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I know a few people on the compound semaglutide as well as tirzepatide, 1 person on Zepbound, and 1 person on Wegovy. They all say the same thing. It helps lower blood sugar, suppresses appetite, quiets head hunger, causes crazy constipation after the initial dose, causes nausea on the 2nd dose on up, and you basically have to stay on it forever because once you go off it, all the benefits go away and you gain back the weight you lost (sometimes even more). It doesn't cause weight loss in and of itself, it does burn or melt away fat, it doesn't speed up metabolism. They changed their eating habits while on the medication, but once they stopped, that all kind of went out the window because all the things the meds stopped came roaring back. So make sure, if you want to be on it, you can be on it for the long haul. Otherwise you well very well could undo the progress you make while on it once you go off it.

I had the Sleeve 3.5 years ago and I’m pending revision to SADI or bypass (Bypass if he gets in there a can’t do SADI for some reason). From what I have seen on these boards the post op pain level for the sleeve and bypass is pretty similar year still different from person to person. I think the main difference between someone with an easy vs tough recovery depends on whether any air gets trapped in there and causes gas pain. I was really fortunate with the sleeve that I didn’t have any gas pain at all and my recovery was quite easy. I was up a couple hours after being back to my room Bugging then nurses with questions about my urine output 🤣 At one point I even questioned whether they had somehow forgotten to do the surgery. I did feel like I had done about 1000 crunches. And I had to use the bed rails to assist in sitting up for the first day but if I was just lying or standing I felt normal. I even said I didn’t need pain meds right away. They said they suggested they wean me down because I was already on some and may not know it if I’m in pain. I went home the next day on just Tylenol but with a pain script just in case. I did feel fatigued for a while so I took naps daily and I waited the full two weeks before I did much as instructed but I FELT like I could do most things if I had tried. It is an adjustment to remember all the vitamins and figure out what to drink or “eat” and when but I set alarms on my phone and that helped quite a bit. I actually just created alarms for every half hour and then toggled them on as needed to plan my day. You are a step ahead of the game that you are already here and established where you can get support and ask questions if you have any I didn’t find this site until a couple of days before so I was still figuring out how the thing even worked while working through the rest of it. The people here are incredibly helpful to answer questions, cheer you on or just let you vent if you have a bad day. The main thing to keep in mind is your goals and your reasons why you are doing the surgery and that will get you through it. If you ask everyone if they have any regrets about Weight loss Surgery the most common response it that they only wish they had done it sooner. After a few months you should be in your new groove, just losing weight and noticing that you can already do things you haven’t been able to do. If you haven’t already, Check out the “weirdest non scale victories” thread on this site. It sorta turned to just normal non scale victories but it’s pretty inspiring

i know several people who are on or HAVE been on Ozempic (including me**)...all of them lost weight in varying degrees...all with different starting weights. but they all did lose weight and it was noticable (to me). from what i can observe, the ones who stopped taking it gained the weight they lost back eventually. the ones who are still on it seem to maintain the weight loss. **i tried ozempic last year for fun/testing as my mom is prescribed it for diabetes and she had some surplus. I used it for a month at the lowest dose, and by the end of it i lost almost 8 lbs (and my starting weight was like 120 so that was actually quite a lot for my size). i stopped taking it because really, i didn't need it and just wanted to see what the fuss was about anyway. within a 2-3 months i gained back 5-6 lbs of the inital loss. so end net result was minimal (for me). in summary: - it works, but it seems you have to keep taking it indefinitely for long term maintenance. - it is expensive, so keep that im mind. - im my experience (and the general consensus of those i know who take it), part of its charm/workablitiy is because you basically don't want to eat when you are on it. so when you get off it, you want to eat again. - if you have the means and desire and accesss you could try it and see for yourself...the initial weight loss may even be a mental boost to inspire you do more on your own? good luck!

Congratulations on your weight loss so far! I bet you are feeling amazing! I definitely empathise with the low energy - especially early on! I feel that mine is only just starting to get better 😂 I am going on holiday in September, but I am trying to put off buying clothes until the last possible moment! How is your eating now? I am free to eat "whatever" I want now, but find that I am struggling to manage anywhere between 6-11 mouthfuls. The bariatric nurse says I need to be having at least 20 mouthfuls per meal! Eeek. All that being said, definitely loving feeling healthier, more confident, and more happy!

hi all, I posted this in the pre op forum for June buddies, but thought I'd also post it here in case it helps anyone. Here's my experience so far after getting the Gastric Sleeve procedure on 13th June 2024... Immediately after surgery It was pretty rough for me, I woke up in a lot of pain, so much so that the nurses had to give me 30mg morphine for the pain. I was in a recovery room for the first 24 hours (standard procedure for the private hospital in the UK i went through) After the initial 24hrs I was moved back to my room where I felt a lot better. Even able to eat an ice pop and a small cup of Tomato Soup (sipping of course) and sipping Water every 5-10 mins. Week 1-2 I quickly moved onto the liquids phase, in which I must have taken in around 2-300 cals per day through Protein Shakes and watery Soups. I must admin this phase was the hardest for me, managing the pain meds as well as trying to drink as much liquids as I could in a day. It just so happened there was an international football (soccer) tournament on in Europe in my first 2 weeks' recovery so was engrossed in that! I also started walking 1 mile per day and upping that to almost 2 miles by the end of it. My weight loss was drastic in this phase but my word I was lethargic/got tired v easily and not up for doing much. Week 3-4 Puree stage - finally I felt I was able to get some proper food in me, and a few days after starting this phase, my weight slowed right down - the dreaded (but expected) 3 week plateau kicked in. I went around a week and a bit without any weight loss, despite me sticking to the recommended diet. I am not going to sugar coat this, it was a bit disappointing standing on those scales after a week, but I knew this would happen so meh I guess. Still walking 2 miles per day during this phase and now feeling I have a lot more energy. Week 5-6 Week 5 started with me starting to lose a pound every 2 days or so, so my body seems like it has adjusted to the inro of more foods for the 'soft foods' stage. I also started back at the gym doing some cardio work on top of my walks, and oh boy I have so much more energy for it! I am now around half way through week 6 and had my first appointment with my nutritionist and he is blown away by the progress I have made/am making. He gave me further chewing tips to make sure I am not overeating as I have been sick a couple of times when I've eaten too quickly and not realised I'm full/satisfied. He is now happy for me to start introducing more fibred meats and more complex foods, like a little Pasta and a little bit of rice, to test the waters. Struggles so far: Reminding myself I have a new stomach not eating what family members are eating e.g. Sunday dinner Eating too fast resulting in vomiting Extra attention from people who have noticed a loss in weight (47lbs and counting since pre-op liver diet). Since I've been overweight most of my adult life, I carried a lot of shame internally, so its in my nature not to talk about myself/get photos taken etc Wins so far Losing a lot of weight and all the benefits that go with it. Being more present with my family. Having the energy to do everything they want to do (I have a wife and 2 kids, girl 11, boy 7) Clothes! I have dropped from XXXL to XL already. Which was a surprise when I packed to go to a 5 day getaway with my fam in week 5 Mental health - the mental benefits come as such a relief. I no longer feel down about my weight (although I know I still have a ways to go) Confidence - generally just feel I can be more myself - hopefully some here will resonate with this. Would be great to hear of your experiences so far, especially if you had your procedure in April/May/June/July!

Hi everyone, how are y'all getting with your post op diets, exercise and wellbeing? Here's my experience so far after getting the Gastric Sleeve procedure on 13th June 2024... Immediately after surgery It was pretty rough for me, I woke up in a lot of pain, so much so that the nurses had to give me 30mg morphine for the pain. I was in a recovery room for the first 24 hours (standard procedure for the private hospital in the UK i went through) After the initial 24hrs I was moved back to my room where I felt a lot better. Even able to eat an ice pop and a small cup of tomato soup (sipping of course) and sipping water every 5-10 mins. Week 1-2 I quickly moved onto the liquids phase, in which I must have taken in around 2-300 cals per day through protein shakes and watery soups. I must admin this phase was the hardest for me, managing the pain meds as well as trying to drink as much liquids as I could in a day. It just so happened there was an international football (soccer) tournament on in Europe in my first 2 weeks' recovery so was engrossed in that! I also started walking 1 mile per day and upping that to almost 2 miles by the end of it. My weight loss was drastic in this phase but my word I was lethargic/got tired v easily and not up for doing much. Week 3-4 Puree stage - finally I felt I was able to get some proper food in me, and a few days after starting this phase, my weight slowed right down - the dreaded (but expected) 3 week plateau kicked in. I went around a week and a bit without any weight loss, despite me sticking to the recommended diet. I am not going to sugar coat this, it was a bit disappointing standing on those scales after a week, but I knew this would happen so meh I guess. Still walking 2 miles per day during this phase and now feeling I have a lot more energy. Week 5-6 Week 5 started with me starting to lose a pound every 2 days or so, so my body seems like it has adjusted to the inro of more foods for the 'soft foods' stage. I also started back at the gym doing some cardio work on top of my walks, and oh boy I have so much more energy for it! I am now around half way through week 6 and had my first appointment with my nutritionist and he is blown away by the progress I have made/am making. He gave me further chewing tips to make sure I am not overeating as I have been sick a couple of times when I've eaten too quickly and not realised I'm full/satisfied. He is now happy for me to start introducing more fibred meats and more complex foods, like a little pasta and a little bit of rice, to test the waters. Struggles so far: Reminding myself I have a new stomach not eating what family members are eating e.g. Sunday Dinner Eating too fast resulting in vomiting Extra attention from people who have noticed a loss in weight (47lbs and counting since pre-op liver diet). Since I've been overweight most of my adult life, I carried a lot of shame internally, so its in my nature not to talk about myself/get photos taken etc Wins so far Losing a lot of weight and all the benefits that go with it. Being more present with my family. Having the energy to do everything they want to do (I have a wife and 2 kids, girl 11, boy 7) Clothes! I have dropped from XXXL to XL already. Which was a surprise when I packed to go to a 5 day getaway with my fam in week 5 Mental health - the mental benefits come as such a relief. I no longer feel down about my weight (although I know I still have a ways to go) Confidence - generally just feel I can be more myself - hopefully some here will resonate with this. be great to hear of your journey so far, so let's have it folks, we're all in this together

Hi! I am 2 years out from my gastric sleeve, I’ve lost plenty of weight but I’m still not at my target goal and I’m struggling to lose weight. Has anyone tried Ozempic or Wegovy? I’m considering going on one of these but I would appreciate any insight from anyone if they’ve used either of these drugs! Thanks!

Hi everyone. I'm really really new here. Just signed up some couple of minutes ago. I have undergone bypass surgery in 2021. It's going to be full 3 years pretty soon. I am also struggling with the weight-loss regain/comeback. It's almost as if it has been a 2-year-miraculous-weight-loss-bonus time frame where you lose weight almost automatically... Yes, in the last 12 months-or-so I have been neglecting systematic and disciplined exercise/physical activity. My dieting hasn't been particularly strict either... I'm just pretty much saddened for having regained almost 20 kilos again (around 40 pounds, i'd say? sorry, metric-system folk over here) and once more facing the REALLY REALLY hard struggle of losing weight once again, just as if I've never had the surgery. LUNAXINIAN, just like you, I'd really like to read/receive folks' advice if this same weight re-gain happened to any of you as well, and what did you do, how did you overcome it, and most of all, how did you manage to start losing weight once again?

I also think that all the stages reiterate how serious this kind of surgery is too. It certainly isn’t for the faint hearted or those wanting the loss thinking this is the easy way. My first group session sounds very similar to yours. The nurses said right at the very beginning that jabs like Ozempic or Wegovy were not available and you could see that some were disappointed. My next group session is in August so it will be interesting to hear from others at that session. We were given a lot of reading matter to familiarise ourselves with the whole process and encouraged to contact the Bariatric department if we had any questions or concerns, which I found reassuring.

For surgery on the NHS, it has to be shown that the patient is fully aware that the surgery is only a tool and that the patient has realistic expectations of life post-surgery. We have to show and understand that we are prepared to put in all the necessary work (daily vitamins and regular blood tests, to adhere to the rules of eating both immediately after surgery while we heal and then the lifelong commitment required to maintain their losses) I’m glad that my NHS Trust has hoops to jump through if I’m honest, as it inspires confidence for me. Would I love surgery now? Of course! I’m I mentally prepared for it? No, I don’t think I am. The past couple of weeks have shown me that I do respond to emotional situations by trying to soothe myself with food. Will I be able to do that post-op? Very, very doubtful as I would be worried about undoing both the surgery and the psychological readiness I know I need to undergo said surgery. I do read some posts on various forums that do give cause for concern as a pre-op patient, just as Tek identified above. I’m in no position to advise but it is comforting that the more experienced posters do their utmost to give advice and guide the user in contacting their surgeon, doctor etc or to re-read the advice they should have been given 🙂

Ooo so exciting! I bet you are going to have the most amazing time! Congratulations on your NSW and the loss also ❤️ I fully understand the struggle in trying to stop wearing leggings and a top 🤣 Like...what do people wear? 🤔 Have an amazing time

I see your point, but I think the psych eval is necessary. Weight loss surgery outcomes are much better when used along side pysch evals, dietician visits etc. This is all documented and confirmed by the medical community. I think if I was an insurance company, I would prefer to pay out for a surgery that it likely to be successful because the patient is using all the tools in their tool belt and is more likely to be successful. I would also think that more than one appointment with a psychologist should be the norm. You can sometimes do more harm than good with only one therapy session. I don't see it as discrimination because ultimately, it's an elective surgery. We can live (albeit less well) if we are overweight. There are also other surgeries that require psychiatric evaluation too, for example gender surgeries. It's not really discriminatory to require that the person getting certain surgery is likely to have a successful outcome because the require life changes to be successful. However, I definitely agree that it shouldn't be down to the insurance companies to determine the requirements, it should be medial professionals. Insurers should never get the final say in what procedures a patient can or can't get if the doctor disagrees with the insurance company. I also don't think a tick box appointment should be enough to get approved for a major surgery which is what insurance requires.

I'm working on figuring out how to maintain lol I'm below goal, which is fine is I stay where I'm at. Don't really want to go any lower. I'm slowly increasing calories and carbs, but I can't go too high or I get sick. So I'm just trying to figure it out. My first year post surgery, I was half way to my goal (I needed to lose roughly 200 pounds to get to my goal). I had complications that slowed my weight loss (I lost 113 pounds in 8 months) after the 8-9 month mark. I had my revision 13 months after my initial surgery and lost another 94 pounds in a year. I also had 2 major surgeries during that time, too. Now my weight loss is (hopefully) stopping - 2 years after my initial surgery and 1 year after my revision. I've lost a total of 240 pounds from my highest weight and 207 pounds from my surgery-day weight. And it took me a total of 2 years. I hit many stalls along the way, but it's all been 100% worth it.

I wish I ate more of the things I loved pre-op LOL!!! Nah jokes aside, WLS is a tool that we utilize towards - hopefully - permanent life changes, if you see it as a means that'll all it'll ever be, if you see it as an effective tool, it will get you where you want to be. I would say, clean up your act, get moving, change your daily habits and get into the fat loss mindset. This doesn't mean going completely cold turkey on everything, but whatever bad habits that led you to needing the surgery in the first place need to be thought of and turned around. I didn't need a liquid diet, my BMI was on the lower side and I worked out consistently my entire life so I didn't much change anything and boy I wished I changed some things because dealing with the discomfort of the surgery, the huge changes in your diet and all the restrictions afterwards is no fun all together. I wish I cut back on caffeine (I had caffeine a week post surgery because I had terrible headaches), I wish I cut out diet soda prior to WLS because I love diet soda so very much and it was tough to think that I can never have this without any mental preparation beforehand. I wouldn't change much else because fortunately for me, I had a good experience post op, the weight dropped off very quick, I never threw up or had severe food aversions and have very effective restriction. But I also had a very balanced diet and workout regimen before WLS and that helped me tremendously and I know that might not be the case for everyone. Also, prepare yourself for a new life and new you, it's cliché but it's very true.

If you’re in the purée stage whatever you eat should be a thick but still a bit loose in texture or dollopy like yoghurt. If you want to blend or grind meat add gravy or stock to get the texture thin enough. Minced meats with a sauce or gravy like meat loaf, meat balls or bolognese without pasta are great in soft food. If you’re allowed potatoes they should be mashed. I lived on yoghurt, instant rolled oats, scrambled eggs, thicker blended soups during that stage as I found puréed meats unpalatable. Did even eat baby food twice. A lot of people eat egg salad (mashed eggs & mayo) in this stage. Think of a baby transitioning from milk (liquids) to thin cereals like Farex, baby food, etc. (purées) then soft foods like slow cooked stews, minced meat dishes, sausage, etc. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

If you go into your profile and update all of your info (starting weight, current weight, goal weight, bmi, surgery, height) that helps. Also, what is your diet like? Do you work out? Do you track your food? So you have any other health issues that could be stopping the weight loss? Have you talked to your nutritionist and surgeon?

Here's a kind of progression of my hair. So the first one is when I was at my heaviest and let my natural curl come out. I actually loved my hair in this pic. Then in pic 2 is when I didn't straighten it but as you can see, there's barely any wave to it. The 3rd one is with it completely straightened. The rest are after I cut my hair after my hysterectomy. It shows how the curl slowly started to come back tighter until it's finally like it is now. It's so weird why it's like this again. But I like it enough, for now, to leave it.

Not sure about what stage hon in but nutrition wise The only ones I see have bacon which may not be ideal in the weight loss stage. What about boiled eggs? . They are high on protein and pretty portable. If you need to keep the calories lower just bring a couple and don’t eat the yolk.

I think the curly is cute and if it’s less maintenance it’s a win win Isn’t it so weird, though how hormones and other brain chemicals that “act as hormones” can change our hair. I am on a mood stabilizer and antidepressant and over the years my hair has changed texture entirely. It’s the strangest thing. It used to be super silky fine and board straight to the point when I cut it short I had to add color to try and damage it because it wouldn’t do anything even with all kinds of product. Now it’s a little thicker, more coarse (or more normal) and sorta curly when I wake up (but nothing like yours, mine brushes out) Ooh and it changed color (which dr Google says that part may just be aging but also due to hormonal changes). 🤷🏼‍♀️

some people experience hormone-related depression for a few weeks after weight loss surgery, but weight loss surgery would not have caused bipolar disorder.

Wait, so it's not your insurance saying what you had wasn't good enough, it was your doctor? I'm really surprised. My doctor looked at what I had and said "that works for me" and signed off that I had done 6+ months of failed weight loss attempts.

Sigh 😩I told her all that & gave her my weight chart from Dec 2022 to present and she still said "Mmmmm....I'm still going to need to see you monthly for 6 months." Then added Sleep study, EDG, and cardiac appt to the 6 month supervised diet with documented failure of weight loss. Documentation supporting the "reasonableness and necessity of a Gastric Restrictive Surgical Service being required, and significant clinical evidence that weight is affecting overall health and is a threat to life." Psych eval & Nutritionist counseling that I already have to do.

I had gastric sleeve surgery now I noticed I’m depressed I haven’t been happy since I got the surgery I went from 382 to 269 I’m 6’0 feet tall. I recently got diagnosed with bipolar 2 I’m not sure if it came from gastric sleeve. If anyone is struggling with depression since your weight loss surgery tell me how tall handle it?.

Aha - same hair issues here. I straighten religiously. If I don't I need tons of product. Your hair looks amazing @sleevetobypass

The curly hair looks so good! You should definitely keep it that way, although I understand the frizz and floof issues, especially if you have any humidity. But it looks great!