catwoman7

the psychologist asked me what my goal weight was at my first appt with him, I think so he'd know if I was being realistic or not. I blurted out 199 lbs, which at the time seemed like a pipe dream to me after weighing over 300 for 20 years. I was shocked when he said "that sounds do-able". The surgeon never gave me a goal weight, he just said that the average patient loses about 70% of his/her excess weight. as I got closer to 199, I told the dietitian I wanted to try to get down to 170. She said if I worked really hard at it, I could probably get there. When I got to 170, I told her I wanted to shoot for 150. She told me that was kind of unrealistic, only about 10-15% of their patients get down to a normal BMI. But...I made it. so anyway, the point of this is, your goal weight can change as you go along in your journey.

if yours is all liquid, plus protein shakes, it'll be tough - but it'll get easier by day 3 or 4 when your body goes into ketosis. If you're allowed some food, it won't be as bad (some people have a couple of protein shakes during the day and a small meal for dinner). My clinic's plan was the first - the all liquid one. It's tough - but then again, it does get a bit easier by the 3rd or 4th day.

mine was the latter - (not even sure if they did vitals, but maybe they did. I think it was mostly discussion, though)

it's hard to say because it's dependent on a few things - and now you can factor COVID surges into the mix (a lot of surgeries have been delayed/rescheduled the last couple of years when we've gotten hit with a surge and the hospitals are full). The above comment is correct - if your insurance is covering it, it'll likely take longer than if you were self-pay since insurance companies often have you fulfill requirements above & beyond what the surgeon requires. A lot of insurance companies require a six-month supervised diet before surgery (supervised by a PCP or registered dietitian). Surgeons, on the other hand, often require sleep studies, endoscopies, blood draws, classes, and sometimes (cardiac) stress tests. mine was covered by insurance, but I did my six-month supervised diet before I formally joined the program. I joined in early January (2015) and could have scheduled my surgery as soon as late March, but since I worked in education, I waited until June. If I hadn't done the diet beforehand, then I wouldn't have been able to do it until the summer *anyway*.

most people get that stall at or around the three-week mark - so it's late for you. Don't do anything besides stick to your program and stay off the scale (only weigh yourself once a week or so until you get through this). It'll break and you'll be on your way again. Since they typically last 1-3 weeks, you're likely near the end of it.

our gym had a special last fall where seniors could meet with a personal trainer three times. I got enough out of that that I was able to put together my own strength-training program, so you should do well with those 12 sessions.

constipation is an issue with a lot of sleevers, too. You're right - it's the high protein diet - plus calcium and iron supplements don't help, either...

not only is it acidic, it's carbonated. Not a good choice at less than a month out. You're still healing. Plus transfer addiction is unfortunately a real thing - some people develop issues with alcohol after bariatric surgery. So I'd be careful. we were told to wait a year after surgery to indulge - some people are told six months. Some may not have to wait as long, but 3.5 weeks is way too early.

unless you ate an extra 7000 calories above and beyond what your body needs (3500 calories = 1 pound), it's likely water retention (from excess sodium) or full intestines (maybe you ate more fiber than usual?). If so, it'll be gone in a day or two.

I think I met with the surgeon at my first appointment as well. And the next time I saw him was the morning of surgery - although I worked with the rest of the clinic staff A LOT between those two appointments!

elevated liver enzymes are common the first year or so after surgery, even without Seroquel. Rapid weight loss is really tough on livers. Mine were high that first year and then were back to normal sometime during year 2, when I was at or near maintenance.

yes - it's related to the surgery. It affects your hormones. A lot of women experience screwed up menstrual cycles (and/or have weird moods) for the first few weeks or months after surgery. Estrogen is stored in fat cells, and the theory I've read is that it's released during rapid weight loss (don't know if the latter part of that is true, but it IS stored in fat cells, and lots of women DO have hormonal issues after surgery because of it). It'll eventually stabilize and things will be back to normal. I don't know the answer to your second question, though.

^^^^ I was just going to say that! A lot of bariatric patients from the NYC area have used him and been very happy with the results.

only about 30% of us dump (I've never dumped - and I know a lot of people who haven't), and even if you turn out to be a dumper, you can prevent it by limiting your sugar intake (or for some people, fat - some people dump on fat). So yes - it's a potential complication of bypass, but the majority don't experience it, and it's controllable if you do. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. Also, I think that flatulence thing isn't very common, either. And the scars are tiny - smalller than VSG scars since they're not pulling anything out. I really can't see mine at all anymore. You'll do fine!

you're losing a lot faster than I ever did. and as far as the four weeks, you're most likely in a stall. They usually last 1-3 weeks, but a month is not unheard of.

at almost seven years out, I think I eat almost as quickly as I did pre-surgery - but just remember that it takes 15 or 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal that you've had enough. So if you scarf everything down in five minutes, there's the temptation to overdo it since your brain doesn't know yet that you've had enough. At this point I pretty much know how much my stomach can handle, but the temptation to eat more is there. Eating slowly allows the signal to get to your brain by the time you're finishing up. Actually, I should probably try to get back to this.... anyway, back to your question. I don't think there's any harm in doing that - it's just that you're more likely to overeat if you eat quickly.

with some things, it makes more sense to go by volume rather than weight. If it says the carton weighs 16 oz, and you're trying to eat a 1/2 C serving, then eat a quarter of the carton (I know that can be tricky to gauge, but look at it this way - if you're the only one eating the ice cream, and there are four servings in there, one day you might be inadvertently eating a little more, and another day a little less, but over the course of the time period it takes to eat the carton, you've still eaten four servings at "however-many-calories" each. So overall, the calories would work out.

do whatever you can to avoid dehydration. That can put you back in the hospital faster than anything...

developing - or worsening - GERD is a potential complication with sleeve, but it doesn't happen to everyone. I had GERD before surgery and wasn't willing to take the risk, so I went with RNY. I guess it comes down to if you're willing to take the risk or not. It doesn't get worse for everyone - but it definitely does for some. I was just afraid I'd be one of those for whom it would get worse.

my insurance also required six months of a professionally-supervised diet (that is, by a PCP or a registered dietitian). They didn't specify the TYPE of diet, though - as long as it was professionally supervised. I worked with a dietitian. She had me eat c. 2300 calories a day, gradually increase my protein intake, and gradually decrease my carb intake. I also had to wean myself off caffeine and carbonated beverages. I had to add in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Just basic healthy eating. it kind of prepped me for what eating would be like after surgery.

yes. Stalls usually last 1-3 weeks

if you have issues with reflux, then the bypass is the better option. Otherwise, it comes down to personal preference. vitamin deficiencies with the bypass are rare as long as you keep on top of your vitamins. most common complication with the sleeve is GERD. Happens to about 30% of sleevers. Usually it can be controlled medically (by taking PPIs), but there are a minority who have severe cases that only a revision to bypass will cure. most common complication with bypass is dumping. Also happens to about 30% of patients. It can be controlled by limiting or avoiding sugar (and for some people, fat). I had bypass almost seven years ago. Like many of us, I've never had any issues with it, and I would do it again if I had to make that choice today. I've been very happy with it. they're both good surgeries and you'll find many people on here who've had a lot of success with both. Unless you have a medical condition that would make one more appropriate than the other, I think either option would be a good one.

it's the infamous three week stall. It just came a little early for you (actually, it did for me as well, I had it weeks 2 and 3). Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. It'll break and you'll be on your way again. That happens to probably 90% of us. if you want to read about this stall, do a search on this site for the "three week stall". You'll find over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding.

I never cheated on mine.

not only right after surgery, but even years out, some of us deal with chronic constipation. right after surgery it's probably more a factor of the anesthesia - plus the fact there's not much in there to come out. once you get beyond that, the high protein diet plus some of the supplements we take - namely calcium and iron - can cause backup. A lot of long-timers take a capful of Miralax every morning to keep on top of it (other things can help as well - magnesium tablets, stool softeners, etc....)