Tracyringo

Yes 311 starting weight to 180 first year VSG.

*Not a doctor, just personal experience plus asking doctors a lot of questions*
Not everything is food related after surgery, especially if you are diligently tracking and seeing a dietitian.
The temporary weight loss/gain could be:
1. Dehydration causing Water retention (noticed reduced urination? May need electrolyte supplementation)
2. Disruption of normal lymphatic activities because of surgery (excess Fluid still in circulation, puffy or swollen anywhere?)
3. Slight level of Constipation (still have waste that has not vacated despite amount of trips to the bathroom)
4. Inflammation after surgery (edema of the abdomen because of the laparoscopic procedure-usually immediate and not super common)
4. Return to your maintenance weight after temporary drop (happened to me in the first 2 months- 2 weeks post revision I hit 10-12 lbs lower than my maintenance weight then went back to normal)
5. Hormonal response (menses/menopause - I ALWAYS gain before my cycle )
6. Incorrect scale/discrepancy of scales used (I always weighed different amounts on doctor’s scales vs mine)
8. A combination of things

Please let us know what the surgeon says!

Hello!
I hope some people can give some advice! I have been stewing on this for a number of weeks, and I am not really sure what to do. I will start by saying that my program is in Canada, and it is set up a bit different than most Americans. I go to a bariatric clinic that includes the psychologist, internal medicine doc, Dietitian, Nurse. The surgeon you are referred to after you have jumped through the hoops with the other professions. You are assigned the surgeon who does your surgery, for the most part, you don't get to shop for one...and they have little to do with the Diet/Medical Part (vitamins, labs, etc). The surgeons are general surgeons that obviously know how to do these surgeries, but they are not solely bariatric surgeons. So essentially, if I have questions I go to the bariatric clinic, and not the surgeon.
The problem is, I hate my Dietitian. I don't feel like I can ask her anything without her being weird, and control freaky about everything. She has argued with me over my food logs (aggressively suggesting berries instead of the banana I ate everyday pre-op), She got upset with me for taking psyllum husks and Omega 3 after surgery because "WHO TOLD ME TO DO THAT??!". I asked her about when my Protein requirement would reduce (since I am losing weight obviously), and was told never because the protein requirement was based on my height, and not weight. (????). When I ask what calories I should be at, she won't answer and tell me my calories need to be higher. She also made a point to tell me that my weightloss will greatly slow down now (at my 3 month appointment).
I was never a big/fast loser since starting this. Other than the first 2 weeks after surgery...I average out at about 2.5 pounds a week. In my program, regular food started week 4 after surgery. Once I went to solid food at week 4, I eat between 1100 and 1300 calories. I have yet to eat out, the 'worst' thing I have had is a very small bite of candy to taste it. There is no forbidden food except for carbonated drinks...and obviously they recommend staying away from overly fried, processed, sugary things.
Prior to surgery, the last time I had lost weight sucessfully was in 2016 when I went to the gym 6 days a week and tracked all my calories. I used MFP and fitbit. I ruined my knees in the process of that (a whole other story lol). I still use MFP to track food. So right now, MFP has 1300 calories to lose 2 pounds...and I am still a bit over 250. How in the world am I going to keep losing weight if I am supposed to eat more?
Currently, my body is doing this thing where I lose 2.5 one week....0.7 the next....2.5 the next...I feel like I stall every 2nd week or so. The dietician doesn't help at all. She always rags on me to eat 5-6 times a day. I get all my protein in, in those 3 meals and I currently still don't experience a hunger sensation at all...so why would I eat more? She wants me to eat more and I feel like what I am doing is okay. I told her I would add more Snacks if I need it, and she doesn't like that.
I am at 5 months out...I feel like I am trucking along...but then I get really worried that I am not going to continue to lose weight, especially when she is on me to eat more and more often when I frankly don't want to. Everyone wants to believe that they have some tailored medical diet...and we don't. Every single program is done by an expert and they are all different from each other...and it really annoys me when people say 'follow your program'...when it seems every doc has a different idea of what would be successful., and nothing is standardized.
Am I too set in CICO that I am frustrating myself? How can I continue to be successful and get to the lowest reasonable point that I can?

Not sure how tall you are, but we sorta had similar starting BMIs (I started off at BMI 43 @ 235 lbs…i’m 5’2”)
Based on BMI 25 as “normal weight” (in my case would have been 135 lbs goal weight), my doc said he would consider me a success if I lost 60-70 lbs (i.e., 60-70% of my 100lbs excess weight) within a year.
Ended up losing 120% of my excess weight (110-ish lbs in 7 mnths, and another 10-ish in the first couple months of maintenance). Been more or less sitting at 115lbs for over 2 years now.
I’ll be 3 years out from sleeve surgery in October.
Honestly, barring any medical conditions, you can lose as much as you are willing to put the effort in for.
Good Luck! ❤️

What @Luna Girl & @Crick said is correct. The average weight loss is about 65% of the weight you need to lose to get you into the healthy bmi range after (I think) 5yrs. This is the weight the calculators will say you will likely lose too.
This average is not the lowest weight you may reach but where you settle after a few years. Some of this occurs because you amend your original diet because it was too restrictive, not sustainable or just not practical with your lifestyle or you change your exercise routine for the same reasons. It’s why it’s not uncommon for people to experience a 10lb+/- bounce back weight gain in yrs 2 & 3 post surgery.
Like all averages you can fall above or below. But you can decide the weight you want to reach & maintain as long as the diet & exercise regime you need to follow to be at that weight is sustainable. Being healthy & happy is more important than the number on the scale.
Good luck.

Exactly. My surgeon told me 60-65% of excess weight was what to expect. She recommended sleeve for where I was (around a 40-41 BMI when I had my first consult) and for the fact you are unlikely to have dumping issues or absorption issues. However, before she made the final decision I had to do an endoscopy to show that I didn’t have reflux issues or that would mean bypass.
As Luna Girl said, you have to commit to follow the plan and change you eating habits. I did not stray from the pre-op or post-op diet stages, and only ate the things that were appropriate for each stage. Now I’m not going to lie - I’ve had a cookie here or there or a small ice cream a few times - but I log everything and I have one on occasion as a special treat - I don’t eat 6 Cookies in one sitting - actually, I don’t think I’ve even had 6 cookies in total since surgery! And I was probably 5 months along before I had any of those things in small doses. Surgery is a tool - not a magic bullet - and I think sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that.
The last thing I will say is that my only regret is not doing this sooner. You’ve already done the hardest part in taking the first step - stick with it and good luck on your journey!

The estimates are based on averages. Some lose more, some lose less. I honestly believe, if you embrace your drs plan, and change your relationship with food, you will be successful. Good Luck!

Ugh, I am sorry that you are still suffering with GERD after all that. Do you know if you might be a candidate for Linx? In one of the Linx groups on Facebook I saw that there were a few people who got Linx to control acid after a gastric bypass didn't work to stop it. The other thing I have read about is that sometimes people with the bypass end up with bile reflux from the intestines. The bile can cause a lot of throat irritation the same way that acid reflux can. I definitely think you deserve some additional testing to figure out why this is still happening after you have gone through so much.

I have not seen him since the surgery. He doesnt believe its possible is my understanding but they still have not done the bravo test to find out anything and I am guessing it is not important with this Covid outbreak. I think I may go see my regular Dr. and see if she will order it because this PPI is 1000 bucks every 3 months and I shouldnt have to be taking one !

I had this same issue and was revised 15 months ago. My esophagitis is and A from a D now, but I STILL have GERD and am on the same PPI (dexilant 60mg) daily. I am an oddball as it seems.

I am going on a year now trying to have a revision done due to GERD. Last August, I saw my old surgeon's nurse practitioner who told me that omeprazole daily was my only option. She ordered a swallow test which she reported looked "normal" and she could see no reason why I had GERD - so, again, continue with omeprazole. This past April, I finally had had enough and decided to advocate for myself a little more and saw a surgeon in another facility. He took one look at my swallow study and said it was far from normal - I have a huge dilated fundus and a hiatal hernia. He, too, tried to push the meds vs. a surgical intervention but I told him that I could not go on like this nor did I want to take yet another medication daily for the rest of my life for an issue that could be fixed with a revision. Fast forward to THIS August, I'm waiting on insurance approval with my fingers crossed. I'm frustrated that I was misdiagnosed, as this could've been taken care of almost a year ago... bottom line, push, advocate for yourself. You know your body best. The only trick is getting insurance to deem the revision medically necessary. Good luck!

Getting sleeve to bypass in August as well for Gerd/esophagitis. It's horrible to feel gnawing pains that feel like hunger but it's uncontrolled acid. Equally as bad that I can't lay down, even hours after a meal, because it rushes back up once I drift off the sleep and a burning throat even during the day. Look forward to have that fixed as all of you do. Scared this time around since I'm worried about abdominal adhesions from my previous surgeries.
Cheers to all of you.

Almost 3 years out. 250 to 135 ❤️

You look amazing

Ahhh, I wanted to add that my throat no longer burns all day and I can sleep without acid rushing up to my mouth. The revision was successful (so far) for the original purpose and that was Gerd/esophagitis.

You might want to ask your surgeon's office as well. They can help advocate for you.

I posted this on a different thread, but wanted to share. Not sure why the revision has been so successful for me, but I'm loving the results.
Here are my stats over my 6 year journey.
Highest weight May 2012 - 222 lbs.
Gastric sleeve surgery weight November 2014 - 212 lbs.
Lowest weight post sleeve May 2015 - 151 post op 6 months (61 lbs. lost)
Highest weight prior to revision surgery January 2019 - 205 lbs. (54 lbs. gained)
Weight day of revision surgery October 2020 - 185 lbs.
Current weight August 2021 (10 months post op) - 128 lbs. (57 lbs. lost)
I hope that I never have to add a line that says I've gained weight back again!!!!
Good luck on your journey!!!!

SW 280, VSG DOS 263 LW 172 but weighed 177 for about 4years. Got GERD and went up to 233! Revision to Bypass 11/2/20 and today 165! Not even a year our yet. So yes you will lose. Not as much as the first time but I’m still working out a lot and I drop when I eat more calories. I’m at 1,000-1,200 a day right now and run 5x a week 2 miles a day and weights 2x a week. I wish I would have don’t this the first time around lol BUT the surg was so painful I was like omggg why lord. My doc said well you have to understand I had to make the stomach slim again since it was stretched , THEN do the bypass so it was a lot of work. Yikes! Lol so thankful. Anyways good luck! Now I get my plastic surgery so I can feel comfy and get rid of this old skin lol

Today marks 4 years from my original surgery. I have lost a total of 160lbs !!

Way to go!

Wow - well done!! What an inspiration you are!!

you look fantastic!!

Congratulations!!!!🎉

Fantastic! Congratulations on your success!

Today marks 4 years from my original surgery. I have lost a total of 160lbs !!