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Sleeved 07/07/21 2 weeks / 3 days out Weighed today Lost 15# since surgery date [emoji3060]

I don't post here much, though I do check in quite a bit to see what others are and have experienced during their journey. Lately I have seen a number of people "on the fence" about whether or not to go through with WLS, so I thought I would share my story in hopes it will help make the decision easier and / or more informed. This is a personal decision and the journey is different for everyone. I am a 5'4" 43 year old female and underwent the Gastric Sleeve surgery back in January 2021. I have struggled with my weight all if my life. I was always the "curvy" girl throughout my adolescent years. After having 2 kids, I weighed around 200 pounds. I went on every yo-yo diet you could think up. I had some successes, and lost and gained hundreds of pounds over the past 20 years. Each time I gained it back, I weighed more than when I started. Eventually I kind of gave up and "accepted" that I was never going to be at a healthy weight. I was tired, and sick and tired of the constant battle. I started having numerous health condition and was put on multiple medications. About a year and a half ago, I weighed around 240 pounds and was climbing. My doctors told me I needed to do something. In addition to the health issues, I was so depressed, that I was missing out on everything in life. I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, partially because I physically felt awful, partially because I didn't want anyone to see me.. Finally someone recommended WLS. I was shocked. I didn't even know it was an option for me. After doing a lot of homework, and meeting with several doctors I decided to do it. It was time to take my life back. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered my insurance would not cover it. Long story short, I was able to work it out so that I could still do the surgery as a "self pay". I knew it would be a small price to pay for a better quality of life. Because I wasn't going through insurance I didn't have all of the hoops to jump through. So I was scheduled fairly quickly. And due to Covid I was cancelled. And then cancelled again. Finally in January I had the procedure done. Other than having to have a hernia repaired, I had zero complications. Six months later I am down to a much healthier 140 pounds. I have never been happier and healthier. Yes, it has been a rough road. This is not an easy or "magic" fix. The recovery was painful. I dont eat sugar, or bread or pasta or a number of other foods I love. I can't "chug" water like I used to. My portion sizes are quite small. I am very uncomfortable if I "over eat" or drink. I had multiple stalls and got discouraged. I don't go out to restaurant's much. My hair fell out for about 3 months. I have to take vitamins every day. I had several "what have I done" moments along the way. But I know now that it was the best decision I have ever made. I don't have to take ANY medications anymore. I have so much energy, and I live a full and happy life. Oh and I got to buy an amazing new size 6 wardrobe! My husband tells me I am a completely different person, physically, and emotionally. My only regret is not doing this years ago. Someone asked me the other day "how long do you have to do this for?" and my answer was "forever". This is not something I am "doing", this is a life long commitment. I am never going back to where I was. If you go into it with a mindset that this is temporary then not only are you going to be disappointed, but you will likely be one of those people that gains it all back in a few years. I am posting a couple of pictures as inspiration of what is possible. I know I scoured the internet for before and after shots every time I felt discouraged or needed some extra motivation. If anyone has questions they want to ask feel free to message me! I don't know it all or have all the answers I can only tell you about my personal experiences. Sent from my SM-N976U using BariatricPal mobile app

a lot of us "gain" weight while in the hospital from all the IV fluids - some people "gain" as much as 10 lbs while there (I say "gain" because it's just water, not real weight). It takes a few days for it to work its way out of your system. So for many of us, there's not a huge loss that week or so. Since you're following your plan to a "T", you'll definitely lose weight. Just keep doing that and weigh less frequently if daily weighing is playing with your head too much.

I'm an RNY patient, but most things are the same. I wasn't required to get a colonoscopy. I don't think most people are. And what kind of scan are you referring to? I don't remember getting any kind of scan - but it's been awhile, so maybe I'm forgetting all the tests I had. I had a sleep study, and EKG, a cardiac stress test (because I was over 50 years old when I had surgery), various labs - I don't remember a scan, though. coffee - or any beverage - goes right through you, so you're not going to feel full from it. No one will be able to tell you had surgery if you're just drinking something when you're with them. Eating is a different story. Although no one would be able to tell I've had weight loss surgery based on what I eat NOW, they'd definitely be able to tell something was up the first few weeks after surgery. I rarely met people for anything that involved eating those first couple of months unless I was prepared to tell them I'd had surgery, because most people would notice that something was up (although not everyone notices or asks...but be prepared if they do...) many people tire easily the first two months or so after surgery, but that said, I took three weeks off of work but probably could have gone back after two. I felt OK - just tired.

I should preface this by saying I haven't had a revision - just a "virgin" RNY - so this may or may not apply to your situation. But here goes: if your profile is up to date, you're very close to a normal BMI. It's REALLY tough to lose weight when you get down to that point. That last 10-20 lbs was a bear for me to lose - I really worked at it yet still lost about two lbs a month. But...I eventually got there. You may be in a stall, in which case, I'd give it another week or two (my stalls got longer the further out I got - and there were many times when I thought "this is it...", but then my weight loss would start up again). But if it doesn't eventually start up again, then you're probably in maintenance. If so, and if you want to lose more weight, you'll have to either increase your activity or decrease your calories (or both). also, from everything I've read, most people don't lose that much weight after a revision. Twenty to thirty pounds is pretty common. Granted, there are people who lose more than that, but 20-30 lbs is a pretty common loss after revision. You've already gone above and beyond that...

Hi Team Sleeve I had my sleeve operation on July 5th. It went well, I did have serious nausea and stayed longer in hospital so I could be given fluid via a drip. I lost 5kg with four days. I'm now down 9kgs - coming up three weeks. I've been slowly introducing puree food - I wasn't ready until the last few days. According to my dietitian everyone's different. I feel really buoyed by my weight loss todate. How are others tracking from early July? X Sent from my SM-N986B using BariatricPal mobile app

13 weeks post sleeve to bypass and have been stalled with weight loss...haven't lost for three weeks. I can't find anything that addresses this type of stall, so here I am! I've lost 35 since revision and was hoping to lose a little more. Having my three-month check up on Tuesday...thanks!

Hello everyone my name is Luna and this is my first time ever on this forum and website. I'll start by saying hello, and I hope all is well with everyone during these difficult times. I am a night shift nurse tech in a hospital. Almost 5 years ago I was 450 pounds. I had gastric bypass and I got down to 170 pounds, which was 20 pounds from my goal weight of 150. Three years post op I began working night shift and I have steadily, over the last three years, gained weight back until i was my highest weight since, of 244 pounds (Two weeks ago) I have since then begun eating better and drinking water and am now down to 234-235ish(it changes from day to day) but I am having such a hard time staying motivated and keeping myself from slipping back into the emotional and stress eating that working night shift and my job brings. I have a short term weight loss goal of 10 more pounds which I have decided I am going to reward myself with a new piercing, and I would like to lose twenty more pounds total before my trip in October, and just be more fit in general, so that my back, feet and ankles dont hurt when i walk around disney as bad this year. Long story short, im pretty depressed about my situation which really causes me to, ya know, stress/emotionally eat things i know I shouldnt, and begin to slip back into my bad ways. Looking for penpals, real life pals, online people I can become friends with to keep me motivated, as my support group is small right now due to the amount of hours i work. Feel free to reach out if this hits home. Maybe we can help each other!

Muscle weighs more than fat so it could be that. We all fluctuate a little. I have about a 1kg (2lb) fluctuation cycle due to fluid, constipation, slight changes in daily food intake, etc. Are you in maintenance or are you still trying to lose? Are you still gaining? Are you still tracking your food intake (calories & portion size)? I do random checks now because it can be easy to miss something you’ve added or changed in your diet or misjudge portion sizes.

Small gain

Hello. I had both an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy done earlier today. The upper endoscopy is for the surgeon who will do the sleeve procedure. They found a hiatal hernia and I am wondering if this will effect whether or not I can have the weight loss surgery. On another note, they found three polyps during the colonoscopy which makes me a little nervous. That seems like a lot and I'm only 46. Thank you.

I too went from the band to the sleeve. The band had caused me horrible issues to include irregular heartbeat as it was hitting the vegas nerve. I ended up gaining almost all the weight. Two years ago I had the sleeve and I'm so very happy.

I have kaiser, and I'm finally at my weight goal, I go in on Monday for my weigh in! Super excited. But how long after that do they schedule your surgery? Do you just keep that weight goal. Or keep trying to lose? I'm getting the gastric bypass. And been trying to accomplish this since January. Thank you in advance Sent from my SM-N960U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

A large or a small gain? It maybe fluctuating things like hydration or you’re building muscle and the scale is reflecting that.

I am 11 months out and I have been exercising daily 3-4 miles a day and watching what I eat and I seem to be gaining weight. Any suggestions????

Yes! Check out the Plastic Surgery forum. Lots of us have had plastic surgery post weight loss surgery. I had a breast lift and augmentation, tummy tuck with muscle repair, and arm lift in January. Here are my before & after pics. Absolutely no regrets. WLS was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I’m loving my PS results too.

Hi sammygirl111, I still have more to lose but can already see that my arms and legs will need skin removal. My stomach isn’t too bad yet but it may get there with continued weight loss. Even so, no regrets, it’s been completely worth it for me.

I had a Roux en Y procedure done in 2010 and lost about 85 lbs total. Over the years I've maintained my weight pretty well but during this past 6 months I've gone off the rails. I'm not sure if Covid stress finally caught up to me or my new meds are the culprit, but if anyone has any advice, good words, etc... I could use them. Thanks

Gerd. No issues with my sleeve stretching and I was able to maintain my weight loss. It was just severe uncontrollable GERD.

rate of weight loss depends on so many factors, many of which you have little or no control over (like age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic rate, genetics...). The two factors you DO have a lot of control over are your activity level and your level of commitment to your food plan, so if you're good with those and your overall weight trend is downward, you're good. I lost 16 lbs the first month, and I started out at over 300 lbs. I don't know you're starting BMI, but based on your profile picture, I'd guess that you started at a much lower BMI than I did. you don't necessarily need to exercise to lose weight, although it does help a bit (and of course it's great for your health). But being tired all the time is a common problem the first month or two after surgery. I do know people who rarely/never exercised after surgery and ended up losing a lot of weight regardless, so it's not really necessary to lose weight. Just do it when you can and stick to your clinic's plan and the weight WILL come off, whether fast or slow.

As far as weight loss goes I constantly struggled to keep myself under 175 with the sleeve and I was only eating around 1000-1200 calories a day. I lost 131 lbs with sleeve and I stuck to the plan that first year. I revised because of GERD weighing in at 180 in 5/2020 I lost an additional 28 lbs and my weight is stable for once !!!! The best part about this bypass so far is my weight is stable and I dont struggle to stay at this weight which is 13lbs less then I got with VSG. Good luck to you.

I know for me, I would have taken any surgery insurance would have covered. Unfortunately, our insurance covered none, so I had to pay out of pocket. Because I already paid that money for my wls, it's unlikely I'll be able to get surgery to remove all the loose skin I am left with. If I were in your position, I'd go with what surgery covers. Also, I went into this wanting the sleeve myself, but after meeting with the first surgeon I changed my mind to gastric bypass. After that (it was beginning of covid), he was fired and I saw a different surgeon who recommended the Loop DS for me, which I had not heard of at the time, but after researching that's what I decided on because he said it was the one I would have the best chance of losing the most weight with. Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi! Just wondering if anyone on here was near the Nashville area? I live in Burns, TN and could use amsome friends that "get it" lol ya know the new lifestyle etc etc. I moved here about a year and a half ago from Port Charlotte FL and have made some friends but just curious if anyone on here (who understands this whole lifestyle change) was in the area.... I had the RNY June 14th 2021 and am losing some weight but not as much as I hoped. I know everyone loses different but just still a tad concerned. I've lost 15lbs and I will be 6 weeks out on Monday. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I don't exercise so I'm sure this is my own fault but I'm so so tired all the time. Lol Sent from my SM-G981U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there! I'm an RN and having a revision surgery (sleeve to RNY). I'm currently being seen at the UCSD bariatric dept but have had nothing but problems with them. I had insurance approval, but without explanation they literally refused to let me make an appointment for almost 6 months. I finally called them and said that I've been getting railroaded for 6 months and that I wanted to speak to someone who could actually help me. That worked and I got an appointment, but not until after they told me that my original approval had expired and that I needed to get another one from my primary doc!!! Anyhow, I've been through the entire pre-op process and weekly classes etc. a few times. Once when I was considering a lap-band. Once with my ex-husband, and the third time when I had my sleeve. Needless to say, I know what to ask and was very upfront and direct with my doctor. He ended up lying to me about the pre-op weight loss requirements at every single visit (3 in total), and then refused to refer me to the surgeon (When I saw him 6 weeks prior he said that he would write the order to see the surgeon). And no, I didn't gain weight. Lol... I'm just curious if anyone else has had a negative experience with UCSD and if you were able to get it resolved? When I asked for a different doctor I was refused, but after I put in a formal written complaint they decided to let me see a different doctor. In the meantime, my insurance has approved another bariatric group and surgeon. Yay! Hopefully my experience with UCSD is just an anomaly.

Your body is a furnace & the more weight you carry the harder it has to work & the hotter it gets. Sweating is how your body cools itself. As you get fitter your body doesn’t have to exert itself & overheat as much so you’ll sweat less. Plus you’re not carrying around as much weight. Just wait until you lose enough to start to feel the cold. Brrr. You’re losing all that fat insulation.