catwoman7

then there are people who end up regaining most if not all of their weight. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that happened to a lot of the people in your FB group who are eating this way.

supposedly we don't have enough intrinsic factor in our pouches to properly absorb B12. We were told to use sublingual B12 tablets, since it DOES absorb through the mouth tissue. Injections also work. Although you said your tablets have 41,000 times the RDA of B12. Maybe the thinking behind that is even if only a fraction of that is absorbed, it'll be enough to cover the requirement (??). If so, that might work - and would explain why they packed so much B12 in those tablets.

most of us (not all, but most) lose our sense of hunger for awhile after surgery. It usually comes back sometime during the first year. Mine came back at five months out. Take advantage of it while it's gone - it's never going to be easier to lose weight than now when you're never hungry (and might not even give a flip about food!) as far as full, you'll start to feel the restriction once you move to solid food. But keep in mind "full" might or might not feel the same as it did before surgery. It could take awhile to figure out your new full cue (and then again, it may feel the same to you as it did before - but for some of us, it's different). I don't feel full the way I used to. Now, I feel a discomfort in my chest -- kind of like pressure, I guess. When I feel that, I know I need to stop eating or I'm going to regret it. I've read about others whose new full cue is a runny nose - or sneezing.

I agree with some of the others - you're starting at a very low weight for a WLS patient, so you can't expect to lose as fast as someone who starts out at over 300 lbs. As long as you're following your clinic's plan and your weight is trending down, you're good. btw - even for those of us who start out at over 300 lbs, by the time we get down to where you started (under 200), WE start losing about a lb a week as well. That's totally normal. I dipped under 200 for the first time when I was a little over a year out - and yep, my weight loss slowed down to a crawl. BUT....it kept coming off... P.S. You mentioned people who "eat junk" are doing much better than you. Check back with them in a couple of years and see where they're at...

you're right in that those won't hurt, but like the patches, they seem to work for some, but not for others. Fortunately, most people don't lose enough hair that it's noticeable to others (although we definitely notice!)

those are kind of a mixed bag. They work for some people, but not for others. A lot of clinics won't approve them - but check with yours. I've thought of getting them for traveling so I won't have to lug around a million bottles, because even if they don't really work for me, it wouldn't be for a long enough time that it would make much difference. But if they DO work for you, then yes - it'd be a great option!

I was like that, too. I thought being in the 300s that I would be one of the smallest people in my cohort. Nope - I was the biggest. Although I'm not that great at judging weight, I'd say most of the women I went through classes with were more like 250-ish, give or take. After I lost all my weight, I was a regular speaker for the pre-op classes. I did this until the pandemic hit, so three or four years. At least once a month. So I've seen hundreds of pre-op patients. I'd say in any given class, most people are in the 200s. And there are usually a handful that look like they're probably in the 300s. Maybe a very occasional person over 400. But never anyone the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". I don't even think my clinic would accept them - they'd have to go to a bariatric surgeon like Dr. Now who specializes in high-risk patients.

I'd find a new doctor. No one should have to put up with this BS.

re: open vs laproscopic RNY - almost all RNY's are done laproscopically these days. Although I suppose there's a rare situation where one has to be done laproscopically, the only people I know who had open ones had them done many years ago. I went with RNY primarily because I had GERD. Also, when I had my surgery a few years ago, the sleeve was just becoming popular - it was rapidly replacing the lapband as the RNY alternative. I had a fear of it turning into "Lapband 2" a few years down the road, so I wanted the tried & true. RNY had been around for awhile and it had a lot of solid research behind it. However, VSG has been around long enough at this point that I wouldn't have that particular concern if I was making the decision today, but I would still go with the RNY because of my GERD issue. I'm still very happy with my decision. There are more potential complications with the RNY, but honestly, both surgeries are very safe, and major complications are rare.

zero regrets. I'd do it again in a heart beat, and I should have done it years ago. I sat on the decision for ten years, for the same reasons you are, but I'm so glad I finally decided to go through with it. It's very common for pre-ops and early post-ops to be terrified about hair loss, but most people who are a ways out will tell you that in the grand scheme of things, the hair loss phase was more-or-less just a temporary annoyance. Losing the excess weight FAR outweighs the temporary hair loss. Besides, for many of us, the hair loss isn't enough for others to notice (although WE notice it!). I really didn't lose all that much hair - so I know no one else noticed it. major complications aren't that common. Some of us have no complications at all - and for those who have them, most are minor. You're much more likely to develop complications from being obese than you are from weight loss surgery.

pasta doesn't always sit well with me, even at six years out. And tomato sauce is acidic...

check with your clinic in case it's something like a stricture. It may not be - but not being able to keep anything down is a symptom of that. If so, it's an easy fix. as the above person said, it could also be some kind of food intolerance. Just call your clinic - they'll know what to do.

I think you need to reset your expectations. You've done MUCH better than most of us. It sounds like you're very successful! stalls are a common "feature" of weight loss. When you hit one, just stay the course and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you're following your program, they'll eventually break and you'll be on your way again. We've all been there....

my husband was with me when I had surgery in 2015, but I slept most of the time, so I would have been fine without him there.

that rate of weight loss is very normal, unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". Most of us "normal" WLS patients lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month, and then about 8-12 lbs a month for the next six or so months after that (and then it drops down even more). So you're fine. as for 1000 kcal/day at this point, a lot of us are eating somewhere in the 600-800 range for the first several months post-op, but I've heard of more clinics lately that are recommending more like 1000 kcal/day...so yours isn't the only one. They'd know more than I would, and as long as the patients are continuing to lose weight.....

call your clinic. I'm not a medical person, either, but those are common symptoms of an infection.

check with your doctor, of course, but mine said it doesn't cause dependence and is fine to take every day.

some surgeons ban it for life, some say it's fine after the first few months IF you can tolerate the carbonation (not everyone can). So....??? I know that's a vague answer, but as Arabesque said, there's conflicting information out there, and there's not a consensus among surgeons.

I've always taken Centrum Silver or the Walgreens/CVS generic equivalent. Two a day.

I've thrown up several times since my surgery six years ago. I've also had that foamy business. I've heard that some people can't vomit after surgery, but I think most of us can.

at six years post-surgery, I still take a capful of Miralax (the US version of Restoralax) every morning. a lot of us deal with chronic constipation. It's a combination of the high protein diet + calcium + iron supplements. So it's very likely you'll be managing this AFTER your surgery, too...

it depends insurance - not sure what Medicare requires. My insurance company required it be done with a physician or a registered dietitian, but some companies also allow programs like Weight Watchers as long as it's well documented.

I'd contact your surgeon. Some of us have little interest in food the first few months (because the hunger hormones have been supressed), but 16 weeks out is pretty far out to still be having issues with eating and drinking. If nothing else, I'd contact him/her for peace of mind.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I was able to get in my 60 g of protein (mostly via protein shakes) from the get-go. For some, it can take a couple of weeks (or maybe longer). But it's not that difficult to work up to that, really, if you're using protein shakes.

most people (not all - but most) lose their sense of hunger for a few months - for some up to a year - but cravings are different than hunger. They're mental rather than physical. You'll need to get a handle on that - maybe work with a therapist - because unfortunely, surgery won't fix that since they're not a physical sensation.