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Commenting on this now as I have just seen it pop up! I am probably just a cozy gamer at heart - I play things like Animal Crossing, Sims 4 etc. But I also love Baldur's Gate 3 & I have been playing World of Warcraft since I was about 13 😂 For the Horde! ❤️

nah, i get it, i'm a numbers gal myself, and i LIVE for tracking and data and spreadsheets! ok,so if i were to respond to this specific statement then, my surgeon made his calculations with my weight when i first got accepted into the program...which was 2+ YEARS BEFORE my actual surgery (long story, but i backed out twice before i finally went through it). granted, for ME, it didn't really make a difference because i was the same weight on my acceptance date in 2016, as i was 2 weeks prior to my surgery date in 2018. but im sure many others could not say the same if they were to use the same barometer. long story short, "excess weight" is arbitrary, and the calculations are different depending on who you ask. your best measure of success and progress in the endeavour of weight loss is yourself. is your weight loss graph trending down? yes? then YAY! again, you are doing great...but you don't need me (or anyone else) to validate that, you can see it yourself in your numbers and hard work ❤️ .

I have a tendency in every aspect of my life to set unrealistically high expectations, so I'm trying to manage that, which is why it matters somewhat to me. For me, it provides peace of mind to see numbers (totally get that not everyone feels that way). For background, I was watching John Pilcher's "Real Weight Goals" video, and he says at the 3 month milestone (which is approaching for me), you've generally lost half the weight you're going to lose. He says "not the weight when you first met us, but the weight just before surgery." I got caught up on that phrasing and couldn't figure out if he meant literally the day of surgery or the day you start the pre-op prep, which is a pretty big difference for me. So I was hoping for a more definitive answer on how doctors calculate this type of thing.

hiya! 1-2 lbs loss per week is NOT a slow loser at all. its actually quite common/average. you are doing great

So. Much. Fluid. Seriously, my hands were so puffy that all my wrinkles disappeared (spoiler: they came back). I was also in for 2 nights and that IV was going non-stop. It took a little over a week for me to return to my day of surgery weight. Totally normal. They really should warn you, though.

So after my revelation yesterday, I had my weekly therapy session. I have been going to therapy for almost a year now, mainly to help with my PTSD, and now moreso to address some of my trauma when it comes to my weight, and how that effects my emotional eating. I brought up my thoughts to my therapist, and she agreed that it is self-perception, not how my loved ones are seeing me. I'll be the first to admit, that I don't particularly like being emotional in front of other people, and in the entire year I have been attending therapy, I have only cried in front of my therapist 2-3 times. I found it quite hard to hold back the tears during this session (though that didn't stop me) - I realised that I have only really scratched the surface of the trauma I have from past relationships, and how that has completely tattered my self-image. More than anything, I realise that now more than ever, I need to address this as I approach the beginning of my weight loss journey. It is becoming more and more apparent, as everyone says, that surgery really is just a tool. It will give me that initial kick to lose weight so that I see the physical benefits: I will be in less pain, more able to get up and move about, more energy. I will *hopefully* feel more positive in myself and more confident. But the rest of the work, well, surgery can't do that for me. I am responsible for changing my behaviour & attitude, and I think for me at least that starts with being kinder to myself. I can't remember a time where I have been kind to my body, in how I treat it, and how I think about it. I realise that if I want to be successful on this journey, I need to work on me as a whole, body and mind, or else success isn't something I'll be able to achieve. Old habits would creep in, and my expectations would be too high. I am now attempting to drop the mindset of: "when I am skinny everyone will love me, and they will all treat me better and I will be an amazing person" - because truly, that has been my internal narrative, and I didn't see it as a negative until the other day. I need to rework it into: "I am me now, and I will be the same person on the inside even when I have lost weight. Those who I care about already love me and treat me with respect and care, and anyone who doesn't, isn't deserving of knowing me. Regardless of if I am 20 stone, or 11 stone. I am worthy of love". So, time to put my words into action 🤞🌸

@SandyT I'm having a gastric sleeve on May 6 as well! Glad to read about others' experiences here, helps me feel like I'm not on my own. I started my protein shake diet a couple days early on 4/19, and it has been rough so far (extreme fatigue, headaches, brain fog, and bloating). A few people have told me it usually gets better after 3-5 days, and I really hope that's the case!

Skin doesn’t actually weigh that much. My surgeon did not weigh the skin removed. I had a abdominoplasty, arm lift, and breast lift with implants. You’ll actually probably weigh a bit more in the few days post op due to all the fluid they give you. One week post op I was about 4 lbs below my pre-op weight, but also wasn’t eating much in that post op period.

Hi guys, I'm kinda new here BUTTT for the people that have had an ESG where did you get the procedure done? I stay in the metro Atlanta area so I'm looking for places in Georgia or even in TN, SC, or AL. I know the 2 big places that do ESG is Atlanta, Ga are IBI healthcare and TrueYou. I got the gastric ballon (Obera) done at IBI healthcare and they were very friendly but I don't think they prepared well for what to expect. They told me it's a quick and easy procedure (which it was), to follow the diet, and I should be back to work in 2-3 days. They sent me home with some paperwork on what to eat and that was pretty much it. I was sick and hospitalized twice in the 10 days postop both times for dehydration because i couldn't keep anything down not even water. There was alot of back in forth with leaving voicemails, unanswered calls, etc. They finally removed the balloon on day 12. But to their defense I did get it done 2 days before Christmas (not wise), and had it removed the Monday after the new year so most of the days they were closed or very limited staff. ANYHOO... I was thinking of getting to give this weightless thing another shot, this time with an ESG. So my questions: 1. Is this typical to kinda have a consultation, have procedure, and one followup and send you on your way? I understand their is so much information online about the procedure but I was just wondering if I should be prepared to find out what's normal/what's not on my own. 2. I stay in Metro Atlanta area has anyone had any experience with ESG in this area, I'm also open to surrounding areas: Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennesse. 3. Have anyone had the procedure done at TrueYou, IBI healthcare, or Northeast Georgia Bariatric Center? (I am familiar with those 3 places because this is where I had my consultation for my Obera placement). Thanks so much...

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

I'm almost 9 weeks post-op and trying to figure out if I'm on track. I started my 2 week diet at 239 and was 223 the day before surgery. Since surgery, I am down to 204. (So much slower since surgery!) Here's where it gets tricky. If my goal weight is 155 lbs and I use my starting weight from the day I began my 2 week diet, I had an 84lb weight loss goal and am currently at around 41% of excess weight lost. But if I use my day of surgery weight, I had a 68lb goal and am at only 28% lost. This feels like a big difference. I've seen some sources say count your weight loss during the immediate pre-op diet, and others say no, don't count it. Are there any actual rules, or is everyone just making this stuff up as they go?

I absolutely had this, right around 4 weeks post-op from VSG. With laparoscopic VSG, there's one larger incision where they remove the stomach remnant (usually on the right side), and I know my surgeon said there's generally an internal stitch there that will dissolve over time (or pop, if you put too much pressure on it). In my case, I bent over pretty far to pick something up and felt a POP and a little pain, then it was fine. I noticed right after that my previously puckered-looking incision was now flat, so I was fairly certain it was the internal stitch popping. I asked the team about it, and they said that's exactly what it sounded like, palpated the area a bit, and had no concerns. Now, I'm not sure how this relates to RNY, but it's possible you also had an internal stitch that just finally let go. No pain following the pop is good. At 4 weeks out, your incisions should be starting to heal up pretty nicely, but it's definitely best to check with your team juuuuuust in case! Good luck!

Hi Carrielee - welcome! I had VSG surgery just about a week before my 40th birthday this past November. I had sworn in the years leading up to it that I would NEVER have any kind of WLS, but here I am! If I could have done it on my own, I would have - I needed help to improve my life, because nothing I tried on my own was working, and I tried it all. I had sleep apnea, insulin resistance, and bp that bounced back and forth between hypertensive and high-normal. I felt like I was going to die after climbing up a flight of stairs, and I was passing up good opportunities at my job because I didn't want to walk 5-10 minutes to another building and get all sweaty. I had never had surgery of any kind before (other than getting my wisdom teeth out, but it's not like I was intubated for that), so the thought of getting put under and having my innards poked at was rather intimidating. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. Like @catwoman7 said, I'd do it every year if I had to! I never needed to use my prescription pain meds post-op. I actually take the "long way" to my car at the end of my workdays now. My husband and I routinely walk to the front of our neighborhood and back, whereas previously, I hated just walking the 0.10 mile to our mailbox. My blood pressure has actually been almost LOW ever since waking up from surgery, my IBS-D has essentially disappeared (and I had days where I couldn't be too far from a restroom before), and I'm a little less sweaty. My knees feel INFINITELY better, and they're a little less noisy when I bend down. Now, you do have some health conditions that could make any surgery a little more risky (fatty liver, history of PE especially), but your doctor will review your history and will probably have you do quite a few tests and things to make sure it's safe for you to have surgery. I had some weird, random heart palpitations for darn near 20 years that were dismissed as "nothing major", but my doctor insisted that I do a 48-hour Holter monitor just to be sure. When that didn't show anything, they had me do a monitor for a whole month! They actually figured out the cause (occasional premature atrial contractions, or PACs, which apparently darn near everybody has at some point - some of us just feel them more than others), and cleared me for surgery. Ask your surgeon all the questions you can think of. I watched YouTube videos for months leading up to my surgery just to see what others' experiences were. I crawled through this forum extensively. I read the binder my program gave me over and over and over. I started following tons of WLS accounts on Insta. Do whatever you need to do to ease your mind a bit, and know that there is a large community to back you up! Trust your gut and go with what you know you need to do, be that surgery or something else. No matter what you choose, we'll be here for you.

About 21 years ago I weighed over 700 pounds when I decided to have surgery at 43. The writing was on the wall: By 50 I would be dead or wishing I was. With surgery I had solid chance at losing enough of my weight to live a more active, healthy, happy, and longer life. Because of my weight and health issues, Doc said I had a 1 in 20 chance of dying on the table. I had a 100% chance of dying in too few years. I didn't even have to think about it. Surgery went fine. I'm told I didn't die. I followed my plan. I worked on my mental health. It took about 3 years to lose just over 500 pounds. I am healthier, happier, and ridiculously more active beyond anything I imagined. Life is still full of ups and downs. Some ups and downs are the same, some are vastly different. The current ups and downs are better. Much better. Good luck, Tek

So with my surgery getting closer with every day, and now I have hit the 3 month mark, I have been reflecting on a lot of different things. One of the most common phrases I find myself saying at the moment, especially to my boyfriend, are things along the lines of: "You'll love it when I am a skinny b***h, imagine how good I will look", or, " if you think I am attractive now, just wait until I am thin". All are extremely toxic, I am aware. I genuinely saw nothing wrong with what I was saying, but I realised that not only is this a lot of internalised fatphobia, I am also diminishing the love and attraction that my partner has for me now, in this body, MY body. His response to me recently brought this home. He said: "I don't know why you keep saying that, because I love how you are now and I find you f*****g hot as anything, and that won't change with you losing weight". It really did shock me, although it shouldn't have. I realised I have just been putting myself down constantly, hoping for this "better me" to come along, and completely disrespecting who I am now. I relate a lot of this back to my previous abusive relationship, where even though I was the smallest I have ever been at 12 stone, I was constantly picked on by my ex. He would pinch and poke the 'fat' parts of me, telling me that he couldn't wait to see what I looked like when I was skinny, and saying how he couldn't wait to be able to pick me up and throw me about when I was 'small', always comparing me to women who were slimmer. Even though that was back when I was 17-21 (I am now 27), it has clearly done its damage. I need to change this narrative. I need to stop regurgitating the abuse that was put onto me by someone else. I need to learn to appreciate and love my body now, and how far it has gotten me. I need to trust that my boyfriend loves me right now for who I am, and I need to remind myself that I am worthy of that. Just some musings ❤️

@SandyT eee! That is so exciting! Please do let us know how you are getting on! Sounds like you have it all sorted and planned Mine starts next week! 😖

See, when I don't lose, it messes with me so much. From Feb to March 7th, I only lost 8 lbs, which messed with me so much. It triggered a binge where I just ate crappy foods for like a week until I came to my senses. But now I am terrified of the scale bc I don't want to fall into that horrible mental state again. So, for now, I am just keeping it away until next month. I do agree with everything you said and feel I can definitely lose much more if I just stay consistent and on track. I appreciate your kind words. ❤️

Yes, it is usually those slider foods that I can eat so much with no problem. I feel like these last 2 weeks, I have been eating more than I should, and it's just kind of scary that I can. I prepped my meal and have my water and protein shake ready for tomorrow. I just want to do a refresh. I'm so scared of weight gain, and this tool is not working for me. I know this is the "honeymoon phase," and I really want to take advantage of it, too. Thanks for answering! ❤️

We are for sure surgery buddies! I'm down about 30 pounds, but that is starting at my 10-day pre-op diet. Eating is so confusing to me. It's hard to put it into words. I want food, but when I eatI'm usually miserable. For the most part, it's not horrible pain unless I overdo it, but it's just very uncomfortable. That heaviness in my chest and feeling like it all wants to come back up. And I wish I hadn't eaten. Nothing is satisfying like it used to be. Tonight we went out for Chinese food, at my request. I ate maybe an 8th of what was on my plate. Probably less. It was shrimp and veggies... and, of course, way too much rice. I had 2 tastes of rice that had been soaked in the sauce. It was ok, I guess. I had 3 small shrimp and picked at the veggies. I didn't eat so much that I was miserable, just slightly uncomfortable. But I wanted more. I knew I couldn't eat more, so I stopped. I am trying so hard to stick to a schedule of 3 meals and making them primarily healthy. I just feel so blah after eating. Smoothies made with coconut water, 1/2 banana, spinach, blueberries, and some frozen fruits have been my friends the past few days. I don't think the sugar in the fruits is great for us, but it's helping me stay hydrated which I know is super important. As for bread, a friend of mine who had surgery two years ago recommended Dave's Killer Bread, the thin-sliced variety. I really like it and can usually eat one slice. I've put a few different things on it: tuna, smoked salmon, and PBFit peanut butter. You may want to give it a try. The slices are small and taste good. The other night, I had some leftover beans and cooked veggies. I took a taco shell and put them in it along with a bit of low-fat sour cream and taco sauce. I was surprised to be able to eat it all. It was tiny amounts of stuff inside but I even at the taco shell. I absolutely have to ramp up the exercise. After NickelChip mentioned her walking pad, I started to look into them. I'm excited because I ordered one yesterday. I'm hoping to use it while watching tv. I've been doing some "cardio drumming" and it's super fun. It's also super easy so not sure how much exercise I'm getting out of it. I'm rambling, sorry. I'll end now! It's been good hearing how you all are doing and seeing that while different, our paths are also similar! ♥

Well, it's countdown time for me. I start my liver prep diet tomorrow and my surgery is two weeks later. I have all I need for the next two weeks, it came in a tote bag from my surgeon's office, chocolate and vanilla protein powder. I can add some fruit to the shakes if desired and have other clear calorie free liquids and jello and popsicles. I hope it won't be too bad. I'll let you know how it's going! It's getting real y'all.

I had a revision for GERD. began regaining weight at 6 months post revision. I've had issues with rapid gastric emptying after my bypass, I feel limited restriction and have blood sugar issues. Most people only get these issues with sugars or simple carbs ie: dumping. I get it after everything. I started wegovy a week ago and it seems to be helping.

Hi all. My name is Carrielee. I am 33 years old and have been on the fence about WLS for the last few years. I have struggled with obesity since I was quite young and the weight keeps piling on. I am 5 foot 1 and just hit 325 pounds. I now have a BMI of 61.4. I have uncontrolled Hypertension on multiple meds, uncontrolled Type II Diabetes, and high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe fatty liver disease (nearing cirrhosis), severe arthritis, IIH, angina, past history of PE. I can barely walk and have been told if I don’t lose the weight I likely won’t live to see 40. I’ve backed out of this so many times but now that I’ve surpassed the 300 pound mark I know I have to do this. I’ve ended up in the ER twice in this last week with abnormal EKGs and the idea of having a cardiac event before 40 terrifies me. I have to do this. My mom died at 50 at over 400 pounds due to multi organ failure from obesity and I am so scared the same will happen to me.

Hi all. My name is Carrielee. I am 33 years old and have been on the fence about WLS for the last few years. I have struggled with obesity since I was quite young and the weight keeps piling on. I am 5 foot 1 and just hit 325 pounds. I now have a BMI of 61.4. I have uncontrolled Hypertension on multiple meds, uncontrolled Type II Diabetes, and high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe arthritis, IIH, angina, fatty liver disease, past history of PE. I can barely walk and have been told if I don’t lose the weight I likely won’t live to see 40. I’ve backed out of this so many times but now that I’ve surpassed the 300 pound mark I know I have to do this. I’ve ended up in the ER twice in this last week with abnormal EKGs and the idea of having a cardiac event before 40 terrifies me.

Hi all. My name is Carrielee. I am 33 years old and have been on the fence about WLS for the last few years. I have struggled with obesity since I was quite young and the weight keeps piling on. I am 5 foot 1 and just hit 325 pounds. I now have a BMI of 61.4. I have uncontrolled Hypertension on multiple meds, uncontrolled Type II Diabetes, fatty liver disease and high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe arthritis, IIH, angina, past history of PE. I can barely walk and have been told if I don’t lose the weight I likely won’t live to see 40. I’ve backed out of this so many times but now that I’ve surpassed the 300 pound mark I know I have to do this. I’ve ended up in the ER twice in this last week with abnormal EKGs and the idea of having a cardiac event before 40 terrifies me.

I think the hardest part for me, like @RonHall908 said, is having foods be fine one day and nearly lethal the next. I had scrambled eggs several times, no problem. So I ordered scrambled eggs while out one day last week and ended up searching high and low for a discreet place to vomit. I made a batch of tuna salad and split it into two servings. One serving was fine. The next day, nope. I could accept it so much easier if I just knew okay, this item is off the list for good. But having to build up the courage to try again in another week or two after an unpleasant experience is daunting.