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It really is. I am absolutely certain that I would never *ever* have lost the weight I did if I hadn't been here from day 1. 20lbs loss in a month is amazing. Compare that to ANY diet you did in your life before surgery - unbelievable. Yes there will be stalls and regains, but if you stick to your programme then the general trend will be downwards. I hope you will be happy with where you land 🤩

I got the sleeve done in 2010, lost a hundred pounds and then had 2 babies which basically stopped my weight loss. I have gone back to the yoyo effect between 200 and 245. I'm currently 243 and just want to get the weight off. I have severe sleep apnea and gerd that wakes me up sometimes from stuff in my throat.. Has anyone who has tricare select be able to get a full bipass after getting the sleeve? I had tricare prime for the sleeve. I called and they told me that one 1 biariatric surgery is allowed. Thank you in advance!

Funny you mentioned the ice cream pint. I remember for 3 months straight my husband and I would eat a pint of ice cream each every night LOL. My husband of course has never been overweight and probably never will be, I on the other hand kept getting bigger and bigger, just a few minutes ago I fixed myself a tiny bowl of sugar free belgian chocolate ice cream, added a crushed protein ball on top and 3 salted cashews. I literally had 3 bites and got sick and put it away. The licks do add up but they’ll nowhere be near what we used to eat. But I digress lol As for workouts, I took up Pilates a few months ago and I’m obsessed. I do 3 days of heavy lifting (back/chest, bis/tris/shoulders, legs) and 2 days of pilates. I feel it complements my strength training so well because these sessions work out my big muscles and pilates targets my smaller muscles and I’ve progressed a lot and seeing great definition all over. One of my 2 Pilates sessions is circuit training so it burns quiet a bit and raises my heart rate, the other session is on the reformer and it burns so good! I always end my weight training days with a 20 minute jog to close my steps. Ugh I was a big fan of F45 until my ankle injury!!

I never did do a 5-yr anniversary post (which was like 3 months ago, oopsies). Here is a reply I made to someone's thread about being newly sleeved. I had alot of fun composing it - despite it going off an a total tangent - and thought it had a five-year-sleeve-anniversary type of feel to it so I'm putting it here! Am also adding my requisite swim suit shot, but this one is from vacay last month, and its NOT a full body shot, AND I'm half in the water, lol. Its too cold around here for me to change into one now and take a pic. Plus I'm lazy. So i give you: "5+ YEARS IN 1000 WORDS OR LESS": #### Begin #### Day 0: YES!! I'm alive! Weeks 1-2: Ouch, this kinda hurts. I detest all food and water! I'm sooo effing tired, im just gonna lay down here and be found in 3 weeks, half-eaten by wild dogs. Weeks 3-4: Oh wow, I LOVE water! Eating is such a chore. I don't want to do it. I lost HOW MUCH weight?? Whoa, this thing is gonna actually work! LET'S DO THIS! Those dogs will be very disappointed in eating me. Months 2-4: Am I ever going to eat like a normal person?? It taking me for-EVAH to eat my tiny cup of food. I am sick of people commenting on how I eat. Exercise is so much funner/easier when I'm not so big! Let me sign up for EVERYTHING! I LOVE new clothes! I am losing my hair! Who knew salad is my favourite thing on earth? Months 5-7: If one more person tells me to stop losing weight or asks if i have a disease I'm going to sic my wild dogs on them. I guess this is life now: eating tiny bits of food all day long...I guess I can do that, small price to pay for looking HAWT and feeling A-MAY-ZING. I wonder if anyone knows how full of myself I really am.... Months 8-10: OMG.I CAN'T POSSIBLY UP MY CALORIES TO MAINTENANCE LEVEL! HOW AM I GOING TO STOP LOSING WEIGHT! I AM GOING TO WITHER AWAY AND DIE! Month 11: Oh. So THAT's my maintenance calorie level. That's not so hard. I'm not going to die after all. Ok, Ok, I'll just take this ONE cigarette from you, handsome Italian guy in Italy...even though I quit cold turkey 10 years ago...it can't hurt, right? Month 14: Plastic. Surgery. Month 15: *cries* Month 16: Whoa, I'm looking even HAWT-er than before. How is this even possible? I wonder if anyone has ever exploded from being so full of themselves.... Month 17: Why hello carbs, I've missed you. bread, Pasta, Rice, we shall never be parted again! Oh, nice to meet you for the first time COVID! How long are you staying? Month 18-21: All skinny and plastic-ed up and no where to go. Eff you COVID. I guess I'll just do a little online shopping for stuff to wear when I am finally allowed out of the house. Sure, I'll have that martini for Breakfast. Hey, my hair is back to normal...and its even nicer than before. Go figure. Years 3-5: Huh. I stayed below goal weight this entire time and I am the picture of satisfactory health...does that make me awesome? I dunno...my closet is bursting with clothes...most of which I've worn maybe once or not at all. How am I still smoking??? It was only supposed to be one cigarette!!! I think I may have developed high-functioning alcoholism? Food intolerances? Who me? Nah, I can eat anything and everything, EXCEPT large amounts of sugar at one time cuz, you know, I may pass out on the couch. I may not eat as much as everyone around me, but I don't want to anyway, so there! But let me cook for you, bake for you, make copious amounts of food for you! And no, i AM NOT finished reading this menu in it's entirety...I'm about to order enough food for 5 people...you better be hungry! Today I take no medications other than for my acid reflux (which unfortunately came on due to my sleeve surgery). I eat carbs and (small amounts) of Desserts, I drink alcohol. My last physical/labs 6 months ago produced no concerns - other than an abnormal thickening of my uterine lining, but that has since resolved. I have ridiculous amounts of energy, I rarely fight with my husband, I handle stress and annoyance like a grown up. I'm digging life. Oh, and I still look HAWT. *mic drop* P.S. i also finally quit smoking 5 months and 14 days ago. yay me! hopefully I don't meet another handsome Italian with an extra cigarette in the future. Edited to add: P.P.S. sorry..i meant to just reply about the first few weeks after my sleeve surgery and food progression, but my fingers got a life of their own as I typed out my reply. plus it was kinda fun writing this. I may cut and paste this into a more appropriate thread if I find one Good Luck! ❤️ #### END ####

It was a mix of everything for me - holiday last year where I could barely move due to ridiculous pains in my knees that wouldn’t stop. I thought it was a Rheumatoid Arthritis flare initially but nope, just Osteoarthritis because I’m fat. I was so miserable. The holiday was ruined and hubby was really worried. Had physio and steroid injections when we got back home but nothing worked. I was 55 but felt 85. It felt like I had nothing to look forward to, life seemed very small as I didn’t leave the house. Pain is constant, nothing touches it, sleep is continually disturbed and I just felt unhappy generally. I wasn’t depressed but it was a very fine line I was walking, and I knew it wouldn’t take much to tip me over into depression. I’ve always been able to see the positives in pretty much any situation but I couldn’t this time. Hubby has his own mobility problems due to nerve damage in his lower back from an op that went wrong, and all that kept going through my head was how were we going to manage with everything? I was the one who had kept everything ticking over but I couldn’t do it anymore. I hated my body, never let hubby see me naked, couldn’t play with my granddaughter, clothes were chosen just because they fit not because I actually liked them etc etc. I spoke to a female GP about HRT as I had just started it but had to change how I took it because of my weight. I was having a major panic because HRT was the only thing stopping me from acting like a crazed homicidal manic! My GP was fantastic, I actually felt listened to for the first time. It was then that I asked about what I could so about my weight as I’d had enough and nothing was working. Every time I dieted, I put it all back plus more. I’d had Orlistat that didn’t work and had looked at the jabs but couldn’t afford £250 a month. My GP didn’t hesitate and talked me through my options, saying she would support me. She referred me that week and, after a bit of hoop-jumping, I’m now on the WLS pathway. I already feel better about things and I’m excited for the future 😊

I usually just say I've lost x pounds since the pre-op started and leave it at that. If someone asks about how much since my highest weight, I'll mention that one too, but I haven't gotten any more questions than that regarding the total weight itself. If they ask specifically, I'll share. For my weight tracker on this site, I did list my highest ever weight, but I did lose about 30lb between my peak weight and the pre-op diet over a couple years, but I left the 352 as a reminder to me of where I could still be had I not taken any action. If they come back with some snark about whether I thought the surgery was necessary, that's when I turn on the sarcasm with a non-answer. Luckily those have been few and far between so far.

Weight regain happens. You’re not the only one you had or will experience it. We get over confident or complacent & poor choices slip in. We go back to old behaviours of using food (or alcohol) to comfort us or sooth us in times of stress or emotional upsets. It’s why what you need to do is reset your head not your tummy. Remember how we always said doing the head work is a very important aspect of our weight loss & maintenance. A pouch reset won’t reduce the size of your tummy (not that your’s would be stretched) nor do anything to get to the root of your eating & change your behaviours. Stretching your tummy is pretty difficult. It would take a concentrated to eat excessive portions multiple times a day for a prolonged length of time to do it. You’ve made the first two steps already by acknowledging & recognising the what & why behind your regain & by starting to track your food again. Best advice then is to go back to how you were eating (food choices, portion sizes, eating behaviours, meeting protein & fluid goals) when you were nearing your stabilised weight. Would you consider going back to your dietician to help you get back on track? Did you see a therapist when you had your surgery? Maybe get in contact again for the regain & also the drinking. We have to be careful with addiction transfer after surgery. It can be a slippery slope. All the best. You got this.

So maybe super embarrassing but no one told me I'll be sitting on cooter and butt bone when losing weight, their is no padding down there. 😭😭😭

Yes! In fact, my entire weight loss since surgery has been slooooow. I don't recommend kicking the scale - it hurts 😋 I even talked to my bariatric "team" who just didn't seem concerned. It only added to my anger..to go through all this to lose 4" lbs a month 3 months in and still at 6 months! Where did my honeymoon period go?? Only 80 lbs since starting the pre surgery weight loss portion... 80 lbs in 9 months, that's less than 10 each month! 😠 So yeah, I understand your frustration. I at this point wouldn't be to worried, you retain lots of fluids for several weeks following surgery, plus the standard response you'll read on here is the "your body is going through a lot and could be doing a self check reset reevaluating" at this point. I'd give it at least a month and as long as you're hitting nutritional goals and nothing feels off you'll be fine - (sigh) slow or not..its a downward trend. 😀

Would it be wrong to ask why don’t you come along to my next follow up and discuss this with my doctor because all my labs and his medical expertise say I am perfectly healthy. If you know something he doesn’t I’m sure he would love to hear you out. 😂 ahhh if only I would have the guts to actually say it. lol Sometimes I seriously think that people actually NEED us to be the heavy friend/daughter/niece/whatever in their life because it makes them feel better about themselves. Whatever their insecurity is they always make themselves feel better by saying at least I’m not obese (I’m not smart or funny or beautiful but at least I’m not as big as so and so). It’s really sad that some people who claim to love you are actually keeping score but unfortunately some are and they would rather keep you down than to deal with their own issues. if they know that the weight loss is intentional and that you are under the care of a physician that should be the end of it. Beyond that the benefit of the doubt that its genuine concern goes out the window. I mean seriously what gives anyone audacity to think that their opinion matters more than your own and that of your medical team.

I have Fibromyalgia and it has not changed because of weight loss. The surgeon told me this. I had zero pain when I woke up from the surgery but was a little tender in my stomach area. I take 8 Co-codamol a day when the pain is fierce and a 10mg Amitriptyline every night to help me relax. My new tiny stomach was very swollen and I couldn't take the pills for about 4 weeks. I had some morphine patches from my doctor but it wasn't severe enough to be an issue after week 1. I take 2 tablets for GERD a day, These have to be taken separately from my pain meds because of absorption issues.

Total Vs net carbs aren't really a thing this side of the pond. Disclaimer - I am writing this post with a glass of wine (completely useless carb) beside me, so make of it what you will. While you're in the active phase of weight loss post op IMO you should be minimising carbs. If you're not quite full after your protein and veg then have a little more veg. Or protein. Carbs are what make people fat - what made US fat. There are NO essential carbs (there ARE essential amino acids - i.e. protein - AND essential fatty acids - ie fats). Nobody needs refined carbohydrate to survive. If you absolutely have to incorporate carbs into your diet while still losing then keep them healthy. Carby veg, fruit, oatmeal, wholemeal bread/crackers, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, etc.

Hi Wellington and thanks for the reply. So what did your weight get down to at the lowest point? Also, did you try not to lose so much weight or was the surgery choice (SADI) just that effective in losing the weight no matter what you did along the way? I still have time to decide against having the SADI and just going with the sleeve but still undecided.....

you should be losing on 800-1200 kcal/day. When did you start? If it's just been a few days, I wouldn't worry about it yet. If it's been longer, maybe you should check with them - they may have a dietitian on staff you could work with. It could be you're taking in a lot of sodium (that can cause water retention in some people), or more calories than you think - or something. Because if it's been more than a few days, there's something going on here.. I started out a 373 and my pre-program dietitian had me eating about 2000 kcal/day - I did lose weight. It wasn't speedy, but I did take about 40 lbs off in six months...

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The best part is also the hardest to explain. The best way I can put it is that pre-surgery, I had a demon in my stomach. This demon demanded rich foods and thought that if one of something tasted good, then four of something would taste amazing (this made the demon a liar, but I had to obey these lies). The surgery removed the demon. I no longer feel controlled by cravings. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The 48 hours prior to the surgery were miserable. I could only have water, Gatorades and black coffee. Then I had to take strong laxatives prior to the surgery, so I was defecating so much that my body was expelling food I hadn't even eaten yet. And I couldn't go to sleep because any flatulence had the potential to be ... explosive. So it's 1 am, I am starving, dehydrated, sitting on the john and I need to be at the hospital at 5:30. 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing major. I greatly underestimated how sore my stomach would be and how long it would take for the soreness to go away. I am a stomach sleeper and it was three months before I felt comfortable sleeping on my stomach. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I love the new life. I am able to exercise (bike, jog, lift weights) like I never have, I have great energy. I can shop at pretty much any clothing store. It has allowed me to become a better version of myself. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? It was probably 8 months to a year before I felt like I could try any food and not have to worry about my stomach having trouble. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? Can't eat, as in, I physically cannot handle it? Nothing. But there are plenty of things that I used to love that I am uninterested in. Like I have no desire to eat a donut. Just seems like pure sugar to me. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I did not have dumping syndrome (although some sugar alcohols hit my stomach hard). I did have some vomiting, but it was either due to eating too fast or eating a food that my stomach wasn't ready to handle yet (I had some stewed beef at like the 90 day mark and I wasn't as ready for it as I thought I was. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I would say 90-120 days before I felt physically normal (could sleep on my stomach, could handle most foods) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? In the immediate aftermath of the surgery, no. This was my first (and so far, only) major surgery and I really underestimated how much it would sap my energy. I was walking gingerly for a while. But once I fully recovered, I have had way more energy. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, in mostly good ways. The pre-surgery success-failure cycle of yo-yo dieting impacted my psyche way more than I realized. So this state of long-term success helped greatly (and success, both great and small, is an excellent anti-depressant). Will it cure your depression? Absolutely not. To the extent that you think your problems in life are caused by your size ("I'm single because I'm overweight" or "My weight is why they won't give the promotion" or "my weight is why my mother is passive-aggressive toward me"), the surgery will not make those problems go away. I'm very lucky and very blessed to live an amazing life and the weight-loss has only further revealed what an amazing and blessed life I have. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I do not regret it. I make it a personal policy not to outright recommend it to anyone because everyone has their own journey. For many years, I saw bariatric surgery as a last resort, a kind of "pull in case of emergency" lever. I realized that I was 40+ yrs old with a wife and children and no diet had ever worked for me and I was only fooling myself if I thought the next one would do the trick. I had to either pull the lever or make peace with being morbidly obese for the rest of my life. I pulled the lever and I would pull it again without hesitation.

I think the people that lose so much weight after 6 mos are people who started at a much higher weight than both you and I. The heavier one is going into the procedure, the more they lose more quickly. I do know that if a person does not enough they will put themselves into a stall so i dont think those people are starving themselves, i think they are just bigger to begin with. I am only a couple months ahead of you (my surgery was 4/12/23) but my weight loss has considerably slowed and i havent even hit one year yet. I do eat more normal foods now as opposed to "diet food" but i do still limit my carbs and fat and sugar. Regardless, in the last 3 months ive only lost 10 lbs. Kind of annoying but i also could do better on my diet so that is partially my fault. How is your sleep? I also notice that when i get more sleep i seem to drop weight quicker. Im not the best at going to bed early enough though.

Best of luck to you Joann! Absolutely nothing but support for you on this forum x It's so fantastic to hear of someone who has been through 8 years and gained so little (and so recently!) Welcome. Or welcome back x

I think most doctors tell their revision patients not to expect much weight loss. It disappoints many. I remember mine telling me 20 lbs. at most and only in the beginning since hunger comes back by year 2. Something like that. I had my revision done due to complications of the lapband, and then gerd from the sleeve. I think you'll find the RNY much more comfortable to live with compared to the lapband. For one, it's a lot easier to eat. I remember I couldn't eat bread and many things without gagging when I had the lapband. I can eat anything I want now without that feeling. I think if one wants to lose a lot of weight after a revision, they have to really follow the rules and work at it. Especially after the hunger comes back. I really think you'll be able to maintain the weight that you are happy with.

I would imagine running around after two small tots you really don't need any more exercise. You have done remarkably well considering. You may never get to your goal weight, not everyone does. I will say if you want to run at it then it may be slow going. The nearer you get then the harder and slower the weight loss will get. Your restriction should still be there, could you still have a chat with your team for guidance ? I have picked up a few tips that I have stored on the back burner just in case I need them in the future. Go back to basics, Eat good clean food. Protein first, vegetables and fruit second and then add in the carbs. Track your foods on a app, everyone has their fav. Weigh your food because your luck will be out just eyeballing it now. I am maintaining on 1500 cals and loose on anything lower than that. I walk but its cold and wintery here yet so I am not inspired to get out at the moment. If I did I could perhaps eat a little more. Good luck

One of the healthiest ways of eating (I don't want to call it a diet) I have come across is in a book called the Pound of Cure by Dr. Matthew Weiner. Last summer, I hit my highest weight ever. That's when I started looking into WLS. I was watching a lot of YouTube videos about it and came across an interview with Dr. Weiner, which led me to his books and videos. He also has a weekly podcast that I love with new episodes every Wednesday. I started implementing a lot of the advice in Pound of Cure (you can get the book on Amazon) and lost close to 15lbs between July and January, which on the one hand is slow, but on the other hand it felt completely natural and not like a diet at all. It's just a sustainable way of living that focuses on healthy foods and good habits that lower your body's set point. He has a lot of resources for dealing with weight regain, too. Congratulations on still being over 100 lbs lighter than where you started! I have every confidence that you can continue to do well and meet your goals over time!

Spinoza, I never even noticed that before!! I usually go to my profile, then scroll to my surgery, then left side offers options, click progress, and then I can edit. So much easier using the together we have lost..... Also, SacB, so well done. It's so weird, right? I went shopping today for clothes, first time since I started losing weight, I've been shopping in my closet but I've run out now. It was so much fun.

noticing how your clothes fit is a good idea for monitoring weight loss if you don't have a scale. you could also take your measurements if you have a tape measure; you could use the scale at your doctors, the gym, at a department store; or even water displacement, lol: fill a tub with water to a certain level get in up to your neck and mark the waterline...😂

Doesn’t sound like you have gastritis based on you saying you don’t have any symptoms but belching. Seems strange your team would suggest that and not confirm you have the symptoms of gastritis. Most times our tummy growls & rumbles it’s a sign of our digestive system working not a sign of hunger despite. What we were always told. You may find those noise are very loud and you may be someone who continues to experience this noisy digestive system. I say I have my own poltergeist rattling chains & moaning. My younger nieces & nephews think it’s hilarious. Another thing many of us discover is that real hunger feels different. For example I get restless like something is wrong but I don’t know what. Wanting to eat and/or wanting a specific food, flavour or texture (like salty, sweet, crunchy, etc.) is head hunger. However, it takes 2-4 hours for your tummy to empty so feeling hungry about 2.5hrs after eating could make sense. Plus add in you say you’re very active, real hunger does seem a possibility. Are they aware of how active you are? Are they concerned you aren’t meeting your protein goal (I mean that & getting your fluids in are supposed to be our main focus)? I’d ask whether having a shake after you swim, which would help with your protein intake, would be okay. Also ask would having the additional shake sabotage your weight loss at least until you are able to eat more at each meal and are better able to reach your protein goals without it. Can’t hurt to ask.

I personally would do as your surgeon recommended. Perhaps they want you to increase your overall calorie intake at 6 months? Mine at 6 months is 800 so close to yours, there is documentation that the body does go into starvation mode and will stall out and hold onto what weight there is for "self preservation" darn bodies don't understand we're trying to become healthier! That being said, a stall is a stall and not much can be done other than wait it out and have faith in the journey. Although, I understand your frustration!

oddly enough, my skin folds & skin rubbing bothered me more when i was overweight vs. AFTER the weight loss. my issues were all centred around sweat and moisture, so for me, it was all about keeping dry. i used non-talc baby powder (the johnson and johnson cornstarch baby powder is whar i used most) in my "problem" areas: between my thighs and my under boobs. worked great so long ad i was vigilant about it (if i wasn't, i'd get itchy and rashes, and worst case, i'd get open sores). but like i said, as i lost weight it actually got better so i ditched the powder.