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a lot of plastic surgeons want you to be at a stable weight for 6-12 months before getting plastic surgery. Reason being is a lot of us experience a 10-20 lb bounce back after hitting our lowest weight. Gaining or losing more than 10 or 12 lbs after plastic surgery can affect your results. I actually waited two years until I was absolutely sure I was at a stable weight. also, it's good to get someone who specializes in people who've had massive weight loss, or at minimum, someone who has done a truckload of these surgeries. It's supposed a pretty complicated subspecialty, so you want to make sure you have someone who's had a lot of experience with it. Keep in mind that the pictures they post on their Web site are probably going to reflect their best work, so look at sites like realself.com, too. Check belly buttons - those are supposedly hard to do. I've seen some crappy-looking post-surgical belly buttons.

I would guess that labs might look ok for now since it could take several months to years to show a deficit. That said I would talk to your MD and see if maybe you should take one every other day and retest in another 6 months. That way you are still taking them but will see more of a long term effect. I myself take them daily. It's the one thing I'm strict about but if I continue to have high Vit B I will look into another brand that has less. I am always forgetting to take my calcium but I get around 5 servings of dairy a day so I am not too concerned but I know I should make it a habit. I freaked out about still losing too quickly at the 8 month mark at 130 lbs and kept losing despite increasing calories. it eventually plateaued and now I am steady at 126 but with a 40% carb, 30% each protein and fat diet of 1700 calories. I had plastics a few months ago and after the swelling went down I dropped to 123. Which is still a healthy BMI however I am muscular and still have loose skin elsewhere so I look better heavier with a more curves and less sag. I do not plan on further plastics and feel I would look better around 130. It is such a mental game because when the scale hits 128 or 129 I feel panicky that it's going to be 150 a week later or that when I hit the natural regain at the 2-3 year mark that it will suddenly go up to the 150 or 160s. However I was also worried when I saw 123 and increased nuts and carbs to get calories in. I guess it's just the feeling that we need to have control over our weight. I can eat anything now which is good but also a little scary. If it is high sugar I don't feel good, not ill but feel crappy. It's enough that I purposely limit high sugar foods. I think I do see a slight weight gain if I have a few days where I hit over 1800 calories and do less activity so it seems that my metabolism makes sense. Do you find that to be true or you can't gain no matter the calories you take in? How are your arm incisions? I am 3 months post and they are starting to fade but still very pink/red in comparison to my skin. I don't feel comfortable in short sleeves yet. I have a few places on the incisions with skin folded on itself that i hope will smooth out or will need to be touched up. I also still have loose skin right at the pit if I hold my arm half way up to horizontal. It goes away as I lift my arm up higher so I don't know if it can be fixed since the skin has to stretch to allow me to lift my arm all the way up.

I was put on Cymbalta (duloxetine) following back surgery in early 2019, to help with nerve pain as well as anxiety/depression surrounding the ordeal. It apparently “worked” and got me through. Constipation and weight gain go hand in hand with it though😩, so I started weaning myself a few months ago. Just this week I decided to stop it, completely. As with anything, it’s totally individual as to the risk/reward of being on something like this. If you feel best on an SSRI, that reward seems like it would be greater than speed of weight loss. You will still lose, you may just need more patience with the scale. Only you and your Dr. can decide. In my case, Dr. said he was all for me going off. I just have to believe it messes with our metabolism, and I don’t trust the drug companies to admit it.🤦‍♀️ Good luck! And be sure to talk with your Dr. on this.💖

I’m looking for experiences of people who have needed to be on depression meds and have still been able to maintain weight loss. I feel best when I am on SSRI meds but the weight gain was always a side effect. I would like to believe that maybe after my surgery this will be a more manageable situation. Was anyone on meds before surgery and still had success? I imagine it would be slower weight loss? Thx for any input.

These 4 people are 3 too many and if you could get away with it, i would just tell that person that you're having hernia surgery (SX). I had Band SX in 2009 (232#) when WLS was still "taboo". I told my now ex husband, two sons, and two friends. I thought surely they could keep a secret...... NOPE. I was blindsided one day with..... Hey i heard you had WLS. I was like a deer in headlights. Then i had to fess up. When she (band) was removed in 2017 (143#) i made it no secret that it was gone. Fast forward.....2019 (173#) i decided to revise to the sleeve due to the weight gain (30#) and I had the money to do it (divorce settlement 14K). The only person that knows is my husband. Everyone was told i had Hernia SX, which was true. I did have a double hernia repair. I went in on 8/28/19 Wednesday and i was back at work on monday. by my wedding day 9/26/19, i was down 20lbs. People didn't think anything of the WL because they knew i was dieting for the wedding. Today I'm at 125-127. My weight has become a nonissue. KNOW THIS..... if you tell more than one..... it will get out. People will give you their "unsolicited" advice and or thoughts. You will get the .... Why? can't you lose it the "natural" way? I know a lot of people the SX didn't work WLS, you might die.... and the best one.... You don't weight enough for WLS..... Just a few to let you know. I love the fact that NO ONE knows this time... SO MUCH BETTER.

My surgical team told me to stop losing at my last appointment - since then I've lost another 6kg and plan to lose another 5kg on top of that. So I'm interested to see what they say at my 12 month checkup (I'm heading into my 8th month post op). I want to get down as low as I practically can, to minimise my bounce back weight gain so many people experience. I'm basing my final number on how I feel, and at the moment I feel pretty amazing. Still losing between 0.5-1.5kg per week, with a 3-4 small loss weeks in a row and then one big one. So every time I think I'm in maintenance, I'm actually not! Ultimately you are the one that has to live in your body, so if you are happy at 180, I reckon you should stay there.

People gain because of a calorie surplus. How they're creating a calorie surplus, there is more than one reason. Exercising less than they're used to (injuries can happen any time), changing to a physically less demanding job, eating more food or eating more calorie dense food, getting older, having to take meds that promote weight gain etc. Some people simply engaged in a gung-ho lifestyle after surgery that was unsustainable in the first place. They burn out and start to eat more and all the beloved foods they restricted for so long. The usual gut reaction to this is to be even more stricter for some time with an even worse backlash. You need to find a lifestyle that you can keep up with even in times of personal crisis. This might be a very vague thing to say but this sustainable lifestyle is highly individual - you have to find your own way to manage your long term weight loss. Sure, you can look for tips & tricks but in the end it's more trial & error than anything else. You will be able to eat more with time before reaching your point of "maximal possible portion" so to say at maybe about 1.5 years after surgery. So the restriction is one effect that will wear off at least up to some point. I can only speak for myself but it's still way less than I could eat before WLS. Your metabolism will slow down up to a certain point. "Slowing down" in this case means that you need less energy to sustain a lighter body. There is less tissue that needs warmth, blood supply etc. So far not. But I don't take it as guaranteed that it will never change. I'm just hoping for the best so to say.

I went into gastric bypass surgery with chronic illness and many medical issues, I also had my gallbladder removed at the same time. It’s been a rough road and it took me a lot of trial and error to find things I could tolerate and I took it slow. Right of the bat I was sick and had a lot of problems with getting into purée foods. I found a protein powder that worked. It’s quite possible that you were consuming things that you were allergic or had sensitivity to. Not all protein shakes are equal either. For me I did best with PEScience protein powder. I stuck to very simple things , very low carb as well. And always protein first. I got protein soup mixes from BariatricPal. Protein shots for when I could barely tolerate anything. Instead of purée meat I started mixing protein powder with Greek yogurt. Even eggs at that point were a no go. Eventually I slowly added a soft boiled egg here and there. Until it’s become fairly regular. A Low calorie low carb protein bar for breakfast with tea. My lunches are simple even now I’m a year in. I started with some BariatricPal protein pasta, then slowly changed it over to adding veggie burger with an egg on top. Dinner well that’s almost always Greek yogurt with protein powder. And some sugar free topping. And a baby banana. It took things extremely slow. I still struggle and have issues. I always will that’s just me personally. But I think you shouldn’t be afraid. Things are probably different now, the surgery has improved, you can have a better nutrition guide. Maybe the dietary guidelines included something causing you to dump too often. Or you were not mindful of portions and eating slow. A lot of times surgeons don’t give proper nutrition guidance and that leads to problems. My nutritionist was very helpful. Although for me I’d already been following low carb for years I needed the added tool of bypass to help me. Learn to be mindful of your body and what your pouch doesn’t like. And take it slow and easy. As long as you get protein there’s no race to eating solid food or even purée. I find it helps to take daily note of weight, food intake, protein and calories. Protein should be based on weight starting at 0.36 grams protein per 1lb body weight. And also no more than 5 grams of sugar in a meal. Especially starting out. I guess to some it might seem obsessive but it’s helped me and yes I’m ocd and on the Autism spectrum. I use the notes section on my iPad and the same format each day and note if I see a doctor and any health issues that come up. For me it was fight to get the tool of gastric bypass surgery to help against weight gain from metabolic disorders and inability to exercise, a fight that’s exhausted me most of my life ... or just give up. it sounds Like this is very important to your wellbeing. There really is no choice here but to take that step forward. I wish you all the best in your journey.

A close friend of mine had the surgery and told me.. She started sharing pictures of people who had gone through with it and how great they looked. She recommended that I see if I can get it done since I am always complaining about my weight. The process to get started went pretty smoothly and I was super excited about the whole thing.. Made a post on FB and shared the news with everyone on my weight loss and that I was going to get surgery.. I also shared that it was going to be postponed due to the pandemic and haven't updated anyone on my new date or even any weight loss/weight gain besides my husband now.. which is honestly what I wish I had did from the beginning. I know there is a lot of judgement behind getting surgery due to ignorance and have already heard a few negative responses to the news. I hate the idea of lying to friends/family, but may just say that I didn't go through with it and that I just started eating less and exercising more.. I don't know!

Hi, I’ve decided to start the process for bariatric surgery. I’m considering vsg. My insurance requires 6 months of weigh ins/dr visits. Although, if BMI is over 50, the six month waiting period is waived. My BMI is 48.5. If I gain 10 pounds, I will hit 50 BMI. The weight management bariatric clinic I was referred to is closed due to COVID 19. I can’t get an anyone to answer the phone. I have no dates set up yet for anything. I’m miserable due to recent and rapid weight gain. I would like to have the surgery done this year. I have already met my out of pocket spending with my insurance due to other issues, so the bariatric surgery will be covered if I have it this year. I’m well aware that I can put rocks in my pocket or ankle weights on my ankles to add more pounds to the scale. However, I am also aware that this is fraud. Should I focus on gaining the ten pounds and feeling worse? Or, should I focus on attempting to lose weight and doing six month weigh ins? Thus, putting me at surgery next year. Also, I had my thyroid removed last year and it’s almost impossible to lose weight. Either way, I’m in a no win situation. Looking for advice. Thank you!!

1) I didn't eat sweets while I was in weight-loss mode, but I occasionally do now that I'm in maintenance. They don't bother me - but they cause about 30% of RNY'ers to "dump" (or at least if these folks eat enough of them, that is). It has to do with all the sugar hitting your small intestine at once - your system goes into overdrive to deal with it. If you're one who "dumps", the trick is to avoid or limit sweets (which we should be avoiding or limiting ANYWAY). But again, that first year or so, I didn't have any (except maybe a couple tablespoons of ice cream on my birthday). But yes - I do occasionally eat them now. 2) snacks depend on your surgeon's program. I was allowed snacks as long as they fit into my overall plan. I still eat snacks now that I'm in maintenance. I mostly just count calories now to keep my weight stable, so I just add the snack calories into my total for the day. If the calories work out, then the snacks are fine. What they DON'T want you doing (even those surgeons who allow snacks) are to "graze" - i.e., snack off & on all day. That can lead to weight gain. But some surgeons do allow a planned snack or two a day. 3) you'll be able to drink a ton of water after the first few weeks. I probably drink a gallon of it some days. You're just not supposed to drink while eating or from 30 minutes afterward (my surgeon says 60 minutes, but most say 30 minutes). It's hard to get all those fluids in the first few weeks after surgery, but after that no - it's really not.

Be honest. How can they help you if you’re not. The change to your meds & the strange way in which we’re living could have contributed to your weight gain. Your dietician is there to support & guide you so take advantage of their services. I’m sure you want to get back on track. Good luck.

my insurance requires 4 months with a nutrtionist/dietitian. I am on month 4 now. However my nutrtionist calls me for a monthly weigh in. I guess she allows it for people with busy schedules. I'm a nurse. I'm always busy. My problem is that I gained back my weight. I was 338 at my weigh in and got down to 334 then my mood stablizers meds were up a few milligrams and I now I weigh 246. Should I tell her I'm still 234 and keep trying to lose the weight until I am seen again or should I be honest and tell her about my weight gain? Anyone else have issues like this and still get approved for surgery? Thank you for any advice. Also I am only required to lose one poubd during my weigh ins. I probably physically won't see them for a month or two. I could get back down to 234.

Has anyone gained weight during 6 mo medical weight management? My consult weight was 331 and I'm up to 347. They told me I need to get back to my 331 weight by my pre-op appointment. I have my last medical management appt on June 1st trying to lose 13 pounds by then as I'm down to 343. Has anyone got denied due to weight gain?

I gained about 6 lbs over about 2 months...but is started just before quarantine, so I can't really blame it solely on that. It was basically due to eating more & being less active (which I suppose is the same reason for quarantine-gains). The gain took me over my "upper limit" so I stated to eat less and went back to running (which I haven't done regularly since plastics back in December due to recovery and all that). It took 2-3 weeks, but I lost those 6lbs as of last week and am back down to my "lower limit" (which btw, was a wake up call because historically I would have been able to lose those 6 lbs in a week with a real effort!). I haven't tried Noom*, but do what you can to address those 12 lbs if that is important to you! Addressing 12 lbs now is much more manageable than 50 or 60 later. It's a good that you recognize the contributing factors to your weight gain, because at least YOU KNOW what you need to address. Get up from the desk every hour or so and move around; try to stick in maybe 30 mins of dedicated exercise every day (maybe start at 15 mins if it helps to kick start yourself); figure out something else to do when you are bored other than eating, or keep off-plan foods out of the house & replace with better choices. I admit, I indulge with not-the-best choices every once in while...this is what I do when I recognize I am getting out of hand: If I want something that isn't the best choice, I'll get something to drink, and/or wait out 30 mins or an hour to reconsider. If after those 30-60 mins I still really want it, then fine, I'll have it. But more often than not, I won't want it anymore. This works for me, buy your mileage may vary. *Noom, from what I read is a food tracker + food idea provider + "personalized coach", which encourages healthy food and lifestyle habits with words of encouragement & a points "reward system", as well as an online community for further support. At $50 a month, the convenience of getting all this in one place *may* be worth it. BUT you could also get all the above for free from different sources if you are willing to make the effort (I use MyFitnessPal for food tracking...I signed up for the premium version for $50 a YEAR, because I wanted access to the macros, food analysis and export features, but you could probably get away with just the free version if you aren't anal like me, LOL.) Good Luck!

Hi! I too had my LB for 11 yrs n finally got it removed in 2018 due to many prior unrelated medical issues n the best thing I could’ve done. Thank God surgery n recovery went well with no complications period. Also, unfortunately for me 4/6 months after surgery I developed an under active thyroid that caused an onset of various menopausal symptoms. Got put on thyroid medication for 5/6 months n HATED cuz it caused me a weight gain of 50 lbs. In addition another 20 pound weight gained on my own due to overall menopause issues. It’s now been almost 2 yrs where I’m no longer on any medication n all of my menopause symptoms/issues have little by little started to subside due to incorporating a better wellness nutritional/physical care of my overall wellbeing. Therefore, I’m now down 30 lbs out of the 70 gained n still slowly making progress. Wish u the best with ur choices n surgery is going to go well.

Im a cheese-lover too. I did stay away from it during weight loss phase, though. In terms of cravings, I always want salty things, even during weight loss phase (which is weird because I did drink a crap ton of water during that time...). I know I probably add way to much salt to food (then AND now). I also go through periods of wanting dessert. It usually comes after having some. I've read, and experienced, that once you eat something sweet, you will crave even more sweet stuff. So when I think I'm going too far on the dessert front, I'll cut it out for a few days and the cravings will go away. Rinse and repeat, lol. I did gain 6 lbs from around the the end of Feb to around the beginning of April (which sort of coincided with a hiatus I took from the BP forums, and corona-quarantine...coincidence?) And according to MyFitnessPal, I was averaging around 2500 cals a day and practically ZERO EXERCISE. So yeah, weight gain. And this wasn't a fluctuation. I held onto those 6lbs for a couple weeks... I have a personal upper weight limit I set for myself, and those 6lbs took me ONE POUND over that. I long ago made a deal with myself that if I go over my upper limit, I have to bring myself down to my lower limit. I realize this may sound extreme, but a deal is a deal. Sooooo...I consciously reduced my calorie intake and went back to running daily and doing some strength training and am happy to report that as of last week I got back down to my lower limit. I figure this is my life now. Will eventually have a period of gain, and if that gain takes me over what I am comfortable with, it will be followed by a period of effort to reduce that gain. I mean, I do love cheese, lol. (I realize that my comfortable weight range may change in the future, but this works, and is maintainable, for me, for now) @Meadow76: have you considered doing some sort of alternate day fasting? Lots of folks on here have seen success with it. Simply put, you fast (or limit your cals to 500 or so) a couple days a week and loosen the reigns the rest of the week. They could be like cheese days, and no-cheese days, lol. This way, it may be easier to lay off the snacks today because you know you can have some tomorrow... P.S. Sorry this was so long!

I'm a little over 4 months out, but I feel the best I've felt in years, and can't wait to see what the future holds for me!! I wish I'd done it sooner, but am also thankful that once I made the decision to do it, my surgeon got me in rather quickly. It's funny, b/c with quarantine, I'm really able to focus on myself and my family. If I hadn't had the surgery, I can imagine that this time period would have been full of depression and weight gain. I'm so appreciative of my new lease on life!!!

I’m 9 months post op. I lost 93lbs. The last two and a half weeks I gained 8lbs! I tried eating better. Nothing doing. I’m still steadily gaining weight. How do I make it stop????

Hi, I need help! I had the sleeve in March of 2015. About a year ago I started gaining weight back. I've gained about 25 lbs back. I recently got a personal trainer and have been working out consistently for 2 months. The problem is the scale hasn't moved. My trainer focuses on strength training. So 4 of the 5 days we workout we are lifting and 1 day is cardio for about 30 minutes. He wants me to eat more because of this but physically I can't ( you guys can relate). He wants me to eat more than 1200 calories a day but I'm only getting in about 600. Maybe 700 or 800 on a good day. I just need advice. I don't know if I should cut back on the strength training or revamp my eating (which I don't know what I should do with my eating). I just want to lose the weight I gained so that I can feel better in my body like I did year 1 and 2 after surgery. Any advise who would! Thanks in advanced.

Hi, I need help! I had the sleeve in March of 2015. About a year ago I started gaining weight back. I've gained about 25 lbs back. I recently got a personal trainer and have been working out consistently for 2 months. The problem is the scale hasn't moved. My trainer focuses on strength training. So 4 of the 5 days we workout we are lifting and 1 day is cardio for about 30 minutes. He wants me to eat more because of this but physically I can't ( you guys can relate). He wants me to eat more than 1200 calories a day but I'm only getting in about 600. Maybe 700 or 800 on a good day. I just need advice. I don't know if I should cut back on the strength training or revamp my eating (which I don't know what I should do with my eating). I just want to lose the weight I gained so that I can feel better in my body like I did year 1 and 2 after surgery. Any advise who would! Thanks in advanced.

Hi, I need help! I had the sleeve in March of 2015. About a year ago I started gaining weight back. I've gained about 25 lbs back. I recently got a personal trainer and have been working out consistently for 2 months. The problem is the scale hasn't moved. My trainer focuses on strength training. So 4 of the 5 days we workout we are lifting and 1 day is cardio for about 30 minutes. He wants me to eat more because of this but physically I can't ( you guys can relate). He wants me to eat more than 1200 calories a day but I'm only getting in about 600. Maybe 700 or 800 on a good day. I just need advice. I don't know if I should cut back on the strength training or revamp my eating (which I don't know what I should do with my eating). I just want to lose the weight I gained so that I can feel better in my body like I did year 1 and 2 after surgery. Any advise who would! Thanks in advanced.

That's just marketing, for the most part. You're very welcome, and I'm genuinely thrilled for you, AZhiker. To my way of thinking, it doesn’t matter a whit what people look like after WLS; the only issues of consequence are physical and mental health, lowered risk of disease and premature death, weight maintenance, vitality, energy, and overall well-being. Following a WFPB diet for several years prior to WLS, I was able to lose over 50lbs on several occasions, and almost 100lbs once, but of course was unable to maintain those losses. For a morbidly obese person, a WFPB diet, like any dieting in an of itself, leads to weight gain, stress + increased cortisol levels, slowed metabolism + having to eat ever less food in order to lose weight, bouts of overeating (the common mammalian response to starvation), and eventual regression back to your set point. Until scientists find the elusive reset button for body weight (if there even is one), WLS is the best bet for obese/MO people. As an aside, I have several overweight (but decidedly not obese or MO) friends and family members who were inspired by the dramatic changes I experienced after going WFPB, and decided to give it a try themselves. Every one of them lost the weight, and those who remained WFPB (all but two) have maintained their losses to this day.

hello, I am 34 years old. this july will mark 8 years since i got the gastric sleeve surgery. i still always watch my carbs and try to maintain under 30 carbs. my lowest weight i got to was 180. currently at 210 lbs right now. i was at 255 lbs when i had the surgery. i have noticed my weight start to creep up, my clothes start to fit tighter. i did let go of the protein for a while last year and just maintained lower carbs. i admit i fell off. for a couple months now i have increased my protein intake and still maintaining a lower carb count. i have not had a carbonated beverage since i had the surgery. i do not take any medicine except for blood pressure medicine which is a 12.5g lisinopril everyday. with my daily protein intake becoming normalized now, mainly in the case of protein shake and then higher protein meats throughout the day. high water intake, i am still not seeing weight loss. i see that it is staying about the same. my question is, has anyone gone through this or is going through this? is there something i am missing as far as supplements. i did get blood work done, but my doctor has not said anything about any abnormalities. i have read it could be low iron. i figured if i went back to the basics, high protein low carb and of course high water intake, i could see results. could it so normalized now that it will take longer to lose weight? physical activity, i do try to get in about 10,000 steps a day. any help, advice, would be greatly appreciated. thank you!

Hello all so yesterday I weighed myself and I.T look like I have gain weight instead of losing .. went from 193 on April 24 to 198 on April 30th . My nurse friend told me could be water weight or the fact I haven’t poop ? I’m not gonna lie feel like I’m failing and I’m a bit paranoid .. this COVID -19 has made me stressed eat only at work . Btw I work at a hospital on a covid floor.. Help ! I need some encouraging words