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Hi there, contemplating on getting RNY. I have just a couple of questions. 1. Was your hair able to grow back after things stabilized? And did you use anything for it to grow back or just let nature take its course? 2. Were you ever able to skip taking vitamins everyday, and still have your lab reports come back okay? I mean is it okay to skip some days in case life gets in the way etc. 3. What is your Vitamin schedule? Good ones to take etc, bet time to take them? 4. How many hours after a meal are you able to eat another same size meal again? Thanks so much! :)

Yep, as others have said totally normal. I have an iud and prior to surgery I never had a period. It came back sporadically during weight loss initially- seems to be leveling off and hopefully going away again. Just another one of the joys of womanhood I guess.

I've been thinking about this a lot and I just started my weight loss less than a month ago. I have come to the conclusion that I will answer unwanted weight questions with another question to put the onus back on the person and hopefully make them realize that they are asking an intrusive question. So, if anyone (who is not closely acquainted to me) asks....'How much more weight you going to lose?' or 'How much have you lost?' I will respond with a very serious 'Why do you ask?' because my weight is no one else's business.... and no one has the right to comment on my body anymore.

When you say that you don't have period anymore, what do you mean? Are you truly postmenopausal? (have not had a period in over a year) Average age of true menopause is about 51 (in the US, at least). I'm 49 and I'm all over the place skipping periods, then starting up again with a vengeance. This perimenopause thing is the pits. LOL. I absolutely get crazy hungry and crave everything right before my period is due. And my weight will often tick up 3 pounds and make me nervous. But it'll come right down after I get my period because, weirdly, when I have my period my appetite plummets. Evolutionary biologists believe this whole phenominon of binging before menstruating might have been a defense mechanism against predators smelling blood. Menstrual apes will stick around home and roam less, eat less....and will eat a lot beforehand so they don't have to forage as much. Keeps them downwind of the cheetahs maybe? Heck if I know, but it's an interesting theory as to why we get the muchies. Keep in mind that estrogen is stored in fat...and a big weight loss will cause elevation in estrogen. So, the weight loss itself could be causing hormonal symptoms like you're describing. You might not need HRT, but it's not a bad idea to see what your doctor recommends. But yep...you're not the only one who is a bottomless pit right before menstruation. (or what your body percieves is going to be menstruation) Best wishes!

I totally agree with creekimp. You're at the point where a lot of people start backsliding and need extra support. The first few months or the first year most of us are pretty gungho about all this, but once we're in maintenance or at least close to it, the rapid weight loss ends, we're tired, and the thrill of rapid weight loss is gone. That's when the hard work begins - to either keep going or stay where we're at without starting to head backwards. Lots of us have found therapists to be very helpful. Find one if you need to....you've put a lot into this and don't want to go back to where you were before!!

yes. Lots of women report mood swings and screwed-up menstrual cycles the first few weeks (or months) after surgery. It eventually settles down and stabilizes. It's supposedly due to excess estrogen being released. Estrogen is stored in fat cells, and it's released during rapid weight loss. As I said, it'll eventually stabilize and go back to normal - but it takes a few weeks (or months)

I think it depends on how far out from your original surgery you had your revision. For me, my revision was 8 months after my sleeve due to GERD that was causing intractable hiccups. Because I was still in the weight loss phase I continued to lose pretty steadily until the end of February this year (14 months from my sleeve surgery) when I hit 155lbs which is where I’m maintaining now.

I’m almost to my 2 year anniversary (in a few days) and I feel like I’m out of control with my eating. Life/work stress isn’t helping and I’m at a loss as to how to correct myself. Has anyone else felt like this? How did you get “back on plan”? any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hey everyone! Gastric Bypass July 9th here. I had my pre-op appointment yesterday and they were extremely thorough! For those interested, I wanted to go over the details of what my process has looked like so far: - My insurance required an EKG, blood work, and gallbladder scan. So, during my pre-op, they redid all of those to compare the previous values with the most recent results. normal EKG, no high cholesterol, no high BP, no gallstones, normal thyroid levels, higher-ish estrogen, and borderline pre-diabetic which was NOT fun to hear but will hopefully be resolved with Bypass. - I spoke with the nurse and my (very handsome lol) surgeon, who re-reviewed all possible risks and complications. He explained how he would do the surgery (five incisions, robotic) and what to expect before and after. He also checked me for hernias, which I don't have. - Met with my dietician to re-review my pre-op diet and just to check in with me. She provided me with info on how to set up future appointments if needed as I transition through the phases. - The clinic gave me information on how to get my family member informed on what was happening. The hospital I am using has an app and the surgeon's team will text updates periodically. - I'm expected to be in-patient and will stay for one night unless I have complications. - They provided me with the sterile soap, Hibiclens and instructions on how to use it. bathe with half the bottle the night before, the other half the morning of (they gave me a sheet i have to mark down the date and time of the wash and turn it in the morning of). wash hair, no products, no contacts, no invisalign, clean sheets, clean pajamas. - the doctor gave me my prescriptions, which include: Gabapentin, acetominaphen, ondansetron for nausea, promethazine syrup, ursodial to prevent gallstones (thankfully i don't have any), and prilosec (OTC). - I had a chest xray and was asked if I had any implant anywhere (i don't.) all came back normal. - spoke with the anesthesiologist who weighed me, took my height, and explained the overall process to me. i've only been under once for a 70-minute MRI a few years ago but i know approximately what to expect. I will also be getting a 96-hour abdominal block to help with pain along with my (very strong) medication. - They provided me with information on what to eat and drink the night before (light breakfast, protein shake, clear liquids, and then four hours before the surgery, 16 oz of water), day of (clear liquids) four days after, two weeks after, (heavy liquids) one month after (maintenance phase). - set up a post-op appt 10 days later, and another one a month after surgery. - The morning of the surgery i arrive at 7:30 am, am checked in and put in pre-op, surgery should last two hours, one hour of recovery, and then moved to my private room where my sister will be waiting for me. no overnight guests because of COVID but this hospital has a designated bariatric surgery floor so all of the nurses are specialized in this, and even nicer, all of the equipment accommodate larger patients. so, large recliners, large beds, laaarge gowns, large chairs, sturdy IV machines, belly bands. very comfortable. - i'm planning on bringing an ipad, books, lip balm, lotions, warmer socks, grippy sandals, button down pajamas, a small pillow they recommended as a "splint" when i get in and out of bed, and toiletries. I feel pretty ready i suppose, but it doesn't feel quite real yet! crazy to believe that in a few months i'll be down a significant amount of weight (hopefully) and look slimmer. I am on my two-week pre-op diet which consists of two protein shakes and one light meal a day, with "free" snack foods including fat free cheese, lean meats, sugar free jello popsicles and pudding, high protein yogurts, and non-starchy veggies with light hummus or light ranch. hasn't been super easy but I'm trying my best. and LOTS of water. Let me know if you have questions, i'll be glad to answer them.

I’ve heard not to worry about weight loss for the first month or so after surgery as your body is still recovering from a major trauma.

You may lose hair after a bypass but it will grow back. I’ve been using a biotic shampoo and taking biotic supplements. It couldn’t hurt!

I didnt lose weight the first two weeks after WLS, I think the body will retain fluids when its trying to recover from surgery. Your post op diet will give you a downward trend of weight loss, just wait a bit.

it's very common. The reason oft stated is that estrogen is stored in fat cells, and a bunch of it is released during rapid weight loss. A lot of women post about mood swings and screwed-up cycles the first few weeks or months after surgery. It does eventually settle down and stabilize again.

Does anyone take magnesium citrate for muscle pain Sent from my U693CL using BariatricPal mobile app

I use the reminders, the calorie/macro tracker for protein goals, and the weight/measurement features mainly. I'm not really exercising yet or I'd hook Apple Watch up to it too. Sounds like you're doing great! I think my stall is very very slowly breaking still. I'm down to 250.2! I can't wait to see 249 on the scale. My body loves hanging on to weight at around the 250 mark. I am still happy with my overall loss though. My highest weight was 275, then I was 265 day of surgery (I did not have a pre-op diet, but still lost 10lbs in the three months leading up to surgery). So still down 15lbs in 3ish weeks, and 25 overall. Not a bad little start Also, welcome to all the new people. I hope your surgeries and recoveries go well! I didn't want to post a response to everyone individually and end up spamming the thread with replies.

I think that show does influence people’s perceptions too. You’re not going to lose at the same rate as people who are two or three times your starting weight. If you do watch that program (& I do) you’ll notice the weight they’re expected to lose each month decreases as they lose once they get down to 400lbs & less. This surgery isn’t a miracle cure. You’re not going to lose all your weight in a couple of months. Consider how long it took you to get to your staring weight in the first place. Yes, to begin the weight loss is quite large in comparison to your previous weight loss rates & it’s motivating & exciting but it will slow down to a 2 pounds +/- a week which is generally considered a normal healthy rate. Men tend to lose more quickly then women @Mnevins, unfair but true, so don’t be discouraged & compare your weight loss to your husband’s. You are playing on two distinctly different fields - height, starting weight, gender, genetics, age, … all influence the rate at which we lose. We share a surgery anniversary & are similar heights & staring weights - I’m just two years ahead of you. I lost about 10kgs (22lbs) in the same period so you could say you did better then me. But my surgeon was very happy with my rate & as I said earlier my rate was considered pretty common.

you're starting out at a MUCH lower weight than most WLS patients, so you shouldn't except to see huge drops. I'd actually lost less than you at the six-week mark (about 22 lbs), and I started out MUCH heavier than you. So you are doing fine. btw - it seems like the majority of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range that first month. Of course you'll always find a few outliers - BUT...they're outliers. You are doing just fine - you are in that range. And again, you are also starting out at a much lower weight than most of us. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people's perceptions are affected by shows like "My 600 lb Life", but you have to remember that those people start out at much higher weights than the average WLS patient. Not many of us "normal" WLS patients lose as much weight right off the bat as those people do. Again, you are fine. Your loss is perfectly normal.

Good luck on your revision. I was one of those that was freaked out after having it done and having no restriction. It turns out this RNY was better for me with maintaining weight loss and I actually lost 25lbs more. Its crazy how it has all worked out and I am very happy other then I am still stuck on a PPI twice a day !!!!

I had problems drinking lots in the beginning, but sometime around the 2-3 week post -op point I was suddenly able to chug water again, thank goodness..i love me some water. This ability had no impact on my weight loss as far as i can tell (lost all i wanted to by 7 months post-op, and then a little bit more in the months afterwards). Solids, however did not go down as quickly…still doesn’t really, to this day at 2.5+ years. Once you get to solids you will likely feel it.

So sorry that you have not received the guidance & support needed for this surgery. Luckily, you have found a community that can help give you the tips & support you need. There are great YouTube videos of people who have gone through weight loss surgery, and I think there was at least 1 that I saw from the UK 🇬🇧 . The talk about meal ideas, tips, tricks, etc. (Search: VSG UK) Wishing you lots of luck!

This is funny, thanks for starting! Moist does not bother me, but I get how it could bother people. I am guilty of journey and have recently caught on to my over using it, especially with weight loss. I am trying to look for better alternatives, although I am not bothered by its use. Words I hate-FAT, OBESE, BARIATRIC 🤢😖🙁 (yes, I realize I am on "Bariatric"Pal! Sorry, BP, I like the website/ app/company😉😊🤣).

Congratulations on your surgery. Thank you for giving us your story. It is helpful to hear different experiences with weight loss surgery. Good luck as you continue to progress through the different stages of your weight loss experience. 😊

Hi, I lost right at 10 lbs my first week too but now this morning - first day of week 2 I've only lost a half a pound so I assume the loss will be slowing down now. @stephanie2393 - my date is 7/7 too! Lara

Not sure if this approach will work for you, as it depends in your temperament and nature, but here goes: What helps/helped me was understanding/accepting that nothing is forever, and implementing a sort of MO of Delayed Gratification. While I didn’t really want to eat “fast foods”during weight loss phase, I did start to want desserts near the end of it. So I was all, Yeah, that cookie has 300 cals in it, so it’s probably not a good choice NOW, but maybe I can have it LATER. In maintenance, I still do this. And in maintenance I eat a much wider variety of food than before (including dessert!) If I want to eat something when Im not actually hungry, OR if I want to eat something that is ridiculously high in calories when I am, I wait 30-60 mins or so and see if i still want it, and if I still do, then i eat it! The majority of the times I end up not eating it (or just have a couple bites)…it also helps ME that I track everything I eat/drink. When faced with that 300 cal cookie, a quick peek at MFP will likely determine if i goes in my mouth or not. On another note, sometimes if I know I’m going to be eating alot of cals at some event or other, i’ll lower my cal intake either before or after…it all evens out in the end. so this is my long-winded response to say that in my opinion only, fast food/desserts/whatever is not bad or the devil or anything. Its the impulse-control/regulation that needs tending. The easier-said-than-done-trick is to take a PAUSE. Which sounds to me is exactly that the OP did in her drive-by of McD’s (the store being busy notwithstanding, lol) Consider that a win! No need to shame oneself for wanting it, nor demonize the thing you want. Faced with a dilemma, you chose wisely for your given situation . That deserves a pat on the back ❤️

Well, after the weight loss, I now have TWO butts! (Or is it four?) LOL I have my regular flat bum, and then a secondary one that formed just below it, comprised of the excess skin that droops down. When I lay on my back, this lovely skin morphs into my secondary hips. 😂😂😂😂 I’ve contemplated getting it adressed by plastics, but I’m no longer interested as it doesn’t bother me as much anymore. (thiugh this may change in the future, who knows…i’ve seen many a lovely post-plastics a$$es that make me get bum-envy sometimes!)