Search the Community

Hi I had my sleeve on the 20th Dec. I feel great and am two stone down already, including pre op diet. I am managing all fluid requirements and protein but hate the sweetness of the protein shakes so have now got some unflavoured to add to home made ones. I am nervous to eat , not because I can’t, have had some puréed apple with no probs but so desperate to lose all my weight. I know I will need to eat to help with the weight loss and I will get my head round it but I’m in the uk and have paid for this op. Hubby was against it but as he’s a decent chap he is being ok but this has to work for me! In the plus side I already feel better carrying less weight and am so excited to get my health and fitness back.

I saw a study that said about 10% of gastric sleeve patients seek a revision, 5% of bypass patients have a revision & 26% of lap band. In 2019 around 256 000 people had bariatric surgery: 18% had bypass. 59% had sleeve & 1% had a lap band. (Included lap band just out of interest.) Some people develop GERD after sleeve surgery (I read it was about 10% so that seems to match the above revision stats) & consequently require a revision if medication or other management options don’t work. If you already have GERD sleeve is not for you. I had reflux before my sleeve which, like @Hop_Scotch, I mostly managed with dietary choices. Still have reflux but it manifests itself differently now. Some surgeons recommend bypass to patients who have more weight to lose or who they think need extra help to loose their weight as bypass is considered the ‘stronger’ surgery. Sleeve is a less invasive surgery (fewer changes to your digestive system). Generally though the average stats on how much weight is lost with either surgery is about the same at the 5 yr mark (about 65% of the weight to be lost). Malabsorption issues & dumping are a consideration with bypass. You’ll need to continue to take vitamins & may have to adjust medications you take. Malabsorption is rarely an issue with sleeve & dumping is not common. Sleevers often do not need to continue taking vitamins (individual health issues may mean they have to). Personally I haven’t taken vitamins since goal as I absorb all I need from what I eat. Some choose to have a revision because they have had regain or want to lose more weight. Regain can occur because of complacency, bounce back weight, medication, changes to your lifestyle, job, health, etc. or sometimes just life in general which can just throw crap at you. Have a long conversation with your surgeon as to which is the best surgical option for you from a medical perspective & which can best help you achieve your goals (health, weight, lifestyle). Then you know yourself best as to which surgery best suits how you want to live your life after surgery & whether you will need the stronger surgery to get you where you want to be in the long term. All the best.

Out of curiosity, what’s your blood pressure like? I get dizzy, lightheaded, vision blacks, & I feel weak every day because of my low BP. Also I have occasional hypoglycaemic episodes. I tend to have bursts of energy & then nothing - rest now. Always had a tendency towards low BP & had experienced some hypoglycaemic episodes in the past whenever I was in my previous low weight range. Now my blood pressure sits in the 80s over 60s every day. (My heart rate is low too. Like athlete low which is hilarious as I doubt I could run 200m 😂.) Try adding an electrolyte drink to your daily fluids. I found them very helpful while I was losing. And I try to remember to take one with me if I’m doing any exercise or physical activity.

That’s what happened to me. Reached my goal & had hardly any loose skin at all. Little pinch at the top of my thighs & my arms (bat wings) were a little empty. Actually was quite chuffed about how little I had but then I lost that additional 11/12kgs & there it was. Mind you I still don’t have much at all. Not worth having surgery. And I can wear a body con dress without ‘suck it in & hold it firm knickers’ & you can’t tell I have any loose skin. I was 54 when I was losing. I had been at my highest weight for about 4 years & prior to that I’d been bouncing between my usual 60-75kg range. Genetics also helps.

When I told my best friend I just blurted it out. She is obese too and has struggled with weight since I met her so she gets it. I understand it’s not that easy since you already mentioned the hernia repair but hopefully you can explain that to her just as you did to us. That you didn’t know her that well back then and just didn’t feel comfortable sharing yet but now you want her to know everything. And I wouldn’t think as your roommate and friend that she would have a problem knowing more personal stuff about you than your other coworkers. She probably already does.

Not once have a used a 'bariatric' food product. I was expected to get my protein and other basic nutritional needs from actual food from day 1. The first three weeks I did as well as I could, which was not enough. After that everything fell into place. My plan didn't call for x grams of whatever, rather it was 3 meals a day, each meal consisting of 3oz protein and 1oz veggies, eventually small fruit. Somewhere in the first year I wanted to compare my 3 meals a day plan to other folks plans and I was generally a bit over 60 grams of protein per day. Snacks were not on the menu but if I simply had to have snacks SF popsicles were acceptable. Who's kidding whom.. SF popsicles were fantastic! I got curious about how my plan measured up to other folk, since they were given instructions including x grams of this and y grams of that. After I converted my 3 meals to grams of this or that I learned that my plan was very close the what most other folks were consuming. With the bonus that I don't need to count grams of stuff. Counting grams of this or that feels like one of the zillion weight loss diets I encountered previously. I went into this with the idea I would never diet again. My surgeon agreed that he didn't want his patients viewing this as another weight loss program. Doc and I agree on this point, a match made in heaven. Good luck, Tek

I'm self-pay, too, and this is why I chose not to get a sleeve. And since you're paying yourself, you have options! Also beyond sleeve or RNY. I absolutely love my mini gastric bypass, which isn't 'mini' anything. Consider it, maybe? (Other names: one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB), omega loop gastric bypass, single-anastomosis gastric bypass). More room for food, better weight loss than both sleeve and RNY, long-term maintenance statistics look great, easy to revise or reverse if you need it, and better resolution of co-morbidities. Downsides are you need to take your vitamins (like, you must) and the potential for bile reflux. However, the anti-reflux stitch they do now helps with that (thanks to Dr. Carbajo in Spain for inventing it). It's been done since 1997 and is a popular surgery in Europe, Australia, and Asia. I have no idea why American insurance companies aren't getting on the train, but that's not of concern to you as a self-pay. Anyway, I know Dr. Illan is close with Dr. Rutledge who literally invented the MGB and he does MGB in Mexico. There's tons of MGB surgeons in America, too. Feel free to reach out for more questions. I posted a long thread about my first year experience with it in the Mini Gastric Bypass Forum. https://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/mini-gastric-bypass-surgery.html

A lot of people revision to a bypass from a sleeve due to suffering ongoing GERD with medication doesn't help. Others due to weight gain. If you already suffer a lot with acid reflux you may want to chat with your surgeon. I suffered with acid reflux but mine was definitely related to the type of foods I was eating and the amount of food I was eating. If my food intake and portions were healthy I was fine. I discussed with my surgeon and I went with a sleeve. So far so good.

I have been able to eat more than I was expected to at any given phase and I was worried I was doing something wrong. The NP said that the ideal is to get close to a normal serving (possibly a little less for some) at some point without eating past full and that some people get there faster than others. I measured my food so that I was eating what was expected at the earlier stages and now at almost 9 months I stop just shy of one serving. I have lost slowly but steadily and am now 9 pounds from goal. Just stick to the plan and your weight should come off.

@BirdLady21 I had my bypass the same day as you, on Dec 7th, im 3 weeks pot-op today as well. My problem is i can eat almost anything. I am refraining, but wish i would have a hard time. I have lost 38 pounds in the 3 weeks, i eat a meal every 2-3 hours. Today for breakfast was 59 cal yogurt, with 1 smashed avocado and small bag of 120 calorie protein crackers that I bought on bariatricpal. But then 3 hours later, 2 eggs and 1 percent cottage cheese, like 4 ounces worth. I feel like im eating too much, but my stomach is not bothering me at all, and i lost the 38 pounds in 3 weeks which is more than 10% of my body weight. Am I doing something wrong?? Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

The stall is very real. Eating 600-700 calories every day and meeting my protein goals and weight loss has slowed to a crawl going into week 4. Anyone else have it happen? how many calories are you guys eating?

Hello Dec 2nd surgery date (VSG) and now down 18 lbs since that day Weight on day of surgery was 226, pre-op diet start was 232

I hate waiting for him to finish his report. I know it’s the holidays but it’s been like 2 weeks. I’m so anxious to meet the surgeon finally and get this moving since my weight loss is beginning to stall and I don’t want to get back to my starting weight or risk having my surgery postponed if COVID gets uglier.

I’m in North Brunswick we can figure something out. We have very similar stats. Surgery date weight was 239, last I checked I was 227. I was told to only weigh once weekly fridays so I don’t get scale obsessed. I agree that the practice is very good and helpful. I really like the nutritionist I picked as well.

most of us lose our sense of hunger after surgery, but for the vast majority, it comes back sometime during the first year. Mine came roaring back at five months out - and believe me, things got a lot more challenging then. It was so easy to lose weight those first five months when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food. enjoy it while it lasts - and take full advantage of it. Yes - it's very common - and almost always temporary. It'll never be easier in your life to lose weight, so milk it for all it's worth! P.S. I should add that you do need to make sure you're eating enough to meet your nutritional needs -

I agree that you haven't messed up your surgery - your tool is still there - but you need to get back on top of this before you end up putting all the weight back on. Unfortunately, this is a lifetime commitment. I've put on about 20 lbs since hitting my lowest weight, and believe me it's a battle every day to keep it where it is. If I stopped paying attention, all that weight would start piling back on again. According to my surgeon, grazing is the #1 reason why people regain weight. Try to get back to measuring, tracking, etc before it really gets out of control. It's not easy, but you've come this far - it'd be a shame to undo all the work you've put into it.

I think for a lot of us there's a stigma attached to WLS. As someone above said, we see it as a moral failure, even though we shouldn't. I told very few people because honestly, I was embarrassed by it - that I'd let my weight get so out of control that I needed to have surgery to "fix" it. I told my immediate family and a few close friends, but explained that I was very private about it and didn't want it getting out. After I started losing a noticeable amount of weight, I was more upfront with other obese people, but I told most "normies" that I was working with a dietitian, low-carbing, and exercising like a fiend - which was true - I just left out the surgery part. now at 6.5 years out, it honestly rarely comes up because most people either never knew me when i was obese or got used to seeing me without all the excess weight a long time ago, but I still run into someone maybe once or twice a year who hasn't seen me in years and is shocked by my weight loss. I'm more open about it now when they ask - something I wouldn't have done in the first couple of years. I don't know at all what your relationship is with Emily, and I am not you, so take this with a grain of salt, but if you're not comfortable with this getting out but want to be honest with HER, you could always tell her but then explain that you're not comfortable with this getting out - at least not yet - so you're sticking to the hernia story with others. And mention that you'd appreciate it if she keeps this to herself. This is a medical issue, so you don't have to feel like it needs to be broadcasted. Hopefully she'll understand.

I will be happy to tell you my experience since it is very recent history. However, everyone's doctor and experience is a little bit different. I elected for the gastric sleeve. It was a personal choice. Prior to surgery, my doctor requested that I begin a special diet to reduce the size of my liver. From what I have read on this forum, these diets very greatly, from surgeon to surgeon, in the types of foods you can eat and the length of time you must diet prior to surgery. However, I believe that, in all cases, one is required to consume more protein than carbohydrates or fats. Apparently, your liver, while overweight, is large and fatty. The diet reduces the size of your liver. This reduction allows the surgeon more room to operate. (I have no idea if this is true...just forwarding you what my surgeon told to me.) On the day of the surgery, I arrived at the facility at the appointed time. I was prepped for surgery with an IV. I chatted with the various staff who needed information and chatted with the surgeon prior to the procedure. According to my doctor, the surgery would take a little less than one hour. At the appointed time, I was taken to the operating room. My last memory was meeting the staff in the operating room. I was put under anesthesia shortly thereafter. For me, anesthesia is like time travel. My last memory was in the operating room but I woke up in a recovery room a short time later. I know that time had passed but it feels instantaneous...perhaps like time travel would feel. At this point, there are numerous posts on this forum from people who will recount their experience with recovery. I can only share with you my personal account. I awoke in a recovery room with a little discomfort. It wasn't pain per se, just a feeling of being bloated. I was not nauseated nor was I in any real pain. Again, I only felt bloated discomfort. Apparently, the surgeon inflates your abdomen with CO2 gas in order to have room to perform the surgery. Not all of this gas escapes prior to the end of surgery. This gas was the cause of my discomfort. My assigned post-op nurse encouraged me to get up and walk as much as I could to help relieve the gas pressure. I spent a good amount of time pacing about the floor trying to relieve the pressure. The process works but not as fast as you would like. The remainder of the time, I spent eating some ice chips and taking fluids intravenously. After a few hours, since I had no complications, I was released to my nearby hotel room. This was an outpatient procedure for me. However, an overnight stay at a hotel was required. I was instructed by the surgeon to immediately contact their surgical center if I experienced any issues such as pain, discomfort, etc. Otherwise, if I felt good in the morning, I could go straight home. I awoke in the morning and went home. I had no real issues. My surgery was on a Wednesday. My follow up appointment was exactly one week later, the following Wednesday. I was instructed by the surgical staff that during that week, I could only consume clear liquids. The only things on the menu were clear broths like chicken or beef, no sugar sport drinks, water, protein water and diluted, no sugar cranberry juice. Again, every doctor is different. There are many posts on this forum which provide different details about the immediate post op diet. You can find both positive and negative experiences. In my case, the one week follow up appointment allowed my doctor to assess my situation and determine if I could move on to the next phase of food consumption. At my follow up appointment a week later, I had experienced no pain or adverse effects from the surgery. I was permitted to move on to the next phase of food consumption. I could move on to pureed foods. This phase is to last for a period of three weeks. I am currently in the pureed food phase of my recovery. I was given a list of acceptable foods that I can eat. I was also given nutrition goals to achieve. That is, I am expected to consume a certain number of grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats each day. The acceptable foods on my list would be considered "soft" foods. These types of foods are on the list but this is not the entire list: Scrambled and hard boiled eggs Pudding Yogurt Cottage Cheese Certain canned vegetables Certain creamed soups Protein shakes There are acceptable meats on the menu as well. Items such as chicken, turkey and different types of fish. However, this is the "puree" portion of recovery. I am to puree these foods prior to consumption. That is, I put most of these items, like meat and vegetables, in a food processor to puree them before I eat them. I believe the idea is allow your stomach some time to heal. So there you have it. This is my experience to date. I have followed the doctor's program in its entirety. I have not experienced any problems or issues. I am about two weeks from my next follow up appointment. I expect that I will be able to go back to eating solid foods again at that time. I will leave you with something that I read on this forum. Someone's doctor told them that gastric surgery will give a person about one year to lose weight. During that one year, one must learn how to eat properly to maintain a lifelong weight loss. My plan is to change my past eating habits to more permanent, healthy choices in the future. I have about 11 months remaining to learn. Best of luck to you.

Interesting dilemma. A few perspectives. Would you tell if you had planned knee surgery? Or would you make up a story about getting run over as the day came? In a lot of ways, and forgive me for being frank, I think your own approach to WLS has been influenced by the idea that suffering from obesity is a moral failure, not a medical issue that can, in fact, be managed. If you read any of the latest scientific studies on the subject - and avoid people who make money from you suffering perpetually from obesity like weight loss programs, fitness coaches on Instagram, diet products etc - you'll find that some of us simply never had a chance. Rat populations who get put on too few calories start seeing obesity in the rats lowest in the social order. Isn't that food for thought? Studies where you put subjects under complete caloric input/output control (literally measuring exhaust 24/7 to monitor expenditure) and feed them 1000 calories too much a day see vastly different weight gain rates. Huh? Didn't we just learn calories in - calories out? Often, and even worse, the societal idea of obesity = moral failure leads to eating disorders, which compound the problem. --> You need life-saving medical intervention. You're not 'taking the easy road'. Does this influence your thinking on who and when to tell? For me, it made it much easier to share. And my attitude towards it has been this story, more or less, for my close-to-kinda-close people: "Hey, nobody loses 100+ lbs by going to a dietitian. And I have a life to live, so I got my head in order first, did the work of getting rid of using food as a stress relief mechanism, and then I was ready to take the road with the best chances of success: minor bariatric surgery, a planned diet, and moderate but frequent exercise. It's been great, really great. I'm now finding my balance point, I think most people gain a bit, so I'm expecting that and frankly, I could stand to gain a few" Surprisingly, people love this story and it definitely adds social points. Even among people not known for their empathy. Notice how this story is peppered with all the things that don't involve surgery. I want their story to be much more than surgery. Do you share intimate medical details with everyone? Or do you feel that's nobody else's business? The other - or rather, third - side of this is that it's your body and only you are entitled to learn about it. Medical information (yes, also in 2021 and 2022, freaks) is private. You don't owe anyone any explanation on what goes on inside you. I have a few co-workers who know, and who have kept it to themselves, but I don't think it's "office news". It's my body and my life and despite the time I took off (six weeks!), it doesn't concern them. Period. Remember that. As much as you shouldn't be ashamed of having WLS, you shouldn't feel the opposite of shame is self-exposure. Reality time: you'll end up telling her. And it won't be a big deal. Here's a good outcome, and there's a million variations on this, but I think you'll want to tell someone you share an apartment with. At the end of the day, we need people on our journey. Some of them will let us down, but we'll need to keep reaching out and accept the fact that sometimes, we get burned. That's the price for social connections. I think you'll tell her some time before, and that you'll tell her in a confident manner that actually, you've decided to think about your health and in a new way. Instead of beating yourself over the head about your weight, you realized this only helps sell more WeightWatchers classes. And here you are, back at square 1. So you've started the road to WLS, you've done your homework, you know outcomes aren't guaranteed, but you want a shot at something that will give you a better life. And dear Emily, we're close, we live together, and I want you to be a confidant on this new chapter because I like you. I trust you'll know that this is my information to share or not share; it should obviously go without saying with any private medical decisions, but I'm just saying it to avoid any confusion. I'm really excited for this, and well, you're probably going to see kitchen scales, mini-meals in the fridge, and a lot more weird protein products in the cupboards. Feel free to try them! I don't think it'll be a big deal. I think how you approach it will set the tone for it. Make sure you take the stress OFF yourself in that close-in living situation by managing expectations subtly like "hey, most people lose 50-60-maybe 70% of their excess weight, I'm not doing this to get a BMI of 25, just so that's clear. If I wanted a guarantee for that, I'd have to go with much more drastic surgery types and for now, I'm going with the first line of procedure recommended for people in my situation to avoid unnecessary complications". This removes the pressure and hey, anything above 60% will be a shared celebration. I told my close people I wanted to get to 220, but that the surgery on average would get me to 230ish. So getting to 220 was a huge milestone and well, I'm at 197 now. People react how you set them up to react is what I'm saying. Alright, sorry this got long. I hope some of it is helpful.

Hello! This is my first time posting and I figured this would be the best place to ask for advice. I'm going to be getting a gastric sleeve surgery in mid 2022. I've been meeting with a nutritionist regularly, and in January will be month 6 of supervised weight loss. After that I'll meet all the requirements for insurance and can go ahead with scheduling the surgery. In July/August of this year, one of my coworkers (Emily, whom I had recently met in April), had asked if everything was okay after I came back from a doctor's appointment. I had been feeling a little overwhelmed at the time with all the information I was receiving, but I didn't want to tell her that I was considering WLS. I told her that I had a small hernia that needed to be repaired, it wasn't a big deal, but I was going to the doctor regularly to monitor it before I could get it fixed. I hated lying to her, but I was still on the fence about telling anyone about getting WLS apart from my mom and my sister. I thought that this would be a good cover as well, since we work together and I'll need to take some time off to recover, but I knew that I didn't want to tell our other coworkers the real reason for my operation. Here is the issue I'm currently facing. Since we met, Emily and I have become incredibly good friends. We moved in together in October, and the living situation has been perfect. We have a very healthy and communicative friendship, and get along perfectly as roommates and as coworkers. She is one of the best people I've ever met and will be a part of my life for as long as I live. And I've already lied to her about the surgery. I realize this might be more of a moral dilemma than anything; I want to tell her that I'm getting WLS. I know that she'll be supportive. But I also don't want to put her in an uncomfortable place with the rest of our coworkers where she knows something that they don't. I don't know if I should roll with the hernia story and tell her that I've decided to get WLS at the same time (since small hernias can be repaired at the time of bariatric surgery), which will still be true to the rest of our coworkers as far as she knows. Emily isn't my boss in any capacity; she's been there a bit longer than I have, but we're in the same position so there's no issue there. Or maybe I should come clean and tell her the truth and that there is no hernia, which will then hurt her because I've now carried out this lie for 5 months. I'm going to have to tell her something, especially since we live together and my eating habits will drastically be changing. I wish that I had never lied to her in the first place; she's very important to me and I want to be honest with her. But I also don't want to put her in an uncomfortable position with the rest of our coworkers either. And yes, I realize that I should have been honest at the beginning. I didn't know her as well then and was scared that she would judge me. But I love her and I want to be honest with her without hurting her. Any perspective or advice is appreciated, I really don't know what to do from here.

Most people don't feel hungry after weight loss surgery, for some the hungry feeling comes back sooner than others. Because of our low calorie base though, it is important to eat some meals even if not feeling hungry. Have you spoken to your surgeon or dietician? If they are happy for you to continue as you are, perhaps speak to a therapist...the thought of eating shouldn't be making you feel sick. Maybe a subconscious concern about eating solid foods hurting or something else perhaps? Did you try soft foods initially?

A bit more paleo then kedo Enter nuts fruit and sweet potato. I never was traditional kedo - yet my carb consumption has creeped a bit high Refocus is a great term. Let me know any resources you find. I read early on: Ultimate Gastric Sleeve Success: A Practical Patient Guide To Help Maximize Your Weight Loss Results https://www.amazon.com/dp/0615830447/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_HVH19M6WYWWTSMY7M6SR

Hi everyone, Had my gastric bypass surgery December 7th. Today I'm 3 weeks post op. Starting weight was 285 today I'm 263. I can't tolerate anything. Everything makes me sick to my stomach except saltine crackers.... my whey protein isolate shakes. I tried adding yogurt, almond butter, bananas to give it flavor, but I can only take a couple of sips before I start feeling sick.I have little to no energy...I take ALL my vitamins; I drink as much water as I can..it makes me nauseous.I have my follow up apt. December 28th I'm looking forward to getting answers to help with the situation. Continue success to us all Happy New Year Sent from my SM-F711U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had lost weight when I got home from the hospital. Not everyone does though. The fluids can disguise any loss but I think after a week or two pretty much everyone starts losing.