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Hello everyone! I’m beyond excited that it’s finally June! I am 40 yrs old, 5”3” tall. HW 242, SW 236, CW 217. I’m married and have 2 boys ages 7 and 10. In the last year, I have been diagnosed with hypertension, insulin resistance, obstructive sleep apnea and GERD. I’m currently medicated for all of this including sleeping with a CPAP. I was approved for RNY May 23rd and I’m scheduled for 5:00 am check in, 7:00 surgery on June 24th. I began the process Jan 8th this year. My instructions are to begin clear liquid diet morning of June 21st and nothing after midnight June 23rd. I cannot wait for a fighting chance with the tool I need to change my life. I’m ready to commit to a new way to eat and live and to be healthy enough to give my family the very best version of me I can be! Here we go friends!

I had my band done in 2008/2009 weight up and down, a lot of vomiting ( now I have Barrett’s esophagus). Since moved , I am working with an experienced doctor whose done a lot off revisions. He told me I can’t get the sleeve due to all my problems from the band and esophagus, but a good candidate for the bypass . So I am going from band to bypass. Done all my steps , just have one more weigh in , one visit to the surgeon, and my pre op class. Hopefully get my surgery in July 2019! Anyone had that revision ? Thanks !

From what I remember, I arrived at the hospital, toting a small overnight bag and my CPAP machine. After signing in (I had pre-registered) I had about a 10-15 minute wait before they took me back. They weighed me, took me to a room where I changed into a hospital gown and they started an IV and asked questions and took vital signs. Then they let my husband come back to the room. After a short while the anesthesiologist came in to ask questions and started something in my line. I must have fallen asleep because I don't remember saying goodbye to my husband or being wheeled into the operating room. Next thing I know I was waking up in the recovery room with 2 or 3 nurses around telling me I was okay and giving me rubbing alcohol-soaked sheets for the nausea. I had nausea as soon as I woke up. After maybe 15 minutes or so they let my husband come back and one of the nurses showed me her before/after photos of her WLS. Then they wheeled me to my room, husband in tow. I was nauseas for the whole first day and half of the second day. Never had any pain.

I’m in the very beginning stages of finding a place to have VSG done in the capital region. Does Dr Baranov require a specific pre op diet or certain amount of weight loss? Ellis requires 10%, which if I could do that...probably wouldn’t be getting the surgery. Congrats btw

Top 10 Tips for Intermittent Fasting Here's the LINK!

In the past 2 weeks I have noticed that all of a sudden i can eat more than 2 ounces of food. Last night I had a piece of chicken that was 3 ounces or a little more. I couldn't seem to eat anything more than 2 ounces for the first 5 and a half months. Anyone else have this? Las month i visited my surgeon and he asked if i was eating 3 ounces yet, I said not even close. He told me to work up to it, but it seems to have just happened. Having said that I have lost 10 pounds in the last 2 weeks after a week to ten day stall. I need new pants!

Yes it's normal for your menstrual cycles to be a little off after surgery. I have an IUD so my cycles don't come on a regular basis, usually only a light flow every 3-4 months or so. After surgery I had a heavy flow a couple weeks after and then more random cycles for a couple months after that. I'm 10 months out and now its more like it was before.

Congrats on a successful surgery! You'll move in and out of those high school clothes faster than you can imagine. That was the only slightly frustrating thing - having to buy transition clothes and wearing them for only a short time. I went from a size 18 to old pairs of 16s and 14s I had around. Then I was finally able to buy 12s at a thrift store. I skipped right past size 10 and picked up 8s (again at thrift stores). When those got too big and I was nearing my goal weight I finally bought some size 6 jeans at nicer stores. I've surpassed my goal another 15 pounds and can actually fit into size 4 now but since I don't anticipate staying at this weight long term I'm not going nuts buying a bunch of size 4. Sex is a nice NSV. I have a lot more sensitivity, flexibility and endurance than I did before. I love being able to cross my legs. Shoe shopping is a lot more fun. I don't need wide width shoes anymore and my feet don't hurt as much carrying around all the weight that was previously there. I could wear my wedges at a wedding last weekend for several hours and they never became uncomfortable. I might be able to tolerate heels now! Exercising is a lot easier. I exercise for fun and its actually fun now. Bike riding and dancing, even just evening walks with my husband aren't as difficult and I'm more willing to do it. I do need to start a muscle building regime though because I lost all the padding on my butt and my tailbone hurts A LOT with sitting a long time and hard chairs are awful. Shaving my legs is easier. So is painting my toe nails. Shaving my arm pits is NOT. They are a lot more concave and I can't quite figure out how to maneuver the razor.

I had my bypass surgery 04/25/2019 4 days after surgery I had a normal cycle. Now its June 2nd no cycle, so nothing for May is this normal?

My surgery was scheduled for 11 am. I was NPO at midnight but could have clear liquids until 6 am. The NPO didnt bother me and after my shake for dinner I didn't feel the need for anything else. I got up at 5 and had a cup of tea and watched the news. Then I showered and put on comfy clothes and waiting until it was time to head to the hospital. I got registered and only had to wait about 10 minutes before heading back. In preop they got my IV in and took a bunch of health questions. Then I got to walk. And walk and walk and walk. My surgeon wants all his bariatric patients walking before surgery to prevent blood clots. No laying on the cart watching Price is Right for me. And after 45 minutes of walking up and down the same small hallway I definitely wanted to. 11 oclock came and went, as it sometimes can in the surgery world. His first case started a little later than scheduled and was more complicated than anticipated. I talked with anesthesia and walked some more. Then I finally talked to my surgeon. It was getting closer. My preop nurse then gave me a couple medications including IV pepcid and a shot of Lovenox (blood thinner) in my abdomen. I waited another 15 minutes or so while the OR Team got the operating room ready and when the nurse came to get me it was a couple more questions from him and then I was wheeled back. HA! I wish. I got to walk back to the operating room as well, hop up on the OR table and wait for anesthesia to kick in. I woke from surgery it seems only minutes after and remember being in a lot of pain. That kept me in the recovery room longer than normal. It only felt like half an hour to me but I'm told I was there closer to an hour and a half.

Back in 2012/2013 when I was contemplating my VSG, I spent hours scouring this website, which I found incredibly helpful. In fact, I don't think I would have gone forward with the surgery without it. As a "pay it forward" I committed to providing annual updates to the community. I missed my year 5 update last November, so here goes a 5.5 year update. Prior updates are linked below, in case you're curious about annual progression. Enjoy and feel free to comment or ask question, if you think I can help. This year was probably my toughest since having surgery in terms of weight management. I took on a new job that was particularly stressful and involved a lot of travel. That led to some bad eating habits. I also used to weigh myself every day and sort of stopped that for a year. Low and behold, my weight increased from ~ 195 to 218, which was my highest by far since having the surgery. My clothes got tighter (and I grew out of some) and I generally felt like ****. My lovely wife basically called me out and said "what's going on?" The truth was I just lost discipline and abandoned the basics. The biggest contributors were SNACKING and carbs. I was constantly eating between meals and choosing more carb options during meals. The sleeve provides little defense against these behaviors. I can eat as much popcorn, potato chips and candy as anyone. And during meals, the sleeve doesn't restrict as much against carbs like bread, rice, potatoes, etc.. The solution for me was just attacking these two bad habits. BTW, cutting out the carbs sort of solves the snacking issue too. By that I mean, no carbs means no chips, candy, etc.. I allow myself as much cheese, beef jerky, quest bars or veggies for snacks as I want. For me, I can eat a piece of cheese and be done. Not the same for chips. With those changes, my weight dropped back down to 198 (my current weight) in about 2 months. While this situation was a bummer, it's still child's play compared to what would have happened pre surgery. I wouldn't have gained 20 pounds, but rather 50 or more. And it wouldn't have been so easy to drop it with behavioral changes. Other general observations 5.5 years out: Positives: I'm a totally "normal" eater. That means I naturally eat portions that a healthy, non-weight issue person would eat. For breakfast I have 1 or 2 eggs and a veggie sausage or some yogurt. For lunch I eat a salad with some protein or a small sandwich. For dinner, protein (small steak, a hamburger, 1 or 2 pieces of chicken) and a veg. Even 5.5 years out, I'm still completely full after those normal portions. In sum, the sleeve still works just fine and hasn't stretched out or anything like that. I can eat anything. No stuck foods, etc.. Of course, some things fill me up faster, but I generally view that as a good thing. The weight is staying within a reasonable band, although not perfect by any means. Today, I weighed in at 198. At my worst pre surgery, I weighed 275 and was headed for 300+ fast. Post surgery, I went all the way down to 175. I'd like to weigh 190, so like most people you talk to in the world, I've got those 10 pounds to lose. Ever since I had surgery, I've been able to participate in all sorts of activities that would have previously been out of the question. I regularly walk, golf and now a lot of hot yoga. My knees and joints were killing me with all the weight and all that's gone now. I sleep better. I'm off all meds! Pre surgery, I had to take meds for cholesterol and heart burn. I was pre diabetic and was considering meds for that. Post surgery those meds became unnecessary. Most surprising is that over the the last 18 months, I've even stopped taking omeprazole for heartburn. I don't get hungry like I used to. I've always liked food and eating, so I do continue to think about food (head hunger), but I rarely physically feel hungry. No growling stomach ever. Negatives: Once in a while (5 or 6 times per year), I eat past my stomach's capacity and vomit it up. This is always frustrating and I kick myself for still letting it happen. Weight loss surgery is NOT a silver bullet. For the first 12 months post surgery it seemed like magic. Weight flew off and it didn't seem like I would ever gain it back no matter what I ate. Not true 5.5 years out. I still need to think about my weight and diet. If I forget or get lazy / complacent, I gain weight. I need to weigh myself every day. I need to lose 10 pounds. Managing weight is still work. I elected kept my surgery a secret, expect for just a handful of people. I'm not sure I'd do that again. I was pretty embarrassed about having to have a surgery to get my weight under control. Since I eat normal now and it's been so long since I lost the majority of my weight, the "how did you do it" conversations don't come up any more. But when I interact with really obese people that are friends, I'd like to be able to talk about my experience and try to inspire them to consider surgery. Secrets in life aren't that fun. Yes, I could always reveal what I did to everyone, but it seems silly at this point. So that's all for this year. Having surgery was the best thing I've ever done for myself. My only regret is having waited until I was 39. I wish I would have done it 10 years earlier! Thanks for reading and your support. Familyman

My surgeon started me on vitamins 10 days after surgery...

I was told no gummies as well. I was also told chewable only as they are easiest to absorb. I take the bypass and sleeve optimized once per day by unjury. They cost $10 per month. I also use unjurys calcium citrate. I have glanced around the store here and they do seem to have decent prices as well. I like the fact that unjury contains no ingredients from China. Your team should give you direction and probably a list of what they prefer you to use. Lots of good choices out there

Hello! New to this app but excited to do the June challenge! Surgery date: RNY 4/29/19 Goal #1: Make it below 200lbs Goal #2: Establish a proper workout & eating routine now that I am back at work. Let’s do this!

Glad to know I’m not the only one. I’m 10 days post op with 0 energy to do anything. It’s hard to meet the protein and water goals but I’m trying. I just really want to feel normal again but I know that will take time.

Day 10 of my 14 day pre-op diet. Seems like extreme measures to get healthier but like most others it seems to be the best chance at sustained success. 5'9 and my max weight was 296 a few years ago. I was originally referred for surgery at 278 and crawled up to 296. Slowly leveled back down and was 274 before pre-op diet. Today I'm 260. My diet is the Slimtime shakes and protein bars. 3 shakes and 2 bars per day. 1070 calories I believe. My dream weight is 190 although breaking 200 and maintaining will be life altering. I have two young sons that I had late in life (I'm 45) and need to ensure I'm around as long as possible. Not just around but living a great quality of life. I was always very active and played competitive sports right into my mid 30's but when off to university the freshmen 10 hit and I slowly crept up over time. Every time I lost weight though a few years later I regained plus more. The last time I made a real concerted effort was to go from 276 down to 245. 3 years later I was 296. My reason for choosing surgery is the fear of breaking 300 if I were to try it the old fashioned way. So here I am. Very nervous but excited at the same time. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences as it's helped me prepare mentally for the process.

My before and "almost after"! Hoping to lose 15 more pounds and tone up, but I'm feeling pretty good. Just fit into my initial goal jeans! It's been a rough year for me since my surgery on 7/2/18. I was rocking it with the exercise for the first several months. Then my company got bought, had a very stressful first project at work that lasted months, and my mom's terminal illness worsened and she passed. While sometimes I feel bad about myself for not losing as quickly as I'd hoped, I know I've done great. I'm certain that if I hadn't had the surgery before my life derailed this last 10 months, I'd be pushing 300 lbs and would have had an even harder time dealing with all the stress. Looking forward to my one year follow-up appointment and going to try to rock it on exercise this next month. And stick with it more regularly. :)

Now for the physical part... I have six incisions -- five on my belly (sleeve) and one just below my left breast (hiatal hernia repair). All were closed using surgical glue. It's a purple glue, so it looks like I'm completely bruised up in those areas but I'm not. Five of the six are fine, no pain, no itching. One of them, and I presume it was the one where most of the surgical activity took place, is sore as hell. Burns, stings, very uncomfortable. There are no signs of infection, and when I called the doctor he said it was just the nerve endings expressing their discomfort at being severed. I am using lidocaine patches (Icy Hot) around the incision but not on the incision itself. It helps some. I also wear an abdominal binder. It keeps anything from rubbing the sites, but it starts to annoy the skin after a while so I am taking it off every few hours and letting my belly hang out to breathe. I can walk easily with no assistance, and getting in and out of chairs, bed, is easier each day. I have to remember to use my legs and elbows for leverage. Stairs are not a problem. But the more I walk, the more that one incision bothers me and I must lie down without moving for 10-15 mins before it goes away. Other than that, I feel pretty good. No vomiting or dumping. I had my first BM this morning with no issues. A little gas here and there, but not as much as I had expected. I'm not getting enough sleep. I stopped the prescription pain meds and just use liquid Tylenol (PM at bedtime) and the anti-cramping pills. When it wears off, I wake up. I usually fall asleep on my back, then shift to a side or stomach position. I can't do that now, so I stay awake and try to nap during the day to make up sleep.

I think that may be for self pay. My total cost after insurance (UHC) is only $268!!!! (After my deductible is met- they have some agreements with some insurance companies that significantly reduces the cost and then I pay 10% with my plan) That is including the hospital fees... so depending on your insurance it can be pretty great. They will send you something about a week or so after your visit from the hospital that says what your cost is going to be. ( I just finished all my pre op requirements- just waiting for Dr Rawlins to go over it and then they will give me a surgery date.. they said that once you get everything done it takes a week or so for the dr to review and then they are booking out 6-8 weeks)

I added up all of my calories in my pre-op diet, during which I used milk as a mixer for two of the three protein shakes, plus the pudding. It was 900 calories / day and 125 g. protein / day. I promise I was not hungry. I lost 9 pounds in 13 days (doctor expected a 7-lb. loss). I split it up like this: Wake-up time to 11:30-ish a.m. - one to two bottles of water (16-32 oz.) Noon-ish - ½ cup oatmeal, 1 protein shake with milk 12:30-3 p.m. - one to two bottles of water (16-32 oz.) 3 p.m. - ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 protein shake with water 3-7 p.m. - two to three bottles of water (32-48 oz.) 7 p.m. - 1 cup soup, 1 cup veggies, 1 tbsp. fat-free dressing, ½ cup pudding 7-10 p.m. - two to three bottles of water (32-48 oz.) 10 p.m. - ½ cup yogurt, 1 protein shake with milk This worked great for me and my lifestyle. By spreading it out and drinking a gallon+ of water daily, I wasn't hungry or tempted to cheat. I tried to stop drinking water after 10 p.m. as there was a lot of getting up during the night to pee.

I'm here. I can not do some of these exercises, but can supplement them with something else. I just hit 60 lbs this morning and weigh 278. I hope to lose 10 pounds this month, but would be happy with half of that. Mow that I've lost a good bit I'm motivated to walk everyday. Before I would never go out and walk. I'm working myself up to have the courage to walk by myself. My mental healh today is fabulous! I feel so good! Today I will do 10,000 steps as I can't do a plank.

I've talked to my insurance and they won't help me navigate this. All I've gotten is that I need approval from my pcp. I asked what steps I could do before my appointment and they said that my pcp will handle everything. But looking online it says either I need a bmi of 40 or greater, or 35 with a comorbidity. Need psych evals, 6 months of dirt, nutrition counseling, loss of 10% of bodyweight before surgery...etc. I'm hoping that they are able to use my weight at my next appointment, so I can start taking care of myself and begin losing that 10%. I'm just so worried that they will want me to keep at a bmi of 40 and not get started until after I meet with my surgeon.

Good morning everyone! Happy June! Surgery: RNY, May 16, 2019 Goal #1: To get back to regular walking/nordic pole walking 6 days a week, 5km per day, by the end of the month. Goal #2: To feel comfortable eating at the table with my family again. I've been eating separately from them since my liquid diet began because it's been too much of a challenge to be around while they're eating real food. No weight related goals as I don't really know what to expect this early out from surgery. And I know my 3 week stall is looming. Day 1: How do I feel at the moment? Emotionally, I think I'm in an okay place right now. No buyers remorse, no new stress, and I'm very pleased with where I'm at right now. Physically, I'm still nursing a wicked cold which is adding to my fatigue. Sent from my SM-G960W using BariatricPal mobile app

Lastly, and then I’m done - I’m also in a stall. However, I am not trying. I am not focused on myself, my health or my food intake in any capacity. We close on our house on Monday and I’ve been so overwhelmed with things this month that I haven’t had any time for myself. So I’m stuck at 124 but for God’s sake... it’s 124! I haven’t been this thin in 10 years. Yes, I’m only 5 feet tall and most skinny people would not consider 124 “thin” by their standards. The way I see it is that 124 is my new “high” weight and that makes me happy. It’s not like I’m going to GAIN any weight! Hopefully after this move and one other distraction I have on the horizon I’ll be back in a routine by the 3rd week of June... hopefully.

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