catwoman7

yea - I once accidentally got an invoice for $120K for all my plastic surgery. I called them. I told them I already paid for the surgery, I had to pre-pay since it was self-payed, and that it was $28K. They apologized for the error and explained the $120K was the insurance cost, if insurance would have covered it (and I'm sure the insurance company would have negotiated a discount so the total went down to close to what I paid for it). I don't get it, either.. (P.S. if you were self-pay, it probably would have been more like the $13K or whatever you mentioned. I think the hospitals and the insurance companies always do this crazy dance with the highly-inflated numbers and discounts, although I have no clue why they do this)

1) you're experiencing the extremely common "three-week stall". Happens to most of us within the first month or so of surgery, usually (but not always) the 3rd week, hence, the name. It typically lasts 1-3 weeks before breaking 2) the gain is almost certainly water or very full intestines. Give it a couple of days and it should be gone.

You're seven months out, correct? One of those could have been a meal on MY program at that point - although I can't speak for yours.

I had surgery at age 55. No issues. I was a slow loser, but I don't know if that was related to my age or not. Some younger people lose slowly, too. That said, I lost 100% of my excess weight, over 200 lbs. So no, it was no problem at all.

it was probably 3 or 4 months for me, but I started out at over 300 lbs. It was probably more like five months before a LOT of people started noticing. But then at that weight, I just looked huge no matter what - people wouldn't necessarily notice a 40 or 50 lb difference (plus I also wore baggy clothes at that weight, so that probably factored in, too)

I recall having some unusual pain, too - but not severe. As BabySpoons said, I think it had to do with everything re-aligning after a substantial weight loss. Fortunately, though, it was temporary.

stalling is a very normal part of weight loss. Most people lose weight in a "stair step" pattern. The best thing to do is make doubly sure you're following your plan to a "T" and stay off the scale for a few days. Maybe just weigh yourself once a week until it breaks. And as long as you're following your plan, it WILL break. Your body just has to stop and recalibrate once in awhile.

I don't know about not losing weight AT ALL with a low calorie diet, but for most of us, the pattern before weight loss surgery was that we'd lose weight but then gain it all back within a few months. It's because you're fighting biology. Your hunger hormones, your gut biome - everything is fighting against you to get back to your previous weight. Weight loss surgery resets a lot of that. That's not to say you won't gain it all back. Some people let bad habits slip back in and take over. But as long as you watch that, the loss is "maintainable".

I met both of mine pretty much right away, but I know a lot of people struggle with this the first three or four weeks. Getting your liquid goals are the more important of the two since being dehydrated can land you back in the hospital. One thing I've done for a long time is to drink 16 oz of water every morning as soon as I get out of bed - before I eat breakfast, drink coffee, or whatever. Even doing 8 oz right off the bat might help..

they're both good surgeries. There are some health conditions that would make one surgery more appropriate than the other for you, though. Your surgeon will - or should - let you know their thoughts - but if they say you're a good candidate for either, then it really comes down to personal preference. I had the bypass and love it - and I would make the same decision today. I went with bypass because I had GERD prior to surgery. My surgeon said that although he'd do either surgery, he'd recommend that I least consider the bypass because of my past GERD. The risk of my GERD getting worse with the sleeve was about 30%, and it wasn't worth the risk to me. Another reason was that when I had surgery nine years ago, the sleeve hadn't been done as a standalone surgery for very long - it was just then overtaking the lap band as the non-RNY option. I didn't really want to go with something that didn't yet have a proven track record or much research behind it. However, at this point, the sleeve has been around long enough that I'd no longer have that particular concern, but I'd still go with bypass in my case because of my prior GERD.

10 lbs a month is pretty normal, and so is 40 lbs in three months. Unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", you need to adjust your expectations or you're going to be disappointed. I was about where you are at that point, and I went on to lose over 200 lbs. that said, you're eating way more than I was at that juncture...and I wasn't eating things like pizza and chips that early out, either. Maybe all of your activity is burning this off, but I'd be really careful and try to stick to the eating plan your clinic gave you. This is your big chance to lose a crap ton of weight - so take advantage of it!! Once your sense of hunger comes roaring back, it's going to get A LOT harder. P.S. the women at your Tuesday Talks are only partly right. People will typically lose 10 lbs a month for a few months, but it really slows down the closer you get to normal weight. I lost about 10 lbs a month for the first six or seven months, then it dropped down to somewhere around five lbs, give or take, and then after I passed the year mark, there were some months I only lost about 2 lbs, despite sticking to my eating plan 100%. It's because at some point what you take in and what it takes to run your body reaches equilibrium.

haven't heard of this in WLS patients - and I'm pretty sure water isn't absorbed in the stomach. I just did some googling (although I know it's not always good to ask Dr. Google). Sounds like it can be caused by a lot of things - kidney issues, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease, diabetes, certain medications, etc. Sounds like they'll need to do some testing to figure it out (and you said the Zepbound is making it worse - so that might be one factor - although it sounds like it's not the only one since you had it even before you started on Zepbound)

I just used the "diet and exercise, working with a dietitian" spiel with normal-sized people. Most of them believe that anyway. For other obese people, I was more honest since they know "diet and exercise" doesn't really work.

for me it's biking, walking, and water aerobics - mostly because I enjoy them and will actually willingly DO them regularly.

do you mean bone density LOSS? Best exercises for that are strength training and any cardio that puts pressure on your bones - like walking and dancing (because your feet are pounding on the ground - which strengthens bones)

I never had any expectations re: measurements, but I lost A LOT of inches.

bypass will usually cure reflux (or at minimum, greatly improve it), but I've read on here of people who had hernia repair which ended up improving (or curing) their reflux, too... Hopefully your surgeon can give you some idea on the best way to proceed with this. Reflux is awful! (been there - that's the main reason I went with bypass)

or maybe something like SIBO? Or IBD or IBS? Or even a redundant colon? (I have the latter - I'd sometimes wake up in a lot of pain because "stuff" would get stuck in one of the curvy parts). A colonoscopy would detect the latter, though (that's how I found out about mine). Not sure about the others.

totally normal. Also, your weight loss so far is totally normal. I think a lot of people have unrealistic expectations because of shows like "My 600 lb Life" - but you need to remember that those people start out MUCH heavier than the average WLS patient. Most of us seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month. Of course, you'll always find people who lose more or less than that, but most of us seem to fall somewhere in that range. So you're fine. And also, yes, most of us also experience our first stall sometime during the first month or so of surgery. So again, normal.

P.S. she may have told you not to take Metamucil because she thought you were too clogged up. If you take fiber supplements when you already have a huge clog, it sometimes just adds to the clog. Once you're "unclogged", a fiber supplement can keep you from clogging up again.

It evidently affects people differently. I take a capful every morning and have for almost nine years - fortunately, it never had that effect on me.

I would wait, too. Not everyone loses hair. Plus some (like me) lose so little that it's not noticeable.

either one should do that. For some reason, DS seems to improve (or cure) GERD even though it has a sleeved stomach. And bypass has always been known to improve or cure GERD. You may be able to lose more weight with the DS because it bypasses much more of the small intestine, but then on the flip side, complication rate is higher than it is with bypass (but then again, complications with either surgery aren't very common). another thing that comes to mind is that most PCPs are familiar with bypass, but not so much the DS. So if you have issues, you may have to see a specialist. beyond that, either would be a good option. Check to see if your surgeon recommends one over the other.

I don't feel "full" in the same way I did pre-surgery. I feel sort of uncomfortable pressure in my chest. I know when I feel that that I need to stop eating or I'm going to be sorry...

most people (not all - but most) lose their sense of hunger for up to a year post-surgery. For a lucky few, hunger never comes back. the pre-surgery liquid diet is different, though - that's the worst part of the whole ordeal, IMHO. It's hell - but most of us have been there and have made it through. I ate lots of sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello (the latter since it was the only thing I could have that somewhat resembled real food). You just have to white knuckle it and remind yourself that it WILL end. I was so glad to be rolled off to the OR the morning of my surgery knowing that the stupid pre-op diet was OVER!!