catwoman7

Arabesque and I weren't implying it's you - it could be some issue with the kidneys - or heart issues can also cause massive fluid retention. We were just saying that 15 lbs of fluid retention isn't normal fluid retention - the latter is usually more like 2 or 3 lbs. If you're following your plan to a "T", then there's something going on - I'd have a doctor check it out.

that "stair step" pattern of weight loss is pretty common, actually. If it's driving you nuts, maybe just weigh yourself once or twice a week instead of daily. As long as you stick to your plan and your general trend is downward, you're good -

you just made my day!!!

I agree with Arabesque. Normal fluid retention would be two or three lbs. With fifteen, there's something going on here. I'd follow up with your medical team.

you look great!!!

OMG - that would freak me out!!! I'd probably end up deleting my profile!

I'm kind of wondering if some of these guys who "liked" me might have thought I was in an open marriage or something. I made it pretty clear on my profile that I was married and not in the market, but I guess they either don't read...or don't care. Or again, that I'm in an open marriage. At any rate, of course I never responded to any of them. But it was just...weird.

yes - the only thing we had to watch out for early out was small seeds. Since Everything But the Bagel has poppy seeds in it, you might want to hold off for a month or so on that one. But most spices and seasonings, no...they should be fine.

I agree with all the others. I wish I hadn't been so scared of the surgery and had it 10 or 20 years before I actually did. I felt like I was just existing rather than fully living for all those years. I would do this again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'd do it every year if I had to. There are a lot of food restrictions early out, but after that first year, no. I can eat most of the same things I did before, I just eat a lot less of them now. And we're not talking a couple of tablespoons (although that's the case the first month or so after surgery) - now I eat like a lot of my never-been-obese women friends do. For example, when I go out, I'll have an appetizer - or I'll order an entree and take half of it home. Honestly, a lot of never-been-fat people eat that way, especially women. Watch some of them sometime. you can always work with a therapist on your sugar addiction if you think that would help. A lot of WLS patients work with therapists on their food issues and have found it helpful. finally, I lost over 200 lbs and had a TON of loose skin. However, it was very easy to hide in clothes. No one knew it was there except for me (well, and my husband and doctor, of course). I've since had it removed, but here is a picture of me BEFORE I had plastic surgery. See the loose skin? Trust me, it's there. Especially my gut. Like someone else said, I would take the loose skin any day over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY DAY!! oh - and you're not too old at all for WLS. Lots of us have it in our 50s and 60s - and a few even in our 70s. I had it at 55. I'm probably 58 in this picture.

sadly, it's not that uncommon. In some cases (not all, but some), there were issues in the relationship beforehand. A lot of people who lose a ton of weight become more self-confident, and I think they probably realize they don't have to put up with it anymore. In other cases, the non-weight-loss partner becomes jealous and possessive, like kristieshannon's. For whatever reason, relationships change, and sometimes end because of it. mine actually got better - but it was pretty strong to begin with, and we've been together for decades. My husband never had a weight problem and was/is very active. I could never keep up with him when I weighed almost 400 lbs. Now, I can. If anything, it's made us closer. so anyway, it varies - but divorce isn't all that uncommon after WLS.

yep - I told him I got on that module and what happened. I'm not curious in that I want to date anyone. I just wanted to see what kind of men in the 50-70 age group get on these things. Answer: lots.

you won't be able to the first few months, but after that, probably yes. I can eat anything now except for really high-fat meals. I just eat smaller portions than I did before (and when it comes to highly caloric things like desserts, MUCH smaller portions - although I do splurge occasionally and eat a regular-sized serving of dessert)

I don't think many surgeons do the mini bypass in the US, so I can't speak to your actual question (mini-bypass vs the standard gastric bypass), but I just wanted to say that yes, some people would consider getting weight loss surgery "cheating", but if that's the only thing that actually works for many of us to get rid of our excess weight, then so be it. For most of us, it's either that or continue to be morbidly obese and risk our health (and potentially shorten our lives, too). I was more than 200 lbs overweight before surgery. I was constantly dieting and then gaining it back - and the most I could ever lose was 50-60 lbs. Then I'd hit a wall and the weight would gradually come back on. This happened over and over and over again for most of my adult life (I'm in my 60s). Weight loss surgery was the only thing I tried that got me beyond that "wall". I ended up losing all of my excess weight and maintaining most of my loss (like many people, I gained 20 lbs after I hit my lowest weight - but I'm fine with that!). I never could have done this without the surgery. Believe me, I tried...

I've been married for a long time but registered for the "BBF" module on Bumble (Bumble is, of course, a dating site - but they have a module for people just looking for (same sex) friends - the BBF module). A couple of times I've switched over to the dating module for a few minutes, just out of curiosity. It's pretty clear on my profile that I'm married and not looking, but the couple of times I've gotten on the dating side for like 15 minutes, I'm suddenly bombarded with "likes" (or whatever they call them). WTH? Of course, I don't respond since I'm not in the market, but like you, I wonder if this would have happened when I was 200 lbs heavier. Doubtful.

I can't even imagine that it would cause any issues. With some of those vitamins (like C and the B's), your body just pees out what it doesn't need. With the fat soluble ones like A, D, and E, I highly doubt getting a double dose on one day is going to matter.

for some reason I didn't think of this before, but a 10-20 lb rebound gain after hitting your lowest weight is EXTREMELY common. It usually happens during year 3. Surgeons know this -- so they're almost certainly not going to get on your case!! This is probably what's going on. And what I said above is still true. It's ridiculously tough to lose 20 lbs when you're at - or slightly above - a normal BMI. Even for people who've never been overweight!

I've never been a big drinker because two of my uncles were/are alcoholics (one died from it), and I'm afraid I might have "the gene". So I never really drank more than once a month or so before surgery, and usually just 1-2 glasses of wine at a pop. I knew transfer addiction is a risk with bariatric surgery, and some patients eventually have issues with alcoholism, so I avoided it for the first three years. Now I drink again, but maybe three or four times a year - and as before, 1-2 glasses of wine. Although it's not a huge deal because I'm in my 60s now, so I'm not really into the bar scene anymore. you'll feel it right away when you drink - it hits RNY patients faster, but it also hits sleeve patients quicker after surgery, too

walking is fine. A lot of people do that - especially early out.

you'll likely hit several stalls along the way. If you're following your plan, then that's what's going on now. Like you did the first time, stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days. Your weight loss will start up again.

re: 5 lbs a week - that's pretty common for month #1, but beyond the first month, no. I know people on shows like "My 600 lb Life" lose can lose a ton of weight really quickly, but they start out at much higher BMI's than the average WLS patient. It seems like most of us lose in the 15-25 lb range the first month, and then maybe 10-12 (maybe 15 for some) lbs for a few months - then it drops again...and then drops again....until it finally stops. So at 2 lbs a week at seven weeks out, you're a little under that, but not by much. If you're following your clinic's plan (and it sounds like you are), that's about the only thing you have control over (other than activity level - which you also have control over). The other things that affect your rate of weight loss (age, gender, genetics, metabolic rate, starting BMI, your body composition (people with muscular bodies burn more calories)) you really don't have much - if any - control over. So do what you can - i.e, follow your plan and try to be active. As long as you're trending downward, you're good. you're also not starting at as high a BMI as some of us. I started out at 373 lbs. I lost 16 lbs the first month, then 10-12 lbs a month until month 6 or 7, then 5-8 lbs a month until I got to about the year mark, then it dropped again. By the end, I was eking out maybe 2 lbs a month. here's the difference I found (surgery vs. no surgery). My rate of weight loss was about the same. The difference was, before surgery, I'd drop about 50 lbs (and that was on my more successful attempts - most of the time it was only 20 lbs), then I'd hit a brick wall, and then my weight gradually went back up 'til I was back at square one. If not higher. That didn't happen this time. I kept going. And I didn't put it back on.

I had a lot of pain with mine (mostly with my lower body lift). I think it depends somewhat on if they do lipo and muscle tightening - as supposedly that's where a lot of the pain comes from. I had almost no pain with my RNY, but plastics were another story. It probably depends on the person, too (as well as what they do in surgery). Some people report not having much pain. I didn't have much with my breast lift at all - but the lower body lift was a challenge. After the first three or four days, though, it was discomfort rather than pain.

I would think most insurance companies would accept it. They might even be happy about it since they won't have to pay for it. Plus it's in your records that you had it, so.. I did my six-month professionally-supervised diet under a different insurance company, and my new company accepted it. you can always call them and ask..

I had one when I had plastic surgery, but not when I had my RNY.

about 30% of people with gastric bypass dump. You'll also find dumpers among sleeve patients, but it's much less common with sleeve. Which means 70% of bypassers (and even more sleevers) don't dump. Dumping is caused by eating too much sugar (or for some people, too much fat) in one sitting, so to control it you just don't eat a ton of sugar (or fat) in one sitting, which we shouldn't be doing anyway. in addition, vomiting after surgery is much easier than it was before. For one thing, we have tiny stomachs so there's not much in there to vomit. For another, you don't have much acid in your stomach, either, so you don't get that horrible taste in your mouth. I don't dread vomiting as much as I did pre-surgery. I don't dump (never have), but I've thrown up. I did most often during the first two or three months after surgery as I was learning what my new stomach tolerated and how much it could handle. Now, I know. And now, I rarely throw up - probably not much more than I did pre-surgery, which was not very often. P.S. I just read Nova Luna's response. Yes - the most common side effect with sleeve is GERD. About 30% of sleevers develop GERD - and/or it gets worse after sleeve (if you had it before). So there's that. Bypass often improves if not outright cures GERD. So basically, the stats on potential dumping (bypass) vs potentially having your GERD get worse (sleeve) are about the same.

you're pretty far out, so it might be due to something other than surgery. my tastes are back to normal now, other than I don't really like bananas anymore. They're too cloying. But that's been the case ever since my surgery, so in my case it might be related. I'm not sure a change in taste at a year or more out would be related...