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I would love to scuba again. It's been at least 10-11 years since I last went. Another thing that is really general is just going places with the family. I have avoided every family event, party, family trip etc for years now because I don't feel comfortable with the way I look and feel. So many more things...

Separ, I am trying to make the same decision myself and have been researching the heck of this subject. It doesn't help that the medical community is split on this subject--just like many of us. There are some facts about both procedures that are not in dispute. First, if you have Type 2 Diabetes, there are multiple studies that show that bypass has substantially greater likelihood of resolving diabetes when compared to other surgical options. Researchers don't know exactly what mechanism is triggered by bypass that makes so much more effective--but the result is clear (particularly for people with mild to moderate T2DM who have had the disease for 8 years or less). Gastric Sleeve is also beneficial for those with T2DM, but not to the same degree. Second, if you have acid reflux (all the time, not just after a crazy night of Mexican or Indian food), sleeve is probably not the way to go. It can make reflux worse and it can cause reflux in people that didn't have it before the surgery. The reflux can be control with proton pump inhibitors (pepcid ac etc.), but it's not great to be on those long term. In the alternative, bypass is used as a treatment to reduce reflux for people that suffer from it. Third, gastric sleeve is a less invasive procedure (although it is still major surgery), but the complication rate between the two procedures are pretty comparable. There are some small statistical differences that favor the sleeve, but those numbers don't really have much real world significance. Some of the historical data for bypass is skewed because the surgery was done as an open procedure in many cases before 2011. It's almost exclusively done laparoscopically today--which reduced the complication rate so it's pretty much the same as the sleeve. Fourth, the prep and recovery from both procedures is the same, so that shouldn't be a factor in your decision. Fifth, many people that have bypass experience dumping syndrome, which makes it difficult to process simple carbohydrates and greasy/fatty fried foods. If you have a carb addiction, this will stop you from eating those carbs--and it will punish you. There's a funny story about Al Roker (who had gastric bypass) having explosive diarrhea while he was visiting the White House years ago (worth a google). You can have some food intolerance after sleeve, but it's not the same by any means. Sixth, gastric bypass has a malabsorption component, which requires more supplementation than is required for the sleeve. There are some long term studies which show that after several years, your body adjusts and the malabsorption component is less of an issue (and less of a benefit). The jury is still out on this. Seventh, there is a dearth of long term studies on sleeve, so we don't know how effective it will be 10 years post op and what long term issues might arise. Bypass has been around for a lot longer, so we do know that it is generally very effective for the long term. We do know that sleeve and bypass have reasonably comparable weight loss results at the 3 and 5 year mark, although people tend to lose about 5-10% more with the bypass and they lose it faster (which may or may not be a good thing). Eight, gastric sleeve can be revised and converted to a bypass or a duodenal switch if you fail to lose sufficient weight or have difficulty controlling diabetes or reflux. The benefits of revision are limited when compared to your first surgery (at least as far as weight loss is concerned). The options for revising gastric bypass are more limited. That said, many bariatric surgeons believe that you should go with what they consider the more effective and proven surgery out of the box and that shouldn't go into your primary surgery thinking that if doesn't work out you can just switch it up later on. Moreover, there is a higher complication rate with revisions, revisions are less effective than primary procedures and some insurance carriers have more challenging criteria for qualifying for revisions than primary surgeries. Ninth, for people that: (i) extremely high BMI's (over 70); (ii) are older (over 65); (iii) have pulmonary or heart issues; and (iv) have had significant abdominal surgery in the past, gastric sleeve may be preferable. It takes less time to perform; therefore, you are under anesthesia for shorter period of time. It also doesn't require any rearrangement of the intestines/digestive track. Tenth, if you need to take time released medicine or NSAID's for pain management, gastric bypass may not be the way to go. You can develop ulcers in the unused portion of your stomach and they are not easy to treat. This is definitely a disadvantage of the bypass IMO. I am sure there are some other factors to consider, but these are some of the big ones that strike me as important. I have to make the same decision as you. I am a 44 year old man, 5'9'' and I weighed ~260 at my highest weight (around 245 now). I have mild-moderate T2DM, but a relatively low BMI (just over 35). I am leaning towards bypass because I really want this procedure to resolve my T2DM and I want what I hope will be the most effective. I will have to change some of my medications in the future if I go this route. The surgeon that I am currently working with is a big advocate for the sleeve. I have an appointment to meet with another surgeon in a couple of weeks for a second opinion--so I have definitely not made up my mind yet (and I was also told that I can change my mind last minute--although I assume that means a few days before the surgery date). Anyway, good luck with your choice and ask as many questions as you want!

Not sure if the body can assimilate that much protein in that much time but I'm not heavily protein focused especially migrating towards full vegetarianism (I'm flexible now) and eventually veganism. Plus I'm almost 10 months out I don't think I'm at risk for protein deficiency Breaking the fast: Matcha w/ 5.5 oz premier 15g protein 30-60 mins later salad with eggs or chicken 12-14 g protein 60mins later coffee or match a w/ premier 15 g protein 30-60mins later rest of salad or salmon, chicken, or turkey, tofurky rye cracker sandwich, etc or more matcha w/ premier (rare) usually around 12-15 g protein I've removed snacks, condensed timeframe ... its really not that different than just having a busy day. 20:4 is not permanent, its speed up the process, then dip back to 18:6, etc.

Thank you. I went for my first fill on Saturday and feel silly for being nervous about the pain. I would give the pain a 1/10. It felt exactly like a blood test, other than the wiggling of it. How are you getting on? You had your surgery the day after me we are weight loss twins haha

I'm just past the 5 weeks mark too. I was cleared for soft foods and purees so I switched to egg whites (14 grams protein) and then steamed fish in V8 like Haddock (19 grams right there). I put protein powder in my yogurt for snacks (keeps the fat low and protein boost high). Throughout the day I'll sip on half of a premiere protein. I'm just hitting it.

Yeah this a Good Sign. This means I am still in the top 10 for Beauty. Dang I didn't get,boted out of the Contest,after all. Bet I'm the first one when all: is said and done! 7AM EDT--- beat that-- baby!😷🏣

Happy and sad right now, they canceled my face to face surgery twin’s op because of a mix up with her meds and her selected surgery. So the docs office manager just called and told me they moved my time to her spot, so I will be reporting at 8am tomorrow for 10 am surgery instead of 12:30pm for 3pm. I’m so sad for her right now.

Me! I am having mine done on 9/10. I started a FB Group for September sleevers if you care to join 😊 https://m.facebook.com/groups/2157638997846802

Anyone else out there getting sleeved the week of September 10? Looking for a buddy. My actual date is September 11. I have my last pre-op appointments this Wednesday. Starting to get quite nervous.

Awesome transformation! And, thrift stores - that's a great idea, may I steal it? You have a wonderful looking family as well. I hope to be able to buy clothes from a regular size department instead of always the big & tall, although I will always need tall shirts. The closer I get to my surgery (scheduled for September 6, 2018), the more I wish I did it years ago as well. I'm 52 and have been large my entire adult life, and have been over 300 pounds for at least the past 10 years (I actually cannot remember the last time I weighed less than 300 pounds, so it may be much longer...) Keep it up! and thank you for the inspiration!

I was working out prior to surgery. However, I just had my first post-surgery workout and certainly noticed some changes, both good and bad. The good? Hit a personal best a mile in 9:30. Never really did better than 14:00 on a mile. The bad? Seriously went wayyyy backwards in muscle and weights. I dropped down from a 90lb chest press to only doing 40lb. Went from 25lb bicep curls and squat presses to 10lbs in each. And went from being able to hold a plank for 1:45 to barely being able to hit :30... and totally struggling with leg lifts. So my routine getting back into it is this: Stretch.. then 10 minute cardio warm up.. Then circuit training with chest presses, leg presses, tricep pulls (trying to get at them wings!), squat presses, and thigh lifts. 3 sets of 10 reps each for the above.. Then I ended with planks, ankle biters, and lower leg raises to hit the abs. Did two sets of 30 seconds each. As far as weight goes, start with weights you are comfortable with.. you can always increase if it’s too light, but will injure or be too sore if it’s too heavy.

I have lost a 2mo old horse and 10 dozen large eggs😂

Another weird fact, one of my doctors claims I am carryi,g around a NFL qarterback, get rid of him! We already have enough deadbeat quaterbacks who can't throw,a 5 yard pass on Sunday afternoon. Shoot I'm a 72 year old woman and I got a better arm than that! I was an athletic powerhouse in my day, now I'm a broken-down warehouse. But I am getting remodeled, renovated and realigned . I will make Great American Landmarks and Monuments. Show be on the cover sometime in 2019 or 2020!

A while back someone posted a chart that gave concrete items to equate to how much weight we have lost. I tried to search, but am missing it. Can someone point me to it? I think it would be fun to do again. Thanks in advance! Found it! I have lost one newborn calf and 2 guinea pigs! 1 pound = a Guinea Pig 1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts 2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs 3 pounds = an average human brain 4 pounds = an ostrich egg 5 pounds = a Chihuahua 6 pounds = a human’s skin 7.5 pounds = an average newborn 8 pounds = a human head 10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year 11 pounds = an average housecat 12 pounds = a Bald Eagle 15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs 16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain 20 pounds = an automobile tire 23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year 24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream 30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year 33 pounds = a cinder block 36 pounds = a mid-size microwave 40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of Water or an average human leg 44 pounds = an elephant’s heart 50 pounds = a small bale of hay 55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner 60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!) 66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year 70 pounds = an Irish Setter 77 pounds = a gold brick 80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape 90 pounds = a newborn calf 100 pounds = a 2 month old horse 111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year 117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11″) 118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica 120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month 130 pounds = a newborn giraffe 138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year 140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year 144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’4″) 150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary 187 pounds = an average adult man 200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds 235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger 300 pounds = an average football lineman 400 pounds = a Welsh pony

Whining is allowed. It's "wwwwwwwiiiiiiiinnnnnneeeee-ing" you will be roasted at the stake for doing here. I honestly "exercise" the cravings away. Some might see that as transferrance but I don't honestly see it as that "yet." I get up, get active, do a short burst of activity like walking around the house very fast. About 10 minutes does and extinguished the cravings. For real hunger, I just drink water (water load) until a normal meal or snack time, then I eat a balanced meal. But for food ambivalence, I honestly just relished those times. If I needed to cry I would. I talked it out a lot -- to anyone who would listen. And came here a lot. Your hormones will be all over the place. You just have to remind yourself to process the feelings that come with not having food as one of your medications any more. My food ambivalence period only lasted about 3-4 weeks. So it was just a tiny blip on the radar. Now, that I'm 6 months, I am dealing with the complete opposite and dealing with antipathy to making a lot of effort to make good choices in the face of cravings. I'm so close to goal and am feeling good in my body and comfortable in normal size clothes...these are all very dangerous to my mind-set of "laser focus get to goal at all costs."

By month, I went: 22, 10, 10, 5, 7, 5. So definitely slowing, but I'm partly putting that down to a really weird few months with a lot of unpredictability. Next month will be a lot more stable with regards to schedule and food, kind of curious what that'll mean weight loss wise.

It’s normal. You may be sucking in too much air when eating. Also, They put a lot of air in you during surgery. You should be burping and passing gas. Then, You’ll become more comfortable as gas travels out. Try coughing 10 times every hour too. It helps so much!

Give it a week to 10 days if they already told you that they’re sending it through for approval!

Initial loss will be fairly quick, as there is a lot of water weight lost at first. The general trend will be declining after that, as it takes fewer calories to move 200 lb around 24/7 than it does 300, etc. My basic monthly numbers were (IIRC) 32, 15, 15, 10, 10, 10 and then I started ramping up the calories to slow things down as I was within about 10 of goal weight. YMMV

So I am 6 days post op on full liquid diet. Wife gave me egg drop soup with a little shredded chicken and veggie and it has been no biggie. She “surprised” me today for dinner with Chicken soup with shredded chicken and veggies from a Mexican restaurant that she pureed with a little rice. About 4 oz worth. holy Moses.....about 5-6 bites in, I got some pretty significant tightness in middle of chest. Stayed around for about 10 min. Like the kind when I first started the protein shakes. Fine now. Sipping on protein water. Told her next time let’s added some broth to it to thin it out even more.

I know I have survived the first day with no cheating but I have definitely thought about it and justified in my head why I would have been OK...lol. My surgery is 730 on 9/10. I am having a revision from sleeve to bypass, hiatal hernia repair and my gallbladder removed. Sent from my VS996 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have ignored this rule since surgery when i asked about their effect on the outcome of my success and was told it was negligible. HOWEVER I have reverted to being straw less lately at almost 10 months out. I no longer need them like i thought i absolutely did especially since I just discovered the sippy lid at Starbucks for the cold cups.

10/5 or 7/27?

Ok guys chances are I’m just letting my first stall get the better of me but I’m gonna ask a few questions please feel free to comment on any or all. I was sleeved on 8/20. I lost 24 pounds pre-op. I didn’t gain during two day stay in hospital and immediately lost 10 more the first 5 days after surgery. So that’s 35 total pounds lost. Here’s the problem. I stopped losing weight just 5 days after. For three days now I’ve been at the same weight. I NEVER hear about a first week stall so I’m worried. 1. Is it heard of to stall first week? 2. I’m 7 days post op and can already consume more than 64 ounces (which I was told to work toward) by late afternoon. Is that normal to be able to take in that much so soon. It happened gradually but I’m just scared I’ve already stretched my sleeeve. Which is probably nonsense. 3. Finally, pain. Aside from the nagging faint pain of the big incision I have, is it normal to have rolling pains occasionally from my stomach. Not abs, pretty sure this is stomach. 4. Also, what’s up with all this flatulence. When will I stop farting so much? Thanks.

I was doing well and then have been stalled for the last week or slightly more. I’m down about 19 maybe slightly less since surgery. What about you?