overtraining can actually be counterproductive to weight loss because it significantly increases cortisol levels. I won't spend too much time talking about why cortisol matters, but even slightly elevated levels of cortisol can negatively impact weight loss. Plus, if you're impacting your sleep levels, this negative effect is exacerbated. Overtraining can actually be bad for your heart. We tend to think that if some cardiovascular exercise is good, more should be better, but that's not always true. Among other things, people that overtrain can cause problems like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and AFib. While I don't think you're quite to this level yet, it's something to watch out for. Overtraining can actually impact your ability to fight off infection. Getting sick could also set you back quite a bit. If all of the above weren't enough, the likelihood of you stopping training altogether is significantly elevated if you overtrain. I certainly understand you think you're doing the right thing, but hardly anyone that's overtraining realizes it until they suffer the impacts of it. I also think many formerly obese individuals may be more likely to overtrain for a few reasons: We are typically starting from a poor base fitness level, so it does not take nearly as much to overtrain. Most of us have tendency toward addictive behavior. (Yes, overtraining can be due to transfer addiction.) We are trying to "makeup" for a previous lack of exercise. We think that this will help us lose weight faster. As I mentioned, this behavior can actually slow down fat loss, rather than speed it up. Instead, our goal should be to build a sustainable level of fitness that accomplishes a few things: To develop a good level of cardiovascular endurance that keeps our bodies and minds healthy To strengthen our muscles to make everyday living easier and more sustainable for the long-term To decrease the risk of illness and injury To burn more calories, both during exercise and at rest To look good naked (okay, for some of us, maybe that's pushing it!) One of the best ways to do all that is to ensure your current level of exercise is sustainable. From that sustainable base, we add in something called "progressive overload" to ensure we are actually benefiting from the exercise. When we overtrain, there's no room for progress, meaning eventually you either burnout, or your body adapts and the benefit becomes lost. Sorry for the long post here. I know to you I'm just some random person on the internet and you're not likely to pay much attention anyway. Even so, the risk is real, and I encourage you to research this to make sure I'm not just blowing smoke. More than anything, even if you don't think you're overtraining, I'd hate for others to come away from this thread thinking your exercise workload is what they should be doing too. For 99% of us it's not.

P.S. Just wanted to add that when I weighed 146 lbs (at the high end of the BMI range for my height), I had a DEXA scan to see how much more weight I should aim on losing. Turns out my body fat was 21%, which is lean for a female. The technician, as well as my PCP, said it was time for me to stop losing. I was shocked. I figured I could lose at least another 10 lbs. Nope. Again, bone and muscle... (normal body fat range for older women (i.e., me!) is 23-33%. So yea - I was pretty low, even though my weight was at the high end of my BMI range)

I would consider another PCP as well. This one is obviously not knowledgeable about WLS. People who've lost large amounts of weight often have heavier bones and muscles than those folks who've never been obese. You needed that extra infrastructure to hold up all that weight. You do lose some of it as you lose weight (along with the fat), but you're going to have more of it than someone who's always been normal weight (excess skin is also extra weight (maybe five lbs or so), but you've had that removed). The PA at my bariatric clinic said you'll probably look about 10 lbs lighter than what the scale says, because of the extra bone and muscle weight you have. plus as others have said, why in the h*ll is this PCP complaining about you having a 28 or 29 BMI, when you've lost a ton of weight? They should be overjoyed. They must not be aware of your past medical records (??)

I agree with others. First, you'll likely lose pretty quickly the first month or two, and after that, it slows down quite a bit - but you'll continue to lose as long as you follow your program secondly, weight fluctuates every day - water retention, a full bowel, or even hormone levels can affect it. If it starts messing with your mind, just weigh once a week so you're looking more at long-term trends rather than daily fluctuations.

Keep in mind that 'weight loss' does not equal fat loss. I would be skeptical that you lost 7 pounds of fat in a week, but some fat, some fluid, and possibly some muscle? Sure. We wrongly think there are only 2 types of "stuff" in our bodies, the good stuff that never goes away and the bad stuff (fat), that we want to go away. It's a lot more complicated than that, and scales are just not a great way to really know what's going on inside your body. Unfortunately, scales are the tool most of us have, so we have to make due. I guess my point is don't overthink what the scale is telling you in either direction. As soon as you hit a stall, you're going to start questioning if you're doing things "right", but you may be having the same issue with a scale not really telling you what you need to know regarding fat loss. If that happens, it's better to just stick to your program and remember that you're using a tool that's pretty lousy at measuring fat loss.

You’ve lost 62 pounds in 6 months and you’re dissatisfied with that? I think that looking at other bariatric patients can skew our perspectives on weight loss. If you are expecting the same rate of weight loss as the patients on My 600 Pound Life, for example, that is not realistic because you don’t have nearly as much weight to lose. Your expectations for weight loss may not be realistic. At your height of 5’6”, your goal weight of 140 pounds puts you at a BMI of 22.6. The average gastric bypass patient loses 50-70% of excess weight, which means that the average gastric bypass patient doesn’t quite get to a BMI below 25 (which would be 155 pounds for a 5’6” person). With a starting weight of 270 pounds, your excess weight was 115 pounds. If you lose 70% of that, it’s 81 pounds of weight loss and a final weight of 189 pounds. A loss of 62 pounds in 6 months puts you on track to achieve that in a year (but remember that there are a lot of factors that can affect rate of weight loss, and you may lose faster or slower than others). Keep in mind that this is an average and not indicative of any individual patient. It is certainly possible to lose more than that. Some gastric bypass patients do lose all their excess weight and end up with a BMI below 25. You might be able to get to 140 pounds, but it is probably going to take a lot of work. The surgery is just a tool, not magic. If you were expecting to shed all your excess weight in 6 months without trying, then maybe you did waste your time and money, but if you are willing to put in the effort and use the WLS to your advantage, then you can achieve more weight loss than you ever have before.

Alcohol hits people very differently post-op, interestingly enough obviously not only depending on the kind of surgery a patient had. I understand bypass being a problem but tbh not really why a sleeve should propose problems, aside from being drunk on less alcohol because weight already has gone down significantly, that is. I can remember that we were advised to be cautious with alcohol because it hits differently (or can hit differently) than before. The dietitian told us to "try it at home first". Tbh, I can't remember the recommended time span that should be between surgery date and first alcoholic drink (I clearly remember though that the time span was four weeks for "real" coffee because I'm an addict. First coffee after four weeks of that chicory imitation stuff asted so damn good, rofl) - it might have been 12 weeks because alcohol is one of the bigger irritants to the stomach lining but I'm not really sure. I didn't pay much attention to this part of education because I was never much of a wine, beer or liquor consumer. Anyway, alcohol hits me like a hammer and is basically always involved when it comes to the rare occasions of late dumping and heartburn so I'm not too fond of this particular liquid drug. When I drink alcohol I always pair it with hearty food, not with sugary foods.

Yessss! I’m glad you mentioned this. I’m feeling this now like my weight went to my stomach which is making me feel fat still. Not sure if its normal but now i feel like i need surgery on my stomach. I had my surg in March 2022.

NO ! You haven't wasted anything ! You have GAINED experience, you have gained the knowledge that IF you eat certain foods, you won't lose weight. One of the biggest issues for many people, myself included isn't losing the weight... if I really set my mind to it.... it is keeping it off. I am a dozen years post surgery. Look at where I started and where I am now. About 4 years ago I decided to take some gained weight off.... again... and to stop every so often and maintain THAT weight for a while. BLEW MY OWN MIND !!! I could eat more, or eat treats and maintain my weight each time. Two years ago I got down to about 172 - 173 and decided to stay there and only panic if I got to 177. I kept a 40 pound weight loss for 2 years. AFTER losing 120 pounds 12 to 10 years ago. A while back... a few months I decided that I would just try to get back from an average of 175 to maybe that 172. Took my time, made some small changes. Gained 2 pounds during the 8 days of Chanukkah with some latkes and jelly donuts. And family dinners. Not a problem. Went back to what I was doing before our holiday and lost the two pounds ... (again) and didn't beat myself up over it. As soon as I stopped eating the holiday foods, the two pounds came off and another couple pounds after that... For me, it is all about getting into the right head space and weighing daily, watching what I eat, and balance. Friends dropped off dinner for my adult daughter and I tonight.... line caught, home made fresh FRIED fish. And french fries. (REALLY ?!) The fish was delicious. I ate 4 fries. And a piece of fish. I have fish for lunch tomorrow, and dinner..... and my daughter has fish and fries for days... I am the same weight now as I was in college... in 1977. From my heaviest weight I am almost half of myself. NEVER ever say that you cannot. Take a break from being so hard on yourself. Take a week and maintain where you are now. Then go back to where you need to be. You can do this.

I have been crazy busy, but I love it here and wanted to update you guys on what's new with me. And hopefully some of you will give updates on yourselves here, too So I am getting used to the work outs I've been doing (and by that I mean I don't need 2-3 days between working out now. I can do 6 days and take 1 rest day). I do cardio twice per week for an hour and a half each time, I do strength and core training twice per week for an hour and 15 minutes each time, and I do weight training twice per week for an hour each time (that's my least favorite lol) On my rest day, I literally do nothing. I work and do college from home, so I either lay in bed or on my love seat and get stuff done. I'm a complete veg head lol I made my rest day on Mondays because...well...Monday lol I drink three 16oz bottles of propel electrolyte water everyday (my favorite) and one 20oz bottle of gatorade zero each day. I also drink 2-4 cups of tea (sweetened with monkfruit sweetener, or not sweetened at all, depending on the tea). Specifically, I drink green tea in the morning, black tea in the afternoon, white tea in the evening, and if I'm in the mood, I drink either oolong tea or yerba mate tea at night. Helps suppress appetite, burn fat, and the green and black teas give a little caffeine boost (not a lot, but juuuuust enough). I usually make a protein shake in the morning for breakfast (never been a big breakfast eater). I have several different protein powders to choose from, and I typically add my greens powder to it, turmeric powder, moringa powder, matcha powder, mct oil, black seed oil, collagen powder, soluble fiber, avocado, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, gut health powder (digestive enzymes with pre and probiotics), and vitamin c powder. If needed, I add some monk fruit sweetener for a little extra sweetness, and it's really yummy and filling. For lunch I typically have some kind of salad (I have a few different ones that I like) and I add a protein to it, and then dinner is always some kind of protein and veggie. On weight training days, I have a P3 protein pack for a snack, but I don't usually have a snack on other days. On cardio and strengthening days I tend to have about 1200 calories and 20 carbs. On weight training days I have around 1300 calories and 25ish carbs. On my rest day I have between 900 - 1000 calories and 15 or so carbs. I also found a new salt to use (I rarely use salt, but this is much healthier for when I do) called Kala Namak Himalayan salt (it's black). Black salt has antioxidant properties and has surprisingly low sodium levels. It also contains important minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium, which are essential to healthy bodies. Black salt stimulates bile production in the liver, and helps control heartburn and bloating. Its sulfurous, salty, mineral taste works great in cooking or as a finishing salt. I'm firmly in a size 20 clothing now, and my ring size is an 8 (but it's starting to get loose, so I'm looking at 7 1/2 now). I'm also in a stall again, but I honestly don't even care. I'm getting so healthy and strong and I can see a difference, so the scale will move when it moves, and until then, I'm just gonna focus on what I'm doing. I'm working full time and I'm in college full time (I'm finishing up my bachelor's degree - I have 8 more classes now) so between that and my more fit lifestyle, I'm always busy with something lol I really love it, though. I finished my Associate's degree in October and decided that I was going to finish the rest of my dream and get the bachelor's degree. I already have my dream job, but it's for ME, you know? I'll be the first one in my family to have a degree, and I want that. It means a lot to me to have it, and I graduated with a 4.0 with my associate's degree, and I still have a 4.0 so far now. I'm going to do my best to keep it, too. I'm noticing I have zero boobs to speak of now LOL I wasn't really expecting that at all, but it's fine. That's what padded bras are for until I get em done later on lol I'm more than ready for my hair to stop falling out and to start growing back. I'll be 8 months post op on the 3rd. How much longer will this go on before it finally calms down? That's really my biggest gripe right now. I'm just ready to not lose so much hair. I knew it was coming, so I never freaked out, but it's getting on my nerves now lol That's really it. All in all, things are going pretty well. How is everyone else doing?

That is a pretty strong drink. Don’t know what your daily calorie intake is but 248 is a lot of calories to waste on a single glass of alcohol which provides no nutritional benefit which should be your focus. 248 calories would have been 3/4 of my daily intake then. The carbs would also be a significant percentage of your limit too I would guess. And alcohol dehydrates you & slows your metabolism. In saying that I had a gin & tonic at around 2 months at my cousin’s 40th. I nursed that drink for more than 4 hours. Didn’t really enjoy it either & I didn’t have another drink for months. I don’t drink much at all since my surgery. An odd glass of champagne or a G&T maybe once a month or less often. My friends don’t pressure me to drink even though they drink. I realised I don’t need to drink to socialise & enjoy being with my friends. My question is what sort of friends are they to try to force you to drink when medically you’re advised not to? Are they trying to sabotage your weight loss? Ultimately though it is your decision. If you want to have a drink maybe look for a lower calorie drink with fewer carbs & less alcohol.

I would be finding another doctor. If he didnt even review your record what else did he not see? Honestly, there are many things that you could do to get your BP down including just cutting down on salt a little and it could be that your BP was just high that particular day. Mine is always higher at the dr office. Did he have any ideas on other kinds of birth control for you if you stopped the pills? If you are a size 6-8 you do not need to lose more weight!

yep. i'm over 4 yrs out (and been my current weight more or less the last 3.5 years!) and i still, on occasion, ask my fam "do i look fat in this?" ...then they roll their eyes and say no, but still some part of me thinks they are lying. (...of course there ARE days when i look in the mirror pat myself on the back and do a mental mic drop, lol. i guess it all depends on the day)

Does he have your records. He must not have reviewed them too closely if he didn’t know that you had a major surgery and that your weight is way down. Honestly I wouldn’t care much about his opinion of my weight but I may take that as a hint that he isn’t paying enough attention to your history.