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Hi Everyone, I'm in the UK and due to have my surgery on the 24th May. I started my liquid diet yesterday and the nerves are now starting to set in although the excitement of finally loosing this weight is a much stronger feeling.

I just donated all my 330 lbs + clothing. I never want to see it again LOL Luckily I kept a bin of clothes from when I lost a bunch of weight from the past. It's cool pulling out the old clothes that haven't fit me since 2018. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you for saying that. It is very encouraging and the thought of it makes me happy. It’s getting hot in NC and I still have school for one more month. I actually received 4 pairs of pants and 1 shirt and they all need to go back. Your idea to buy the next 3 sizes down is a good one as we wear summer weight here until Thanksgiving. Thank you again. Your comment made me smile!

I have the last dietitian appt June 20 / the GP, Ins approval n last appt w Surgeon. I’m thinking all should be done by July. Hope so! The 5 lbs as weight lost?

Not every bypass patient dumps. It’s about 30% like lizonaplane said and not everyone of them dumps on things such as fruit. I think it’s mostly from large quantities of added sugars for most people. It’s a good idea to try anything new at home for the first time though. Just in case. And any sweet treats I would start with maybe a bite to see. Wait a few hours before trying any more than that. Or better yet. Just avoid it alltogether. Better for your weight loss.

Funny! It should be a darn crime that we eat food and it goes on our hips and other people like my mom had candy bars and cokes daily and never gained weight.

Oh my God girl I FEEL YOU AND I HEAR YOU!! It's absolutely mind boggling why people continue to do this is such a destructive and careless way. I don't remember a time in my life where people weren't commenting on my body and size. From school, parents, extended family, sibling, etc. I dated a guy in college who asked to be my boyfriend and then proceeded to tell me literally word for word "you're great and all but you know I only date hot girls? You're fat and it's weird to date a fat girl" he consistently made comments about my body size to the point where I started self harming because I started to see my body the way he did. I had to undo a lot of bad **** because of these comments. People are uncomfortable maybe within themselves, they're hyper concerned with what others will think of them or they just believe they're helping you. I think it's okay to be concerned about someone's weight but it's apparent when it comes from a place of disdain and superficiality. There's a right way to do things ultimatly if it has to be done at all, and only those who truly love you should partake in the dialogue in a safe and loving way. This lifetime of people calling me fat has adversely affected me to my core, to the way I carry myself and try not to take up space, how much I see the words of others carved body to this day, how apologetic I am for just existing.... But I'm doing so much physical and mental work to undo all that harm and learning slowly how to choose compassion for these people instead of letting it destroy my self worth. It's tough. We're fighting everyday. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I kind of wish I had this. Im 5 months post op Bypass and I do not dump, I can eat a lot of sugar , my issue is the learning how to eat slow when I used to devour all my food whole. now if i space out for 1 second and have 1 bite without chewing i feel the pain, all my pain has come from eating too fast, not too much sugar, I can eat candy and know its bad for me, but never have I dumped, I have passed out a few times after drinking too quickly after eating or after not shewing chicken well enough and drinking 30 minutes later. I guess we each have our own journey through it all. I just need to stay eating healthy 95% of of the time and I will be fine. Im down about 120 pounds in 5 months. so now 40 pounds from my goal weight!

Honestly, you are likely to lose weight so quickly it might be a good idea to exchange them for one of each of the next 3 sizes down!

Hi, sorry if this has been asked before, I couldn't find what I was looking for. I've had a lap band for about 8 years I think and I was losing weight in the beginning but after multiple fertility treatments, pregnancy and other health issues, I did gain the weight back. I can't eat much since the food get stuck and I throw up a lot. So when I'm hungry, I go for food that is easy to eat and that's usually not so healthy food. I have a sleeve surgery date on May 25th and the doctor will remove the lap band. I can't wait to get rid of it!! Also the port hurts me. I have read that it's more difficult for people who have had the lap band to lose weight with Gastric Sleeve, I'd love to hear if that's true? Is there anyone here who has lost the desired weight or anyone here who has really struggled? I have an appointment with the doctor on Friday and will discuss my options with him of course. Maybe a mini bypass would be better.. not sure. I'd love to hear your opinion

All the time. But honestly, i forgot about having “the surgery” not much after i stopped feeling the surgery recovery pains. After losing a bunch or weight and no longer hating food (around 3 months post), it just sort of became a new normal, you know? But at the same time, I will always identify as a WLS patient, its just not forefront in the mind. Time (and repetition) changes what is normal. Im not sure if i made any sense with all that, but it’s the best i can do and it makes sense to me, lol.

I don't think I will ever forget about having the surgery. I like you get uncomfortable after eating if I eat even slightly too much food. I guess this is something I have to live with but the alternative is that I could have not had the surgery and still been carrying an extra 100 pounds of body weight on me. I understand it is a life change and if I have to feel a little uncomfortable after over eating, then I will be more careful about how much I eat. I find that like you I don't get full for very long and end up grazing on some snacks later. I find this an issue in the evening. I try to keep some nuts and fruits around or some diet friendly chips like Snacklins around (yucca based chips, less than 100 calories per bag) to help with the hunger without killing my calorie intake.

My mom started putting me on diets when I was 9/10 years old. I could tell you how to calculate percentage of calories were fat and never to exceed I believe 10% though it may have been 20%. (Stop the Insanity! Susan Powter) at that age. I was 5'5 and around 120lbs at 10 and my pediatrician told my mom I was off the charts for weight at my age. They may have mentioned height as well, but my mom only heard the messaging behind my weight. Two years later, I started my cycle and PCOS hit me like a freight train. My weight ballooned 100lbs in a year, but everyone stopped talking about it or helping me. The guy I dated in high school and college told me that if he could take my brain and put it in my little sister's body, he would have the perfect woman. That still hurts a bit to this day even though I've been married for nearly two decades.

This post may be touchy for some people. But we will try. I do ketamine infusions periodically for depression. My ketamine physician said to wait until cleared on 5/16/22 and then we could resume once a month infusions. My next appt is set for 5/23. Anyone have any feedback on resuming this type of treatment post weight loss surgery? It’s fairly uncommon treatment so maybe not but I thought I’d try for some feedback :)

I had surgery 14 months ago and I do forget about the actual surgery part but not about the fact that I am watching my weight still. I don’t think I will ever be able to forget that because if I do I will gain. If the two of those things are intertwined for you you may not ever really forget all about it either.

Welcome! Read as much as you can and follow all of your team's instructions as well as you can. Remember that everyone's journey is different. Don't expect to lose all your weight overnight; this is a process and it takes time. Good luck!

I never really had anyone call me fat to my face. I did get things like fluffy or squishy I'd rather of been fat. My mom was over weight when I was a kid and I didn't get big until after my 3rd baby. I was actually under weight as a teenager and young adult. But after I had my hysterectomy at 32 I had started to have more trouble with my weight. I don't think anyone should be disrespectful to anyone about anything. There is always something that a person is insecure about and comments from others aren't helpful. And we also need to be nicer to ourselves. I have not been a good cheerleader for myself. I'm trying to be better about it now but it's hard when it's internal I think because you can't send a mental middle finger and walk away from our own thoughts. I'm not sure why people think they should throw their opions at people. If I didn't ask for it then I didn't want it. I believe in the saying if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything. Also treat people how you want to be treated. And I'm sure those people giving there unwanted opinions wouldn't like it thrown back. But in the word of Pink you're f**king perfect. Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

No, I got the band removed in April 2021, I expect my revision to be June 2022. My surgeon wanted my esophagus to heal some before revising. I wasn't in a rush to revise because removing my band helped eliminate the GERD. But I'm still on a PPI, so I'd like to revise so I can come off of the PPI. Also to lose more weight that I didn't lose with the band.

Hi, thanks for the feedback! I'll contact the office and ask for the insurance specialist. I have had a hard time reaching a live person. I leave a message and don't always get a call back. My BMI is about 37. I weigh 235 & am 5'6. Overall, I am happy that I got the band. My original weight was 315 lbs when I got the surgery in 2002. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I have a love/hate relationship with these types of tight (elastic or no) waisted bottoms. While i love how it makes the waist look tiny, im not a fan of the muffin top it creates! I thought i would be saying goodbye forever to “torso-ooze” when i lost weight, but realized that unless i kept up with ultra-low carbing and constant core exercises, it just wasn’t gonna happen. *sigh*. …so i try to avoid tight waisted stuff and i can eat carbs and skip ab day. Win-win! 😂

Hello all! I want to get my lapband removed because of acid reflux issues. I had LB done in 2001. I saw a surgeon who listened to my complaints and agreed that I should have it removed & recommended getting a gastric bypass to help me lose weight. (I had hoped to get the revision done at the same time but he will only do two separate surgeries three months apart.) I have two concerns. He never did any tests to confirm problems with band and didn't even do a short physical exam when I met him for a consultation. (I thought he would want to feel where my port was and look at the scars from the past surgery). He told me that he'd have his insurance specialist work with my insurance. I didn't think my insurance would cover the removal but they have. The surgery scheduler called me yesterday and surprised me by saying that my insurance approved the procedure and did I want to schedule it in four days! I was shocked. I figured I would need to do the liver shrinking diet for at least a week. Am I being overly concerned? Is the lapband removal such a simple procedure that no prep is needed? The doctor has good reviews and was nice when I saw him. Thank you in advance for any insight/opinions anyone can give me. Holly Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes correct. The reasoning my surgeon prescribed it because he said its common for people to get gall stones during rapid weight loss so basically its a preventative thing.

It’s because oestrogen is stored in your fat & as you lose weight it is released into your blood stream causing your menstrual cycle to go haywire: heavier/lighter, more frequent /less frequent, etc. It’s a temporary hormonal boost. It’s also why some surgeons recommend doubling up on your contraceptives. I’m menopausal. That hormonal flush stopped all my menopausal symptoms to the point I was staring to go off HRT. Unfortunately, when my weight started to stabilise they all came back & I went back to taking HRT.

Not every one develops gall stones after weight loss surgery. Many actually had them already. They are caused by high cholesterol or high bilirubin levels & can develop during menopause. As you lose weight cholesterol, which is stored in your fat, is released as you lose weight & can cause stones to form. They found a stone at about my 6/7 month mark after a ultra sound to check my liver function. Don’t know when mine formed as I was menopausal before my sleeve, my cholesterol had gone from a steady for years 5 to 5.6 as I lost weight (it’s 4.1 now) & I have high bilirubin. I won the lottery of causes. Never had symptoms before my first attack 25 months after my sleeve surgery. I had my gall removed about two weeks later. The gall removal surgery recovery was similar but different to my sleeve. After sleeve, I had no gas or pulled or strained abdominal muscles. I had a lot of gas pains & muscle strain affecting my movements for a good week after the gall surgery. But no restricted diet, constipation or diarrhoea, no swallowing issues of course so that was a plus. My surgeon used the same incision sites he’d made for my sleeve. I was home the next day. Same weight restrictions for lifting & same no driving for a week again. He sent me home with some opioid pain meds but I didn’t take them. Did take one nurofen, with his permission, on day 3 but no pain meds at all after that. Just put up with the gas & muscle pain. Haven’t heard about a potential for weight gain. I have gained 2kgs in the last five months but continued to maintain my weight for 6 months after the gall was removed. I attribute the weight gain to starting a higher dose HRT & working on increasing my protein in that same five months. Plus I’m at the 3 year mark & there is always a potential for weight gain during that 2 or 3 year mark. Since my gall removal I don’t absorb protein well anymore which was unexpected & is likely just me. We tried medication (creons) for 3 months which didn’t seem to help hence my increasing my protein intake. I’m back on creons to give them a longer go. I am noticing my hair is thinner (not shedding like after the sleeve) & my nails are weaker because of the protein issue. The other odd side effect of no gall is I have random diarrhoea attacks. Usually every 2 or 3 weeks. Almost like there’s a build up acid, which the gall used to regulate. It irritates the bowel & causes the diarrhoea. My sister in law is the same & she hasn’t had weight loss surgery. My aunt says if she eats anything fatty she gets nauseous. Not everyone is prescribed meds for gall stones after surgery. Personally, it seems odd to prescribe meds to dissolve gall stones before you have them. I did ask my surgeon about dissolving the stone after my attack but he said: if you grow one stone you will grow another so it’s best to remove the gall. I have three friends who have had sleeve surgeries too within the last 4 years. None of us were prescribed urisidiol or similar & I’m the only one to form a stone. But your surgeon must have their reasons for doing so.

It’s not uncommon. Generally they attribute it to uric acid, which is stored in your fat, being released into your blood stream as you lose weight. Much like other hormones stored in fat are released & cause levels to rise while you are losing - oestrogen, cholesterol, etc. No suggestions are how to manage it though, sorry. But talk to your doctors for possible solutions or help.