PorkChopExpress

After the sleeve, you have the tool you needed to succeed - a smaller stomach. It seems like you'd have to actively work on it, to gain weight...what's your diet look like? Are you drinking soda? How many meals a day and how many calories?
The surgery by itself is not what gets you to goal, it's also the mental part...the discipline of forming new habits and behaviors. Having another surgery probably isn't the answer, because you've already had one and regained weight, which tells me the issue is likely behavioral and nothing to do with the surgery or size of your stomach. That's just my feeling, based on what little info I have here.

After the sleeve, you have the tool you needed to succeed - a smaller stomach. It seems like you'd have to actively work on it, to gain weight...what's your diet look like? Are you drinking soda? How many meals a day and how many calories?
The surgery by itself is not what gets you to goal, it's also the mental part...the discipline of forming new habits and behaviors. Having another surgery probably isn't the answer, because you've already had one and regained weight, which tells me the issue is likely behavioral and nothing to do with the surgery or size of your stomach. That's just my feeling, based on what little info I have here.

Pure grit and determination, and focusing on the fact that it had a time limit. I kept reminding myself that I made this decision because I knew I needed to make some major changes, long-lasting changes, and so I started feeling like the pre-op diet was a test of my will and dedication to the process. I started taking pride in not cheating, after a while...no matter how much my stomach rumbled and ached. And sure enough, after surgery, it wasn't a concern anymore. I couldn't even imagine putting anything in there for several days!
One thing that I did do that helped mentally though was, the week prior to the pre-op diet, I went ahead and had whatever meals I would miss. I must have had buffalo wings 4-5 times. And after a while, I think it made something click in my mind and realize that I was being dominated by food. Why did I feel the need to do that week or splurging...wasn't it an acknowledgement that it was food that was at the wheel, and not me? So it ended up being a helpful part of my "letting go" process, which then had to continue for the first 10 days or so after surgery. But I'm in a much better place now, and am embracing change.

I've been in the habit of weighing on the weekend (either Saturday or Sunday), but I've been so eager to see myself cross over the 100lbs lost mark that I've been doing it every couple of days for the last week. The weight seemed to be totally unwilling to change! I was stuck at the same weight for a week and it seemed that my body just didn't want to give me the satisfaction. Until this morning!
I'm officially past the 100lb mark, and halfway to my weight loss goal. I'm wearing clothes right now that I was wearing at my high weight of 385 and they look gigantic on me. Feels real good. Now, to get the NEXT 100lbs off!

I was only in the hospital for an overnight stay. I spent a week in a hotel recovering with my mom, who visited from out of state to help me (she was a career outpatient nurse). So that helped my recovery a lot.

I've been in the habit of weighing on the weekend (either Saturday or Sunday), but I've been so eager to see myself cross over the 100lbs lost mark that I've been doing it every couple of days for the last week. The weight seemed to be totally unwilling to change! I was stuck at the same weight for a week and it seemed that my body just didn't want to give me the satisfaction. Until this morning!
I'm officially past the 100lb mark, and halfway to my weight loss goal. I'm wearing clothes right now that I was wearing at my high weight of 385 and they look gigantic on me. Feels real good. Now, to get the NEXT 100lbs off!

I've been in the habit of weighing on the weekend (either Saturday or Sunday), but I've been so eager to see myself cross over the 100lbs lost mark that I've been doing it every couple of days for the last week. The weight seemed to be totally unwilling to change! I was stuck at the same weight for a week and it seemed that my body just didn't want to give me the satisfaction. Until this morning!
I'm officially past the 100lb mark, and halfway to my weight loss goal. I'm wearing clothes right now that I was wearing at my high weight of 385 and they look gigantic on me. Feels real good. Now, to get the NEXT 100lbs off!

The Duodenal Switch is the most aggressive of all the weight loss surgeries, so I reckon it'll have the toughest recovery physically...but I imagine you knew that, going in. What you're enduring mentally, though, pretty much everyone goes through in some form or another, I think. My first couple of weeks, I was pretty obsessed with food. I was watching food Network a lot. I don't know why I was torturing myself but it was like my brain was raging against the fact that I had taken away its comfort, entertainment...whatever. It was almost like it was trying to punish me, reminding me of what I'd given up. Eventually I started to think of it that way; that my psyche had become so accustomed to using food in ways other than simply providing fuel, that it was rebelling against the change.
But you know what? It passed. The obsessing about food passed, and each strange new wrinkle that I have to deal with mentally or emotionally has passed, given time and exposure. I just realized over the past couple of days that I no longer feel weird about my portions. I used to be dealing with the feeling that it wasn't enough, every time I put my little portion on a plate. Now it feels normal to me.
You are going to go through ups and downs mentally, but be aware of them. Think about why you're feeling the way you are and ask yourself if it's rational. You know why you had the surgery, you know what you wanted to achieve through it. You knew what you were giving up, and the reasons for it. This is where the rubber hits the road...you've had the surgery, and now it's time to change. And I think most of us know that you're feeling the resistance to change that your "old brain" is putting up, because we've all felt it in some form or another. And the unfortunate thing is, we'll all probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives...working to counteract those impulses. But you took a big step to get it under control...and that is what you've done. You have taken measures that will allow you to get it under control.
The physical stuff will improve as you heal, a little better every day. The mental stuff will take time and conscious effort to change. But it'll come together, you just have to be patient and diligent. Just do what you can. As for the "doctoring" your Protein shakes, I'm afraid of what that means...but I am hoping it doesn't mean adding stuff you shouldn't be having, because you'll only be causing yourself problems if you do that. If all you can do is drink Protein Shakes and you need to skip meals, then do that - as long as you are getting your Protein every day, and you are getting your Water, you will be fine. Over time, you'll get meals in too...just don't sweat it. One foot in front of the other.
And stay off the scale for a few weeks. People obsess about the scale. It is your enemy, avoid it. I am only weighing once a month, personally.

I'll be moving back the weekend of the 12th! Colorado native, moved to LA back in late 1998 to pursue my career. Had a family and kids, decided to move them back to Colorado - they went ahead seven months ago, and now I'm going to rejoin them finally. Wife wants to get surgery this summer, will be doing it via Kaiser. Looks like Denver's Kaiser bariatric program has a well-reviewed surgeon, so that's good. I'd like to know of any support groups too, particularly Northwest of Denver.

The Duodenal Switch is the most aggressive of all the weight loss surgeries, so I reckon it'll have the toughest recovery physically...but I imagine you knew that, going in. What you're enduring mentally, though, pretty much everyone goes through in some form or another, I think. My first couple of weeks, I was pretty obsessed with food. I was watching food Network a lot. I don't know why I was torturing myself but it was like my brain was raging against the fact that I had taken away its comfort, entertainment...whatever. It was almost like it was trying to punish me, reminding me of what I'd given up. Eventually I started to think of it that way; that my psyche had become so accustomed to using food in ways other than simply providing fuel, that it was rebelling against the change.
But you know what? It passed. The obsessing about food passed, and each strange new wrinkle that I have to deal with mentally or emotionally has passed, given time and exposure. I just realized over the past couple of days that I no longer feel weird about my portions. I used to be dealing with the feeling that it wasn't enough, every time I put my little portion on a plate. Now it feels normal to me.
You are going to go through ups and downs mentally, but be aware of them. Think about why you're feeling the way you are and ask yourself if it's rational. You know why you had the surgery, you know what you wanted to achieve through it. You knew what you were giving up, and the reasons for it. This is where the rubber hits the road...you've had the surgery, and now it's time to change. And I think most of us know that you're feeling the resistance to change that your "old brain" is putting up, because we've all felt it in some form or another. And the unfortunate thing is, we'll all probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives...working to counteract those impulses. But you took a big step to get it under control...and that is what you've done. You have taken measures that will allow you to get it under control.
The physical stuff will improve as you heal, a little better every day. The mental stuff will take time and conscious effort to change. But it'll come together, you just have to be patient and diligent. Just do what you can. As for the "doctoring" your Protein shakes, I'm afraid of what that means...but I am hoping it doesn't mean adding stuff you shouldn't be having, because you'll only be causing yourself problems if you do that. If all you can do is drink Protein Shakes and you need to skip meals, then do that - as long as you are getting your Protein every day, and you are getting your Water, you will be fine. Over time, you'll get meals in too...just don't sweat it. One foot in front of the other.
And stay off the scale for a few weeks. People obsess about the scale. It is your enemy, avoid it. I am only weighing once a month, personally.

Well, the surgeon had to make the decision to switch me from Roux-en-y to vertical sleeve gastrectomy, but the surgery was done successfully yesterday and I'm at home recouperating now. Still trying to get rid of the last of the very uncomfortable gas, but I feel okay. Not very interested in putting anything in my stomach right now, but I'm trying to get fluids and Protein Shakes down...it's just VERY slow going. I get at most maybe 2oz done per hour right now. As the gas pain and general discomfort subside, I'm sure it'll get easier. Unfortunately, apparently the mesh that a prior surgeon used to repair an umbilical hernia was the wrong type, and resulted in my intestines scarring into the mesh such that he couldn't do anything without risking damage to my intestine, so he made the judgment call. I'm glad for that, I don't want complications if I can help it. It's just a bummer because that's what I've been feeding my brain with for over a year and I haven't really read up on VSG, though I imagine it's going to be much the same, behavior-wise.
Anyway, I'm glad to have it behind me and now I just want to make a full recovery and get on with this business of losing weight and getting fit.
On a side note, my pre-surgery weight was 351.2 - I lost over 35 pounds leading up to surgery. Not bad!

Sorry you had such a rough day from someone else's mistake, but congrats on narrowing in on the halfway mark.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I agree, don't rush it...the body loses how it loses. Everybody's is different. It holds onto Water prior to flushing out the fat cells, so at any given time that you step on a scale, your body may be pounds heavier than it actually is, due to Water alone. Don't sweat it so much.
Do you know roughly what your body's TDEE number is (total daily energy expended)? Calculate it (calculators are available online), then subtract the calories you're consuming any given day. The difference is your caloric deficit. Then remember that one pound of fat is the equivalent of 3500 calories. I think it's quite likely that you aren't exceeding 1000 calories a day right now, two months post-op. Starting at 301 pounds, you're probably at a deficit somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000-2500 calories a day. Figure 17,000 calories a week in deficit. Divide that by 3500 and you're looking at a probable loss of five pounds a week (though the body does what it does, and it may be more or less at any given weigh-in date). And the TDEE I guessed at there doesn't really include a decent amount of cardio, which will boost your TDEE another 100-200 calories a day.
5lbs lost each day like that ends up looking like 100 pounds after five months. At my BEST dieting and exercising without the help of surgery, I managed to get around 50 pounds off in that amount of time...and that was a seriously disciplined effort (which stalled, as always). So just let your diet, exercise and sleeve do their thing. If you want to add to your weight loss, be on top of your exercise.

I'm losing muscle mass as well, but I knew I would. I get 80-90g of Protein daily, but with the calorie restriction it's inevitable that we're going to lose muscle mass. You just have to do what you can do mitigate it somewhat, and that's by getting 90g or more of Protein and weight training. Sounds like you need to boost your protein intake a bit, I'd get some of the flavorless protein like GENEPRO and mix it with things like chili, etc... Or just a drink. It's 30g of protein in one TBSP serving, so it's a big help.
Also, a VERY common misconception on this board is the "carbs are bad, mmkay?" They're not. In fact, a big part of the reason the body catabolizes muscle tissue for energy is a lack of other easy sources. Fat is not an easy source of energy for the body...it's the slowest place for it to pull energy from, actually. Before you lift, you should consume a good amount of carbs. Then protein after. Your body will pull energy from the carbs you ate, and use the protein for muscle maintenance.
The good thing is, muscle has memory and when we reach our weight loss goals and can switch to a slight caloric surplus to add muscle mass, it will come back on more quickly than it would for someone who never had it.

Congratulations, that's some serious weight loss! When I started, I needed to lose about 200 lbs. Always encouraging to me, to see people with the sleeve having such great success reaching their goals, because I initially thought I was getting the bypass and couldn't, because of the scar tissue they ran into from a prior surgery. Initially I was a little disappointed because it was always sold as the "gold standard" but I see a lot of folks on here having a lot of success with it, so I'm encouraged by that!

The Duodenal Switch is the most aggressive of all the weight loss surgeries, so I reckon it'll have the toughest recovery physically...but I imagine you knew that, going in. What you're enduring mentally, though, pretty much everyone goes through in some form or another, I think. My first couple of weeks, I was pretty obsessed with food. I was watching food Network a lot. I don't know why I was torturing myself but it was like my brain was raging against the fact that I had taken away its comfort, entertainment...whatever. It was almost like it was trying to punish me, reminding me of what I'd given up. Eventually I started to think of it that way; that my psyche had become so accustomed to using food in ways other than simply providing fuel, that it was rebelling against the change.
But you know what? It passed. The obsessing about food passed, and each strange new wrinkle that I have to deal with mentally or emotionally has passed, given time and exposure. I just realized over the past couple of days that I no longer feel weird about my portions. I used to be dealing with the feeling that it wasn't enough, every time I put my little portion on a plate. Now it feels normal to me.
You are going to go through ups and downs mentally, but be aware of them. Think about why you're feeling the way you are and ask yourself if it's rational. You know why you had the surgery, you know what you wanted to achieve through it. You knew what you were giving up, and the reasons for it. This is where the rubber hits the road...you've had the surgery, and now it's time to change. And I think most of us know that you're feeling the resistance to change that your "old brain" is putting up, because we've all felt it in some form or another. And the unfortunate thing is, we'll all probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives...working to counteract those impulses. But you took a big step to get it under control...and that is what you've done. You have taken measures that will allow you to get it under control.
The physical stuff will improve as you heal, a little better every day. The mental stuff will take time and conscious effort to change. But it'll come together, you just have to be patient and diligent. Just do what you can. As for the "doctoring" your Protein shakes, I'm afraid of what that means...but I am hoping it doesn't mean adding stuff you shouldn't be having, because you'll only be causing yourself problems if you do that. If all you can do is drink Protein Shakes and you need to skip meals, then do that - as long as you are getting your Protein every day, and you are getting your Water, you will be fine. Over time, you'll get meals in too...just don't sweat it. One foot in front of the other.
And stay off the scale for a few weeks. People obsess about the scale. It is your enemy, avoid it. I am only weighing once a month, personally.

The Duodenal Switch is the most aggressive of all the weight loss surgeries, so I reckon it'll have the toughest recovery physically...but I imagine you knew that, going in. What you're enduring mentally, though, pretty much everyone goes through in some form or another, I think. My first couple of weeks, I was pretty obsessed with food. I was watching food Network a lot. I don't know why I was torturing myself but it was like my brain was raging against the fact that I had taken away its comfort, entertainment...whatever. It was almost like it was trying to punish me, reminding me of what I'd given up. Eventually I started to think of it that way; that my psyche had become so accustomed to using food in ways other than simply providing fuel, that it was rebelling against the change.
But you know what? It passed. The obsessing about food passed, and each strange new wrinkle that I have to deal with mentally or emotionally has passed, given time and exposure. I just realized over the past couple of days that I no longer feel weird about my portions. I used to be dealing with the feeling that it wasn't enough, every time I put my little portion on a plate. Now it feels normal to me.
You are going to go through ups and downs mentally, but be aware of them. Think about why you're feeling the way you are and ask yourself if it's rational. You know why you had the surgery, you know what you wanted to achieve through it. You knew what you were giving up, and the reasons for it. This is where the rubber hits the road...you've had the surgery, and now it's time to change. And I think most of us know that you're feeling the resistance to change that your "old brain" is putting up, because we've all felt it in some form or another. And the unfortunate thing is, we'll all probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives...working to counteract those impulses. But you took a big step to get it under control...and that is what you've done. You have taken measures that will allow you to get it under control.
The physical stuff will improve as you heal, a little better every day. The mental stuff will take time and conscious effort to change. But it'll come together, you just have to be patient and diligent. Just do what you can. As for the "doctoring" your Protein shakes, I'm afraid of what that means...but I am hoping it doesn't mean adding stuff you shouldn't be having, because you'll only be causing yourself problems if you do that. If all you can do is drink Protein Shakes and you need to skip meals, then do that - as long as you are getting your Protein every day, and you are getting your Water, you will be fine. Over time, you'll get meals in too...just don't sweat it. One foot in front of the other.
And stay off the scale for a few weeks. People obsess about the scale. It is your enemy, avoid it. I am only weighing once a month, personally.

There is a lot of science now that is demonstrating links to obesity not just in sugared soda, but also diet. It creates chemical changes in your gut and hormonal changes that contribute to weight gain. I'm a lifelong Coke addict and I swore of soda completely. I would recommend you do the same.
The point of getting this surgery is to make a permanent change. That has to include mental changes and if you think you'll just eventually go back to how you used to do things, you'll gain weight back. Commit to change. Let go of the soda. Just my two cents, I know I'm not a veteran but I DO read a lot.

Haven't seen a change in my hair since my surgery, around three months ago. Haven't been losing any, but I still have the same amount of grey that I always had!

There is a lot of science now that is demonstrating links to obesity not just in sugared soda, but also diet. It creates chemical changes in your gut and hormonal changes that contribute to weight gain. I'm a lifelong Coke addict and I swore of soda completely. I would recommend you do the same.
The point of getting this surgery is to make a permanent change. That has to include mental changes and if you think you'll just eventually go back to how you used to do things, you'll gain weight back. Commit to change. Let go of the soda. Just my two cents, I know I'm not a veteran but I DO read a lot.

The Duodenal Switch is the most aggressive of all the weight loss surgeries, so I reckon it'll have the toughest recovery physically...but I imagine you knew that, going in. What you're enduring mentally, though, pretty much everyone goes through in some form or another, I think. My first couple of weeks, I was pretty obsessed with food. I was watching food Network a lot. I don't know why I was torturing myself but it was like my brain was raging against the fact that I had taken away its comfort, entertainment...whatever. It was almost like it was trying to punish me, reminding me of what I'd given up. Eventually I started to think of it that way; that my psyche had become so accustomed to using food in ways other than simply providing fuel, that it was rebelling against the change.
But you know what? It passed. The obsessing about food passed, and each strange new wrinkle that I have to deal with mentally or emotionally has passed, given time and exposure. I just realized over the past couple of days that I no longer feel weird about my portions. I used to be dealing with the feeling that it wasn't enough, every time I put my little portion on a plate. Now it feels normal to me.
You are going to go through ups and downs mentally, but be aware of them. Think about why you're feeling the way you are and ask yourself if it's rational. You know why you had the surgery, you know what you wanted to achieve through it. You knew what you were giving up, and the reasons for it. This is where the rubber hits the road...you've had the surgery, and now it's time to change. And I think most of us know that you're feeling the resistance to change that your "old brain" is putting up, because we've all felt it in some form or another. And the unfortunate thing is, we'll all probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives...working to counteract those impulses. But you took a big step to get it under control...and that is what you've done. You have taken measures that will allow you to get it under control.
The physical stuff will improve as you heal, a little better every day. The mental stuff will take time and conscious effort to change. But it'll come together, you just have to be patient and diligent. Just do what you can. As for the "doctoring" your Protein shakes, I'm afraid of what that means...but I am hoping it doesn't mean adding stuff you shouldn't be having, because you'll only be causing yourself problems if you do that. If all you can do is drink Protein Shakes and you need to skip meals, then do that - as long as you are getting your Protein every day, and you are getting your Water, you will be fine. Over time, you'll get meals in too...just don't sweat it. One foot in front of the other.
And stay off the scale for a few weeks. People obsess about the scale. It is your enemy, avoid it. I am only weighing once a month, personally.

I bought all of mine from Bariatric Advantage. They have chewables that work pretty well, and don't take up space in the stomach once you let them dissolve in your mouth. The Multivitamin chewable is pretty metallic and I'm not super keen on it, but it's not candy The Iron chew is not great either. But the Calcium chew (caramel) is like a piece of candy three times a day, so that's nice.
Basically, I take the Multivitamin twice a day (morning and evening), the Calcium three times a day, the Iron once, and I also take Vitamin D because my levels were low. I have a sub-lingual B-12 that I take once a week (melts under your tongue). Lotta Vitamins. I think I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 for three months supply, and after that's all gone I can go with normal over-the-counter Vitamins that you swallow. But while I'm healing, I'm going to use these.

The Duodenal Switch is the most aggressive of all the weight loss surgeries, so I reckon it'll have the toughest recovery physically...but I imagine you knew that, going in. What you're enduring mentally, though, pretty much everyone goes through in some form or another, I think. My first couple of weeks, I was pretty obsessed with food. I was watching food Network a lot. I don't know why I was torturing myself but it was like my brain was raging against the fact that I had taken away its comfort, entertainment...whatever. It was almost like it was trying to punish me, reminding me of what I'd given up. Eventually I started to think of it that way; that my psyche had become so accustomed to using food in ways other than simply providing fuel, that it was rebelling against the change.
But you know what? It passed. The obsessing about food passed, and each strange new wrinkle that I have to deal with mentally or emotionally has passed, given time and exposure. I just realized over the past couple of days that I no longer feel weird about my portions. I used to be dealing with the feeling that it wasn't enough, every time I put my little portion on a plate. Now it feels normal to me.
You are going to go through ups and downs mentally, but be aware of them. Think about why you're feeling the way you are and ask yourself if it's rational. You know why you had the surgery, you know what you wanted to achieve through it. You knew what you were giving up, and the reasons for it. This is where the rubber hits the road...you've had the surgery, and now it's time to change. And I think most of us know that you're feeling the resistance to change that your "old brain" is putting up, because we've all felt it in some form or another. And the unfortunate thing is, we'll all probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives...working to counteract those impulses. But you took a big step to get it under control...and that is what you've done. You have taken measures that will allow you to get it under control.
The physical stuff will improve as you heal, a little better every day. The mental stuff will take time and conscious effort to change. But it'll come together, you just have to be patient and diligent. Just do what you can. As for the "doctoring" your Protein shakes, I'm afraid of what that means...but I am hoping it doesn't mean adding stuff you shouldn't be having, because you'll only be causing yourself problems if you do that. If all you can do is drink Protein Shakes and you need to skip meals, then do that - as long as you are getting your Protein every day, and you are getting your Water, you will be fine. Over time, you'll get meals in too...just don't sweat it. One foot in front of the other.
And stay off the scale for a few weeks. People obsess about the scale. It is your enemy, avoid it. I am only weighing once a month, personally.

It's a great decision. Make sure you have them show you proper form, even if you're just doing machines. The thing with weights is, you need to be very focused on increasing the weight you can lift...so you'll want to look online for some programs that will have gradually incrementing your weight every session.
If your gym has free weights, and I STRONGLY suggest you do free weights (you get more complete range of motion and recruit more muscle in other areas with free weights) and do a beginner program like Stronglifts 5x5. If you search that online, you'll see that Medhi (the guy who runs it) posts instructional videos that show you exactly how your form needs to be on each lift. There's also an iPhone/Android companion app that will help you track progress. You'll get really, really good results with Stronglifts...and as you get more knowledgeable, you'll be able to move into other programs to lift heavier and get even better gains. The other good program I recommend is Starting Strength, but it requires you to learn an powerlift called the power clean, which is a little more advanced than a beginner should really attempt.
Before long, you're going to see that the weight training causes pretty massive changes in your body composition and shape, as well as burning calories like crazy. A lot of serious weight trainers almost never hit the treadmill except to warm up...the calorie burn all comes from the muscle.
Plus, I just think it's fun to hit new milestones of weight that I can lift

I think I exhausted Google of all its information on these surgeries before I even got to my pre-op diet. LOL Now my questions are more about others' experiences.