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I'm almost 5 months post op RNY Gastric Bypass 1/3/24. 52 F 5'9.5 HW 272 SW 255 Surgery date 219, CW 174 1. I had surgery for a variety of reasons, severe GERD, hiatal hernia, gastroparesis, obesity, chronic pain and disability. The best part is not feeling either nauseous, in pain, or hungry 24/7. I feel hungry, I eat, and I feel good. Don't get me wrong, I still have some nausea or pain if I eat too much or too fast, or just knowing something isn't likely going to agree with me, but I've been pretty good at avoiding those things. The chronic pain is lessened, I'm more mobile, and feel more energetic throughout the day, instead of just in the morning. 2. I've had some hard days with emotions, not being able to eat mindlessly anymore, regardless of the food. It's been an adjustment, but honestly, no one needs to eat mindlessly, it just isn't good for anyone. 3. I had a sketchy bladder issue, it didn't wake up for a few days after surgery. I had a sketchy bladder already (Previous Cauda Equina Syndrome), so it wasn't completely out of nowhere that it didn't cooperate. 4. It's been really good for the most part, there have been moments that felt hard like traveling with family and not planning well enough, had a hunger meltdown, and struggled getting what I needed in a hotel room with a barbie fridge. Though recently traveled again, same scenario, but better prepared, no melt downs, no strife. 5. I was started on purees in the hospital and it was a slow progression to regular food and I felt okay through every stage though I would say that I started feeling "normal" when eating after about 3 months? 6. I don't eat bread, pasta, rice, fried foods anymore. My ultra favorite was fish fry, now I have baked cod and still eat it with tartar sauce, so I don't feel deprived. Most foods that I crave I've been able to find a satisfying alternative for that works for me. . 7. I have not vomited once since the surgery, I've wished I could at least twice, but it was a matter of having eaten too much and needing to wait to let it settle. That is a good reminder for me to go slow and take breaks. I've not had any dumping, though I avoid all sugar anyways, and did prior to surgery. 8. It's different for everyone, I think I felt most like myself again at about 8 weeks. Though that doesn't mean that I felt bad before that, I just felt less energetic, a bit more emotional, etc. 9. Yes, very much so. I don't have that afternoon slump anymore, I feel clearer and just happier. I feel like I am now what I was supposed to be all this time. If that makes sense? 10. It affected my mental health in the expected way, I was weepy, sad, afraid, etc. I was thoroughly prepared for it by reading on this site and American Bariatrics site. I knew what to expect and it didn't shock me or frighten me when it happened. Thanks to all of you who so generously shared about those experiences. I'm definitely happier now, I feel more comfortable in my own body now than I have in a very long time. 11. I don't regret a moment of it, would definitely recommend it to anyone who is eligible and interested in having surgery. For me, the biggest piece of it is that feeling of eating, then feeling satisfied. When I go out with friends or family, even though there is so much food still on the table, or on my plate, it doesn't keep me preoccupied. I'm able to just sit and enjoy the time with friends and family without spending the entire time talking to myself about one more bite, one more piece, no, no, maybe...................This piece right here is invaluable, and when combined with the fact that I don't feel sick all the time anymore, it's definitely been worth it many times over for me.

First of all, can I just tell you that you're beautiful!!! I don't mean anything awkward or inappropriate with that, but I just felt like I wanted to tell you that you are a very beautiful woman To answer your questions: 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? Getting off blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and anti-inflammatory meds, losing the weight, and gaining mobility back 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? I had several complications from the sleeve and had to have a revision a year later 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? not during the surgery but about 7-8 months later, complications started showing up. 4 endoscopies, 1 colonoscopy, and massive amounts of PPIs later, had to have the revision 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? it's been hard sometimes, but overall, so worth it and rewarding and a huge blessing 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? If you stick to the plan, it's a gradual process. By 6-8 weeks, I was nervous but ready to eat food and just made sure to go slow. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? pasta, rice, potatoes, bread (a year or 2 out, some can eat it in small amounts every once in a while, but I'm so sensitive to carbs that I stay far away...but there's alternatives that allow me to not feel like I'm deprived so it's completely ok) 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? dumping really only happens with the bypass, not the sleeve. Never had vomiting and very little nausea (in the beginning). Once I had my revision to bypass, I had dumping twice and learned my lesson lol I follow the rules and I'm careful, so I haven't had it again. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? about 4 weeks after the sleeve, about a week to 10 days after the revision to bypass (much easier surgery to recover from, for some reason) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? not right away. I was beyond exhausted the first 2 weeks. Weeks 3 and 4 it started to get better. By week 6, I felt normal, and by 3 months out I had lost a good amount of weight and my energy levels really started to pick up. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? not in any kind of negative way until I started having the complications. Once I had the revision, every complication went away and I've been beyond happy and thrilled. The only real issue I have now is body dysmorphia sometimes. I have moments where I look in the mirror and still see 421 pound me and not 195 pound me. I'll look in my closet and think someone stole my clothes and replaced them with someone else's (I use to be a size 30/5X and now I'm a size 14/XL). 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I absolutely do not regret it. The only thing I would go back and change is I would just have the bypass to begin with and skip the sleeve altogether. Now, there are a lot of people really happy with the sleeve. They have zero regrets. I was one of them, until I wasn't. Many of us sleevers have to get a revision to bypass for one reason or another, but just as many, if not more, have the sleeve and never have any issues and love it.

I definitely have body dysmorphia. There's times when I look in the mirror and still see 421 pounds. No matter what I do, I just can't see where I'm at now. It goes as far as me thinking people who tell me I look great and they're proud of me, I think they're just BSing me and saying what I want to hear, even though I'm still huge. My husband kept one of my size 10 rings and size 30 outfits and when it gets really bad, he has me try to put them on. Obviously, they don't fit and it kind of snaps me out of it. I hope at least that part of it goes away sooner rather than later. I can hike 10 miles. I can do major work outs. I can shop in NON plus size sections in any store. I can live my life, yet out of nowhere, my brain will misfire or something and set me back because I'll go in my closet or drawers and wonder who the hell stole my clothes and replaced them with someone else's. It's such a mind eff sometimes.

Hi there! I’m a 24 year old female who is 5’7 and 250 lbs give or take (photo for reference). I am extremely interested in receiving a gastric sleeve to help reduce some of my health concerns. I am currently pre-diabetic and taking medication for hypertension. My family has a history of heart disease, and I lost my dad when he was 42 to morbid obesity and congestive heart failure. At the end of the day, I want to live a long and healthy life full of happiness and potentially children in the future. I also suffer from anxiety and depression, and I take SSRI’s to tame my depression. I have a lot of questions, so bear with me and please answer what you can! 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? Thank you so much. This is going to help me with my journey more than you know!

How are you doing now? Also, remember that the average weight loss is 2 pounds per week. So at 2 1/2 months (10 weeks) that would be 20 pounds. You were at 39 pounds. So definitely doing well. I hope you're feeling better now.

Thanks @NickelChip @RonHall908 I know the stall is normal and expected but it’s not making it easier for me to deal with … ( scales still hadn’t budged this morning making it 10 days …). Im sorry to hear you guys are suffering sleep wize and hope you get things sorted soon, are your bedrooms cool enough ? - I’ve never been one for much sleep and suffer terribly from insomnia but still try to avoid sleeping pills like the devil. My usual Paris setting is up at 6.45 - coffee coffee coffee shower - out the door at 7.45 to get to the office until 19.30 - then out and about ( drinks and food or theatre or whatever) and then home round 10/11pm and then 1.30-2am I head to bed. So I’m usually on under 5 hours a night. I struggled against it for a while and finally just accepted it. If I get 4 hours I can function. If I try to go to bed earlier I just get really annoyed at the fact I’m not sleeping and end up all wound up and exhausted. But… since surgery I’m in bed at 11pm sometimes earlier and asleep by midnight so that’s a good in for me! @NickelChip maybe if your job/life allows it just try and go with the rhythm for a few days - just follow when your body says it’s tired and nap if you can? I’m on the train to London actually under the channel right now as I type! Always so amazed by it!

they don't all require it, but personally, I would wait. It's super common to have a weight rebound of 10-20 lbs after hitting your lowest weight (and some people gain even more than that - but 10-20 seems pretty average), and I was told by a couple of my consults not to gain more than 10 or 15 lbs after plastic surgery, because I can affect the results.

@BlueParis I think the hardest part about this process is accepting that the weight loss happens over a full year, or sometimes even more! The stalls make it feel like it will never happen, even though it will. Just not as fast as we want. But you'll get where you want to be eventually if you keep doing the right things. I've been thinking about it and one of the things I think makes it hard for me right now is that part of my brain never really accepted or acknowledged the size I was when I reached my highest weight. I look at myself in the mirror now and even though I haven't been this weight in 25 years and the last time I was close to it was 7 years ago, in my head, this is what I looked like all along, so I don't see the difference. I'll admit, I saw a photo of myself from last summer and was shocked at my size. Did I really look like that? But I look at myself now and all I feel is the frustration I had in my mid-20s of "when will I lose this weight" because it feels like the last 50 lbs never even happened. I'm just back to a place where I recognize what I'm seeing in the mirror instead of pretending it's not there. @RonHall908 I'm also struggling with sleep. I started tracking with my Fitbit and I don't get what I thought I did. I go to bed around 10:30 and I don't have to be up until 7:00, so I always thought I was getting plenty, at least 7 hours and close to 8, but in reality, I wake up at 5:00 this time of year because of the sun coming up. In the past 3 weeks since I started tracking, I've averaged 6h7m and only hit 7h twice. For comparison, my tracker says I've had an average of 1h9m of REM and 1h13m deep sleep, with 45m awake and 3h44m light sleep. For the most part, I'm energetic. I get over an hour of walking in almost every day, with 38m in the moderate zone according to my tracker. I don't drink any caffeine. But I do have about 30 minutes between 2:30 and 3:00pm when I can barely keep my eyes open. After that, I tend to have a second wind and am wide awake by the time 9pm rolls around so going to bed earlier isn't a great option. I try to relax and read, but I still don't fall asleep until close to 11pm, and I can easily stay up until after midnight if I don't stop myself. Maybe this is just what my body wants?

agreed! i started shopping around for a surgeon the month i reached goal (7 months post in May 2019) with the intention of having it done immediately. i saw 4 surgeons. 3 of them had availabilities within 2-3 months. the 4th one (the one i wanted) had his first opening almost a year later in april 2020 ! i was disappointed but booked him anyway cuz i liked him best. but as luck would have it, he decided to open up a day over his xmas holidays to get me in. i'd like to think it was my sunny personality that moved him lol. so i ended up getting it all done in December 2019. looking back it was really good he did me a solid because the original date of April 2020 would've been the start of covid when all elective surgeries were suspended around here. i probably wouldn't have had my plastics until 2021 or later. phew! dodged a bullet there. anyway...long story short it hurts nothing to start looking around and getting an idea of whats out there and available to you. good luck! ❤️

I also didn't get any calorie guidelines -- even fat/etc. I got protein goals, and was just told to keep my sugars and carbs as low as I could for the first month. When I started on soft foods, they gave me a bit more advice for carb/sugar limits and fibre goals but it was a pretty broad range. My team basically said it was because every 'body' is different and will react/thrive/etc with different levels, but that while still technically in 'recovery' it's more important to focus on protein and nutrients that you need as opposed to the fats/carbs to limit. I mostly did my own research, put a limit in my food tracking app, and am making my own notes on what amounts I can have over a day and still be on track. Like for me personally, my targets are 80g+ protein, and under 45g carbs & 25g fats per day. I can go over one or the other by 5-10 grams without it seeming to affect my weight loss, as long as it's not both on the same day. (Most days it's not even an issue but I'm still only 2 months in myself. Early days!)

Thank you! It feels like it has been longer, but when I look at the July picture it just doesn't seem like it has only been 10 months. Scales wins are better, but inches are pretty good too. I see you just had gastric bypass in March. I hope all is well. Seems like I've had a lot of stalls. But losing 48 lbs. Since my surgery Feb 7th. Seems odd to say I had any stalls.

@BlueParis Still stalled I had my 3-month appointment yesterday. It seems I'm on track based on the numbers my doctor wants to see, which is losing at least 10% of your day-of-surgery weight at the 3-month mark. For me, that would be 22.3 lbs, and I've lost 22.4 lbs. So, I just have to trust the process, I guess. I have to go in Friday morning to have blood drawn for iron and B-12 check, and I need to redo my TSH (thyroid) from my physical earlier this week because Biotin messes up the results! So I have to stop my multivitamin and my biotin supplement for 72 hours before retesting. And @Noelle74it's so true that the weight does not just "fall off." Maybe the first few weeks, but after that? It's a struggle. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of frustration. I think a lot of trial and error, too, until you find what works for you. My plan is to just keep tracking protein and water, as directed by my dietician, for the next month. I have a vacation at the end of June. If I get back from that and don't like my progress, I will try limiting carbs to under 50g per day until my 6-month check-up at the end of August. If I'm worried at that point, I will talk to doctor about adding GLP-1. But hopefully there will be no cause for concern. My next thing is to learn how to use my resistance bands! That's my goal for the coming week.

It depends on the surgeon. I am in the midst of consultations with surgeons for tummy tuck and breast lift. Today one told me they wanted me within 10 pounds of goal weight, stable at that weight for three months. Two others are fine doing the surgery now, given that I do not intend on losing 20 or more pounds (goal is under 10 lbs).

Hi. I am using the Baritastic app which seems to set realistic goals for me to meet and they seem to be like 10-20 pound increments. I have spent the better part of 20 years above 280 pounds. My heighest weight was 412 in January of 2017. I was able to lose 100 pounds on my own over a 2 year span but I would yo-yo that 100 pounds for the past 5ish years. So my recent high weight was 393 in august of 2023, and first surgeon visit was 373, november 28th, and my surgery date of may 9th I was 334. So I do see the light but I think you are right on setting realistic goals. I think I need to make me a reward system for sticking to the plan, new clothes, new hair, new tattoo, etc. As I progress further on this journey.

As others noted, liquids typically pass through the stomach within 10 to 20 minutes and don’t risk stretching it. The stomach is designed to stretch temporarily to accommodate food without permanent change. However, consistently overeating after surgery can lead to permanent stretching. Repeatedly pushing the stomach’s limits with large meals may increase its capacity over time.

Both Ozempic and weight loss surgery have their merits, and the right choice depends on individual circumstances, including how much weight you aim to lose. Ozempic typically leads to 10-15% total body weight loss, while weight loss surgery can result in losing up to 70% of excess weight. While some individuals on GLP-1 agonists may experience weight loss greater than 15%, this is not the standard expectation for these treatments.

Thank you I just knew that, no matter how many surgeries I had to have, this is a once in a lifetime shot to fix what was broken and undo the damage I did for decades. Ironically, having 10 surgeries in 2 years actually forced me to slow down, think about everything I eat and drink, don't overdo it but still make sure I move my body. I worked with both my nutritionist and a bariatric therapist for a long time (still working on my body dysmorphia, but that takes a lot longer to work through) to finally get here.

I had the sleeve almost 10 years ago, and yes, it does get bigger. However, I still can’t eat near what I used to eat in a sitting. For example, I can eat 3 pieces of pizza now. I used to be able to 5-7. It happened over time, though. I second those who recommend therapy. I am about to have revision to RNY, and I have been in therapy for several months to help me be successful this time around. In my case, because I didn’t truly deal with the reasons I eat, I regained almost of the weight. Best wishes to you!!

Thank you so much! I have 4 kids. My oldest son is 30 and my youngest daughter is 10. Then 4 grandbabies. As much as I hated pictures I had to allow some in case something happened to me. Wish they would start them away in a vault somewhere though.

Ideally, maintenance is achieved when you are living the lifestyle (in terms of intake and movement) that you can foreseeably do for the "rest if your life"...even more ideally, is if you can adjust your lifestyle as your circumstances change... when u get to goal weight, you can start upping ur calories until weight loss stops. you may find you go under ur goal weight by a bit, but more likely than not, you will regain a few lbs until you stabilize (at, below, or over goal weight...u won't know until u know, unfortunately). lots of us on here worried about losing too much weight...unless u have medical conditions, this worry doesn't last long lol. i got to about 20 lbs below goal weight at my lowest. regained about 10 of those extra lbs within a year. and while i thought i was too small when i was at actual goal, i don't think that anymore, even weighing 10 lbs less. long story short, if u can leave the worry at the door, do it. Unless u are sick or your med team is worried, just enjoy the ride! you look awesome, you look like u must awesome. bask in your awesomeness!

unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month, and then it's about 10 lbs +/- for a few months, then it'll drop down to 5 lbs +/- for a few more months, then about a pound or two a month until the loss finally stops. So yep - you are perfectly normal. and yep - stalls are also perfectly normal. The best way to handle them is to make doubly sure you are following your plan to a "T", and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you're compliant, the stall will eventually break. EDITED to add: I see you're now under 200 lbs. Yep - things really slow down at that point. The last 20 or 30 lbs were a BEAR for me to lose - but I kept at it, and they eventually came off.

It took me 10 days to be able to compartmentalize everything to explain what happened. It was a lot, to be sure. I'm just so glad it's over.

Oh, and this was me yesterday after I got the incision restitched. No more preggo looking tummy!!! I still have a little swelling, but even that's gonna get better. And then the other pic is me about 10 minutes ago. I got my hair cut this morning because it's friggin too hot for long hair lol

I use my starting weight from before the pre-op diet. I was my highest when I started that, and my diet was only for 10 days, so I figured that was my beginning weight. I think my dietician uses that one, too. That puts me at 41 pounds lost as of today, and I'm thrilled. I'm with you on not having a particular weight I must reach. I don't even have a number in my head. (I did put a weight on my ticker here, but that was just for progress purposes) I think my goal is to see how much comes off and how I feel at that point. At my age, I'm looking to feel healthy, and that's my goal. I won't be a supermodel or wear a bikini! Lol. I think we are all doing wonderful, and I'm excited for each and every one of us!! ♥

I was never a breakfast eater and I've always done Intermittent Fasting and never ate my first meal before 12 PM (mind you I wake up at 5:30 AM). But since my VSG I get really hungry in the mornings, I have an oat milk coffee and wait to eat at 10/10.30 AM. My last meal of the day is at 6 PM so it explains the hunger especially with the tiny portions.