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I’m 2 1/2 years out from Bypass. Highest 227, lowest 138 and I settled at 142-144. I just had a recent weight gain for the first time and saw 153. Went back to surgeon, scheduled a nutrition appointment and trying phentremine for the first time. Back at 151 and this is part of expected maintenance. I can eat/drink just about everything except for bread, only in small amounts. Working on bringing some numbers back down and I know I have all the tools to do it.

Good afternoon love! Just wanted to reply to your comment and share a bit of my journey with u. I had a revision in December from a VBG(first weight loss surgery approved) in 2004 to a gastric bypass do to esophogus issues, heartburn and major weight gain. I lost 46lbs after revision. The vitamins I see you posted are great but expensive. I have blood check up every 3 months have been amazing and i take a Bariatric vitamin from amazon. 16.77 month. My health is fabulous. Look into amzon for vitamins love. It will really save you money and they work just as well. Please take your daily calcuim after revision and you will be just fine. Good luck and God Bless you

Hi Ashley and welcome! 👋 congrats on meeting your surgery goal weight! The psych eval was very straightforward for me. I was open and honest about why I wanted the surgery, my history of weight gain, loss and regain. Yo-yo dieting and all the self esteem issues that go along with a weight-focused society. You’ll have a pre-op diet before surgery, so it’s easiest to start making small changes now. I started swapping a protein shake for a meal once per day about a month before my pre-op diet started. I also weaned myself off of caffeine. It really helped! I also have a therapist, which I highly recommend if you can. She has helped me realize so many pitfalls of my unhealthy relationship with food. If I didn’t have her to lean on, I’m not sure I would be as successful as I am today. These are my best pieces of advice. Good luck!! Let us know when you get a surgery date set! 😊

I didn't have a pre-op liquid diet. Just a 'normal' weight loss diet. My recollection was that I gained weight which was a constant worry on surgery day. My surgeon repeatedly told me he would cancel my surgery on the day of if I didn't lose weight. Gaining was freaky. As it turned out there were things beyond our control as my surgery was open and instructional for other surgeons. So gain or lose it turns out the surgery was happening no matter what. I was lucky. For once. Good luck, Tek

I am 8 years out from my gastric sleeve. I have gained 35 pounds. I need to get this off! My lowest weight after surgery was 155. Now I’m 190. It’s gotta go. I am retired now so I’m not as active as when I was working. I have back issues and can’t do a lot of exercising. I have been going to line dancing 1 day a week and I can tolerate that pretty well. Give me some tips how to jump start my weight loss again!

I don't know about Ozempic but your surgeon may be going by the recent studies that showed that starting WLS patients on pharmocologic agents after surgery stopped future weight gain. Studies show that half of the patients gain back a third of their weight back, and the medication prevented it. I think it's really up to the individual. I know for myself that I don't want to take any thing (not even "natural" otc appetite suppressants because then I would have to rely on it instead of figuring out the real reason behind me wanting to eat) but if my weight does creep up, I might consider it. I don't know. My fear of being over 300 lbs again has always been a good motivator.

This is one of the negatives of artificial sweeteners. Because your body tastes sweet it reacts as if sugar is being consumed & available to be used as an energy source hence the insulin reaction. The body also reacts by storing calories because there actually wasn’t any sugar which results in weight gain. (There are academic papers on this if you’re interested.) And of course artificial sweeteners continue to feed your desire for sweet. Your body needs some sugar (as glucose, fructose, lactose, etc.) as an energy source. Look for natural sources not ‘added sugars’. I get mine from fruit - blueberries predominately - and keep my added sugar intake to less than 10g a day total (usually only 5g). But it has been my choice to continue this from maintenance.

I am new and have looked over every thread and searched every which way. I am 3 of 6 supervised diet program and keep gaining. I do not understand why. I am eating right, no cheating, exercising to the best of my ability (i get horrible headaches and dizzy), taking the vitamins but still gaining. I have Carefirst BCBS VA and looked at the medical policies required for the surgery. NO WHERE does it say I have to loose weight during the diet phase. I obviously cant seem to do it alone thats why im going for the surgery. Im 5'4 with a BMI of 49.7 as of this mornings weighing. my insurance policies say i need a BMI over 40 and psych eval. Anyone have experience with Carefirst rejecting due to weight gain? I am at my limit and stressing so bad which I am sure is adding to my weight gain. Hoping for surgery in June 2023 and looking for others experience and help. thanks in advance, and I am sorry if this asked before. I havent been able to find anything with this carrier.

Alrighty! I jumped all the pre-surgery hoops, from psych profile and initial meeting with dietitian (who was great- went way beyond "food" to discussing behavior), got the cardio sign off after a chemical stress test and even though my primary was ambivalent, he talked directly to the bariatric surgeon- they know each other. It is a small medical community. Everything got submitted to Medicare for approval of insurance coverage. I use nicotine replacement therapy-- nasal spray- it helped me get off the ciggies 13 years ago and that apparently isn't a problem either. So I'm now waiting for the green light from Medicare. (I have a good supplemental program to back it up). I've got fingers crossed that it gets approved- I find my mobility worse than ever, breathing difficult given mild COPD and carrying this weight isn't just a cosmetic/ego thing- it is dragging me down. I have a hard time getting around, climbing stairs, walking any distance. Wish me luck. I'll let you know assuming I go in and get it done- I have Barrett's, GERD and atrial fib (which I attribute in part to the weight gain). I know I have work to do- this is not magic bullet, but I'm psyched! I've been on a modified FODMAP diet for a while. I'm getting close to 70 years old and want to have another ten or more years to travel and do things. I thank all of you for your support. I'm sure I'll have questions as this process continues. But, my continued thanks for this forum and its participants as a resource. regards to all, D6

This is a valid concern of mine. My weight has fluctuated my entire life. I once lost over 90lbs and I got a breast lift, no implants. I LOVED my breasts, even with weight gain. I loved them. Now... they are already changing. I will probably get another lift, no implants...... 😕

It’s so soon after surgery that you are surely still feeling the effects of fluid retention and inflammation. Also weight loss will be the easiest the the first 12 months post op (not the first 3 days) so don’t lose hope. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/weight-gain-after-surgery https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/main-reasons-for-weight-gain-after-surgery/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5389231/

First the average weight loss statistic for sleeve or bypass is about 65% of the weight you have to lose to put you in a healthier range. Of course some lose more & some lose less. Now the why. The surgery will reset your body’s set point. This is the weight your body is happiest at & is easiest to maintain. Your set point could end up higher or lower than you’d prefer. Life. It can throw crap at you & make it more difficult to lose or maintain your weight (stress, emotions). Health conditions & medications. Some meds are notorious for increasing your appetite & causing weight gain & some health conditions limit your ability to lose all the weight you want e.g, restrict mobility. Personal choice. Some feel happier at a higher weight. Or they make food choices that better complement their life & how they want to live their life. Your body reaches a lower weight but resettles a bit heavier. A bounce back regain of 10+/- lbs can occur. And so on. I understand your fear of regaining. I mean we all have a lifetime of experiencing weight loss & the inevitable regain. This is the first time in my life (was almost 54 when I had my surgery) I have ever maintained my weight after losing for longer than a couple of months. The difference is I did not go back to eating in the sane way as I always did. I worked out a way of eating that I’m comfortable with, doesn’t make me feel like I’m missing out or making sacrifices, allows me to live my life as I want, is sustainable (very important) & works for me & my body. I changed my relationship with food. My choices may not work for you or others & some may think it too restrictive. I din consider it a die but just how I eat. I avoid as much sugar, sugar alternatives & artificial sweeteners as I can so no sodas & sweets only a couple of times a year (e.g. Christmas). If I want/need sweet I eat fruit. I prep & cook most of what I eat - mostly lots of whole foods & low processed ingredients. I rarely have takeaway & haven’t had fast food since before my surgery. I keep my carbs lowish & choose whole & multi grains more complex carbs. No bread or similar products pasta or rice (choice & also sit heavily in my tummy). I also chose not to exercise. I didn’t want to have to spend hours in a gym or run or cycle miles every week to maintain my weight. I’m happy with the stretches, resistance band exercises & sit ups I do. (Takes a total of about 25 minutes over a couple of sessions a day & wouldn’t burn 30 calories - LOL!). It works for me & my body seems happy at this weight (set point). I’ve basically maintained my weight since my surgery. Chat with your surgeon about a realistic goal weight after surgery & what you might experience & your dietician about how your future of eating might look. Research & avoid trendy diets - if they worked & were sustainable no one would have weight issues. You may find this video informative. You may find this video informative. Dr John Pilcher has many great videos on a variety of topics. Dr Matt Weiner is very good too.

I could use some guidance. I know they say you shouldn’t weigh yourself often at home, but I weighed myself this morning for the first time in a week. I gained 3 pounds! I haven’t done anything different and I’m only a month postop, so I am only eating puréed and soft foods. Has this happened to anybody else? Any advice to get through this and not be totally depressed?

Hey! I've put on 2lbs this week, but I'm putting it down to the stress of moving house (I'm currently in the packing/clearing out stages) and not making room for exercise. I'm also officially back onto solid, normal foods so I'm assuming there will probably be some weight gain there too.

How is your relationship with food post op ? I’ve always depended on food to fill my emotions when I was depressed or anxious. I absolutely hate it but I am worried about I am going to handle my stress and anxiety after surgery. I want to be healthy and to feel good and not hate whenever people take any pictures of me or hide behind everyone in photos. Go out with my boyfriend and friends and family. :( it’s been so hard because of my weight gain. My sisters had a great dinner with my mom the other day and I didn’t go I missed out on memories because of how nothing fits. So I understand my relationship with food is something I am willing to give up. Especially for my health.

The long term success of either surgery depends upon you. Many of the initial benefits of bariatric surgery fade over time. Your hunger comes back, your restriction can soften, it is possible to eat around your smaller tummy & your body’s new set point, etc. What the surgery does do is give you time. Time to make changes to your relationship with food: the why you eat, what you eat, when you eat, how you eat. Time to understand your cravings & develop strategies to better manage them. Time to establish new habits about eating & exercise. Time to work out how you want to eat in the future & what works for you & your body. Regain occurs for many reasons: psychological, physiological, behavioural. Bounce back regain (usually 20%+/- of the weight lost) around the third year is common. It can be because your body settles into the weight it is happiest at (your set point). Medication changes. The crap life can throw at you (employment, relationships, health, pandemics). Complacency. A too restrictive way of eating or too demanding exercise regime. Not dealing with your relationship with food. And for some it can be a deliberate choice as they themselves feel happier at a higher weight or they make adjustments to their food choices to better suit their life. Not failure of the surgery but the impact of outside factors. The average weight loss for both sleeve or bypass at the three year mark is about 65% of the weight to be lost. Of course as with all statistics there are some who lose more & some who lose less. If you are considering revision surgery of sleeve to bypass as a sign of the failure of the sleeve, remember many who have revision surgery do so because they developed GERD not necessarily weight gain. I have a sleeve & lost more than my goal and have pretty much maintained though at only almost 4 years post surgery I’m still somewhat of a bariatric baby. I settled at 49kg (48.5-49.5). I unexpectedly gained about 2kgs about 18months ago (50.5-51) but recently we discovered I wasn’t absorbing my HRT meds. Changed to a patch & my weight is slowly decreasing (49.2-50). Small numbers I know. Has it been difficult? No, not really. It was very obvious what I had been doing wasn’t working for me & I needed to make changes. I put myself & my health first. I changed my relationship with food. Made a decision to change what, when & how I ate. It became a new mindset. The changes have been sustainable & haven’t restricted my life. I still enjoy food & eating but my desire is for healthier, more nutritious foods. And no I’m not running marathons or spending hours in the gym just some at home stretching & resistance bands. Sorry long post.

you can gain weight with any and all types of weight loss surgeries if you let old bad habits creep back in. Weight loss surgeries are just a tool, and you have to keep up with your part of it for it to work. And they work extremely well as long as you follow the rules. a rebound weight gain of 10-20 lbs during year 2 or 3 is VERY common. That's more your body settling in to a weight it's comfortable at. If you're diligent, you'll stabilize there - or you may even lose some or all of the rebound if you work at it. But when old habits start up again, you can definitely gain weight again - sometimes a lot of it. And sometimes all of it. what WLS mainly does is control how much you can eat AT ONE SITTING. This is an example I've used a lot: Before I had surgery, when my husband and I ordered a pizza (always a large...), we'd each eat half of it. I can't do that anymore. I can eat 1-2 pieces. It's physically painful for me if I try to eat more than that. But it would be very easy to eat 1-2 pieces at 5:00 pm, and another 1-2 pieces at 8:00 pm, and yet another 1-2 pieces before bed. So....half a large pizza. THAT is the kind of stuff you have to watch out for - that, and mindless snacking (planned snacks are fine - but mindless snacking has consequences...). so to respond to your question about whether or not maintaining after two years is difficult, yes, it is. I constantly watch what I eat. If I notice the number on the scale starting to head north - esp if it gets above my "oh crap" number (the number I do NOT want to ever go over again), it's all hands on deck until it's back under control. So yes. Obesity is a very complex, chronic condition, and we do have to keep working at it to keep the weight from coming back. But the surgery DOES make that easier. There is no way I could have ever lost over 200 lbs and maintained that loss for several years (well, mostly - I did have a rebound) without this surgery.

Have you discussed your desire to lose weight & your interest in bariatric surgery with your endocrinologist? Are they aware of how little you eat now which must be a concern with your malabsorption issues. Unfortunately, the surgery won’t stop the weight gain side effect of the meds you have to take. Medications are one of the causes behind weight regain after surgery. Are there alternative meds you could take that don’t cause an increase of appetite/weight gain? Malabsorption issues are a possible side effect of weight loss surgery which would only add to your existing situation. Being aware of your nutrient intake & meeting protein goals is a lifelong consideration for everyone after weight loss surgery. Many will always need to take vitamins to supplement their intake via food. Just some things to consider.

Wow, there's clearly more to this than I had considered! I hope to lose around 30kgs, I eat one small meal a day and will usually have one snack, I haven't counted calories nor do I know my MR, I rarely exercise (very sore joints), I have an exocrine disease and some of my meds are renouned for weight gain. I suppose I wonder if moving ahead with the operation will actually help on my circumstances.

I am so glad that you are working with a therapist and have a great working relationship with them. I had a sleeve a dozen years ago in my mid 50's. I am now (well - next month !) 67 years old. I struggled with my weight my entire life. Had this been an option years before, I would have done it ! I am also a mental health professional. The problem with depression and/or anxiety is that you can be those things when you are obese, and losing weight .... well... you may weigh a lot less, but you can still be depressed/anxious. If you are using medication to help modulate your mental health symptoms, you might check how those medications work with your specific surgery. Weight loss surgery will not "make anyone happy" - but it will help you to lose weight ! Personally, I have panic attacks. They started about 20 years ago for no good reason. My weight before, during and after weight loss has had absolutely NO effect on them. Some years are better than others. If you have weight re-gain, you have to get to a emotional/mental place where you can concentrate on going back to basics of how you lost the weight in the first place after surgery. I did experience weight gain at about 6 to 7 years post sleeve. I lost my mother, brother and father in a few year's time. I did not pay attention to what I was eating. I became a caregiver and mourned those losses. I had too much on my mind to "see" myself. When I got myself back together, and could see past all those events; I made a conscious decision to re lose the 40 pounds I put on. ( I had lost 140 ) I took a couple years to lose the weight. I realized I did not know how to maintain my weight. So each time I lost 10 pounds or so I would stop losing weight and work on maintaining THAT weight for a couple months. Once I had that down, I would lose some more. I needed to be INTENTIONAL. And make the way I eat work for me. I got back to where I was, and then kept it stable for another year. A few months back I decided to lose some more. My thought was 10 more pounds. I have lost 12. I am at one of my maintenance phases right now. Try not to let your weight define who you are, who you want to be, and know that there is NO time line for being your best self ! Congratulations on saving up that money to give yourself the BEST way to lose weight, and to be successful.

a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain after hitting your lowest weight is EXTREMELY common. It's just your body settling in to its new set point. That gain is not inevitable, but it seems to happen to the vast majority of us during year 2/3. if you don't like it, you can always eat less and lose it, but if your body wants to weigh around 148 lbs, then it'll be a lifelong struggle to keep it at 125. Is it worth the struggle? That's a question only you can answer. For some yes, for others, no. I finally gave up the ghost. It just wasn't worth it to me, and I'm at a healthy weight, so...??? I am also 5'6". Our normal BMI weight range goes up to 154 lbs, so at 148 lbs, you're within the normal range. You're fine where you are. Your surgeon will almost certainly agree with that.

I gained 100lbs in recovery for an bulimia so I mean this just isn’t true.  You speak about weight gain, and consumption as a compulsion and love affair as if they are inherently the same things and they just aren’t. No one calls alcoholism a love affair with booze, nor is a love affair with food is not inherently the same thing as binge eating disorder or the compulsive eating, addictive behaviors you describe. That’s not love that’s disordered eating and to many people who experience it it feels more like a prison than a romance. Further there are plenty of reasons people gain weight or struggle to lose not limited to medical issues or life long yo-yo dieting socialized in people since childhood resulting in an insurmountably low bmr. It also ignores the idea of a body’s set weight which numerous medical studies have pointed to as a valid hypothesis and part of why wls is one of the only weight loss tools with long term sustainable success. Let’s try to be sensitive that everyone’s story and struggle respect their own personal reflections of it.

Hi all, I had my VSG surgery in April. I started off at 410lbs and am currently 300.9. I just weighed in today, last week I was 296.3lbs. But I will say that for this last week it was my husbands birthday and I didn’t go to the gym so I wasn’t exercising or eating well. So I expected some weight gain. But I’m really worried about the way I gain weight back so quickly. Just one week off and I gained 4.6 lbs back. Is this normal? And will I have to deal with this the rest of my life? I’m already slightly disappointed because in the beginning I was losing so well but for this past few months I can barely lose 5lbs a month if that! I know weight loss slows over time and that I’m literally a month and a few weeks away from making my year…but somehow I feel like I’m not doing something right and should have lost way more weight by now. And that my weight gain comes back so quickly! I go back to the doctor on April 19th…my goal weight for then is 280lbs. I’m praying I can make that, if I don’t I feel like my doctor will be disappointed. Better yet I feel like I’ll be disappointed in myself.. I just hope it’s enough.

So sorry you’ve been experiencing this. It makes me so angry for you that much of what you have experienced could have been prevented right from when you had your bypass surgery. Your surgeon should have gone through your medications, explained about absorption issues with a bypass so you could discuss alternative medications with your prescribing doctor. I’m also cranky it took so long for doctors to identify that malabsorption was causing your meds not to work. And I’m cranky that you’ve been unable to find support & answers from medical professionals. I wonder if you are are now in a viscous cycle of anxiety & anxiety causing experiences. Anxiety meds are known to cause an increase in appetite & weight gain & your anxiety increases when yiu do gain weight. The anxiety causes stress responses in your body like IBS & hair loss causing more anxiety. You’re not being supported by your medical community increasing your anxiety so you need their help more but aren’t getting it making you more anxious, stressed & frustrated. Etc.,, etc. Like @catwoman7, I too think your heart issues were more likely caused by your pre surgery status & lifestyle not the bypass. I hope you soon find some doctors who will actually work together to support you & find solutions or ways to better manage your mental & physical health issues. All the best.

I had an increase in my menopausal symptoms after I had my gall removed in 2921. We increased my dosage but nothing changed (except a small weight gain) until my GP wondered if I wasn't absorbing them well anymore since the issue started after the gall surgery which also caused a protein absorption issue. She put me on a HRT patch as a trial. Well, she was right. The symptoms are gone & I’m only on a low dose HRT again. Malabsorption can be a concern with bypass so maybe ask your doctor if the absorption of your HRT could be being affected. Bonus of the patch is no pills - yay. Just replace the patch every 3.5 days. Oh, & I’ve slowly lost some of the weight I’d gained.