BigSue

I wonder if this bothers people because it hits a little too close to home. I used to hate when people said, "It's not a diet -- it's a lifestyle change!" (usually when referring to... a diet, e.g., keto). But now, I get it, as much as I hate to admit. I actually use that now to shut people up when they get too nosy about my weight loss (I have kept my surgery private and not told any friends, family, or coworkers). When they demand to know my secret to weight loss, I say I made a lot of lifestyle changes, and that's not what they want to hear.
I see a lot of people on this forum who seem to expect the surgery to work like magic -- to make weight loss easy, instant, and permanent. Reminding people that surgery is a tool, not something that works on its own, might be a reality that's hard to face.

I don't like the term, "slider food." It bugs me because it almost makes it sound like a good thing to defeat the surgery by intentionally eating foods that are easy to overeat, and the thought of the food "sliding" down sounds kind of gross as well.

Try Protein hot cocoa. I found it much easier to drink warm beverages in my early post-op days than cold. The Bariatric Pal hot cocoa mix is delicious but you can get other brands of protein hot cocoa on Amazon.

You can eat more because you no longer have a Pyloric valve between your sleeve and your intestines, so your food doesn't stop in your sleeve but goes directly into your intestines. So, effective restriction is probably a bit less.
Which is why you should measure your food for each meal and stop when you complete the meal or get that no-more feeling, whichever comes first. We can't rely on just restriction to do the trick because for most people restriction declines with time.
We need to build the right habits. It's easier when restriction is tight and weight loss is some positive reinforcement. It's harder later when trying to get back on track, but it can still be done. We just need to rely on Portion Control more and the positive weight loss reinforcement takes a bit longer.
As for motivation, what was it to get surgery? Has that changed?
Good luck,
Tek

I agree with those who recommend you find another PCP. I would be concerned about this doctor's fixation on your BMI. First of all, as a bariatric patient, you might not need to have a BMI within the "normal" range. I saw a video on YouTube a while back (someone linked to it on this forum) by a bariatric surgeon talking about the best weight for bariatric patients and he suggested that a "normal" BMI may actually be too low. So the first problem with this doctor is that his advice for you to lose weight might not even be correct.
The other thing that bothers me here is that I have a dear friend who went to her PCP complaining of malaise, and the doctor dismissed her symptoms and told her she would probably feel better if she dropped 10 pounds (and this is someone I have always envied because she has always been in great shape;). Turns out she had cancer. I would be wary about a doctor who jumps straight to losing weight as the cure for everything.
Something I appreciate about my PCP is that she never commented on my weight. She suggested I change my diet and be more active to lower my blood pressure and blood glucose, which are obviously associated with weight loss, but she recommended actual actions and not just, "lose weight." Likewise, she didn't praise me for losing weight, only for improving my health. I wish more doctors would take that approach instead of just using BMI as an all-purpose measure of health.

I've looked at some bariatric cookbooks and I do not think they are worthwhile. There are tons of free recipes available on the internet. After the first couple of months, you don't really need bariatric-specific recipes (but don't sleep on the ricotta bake -- it is delicious and I made it regularly during my pureed and soft food stages).
I have found a lot of wonderful recipes on Pinterest. I've had the best luck searching for "skinny" and "WW" (Weight Watchers). "Healthy," "low-carb," and "keto" also have some good results; you just have to make sure they meet your requirements ("keto" recipes in particular can be a mixed bag, because some of them are very high in fat, which can cause dumping for bariatric patients).

I didn’t tell anyone other than medical professionals about my surgery. I’m 2.5 years post-op and still haven’t told anyone. I managed fine on my own after surgery; my biggest challenge was getting home from the hospital (the hospital said I couldn’t take a cab or Uber, so I paid a home care aide to drive me home). I took a week of vacation time at work and didn’t tell anyone I was having surgery.
However, I live alone. I assume you live with your husband, and I can’t imagine how it would be possible to have surgery without someone who lives with you finding out, unless he goes out of town for long periods of time and you somehow time your surgery accordingly. Even then, it would be difficult to hide, unless your plan is to have the surgery and tell him after the fact. Obviously, I am not a relationship expert in any way, but it does not seem conducive to a healthy marriage to have a major surgery without telling your partner.

I didn’t tell anyone other than medical professionals about my surgery. I’m 2.5 years post-op and still haven’t told anyone. I managed fine on my own after surgery; my biggest challenge was getting home from the hospital (the hospital said I couldn’t take a cab or Uber, so I paid a home care aide to drive me home). I took a week of vacation time at work and didn’t tell anyone I was having surgery.
However, I live alone. I assume you live with your husband, and I can’t imagine how it would be possible to have surgery without someone who lives with you finding out, unless he goes out of town for long periods of time and you somehow time your surgery accordingly. Even then, it would be difficult to hide, unless your plan is to have the surgery and tell him after the fact. Obviously, I am not a relationship expert in any way, but it does not seem conducive to a healthy marriage to have a major surgery without telling your partner.

I don't like the term, "slider food." It bugs me because it almost makes it sound like a good thing to defeat the surgery by intentionally eating foods that are easy to overeat, and the thought of the food "sliding" down sounds kind of gross as well.

I don't like the term, "slider food." It bugs me because it almost makes it sound like a good thing to defeat the surgery by intentionally eating foods that are easy to overeat, and the thought of the food "sliding" down sounds kind of gross as well.

Ok, so I have been obese just about my entire life.
Here is my take, obesity is a problem at all ages and comes with a plethora of other issues. (mental and physical) But, lets think about us as adults for a minute, how much there is to understand. The rules, the regulations, the understanding of nutrition, counting calories, monitoring Protein and Fluid intakes, being sure to take all our vitamins... etc!
Now, as a child do you think you could keep up with that? Do you think we could have even understood the seriousness of all of it? Of what could happen if we don't take Vitamins and become deficient in something? Even, the potential complications from surgery short term or life long?
As a child, I feel like it would be up to the parents to monitor and regulate foods, vitamins and comprehend everything that the child would have to maintain.
So, why doesn't the parent just do that before surgery is required? If the parent is prepared to do that after surgery than why haven't they before surgery is even needed? If healthy habits are established at the parenting level then they (parents) already understand healthy diets and regulation of calories etc. Which in turn would naturally be passed down to their children.
I am not saying this is perfect and some kids refuse to eat anything but mac n cheese.. but those kids aren't going to succeed with WLS anyway if that is the case so why?
If the parents do NOT understand healthy eating habits, then how are they prepared to help their child any differently after surgery?
As adults, we fail and we have the capacity to understand why.
I just don't believe a child is able to maintain this lifestyle without a parents who are prepared to basically do the same exact thing.
Although, I do believe some children may really need the help of WLS I just do not believe they can maintain it without the parent taking complete control (up to a certain age).

Me as a child or teen I really don't think so. When WLS first became a thing, my best friends dad had bypass and it damn near killed him. He went from 700 lbs to around 100 and in a wheel chair in less than a year. Everything that could have went wrong did. Life long complications. I remember it scared the **** out of me! I remember it was a sole reason I waited so long to have surgery myself. Every time I considered it, he crossed my mind. He was the only person I knew for years that had it and it destroyed him.
Then, as time went on I knew other people but literally NONE of them were successful. For whatever reason, lost and gained it all back, didn't loose, didn't follow the plan, didn't understand. I don't know but I know that every story I was aware of was not a positive one.
Then my doctor actually suggested it, I started looking into it again. Researched the best surgeon around, researched every potential risk, benefit. Read for months on these forums and every article I could find online. Talked to people I knew, and had very transparent conversations about why they didn't succeed. I learned, and realized that I wasn't those people and decided to move forward.
Here I am, 9.5 months later. Kicking a**.
But me as a teen, I don't think so. I don't think teens are mature enough(and I was a VERY mature teen) to deal with all the changes and I don't think the parents are prepared to take control or they already would have.

The first few months post-op are the hardest because you’re still healing from surgery and adjusting to a lot of changes, but you’re not yet getting the benefits of the weight loss. It’s very normal at this stage to have feelings of regret and wonder if the surgery was a mistake. As time goes by, though, it gets easier in many ways. You’ll be able to re-introduce more foods into your diet as well as get used to the changes that will become your new “normal.” And in the meantime, you’ll lose a lot of weight and get to experience life as a non-obese person. This rough part of your journey will be a blip in your memory, and if you’re like most of us, eventually your only regret will be that you didn’t do this sooner.

The first few months post-op are the hardest because you’re still healing from surgery and adjusting to a lot of changes, but you’re not yet getting the benefits of the weight loss. It’s very normal at this stage to have feelings of regret and wonder if the surgery was a mistake. As time goes by, though, it gets easier in many ways. You’ll be able to re-introduce more foods into your diet as well as get used to the changes that will become your new “normal.” And in the meantime, you’ll lose a lot of weight and get to experience life as a non-obese person. This rough part of your journey will be a blip in your memory, and if you’re like most of us, eventually your only regret will be that you didn’t do this sooner.

The first few months post-op are the hardest because you’re still healing from surgery and adjusting to a lot of changes, but you’re not yet getting the benefits of the weight loss. It’s very normal at this stage to have feelings of regret and wonder if the surgery was a mistake. As time goes by, though, it gets easier in many ways. You’ll be able to re-introduce more foods into your diet as well as get used to the changes that will become your new “normal.” And in the meantime, you’ll lose a lot of weight and get to experience life as a non-obese person. This rough part of your journey will be a blip in your memory, and if you’re like most of us, eventually your only regret will be that you didn’t do this sooner.

The first few months post-op are the hardest because you’re still healing from surgery and adjusting to a lot of changes, but you’re not yet getting the benefits of the weight loss. It’s very normal at this stage to have feelings of regret and wonder if the surgery was a mistake. As time goes by, though, it gets easier in many ways. You’ll be able to re-introduce more foods into your diet as well as get used to the changes that will become your new “normal.” And in the meantime, you’ll lose a lot of weight and get to experience life as a non-obese person. This rough part of your journey will be a blip in your memory, and if you’re like most of us, eventually your only regret will be that you didn’t do this sooner.

My dermatologist recommended Nutrafol. I'm a little skeptical because his office sells it, but he didn't push me to buy it from them (he gave me a pamphlet and said it's available on Amazon if I'd rather buy it online). I decided not to try it at this point because it's really expensive and I'm not sure it's worth it.
My dermatologist also recommended Rogaine (he said to use the men's formula because it's stronger than the women's formula) but said that if you stop using it, you'll lose any regrowth that you got from using it. It is less expensive than Nutrafol, too.
I did try Vegamour for several months and as far as I can tell, it didn't make any difference.
I've been taking Biotin faithfully every day since surgery, and I doubt it helps, but I figure it doesn't hurt, and it's cheap, so I keep taking it. But honestly, I think the only improvement has just been from waiting for it to grow back. I had a different surgery 15 months after my gastric bypass and experienced another round of telogen effluvium, but it's been improving for the last few months even thought I gave up on growth products.

I don't like the term, "slider food." It bugs me because it almost makes it sound like a good thing to defeat the surgery by intentionally eating foods that are easy to overeat, and the thought of the food "sliding" down sounds kind of gross as well.

You're talking about the sleeve, right? For rny, there is a pouch because the stomach is bypassed.

Nothing really gives me ick. I do have a pet peeve though concerning wls. People who have too high of expectations. For example, complain they lost "only" 15 lbs a month (that is a whopping 52500 calories less) and blame the surgery when they wouldn't have lost weight at all if it weren't for the surgery and probably would've continued gaining.

I also hate the word "obese". High cringe factor for whatever reason.

You’ve lost 62 pounds in 6 months and you’re dissatisfied with that? I think that looking at other bariatric patients can skew our perspectives on weight loss. If you are expecting the same rate of weight loss as the patients on My 600 Pound Life, for example, that is not realistic because you don’t have nearly as much weight to lose.
Your expectations for weight loss may not be realistic. At your height of 5’6”, your goal weight of 140 pounds puts you at a BMI of 22.6. The average gastric bypass patient loses 50-70% of excess weight, which means that the average gastric bypass patient doesn’t quite get to a BMI below 25 (which would be 155 pounds for a 5’6” person). With a starting weight of 270 pounds, your excess weight was 115 pounds. If you lose 70% of that, it’s 81 pounds of weight loss and a final weight of 189 pounds. A loss of 62 pounds in 6 months puts you on track to achieve that in a year (but remember that there are a lot of factors that can affect rate of weight loss, and you may lose faster or slower than others).
Keep in mind that this is an average and not indicative of any individual patient. It is certainly possible to lose more than that. Some gastric bypass patients do lose all their excess weight and end up with a BMI below 25. You might be able to get to 140 pounds, but it is probably going to take a lot of work. The surgery is just a tool, not magic. If you were expecting to shed all your excess weight in 6 months without trying, then maybe you did waste your time and money, but if you are willing to put in the effort and use the WLS to your advantage, then you can achieve more weight loss than you ever have before.

Yes! This is the video I was referring to. Thanks for posting it -- I hadn't been able to find it again on YouTube (it's not in my YouTube history because I watched it embedded on this forum). This is great info.

I agree with those who recommend you find another PCP. I would be concerned about this doctor's fixation on your BMI. First of all, as a bariatric patient, you might not need to have a BMI within the "normal" range. I saw a video on YouTube a while back (someone linked to it on this forum) by a bariatric surgeon talking about the best weight for bariatric patients and he suggested that a "normal" BMI may actually be too low. So the first problem with this doctor is that his advice for you to lose weight might not even be correct.
The other thing that bothers me here is that I have a dear friend who went to her PCP complaining of malaise, and the doctor dismissed her symptoms and told her she would probably feel better if she dropped 10 pounds (and this is someone I have always envied because she has always been in great shape;). Turns out she had cancer. I would be wary about a doctor who jumps straight to losing weight as the cure for everything.
Something I appreciate about my PCP is that she never commented on my weight. She suggested I change my diet and be more active to lower my blood pressure and blood glucose, which are obviously associated with weight loss, but she recommended actual actions and not just, "lose weight." Likewise, she didn't praise me for losing weight, only for improving my health. I wish more doctors would take that approach instead of just using BMI as an all-purpose measure of health.

You’ve lost 62 pounds in 6 months and you’re dissatisfied with that? I think that looking at other bariatric patients can skew our perspectives on weight loss. If you are expecting the same rate of weight loss as the patients on My 600 Pound Life, for example, that is not realistic because you don’t have nearly as much weight to lose.
Your expectations for weight loss may not be realistic. At your height of 5’6”, your goal weight of 140 pounds puts you at a BMI of 22.6. The average gastric bypass patient loses 50-70% of excess weight, which means that the average gastric bypass patient doesn’t quite get to a BMI below 25 (which would be 155 pounds for a 5’6” person). With a starting weight of 270 pounds, your excess weight was 115 pounds. If you lose 70% of that, it’s 81 pounds of weight loss and a final weight of 189 pounds. A loss of 62 pounds in 6 months puts you on track to achieve that in a year (but remember that there are a lot of factors that can affect rate of weight loss, and you may lose faster or slower than others).
Keep in mind that this is an average and not indicative of any individual patient. It is certainly possible to lose more than that. Some gastric bypass patients do lose all their excess weight and end up with a BMI below 25. You might be able to get to 140 pounds, but it is probably going to take a lot of work. The surgery is just a tool, not magic. If you were expecting to shed all your excess weight in 6 months without trying, then maybe you did waste your time and money, but if you are willing to put in the effort and use the WLS to your advantage, then you can achieve more weight loss than you ever have before.

I'm sure this isn't the response you were hoping to get, but remember that you are about to get major surgery. Your surgeon -- whom you are trusting to cut you open and surgically rearrange your digestive system -- has given you explicit instructions for your pre-op diet, and now you are asking strangers on the internet for permission to circumvent your surgeon's instructions. Is it worth taking that chance?

I'm sure this isn't the response you were hoping to get, but remember that you are about to get major surgery. Your surgeon -- whom you are trusting to cut you open and surgically rearrange your digestive system -- has given you explicit instructions for your pre-op diet, and now you are asking strangers on the internet for permission to circumvent your surgeon's instructions. Is it worth taking that chance?