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I never had a leak but a relative did. The stomach takes 6 weeks to heal and she split open her sutures by not following plan. She ate solids way too early.

I can relate to the acid reflux issue due to having a hiatal hernia too. I was daily suffering with it for years until WLS. My stomach was also pushed up through my diaphragm. Docs found the hernia during pre-op testing and repaired it the same day as my RNY. I think your doctor was hoping by fixing your hernia, it might take care of your reflux along with you losing the abdominal weight from the sleeve surgery. I also carried the majority of my excess weight around my midsection and was told that my reflux was because excess fat was pushing food back up into my esophagus. That was before they discovered I had the hernia. But both problems contributed. After losing over 100 pounds, I'm finding that even though I am losing weight all over, my stomach is still the last place it is coming off. Very frustrating but I still have 40 lbs. to lose. And that's where it is sitting. I chalk it up to genetics. Sadly, the hernia repair didn't take care of your reflux and the sleeve is notorious for causing it. Even in those that never had it. One of the reasons I opted for the bypass and haven't had reflux since. As for your weight loss stall, maybe try backing off from hard workouts unless you are getting an adequate days rest in between. Increased levels of cortisol can cause abdominal weight gain. I lost all my weight from leisurely walking outdoors 2-3 miles 5-6xs a week.. GL. Your pics look great.

Hi. I'm having some huge issues with my weight and could really do with some help and advice please. In December 2018 I had a gastric bypass and on the day of the surgery I was 24 stone (336 lb). Over the next year I got down to 15 stone ( 210lb). All my friends and family was concerned I wasn't eating enough and said I looked ill due to the rapid weight loss so I started eating a it more. Fro. 2019 to 2023 my portion sized grow and I was no longer eating the correct foods resulting in me being 21 stone (294lb). I'm currently on the path to getting my health back on track but I don't seem to be losing weight. Im one of them people that will eat the same meals every days and this is my current meals all eaten on a bariactric plate. Breakfast = 2 hard boiled eggs. Lunch = hath a steamed chicken breast, 2 steamed mushrooms, 4 seafood sticks, 2 slices of onion cooked in the air fryer, hath a Peper cooked in the air fryer and 40grams of mozzarella. Dinner= hath a steamed chicken breast, 2 steamed mushrooms, 4 seafood sticks, 2 slices of onion cooked in the air fryer, hath a Peper cooked in the air fryer and 40grams of mozzarella. I'm also walking on average 6 miles (9.6km). In the past 6 months of eating like this my weight has hardly changed, 1 week might be 1lb loss then next week will be 1.5lb gain then 2lb loss ect. Over 6 moths my weight has only gone down 7lb and I don't know what's going on and I'm starting to get very depressed and I seem to be eating well and being active but the weight scales don't reflect that. Am I missing something that's preventing me from losing weight? Thank you

Strange isn't it, maybe it's because we're not eating as much as we was ? , when I came out of hospital I recovered so quickly, I had no pain, I didn't even need to stay in over night because I was doing so well , now a couple of months have passed I feel so week, hopefully you will feel better soon and hopefully I will too!

I’ll have to try chicken salad. I do good with tuna and salmon and ground meats are usually ok as long as I take little bites. I’ve seen everyone on here not tolerating some foods and drinks recently. Mine is yogurt 🤢 I used to love it but I can’t stomach the taste right now. I’m going to try and keep moving a little more each week. The warm weather helps. I swear I like to hibernate like a bear when it’s cold out lol.

So during my online readings and searches I’ve pondered the thought of adding B-12 injections. My levels are low and lately I’ve just been sluggish and tired….all the time. Like consistent since my last bout of Covid about 6mo ago. anywho….I’ve come across this B12 + mic injections because if I can feel less sluggish and loose a few pounds, then why not. As a side note I’ve gained a few pounds from my lowest weight. Currently 147 @ 5’5….I’ve tried to convince myself it’s due to muscle gain 😂 but summer is coming and I’m being honest with myself. My workout schedule has gone from easily 6 days a week to maybe 4 on a good week. my work schedule has been crazy. also still have the lapband….if it was a relationship I’d list it as “it’s complicated” because I love and hate it 😂 enough rambling- let me know if you’ve tried it and your thoughts! also these are self administered once approved by the dr.

I'll be "exactly" 5 ½ years post sleeve next week...started at 235 lbs. been maintaining below goal weight this whole time. depending on the day, i lost anywhere between115-120 lbs total since settling into the 115-120 lb range for over 4 years now. i do have a bit of an annoying reflux issue i have to deal with (i take the min dosage omzparole once a day), but other than that, no real complaints and life is more than good.

It's similar to most WLS, I believe. I was advised to take 2 to 3 weeks off but I was up and about in no time (the next day) but I was tired a lot due to much lower calorie intake, after effects of the surgery, healing.... Etc. Depending upon the type of job you have, you can't lift anything heavy the first 6 weeks since your stomach will still be healing. Congrats on your recent approval!

Thank you. That was very helpful. The desire is definitely to chew. The food cravings I have are from Mediterranean cooking accounts on instagram. The salads look amazing. The old me would have liked at sugar and baking that way. At least the food I want is healthy. My surgeon doesn’t want me starting my vitamins until the 2 week follow up. The rationale is that getting all the fluid and protein that I need in a day should be my primary focus and he doesn’t want too much put on me all at once. im prescribed omeprazole twice daily. I’ve been taking the morning dose but not my evening dose. That also seems to me when I start feeling the “hunger”. I start taking them twice a day as prescribed.

I took 2 weeks off work. The first week made sense. The second week was more of a precaution for myself as I work inside a prison and anything can happen. My doctor didn’t want me lifting more than 15 lbs for 4-6 weeks after surgery. But if I’m honest at 3 weeks I was picking up my niece at 25lbs carefully but no issues. I think it just depends on what you do for a living and what required of you to complete you day. Do what best for you!

I'll start! I just bought jeans almost two weeks ago and they are already getting baggy....think I might need to sport the mom/ boyfriend jean look for awhile

Hello everyone, I was sleeved on Jan 10th. For the past two weeks I have to have chinese takeout in my fridge. I am a college student so I don’t have access to a stove just a microwave (an air fryer really) and fridge. I am pretty content with how much weight i’ve lost. I’m just mourning the loss of my butt. I know it isn’t ideal to always eat chinese food nearly every day but I guess it works for me. I wanted to know if anyone else can relate to being hyper-fixed to a food. My order is usually chicken and broccoli with light sauce and rice or vegetable/chicken lo mein. That’s all I get but because I can eat such small portions, 1 order can last me about a week and a half.

Hey all, I had my dietician appointment last week, and I am due to have my pre-op assessment this week. Bit of a long one, apologies! Full disclosure - I have ADHD and I am also suspected Dyslexic, and both of these things are making it really hard to plan and to work with numbers etc. We went through all the info of the Liver Reduction Diet (LRD) - I am starting that on the 1st May, for 2 weeks. I've been given 800 calories a day max - already made a small blunder when ordering stuff from New You Plan https://www.thenewyouplan.com/ - I ordered x14 shakes, x14 soups, x14 meals & x14 snack bars. I added up what a typical day's calories would look like with these, and it only comes to about 555 calories - so I had to order some SlimFast meal replacement powder to buff it up for another 222-odd calories. 😰 I don't know why that stressed me out so much, but because my dietician gave me a meal plan template of only 4 items, I got it stuck in my head that I couldn't add an extra shake on top of that, rather than just thinking I am allowed 800 calories per day. I also got through the guidance for the vitamins and the food stages and god...with my neurodiverse brain it is just SO much to take in and try and organise. I am anxious about ordering the right vitamins, and then making sure I am eating the right things - my instinct is always to prep, prep, prep, but I think maybe that will be running before I can walk. Any advise at this stage? 💜

This time tomorrow I should be checking into the hospital! I've lost 15.4 pounds on the 2-week liquid diet, which is kinda crazy. My liver better be skinny enough to start a modeling career.

@AndreaJD that actually sounds more like my LSD. There is this whole chart with portion sizes for different meals and there are a few more options but I don’t care for a lot of it. I have been doing the two shakes and a lean meat with one cup veggies for dinner and then I have the other 1/2 cup veggies and the fruit for snacks. I’m pretty board with it but at least I’m not starving. Do you think it matters if I do the meal for lunch and a shake for dinner? I am meeting a friend Saturday and I was bummed we can’t do lunch but I thought what if we go to outback and I do my shake for dinner. I can get a steak and veggies there. I just have to tell them no oil or anything. I may be torturing myself a little when I see and smell what she is having but I guess I gotta get used to it sometime. I think I have lost around 10 pounds. I didn’t think to weigh myself at home right before I started the diet but three days earlier I was 258 at the Dr. It seems like my home scale ran a little lower than his. I was 255 this morning on mine so I’m thinking that’s around 10 but I’m afraid to get too excited until that’s confirmed. i think I am back in a habit of doing all my vitamins now. I take the multi with my morning shake or proffee and then calcium at lunch and dinner. It takes a little longer to get moving in the morning because I sit and drink the shake right next to the multivitamin so I don’t forget but hopefully I won’t have to do that forever. I just finished a Walmart order for some more berries. I am eating so little that the others went bad before I could finish them. That’s okay I needed to add items to get to $35 so it helped me remember to get a small can of dry shampoo for the hospital bag and I need to pick up the nausea rx for the night before surgery anyways. I am also going to haul off some donations that have been collecting by the front door and I hope to finish the deep cleaning of my floors today. Fingers crossed that I don’t get dizzy again. I really would like to come home to a somewhat clean house after surgery. I know that it will be even harder to sit still and recover when I’m looking at all the things that need to get done. My husband is planning to finish some work on the bathroom while I’m in the hospital so we shall see if it’s still clean as I leave it 🤦‍♀️ Well, I guess it’s back to my never ending to do list. I hope everyone else is doing well and you all have a great day.

This situation is a catch 22 because no one knows exactly what the insurance requirements are and no one will tell us. The dieticians job is to help you lose weight, period. Whether that’s in your best interest or not is where it gets tricky. On one hand If you are in a supervised weight loss program (the six month requirement by a lot of insurances) they are trying to see if you can lose the weight on your own before they approve it. So in theory if you lose too much they could deem you not a good candidate for surgery. On the other hand, every pound you lose the heathy way should make you that much more fit for the operation (not if you malnourished though). Plus, if you really can lose it without surgery obviously not putting your body through surgery would be ideal. if the dieticians way is something you have never tried before and when you try it you feel like you can do it, losing weight without surgery is obviously preferred. BUT, just because the insurance company sees progress and decides that you should be able to lose it based on the trend doesn’t mean they are right (they are not doctors and should not be making these decisions IMO). I know myself I have probably lost 1000 pounds in my life but that’s because I have always lost a few and gained them back but never got near a healthy weight. Whether you have tried everything, including the dieticians way, only you know. I had sleeve three years ago and my high weight was 235 and I’m taller than you. So I was lower BMI as well. On surgery day I was 220ish and I was fine but I did not start losing until my pre op diet began. During my 6 month supervised diet I did follow the diet they set out for me to the best of my ability BUT the cheat days basically offset my progress so I didn’t really lose anything. Now I am considering revision and there is not any weight requirements as far as I know but I started at like 245 this time anyways so I’m not as afraid to lose a little. I asked him what I should do and he said to keep my Carbs below 40 for now (I am most likely having the SADI so carbs are gonna be most important post surgery). Well I am losing but less than a pound a week so no one is raising any eyebrows at my loss. Anyways If I was in your position I would reduce my calories by like 100 at a time and see how I felt after a week adjusting to that. (Mayne you can get to 1200 with the dieticians help and maybe you decide that you want to try it once the dieticians way before you decide). On days like you four hour swim I would ask the doctor their opinion because 1200 calories does not seem enough for that level of activity. I think if it was me, I would stick to eating healthy choices for now. Try out new, healthy recipes and get used to the food you will need to eat post surgery. I would try to get to the 1200 because they are the dietician but portion wise I would cut my calories slowly to get there and see how my body reacted at each stage. (Just be honest with yourself about whether you really need or just want the calories) if I was really losing more than ever before and it seemed like something I could sustain, I would then re-evaluate whether I should be jumping into major surgery just yet. But if I decided that i couldn’t do it on my own and for sure wanted surgery i would talk to my doctor about how much they would like to see me lose to be fit for surgery.

Hey all, does anyone have any tips on the regrowth? I had my surgery 16 months again and it feels like it's taking forever to be healthy again and to grow. It looks brittle and thin with some breakage. I know I need to up my protein and water, has anyone taken anything to help it? I'm taking Collagen, but I don't think it's helping anymore. I have different lengths closest to my hairline. Part of it I believe is from the surgery and the other part I know it's from Lightening my fringe in August. Now the hormonal acne. Wow, that started in January. I've never had this bad of acne before and it's pretty painful. It'll come, stay like a week one or two will go away and come back and repeat the process. Annoying. I know the hormones change after surgery, but I wasn't expecting hormonal acne 😄

Thank you so much!!! A trick was to have the hair dresser do layers in my hair. Adds shape, depth, and fullness. And the shorter length really helps. I wash my hair twice per week. I blow dry it with a diffuser so the heat isn't directly on my scalp. I add leave in conditioner for curls and a tiny bit of curl defining mousse and then blow dry it. Once it's all set, I run my fingers through it a few times and that's literally it. Think about doing layers when you get it cut. It's hard to part with the length at first, but once you see your hair looking fuller and healthier, and it's a lot easier to manage, it takes the sting out pretty quick.

Please don’t apologize! I’m so sorry to hear your insurance are being dicks. I hope it gets sorted soon. As a European I can’t imagine the stress that must cause. I personally find that the US health insurance system is evil incarnated and will pray that whoever is responsible for temporarily refusing your claim has ingrown toenails forever more. As a smoker I feel you. I haven’t given up because I don’t feel strong enough yet, I just avoided smoking 3 weeks prior to surgery. But hold strong, it’s worth it. Take care and be kind to yourself and keep on posting here! I’d read a novel!

I wouldn’t trust any signals now either. Simply because many nerves were cut during the surgery, so signals either aren’t getting through, aren’t the same or maybe off. You won’t start to get these signals again until you’re fully healed (about 6-8 weeks). This is why it’s so important to follow your plan in regards to portion sizes and frequency of meals. Many do find their signals change. Well may be not change more you learn to identify and recognise what the signals really mean. Like a signal for being full (or had enough) might be sneezing, hiccups or a runny nose. We also learn to differentiate between head hunger (which usually used to drive us to eat ) and real hunger .Generally if you are craving a specific texture, flavour or food. Like many want to eat something crunchy during puree stage - that’s head hunger. Your desire for coffee is head hunger. Like @SpartanMaker said real hunger has different and unusual signals. I get restless and think something is wrong and then I realise I’m hungry. And yes, most times a grumbling tummy (hunger pangs) are just your digestive system working properly. It takes time to learn what these things mean to you. Just tread slowly and stick to your plan.

Thank you! Now I know what LSD means in this regards (Lol) Thank you for the encouragement not to go back to smoking! I definitely still have some psychological dependency on it, even after going the four months without thanks to my Chantix! I notice I start to crave a cigarette when I see someone smoking when I'm late to take it and have to watch myself and prompty redirect and go take a Chantix. I did get my insurance confirmation just a few days ago in the mail and took it with my to my pre-op appointment yesterday; I offered it to them but they said they already had it! (Which is a huge relief!) Yeah; I was kind of surprised as well that I have to start the colace with my liquid diet, seems redundant and makes me wonder what that week is going to be like, honestly! I'm forseeing a lot of time spent near or in the bathroom, as it stands >. The nurse yesterday did my EKG the same way, under one breast, and they seemed to have trouble getting a good reading because I had to stay SUPER still. They also had to jab me 5 times to get the blood they needed; I was patient and know my veins can be tricky but ngl - I feel like a human pincushion today and have multiple bruises on my arms. I was simply received when they finally managed to get the needle in a vein! They also were telling me to stop taking my vitamins like, yesterday, and I thought I was supposed to keep up with them until I START the liquid diet, Calling my surgeon's office to get clarification on that today. I'm certainly nervous and excited about how quickly this is FINALLY coming together! I read that eating lots of jell-o keeps up the illusion of fullness and I'm counting on that and the 'strained cream soup' to keep me from feeling famished. Crossing my fingers I don't turn into an angry hungry hyena this next week for the sake of my family! I'm also a bit uneasy about whether I'll be able to keep enough in my system to keep my meds from making me queasy. Wishing us the best of luck!

I have a cousin that had gastric sleeve 5 years ago. She's since gained weight back. But, she also didn't follow the guidelines that were set for her after the first year from surgery. I had gastric bypass in February. The past 6-7 weeks or so I feel like I'm hungry more often than I should be. At least that's what it feels like. Though, I do workout a lot. So, im certain that's most of the issue. Learning that my body is telling me to fuel is different from eating before. When I ate for any other reason other than just fueling what my body needs. Going from living to eat, to eating to live is a process. I hope you get the answers your looking for.

Well, 2 weeks from today I am having it removed. I was told I just need new blood work and have to fast after midnite. The dr. also said the incisions might be a little bigger than when it was put in because they have to get the port out? Anyone have any additional info as to post removal? I guess Ill have to take off the rest of the week like I did when I had it put in. What did your stomach feel like after the band was removed. Any pains in the banded area:thumbup::biggrin: internally? How about the "runs" and swelling? Any info would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks! Linda