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I had understood that the weight they use is the start of the pre-op diet, which won't start for a few months yet. This is all what I've done on my own trying to change my habits. Anyway, they haven't seen me in the office to get a "verified" weight due to COVID.

Was the 38.6 a snapshot in time? If you can find a higher recorded weight, you could argue that the 38.6 was when you were dieting and that you weren't able to maintain it on your own.

My insurance qualified me on my starting weight, not my weight on the date of surgery. My surgeon's office confirmed this with me on my first visit. I believe that is true for most if not all insurance companies, so double check with yours!

I started this journey at the end of January with a BMI of 49.6 and now my BMI is 44 (lost more than 35lbs so far). If I lose 19 more lbs I won't qualify for surgery anymore, and my surgery won't be for 2 more months at least. I'm losing about 9lbs a month, so it is entirely possible that I could have a BMI under 40 in 2 months! I don't have any other health conditions that would qualify me for surgery at a lower BMI, so I don't know what to do. I don't want to go back to the way I was eating before, and I know that I am always either gaining or losing weight. I'm eating lower carb and higher protein, so I'm just not really hungry. I never thought I'd have this problem!

it's possible it could be hormone related. A lot of people report mood swings (and for women, screwed-up menstrual cycles) for the first few weeks or months following weight loss surgery. It's evidently due to estrogen being released from fat cells during rapid weight loss. It eventually stabilizes.

Hi everyone, I have been suffering with Depression for 14 years. Some days, the symptoms are less intense and those are my good days. Other days it can be much worse. I’m on psych meds to help me cope. I am post op for about three weeks now after getting a gastric bypass done and I have noticed a few dips in my mood. I am trying to figure out whether these fluctuations are due to the gastric bypass op or my usual ongoing Depression. I know that I have been experiencing a lot of changes at the moment and that could be cause of my mood plummeting. In two days time, I will be graduating from the full liquid diet to puréed food. Just want to get an idea what you are experiencing if you are a weight loss surgery patient who battles Depression. Thanks 😊

Good luck! I would say to be open to doing things differently than you were expecting, if your body needs it. I had heard that tastes could change after surgery, and this was true in my case. All of the protein supplements I had purchased and planned to take made me vomit. After a lot of research and reading reviews, I found one that works for me. All of the vitamin supplements did the same. Pharmacists can be very helpful in this case, for example finding a slow release iron pill. Take notes on what you are eating for a while, times you eat and drink, times you take medicines and supplements, etc. If there is a problem later, it will help your team figure out what could be causing it. I am still a newbie, but I found out there is often a stall in weight at three weeks. Mine lasted for 12 days before it started inching down again. Don’t get worried.

Follow your plan. This is important because your plan has been designed to aid healing. Remember there’s a lot of stitches & staples holding your tummy together & you don’t want to risk putting strain or pressure on your tummy before it’s fully healed. Listen to your body. It will tell you what you can or can’t do or eat yet. Things are going to be different but you’ll get used to the changes & how your body may react. It’s not a competition. You’ll lose at the rate that’s right for you. You will lose some hair. Can’t stop it because it’s how your body reacts to the surgery & the reduced food intake. It’s just an acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle. The hair loss will stop. Your new hair is still growing in but just at its usual rate which is why your hair may look thin for a while until it catches up. You will have stalls along the way. It’s just your body taking a breath to catch up with the changes. They may last a week or up to three but they do stop & you’ll start losing again. You will experience constipation. Often a lot of constipation. Include some soluble (non swelling) fibre in your diet & have some stool softeners on hand. You may experience a temporary change in your taste buds. Some also find their sense of smell becomes more sensitive for a while. Some foods may suddenly become disgusting because of their taste or smell. Some people find binders useful post surgery as a support while healing. It’s an individual thing. I didn’t use one. Now the bad news - there is little you can do to stop or reduce the chances of having loose skin. It’s why so many have plastic surgery to remove it. The loose skin is a result of your fat stretching out your skin. Think of a hair band that’s been stretched out from lots of use & is loose. Ain’t nothing goes to make that band as tight as it was when it was new. How much loose skin you have depends upon factors like age, gender, how long you’ve been at your highest weight, etc. if you’re young & still have a lot of natural skin elasticity you likely won’t have as much as someone older like me. Don’t mean to scare you just wanted you not to be surprised if these things do happen. While they are common experiences, it seems they are things that many medical teams don’t tell their patients to expect. They can be quite scary when they occur if you don’t know they can. Good luck.

Hi everyone, I’m less than 3 months post a Sadi and would love to hear from those that had their procedure a couple of years ago or more to see how you’re finding it, has the weight loss been easy to keep off and is it working as well as you had hoped? Thanks in advance!! 😊

Thank you for this feedback. This will be VERY helpful. I don't want to lie but I also don't want folks all in my business. My surgery is scheduled for the beginning of August. I have NO desire to share this with anyone besides my husband. My kids will also not know. I have never discussed my weight or other medical issues with anyone before so why would I now. Eventually I may decide to share to help another or when I'm on the others side of this BUT that change should be up to me. I am a private person. Also, I feel I really just need to focus on getting my mind and body right before my surgery and reaching a healthier place. Again, thanks for this suggested dialogue.

Nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ve had regular fittings all y life. The women are usually very professional. I explained I had lost a lot of weight & the fitters understood perfectly what had happened. They’ve truely seen it all. There were stats going around at one time that 80% of women wear the wrong size bra.

I had multiple food allergies as an infant and toddler and became a chubby kid with a mom that restricted my eating. At age 7 my mother committed suicide and I began stealing candy from the local drug store. I hated vegetables, loved carbs, cheese and fried foods. I was alternatively rewarded and cajoled for my eating. I managed my weight in early adulthood by doing 500 calorie a day diets and staying active. I gained 80lbs with each of my pregnancies, and stopped nursing my second child early so I could do a calorie restrictive diet. I got down to almost normal weight, then started gaining, weighing 280 lbs in my mid thirties. I divorced my husband, lost some weight, started working out. Decided I'd just get comfortable being 50-60lbs overweight and was for fifteen years. By the time I hit my 50's I was steadily gaining, then losing (no carb diets, doctor supervised diets, calorie restricted diets, personal growth programs - because certainly there was something wrong about me that I could fix!) I was depressed, borderline diabetic and took meds for blood pressure, thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, PPI for reflux and used a CPAP. I gained an additional 40lbs during the pandemic because I literally decided I would eat anything I wanted - and I did. Shortly after the first of this year, I realized I was constantly thinking about dying. The only future I saw was of my continual decline. I could see no way to interrupt the path of my life. Then, I saw a post of an acquaintance on Facebook who had VSG four years ago. She looked fabulous and seemed so happy. I contacted her and we met for lunch. I began to consider surgery and started doing my homework on it. When my insurance turned me down, I again reached out to my friend who had gone to Mexico to have hers. She offered to accompany me if I decided to do it. I discussed it with my kids. I met with my doctors and told them what I was thinking. They all supported the surgery, although one was concerned about me traveling for it. I researched the surgeon, found Bariatricpal.com and read some of your stories. I journaled and wrote about my big why, and I began to have hope for my future. I started to imagine my life without the shame and fear around eating and food. I called everyone I knew who'd had bariatric surgery and asked them about their experiences. Finally, I called my Facebook friend back and told her I was committed. I paid my deposit, scheduled the surgery and I haven't looked back once.

Just wanted to fill people in on what my experience has been like thus far since surgery. If you want to know something I forgot to mention, please don't hesitate to ask. HOSPITAL STAY: So I had my surgery May 19th around 10:30 am. I was in recovery and waking up by 11:45 am. All that went smoothly. The first day I was so dang tired that I drifted off and on while sitting in the chair in-between walking around and drinking. I felt bad for my husband who stay with me all day. He was totally content and happy to be there but I knew he too was tired so about 7pm I made him go home (visiting hours ended at 8 anyway). LOL When I first got to my room I was like, OMG I have HORRIBLE burning like heartburn and even complained about it. They gave me some sort of Gas chew and it didn't do jack. It wasn't until I got up and walking around that I figured out it was NOT heartburn but related to that gas inside and the walking helped that feeling subside. They gave me nothing but water or Gatorade Zero while there and I was totally fine and content with that. They mentioned medicine if I was nauseous but I never was. I felt totally fine and normal but for the one incision site that's to the right and up from my belly button. Doc said that's the typical complaint spot and where he pulls the extra stomach through so that's to be expected. But it hurt like hell when first standing from sitting and also wiping after peeing. Uggghhh. I slept in a chair sitting up that night when I could sleep which really only amounted to 3 hours total. I was given Tylenol for pain and an Oxycodone once on that first night. They sent me home with the Oxycodone too for pain and so far I have only taken it once at night to help with that pain while sleeping. The next morning they took more blood work and everything came back good and they allowed me to go home by early noon. Mostly because my pain was managed by meds and because I was easily able to get enough water down and I was not sick. Also, I did not pack much but I did pack my cell phone, charger, kindle, Biotene, Chapstick, brush, toothpaste and toothbrush, extra underwear and that was it. I did not use ANYTHING but for my brush and, right after surgery, put on my own undies and a pad since I got my period the day before surgery. I did not even use my cell phone (maybe once to post here) cause I was just so dang tired (plus trying to get my liquids in and walking) and hubby did all the updating to others for me. I mostly watched TV as it was on for background noise more than anything. MOVING AROUND: Every day is getting better but this dang incision spot is a ******!!! Can't wait for it to stop hurting cause I'm really tired of sleeping sitting up. I tried every way possible to lay down and it's just not possible! The dang area feels like it's burning and tearing apart when I do. Otherwise I'm following orders and walking around. I do not feel I still have a lot of gas issues but I most definitely feel like I am swollen about my stomach area for sure. APPEARANCE: I was actually surprised at how weird my stomach looked after surgery. Normally my stomach is smooth/one size all over and flat/round-ish (except for my little fat pouch right under my left breast that's been there forever). But upon looking at my stomach after surgery, I feel like some spots are like poofed out and others dented in, if that makes sense. Especially the bad incision spot. Strange. Not sure how else to explain it. Today is day 4 and it looks like I'm starting to bruise around most, if not all, incisions. Just slightly. FOOD/WATER: So my after diet consists of 2 weeks FULL LIQUIDS, followed by 1 week PUREE, and 2 weeks SOFT FOODS, then finally normal foods. Strange enough, I have had NO problem getting in 64 oz of liquid at all. I've had no chest pain, full feeling or sickness. A few times I had what feels like if you drink too much how it creates a sorta air bubble that hurts for a split second but then it passes. Otherwise, no issues. In fact, a few times after trying to drink/gulp like I normally would, I had to stop and remind myself that I no longer could do that. So weird cause I feel, aside from the incision pain, I would never know I even had surgery. So right now since all I've been able to ingest is liquids, I'm not sure if this is gonna be a blessing or an issue. On one hand I'm glad I can seem to "eat" and drink normal and also have had no aversions to taste. But on the other hand, I worry that will not help me in the long run to lose weight. This remains to be seen but I am scared I won't lose for this reason. So far I've had protein shakes, water, Gatorade Zero, the broths from creamed soups, sugar free popsicles and that's it. MEDICINE: I was told I wouldn't be able to swallow anything bigger than a tictac. That was a lie. I have been able to swallow all my pills, even the big ol Metformin, with no issue. POTTY: Had my first BM on my second day home. Had several a day since. No problems there either. WEIGHT: Not that I expected anything yet but, I have gotten on the scale and it's the same as it was the day of surgery. I think that's it. Can't think of anything else right now but if you have any questions please ask.

I had a longer prep as I needed to lower my BMI for a safer surgery but otherwise I did as you have. I bought vitamins and stocked up on protein shakes ahead of time. I also bought some sugar free Jello and SF popsicles (Popsicle brand is the best), which tasted good after surgery. I craved something salty so I had chicken broth/bullion on hand (though too much salt contributes to edema and I may have overdone it at least one day). Having had laparoscopic gall bladder surgery five years ago I was relatively prepared for the tummy soreness, but honestly the pain isn't horrible after VSG and I got by with just Tylenol after I got home. I think anxiety is just a part of any surgery, but I think you're on the right track by being prepared. Make sure you have people lined up to vacuum and lift anything heavy for you for a while and plan to just take care of yourself for several days. I also listened to the meditations/visualizations provided by Kaiser Permanente for people having surgery and they were soothing https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/podcasts/conditions-diseases/surgery Oh another thing I'd recommend is to do some journaling. There is a forum on this site called "What is your Why?" I loved digging into that and I found focusing on my Big Why would alleviate my fears or at least balance them out. I wrote about being healthy, fit, feeling in control of my eating. I'd write about the things I'll be doing this winter and next summer with my grandkids that I've avoided doing now. And, in the next day or two, measure yourself everywhere from ankles to neck and record those measurements. I did, and I know there will be times in the near future when my weight loss plateaus. I will re-measure then and relish in the inches lost even if the scale doesn't budge. Check in with us and let us know how you're doing. There is a wealth of knowledge in these forums and very soon you will be the one supporting someone who is just getting started. Your experience will serve as inspiration for others. I can't wait to hear all about your successes!!

btw - I was looking forward to not having to deal with the loose skin setting the scanners off after I had plastic surgery (because oddly, that DOES set it off for some of us), but I STILL beep, even though all the excess skin is gone. I don't know what it is. I know surgical staples don't (they're made of titanium, which MRI machines don't pick up - so maybe that's why airport scanners don't, either), but maybe the clips I have in my abdomen from plastic surgery do - I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, I still beep. Grrrr. P.S. earlier in the weight loss phase I didn't beep - because I didn't have all the loose skin then. But I DID have the staples then - so they aren't what sets it off.

Love this topic! So far my milestones have been: BMI under 40 and out of the obese class III category Being able to walk my neighborhood hills without stopping for a break. Reaching my most recent "low" weight of 130 Reaching 215-220, the weight range I maintained between ages 25-35 Body fat composition being below 50% fat (it's at 49% right now, but still) fitting into my smaller sized clothing stash Upcoming short to mid-term milestones that I am looking forward to include being under 200#, BMI under 35, weighing less than my husband, and walking the neighborhood hill loop in under 40 minutes.

Thank you love!!!! I have bought me some compression socks, a binder, and compression arm sleeves so when I do go walking and start to loose weight I want have loose skin

First of all, I want to share some stats/background. I am 47 years old (46 at time of WLS). I was 264 at my highest weight, which is also my weight before starting the pre-op diet. I was a plus size 20-22 in jeans, and a 2X in tops. My surgery date was 7/6/20. I reached my chosen goal weight of 150 on 2/26/21. My current weight is 132. I wear a S/XS in tops and a 0 or 2 in most pants/jeans. I am pretty tall at 5’8”. My bra size went from 40DD to a 34B. I love my new body, being the fittest in my adult life, and being healthy. With that being said, I really miss having boobs. The loose skin on my butt folds uncomfortably under my tailbone when I sit or lay down. My tummy flops around unless I am wearing something tight or with compression. My legs are very saggy. I am scheduled for plastic surgery in Mexico on 5/29. I am going to get a belt lipectomy (360 tummy tuck), with butt lift, a breast lift, and breast augmentation. I am hopeful the belt lipectomy and time will make a thigh lift unnecessary in the future, but we will see. I really do not want the scars. My arms have a bit of loose skin, but not enough to make an arm lift necessary, IMO. I chose Mexico for price and proximity. I know Florida is better priced for plastic surgery than most, if not all, of the rest of the US, but I really do not want to travel that far (Nevada). I will be going alone and I will be there for 6 days. When I get home, I have my family to help take care of me, including my wound care nurse husband. I am super excited for this next step in my weight loss process and honestly can’t wait to have boobs again! 😀 I have added some pics of pre-WLS (yikes😞), and now, pre-plastics. I will post more as I as go, including after photos. 😀😀

Those are all post op symptoms. I didn't weigh myself until I was over a week post op, when the bloating and edema had subsided. As to the inability to concentrate, that is also really common. Every system in the body takes a back seat to healing and your body is going through a significant change. Be sure you're getting adequate fluid intake. Dehydration is a common cause of mental fatigue and concentration issues. Mostly though, be patient. Your body needs to adjust. Stay on your program and the weight will begin to slide off you. Best of luck.

Hello everyone, My name is Bariatric852. I am a 28 year old female who has just undergone laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery earlier this month. I am coming up to three weeks post op on a full liquid diet. I am craving solid food so much - I miss chewing my food. I am actually looking forward to puréed food stage starting on the 27th of May. The various weight loss surgeries were initially brought up by a specialist in a sleep clinic dealing with my sleep apnea. This was nearly three years ago. During these years leading up to my surgery, I have seen a multitude of doctors and specialists. Psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, surgeons, dietitian, physiotherapist. A lot of professionals to see. I have quite a few health problems such as Clinical Depression, PCOS, Sleep Apnea, high blood pressure and Borderline Diabetes... The doctors gave careful consideration to all of the above and gave me the green light to go ahead with the surgery this year. I was given the choice of gastric sleeve or gastric bypass. I chose the bypass.  My weight, at it’s heaviest was 155kg or 341.7lbs. In preparation for the surgery I had to lose 5-10% of my body weight. I managed to do this and my weight pre op was 125.5kg or 275.6lbs. Three weeks later and my current weight is 120.6kg or 265.9lbs. My family say I look a little thinner especial around my face. I know I have a long journey ahead of me. Life-long dietary supplements and antidepressants (21 pills a day). And a lot of hard work to be put in. But I look forward to seeing my weight drop and my body and mind becoming healthier.

It's very likely just a temporary weight gain due to the three or four week stall or just the change from liquids/pureed foods to soft. It happens. Keep on your post op guidelines and you will be fine.

Gained weight after starting soft foods, is that possible? Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

After thinking a long time, I believe the issue is this: I came off a liquid diet, and then two weeks later I had fully reintroduced solids (which was around the time this happened). I also therefore was able to put some carbs in, so I came off ketosis. (The protein drinks I was on had ~no carbs.) Also, I've been eating probably a bit more salt than I should. From previous experience, keto makes me lose about 10 lbs of glycogen weight in the starting "whoosh." 10 lbs + solid food in various parts of digestion + some water retention from salt = 15-20 lbs depending on the water retention. So it's probable that I just haven't lost nearly as much actual fat as I think I have, which is extremely depressing, but at least there's an explanation. That said, I'm about 4 inches off both my waist and my hips, so clearly something happened. Though given my consistent weight for the past 2 weeks or so, I'm probably stalled right now. I did just start up a 3x/week strenuous weightlifting program, so hopefully that puts a dent in it. My doctor is horrible at getting back to me on any kind of schedule, so I had to attack this myself. The awful part is that 240 lbs is my normal weight pre-pandemic. All that work to return to the status quo.

Hello everyone, My name is Bariatric852. I am a 28 year old female who has just undergone laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery earlier this month. I am coming up to three weeks post op on a full liquid diet. I am craving solid food so much - I miss chewing my food. I am actually looking forward to puréed food stage starting on the 27th of May. The various weight loss surgeries were initially brought up by a specialist in a sleep clinic dealing with my sleep apnea. This was nearly three years ago. During these years leading up to my surgery, I have seen a multitude of doctors and specialists. Psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, surgeons, dietitian, physiotherapist. A lot of professionals to see. I have quite a few health problems such as Clinical Depression, PCOS, Sleep Apnea, high blood pressure and Borderline Diabetes... The doctors gave careful consideration to all of the above and gave me the green light to go ahead with the surgery this year. I was given the choice of gastric sleeve or gastric bypass. I chose the bypass. My weight, at it’s heaviest was 155kg or 341.7lbs. In preparation for the surgery I had to lose 5-10% of my body weight. I managed to do this and my weight pre op was 125.5kg or 275.6lbs. Three weeks later and my current weight is 120.6kg or 265.9lbs. My family say I look a little thinner especial around my face. I know I have a long journey ahead of me. Life-long dietary supplements and antidepressants (21 pills a day). And a lot of hard work to be put in. But I look forward to seeing my weight drop and my body and mind becoming healthier.

Not sure if any moderators are reading this, but it would be great if there were an easier, more accessible, faster way to update our weight loss, such as a tab to click on at our homepage. Even after being in the forum for more than two years, I still have trouble navigating to the surgery progress page to update my weight.