Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Is it normal not to feel full? Does that come once solid food starts? Right now I am on protein shakes and Greek yogurt. I’m down 10 pounds so far.

"Bariatric Surgery is probably one of the most effective interventions in health care." - Laurie K. Twells, clinical epidemiologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland [2] Are you lurking on these forums debating whether or not you should have surgery? Unsure about making a permanent change to your lifestyle and body, or thinking that since you lost x number of lbs before, you can do it again? Heard about all the horror stories of complications and regain? This was me, one year ago. I want to tell you about the study that changed my mind. This study[1] looked at three groups: 418 patients who sought and underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (surgery group),…

7/10 was my surgery date. So i took these pictures on 7/9/2019. The after pictures are from 7/9/2020. The sleeve was by far the best thing i have ever done. I used it for what it was, and that was a tool to kick starting a healthy life style. I had a plan in mind and i stuck to it. Ive become addicted to working out. Which is much better than being addicted to food like i was. Food has come fuel for me. Its a necessity and i treat it as such. But ive learned what, good quality foods to eat, and to help my everyday performance. For me this wasnt about being on a diet and then going back to how i was, and just eating less. I took this opportunity to learn and to…

I am a male who had a gastric-reduction/duodenal-switch surgery performed on March 12, 2004. At the time of surgery, I was 483 pounds and I am nearly 6'5" tall; yes, I am a big & tall man. By my 1-year anniversary, I had slimmed down to 275 pounds. I was 32-years-old at the time of surgery. Up to that point in my life, I had only been on three dates in my life; never a second-date. This was not for lack of trying... at least at first. I had been rejected so many times when trying to ask a girl out that I liked and it appeared she liked me. So many times, after asking a girl out that had been nice to me and appeared to like me, the act of asking…

I signed up to this forum solely to pass along our story in hopes others can learn from our experience. Please read (It IS a long read) As soon as I picked up the phone & heard her crying, I knew it was bad news. Her Specialist had diagnosed her with advanced Liver Fibrosis. Between her tears & what she said, I felt like I had the wind sucked out of me. So what now? Almost as quickly as I took in the news, a sense of defiance started to spring up within me. I had waited 45 YEARS to meet my soulmate & I was damned if I was gonna lose her now. "We have to tell Dr. Kantner" I insisted to her. Her Obesity Specialist. Yes, my wife is Overw…

I was just sitting here with my coffee and had all these thought running through my head so I started putting them down on paper as sometimes do. Hope you enjoy it---- Twas the night before bypass and all through my head Was a mixture of feelings, thoughts, and cheers. I have worked hard to get here and this day has come, Its time to cheer and shout, Tell the world “Here I come” No more will I hide behind this wall of shame That kept me from being the person I am, The true me is coming, I’m ready to shine So onward pride, happiness, love, peace, and joy You will show the sadness, guilt, and loneliness where to go, There…

I had my Sleeve in August 2012. I post on my anniversary each year. In 2012, I was 52 years old and weighed 275. I am now 60 and weigh 185. The surgery saved and changed my life.

Hi! I'm a 48 yr old mom of 3. I've been wanting to have GB surgery for almost 25 years!!! I chickened out the first time.....I'm kicking myself because at that time I had insurance with no prereqs and paid for it 100%...but I was scared and not ready. Fast forward to 2013...dying gall bladder, botched gall bladder removal, bile duct repair surgery. I lost 35 lbs in a month because of that...it was inspiring. Decided to 'clean eat' and joined Beachbody and jumped in with both feet. I was doing FANTASTICALLY, losing a total of 78 lbs, not quite to my goal weight but I felt so fantastic!! But then.....the hubs got hurt at work and was off for 3 months. I had to go b…

Hi there, I joined this forum in May and have been silently reading and researching all of my questions for months. Now I am close to the end of my pre-op journey, expecting to get my last clearance from dietician on September 1st, and looking back I am amazed at how much is wrong with me ha. I thought I was somewhat healthy before I started this medical journey and now I have diabetes, Barrett's Esophagus from silent reflux and I was critically low on Vitamin D. I felt like every test I took they came back at me with a diagnosis haha. Don't get me wrong, I believe everything happens for a reason and had any number of my decisions in the past been different and …

Like everyone here I have struggled with my weight my entire life. It didn't help that growing up my family fat shamed me. I became a closet eater early on, and brought that into adulthood with me. I have been on every diet out there, and as all of you here they worked for a while. I am now the heaviest I have ever been, even when I was pregnant. I am beating myself up every single day. In addition to the self esteem issues, the health issues of being overweight are a concern. I am so tired of the anxiety that I feel every time I go to the Doctor and I know I have to get on the scale. From January to March of 2020 I lost 15 pounds, I felt amazing, I was on a …

Hey there! I had gastric sleeve surgery on 1/31/2020 and here's my story. I attended the free 12 week orientation classes June 2019 thru Sept 2019 at Kaiser. My insurance paid for everything and I had no issues getting approved. My only out of pocket expense was a $100 co-pay for the hospital stay. Wonderful insurance, I know. Luckily, I had no medical issues making me very low risk for the surgery. My surgeon recommended that I get the Bypass and I changed my mind on procedure the day of surgery and switched to the Sleeve. My reasoning is simple...I didn't want to reroute my intestines and I didn't want to chance vitamin deficiencies or dumping syndrome. I fasted on…

Hi everyone, I'm having my bypass next Wednesday, 7/22. I was calm for the most part until the past few days, when I started getting nervous, but that was the nervous that I'm assuming everyone feels when surgery gets close. For some background, I'm 22 years old, 5'1, and started working towards surgery in October of last year at 260 pounds. As of today, I'm 50 pounds down, and that's of course on my own, before having surgery. Yesterday, I started having serious second thoughts. These normal nervous thoughts had me wondering if I could do it on my own since I've been able to lose 50 pounds by myself before surgery, and I keep telling myself I worked hard for this, a…

Hi? New member here. Haven’t had surgery yet. I have my first consultation with the team on August 6. I’ve been thinking about having gastric surgery for years, ever since a co worker got the sleeve in Mexico. At that time, I think it was a fairly new procedure to the US so she went to Mexico bc they had been doing it for a while. This was maybe 2010. It ends up, I personally know about 7 people who have had either sleeve or bypass since then. I watched as some of them had a lot of success and some had a lot of non surgical complications such as other addictions, divorce, etc. I kept thinking that surgery was not the right answer for me. But every time I had…

So for many years I droned on with life like one of those bees, just doing my job. Day in, day out, mom, wife, life just happened. I've been heavy since I was 18, but my weight got really high after I was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver at age 19 in my first year of marriage, and it took me that first year to walk unaided again. My new hubby? Well, his culinary highlights were hamburger helper and spaghetti-os in red solo cups (so he could avoid dishes, of course!). It took 2 months to wheel my chair into the kitchen and take back over, but I was determined! Of course, limitations and a diet that was never stellar to begin with didn't leave us with super health…

One year today

48yr Male, 5/18/20 VSG HW 382, SW 309, CW 282 First visit to the nutritionist was 7/3/2019. Had a long pre-op program then was delayed by COVID-19, so wasn't sleeved until 5/18/20. Lost 73# pre-op, 27# since - for a total of 100! Excited to hit this goal, and only have about 40-60 lbs left to meet my first and second goal. You can do it, stick to the program, proteins + fluids, you know the drill. The second pic isn't great - I'm about to have to retire another size of shirts in the next few weeks.

5 years ago I laid on the table and had life changing surgery! I was sleeved. And I felt renewed. I got down to 138 by my birthday in December I looked and felted wonderful. I ended up at 142-145 and was ok with that . Life took me for a ride and now for the past year I’ve put on 20 pounds I know where I went wrong the hardest part is support and getting mentally back on track if you have any advice I’m open

Hi there! I’m 38 years old in Central California. Married to my absolute best friend with the most awesome little dudes (ages 4 and 2). I’ve battled with my weight my entire life. No joke, my mom put me on my first diet in the 3rd grade, which likely set off the years of self hatred and body shaming. About 6 years ago I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia (via endoscopy), and as of late it’s really gotten significantly worse. I just had another endoscopy on Tuesday and I am awaiting results. Anyhow, since my gastroenterologist suggested I might consider bariatric surgery, as that’s the only way they will repair the hiatal hernia at my current weight (304.6)...it’s all I ca…

Hello All I'm new here but been reading a lot of the advice people have to give and the support and it's great. I Decided to have wls last year but honestly my previous pcp has been recommending it for years I just didn't want to hear it. I just knew I could do it on my own without any surgery. I tried a few times and was successful maybe once but gained all my weight back plus a few pounds over the years. Now I'm over 30 and thinking to myself why did I wait so long to make this decision? I guess I just wasn't ready. I'm officially near the end of my pre op requirements and I can say this is a long process that I'm positive will be well worth the wait. That be…

Hello Group! Today is my first day here onsite. I started my lifestyle change on 3/9/2009 when I had my WLS-Lapband. I went through some immediate results but 6 years later I developed an erosion in the mouth of the stomach that caused my tool to be removed. I experienced a rapid weight gain! On April 19 2016, my surgeon revisited my case and I was approved for a revision. We agreed on the Gastric Bypass. The surgery went well. I take my vitamins, eat right etc. On august 16, 2019 I underwent the Panniculectomy surgery which went very well. The recovery process was about a month. I am very happy with the results. Now, what I am currently experien…

Hi Everyone! I'm from NW Indiana, and I started my journey nearly 18 months ago! After pills, diets, exercise, etc. I finally got a referral from my family doctor to see a bariatric surgeon last July. I called my insurance company and they said my insurance was covered if I met their prerequisites. I let the surgeon know and they of course called after my first appointment and they got the list of prerequisites. Although I had spent 6 months on a supervised diet with weigh ins twice a month, I had to do 6 months with the doctor and nutritionist, maintain my weight, have a 5 year history, show previous attempts to lose weight, etc. So I did all the standard things, and it …

I had Gastric Bypass at the weight of 500 pounds on my 5'2" frame. It simply saved my life and there is never a day when I am not thankful for doing it. I have lost 342 pounds and completely changed my way of thinking - about food and life in general. These days I follow Weight Watchers which I love. It gives me that little bit of structure while also giving me lots of freedom. However you do it, just know that you can! You can take control of this thing that has made you feel out of control for so long. If there is anything I can do to answer questions or help and encourage anyone, just let me know.

Hello! My name is Cynthia and I am 56 years old. I had the Duo Switch surgery on February 14, 2019. My highest weight was 301 lbs. My surgery day weight was 270lbs. My current weight is 175 lbs. Up until the age of 19, I was slim and in good health. Once I turned 20, the emotional overeating started and I began to pack on the pounds. At the age of 21, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. I became very sick and depressed, leading to even more emotional overeating. I tried every diet ever invented and even became bulimic for a year. I would lose and gain the same pounds for years. Finally, in 2018, I began researching weight loss surgery. I started the …

Over weight all my life got to 3015 only 5'2 instagram is rrina.k_

Had VSG 4 years ago. SW 285. Got down to 215 within 4 months and never lost another pound. My weight would go down 3 lbs and up 2, then stall and restart. My surgeon acted like I was crazy when I talked to him about why I couldn’t lose consistently. Started regain 7 months post-op and now I’m back up to 250. My hunger never left, I was hungry day after surgery. I vomit still when I eat dense or dry foods and therefore sometimes avoid Proteins for carbs to avoid discomfort and vomiting. Acid reflux is awful too. I wish I had bypass instead as I’m nauseous and uncomfortable every day either hungry, heartburn or uncomfortable. Thoughts?

Iam 3 week with the sleeve surgary and i can wait start running i feel so good thanks God

For all of you out there that are on the fence let me tell you this! You have two choices - Choice one is to stay the way you are and get sick from being fat and die young ............... Or you can make the decision and get a surgery which is tool to get you healthy! My story At the age of 51 i decided I had played hard eneogh, Hard core partying drinking girls and of course a miserable diet of garbage food and carbs! I had a issue with my heart and ended up at Naples Cardiac ward! Laying on the table not knowing if i would ever see my two kids again and who would get them thru college and such I made the decision that if i make it thru this Heart Iss…

Hi, everybody... I found this site and decided to start a thread to introduce myself. I'm Dave. Age 66. Five feet, eleven inches and about 250 pounds. I'm in the Houston area. I'm an amateur singer, and I have an ENT doc who treats my voice. He has treated my reflux with proton pump meds for over 20 years. The last time I saw him, I mentioned that I would like to get off those meds. He told me that there is a surgery for reflux (Nissen fundoplication), but that at my weight (about 270 at that time), the surgeon would also want to do weight loss surgery. Then he asked me if I had ever considered weight loss surgery. To be honest, I had never considered it,…

I have lost 40 pounds this last year

Hi everyone I'm new to this group. My journey started because I pretty much let myself go. I'm on multiple medications and I was eating more than I thought. Before I knew it I was 4'11" 180lb. This was the heaviest I had ever been. My health was a mess but I'm not going to sit here and blame my medications, people doctors etc, my problem was myself and my mouth. A year later I'm at 112lb and still being healthy and keeping my super small portions. Drinking my shakes when I go into starvation mode because I'm afraid to gain weight again. Other than that I'm super grateful and happy with what I have accomplished so far.

I enjoy reading other people’s journeys and stories, so I decided to create one of my own! I’m Shelly, about to turn 35 years old on July 7th, and I’m from Iowa. I’ve struggled with my weight ever since I was 10 years old and have been up and down too many times to count. My lowest adult weight was 165 (very briefly) and I’m currently at my highest adult weight, 242. At 5’6”, the top end of the healthy weight range for me is 154, so 150 is my goal. Funny thing is, the last time I got measured as an adult I was told I was 5’4” so I always thought I needed to get to 138 or less to be at a healthy weight! Currently, I am in the final stages of being approved…

2015 vs 2020 Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone, I have no choice during this time but to do what I most passionate about which is helping people. I had VSG 11/10/2012 and have successfully kept off my weight since then. the first 3 years was the hardest, I actually gained 30 lbs back before.. I was 320 lbs prior to surgery and am now a healthy 175lbs and 5’9″. The lowest was 168 lbs.. Long story short, I am creating a non-profit to give back to people in our community. But I need to connect with people who have real stories or need real support first. I plan on helping people fund for personal trainers, nutritionist, post-bariatric cosmetic surgeries, and therapy. I’d love to…

Hi there I'm 26 years old and got lap band surgery about 3 and a half years ago. I hate to come here and be super negative, but I've been holding onto these feelings for a long time and thought I'd see if anyone else is in the same boat. I hate my lap band. Every single day I wish I never got it. I haven't lost any weight, I constantly have acid reflux (even though there is no Fluid in my band any more), food often gets stuck, and I feel so angry that I have this thing inside of me that cost so much money, and has actually made me pretty miserable. I believe I was too young to have the surgery, and not nearly enough of the psychological work was done before they a…

Hello! My name is Gina. I am doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University Post in New York. I am looking for participants for a new research study I am conducting in fulfillment of my doctoral degree dissertation. I am looking to learn more about adult women who have undergone bariatric surgery and the psychological experience that arises, particularly as time passes. Participation in the study will require a one-time commitment of approximately one hour for an individual interview with me via an encrypted video messaging software (Zoom). These sessions will be audio taped for me to transcribe your experiences as accurately as possible. Eve…

8 yrs after bypass surgery and Im still suffering consequences from it. Since Bypass surgery in 2006 I have had at least 10 surgeries due to complications of the Bypass surgery. I have not taken any legal action because I made the decision and I only blame myself for that mistake. When I say Mistake I mean the Biggest mistake of my Life! I try to discourage people from evin thinking about having this surgery. It has made irreversable changes in my life and wasted years trying to recover.I decided to have the surgery because I was in pain all the time, I had high blood pressure, dibetes, faciates in both feet and no energy to keep up with my 4yr old daughter. The Dr. let m…

Hello ! :) *sorry this will be long* I created an account because I really needed to talk to someone who understands what I’m going through. I have a lot of support from family and friends but all they can tell me is “hang in there” I need some sort of answers because I’ve been really regretting this surgery. I need to know that things will eventually turn around because I don’t know how long I can keep living like this. After my surgery (1/22/2020) I was admitted 3 times back into the hospital due to dehydration, nausea and vomiting. The dates were : Feb 3rd to 6th Feb 15th to 18th Feb 27th to Mar 3rd After those dates the doctors that I spoke to th…

I have struggled with my weight since I was five years old. Late in 2016- at 28 years old at my heaviest weight- I had my first appointment with a bariatric surgeon in Akron, Ohio where I live and began the steps towards gastric bypass. I was so scared. But I knew that I would rather risk my life than live like this forever. I feared that my parents would bury me in 20 years and that my sister would become an only child. I knew I had to do something. I had tried everything. Between the ages of 8-28 I had tried everything under the sun. I could not lose/maintain the weight loss. On June 26, 2017- I had gastric bypass surgery. I have lost/maintained 180 pound weight los…

Hey everybody, I have to get something off my chest, my story towards WLS is this, 5 years ago i was not at all obese, i weighed 65-70 kgs, I actually started college at around 2011 and then moved to Australia to continue my education, but ever since I moved to Australia, I was starving myself, as I did not have enough money to buy myself food etc, then at 2014 I finished my college and moved to Canada for about 4-5 years, there it got even worse, since my field was really hard to get a job (audio engineering), I was starving myself there as well, ever since 2012 i was moving to different countries, in total 4 countries Dubai, India, Canada and Australia, but was eating w…

It has been one week ago Monday (3/2) I started my journey of no return. During the first five days, I became afraid, I thought I had made a mistake. I was in pain, from one of my incisions, suffering with head hunger, and not feeling comfortable after taking my liquids; mildly lethargic, nauseated, and suffering with the worst constipation. I felt there was nowhere for me to go mentally. The thought came to mind to use common sense. Since protein and pain meds can cause constipation, I chose to reduce my protein intake for one day, increase my stool softener, and increase my fluids. I also walked more, and did some reading on this site. The hospital, where my s…

Hello all, I have been contemplating surgery for many years. Since I’m a 52 year old Hispanic divorcée I think I’m family’s ready to proceed. I had considered it before but due to finances I was unable to proceed. So my yo yo weight story is just too crazy. Although I have always had some extra pounds since childhood recently with more health issues and death of fam members I need to get control of this. I’m 5’5” with current weight of 264 lbs. and have been as high as 294. Over the last year I did loose 30 but have hit a plateau. No matter what I do I can’t get down to the 210 I weighed 8 years ago. My pre surgery consult was rescheduled (due to scheduler issue wi…

My first post I thought I would introduce myself and talk about my story. I'm Jamie. I am 36 years old and I recently had the duodenal switch completed on 12/12/19, so I just had my 3 month post-op appointment on Friday. I am exactly 60lbs down from my surgery weight and 88lbs from my highest weight in 08/19. I felt like I was more on track a month ago when I was meal prepping more. Now I feel like I eat more on the fly and while I'm not making the worst choices, I feel like there are better choices that I could be making. It comes down mostly to time, though. I work more than full time, I am a full time student, and I am in a thrupple relationship (dating two people…

Had a great workout, I want to keep working on myself I dont want to gain any weight back Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

I hate when I see someone I know and when I walk pass them they just sit there and stares as I walk away, like I can feel you staring at me I am the same person just a little lighter lol smh Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm only halfway through the six months of visits I need before a request can even be sent to insurance, but I decided I wanted to tell my story so far anyway. I'll update here as things go on. I just want to give a bit of a warning, however. For those of you with triggers, there is talk of mental health and suicide. On with the show, I suppose. I've been heavy since I was a little girl. Big boned, yes, but also more than my fair share of baby fat. But at the time, it was nothing too concerning. "It'll disappear when she gets older," people would tell my parents. If only that were true. By the time I was about 12, that baby fat had…

Hello everyone! I am new here. I'm 40 years old, I've been married for almost 21 years, and I have three kids and one grandbaby. I also currently have custody of my niece. I've been on this journey towards surgery for quite some time. My insurance required six months worth of doctor's visits and then my surgeon required some tests before they would submit to my insurance. I got the call this week that my insurance has approved my surgery and it's officially scheduled for March 31st. I am a teacher so I wanted to get as close to our spring break as possible. That way I will be off the week of March 31st and then the entire next week as well. I've pretty much battl…

My journey starts all the way back to my pre-teen years. I was a chubby little girl. At about 8-9, my Mom put me on my first diet. At 15, I took weight loss shots every week for two years. During High School I stopped eating and dropped weight and grew so that helped. By 17 and graduation, I was at a comfortable 125-130. I maintained it for the next 10 years by smoking and not eating. I didn't eat healthfully, but darn if I didn't eat slowly and chew my food to death. Fast forward those ten years and I was 27, in one abusive relationship after the other, and became an exercise addict. I still didn't eat healthfully. but I ate so little that it didn't really matter wh…

I am scheduled for a resleeve after having my surgery Jan 7th 2006. 8 years 6 months. I got pregnant (not planned) 3 months post surgery and had to force feed myself. All was still good walked and did sit-ups regularly and maintained my weight until I had to have c-spine surgery, total disk replacement and a fusion. I was put on pain killers 1 month prior to surgery, hello constipation. I didn't know that pain killers caused this... Then I did very minimal activity for 1 year and regularly took Gabapentin/ Neurontin which I didn't realize causes weight gain. I was all clear with all blood test results however my stomach had returned to normal size. My surgery was ne…

Almost a year , lost 100 Lb if only my self esteem will come back like I had it before Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app