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I do! I got it from Amazon! It's the Sunny brand w/resistance bands! It cost mr about $60 on sale! It was hard at first but since losing weight it has gotten so much easier and makes my leg muscles and arms feel so good! It's what I'll do if I can't make it to the gym! Holds up to 250lbs and I was so scared I would be too heavy for it but as I kept losing weight, 250lbs came and went! I hope you get one and I hope you love it! Sent from my SM-F711U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Everyone! My name is Kristin. I'm happily married to an amazing man, that is my #1 supporter! I have 2 kids, a 19yr old son & a 16yr old daughter. I am 36 yrs young from CO! I had Duodenal Switch WLS on 7/26/22! I am 4 mons post-op right now! The biggest reason I had surgery is bc I'm a T2 Diabetic! I was taking 2 types of insulin, taking injections 5x/day! I was diagnosed over 10 years ago and I was just tired of taking insulin, tired of having to constantly check my sugars, tired of being overwhelmed by constant thoughts of nothing but my blood sugar levels! I was tired of being overweight, tired of being tired, tired of getting winded from my front door to my car, tired of being in pain from my knees, my back, & my hips! It was time for me to do something and when my husband and I found out our job got the SurgeryPlus+ benefit, it was time to take action!! Started the journey in April and had surgery in July, it went quick! My hubby and I flew to SLC,UT for my surgery! My heaviest weight was 293lbs before my 2week pre-op diet, my weight at surgery was 269lbs, & now I weigh 205lbs! Almost 90lbs down and almost to ONEderland!! This journey has been tough, hard, overwhelming, emotional, crazy, & amazing! Still looking forward to what's to come! Hope you will join me along my journey & I hope we can be friends!! Just taking it one day at a time! Sent from my SM-F711U using BariatricPal mobile app

I wish I knew that pretty much at the 6 to 9 mark month the weight loss stops. I also wish I knew about the possible hormone levels being throw out of whack and what that could do to your metal health.

Have you looked at Holistic Medicine, Functional Medicine, Integrative Medicine or seeing Naturopathic doctor? As a healthcare provider I know that the current state of medicine is in shambles. Providers are burnt out and cannot care for their patients as well due to the demand of insurance companies and performance metrics. The healthcare industry is a business; patients have suffered and providers are emotionally bankrupt because of it. Productivity goals have made the level for care, and time to spend, and talk to & examine patients horrible. There has been a wave of healthcare professional leaving the constructs of the healthcare corporations and opting for lower pay, to get their lives back, care for patients and use their expertise to its highest potential. A lot of these top tier professionals are opting to go into holistic medicine/functional medicine. The providers have the freedom to help patients get to the root cause of their ailment. It would be worth it to give these providers a chance to look into your case. I know this has lowered your trust for healthcare professionals but give one of us the opportunity to gain your respect back. I want to encourage you to overcome all the limiting beliefs and not give up. Help is out there. There is someone who will hear you and has the skill and expertise to aid you in your recovery. Do not stop talking about this and do not stop looking for help. I know it may be hard to see right now but You Got This!

Hair loss is probably the number one distressing appearance-related side effect of rapid weight loss (honourable mentions to loose skin, of course). Most, if not all, of us suffer from it. Some suffer more than others. Like the others above, I want to offer re-assurance that its mostly temporary. Little chicken hairs will start to sprout up and then in a year or two those chicken hairs will be down to your shoulders. Im my case (and some others I have read), it actually came back thicker...but i think this is also due to the fact that my overall health is better than it was before. BUT, in the meantime, here are few couple tips to get you through this annoying stage (choose what you feel comfortable with...or none at all ) 1) cut your hair shorter (i did a pixie cut at 3 months). the carpets of hair accumulating on the floor and catching in the shower drain will appear less. shorter hair theoretically will weigh less, so it will be less likely to pull down flat against your scalp and show larger swatches of said scalp. and when the chicken hairs start coming in they are less noticeable and blend in better with the rest of your shorter hair and not look so thin on the ends. 2) keep your hair clean. greasy hair will flatten and mat against your scalp which will show more of it (BUT don't shampoo too much...and that's for everyone, not just those losing their hair!) 3) I think I see what looks like a braid in your hair in one of the pics above? if you can, maybe save the braids for later as the style will pull on the hair you have and possibly come out at an even faster rate. 4) there are these hair fibre "powders" that you can buy that temporarily camouflages the scalp. its basically hair coloured powder that you sprinkle on your hair to give the appearance of fullness until you wash it out later. Best results on darker hair with enough existing hair for the fibres to adhere too. 5) and for the truly brave, there is SMP (scalp micro pigmentation)..its a process whereby a tech tattoos hundreds (thousands?) of tiny little dots on your scalp to mimic hair follicles and create the illusion of fuller hair. I had this done last year because I have had the same side part in my hair since I was like 8 years old, and as the years have gone by its was noticeably thinner in that section. Full disclosure: it effing hurts. but I'm happy with the results, lol. 6) and lastly, at least for me, vitamins, creams, lotions did nothing to stop or slow down the hair loss. i know lots of folks have sworn by some or all of these methods, so ymmv. Good Luck, and hang it there! ❤️ P.s. sorry this was so long.

i was notoriously un-hungry during weight loss phase. the discomfort of eating more than my stomach would allow was also a factor...the potential annoyance of the "full feelings" (which was a given) always trumped the desire to eat (which didn't happen often anyway). I was definitely Pavlov'ed (still in am a way) Eventually, my stomach allowed more stuff in (we're talking like 1 cup in volume here, which i realize still isn't much in the grand scheme of things), AND i was able to digest a little faster, so I could eat again in a few hours. As a result, I am a grazer. I was a grazer pre-wls, but that was more all-day snacking, just wanna eat type of deal. Now its sort of necessity. I have small "eating sessions" many times throughout the day, lol. I'm 4 years out now, so the portions are a little bigger and less spaced apart, but comparatively, volume-wise, its still a lot less than "normal" people. RE: turning skinny. I'm assuming you are referring to becoming TOO skinny? Everyone is different, and has different ideas of what "too skinny" is, so it would be difficult to get a baseline on this. Regardless, lots of people worried about this (myself included), but based on the anecdotal evidence of many, many members posts on this forum, as well as personal experience, the idea of being too skinny is fleeting. The entire time i've been on this forum, I have yet to come across someone who is 2-3+ years out (AND otherwise healthy/doesn't suffer from medical condition) who lament being too skinny. There was ONE a couple years back who was 2 years out and had a BMI of 18 and was indeed concerned about her ever-shrinking frame, but I have not seen/heard from her in a couple years, so not sure how she is faring today (hopefully she achieved some peace, though). In short, the fear of becoming too skinny during weight loss phase is a normal feeling, but mostly unfounded. Ask anyone 2-3 years out if they are worried about being too skinny, and I'm willing to bet that you will be hard-pressed to find one who still is (and who isn't suffering from a medical condition). Good Luck! ❤️

Recently, I've received some messages asking how I got rid of the unwanted weight I gained to now have a fuller life without a negative body image. I gave a few lectures at community events and gave some presentations with support groups. Considering making a video about all I know about WLS ,free to the community. Maybe try to make it available for continuing education units. No one wants irrelevant info, I want to present something people would want to hear. Would anybody be interested in this? I hope YES Answer "YES" if I should make the video

I am 20 years out and have experience just about everything that comes with having weight loss surgery. I am also a pharmacist and have been like a community resource for the docs in my circle. It was a struggle to keep the weight off and to get back on track after regain. sw 296 lw: 126 regain weight 177 cw 145-150. But it is possible.

If you had it to do all over again what would you say was missing in your weight loss surgery experience thus far? Length experience doesn’t matter.

The Struggle is real but with the proper tools and determination the job can get done! I’ve struggled with being overweight the majority of my life. Growing up the fat kid at school and in the family was not easy. I always had the love and support of my family but sometimes people were really mean and made assumptions about fat people that weren’t necessarily true. I don’t remember a time growing up when I was not on some sort of a diet. 20 years ago I made arguably the best decision I’ve ever made regarding my weight. I underwent Bariatric Surgery! It was the tool I used to maximize weight loss ,change bad eating habits and understand portion control. Over the course of those years I’ve lost 170 Ibs. I’m a tiny girl at only 4’11. My highest weight was 296 Ibs, lowest weight 126 Ibs and current weight 145 Ibs. For years it’s been difficult for me to discuss this journey because of past trauma. I decided recently that it is more important to share my story because someone might benefit from it. Someone might need help, or information. Why not help people? It’s time out for being embarrassed of photos when I was really obese. It’s time to celebrate and be proud of my success. My story is one of Success by God’s Grace. Having Bariatric surgery in 2002, at young age, was good for me. It’s been a Positive weight loss journey through dedication, discipline, and accountability. Ultimately, I Desire to function as a weight loss surgery guide. I’ve contemplated writing this post for a few weeks now. I hope this post inspires someone in a positive way.

Having gerd was enough for me to get the revision covered. When I first went in to speak to my current surgeon, I had a bmi of 28. He advised to get the revision ASAP. Unfortunately, I didn't. I was so scared to get the bypass. Also, I was content with my weight loss (bmi 60+ to 28, steady for many years) and thought I could control the gerd with PPIs. I couldn't. I suffered terribly for years after that. Looking at it in retrospect, I was silly. Best thing I ever did.

Not to be sneaky or anything, but weight belts under large sweatshirts can work wonders in getting your BMI up to Insurance-approving levels. Just saying...

most people do lose their hunger for a few months after bariatric surgery. Mine came roaring back at five months out. Enjoy it while it lasts....I wish mine had never come back. It is SO much easier to lose weight when you're never hungry and don't give a flip about food! Things get a lot harder once your hunger comes back. Again, there are days I wish mine had never come back - I found it very liberating, on top of making it easy to lose weight (I'm 7.5 years out now) I wouldn't worry about getting too skinny. For one thing, only about 10-15% of patients make it to a normal BMI, let alone get too skinny. There are a lot more people who never make it all the way to their goal than there are people who get too thin. Plus if you DO get too thin, you can always increase your calories to either stabilize your weight - or gain some back. I wouldn't let that worry me AT ALL.

It might not be an issue, but then again it might be. It really depends on if you're getting enough nutrients and the only way you'll be able to tell is if you bring this up with your Bariatric team. Bariatric surgery makes it very hard for us to get the nutrients we need for our bodies to function, things like serious deficiencies might happen which can lead to a whole bunch of health issues which can be very hard to fix, once they take hold. Getting back on track is A LOT harder than if you hadn't had the surgery, which is why we're given vitamins for the rest of our lives and we have blood tests to keep this all in check, so please chat with your provider ASAP! I have a work friend who is a little over 6 months ahead of me and she wanted to lose weight as fast as possible and she didn't take the proteins goals seriously, cut corners and a lot of her hair has fallen out to the point she's just decided to shave it all off... And that's not the worst thing that can happen from deficiencies. She's really not healthy and she hasn't sped up her loss progress that much, she's just given herself a bunch of medical issues. Being "Skinny" shouldn't really be a concern 3 months in, unless you're finding that your losses are too drastic and you're near goal, in that case, yet again, talk to your provider. Losing weight is one of the goals but you want to really do this correctly, learning why we eat, when we should eat and how much of each thing we need to eat and learning to eat for health. That's the main goal of all of this, so that once we reach 12months, 18months post op, we don't develop unrealistic diets or want to go back to our old ways and gain it all back. We want to maintain our weight losses with the new knowledge we have learnt from doing this with the help of our providers. Chat with your surgeon, chat with a dietician, if you're getting your nutrients, it's probably not going to be an issue, but the only way to really know is by reaching out and chatting to them. Usually they will do blood tests to make sure everything is okay, but if you're worried that you're not eating enough or that you're losing too fast, you really need to chat to them All the best, take each day as it comes, and don't be afraid to talk to your healthcare team, they will be able to help you with any issues you're concerned about. it's what they're there for, to make sure you reach all of your goals, safely and realistically

Hey all I'm struggling to eat 3 meals a day most days I have 2 as I am simply not Hungary , I can eat 2 meals and don't get sick but I am still worried about turning to skinny , how does your weight pan out after GS and what happens if you turn skinny from GS Sent from my LE2123 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have not been in your position with the pain but I have been depressed in the past and I can feel your struggle in your words. I would for sure get a new therapist if they are not listening to you and realizing that you need help and not telling you to just deal with things. As far as the weight gain, the lack of exercise usually isn't the biggest cause. Some people can lose without any exercise at all. I totally understand your frustration to have your options so limited but you can only control so much. You are doing the best you can. I would look at your calories and you'll probably have to lower them to get the weight to come back off again. Alcohol is usually pretty high in calories, so it might be the main culprit. So for motivations sake, quitting the alcohol might make the weight gain stop and then when you feel better in control of your life you can make more diet changes and then lose the weight too. Sometimes just having something that you can control when everything else feels so out of control helps ground you and give you the mental stability to deal with things. So controlling your diet and calories could be a good start. I wish you the very best though and take care!

Tldr: fat guy got thin, chronic pain derailed him, now drinks and can’t move much, doc and therapist say suck it up. Feels lost and confused and has developed a slight booze issue, that thankfully is not a full blown problem, yet. Not asking for sympathy or prayers, just want to know if anyone is going through something similar and how do you deal with it. Hey everyone, I’m in a downward spiral here. The background is that I got my sleeve in 2018, lost about 100 lbs, got a new job with more more money, and I actually liked it, I felt awesome and was looking great. Fast forward to present day. I’m currently living with chronic back pain, the result of injuries about 20-30 years ago. Coupled with arthritis in my spine and neck, late developmentof scoliosis. Daily pain is a 6-7 on the pain scale and 1-2 times a week it can get to 9-10 on the scale. I still work for the same company but now work 100% from home, that part I love, but I no longer move as much and i can't travel like did. Honestly I can’t really, some days just showering and dressing is a challenge. I used to play pickleball, take light hikes etc. All gone. I’ve been told I’m too young, 52, and my condition is not severe enough for surgery yet. I do stretching and some pain management drugs if I get to a point I can’t cope with the pain that day but mostly I suck it up and deal with it. I have turned to liquor as a crutch and ashamedly can be a nightly thing. I’ve gained about 30 pounds back, I feel like a total failure and have lost my direction. I’ve talked with therapist, and doctors but kept being told, in short, “when live hands you lemons…” Honestly, I feel like life has kicked me in the balls and told me to piss off. I started this journey to improve and heal my life. And now I feel that my opportunity is being taken away. The daily pain and slow stripping of my thinner life has been a real mind f**k. I’ve been trying hard to get back on track and have had limited success but I try. But I’m tired, so tired of the struggle, it’s been nothing but since I was a kid. Sent from my SM-G970U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hair loss definitely affects all of us who experience it. I was on the very cusp of covering my thinning hair up when leaving the house, but managed to make it work with a bleached pixie. Like Tomo, I feel you - I had to really work to keep my sense of humour up during my hair loss phase. Have you looked into head coverings like turbans and head scarves? When looking for alternatives to hats, I found a number of websites that make lovely scarves and turbans for chemo patients and folks with alopecia. It's an alternative to wigs while your hair grows back. Your weight loss so far is fantastic, though! Keep that in the front of your mind and remember that as depressing as it is when in the the midst of it, it's not forever.

Losing hair is traumatic even if one prepares for it and that we know it'll come back. For many of us, it is the one thing that despite the weight, it was something we could be proud of. I lost hair too, and finally after many months, it has recently started growing back. Mine was more in the front, and a receding hairline just made me look older. I started wearing hair clip ons (they work pretty good and it's not noticable and they stayed in). I also used scarves, wide headbands... Etc. Many people here have good suggestions on how to deal with Hair loss. I am just responding to tell you that I feel you.

So sorry you’ve had such a dramatic reaction to the stress of the surgery & weight loss. It’s seems so unfair that some experience more severe reactions than others. Our bodies can react so differently & unexpectedly. But I’m very glad the loss is slowing for you now. Losing your hair can be very demoralising. Would a hair piece or wig help until your new growth catches up for when you want to look & feel more confident? It looks like you have a little peach fuzz happening which is your new hair growth - yay! (Remember you’re still growing new hair while your losing hair at an accelerated rate.) PS - Congratulations on your weight loss so far. That’s certainly something worth celebrating.

I lost 16 lbs the first month, so I was probably about where you are at six weeks out. I was really worried about being a "slow loser", but I went on to lose all of my excess weight, over 200 lbs. So don't worry - if you stick to your plan, the weight will come off, either fast or slow.

As many of you know, I never lost my hunger. From day 1 I still had it. And it's made this journey harder than it needed to be. I tried a few different appetite suppressants and they did nothing at all for me. 2 weeks ago, I found one called PhenQ. I read the reviews and the ingredients and really liked how it sounded, so I bought it. I got it a week ago and have been using it everyday, and FINALLY I can say I have absolutely NO hunger!!! I set alarms to remind me to eat, and it's amazing. It speeds up my metabolism, burns fat, and REALLY kills my appetite. I have zero cravings, zero hunger. There's a day and a night version, and I bought both. So here's how it works: I take one pill in the morning with breakfast (about 7:30am). I totally skip the first snack of the day because I have no hunger at all. About 4 1/2 hours after breakfast, I take the 2nd daytime pill with lunch (around noon). I skip my 2nd snack because again, no hunger at all. Then I have dinner around 5 or 5:30pm. Normally around 8:30pm or so I'm getting a bit hungry, but I take the 2 pills at night around 8pm and I'm not hungry at all for the rest of the night. I honestly don't even think about food, and I would forget to eat if I didn't have the alarms set. And that's what I wanted. I take in about 1300 - 1350 calories per day and I work out 6 days per week for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours each day. On the day I don't work out, I take in around 1000-1100 calories. 4 days per week I do cardio and 2 days per week I do weight training. I have never felt better or been happier, and I'm now about 1-2 weeks away from moving into size 18/20 clothes!!!! If I decide one day that I want a snack, I will have it. But having it be a choice versus always feeling hungry is what I always wanted. And now I finally have it. I was also doing strict keto, but decided to move to low carb versus keto. I have a carb blocker I take with my meal that is the most carb heavy (either breakfast or dinner, depending on what I have). It's called Carb Catcher by 310 Nutrition. Those, my multi-vitamin, my biotin, my collagen powder, my soluble fiber powder, my digestive enzyme with pre and pro-biotics pill, and my MS meds are all I take now. I drink my greens everyday and I eat well. And I have to say, I feel "normal" for the first time is decades. Healthy, active, and normal.

Girl same here! I just started doing a little weight training, i kept fighting PT cause they just wanted me walking and I was finally like well I'm doing it so you can either help me or Idk what to tell you.

I am open to joining an accountability group. It's cold and I don't even want to go for walks. I think it would be helpful to motivate each other. I would like to start some weight training because I've heard it can help some with loose skin. My batwings are getting really bad and now other parts are getting super jiggly. At least when I was heavier the jiggle was firmer. Now it is just all loose like jello that hasn't set properly. Don't even get my started on my boobs...

Like others have said, you will be good to go! I was just at 40 when I was approved, and the nurse told me that I was okay to lose weight b/c insurance goes by your starting weight, and that's the only weight that's submitted. I was under 40 by the time I had surgery (although I didn't lose as much as you have...congratulations!!!)