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Hi. I have had a lap band for 11 and half years. I lost around 100 lbs with it but it turned me into a bulimic because I could eat whatever I wanted and just "regurgitate" it back up. It was a bad cycle to be in, but it kept my weight off. Finally last year I went to my bariatric surgeon and confessed up. He did some tests and realized my esophagus was "floppy" and dilated. He did a complete unfill of my band at the time. I was able to maintain my original weight loss on the keto diet, but after 10 months I fell off the keto wagon and the weight QUICKLY returned. I gained around 50 lbs in 4 months!! I went back to my surgeon a year later and we have decided to remove my lap band and switch to the gastric bypass. He is not a fan of the lap band surgery anymore and is not recommending them to his patients. I have my surgery next week on October 6th. I am nervous because I am 52 now and postmenopausal. Im definitely not as active as I was when I first had my lap band surgery almost 12 years ago. How many people on this forum have had the lap band to bypass? How was their weight loss compared to the first surgery? What differences do you notice with restriction? Anyone having the surgery soon? or recently? Thanks in advance!

So i had my initial consultation. So i met my surgeon, my nurse practioner, and dietician, when i asked questions they had answers but since i left i feel like i didnt ask the right questions or not at all. So anyone willing to help me understand some things would be helpful. A lil about me.. 39yrs old, tubes tied after baby #4, im 5'4" and weight is 242.3 currently, but my highest was 302 mom of 4, divorced and now in a relationship for 4 yrs. Was a scrawny child (67# in 7th grade) ate candy/junkfood mostly my childhood, hit puberty gained a bit, met my ex husband and was in high school, began the sedintary lifestyle, began gaining weight and when i got pregnant at 17, i gained 107# in my 1st pregnancy. Never realized how big i was, never looked in a mirror w/ being depressed. Just kept gaining weight after each child, kept trying diets from watching my calories to only eating before 6p, to not eating anything except 1 time a day, i drank tons of water etc... i stopped working to be the stay at home, homeschooling mom after i got pregnant with baby #4. He cheated n i decided enough was enough. He left me and i lost 102# in 3-4 months of being manic depressed. I slowly gained it back after 6 yrs. Not watching what i ate, going back to the workforce, eating everything on the go, fast food, dine in with kids, i am a massive sweet tooth, and i drank easily 100 oz of dr.pepper a day. I have not drank any pop since 9.29.21. I have started cooking my own meals. Portion control is sooo hard, i could eat forever n either not ever get full or eat til i puke or close to it. I smoke 1-1.5 packs of cigarettes a day. Set to have gastric sleeve surgery after the 1st of the year, tbd based on covid rules. My questions are... 1. What am i supposed to weigh before surgery? Is there x# of pounds or bmi im supposed to lose from the time of my consultation til my surgery? 2. What should my end weight goal be? 3. Can i really not have fruit, potatoes, corn, noodles or breads? These are huge things in my list of foods i would go to eat. I am a big sweet tooth n fruit is 1 way i would want to eat healthier. 4. Has anyone ever experienced any big side effects risks or complications? Ones drs dont usually discuss as risks til... bam u have been diagnosed. 5. Anyone know the death rate, complications or big risks being elevated with certain family backgrounds? Example... maternal family with several cancers? 6. What if i start smoking again? 7. What if i consume alcohol? 8. What if i think my 14 yr old needs this surgery? Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had the sleeve done on June 29th, 2020. My starting weight was 334, and I am down to 173 as of this morning. I still drink my premier shakes every morning and maintain a high protein diet. I still have issues keeping certain foods down, though, and I need to figure out what I can eat without them coming back up. I can go and get 4 pieces of fatty tuna sushi on rice and be perfectly fine but have a bite or 2 of pasta, and I am in the toilet a few minutes later. Any tips on trying to incorporate more food into my diet? To be totally honest, I am afraid of getting too much of the carbs and gaining weight back. Also, I am having some loose skin, any tips on anyone that has been able to help that without spending a fortune on surgery? Thanks for any advice

My problem is I don't know what VOLUME or WEIGHT I'm supposed to be eating. Today I ate until I didn't want anymore and I ended up eating 1.4 oz (by weight) of tuna mixed with light miracle whip. My surgery center didn't provide amounts we should eat, so I have no idea if that's a "normal" amount. Of course, I will need to have a protein shake later in order to get my protein in.

It wasn’t an easy decision. I worked with him and other options for over a year and a half.. but he was fine doing it in the end because my goal weight is healthy and it would be losing 15-20% of my total body weight. I realize it’s not typical.

Is there a specific reason why you regret the surgery? Are you feeling ill or struggling with the eating plan? I'm just curious since you are losing weight.

Hi.. I just had to do one day of liquid diet before procedure. I went in around 150. As of today (3 weeks out) I weigh 148. Yesterday I was 147, the day before 148.5. So not much of anything is happening on the scale. I have been between 151-145 for a year and desperately want to be at my goal weight of 125. (Which is heathy for my height of 5 ft 3 in) I was initially worried I would lose weight too quickly or somehow get below my goal weight. I no longer worry about that. Just worry that the procedure will not do much for me.

Weight can bounce up and down, and the three week slow down isn't due to protein levels, based on what I've read, just from your body going "woah! what's going on here?!" That can last 1-3 weeks, from what I've heard. I'm at 2.5 weeks and my weight loss is already slower than it was the first 2 weeks. I've been to a lot of countries (Maybe 33? 35?) and I know that the cheeses available vary a lot, and I don't remember seeing cheese sticks most places, but for me one of the things I like about going to other countries is trying foods we DON'T have in the USA, so maybe I just didn't look! Yesterday was my first day on solid food and I ate a cheese stick, a tablespoon of refried beans with a tiny bit of mozzarella, and a few tablespoons of tuna. We aren't supposed to eat a lot of carbs, so no mashed potatoes.

Bravo!Two of the best food plans I've encountered are described in the books, A Pound of Cure, by Michael Weiner, MD, and Bright Lines Eating. by Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD. Both are plant-centric food plans, which allow limited animal and dairy products. The later is the more structured but provides much more support. Weiner, on the other hand, has a a website and a whole series of YouTube videos about WLS and his food plan. Both advocate against eating sugar, flour, wheat, and processed food. The cookbook by Weiner, Bariatric Guide and Cookbook is excellent for all stages following WLS. Pre-surgery I have been following A Pound of Cure and have lost 1/3 of my excess weight, 50 lbs. It's a plan one can live with with or without WLS.

Congratulations on your weight loss and decision to have plastics. My plastic surgeon has been the guest speaker at our WLS support group a few times and he shows a lot of pictures of different procedures. He has several pictures of men. I think it's great. Men deserve to be just as happy with their bodies as women do! I've had 2 plastic surgeries so far. First was 360 lower body lift and arm lift. Second was upper body lift...breast lift, back lift, reverse tummy tuck . I have one more to do which will be thigh lift. I can't wait to be done! This has all been worth it!

Stomach volume after an ESG is more than a surgical sleeve. Average excess weight loss is only about 20%, some will lose more some will lose less. Did you lose weight before your procedure (if so, how much?), what was your weight on procedure day and what is your height?

49yr Male, 5/18/20 VSG HW 382, SW 309, CW 217 First visit to the surgeon was 6/27/19 and first nutritionist visit was 7/3/19. Had a long pre-op program then was delayed by COVID-19, so wasn't sleeved until 5/18/20. Lost 73 pre-op, 92 since - for a total of 165 lbs down! I hit 218 in mid Dec 2020 and have been maintaining in the 213-222 range over the past 9 months. The next step for me is getting rid of the excess skin on my stomach. I carried most of my weight in my abdomen and it shows. I feel like this is the last thing I need to complete my transformation. While I could live with it, I am tired of "tucking" my excess skin into my pants. I can mostly hide it, but it is evident to me. Still 100% better than weighing almost 400 lbs. I am scheduled for an extended abdominoplasty in my local area on Thu 9/30/21. I am ready, but nervous (thus the 3am post on BP). I plan to post regularly over the coming weeks to document this for me and others on this forum. Thanks to all who have shared their PS stories before, especially the men, whose stories are rare. Wish me luck! 

Yeah, rude personal questions like that will get a dismissive "I've lost the weight I've lost next subject" with a tight-smile-that-doesn't-reach-my-eyes from me.

I think it is the rapid weight loss and hormonal changes that causes hair loss, not the surgery itself. Same reason a lot of women lose hair postpartum. My doc said the same thing about protein and vitamins.

Newbie here. Got my surgery done today. Been doing some reading and talking to my mother who is 12 years post op and kept all the weight off. She suggested chicken spread (like potted meat) mixed and smashed up with an avacado. Sounds good to me. Kind of excited about trying it.

I have kind of been purging as I go. If I put something on and it’s extra baggy? Doesn’t fit right? Wouldnt wear it out in public? It goes in the donate pile. I used to be a 3X. I’m now an XL or Large depending on what it is. I’ve lost 100 pounds from my highest weight. I JUST went out today and got resized for bras. OMG. I can’t believe how great it feels to now be in the correct size. I was a 44/46H before and I am now a 36DDD. I put my old bra back on so I could pay for my new ones and I immediately missed the support of the new ones lol.

ESG =Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is a newer type of minimally invasive weight-loss procedure. In endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, a suturing device is inserted into your throat and down to your stomach. The endoscopist then places sutures in your stomach to make it smaller.

I couldn’t agree more- the people I know in life who haven’t kept the weight off long term had zero desire to change their eating habits- they just relied on the surgery to limit portions. That works for a while, but not for long. I’m close to 11 months out, and I don’t eat the same foods that I used to. I used to be a carb freak, and loved snack foods and candy and the like. I’m over a year candy free, and I just don’t bring snack foods in the house anymore. The surgery gave me time to detox from some very bad habits, and I’m committing each day to not backsliding.

Congratulations on getting approved for surgery. Yes, take pictures! (I don’t love pictures of myself, but had my husband take one right before surgery. Still have not wanted to see it, yet.) I wish I did it earlier, since I lost some weight pre-op. I found it helpful to research meal plans (just to get an idea, many are similar), get meal ideas for the different stages, & sample protein shakes. I also started logging food, journaling & habit tracking pre-op, which I found motivating. Wishing you luck & looking forward to hearing more about your story.

Hi everyone! It's two weeks past my sleeve, and I thought I'd post some of my observations. THE GOOD - Down 27 lbs. from surgery weight (357 to 330) - Down 2" on my neck (!), 3" on my waist, 6" on my abdomen - Had to size down in shirts and do my first closet purge - One blood pressure medication cut completely, the other at half dosage - Able to meet protein target of 80-100 g per day and liquid goal of 64-96 oz per day THE BAD - Brain fog and fatigue (will discuss with my surgeon later, could be vitamin deficiency) - Sick to death of liquid diet but have another week of it left - Itchy dry legs THE UGLY - C O N S T I P A T I O N - The one incision (the large one where the unwanted stomach is withdrawn) has started hurting and pulling again, but is not inflamed I am back to work at one job (from home) but not yet at the other (outdoors, physical). I'm back in the gym but not doing anything that requires abs, abdominal pressure (so no weightlifting)... a lot of walking, running, and stationary biking, and a lot of stuff with the 10-lb. dumbbell I'm allowed by my surgeon. My time on an 800m run went from about 6:30 to 4:45... running feels totally different! Overall, despite the rough first couple of days (all. that. gas!) this is clearly the right decision for me and I love seeing myself literally deflate.

Each person is completely different. The higher you start, the more you're likely to lose right away—but not always. The first week or so is basically your body in trauma. You were pumped absolutely full of fluids and gas during surgery (if you had weighed yourself immediately after you probably would've gained 5 pounds!) and your body has to get rid of it. But if you're concerned, ask your surgeon or your bariatric center. I noticed that my weight tumbled the first week, then was more consistent the second week (today is two weeks out). I'm sure the three-week stall is right around the corner, but that's okay.

Why do you regret the surgery if you have had consistent weight lost? I'm sorry you're having a hard time!

I am 7 months post-op, and I still have major regrets about the surgery, every day, I wish I had not made this choice despite consistent weight loss. I am happy many people in the replies have moved past this phase. I hope to one day be at that point. I suggest seeing a therapist as soon as you can.

Weight loss with the ESG tends to be slower and lower. If you are still having a very low rate of weight loss (lower that expected by your surgeon) by the next surgeon appointment, please express your concerns and don’t hide the true weigh loss amount. If you still have lingering concerns request an endoscopy to check the suturing.

Everyone reacts differently to surgery. The 3 week stall is a thing, but it does not necessarily wait until the 3rd week. Your surgeon isn't worried and he did comment that you were a lower BMI to start, probably lost weight before surgery, so not losing much the first 3 weeks does not sound way out of whack. So... Get off the scale. It is crazy making and distracting and discouraging you. You don't need it for the important stuff. The important stuff: keep following your plan. Exercise if you are so inclined. Keep doing both. If you follow your plan, you will do fine. It will be OK. Honest. Good luck, Tek