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My stall came at 3 weeks and lasted a full 5 weeks!! I was about to pull my hair out over that one so I truly hope I dont have a second stall lol. I have been gradually losing 2-4 lbs a week once the stall passed. So I am on average right now with my monthly weight loss according to my team and others in here as well. I take what I get as long as its weight loss and no weight gain. Every number gone is a win for me.

I had RNY GBS in June, 2007. My pre-op weight was 415 lbs and my BMI was 61. I wore 5XL shirts and 54 waist pants, my suit jacket was 60”. I lost 100 lbs in the first 12 weeks and after my total body lift in 2009, I had shed 182 lbs. I’ve stayed right around 240-250 lbs for 13 years. I have had dumping syndrome (UGH!) and all the pleasantries of plastic surgery. The most frequently asked question is “would you do it again?” And, my answer is always yes. I was in terrible health and feared losing my job because of my health issues. I regained my health and worked another 14 years (31 years total when I “retired” in 2021). I’m able to keep up with my grandkids and I went back to college full-time. I’m glad I took the leap. It changed my life.

Hi! I got the Barimelt ones. I’ve been taking them this entire month and so far so good. They’re not too bad, I think all of them have funky tastes based on what people are saying so I’m sticking with these unless my doc says otherwise. I chose the sleeve on the recommendation of my surgeon. I don’t suffer from acid reflux and he thinks I would do well with the sleeve since I did lose weight with my lap-band and proper eating, he thought the restriction was all I need to get back on track. I think he also said the weight loss difference was close with bypass and sleeve, so the less invasive sleeve would be enough

24 hours after surgery I wasn't allowed anything until I had my barium xray to make sure I didn't have a leak. Then I was given clear liquids to include jello day 2 in the hospital drinking every 15 minutes 1oz, full liquids started towards the end of day two maybe dinner? Then day 3 in hospital was full liquids and drinking every 15 minutes 1oz. At home was 1 week on full liquids, 3 weeks on pureed,3 weeks on soft, and currently introducing solid at a very slow pace. Honestly I'm terrified I'll start to gain if I introduce too many new things. What I'm eating now works. Tuesday is 10 weeks post op.

I hear you there! If I could provide one piece of advice it would be this: We have to start where we are. Forget about all the guidelines like "you must get x amount of cardio per day". While we all want and need to get to that level, some of us just can't do that right now. As long as this week I do a little more than last week, and next week I do a little more than this week, I'm trending in the right direction. I recently saw a video of a 700 pound man and his weight loss journey. For him, exercise was walking from one side of his very small kitchen to the other side. He literally started off with one "round trip". After a while, he made 50 round trips. Before long he was walking outside, which was a major milestone for him. Up to that point, he'd been house bound for years. Maybe for you, it's an extra trip or two up the stairs everyday, or walking to the end of the block and back. Whatever challenges you today, is where you start. Once you establish this, forget about "routines" and do this every day until it's no longer such a challenge. That's when you progress to the next challenge, either by extending the distance or intensity.

I am a little more than a year out from my gastric sleeve an initially lost around 75 lbs. I recently started back on my antidepressant and seem to crave carbs. I have put back on about 20 lbs and really need to get my snacking under control. In the past being on antidepressants was a major cause of my weight gain and I am trying to tame the carb monster since I started back on the meds. Any suggestions besides getting back to religiously tracking calories. I still work out about 4 days a week. I think focusing on my protein intake may help with the carb cravings but I thought I would see if others have any recommendations. Sent from my SM-G998U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello and welcome in the forum. The first month is hard but passes quickly and you will soon be flying along. You may have a stall in your weight loss in a week, lots of us commented on the 3 week stall. Browsing the back pages will give you lots of ideas and inspiration, it kept me going. Good luck

Hi! Just wanted to see how you’re doing and if the weight loss has kicked back in!😁 It’s very frustrating, I know! Just hang in there, keep pushing your water/fluid intake and if you have to incorporate protein powder or liquid to boost your protein intake then do! Hope everything is going well!

Hi I haven't posted for a while, but thought I would stop in and see what you all think. I had my sleeve gastrectomy in January 2018. I was 265 lb and am now 190, so 75lb loss. I keep losing around 1lb a month. I am 5'9. My BMI is 28, so I'm still classified as overweight. I am very fortunate that I have absolutely no loose skin, stretch marks etc. That's just lucky genes...I didn't do anything special, and it was the same when I had our children. I am 54 yrs, we are married with 2 adult sons . My concerns are, that after 4 years, I still have no appetite. Even if I think something will be tasty, after 2 bites, I have had enough. Really weirdly, I can sometimes look at a dish, and my appetite just vanishes. It's hard buying groceries, because I don't have any interest in cooking. And cooking (and smelling) a dish just kills my appetite completely. 4 years out, and I still get dry retching every day just by looking at, or smelling food. It's miserable. My surgeon, although sympathetic, has no answers. My recent endoscopy was absolutely normal. It makes it SO hard for my husband and I... he is normal weight. We used to love going out to restaurants, cafe breakfasts, picnics etc. Now we still try and do that, but I usually only order an entree, but I rarely finish that anyway. It's miserable for him to enjoy being eating and see me just watching. I am so happy to be a much healthier weight, I look better, I fit into nice clothes and am way more energetic. But I still mourn eating. It's hard with guests, while they are enjoying their dinner and you are nibbling on a tomato. Forget adding the buffet breakfast to your hotel stay. Cooking up a lovely meal for your husband and boys and watching them eat, while you are completely satiated just from the smell and look of food while cooking. Any thoughts from others who are years post sleeve?

I’m glad to hear you are doing better but sorry you are still struggling. I’m working closely with a therapist (for years now) … since my accident, and talking through my decision to take this step (surgery … I’m scheduled for next Tuesday). I also see a separate therapist with my husband. There are days I feel like both are a waste of time, but usually I feel like it helps and I even look forward to it sometimes. Even sessions when I don’t think are really head on dealing with “things”… usually end up lightening my load and making everything easier to deal with until my next session. My best therapy advice is find someone you connect with and you enjoy talking to. Sometimes you need to go through more than one, and that’s ok. When you find the right person - it will make all the difference in the world. Thankfully my therapist is experienced with bariatric / weight loss issues. If he wasn’t, I would reach out to my bariatric program (they have a great therapist in house) or if I wasn’t comfortable with their person, I’d ask them for a referral. I hope things continue to get better.

So it may be time to take a little break from the ongoing saga of why it’s taken me over two and a half years to get to surgery and instead talk about how I got to the point of wanting to have bariatric surgery in the first place. My lightest weight as an adult was while I was in the Army. Just sheer physical activity and regular PT had me lean down to around 175 from maybe 185 when I graduated high school. Unfortunately I was severely injured in a training accident while in the service and left the military with a bad limp and a knee brace as a constant reminder. Weight wise, things went downhill from there. Being somewhat disabled made it hard to exercise, but meanwhile I was still eating like I did when I was in the service. (Lots of food, very quickly.) This was obviously not a good combination. Several other health scares and life events later, I shot up to around 240. I managed to stabilize things at this point and was even able to get into strength training pretty seriously for a while. Most cardio was still out, though. Life went on for several years, until I got a new job that paid me very well, but also took it’s toll on me physically and mentally. Within 3 years in the new job, I was up to 285 or so and climbing. I knew I needed help, so my wife and I tried just about every possible diet program imaginable. Interestingly, I’ve kept logs of every one of those diets. For at least the past 15 years, the typical pattern was for me to be somewhere between 285 and 300 pounds lose 30-80 pounds, then yo yo right back to my starting weight and then some. In about 2017, I finally asked my Doctor for help. We did all the things you’re supposed to do: talk to dietitians, try medications of various kinds, and even do physician monitored diets. None of that worked any better. The problem was, they just assumed like everyone does that I was weak-willed or to stupid to know how to eat properly. That’s never been my problem. I actually eat pretty well overall, with lots of fresh veggies, and plenty of lean protein. The problem is, in addition to all the good food, I’m also an emotional eater that soothes with sweets. I knew I’d reached rock-bottom when I started hiding food from my wife. As an example, I might buy a box of donuts and plow through it in a matter of minutes. Or buy the boxes of chocolate intended for Valentines day and devour them all in a morning. No box or bag of candy or pastries ever had the dust settle on it around me! About this time, I got up to 330 (my highest weight), and knew I needed to take a different road or I would never live to see my grandchildren. (I may never actually have any grandchildren, but that’s a story for a different day!) This takes us to late 2019 when I discovered, quite by accident, that my new insurance plan starting in Jan 2020 would finally cover bariatric surgery. After about a millisecond of research (okay, maybe a little longer), I decided this might be the thing for me. I think you already know what happened in my saga in 2020, so we’ll stop there for now and start back up next time in the summer of 2021, when I finally got the cardiac clearance I needed to get WLS.

The first one I had was a Tanita, which are very good, they make a lot of the professional models that the doctors use, It was very stable and reliable for about twelve years when it finally burned out. They're pricier than the cheapos- $60/70 up to around 150 depending upon the bells and whistles included, so I wouldn't hesitate about getting another. I did replace it with one of the Omrons that has both hand and foot pads and that seems to work well. One of the errors in the technology comes from where the measurement is taken - across the feet or the hands; some RDs or personal trainers may use a hand held grip that does the same thing as the foot pads. The problem is that its accuracy depends in part on what shape your body is - it you are an "apple" shape, keeping most of your fat around your abdomen, then the foot pads will tend to understate your BF number, and the had grips will overstate it some. Conversely, if you are "pear" shaped, holding most of your fat in your hips and butt, then the foot pads will overstate your BF while the hand grips will understate it. A scale that has both will average the two to get a closer reading. Another error inherent in the technology is that it is hydration sensitive. As it is measuring your body's impedance (electrical resistance), that will vary depending upon how much water is present (just like standing in a puddle of water while changing a light bulb isn't a great idea....) Your hydration will vary during the day, and some from day to day, so you should weigh yourself at the same time each day, preferably in the late afternoon or before dinner, when you are fully hydrated and likely most stable in that regard; first thing in the morning tends to be more stable on weight, but you are more dehydrated then. One might see 4-5 points difference in BF from early morning to late afternoon, so consistency is key. One will probably also see some day to day variation, so don't take them as too significant - trends are more important than individual snapshots. I typically weighed myself daily before dinner and kept a mental track of the BF number, It would typically vary, say, between 32.0-33.9, so any differences in there were not treated as significant; however, as time progressed, I would start seeing readings in the 31's, and stop seeing 33's. so that I took as notable progress. Call it an informal moving average. If one is so inclined, then record them daily and do a real moving average of maybe ten days. That should smooth out the day to day noise.

My PCP has never referred me to or mentioned a neurosurgeon before. He just referred me to a pain specialist. We are doing conservative treatments right now. My PCP is only sending me to a neurosurgeon because of the position my neck will be in during the surgery. The neurosurgeon is requiring I have an MRI in the last 6 months before they will see me as a new patient. The bariatric team I am working with called me this morning to tell me that my PCP didn't even talk to my bariatric surgeon he only texted him. He told me he talked to him. I am in shock. I never would have thought he would lie like that. The bariatric team told me not to switch doctors right now as it will hold me up. They will help me do the letter my PCP wants me to write to him regarding my weight loss history and why I want bariatric surgery. They also said my PCP usually listens to the bariatric surgeon. If he is only trying to cover his *** why doesn't he just get me to sign something saying I am not going to sue him.

I had a bypass earlier this year and so far zero regrets. My weight loss, even with bypass, has been slower than average due to a screwed-up metabolism from years and years of dieting. I know if I had gotten a sleeve I may have had slower weight loss and more stalls, so I am happy with my choice to get the bypass. Since the surgery, I have a really strong sensation of restriction, next to no hunger, food aversions (sweet and fried foods) and I can taste things way more intensely. I can eat very small portions of junk foods like ice cream (1 or 2 tablespoons). Anything more than that and I just feel icky so I just avoid them. I lost my sugar cravings, which was the cause of my weight gain in the past. I hope those sugar cravings are gone for good because not having them will help a lot with maintenance. The only struggle so far, however, is dehydration. I have to be so focused every day on meeting my water goals. If I don't, I wake up in the middle of the night with the most awful dry mouth. Other than that, all is good.

Hello. How are things going for you on your pre-op liquid diet? Good luck to you on your surgery. I'm sure this is an exciting but scary time. This definitely seems like a very supportive place for people like us on all types of weight loss journeys. If you would like to talk and become friends send me a message. [emoji2] Sent from my moto g power (2021) using BariatricPal mobile app

My wait to surgery was almost 2 years. I was originally talking and planning about in late 2019. I was always going to be self pay b/s it is excluded from my health insurance policy, so I looked at practices and settled on one. Then, coronavirus hit. I also at that point realized the practice I was going to use was not the right one for me, and investigated a new one, doing a new consult virtually during coronavirus (Aug 20). This new practice had a lot more requirements even for self pay and while I was frustrated, in the end it was the best thing that happened. Now, what wasn't good in that time is I gained more weight (I blame it on the weight a lot of us gained during COVID but I just was in a weird place and under a lot of stress at work - quit that job!) but what was good is the program I went with was very intentional about preparing everyone - regardless of whether it was insurance covered or self pay - for what to expect after surgery. Did it suck waiting? Yes. Do I regret it? Just a little - but mostly because I wish I had found this practice back in Fall 2019! I don't think I would have been as prepared and ready for surgery if I had rushed and gone with the practice I originally was looking at (they are well-known and have a strong reputation where I live, it just wasn't the right vibe). Part of why I feel like the past year has gone so smoothly for me (my surgery was Aug 16, 2021) is the level of mental preparation I had. I also used that time to unpack lots of other issues in therapy, which was helpful. So all of this is to say... what do you think will give you the most success? Personally, I would try to do it through insurance if I had the chance. It's not just the surgery itself - but what if there are complications? It's rare, but possible, and I had so much stress and worry about how I could bankrupt us if something went wrong. I'd also use the time to try and build some good habits, which is something my program stressed during the education phase: drinking water, exercising, sleeping well, etc. If you think you have any emotional hang ups about food, it'd also be a great time to work on that, ahead of surgery.

The bypass went really well. Less pain than I experienced with the band procedure (weird, I know!) and the weight is coming off at a steady pace. Gotta keep myself in check and not get comfortable and start snacking on the wrong foods or thinking I'm home free. The one big plus...being able to eat FRUIT again! With the band, it never seemed to pass through and I love fruits! I need to increase my veggie intake to be the majority of my meals and summer time being so hot this year, I haven't been cooking the veggies in the oven to keep the house cool. But once it starts to cool down, I intent to go in on baking and air frying a whole bunch of fresh veggies. My surgery was 2/3/22 and I have lost 46 pounds thus far and well on my way to my goal weight. I'm drinking 64-96 ounces of water with crystal light lemonade (yummy) every day and this has been a HUGE help in keeping my appetite in check. I also stop eating by about 5 pm most nights which also has helped. I'm working out with water aerobics and calistenics at home so my body doesn't look like melted wax at the end of my body transformation. The surgery was the easy part though it was the part I was most fearful about. I have a life to live and plans to enjoy my getting older years with my amazing husband. I hope the same for you!

😭😭😭 Thank you soooo much. I think it’s all just so new and the fear of weight gain was seriously bugging me out.

It is horrible you had to wait so long. my PCP told me their are weight loss drugs now. I asked him what drugs don't either interact with my blood thinner or increase my heart rate. There is 1, Semglutide which is $600 per month.

Hello All. Can I introduce myself. I’m Paul and exactly 4 weeks post gastric sleeve surgery. I’ve been trying to lose weigh all my adult life with varying degrees of success. All ultimately fruitless. There’s very few I haven’t attempted and I was desperate by the time I agreed to surgery. Although a various times I’ve topped 30 stone I was always able to cope with the excess weight. Not so these last few years and severe arthritis in my worn out knees has forced the issue. To get them replaced I have to be lighter. And hopefully ALM will be in less pain and I can move about easier. I was deeply ashamed about having to go down the path of surgery. I’ve loathed my size all my life and it’s had a profoundly negative effect on both my career and personal life. I was a fairly decent footballer in my time (hence the knackered knees) but undoubtedly the excess weight I carried in my younger years, whilst nowhere near as extreme, hindered my performance and damaged my self esteem. I first joined the NHS bariatric programme in late 2015 after encouragement from my GP but I promptly lost 7 stone and decided it wasn’t for me. Life, as always, got in the way and all that weight went back on by 2018\19 after I was made redundant and lost the plot. I was fortunate to get put back on the programme in 2019 and despite the hiatus of the Pandemic got invited to meet the surgeons in January this year. Can’t say I didn’t have my doubts as the date of surgery to nearer but I knew I was probably on my last chance should I walk away. The liver shrinking diet was extremely easy I felt. I stopped any form of alcohol a month before my date of surgery and I’m feeling OK now. I’ve had a couple of incidents of the foamies and have been sick twice trying to progress to purée/soft food. I’ve put that down to eating too quickly and perhaps slightly too much despite my efforts at not doing either. I find I hard to eat the 800 calories a day target I’ve been told to meet, and sufficient protein but I’m working on it. One thing that I do seem to be unusual for reading through this thread. I haven’t weighed myself since the day of the operation. Am I wrong not to do so? I can feel previously tight clothes getting baggy. My view is this is a marathon and not a sprint now and why torture myself if I can see a plateau going on for a couple of weeks. Nice to meet you all.

I hit my first at 2 1/2 weeks and my 2nd at 3 months. They are normal, they suck, and they will (unfortunately) keep happening, especially the further out you get from your surgery and the closer you get to your goal weight.

Everything I've seen on here about getting a revision from sleeve because of GERD has been to the bypass. I've heard the bypass actually greatly diminishes or even eliminates GERD. And gives additional weight loss (although less than initial surgery, it still gives some). It might take another year, but you should be able to get that last 65 pounds down with the bypass, and have relief from the GERD. I would talk to your doctor again, and if he still won't budge from the ESG, find another doctor.

I agree with many others here that have said only you can decide what's right for you. I will share some of my thoughts & experiences in the event they will steer you one way or the other. First of all, I think we all can sympathize with wanting it done NOW. I personally have been waiting 2.5 years to have my surgery and (maybe unrealistically), sincerely believe that my surgery date is when my new life will begin. It's hard to be patient for such a life changing thing. Even though I could easily have written a check for the cost of the surgery, I never really considered self-pay. Remember that ultimately surgery is just a tool. Even though it can be lifechanging, I know I still have to put in the work to be successful. Unfortunately, too many people end up right back on the diet yoyo. The last thing I want is to go through all this and still fail. For me, getting to this place where I really do feel mentally and physically ready took time. Perhaps a minor thing for some, but I also wanted local resources in the event I had complications or needed more help down the line. Something else for you to consider perhaps? A lot of people that lose significant amounts of weight, eventually need plastic surgery to get rid of excess skin (and potentially correct some other issues). While sometimes that can be covered by insurance, most of the time it's not. My point is that you need to make sure you're also financially ready to take on that expense.

The letter from him was my last requirement for my insurance. I have gone through 5 months of preparing for surgery. He wasn't for it but gave me a referral to the weight loss surgeon. He didn't think the surgeon or cardiologist would approve it, which they did. I have to write him a letter stating why I want the surgery, everything else I have tried. He said there are new weight loss drugs out there. I called his office and left him a message regarding what weight loss drugs are out there will not interact with warfarin or increase my heart rate as I take blood pressure meds to regulate my heart rate. He has never treated my neck pain just sent me to pain Dr. and now he wants to be concerned about the position my neck will be in for surgery. So now an MRI before I can even see the neurosurgeon. I will have to call and see how long my insurance will let me go after I finished my preop phase.

If I were in this situation, I would wait and go through insurance. Spend the time while you wait fixing any habits that would be counterproductive to life post weight loss surgery. Stop eating fast food and focus on healthier foods so you know what to expect after surgery. Look at the year you spend preparing for surgery as an investment, and how you will be more successful if you're not battling food issues. Best wishes!