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I am getting my procedure at So. San Fran. I took my initial class in Nov, and had to wait about 6 weeks to have the 1st psych appt. After that it it was a month to my MD consult. My 1st procedure was finally sched in May, after jumping through all the hoops (including weight loss goal from MD). Unfortunately, I had an insurance change so it was delayed to June. Then I caught COVID at a family wedding and was delayed to next week. Kaiser requires a 6-week wait after a COVID diagnosis. Once you are accepted for surgery, be very careful about exposure. Covid is rough (even with Paxlovid), and the long delay for surgery makes it more depressing. Mask up until surgery. I just had my 3rd pre-op visit with the MD today, and he is happy with my continued weight loss, so we are now a "Go". Yay!

It depends on your insurance. For me, I did not even get to see the surgeon until after I did everything my insurance wanted (6 months with a total of 12 dietician visits, exercising at least 30 min a day, sleep study, psychosocial visit, a total of 10 doctor-supervised weight checks and weight loss of at least 5%). After that, I met the surgeon ( at this point my insurance had approved me for surgery). The surgeon is part of a bariatric team and my guidance now comes from them. I had to get a set of labs, a gallbladder ultrasound, and an EKG. I passed all of those and now I am simply waiting to be scheduled. That was all finished by July 11th, 2023.

It depends on your insurance. For me, I did not even get to see the surgeon until after I did everything my insurance wanted (6 months with a total of 12 dietician visits, exercising at least 30 min a day, sleep study, psychosocial visit, a total of 10 doctor-supervised weight checks and weight loss of at least 5%). After that, I met the surgeon ( at this point my insurance had approved me for surgery). The surgeon is part of a bariatric team and my guidance now comes from them. I had to get a set of labs, a gallbladder ultrasound, and an EKG. I passed all of those and now I am simply waiting to be scheduled. That was all finished by July 11th, 2023.

There have been reports of people using it for weight loss developing gastroparesis. One patient realized she was vomiting food she had eaten 4 days prior. It makes me very glad my insurance denied it and my doctor and I pursued weight loss surgery instead.

My initial consultation was in March (don't remember the day), I got the revision surgery June 19th. BCBS will only pay for "one weight loss surgery per lifetime." I was told by some doctor's offices that since it was a revision, my insurance wouldn't cover. I called my insurance and spoke to a fantastic lady who really helped me out. I made the point that in 2009, when I got sleeved, BCBS for my school district wasn't covering WLS yet. It was private pay for me, and I had it done in Mexico (no hoops to jump through). So, technically, BCBS had never covered a WLS surgery me. She agreed. It was approved. Edit: I did have to follow a diet plan to lose weight before the surgery, I had to have an endoscopy, a barium swallow (to check for acid reflux), blood work, see a cardiologist, have a psyche eval (on the phone), and talk to a nut (on the phone). It was a little easier than virgin surgeries because it wasn't my first rodeo.

From what I'm reading about the Ozempic and Mounjaro injections, once you stop taking them, their appetite suppressant effects wear off and the weight comes back. I have a friend who takes one, but she takes it because she's diabetic. She has lost weight, but she'll most likely need it the rest of her life due to the diabetes anyway. She's told me that at times, she won't inject herself if she goes on a trip (for example) so that she can indulge in alcohol and decadent food without feeling nauseated/vomiting/cramps/diarrhea. But again, she doesn't take it for weight loss. If they're being used solely for weight loss, they will help, but I guess it all depends on how long you're willing to take them. It's possible you can use the injections until you reach your goal. After that, however, it would be up to your self-discipline to continue to foster the modifications that the injections provided. I imagine you'd also have to consider insurance coverage, personal expense, and what short-term and long-term side effects they'll have on you, and whether those effects are cohesive with your lifestyle.

Has anyone tried doing the weight loss shots? My surgery was just over a year ago and I still haven’t lost 50lbs. I started out with a lower BMI. So my surgeons are ok with where I’m at but I’m not. So I’m looking into the shots to help me a long. Just wondering if anyone else has had any luck

Hi, All! I am scheduled for gastric sleeve surgery next week (8/16/23)! Kaiser has prepped me to the extent that I feel comfortable with the whole process. I am a bit worried about pain post-op, as I am going home same day. However, doc says gabapentin will be good enough, and he will call me the next day to be sure. I don't expect much after 3 days, though. I wish us all good luck, a speedy recovery, and all the weight loss we are hoping for. 🙂 Happy trails, Marian

Yes, I was like this. I was 53 when I had RNY. I had been period free since age 49 so yippee, then 4 months after surgery I got a “fake” period. I was concerned about the normal concerns, but the Gyn and surgical doctors told me it happens sometimes due to the estrogens being released from fat during weight loss. I was reexperiencing hot flashes and more brain fog. I was experiencing peri menopause all over again for a whole year until my weight mostly settled. I used to get anemic from periods and fibroids, now it’s malabsorption. Weird fact, if you leave the fibroids alone, they eventually calcify. You can see them when you get scanned at the airport for a flight. They make it look like I’m packing bombs and I get flagged for a very thorough search. At least if you can tell the person they are fibroids they don’t freak out over your stomach so much. The women “get it.”

I don't worry about women being good to me, I worry about ME being good to me. Someone will always have something to say. I love the progress I'm making, but I've had some tell me I look sickly, or like I have "Ozempic face" (I didn't even know what that means until my cousin told me...I've never taken any kind of shot or med for weight loss), or that I took the easy way out, or that I ruined any chance I have to just live a normal life and eat what I want. But you know what? They don't live in my body, they don't pay my bills, they don't live my life, and they don't cut me a check every 2 weeks. So what they say or think is irrelevant. I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm finally starting to live my best life, and I really don't care what anyone else thinks about how I got here. The point is, I'm here.

I had my surgery June 12th. I just started getting my energy back the last 2 weeks. I did have to increase my calories though. 500-600 calories wasn't doing it. I was trying to exercise but I was exhausted all the time. I Increased my cals to about 1000. It gives me enough energy to exercise but it has slowed the weight loss. But I'd rather lose slower and feel better.

In a little while you will realise that you have had a very lucky escape. They have treated you so very badly. Please name and shame them. You have every right. You are crying and so upset because you are grieving the loss of this surgery. You wanted it so much, you feel as if your heart is broken. I would have been the same. Go and see your own doctor and get a new surgeon asap.

This is more so just a rant I guess, ever since I began this weight loss journey and trying to get to my final goal of gastric bypass I have had countless people tell me surgery is the easy way out and I've had people pretty much judge my worth based off of how fat or skinny I am. I had someone at work tell me how I would look better once I lost the weight which I agree but she went into detail about my face and how fat it was. How my eye lids have too much skin on them which I'm not sure what she's talking about because my eyes look normal? She then proceeded to tell me how going to the gym and eating better and drinking water would help me. I've been following my dietician, I've been drinking more than 64 oz of water a day and doing my workouts and she just said "oh". Mind you she weighs 110 lbs telling me all this with her fast metabolism. I guess I'm just extra self-conscious now and I wish women especially were more empowering.

I think that’s a pretty great loss too. We all lose at our own rate & there’s no really wrong or right rate of loss just what’s best for us & our body. If your team is happy with your loss you’re doing fine. Remember it took a long time to put all your weight on so it’s going to take time to lose it too. It’s not over yet. I reached my goal at 6 months but kept losing for almost another 12 months. In that additional year I lost another around 11kgs (24lbs). Yes it was very, very slow but it brought my total loss to 42kgs+/- (90lbs). My starting weight was on the lower which affected my rate of loss. What was your starting weight?

What a great appointment! He must feel your healing is going well. And way to go on the 17 lb loss!

So I posted on Saturday about how I was having second thoughts, not about having weight loss surgery, but about whether I was in good hands with my current provider, after they have literally cancelled and rescheduled every single appointment, including my surgery date, which I've ever had with them. Several of you replied validating my concerns, which I so appreciate. Speaking up about my concerns caused my surgery to be cancelled! Can you even believe it?!?! I'm calming down now but I literally had a full blown panic attack at work. I was hysterically sobbing. I'm on a liquid diet, have been off my anti inflammatory meds for 6 days, cancelled my vacation I'd planned since last November after they rescheduled my surgery from July, and now this? I would never have seen this coming, even after all the prior chaos. After expressing concerns about things up to this point I was told, among other things, that I am "rehashing" the past and that because of this they do not feel I will comply with post op care, because these same scheduling issues will probably continue to occur post op to. So since I expressed these concerns, despite this being my entire point that I wanted to be sure I was in good hands post op so that I could get the proper post op care, they have determined that I won't comply with post op care? I am attaching my reply back to them from the patient portal. The nurse did say she MAY be able to meet with the team and get my surgery date reinstated however. What a day! What a joke!

im almost 5 years out and lost 115-120 lbs (depending on the day, lol) pre-surgery, i was only slighty active...not because i didn't want to be, but because i tired out easily. i would do fun cardio-intensive activities every once in while, but wouldn't last long, and would take a few days to recover. immediately post-surgery i did a couple laps of walking the hospital halls, once home, forced myself to walk around my kitchen island several times a day. graduated to walking around the block a few times a day, to walking several times at once around that block, to walking around that block for at least an hour, often times much more. by 5-6 months post op, i was RUNNING around the block and neighborhood for min 5km sometimes more 5-6 times a week. i also started exploring other things to do around 3 months post. i tried hot yoga, tap, zumba, bouldering, salsa, weight training. only yoga and zumba stuck. i did force myself to do some sort of strength training 4-5 times a week (body weight only) because i hate strength training but i also know it does wonders for how one body LOOKS. i was pretty religious about all this exercise for about 2.5 years. then i hurt my foot which sidelined me for 2-3 months and i didn't go back to my regularity of exercise since. i probably only run a 5k twice a week now. i do notice the difference in how my body looks now vs then. i was much firmer then and also had more energy. my arms are a faded memory of their once awesome glory lol. i keep telling myself to pick it up but alas im super lazy. its way hard to start up again once u stop, so my advise here would be: dont stop! as others have alluded to above, exercise isn't really a main factor in weight loss, it more for health and "body presentation" lol. u mean i weigh pretty much the same as i did in my exercise heyday, but i dont look nearly as good (body wise). another piece of advice i would dole out here is find something u actually like to di, as u have a better chance of doing it long term. good luck! ❤️

was going to have salt and vinegar chips for breakfast/lunch but then i spilled them all over the couch when i sat down! before i had cats, i would've just scooped em up back into the bowl to eat, but now im a little weary of any cat hair or residual cat poo/pee on said couch so i tossed them 😂 went back to the kitchen and got me some breakfast pistachios instead. 240 calories for 2/3 cup. ate it all (just the pistachios, not the cat chips lol)

Hi! I'm so happy your year has been such a success! And how exciting for your daughter! It's awesome that she could see how your journey has gone, especially in that first month or two post-op. My surgery was on September 7, 2022, and I am kicking my butt trying to get to below 200 pounds by my one year RNY anniversary - I've got 10 pounds to go! I have lost 200 pounds since my highest weight in November 2021, and 145 pounds since surgery 11 months ago. Highest Weight: 410 | Surgery Weight: 355 | Current Weight: 210 | Goal Weight: 185 Physical Health: I am weight lifting 5 days per week, and my cardio is spin cycling or swimming 4-5 days per week. I'm currently a size 12, medium/large, down from size 28, 5x - I haven't been a size 12 since 6th grade! I am still not used to walking into a store and easily finding clothes that fit me. For decades, I have only been able to shop at plus-size clothing stores like Lane Bryant, and my options are so vast now! Also my hair is growing back and getting healthier again. My last blood test showed I was low on folate, so I'm taking that which has the benefit of helping with constipation, too. Recent realizations: collar bones and ribcage are things that I have turns out?? Mental Health: I don't track my food anymore because I started noticing some unhealthy food restriction patterns starting when I was closely tracking it. I have also asked for help from my support people. Just yesterday I asked my mom to remind me that, no matter what I said, today is going to be a rest day and she helped hold me to that today. She also offered to hold onto my scale for a bit which I took her up on so I can keep my weight loss progression mentally healthy. That said, I have been off my depression and anxiety medication for about five months now and I'm finding that my mental health has been thriving lately. Excess Skin: Because I've lived at 300-400 pounds for 20+ years, I have a ton of extra skin and I have started looking into excess skin surgery options for my belly, arms, and breasts. I am saving money wherever I can to try and save up for skin removal surgery. I will never be able to afford surgery in the US, but I've been researching options abroad like in Mexico, Colombia, and Thailand. Right now I use compression garments to hold my tummy skin in place while I exercise or basically just exist because chafing is a real problem. I have really bad skin to begin with and I don't need to add in chafing and skin infections just for fun. I hope you guys are doing great as we all come up on our one year anniversaries! Let's keep supporting each other and sharing in our various successes and struggles!

I lost 42kg so just a little less than you asked for. I don’t enjoy exercising. Never have. Still don’t. Over the years before surgery I tried lots of things: walking, yoga (one I enjoyed most), aerobics, swimming, cycling, etc. They never helped me lose weight or maintain my weight so I really wasn’t all that surprised when I discovered exercise only contribute to about 10% of any weight you want to lose. Of course there are many other benefits to exercising but don’t rely on it to help with your weight loss. Did I exercise during my weight loss? Nope. I just upped my everyday activities: parked further away from where I was going, walked up & down escalators & travelators, made multiple trips up & down my stairs (why carry groceries up in one trip when you can do it in two or three), etc. I still don’t exercise as such. I exercise snack at home by doing 5-10 minute sessions about 4 times a day of stretching & using resistance bands. I have loose skin (not a lot but enough) but my arms look more toned from using the bands - I just don’t wave my arms about. Too many factors influence how much loose skin you’ll have. Age, genetics, how much weight you lose, how long you were at your higher weight, your weight loss & gain history, etc. You can’t stop it. Your skin has already been stretched. You may get a little snap back if you’re younger & still producing elastin. Think of your lose skin as a well used & over stretched hair band/elastic. Can’t fix that. As to exercising helping with it, your muscles lie under your skin & your skin drapes over the top. You’ll need a lot of muscle to fill your skin out. My thighs would have to be three or more inches larger to fill out my loose skin there but I don’t want large thighs again. Nor do I want a large butt again to fill out the loose skin there. Surgery is your only option if your lose skin bothers you, limits your movements or gets infections, rashes, etc.

Congratulations on feeling great and exercising! I'm hoping to do more than the treadmill when I can get back some energy. The nausea could be caused by dehydration or electrolyte loss that isn't being replaced.

I have been cleared for most exercises but walking outside is so enjoyable to me, I'm sticking with that for now. I started on a treadmill straight out from the hospital for 5 minutes working up to fifteen over a couple weeks. Then took it outside. I walked a mile for a couple months. Now I walk 2. I don't push myself timewise or speed wise. I average a 2–3-pound weight loss a week so I'm satisfied with that. I get up and walk early before it gets too hot. Usually in the 70's. If weather is bad, I stay in and ride my recumbent bike while watching My 600 Pound Life. Never watched that show until after surgery. And never was a morning person till now. Odd. Nausea will usually happen from pushing yourself too hard too soon. Ease into it. Stay hydrated and don't get overheated. Just move. GL

I've lost well over 100lbs but it was mostly as a result of sticking to the rules of my plan and just eating much less after my surgery. Exercise contributed very little. I really only started serious cardio once I had lost most of what I wanted to. I was very sedentary before my sleeve. There are people here who have lost more than me - not sure how much they exercised and how much that contributed overall but hopefully they will let you know. There are people who have lost less. Again not sure that's much to do with how much they exercised or what type of exercise they did. I wish you all the best with your loss.

Hi just now seeing this. I went pack to basics and intermittent fasting. The two Protein Shakes and one meal is what you have to do to get weight moving. Also you can never eat regular again to maintain the weight loss. That’s what I found works for me. I keep my calories around 1000 or less per day and I’m fine. If I splurge one day I only eat a little of the bad item. Also no leftovers of not good food choice items

Hiya. I had my survey on March 10th. I started at 259 and now I'm 189. I'm stalling with a while i don't ever have a steady loss, it seems to go on batches! Half stone here and a half stone there but i used to put it up the same way! I too have loads of energy but don't work out much. I should but i don't. People really notice my weight loss but i think looking at ourselves in the mirror for years being heavy is hard to shift from the mind. All my clothes are gone for smaller sizes. We should be clapping ourselves on the back for achieving a new person so hang on there you'll start moving again its probably the bodys way of adjusting for the next loss. Well done you and keep going