Search the Community

YAY!!! I'm 5'1" also - I started at 250 pounds and my current weight is about 122. I can relate to everything you've said! I'm really happy for you, enjoy the fruits of your success. There's a (smaller but real) learning curve to successful maintenance too, but I'm sure you've got this and this forum is here to provide all the advice you could ask for! Congratulations.

I’m so sorry you’re feeling alone! I completely understand how you feel. I decided not to share my decision for surgery with anyone but my husband so I didn’t have any other support except for people on this website. Just know we are all here for you and you will get to know people. I know it’s not the same as having face-to-face communication but chatting with people on here was so helpful for me. I had surgery February 9 of this year so I’m only 5 months out. I still have questions about things sometimes. You should feel proud of yourself for taking all this on on your own! You can do this! Just think how great you’ll feel a few months from now with your weight decreasing. The surgery recovery wasn’t too bad for me. I was up and about at home the day after I was released from the hospital. I only spent one night there. The nurses will give you all the help you need while you are there and your doctor and dietitian will be there for you anytime after. You won’t be alone! Hang in there!!!💕

Congratulations! You look wonderful! I can’t wait until I hit my goal weight. I have about 30 lbs to go! I’ve lost 75 so far.

I've lost much more than expected, but it has not been fast weight loss. A couple pounds a month for the past 6 months (more in the beginning months after surgery). My surgeon was very please with my overall weight loss when I saw him at 8 months post-op. The revision has been very, very different from sleeve surgery. I'm hoping that the slower weight loss will result in long term success.

What you will have to do will vary based on surgery center, insurance, and starting BMI, as well as any co-morbidities. I started in January with a BMI of almost 50 and no co-morbidities, so I have been trying to lose weight, although now that I have had to wait so long (insurance required 4 months of monthly nutrition classes, and now there are delays due to staffing issues and backlogs due to COVID), I've lost 42 Lbs and my BMI is getting to the point where I'll have to stop losing weight. However, I don't have to have EGD or EKG or sleep study. I did have to meet with the psychologist and nutritionist a few times and have their sign-off.

If you’re worried about weighing enough to qualify, wear a pair of ankle weights. I wore a 5 lb pair to my initial consultation because I was barely at a 40 BMI and wanted to make sure my insurance would cover it.

So sorry that you are feeling alone. It is tough--when I was pre-surgery I felt the same at times. People say they will support you, but all that amounted to was them just not disagreeing with me on the choice to have surgery. Family still thought it was a good idea to get together for dinners. I had to sit there with my bowl of protein added soup while they chowed down on real food. And then my sister insisted upon celebrating her birthday with a very special cake. I hated it. Today, I don't eat with my family. I prepare my own food and eat by myself. I really don't care what is going on around me. I refuse to have family meals because I have invested over $14K in this and I don't want to mess it up. So I have been stubborn. And I am losing weight. So no one calls me a party pooper or holds it against me--they are all amazed at how successful I have been and I take full credit!! When everyone else eats I am doing something else--reading, watching TV, laundry--what ever. If you are nervous about surgery--Here's the thing: I found my nurses and all the medical staff at the hospital to be AMAZING. So once you are there, you should be in good hands. Walking aids in healing--so force yourself to try to get up and pace the halls a bit. I found a good routine: Sleep, pee, walk, back to bed, meds--then started it all over again. Follow docs orders and you should do fine. Keep visiting the forum. There are some wonderful people on here that can answer questions and tell you that you are awesome. You are brave and YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! It does seem a little overwhelming to get prepared with all the vitamins & shakes & supplies. I am making a schedule for all the vitamins and meds today since some need time between them. Hopefully, it will all become routine. Not eating & drinking together may be one of the hardest things for me to get used to after surgery, giving up soda will be difficult, too, but I think that is easier than not drinking with a meal. I especially love my coffee with my breakfast! But I know it will be worth it to lose the weight!

You are doing great!!!! Keep following doctors orders. You will notice, like others have said, that food consistency does affect how you feel restriction. It is good that you are measuring things. I have found that I don't always feel the restriction--but I stop at half a cup of food regardless. I am on my 8th week from surgery. One time while preparing dinner (canned chicken with black beans and guac) I ate a spoonfull of guac first--I couldn't finish dinner. The guac sort of sat there and didn't allow me to eat more. However, with my 1/2 cup rule, I am able to get my protein in and lose weight. You will find with time that you will get more confident and doubt less as you prepare and eat meals. Again, just keep following what your doctors and nutritionists say and you will be successful and you will take pride in that success!

Well done. You look wonderful, but you know what is best of all, is that smile in your after photo. It's great to see the weight loss/body changes but it's the smile/change in attitude that I love to see in the after photos. Congratulations!

Hey all, This is my first time posting. Its just my husband that knows about my surgery but I wanna share it with you all because today I've reached my target weight[emoji1][emoji126] Im 7 months post op. I'm 5ft1 and weighted 15 stone before gastric bypass surgery and now today I've reached the 9 stone mark. Getting surgery was the best decision I could of ever made but the hardest thing I've ever done also. I travelled to nord bariatric clinic from Ireland to Lithuania in Dec 2020 solo. I was scared, ashamed nervous and so so miserable. I missed my kids and my husband so much for the time I was away it was scary being alone doing this but I knew I had to do this for me and for them. The first few months are a learning curve post op but honestly things get easier and you adjust. I still enjoy nice food and drink but know my limit. Having surgery has allowed me to feel like me again I feel the head demons are gone and I just feel free. Here are some before and after photos . Best of luck everyone with your journey. Its so worth it Sent from my SM-G781B using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello everyone, I'm Emma and I have been waiting for bariatric surgery for a long time now. I was discharged in 2019 because I was at another hospital appointment and told I would have to wait 6 months before my dr could re refer me back to Homerton hospital, I would have to start again from the beginning and then covid happened. I eventually received my new appointment for May 19th which was cancelled due to too many people in the clinic. It was rearranged for 28th May. Only to be cancelled on the day, I get refered back to gp because they asked for my weight and BP. I then had to re refer myself back to Homerton hospital, my appointment was for August so I called up for cancellations regularly and finally I had 1 for July. I still had to wait weeks but finally that day is here 12 July my appointment is today and because its a telephone appointment I really do not know what to expect. I realised both the appointment in May and this appointment mentioned different departments. May appointment said Pre-Operative surgery appointment, where this July one just says telephone appointment outpatients 2. I have now also received another appointment letter to attend the hospital in September which I find a bit strange as I have not had the 1st appointment yet. I have been trying to have this surgery for the last five years and everytime I feel like I'm close to having it, it seems to not happen. I am so mentally prepared and focused to what I need to do to make this a success. I need this surgery for a better quality of life, thats all I'm trying to do. Gain a healthy lifestyle and hopefully extend my life and avoid extra health problems. I need this surgery so I can have a operation on my leg, I have mobility issues which makes it hard with weight loss, I have missed out on so much being pretty much home bound and all I want is this tool to help aid me in my journey as I have tried so much over the years. I just wished they wouldn't make me have to start all again, because what about all the hard effort I have already put in? Giving fact I was at a hospital appointment at the time and how badly I need this surgery, I feel it was really unfair to refer me back to my gp since I was at another hospital appointment. I'm just over ready to get this journey started, I feel like how long will the wait be this time? I really told myself not to feel like that, but i guess as the appointment approaches, I just really wish I could show them how dedicated,focused and determined i am for this. In my mind I'm ready to start my liver shrinking diet and head for surgery but in reality I now have to wait for the 1st appointment where you do there (probably Septembers appointment) then its what tests and checks they will want me have from then. Its just a shame its taking me this long to start my journey. Sent from my SM-N770F using BariatricPal mobile app

I contacted my nutritionist because I've stalled for about 3 weeks. I also started keeping track of food intake through an app. I've noticed I'm not getting enough protein and eating higher carbs. So I will be visiting with him to figure the best course of action. I'm 7 months out. My highest weight when I began was 365lbs....surgery weight was 324lbs and my current weight is 232lbs. So I'm loosing weight and doing well but I have a goal and I don't want to derail myself. I've worked to hard to get here. I want advice to get me back on track. That's why we're here.. accountability and support navigating through all of this. Because let's be honest if we had it down we wouldn't need to be here to begin with. So we can be kind, supportive, and keep each other accountable all in one![emoji173][emoji173] Sent from my SM-G998U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yeah it’s tough - like you say it’s no ones business. I have been on so many diets, it won’t be unusual that I’ll lose the weight - no one will be expecting me to keep it off. I am doing the same, calling it a routine op & healthy kick, not entirely untrue. How have you found it so far? Any advice x

This sounds very strange. I know requirements are different in the US from Australia but I did think, based upon other forum member stories, that if you met the bmi &/or comorbidity requirements at the start of the approval process you were fine. Almost all of us have to undergo a pre surgical weight loss regime. If we became ineligible for surgery because we lost enough weight on this diet to drop us below the bmi minimum, a hell of a lot of us wouldn’t have had our surgery. I would certainly be asking further questions of your surgeon & your insurance company. If your bmi is 41 I wouldn’t have expected you would have needed any associated comorbidities to be eligible for surgery. Good luck.

Hi everyone, I had my surgery on 5/18 and after working through some adjustments, I’m very happy to see the weight coming off. Not as fast as the first month, but glad it’s still moving in the right direction. HW 289 SW 260 CW 225 The gas experience is a lot to deal with…

115 is doable of you really want to get there (i’m 5’2” and got there a couple months into maintenance). You may not want even want too when you get closer…who knows. For ease on the mind, it may be beneficial to set incremental goals so you can still celebrate progress without getting down on yourself? Or even non-weight goals, like fitting into a pair of pants, or running a specific distance, or getting off a certain med, etc. Also, keep in mind that your excess skin is also adding to the number on the scale. Your have a relatively high starting weight (and low-ish height) and you will likely have a fair bit of extra skin to account for. But dude, congrats on losing 135 lbs, that’s amazing!

I am 3 + years post op and have maintained my 90lb weight loss since then. I could really stand to lose 10 more lbs but have never been able to get it off. My current diet consists of 70 grams of protein, 3 cups of veggies, 2 protein shakes and sometimes a vodka soda water. Up my protein? I don’t eat carbs…maybe 20grams tops per day.

When does the clock start in regards to weigh in and you cannot gain any weight. During my consultation with my bariatric surgeon I weighed in at 218-219. Based on my height and weight and he said that if I dropped down to 212 I would not qualify just on BMI alone. He also advised me that if I didn't believe I had any co-morbidities that I should gain an extra 5-10 pounds for cushion (like I don't have enough LOL) So can anyone advise me on when the clock start. When the weigh in start being documented and I cannot gain anymore weight.

Yep. You can contact your insurance company and they should be able to tell you the requirements for the surgery. My husband had RNY in December 2020, and he was recommended this surgeon by the insurance company. I'm using the same surgeon, but having the sleeve. For my insurance (BCBS) I have to: - Attend a WLS informational seminar before I could schedule an appointment with the surgeon. This was put on by the surgeon via Zoom. They scheduled this for me when I called to start the process. I think they do these once a month at her office. -Meet with the surgeon, (I ate a huge lunch before I went in hopes of ensuring my BMI was high enough to qualify, lol. It worked). -Attend a diet and nutrition class led by the surgeon, (this was 1 hour by Zoom). She explained the post op diets and what was allowed/not allowed after surgery. She mostly does not require the pre-op liquid diet...only for those with tight abdomens who need to shrink their liver so she can more easily access the stomach. -Attend 1x per month for 3 months meeting with a nutritionist where I show *some* weight loss at each meeting. I didn't ask what happens if I gain. My husband did this during 2020 and said it was all via Zoom - they just asked him what his weight was, and he told them he lost a pound or two. He didn't get on a scale, but he ultimately lost weight between his 1st appointment and surgery date. -Psychological evaluation, (my surgeon's office uses a service where you can schedule this via telehealth for anytime of day). -Lab work -Chest xray They scheduled me for all these appointments in my first meeting with the surgeon. So far, my pre-op appointment is scheduled for 9/29, so hopefully my surgery will be sometime in October. I can only know what my surgeon told me, which specifically was not to lose too much weight, (even 10 lbs) or I could disqualify myself for surgery. I'm just going to be as healthy as possible and if I lose too much weight and get disqualified, I'll self pay. I hope this is more informational than my last response. Good luck to you! Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m 7.5 years out. After losing 130 lbs I hovered at about 15 lbs over that up until about 3 months ago. Oddly, I’ve been gaining while consuming about the same calories and carbs as well as same level of exercise. Now up about 27 lbs from lowest level. Not sure what to do, but I suppose the obvious is lowering calories and carbs and at least maintaining exercise levels.

I had it done and it was a complete waste of €1700. I saw absolutely no difference and I am very sorry I did it. It was a simple procedure that lasted perhaps 90 minutes. It amazes me that they could charge so much without results. So I would not go that route. I had a breast reduction and lift where they removed skin and made my saggy boobs look fantastic and was the best decision ever. I also had a tummy tuck which I was not so happy with, but the loose skin is gone. In it's place is a very ugly scar and I wasn't able to exercise for almost 3 months in which I gained some weight. So, hope that information is helpful.

Doctors' philosophy on this vary from a few weeks to never again depending upon their experiences. The basic issues are: Healing - alcohol is somewhat corrosive to the stomach lining so one needs to give things a chance to heal first, Typically we see a few weeks to a few months sited for this. Alcohol tolerance - rapid stomach emptying means it tends to hit faster, and with less (i.e., a "cheap drunk") so care must be taken there, Transfer addiction - we can no longer satisfy whatever addictive tendencies we have with food, so it is easy to transfer that addiction to something else, like alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, etc. What was a casual habit of a glass of wine with dinner occasionally can easily turn into full blown alcoholism. Liver health - starting as morbidly obese, or worse, our livers are not usually in very good shape to begin with (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that are often prescribed) and the liver is further stressed from its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are rapidly losing. It doesn't need any more stress from ingesting a known liver toxin like alcohol (not a judgemental thing, just our physiology at work). My surgeon is also a biliopancreatic (livers and pancreas) transplant surgeon, so he is in the no alcohol as long as we are losing weight camp (and ideally forever) and indeed we sign a contract to that effect - he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table! Those are the issues in play, and some aspects bother different surgeons to different degrees, so they have different policies. Check with what your surgeon's policy is, and decide for yourself - we are all adults here.

timmytommy, ColieCallwell, I'm surprised you wouldn't be approved if you lost too much weight durring the process. I thought insurance used your starting weight for approval. This just proves how everyone's path to surgery and requirements are different. timmytommy, what you'll need to accomplish during your six-month pre-op depends on what your insurance requires and what your doctor/ surgeon wants/needs to prove that you're physically and mentally ready for surgery. You may be required to do the following: Begin a medical weight loss program Lose weight Have psychological evaluation See a registered dietician (RD) See an exercise therapist or get on an exercise plan Attend a support group for bariatric patients Reduce soda/ alcohol Stop smoking/ using tobacco products Make dietary changes Increase protein Start a vitamin/ Supplement routine Sleep studies/ Maintain CPAP/BiPAP compliance Labs/ Tests: blood panel for CBC, thyroid function, B12, HgbA1--for prediabetes/diabetes, other vitamins EKG/ cardiac stress test EDG (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) Good luck!

I swear some nutritionalists just read from the one help sheet like first level tech support 😉. They can’t answer your question if it isn’t on their formulaic answer sheet. No help for individual needs. I was lactose sensitive until my surgery (the parasite causing it was removed with most of my tummy - whoo hoo). I still drink lactose free milk - it’s very similar to ordinary milk in texture & flavour & has extra long use by dates which I appreciate. Try some lactose free yoghurt & cheese - there are a few brands about you could try. Watch increasing your calories by increasing your fat & oil consumption too much or watch the types you add to your diet. You don’t want to increase your cholesterol. Try increasing your fruit & vegetable consumption & add good whole/multi grain carbs. Add some nuts. I think as I’ve told you before, I struggled to stop losing too. Others have too. I ate three meals a day plus 5-6 snacks. I swear I was eating all day long but I tried to ensure the snacks were nutritionally sound. It took a year for my weight to stabilise. I still snack about 4 times a day as I walk a fine line of gain or lose. I wasn’t too concerned while I was still losing because of that potential bounce back gain. Also my portion sizes are larger than what they were at 12 months so that helps keep my calories up too so that will likely happen for you too. Give yourself & your body time to settle. Your new set point may be lower than what you expected. And don’t worry if you think you look too thin or gaunt - this changes too once you stabilise. At 18 months, people would say I looked terrible & should stop losing (my uncle told my mother I looked like death). Now those people tell me how great I look. I hope you can find a more supportive & helpful nutritionalist or dietician.