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Update, no clots. The constant moving around did prevent it! Need new asthma plan because they gave me a shot intravenously of steroids. The weight loss program explained that steroids can harm your surgery healing, but of course asthma can kill, so there was a compromise of a lesser dose of steroids. So the uptake is keep walking, it does prevent blood clots. And, advocate for yourself, I can finally take a full breath and slept a full 5 hours. Next, I will need to spend a significant amount of time with my pulmonologist when this has settled down. We are all worth spending time upon!

For those who are comfortable talking about it, my dr said statistically because of my bipolar I will not lose as much weight as those who have the same surgery and do not have bipolar. I honestly thought he was wrong but my weight loss seems to be slowing to a crawl and I am still 16 pounds from the top of normal BMI range. I know that some people never reach a normal BMI but I had hoped to get there plus a little cushion for the bounce back weight. I was always thin until I was 25 so I hoped I’d be one of the lucky ones. I am just curious to hear others stories firsthand.

Congratulations on making it to your goal! It’s not uncommon for people to be able to lose at 18+ months out. I cannot speak for every experience but it sure seems like most people do not stay at their lowest post WLS weight at 3+ yrs out (without working on it) I wouldn’t suggest forcing premature maintenance when you may eventually gain a little back anyway. Since you like your routine, have good habits, active , have indulged periodically, don’t want to focus heavily on tracking perhaps try just going with the flow and letting your body workout where it wants to be weight wise. You still have wiggle room especially since you in the healthy not underweight rage. If you start to effortlessly drop into that area without any signs of weigh loss slowing down then definitely consult your team.

This is a great thread for ideas...but be careful, not all items will appeal to everyone! I'm looking at you Parmesan Crisps! Favorite Grocery Products - General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions - BariatricPal

I'm 11 months out bypass. Down 123 and stuck until I can quit drinking my calories. I get so dehydrated! I still have 38 pounds to go to my goal weight. Unless I decide I need to lose more. I haven't been that weight in 25 years, so I think that's a good weight for me. Congrats on your weight loss!

I had my sleeve in early 2020. I didn't start out as heavy as some - about 210 - which is a BMI of 35. I reached my goal weight of 149 at 11.5 months after surgery, which is a normal <25.0 BMI. During months 6-12, my weight loss was slowing down. The last ~6 lbs came off pretty slowly over 5 months. I felt like I was slipping into maintenance, and I was very happy that I was doing that at about a normal weight. I only counted calories for the first 4 months after surgery to make sure I was getting enough protein. I haven't been tracking my eating since then, and I don't want to. Obsession with my food/weight is one of the things I wanted to escape with this surgery. But since reaching my goal weight, I've continued to lose at about that same rate: a little more than a pound a month. I'm now 140, BMI 23.3. I'm kind of surprised that it hasn't slowed down much, let alone stopped. I've certainly allowed myself more dietary indulgences over the past 9 months or so. On the other hand, a lot of my routine has remained the same. I still start the day with my protein powder latte, which comes in at 30 g of protein. I also still eat 2 eggs nearly every day, though I've added an 1/2-1 english muffin. I also average ~6000 steps a day. These things are easy for me to maintain because they were things I already liked - I've always enjoyed walks and my morning latte and vegetables. My family were backpackers, and usually had a garden. I'm certainly not complaining that I've been so lucky with my results. It was always really frustrating before when people would assume I was sitting on the couch eating pizza and ice cream all day just because I was fat. I always knew my weight problems were more of a diabetic nature, since it clearly runs in my family and I've been diagnosed with PCOS. And the vast majority of the weight came off my belly, as my loose skin can attest. I do wonder if I should make any effort to change things, or if I should just keep going with the flow. I don't really feel like I need to lose any more. (I'm still getting used to the weird way my ribcage sticks out way more than my stomach, despite the loose skin.) And it wouldn't be hard to increase my appetite a bit - I know very well that sugar still does that. But I also hear that weight regain is likely, so I also feel like it might not hurt if I let myself go lower to give myself more safe room. I am curious how those of you who are more like 3-4 years out got into maintenance mode. Did it just happen, or did you do it on purpose? In retrospect, do you have any regrets about how you handled it?

Congrats on your weight loss so far. Whoo hoo! Don’t forget everything you drink counts towards your fluid goals. I don’t enjoy plain water as much since surgery so to up my fluid I drink a large mug of green tea every day & flat sparkling water which I intersperse it’s water. While I was losing I also drank a drinking yoghurt (protein & fluid two wins). I also sip water during the night - just keep a bottle of water by my bed & sip when I wake or get up to pee. The BMI range takes into account your skeletal frame. The higher weight for large frames, the lower weight for small frames. But you may feel happier & healthier being more or less than the bmi recommendations. Just be aware your frame may not be what you think it is. I was always told I had a large frame based on my wrist measurement but in reality I have a smallish frame. My wrist size was large because I was obese & had fat all over my body including my wrists.

Congratulations on your 71lb loss! That is amazing!!! I'm with you - I can gain or lose 50lbs and still be in nearly the same size. Granted, 50lbs smaller and the size I am currently in is a bit looser and when I was at the top of that weight range it was a squeeze. But, still! Very frustrating for sure. I think this is where counting those inches like you are doing really pays off. I read a thread on here the other day about this topic and it seemed that once folks get into the lower of their weight range goals 10lbs or so seems to equal a size. My surgery is in five days (fingers crossed!) and I have been thinking a lot about this, too, and how I can keep myself motivated because I know my sizes won't drop quickly in the beginning.

Three months and five days out from VSG surgery and I am down 50 pounds since surgery and 65 since April when I last saw my primary care doc. I've gone from a size 24 jeans to a size 18 that fit loosely. It is more weight than I thought I'd lose in this period of time and the lowest I've been in nearly 20 years. I love that my feet don't hurt, my ankles don't swell and that I have energy! My family went camping this past weekend and I actually went hiking, including climbing a steep hillside that, afterwards, I knew I'd have never have even tried before. I have had issues with consuming enough calories and finding foods that appeal to me, which I know has contributed to the fast weight loss. I can only eat very small amounts at a time and some days I don't do as well as others with my water and protein intake. While I sometimes miss the pleasure of a big, comforting meal, I don't dwell on it and find that eating to fuel my body has its own appeal. I feel free and that's a wonderful thing.

Hi all, Ill be having the sleeve done later this year. Ive had my first appointment with the surgeon i want to go with, it was just with the nurse that time. I did tell her my private health insurance reaches that one year mark in the middle of October and with my sons birthday a few days later I'd be wanting the surgery to be around early November just so I'm not on the pre op diet on his birthday(a kid only turns 10 once!). They gave me my next appointments to be 19th October which is after that one year mark. Its with the dietitian and the surgeon. So im just wondering what the timeline is like with these appointments?? Im based in Sydney Australia. Would i start the pre op the day after that appointment? Are there other appointments i need to attend? Im really hoping for that first week or 2 of november to be the surgery date and just feel like the appointments that were made would push my surgery to late november or even december!

Thanks for the support. I do use the drink mixes. I use the Hi-C ones. They're the only ones that I have found that do not contain aspartame in it. Congratulations on your weight loss as well.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but the original post was from six years ago, so not sure if the person is still active on the board or not. But I just wanted to say that high liver enzymes are not uncommon after bariatric surgery. Rapid weight loss can be tough on livers. My enzymes were high for the first year or so - after that, they went back down to normal. My PCP at the time didn't know this and thought I had "fatty liver" - but I checked around on the internet and on bariatric boards and found that this is actually fairly common. And mine DID go back to normal once my weight loss slowed down (she had them checked again at that point --- normal).

a 100-lb loss at the year mark is definitely within the average range (depending on your starting BMI - people with lower starting BMI's probably won't by down that much at that point), so you're fine.

Anyone out 11 months from bypass? What is your weight loss amount? Mine is 102 from surgery, 132 total. I'm far behind. My biggest problem is drinking my calories. Tired if water, but get so dehydrated.

It can be done, but the feasibility really depends upon what is wrong with your sleeve and how experienced your surgeon is with sleeves (most these days are reasonably capable of making decent sleeves - at least in the US - but quite variable on repairing or revising them.) Many prefer to just revise to an RNY as it's easier for them if their sleeve skills are sketchy. What is the reason for your interest in a re-sleeve? Poor original weight loss or regain, or are there complications possibly resulting from shape problems with your sleeve? I would usually expect a resleeve to be more expensive than the original sleeve, as is the case with most revisions owing to it usually involving more surgical time; a higher skill or more specialized surgeon is also likely more costly, but much of that depends on location and local rates. One of the surgeons I am associated with usually just does them as part of a conversion to a DS, and sometimes it involves doing an open procedure rather than laparoscopic one, so that influences the cost as well. In short, yes, it can be done, (though maybe not by just anyone,) is unlikely to be cheaper, but all really depends on the reason and what is involved in your particular case.

Did you have issues prior to weight loss?

Has anyone had any experience with phentermine to try to kick start weight loss again after regain? I’ve read a lot about it online (Reddit, where else!) but I’m specially looking for opinions from people who have had WLS. My doctor told me that the key takeaway is that it is an appetite suppressant, and that is how it works. I questioned how effective it would be for me, given that I’ve had a sleeve and essentially have no hunger hormone left in my body — I really haven’t felt “hunger pangs” since my sleeve. She said it should still work for me as it works on the metabolism, etc, in additional to being a suppressant. Had anyone tried this medication AFTER having a sleeve (along with diet + exercise)? If so, how did it work for you? Thanks! For reference — SW 292, LW post-op 199, CW 261.

I was cleared for weights after 6 weeks. It was probably about 10 weeks post-op that I started with weights - I would have started earlier, but was waiting until I was fully vaccinated before going into a gym (even masked up). I can tell a major difference from the weights - did a bod pod scan when I started it and then again a month ago - so from end of March to mid-July I lost 35 lbs but I gained 6.5 lbs of muscle and lost 17% body fat. Definitely makes a huge difference as my weight loss is slowing to a crawl at this stage - still can see progress when I take measurements.

I relate with you. I just went through a revision almost 2 weeks ago. The things that ran around my head! Oh man. I don't know what surgery you are gearing up for but we all go through that. I said to my husband the night before "Not worried about making it through surgery, nor the temporary pain afterwards but I sure hope I'm not making a huge mistake that I can't retract later in life." For me, so far (yes, I am still worried about problems down the road as we all are.) everything has been great and I feel like now, I'd do it over and over again. Life isn't really different except that I'm feeling better, sleeping better and am enjoying the additional weight loss. And it is not like many of the things I've heard on YouTube or forums that frightened me. Hugs to you and keep us posted.

GeTNbackup, I wish I knew what was going on with my legs. It existed prior to the surgery so I was treated for restless legs with increasing doses of medication that never helped. Pain was primary at night. My thoughts were that perhaps it was the excess weight so the doctor approved the weight loss surgery which I paid for out of pocket. The surgery didn't help the pain either. I quit taking the restless medications. Later they did ultrasounds and found an old blood clot in my leg and some plaque. I am on Xalrelto and they have seem some improvement in the size of the clot. However, there is NO improvement in the pain and I now suffer during the day. I don't think the clot is the source of the pain. I am seeing a cardiologist and next step is a vascular doctor. I really don't trust doctors. They sent me to that hematologist and I noticed that he billed an enormous amount of money and also had indicated "COVID" related on the bill. I had COVID in December and this was July!!! I retired in June so most of this is out of pocket now. Without sounding too political, I call BS! My husband thinks I complain too much and I probably do. I am in pain in more ways than one.

I lost my sense of hunger for about five months - and I could have given a flip about food. In my case, I saw it as a positive - it was never in my life easier to stick to a program and lose weight than it was when I honestly didn't care about food AT ALL. In some ways, I wish it all had never come back. And btw -- loss of hunger after bariatric surgery is very common - and it usually comes back sometime during the first year. however, I'm not sure about the twisting sensation. Some of the things Arabesque mentioned may be what's going on - but I'd check in with your medical team on that just in case - if nothing else, for peace of mind.

The surgery changes things. During the surgery, a lot of the area that signals hunger is removed. After surgery our sense of taste & for many the sense of smell are temporarily altered & some things taste or smell awful. Plus liquids go through our digestive system more quickly & some nerves have been damaged so you don’t really feet that full feelings while on liquids & into the purée stage . Once the nerves heal & you’re eating solid foods you’ll start to feel full again. I wasn’t hungry or really wanted to eat for ages. I first felt hungry about 8 months after surgery after a busy day when I hadn’t eaten much. But it felt different - actually didn’t know what was wrong at first. Real hunger feels different to hunger that is driven by our head, emotions & habits. To combat not being interested in eating I tried to eat to a routine, still do. I I ate to my plan & to ensure I met my protein & fluid goals. I didn’t care if I didn’t eat the full portion as long as I was eating something. And honestly, to begin my food choices were pretty narrow because of my altered tastebuds. It did get better & easier after a couple of months. I actually enjoyed this period because it gave me the opportunity to really assess the food I used to eat & decide how I wanted to eat in the future. Not sure about the twisting feeling. My first thought was it’s your restriction but that’s usually a tightness or heavy weight across your upper chest. Do you want to thump your chest to move the food? Foods that are too dry or coarse can cause that tightness, foamies (gluggy saliva) or make you gag &/or bring it back up. As can eating too quickly or eating too much. Speak to your medical team to be sure. Did you have a therapist assigned to you during your pre surgery process or did you have one to support you through your eating disorder? Many weight loss patients continue to seek the support of a therapist after surgery. If you didn’t or don’t have a therapist look for one with experience with bariatric patients &/or disordered eating. Your medical team should be able to give you some recommendations.

For me it was protein I think. I say this because I never knew lack of protein could cause it until I was speaking to dr about WLS. I haven’t had any loss so far at five months out post surgery, but I have had significant loss in the past on diets where I wasn’t supplementing my protein.

Anyone have tips on speeding up weight loss? I'm 4 months out and have only lost 2 pounds in last 2 months. I get my minimum protein and water in. I walk more than pre op, do YouTube exercise videos a few times per week. Calories are 600-800 per day. I don't get what I'm doing wrong. Help? Sent from my moto g play (2021) using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm 52 and had the gastric sleeve surgery about 3 months ago. Down about 50lbs including the pre-surgery weight loss. That said, I am working out daily and keeping my calories low. The big difference is that my motivation to loose is high because I am seeing success on the scale. Still had to push through a long stall but so far it has been worth it. Still have at least 40 lbs to go. Sent from my SM-G998U using BariatricPal mobile app