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@Averdra I don’t know much about Istanbul but is it a place that you would want to go to just visit? Perhaps if you get postponed you can make a trip out of it. Or can you change the place you go with the tickets. Sometimes things are not refundable but you can changes dates and itineraries. Also, check to see if it’s too late to purchase the travel insurance. I actually just learned that with cruises that you can still purchase it up till like two weeks out. Doesn’t have to be with the initial purchase. Certainly worth asking about.

It always amazes me how doctors will dismiss reported health concerns attributing it all to being obese! When it could be something else entirely! I'm glad you're finally getting the healthcare you need! If there is one thing I've learned over the years and having been in the hospital for weeks - the bitchy squeaky wheel gets the attention. I watched myself and others who were "easy going" patients get ignored and over looked all the while "complainers" get the medical attention they needed. Needless to say, I'm no longer quiet or complacent about my healthcare needs or others after having experienced and watched neglect.

Sounds like a stall (it's only been 3 weeks...my stalls have been known to last 2 months before). And also, the closer we get to our goal weight, the slower we lose. I've been fighting the last 20 pounds to my goal weight for every bit of 5 months now lol Now that I'm 11 pounds away, it's like I'm at war with my body to get it to be where I want. Eventually, we hit our new "set point" where our bodies are happy and comfortable at a certain size/weight, and it doesn't want to go any lower. Personally, I don't care if it's happy here, I'm not where I want to be yet, so I just have to keep at it, change things up periodically, and above all have patience. I'll get there in the end.

I would have focused more on my therapy sessions. I would have taken it all more seriously. My approach to the whole thing was "yeah yeah, I'll just go along and do what you shrink-folks tell me, let's just get this over with as quickly as possible, just sign me your 'ok' so that I can move on to surgery". At the moment I'm not very much inspired to go into more details and write some more... currently struggling with a serious weight re-gain (almost 20 kilos regain) ... and I don't know... some (almost) 3 years after my surgery, still struggling, just like before the surgery.

It is intimidating! However, everyone has a goal who goes to the gym and frankly no one is paying attention to anyone. Most people are heads down, ear buds in and going to work. I was the same way! Scared to try to new machines, didn't want to be that fat girl trying the stair master only to get off after 5min. BUT I did it and am improving. You stepped in and, made a goal to go at least 2x a week and that my friend is a huge accomplishment! Good on you!! You got this!

I have always cooked 99% of our family meals. They were healthy and full of vegetables. My problem is because I love my own cooking. I would eat a huge amount especially carbs. Oh and butter...... Oh and chocolate ....... I took me a long time to be able to eat solids after surgery, I had a swollen internal scar so I had to stick to liquids. Once my restriction kicked in at about 8 weeks I could eat soft meats and some vegetables. After that I could run with it At about 2 years out, I tried carbs again and could eat a tablespoon of rice, noodles or a slice of good seeded bread. I have left them off my menu so long that eating meals without a pile of them is no big deal. I don't miss the over stuffed feeling. I can't say this will last forever but I intend to keep a check on my calories because I am the skinny person I always wanted to be. I still have butter and chocolate in small amounts. I will watch that.

My program is counting from the preop appt weight, 3 weeks before surgery, I had already lost 25 lbs at that point.

So today I’m two weeks post op and was my first big trip into the city. I went to my crochet group so I was just driving and then sitting but I was still excited that it wasn’t too painful and the three hours out didn’t Tucker me out too much. Also, while I was driving I noticed that my seat seemed too far back. I just asked my hubby to make sure he didn’t do it while I was in hospital and he says no so I guess my butt is a little smaller. My first NSV having to adjust the seat.

Back down to 199.2lbs this morning, which was my lowest recorded weight from 12 days ago. Will it start dropping again now? It's a mystery! One thing about these stalls that is a little scary, other than just wondering if you will ever lose any more weight again, is how hard it can be not to give into bad habits and cravings when you start feeling like there's no reward for doing the right thing. The last couple days, all I wanted was sugar and simple carbs. I tried not to indulge in the cravings too much, but I did have a little bit of candy (red licorice bites) and a serving of whole wheat Ritz crackers, which I wasn't eating at all before. As the weather warms up, I'm finding it harder to decide what to eat. Is anyone else struggling? Nothing sounds good. I have discovered a nice treat/light meal that reminds me of the pineapple Dole whip you can get at Disneyland. Fill a single serving smoothie blender cup about 2/3 full with frozen pineapple chunks, plus about half a serving vanilla protein powder, half a cup or so of plain Greek yogurt, and a splash of milk to thin it out. Blend until you get a thick, creamy, frozen consistency. It's got about 20-25g protein depending on what products you use and it was so refreshing when literally nothing sounded good for lunch. @gracesmommy2 this is the pilates bar set I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CCRCG5ZP This is the video I'm going to try: There are so many videos if you search YouTube for "pilates bar workout." I thought 20 minutes was a good starting length, but they have longer, too, and ones that target different body areas. I need a yoga mat for the floor part, though.

Hi, welcome! I read the posts here a lot before my first post too and felt like I knew everyone even though they didn't know me! LOL It is a funny feeling... My first thought is you aren't eating enough to be physically active. The body is pretty particular about how much energy it gets and after bariatric surgery our metabolism gets a nice reset (it is part of what helps us lose the weight) but to maintain that nice, new metabolism we need to EAT. And what is enough when you are mildly active isn't near enough when you are doing things that strain your heart, muscles, and burn a good bit of fuel. So I agree with the above, I'd eat more on days you work out. 65 grams of protein isn't enough for working out, I'd add in at least a protein shake, a little healthy fat, and some complex carbs. Second, it is normal to stall for a few weeks at any point, but it is especially normal if you start working out, or if you increase your workouts. This is because it changes the fluid balance in our bodies and the body takes a bit to even out. Some people even see increases on their scale when they start adding in more workouts! So if that happens, don't panic. We can also stall when our food intake changes. This is commonly seen when you go from fluids to solid food, but it can also happen if you jump in calories at any point, even if it is a needed point. My stalls seem to last for 6 weeks at a time. It is super irritating. At 4 months out you are not likely to be done losing weight yet. You may lose a little bit more. But weight loss slows WAY down the closer to goal we get and you are on the small end at this point so I wouldn't be surprised if it slows now. The most rapid weight loss is the first 3 months, then it tapers off slowly depending on how much you need to lose. Since you are used to being at the lower end of your BMI it is reasonable to expect you may drop a bit more to have the space you want if you rebound some. Just be careful not to starve yourself to get those extra lbs off, if it isn't sustainable for your body you'll really have to fight for it and it could damage that nice new metabolism in the process! Oh, and weight redistributes after weight loss. So you may look a little thin now and it may balance out a bit in the next year. This happens especially around the face for some people.

Jeez, your Dr sounds a delight 😡 The Dr should be lifting you up on your successes to date, not making you panic over where you are. And spouting arbitrary nonsense over 2 frigging pounds when you still have 7 weeks to go to lose what, 8lbs altogether so you lose was it 21lbs overall pre-surgery?? I’m so sorry that you’ve had this today. Things like this just piss me off no end, especially as weight loss and gain is generally reliant on a lot of emotional issues and external pressures 🤬 Big hugs, we’re all cheering you on 🤗🥰🤗

Yeah, smaller goals is definitely better for us mentally. And paying attention to how you feel instead of what the number is on the scale. I mean, I am still only halfway to the goal that I would like to reach but I am feeling so much better. I put a lot less stock in what the scale says these days. Plus, like you said, you can always adjust and set another attainable goal once you reach your first one. They will have you up and walking the same day as your surgery and encourage you to keep doing so. I started wearing my fitness watch again, which surprisingly was able to update after a lot of years being in the drawer and it’s really fun to be able to watch how many steps you take, calories burned and how everything is improving every day. I got an alert a couple of weeks ago that my resting heart rate has gone down like 7 bpm which probably isn’t a lot, but it’s headed in the right direction for sure.

@AmberFL Congratulations on your NSV, it is certainly a massive one! Really impressive I am glad your week got off to a good start

Hi everyone 🩷 posting here as well as in the revision surgery forums in hopes to get a discussion going. I’m considering having revision surgery and have an appointment with my doctor next week. I’d love to hear some of your experiences with revision surgery, what surgery you ultimately went with for the revision, the process and road to your actual surgery date, post op experience - anything you’re willing to share ☺️… soo lay it on me ! The good, the great, the bad, and the ugly! I had gastric sleeve surgery and lost about a 100 lbs and kept it off for about 4 years but since having a baby about 2 years ago I’ve really been struggling with my weight again. Gastric sleeve to bypass seems to be the most popular route however I also see that some people have had other surgeries done such as a duodenal switch. Just curious as to how you and your doctor decide which surgery is best for you. TIA 🩷

Congrats on the surgery and taking a huge step forward in improving your health! Also, welcome to the post-op malaise phase of the process, haha! I was there a few months ago, and I think its a rite of passage to be like "What have I done?!!" somewhere in the first 6 weeks. It does get better gradually, but the first month is the roughest. You will be able to eat "normal" foods again soon. I think I was able to eat most things again around the 3 month mark (mostly excluding carbonated drinks and alcohol). Just take your time and listen to your body. Some things will fight back, and if they do, just wait 3-5 days before trying again. I had a lot of trouble with green veggies initially, but was able to handle them around week 6. Also remember the weight loss pattern will resemble stairs and not a straight line. You'll have periods of weight loss, followed by a couple/few weeks of stalling and slight regain. This is just your body recalibrating itself after a large loss to ensure its safe to continue letting go of fat reserves, because it mistakenly thinks you're in a survival event and doesn't want you to starve to death. Just remember this is part of the process, and its not a failure. This really got me down initially and compounded that regret feeling, but after a long stall I'm making progress again. Also, Cipro is very likely the culprit in making you feel sick. it's a very strong antibiotic, and good at its job, but the side effects can be harsh. I've developed some partial hearing loss because of it after years of taking it for recurring Diverticulitis. Ask your doctor if there is another antibiotic that can do the job, but with fewer side effects. Good luck, and I wish you luck on your journey!

Congratulations. You’re doing so well. Your weight loss is certainly noticeable. Sometimes the scales don’t move but the numbers on the tape measure gets smaller or our clothes get bigger. I think our body makes small adjustments to the location of our fat as we lose. It certainly goes through a noticeable resettling after maintenance begins & our weight loss stops - we look less gaunt, our body shape changes, etc. It’s why those of us who’ve been here a little while often suggest taking body measurements instead of weighing yourself during a stall. Looking forward to seeing what their next months bring you.

Hi everyone, I am 7 days post-op. Today, I was able to add 1 protein shake to my clear liquids. Taking it a little slower than normal to get my fluids where they need to be. My nurse advised me to go at the speed my body will allow. Tomorrow I will add the second protein shake and see how that goes. Maybe then I will be able to start adding some puréed foods. I was also advised to take my Levsin to prevent stomach spasms and Zofran for the nausea. Also taking Omeprazole. Holding off on the vitamins as they can cause nausea. As far as gas, it was mostly the first 3-4 days and now just infrequent burping. Because it is an inert gas, there is no smell. But the family found it hilarious. lol Getting up and down, and walking is getting easier. Believe me that is a great thing. The best tip from my nurse is that right now the full time job is getting in your fluids and walking.

I can relate to being afraid of gaining weight after working so hard to lose it. We all deal with that here. But it's a fine line between being mindful about it and developing disordered eating habits. I can speak to this because it happened to me. I was dropping weight like a champ, then I hit stall after stall, and each one lasted longer than the previous one. And I would panic. And I would restrict the amount I ate, I would kick up the intensity and frequency of my work outs. I would have anger and confusion and fear anytime I either didn't lose or I gained a little (turns out, I'm one of the ones that gains 3-5 pounds during a stall and then just sits there for weeks and weeks. Then when the stall breaks, I drop like 6-7 pounds all at once). I had to actually go to a therapist that specializes in bariatric disordered eating (not easy to find, btw) to get my head on straight. And it's still a struggle sometimes. Especially since these last 11 pounds absolutely fight me tooth and nail and just don't want to come off. I said all that to say just be very careful. I never started out intending to have these issues. I thought I'd have the surgery, lose the weight, get healthy, and bada-boom bada-bing, life would be great. But it's never that cut and dry, is it? We can become obsessed with losing the weight, seeing how low we can get the scale, getting into that lower size, looking thinner, never gaining weight again, getting that bmi just a little lower.....and before you know it, you have a whole new eating disorder that's even harder to get out of and we're doing even more damage to our bodies without even meaning to. And we can justify what we're doing because HEY, we got off our meds, we're getting healthier, we're losing the weight, we're EXTENDING OUR LIVES damn it!!! And that's harder to overcome and harder to recognize and going too far than being obese is. We knew we needed help. We knew we were doing wrong. That's why we had the surgery. But now? Now it gets harder to see what we're doing because HEALTH!! WEIGHT LOSS IS GOOD!!! NO MORE MEDS IS THE GOAL!!! JUST A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT OFF CAN'T POSSIBLY BE BAD!!! So please please just be really careful with where you're at now and where you're wanting to get to. Lastly, on the days you're working out (especially the really hard weight days) increase your protein and calories. Your body thinks it's starving, so you need to reassure it that you're not. The heavier the work out, the more your body needs. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food. So give it what it needs, in the amounts it needs, and it'll do what you want it to. Make sure you also have a larger amount of fluids than you normally would on those days, too. Dehydration can really do a number on the body, as well.

Wow @Hiddenroses you have just been cooking away in that kitchen it seems. Thanks for the details for the cabbage rolls they sound lovey. I’m going to try them on the soft food stage as soon as I’m allowed since after the purée tuna I just can’t do purée meat. I know that lettuce can give some people issues so i wonder if cabbage will. Although post sleeve I was fine with lettuce pretty early out. Hopefully this time it’s the same. On a SADI specific note do you find it really odd that we do not have diarrhea. So many people warned me about his terrible diarrhea that lasts for like 3 months and even kept one Person from work and that has not been an issue for me once aside from just after the laxative. I mean, I guess it’s a good thing but it’s so weird that it was the most recurring thing I heard from anyone who had the surgery. Maybe it’s because we are eating so good now and it comes later when we have something not so good for us?

Dinner: Lean beef enchiladas (which you can’t see 🤣) topped with a greek yogurt crema, tangy salsa, avocados and Chloula sauce. I used mission low carb mini tortillas, my hand is for reference. Ate 3/4 of it, guessing around 300ish calories?

@BlueParis I think the hardest part about this process is accepting that the weight loss happens over a full year, or sometimes even more! The stalls make it feel like it will never happen, even though it will. Just not as fast as we want. But you'll get where you want to be eventually if you keep doing the right things. I've been thinking about it and one of the things I think makes it hard for me right now is that part of my brain never really accepted or acknowledged the size I was when I reached my highest weight. I look at myself in the mirror now and even though I haven't been this weight in 25 years and the last time I was close to it was 7 years ago, in my head, this is what I looked like all along, so I don't see the difference. I'll admit, I saw a photo of myself from last summer and was shocked at my size. Did I really look like that? But I look at myself now and all I feel is the frustration I had in my mid-20s of "when will I lose this weight" because it feels like the last 50 lbs never even happened. I'm just back to a place where I recognize what I'm seeing in the mirror instead of pretending it's not there. @RonHall908 I'm also struggling with sleep. I started tracking with my Fitbit and I don't get what I thought I did. I go to bed around 10:30 and I don't have to be up until 7:00, so I always thought I was getting plenty, at least 7 hours and close to 8, but in reality, I wake up at 5:00 this time of year because of the sun coming up. In the past 3 weeks since I started tracking, I've averaged 6h7m and only hit 7h twice. For comparison, my tracker says I've had an average of 1h9m of REM and 1h13m deep sleep, with 45m awake and 3h44m light sleep. For the most part, I'm energetic. I get over an hour of walking in almost every day, with 38m in the moderate zone according to my tracker. I don't drink any caffeine. But I do have about 30 minutes between 2:30 and 3:00pm when I can barely keep my eyes open. After that, I tend to have a second wind and am wide awake by the time 9pm rolls around so going to bed earlier isn't a great option. I try to relax and read, but I still don't fall asleep until close to 11pm, and I can easily stay up until after midnight if I don't stop myself. Maybe this is just what my body wants?

I'm 10 months post op and have been in a stall for months and I've been contemplating starting a semiglutide. I've never not been hungry, nor have I been able to stop the constant food drum beat in my head even a few weeks post surgery so I fully understand the "white knuckling" it part. I've spoken to my surgeons office dietician and the psychologist at the clinic who actually was the one who suggested it after I told her the "food chatter" is so bad that its become my walking cadence "I am still hungry" over and over. I spoke with the psychologist because I wanted help with my anger, anger over the fact I went through all this to get healthy, stop the constantly thinking of food ...I've done and have been doing my part: I'm still "hungry" and no matter how much protein (80 grams) I eat, sticking to my 800 calories, drinking my water....my brain says eat. I'm tired of the constant battle. I'm angry because I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do...and yet I'm right back to the diet mind games I have to do ...work out instead of eating, clean the house..hoping the chatter will be blocked off or side tracked....etc.. I'm tired of this battle..I don't mind IF the weight is coming off, its a battle with results but it hasn't been for two plus months now the same two pounds over and over. So I understand what you're saying wanting it to help..and why you tried it! I'm glad to hear its worked for you! I have an appointment with my GP in 2 weeks to request the prescription as recommended by the psychologist and dietician. We shall see because there is NO way I can afford to pay $1000 A month. How long before did it shut off the brain chatter? At this point if it can stop that I can quit being angry...and continue to do the right things ..healthy things without the wondering why and if its worth it!

First of all, can I just tell you that you're beautiful!!! I don't mean anything awkward or inappropriate with that, but I just felt like I wanted to tell you that you are a very beautiful woman To answer your questions: 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? Getting off blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and anti-inflammatory meds, losing the weight, and gaining mobility back 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? I had several complications from the sleeve and had to have a revision a year later 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? not during the surgery but about 7-8 months later, complications started showing up. 4 endoscopies, 1 colonoscopy, and massive amounts of PPIs later, had to have the revision 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? it's been hard sometimes, but overall, so worth it and rewarding and a huge blessing 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? If you stick to the plan, it's a gradual process. By 6-8 weeks, I was nervous but ready to eat food and just made sure to go slow. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? pasta, rice, potatoes, bread (a year or 2 out, some can eat it in small amounts every once in a while, but I'm so sensitive to carbs that I stay far away...but there's alternatives that allow me to not feel like I'm deprived so it's completely ok) 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? dumping really only happens with the bypass, not the sleeve. Never had vomiting and very little nausea (in the beginning). Once I had my revision to bypass, I had dumping twice and learned my lesson lol I follow the rules and I'm careful, so I haven't had it again. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? about 4 weeks after the sleeve, about a week to 10 days after the revision to bypass (much easier surgery to recover from, for some reason) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? not right away. I was beyond exhausted the first 2 weeks. Weeks 3 and 4 it started to get better. By week 6, I felt normal, and by 3 months out I had lost a good amount of weight and my energy levels really started to pick up. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? not in any kind of negative way until I started having the complications. Once I had the revision, every complication went away and I've been beyond happy and thrilled. The only real issue I have now is body dysmorphia sometimes. I have moments where I look in the mirror and still see 421 pound me and not 195 pound me. I'll look in my closet and think someone stole my clothes and replaced them with someone else's (I use to be a size 30/5X and now I'm a size 14/XL). 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I absolutely do not regret it. The only thing I would go back and change is I would just have the bypass to begin with and skip the sleeve altogether. Now, there are a lot of people really happy with the sleeve. They have zero regrets. I was one of them, until I wasn't. Many of us sleevers have to get a revision to bypass for one reason or another, but just as many, if not more, have the sleeve and never have any issues and love it.

What about a mouth spray? I take a D3K2 as a mouth spray in winter when my vitamin D levels drop (the regular blood tests identified the seasonal drop). It doesn’t real taste of anything and you simply squirt it under your tongue. I buy Bioceuticals but I don’t think they’re in the UK but there are other brands that make mouth sprays. Even if you can reduce how many capsules you have to swallow will help. And yes look fur capsules and not those huge, dry horse tablet ones. Check with your team about what vitamins you need to take @Chatterboxdea. Different surgeries have different vitamin requirements & ask when you should begin them. Plus your blood tests will inform what you may be lacking in so you don’t take more than you need which can have side effects (and can be expensive). For example I had a sleeve. Didn’t need to start taking supplements until the surgery and only took a multivitamin and briefly a vitamin D. My surgeon advised I could stop the D at about month 3 or 4 and then the multi at about 8 months.

Hi, Mspretty86. I love that you reached out. I forget about this forum. My surgery was April 16, and I have lost 71 pounds. I lose in chunks and then remain plateaued for weeks. Very strange, yet the scale shows a trending down line. My body feels weird. My skin is losing firmness as the fat cells diminish. I feel like I may have something else going on though. I do have more energy and less pain, which is huge for me. I'm curious how others are doing?