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So I have a few things to update on. I haven't been super active lately because things have been crazy. First, I finally got rid of my size 26/28 clothes!!! I had them bagged up for a good week and a half and I finally pulled the trigger and got rid of them. All of my work clothes, shoes, and size 10 jewelry was donated to Dress for Success. My casual clothes and pajamas were donated equally between a local homeless shelter and a local domestic violence shelter. I'm currently in size 22/24 clothes, but they're starting to get big on me (I'm in like a size 21 lol But there isn't a size 21, so...) Once I make it to a size 18/20, I'll do it all over again. Second, I'm in another stall. I have been for the last 8 days or so. I know because it's following the same pattern as the last 2 I had. I gain 3 pounds and then sit there for weeks, then drop like 5 pounds when it breaks (first stall lasted about a week and a half. Second one lasted 2 1/2 weeks. I figure I might be looking at 3 1/2 or 4 weeks now). I'm used to it now so I'm not freaking out. BUT, my size 9 rings are too big. I need size 8 1/2 and like I said, the size 22/24 clothes are starting to be too big. So even though the scale isn't moving, I'm still winning!!! Third, I FINALLY got my appointment for the scope. The GI cocktail has helped me be able to eat some food, but I still have to be careful. I'm now on 80mg of Nexium daily and I take the GI cocktail 10-15 minutes before eating anything. I can actually sleep in my bed again, so that's good. Looking forward to this scope to get to the bottom of everything once and for all. Fourth, been working my tail off finishing my last 2 classes for my degree!!! I'm a little over half way finished, and it's been exciting. I've been working on this degree for the last 11 years, so to finally be at the finish line is amazing. I had been putting it off and as my health and weight started getting better, I just became super motivated to finish and finally have my degree. My graduation is in December, and I FULLY intend to be below 300 when I go. That's my new goal. I have 3 months. I think I can do it. I'm at 322 right now (remember I gained 3 pounds before just sitting at this weight?) so if I can lose 23 pounds in 3 months, I'll hit multiple goals at once. So excited!!!!! Well, that's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their 3 days weekend. My daughter's birthday is Tuesday, and we're letting her miss school and we're taking her out to lunch and then to do a little shopping (she's turning 16). Have a good one

Ok, I hear you all. And I get it I think. The surgery is a tool to help you get to a point where your mind, willpower and new habits have to take over. Some of you seem to be saying that years down the road there is little difference, except for starting point and maybe some restriction, between having had surgery and just following a good healthy diet for weight maintenance. I will try to follow a maintenance plan now and not graze. I suppose its good to know that I will always need to be diligent. Thank you

I hit my first stall at 6 weeks and my surgeons team had not said anything about them. That's when I discovered this board and I was saved! I didn't lose or gain for 2 weeks. It was frustrating but when I started losing again it was with a vengeance. Like the others have said stay on the plan, keep eating like you should and once your body works things out, you'll be back to losing weight. Deeeeep breaths this is all a part of the process. You are NOT messing up. Sent from my SM-F926U using BariatricPal mobile app

What led me to weight loss surgery isn't what led most people here. I didn't (don't) have food addictions, etc. I had medically induced obesity due to auto immune disease and long term corticosteroid use. So, I got a Lap Band in 2013, and lost about one hundred and forty pounds. I never got to a "normal" weight. It's like I reached a new set point and stopped losing. I pretty much maintained that for about five years or so and then I developed GERD. As @Tomo said, the GERD associated with Lap Bands/Sleeves doesn't respond to meds and there's always a gnawing, hungry sort of sensation that makes you feel like you always need something in your stomach to stop the torment going on in there, and that led me to eating slider foods, because they felt the best to my GERD tormented stomach. So I regained maybe ten pounds during my GERD period. Then in 2021 I had the band removed, then I lost the ten pounds that I had gained, because the GERD eased up a bit and I was able to eat healthier fruits and veggies that my Band wouldn't tolerate before and kicked the carbs to the curb. I'm currently almost 7 weeks post op RNY revision and I've lost twenty-nine pounds. So the scale is finally moving after years of being stuck. I feel like I didn't regain weight even after my band was removed due to a change in eating habits and behaviors that I adopted when I got my Lap Band. I maintained those, and yes it was easier after my Band was removed because I could eat healthier again. My Band wouldn't tolerate fibrous, healthy veggies most of the time. So I would say maintaining success in the long term relies on a change of behaviors and eating habits. One other thing that I think helps a lot of people maintain success is lifetime tracking of calories/macros.

Its the 4th of the month. Which means its time to do my monthly weigh in and measurements. High weight of 317lb. Surgery date April 18th 2022 I have to go buy new clothes again. The clothes i bought last month for work no longer fit and the belt i have put in roughly 7 extra holes in it. Time to replace it lol.

Yes, your body adapts to the changes made by surgery, and it will still want to gain weight, as it does now, but it is harder and slower to do so. This means that you have to adapt to to counter that tendency - the surgery will indeed help you to lose the weight that you can't lose now by yourself, but you still need to work at keeping it off. This guy gives a pretty good presentation of how it progresses, and some ideas on how to live with those changes to help maintain things. You don't have to follow all of his recommendations, (I'm not so sure about his green smoothie thing....) but it helps to understand what is happening so that you can develop your own plan that makes sense for you. My takeaway from him is that you will see increased ability to eat more at a meal, though not as much as pre op - his progression is consistent with my experience, though my wife maintains a greater restriction than I do, YMMV - is to fill in that increased ability/desire to eat more with bulky, low calorie veg to minimize and control the caloric increase over time. The salads that I make now for lunch have about the same amount of protein - meat and cheese - that they did early on, but a lot more veg than earlier. Our protein needs doesn't increase over time - our "high protein" post op diet isn't really all that high, but rather a maintenance level of protein while everything else is dramatically reduced at that time. I found that it really helps to work on your long term maintenance diet as early as possible - long before surgery if you can - to get used to how you should eat 5-10 years from now rather than just next month or next year. Learn how you should be eating for good weight maintenance (and satiety) and start developing those habits early - don't worry about rapid pre op weight loss, let the surgery do that. If you are seriously concerned about your long term prospects on weight maintenance - if you have had a long history of yo yo dieting, and/or are starting at a very high BMI, you should also consider the DS, duodenal switch, surgery as that has demonstrably better regain resistance than the RNY or VSG, which are very similar in that regard. There are more trade offs involved - what in life doesn't have them - but it is worth considering ahead of time rather than as a revision later on, as the bypass is a difficult thing to revise.

if you're on a liquid diet, that gain wasn't a real gain. Probably water retention from the IV.

hunger/appetite usually come back sometime during the first year after surgery (and a minority of patients never lose it at all). After that, things get more challenging. It's hard work - but it does "work" as long as you're committed and stick with your program. during year 3, most people experience a 10-20 lb regain as your body settles in to its new set point. Of course, some people can gain much more than that if they aren't careful. basically, the surgery keeps you from eating a lot AT ONE SITTING. I'm over seven years out, and I can't eat nearly as much at one sitting as I could prior to surgery. As an example, before surgery, I could easily eat half a large pizza. Now, I can physically only eat 1-2 pieces. Again, at one sitting. the major problem is grazing. If I eat 1-2 pieces of pizza at 6:00 pm, and another piece at 7:30 pm. and another piece or two at 10:00 pm - ta da! I've eaten half a large pizza. So you really have to watch that if you want to maintain your loss. like others have said, though, it gives you a huge reset. I lost over 200 lbs, which I could have never done on my own. But after that loss, it's on you.

The surgery is in no way a magic cure. It’s only a tool to help. You can buy all the tools you want though, and some fancy drill may make it easier than a hammer, but your deck is still not going to get built without you doing some of the actual work. I think of the surgery more as a clean slate. Yes, the hunger does come back and no you will not be able to eat exactly like you did and keep the weight off. BUT, you will get this one time fresh start where you really do lose if you follow the plan and if you resolve to continue making those healthy choices most of the time you should be able to maintain it. I’m not gonna lie and say it’s easy cause it’s not. I have to ask myself probably once a day do I really need this or do I just want it. But it’s totally worth it to be able to feel good in my own skin.

Not sure if the OP is around but I guess someone recycled this thread for a reason. I think people wonder if we are sick sometimes because of how fast we are losing. For obvious reasons that most people don’t lose this fast with diet and exercise alone but also because just like we often experience body dysmorphia, it’s hard for them to wrap their brains around our size shrinking again and again as it is changing so quickly. If you think about it, it’s never strangers that say such things because we REALLY don’t look sick. It’s just people who have seen us at our heaviest that make such comments. I think it’s the only way they can reconcile our new size. Give it time and most likely they would say that you looK fine a while down the road if you care to ask. Not that anything changes, it’s just that their brains have a chance to catch up. I would look to my doctor to be the judge of whether I was at a healthy weight, personally. That’s all that really matters is that we are indeed healthy. Honestly, I wouldn’t put much thought into anything someone like that says anyways (I mean someone who’s parents didn’t raise them better than to make a comment like that in the first place. Even if it were true we don’t say things like that to people).

Yes, your hunger does return. A bigger question that influences this is whether what you are experiencing is real hunger or head hunger. Head hunger comes from cravings, habit, boredom & emotions. Real hunger comes from your body needing nutrition & feels different. You’ll learn how it feels for you. For me I get restless, know something is wrong but don’t crave or want a specific food, texture or flavour. Unfortunately while the surgery changes your digestive system, it doesn’t change your thinking. You have to do that part. Many find working with a therapist helpful with head hunger & the issues behind it. Yes, the surgery does physically reduce the amount of food you can consume, boost your metabolism, change your body’s set point & temporarily reduce your hunger (not everyone though). The reality is if you aren’t ready to do the head work to reflect on how, what & what you eat you will gain weight again. The surgery isn’t an easy fix though it can give you the impetus to change. I realised what I was doing wasn’t working & that surgery was my last resort which made me want to embrace the benefits & not waste them. Hope I haven’t scared you more. In many ways I eat more & more often than before (was a meal skipper). I worked out a way of eating that works for me, complements my lifestyle, provides my body with what it needs & has been sustainable. Some do regain some of their weight because how they initially chose to eat doesn’t. The truth is the surgery can be amazing if you grab the opportunity with both hands. I’ve never been able to maintain my weight like this before & haven’t been this weight since I was 12 or 13. I look at food differently. Not as the enemy nor as a way to make me feel better but as a source of the nutrients my body needs to function effectively. And yes, I still enjoy food & eating .

I will try my best to answer your questions. They are good questions. I had the sleeve in 2015, I was revised to bypass due to gerd over a year ago. Years after the sleeve, my weight crept back up about 40 lbs but no where close to where I started which was over 320 lbs. Unfortunately, my appetite was never really supressed after the sleeve, but even years later, I could never eat a lot in one sitting. 10 ounces max no matter how hungry I was. I never ate around the sleeve either. That is, no milkshakes, donuts, cakes, slider foods that slide right through the sleeve. So the restriction was always there, thank goodness. But then, I got gerd. Gerd is a horrible thing, it gnaws at your stomach and you feel you have to put something in it constantly just so the pain subsides. No medication worked. It was frustrating, painful, no sleep either. Fast forward, I get an RNY and my severe gerd is finally gone. I still have silent reflux from time to time but it is not bad. Appetite is more suppressed compared to the sleeve but I could have happily went a lifetime with my sleeve and stay in a decent weight range if I didn't get gerd and had to revise. So, yes, appetite returns but if you can make the commitment to follow the basic rules of protein first, no drinking during meals, no slider foods, you will do good.

SD- 5/2018 SW-318 LW -180 didn’t stay there long & maintained roughly 190-195 for a long time. CW 210 Yes your stomach will stretch back out Yes it’s very hard work—FOREVER I am torn like on 1 hand it was totally worth it. On the other hand It didn’t solve the issue that I desperately needed it to. That’s another story for another time. I am however slightly happier thinner. I wasn’t happy at 180 it was too small for me. I like me at 200 it is my happy weight but I am slowly gaining. For the past 1.5 yr I have been ⬆️ & down 10lbs usually gaining right before my menstrual cycle & then I lose its. Everything kinda comes back like my appetite is larger & I can eat just about anything. I don’t exercise persay but I live on a farm so I’m always working. I back to the same shitty eating habits eating once a day @ dinner like before WLS. I need to re train my mind make protein intake a priority & more frequently. GOOD for u for taking this leap of faith. I’m sure that I wait is stressful in itself. I can’t believe it’s taking that long. It took me 2.5-3 mths from initial appointment.

Yes, tomorrow I finally get to eat soft foods [emoji4] but with my weight gain I got worried. He actually wanted me to go on a liquid diet for another week since I was Dehydrated and was vomiting But he said if I felt better I could eat soft foods Sent from my SM-N976U using BariatricPal mobile app

I hope I can communicate my question to you all. I am in a long waiting period for surgery like about a year. So I've been reading lots. My question pertains to people's tendency to regain. For those of you especially who are years out from surgery has your appetite come back as strong as it was prior to surgery? Do you have the desire to eat even more frequently to compensate for your smaller stomach or can you eat like you did before? I have dieted so very many times in my lifetime with soul searching and introspection. I've been sure this was it to never to regain my weight back, several times. However, its never worked for me. So am I unrealistic to think that this surgery could be the physical help I need to help maintain weight loss? I guess I'm looking for insight as how the actual surgery worked for you long term. I know there is the change in eating but if that were all there were I would think more of you would be unsuccessful. Thank you in advance for any insight you can give me.

Hi me again, I had my gastric sleeve 21 days ago I had a follow up with my doctor on my 15 day and was Dehydrated, they sent me to the emergency to get some ivy's after that I had to go to my primary doctor due to my pancreatitis level were to high they weighed me and I had noticed I gain 3 pounds I figured it water weight now I am on my 21 days and just weight myself and notice that I have gained additional 2 pounds now I'm worried I am also still on my liquid diet. Thank you Sent from my SM-N976U using BariatricPal mobile app

Good morning! It has been a few days since my last update. I've been stalled at the same weight for the last 3-4 mornings, but I'm not worried--it'll show up eventually. As I mentioned in my reply above, I get to move to phase 3 (soft) in 2 days! Everything is going well with phase 2, and I've followed instructions. The other day, I went to visit my primary for an eval. Incisions look good. My BP was 128/80 (an 80-point improvement over immediately post-surgery), so it's being controlled by meds, though I'll keep a close eye on my BP with my home cuff so I can alert her when to cut back on my meds.

Aside from the damage smoking does to your lungs and heart, it does a number of other harmful things to your body. Some of these are important when talking about bariatric surgery. Fast facts: Most surgeons won't operate on you if you have smoked within 4-6 weeks of the surgery. Some want you be smoke free even longer. Smoking significantly increases your recovery time because it causes your blood vessels to constrict, which reduces blood flow. It also reduces the amount of oxygen your red blood cells can transport. Well oxygenated blood is critical for healing. You will have at least a 30% increased risk of complications over a non-smoker. (Blood clot, anastomotic leak, pneumonia, etc.) Your mortality risk due to surgery is double or even triple that of a non-smoker. Smoking can cause esophageal strictures post-surgery that would need emergency care and possibly another operation. The chances are extremely high that you will develop an ulcer even years later, especially if you take up smoking again post-surgery. A complete perforation due to an ulcer is a life threatening emergency due to sepsis. Your chances of reaching your goal weight are much lower than non-smokers. Much of this is attributed to the fact that smoking reduces your ability to exercise, and numerous studies have shown people that don't exercise post-surgery are significantly more likely lose less weight, or even return to their original weight, than those that exercise regularly. If you are expecting bariatric surgery to reduce your cravings for nicotine, I wouldn't count on it. It's extremely common for smokers to restart post surgery. In fact, there's even an elevated chance that non-smokers start smoking post surgery as they replace one addiction with another. Best of luck. I hope you can kick the habit now and if possible, wait a while before having WLS. The longer you let your body heal after quitting smoking, the lower the risk and better your outcomes will be.

Hummm. Have you checked it since? Maybe you actually do have slightly elevated pressure that just began recently. It does just sort of come on one day. If so, they will most likely tell you how to alter your diet to try to bring it down on your own or start you on a low dose of BP meds which you hopefully won’t need in a few months cause you will be eating great and losing weight which often brings it down. It’s not always weight related though. It can be genetic. My husband hates the taste of salt and is tiny and he and his whole family has high BP. How long do you have before your surgery? Can you get in to see someone (family dr or even NP at surgeons office). I think the pills start to work almost instantly because he can feel somehow when he forgets his and feels better shortly after he takes it. If you have a little time I would get a cuff at Walmart or just go frequently and use theirs for free to test and see if it is running a little higher than the past first but I’m not sure if your already doing pre op how much time you have to figure it out. The manual cuff are fairly inexpensive If you know how to read them (not sure how easy that would be to do on yourself though). The machine ones were like $20-30 If I remember correctly. The ideal way to go about it would be to make appt with family dr and get a cuff and notebook and start logging it several times a day for like a week. Your BP, what you were doing before and maybe even what you ate. Then take that with you to dr along with what your BP was that day and go from there.

I had mine Feb 7th and the same here I still have back fat and stomach has gone down but as you say a deflated ball and unfortunately my boobs are also deflated and saggy. Once I tuck it away under clothes you can’t tell but when I remove them it can be quit discouraging 😩 but I try and look at it in a positive way and just say that is a sign of all your weight loss if you had to pick one would you go back to all the weight or where you are now. I will take my loose skin and all the health benefits over all that extra weight any day.I will just say it’s part of my progress. We have to appreciate this part of the journey also because it is journey not a sprint. IT’S ABOUT PROGRESSION NOT PERFECTION. Make the best of your journey Every one who reads this post when you get down about where you are just think of where you came from not years ago but just 6-7 months ago and appreciate the progression.🥰

My mother in law taste buds changed so she didn't crave smoking as much anymore. They usually want you nicotine free for the surgery. My vsg surgeon tested me for it, but my revision surgeon did not. Just like for any surgery, up to you if you want to quit after that. Lose weight, stop smoking as you know is the general consensus.

You simply can't escape at least some scars after getting your body to that stage of excess weight, and having loose skin is one of those scars. Your body had to make that excess skin over years, and it can't just retract like a rubber band, unfortunately. Factors like age and how much weight you've lost will inform how much you have, but the best thing people can do is make peace with it, especially if, like myself, they'll never be able to afford plastic surgery to get rid of it. You can help support your skin with vitamin intake, hydration and creams, but honestly, that won't stop it from happening. I do those things to keep my skin as healthy as possible, but I'm under no illusions that it's ever going to spring back. I did this to myself, so I accept that there's a price. The upside: loose skin is easily hidden with clothes and that's waaaaay easier when you don't feel the heat as badly as you once did!

Congratulations and well done! I can't wait for my weight to drop below 100 kg (3 kg to go). Hopefully before my 40th birthday by end of this month 😀

That is awesome! I also intend to do this with my kids as soon as I reach the weight limit of the amusement park. Your daughter seems happy in there

I've been bringing my kids for the past few years to a place called Urban Air, it's basically an indoor amusement park, it's a lot of fun. Unfortunately, a lot of the coolest things to do there have a weight limit, 250 for some and 230 for others, so I was never able to join them on those rides. Even though I passed both thresholds a few months ago I never felt comfortable going on them until tonight I decided to give it a shot. I ended up doing ALL of the stuff I couldn't go on before, including the "Sky Rider" (indoor zipline, it was awesome), Ropes Course, and Rock Climbing. Lots of fun, and another great NSV.