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Nice work! It is definitely important to have bilirubin checked and to have it followed up with a gallbladder check! Steady and swift weight loss leads to gall stones very very commonly! Years ago, when I was in my 20s, I basically starved myself on WW and lost 40 - 50 lbs (can't remember) really fast....then I started having pain (you don't necessarily have to have pain!) and it was my gallbladder full of "sludge" which is just lots and lots of little grainy stones. I'm not surprised your doctors are having you do the Ultra Sound, etc because its best to be safe! If they do find blockage and you have it removed, consider yourself lucky to be getting it out BEFORE its INCREDIBLY PAINFUL! Best wishes!!

I know elevated Bilirubin can be concerning, but your doctor is being proactive, and I have confidence everything will work out. Congrats on the weight loss and the rest of your tests coming back good!!!

Hi! I know where you are, hahahaha! Love it! Feel free to ask questions here or anywhere in this forum, people are great! It feels super scary, I know, I was scared, too. You'll feel better physically in a week or two, you'll be healed in 3 months. In those 3 months you'll be on the diet plans to help your tummy heal, which can be boring, but man you'll lose weight fast! Best wishes to you!!!

So just came back from my surgeons office for the 6 month follow up. Vitamins all looked great. My iron has gone back up to normal levels. But unfortunately 1 blood test did not and actually is higher than when i personally had it tested a week before which is something called Bilirubin. So they are ordering 1st an ultrasound to see if there are any stones or blockage in the gallbladder. After that if it shows nothing then they are going to do a HIDA scan to check function. Shall see how it goes. but they were impressed with the weight loss in 6 months. They did tell me to eat more lol

Hi there! My surgery was July 11th and I was 3 months post op about 2 weeks ago. It is so weird to not be on an assigned restricted diet. I know we have to watch out for soft breads, dry or tough meats, fibrous vegetables, stringy fruits, rice and noodles - but that doesn't feel like "follow this plan" type of stuff anymore. I kinda feel a bit lost and while I'm trying new things, I'm sticking to a lot of the things I'm used to. Oh! I tried 2 pieces of candy - they weren't even fun size, they were the ones that are just like a little square - I really wasn't impressed with them and I don't think I care about candy anymore at all. For reference I tried 3 Musketeers and Snickers, most people eat them in two bites each, I broke it down to 3-4 bites each. The rest of the night last night, while handing out candy, if I felt hungry (this is after dinner) I snacked on Toasted Sesame flavored seaweed, its good! Crunchy and light, with a bit of a nutty flavor, I learned about it from the instagram account theguacwarddietitian - she has awesome videos for recipes, foods to get from the store, (especially Trader Joe's), and other really upbeat and positive motivation stuff! Oh, so I've been eating a lot of foods that I started eating on the "easy to chew" step of my plan, which was the last step before normal foods. I just started adding beef though, I dunno I had this thing in my head that it wasn't "easy to chew?" or it was harder to digest? I'm weird! I tried eating a hamburger patty, I can only eat like 1/3 of it, and I serve it on top of lettuce/tomato/pickle and put ketchup/mayo on it. Its a mess but tasty I also added eating like 2 mini squares max (a serving is 4 squares) of Ghiradelli dark chocolate mini squares - SO MUCH BETTER THAN CRAPPY HALLOWEEN CANDY! I started losing weight in March, I lost 30 lbs before surgery and since July 11th I've lost 57 - I'd say 57 in a 3 1/2 months is pretty good! But a total of 87 since I started practicing healthy eating habits in March! I don't measure myself but I have gone from a women's size 24/26 or 3X (mens 1X) to a women's 18/20 or 1X (men's XL). So I'm pretty happy about that, too! 1st Pic - me in Jan 2022 (325) 2nd Pic - me in May 2022 (approx 305) 3rd Pic - me last week, Oct 2022 (240)

This so so inspiring to hear. Your weight loss alone is incredible but the work you did on your inner self is absolutely amazing. Keep it up.

Others had very good ideas for alternatives to shakes for protein but if you feel you just can’t do it your better off to talk to your team about progressing to the next step (purées) a bit sooner than skipping ahead as far as steak. At this point it’s not just like you’re cheating on a diet and may gain a little weight. Not to be an Alarmist but You can seriously hurt yourself with just that little bit of steak. Thankfully it sounds like you’re okay this time but that doesn’t mean it will go so well if you did it again. If you tell your team you are tolerating the liquids and all that well and your struggling with the shakes they may give you the okay to advance to the next stage a little sooner. Just try to remember this won’t last forever. And congrats on your loss so far.

I’m sure they will be thrilled that you are even close to your personal goal. If you feel like going there gives you accountability though you can ask to go more often. When I started gaining they asked me but I’m sure that if you ask they would be thrilled to see you sooner.

I thought you were gonna say that was just his clever way to get you to share your weight and he never met up with you. I like your version sooooo much better.

I understand your concern - took me years to get my endocrine issues diagnosed because I wasn’t cookie cutter either. My endocrinologist is amazing working with my weight, thyroid and other issues. Find a good one and I would bet they can be supportive and helpful - even if it’s not 100% fixed. Take one breath at a time and I can’t imagine you’ve blown your chance - at worst let’s hope this is just a side step and you will soon be back on track. Let us know how things are going. My progress has been slow and tedious, but between the looooong stalls - I am still making baby steps forward I’m getting there. You will too!!!

I've had interesting experiences with this. I met my first husband in person (at Disney of all places) and was roughly around 185-190 mark. He was quite a bit thinner than me, yet it didn't stop him from asking me out and eventually getting married. Cut to a few years later, divorced and having gained weight...now I decided let's try online dating. But at this time I was around 210 or so. I found that for the most part the guys I met online weren't negative about my weight when we met, though some who I never met up with would flat out ask how fat I am. I was about to give up on online dating when I got one last message that I chose to respond to. The guy in question turned out to be athletic and thin. And for one of our first dates, he needed to know my weight in order to take me for a flight in a helicopter (no way was I passing that up). I cringed when I told him, but he assured me I was still beautiful. 16 years later I'm still married to that guy.

Not saying this was the case here because of course I have no way to know, but I think it's human nature to "blame" things like this on WLS even though it would be impossible to prove. We as humans don't like it when we don't understand something. That makes us look for reasons, even if they're not completely rational. Seeing nothing else, it's easy to convince ourselves that "it must be due to "xyz", with xyz being weight loss surgery. Now to be clear, I do think there's an outside chance of some possible correlation. Changes in the gut microbiota have been known to be correlated with development of a new allergy or insensitivity. The point is that while unlikely, I suppose this is possible: WLS > Dietary Change > Change to Gut Microbiome > Development of an Insensitivity to an Ingredient in that Specific Medicine Reading back through this, I feel like i'm trying to rationalize a very tenuous link, but weirder things have happened. I'm trying to keep an open mind here, but even if this were related, I can't imagine it would be at all common.

I definitely had the same reactions at similar weight differences. All of the sudden when I got into the 230-250 range, I started having dates left and right. Sadly, this is the way society is these days. Save for the few that want you to be obese, and continually feed you to keep you that way.

I don’t have a diabetes diagnosis at this point (hoping to avoid that) but I was diagnosed with metabolic resistance and was on my way towards a diabetes diagnosis prior to weight loss surgery. Metabolic resistance can cause your body to react in different ways and really make loosing weight difficult - even when you are doing everything right. It’s a combination of several medical conditions that affect how your body breaks down and processes insulin. I struggled having to eat less than a 900 calories (prior to WLS) to see any results along with exercise (it was not maintainable long term). Eventually I agreed to try some medication - which made all the difference, I was finally able to eat reasonably and loose weight (slowly) but I was loosing. My body still fights me - but it’s better. I’m hoping the damage that metabolic syndrome can cause is reversible for me - depends on several factors (like how much damage was done while it was active, if my weight was the cause or genetics). The tests I’ve had are the fasting glucose & A1C, I’ve had non fasting test (but not asked to eat anything specific) and I’ve had to drink the sugary drink (which is awful). A family Dr is a good place to start, but I’d suggest talking with an endocrinologist if you don’t have one you see. Mine has been a blessing helping me dial in things and he doesn’t solely rely on labs to do it. He looks at my labs and my symptoms to make adjustments… in addition to metabolic syndrome - I have Hashimoto’s also. While ranges are great to guide you if you are looking for something wrong. My Endo is the first to say “that may not be what’s normal for you, so let’s see if we can do better”. Since my WLS I’ve had improved numbers across the board, except my cholesterol, but that might stay high till my weight stabilizes. I still have to take a medication to help my body process the insulin and when I take it, the weight comes off slowly but more easily than when I don’t. (Even if I am eating all the same things and doing the same activity). As far as what to eat, I would think the dr wants to see how your body is processing carbs in your normal diet, if they didn’t give you specific guidelines on what to eat. My guess on the “big meal” is they don’t want you to eat minimally and the test results wouldn’t be as accurate. Depending on the results - it might dictate the next test(s). So I would eat whatever the normal diet is I was eating (and struggling with) to give an accurate reflection of how my body is handling the breakdown, not cutting out carbs or anything else (dessert or snacks) that I would normally have. Good luck!

I’ve been 119lbs and 300lbs. Now I’m doing a second weight loss journey with 75lbs left to lose. Online dating is for sure different even already—no one wants to date the 300lb me. But the 215 me gets more attention. I can’t imagine what it will be like at my 140 goal. It’s sad, but I truly think a lot of folks aren’t attracted to larger bodies.

Congratulations on the improvement of your A1C and weight loss, but I am sorry about the struggles you are having. I hope that the medication helps keep you moving in the right direction and your health continues to improve.

In my 30’s -early 40’s (I’m 48 now) … I had attention (both positive and unwanted) from men even at 300-330 pounds. I won’t lie - any positive attention threw me off, but that was more likely because I had just gone through a divorce and was not very trusting. I’m remarried now and in a healthy relationship. I’ve had drs dismiss my concerns telling me I needed to loose weight and I recall one time a kid commenting out loud about my weight, but otherwise either I wasn’t aware or didn’t pay attention. I once had a conversation with a coworker / friend, she commented I didn’t carry myself like someone who was overweight … and I honestly had no idea what that meant, so I asked her. She was a little embarrassed to even have the conversation with me, but she said I carried myself with such a confidence that she never really saw my weight. I actually had a similar conversations with a few other people over the years and it struck me a little odd, but eventually I understood what they were saying. After I was in a car accident and had some mobility issues, I carried myself differently. I didn’t want those issues to be noticed or focused on so I would often be more timid in how I carried myself or move to draw less attention. It was then that I noticed I had more eyes on me… judgements about my size. With my current weight loss (down 91 lbs so far), I honestly don’t see a big change in my body yet… my clothes are getting to big, but I can still wear most of them. I carry a lot of weight in my thighs and abdomen, so I think I’ll feel more of a change once that changes. I have had a few people mention my weight loss, kindly… but most don’t say anything. I notice I’m walking different - bigger strides and less guarded (because of having less pain). I do think how we carry ourself makes a difference how people look at us. I think in general I am oblivious to it … and that’s probably not a bad thing (to be unaware of other peoples negative judgements).

I had the sleeve in September 2020 after having struggled with my weight for years and trying to lose it on my own. I am 56 and a diabetic. My A1c has went from 7.4 to 5.7 since my surgery. I had to have a hernia repair for the second time along with the sleeve and things were going great. I was losing for the first year, around 65 pounds. Then, I found out that I had diverticulosis and have had diverticulitis4 times in less than a year. My hernia came back along with an umbilical hernia and had a gallbladder that had to be removed 18 months after my sleeve. In the 2 years since my surgery, my acid reflux has never went away and taking Prilosec and Pepcid twice a day. I also just got done with prolapse surgeries and hoping this is my last surgery. I have been having bad cravings and not losing, but gained back 10 pounds. My surgeon decided to try Saxenda to see if it would help and it has helped me lose 12 pounds in 12 weeks. Hoping that continue to lose and my health improve. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had a higher starting weight (My highest was 382 - down to 330 by the time I saw my surgeon) … I initially wanted sleeve because of many of the reasons you stated, but was prepared for my dr to recommend bypass because of my starting weight and reflux. After meeting with my surgeon I asked her opinion- based on my medical history and her experience of outcomes. I have IBS and for about 8 months prior to surgery was dealing with reflux. I also took a daily (2x a day) NSAID pre surgery that she advised that I stop until my post-op follow up, but that I could resume if needed after she saw me. I was really surprised when she told me she didn’t recommend bypass for me and why. She was a surgeon who had extensive experience with all of the surgery options, so I was confident she wasn’t steering me towards what she was comfortable with routinely doing. She actually recommended sleeve (with a hernia repair) and told me if I wanted a revision later - she’d recommend going with a duodenal switch. She mentioned to me that because of the extended length of the DS surgery time, she prefers to do that surgery in two stages. I was honest and told her the second phase of that surgery scared me a little. She was very understanding about that and told me that the sleeve and bypass had very similar outcomes in the 2 yr mark, reviewed the benefits and drawbacks of each and discussed with me that she has had quite a few patients have the sleeve (at my starting weight and higher) as the 1st phase who lost enough they decided not to go on to the DS, but knew it was an option if they wanted it. She was impressed with my weightloss up to that point and was confident with my history and medical conditions, I would be happy with the progress I would make with my surgery. I was 324 on the day of my surgery and at 10.5 weeks post op I’m down to 291. It’s definitely a slow progress, but I’ve had a few unrelated challenges in that time (being sick and dealing with issues from a car accident that occurred several years ago), but I’m headed in the right direction. At my followup she was very pleased with my progress and told me that she felt very good about the track I was on. I’m still very early in the process, but I’m glad I asked her what she recommended and why, based on her experience and my medical history. My husband and I were both comfortable with her explanations and very confident in our decisions because I felt like we had sound information to make a decision on. I’m hoping that I don’t decide to go in for a revision, that I can get down to a weight I’m comfortable with (I’m not sure what that number is yet, I’m hoping I know it when I feel it, lol), but if not - I know what my options are. Right now I’m still having some issues with being able to eat enough. I’m only able to eat very small amounts at a time, but other than that everything is going well. With the weight loss I’ve had - I have been able to stop my NSAID at this point. I had also stopped my PPI meds (but recently restarted it temporarily because a sinus infection stirred things up again… hoping to stop it as soon as that clears up). My IBS is still something I’m working with but so far it has been manageable. Best of luck in whatever you decide!

I asked so many questions about loose skin and was told that nothing I could do besides staying hydrated was going to do anything to help prevent it. if you have a lot of weight to lose and have a lot of loose skin though plastic surgery is something to consider down the road and may even be covered by insurance if you meet the criteria.

Freezer Peanut Butter Whips Low Calorie, 2 Ingredient Freezer Peanut Butter whips. Cool whip and peanut butter powder Prep Time5 mins 2 hrs Course: Dessert Cuisine: American Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat Keyword: peanut butter mousse, peanut butter whips Servings: 4 servings Calories: 75cal Author: Amy Roskelley Ingredients 4 tablespoons peanut butter powder 1 cup cool whip, light Instructions Whisk peanut butter powder with 3 tablespoons of water. Fold peanut butter powder mixture into 1 cup cool whip light. Scoop, or pipe into muffin cups and freeze Optional: Drizzle sugar free chocolate syrup on top. Notes Can substitute regular cool whip, and add 10 calories per cup. Link to Weight watchers personal points (8 for me) Nutrition Serving: 1cup | Calories: 75cal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g

I had sleeve because I was worried about medication absorption. Since then I have read about tons of bypasses who are on meds, even the psyc meds I worried about and they have had zero issues. I am a year and a half out and so far no gerd issues but I have not lost all I weight and I struggle with regain. In all fairness one of my meds does clearly state is causes weight gain and with the depression I don’t exercise like I should but I still can’t help but wonder if I would be in a different boat with bypass. Don’t get me wrong I don’t regret my choice. I am glad I chose something because they are both great surgeries that will get you down to a much more healthy weight. I just can’t help but wonder what if I had chosen bypass would I be sporting my skinny jeans right now.

No supplement, pill or cream is going to cure your loose skin. It may help SLIGHTLY but it is inevitable. It solely depends on your body, age, how much weight you lose and how long you were overweight. For some people it is very minimal and others it is unbearable. I never heard anything about brushing the area, so I have no input there.

Congratulations! I’m 16 weeks pregnant. Have only gained 5lbs so far - bypass was Mar 8 this year. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have.