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Thank you for sharing such a personal heartfelt story. My brother is bipolar and schizophrenic and he gets great relief exercising outside all year, particularly winter. He has been able to reduce his meds and loose weight as a result.

I was lower but I was headed that way if I went enough years without the surgery. I was very thin until I was around 25 years old and had the onset of bipolar disorder. Between the depression and the meds my weight became a huge struggle and despite many diets I always seemed to gain year after year. I always thought when I finally got the right meds and was stable that I would be able to lose some weight but that was not the case. I called my gynocologist and asked for a weight history and it trended up year after year despite some quite significant losses in between. I never could keep it off. Gained it all back plus some each year. The only thing I had going for me was I only gained weight for 16 years and then I had the surgery.

Lizonaplane, My daughter may be atypical, but she is bipolar and had a RNY bypass over 10 years ago. She was on three meds; antidepressant, psychotic and anxiety. They tried crushing the tablets which made her throw up, so they changed her to Epilim as it was a liquid. Part of her weight gain had been the bipolar drugs. After her surgery she started to lose a lot of weight. Unknown to me, she weaned herself off the drugs, going cold turkey with the anti anxiety meds, because she started running. She found the endorphins from running made her feel good and moderated her condition. At her peak running she was doing 2 marathons per weekend many weeks. She is highly unusual as a Bypass patient in being able to do this! She injured her hip, and couldn’t run, so now she lifts weights. She was determined to take control of her life in every way. She has been drug free for years and is fit, healthy and active. I wanted to share because her psychiatrist at the time said the Bypass would not help her with her mental health, and refused to sanction the op. We paid a psychiatrist to assess her and they concluded she was sane enough to make her mind up. As a person who had previously attempted suicide on more than one occasion, she is an example of the positive outcome possible from gastric surgery. It saved her life, literally, and has given me my daughter back. I wish you all the best.

My high weight was 392. Currently 358 and surgery is a week away.

1) pre-op diet 2) first month of surgery (about the same amount of weight on each)

That chest pain can come if you consume "too much". You'll learn to recognize your new "full" sensation and stop consuming IMMEDIATELY. A bite or two more can cause pain. When sleeping on your back your stomach and other organs press on your lungs which lie closer to your back. can This can give you the feeling of being unable to breathe. Lying supine is probably not the best position for you until you lose a significant portion of your weight.. Try sleeping on your side with a pillow under your belly. This prevents pressure and straining on your incisions and supports the weight of your belly. Hold that pillow over your belly when you are getting up, too. Some patients like to use a belly band to prevent jiggling. Gently rubbing vitamin E oil on your incisions can help the itching and encourage healing.

I was on my pre-op diet for a little over 3 weeks and lost 22 pounds. My surgery date was 8/25 and I have lost an additional 13 pounds. As silly as it sounds, I am paranoid about gaining weight once I start eating soft foods in a couple of days, and then solid foods the week after that. I am already dreading the 3-week stall that a lot of folks are talking about. I have a follow up with my surgeon on Thursday, and will see what he says.

Congratulations on your weight loss. I'm encouraged to see how far you have come.

Just curious to know how many people in this forum currently active are around my pre-op weight.

Hey everyone! Had my surgery on September 4th. I'm 37 years old and I weighed 445 lb 2 weeks before the surgery. Lost 11 lb by d-day. Surgery done, doctor said my kidney was so far from my stomach so much so it all went perfectly well. Now, come to day 4 and I still have pain in my upper chest it feels like someone is stabbing me. it's not constant, it comes and goes but when it comes it's painful, not extremely severe but pretty damn painful, ESPECIALLY WHEN I BURP which is happening quiet a lot eventhough I'm regularly releasing wind (aka farting) is this normal 4 days after the surgery? I read in most cases the pains will go by the second day or so. Also, the wounds where the cuts were made feel oddly itchy today which wasnt the case before, could it be that they're healing or did I not clean/dry them well after my first post-op shower today? And lastly, what's up with sleeping? does anyone else who did the surgery in my weight feel like they're unable to lay down anymore from the discomfort of their big belly? I feel like not only is it painful to sleep on my tummy or sides but even when I sleep on my back I feel an enormous pressure from my tummy pushing towards my inner stomach and way to my back which gives me the feeling of choking and I'm unable to breathe. Let me know what ya'll think. Thanks!

Pre-Op? In the First Month Post-Op? One-Three Months Post-Op? Three-Six Months Post Op? Just curious. Many people lose quite a bit on the pre-op diet a month or two, or more, before surgery. I would assume that the pre-op clear liquid diet would yield more of a loss, but some people have just as much quick loss on the clear liquids post-op, leading up to solid foods. Please chime in - thanks!

I had RNY in April 2003 after doing a massive amount of reading and research. My program was fairly straightforward where I effectively started out in what most folks call "maintenance mode." I reached and passed the goal of which I dreamed and the goal of which I never dreamed. Eventually I was able to get back to a normal weight. My RNY has been a terrific teaching tool. I had some challenges relearning how to eat. I've had challenges with dumping. Such things have been the "stick" where being a normal weight has been the "carrot." I've internalized my program to such an extent that I rarely think about it anymore. Likewise I don't think about my weight anymore, only weighing myself at my annual physicals. Life is good.

It is probably OK, but one of those things to check with your program about. Some programs are very averse to their patients drinking calories, and even want them off of their protein drinks after X weeks. They do have a point in that one common failure mode for WLS is getting in the habit of drinking calorie rich drinks, whether they be soda, SBUX drinks, bullet proof coffee or whatever, it's easier to consume excessive calories if you drink rather than eat them, so caution should be the word with them. That said, many continue to use protein or other high nutrient drinks as a convenience long term post op and do just fine, so if you are tracking you intake and remain aware of what (and how much) of what you are consuming and how that fits in with your weight loss or maintenance, go for it. Like many things, it is a tool that can be used for your benefit, or misused for your detriment. Side note, my wife is still highly restricted in how much she can eat, even after 15+ years, and has a daily smoothie of tangerine juice, banana, strawberries and protein powder along with her potassium and calcium supplements as a way getting in more of her daily nutrition and that works fine (and the dog is absolutely enraptured by it, too), In your case as a presumably recent post op, I would probably throw in some vanilla or unflavored protein powder as protein is usually our emphasis for a while.

every WLS group I go to... people talk about having a stall at 3ish weeks out... just be patient. You didn't gain the weight overnight, it won't come off overnight either.

If you’re working out that much, try adding extra healthy calories (100ish) to your diet. That’s what worked for me when I started working out. Weight started moving again.

I gained 8 pounds between my last nutritionist appointment and when I Started the pre-op diet. I was stressed and felt like a failure. Since I went on the liquid diet I have lost 23 pounds. I still wasn't at the 'goal weight' the nutritionist set for me pre op but when I went to the Surgeon for my last appointment pre surgery on Friday, he didn't mention it. My surgery is tomorrow. Good luck!

Yes, I had a simple gastroplasty (stomach stapling) in 1980. I lost 75 lbs by 6 months and then stopped losing. Over the next ten years I gained it all back. I had NO nutritional or psych guidance at all. In 1990 I had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and the same thing happened. I lost about 75 lbs by six months and stopped losing. Again, I had NO nutritional guidance or follow up. I returned to my original set point of over 300 lbs, where I remained despite many attempts at weight loss. Fast forward 30 years... Just before COVID hit, I met a man who told me he had RNY revision as a prerequisite for knee replacement surgery. I had no idea that a revision was possible. I was certainly interested, but then the pandemic arrived. Six months ago, I started thinking about it again and contacted a bariatric center 90 miles from my home. A barium swallow and an endoscopy revealed that the staples from the prior surgery had given way allowing a fistula (opening) between pouch and stomach, which back then was not cut away, just separated from the pouch by staples. It was obvious that there was a physical cause for the failure of the earlier surgeries. The surgeon assured me that the staple failure was not my fault due to up-chucking or pouch stretching, but was actually caused by the peristalsis of the stomach. He said that about 75% of the earlier WLS failed for this reason. Today, different kinds of staples and closure protocol are in place to prevent this kind of failure. I was put in the bariatric program to have a revision. I've lost 44 lbs to date and still have a couple of requirements to complete before revision surgery is scheduled. I'm hoping to have it in October. I'm excited but wary. Deep down I am afraid that the same thing will happen. My age (73) and prior surgeries are hurdles so I don't expect miraculous results. My hopeful goal is to get under 200 lbs. My dream goal is to reach 175 lbs. or lower. In the past six months, I've read over a dozen books about bariatric surgery and food addiction and collected a slew of bariatric cookbooks. I'm much better prepared than I was for the earlier surgeries. I now realize that I am a sugar/food addict, that "maintenance" doesn't work for me. I have to be continually vigilant about avoiding sugar, flour, wheat, rice, and processed foods. The only successful way to conquer addiction is abstinence. How Weight Loss Surgery Really Works, by Matthew Weiner ** Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies, By Marina Kurian, Barbara Thompson, Brian Davidson ** Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction, by Vera Tarman *** Weight Loss Surgery Does Not Treat Food Addiction, by Connie Stapleton *** Why Diets Fail (because youʼre addicted to sugar), by Nicole Avena & John Talbott *** Bariatric Surgery & Food Addiction, by Philip Werdell *** (written for the clinician, but I found it valuable} The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients, by Colleen Cook*** A Pound of Cure, by Matthew Weiner (Focus on plant-based eating, not as restrictive as Bright Line Eating) Bright Line Eating, by Susan Peirce Thompson (similar to Kay Shepardʼs food plan without the 12-step program) Food Addiction: The Body Knows, by Kay Sheppard (12-step program, Focus on binging) From The First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery, by Kay Sheppard (12-step program, Focus on binging) Never Binge Again, by Glenn Livingston Lick the Sugar Habit, by Nancy Appleton (A bit outdated)

95 lbs in 6 months is doing great! Everybody is different and if you're following the program and are doing the right things, your weight will settle out where it is supposed to be. I think I lost my first 90 lbs in six months, but it took another four or five to get the last 10. The losing tends to slow down as you approach your goal. Keep going and be proud of the work you have done... and keep going!

it's the infamous "three week stall" - happens to almost all of us (it's not always the third week - it happens within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery - but it's most often the third week, thus, the name). If you do a search of this site on the three week stall, you will find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it'll break and you'll be on your way again. It usually lasts 1-2 weeks - but I've heard of it lasting up to three for some people. (oh - and you'll likely hit more of these stalls later on your journey - perfectly normal "feature" of weight loss...)

Wow @Bulabula…tuna “sandwich” why bread? Chicken wings.. are pure fat not protein… just sayin.. I’m post 23yrsRNYGBP maintaining at 115lbs and 170lbs weight loss… check your high quality protein intake guidelines

Hi all! Just wondering for those who have step counts, how many steps do you try and get in a day? I'm 3 weeks post op and looking for a rough measure so I can work towards goals. I lost 4kg of muscle over my surgery and my dietician was not happy about that so much, so definitely gotta gain that back!

What is your current weight? How long since you've lost any weight? It's not usual to have a stall or two, or more during weight loss stages. Have you checked how many calories you are eating? Following your post op food guidelines? What type of workouts are you doing? If weights, fat loss may be masked by fluid retention. Maybe post a typical day's menu and some people may offer some suggestions.

hi everyone, need help first few weeks was great with weight loss after ESG (15lbs) but now I'm stuck! my body is toning well but no more weight is dropping off. i started eating more high protein foods, only drink water all throughout the day, peppermint tea in morning to soothe my stomach and acid reflux o yeah and take my vitamins. workout around 30mins-1hr a day. any advice??

I am just a few week away from my surgery date, 9/29/21. Today was my pre-op visit with my primary to get the scripts for the lab work and chest x-ray. She decides to NOW mention that maybe I should postpone and try using Ozempic/Wegovy for weight loss,....wait, what?! She first said that the sleeve would be a great idea for me, recommended one surgeon but I decided on someone else. Has anyone used these meds and had any success?. I looked up Wegovy which is the higher dose of Ozempic for weight loss. Insurance won’t cover it. They would cover some of Ozempic but still super expensive and the medical code for Diabetes would be used for the claim and I am not diabetic. I left that appointment so disillusioned, she has already approved the surgery but to mention the medication now is too little, too late for me. I am mentally ready to do this. I was trying to avoid getting on any long term prescriptions just for weight loss and not to mention side effects include pancreatitis and a slew of other things. So frustrated and a bit down today after the visit. 🙁

I just spoke to my psychiatrist and she put me on standard (not immediate) release bupropion (Wellbutrin) in advance of my surgery next week (AAAAAAA NEXT WEEK). I'm a bit nervous about it. But since so much of my depression is bound up in my weight, I'm hoping to be able to titrate down a bit.