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I don’t understand why your doctor wants you to speak to your dietician about your low iron levels except to maybe review your current diet & see if something is missing or there is something extra you could add. Has your doctor has you to arrange an appointment to discuss your results & prescribe or recommend an additional supplement or an infusion if needed??? Unless your level isn’t that low & dietary changes should be enough??? 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ve heard it can take some time for your iron levels to go up again too. Low iron levels seems to becoming more common these days for all women not just bariatric patients. I have several friends (none have had surgery) who need to take iron supplements or have transfusions because of low iron levels. Never knew one 10 years ago. PS - I have a protein absorption issue thanks to my gall removal. Not related to my sleeve. (Also stopped me absorbing my HRT meds - God bless the patch.)

I agree. I am 9 months PO, and had you told me that I would be able to reach the weight I currently am, I would not have believed you. I didn't set a firm goal at the beginning, because I had no idea where I "should" end up. I did some math with weights around the top of the "normal" BMI numbers for my height, to see what the percentages were so I could have some idea of my progress at 3 and 6 months. Then I ended up dropping weight faster than predicted. The only time I had an actual number in mind was after my 6 month appointment when the APRN told me what they had written down as my "ideal weight" in the computer. It messed with my head some, because I couldn't ever remember weighing that little, so when I got into the range with the same number in the tens place, I was psyching myself out. I had to work to get over that. I still don't believe the number on my jeans (6 - I had to buy new ones because my saved clothes only went down to 10). It's insane to me that I can wear size small t-shirts. I can feel bones in all kinds of places that I never did before. I am still slowly losing, letting my body decide what it wants to do, but my brain is still catching up with what I see in the mirror. I also agree with wearing things you have saved as soon as they fit and as often as possible. Sizes can go by quickly sometimes. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

If I could give it less stars I would. I had surgery at OCC in Mexico over ten years ago (lap band) and the surgery center was state of the art, clean and everyone spoke english. The care was impeccable. This time, after reading many positive reviews, I chose Mexico Bariatric Ctr. Unfortunately, my experience there was the opposite. They were extremely fraudulent in their advertising and the entire was nothing less than DANGEROUS! Here is a list of things that were fraudulent: 1. Only one nurse out of about 20 spoke English. When I asked for jello, they brought me a pillow. They did not know how to use translators on their phone. When I began having complications this is where things could have gone very wrong. I'll explain more later. 2. The conditions of the hospital (pictures below). There was no hot water in our bathroom. The shower was full of thick green mold. The shower doors were broken off and unusable. The floor drain is held by duct tape. The mirror fell off the wall and sat on the floor. We had no handsoap (luckily I brought sanitizer to Mexico with me). The air conditioner was BROKEN. It was so hot they opened the window for us for our entire stay. Unfortunately there is ALOT of construction and traffic noise 24 hrs p/day so sleep was impossible. The trash was overflowing and never changed over a 4 day stay. Needles, bloody bandages were on the floor. The hospital building is dilapidated and should be condemned. Many patients were told that MBC is moving to a new building in April, but when I asked the administrators they said maybe next year and they have no building chosen yet. Ice was made into chips by the pulling a bag out of the freezer and smashing it with a metal weight (like for fishing) for each cup ...this went on outside our room 24 hrs per day. They picked it up with their bare hands, off of a counter that was not wiped clean first, and put it in a cup for you. 3. My doctor never met me before or after surgery until I finally told a specialist doctor and she reached out to him. The anesthesiologist also did not speak to me before surgery. 4. The toilets in the waiting area were dirtier than most gas station bathrooms. The one in our room was about the same. 5. When we requested pain meds the first 24 hours after surgery the nurse stated it was only allowed every 12 hours and we had to request them. On the third day when a specialist had to come see me, we learned that they were written for every 6 hours WITHOUT request necessary. Both my roommate and I were in excruciating pain the first 24 hours and only got two doses of pain meds rather than four. 6. DANGEROUSLY LOW OXYGEN LEVEL. I let them know ahead of time that I brought my cpap and sometimes have difficulties with oxygen exchange after anesthesia. Right after surgery my oxygen level dropped to 80 (normal is 95-100). They gave me a canula (hose that goes under your nose to administer oxygen) but it wasn't giving me enough. So they gave me a full mask. But when night time came and I needed to use a cpap they told me to not use my cpap, but for me that is super dangerous so then they said stop using oxygen....my level dropped to 78! Organ damage can begin at that low of a level. The nurse stated I didn't need oxygen anymore (luckily this was the nurse who spoke english). I asked for a doctor and the specialist came in. They did not have any idea what to do for me. So I decided to wear the canula under my cpap mask. Karla (administrator for MBC came by and said "Don't worry about the canula, the water in your cpap will mix with the air and make oxygen". Ok, first of all Karla is not a medical professional, not a nurse and clearly had no idea what she was talking about and luckily I knew enough not to listen to her. My oxygen level did straighten out the next day thank goodness. 7. I came home with two of my incisions infected. They were red and swollen in about a 3" radius each. Two weeks of doxycycline before they cleared up. Nothing was sterile at this hospital. Nurses did not wear gloves for wound care but when you ask them to, they CANNOT UNDERSTAND YOU! With all that they charge it seems they could buy an ice machine for sterile ice chips, a/c that works etc. Even our toilet seat was broken and you had to be super careful how you sat on it. It doesn't appear that ANY MONEY goes into the hospital. 8. I was charged 450$ in extra fees that they refuse to explain what they are for. You must pay before they will take you to the border. 9. I was overcharged, their receipt shows a $300 overpayment but they won't send it for 12 weeks! 10. I called to speak with Mr. Ron Elli in San Diego who is the director. He refused to speak to me, hear my complaints or respond in any way. I am now 5 weeks post op. I understand that there are quite a few good reviews, but in reviewing them upon my return home I realized they are from 2019 and 2020. Perhaps the hospital was in better shape then, I don't know. Useful Funny Cool

I am 10 days post opp now! I couldn’t twist to wipe either and the pain landed me back in the ER. But I also was not taking my pain meds around the clock as advised. Summerseeker, didn’t you get any pain meds?

March 10 started 2 week liquid diet today. Only allowed sugar free drinks, water, protein shakes and for snack a few choices of vegetables its been really rough so far/ how bad would it be if you cheat? i just want a boiled egg or some tuna salad. I’m so not a sweet person I need something savory. Even plain Greek yogurt will do

So make 181/size 14 your initial goal weight. This is what my surgeon gave me - a goal weight of about 80kg which would have me wearing an AU size 14 (US size 10). In the past I had gotten down to where I could fit into a large size 12 (US size 8), so instead of 80kg, I made my goal 75kg. I had been close to there before, so I could picture it. When you hit the more familiar intitial goal, then make a new one that's closer to the one suggested to you, and so on. When you're at the start of the process it does feel unattainable and like you'll never get there. I expect this is a universal feeling, especially when there's so much weight to lose (I've literally lost an entire person). But it does come off, and one day you'll weigh yourself and be staring at your goal weight on the scale and needing someone to pinch you. I've passed goal and am about to fit into a size I have not touched since I was a kid. Madness! I'd have absolutely lost that bet, yet here I am. TL:DR - Don't let the length of the process intimidate you, there are so many mini victories along the way. In 12 months time, you'll be living what you may right now have trouble visualising.

I am 10+ years out. Starting weight 367 current weight 178. Got to 215 or so and dr found thyroid problems. Med change from Synthroid to Citomel. Lost the rest…to 150. Dr changed med…gained Wilbur. So frustrated…. Dr says thyroid normal now! Absolutely NO energy! Anyone have similar problem….how was it addressed?

Had gastric bypass 10/3. Down 77 pounds total. 19 of that was before surgery. Anyway, I am barely getting in 600 calories a day at this point and can only handle about an ounce and a half of protein with a couple bites of veggies at meals. I have a very clear full signal and don’t eat past it. I haven’t had sugar or carbs since surgery and I intend to stick with that. I cannot tolerate cheese, nuts, butter, basically anything but lean proteins and some vegetables. I even struggle with fruit. I don’t have a dietician so I have no idea if I am on track or not with my eating so I just take each day as it comes. I am happy with my weight loss. As most everyone I wish it was faster. But I have only stalled once and that was at the 3 week mark. I am exercising some but with the low amount of calories I am eating it is hard to have a lot of stamina. If anyone has any pointers let me know. I also still rely on 1-2 protein shakes a day to get protein up to around 80 grams.

Hey everyone, surgery was 10/24 and I’m down from 215 to 167. The last 4 weekly weigh ins the scale has bounced between 168-171 so I may be in a stall. I was in one after the first 4 weeks for almost 6 weeks. It’s annoying but I’m happy with my progress as I’m officially the smallest I have been in 20 years with all my yo yo dieting. I also know that I may be getting closer to my new size my body wants to be so the weight loss may stop. I’ve been trying to focus more on working out now. Before my surgery I lifted weights regularly. I know I’ve lost a lot of muscle these last couple months and I feel much weaker. So I’m trying to get back into that. Clothing wise I’m down from a size 18 to a 10. I haven’t really had to buy new clothes yet as I kept clothes from all my previous lose and regain episodes. I also wear uniforms to work every day which are provided so being that it’s winter my non-work clothes is mostly hoodies and sweat pants anyway 😁 Food wise it’s hit or miss. I have started to feel hunger signals again but my portions are still pretty small. My doctor never told me to track my food intake which I’m grateful for because I don’t want to feel like I’m on a diet. But I would rough guess my intake to be about 1000 calories a day. I still try to prioritize protein first which doesn’t leave much room for anything else. But I do try to snack on fruit or veggies throughout the day to get my nutrients in. Sugar free sweets and cookies have helped with any sweet tooth cravings I get. I have ate plenty of things with sugar at this point as I really don’t restrict anything, but I do try to limit it to just occasionally. I also struggle with feeling like I have to clean my plate, even when I start to feel full. So I try to start with a small amount to begin with. Then wait a couple minutes before deciding if I want more, and usually I don’t. I still eat really fast so pausing for a few minutes helps my stomach to catch up. I’ve been out to eat several times. Usually I just split a meal with my wife and it works out great. She’s not going to eat the entire dish and I only need a few bites. The weirdest part with food for me is that my tastes have changed. Foods I used to enjoy don’t sit well or taste as good. I used to drink black coffee every day, now it hurts my stomach so I’ve just quit it. I thought the lack of caffeine would be an issue but it really hasn’t been. I do occasionally drink instant sugar free cappuccino but not daily. Also hot wings used to be a favorite of mine and now they taste off. Same thing with a lot of spicy food actually. So while I wouldn’t say I restrict food, at least for weight loss purposes, I’m trying to learn how different things make me feel and structure my eating like that. Just like with overeating I tell myself while something might sound appealing, is it worth me feeling kinda crappy for the next 30-45 minutes? That helps to think of it like that. I have definitely overdone portions and regretted it. Hence why I try to start smaller to begin with. It’s hard when you have one bite left not to just eat it, but that one bite will cost you and it’s just not worth the discomfort for me. All in all I would say I’m feeling good and I’m happy. I’m starting to see myself as smaller for the first time. I’ll catch my reflection in a window or something and be like damn, is that how skinny I am? It’s a crazy feeling I’ve never felt before. I knew I was getting smaller because my clothes sizes were going down. But I’m just now really seeing it. I have more work to do, more so in the gym now than the scale, but I’m feeling accomplished and motivated.

Hi , I had my daughters wedding to attend 10 days post surgery , and I had gained half a stone .I was the heaviest I've ever been in my life .But , it will drop ,you just have to be patient and resist the urge to weigh yourself too often .Good luck !

swelling will go away. as far as weight, most of us "gain" a few lbs while at the hospital (some people have reported "gaining" up to 10 lbs!). It's because you're pumped up with IV fluids while you're there, which is essentially salt water, which some people retain. It takes a few days for it to work its way out of your system. I don't think I weighed myself until about the second week, because I was afraid I'd see a higher number on my scale then when I entered the hospital and freak out about it, even though in my mind I knew what was going on..

I second the biotene spray or lozenges. I am 10 days post op and these saved my mouth in the first couple days. I did ask the clinic nurse if I was allowed and she meant to ask the surgeon but never got back to me. I imagine they would have said no, but I snuck them in anyway. I only used them about 5 times within 24 hours post op though. After that, I had water and ice so there was no need.

Your body has had major surgery. Your body doesn't know that this was any different than being stabbed in multiple places. Our bodies are a wonderful thing. They protect us from dying from stab wounds. Your body is trying to heal itself. And it is very confused. Long before I had weight loss surgery I had an emergency abdominal surgery, and had a huge vertical surgical site from pelvic base to past my belly button. Full hysterectomy. I couldn't eat anything for a week. NOTHING BY MOUTH . I gained 10 pounds. It didn't go away for weeks and weeks. My doctors explained what I said above to me. One doc explained it as I might as well have been a soldier in Mid-evil times who survived a long sword wound. Our body does not know the difference. You need to sip constantly. Try adding a spoonful of juice to your water, or some other flavoring, try sucking ice cubes, make yourself healthy popsicles out of half juice and water, and suck on those. Don't want cold ? Try warm decaf flavored teas. I love coffee... but like tea. I drank a lot of peach herbal tea. Iced and hot. Sip all the time. Wake up at night ? Sip. Your body WILL at some point (and fairly soon, I will bet) let go of all that fluid... but you have to keep putting more liquid into you.

I am so glad that you are working with a therapist and have a great working relationship with them. I had a sleeve a dozen years ago in my mid 50's. I am now (well - next month !) 67 years old. I struggled with my weight my entire life. Had this been an option years before, I would have done it ! I am also a mental health professional. The problem with depression and/or anxiety is that you can be those things when you are obese, and losing weight .... well... you may weigh a lot less, but you can still be depressed/anxious. If you are using medication to help modulate your mental health symptoms, you might check how those medications work with your specific surgery. Weight loss surgery will not "make anyone happy" - but it will help you to lose weight ! Personally, I have panic attacks. They started about 20 years ago for no good reason. My weight before, during and after weight loss has had absolutely NO effect on them. Some years are better than others. If you have weight re-gain, you have to get to a emotional/mental place where you can concentrate on going back to basics of how you lost the weight in the first place after surgery. I did experience weight gain at about 6 to 7 years post sleeve. I lost my mother, brother and father in a few year's time. I did not pay attention to what I was eating. I became a caregiver and mourned those losses. I had too much on my mind to "see" myself. When I got myself back together, and could see past all those events; I made a conscious decision to re lose the 40 pounds I put on. ( I had lost 140 ) I took a couple years to lose the weight. I realized I did not know how to maintain my weight. So each time I lost 10 pounds or so I would stop losing weight and work on maintaining THAT weight for a couple months. Once I had that down, I would lose some more. I needed to be INTENTIONAL. And make the way I eat work for me. I got back to where I was, and then kept it stable for another year. A few months back I decided to lose some more. My thought was 10 more pounds. I have lost 12. I am at one of my maintenance phases right now. Try not to let your weight define who you are, who you want to be, and know that there is NO time line for being your best self ! Congratulations on saving up that money to give yourself the BEST way to lose weight, and to be successful.

I was away for almost three weeks after my MGB. The doctor allowed me to fly back to Malaysia (from Egypt) after 10 days then I had to quarantine for a week at home. My surgery was done the old fashion (I had a big vertical incision which took longer to heal) and I had to change the dressing everyday and take some shots also. Desk job as well. I returned to work when I entered the semi-solid food stage which was just nice. I set a reminder on my phone to take a walk every now and then which helped a lot. Good luck

No questions are dumb! Dyeing hair/roots: You can dye your hair before surgery, but it's important to avoid harsh chemicals and hair treatments close to the surgery date as they can affect the healing process. Walking post-surgery: If your doctor recommends it, you can use walking sticks to assist you in walking. Non-weight bearing exercises: It's best to consult with your doctor to know what kind of exercises are safe for you after surgery. COVID, flu, tetanus: It's important to follow the recommended guidelines and get vaccinated for COVID-19, flu, and tetanus if you have not done so. Kitchen things: A hand blender can be used for puréeing food.

I feel good most days but if I'm falling too far behind on protein or not drinking enough water I find myself getting terrible migraines that last for days. I'd say I'm not doing my best at eating real "meals". I work 10 hours a day and mostly just pack my lunch bag with high protein snacks. Cheese sticks, turkey jerky, cottage cheese cups, mixed nuts, kind bars (I buy the protein version), dried edamame beans, yogurt smoothies (the brand Two Good makes low sugar yogurt drinks with 10 grams of protein) those are a few favorites in my daily rotation. One of my favorite things to make for dinner is turkey taco meat. I mix a can of red beans into the meat for even more protein and top with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.

a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain after hitting your lowest weight is EXTREMELY common. It's just your body settling in to its new set point. That gain is not inevitable, but it seems to happen to the vast majority of us during year 2/3. if you don't like it, you can always eat less and lose it, but if your body wants to weigh around 148 lbs, then it'll be a lifelong struggle to keep it at 125. Is it worth the struggle? That's a question only you can answer. For some yes, for others, no. I finally gave up the ghost. It just wasn't worth it to me, and I'm at a healthy weight, so...??? I am also 5'6". Our normal BMI weight range goes up to 154 lbs, so at 148 lbs, you're within the normal range. You're fine where you are. Your surgeon will almost certainly agree with that.

not much you can do about the hair loss. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. And not everyone loses hair - I lost some, but very little. I noticed more strands of hair than usual during months 5-8, but just looking at my hair in the mirror, I couldn't tell - so neither could anyone else. Most people do lose some, but usually, you're the only one who notices. If you're one of the folks who loses a noticeable amount (and it's more like shedding - not big clumps), a shorter style will make it look less noticeable. dying hair - I can't remember if there are any issues with that (I do dye my hair, but I'm several years post-op) but I don't think there are walking - re: sticks - up to you. I didn't have any vaccines - you can get those any time, before or after. It's pretty late in the season for flu shots (although that doesn't mean you can't get one). Tetanus is every 10 years, so if it's been 10 years, I'd get one. puree - I just used a regular blender, but a hand blender would work, too.

We all lose at our own rate & no rate is right or wrong. But your loss so far is not a slow weight loss. It’s around what many of us lose that first month. Not sure what weight you started at, but unless you weighed in excess of 600lbs (like on the tv show) you are not going to lose large amounts of weight to begin (& even their rate of loss slows as they get smaller). And stalls are very common & almost everyone experiences them. Does your surgeon say you are losing slowly? Are they concerned? Maybe speak with your dietician to review your food choices & calories. But remember you are early out & your body is still healing. Your restricted diet is to support your healing & yes it can limit aspects of your lifestyle to begin. You will be eating more & a wider variety of food in a few weeks. I didn’t feel like I was missing out while I was losing. I went to a 60 birthday 2 weeks after surgery (took my own shake & sipped that), a 40th 6 weeks after surgery, reunions, social gatherings, dinners at restaurants, children’s birthdays, sporting events, travelled, etc. I just made careful food choices. I lost all my weight & more & have maintained +/- a kilo or two (am almost 4 years post surgery). I’ve never been able to do that. My lifestyle still isn’t compromised by how I chose to eat now. Exercise only contributes to about 10% of any weight you want to lose. Want to lose 50lbs, exercising will contribute to 5lbs of that. Of course there are many other benefits to exercising. Personally I didn’t exercise. Got on my treadmill a couple of times but was so tired I almost fell, off it so never got back on. Even now all I do is some stretches, a few resistance band exercises & some sit ups. I wouldn’t burn 30 calories.

I lost about 16 lbs my first month. If you want to call my weight loss slow at 16 lbs my first month, then yes, I hit my goal of 140 lbs and then lost an additional 30+ lbs. I don't think 16 lbs nor 19 lbs a month is a slow loss at all though.

Dr. Werner addressed it on Level 10 life. He said after the first year, you should be eating more veggies and working out more. He actually said “a pound of vegetables a day.” I am eating two cups of veggies more per day and I can only say it’s helped me. My doc is trying to sell me on the medication. I’m hesitant about the side effects. You are not alone.

19 pounds in one month is in no way slow. If you’re comparing your weight loss to others’, (a) don’t and (b) they probably had a higher starting weight and therefore more to lose. The more excess weight you have, the faster you can lose it, but as you get smaller, it slows down. Each pound is harder to lose than the last. Be patient. You didn’t gain all the weight in a month, and you won’t lose it all in a month. There are many factors that affect your rate of weight loss, and 19 pounds in the first month is excellent.

19 pounds in a month is fantastic; there are folks on this very board who would love to be able to say they had lost that much their first month. I wouldn't put too much stock in how your body reacted to losing weight prior to your surgery, your entire system has just gone through massive changes and is still very much in a healing phase, so you've got things like fluid retention, inflammation, etc at play.

I have been drinking them for years, wayy before WLS. Upwards of probably 10 years and have never had a problem till now. But I am literally 8 cases deep and still having the problem. Once I am thru this case I think I am going to take a break and make my own for a while.