catwoman7

you don't want one of those - the medical ones only give you bone density. To get additional information, like body composition (percentage of fat, bone, muscle, etc), you have to get a commercial one or go to something like a sports lab at a university. The commercial places have names like "DEXAFit", and they run around $150. The ones at universities, when they have them, are sometimes cheaper. It's the same equipment as they have in medical offices, you just get more information from them.

almost everyone has stalls along the way. The first one is typically within the first month or so after surgery. We call it the "three week stall" because it's usually the third week post-op, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. During week 4, my weight loss started up again, and I lost something like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. you don't need to change anything up at this point because this is just the typical three week stall when people are eating very few calories. It'll break. If you need to stay off the scale for a few days, do it - but your weight loss WILL start up again.

I had DEXAscan at 146 lbs. I wanted to know how much more i should lose. The tech said none.... my body fat was at 22%, which is low for a woman. I was shocked... and ecstatic! I thought for sure I'd have to lose another 15 lbs! So yes... it's great to be told that!!

it seems like most people have had their lapbands removed - so they've been an issue for a LOT of people, it seems. Most surgeons refuse to place them anymore. VSG has pretty much replaced it. rate of weight loss depends on so many factors that knowing where other people were at various junctures probably isn't going to be of much help. I was a very slow loser, but I was very committed, and I lost 100% of my excess weight. factors in your rate of weight loss include gender, age, metabolic rate, how active you are, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a fair amount of weight before surgery - I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but those are all major ones. P.S. it's very common to gain back 10-20 lbs during year 3 post-op. So besides that bounce back, yes, I've been able to keep my weight off. But it's a struggle every day. There's a significant minority of patients who stop paying attention and gain back a lot weight - and unfortunately, a few gain all of it back. You really have to commit to monitoring yourself for the rest of your life.

not all programs are ultra-low carb. Some are more balanced. My program was a balanced one, too. They never talked about carbs - they just stressed protein first, then non-starchy vegetables, and then, if I had room (which early on I did NOT), then maybe a small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb. We were told to focus solely on getting our protein and fluids in, and not to worry about calories in the early months. I didn't really start counting calories until I was probably six to eight months out. I wasn't eating enough those first few months to worry about them. P.S. it's fine to start the day with a protein shake. Some people have a hard time stomaching solid food in the morning, so for those folks especially, a protein shake will do the trick!

being nervous before a surgery is very normal. I felt that way before every surgery I've had. But I'm sure things will go just fine!! as for losing weight on your own, statistics show that fewer than 5% of people can lose a significant amount of weight and maintain it. So maybe you could, but the odds are against you. Having WLS will not guarantee that you'll lose a bunch of weight and be able to maintain it effortlessly, but it greatly improves your odds. I put off WLS for YEARS because I thought I should be able to do it myself. But I kept repeating the same pattern - lose 40-60 lbs, hit a brick wall, gradual regain until I was back where I started. It happened over and over and over again, for almost all of my adult life. I finally admitted to myself that I was never going to lose the 200 lbs I had to lose, if I couldn't even maintain a 50-lb loss for more than a few months. So at age 55, I took the leap and had the surgery. Best decision I ever made. I should have done it YEARS ago!

I was taking all my pills whole - except for two of them - as soon as I got home from the hospital. I had to wait a couple of weeks on the two remaining ones (since they were bigger than the others). So you shouldn't have a problem.

yep - increased fertility is VERY common after surgery! They do usually tell you to wait a year, but you won't be the first - nor the last - to get pregnant just weeks or months out of the gate. Just work with your doctors - they'll know what to do!

congratulations!! Getting below 200 lbs is a HUGE milestone!

a lot of us don't need any as the majority has little to no pain with this surgery, but if you're one of the unfortunate people who do, just let the nurse know. I'm sure they'll be willing to send you home with something stronger than liquid Tylenol if you need it.

I know you've read this a thousand times here, but chronic constipation is a very common problem for post-ops, both RNY and VSG. you have to find something that works for you and keep on top of it. A lot of us take a capful of Miralax every day. I'm not sure if it has the same name in Australia, but the generic name is polyethylene glycol. It's safe to take every day. I put a capful in my protein shake every morning. others take things like stool softeners, Smooth Move tea, magnesium tablets. Some eat a few prunes every day. Just find something - or a combination of things - that work for you. Even though I take Miralax every day, I still get backed up maybe twice a month. When I do, I take Milk of Magnesia for a night or two - it usually does the trick. Unlike Miralax, though, that should NOT be taken every day - you should only take that when needed. So deal with your current "jam", and once it's cleared, get started on a safe treatment every day to prevent it from happening again. P.S. the constipation is probably causing the bloating. You have air backed up in there that can't get through because of the "jam"

fortunately, for most of us, we're the only ones who notice it. I did some "shedding" for about three months, but I doubt anyone else noticed it.

yep - it's the infamous three-week stall. Yours just came a little late.

some of us get gassy when we eat carbs. Sugar alcohols (sugar substitutes ending in -itol, like xylitol) also cause G/I issues for some of us.

it looks like the content of your original post is gone, but did you say that your glucose level is high? If so, that shouldn't stop your surgery - there are a number of bariatric patients who have Type 2 diabetes (and it often goes into remission after surgery)

Although I've never seen any actual medical research to back this up, just from hanging around on this and other bariatric internet forums for the last 5-6 years, I'd say the average bariatric patient loses 15-25 lbs the first month. I think we go into it expecting more because of shows like "My 600 lb Life". You have to remember that those people are NOT normal bariatric patients. In fact, I've been working with pre-op groups for the last four years, and I've never seen anyone near that big in the pre-op classes. Most of us are between 200-450 lbs. And as you've probably heard, starting BMI is one of the factors that affects your rate of weight loss. So although you will see some people who lose 30+ lbs the first month, they're the exception. Most of the people who lose that much start out much heavier than the majority of us. I started out at over 300 lbs and lost 16 lbs the first month, if that makes you feel any better... also, I should add that rate of weight loss doesn't really affect your ultimate result - your level of commitment to your program does.

it's the same as Vitamin B7. Some people say it worked for them, some said it did nothing - I guess you just have to try it to see if it works for you.

my plastic surgeon wasn't willing to keep patients under anesthesia for more than six hours, so my procedures were divided into two surgeries. He felt it was risky - but I was good with that. I didn't particularly want some tired guy coming at me with a knife (!). Some are OK with going longer - some not.

if you're referring to the RNY, then malnutrition is rare as long as you keep on top of your supplements. the "bathroom thing after you eat" is uncommon with the RNY. The vast majority of us deal with the opposite problem - constipation. if you meant something like a SADI or DS (which is not the same as the RNY gastric bypass. SADI and DS are a sleeve stomach with a bypassed small intestine), then those things are more of an issue. But even with that, I think malnutrition is uncommon as long as you keep on top of your supplements. ADDENDUM: I just rechecked and you said gastric bypass (which is the RNY). So no, those things aren't common issues. You just have to be more diligent about taking your vitamins than you would be with the sleeve.

I think the OP meant a gastric bypass (RNY)

I'm not on them, but some are worse than others when it comes to weight gain. Paxil (paroxetine) is notorious for weight gain, but some of them are OK - just check with your doctor - he or she will know which ones tend not to have that as a side effect.

it usually takes up to a week to have a bowel movement. There's not much in there. But yes - stool softeners should help since the first one is usually a doozy.

just make sure that if you're currently backed up, that you take something like a stool softener or magnesium or Miralax before you start adding on the fiber. Otherwise, there's a risk the fiber will just add to the "jam". Once the jam is cleared and you're going pretty regularly again, THEN add the fiber to maintain the regularity. Some people take things like Metamucil every day to keep regular.

this doesn't sound like it's anything to really worry about. As I said, mine is always 55-60 and I've never had a health professional say anything (other than a nurse once who said I must exercise a lot)

you're bound to get 100 different answers to this question because everyone's tastes are different, but my two favorite brands were Unjury and Syntrax. it's probably best to get a bunch of individual packets if you can find them (you can order them online, or sometimes places like Vitamin Shoppe and GNC carry them). That way you don't end up with a huge tub of protein powder that you hate - because protein isn't cheap!