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If you are having trouble eating more than one bite of food, you might want to call your surgery center. It's possible you have a stricture, which can be fixed. You might also be eating too big of a bite, not chewing enough, or eating too fast. I have heard of people having issues from their bras, but I think it was right after surgery (can't remember for sure). I am able to eat more food at 5 months out than I could at 6 weeks out. That's a good thing, but I have to be careful that I don't eat multiple times a day because that could cause weight gain. Hope you feel better soon!

Hi Nat theres so many great private options in the U.K. and yes it’s a lot of money! And a loan I will be paying for the next three years. But I’m so happy! I don’t regret it one bit. (Had my surgery July 2021 and i reached target weight feb 5th - total loss of 6 stone) i got a loan via my bank as the finance offering was better than the finance options the hospital was doing. So I would say just shop around for that. also I interviewed three surgeons from three of the top named hospitals before I decided which one I felt was best for me. so spend some time researching the market. I went with Mr Sutton at woodlands hospital - part of the Ramsey group. I’ve had no problems at all. After care team was top level, no complications, surgery was quick, team were amazing. No complaints one bit!! i highly recommend. Paid £10k with 2 years after care from surgeon and team and a lifetime support line (dietitian)x

Great weight loss! How do the sweeteners in Crystal Light differ from those in Diet Coke?

Nice to meet you, SleeveApril82022. My surgery date is April 5th. My sister has Crohn's and didn't know if she could have the surgery or not. I asked one of the other surgeons in my weight loss clinic if she was cleared to have surgery with Crohn's, and he said it shouldn't be a problem. But, finally hearing from someone who has it too, I can now tell my sister she is good to go on getting the surgery. Have you asked your dietitian about what to eat during slim time? Sent from my SM-G960U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'll be praying for you that you get yours done in April. Where are you from and what surgery are you getting done for your weight loss? Congrats on getting this far pre-op! Sent from my SM-G960U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

My sleeve surgery is on Feb 23rd too. I'm excited for the next part of this journey. I gave up sodas over a year ago I'm not going to lie it was hard giving it up. Dr Pepper was my life from the time I got up in the morning until I went to bed at night, so addicted! I just want to say diet cokes of any kind are not good for you they actually can make you gain weight and the sweeteners in them are bad for you. It took a long time to wean myself off of soda but then when I got Covid in October 2020 my taste for sodas changed it burned when I drank it so I just stopped. I now drink only water, tea, milk, crystal light and v8 juice. I've lost 70lbs, this is before surgery, and I have more energy than I did before. It's hard to give something up but you should really find the reasons behind why you have to have it and find reason why you and your health don't need it. Pros and cons! Good luck to you and your journey!

Hi all! I am inquiring within. I was pre-approved July 2021. I went through all of my required appointments. I was never truly provided a set caloric intake, carb goal, protein goal, etc. Today was my “pre op” appointment, I received my pre operative documentation as well as back dated prescriptions for post op from January 28th, 2022. Upon completion of this appointment, my insurance called and said they’re waiting for my file. Then after further research, another authorization was submitted for a consult. I had a slight gain, nothing major where it would completely offset me. Yet, I was scheduled with the bariatric coordinator for next Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 for my “pre op” walkthrough. I was also told by the medical assistant to start my liquid diet by Wednesday. I am genuinely confused as to why there are so many loops and hoops with the bariatric process. Insurance : United Healthcare Signature *** via my employer (government entity) What is the chance of approval or denial? Why would I get to the finish line in this process and still be completely confused as to what is occurring next?

I'm both a slow loser, and a serial staller. I've lost weight post-surgery at the same rate I did when I tried the old-school calorie counting. I've never had the "honeymoon period" folk on here talk about. I've lost count of how many stalls I've had, and have just this week finally broken another three week stall of zero weight loss. Like you, I follow my plan to the letter, do regular exercise, and know I eat at a large calorie deficit. So I absolutely know how you feel! But as The Greater Fool said - you cannot compare yourself to others, and you cannot let yourself be ruled by the scale. The weight IS coming off, and if it's coming off slower, that's not a bad thing! With luck my slow rate will give my skin the best chance of bouncing back. The trick is to enjoy your own journey without worrying about others, and to celebrate your own little milestones and victories. Because they're happening.

When I went I first met to discuss surgery my BMI was 35.5. My family has a history of diabetes and high cholesterol. Heart complications from the diabetes have been an issue and it all seems to start about age 50. I’m 47. After much discussion with my nutritionist and my doctor - with a million times trying to lose weight my entire life - we decided on surgery to ensure these genetic issues would not be an issue. I had a vertebral artery dissection (spontaneous - had been is great health) at the age of 40. After the stroke I gained weight AGAIN and never could lose it. No matter what I did. Bypass because after an endoscopy it was discovered I have A typical reflux - I had NO idea! I felt nothing and my esophagus was burned badly. I also found out I had a hiatal hernia. So long long story short - there you go - :)

I think if you frame the reason you want a revision as "weight loss" it's likely you will not have much support, because weight loss from revision is often not much. Your best bet is probably to work with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and bariatric issues. Especially since you developed pica after your first surgery. While it makes sense to get a revision if you have GERD (not sure about the hernia!), you should keep in mind that you may not lose very much. Also, you can try some other remedies for GERD, like not eating 3-4 hours before lying down, sleeping with the head of your bed elevated, etc. Good luck, and mega-congrats on losing 225lb!!

Hi, I'm new! I had a sleeve in 2008 and it gave me GERD. I ended up gaining more weight than I lost due to severe anemia and pica. Then I did keto and lost 225lbs but it still isn't enough. I also have a hernia but it isn't really impactful. I told my doctor that I want revision surgery (but i didn't mention gerd or the hernia, just weight loss) and he is like, "see a dietitian." Also I do not have the same doctor or even live in the same area as I did in 2008. Literally any advice or comments are appreciated here.

I'm sorry this is so hard. What if you tried different types of exercise, like swimming? that's excellent exercise and your body weight doesn't make it harder for you. I know when I was heavier I had a hard time with anything except swimming and walking, which I did a lot. I find that now that I'm thinner, I get hurt more because I try to do too much, or for whatever reason, not sure. You could also work with a physical trainer to see what activities are easier for your body. Or, focus on NEAT (non-exercise activities of thermogenesis). These are things like mopping, vacuuming, law mowing, shoveling, etc. Doing these activities are really great for your body. yeah, I know it doesn't sound so hard to have extra BMs, but you just can't predict what the outcome would be, and I'd be hesitant to make this big a decision when the doctors disagree. Have you tried searching for terms on this site that might help you find others who may have been in a similar situation? I did that for bipolar disorder and found that very helpful... but limited.

I'm 7 days post op and I can empathize with those feelings. It hurts, you feel lonely without food, and not being able to drink a lot. You definitely experience buyers remorse but I have to keep telling myself it's not permanent. It's a healing process that might take some time but ultimately we come out a really great version of ourselves. I so wish that bariatric programs did a better job at addressing the mental struggle. Some things that help me is seeing my weight go down and following people on Instagram or youtube who have had successful bariatric journeys. You can also search by hashtag on Instagram if you want to see particular content from other people. It helps me stay motivated and know there's light at the end of the tunnel. I will admit I'm feeling a little ill still with constipation and getting a high heart rate from little activity. The sickness and recovery period makes it really hard to enjoy the results and the journey at first but it passes. I promise. Sending healing prayers to you. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yeah, it is definitely hard to come across people who have had both a partial colectomy and the gastric sleeve. I guess every case is different. Considering I already have several BMs per day, I could probably live with a few more - it just depends on how many more lol. At this weight I find it really difficult to get in sufficient exercise. It's very hard for me to digest vegetables (perhaps with the exception of lettuce) and certain fruits having just a small intestine. I've been thinking of trying the paleo diet. I'm just tired of looking and feeling like this.

My guess is that there haven't been enough people with a partial bowel removal who have also had bariatric surgery to be sure what the results will be. I have had IBS with both diarrhea and constipation during my life due to medications I take. Diarrhea can make your life really complicated, as I'm sure you are aware. When I had diarrhea predominant IBS, I was told to eat more carbs and less fat, veggies, and meat. I don't know if that is true for UC, but I know that would be really hard for me now - I am supposed to do pretty much the opposite! I would get second opinions from another GI doc and another bariatric surgeon at a bariatric center of excellence. Personally, I'm not sure I would take the risk in your situation, as the sleeve is not reversible. Maybe instead of trying to get thin, focus more on healthy activity and things like therapy for binge eating, if that's an issue for you. I'm not saying these will make you lose a lot of weight, but losing weight is not the end-all be-all in life. Being able to live your life without always looking for a bathroom is pretty important, too.

You will often have stalls of a few weeks at a time. That's the nature of weight loss. You may go up a pound or two just because of fluid balance (pooping, peeing, salty foods, etc), but it will come off again if you follow the plan. My surgery center also does not use a set number of calories. When I was 4 months out I told the nutritionist that I was eating about 800-1000 calories a day and she said that seemed in the right range. I'm 5 months out and eat about 900-1100 most days. I weigh every day that I'm home (I travel a lot). it helps me feel like I'm on track, but I don't worry if the number goes slightly up or doesn't move for a few days/week. It's normal, and I just look at the trends.

I agree with everyone who says that the difference in the "statistical" weight loss averages isn't much, compared to the huge variation among patients with either surgery. Either way, it's up to you to do the work. If you have significant GERD, probably bypass is best. If you think you won't be good at taking your vitamins, sleeve MIGHT be better, as you are less likely with sleeve to have vitamin deficiencies and may need more supplements.

That's odd that they would call out the sleeve as a concern, rather than the bypass, which actually bypasses some of your intestines. A sleeve just reduces the size of the stomach, and is not mal-absorptive. Most people will report constipation after surgery, but some/many have periods of diarrhea, perhaps caused by constipation remedies? I don't know much about UC, but I think I would get a second opinion from a GI doc, and ask the bariatric surgeon about your concerns. I calculate your BMI as 36, which is only qualifying for a WLS if you have other co-morbidities like diabetes, apnea, etc. While you can have WLS at a lower BMI if you pay out of pocket, I would warn you that you may not lose as much weight as you think, and the risks for you are almost certainly higher than for people who aren't in your situation.

Hi everyone! My name is Anthony and I'm 31 years old. I've struggled with being overweight all of my adult life. I am just about 5'9" and currently weight 245 lbs. It may not seem like I have to lose as much as some others and a lot of people tell me that I don't look like I weigh that much, but I know that I don't like the way I feel or look. I have back and knee pain, especially when I am standing for too long. It's also difficult for me to exercise at this weight. I've lost weight in the past via diet and/or medications but it always manages to come back on. I'm strongly considering the gastric sleeve. My only worry is that I did have my colon removed when I was 16 due to severe Ulcerative Colitis. I now have what's called a "j-pouch", which is basically when they form a new bowel out of your small intestine so that you don't need an ostomy/colostomy bag (I did have one for 3 months in between the 2 surgeries - first surgery to remove the colon, second to reverse it and make the pouch). I've checked with my doctors and one of the colorectal surgeons said he doesn't recommend the gastric sleeve and a couple of others said their only concern would be having urgent bowel movements due to having less of a digestive tract, but told me to check with the bariatric surgeons to make sure. The bariatric surgeon said he thinks it would probably make me have LESS bowel movements since I would be eating less and the food would be moving slower through my system. Wish me luck, I am having another virtual consultation next month!

You've heard and read this before: We all lose at our own rates. Comparing with others is just another way we've learned to beat ourselves up over weight. And, most everyone experiences stalls throughout the weight loss process. I'd bet dollars to donuts you started with less excess weight than those around you. The closer to goal you are the slower your weight loss will be. If people around you are losing more it's because they have more to lose. But today is your lucky day as I have the sure fire solution to each of these problems: Get off the scale. You won't be able to compare your weight loss which is apparently causing you some psychic pain. You won't see the depressing stalls. For the important aspects of your program there is one thing you absolutely don't need: A scale. You just need to do what you are doing, following your plan to a T. Keep it up and you will get there. The "No Scale" thing wasn't really my choice. I was too large to weigh on home scales, so I could only weigh at follow-ups. I did learn how not focusing on the scale relieved me of a lot of angst. When I could finally weigh at home I chose not to. All these years later I still don't weigh at home, now only at my annual physicals. When it comes to counting calories... Well, I never did it. My plan was to eat 3 meals per day, each of 3-4 oz protein, 1oz veggies/other. This gets you all your requirements. 3-4 oz protein 3 times per day gets you 60g of protein. 1oz veggies/other 3 times per day will not be chock full of calories. Along with the other simple dos and don'ts we are doing fine. Heck, this is still my plan. So, everything I see says you have a good plan and are following it. This is the path to long term success. Take the win. Continued good luck, Tek

I had so many clothes that were too tight on me, since I had previously lost 100 lbs then gained almost all of it back. Now I'm below the weight at my last lowest weight, and I'm still able to wear some of those clothes. Not all of them were the right style (I bought them thinking I would have to be dressier and even though I'm working onsite, I still don't need to be THAT dressy), so I gave away some things I never wore and I've bought some things I wear a lot in smaller sizes, plus at the thrift store. I was a size 24/3x and now I'm a size 14/L. Except in Columbia brand, which runs small.

Hello all, I'm about 60 days post op. I lost 11 lbs liquid diet and 20lbs since surgery. I am feeling down because everyone around me seems to be dropping weight but me. I do the treadmill at Planet Fitness. I'm following the after surgery phases to the letter. I get 80 to 90 Oz of water a day. I've lost nothing in over 7days in fact according to the scale I've gained a lb or two. I feel my baratric team is not giving me clear guidelines. I asked nutrition how many calories per day her response is don't count calories. Huh?!?!? My nutrition team keeps saying the scale is not a true indicator for weight loss but shouldn't it move some..... I just feel down today about it. Someone help me out I don't wanna fail. Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Natty I'm julie I had the sleeve in 2010 on the NHS I have sleep apnea and didn't lose much then decided to go to the doctors to ask for a bypass had to go through 2yrs diet and cbt I had high blood pressure sleep apnea heart failure caused by high blood pressure prolapse disc in my back and artritis in my back and both hips I had my first at Macclesfield in a private hospital and the second at Stoke University hospital they were brilliant couldn't do enough for you , just go and see your doctor and ask about weight loss surgery and could they put you forward, good luck

I have came to the same conclusion as you! Unless I'm drinking 10 cups of tea, I'm not going to get dehydrated. Its not like I can lose 5 pounds of water weight by having a cuppa. My bariatric Dr Even said a cup of tea here and there isn't going to hurt anything. I normally have one cup of tea in the morning and one can of diet soda. Because of the carbonation, I will have to quit the soda for awhile.

This is in response to the person whom posted the article, I hope your brother is doing ok and I would like to emphasize I am in no way saying you should attempt what I'm about to tell you however it was a shot in the dark as well and I was lucky enough to save my fiancee from a horrible fate...... My gf/fiancee had a duodenal switch surgery which was very successful inside of 2 years her weight stabize at 160 lbs down from 300lbs. Shortly after her target weight was obtained she started having severe depression with suicidal ideation when she had been a very happy person her entire life. After a 6 day stay in the psych ward she went back to work and soon after developed back pain sever enough to leave her screaming in pain at times she had muscle spasticity, difficulty swollowing breathing, peripheral numbness, muscle wasting in legs and arms. I had to put hand rails in our home so she could get around. Incontinence and difficulty swollowing, breathing, and speaking came next.....after much reading and a near refusal to do any mris by the hospital that did surgery.(I suspected they feared a large lawsuit) The reumatologist and neurologist we were referred to both said they suspected als. I became obsessed with finding a way to heal her save her from what was already horrifying illness. I had a lot of trouble sleeping because her breathing scared me and I just sat and read listening to her shallow strained breathing. I swear I read enough studies and articles to have completed medical school. I accumulated almost 220 pages of hand written notes in 2 weeks time I came up with a plan there are many vitamins and antioxidants said to be imbalanced in the brains of pals the problem is supplemented antioxidants take to long to get into the Central nervous system so once the imbalance is bad enough to cause motor neuron death its like a snow ball rolling down a hill getting bigger and bigger that can't be stopped by ingestion due too the blood brain barrier making absorption slow and difficult this is made harder by malabsorbative aspect of surgery. I needed to get large doses into the brain and fast. I have read many article how methamphetamine exposure in small amounts stimulates brain cell growth and protects against cns and brain diseases by causing a small amount of damage stimulateing a neuroprotective effect as well as making the blood brain barrier more permeable these are the supplements I used in order of imprtance. I am not a Dr. I have no medical training please don't think I'm saying I truly know why or how thos worked but it did all supplements taken 3x a day with a small smoked dose of approximately 50-100 mg of street grade methamphetamine. N acetyl cysteine 600 mg Alpha lipoic acid Acetyl l carnitine Curcumin with black pepper Magnesium chileate Coq10 Vitamin e Creatine B vitamin complex (especially folic acid) Egcg Dhea Tart cherry extract Zinc pico lineate As well as a gluten free diet and several other listed in linked article. A full dose of bariatric vitamins 3x a day as well here is a link to a article written by a world renowned neurologist going over all these compounds how they could work and why as well as how they help THE USE OF METHAMPHETAMINE TO FERRY LARGE AMOUNTS INTO THE BRAIN IS DANGEROUS...... It's been hard just getting her to take all supplements 3x a day caused conflict but slowly she got better now the only symptoms she has is occasional incontinence and a mild parkinsonism when she sleeps as well as mild spasticity. She is a bit slow but walks fine talks perfectly and breathing is normal as well as respiration normal and blood [pressure went up too normal range.... https://drcgolding.co.za/integrative-approach-motor-neuron-disease/