Search the Community

NeeWorldMe, I also have intermittent lightheaded ness. I have found that when this happens to me, I am behind on my fluids. I now keep water with me all the time. Regarding losing the hair, it is “normal” to lose hair at about 4 months. I believe I read on the Mayo Clinic’s bariatric website that while “normal” getting all your protein in each day will help with the hair loss. Also the does of Biotin may help. I take 10,000 2 x daily. Just some suggestions. 😊😊

"One of the most famous examples of the flaws in the Body Mass Index system is Arnold Schwarzenegger. When the former California Governor was in the prime of his bodybuilding career, he was 6'0” and weighed 235 pounds. This gave him a BMI of 31, putting him in the obese range." BMI is flawed. It doesn't differentiate muscle from fat. Human anatomy is weirdly individual. Like most things in life... one-size-fits-all isn't always accurate. You can be a fine boned person with a lot of extra chub...and still have a normal BMI. You can have low body fat and be running marathons...and have an overweight BMI. It's a flawed scale. Why is this important to remember? Guess what I'm saying here...is that no one knows your body like you do. No one knows at what point in your weight loss you feel mean and lean and healthy. The numbers are a good rough guideline, but leave room for individual anatomy. Lot of different body types out there. (I'm also not saying....ignore your BMI if it's 31 and you're NOT a body builder...lol) Ya'll know what I'm saying. I don't have to explain.

I don't know if it happened or not, I didn't weigh myself for the first 3 weeks after I left the hospital - you need to be focusing on protein, vitamins, fluids - water. I know I know you want to have lost weight - seems like you should have, but yes pumped full of fluids and you don't need to feel bloated to be retaining lots of water. Also, I'm pretty sure no bowel movements yet either? As other people have said it and I know easier said then done, get away from the scale. Also I suggest picking a day to weigh - for me I weigh every Tuesday because that was my surgery date. If I happen to step on a scale any other day then that day, I don't freak out if I am up or celebrate if I am down, those weights don't count. Also if you've looked at other posts on the forums, after about week 6-8 a stall that happens for most people. Or sometimes it's only .2 losses for a moment and that freaks people out too.

i was just like you I came out of hospital 4 lbs heavier and was horrified!! not only that but it was not shifting at all for the first week,i was convinced there was some thing wrong .I am happy to let you know that I had my surgery 11-2 21 and I am now 18 days post op , 12 lbs down. I know everybody says dont stand on the scale but after you have taken the big step to have the surgery its only natural to want to see the results .I have become addicted to standing on the scale every day and am now seeing it go down daily which is great.I hear a lot of people on the forum say they had a stall at week 3 so at least i am prepared that if i see this it is nothing to worry about.You have taken the brave step to have the surgery and the weight WILL come off dont wory .I am like you I take 400 calories a day ,70 gr protein and 2 litres and its working . Good luck on your weight loss journey Mary

I’ve been taking the depo shot since before I had WLS due to period related anemia. Even during my 6month pre-op period I lost weight. Post-op I haven’t had any issues either with weight loss. Now that I’ve been at goal for about a month and eating more I’ve still managed to stay in my goal range. I will say that when I wasn’t on the depo for around 6 months post-op I had only lost about 35-40lbs.

in 2011 I was sleeved with no indication of having a hernia. I believe if the doctor saw that, he would have indicated to me that he would go ahead and remove it, but because it wasnt seen then, the sleeve was a stand alone surgery. Now had he done the gastric sleeve with the rny, I think my weight loss success would have been for a long time before gaining little to none weight gain. Nevertheless, the infamous GERD came to crash the party in 2019 and I was scheduled a bariatric doctor for a revision in September 2020. At that point I started the process which leads up to surgery and I was approved by my insurance company, thus my surgery date was 02/23/21. The doctor chose gastric bypass which he indicated that he tightened up my sleeve and rerouted my intestine where whenever I eat, it would bypass my stomach and go straight to my intestine, hence longevity of weight loss. He also mentioned to me that I had an hiatal hernia, which he repaired during the surgery. Because this is a revision, my weight loss will go moderately slow, however I choose to think that is on a "case by case" basis. Ive seen people with this revision go on to lose around 50-60 lbs in 4-5 months. I may very well fall in with these people, due to my rapid weight loss 9 years ago. my hw in 2011 was 303, sw was 289, fw 179, gw 160. I never reached my goal weight the first time, but I lost a total of 110lbs in 1 year, and then in 2013 I couldnt get the skin to tighten up, so I qualified for a panni, aka tummy tuck. i have big turkey wings and that is considered cosmetic, had Ive gotten that done, I probably would have gotten to my goal weight with ease because I went down to 173 after that surgery then the plateau started, but I maintained that weight for 7 years, then in 2019 I went through a depression state and going back to my bad habits, and smoking ciggs, then to make things worse, covid came to join the world so my weight skyrocketed to a shockingly total weight gain in 2 years of 76 lbs of it back. Thats 40 lbs away from going back to my surgery weight! That was a scary thought, but I think if I didnt have the gerd, my hiatal hernia wouldnt have been noticed. I know how to keep my weight down, because I had highs and lows throughout maintaining my weight without having a head game behind the fact that I was no longer 173. I was dating this guy from atlanta for 2 years and all I did was travel, splurge and dine out 3-4 days a week breakfast lunch and dinner. I didnt work and he took care of alll my bills and my childrens tuition for college and high school. This caused me to be settled and gained happy weight then my happy weight went flat as I got tired of being smothered and controlled by him so I left him right after valentines day. I then joined the gym at the end of February 2018 because I had got to 220 in my weight! I was making 50 that year so I wanted to at least get back into my size 9/10 before my birthday. Well I did. I lost 22 lbs in 3 months and was toned and force to be reckoned with. So I know that this is a long response, but I just wanted to share with you my journey as a 2 time bariatric patient. Im 5 days out from my revision, and I have lost a total 17 lbs which is to include losing 10lbs in 3 days from preop preparation. If I stick to the diet the way my nut and my dr has set forth for me, I could very well get past the goal weight they have for me, which is 180, and thats due to my frame, and my height as an African American female. At the rate that Im going, I will have lost a whopping 80 lbs in 2 months! But because the weight loss will be slow, and if I had to guess, I would say to get to MY gw of 160 would probably take me about 7-8 months to achieve that goal. Who knows with a sustained diet and exercise, I could very well get to my goal sooner. I hope this document of a response helps. lol, but best wishes to whatever surgery you decide to choose and God speed on your recovery.

I share this story in hopes that it may help someone to never pick up a drink after weight loss surgery or to at least be hyper-vigilant about the dangers of drinking post weight loss surgery. I was sleeved in August of 2015 @ 310 pounds. I Quickly lost most of the weight needed (lost over 100 pounds) and began running 5k. Not really setting the world on fire, but it was really good for me. I got down to a respectable 190 pounds. Prior to surgery, I had always enjoyed drinking with friends. Typical guy stuff - couple beers @ a football game or watching the game on Sunday, meeting for drinks after work, etc. Never an issue or problem. Never anything that i had to have. My doctor warned me against alcohol, sodas, and transfer addictions, but I thought "NEVER ME !". Wow, was I ever wrong. I remember the first couple times I had a beer after the surgery (I waited 6 months), it was very fizzy and uncomfortable. I convinced myself that it would get easier, and unfortunately it did. Next came the rum and coke zero. Wow, that tastes great, and I get a buzz very quickly. That fast buzz turned into getting very drunk, very quickly. Our new bodies absorb the alcohol in 1/2 the time that a normal internal system would. Over the last couple yeaars there have been many episodes of drinking way to much, blacking out, and not remembering what happened. I have had to apologize for my behavior more than once after a night of drinking. I even started drinking every day. I would make a drink as soon as I got home each day. 1 turns into 2 or 3. Just like lays potato chips you can not have just 1. Alcohol consumed my every thought. When can I have a drink? How can I make sure I can get a drink? It amazed me how I was able to justify that if Creamer was good in my morning coffee, how great would Rumchatta be (it's damn good, by the way). I am living proof that transfer addiction is a real thing. I am now in counseling for my alcohol addiction. Transfer addiction is definitely a real thing. Prior to VSG surgery I was over 300 pounds because I had an addiction to food, and all the wrong kinds of food. My new addiction is alcohol and it's best friend is food addiction. what goes with beer = chicken wings, or nuts and pretzels, what goes with a margarita = tacos, etc. Alcohol also makes it impossible to lose weight. So if you are really dedicated to clean eating but you drink, your weight may stay the same, but it surely will not go down. I have packed on 60 lbs of the 120 that I lost. And, I am slowly changing behaviors to get back to where I want to be. Addiction is sacrificing everything for that one thing ! Recovery is sacrificing that 1 thing to have everything !

not sure about your doctor, but those stats usually refer to excess weight rather than total weight (so if you're 250 lbs total and 100 lbs overweight, that would mean a 60 lb loss, leaving you at 190 lbs). Although I'm not sure if your particular doctor is referring to excess or total weight. Those stats you read in research studies, though (e.g., a 70% average loss for RNY and 65% average loss for VSG) are referring to excess weight rather than total. UPDATED to add - of course, those are just averages. You'll find plenty of people who fall on either side of that percentage.

I share this story in hopes that it may help someone to never pick up a drink after VSG or to at least be hyper-vigilant about the dangers of drinking post weight loss surgery. I was sleeved in August of 2015 @ 310 lbs. Quickly lost most of the weight needed and began running 5k. Not really setting the world on fire, but it was really good for me. Prior to surgery, I had always enjoyed drinking with friends. Typical guy stuff - couple beers @ a football game or watching the game on Sunday, meeting for drinks after work, etc. Never an issue or problem. Never anything that i had to have. My doctor warned me against alcohol, sodas, and transfer addictions, but I thought "never me". WOW, was I wrong. I remember the first couple times I had a beer after the surgery (I waited 6 months), it was very fizzy and uncomfortable. I convinced myself that it would get easier, and unfortunately it did. Next came the rum and coke zero. Wow, that tastes great, and I get a buzz very quickly. That fast buzz turned into getting very drunk, very quickly. Our new bodies absorb the alcohol in 1/2 the time that a normal internal system would. Over the last couple yeaars there have been many episodes of drinking way to much, blacking out, and not remembering what happened. I have had to apologize for my behavior more than once after a night of drinking. I even started drinking every day. I would make a drink as soon as I got home each day. 1 turns into 2 or 3. Just like lays potato chips you can not have just 1. Alcohol consumed my every thought. When can I have a drink? How can I make sure I can get a drink? It amazed me how I was able to justify that if creamer was good in my morning coffee, how great would Rumchatta be (it's damn good, by the way). I am living proof that transfer addiction is a real thing. I am now in counseling for my alcohol addiction. Transfer addiction is definitely a real thing. Prior to VSG surgery I was over 300 pounds because I had an addiction to food, and all the wrong kinds of food. My new addiction is alcohol and it's best friend is food addiction. what goes with beer = chicken wings, or nuts and pretzels, what goes with a margarita = tacos, etc. Alcohol also makes it impossible to lose weight. So if you are really dedicated to clean eating but you drink, your weight may stay the same, but it surely will not go down. I have packed on 60 lbs of the 120 that I lost. And, I am slowly changing behaviors to get back to where I want to be. It is a journey,, but I am worth it. I will overcome. Addiction is sacrificing everything for that one thing ! Recovery is sacrificing that 1 thing to have everything !

My doctor said I'd lose about 50% of my weight in my first year, but he has more weight loss in mind. He wants me to lose about 55-60% of my weight. 50-60% does put me in a healthy BMI range.

I have had gall bladder surgery before and the incisions are similar to this weight loss surgery. If possible try to go with a soft sports bra; i opted for no bra since I am a small B cup but if not possible, a soft no wire bra should be no issues. A dress and tights that are not spanx-y should be fine! I wore a comfy baggy two piece cotton pajama set w my uggs since it was middle of december! As long as its comfy and breathable! And stretchy !!

I'd research other surgeons, just to get a feel for the different approachs....then make your decision. There is emerging evidence that prolonged super low calorie diets before and after surgery could reset your metabolism to unrealistically low levels that set you up for weight gain later. (not saying this always happens, not saying this is gosple....bariatrics are an emerging science....just sharing that there are a lot of different ideas at play) My group did a very carb restricted diet for two weeks before surgery. We were allowed to drink 5 shakes a day plus one food item from a list.....but this was just to shrink the liver for an easier procedure. My group wanted 10% weight loss, but expected it to take months. We were required to work with a nutritionist, attend fitness classes, healthy cooking classes, support groups. Our whole process took 4-6 months...just to lay the nutrition groundwork and weight loss work before the surgery. After surgery, we were pushed to eat 1200 calories a day as soon as we could tolerate it...in hopes that this would give us a robust metabolic reset. (to be clear, we went through the gradual restoration of diet after surgery for safety....liquid, puree, soft, etc....but our caloric goals were advanced as tolerated) I lost weight slower than most people....but I made goal, and I'm doing really well maintaining. My preferences and nutrition choices are much healthier. I've got good support for the mental side of this process. I feel like I was better prepared by my group for the work of making the permenant changes necessary and dealing with the lifetime challenges. Be a little careful of clinics that push unrealistically brutal calorie restriction. Eating 600 calories a day will make you lose a crap-ton of weight and will make your clinic look like they offer "The Magic Cure"....but you don't need to be their walking bulletin board for a year and then be abandoned by them when you regain. You need a comprehensive program that supports your needs for a lifetime and teaches healthy nutrition and fitness and supports the mental challenges of breaking the addiction.

i just want to report that i have finally seen some weight loss!! I am 16 days post gastric by pass for the first week i weighed more post op than on the day of surgery have now lost 11 lbs which i guess is ok .My calori e intakei s 450daily ,70 grm protein and 2-3 litres of water have no problem eating but i have devloped a haematoma at the main incision site ,it is swollen and painful if I walk too much but doctor says it should re absorb on its own So to anyone else like myself who gets a bit of a fright when they come out of hospital weighing more than when they go in ,just to let you know it comes off eventually. I guess the thing to remember is that this surgery is not a magic bullet. You still have to restrict your, intake and ensure adequate protein intake, the best result for me from the surgery so far is that I am not hungry at all and I can only tolerate small amounts of food at a time . So good luck everybody in your journey and success to us all,we have done a brave thing and we will make it!!

I weighed 305 pounds when I decided to look into weight-loss surgery. I lost about 50 pounds during the pre-op weight loss period, and had surgery around 255 pounds. I'm also about 5'9". I wouldn't trade my DS for anything.

Yep, had DS in 2018 - I think a good quality one too, and gained about the same amount over 2020-early 2021. I know exactly why too. Too many simple carbs (breads/sugars, chocolate and candy), processed convenience junk foods, liquid calories (sugary coffees, lots). Also lack of exercise/activity due to staying home, as well as being placed on a prescription known to cause weight gain contributed to the regain. I simply got over-confident after a few years living with the surgery. Simple refined carbs are our surgery's achilles heel. We do not 'malabsorb' simple carbs, we absorb them 100%. Simple carbs, for me anyway, tend to be slider foods - breads, pizza, sweets/candies/donuts/pastries, and of course liquids like 800 calorie Starbucks don't spend long in the sleeve. Those two issues spell trouble for us, at least they have for me. Good news is once I eliminated the junk foods, simple carbs - and switched to a high-protein, low - carb diet, the weight has been melting off. I was concerned that losing regain would be difficult after the initial massive weight-loss after the surgery, but that has not been the case. I can accurately report that I've lost about 14 pounds in the last ~28 days. I have been calorie restricting in addition to the low-carb/high-protein diet, but the sleeve component of the surgery has made that rather painless, and I'm not starving at all. Just get back to basics and I think you'll do fine.

Addiction transfer is real, as so many people have stated on this board. It doesn't have to be smoking, alcohol, gambling etc. - we all know that this not "healthy behavior". Addiction can be way more sneaky. Being addicted to exercise and eating "healthy" is all too often encouraged and seen as a good thing because it aids "weight loss". No one intervenes when things get too excessive. Excessive exercise and eating little calories is seen as desirable. Something many obese people even aspire to achieve, being that person who "lives in the gym and eats 100% clean". And people in their environment only start "to worry" once the person has become thin enough to raise concern and/or suspicion. However, someone with a normal or slightly overweight BMI rarely raises these concerns so people suffer in silence. I think most people don't actively lie about this. Yes, maybe some people give the answers they deem to be "the right ones" - like all of us know what people in our environment want fat people to do, huh? So some people I guess actively lie/lied about calorie/food intake and exercise. It's the same the other way around. Once there is concern about a person getting too thin or not eating enough, the person might lie about food intake as well. However, I think someone who claims to "eat very little" actually is convinced that he or she is not eating that much. After all "a little" and "a lot" is 100% relative, it always boils down to whom you're comparing yourself to. Just look at the posts where people ask about what amount of food is "normal" X weeks or X months after surgery. Compared to the amounts people on this board claim they eat I look like a hopeless glutton. To my environment my food intake looks fairly normal.

When I started my 3 supervised weight loss visits, my BMI was 34.9 and I gained weight at every visit, Which worked out well because 35 BMI is the minimum requirement. Long story short, I ended up getting approved by my insurance really quickly. I have BCBS AL PPO.

That's a fairly lowish weight and to lose 10% in two months is doable but you will have to be tight with your eating and exercise. In the first week or two you will lose a lot water/bloat weight so that will give you a kick start. If by the last two weeks you need a weight loss boost you could cut out one of the protein bars and the other if needed by the last week. Is this your preferred surgeon or do you have other options?

10% in two months is a lot, do you mind if I has how much you weigh and how tall you are? After two months (and expected weight loss) do you immediately qualify for surgery or do you have insurance requirements to meet as well?

Hi all. Just looking for advice. I will be 18 months post-op from gastric bypass and maintaining around 180. I am looking to get pregnant soon. I got back in touch with my program and PCP and they all seem a little clueless about what I need to do to have a successful pregnancy. Can anyone who had a healthy pregnant post RNY share their vitamin regime? Anything else you did that was different than a non weight loss surgery pregnancy??

Hi, I did have my surgery in November. It has not been a very positive or successful experience for me. My issue is not with the surgery itself (maybe), but rather with the follow-up. Allina has been seriously lacking in that department. My questions and concerns go unanswered and unresolved. I am now consulting with a long time bariatric surgeon out of state to make sure I am doing everything right to maximize my loss during this one time only window. I’m not losing much and I get different and contradictory responses from different nurses and dietitians - I don’t even see the same people anymore. I’ve given up on Allina and don’t recommend to those who ask. Ugh - sorry about that. This still upsets me. Dr Svendsen is great. Unfortunately, you don’t see him after your surgery. You follow up with nurses, dietitians, and bariatricians. He’s only the salesman and surgeon. I wish your BF the best. I’m sure he’ll be successful, most are. 💕

Hi everyone, I am new here and I have finally decided to go through with doing the Gastric Sleeve. My surgeon told me that my insurance requires a 6 month medically supervised weight loss with my primary care provider. I am scheduled March 24th for my surgery, but I have gained 8 pounds within the last two months of my supervised weight loss. The nurse told me try not to gain, and insurance can deny me if I do gain. I have tried to get answers from my insurance company, but nobody has been able to answer my question. I am located in New York, and my hospital plan is city of New York Blue Cross Blue Shield ppo. I am supposed to go on 2 week liquid diet on March 10th, and I believe I'll lose the weight I gained from that. I am just really nervous of denial, and was wondering if anyone has my insurance, or has been denied for weight gain on the supervised weight loss? Thanks!

Thanks so much for the info!!! I'm freaking out that I may loose a lot of hair. I have thinner hair to begin with so I'm gonna do whatever I can to hopefully prevent it, or at least keep it to a minimum...

I had a super easy recovery, and I was concerned because I never had restriction with liquids after like week 2. Solids proved that the restriction was there! One of my coworkers had this surgery 8 years ago and she told me that it was simply the easiest thing ever for her, the surgery, losing weight, and maintaining the weight loss. I’m hoping that it goes that way for me too, and here’s hoping it for you as well.

After surgery I tried to drink a lot of protein20 so I got liquids at the same time as protein. In the end my priority was liquid, not protein though. It does get better! I’m only 3.5 months out and I can say I am enjoying food, although not in the same unhealthy and addictive way I used to. Right now you’re in the worst part- all the physical downsides without having the weight loss upsides. The scales will go the other way soon, just hang in there!