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Yeah it can push the food along so fast you can't absorb calories, especially if you are part of the general Bypass family, your digestion starts much farther down in the proximal/or/distal end of your jejunem and you are naturally now at a caloric deficiency and this only compounds the malnutrition, sad to say. As the Old Carnival Barker said " YOU pay Your 💰 money, YOU take your choice" well when we "BOOKED in" our surgeons probably told us, to guarantee good weight loss, a modicum of perfect digestion is given up. In my case I went in more than twice the BMI an 70+ woman. should carry, I needed to LOSE weight before I lost my LIFE and /or I developed all the hereditary diseases I was potential heiress to. The fact that I HADN'T was more Good Luck than Good Planning and my PCP was starting to have a conniption fit that his fancy- shamancy diets weren't working. Want the dictionary definition of conniption? A fit of hysterical excitement or anger, and YES that is exactly how Dr Carroll saw it in October 2017 when I became the ONLY PERSON in his knowledge to ever GAIN 30 pounds with one month of Phenteramine therapy. Oldest person I ever Saw have a tantrum, and like I said, I've been around "since Hector was a pup" and He now has gray on his muzzle. But many of the Things have resolved, I am now. 188 down from 365+, surgeon/ bariatric staff. was SATISFIED with anything below 200, I want to attempt to stay on track to 175, that's MY GOAL! And Doctor Tantrum- Thrower, now he's.PO.end thinks I've lost TOO Much Too Quickly, should have watched What He Said-- for I am nothing but a Compliant Soul , I follow Medical Advice when all's said and done! And although without clothes on, I have blobby stretched out skin where the blubber used to be, barbed I am a Firecracker if not a full- fledged stick of Dy-noh-mite! Honey for a 73 year broad I am looking pretty fine, never was petite, won't start NOW but I look as good as the average over-70 RockStar, and facing the facts there are a lot of 60s and 70s music icons there these days. Always was prettier than Mick Jagger, even at my Worst!😛👍🎶🎸👵

So sorry you're having a tough time. We all go through this phase where suddenly we are able to eat more and begin to feel hungrier and on top of it, that's about the time we're feeling better and want to get back to living and most of us are sick of dieting by that time. It's a perfect storm! For me the trick was inventing new games with food to keep me interested. I began doing IF, I varied my macros and made it a game to try to hit them. I continued logging every bite--good and bad. I limited my exposure to fun and frivolity. And I stayed very very low food reward. No craptastically delicious casseroles or ethnic foods. Only sauteed, roasted, or grilled plain meats (no meat lube--drier the better), and al dente veggies (steamed, nuked, roasted, grilled) and a bit of healthy fats. Occasionally I would have a few frozen blueberries but that was pretty limited. By going back to my forever diet and focusing on protein first, then veg and a tiny bit of healthy fats and sticking to 1 cup volume per meal (50-70g protein per day) and 100+ oz of water per day I was able to stay on track and continue losing. In my opinion, unless you are a super athlete or bariatric athlete, if you are "stalled" long term then you are simply eating to maintenance calories, not eating for weight loss mode. For me to lose, I MUST be in the 650-850 range (toward the lower end is better).

Was it a regular Dr that admitted you or your bariatric Dr? My surgeon told me next time to call them and come to their hospital to be evaluated...our local ER had no idea what to do with me.

Sure. I'm at about 18 months. FOODS Not nearly as sensitive to foods are I was, but I still feel like avocados do me in. Ice Cream. Beer. Basically sugar, carbs, wheat. VITAMINS I take two normal chewable bariatric vitamin in the morning (dosage is two). That seems to keep me covered for everything except D and calcium. Based on advice from this board, I now take 50,000 iu of D3 every day in capsule form. NOTE: THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT AND TOOK A YEAR BEFORE SOMEONE ON THIS BOARD CLUED ME IN: After this surgery, anything oil based goes through you like **** through a duck. This is in general a good thing. I can literally eat a stick of butter at every meal and it will not show up on waistline. BUT, this means that any vitamin or other drugs that are "Gelcaps" run through you without effect and do not absorb!! Most D3 is sold in gelcap form so you need to find a version that isn't. (I dont know what brand im using offhand, but if you ask I will go upstairs and figure it out.) . SInce switching to non-gelcaps, my D3 is right where it needs to be. I've also had issues with calcium, which is common. I recently switched to the more expensive version. Haven't been re-tested yet, but will report back after my next test. Lastly, I take generic Prilosec for heartburn. I didn't need to before surgery, but now its a must. I take one more 'vitamin' for joint issues, but that IMO is unrelated to bariatric. THat's it. Not the fistful of pills you sometimes see others taking. But Im SIPS- not full DS - one of the advantages of which is less vitamin issues BATHROOM Yeah, that's still major issue. 12 to 20 times a day. Usually explosive. Not quite as smelly as the early days, but....yeah... i **** A LOT. I usually have to get up 3 to 4 times a night still. And It isn't pretty. I carry wet wipes with me at in my back pack at all times, along with poopouri. Also, having a toilet brush in every bathroom in my house is a must. Sometimes I have to do cleanup duty in restaurant or other public bathrooms, just because I feel guilty about the damage I have created. Its really really wrong NOTE: I still eat fast food and all types of garbage. If I cleaned my diet, I assume things in the bathroom would improve. But I like fast food, and I still keep getting skinnier, so I guess the trade off is worth it.

Very very soon I’m doing this! ATM, I’m mostly playing around with different eating intervals, and not quite pulling the trigger on alternate day fasting. 2 main reasons: 1. I’m still >20 pounds from goal and would like to wait til I’m within 10 pounds to start more aggressive IF 2. Even though I’ve had a slight bounce this week, I’m going to wait this out and see if I’m truly stalled, or everything is just resettling for a couple of weeks. Today and the next 2 days I’m fluctuating my eating window. Today was 20:4, tomorrow will be 16:8, Tuesday will be another 20:4. Plan is to eat >65gm protein daily and I’ve not yet figured the calories, but I know what I’ve got planned to eat. I’ve got a rotisserie chicken, high protein soup, cottage cheese, Brie, a bariatric hot chocolate, some almonds and plain ole fairlife milk. Today my calories were around 550, tomorrow I’m gonna bump to 900-ish. Mostly I’ll be eating cheese, popping an extra handful of almonds and drinking extra milk to help get me there. I’m hoping to get out of my every day “rut” of eating about 700-800 calories every single day and doing 16:8 almost every single day.

Hi :) welcome! I am one of the 4 that @Deedee12 was mentioning! I will be going in tomorrow morning at 6:30 is my arrival time but 9 am is surgery. I will say for me what helped me control my nerves was binge watching my 600lb life and family by the ton, as well as YouTube experiences. I also read a Bariatric mindset success book. Also what helping me from not backing out is 1. Knowing how much money I’ve put in already with all the copays and what insurance didn’t cover during the process 2. My WHY Im doing this Feel free to send me any questions you may have :)

Congrats on 3 days out. Vent away! Many Dr’s have no bed side manor. I would have told her to shut it, I’m not here for your personal opinions. Its a similar situation where I live. My bariatric office will not work with patients that have surgery out of the country. They refer patients from Mexico to their family physician. If they have complications they have to look into surgeons outside the bariatric program.

Hi everyone, I’m new here. My journey began July 25th 2011. I went in to have a sleeve at 250lbs. 7 months later I left the hospital for good with a gastric bypass. From my original surgery my stomach swelled shut, and started growing together. I had to have a peg tube inserted to get nutrients. I had multiple infections, a pulmonary embolism. Finally the surgeons decided a gastric bypass was what would correct my body. Finally had the gastric bypass, and went home feeling so much better. I went home eating solid foods already. About 2 months later I had a bowel rupture, and after more infections and 2 more surgeries, one removing my gallbladder, I was finally released from the hospital for the last time. I got down to an unhealthy 130, my BMI was now to low. So I started on the mission of trying to gain weight. Well that got out of control and got up to 190. By that time I could no longer see my surgeon because my husband was no longer in the Army, and you can’t see a military doctor on civilian insurance. About 4 years ago I started having either severe constipation or severe diarrhea. I started seeing a gastroenterologist, who didn’t understand my surgeries, and just told me to deal with it. I had to have an iron infusion, once again dealing with another doctor that didn’t understand my body post RNY. About 6 months ago I decided enough was enough and wanted to be healthy again, my original goal in all this. It was time for control back in my life. I started eating correctly again, and am now down to a healthy 147. I decided to finally go see a bariatric surgeon to get my life back on track. While searching for a good one to go see (I live in a rural area, and knew traveling was the only answer) I found out my original surgeon now runs a bariatric clinic in Albuquerque about 5 hours from me. I called to see if I could see him. Not even an hour after I made that call his nurse called me back saying her remembered me and my case well and wanted to see me. I saw him 2 weeks ago. He put me back on a good bariatric multi vitamin, the correct iron my body will absorb, and psyllium husk, because he knew exactly what was causing my constipation issues. It’s been a long road, and I’m back feeling healthy and happy again. I’ve been needing to get back to people of my own, and know now I need the support of those who understand this journey and become active in these groups again. Sorry for the long post. It’s been a long road.

Good luck! I know a lot has changed in 17 years...but what specifically has changed about YOU? It will still only be a tool. And any tool has a work-around. We can and do eat beyond and around our tools everyday and face weight regain. Have you worked on your head? Do you have a bariatric counselor? Do you work with an RD who will give you extensive follow-ups over the next 5 years? Are you a member of a local weight loss support group? I'm asking these hoping to hear that you are WAYYYY ahead of me.

Well I went for my quasi- 1 year checkup on the 14th- why did I even bothered--- IDK? Got there promptly, well even a little ahead of time, have an abiding fear if getting caught in Big City Traffic, and in the waiting room I sat, a couple after surgeries like me, the rest "pre" and anticipating. Got weighed, a mini- ooh wow at my weight loss, they DID NOT EXPECT. me to be below 190. Then Tomkitten and I were shown to a room to wait for whoever deigned to see me. He attends99% of my appointments for 2 reasons 1) security for ME 2) he has the hearing of a hidden microphone- nothing gets by him. Finally ( my appointed time was 3:30, it was 5:15) in comes Shannon, one of my absolute unfavorite nurses, has sneer on her face often, complaining that 2 nurses are having to do the work of 3 since Valerie( the chief one- the one I wanted to see if I couldn't see my surgeon, him I will in all probability never seen again unless I have a bowel torsion or another surgical OMG) . Well whine whine NMF- not my fault, we all don't have sunshine and bluebird singing in the trees! I tried to verbalize a few of my concerns, paid more attention to her laptop keyboard than to ME. I'm sure a court stenographer or such would have billed less to my insurance. Basically told me I was fully healed whether I believed it or not, no more endoscopies or testings needed, then proceeded to make a liar of herself, only blood testing record on my chart was one my PCP had done closely after my iron infusion in March to see if my Ferritin level had stayed LEVEL had stayed stable, I had had another DONE just after it was finally ordered on July 19th. Yeah it was done at my hospital here in Mount Vernon but they had each other's fax numbers, if they were concerned one side could have called the other, Not to insinuate I AM A LIAR! If it had been My Call " Hi this is Ohio State University Bariatric Clinic . We faxed you an order on July 19th for one of our patients to have blood tests run, if you are able to access it, if you are Not able to fax it in its entirety, the facets we are most interested in are ___,____, &____. Thank you very much, we will be hoping to hear from you soon." Neat, Sweet and Complete. Then she said in essence, my pain levels will not lessen , I may remain nauseous for the foreseeable future if not the rest of my life, why not just come OUT and admit " We Made You a Gastrointestinal Cripple when we did your Surgery, Sorry but Not Sorry. Just the Way the Mop Flops, honey!" I would just like to wake up one morning, not in pain, not nauseous, not to be told I am delusional, needing psychiatric help for what seems to be bodily symptoms. I would relish wakiing up to "Hurray a New Day" not "Is That all There Is?" And also the reason I was treated So shabbily in May? She claims I told her I was depressed and suicidal . For this you tell someone to go away , stop bothering you and call your county overburdened mental health agencies? 1) I said nothing similar to that , only that I was vomitting for a prolonged period and scared and 2) If I were going to "off" MYSELF, this would push me over the edge to Complete it, because I would feel Nobody really cares for Me, Might as Well Die! If anyone wants to know further WHY I NEVER WOULD KILL MYSELF feel free to P.M. me, although I won't take up space in the Public Domain, there is a Story and I am not reluctant to Speak of It. Okay? So I am not scheduled for another Appointment until August 2020, with this feeble excuse for a Caring Person, at the very Least I will call and request Somebody Different, I no longer want or trust this person, her advice, such as it is, I find flawed, not helpful to my future. I would not have difficulty finding another, you barely can turn in a circle without running into a nurse, indeed it is like they have an Industrial Conveyer Belt. somewhere in the building, as the 60s song said " All made of Ticky- Tacky and they all LOOK the Same". So I remain your buddy, a few tears for what might have been, because intrinsically I do believe,things could have ended up better, maybe I will become resigned to lessening of expectations. But I wanted the GOLD RING, to find out it was cheapness metal and turned my finger Green breaks my❤. I believed I deserved the Very Best outcome and I'm not sure I Got It. Your thinner(⬇188 pounds) Sadder maybe Wiser Bestest Bud--- FRUSTR8

Meal prep for the bf, non bariatric portions! Pollo asada salad with corn, beans, pico & tortilla strips (not pictured) (cost $2.65.each) (The tortilla strip salad topper nutritionals were way out of wack, so I used Doritos to calc instead) Ground turkey & quinoa stuffed bell peppers with Italian green beans, peas with parmesan ($2.24 each) Beef meatballs with onion gravy over zoodles & green beans with whole grain mustard ($5.52 each) I love cooking healthy meals (for others, while I go microwave a burrito)

I remember on the morning of my surgery saying to my partner "Do you think I can just lose the weight and keep it off on my own and not do the surgery?" That was obviously nerves talking, but his answer made perfect sense. He said, "If you could, you would have by now". Bariatric surgery is NOT a failure. It's still hard work after surgery to lose and maintain for the rest of your life. It's about using a tool to make the best choices for your health. You'll still have to eat properly and exercise, but WLS is the tool that will help you to learn how to change not only your weight, but your mindset. Since my bypass 11 months ago I have become intolerant of a good few foods - not a bad thing when they include sugary foods, fatty foods and absolutely intolerant of anything chocolate. It's not easy but it's your health you need to consider.

Bariatric surgery support; Bariatric kitchen; Bariatric mind masters and Bariatric social. They are private fb groups that you ask to join.

I have been struggling with my weight my whole life. It's always a comment from my parents, or my old doctor saying that I should eat more veggies and salads and run more. Or me trying fad diet after fad diet, or trying a "lifestyle change" diet like Noom or Weight watchers or Keto... but I always hover between 280 and 220 pounds. I remember once, I broke past my 220 pound curse... I got to 200 pounds even! "Finally! Progress!" I thought to myself, but a little voice in the back of my head came around. It was all the doctors I had ever seen come to torture me. "For a person my size, gender, and age. I should be between 100-120 pounds". Ok, so time to change up the routine, and try to lose more weight. I took weight loss pills, exercised harder, but the weight loss just stalled. No matter how much I tried I could not break the barrier. So. I am taking the plunge into weight loss surgery. I spoke with my PCP, and he said felt it would benefit me. It will help with my insulin resistance that is due to my Pcos (polycystic ovary syndrome), and lower my risk for diabetes and heart problems (both are health issues from my parents). I found a surgeon in the Tampa, FL area and I have my very first appointment with him in a couple weeks... so why do I feel like a failure? Why is it that I feel like I can try a new way to lose the weight on my own without having surgery? Why am I against the surgery? Why does it feel like I'm failing when I haven't even started? I just want to be healthy... I don't even care about being skinny... I just want to be able to tie my shoes without becoming winded. Or go to a theme park without becoming tired in an hour. Do I have many, many questions? Yes. But signing up in this forum has helped answer some of them... do I worry about what I'll look like after the surgery? Yes. But that does not outweigh my health... and I know this! But why on earth do I still want to cancel the appointment and try, for the millionth time, to lose the weight on my own? Why do I feel like giving up when I haven't even started? Am I the only one who feels like this? I can't be alone in these thoughts, right? ... truthfully I probably should save this discussion for the bariatric therapist; but I can't stop thinking about it... How did you all do it? How did you guys push past the intrusive thoughts?

I am. I have bariatric multivitamin chewables I got from the vitamin shoppe but forget to take them sometimes. I think that's why I feel so exhausted when I dont take it.

Well. I personally would worry about someone who didn't have some fear, at least a little, sometime in this long process. You are totally normal! I have had a lot of surgeries myself-one just yesterday even (gallbladder out) and I can honestly say the bypass was the most anxiety provoking one by far. It is a BIG choice to make, after all, and it is wrapped up in lots of old emotions around weight and failure that we all deal with. So, know you ARE OK, but try to use that fear by turning that energy into something positive now instead. Ideas: Write down all the things you want to do after you lose some of the weight. Collect bariatric friendly recipes. Check out some of the great posts here of before and after pictures for inspiration etc. Stick to your plan, use that (totally normal!) fear to get better prepared and give yourself grace when you need to. It really IS going to be ok. You can do this!!!💙

Hello All! My band to RNY revision is scheduled for 9/13. Honestly, my decision for bypass was 2 fold: 1. Complications due to band failure. Even today, after having all of the fluid removed four years ago due to recurrent gastritis and esophageal spasms, I still struggle daily with never knowing what will get stuck, terrible reflux, sliming constantly with every meal, the chest pressure with eating anything, the nightly gas pains under my collar bones, vomiting, and belly pain. All this while eating way smaller portions than most, just to almost be back to my pre-lap band weight, plus all the problems I didn’t have before the lapband. I feel like I’m a Prius in the metabolism race. I apparently hold onto every single calorie I ingest, so malabsorption as a tool might be a more effective option for me. And removing the ban will take care of the issues. 2. My surgeon prefers band to bypass when there is a history of GERD. From my understanding gerd after sleeve is quite common. Enough so that one of the local research hospitals is currently doing clinical trials for a procedure to treat reflux specifically for post sleeve patients. I’m already experiencing a life of reflux and anything I can do to make that better instead of potentially worse is where I’m looking. I really don’t want the acute gastritis and spasms again! Nothing like heart attack like symptoms to get you started:( My revision was requested as general surgery instead of bariatric, due to all of the complications, and approved 2 weeks after being submitted. I will be having my revision in one surgery. I specifically requested that from my surgeon. He is comfortable with and has experience doing it all at once, so that is my plan. I’m very adverse to two rounds under anesthesia and post op recoveries. One of the folks who post on the forums has a favorite saying: YMMV. Your Milage May Vary. Basically, your journey is your journey. Whatever decision you and your surgeon make whether bypass or sleeve is the right one for you. You have to feel confident and empowered in the decision process. It’s your health! Educate yourself, don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and make the best choice for YOU. Good vibes to us all!

Yes! The bariatric nurse at the hospital called to check on me today. She said I need to work harder to get my water in and to increase my protein intake and that should help me start losing again. Good luck to you as well!! 5'4" Starting weight 297 VSG on 7/31/19 266 CW 250 GW 135 Sent from my [samsung Galaxy] using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm about the start the next step.....PLASTICS! I'm scheduled for consultations starting next week. Question for anyone else contemplating plastics What do you think of consultation fees? On one hand, I recognize that a surgeons time is valuable. But on the other hand I will be out some serious money, before I even decide on a surgeon. I've narrowed down my search to 5 surgeons who either specialize in, or do a fair amount of post bariatric plastics. Three of the five charge consultation fees, from $150 - $350. Interestingly my top 2 choices don't charge a consultation fee. I'm thinking of just seeing my top 2 first, and then scheduling the ones with fees if I'm not comfortable with one of those. But I also don't want to save a few hundred dollars (total $750 for all 3 others), if at the end I might be more satisfied, or save thousands on the final surgery. Opinions please!

I’m in the pre-surgery stage as well. Here is all the things my program encouraged me to start before surgery. The last 3 months I worked my way up to working out 5 days a week for at least 30 min. It was a slow progression but I really think it will help me after surgery. I also drastically decreased my sugar and carb intake. I measure, weigh, and track my food and water. I’m trying to learn to eat slower. That is so hard for me! I also quit all carbonated beverages. I am half way through a required 12 week class on healthy weight and my bariatric class is in October. Only then do I get to make an appointment to see the surgeon. It is a long road to surgery but I think that is a good thing. It gives me plenty of time to prepare and be really sure I can do this. Also, I’ve lost 35 pounds so far. That is a nice bonus! Good luck on your journey!

I don't, but I am in St. Pete! I am 25 days post-op (best decision EVER)...best thing to do is call your insurance and ask (a local bariatric surgery office can give you the code to ask with). Good luck!

I agree with the above response. If you're thinking a drink or two once a month or something, then yes. If on a regular basis, then you could be playing with fire. Alcoholism rates are supposedly much higher in bariatric surgery patients than it is in the normal population because of transfer addiction.

Hi, that is wonderful! You are doing great! I had my sleeve July 8th. I am on the regular bariatric diet / no restrictions. I don’t have any problems eating or drinking. Sometimes it is har dot get all the fluids if I forget to keep drinking. I stalled from weeks 3 and 4 (I only lost 4lbs those weeks) which the nurse practitioner said was normal and some even gain a pound or two. I was told I should lose between 8 and 10lbs a month and that’s about where I am at. I really feel normal for the most part and sometimes forget I had the surgery. I do eat mostly protein, the triple net zero Oiko’s Greek yogurt and I also have a premier protein shake a day. I also mix in protein powder in my crystal light. I weigh myself constantly too which I shouldn’t. Lol

Alasyx, I was told in my bariatric seminar that you can use the products from Wal-Mart that are bariatric specific and it cost less than buying from them. Just make sure they are on you lust of choices of bariatric shakes, ect.

60-70% is the average so that's usually the target surgeons will give you. Of course, there are people who lose more or less than the average. I lost 100% of my excess weight, but I was told only about 10% of people end up doing that. I can tell you that I worked by butt off to do that. So yes, it's possible, but you have to be super committed to do it. Edited to add that that 10% figure that my surgeon's office gave me is pretty consistent with what I've read in medical literature as well. Not sure where you're getting that 80-100% figure, but that's not reflected in peer-reviewed studies that have been done on this. you may see better success rates among people who participate in sites such as these than you will in the general bariatric population (although this is just speculation on my part - I've never actually read studies that say this) because people who continue with support groups or with online forums or stay involved with the bariatric community in other ways long after they've had surgery are probably more likely to keep their head in the game and may be more likely to reach and maintain their goals - but again, that's just speculation on my part and I may be totally off-base. I have been involved with this and other internet forums for the last five or six years and stayed pretty much 100% committed to my plan the whole time I was losing weight. I almost never went off. Again, you have to remain super committed if you want to lose 100% of your excess weight.