catwoman7

I only lost 16 lbs the first month - but my weight loss continued for 20 months. I lost 235 lb altogether (have regained 15-20 lbs, which is unfortunately very common after you hit bottom, but I'm OK with that now...). Anyway, my point is, the weight WILL come off, whether fast or slow, as long as you stick to the program.

I'd do whatever your program says to do. Early out, we were required to drink whey protein isolate because it's the most absorbable form of protein, and there's really no other way we could get enough protein that early on without it. Later on, as we were able to eat more and were getting most of our protein through food, we could have other kinds of protein shakes if we wanted (for example, protein blends) - or, if we were able to get ALL of our protein requirements met, we could give up the shakes altogether. If you're required to have whey protein isolate early out, then neither Slimfast powder nor Slimfast ready to drink shakes are going to do it for you. The protein in them is "milk protein concentrate", plus a lot of other things.

I was going to say the exact same thing as the others. Do they think having (heart) triple bypass surgery is a sin? Or removing some sort of cancer growth? Or how about tooth extraction? Sheesh. Find some new friends, I say!

yes - you can reverse an RNY. However, they usually only do it for serious medical issues that can't be resolved any other way. I'm not sure why you'd want to go from RNY to sleeve, though, since RNY is a stronger surgery. Unless you don't really want to lose more weight (you said you've put on 60 lbs) and are more concerned about getting stomach acid back (not sure why you'd want this - plus GERD is a potential risk of sleeve). I've heard of people having RNY revised to DS, when they reverse the RNY, create a sleeve, and then do the intestinal bypass part of the DS - but very few surgeons are qualified to do this. I would probably consider some of those surgeons, though, since they'd have the most experience (even if you just want the sleeve part).

my taste didn't change in that I liked some things that I didn't like before, and vice versa, but it DID become more intense. Sweet things tasted sweeter; spicy things tasted spicier. I don't notice it anymore and haven't since I was a few months out. Not sure if it went back to normal, or if I just got used to it. at any rate, yes - changes in taste are pretty common after surgery.

P.S. old timers on this forum are probably sick of seeing this photo, but this is me BEFORE I had plastic surgery. I lost over 200 lbs, so I had TONS of loose skin. See it there? No - I didn't think so. It's pretty easy to hide. And easy to get rid of if you want to pursue plastic surgery.

I'd take the loose skin any day of the week over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY FRICKIN' DAY!! However, mine did drive me nuts after awhile (it was easy to hide, but *I* knew it was there...), so I had it removed. Poof! Gone.

I never had issues with fluids. I could always drink more than they said I might be able to, and when I told the PA at my clinic, he said that was fine - not everyone has issues drinking. also, any drinking issues are usually normalized once people are a ways out - so it's definitely not a "life" thing.

the people who gain it back are those who let bad eating habits slip back into their lives. most people do experience a 10-20 lb rebound gain after hitting their lowest weight. It's not inevitable, but it does seem to happen to most of us. As far as gaining it all back, though, yes, it happens to some - but not most. If you monitor yourself, though, and keep up with the good habits, then you're not going to gain it all back. serious health changes? That would be super rare. You're much more likely to experience serious health issues by staying obese. Most people see vast improvements in their health after surgery. Fatigue is common the first couple of months after surgery - surgery is a major stress on your body (any surgery - not just this one), and you're taking in very few calories to boot. After that, though, you'll probably have more energy than you do now. hormonal changes are temporary. That should all stabilize sometime within the first year. Permanent hair loss would be extremely rare. no weight loss at all would only happen if you don't follow the program.

yes - definitely don't stress about it. There are so many things that affect your rate of weight loss that you have little to no control over - age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic rate, etc. The only two things you do have a lot of control over is how closely you stick to your program and your activity level. Do well with those and the weight will come off, either fast or slow. I was a slow loser from the get-go, and I lost over 200 lbs. So it can be done..

I didn't have my surgery in Mexico - and didn't have a sleeve - but I want to comment on just one item: do NOT rely strictly on cost. The most important thing is the surgeon's reputation, skill, and experience. Look at reviews. Lots of reviews. There are excellent surgeons in Mexico, and there are also bad ones. Do your homework. It's not worth dying or having severe complications to save a buck.

by light yogurt I'm guessing she means something like Dannon's Light & Fit (which you can get anywhere), Kroger's Carbmaster (at Kroger and Kroger affiliates), or the 100-calorie "protein Greek yogurt" that Aldi sells in a 4-pack. But there are others. There are others out there as well - but those three come to mind.

^^^^ agree with everything she said. At seven years out, I've never dumped - and I know a lot of others who haven't, either. Unfortunately, I'm sure I could inhale a pint of ice cream and never dump.

check with your clinic. Surgeons are literally all across the board with this. There seems to be no consensus at all. Some people are drinking it even before they leave the hospital. Other patients are told they can't ever have it again, for the rest of their lives. Most seem to be somewhere in the middle - as in it's OK after a certain amount of time (one month, or three months, or six months..) and/or in limited quantities (1-2 cups a day, for example).

yea - I was told nothing but walking for the first four weeks, and no strength training until eight weeks out. as far as calories, no way you could be eating very many. We were told to just count protein grams and fluids when we were early out....no calorie counting.

re: no appetite - that's very common for the first few months after surgery. Hunger and appetite almost always come back sometime during the first year - mine came roaring back at five months out. To be honest, I wish it never had. Although it's very weird and a bit unsettling at first, it'll never be easier in your life to lose weight than it will be right now (and for the next few months), when you're never hungry and don't give a flip about food. Take full advantage of that!! in the mean time, you do need to keep hydrated and get your protein and other nutrients in - so if nothing else, eat and drink what you need to for those reasons.

yes - super common. I had buyers' remorse the first two or three weeks. No more! Best decision I ever made!

a week is nothing, really. Lots of people on here had theirs postponed for months because of COVID. That week should go by quickly...

the first few weeks can be tough, but after that, you're good. I, like a lot of people, had bouts of buyers remorse the first month or so (or maybe only a couple of weeks? It's been awhile), but that's long gone. No regrets at all - other than I should have had it done years before I did.

what's your BMI? The closer it is to normal, the slower the weight loss.

yes - it's not uncommon for people to have trouble with chicken the first few weeks or months..

I am in my 60s, and had been battling being overweight or obese for decades. I tried every diet known to man. With some, I'd lose up to 50 lbs (but most of the time, more like 20). It was just a matter of time before it all came back again. Over and over again - for decades. Surgery was the only thing that worked for me. the vitamin regimen is overwhelming at first, but it becomes old hat after awhile. I don't even think about it anymore. I'm pretty much on auto-pilot...

nope. Once you're a few months out, restrictions will be lifted. There may be foods that you find your stomach won't be able to tolerate, but there will be no restrictions. I can eat all of those things - cake, pizza, sherbet - even real ice cream. about 30% of bypassers "dump", so they have to limit their sugar intake (or for some, fat). But most dumpers I know can eat "some" sugar (or fat). 70% of us do not dump. I never have (unfortunately, I might add...if I did, it would have stopped me from eating that cup of ice cream last night (which is just an occasional treat for me now, but still...))

P.S. is this your PCP or your bariatric surgeon telling you this? If the latter, I'd be very surprised. I guess I wouldn't be as shocked at a PCP saying that, since they're not specialists in bariatric surgery.

it would be the exception, not the rule, for someone at your starting weight to lose 30 lbs the first month. If you weighed well over 300 lbs, then yea - but I'm very surprised she told you that with your starting weight. Not that it couldn't happen, but it's not very realistic. I hate to question your doctor, but I've been hanging out on bariatric forums for over seven years, and also volunteered at my clinic for about four years. As I said, that's definitely not impossible, but it'd be the exception to lose that much weight given your starting weight.