BajanSleeve

Guys, I am so happy to say that I have a positive update and one that might help other women in the 45 to 55 age category who are going to do VSG or in the process of having had it and experiencing difficulty getting weight to move. I am very hard on myself. While I was not being perfect on my journey, I have a tendency to always feel that if something is not going right, it is all my fault. I was a food addict for so many years and did everything wrong that I almost felt like when my weight plateaued and then stopped and then I started to gain weight that it was just because I let myself down. To cut a very long story short. I had a gynecological emergency about a month ago and ended up having to go through a bunch of tests. It was discovered that I was producing next to zero progesterone and my estrogen was also extremely low. It was causing me SO MANY problems which I will not get into so that I will not digress from the main point. As a result I was put on hormones and almost immediately I started to loose weight again! I have lost 10 lbs since I started taking hormones 3 weeks ago. The reason why is that hormones have a major role to play in weight loss and weight gain. The reason why I was gaining and not loosing was not because I was being so terrible in my disciplines but because the lack of estrogen and progesterone, the total imbalance was actually causing me to GAIN weight. So I am working with my doctor now to see how HRT may be able to not only help my perimenopause/going into menopause issues but also to help bring better balance to help the weight loss process kick in further. I feel like an entirely different woman - I cant even articulate it the difference in overall feeling but certainly the fact that I have lost the weight I had gained and now back to making the scale go down instead of up. You can read my previous thread to get a better context of where this post is coming from. If you are having similar struggles and are female in the age range of 45 to 55 it might be well worth your time to have your hormone levels tested and see if hormone therapy can help you get balanced again and improve your weight loss. I am just one lbs away from being in another weight bracket and after not loosing for 4 months I feel like a million bucks There are many articles and information on Google that you can look up and research regarding hormonal imbalance and the role it might be playing in extremely difficulty in weight loss, especially in women of a certain age. I am just putting this out there for your consideration in case you are a woman like me that may be struggling in this area and not even know it. Talk to your gyno and get your hormones tested. I will soon post an updated photo when I hit that next weight bracket

Perhaps this post will help someone who is seeking to do VSG or some form of WLS because I will be honest with you about my journey. It has been 8 months since I had VSG surgery and I have lost only 44 lbs. Up to a month ago I had lost 55 lbs but I have since gained 10 lbs. There are a couple reasons for my weight loss failure and I am just putting them down in writing not so much so that folks can be critical, but more for the folks out there considering this surgery or might just have had it. I have not been committed to the process of changing bad habits or incorporating exercise into my lifestyle. I must have thought that having VSG was going to magically take away my appetite and food cravings for bad food. Guess what? I was starving the day after surgery! My appetite really never left. So if I did not CHOOSE what to eat and what not to eat, you could pack in tons of calories even in small portions. To cut to the chase, VSG does not work if you are not disciplined with your food choices. That shouldn't be a huge revelation but I actually had a mindset that my stomach would be gone and I would not even want to eat anymore so all the weight would just melt away. It does not happen that way! I did not follow the instructions and guidelines post surgery about not eating and drinking at the same time. I had been told not to do it, I read that it would stretch your stomach pouch, but I still went ahead and did it. Guess what? My stomach has stretched and I can basically eat a small 'normal' size meal at only 7 months out when it should not be like that this early. Again, not being committed to the process I am a type II diabetic. The catch 22 is that taking insulin makes you GAIN weight. That is just the nature of insulin and the more insulin you have to take, the more you gain weight. The first 4 months after surgery I was taking hardly any insulin at all but as my stomach expanded and I was able to eat more I had to increase insulin intake. So as a diabetic I'm really supposed to be exercising to compensate for that but cant seem to get this life style discipline into my life. I have a tread mill in the spare room - what is wrong with me!!!! I am hoping that I can gather the motivation, the inspiration that inner push that I need to develop discipline in my life. i'm almost 50 years old and its really hard changing the way you have lived for so long but there are no short cuts, not even VSG 'saved' me. Sometimes I think the biggest problem and hinderance is just me because discipline does not depend on emotions - discipline is 'just do it' no matter if you 'feel' it or not...………..I NEED this, I need to get this translated from my head knowledge into practical living...….I'm rambling now I'm hoping my update in the next 3 months will be a very different one in a more successful direction

I'm having a stand still as well. Only lost 55 pounds and I'm constantly fluctuating 5 lbs. New surgeon is giving me 2 months and if no changes wants to talk about a new procedure that i don't want. Hormones are terrible, medications aren't making the weightloss any easier. I hope things get better soon for you. I am so sorry you are going through it as well. Its a very frustrating place to be. Are you within the peri / menopausal age as well? I'd be interested to know what medication your doctor is speaking about

It has been a very big struggle for me. Being on insulin and then having hormonal issues related to peri /menopause and having to go on hormones, I have hardly lost any weight at all. I have been through so many stages of frustration and feeling of failure but had to come to terms with the fact that my body is not the same as everyone else's……...I have only lost 56 lbs

I had my surgery May 2018 and I have only lost 56 lbs. So 26 lbs after 2 months - you are doing well

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Hi Sonnie. Congrats on successful surgery How are you feeling?

I am almost 9 months post surgery and you are eating things that I can't tolerate like red meat. It takes a long time for the body /sleeve to start tolerating certain foods. At 4 months out I was still eating mainly blended foods. So I had soup but with blended chicken. Everything I blended and made into mush. Beans made me vomit! I can only eat about 2 tablespoons of beans now before I will start to gag. Stick with the foods that make you least nauseated and don't force your body to accept the ones that are making you vomit. I can only eat chicken, soft fish like cod and 2 strips of bacon. Sometimes I can have a little ground beef but it hurts my stomach. And I am almost 9 months out and you are only 4. I definitely took the acid blockers up to 6 months after surgery, every single day. very important. Someone also mentioned in this thread that you have to take acidophilus when you have been on a course of antibiotics. So, so important to repopulate your gut with good bacteria. Up to this day plain water makes me feel nauseated, even though I force myself to drink it. Adding flavour takes away the nausea

now this is going to be weird because that is EXACTLY what happened to me too! I did the ultra sound and I had a plethora of fibroids but a very thick/enlarged uterus lining. So I had a biopsy which was VERY painful - Lord have mercy - I cried. She put me on pure progesterone (norcolut) and the instructions were to immediately take 4 pills. So I got the prescription filled at the supermarket pharmacy, took 4 pills. 25 minutes later I had a TOTAL meltdown at the cashier. I started to bawl, shake, I was crying and throwing in my groceries into the bags telling everyone to ignore me, snot dripping down my nose, I'm crying saying its the pills, its the pills. I sat in my car and just bawled for 15 minutes straight as people walked by and one nice old man stopped to inquire...…….I was so very embarrassed. The gyno said I might get a 'little emotional' but that was an understatement. Fortunately once I split the dose into 2 pills every 12 hours, I did not get the emotional overload. I do get some hot flashes that I did not get before and it does drive my blood sugar right up. Thankfully the biopsy came back negative. But the reason why we keep bleeding like a tap is because when we have a period, towards the end our body released progesterone to trigger our body to turn off the period tap. (you know all this, you are a nurse LOL) So if we are in peri menopause and are not producing progesterone the period just keeps going and going. Not only that but I was expelling chunks, not clots, and I was getting very anemic. Its just incredible how hormones impact our body functions. I can tell you that I am even having better bowel movements since I have been on them.

FANTASTIC!!!! I soooooooooooo hope you get some relief and help. remember to ask specifically about progesterone. That is the one that kicks in your metabolism again. Estrogen, eh, not so much. Do some Google research as well on the role that hormones play in weight loss in menopausal women. My gyno has been so supportive and has agreed that weight loss is the primary focus for me and outweighs the cons I am experiencing taking the progesterone. And to think that this all happened 'by accident' because I had a gyno emergency. God works in mysterious ways

I just made a post about my experience with VSG and my hormonal imbalance. I am not sure if I can copy the thread to you or tag you in it, but I will try. You sound very much like you may be struggling with menopausal hormonal imbalances. Its extremely frustrating because you just don't know what is wrong with you but you feel like you are falling apart. Menopause is something I am learning about through research as of late because I was going through so many strange things (including the anxiety and depression even though I know that is not my nature). Hormones have a LOT to do with how we women function or lack of function. If you stopped having a period that long ago, you are in menopause. It may be worth your while to ask your gyno to give you a hormone test. Here is the post I made about hormones

I'm not sure but a good question to ask your doctor. Some things work for a season and then stop. Evening primrose oil is my best friend right now

I am so glad this post helped you consider getting tested. That is the whole reason I joined this forum, to be very honest and in sharing everything, hopefully helping others along the way. Remember that you would want to inquire about progesterone and not estrogen as much. Its the progesterone that helps the metabolism kick back in. If I had only knew how taking it would have made me feel like a whole new person I would not have waited. It was only because I had an emergency that I ended up finding this out. They put me on the progesterone to stop me from bleeding because I was having a heavy, heavy period going into almost 3 weeks and I thought I was dying. There is a HUGE difference in my energy levels as well. In studying since I was put on the progesterone, extreme lethargy is also a side of effect of hormonal imbalance. Thanks peri / menopause! I am grateful for the help, lemme tell you. I wish I had taken more time to actually research and study menopause. I mean I knew it existed and would happen but to be honest I had no clue of what to expect and I had not been prepared. Any women considering WLS within the peri /menopause age range should consider the hormone factor and its actually not a topic I saw discussed anywhere. Here I was thinking I had spent all this money on VSG and I was a total failure. There must be other women like us in this forum and out there who will benefit from these threads

I never imagined the problems that hormonal imbalance were causing me. Hormones even impact how you have bowel movements! I was having terrible constipation for 8 months - the kind that rips your anus and its hemorrhoid city and pain! Since I have been taking progesterone I have been having lovely, regular bowel movements. Another difference I have noticed is that my appetite seems to be more controlled. If you read my posting history, I had complained how I felt starving the day after surgery and that my appetite never went. It was one of the disappointing things following my VSG because I had this anticipation that my hunger level would have gone down significantly and it never did. Well, since I have been on hormones I honestly have seen a huge difference. I do not feel starving all the time! Its like hallelujah! I do worry about clotting, to be honest. I am still obese and a diabetic. I had had circulation issues in my legs but that greatly improved when I lost over 50 lbs. No more swelling in my feet. I can't reiterate enough what a relief discovering hormones were hindering my weight loss is. I was getting very, very depressed thinking I was a real failure and feeling my family judging me because I have not hit the weight loss mark I should be at 8 months out of surgery. Not only hormones were fighting me, but I also am a diabetic who takes insulin. All of those are added factors and challenges. Unfortunately progesterone causes insulin resistance big time and the biggest side effect I am facing is having to double my insulin intake. For the benefit of any ladies who may be reading this, have done WLS and are also diabetic, who may also consider doing HRT, here is some important info. My doctor told me her perspective is to keep taking the progesterone for a year, even though my blood sugar will increase because the main focus is weight loss and once I have lost 100 lbs and I can come off of the HRT, my need for insulin will decrease significantly because of weight loss. So I will endure and try to manage it for the next year. The whole goal is to be able to come off of insulin all together! “The rise and fall of reproductive hormones at various times in your life can affect your diabetes,” says Andrea Dunaif, MD, chief of the Hilda and J. Lester Gabrilove Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Bone Disease for the Mount Sinai Health System. This is because your body’s two main reproductive hormones—estrogen and progesterone—can affect your blood glucose by changing how your body reacts to insulin. When estrogen levels are high, for example, your cells become more sensitive to insulin. But when estrogen is low and progesterone is high, you can experience insulin resistance—that is, you need more insulin to help your cells take in glucose from the blood. As a result, you’re more likely to develop higher blood glucose.

you are only 2 months since surgery! You will experience stages of loss and then stall and then loss again, etc. You can factor those in as par for the course. But such a bad injury to your knee is obviously going to slow down your pace if you have been exercising a lot. 35 lbs into 2 months is GOOD! That's a good pace. Be encouraged and keep going

WOW! So encouraging! I am being very honest in saying that you look great in BOTH photos, seriously. I personally think a woman with curves is niceeeeeeeeeee 😎 But I also can appreciate that for health reasons being lighter and slimmer especially around the tummy is also very important. 92 lbs is fantastic, a real acheivement

I have an update!!! Posting in a new thread. I have had a major breakthrough and discovered what was hindering me and it may help other women in their almost 50's who are doing VSG

I have read of quite a few people who battled with hunger immediately after surgery. Some people said it was dehydration and then emotional hunger but you know what, I ain't too sure bout dat! When I was researching VSG I was reading how my appetite would be next to nothing with a reduced stomach and how the hunger hormones would be reduced etc. I NEVER experienced this. The only thing that restrained me from eating was the size of my stomach and that if I ate too much I would become nauseous or it would physically hurt me. NOT because I was not feeling hungry . If felt SO disappointed that an expectation I had built regarding reduced hunger was not what I experienced

hopefully we can all encourage each other to break out of our lagging and bad habits. The battle is mainly in our mind. you: 'I'm fighting the downward spiral of not being happy with myself.'. I can relate. For me this means that I am not happy with myself BECAUSE I am not doing what I should do and I have no good reason not to. So I am disappointed in myself more so than not happy with myself. Again, this is a battle of the mind. But not loving yourself goes deeper and VSG is not the issue in that regard. I pray your love for yourself will grow because it has started by your stepping out to try to change your life and get healthier. That is actually a courageous step. I did this to try to reverse diabetes and get HEALTHY. Honestly, and I mean it, my main goal is not to be skinny but to be HEALTHY so I am not dependant on insulin. And weight/obesity ties me to diabetes so I hope to loose enough weight so that I don't have to take it anymore. How about we both FIGHT!?? Starts in our mind...……..we decide to fight

I got my period the day before my surgery as well. I am peri menopausal so I cant predict when my period comes these days. But it decided to come after not having had one in 3 months with a BANG , full on cramps and major bleeding. FUN FUN FUN!!! The coordinator gave me a tampon for the surgery and said it was perfectly fine to wear one. But you must NOT forget that its in there when you wake up, take it out! asap I had no issues doing that and did not bleed out on the table but then again, we wouldn't know because we are knocked out 🤣

I had VSG done in Mexicali Mexico and it was the best experience. The hospital was a top notch facility, even better than some north American hospitals. I got such attentive care from both the doctors and nurses. I had a doctor visit every day, sometimes twice a day. I chose this location because its a full fledged and equipped hospital in case there were any complications. Most of the nurses spoke English but I used my cell phone and a translator which worked well and all in all I know I got better care and attention there than if I were in Canada or the USA. They go OUT OF THEIR WAY to provide the best client service. I would highly recommend where I went. They assign a coordinator for you to help you organize everything. You get picked up from the airport in San Diego, you drive to Mexicali and then they drive you back after 3 days. If you have any questions about them feel free to ask. I posted the hospital below. http://www.mexicalibariatric.com/

Going into 6 months post VSG and I fluctuate between 55 lbs and 53 lbs lost. I should be farther on in the process but to be honest I am not being as disciplined as I should be. here is me on my birthday a few days ago as compared to me just before I did VSG. I was SO thrilled to go into a regular store (not a plus size store) and buy this flower dress which is a size 16. I wore a size 22/24 dress at the date of surgery

Well geez. I am 3 months post op and I had a convention and had to eat out. I tolerate soft meatballs so I decided to buy 2 tablespoons of soft beef stew for lunch. Oh boy that was a disaster. When I left the mall and was driving to my event I had to pull over twice to vomit. My gosh did I feel sick for about 3 hours. awful awful awful. I just don't understand why at this point I cannot seem to get meats down. Its protein! And low carb which is important to me as a diabetic. Has this happened to anyone before? it was projectile vomiting UGH!I am getting ready to celebrate loosing 50 lbs!! Its only 1 lbs away. I am SO thrilled. I am traveling for the first time since my surgery to my 25th college reunion. Really hoping that I will be able to get by being overseas and no access to my usual go to foods. Guess it will be protein drinks galore. I remember feeling like I would fail at this but here I am getting ready to celebrate 50 lbs after 3 months. I can clearly see how loosing another 50 by the end of this year is possible and I am getting EXCITED! I bought my first 'regular size' clothing 2 weeks ago. A regular size large. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh that felt GREAT! I have not been able to fit into anything but plus size clothing for about 6 years so I was real fussy

Just short of a few days from 5 months since my VSG surgery. So far I have lost 55 lbs. To be honest with you I could have lost more than this by now but my commitment level to exercise and to eating what I should not has not been as it should. I am not ungrateful for loosing 55 lbs, dont get me wrong, but I know i have also eaten crap that if i did not do that I would be at a better weight loss bracket. You really have to be fully committed BEFORE you start this surgery and I only realize it now. I had some misconceptions about the surgery and thought that it would 'carry' me more without the level of personal responsibility and commitment it actually takes. I thought that my appetite would be next to nothing but immediately following the surgery I felt starving. My appetite never really waned but its true that you do fill up quickly - thank God for stomach restriction! I still cant eat most meats and I do not have 'meals' yet per se, I like soups, but I do get calories in by things that are called slider foods. A cookie, some chocolate, some ice cream……..all no nos for weight loss. So while I have lost a lot of weight and look quite different already (2 people I ran into last week actually did not recognize me!) I am doing better in changing my eating habits still compared to what I used to. And my glucose levels are MUCH better but this TAKES WORK! You experience weight loss plateaus,. At 4 months I reached a particular weight band and I have vacillated in the 5 lbs up and 5 lbs down range for 2 months now. Its SO FRUSTRATING! I am able to eat a lot more than before so around 4 months you have to really make an effort to restrict your calorie intake. I brought WAY TOO MUCH stuff before surgery LOL I am a type A person and like to be very organized. I bought too much post surgery medication. I bought lots of bariatric surgery paraphernalia like food measuring devices and things that I have never used once. I did use the waist binder for 2 months and was glad I bought that but not even the GasX strips work. Seriously, I bought so many of them and they don't really work. What works is a nice HOT cup of tea! Gas comes right up. All this bloody GasX strips I have and wayyyyyyyyy too many antacids. I need the antacids but I bought TOO many. I only get acid reflux occasionally. Buy things AS you need them. Don't by bra's in advance anticipating weight loss. Your boobs change shape and cup size. I made that mistake. I am no longer a DD but a D and I bought smaller back sizes at DD and now the cup is too big!

I am almost 4 months since VSG and all of a sudden it seems my hair loss is accelerating. I find it quite scary actually since I already have fine hair. I do the Biotin and special shampoo and conditioner for hair loss but...….its not stopping it. Started to use a comb instead of a brush hoping it would help stop pulling out the hair. Sigh...... I have been stuck at 53 lbs weight loss and it aint going any further. Now I have to 'work' for it...…...can't be lazy anymore Took some cute photos today with my animals