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My wife is thin. She gained from the kids but got back into shape about 5 years after our last, he's 15 now. Plus she found out about 2 years ago that she has hyperthyroidism. So now she's even thinner. She eats really healthy so doubt she will gain any extra pounds. We looked like a 10 when we stood next to each other.

I am 10 years out and no problems, and I don't see anybody complaining about the after effects of RNY and the sleeve. My niece had the RNY about 15 years ago and from the restricted diet she was on permanently, her bones are so brittle that when she fell last year she broke her leg in 3 places because of lack of vital nutrients caused from the elimination of necessary vitamins and minerals that you get from food in your body and not eliminated at a higher rate with the surgery. I hope to keep my band forever, but I am geting pretty sick of all the negativity of people not following the band rules and having problems because of it, so they need it removed.

Just keep a bottle with you at all times. It's odd at first, but after a while it's second nature. I keep a 32 oz bottle with me at all times. So my daily goes kinda like this 8 oz of coffee with 1/2 oz or so skim milk to bind the caffeine 8 -10 oz of skim milk for my protein shake 14-20 oz of water after I finish my shake (whatever the size blender bottle i've used that day gets filled and consumed) 32 oz of water while working etc 4-20 oz of water with my Creatine 16+ oz of water with a propel powder in it while at the gym (Sometimes another round of coffee or maybe some milk or another shake made with Casein) 32 oz of water while home and overnight while sleeping. So I'm getting about 114 oz of fluid a day on the low end 138+ on the high end. It takes time, but as long as you just keep trying to get more, you'll get there.

I have PCOS and am about 10 months post op and 11 weeks pregnant. We were told I don’t ovulate because I literally never get a period. I also only got 1 spontaneous period after surgery but had to take medication in April to get my period and apparently that helped kick start ovulation because I’m pregnant now haha. I would say trust what the doctors say because I miscarried in 2006 and never used contraception from that point on and never get pregnant and we even tried fertility treatments. The surgery definitely regulates hormones!! I thought “pshhh I know I can’t get pregnant” and now I am. It’s a blessing and I’m happy but I was hoping to wait 2-3 years after surgery, not 10 months.

Thanks for checking up on me, @MsTipps - you are doing so well! I was officially down 81.4 lbs at the Dr! Very pleased with my progress, and warned me that weight loss will drop from 2-4lbs a week average to 1-2lbs a week average. Ugh! I really want to lose 10 this month so I can get under 200! Fingers crossed that I lose 9.5 more lbs! The only thing I'm still not doing great with is exercise. I just need to make that happen

Hello I'm 8 days post op, it's challenging just remember to sip sip sip, get plenty of protein to help with hunger. I have found other protein because most people get burned out drinking a lot of shakes. I found the Oikos triple 0 Greek yogurt and has 15 grams of protein vanilla flavor. Also if you're in the pureed stage you can take your meats and puree into your broth or if you guys have ever tried like the vegetarian Morningstar products or Boca. I like the breakfast sausage patties with Morningstar and some other things so just if you want something to snack on for protein their 9 or 10 grams of protein per patty you can take a look at the other products also good to puree in broth. I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners because they make me feel like crap and also they have so many bad chemicals in them I try to stick with things with stevia and it but it's challenging to find some things. I hope this information is helpful to you guys and I wish everyone well on this journey we're all on[emoji4] Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm getting more liquids than 8 oz it's not 64 oz I was to weak I needed to take in a little sugar in 8 oz tea.That will not prevent me from losing weight. My sister had the bypass 10 years ago she understands. She went through it too she reach her goal. It's a little hard for me I'm 50 years old I reach out to my team today. This is the beginning like you said everyone is different. Sent from my SM-N920T using BariatricPal mobile app

So great to hear you're doing so well! I'm eagerly awaiting feeling as good as you are! I'm on my first full day home, had surgery on Monday at 7:30am. Walking for 5-10 minutes has been going okay, I'm having some pain and MAJOR bruising along incision lines, but I've been managing pretty well! The whole drinking 1 oz very fifteen minutes thing is getting old, especially since I have to sit up straight to do it...I kept finding a comfortable/relatively painless way to sit/relax and then the timer went off again...getting up and down is what's been hurting most, I think! Anyway, looking forward to incremental progress over the course of this week! Thanks for sharing what one week out has looked like for you!

This is what I posted on another post: I got my sleeve in December 2013 at 315 lbs. Pretty strict for about 10 months. Next holidays, added some goodies and seemed to be able to maintain (had gotten to 210). Never got below that despite being active, not snacking, drinking only Water, not drinking with meals, and eating appropriate portions. For my system, just eating less and exercising isn't enough. I'm at 250 now, less active due to work and caring for my mom who can't be left alone. Surgeon said even if I went back to super strict on the eating, I would lose some but he wants me comfortably below 200 and said I would need the bypass to have hope of getting there and staying there. Eating less and exercising didn't work before the sleeve, maybe I should have considered that having the sleeve wouldn't be much different for me. Hopefully having the added component of malabsorption plus the knowledge that I need to maintain a decently strict lifelong meal plan, will be what works for me.

I was sleeved 2nd May, so 3 months post op now. I"m doing well, mostly feeling good (Aunt flo knocked me around pretty bad mentally the other week). I'm eating 800-1000 calories a day, minimum 75g protein (keeping detailed track in MyFitnessPal) and finding that's plenty to keep my body happy and hunger at bay. I"m not doing any major exercise/extra walking/gym etc, but am doing physical work shifting a lot of dirt, heavy digging, shoveling mulch etc in my veggie patch when the weather allows me (mid-winter here). My weight tends to stay the same for up to a week, then drop for a week, then stagnate again for a bit. I weigh myself most days but never feel disappointed when it's stalling since I know I'm eating well and the scales will eventually drop again. I'm down just over 10 BMI points now and almost half way to goal with a loss of 28kg (62 pounds), 18kg (40 pounds) of it since surgery.

Has anyone been through Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Bariatric program? I’m scheduled for surgery 10/29. I’m looking for experiences with this provider.

1 week down on the pro op diet! How is everyone feeling about their pre op. I’m so scared that’s liver hasn’t gotten smaller but I’ve lost 10 lbs in a week so I must be doing something right 🤷🏼‍♀️

19 days out, on mushy foods and I'm right there with you though. I look at all this food and can't wait. Crap thing is I'm having such a hard time eating even mushy food I can't imagine how hard it's going to be with regular food. I start pureed foods on Thursday but can't imagine it's going to be any different than now. I get full in like 2-3 bites and if I eat any more I feel like ****. Hope it gets easier soon.

Hi. I’m going to answer as many of your questions as possible, lol. Yes Dr. Ponce does actually perform the surgery but rarely meets the patients, a few others on this forum have also stated this. However, his reputation in Tijuana is very good if not probably the best if that is any consolation. He gets called by other docs to handle difficult cases. I did make a complaint to Dr. Frayre and to Lana (the driver who picked me up and sent me to the airport— she checked up on me not Ana) Ana coincidentally had the sleeve done the day after I had mine. My bad luck I suppose but otherwise I think things would have gone smoother. I had surgery the same day I flew in even though my flight was delayed and I did not arrive at INT hospital until 3-4 PM. (I should have arrived at 10:30AM and had the surgery late afternoon. I wanted to get it over with to be honest with you and needed the following two days to recover before my trek home. So I insisted they still operate and I think the docs wanted to have the weekend off (I arrived Thursday—surgery Thursday night at 10PM, hospital Friday and Saturday, hotel Saturday to Sunday, went home Sunday morning.) My BMI was 33 when I started preop and 32 when I actually had the surgery. I was charged $6000 total which originally should have been $6500. Now the reason I was charged that was b/c originally I was considered a revision because I had an ESG (similar to gastric plication but they go through the mouth so no incisions) but that was a complete failure because I lost no weight and began to gradually gain. When the surgeons went in they said my stomach looked completely normal as if nothing had been done so they took off the $500. (That showed their honesty in my opinion b/c I had no clue). I still had to be charged the extra $1000 for the SILS because they used the special equipment required and they did discuss with me beforehand that one extra incision may be necessary but once the special SILS apparatus is used they charge. I didn’t mind the extra amount because otherwise I’d have four to six incisions instead of just one and a minute one from the drain. I had 2 c-sections and they were still able to do the SILS but I don’t know about a tummy tuck. Just ask Ana she is very helpful and answers you super fast. The only advice I can give you is download google translate if your Spanish is as bad as mine, walk ALOT after surgery—it’s the only thing that will get rid of the awful gas you’ll have, which honestly by day 2 was so much better. I have not vomited at all since the surgery. I felt really nauseous the first ten minutes after I woke up from surgery and dry heaved but no vomit yet 🤞🏻🤞🏻Thankfully! I did not experience much pain at all just soreness where the incision was (I felt no pain at all at my belly button) and the drain is uncomfortable but they take it out by 2nd day and you’re good to go. No worries the staff and everyone there take really good care of you and your surgeons are top notch. Just be prepared for slower weight loss like me because we have less to lose. The restriction however is fabulous. Once again best of luck and please let me know how you made out!!

My plan 2 shakes a day = 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of fluids jello, water, lemonade, popsicle, broth, for 10 days only. I'm 5 days post op haven't made goal yet, but I'm trying. The hardest thing for me is to eat when I'm not hungry there are times that 2 or 3 hrs will go by with nothing to drink. Sent from my SM-N920T using BariatricPal mobile app

I feel you on starting the liquid diet. I can tell you that it does get easier. By day 3 or 4 your body should start adjusting to it. My pre op diet was 10 days and I am 9 days post op still on the liquid diet. Concentrate on your why and it should motivate you to keep going and stick with it. I barely get hungry now. Just constantly thirsty. Good luck! You can do this!

I’m looking for October 2018 sleevers to share stories and best practices. This has been a long journey and I’m so excited to finally get towards the end. I started in the Bariatric program, September 2017. I completed all pre-surgery requirements and was scheduled for surgery 1/26/18. I was going through this journey with my mother in law. She had sleeve surgery 12/14/17 and passed away one week later on 12/21/17. This was a huge setback for me  and at this point my husband was no longer supportive of the surgery. This resulted in my surgery being cancelled. It has taken time for my family to put the pieces back together. I have had so many ups and downs over the past few months and became discouraged and depressed. My husband is no onboard and has been a big support to me lately. I reentered the bariatric program on 7/26/17. I am tentatively scheduled for surgery on 10/29/18. I have an appointment with a Pulmonologist Monday to be cleared for surgery. I am very happy and am looking forward to a successful journey.

Agree!! Be careful what you eat and don't over do it. I know there are programs that have patients starting mushy foods almost right away but take it slow. I'm half way through mushy foods now at 19 days out and it stresses no lumps. Good luck, hope it works out great for you.

Celebrate does have a $10 sample pack that they ship for free. It comes with a $10 coupon. The sample pack has TONS of options to try. That's where I found the Essential Multi 2 in 1. I figure I don't want to have to manage too manage supplements and pills. Now I just have one bottle to deal with and remember. My doctor hasn't ordered iron for me at this point, so I haven't purchased.

If there were one straightforward aspect of weight loss surgery, it would be weighing yourself. Get on the scale, read the number, get off the scale. Done, right? Not so fast! The scale can be one of your most important tools on your weight loss journey, but only if you use it right. Surprisingly enough, using the scale right can take more than a bit of planning, just like many other aspects of your weight loss surgery journey. The number you see can jump around and start to drive you crazy if you do not know the reasons behind the blips. These are some reasons for some ups and downs on the scale, and how to prevent or at least accept them. Hint: It is probably not yet panic time! Up: Salt (Sodium) Did you have a salty meal last night? Did you snack on pickles, top your chicken with salsa, season your turkey burger with soy sauce or another salty condiment, or help yourself to a big salad with fat-free dressing? Those are all great choices for weight loss, but not for today’s weight. Are you confused? Here is the explanation. Sodium, which we mainly get from salt in foods, has no calories and is one way to add flavor without fat or sugar to food so you can keep calories down for weight loss, But, sodium attracts water. Eat a high-sodium meal or snack, and your body can retain water. You may feel bloated and notice your ankles or fingers swelling. That water inside of you is heavy, and the scale will tell you so. Tip: Do not eat a high-sodium or salty meal or snack the day before your weigh-in, or keep in mind that you did. Up: Stress Long-term, stress eating can add fat to your hips and pounds to the scale. Short-term stress can bump up your weight, too, without overeating. Stress hormones lead to water retention and (see above) water is heavy. Tip: Don’t stress out! Easier said than done, but being aware of stress can help. So can exercising, laughing with friends, and meditating. Up: Big Meal, Day, or Weekend Remember the part about how sodium attracts water? So do extra sugar and carbohydrates. It takes an extra 3,500 calories to gain a pound of body fat, but y you are likely to see your weight jump if you eat a big meal, or have a cheat day, or get out of control on the weekend. That sodium and those carbs can add up more quickly than you expect. A single restaurant meal with rolls or breadsticks, a burger and fries, and a small dessert can have over 5,000 mg of sodium and 200 grams of carbohydrates. That amount may “only” include 2,000 calories (barely over ½-lb’s worth of body fat), but it is enough to bump the scale up as much as a few pounds the next day. Tip: Do not eat too much! If you do have a cheat meal or day, do not weigh in after it. Most people consider Mondays to be a bad day for a weigh-in because weekend diets are often less strict than weekday eating patterns. Up: Lack of Sleep Do you ever feel groggy and heavy when you do not get enough sleep? The scale will confirm that it is not your imagination. You can retain water due to hormonal shifts when you do not sleep enough. Over the longer term, sleep deprivation can make you gain “real” weight (body fat) because lack of sleep: Increases ghrelin, which is a hormone that makes you feel hungry. Increases cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. Reduces your ability to resist cravings. Tip: Get enough sleep. It is not a luxury that is beyond your control. It is an important part of your weight loss lifestyle, so make it a priority. Down: Dehydration Weight loss is one motivation to exercise, but losing too much weight with a single workout just means you are dehydrated, not that you burned off pounds of fat in an hour or so. The scale can show you a low number because you sweated a lot. It can be motivating, but it is not healthy. Dehydration can lead to fatigue and to later water retention – and a bump up on the scale! Tip: drink 8 oz. of water every 20 minutes while you are exercising intensely. Weigh yourself before and after your workout, and drink 16 ounces of water for each pound that you lost during your workout. Down: Sudden weight loss Have you ever started a diet and seen the pounds come off quickly at first before the weight loss tapered off? It may have even happened after WLS if you were one of those patients who lost 10 or 20 lb. within the first weeks. A good portion of that weight was water weight. It happens when your body shifts from gaining weight (or being stable) to losing weight. What happens is that your body loses carbohydrates that were stored in the form of glycogen. Glycogen holds water. When you lose the glycogen suddenly by going low-carb or low-calorie, you lose water, too. So, your scale weight drops fast. Tip: Celebrate those first pounds lost, but keep working hard. Stick to your diet and stay hydrated so the pounds keep coming off for weeks and months to come. Now that you know that the scale can be fickle, you can concentrate on finding the balance between trusting the scale and trusting your diet. If you stay on track with your eating and workout program, and take care of the “little things” such as getting enough sleep and managing stress, you can outlast any bumps on the scale and come out stronger and lighter than ever.

Stopped by a store last night - just to check - and yep! I can now wear a size 10 dress comfortably! Loving my new body, new energy, new menu, new me! I need to work out more though. That's my next step. Increased cardio! Will let you know how it goes!

@BlueEyedAngel28 Congrats! You look fantastic and you look like you feel fantastic! Are you looking at some light cosmetics/plastics down the line? I know there are reports of the excess skin weighing 10-20 lbs, not that you look like you need them, you shrunk right up!

Someone who had a reversal done in 2015: "I had a laparoscopic gastric bypass in 2005. I did my research and was satisfied with everything but one issue that always nagged at me. There were little long-term studies of over 7 years post surgery at that time. The surgery itself was a success....there were no complications and I went from 230 to about 140lbs. I also developed chronic amenia. Six years ago I began to get a very strange headache and had so much pressure on my optic nerves that my eye doctor sent me to a neurologist. My sight was failing at that point too. A contrasting MRI showed there was no tumor on the brain or optic nerves and that it was a "phantom tumor"-- cranial hypertension which is quite rare. The doctor performed a spinal tap to relieve the pressure, put me on medication and monitored me for a few years. It went away and I forgot about it for a few years. On Jan 21, 2015, I had chest/stomach pain that I knew I could no longer self-medicate. I was slowly getting sick for months prior to this but made every excuse...peri-menopausal....being run down...etc. I was admitted to the ER that night with a strangled colon and sepsis due to intestinal twisting. The surgeon opened me....my vitals became too unstable and he decided to resume the surgery in the morning if I lived through the night. He was able to complete the resection the next day. He removed 1/3 of my colon and 72 inches of intestines along with my appendix. I was in a medically induced coma for nearly a week. Moved to a rehab facility for physical and occupational therapy. I was finally able to go home on February 25, 2015. This is when I began to really fail instead of recover. I now had short bowel syndrome. Another extremely rare condition. Nutrients and fats were not being absorbed from the foods I ate, my hemoglobin reached a critical level twice (3 and 4.7) requiring approximately 14 bags of blood for transfusion. I was losing weight rapidly...size 12 at Christmas to a 4 currently. Most of my hair has fallen out and I'm as weak and frail as a colt. I researched Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) and joined NORD, National Organization of Rare Disorders. I also found a closed SBS group on Facebook that connected me with 2 of the most amazing women I've ever met. Both living seven years with SBS. Living with SBS is a living hell. There isn't enough bowel to properly hold food in for absorption and I averaged about 26 explosive diarrheas daily. As soon as I took a bite or a sip of something the churning would start. It was loud and painful. Imagine the worst gas pain and diarrhea you've ever had and then imagine it 24/7. I only left the house for doctor appts. I had no energy and there was always the possibility of a public explosion. I was slowly dying.....wasting away. I had my gastric bypass reversal on August 7, 2015. I was lucky to have a good amount of viable intestines left that the surgeon used to repair the damaged portion. I was told that the surgery was a complete success. I no longer feel the weakness of being malnourished, my mind is clear which means the bacterial overgrowth is gone, food is staying in much longer and bowel movements are down to about 4-6 a day. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday, August 26 to get the staples out and for some labwork. Three interesting things that I recently learned: 1) The scar tissue from my gastric bypass caused the twisting 2) Cranial Hypertension and Short Bowel Syndrome, both very rare, are getting more notice because most of the patients with recent diagnoses have had a gastric bypass years ago....8-10 years is the average for "us patients". 3) Most people don't survive the kind of trauma that I suffered in January. There aren't many advocates speaking up about these very serious complications resulting from gastric bypass surgery." https://www.thinnertimesforum.com/topic/107174-my-gastric-bypass-emergency-resection-and-reversal/

i got my surgery on friday oct 13. this was a long rode and still is. trying to deal with a new life is hard... but well worth it. My highest weight: 274lbs My surgery weight : 232lbs My goal weight was 140lbs jus went to the doctors my weight now is 132lbs she said i jus loose 7 more lbs and i will b done loosing weight. my bmi is finally normal it is 24.. they said i lost 70 % of my body weight... Sent from my SM-S120VL using BariatricPal mobile app

I liked Premiere Protein shakes the best also. I added about 1/3 skim milk because they were so syrupy sweet. Costco prices were more affordable than Target. I think it's important to know what shakes you can stand to drink ahead of time. My pre-op diet was 10 days of sugar free jello, broth, shakes, sugar free popsicles, and other clear liquids. I figured I can do just about anything for 10 days. Then after surgery for 2 weeks, it was more protein shakes, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, runny Cream of Wheat, Greek yogurt, and Cream of Tomato soup. It's kind of comical how quickly you fill up after surgery. 2 tablespoons of soup and I'd be full. I didn't like Cream of Wheat prior to surgery, but I became so bored with what few options I had, I expanded. Good luck!