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I haven't had my surgery yet but I'm hoping you guys can answer this question. Please please please tell me that you got more energy after you started losing the weight after your procedure. I've noticed more and more that with my weight loss I am sluggish and tired all the time. I've also started getting symptoms of PMDD. I've been reading online that a lot of the things I've been dealing with like OAB and asthma, improve significantly but I really really want to stop being exhausted all the time

Does this friend know about your stomach surgeries?? If so, I would have looked at them like they had lost their mind. And I would have told them if they ever voice their judgment about my eating habits again they'll lose the pleasure of sharing a meal with me. Yes, I can be a b***h. LOL But I grew up in a family of people with BAD boundaries. And this is a bad boundaries behavior. Our society is so preoccupied with weight loss and shaming fat people, then when we do something to change our bodies they judge us for that too. We can never get it right. I've decided people are going to judge me no matter what I do. So I do what I want. But I don't have to listen to their opinions of me!! My partner loves eating out in restaurants so I've had to adjust to that post surgery. But in general I'm doing fine with it. Most people in the restaurant never notice how much I eat. I don't get weird looks. The wait staff doesn't comment. The only odd response I got was a confused waitress when I said I wanted my Thai curry without any rice--I can't eat it, so why waste it?? The sweet owner at our favorite pho place puts veggies in my pho now because I can't have the noodles! That made my heart happy... But part of the reason I don't get any odd looks I think is because I eat relatively slowly, put my utensils down between bites, and generally take as long to eat my small portion as it takes my partner to eat their normal portion! Then we take home lots of leftovers, which is convenient considering I eat 5-6 times a day! LOL I'm sorry your friend opened their big mouth and said something stupid. I know you have struggled SO much with being able to eat, you would think they'd be celebrating the fact that you could eat ANYTHING at this point!! The best weight I have ever lost in my life has been the weight of other people's opinions, and sometimes, the weight of other people period! 😂

We had a company function in December and I was the talk of the event. I didn't go last year so this was the first time a lot of people saw me since the WLS. I could tell that people were talking about me and many of them came over to say hi and ask me how I managed to lose the weight. I guess everyone had "lose weight" in their 2024 resolutions. I gave them the "eating healthy and cycling" answer and even showed them photos of my mountain bike. A lot of them reminded me of how huge I was before and that they were really concerned etc. This was the first time I'm hearing these comments which I assume were always made behind my back. Then they started talking the same about other people who need to lose weight calling them fat and make jokes about them. I was not amused and couldn't help it but telling them to stop. People can be really mean. You don't know what those people are going through and was struggles and problems do they have. Just because you are skinny doesn't make you a better person. Have you had a similar experience?

just to add one more thing to the mix - eggs can be an issue for a lot of people early out (although it's almost always temporary). A lot of us just can't tolerate them for the first few weeks or months (they went down fine for me - but I know that's not the case with a lot of people) personally, I'd just follow your clinic's guidelines. You're still healing, and also, this is your big opportunity to lose a crap ton of weight really quickly. I know it's hard - I often had to put myself to bed early because the cravings were overwhelming (this was mostly after my sense of hunger came back, though), but I soldiered through it. Most of all, I wanted to my normal-sized more than anything else in the world, so I just dealt with it. But yea - I know it's hard..

Not sure how old you are or how much weight you've lost, Angela. It could be either way some creams or that red light therapy mask thingy could help tighten up the face or as with other parts of the body, the skin stretched out from being overweight and won't simply snap back which may require some cosmetic procedures. I am 42 and have been blessed with some decent genetics - ie not many women in our family have many wrinkles - but good genes cannot outrun the excess skin in my waddly neck area. It's not super awful - but something I can see getting done down the line (after a tummy tuck, boob lift and brachioplasty I all want to have at some point). I find myself doing the slight skin pull below my ears in the mirror and it would make a world of difference

100% with you! I mean technically, there's no "normal" weight loss in the sense that all our bodies are different to begin with, all of us have different health complications or diet restrictions, etc -- but I think you're doing really well if it helps! I'm 2 months post-op myself and have had two 'short' stalls of about a week each time. I think at the time, one of the members in the forums mentioned that the stalls are basically your body doing a bit of a reset/reboot to find a new equilibrium before moving forwards again. Don't get discouraged! Keep at it, or maybe juggle a few of your meals/proteins around to see if a small change can kick you out of the stall. (For example, I was really reliant on greek yogurt and lowfat cottage cheese well past my puree stage. I avoided them for a few days after I noticed a stall, and ate more plant based protein and fish in the meantime -- and I honestly feel like my body responded like "oh, some new puzzle to figure out!" and shocked me out of my stall. I'm not saying change everything up but if there's a meal or a protein that you're really leaning on right now, maybe switch it up a bit and see what happens.)

You are looking absolutely amazing! So healthy and happy! I can't even imagine what it must feel like to go from a size 18 to a size 4. Lordy, I haven't seen 145 lbs since I was 17. Congratulations! If you don't mind my being nosy (because I am close to your same starting weight and height, and probably age too), how is your loose skin situation? Have you posted your before photos on here somewhere?

In another weight loss attempt I went on an all liquid diet for 4 months (yup months). The first week is the hardest. After that the routine was kind of set. I found it very helpful to keep busy. It was especially important to keep my hands busy. Hobbies, like playing solitaire or crochet, and physical activities that you cannot eat while doing were helpful. I also focused on just counting down the days. Reminding myself that I only had "X" number of days to go helped me focus on the end game. And water. Lots of water. Best wishes!

And I kind of want to cry. Anyone care to proofread and critique before i send it in tomorrow? Would really appreciate it. Describe the limitations morbid obesity imposes on you in your daily activity: So, today I was dancing with my daughter. Turned on the music, singing, dancing, laughing. I lasted about 4 min before my hip and knee gave out, and I was horribly out of breath. My adorable two year old is going "mama, dance!" and I can't anymore. I'm in too much pain. I go to get dressed and none of my clothes fit anymore. I'm stuffing myself into things two sizes too small because I don't want to admit my real size. My sister completed suicide last December. I promised her I'd take up running, like she'd always done. I told her I'd run the NAMI Walks 5k in her honor. But how can I? I can't even dance for 4 min. I can't run for 30! Even trying Couch to 5k hurts too badly. I have a flap of skin where I've had two c-sections, and I have a nasty rash there regularly from sweat and skin and yuck. It itches and burns and frankly smells horrible. I hate looking at myself in the mirror now. I know, buried deep in there, is the girl I once was. The one that loved to dance. The cheerleader. The former military girl who was in excellent shape. She's in there, I know she is. She's buried under a fat girl that can't seem to lose the weight. She's tried every diet she could. She's counted calories, she's counted carbs. She's exercised, she's paid for HCG shots. And still the fat girl looks back at me in the mirror instead of the girl I want to be. So far, I'm pretty lucky. For a fat person, I'm fairly healthy. But I know it's a matter of time. I know I'm a time bomb, waiting to go off, where I'll get worse as time goes on. And I tell myself I'm relatively health as my knees give out. As my hip gives out. As I struggle to sleep at night and struggle to wake up in the morning. As I deal with severe depression. As I spend every day so tired I don't want to move. As I deal with fibromyalgia. But I know others have it worse, so I deem myself "better" and "more healthy" so I can ignore what my weight is doing to me and how unhealthy it truly makes me. I hate that I'm discriminated against in life for being fat. I hate that I'm discriminated in healthcare. This essay requirement alone is proof of that... would you make someone write an essay on why they need a knee replacement or a pacemaker? Or is it just fat people that need to convince an insurance agency to pay for what's covered under the policy they pay for? The discrimination we face as fat people is so pervasive and endless that we just put up with it. We do what we're told. We deserve it, we're fat. I want to be in charge of my life. I want control over food back. I want to run that 5k in honor of my sister. I want to dance with my baby. I don't want to hurt. I want my life back. This surgery can help me in that goal. Thank you.

I did the Mexico self-pay, even with my insurance the process was almost a year long before approval, and estimated costs out of pocket were still more than going to Mexico. I wouldn't touch semaglutide with all the issues with it and weight loss. It works for some, but the friends I know who have done it have all put back on all their weight and 20 pounds after they quit it. Too many issues that can happen with it, stomach paralysis, rotten food in your stomach, etc. If you have HSA/FSA there are ways they will cover your surgery in Mexico or go towards the cost. I had a lady in my surgery group in Mexico that was able to use her HSA/FSA completely, I know she said she had other paperwork etc she had to do and get approval before hand as it was out of the country. I believe Go Light Bariatrics has a financing option, and I want to say it was interest free.

Firstly, you are NOT a failure! I am 6 years post vsg, and it's a marathon, not a sprint. You are still 20kg under your start weight, which is fantastic! I regained 5kg two years ago, and felt I was on a slippery slope again. I went back to the basics, started on my shakes again, really counted all my food and managed to lose it again. But I am still 10 kg from my target weight! Has your nutritionist got you keeping a food diary? We often underestimate our portion sizes, or we are drinking calories we don't realise (milky lattes, a cocktail, thickshaks or sodas). But please, don't beat yourself up. A sleeve is just a tool to help you, it's not a win or fail. Best wishes.

Losing weight. Feeling healthier & better in general. I didn’t have any comorbidities but being almost 54 at the time I knew it was only a matter of time. The surgery was fine. Didn’t experience anything other than what was possible (like the terrible diarrhoea I had one day). My back went into spasm but that was more me & my back than a side effect of the surgery. No complications. Pretty easy actually. I think because I really wanted the surgery & had no doubts I was ready for the changes. And really once through the weight loss phase the changes are minimal & what you choose to do like eating choices, activity choices, etc. I didn’t experience many issues with being unable to tolerate certain foods except for the temporary changes to my taste buds. After two months I was eating pretty much what I wanted (nutritionally appropriate of course). Five years post sleeve & I eat pretty much what I want. There are things I chose not to eat any more simply because I don’t want to go back to how I was before surgery. My food choices are more nutritionally dense & eat more low or no processed foods. Last year my tummy decided it didn’t like eggs any more. Been meaning to test to see if it still doesn’t like them. I’ve always had a quirky tummy that was sensitive to some foods so that’s not a change for me really. I do experience the foamies more often than most but I think that it’s related more to my quirky tummy. I vomited (though more like regurgitating than full out muscle spasming vomiting) a couple of times in the first month or so. Due to the multi vitamins causing nausea more than any thing else. Probably took me a little longer because my energy was low for a while & my blood pressure was pretty low all the time (still is most of the time). Again, I always had a tendency towards low blood pressure so not a big change or adjustment. After the first couple of months, yes, I had more energy. No. I didn’t have any mental health issues prior to surgery & none after. Would say I feel more confident & comfortable about myself in general though. Don’t regret it at all. Yes I would recommend it. However, as I mentioned above you have to be ready for the surgery & the changes you have to make around your eating. There is a lot of head work you have to do around your relationship with food, what may drive you to turn to food & your eating habits. It is a lifetime thing & you will always have to work at it. As we say, the surgery changes your body but it doesn’t change your head & thinking. All the best.

I had Petersens hernias 2 years out - the membrane that holds in your guts is pulled apart by the weight loss and the intestines slide in and out and loops can get trapped. It never shows on X-rays and not always on ct as it moves about. General emergency docs in uk missed diagnosis and it was finally seen by bariatric department and repaired- more than half my gut out of place when they sewed it back up! thing is because it moves around the scans don’t always catch it. I spent ages trying to figure out what foods caused it. If I got on hands and knees and rolled hips/back I could often soothe it which we realise now may well have helped move things back. it needs exploratory surgery to be entirely sure/ rule it out. Make a fuss. Make sure you see bariatric surgeon, use name Petersens xx

Hello all, I had RNY Gastric Bypass on 10/6/15. I am almost three months out. I ordered some Berberine 500 mg as I heard it's great for PCOS and insulin resistance. Has anyone tried Berberine after gastric bypass? I hear it's great for weight loss too! ????

I have been in other support groups and people say that a slow or even a stall is normal in the first couple months because your body is adjusting. When you start eating healthy foods and more intake your body will start burning again. The weight will start again. The slower weight loss is actually better for your recover is my understanding. I am 10 days out and down 15 pounds. I’m not in any hurry and as long as I’m still losing I will just follow my plan and keep going. keep us posted!

Write down your current health issues, struggles, anything that your weight is causing you trouble with. Then write down as each thing gets a little better during the diet. Also, definitely weigh yourself once a week and look at your entire body to remind yourself where you started, see where you're at, and envision where you want to be. Try to move your body more. I know at your current weight, it can be hard. Try to do some floor and chair exercises. Maybe ride an exercise bike. Do water exercises. Anything at all, more than you normally do, will help you so, so much. But don't try to do anything taxing since you're so low calorie. You should be able to have broth, right? I loved vegetable, chicken, and beef. Jello is also allowed on an all liquid diet. Try some of that and see if it helps. Also maybe cut some of the sweetness out of the shakes by adding a little unflavored shake mix to it. Can you add any fruit to the shakes? I noticed that if I made a shake and added frozen strawberries and blueberries (or raspberries and blackberries, depending on what I wanted) it actually cut the artificial sweet taste way down. I hope some of this helps!!

Easy? Ha! Weight loss surgery is not easy. People who say this are speaking from ignorance. The diet, the psychological work, working out a new way of eating that suits you & your needs, introducing more activity into your life, … And there is the life long work to maintain your weight loss - it’s much easier for an obese person to regain weight than it is for someone who was overweight or who lost a few pounds. Obesity is a disease for a reason & those demons that lead us down that path are still there. We just learn how to understand & manage them better & change our relationship with & dependence on food. Many of the benefits of the surgery, which kick start our weight loss, fade over time. We are able to eat more, our restriction weakens, our appetite returns. That’s when the real work begins. To me the most important benefit of the surgery was that during the time of no appetite, strong restriction, etc, I had the time to do the head work about my relationship with food, eating behaviours, & work out a new way of eating, I never worked as hard with losing weight & then maintaining my weight as I have since my surgery. It is so very much worth it though.

I wish I ate more of the things I loved pre-op LOL!!! Nah jokes aside, WLS is a tool that we utilize towards - hopefully - permanent life changes, if you see it as a means that'll all it'll ever be, if you see it as an effective tool, it will get you where you want to be. I would say, clean up your act, get moving, change your daily habits and get into the fat loss mindset. This doesn't mean going completely cold turkey on everything, but whatever bad habits that led you to needing the surgery in the first place need to be thought of and turned around. I didn't need a liquid diet, my BMI was on the lower side and I worked out consistently my entire life so I didn't much change anything and boy I wished I changed some things because dealing with the discomfort of the surgery, the huge changes in your diet and all the restrictions afterwards is no fun all together. I wish I cut back on caffeine (I had caffeine a week post surgery because I had terrible headaches), I wish I cut out diet soda prior to WLS because I love diet soda so very much and it was tough to think that I can never have this without any mental preparation beforehand. I wouldn't change much else because fortunately for me, I had a good experience post op, the weight dropped off very quick, I never threw up or had severe food aversions and have very effective restriction. But I also had a very balanced diet and workout regimen before WLS and that helped me tremendously and I know that might not be the case for everyone. Also, prepare yourself for a new life and new you, it's cliché but it's very true.

I am new to this forum, but not new to the experiences. I had gatric band in 2006 and have had huge success (140lb loss and size 26 to 8/10). I am now the smallest weight and size I have ever been since the age of 12! I had a upper arm lift and vertical thigh lift in 2015. Thrilled with the arm lift, not as please with my thighs. I was less than thrilled with the aftercare from my previous surgery, so I will not return to him. I'm 48 yo and I've never had kids and I am ready to have my breasts done (and possibly tummy tuck). I had a consult with a surgeon in my area and didn't really have a connection with her. She determined a breast lift and implant is needed to acheive the look I am wanting, which I pretty much knew. I'm looking for 2 things... (1) Surgeon reccomendations (I'm willing to travel to Florida or throughout New England)/NorthEast). I've been looking on RealSelf, but I cannot seem to filter by breast lift, weightloss, and fat transfer to find a surgeon. (2) Input/experience from those who either went with a small implant (275cc) or have fat transfer, or just a lift. Im currently a 36C and would like to stay a C cup following the lift. Thank you in advance! It's so great to read from so many willing to share their experiences. I am happy to share mine as well.

@RonHall908 I use the Baritastic app also just to make sure I’m getting my protein in. And my weight loss is a little slower than I’d like but I’m also not an exerciser so I definitely need to work on that. I wonder if a few more carbs would help your fatigue, but definitely hoping your IV helps you! @LisaCaryl We’re definitely similar with the nausea. Things that I used to drink tend to make me nauseous now so I just started trying things I didn’t drink before and that seems to be helping 😂. I mean I drank tea occasionally but I was mostly just a plain water drinker at home and now 🤢 oh and yes ty to @NickelChip too for the PB2. I’d heard of it but never tried it before. I love the regular one and the one with cocoa and use them in my yogurt sometimes for a dessert like Ronhall908. Or if I must drink a dreaded shake I add the PB2 and it definitely helps.

Thank you so much for mentioning this podcast. I had to go to town to have blood drawn this morning, and I started listening to them. I started with the finale, and oh my gosh, they made me cry. When one talks about the best part of the journey so far and describes the thoughts she had as an obese person. I just lost it. I'll be 69 years old next week, and when I think about the hours of my life lost in "obese thoughts," it really hurts. Things like "Am I the largest woman in the room?" "What will the poor person next to me on the airplane think?" "Will I be able to sit at all comfortably in that chair?" "Will I break that plastic chair?" "Do I have to find sturdier beach chairs?" "What are they thinking of me?" etc... the thoughts have been never-ending and all-consuming at times. I'm going to go back and listen to more of their podcasts. Thanks again! @NickelChip Yay on the weight coming off again! So exciting, I'm really happy for you. I can understand the not being interested in food. There are times I even dread it. I try to shop for things that I like and they sound good in the store, but when it comes time to eat, I'm usually apathetic about it. Good luck with your vacation. I found some protein bars I like, but they will melt sadly. In case you haven't tried them, they are https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4V2ML1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No surgery experience yet, but I can tell you from a few years ago when I was able to drop 40lbs through working with my nutritionist (and then gained it back...which is why I'm here now) that it did really show on my face in a good way at about that point, maybe by 30lbs lost. I look back at older pictures and ones now and I'm sad at how round my face is again. If you want to see it happen rapidly in real life, check out some YouTube channels of folks who are a year or more out from surgery and did weekly or monthly vlog posts. Two that I've watched recently and really enjoyed (and who are still producing new content) are https://www.youtube.com/@nicoleislosingit and https://www.youtube.com/@kakisrnyjourney5376. The facial changes when you go from episode one to the most recent episodes are truly striking.

That's so smart - I have been trying to get my house in order this week, too - this sounds like great motivation to me because I TOTALLY would be doing the same thing; you're right - going crazy about everything I see that needs done at the worst possible time to deal with it! I hope your EKG is good as well! I'm sure it will be *crosses fingers* I go in on Monday for my Pre-Admission Testing; I'm not sure if they'll do an EKG or not but I'm glad you mentioned it! I was just reviewing my paperwork and it says that "You will have non-fasting labs drawn at this appt. and may have other testing done." so I guess it's possible; I hadn't even thought of it. I'm sure they mentioned it and I lost it in the overwhelming amount of information I've been trying to process. It really is a LOT to keep track of. I lucked into hearing about that app I mentioned, Finch, from another friend who also had WLS. (Weight Loss Surgery - it took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that abbreviation! ) She had the sleeve, and another friend of mine had the Roux-y about a year and a half ago done by the same surgeon I'm using. I've watched her recovery, and it's been rocky. I think doing a 'virgin SADI' as you called it will be way better for me. She's already got an ulcer due to continuing to use NSAIDs and drinking way too much coffee. She also went back to smoking cigarettes. It's been quite the motivator to do this right, I'll say that much! I start Colace and the Liquid Diet on 7/29, so we'll be on about the same track! I've got the one week pre-op diet, and then surgery on Aug. 5th as long as I get the insurance and other clearance! Best of luck!

Many people are under the assumption that every time you eat after the DS procedure, you run to the bathroom. This is a huge misconception. The majority of people "go" once or twice a day. The key to weight loss with DS is watching the carb intake and resisting eating in between meals. The reduced size of your stomach keeps you from eating a lot and the intestinal manipulation keeps you from absorbing all the calories you take in. What are other peoples' experiences with eating with the DS? Liz

Well, I don't like that dietician. That was just unprofessional to comment on your weight compared to other patients. And also a load of garbage, as there are plenty of people your starting size who seek out wls every day. As for why you've struggled with your weight, it's the same reason we all have: genetics plus environment. Your body is very efficient at storing fat for survival and your current environment offers you the exact kinds of foods your body is best at converting to fat. It's not your fault. Are there things you can do better to keep from returning to where you were? Of course! Learning to resist those simple carbs is going to be very important to longterm success. But it's not a moral failing or lack of willpower that made you obese, and you can definitely make the changes you need to make with the surgery to help you. Good luck!