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It most likely depends on your insurance to a large degree. Many insurance companies require either a 3 or 6 month supervised weight loss (they usually accept doctors notes from other doctors for all or part of this). It will also depend on what tests and mandatory requirements your surgeon wants. If you are over 40 BMI you most likely do not need to prove a comorbidity but 35-40 you will most likely be sent for tests for fatty liver and sleep apnea And possibly some others as they apply to your symptoms to prove you need surgery. The doctor may also require some tests to make sure you are fit for surgery like on your heart. Finally, Most doctors also require a visit with a nutritionist to go over the pre and post op diet and a psyc evaluation to make sure you are ready for surgery. All of this can sound overwhelming but in most cases you have three to six months to get it all done and not all doctors require everything. I just had to see nutritionist and psychiatrist and do typical pre op labs but I had already been diagnosed with joint issues so I didn’t need to prove a comorbidity and I had a lower BMI, plus he had access to all my other annual exams and other doctors notes so he didn’t require the pre surgery tests on my heart and all that that some are required to do. My supervised weight loss was six VISITS not six months and I had one already with primary doctor so I had to do five visits with the surgery center which took me 4 months and my surgery was two weeks later (right after a two weeks pre op diet). Best decision I ever made. Well worth all the steps!!

Hello! First I want to start off by saying THANK YOU for this post I needed this, shoot I need people to speak to that may have or is experiencing the same as me. Okay now to answer some of your questions. My starting weight before surgery was 312.8 My day of surgery is 306.4 My BMI the day of surgery was 49.1 Today weight is 380.0 Also yes I do that a lot I comparing my weight loss to others. I am just so ready for it to all be off, this week I am switching up my workout routine and only doing cardio because I was told that I am not even suppose to be lifting weights. Also I am going to change my eating up and cook some of my veggies and do some shrimp. Also it wasn't TMI we are women here, don't be embarrassed about what we have to go through on a daily basis's. Also BIG CONGRATS on reaching your goal!

Unfortunately yes!! I think I lost almost 50% of my hair but I’m hoping it will slow down soon. I have started taking biotin and Viviscal. I also use Rogaine and nioxin shampoo/conditioner on my hair. It is apparently normal to lose hair for the first 6 months, I just didn’t expect this much. Regardless, I still would have gone through the surgery, it has been a life changer!!

Hi! I do not have that surgeon, but if you look under the tab "weight loss surgery forums" there is a whole thread of posts on different hospitals and surgeons. You can see if that surgeon is listed there. Or, you can do a search by their name. Good luck!

I don't know what figure 8 workouts are (never even heard of them - Are they maybe an Australian thing? For all I know they could be really popular in the US, but I'm sort of out of touch with trends!) but for Pilates, it depends on what your goal is. It is great for strengthening your core, which is important especially as you get older (no idea how old you are) for balance, but really at every age. However, it's not really that helpful for losing weight. I did one Pilates class a few years ago and I found it really too hard for me, but if you were watching a video, you could stop when you got tired. I'm sure you could find something on YouTube for "Pilates for Beginners". Dancing is better for weight loss, especially high energy dancing things like Zumba. I'm not sure if you meant that or more things like ballet. I have found a lot of easy dance exercise videos for free on YouTube. I find Zumba too hard for me, because I'm super uncoordinated and out of shape, but it might be something you can do. I just do these 15 minute dance exercise videos (I don't remember the exact name, I just search "dance exercise"). I bet you could find ballet exercise if you searched for that. I hope you find something you enjoy!

Hi Imsrny5, I am going through a lot of what you have described above. I already suffered from female pattern baldness before surgery and now I think I have lost about 50% of the hair I did have. I have started taking biotin and a tablet called Viviscal, which contains Zinc. I also use Rogaine. I’m trying everything at the moment to slow it down but I might just have to wait and hope. In relations to wrinkles, my face hasn’t gotten too bad but my neck is starting to look like a turkeys neck!! It apparently gets a bit better once the weight loss settles but I think I will need a neck lift at some point. Good luck with everything and please keep us updated on how you go

Hey guys, My surgery date was on April 22 and started pre op diet on the 8th. I'm down 94lbs and couldnt be happier! I've experienced a stall week here and there, but trust the process! There's pretty much nothing I can't eat (except for large quantities of course) and go to the gym regularly 3-4 times a week to do cardio and weight lifting. Definitely need to continue working on my water and protein intake as I believe I may not be taking enough of either. I was an avid gym goer prior to surgery and despite the fluff, could tell muscle mass came easier prior to surgery (reduced calorie/protein intake) I may start suppleming with protein shake again to see if I notice a difference. I've been taking PatchAid multivitamin patches since pretty much the beginning. I've felt great so far and haven't experienced any ill/deficiency feeling/fatigue from it. My first post op isn't until 6months out, so in 2 months or so I'll finally see what my labs come out like. My next immediate goal is to breach the 100lb weight loss and and to increase water/protein to hopefully see improved gym gains. Feel free to ask me questions and I'll see if I can help in any way, let's keep going everyone! Attached are some before and afters and yeah it's the same shirt +-94lbs

I was just referred to Kaisers medical weight loss program by my primary care doctor. I have orientation in a week and a half. At what point do the doctors decide if Im a candidate for surgery? Im about 3 lbs off from having a BMI of 40. Ive weighed this for 3 years. I only have pre diabetes so I dont have a comorbidity. Could this disqualify me from surgery? My primary care doctor didn’t explain all the requirements for surgery. Online it states I need a BMI of 40 OR BMI of 35 with comorbidity. has anyone here had experience with this?

You're in a fantastic place! The surgery should help you maintain that loss AND lose more! If you're anything like me, losing 50 pounds is one thing, keeping it off forever is another thing altogether. I'm on Wednesday so I'm hoping to see you post about how well it went before I go in. 😉

I am about 5 years post-op and definitely regret it as well for mostly the same reasons as SleevedK above. Yes, I lost quite easily at first but that only lasted the first year. After that I could not lose anymore no matter what I tried. The worst thing? I am ALWAYS hungry. Before I had VSG, I had done low carb/keto for quite awhile and lost well and had a lot of energy. Part of that is eating plenty of fat which keeps you full. Unfortunately, after VSG I could not eat much fat. Protein first of course, but if I had too much fat I'd get sick. I also LOVE vegetables and can no longer eat much of them. I fill up quickly at a meal but am starving an hour later. I was told that at least in the first 6 months or so, hunger would never be a problem b/c the part of your stomach they remove is where the hunger hormones are secreted and that eventually that would come back. I was hungry from day one and it never changed. The biggest disappointment to me was that I did want the bypass. I went in for surgery and woke up to find I had nothing done. Doctor tried but could not pull my intestine far enough forward to attach it without stressing the incision. I went on a liquid diet for a month and lost 22 more lbs, tried again with the agreement that if it still wouldn't fit, he could go ahead and do VSG and that's what I woke up with. My surgeon has a very good reputation and I trust him. My body has always done weird things. Not sure if it's just all the fat in the omentum around the intestines that was the cause or adhesions from my previous gallbladder surgery, although he did say he broke down some of those. By 3 yrs post-op I'd not only not lost anymore but started regaining. The regain is totally MY fault, not the surgery, but I was so tired of fighting to lose with no results that I began eating junk food again and it crept up. All told, I lost 85 lbs and regained 28, and have been sort of stuck there. I'm now revisiting trying to do low carb since it works for me once I get past the initial cravings, etc. I had some GERD prior to surgery but it went away with the weight loss, only to return with a vengeance after i began to regain. It is MUCH worse than it ever was prior to surgery. I have not had an endoscopy to see if there is a hiatal hernia or anything yet; it's on my list to get checked out soon.

Hi All im due for surgery on 19th Aug, I’m really confused about intake of liquids after surgery…… breakfast???? If I have a smoothie, how much should it be for each serving, should they be very runny same with soups, I’m planning on making soups b4 I go in and freezing them, but again how much to put in each pot i have a lap band, 12 years now, nothing but problems, so changing to sleeve, I have lost 5 stone, currently weigh 13 stone, and really don’t want to lose huge amounts, 2 stone, so also worried about that……… I’m just worried lol really I want it all, 2 stone weight loss, keep it stable, and to eat normal small meals, without having to run to the bathroom every time I eat, which is what happens with the band sorry jumped from one thing to another

So I’ve been 5 days post op now, I generally feel ok now, much different from when I was in hospital and 1st day of coming home. (Horrible) no nausea and Pain is minimal also. Today I walked outside for almost a mile and went back. I feel ok, sort of winded but ok. I’m still doing pretty much the liquid only diet. I was able to eat a whole sugar free pudding cup today. If you count the pre liquid diet weight loss I think I’m at 23 lbs lost and hoping to lose many more!

I'm happy to join in too. I'm 7 yrs post op. Had some regain at 18 months post op. Went Keto and lost regain plus some, but have fizzled out and STILL have 25 lbs to go until ultimate goal as current BMI is around 30 (need to change my profile info still). I remain on a tight diet and am essentially still keto, but I'm considering putting Keto to the back burner and focusing more on high protein-low carb-lower fat which is more of a 'bariatric' type diet long term. I am desperate to make the scale move in the next 3-4 weeks and see some good losses. I will ALWAYS identify as a bariatric patient and sadly this will be a lifelong battle for me. But I have all the tools I need. I actually just spoke to a NP today from my clinic to suggested I start FIERCE tracking which I haven't done in about 6 years.

So it’s been one year! my weight before surgery (August 2020) was 330 lbs! my weight today is 170 lbs. I really want to inspire people as much as I can.. I want my journey to show you that you can do it no matter what. I’m much healthier now and I feel like I own the world, my life has completely changed, I don’t have sleep apnea anymore, I’m back to being the energetic kid I used to be, no more sleeping 24/7, and I can finally drive! ( I never had the chance to due to severe sleep apnea) I couldn’t ride roller coasters before duo to my weight, and I’ve waited in line just to discover that I don’t fit into seats many times. But now, I can fit in every single ride and I just feel so happy, I feel.. alive! Before pics and after pics included ❤️ Hope this inspires someone!!

Hey y’all, hope everyone is good. Quick question please, what’s the best way to lose weight after vsg and also does eating less than 500 calories slow down your weight loss in general?

Oh, I can certainly relate to having a busy schedule. I'm wondering if food prepping on one day that you have a little bit more time will allow you to prepare some easy protein options. I had to make food prep a priority. Then the other hard part was making actually eating the food a priority when I'm at work. Now that I have gotten into the swing of both, it's a new habit that I prepare on an off day and I eat. Lite proteins should not slow your weight loss. Lite, easy to eat proteins when you're busy might help your loss and your body as well. Just a thought. Sometimes I just eat a cheese stick when driving to or from work. Simple and no prep needed. As I mentioned in my other post, I use edamame as a very simple protein Boost. I buy them frozen so prep is so easy and hardly takes any time. They last when at work so I can grab a few when I have a couple minutes available. Hope your protein intake improves 🙂

I eat other protein when its available, my schedule just doesn't make it easy most of the time. I need to start branching out more, but I also want to keep the loss going until I meet my goal.

Congrats on your weight loss! Sorry to hear about that intense heartburn. Does your program have any recommendations for how to prevent this? Was it due to any specific food or eating pattern? Hope that gets better. I need to work on arm and leg toning also. I'm glad it's not as bad as I've heard it can be. All the best for getting to your goal weight! You are so close 🙂🤞👍

since the average weight loss is 60-70% of your excess weight, you've done very well!!

rate of weight loss varies so much between people depending on so many factors that it's pointless to compare yourself to others. I was a slow loser, and I started at almost 400 lbs. People who start at a low BMI (for a WLS patient) are pretty much ALWAYS slow losers. What was your starting BMI? if you're following your program and keeping active, that's pretty much all you can do. You can't control your gender, age, metabolic rate, genetics, starting BMI, etc - and those will all influence your rate of weight loss. If you stick to the plan, you WILL lose the weight, whether fast or slow.

Deciding which surgery to have is not straight forward & it’s a good idea to ask for real life experiences to help you decide. Some factors will direct you more to one or the other more easily. Like some surgeons recommend bypass over sleeve if you have a larger amount of weight to lose. If you have reflux/gerd already the sleeve really isn’t for you. Then it becomes lifestyle choices, existing medical conditions, weight loss history, etc. that will influence your decision. I had sleeve surgery even though I had occasional reflux. I experience it more now but it manifests differently. One of the reasons I chose the sleeve was because it would change my digestion the least but also because I could revise to a bypass if I needed in the future. My tummy has always been a sensitive (lactose, spice esp chilli, fatty or oily foods, etc.) because of the reflux, a parasite in my gut, an acid tummy & just me. Consequently, I thought I’d be more likely to end up with additional food limitations with a bypass. 27 months on & I’m happy with my sleeve. There are odd foods I’m not good with. Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes sit like a weight in my tummy. Dry meat & vegetables like char grilled ones cause the foamies & gagging. Oily fish upset me more now than before surgery. But this is very individual & you can’t predict it. Amusingly I’m way better with dairy than I was before - tossed that parasite with most of my tummy. I find it harder to find non spicy & non chilli food than foods I eat with my sleeve. Foods you struggle to eat in the first couple of months after surgery may be fine later on. Your tummy can be sensitive to begin & you might have episodes of diarrhoea, vomiting, dumping, foamies. It can help if you introduce foods back into your diet slowly. Most of this is temporary or only if you eat a specific food & I just try to avoid those I know upset me. Some people, though, seem to have no issues with food at all. These experiences seem to be similar across the surgeries. I remember my mother lamenting she didn’t know what food to buy when I visited her. The reality was she didn’t have to buy different foods or cook differently (mind you I’d always do the shopping & cooking when I’m there). I just bought my own yoghurt & protein bar snacks but otherwise we ate the same foods except she has dessert & slightly larger portions. You may choose to make a lot of changes to your long term maintenance diet (I have - rarely have sweet cakes, biscuits or desserts, no fast foods, etc.). You may chose to go the moderation path & still include the odd take away, sweet treat, etc. Doesn’t matter what form your maintenance diet takes it just has to be sustainable for you & how you want to live your life. Good luck with which ever surgery you choose.

Awesome to hear that your heartburn is gone! Thats huge! Eggs were hit or miss for me in taking a break from them now. Congrats on your weight loss. And I can relate to the fun of unpacking a totem at the bottom of the closet and going "shopping". Woohoo! This weekend, I think I will be removing some larger items from my closet 🌞 I have mixed feeling a out that though. I have some nice items that now look like clown suits on me, hahaha. Glad that you are happy about your surgery! Have a great weekend!

Great news a out your A1c. Congrats! It's great that you can kick that medication to the curb. So, guess what. I typed my post this morning before I weighed. When getting ready for work, I weighed myself and my stall was broken! Honestly though, I thought the scale was messing with me when I saw the new number. LoL. You all brought me good luck, lol. 🤣 I know it doesnt work that way. I dont really change much except watch water intake and walking when I get a stall. They are so normative during this process that I accept them. I'm not racing to a finish line, so I'm not pressed for fast losing. Just safe and healthy weight loss is my goal. Hmm, I want consistent loss also, to be honest, but I'm ok if my body needs a week of stabilizing before we drop down again. Plus, I just hope the slower pace will help me not have as much loose skin. So far, that's not a huge problem. I noticed some areas that I'm wondering what will happen when I lose more weight in those two areas. So, I definitely need to get on tonight and strengthening. Thanks so much for sharing your update and your kind comment a bit me keeping our thread going. Thanks for being here. 🤗

Hi there! Congrats on your weight loss. Roller coaster is a great way to describe the process. Continue having fun with the clothes experience. 🙂

I had planned to start exercising as soon as my dr gave me the go ahead after surgery. However, I was consistently losing week after week and, while this might sound stupid, I felt worried to change anything that might then affect the consistent loss. I said to myself that if the weight loss slows down or stalls, then I would start to do more exercise to help get things moving again. So 5 months out now and I only walk/hike a couple times a week but that’s all. I have been really lucky to not stall so far (I weigh myself once a week only) and I still plan to increase my exercise if my loss slows down, stalls or once I hit goal to tone up, whichever comes first That’s what has worked for me so far but everyone is so different and has different goals to achieve. It’s all about what works best for you and what you’re comfortable with.