kimberb

My surgeon and nutritionist was at the Fresno Kaiser N. Cal. I did my classes thru the Modesto Kaiser N. Cal. We were allowed to weigh in at any Kaiser health center. I was not weighed on day of my psych or nutritionist appointment. The surgeons scale was the one that trumped any other scales. I noted the weight difference between his scale and my home scale. So I always had a pretty good idea what my weight was. Fresno Kaiser let us take off our shoes. It was summer so I was always in flip flops. I weighed myself in different clothes to find the lightest outfit I had and I wore that specific outfit thru my whole process. Even on surgery day. I wanted to stay at least 3 lbs under my surgery required weight. I was so afraid that I'd be above surgery weight. So i gave myself a 3 lbs cushion. My required weight was 227 and on day of surgery I weighed 220. I am almost 8 months out. Starting weight 243 Surgery weight 220. Current weight 159.6
Good luck to you all.

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You should take your thyroid medication on empty stomach. Doc said I can drink black coffee or Water for 1st 1/2 to 1 hr. after taking medication and nothing else. Never take with any other medication or Vitamins.< /p>

Try pressing/clutching a pillow to your abdomen when you cough or sneeze. A nurse gave me this tip when I had my gallbladder removed. It worked for me.
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If your insurance doesn't have any restrictions on the number of WLS per lifetime (some limit to one WLS per lifetime) then the usual insurance rules generally apply - BMI of 40 and above, or 35 with comorbidities. So, that's the good news - if you were covered before and have regained to that point, then you should be covered again.
The bad news that you probably don't want to hear is that it won't likely do you much good in the long term, unless there was something seriously defective with your first procedure that needs to be corrected. Changing to a bypass may get you back on track again for a while, but ultimately you will be in the same position as the two procedures are very similar in overall strength or outcome. Think of your WLS as more of a "do-over" than a metabolic reset - it gives you the chance to get things in order to live sustainably and maintain your weight, but it doesn't do it for you.
While I don't agree with everything this doc says, he is one of the few that acknowledges that our meal capacity will increase over time (to around half of our pre-op capacity), and has a viable prescription for living with that fact. His numbers are consistent with my experience over the years. Also, that sleeve/pouch size has little to do with long term capacity or success - my wife has a huge sleeve on VSG terms (from her DS, which typically uses a sleeve of about twice the size of a stand alone VSG sleeve,) and our meal sizes are pretty much the same several years out. It is very much a matter of food choices and habits rather than absolute restriction minimizing how much we eat.
A good part of the game here is matching the right procedure with the patient - think in terms of the WLS procedures having somewhat different personalities, and you have to find the right "fit", just as you do with friends and associates. The RNY isn't any mover powerful overall than the VSG, but may be a better fit for you. Or it may not - research and talk to as many people with the bypass as you can to see if it is right for you, as one of its' drawbacks is that it is very difficult to revise to something else if it doesn't fit. With either procedure, it would not be uncommon for women of average and below height to maintain in the 1000-1200 calorie range long term. If you are having problems at 12-1500 calories now, a bypass or resleeve isn't going to help much if you can't find a way to maintain at whatever level your metabolism dictates.
The DS does offer a better metabolic kick long term and may be your best option if you can't make the long term diet/lifestyle adjustments to make the VSG work; its' caloric malabsorption is long term vs the bypass which sees its caloric malabsorption dissipate after a year or two.. But it requires more serious commitment to supplementing and follow up lab work for life (that's part of its' "personality" that you have to live with. But I have seen many be successful over 10-20 years with it, often eating a less than "ideal" diet.

I have depression and anxiety. I had to get clearance from my psychiatrist and therapist before I could get surgery. I had to be in stable condition. No changing of medications for 3 months. I had a few extra hoops to jump thru but wasn't bad.

Drink fluids. Frozen sugar free popsicles helped me alot. Keep busy. Drink drink drink. You got this.

My surgeon and nutritionist was at the Fresno Kaiser N. Cal. I did my classes thru the Modesto Kaiser N. Cal. We were allowed to weigh in at any Kaiser health center. I was not weighed on day of my psych or nutritionist appointment. The surgeons scale was the one that trumped any other scales. I noted the weight difference between his scale and my home scale. So I always had a pretty good idea what my weight was. Fresno Kaiser let us take off our shoes. It was summer so I was always in flip flops. I weighed myself in different clothes to find the lightest outfit I had and I wore that specific outfit thru my whole process. Even on surgery day. I wanted to stay at least 3 lbs under my surgery required weight. I was so afraid that I'd be above surgery weight. So i gave myself a 3 lbs cushion. My required weight was 227 and on day of surgery I weighed 220. I am almost 8 months out. Starting weight 243 Surgery weight 220. Current weight 159.6
Good luck to you all.

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Congratulations! All of these replies are making me feel a bit more at ease now
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My stats might sound disappointing, because most people want to lose quickly.

My only double digit month was the first one. After that, I lost about 6 pounds a month. So, less than 2 pounds a week.

But that didn't stop me from shedding 126 pounds, or from keeping it off. So, no matter the rate, stick with it. There will be stops, starts and stalls. Long term maintenance is the real goal.

Good luck!

Cheri

I was told that Hair loss is due to body being in shock from surgery and rapid weight loss. I am almost 7 months post o.p and am losing lots of hair. It's just part of the process. I was told that most people start noticing new Hair growth after a year post o.p. I sure hope so.

Try a stool softner. I struggled with bowel movements. Surgeon had me start taking them 2 weeks post-op. Once i started eating solid food the problem went away. It gets better.

Good luck to you all. See you on the loser's bench.

Good luck to you all. See you on the loser's bench.

Good luck to you all. See you on the loser's bench.

Good luck to you all. See you on the loser's bench.

Good luck to you all. See you on the loser's bench.

Try Victoria Secrets. I just bought my first new bra from there. Fits perfectly.

Most definitely contact your nutritionist. Everyone's diet plan seems to be so different. Dieting is hopefully behind you. You now need to eat as healthy as you can. Think of an eating plan you can sustain. I know there are a lot of people that are into the Keto plan. Not me. I eat very little of breads and rice. I haven't had any Pasta (6 month post-op). For me there is no nutritional value from them and they take up valuable space in my new tummy. My nutritionist doesn't want me to worry about carbs and fat. She wants me to focus on my Protein. Good luck on your journey

Most definitely contact your nutritionist. Everyone's diet plan seems to be so different. Dieting is hopefully behind you. You now need to eat as healthy as you can. Think of an eating plan you can sustain. I know there are a lot of people that are into the Keto plan. Not me. I eat very little of breads and rice. I haven't had any Pasta (6 month post-op). For me there is no nutritional value from them and they take up valuable space in my new tummy. My nutritionist doesn't want me to worry about carbs and fat. She wants me to focus on my Protein. Good luck on your journey

Wow, where is feeling bitter going to help? If you hadn't of had the surgery where would you be now? Your attitude is a factor in your success or failure.
Are you reaching your daily goals for Protein and Water? Are you taking your Vitamins? Are you getting some form of daily exercise? If you answered yes to all of those questions then you are doing all you can. Your body is adjusting.

For me Paleo is boring AF and too limiting, there is no way in hell I am giving up cheese for anyone or anything and I don't even it often, maybe 2 or 3 times a week but still.
If you don't stick with it, you will pack on pounds just like people pack on pounds not sticking to Keto.
It doesn't matter what diet anyone follows, what matters is that you like it enough that you can stick to it long term.
I feel like everyone is looking for some magic diet and there isn't one. You have to find a way to eat, hopefully not a "diet" that you like and can stick to, it might not be any known plan. You just need to find something that you can stick to and maintain a calorie deficit or calories at maintenance level without feeling deprived.

Yeah I dunno about the whole "up your calories" thing. I mean it's worth an experimental try if you are truly honest with the data.

But I didn't get over 600 calories per day till maybe a year out and reached goal at that level. And I ran about 10-15 miles per week and did 4-6 hours of yoga class.

If starvation mode was true for everyone then starving people wouldn't keep losing weight (spoiler alert, they do).

There is no one size fits all rule, so like I said, it's worth an experiment, but I think you can definitely keep losing weight at 600 calories.

My advice is keep sticking with the program your doctor gave you (you trusted the doc enough to let them cut you open so trust them) and you will eventually break the stall. Just keep on keeping on.

I'm actually wearing clothes with stripes! It's been years since I have felt comfortable enough to wear them.

I'm actually wearing clothes with stripes! It's been years since I have felt comfortable enough to wear them.

I eat Cobb salads all the time. My hubby and I share one. I always make sure I get my Protein in before I fill up on lettuce. I love lettuce wraps. I'm almost 6 months out.