Search the Community

Congrats Kevin! You're steadily dropping the weight. I'm only a week and a half post-op but I'm looking forward to getting out of my 3XL shirts also!

Def an NSV. I noticed this too as I lost weight! Looking at old pictures, my trapezoid area shrunk (the part between the side base of your neck and the top of your shoulder). And as it did, a little dip formed there that was a perfect little cubby to hold my purse strap in place! Lol. So yeah, add it to your NSV list, ha! ❤️

Hi everyone! Today I am 4 weeks post-op and thought I would give an update. I stopped weighing myself everyday because it was difficult watching a stalled scale. I only weigh on Fridays now. Since surgery (4 weeks go) I have lost 16.6 lbs. I feel very fortunate that I have not had any pain. I feel like I can definitely eat more than a few ounces at a time. I can eat almost up to a cup but I am trying to mindful and stop before that. I can see the weight loss in my face and my clothes are fitting better. I believe that I am down a total of 30 lbs since I started this process. Today, I graduate to soft foods! Finally, some variety! Hope everyone is doing well!

Yes, likely ketosis, and basically means that you aren't eating your vegetables. It will improve as your diet improves and gains more variety. I never had any particular problem with it as I always maintained at least an homage to a varied balanced diet (no keto/Atkins stuff,) and let the calorie restriction do its job.

Five-week Post-Op update. W1 - 7/22: -12.6 lbs W2 - 7/29: -5.6 lbs W3 - 8/05: -2.6 lbs W4 - 8/12: -3.8 lbs W5 - 8/19: -4.4 lbs That's 29 lbs since surgery to go with the 28 lbs I lost prior to surgery. It's great to see the numbers go down because when I see myself in a picture or in the mirror, all I see is my (still) big belly. I was weighing myself daily for the first 4 weeks, and not seeing big results each morning was driving me crazy. So, I am only recording my weight on Fridays now. After the first week, it looks like I'm losing about 4 pounds a week now. I think that's good, right? NSVs: My face is definitely thinner. My pants fit much looser and I am now fitting into some clothes that I had outgrown. I had to dig out an old belt since the one I have been using no longer had enough holes. I'm about to fully transition from my 3XL shirts to 2XL. Right now, it's a mix in my dresser drawer. Physically, I feel great. I still get hungry, but I fill up fast. I have a bit of a problem knowing when I'm full and it's hard to get out of the habit of eating everything on my plate. If I eat too much, it's a bit uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt. I guess this concerns me a bit. I want to get better listening to my stomach. The diet plan completely sucks, and I try not to cheat. But it sucks, so what do they expect? I just got back from a family visit and had two 1,000 mile drives. For the trip, I made a low-fat chicken salad and had string cheese and Quest Protein chips for snacks.

I posted to my blog about losing weight: https://jesseliberty.com/2022/08/17/weight/. I have roughly 13,000 followers so hope to get a good discussion going.

I'm part of a group of people who are mostly several years out of surgery. Some have tried WW. Some of them really like it and have been successful with it, but for others, it's not their "jam" and they gave up. I guess all you can do is try it and see if it works for you. others have tried things like Keto, intermittent fasting, or going back to logging and eating protein first, etc (in other words, the basics). Whatever works! BTW - 800 kcal a day being as far out as you aren't isn't really sustainable. Start logging to find out what your calorie range is (i.e., about how many calories does it take to keep your weight where it is. May take a month or so of logging to figure this out). Then, if you want to lose, cut back from there. Maybe 100 calories at a time. For example, if it takes 1600 kcal a day to maintain your weight, try cutting back to 1500. If after a couple of weeks nothing's happening, cut back to 1400. Rinse and repeat.

I tried WW a while ago, before WLS. I couldn't get into it. I just couldn't wrap my head around the "zero points" foods. The foods still have calories so how are they zero points. If I eat 3000 calories of grilled chicken I am still gonna gain weight. Anyway, my personal experience. I just couldn't do it. Do you track your foods and drinks? If not, try starting there. You don't need to eat 800 calories to loose weight, you just need to eat less than you currently are and less than your body burns. A lot of times what people think they eat vs. what they are actually eating is a big difference. So tracking helps with really knowing where you stand. Good luck.

I've updated my weight before, but now I can't find the page. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks.

I had the sleeve because I have bipolar disorder and was concerned about the absorption of medication with the bypass. The dr said he recommended the sleeve because of my lower BMI but would do bypass if I wanted it. The NP said she would go with sleeve because it’s the safer choice in terms of my medications. I did not lose as much weight as I had hoped to. In all fairness the NP did warn me that sometimes with Bipolar disorder that people do not lose quite as much as those without it but I only got down to 25.7 BMI which is still technically overweight and then I gained the bounce back weight. I sometimes wonder if I had just chosen the bypass if I would have lost more and had a little easier time keeping it off. The only thing is, who is to say that I wouldn’t be one of the people who lost less with bypass as well. What if it’s not the surgery choice at all. Don’t get me wrong. I am still happy to have lost what I did lose and if I can maintain this I will be happy enough. I just don’t have much wiggle room and do wonder if I had chosen bypass if it would be different. I think it’s only human to wonder if the grass would’ve been greener on the other side. You definitely do still have time to change your mind though. They told me I was in no rush to decide all along. If I had more time to research one question I would have asked is if their patients that revised sleeve to bypass lost more after the bypass (got to a lesser weight than they had with the sleeve). I know that doesn’t 100% mean people who get bypass first will lose more than they would have with sleeve but it seems like it would be the case. They are both excellent and relatively safe options so I don’t think there is a wrong choice really. My only real advice would be to take your time until you feel confident in your choice and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions until you are.

I am about 3 and a half years post-op and have gained about 30 pounds back. I can't get mentally disciplined back to where I was. Nothing works. I can't seem to get off the weight. Has anyone tried WW? I need a solution that is not eating 800 calories, because I obviously can't get back to doing that. Thanks!

So, I always use "cross body" purses because when I put them on my shoulder they always slide off and it annoys me. If I am only going from the car to the house sometimes I may just hold it or put it on my shoulder, I don't know why? Quicker? haha Anyway, the other day I put my purse on my shoulder and walked to my house and noticed it never slid off. Didn't think anything of it, then did it again yesterday and again, it didn't slide off. WHAT? Did it slide off because I was fat? Is that really a thing? Does it stay now because my shoulders are thinner? Is it coincidence? Is this a NSV? I don't even know, but I will take it and I am adding it to my NSC bank. haha This is not the first thing that changed and I had no idea it was the way it was because of my weight? For example, moving my seat forward. Even being 400+lbs my belly never touched the steering wheel. I am 6ft tall. I assumed my seat was moved back because of my height, but as I lost weight I noticed I needed to move my seat forward. I guess less back/butt fat allows me to sit further back in the seat which makes me further away from the steering wheel. Scooting forward on the couch before getting up, like to the edge and then standing up. I just always did it, never realized it was because I was fat but just thought it was normal. Never paid attention if anyone else got up like that. But, like a week ago I noticed that I just got up. From my normal sitting position, did not scoot to the edge of the couch first. Then, i noticed it and was like UHHH what just happened. It was not intentional it just happened and surprised me. So then i started paying attention if my thinner friends got up the same way and they do. So, another "I didn't know it was because I was fat" NSV! It is so weird how we (or at least myself) has been so big for so long that things we think are completely normal are really just our normal and we didn't even realize it until suddenly they weren't OUR NORMAL! It is kinda cool; actually it is very cool!

5 months post op: No one has really ever say anything about how little I eat. Maybe because I have only really sat down at the table for a "real" meal with people who know I had surgery. As far as cookouts and group settings, etc. You kind of just eat randomly and maybe stand around or sit where ever with your plate so no one is really paying attention. I haven't had any Holidays yet, we have a huge family Christmas eve dinner every year and only 1 person in my family knows I had surgery. So, I do wonder how that will go. My entire family is obese, and everything revolves around food. But, I have lost 100+ lbs multiple times, so I think it will be easy to shrug off as "just be trying to loose weight again". The flip side, I will likely be pretty close to my goal weight by then. (I hope anyway) So at that point, they will probably be more focused on how much weight I have loss and I can easily explain eating less in result of a strict diet for so long. When I went out for surgery, I told work I was having a haital hernia fixed (which was true and mine was very bad). So I was on a strict diet for that with liquids and graduating back thru stages to normal foods. I kinda played it as well since I couldn't eat for a month it kick started my weight loss so I am just sticking with it and following through to keep loosing weight. So, they just think I am on a diet. They also know I have lost 100+ lbs in the past, so just stated trying to do it again and keep it off this time. As far as restaurants, I never had a server as if everything was ok. My wife and I share a meal a lot, so most of it gets eaten anyway. And so many people are obsessed with these "fad" diets, that I don't think most people even blink an eye anymore to strange requests. Like "no bun" or "no sauce" etc. I went to a sub shop because I was dying for my favorite turkey sub. I said "I am sorry to be so weird but can you dig most of the bread out of the roll before making it" She replied, that's not weird at all tons of people ask us to do that. Then I even took the bottom of the roll off and cut the top in half and added the meat and toppings to the half of a hollow roll to fit my needs. PS, still couldn't eat more than a few bites of the bread but it DEFINITELY satisfied my sub craving. I am allowed all foods, while focusing on proteins first. I eat very balanced, so I don't need to make many requests or have much of a different plate than everyone else. I just have smaller portions and/or eat less of the food on my plate and make the healthier of choices in front of me. Sorry for the long winded response!

Stalls are normal. My teams warned us about them and stressed not to panic. I think everyone has their own preference on who often they weigh themselves. There is no right or wrong answer here, just whatever works for you. I weigh myself every Monday morning, basically in the same clothes. Tshirt, bra, underwear and flip flops. My surgery was on a Monday morning, so that is why I choose that day. I do sometimes weigh myself randomly during the week but only document my Monday morning weight.

There are some antidepressants that can cause weight gain (for example, tricyclic antidepressants are notorious for it). Surely your doctor didn't prescribe an antidepressant that can cause weight gain since they know that you are trying to lose weight. IMO, the best antidepressant for overweight patients is Wellbutrin (burpopion) because it can actually promote weight loss. Sorry, I am a pharmacist so I can't stop myself from making drug recommendations. I know everyone pushes the "reset diet" but I have to say that what made it easy for me to get rid of my regain and not feel hungry doing it was my doctor prescribing me Ozempic. I am a type 2 diabetic and I had been taking Bydureon in the past without weight loss effect then my insurance removed Bydureon from their formulary and I was switched to Ozempic. Weight started coming off within a month of starting the Ozempic and just kept coming off. I have currently lost around 30lbs. If you are not a diabetic, Wegovy has the same drug in it as Ozempic (semaglutide) just at a different dosage for weight loss. I have been taking Ozempic for almost a year now and I no longer have cravings and rarely ever even feel hungry. It is funny how Ozempic, Bydureon, and Saxenda are all in the same drug class but I only experienced weight loss with Ozempic. I just flat out couldn't tolerate Saxenda. Slowed my gastric emptying to an unbearable level. Bydureon worked for my diabetes but didn't have any effect on my weight. Of course, these are all injectable drugs (Ozempic/Wegovy/Bydureon are only once a week though vs daily for Saxenda). Contrave is an oral weight loss drug that contains wellbutrin (bupropion) as one of the ingredients. It seems like it would be a good option for those who can't stand the thought of using an injectable medication but honestly, I. Rybelsus is the oral equivalent of Ozempic. Phentermine is probably the most popular weight loss drug but I have known of people with poorly controlled hypertension to have strokes while on phentermine so I don't recommend it unless I know that the person either does not have hypertension or they take their BP meds and check their blood pressure frequently. Best of Luck

I always feel bad for my waiter when I go out to eat because they will usually come over and ask me if there is anything wrong with my meal. I just tell them that I had a stomach surgery and don't feel like eating and then I take my meal to go. When I am out with people outside of my family, I usually order something small and cut it up and use my fork to mix everything on the plate together and move it around to try to make it look like I ate more than I actually did. (This is a technique that small children often use to try to convince Mom that they have eaten enough dinner. I have often wondered how many other bariatric surgery patients have done this in an effort to not offend a host. ) You can also just box up half of your meal before you even start eating and just say that you are trying new eating habits if anyone asks. Buffets are just a no go for me unless they have to go options (pay by weight of meal). Even though I am several years out from surgery, after my doctor started me on Ozempic last year (for diabetes, not weight loss), I have been unable to eat more than a few bites of food at a time. My stomach literally feels just like it did a few weeks after surgery. Consequently, I have lost more weight which is great but I have to say that the daily nausea is getting old at this point.

Yes, there are odd things that I have to manage with my sleeve but there were things I had to manage with what I ate before surgery. I had a dodgy digestive system with sensitivities & intolerances. Still dodgy with a couple of other considerations now. Some of the changes I made to what I eat can limit my options but generally I can find a few options I can eat or can eat around. I’m also much more aware of my body’s response & reactions to various foods & situations then ever before. I look at it as being a good thing & part of eating mindfully. I think much of the portion size issue is really about people’s inaccurate perception of what is an appropriate portion size. We are confronted with what are jumbo size portions that are 2, 3 or more what is a recommended size & we think they are normal. Take note of how much & what other slimmer people eat & you’ll realise you are much like them. The reality is the portion we eat is about what everyone should be eating. It only looks small because of the excessive portion sizes. Sure, I have days when my energy is lower. Some is because of my low blood pressure. But when I stop & reflect before surgery I had days when my energy was low too but then it was because of my weight. Generally though I’m certainly fitter & stronger than I was before & that outweighs (pun) the odd day I feel weak or need a nap. Most of my family & friends are aware of my food preferences & portion needs. They make allowances for them much the same way as they would with someone with a food allergy or who was vegetarian or vegan, etc. It just all takes time. From you understanding your body, needs & changes to others understanding the changes you’ve made. You don’t have to explain your surgery if you don’t want to. Sometimes just saying I’m not hungry or I’m seeing a dietician or I’m trying a new way of eating is more than enough if you feel you need to explain. Ultimately what you choose to put in your mouth is nobody’s business but yours.

Hello! Long time lurker, first time writer. My question is as the title suggest, what am I feeling? I keep getting this almost rumbling feeling in my belly that kinda feels like a painful version of stomach growls when super hungry. It makes my stomach feel heaving and tight and comes a goes randomly. I'm trying to tell myself it's gas pains and it will go away soon but it takes my breath away when it happens. Just want to make sure I havent signed myself up to living with this feeling forever. Thanks bunches! 1day po Starting 290 Surgery weight 238 Cw 241 Goal 175

I always get my "official" weight first thing in the morning after I wake up. But I almost always weigh myself last thing before I go to sleep as well, and it's actually helped me get more sleep. I've noticed that the longer I sleep the more weight I lose (I've lost up to 2 lbs overnight sometimes), so I have been actively trying to get more sleep, going from an average of 4 or 5 hours a night to 7 or 8.

I weigh myself at least once a day too. If I am at home all day, then I weigh myself several times a day. Stalls and fluctuations do not bother me at all. I meticulously track my food real time, so I know whether I am doing something wrong or not even before stepping in the scale. Too many factors play into weight. Like if I eat too many pickles, I will gain water weight for a few days. I understand others though. If the stalls and fluctuations bothered me, I wouldn't weigh too often either.

Just wanted to share a little NSV. I realized last week that I had to do some shopping because once again my clothes were getting too big on me! When I started my weight loss journey, I was wearing XXL shirts that were getting too snug, and size 42 pants that were also getting too snug. As of this week, I'm wearing Medium shirts and size 32 pants - holy cow! I found one of my old XXL shirts that used to fit me tightly, tried it on with a little help from my daughter, thought some here might enjoy:

Don't feel bad for weighing in, there's literally no right or wrong way to do it. Except I'm probably doing it wrong, I weight myself multiple times a day because I'm a crazy person. Not always all the time, but I weigh myself at least once a day in the morning and I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all - unless it starts driving me crazy, otherwise it's not a problem.

So, we’re jumping forward to May 2021. Picture this: I’m about to talk to my cardiologist at my 1 year surgery follow-up and am getting nervous. Mentally I’m going through all the things I’m going to say to convince him I’m fine, and that he should definitely approve me for WLS. Turns out, I was worried about nothing. He went through the standard checkup stuff and at just about the point that I was ready to go into my well rehearsed sales pitch, he actually asked me if I was still considering bariatric surgery. Imagine my surprise at that one! When I said yes, he didn’t hesitate to say he was fine with it and didn’t see the heart surgery as an issue at all. He just became my new favorite doctor. I walked out of his office ecstatic and ready to call the bariatric center to get the weight loss surgery scheduled right then. I mean if they would have taken me in tomorrow, I was READY. It was late in the day though, so I decided to wait. Turns out waiting was a bad choice. I woke up the next day with horrible back pain. I’d had back issues for many years, but it had been mostly stable for a while. Now I was experiencing a bout of sciatica that was so bad, I had little to no muscle control in my legs. Great, more health issues to deal width and once again bariatric surgery would have to wait. Let me jump forward a bit here. It took a few months, some new meds, some injections, and some aquatic therapy, but the back was feeling tolerable, at least. I was finally ready to call the bariatric surgeon’s office. Remember me saying I should have called sooner? It turns out they had a 2 month backlog for “new” patients. You see, because I had been out of the program for almost 18 months at that point, I basically had to start over. Fast forward to September 2021 and I finally get to meet with a PA and start the “intake” process. I then did the standard psych evaluation and 6 months of dietitian visits required by my insurance company. The surgeon also decided that I needed to do an abdominal CT scan with contrast. Not sure if this was typical, or something “special” just for me. Unfortunately, once again something wasn’t right. This meant the surgeon wanted a closer look, which meant more testing. Pro tip, if you ever get told you need to do a fluoroscopic swallowing exam, see if you can get out of it. Seriously. This was probably one of the top 5 worst exams I've done. I went in thinking it would be no big deal and was much more worried about the endoscopy they also were planning. Turns out, I had it completely backward. I slept through the endoscopy, but the swallow study just was miserable. After a few tense days of waiting for results, my surgeon’s office said they found a couple of issues, including a hiatal hernia, but I was okay to proceed to surgery! Now it became a waiting game for insurance approval and surgical scheduling. (Apparently they are still way behind and not able to accommodate a full surgical schedule due to a COVID-19 induced backlog.) After an eternity waiting, I finally, finally got scheduled for September 20th. I just thought I was anxious before. Now the waiting really begins!

Before my VSG, I only lost 2 lbs during my 2 week pre-op diet! Talk about discouraging! They had me only eating/drinking protein shakes and greek yogurt. I never eat yogurt because it’s too high in calories and carbs. I think that is what kept me from losing any weight. However, my surgery went very well and I recovered quickly so there’s that… This time around (I’m getting ready for a revision from VSG to RNY) I’m drinking protein shakes but not eating much greek yogurt. I’m sipping on chicken bone broth a lot instead. I started my pre-op diet 4 days ago and I’ve lost 3 lbs. so far. Hang in there! It’s all going to work out great! Just stick to your pre-op diet and everything will be fine. You’ll start dropping weight after your surgery. I lost almost 80 lbs in about 3 months after my VSG.

I could not weigh at home for about the first 2.5(ish) years, so that would certainly kill some of you. Once I could, I did it for a couple weeks until I drove myself crazy (not a far trip), then gave it up. Once I stopped my monthly follow-ups, I didn't weigh between annual doctor visits. Still don't. The scale no longer has power over me. I guess when you go through a couple/three years of only weighing monthly you learn it's not the end of the world not to know your EXACT weight. Just keep following your plan, then rest happens on it's own. Oh. Scales lie. There! Good luck, Tek