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i know quite a few people who are/were on it. those currently on it, lost anywhere from 10-70 lbs. those who are no longer in it, gained back anywhere from none to all the weight back. though the majority of the no-longer-users kept of "most" of their weight losses off. so still a decent net loss in the end (so far). i myself experimented with ozepmpic last year...my mom is diabetic and i asked if i could try her stash because she takes less than ½ of the lowest dose as she says its too strong (so she had lots of surplus omg)...she's lost maybe 30-40 lbs (my stepdad is also diabetic with his own ozempic rx, and he lost closer to 70 lbs) anyway...i took the lowest dosage for 4 weeks at 120lbs thinking i could lose 5lbs tops...i ended up losing 8 or 9 lbs i think. i stopped after the 4th week and pretty much went back to pre-ozempic weight-ISH within a couple months. (i am 119.1 lbs this morning). so yeah, just like wls and everything else in life, individual losses and experiences depends on the person. now while this was an interesting experiment, it was FREE. if i had to pay for it, i'd pass. for me, at least, its not worth it..but for someone with more weight to lose, and who has the means and the inclination, and the access...why not? good luck! ❤️

Not sure what your coverage is for them but I strongly suggest you talk to your doctor about the GLP-1 if eating different is the cause for regain. Your tool is still there, you most likely just need help switching your diet back and the GLP-1 should take your appetite away almost completely making that a great deal easier. I have a friend that lost all of her weight and was actually losing too much and had to back off of them because she wasn’t getting enough nutrition. I had to keep reminding her to get in her protein and fluids. She has great coverage for them through her work insurance (she pays $25). I actually wanted to do them when I did my revision this year but I didn’t have adequate coverage for them and financially they just weren’t an option so I went for the revision. I talked to my doctor about waiting but she thought it would be a couple years before anything changed in terms of coverage and my labs were creeping up so waiting wasn’t a good idea. I am doing great in terms of weight loss but faced with another medical issue now, the gastro changes I’ve had aren’t making things any easier for me. Losing the weight is for sure the goal but if you can do it without surgery that’s always better. As far as I know revision is for people who gain without any real known reason. You are saying that you’re eating different for an emotional reason so you probably just need help changing back to your better habits both mentally and physically. Honestly, I think the GLP-1 will be the first option for many people in the very near future. They are considered safer at this point. It’s just a matter of them becoming more accessible for people. Take it with a grain of salt but it’s something I would at least consider before jumping to the surgery option.

Make a list of all those things you want to change. Pick just one to focus on THIS week. Make sure though, that it's something small that you can measure in some way. For example, you can't say "I'm going to eat better", because that's too big and too vague. Instead, pick something even smaller and definitive like "instead of eating ice cream after dinner every day this week, I'm only going to eat ice cream 4 days this week". That's probably small enough that your brain won't make a huge fuss over it, and is also easily measurable. If you successfully make that change and can keep doing it for two or preferably three weeks, then you can more on. For example, maybe after three weeks, you decide to move to only eating ice cream once a week. Again, you need to be able to successfully do that before moving on again. If you fail, no worries, just try again. If you keep struggling, you may have picked something too big and you need to scale it back. I would also recommend alternating diet and exercise goals. Thus if you successfully made a diet change that you're able to stick with, next time maybe it's "I'm going to walk after dinner 3 days this week". By alternating in this way, you'll find the diet changes are easier to adjust to and at the same time, you'll be improving your health. Just make sure to go slow with these as well. I often see people in the gym (especially this time of year), that tried to go from basically doing nothing, to working out 5+ days a week. Sadly, the failure rate for such people is well north of 90%. Here's the thing. This will take a LONG time, but if you try to go faster because you're feeling impatient, the likelihood is that you won't be able to maintain the loss, you'll fall off the diet, and before you even realize it, you'll be right back where you were before. I also want to be clear, I do still recommend seeking out counseling for a possible eating disorder, as well as help from an RD. Dieting is HARD. if it was easy, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic. The smart play here is to stack the cards in your favor by getting help from experts.

Did you lose this weight on the liver shrink diet? If so, that diet is specifically designed to drop a big chunk of weight quickly but unfortunately the weight loss won’t continue to come off that easily long term. Only you know if you have given it your best shot at natural weight loss in the past but if you are like many of us here you have tried a number of times and nothing works to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. It’s your body and there is no shame in rescheduling if you feel like you need to give it one more try but also keep in mind that the biggest regret that many people list about bariatric surgery is not having done it sooner. Maybe make a list of the pros and cons and one of all the ways you have tried to lose weight in the past. Also keep in mind that pre surgery jitters are perfectly normal. You wouldn’t be sane if you weren’t at least a little nervous about major surgery. You are not alone.

This is a very good point about having a different procedure. I went with the SADI because it was a revision to an existing sleeve and revision surgeries do not produce the same results in terms of weight loss and durability, but the SADI offered more. In terms of other medical issues, though you will constantly have to have your bariatric doctor in the loop with any issues that may even remotely have to do with your gastro system and this can be complicated because the doctors don’t want to step on one another’s toes. But in terms of family doctors or doctors of any other specialty, I have not met one since I started researching this surgery or since I’ve had it that I have even heard of it. If you do go with this one, you need to educate yourself so that you can explain that to them. And it is possible that you find yourself in a position where something could get messed because the doctor just hasn’t seen it before where it’s more likely if you had something as common as a bypass they will have seen it. I mean there’s pros and cons with everyone. There’s no perfect answer or they would only do one and we wouldn’t be here naming off a handful of surgeries that are sort of commonly done and in terms of revisions, they do even more. I think they just make up names for them as they go along, honestly. My best advice would be to educate yourself as much as you can and go back a couple of times to make sure you get all of your questions answered by the doctor. They usually only want to give you one appointment but if you say you’re not ready to choose, they should give you another appointment with the doctor or a PA or NP. But that is a very good point about having the less common procedure does present obstacles or potential ones down the road. I mean if you raised the fact that you have it to any good doctors attention, they know where to find the information and should be able to still provide you adequate care but in an emergency situation it’s better for the information to already be in the doctors head.

this was pretty obvious to me too. ( i noticed the original question was posed in june, and almost 3 months later, the objections remain) so here's a different angle: maybe just accept that traditional/dedicated exercise just isn't for you? i know lots of people who don't partake in dedicated exercise (who, may i add are "normal" sized) and seem to lead perfectly happy lives. exercise isn't everyone's cup of tea, sure its definitely an added bonus if one does it regularly for both mental and physical health, but you are not going to do it unless you actually want to do it. so why force it? just like the decision to get weight loss surgery, you are ready when you're ready....you just need a compelling enough reason to do it (which u don't have at the moment, it seems) maybe you'll feel differently next month, next year, maybe in 10 years , or maybe never. and thats ok, it is what it is. BUT... if you ever decide to get on the exercise train for reals, there are alot of us on here who would be ready and willing to help! good luck! ❤️

...but how do you FEEL? (it sounds like your med team is not so very concerned..?) put aside outside (non-medical-professional) comments and opinions, and even your own assessment of what you see in the mirror... do you FEEL good? do you have energy? can you go about your day physically unhindered or diminished? if yes, you are probably best served by working on the mental self work vs the physical stuff. easy to say, i know. you've done awesome, and in my insignificant opinion, you don't look sickly nor bony to me in your (clothed) pics. but i just suggested to block out others comments so ignore me! lol good luck! p.s. again, in my insignificant (non-medical) opinion: for someone your current height, weight, and reported activity level, 1600-18000 cals at 35g of carbs is weight loss level cals/macros. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thought I'd update this post because I just had the chance to attend a live Q&A session with Dr. Matthew Weiner. I talked to him about my weight loss so far and concerns about how slow my progress has felt post-op. He asked me about pre-op weight loss and what my highest weight had been, and explained that even though I was 223 going into surgery, I had started at 251 and lost 12 lbs from nutrition changes over 6 months, plus 16 lbs from the pre-op diet, so that all factors into the final weight loss expectations. He suggested in terms of what my final weight loss from the surgery might be that using the 251 starting weight could be more accurate, and that the pre-op diet weight loss would definitely help explain the slower weight loss post-op. Bottom line, I feel so much relief hearing this explanation from him and really appreciated him taking the time to ask so many questions to get to the answer! My surgeon really hasn't given me an estimate of what I should expect to lose, although I plan to ask at my 3-month appointment next week so I can compare.

I'm 4 days out from an arm lift, J lift, and breast lift that included replacing and downsizing old implants. Basically, I have sutures from about an inch below my elbow, up my entire upper arm, down through my armpit, and continuing along the curve of my breast with only about an inch or two gap from the other side. Then anchor incisions on the breasts as well. Apparently, one of my old implants was ruptured as well so took a bit longer than planned. I'm doing pretty good - the only challenge is some tingling/loss of sensation in my thumb and index finger on my right hand (dominant). Dr. isn't worried and think as swelling in the arm goes down it will improve. Otherwise, I feel a bit like a stuffed sausage but not too bad! I was able to shower and switched to Tylenol today. Hopefully, the swelling will go down little by little over the coming days although I realize it will be months before my results are final. So far I can tell the arms are going to be MUCH better. Even all swelling the contour is significantly better. The "j lift" should mean no more skin pushing out under my arm from my bra, and my chest feels like its going to be the right size. Once closer to final I'll share some pics. Too much effort right now

Hello everyone! I discovered this forum a couple of weeks ago and have found it really helpful (so thank you!) but this is my first time posting. I’m scheduled to have a gastric bypass on September 12, and I’m really anxious and somewhat doubtful. I’m half way through my 2 week pre-op diet (2 shakes, 2 snacks, 1 meal, no carbs); I started 2 days late but still, I haven’t lost a thing. Anyone else experience this? what if it’s the same after the surgery? What if my body’s just broken from gaining and losing so many times? a little context: I’m female, 39 years old, and weigh 266.4 lbs. it’s the biggest I’ve ever been. I have three children, but after my second son passed away at birth in 2020, I was put on antidepressants which I take religiously. Early this year I was also diagnosed with ADHD and put on meds, and the loss of appetite and focus cut my food intake in half— still did not lose any weight.

So had my VGS surgery on 13th June and have been keeping track of my measurements since about the 3rd of July 2024. Low waist included, as I am male and I wear most of my trousers/jeans low. Waist high is measured above my hips. 3rd July: Chest = 52 inches Neck = 19 inches Waist (high) = 51 inches Waist (low) = 53 inches Thigh = 31 inches Bicep = 18 inches 27 August Chest = 50 inches (-2) Neck = 18 inches (-1) Waist (high) = 47 inches (-4) Waist (low) = 50 inches (-3) Thigh = 28 inches (-3) Bicep = 15.5 inches (-2.5) So in total that's 15.5 inches lost since around 3 weeks after surgery. This has been especially useful given weight loss has slowed to around 2-3 lbs per week, and is a great motivator for me 😊 Anyone else tracking measurements?

When I was trying to slow my weight loss I was snacking 5 x a day. I felt like I was eating all day long. In time my meal sizes got a little larger though I still snack 3-4 x a day to get the calories in. Peanut paste, nuts, protein bar, string cheese, yoghurt. baked fava beans or chick peas, half an apple, small bunch of grapes, & my left over rolled oats, yoghurt & dried cranberry breakfast are all snack options. I’m a full fat milk & full fat salad dressing girl too. No low fat foods in my kitchen (in many cases it’s high sugar &/or high salt to compensate for the low fat). I wouldn’t get worried yet. Yes there is the bounce back many experience to keep in mind. Your remaining fat will resettle and changes your body shape & you’ll look less gaunt especially in the face. Much like we tell people while they’re losing not to worry about the number on the scales too much, the same is true now while things are stabilising. Though you say you look bony & too skinny how much of this is body dysmorphia & you’re not really seeing yourself? Are you too skinny or is it too skinny in comparison to how big you were before? Are you really seeing bones sticking out or just seeing some shadowing of bones or feeling bones which you’ve never seen or felt before or have forgotten? It takes time to really see yourself after weight loss. Our brains can really twist our thinking.

I think it takes our minds some time to catch up to the changes in our bodies, especially when the change has been so quick and you have been distracted by all the new eating rules and weight loss. You also had your holiday to focus on too. Now there are no real distractions and the changes have hit you. I know when I lost weight previously, it didn’t feel ‘real’ - ?? I felt like I was observing someone else from afar. I know it doesn’t make sense - I was the one dieting, I was the one working out, I was the one weighing and measuring but it’s honestly how I felt. I certainly didn’t feel that, once I had hit target, that I would stay thinner and that would be that. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, as they say! Comments from others can add to the problem, especially when your mind is playing tricks on you and you’re struggling to come to terms with a different ‘you’. I hate the backhanded ‘compliment’ because it just strikes me as bitchy when there is no need. It generally means that the person giving it is jealous or miffed at what you have achieved. Well screw them, that’s their problem, not yours. You certainly don’t owe anyone an explanation of how and why. 💜

HI my lovelies ❤️ I am just about 3 months post op (surgery was 12/6/24) and 1 lb shy of being down a total of 40lbs. While this is great I feel like I should be down more, or wish I was down more. I can't help but see others with close to 60+lbs down within the same time frame. I know we're not supposed to compare ourselves, it's literally the worst thing to do, but I can't help it. I was apart of the Tuesday Talks meeting last week which there were 2 women there that assured me that they lost at a similar pace, losing about 10lbs a month every month after the surgery. One of the nice ladies explained that 10lbs/month = to 120lbs down in 1 year. When I thought of it like that, I did feel better and more assured however I am still struggling with self depleting thoughts. Also, the last 2 weeks I been struggling with eating the wrong foods and snacking on foods I shouldn't be eating which I'll beat myself up even more mentally. My biggest struggles are iced coffee with sugary syrups and pizza/chips. I will have these about 1 x a week the last 2 weeks. How the day goes is it's usually a Sunday, I'll get a sugary coffee for breakfast and then end the day with 1 of those single serving bag of chips and 1 slice of pizza. I've done this now the last 2 Sundays. While it may not seem like a lot Im worried that I will start sliding down the wrong path and give into my old ways even more. The luxury of this surgery is Im incapable of overeating now and these foods still stay within a "normal" caloric range for the day (about 1400cals) but still, I know I shouldn't be eating them at all. I also workout 5 days a week now and have been consistent with this since late December. I do about 1.5 miles on the treadmill at the gym 3xs a week and then do a step ups aerobic type of exercise 2 days a week at home. I always leave my workout super sweaty with a high calorie burn on my Apple Watch. So with all this being said, I feel like I eat perfectly 6 days a week w 1 day where I'm "off", workout 5 days a week every single week taking off 2 days usually Wed and Sunday to let my body rest. Is there anything else I could do to speed up my weight loss? Or do you think this is "normal" and I'm on a good path? I also do these week to 2 week challenges with my bf that help me stay on track too. For example we did one from 2/12 - 3/1 and the rules were no junk food, fried foods or sugar and workout 5 days a week. I completed the challenge and lost 6 lbs total. But it was the day after the challenge where I ate pizza and iced coffee w mocha. We started a new challenge today which ends on Saturday 3/9. After that I'll be partaking in Ramadan beginning Monday 3/11 this year which will also help to keep me disciplined. Please do share your thoughts and how you combated your bad food habits? Also, please be kind ❤️ Thanks for reading! xoxo

There's no shame in postponing or calling off the surgery if you're feeling uncertain about it. It's a big step to take, and there's no un-doing it. It can change your life for the better, but there's also lots of changes that become necessary that are difficult. Not to mention, any surgery carries risks associated. Maybe take this weekend to think about why you decided to get the surgery to begin with. Everyone's reasons are different, but for the most part I think a lot of us have had the up-down fluctuations, the diets that works and then the weight came back, the diets that never worked to begin with, etc. Is the weight loss your only goal, or do you have other obesity related health conditions that this would improve? Do the benefits to your life outweigh (hehe) the potential drawbacks? Also, question your uncertainty now. Is it because you think you haven't given other weight loss attempts a fair shot, and feel like you now can? Is it because you think the pre-op weight loss will continue at a similar rate, or do you feel like this jumpstart of weight loss has given you a better starting point to continue with other diet/exercise methods to lose the rest? Or is it because the surgery itself / risks / post-op side effects / etc are giving you reason to doubt? Like @SleeveToBypass2023 said, the pre-op diet isn't meant to last long term. It's basically a cleanse / crash diet to reduce complications prior to surgery. I don't know what your specific program had you on during this stage, but I had two weeks of 'medical shakes' that basically amounted to a starvation diet in terms of calories. My pre-op diet program definitely would not have been healthy to continue long term -- and honestly, it reminded me of other diets I tried in the past (looking at you 1990's slim fast) that would help you shed some quick initial pounds but came back ridiculously easily just trying to stay in 'maintenance'. There's no right or wrong answer here. No matter what choice you make, you'll be making in your own best interest.

It's great that your body is starting to regulate! But also... periods, boo! I started using the Mirena IUD after my youngest was born, so going on 13 years of no periods (although not everyone has that luck with it). However, the last couple months, I have had noticeable spotting that lasted several days, and also the tenderness in my breasts that I always had with my period. So definitely there's something changing for me, too, with weight loss, even though it's being masked a bit more because of the birth control. I was starting to wonder, since I'm 50 now, if maybe I was done (hard to know if you've hit menopause with Mirena) but this seems to have answered that question, anyway.

I am going to recommend something I personally subscribe to, which is the online support groups through the Pound of Cure Weight Loss's nutrition program. It's $49 per month and you get unlimited online groups and classes, including groups run by Dr. Weiner, the bariatric surgeon, and Zoe, the registered dietician. They are both so nice and really helpful in answering questions and offering thoughtful advice. While he's not in your area (the practice is in Arizona), I know he's one of the few doctors out there who is happy to take patients who had surgeries elsewhere. If you're not already familiar with Dr. Weiner's book Pound of Cure, I can't suggest it enough. I bought it from Amazon last summer and it helped me start turning around my nutrition while I was waiting for surgery. Their podcast and video series on YouTube are also invaluable.

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.

Hey there! I had bypass back in February. My best advice is to ignore other people's stats and focus on you. I, too, was worried about my progress, but 7 months in, I am still losing weight and just bought jeans in a size I have not worn since I was 22 years old (I am 50 now). Here is how it went for me, just so you can see one example, but we are all different. Starting weight: 251 lbs (BMI 40.5 as I am 5'6" tall) Pre-surgery loss (over 6 months): -12.2lbs (this was from nutrition changes) 2 week liquid diet: -15.4lbs Month 1: -8.2lbs Month 2: -10.8lbs Month 3: -3.8lbs Month 4: -11.0lbs Month 5: -3.4lbs Month 6: -5.2lbs Month 7: -3.6lbs So far in month 8: -2.2lbs Today's weight: 175.2lbs (BMI 28.3) My goal is to lose another 20lbs in the next 5-6 months, which would be 3-4 lbs per month. That would get me to a "normal" BMI of under 30 and would be about the same weight I was when I was 18 years old.

I am at 6.5 months post op so relatively early out. Reached goal at 3.5 months but continued to lose (and still losing albeit slower). I have increased by calories by 200 and the weight loss hasn't stopped but that is all I can manage now. I will try to increase my calories gradually and see how it goes, from what I hear - and subject to you following your plan - it is unlikely that you stop losing before the 1 year mark. Best of Luck!

Thanks @RonHall908 I’ll try and keep that in mind if I start working out! I’ve done a few 5k runs and have been walking as much as I can since operation (27km (16.7 miles)Saturday on a hilly Greek Island ) but a part from my physio appointements in Paris I haven’t worked out. Following the fantastic advice I got here I opted out of hotels for my travels after Cairo and have been opting for airbnbs since - this means kitchen but no gyms! But hey strangers things have happened, one day I might work out …. Who knows! I did climb up and down this sort of cliff thing to a beach yesterday. I had a bit of a panic, ripped my dress ( not a special dress so not sad about that) and got some extra bruises… but it was worth it and I was proud of myself because 3 months ago I never would even had considered it! Climb back up was a bit scary too … but I made it! My hair had dried on the beach after my swim but by the time I was back up at the top of the cliff my hair was drenched from “stress sweat” again #notsexy! The beach, the cliff to get there and my savouring my “victory

So glad things went well for you at your follow-up appointment and you can stop taking lansoprazole - hurray!! It’s amazing how much has changed for you in such a short space of time, and will continue to change for quite a while yet. I think it takes a some time to find your feet when you have undergone some transformative weight loss, plus I also think there’s an element of mourning the person you was and not being sure about the person you’re becoming. I hope you’re documenting your experience, just so you can look back on your journey when things get difficult or you get fed up. It always helps to have something to guide us when we’re feeling out of sorts, or the dreaded stall look’s never ending! Well done on your journey so far 👏👏👏

I can't speak to most of your questions, but I do know that the Premier Protein product is some of the better protein shakes out there, and you can get them anywhere (Walmart, Amazon, etc.). If you prefer a vegan choice (not whey protein) I like Evolve Protein (which I usually buy from Amazon). If you want to stick with the "medical" protein shakes, you can go to https://www.go4ithealth.com/ as they are the retail site that sells all of the Numetra weight loss products (most hospitals sell you the pre-op diet and a lot them use Numetra for that), you will need a blender bottle for them though whereas the Premier and Evolve and ready to drink (RTD). I can recommend a really good blender bottle called Helimix (I got it on Amazon - sensing a theme? LOL), it doesn't use a blender ball just physics. 😂 Either way, good luck with your journey!

I get comments and I haven’t even had the surgery yet. My surgery is on 7/25 and when i talk about my goal weight, I get the whole that’s too much weight loss, you won’t look good. How are you going to tell me that a healthy size I once was before I started having weight gain issues will make me look unhealthy. I learned not to talk about it with certain people because they really aren’t supportive. Some people don’t want to see you change for the better because then you are leaving them behind.

did you feel like you needed a pixi cut due to the loss or was just over all the shedding? I will be honest I don't have your confidence to rock it! You look sooo good in each stage!!!