Search the Community

Yep. It's much harder to lose weight if you insist on everything being sugar-coated.

Hello, I just joined this group today as I know that I will be having my surgery at any point after my psychological evaluation which is Dec 6th. My insurance is state Medicaid, so I had to do the 6 months process and I finished my last nutrition visit last month. I was told to lose up to 5% of my weight, and to be honest, it's been super hard to do that. My weight keeps fluctuating and I'm afraid that I won't be able to lose the weight in time. Has anybody experienced this, but were able to lose weight with their pre op diet and was able to get the surgery? I'm hoping that the pre op diet will be my savior to getting me down to the weight they want me to be before surgery. I've heard of stories where people couldn't get their surgery date because they weren't at the weight they needed to be in order to get the surgery. Help!

I'm seriously thinking of upping my protein again too. Especially since the surgeon recommended it for my hair loss anyway when we spoke last week. Wonder if it will jump start things for me too like it did for you? My activity is what it's always been. Just walking. Months ago I started weights again but haven't stuck to it like I have just walking. So just walking is what I do and have been for months. At least 5 days a week. Gonna have to make a conscious effort on upping that protein. Thanks!

So i feel like I have good news, and not so great. I'm a hair under 90 lbs since starting this process, meaning the pre-op diet, and I'm down 73 lbs since surgery on 5/12/21, all of which still stuns me. I am grateful beyond measure and trying to adjust to my jiggly, flappy body. When ordering clothes online, I wind up ordering 3 of the same item, all in different sizes. I'm proud of the journey, and not so proud of some of the food choices I've been making, ie. skipping meals, lack of exercise and am sitting with the realization that the eating habits that got me to 277 lbs are still right.... there! Er, here! So, here come the holidays, a trip to Hawaii after Christmas and life. I need a pep talk about how my body, my LIFE is important enough to eat healthy, whole, live foods and some serious encouragement throughout the winter (hibernation season in my neck of the woods). I also have an adult daughter who is overweight and has been gaining. We also work together..... it has been challenging. LOVE hearing all your stories.

I think that's remarkable weight loss! A month-long stall is probably super discouraging. Are you exercising more, less or not at all? Too much salt in your diet? Thyroid meds (should you take them) off? Hang tough, sistah. Nearly 90 lbs less than March is incredible!!

Hi,Everyone I haven’t posted on here before always been lurking though. I have gained a lot of knowledge from the community pre and post surgery. Recently I developed really bad heartburn and reflux(GERD). It’s almost 3 yrs since my surgery everything has been great but this brought me to my knees . It sent me to the ER. The DR put me carafate and bland diet I called my surgeon and he referred me to GI Dr., appt coming up. I was wondering if anyone here has experienced this. I’m a little scared and anxious about what’s going on. My pre-op endoscopy showed no evidence of GERD. Any info would be very helpful Thanks

Are you in touch with your original surgeon? I started there, and my surgeon refused to help me. After that, I started reading about the revision options. I did a lot of reading and decided I wanted the DS, but the doctor I went to only does the SADI. Weight loss is slower than my original surgery, but that's expected. Check your insurance plan and see if there is any language regarding revisions. If your not in touch with your surgeon, I say look at the bariatric institute UTAH. My surgeon was Dr. Medlin.

13 weeks out, and I’ve lost 23lbs. I kept going up and down 3lbs, and then I would stall, which was very frustrating. I stopped looking at the scale for the week. I ate holiday food… not too much, but I ate enough that I was sure I’d have gained another 2-3 lbs. I got on the scale and lost 7lbs since last Monday. It’s not a massive difference from my previous post…. Only 2lbs, but.. long as the scale is moving, I’m not going to complain. For those of you wondering about the poop and the smell… it does smell weird.. and it can get really bad if you eat bad food or something you don’t digest well. I don’t have gas issues, and I only poop twice in the morning if I’m eating a normal diet. If I eat take-out, I will poop 5-6 times In a day. One thing I know for sure, as far as weight loss if I work out, I'm sure I could lose an lb a day. Next week I will try for 5x a week along with following weight watchers.

@LadyH that’s exactly what I said it would be a Xmas gift to myself lol & I think I’m scared because of honestly Did all the exams & everything came out great I’m literally healthy overall I’m just overweight my BMI is 39 I’m 5’6 even though all the other docs I had to go through told me I don’t look fat & don’t see why to do it my weight says it all lol I have two kids trying to live long for them

Ah, its nice to see ppl checking back on this thread. Its been over a year and I ve had my ups and downs like everyone. Had started a new job and the stress caused me to eat badly for 3 weeks. But I went back to my food plan after. Every time I messed up I always went back to the plan. I wish I could do more for my diet and exercise , develop good life long eating habits.... I havent reached my goal weight yet and weight loss is real slow now. Hopefully by the start of 2022 I'll have implemented some changes to kick start the weight loss again. Take care everyone.

I agree. When i lost my band and went 2.5 years without wls I thought I could just do it without help. I was wrong. I started gaining and before i knew it I had put back 30lbs. In my mind (overweight brain) I wasn't "eating that bad" but when I started going back to logging my food, I was clearly eating badly. I was at 1000 cal before lunch. This is why logging is so important. I know I didn't realize how much I was actually eating. If the OP would just try logging everything and being honest 100% for one week he/she would see. But honestly he/she seem like they don't want to put in any work to make the SX successful.

I have only lost 40lbs. I try not to get discouraged, I go to the gym and to the park to work out. Then there’s others that say they never stepped a foot in the gym. I still have 42 pounds to lose to be at my goal weight. Hope everyone else is doing good.

So as not to hijack an existing thread, I thought I'd start a new one. Since I began looking into bariatric surgery in 2019, I've done much research and reading. On the internet, I limited myself to sites that I knew were reputable and were evidence-based (i.e., Mayo Clinic) rather than sites that were trying to sell surgery. Once I was accepted into my program, I watched videos suggested by the program (i.e., Dr. Matthew Weiner) and took to heart the information I was given from my program. I came into the program with a lot of pre-existing knowledge on nutrition and diet having grown up with a Type 1 diabetic father and myself a Type 2. Despite that knowledge base, I obviously wasn't applying it or I would not have been to the point where I was considering surgery. One of the hardest things I had to do throughout my surgery preparation appointments and meetings was to go in and actually listen. I accepted that my way wasn't working and if I was going to proceed with a body and life-altering surgery, I needed to adopt what I was being taught. As you can see in my stats, it's worked. But I know I'm not done learning, maintaining and working on making good decisions and healthy choices for the long-term. In my classes, the dietician warned about social-media, weight-loss surgery groups. I admit that I move in and out of some groups. The overall lack of information and sharing of misinformation boggles my mind. It certainly proved that there are programs and doctors simply out to make money and there are patients willing to believe anything they are told without doing their own research or taking accountability for their own actions. I was grateful to find this site and have a source of information rather than opinion. I was happy to hear from WLS veterans who have gone through the process and how they are successfully maintaining. I wanted to hear what those experiences were so that I can learn from them. I did not want them to sugar-coat the truth and I did not expect unmitigated "support." If my understanding or behavior was counterproductive, I wanted to hear that. I needed to hear that. I still do. There seems to be a misconception that in order to be supportive, someone needs to say your choices are ok. Being truthful with someone, does not always mean saying what and how you are doing things is ok.

Hello! I am new to the forum but hoping to be more active. I have been considering a revision for quite some time now and would love people's opinions and possibly some experience with revisions. I am not sure if I want to have my gastric sleeve resized, have it converted into a DS or possibly have it converted into a RNY. For some backstory: I got the gastric sleeve almost 8 years ago and I feel like I did rather well, I lost roughly 100 lbs total. I maintained this weight loss for about 4 years doing extremely well. I then ended up getting pregnant with my daughter in 2017. I have medical conditions as well that makes weight loss extremely difficult too (I have PCOS and possibly hypothyroidism.) I ended up gaining back 60 lbs and for the life of me cannot lose it. I tried exercise, many different diets (low calorie/high protein, low carb, and keto with no luck. The only thing that seemed to work for me was the sleeve. I definitely want the surgery revised in some way but I am unsure how to proceed. Does anyone have any advice? It would be greatly appreciated, Thank you.

Hey, just want to say I am Sorry it's been a tough go and disappointment for you. I think we all know what it takes to lose weight but it's not easy. If we were going to lose our weight without surgery we would have done it already. At 49 yrs old I know it will only get harder to do it on my own. My skin is still elastic and I have the best chance now to be my best. Hang in there. Log your food, every single bite, lick and taste. ( those little BLT's make a big difference.) Keep at it. Follow Jamie Mills on FB etc... she is a registered dietician and fellow WLS survivor. I love water exercise,,aquacise, boosts the mood and muscles.. my balance has really improved also.. Best of luck.

In February, I bought a nice water-resistant jacket on Amazon. When I bought it, it was TIGHT on me. I could zip it and wear it, but I had no room to move in my shoulders/upper back. When the cold weather hit us last week, I went to put it on and I looked like a teenager trying to wear his dad's jacket. I was drowning in it -- I knew I had lost weight, but that was one of the first times where it really hit me how much smaller I had gotten.

Do you mean liposuction? I had it years ago when i was “just overweight” and little bit again 2 years ago when I had plastics after reaching WLS goal. Here is an explanation of the process Mayo Clinic will have a better explanation than I ever would: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/liposuction/about/pac-20384586 From a practical perspective, the procedure is more for pockets of fat, vs. overall weight loss. It removes fat, but does not firm up skin. If you gain weight, the remaining fat cells in your body will just get bigger, so its not a permanent solution in that sense. Case in point: i still managed to make myself morbidly obese years after i had the procedure. And yep the areas i had it done still got huge. But if you have stubborn pockets of fat that don’t reduce despite weight loss in other parts of your body, its quite effective. Its usually employed during plastics procedures to get that sculpted look. Good Luck! ❤️

Don't get discouraged! You can do this. One thing that really helped me was to measure just about everything into 1/4 sized meals and freezing them. I always had a high protein, portion -controlled lunch or dinner available every day. The best advice I can give you is to focus on behavior modification. Veering away from the behaviors that we learned prior to surgery will almost definitely result in weight regain down the road (TRUST ME).

I had the surgery gastric sleeve a few months ago. My weight has stalled at 45-50 lbs lost. I understand your frustration. I have a issue getting all the protein. When I do consistently get all the protein 60grams a day thats when I start losing. Maybe that can help you too. I don’t lose weight when I am not getting the protein.

My doctor said it was about the liver, I have a verified fatty liver via CT scan and enzyme levels (previously done by primary). I’m required to do a 10 day preop liquid diet. I have a coworker who is about 150 pounds heavier than me and she had to do a much longer liquid diet preop. They’re hope was significant weight loss and liver shrinkage.

Hey July buddies! how are we all. So Im coming to the realisation that my body is starting to plateau! For the first time. Yes I’ve been very lucky I’ve lost weight every week since surgery, sometimes 1lb, sometimes 5lb. however the last 3 weeks I’ve been sitting between 149-147lbs. It goes up and down. Sometimes daily! i started at 210. So I’m really happy with what Ive achieved!l so far! However I kinda wanted to be around the 138 mark as a overall target. my BMI is now in the green for ‘normal’ does this mean I’ve hit my end goal? Is my body telling me that’s it now? i mean I can’t complain I’ve gone from a UK18-20 to a UK8-10! but I’m still a little disappointed. either that or I need to just bide my time and wait. I’m hitting about 1200 calories on a good day - 600 on restricted days. But have notice the last few weeks I can eat a little more per portion. perhaps I need to exercise more.. if im honest I don’t do much… im not good at exercise 🤦🏻‍♀️ just leaving this here as I complain to my family and friends and they think I’m being weird and just thought you guys would understand where I’m coming from. xxx

My surgery date is Dec 3rd. It's soooo close. Liquid diet for 2 weeks. Not loving it. I'm having the sleeve + single switch + hiatal hernia repair. EEEEEK. I should be an old hand at surgery these days. A loooooong time ago - I lost 380lbs w/diet and exercise. I was staying steady at 140-150lbs. So I had a tummy tuck & arm flap removal (Brachioplasty). Then I started yo-yo'ing and then I lost my Mom to covid last December. I've gained soooo much since then. My Mom was in the hospital - just days before we lost her - submitting my info to Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas for gastric sleeve. She wanted me to do this because she knew I was happier and healthier when I was thin. So here I am. Because she was right. I've also had my gallbladder removed, my right hip was replaced 4 years ago. My left hip was replaced 2 years ago. So I shouldn't be worried about this. But, eeeeeek. I'm not a fan of needles, etc. I just hope I can be discharged from the hospital in one day. Also, I'm in Raleigh, NC.

I’m sorry you feel this was the worst decision for you & you’re angry. And it doesn’t work for absolutely everyone - sometimes for genetic or physiological reasons, sometimes for psychological reasons. But if you can honestly look in the mirror & say yes I’m making changes to what I eat, I’m choosing low fat, low sugar & low carb foods, I’m eating differently to how I ate before, I’m eating smaller portions, I’m following my surgeon’s plan & my dietician’s recommendations, maybe you are one of the unlucky few for which surgery doesn’t work. The average weight loss after bariatric surgery at about the 5yr point is around 65% of the weight you had to lose to put you in the healthy bmi range. Some lose more. Some lose less. Complacency, lifestyle, health issues, age, gender, genetics, personal choice, etc. all play a part in how much you will lose & then the weight at which you happily maintain. So odds are you won’t lose & keep off all the weight you need (or want) to lose in the long term but odds are you will weigh less than you do when you started. If you buy a gym membership & never go, you won’t get any healthier, or stronger or fitter. Weight loss surgery is the same. If you don’t take advantage of the tool nothing changes. The amount of success you have is directly in proportion to the amount of effort you put in to making the long term changes. Like most (all) of us I’ve lost & regained hundreds of pounds over the years. Tried every diet, & exercise program. This time, I took advantage of the benefits the surgery afforded me in the beginning. I used the tool. I did a lot of research & changed how & what I ate. Put new habits into place. Came to understand why I was eating & worked out how I could manage those drives. I did & continue to do the work. If I didn’t consciously make those changes & continue to work at it every day, I’d be very near my highest weight again. That’s what always happened in the past: I dieted, lost weight, then would return to my old eating habits & food choices & would start to regain within days. I ate little to begin after my surgery: less than 300 calories. I was healing (all those sutures & staples holding my tummy together) plus no appetite & no real interest in food. But my calories increased as did my portion sizes over the weeks & months. I eat about 1300 calories to maintain but I’m shorter than you, likely older than you, not very active, female & have a small frame. But before surgery I could barely maintain my obese weight eating 1300 or fewer calories a day & I regularly skipped meals for decades. My metabolism was shot. I eat regularly now, eat more nutritionally dense food & eat more often then I’ve ever done before. I haven’t been this weight since I was 12 yrs old. I feel great.

Back with more NSVs and LOVING reading all of yours. Here we go: I am fitting into the smallest "skinny pants" I bought back in June. When I bought them I couldn't get the zipper even close, but today I am wearing them. My mom is at my house rehabbing and I am giving her a lot of intensive round-the-clock physical care. There is no way I could have done this without the weight loss I've had. I have so much collarbone and a lovely visible jawline. I can't stop looking at them every time I pass a mirror. Space between my toes. I can cross my arms across my waist and still fold forward, in fact it turns out that without a big belly in the way this is a very comfortable position. I can also cross my legs or sit on the floor in a resting position with one leg comfortably crooked up into a bend. my balance, it is so much better.

This! How this tool makes it much less painful to lose weight. Hard to ignore feeling hungry.