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That is great! I really need to do more exercise. I stay pretty vigilant on my eating. I’ve maintained this weight for many months. I recently bought some exercise bands to start toning more. Got to let the surgery heal then I can get started on that.

Stalls are normal my love. Things that help me with stalls are relaxing and knowing it’s temporary. Also measuring helps. Switch up your workout routine a little too. My friend who had the surgery said she carb loads to break a stall, I personally can’t have carbs because they make me sick. I take care of myself everyday and I love to relax in the tub burn some incense and take time for me. I don’t weigh myself everyday anymore like I was. Our bodies like certain weights and have a hard time coming out of them. But just like the 3-4 week stall we had back a few months ago this one will pass too!

Hi, I'm also 4 mos out with a stall between 192-195. I'm also became caretaker for my elderly Mom so lots of stress going on here. I know how that can impact a person's health but at least I'm not gaining. Still thrilled to be in "onederland" and really enjoying breaks I get from other fam members so I can do my. Reformer Pilates classes where my focus is now cardio/sculpt. I also hop on my treadmill at home buty water intake has really taken a dive. Need to work on that. The great news is that my A1c # for diabetes no longer requires meds. I'm so, so, happy about that🙂. Btw, my highest history of weight gain was 261, pre-op was 245 to 235 from the week fast, and now 192. Goal is 150 since I am 5'6". I had the revision from lap band to gastric sleeve. My niece had the bypass and she said that her stall required her to go back on protein shakes 3x a day un order to trigger more weight loss and so far she has lost 100 pounds. I think I will be trying that, too. Good luck to everyone and I love seeing the pics Mizzkay! You look awesome. Blueslily, thx for keeping this topic alive. I'm right there with you on the stall. We can do this! Sincerely, Trish

I got a breast lift and implants this week! I’m so excited! Before I got fat I had no boobs. I was like a 34A. When I gained weight I carried a lot of fat in my breasts. I went up to a 44G. Losing 110 certainly deflated them. I had no volume on top at all. I got gummy bears. 375ml on left and 275 on the right trying to even them out. So far it looks like they are pretty evenly sized now. I still have a lot of swelling. The incisions are so itchy. Can’t wait to go bra shopping in a few weeks!

Hey guys and gals! Hope everyone is doing wonderful. I haven’t posted in forever. Overall I lost 110 pounds from 268 to 155. I could stand to lose 20 more but not concerned about it. I got a breast lift and implants this week. The girls were so sad after that much weight loss. Just deflated and had no volume. Boy are they voluminous now! I have an apron of lose skin but doubt I will get a tummy tuck. Dating again. Very much like the guy I’m seeing. Been a very long time since a man was so nice to me. He is a sweetie. I truly hope life is treating everyone well!

You can talk to the surgery center. Usually the person who manages insurance submissions is really familiar with these details and can answer that. I know many plans use the weight from the visit before the pre-op diet, but it's hard to know. I haven't had any in-person visits due to COVID, so they've just been asking me to tell them my weight. I've actually been trying not to lose weight now because they won't weigh me in person until I check in for surgery and my BMI had gotten down to 41.6, so I know I will lose weight on the "shrink the liver diet". You don't want to not lose weight on the two week "shrink the liver diet" because that is important to put you in a good place for the surgeons to have an easier time to move your liver out of the way for surgery, so you have a lower chance of complications. While the goal of the diet immediately before surgery isn't to lose weight, most people do lose weight, especially if it is a liquid diet.

For anyone who has had their gallbladder removed after their weight loss surgery, could you please let me know of your experience post op removal? I’m having my gallbladder removed next week (I’m around 8 months post op bypass) and really haven’t been given much info on what to expect pain wise, post op diet etc. just looking to hear about some personal experiences :) thanks

The first picture os the yesr before my surgery the second pink in back 2011 before i moved to Texas the thrid was 4 mths after surgery next one was June 12 when i went to WA to marry my daughter the next was a few weeks ago i gained weighted some weight Sent from my SM-G991U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yep, very common. You’ve had pretty major life changing surgery, you’re healing & consuming very little. It’s not unusual to be feeling week & generally blah. Plus as you lose weight, the oestrogen which is stored in your fat is released into your blood stream throwing off your cycle & screwing up your emotions. It will get better just give it time. We all recover differently. Try adding some electrolytes to your water to give you a boost to your energy. Good luck.

2 years ago almost i found myself in a dv relationship in a new city with no friends i just moved there 3 weeks prior ive had weight/gain weight loss alot of bloating and alot of gas ive since a gastrointestinal doctor who wants to do the camera your stomach im sure weve all have had but i have no to drive me and covid had made it difficult on top of the huge co pay ugh so this doctor set me for this test where i drink some frizzy like alka and it made me burp uncontrollably when thw test came back i have small rolling hernia which confuses me still because 2013 i had thst was tied down during my bypass. Has anyone experienced this ir any idea Sent from my SM-G991U using BariatricPal mobile app

I know all insurances are different but wondering if anyone has guidance. I’m in Florida but have BCBS Texas. I have a BMI of 40.6. I can’t seem to get an answer to whether or not I lose procedure coverage if I lose weight on the preop diet and my bmi drops before 40. I’ve called my insurance twice, and reviewed the plan documents. Incidentally the plan documents do not require a diet at all preop. The insurers I’ve spoken to just recommend reviewing the documents but say they can provide no more guidance at this time. What should my next step be? If I don’t lose any weight on the preop diet is that an issue?

The chewing & spitting of food is a slippery slope. I know people say they do it but it doesn’t make it the best choice. The liquid diet is only two weeks before surgery. Besides helping you lose weight & shrink your liver to help during your surgery, it helps to start breaking your cravings/dependency on caffeine, sugar, carbs, etc. It helps you start to think about why you eat & why you make certain food choices. It’s not easy, but you have months of weight loss ahead of you which will throw many eating & food related challenges at you. You can do it. The post surgery staged diet is needed because you’ve just had surgery to alter your digestive system. Your poor tummy is being held together by a lot stitches & staples. It’s there so you don’t strain or stress your tummy or pop stitches. You may not have felt nausea or vomited @edwardstylez but you could have been just lucky. We all heal at different rates & your tummy may have been able to cope but others may not. Please be careful. Good luck.

I sometimes experience blocked ears - hearing becomes muffled & ears block like when going up or down a mountain range (used to get when flying) except, yawning, swallowing doesn’t ‘pop’ them. For me it’s from low blood pressure (& a little drop in sugar sometimes for me too) - my iron levels are good. The low BP will also cause weakness, lethargy, dizziness, narrowing of vision, mental doughinrss, headaches, etc. too. Do you have your BP tested regularly? Low BP plus low iron levels could be making the situation worse or you. As @catwoman7 said you’ll get more iron from red meat than vegetables. While 100g of fresh spinach will provide about same amount of iron as a 100g of steak, 100g of spinach is a lot of spinach. Personally I was eating vegetables from soft food - carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, … in soups, stews, omelettes, mince dishes, etc. In solid foods I was eating a small floriet of cauliflower, a couple of green beans, or some steamed cabbage at dinner. Not much, but a start. I slowly increased the vegetables as I increased the protein. How much protein do you have to eat each day? My goal was 60g - it took me a while to reach that goal every day but I’d get close. Hope they can sort this out for you soon @SummerTimeGirl. After weight loss surgery, we can’t take nsaids like ibuprofens. Too strong & harsh on our now small tummies & can lead to inflammation, ulcers, etc. Sleevers may be able to have the odd one after a year or so if your surgeon approves. I’m allowed . For e.g. had 2 in the last 3 months - one after my gall surgery & one for my COVID vaccine headache. Many ibuprofens work by constricting blood vessels but they increase your BP as your heart works harder to get your blood around your body hence hearing the whooshing sound of blood being forced through the constricted blood vessels.

Congrats on your upcoming surgery! I had the Loop DS 18 months ago. And in my own experience the bowel prep bit was absolutely miserable. And I felt like I got hit by a truck when I woke up from surgery, but I was up and walking after about three hours. It really helps with getting rid of the gas. Some people (myself included) vomit old blood after the surgery (it was only 4x for me, but super painful) so I'm telling you incase it happens to you because they didn't tell me it was a possibility and I freaked the hell out! I went home after three days in the hospital and I stopped taking pain meds at home after two days (so on day 5 post-op was the last day I took pain meds). The part where they take your stomach out will hurt the most, especially when you get up or sit down and you may need help showering (I did), but I was a lot better by week two. I struggled to get fluids in at the hospital and they almost kept me a fourth day because I was getting all my fluid in via ice chips so they weren't able to count so they gave me a bunch of 1oz cups and told me I had to drink a certain amount for them to release me (I didn't get released until after 6pm, so they seriously almost kept me another night). Broth tasted like heaven lol, but I couldn't eat sugar free jello at all because it made me feel like my stomach was flipping (I'm odd, I guess lol). It's hard to get the protein in (in the beginning) and the powder was wayyy too sweet, I had to drink the pre-made protein drinks instead so I had one in the morning that I nursed for several hours and then one at night, that I again nursed for several hours. Fluids were a struggle for several months for me, but some don't have the same kind of issue that I had. Also, they never told me, but there is something like a 3% chance that you can get either a wheat allergy or Celiac's Disease after surgery (this is for any WLS with malabsorption. So DS/Loop DS/Gastric Bypass). It's only 3% so only 3 out a 100 people so the chances are low, but my luck is terrible and I developed a wheat allergy so if you end up getting what feels very much like dumping syndrome when eating something with wheat in it... you might want to get tested (that's how I found out). My allergy has progressed to where I break out in a rash if I even TOUCH something with wheat in it like dried noodles that aren't even cooked or hand crackers or a cookie to my niece or wipe off bread crumbs while looking after my nieces (I always have benadryl when watching my nieces lol. My 12 year old niece is always asking why I didn't just ask her to clean up so I don't end up breaking out in a rash. I just clean out of habit). Anyway, the recovery in the beginning can be tough and for the first few days I kept asking myself "why in the hell did I do this to myself", but things do get better and I'm sooooo glad that I made this choice for myself. I've reached my own personal goal weight and am hoping I can even lose a couple extra pounds before I hit maintenance! Try and stay positive and stick to nutrition guidelines you're given to the best of your ability and you'll do great, I'm sure! I wish the best in your journey and if you have any questions feel free to ask!

I've been waiting six months to get surgery... just last week I got my surgery date, so it will be 7.5 months from when I called the surgery center to when I get surgery... assuming COVID doesn't cause them to cancel my surgery! I have kept my motivation by continuing to work on losing weight, although at this point I can't lose anymore or I won't qualify for surgery (I've lost 45 lbs). I also have spent a LOT of time on these message boards and on YouTube and I found a good FB support group. Most of them are terrible. Fortunately, work finally got busy so I have been distracted a bit and also I went on vacation and have done more exercise (got back into swimming!).

ice cream turns to liquid pretty quickly in your stomach, so it goes right through you. So I'm not surprised you can eat a cup of it. I agree with the others - why are you eating ice cream now in the first place? If you're serious about losing weight, going about it that way isn't going to work. Get a plan from your surgeon or dietititan if you don't already have one and follow it. That's the only way this is going to work. People who start pushing the envelope right away after surgery usually end up failing.

Being uncomfortable in my own skin is the shittiest feeling. Can’t wait to feel ‘normal’ and not constantly have to hide away. Looking forward to that the most. Just being comfortable and not constantly having my weight in front and centre of every decision I make. Thank you for sharing and good luck. Let the war commence!

Almost 100 pounds down and there are the changes I was expecting and excited for and some surprise ones!! Basic things like shaving are SO much easier! Sitting ay my desk with my legs crossed comfortably. Not being winded from doing menial tasks. Not being scared to go to the doctor because they were just going to tell me all my problems were my weight. Not shuddering when I see pictures of myself! The list goes on and on and I suspect will continue to grow as I lose the reming weight!

Chiming in here. I knew it was time to consider it after I put on almost 100 lbs in the last 2 years. I lost about 70 lbs before and felt the best I had in my entire life. Sadly, I had my stints of gaining a little bit back and then losing it and then gaining more back. However I realized in the grand scheme of things, I was overall gaining more weight than I'd lose during crash diets. Fast forward and I did a diet bet with some friends of mine realizing I ballooned past 310 lbs and feeling completely out of control, especially in contrast with friends who's weights felt normal to me. I then injured my knee pretty bad the beginning of 2021 and now have immense pain when doing any weight baring activities, even going up the stairs. I gained 20 lbs after injuring my knee as I couldn't do my walks for a bit. I felt so tired and sick. My legs were burning when I'd walk less than a mile. I got super depressed feeling like not too long ago I was running 2 miles a day during my big weight loss journey. Feeling like I have a useless body and 0 control has really been the lowest of the low. I've had wls in my mind for most of my adult life but was too afraid. It's bittersweet that I needed to hit a rock bottom to go up but in a screwed up way, I'm glad I took a lot of time to think about it. I realized the pain and unhappiness I feel being uncomfortable in my own skin is much worse than a surgery and I view it as regardless of surgery or non surgical weight loss methods, changing how and when I eat will always be a part of the equation. The surgery is just the tool I've needed.. I just see all the pros greatly outweigh the cons. There was a response in this thread that says nothing was harder than being 400 lbs. I'm feeling the exact same. I had my first consultation last month. I have my dietician and testing tomorrow morning and If I'm successful with my treatment plan, I'll be able to get the surgery after October 2021. I'm scared SHITLESS (excuse my language) but I know this is the right thing for me. I'm ready to win the war now. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I have to agree that asking for what the "plan" will be on here is pretty useless, because each surgery center is so different. It really bothered me, because there should be some evidence-based medicine happening - but then, I work in clinical trials in cancer, where they have protocols for everything that are standardized across hospitals. I know that I wasn't asked to lose weight before my surgery, but a lot of that is dependent not just on your surgery center, but also on your insurance. However, I wanted to make sure I got used to eating in a more healthy way to "practice" for life after surgery, so I started eating lower carb (I still eat a lot of fruit) and higher protein. I've lost about 45 lbs and I've been less hungry than on previous weight loss attempts when I just cut calories. I'm eating about 1400 a day, on average. However, if I lose any more weight, I will not qualify for surgery, so I'm going to relax my eating until it's time to start my official "shrink the liver" diet at the end of the month. Many/most people have a liquid diet, but I just have to do ultra low carb/low fat high protein with low fruit and lots of veggies. I get it that the hard part is not knowing and not being able to plan. It took six months for me to get my surgery date, due to backlogs from COVID and the surgery center being short-staffed. Hang in there, and read as much here as you can. Be careful not to take anything as Gospel, either here or anywhere else on the internet, unless it's a hospital or professional website, like mayo.org or ASMBS.org.

Well everyone's plan and office is different. My insurance/doc did NOT require me be on any sort of diet (or lose or maintain any sort of weight) as I waited for surgery. But I decided to put myself on a low carb/no sugar diet just to get used to things for after surgery. It helped and I lost like 18lbs in the few months before surgery. When it came to the liver shrinking diet, mine was for11 days BEFORE the surgery. It was all liquids, and 5 protein shakes a day (they of course suggested what they carry in the office but I just did Premier) and some of certain veggies. NO MEAT at all. But again, everyone's plan is different. Did they not give you any info yet? I know when I first called and expressed interest, even before I met with the surgeon for the first time, I was immediately sent a binder of info on the different kinds of surgeries, what happens before and after surgery, the diet afterwards, recipes, the diet before, info on vitamins, etc.

Three days out there is absolutely no way I would have been able to sit in a typical university chair/desk for 8 hours and gain anything meaningful from the classes I was attending. Set aside the pain that you may or may not be in at that point--everyone is different and while I was still experiencing a good deal of pain at three days post op, not everyone does. Honestly, my biggest issue was that I could not sit upright completely without a dull aching pain in/around the large incision where she removed my stomach. I had to be slightly reclined at all times to keep that pain away. Three days post op your ONLY concern should be getting in enough liquids to not dehydrate. For me, this required me to set a timer and take a TINY sip of water every five minutes from a 30ml cup I refilled every 15 minutes. Can you concentrate on the material being presented if you are constantly checking a clock to see if you should be drinking? Can you not be a distraction to your fellow students while doing this? There may also be a lot of things you aren't considering involved in attending classes. How far is the walk from the parking lot? Can you walk that distance post-op? I am a triathlete who regularly ran 10+ miles at a time pre-op. Three days post-op I could walk to the end of my 200ft driveway and back before I felt like I needed a rest. Are there stairs to get to your classroom, or inside the classroom itself? Can you navigate stairs three days-post op? Maybe...I struggled. How heavy are the materials you need to bring to class plus the bag you carry them in? If you have to bring books and a laptop to class, you may be WAY over your 5-10lb lifting weight. You mentioned in-hospital practicals too, which I assume means lifting or moving patients and equipment. I was given a 5-10lb weight lifting limit for 6 weeks. I'm a university professor and I know that many of the books I use for my research and teaching weigh more than that. I have had to ask my wife to bring them to me and put them in my lap. How many breaks do you get throughout the day? I was exhausted for the first two weeks, requiring at least two, and sometimes three 45min-hour naps a day, on top of sleeping 12 hours a day. This is pretty normal, given that your body has just been through a huge trauma and is healing itself. If you aren't getting proper rest, your healing will be slowed and honestly, how much good are you getting out of the classes you are attending if you are exhausted and/or falling asleep during class? If you are at the stage of treating patients (again, I assume based on in-hospital practicals), you can make critical mistakes if you are that tired. Critical mistakes can kill people. I will also add, as a university professor who has seen so many students get sick/have surgery/miss a lot of class for one reason or another, those students RARELY do as well as the other students in the class, no matter how hard they try or how many accommodations are made in terms of assignment or exam extensions, make up exams, etc. There is a considerable body of educational literature that suggests there is simply something about doing things at the same time as the rest of your class that makes students perform better. I see it time and time again--those who take make up exams do not perform as well as they otherwise would have done. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and the difficult decision you have to make. Personally, I would not do it mid-semester, even as a faculty member.

Hey there! Hope you all are having a lovely day/night. I have my first dietician visit tomorrow where they'll do some blood work, take my weight, check my metabolism etc. I'm not even scheduled for wls until after October 2021. I'm wondering what the diet will be like until then. Is it the liver shrinking diet for a couple of months or is that just a couple weeks before surgery? Anyone know what kind of diet they put you on and will I have to buy a bunch of specialty protein powders? Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I just felt horrible on a daily basis and couldn’t take it anymore. All Of my previous attempts at keeping my weight down through the years didn’t work any longer. I was getting too big and the stress on my already arthritic joints was too much for me to be able to over exercise like I did previously. Gained close to 100 lbs in 3 years because of that. Best decision of my life and I don’t regret the surgery in the least bit.

Congrats on your pregnancy. The old ‘eating for two now your pregnant’ maxim isn’t actually true. My sister-in-law was told she should only add up to a 100 calories in the first trimester & slowly increase to about 250 in the third trimester. She has back problems plus gestational diabetes so not putting on excess weight was very important. She followed that advice for her four pregnancies (incl a set of twins) & kept her actual weight gain pretty low each time. But that was what she was told. Check with your ob/gyn for their recommendations as to what you would need & then your dietician for suggestions on how to add those extra calories. If you’re advised similar amounts, you could add those extra calories with a protein shake or soup as a snack (easy to consume), increase your protein serve a little & add a few extra vegetables.