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at first I wasn't happy being back at 150 (I wanted to see those 130s again!!), but my PCP said to try to stay within the 140-160 range because 130s were way too low for me. My normal BMI range goes up to 154 (I'm 5'6"), so I'm within the normal range. I've come to accept it and admit it's probably a good weight for me. I have a large frame and am pretty muscular (according to the DEXA scan, my muscles alone weigh 117 lbs), so the upper end of a normal BMI range does make sense given my body composition. Plus it's not too difficult to maintain at this weight. I think it would have been a constant battle to remain in the 130s. My body was just not comfortable with that - and given my fat percentage was 22% at 146 lbs, that percentage would have been lower in the 130s - so I can see why my body wasn't happy!! (plus I am almost 60 years old - lots of PCP's - including mine - prefer their older adults to be in the 23-27 BMI range to give them a little "cushion" in case they get sick. I'm at a 24 BMI now). as far as clothes, I wear a M/L (depending on manufacturer) or a 12, usually. At 138 I could get into some 10's and most M's, but no smaller. These big a** bones and broad shoulders just aren't going to get into anything much smaller. The bones are in the way. I envy these people who can fit into a size 6 or 8 at 150 lbs, but there's no way I could do that, not even after plastic surgery (which I've had). BUT......M/L and size 12 are pretty normal sizes, after all...

I just got sleeved 8/2/19 I walked in on Friday morning and was sleeved by noon... The pain was crazy the first night.. it was a combination of gas pain and my stomach feeling twisted... Saturday was a breeze just gas pain and now it's the 5th and we have gone shopping at Costco for our regular routine stuff.. the pain is gone but gas come from time to time... It's crazy that I haven't felt hungry since then.. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727AZ using BariatricPal mobile app

Absolutely many have/had a problem with it. I changed dr's @ the last minute so I ended up doing almost a full 30 days of an almost completely liquid diet. I thought the first 13 days with one dr was hard...but man, starting it back up again - full disclosure, the 'new pre-op' date I got with final dr still allowed me 3 weeks to do 'his full liquid plan' but I had a DAY break on 4th of July! I was honestly impressed that I did not gorge..and yeah, I'll use that word as I have done that before. Had just lunch and dinner from 4th of July. No desserts. I had been doing keto for 15 months taking maybe a day off every other month as my body would start to stall and just hang onto the weight so I'd shake it up a bit. However, all I can remember is the LONG 30 days. If I had known up front all of the insurance hassle and scheduling issues that would result from me changing dr's....I would have been freaked at the idea of that long of a pre-op diet. Now I'm post-op and am on Day 12 of yet ANOTHER 3 week post-op liquid diet so I'm roughly on Day 42 (and yeah, I still had that '1 day break') but today my body just seized up on the liquids. I think it is primarily due to working 75 hrs last week when I was only 2 days recovered from my RNY. One thing you have to remember - you are NOT going to be on liquids for life! You are NOT going to be doing pre-op or post-op (first X of weeks depending on your dr) FOREVER. Is it hard to get through? I THINK SO! Is it DOABLE? OH YES! You have hundreds upon hundreds of bariatric friends that are either walking in your same shoes now, have walked in those shoes or who will be walking in those shoes in the near future. Greentealael shared GREAT points about the benefits of the PRE-OP diet most have to follow in some form or another. To be honest by the time I got to..um..Day 19 or 20 of liquid pre-op...I was SO DONE. The ONLY thing that kept be going and refusing to cheat is my BMI is so high, I COULD literally not afford physically, mentally or emotionally to have my dr call off surgery because it would be too dangerous to operate. I also knew I didn't want to ever do any more days of pre-op then I already had to. POST-OP I'm living through...and it has not been easy except for first 2 days...but I remember that this is helping my body to heal..helping our new pouches adjust. I've read what happens when someone pushes the envelope or even more bizarrely..they seem to have not been given a 'post-op' diet..and I know I will make it one way or another to PUREED FOODS. NEVER thought I'd say I was fantasizing about pureed foods, but fantasize I do indeed! You are at the right place, you did the absolute right thing and as a person also known for her discipline when she puts her mind to something, that means YOU HAVE THIS - IT IS YOURS FOR THE TAKING!!

I have 10 😒

Forgot to post :Revised 7/15/19 and no issues so far 🏆

I came out of surgery hungry, remained STARVING during the 10 days of liquids and have been hungry ever since. It was NOT head hunger. Yes, I do sometimes get head hunger and I feel like grazing but I was legit hungry. The only thing I can tell you is I'm down 60 pounds and I could never have done that where I was before surgery. You might be hungry but you eat small meals. Yes, that means I have to make more decisions. I never got the blessing of not being hungry but I'm managing.

I have been purging all of my fat clothes the minute they become too big. I have already given away at least 10 garbage bags full of clothes. When I am within 1-15 pounds of my goal weight I'll hang on to those clothes. I didnt "see" my weight loss for the first 50 pounds but now I see it. I feel like I look different finally. I guess you'd call this a mind game but I am tortured by my crepey neck and my wrinkly arms. I am trying to focus on the positive but it sucks so much that plastic surgery costs a fortune. I want to get my neck done SO bad. It looks terrible and there is no way to hide it because the ugly part is right up under my chin.

I'm new to actually having had a procedure as I'm 12 days post-op from RNY. My own 2 cents here are that since we are taking in SO l little in terms of calories and in terms of water when we have issues like nausea (we take in very little calories even if NOT nauseated) is that my concern would be that based on you only being able to suck/chew on ice/ice chips, I doubt someone could get in 64 ozs of water. I would think that in another 24 hrs, someone's condition could deteriorate quickly. My dr prescribed BEFORE surgery, a bottle of Zofran (anti-nausea med) despite me telling them (and filling out forms) that I am allergic to Zofran. I even tried it out of desperation a few days ago and nope..same thing..Zofran actually makes me 10 x's more nauseated. I personally would call your dr's office before waiting a "couple more days". I think trying different things that ppl suggest to see if that settles your 'pouch' is a great thing but leave it up to your dr to see if they want you to wait 2 days or whether they might intervene with a scopolamine patch, a pill like Zofran or something like Phenergan (I can actually take that and have hoarded 2 pills from 9 months ago when I had a virus). I just don't want to see your condition deteriorate into a hospital stay...but I'm new and leery after reading on this board for almost 2 yrs (didn't start actively posting until about 9 months ago)...about how quickly things can turn if they are not nipped in the bud. Pre-surgery..we had more reserves..and literally a bigger tank..and we could hold our water.. now..it's a new journey. Wishing you the best!

Band broke after 10 years went from 12stone to 16stone had op cant lose weight 16.3 spent £6000 feel a failure had abroad need help support wish got another band gutted Heather from Scotland op in latvia too expensive here Sent from my SM-G960F using BariatricPal mobile app

Good luck to all of you having your surgery in August. I had mine gastric bypass Roux-en-Y on the 2nd july 2019 so I'm 4 and half weeks post op. Its early days but I'm doing well. The clear liquid stage was hard for me, my surgeon likes his patients to do 3 weeks liquid, 2 weeks pureed, 2 weeks soft foods. I think as long as you prepare in advanced you will be fine. I found alot of protein powders and shakes to be sickly or too sweet after, so I've stocked up on unflavoured protein powder. I can't wait to start the soft foods diet. I'm surprised how quickly I was up and about after surgery. It helped to relieve the gas pain. I was very constipated for the first week, but then I was fine. The only thing which I'm struggling with is dairy, I have to go to the bathroom straight away if I've had any. I was told it was normal for the stomach to be sensitive to dairy after, that some cant tolerate it at all and others are ok after a few months. Also I was shocked to all the noises my stomach makes, it's like a rumbling growling noise, as if your hungry. Wishing you all the best on your weight loss journeys! I look forward to hearing from you and your experiences. xxx Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

This is my experience with the sleeve and gerd: I was 227 at the time of surgery BMI 39. I had reflux before surgery and on the max dose of protonix. I was sleeved and my symptoms subsided for a couple of months. About 6-9 months in they started coming back, I seen my pcp and was added zantac 300mg. Months 10-15 I was taking 2 bottles a month of alka zelter chews on top of the protonix and Zantac. I finally consulted my surgeon, after finding it that my sleeve could be the reason. After an EDG I found out that I had a severe case of inflammation to my esophagus and a restriction. Only way to correct this was bypass. Within a week ( because I was producing acid while I was sleeping, and due to heavy sleep medication and not wakeing up, and already aspirating while sleeping) ins approved bypass and I was in the OR 3 days later. This is something you have to decided for your self. The sleeve can either make it worse or better. Everyone's experiences are different. But for me I would still do again, knowing this would be my outcome.

Wow. So very sorry to hear how rough your work schedule has been PO. I was lucky— I was able to take 2 weeks off on disability because my job is 100% standing, walking, moving,etc and the shifts are typically 10-12 hrs (at least officially and we all work at least a half hour if not more unpaid each shift). Anyway, because of all of the above, my Dr sent in the proper documentation that there was no way I could come in until 2 weeks post op. Why is it health care providers typically have some of the unhealthiest working conditions? The reason we pull our “hell weekends” is so we only have to work every 4th instead of every other weekend. Sometimes I wonder if its really worth it. At least now I’m pulling those shifts with 75 pounds less on my body. If I had to strap on 75 pounds and work a 12hr shift tomorrow, it might legit put me in the ER. To think I was doing that 6 months ago makes me so thankful I had surgery in February. Okay so at 12 days PO, you’re heading for some easier times. Honestly you’ve been through the worst of it, so hang in there!

My surgeon did not set a goal weight for me. He just told me to expect to get to around 160-170 lbs by my one year anniversary. I personally initially chose 120 because it was in the middle-ish of the healthy BMI range for my height. Decided to stop at 127 instead because I was thinking I was getting too small. I'm at 114-ish today. Go Figure. Edit: Adding that I also have an arm lift scheduled for mid-December (which I booked/placed deposit on almost 2 months ago)..I will be about 14 months post op come surgery day. My PS surgeon at the time of consult told me that a weight loss of 10-15+ lbs is more problematic than the same amount in weight gain after surgery. I've lost 13 lbs since I saw him last, and I am thinking I may gain that back as part of the regular bounce back after getting to lowest weight. I see him again in September, we'll see what he says then.

they pumped you full of IV fluids when you were in the hospital, and those fluids contain a lot of sodium to boot (which makes some people retain water). I've heard of people gaining 10+ lbs on those. I stayed off the scale for the first week or ten days just so that extra fluid would work its way out of my system so I wouldn't have a heart attack when I stepped on the scale.

I weigh myself every day but my dietititian would prefer I do it once a week (she said I get too obsessed with the number on the scale). However, in the past the weight always crept back on if I stopped weighing myself. Before I knew it, I'd be up 20 or 30 or 40 lbs. So maybe cut back on the frequency - but I wouldn't stop weighing altogether. But I am me and you are you... with plastic surgery, don't forget that many people have a 10-20 lb bounce back after they hit their lowest weight. Your plastic surgery work can be affected if you gain or lose more than 10 lbs, so many surgeons recommend you be at a stable weight for 6-12 months before doing it. I've gained 12 lbs since I hit bottom (and have come to terms with my higher weight - I'm still within a normal BMI range and admittedly look better at this weight). So I'm glad I waited - although maybe 12 lbs wouldn't have made much difference...

Anyone having their surgery in October so we can support each other. My birthday month is October and my surgery is Tuesday October 8, 2019. So do we have any October babies for GastricSleeve? Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using BariatricPal mobile app

I have about 10 extra pounds of skin/fat that are going nowhere and I work out like a demon. I fence (as in en garde) 6-7 hours a week, do a cross fit type class three hours a week, work with a personal trainer 1 hour a week and do pilates and yoga another 2 hours a week. Every other weekend I am fencing competitively. I have a pouch. Nothing is going to do anything about it until I have plastics. If I tighten my abdominals under it you can see the six pack that is there, but that fat and skin is going to have to be surgically removed. You can tighten up the muscles, but that won't cure the giggle.

So, I just had Surgery last Monday 7/29/19. I had a hiatal hernia repair, removal of lap band and sleeve gastrectomy all at once. I went home Tuesday, vomited blood and foam all day but was much better Wednesday-Saturday. Yesterday, was the worst! I could not urinate without my bladder convulsing or going into a spasm. It was so painful because since I was already constipated, the spasm cause my stool to force out as well leading into more pain. I know this is a lot of information but feel that it could be helpful to anyone who cannot urinate, and when they try have a spasm that forces the urine while in horrible pain. I went to the ER since my doctor’s office was closed. Honestly, I thought it was only constipation and took a laxative, milk of magnesia, had an enema and a suppository but I still couldn’t urinate without the spasm. As soon as you get the following symptoms, try to call your doctor for help. I’m doing much better now but wanted to share in case anyone else may be going through this.

Hi there. I had gastric sleeve done in 2014. In 2017 I was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia and had IV iron treatments. Just recently (2019) I have also been diagnosed with copper deficiency and Vit D deficiency. I'm still getting "diagnosed," which basically means they want to rule out everything else under the sun before they start any actual treatment. You definitely need a GI.

I keep my eye on the scale weekly. Its probably unnecessary at this point in my journey, but I want to keep in the habit of doing it because when I was preop and ignored the scale that's when 10-20 pounds always snuck up on me.

August 5th 1. Personal goal 5 pounds – Wow, five pounds down since Friday. I’m going to say water weight. 2. Sleeve - losing my maintaining bounce weight (10 pounds up) 3. Starting Weight 140 BMI 23 4. Todays Weight 135. BMI 22.5 I’m changing things up – Joining the Intermittent Fasting Daily Menu/Results/Accountability group.

So, Friday, I spent the day at Cedar Point here in NE Ohio with my wife. We got there at about 10 AM, and we ended up leaving at 10:30 PM. In that time, I managed to ride almost every roller coaster that they had in the park. Only one of them was I completely too big for. Sure, some of the safety bars and harnesses were a little on the tighter side, even for their larger riders areas, but six months ago, I wouldn't have been able to ride anything. I had a blast with my wife, and as of today, my BMI is now enough under 40 that it no longer rounds up to 40.

I was approved for WLS in 2005 and backed out 3 week from surgery date. I was scared and heard a lot of negative things. My weight has yo yoed since. I have asthma, high BP, sleep apnea, had knee surgery and constant back pain. I was also borderline diabetic. The surgeon who performed my gall bladder removal in Nov. 2018 suggested I reconsider WLS again. I attended his seminar and met with my PCP who pushed the Paleo diet to all of her patients. I tried it and was unsuccessful, she said she supported my decision and the rest of the process was easy. I have a great team, my PCP, surgeon and nutritionist were all helpful and supportive of my surgery. Starting weight 297 VSG 7/31/19 -265 CW 257 GW 135 Sent from my [samsung Galaxy] using BariatricPal mobile app

Sunday 8:00 half cup cottage cheese with blueberries and black pepper 10:00 black coffee with coconut milk 1:30 1 cup egg scramble with random green veggies and half slice Ezekiel sesame bread 06:30 4 oz salmon baked and green salad with lemon juice 1/3 cup blackberries 11:00 protein shake - 30 carbs 105 protein 875 calories. I found myself a bit angry a peach has 14 carbs - ok more than a bit angry. Off of the 120 goal of protein my MD set to heal surgical wounds so my goal today is 120 protein and stay away from peaches.

I hope everyone had a fantastic time Join us in the August 2019 Challenge