Katherine K

The bean sprouts idea is excellent, thanks for that suggestion!

Thanks for sharing this! I much prefer getting a plain low fat greek yogurt to the pre-mixed fruit ones (although the "dessert" ones are such good sweet treats) and haven't branched out much for add-ins.

The bean sprouts idea is excellent, thanks for that suggestion!

Hello! I'm in the pre-op stage looking at likely having gastric sleeve, no date set yet but just passed my psych eval and have met my pre-surgery loss goal.
I'm wondering what kind of "unexpected," side effects folks have had? I know things like possible increase in acid reflux, and shortly after surgery having Constipation, also that loose skin is likely. I've heard some folks have a change in their sense of taste but not much about that.
What other unplanned adjustments or changes have happened to those of you who had surgery and how far out did they start/stop?
Thanks!

Hello! I'm in the pre-op stage looking at likely having gastric sleeve, no date set yet but just passed my psych eval and have met my pre-surgery loss goal.
I'm wondering what kind of "unexpected," side effects folks have had? I know things like possible increase in acid reflux, and shortly after surgery having Constipation, also that loose skin is likely. I've heard some folks have a change in their sense of taste but not much about that.
What other unplanned adjustments or changes have happened to those of you who had surgery and how far out did they start/stop?
Thanks!

Hello! I'm in the pre-op stage looking at likely having gastric sleeve, no date set yet but just passed my psych eval and have met my pre-surgery loss goal.
I'm wondering what kind of "unexpected," side effects folks have had? I know things like possible increase in acid reflux, and shortly after surgery having Constipation, also that loose skin is likely. I've heard some folks have a change in their sense of taste but not much about that.
What other unplanned adjustments or changes have happened to those of you who had surgery and how far out did they start/stop?
Thanks!

Thanks for sharing this! I much prefer getting a plain low fat greek yogurt to the pre-mixed fruit ones (although the "dessert" ones are such good sweet treats) and haven't branched out much for add-ins.

The bean sprouts idea is excellent, thanks for that suggestion!

Soft Proteins, yes.

I used my own recipe.

2 eggs
15oz part skim ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1tsp ground garlic
1tsp black pepper
Dash of basil
1tsp Italian seasoning
1tsp salt

Mix all these well.

Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons into each spot on a mini muffin baking pan that you’ve sprayed with Pam.

Sprinkle a touch of reduced fat mozzarella on top of each.

Bake 20 minutes at 375.

I’m thinking of making a bariatric cooking/recipe blog. I love cooking and being inventive and really want to stay within my approved foods. So it may be neat!

Those look great! what recipe do you use? They count as soft foods, correct?

Yes, but you could show a pre-surgery serving and a serving that you would eat now.

I can finally participate!!!!

I made some low-fat ricotta bites and they are ahhhmazing!

Also- I made so many, because I’m bringing some to my surgery buddy to try!

This was tonight’s dinner. They are bacon wrapped chicken breasts stuffed with veggies and cheese. I started with half of one and of course couldn’t finish. It was so good though.

@SueperGaland @MIZ60 Thank you for the comparison photos. Just what I hoped to see. I'm glad you mentioned that the Thai food was 1 cup (your order) because I was only able to see a difference. A description of what was in the omelet was helpful also.
I'm only guessing about the yogurt. The shot is a close-up so I don't really know how much that is. (I usually make my own yogurt, so I'm not familiar with most of the commercial sizes.)

it sounds like other medical conditions have been ruled out so a nutritionist is a great idea. She can get you on a balanced diet. Don't forgot to drink lots of Water. Dehydration can cause lots of issues. Hope you feel better soon.

gastric bypass and the sleeve are the two most common weight loss surgeries. If you have issues with GERD, bypass is usually recommended since it often improves or even cures GERD, whereas the sleeve can make it worse (it doesn't happen to everyone - or even a majority of patients, but it's common enough that they'll usually recommend bypass if you have it). If you don't have GERD, it really comes down to personal preference.
I had RNY (bypass) over five years ago. I've been very happy with it and would do it again in a heartbeat. I originally lost 235 lbs but have gained about 15 lbs since then (it's very common to have a 10-20 lb rebound after hitting your lowest weight).
you do have to eat very small amounts while you're in weight loss mode - but this isn't as hard as it sounds because you have a much smaller stomach, and also, most people lose their hunger for a few months after surgery (unfortunately, it does eventually come back for most of us). However, most of us can eat more once we hit our goal. I've been in maintenance for 3.5 years and can maintain my weight if I stick to about 1700 calories a day. This is really about the same as a lot of my never-been-obese female friends. When I go out to eat, I'll either order an appetizer or if I do get an entree, I'll take half of it home with me. A lot of my women friends do the same, so I'm sure no one can tell at this point that I've had surgery.
Good luck with your decision. I've been really happy with mine and should have done this YEARS ago!

Hey hey! Ull be glad to know we have similar starting stats! I am 31 years old, had a BMI of 40.67 and was a size 18-20. I was 252lbs at my highest (10 days prior to vertical gastric sleeve surgery) and I was 242lbs on 7.27.20 (day of surgery). I am 5ft 6. I am 2 months post op now. Already i am down to 206lbs. I have lost 45lbs in total and 35 in two months since surgery.my bmi is 33.25 at the moment. I no longer have hip and back pain, my face is back to looking like "myself" again, I wake up happy every single day now and don't feel like I need to to hide away inside the house because of shame. I wear a size 16 at the moment. I have always had a big butt. Washing and wiping my own butt before surgery had started getting difficult which was one of my main wake up calls. I no longer have any issues with this at all only two months out! I could go on and on. There are sooooo many pros to having wls of any kind! My husband was skeptical that wls was necessary and wanted me to diet and work out with him for another year before we considered "something so drastic"..he now agrees this is exactly what I needed and is glad we didn't wait another year of me feeling the way I did about myself. As far as recovery, it was very easy for me. Sharp pain from incision sutures for abt a week, maybe 1.5 weeks. Within 2 weeks I had no pain. Can eat very little (have to remind myself to eat bc im not hungry and it seems kind of tedious to eat now bc its only like 4-5 bites of something) and i have no desire to eat sweets or junk anymore. That is huge for me bc I would easily and regularly consume Cookies, brownies, candy bars, chips and crackers by the box/package by myself in just a few days. I craved Snacks all day everyday. The only "con" i am experiencing is that i loved Water before surgery and chugged it all day everyday. Now it's another thing i have to remind myself to do and it feels so tedious because i can only sip water now, not chug. Oh oops i forgot.. Vitamins and meds are another "con" for me because I was not any meds prior to sleeve surgery and didnt take vitamins. Now i take like 3 meds and vitamins daily. My stomach is so small it feels as tho I've eaten after just taking my meds. I used to be able to throw back 3 Tylenols and swallow at once but now i take each pill one at a time because i feel like im gonna choke on the smallest pill size. I think this is just a fear tho..like a mental thing..and not actually a legit concern or something that is experienced by others lol. Anyways, i hope i covered enough for u. If u have any other questions, feel free to ask. Im an open book and wish i had found this app when i was preop. I did find TONS of videos on YouTube that convinced me sleeve surgery was just as good of an option as bypass for me tho! The videos I watched showed sleevers years out remaining successful and losing over 100lbs. The videos showed me ppl experiencing restriction and maintaining their goal weight years out which proved to me that bypass wasn't necessary for me to reach my 100lb weight loss goal and maintain it. This was encouraging for me because i was self pay and sleeve is cheaper. I would not let money be a determining factor tho. I was kind of forced into sleeve anyways because I am a smoker..still trying to quit at this point.
OHHH BTW My mother had bypass 13 years ago and has remained at her goal wait this far out. This made me believe bypass had a higher success rate because she gets dumping, forcing her to not eat certain things or too much. Many surgeons disagree abt whether sleeve patients get dumping. I can eat whatever i want post op without getting sick but obviously can only eat a small portion. Many surgeons and patients argue about whether this restriction is lifted a few years out but there are ppl on here who will tell you they still have restriction with sleeve years out so it's hard to know what each of our bodies will experience. Do your research, watch youtube vids, listen to what people have to say, but most importantly choose a good bariatric team and trust your surgeon!
Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there!
Fingers crossed for you that your referral goes smoothly and you can have a good meeting with your doctor about bariatric surgery options.
I've had two bariatric procedures. The first was in 2011 when I got Lapbanded. At that time, the only real options for me were Lapband or Bypass as insurance carriers in my area viewed Sleeve Gastrectomy as "too new" (never really got that as it was part of Duodenal Switch, but also my insurance didn't cover that outside of extreme circumstances). I chose Lapband because frankly, RNY scared the hell out of me, despite the fact that my Mom underwent it and was and remains wildly successful with it. I was younger and the thought of rerouting everything was too much for me, plus I'd seen my mom go through dumping and that also freaked me out. So I went with what felt like a good choice for me. And it was good until it wasn't. I did lose weight! Until it started coming back. And then my band slipped and I apparently developed a minor hiatal hernia from it that I likely lived with for a long while without knowing it was there. When I found out about it as part of my revision process, it suddenly made all of the regurgitation I'd suffered from for years make sense.
The Lapband is really the best option for people who are in the 30-35 BMI scale and need that extra help to get closer to what is considered healthy. It is rare that Lapband weight loss is equivalent to that of RNY, VSG, or DS. The Lapband requires a lot of upkeep because it's effectiveness is based on how filled the band is. So you will have a lot of appointments in the first year or two where your doctor adds more saline to the band to give greater restriction...takes some out to lessen the restriction...then adds more...removes some. It's all a game of finding the elusive "sweet spot" where the band is filled the right amount to allow for continued and consistent weight loss.
It is fairly common for a Lapband to slip, which present all kinds of difficulties. When it slips, it is no longer in the position is it supposed to be. Thus your pouch ends up no longer being the right size. It can also lead to hernias when it slips. Slippage CAN be fixed, but you're looking at another laparoscopic procedure so that they can put it back to the right position. Which requires removing all of the Fluid from the band, doing the procedure, and essentially starting at square one again.
That said, it is STILL a useful weight loss tool for those that it is appropriate for and who achieve success with it. There are plenty of Lapband success stories!

In July, I had revision surgery to remove my Lapband and to have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy done instead. I am older than I was in 2011 and realized that making major adjustments to my insides was not actually a horrible thing in light of dealing with bad knees, a bad back, sleep apnea, CPAP dependence, and the risk of onset of any number of other comorbidities that I have been fortunate to avoid. I'm only 12 weeks out as of today, so I don't have the breadth of post-op experience that others here have when it comes to VSG, but I can't say that I regret the decision. I have continued to lose weight since surgery, adding to my pre-surgery weight loss. None of my clothes fit me anymore, yet I am still wearing them because I can't see the point of shopping for new clothes when I am still losing weight. Seems like a waste of money to do that!
The cons for VSG? Strangely, I'm not encountering too many yet. I actually found I was in more pain post-op from my Lapband surgery than I was recovering from VSG. Any of the others cons I've experienced are not exclusive to VSG surgery. Almost every bariatric patient complains about dealing with Constipation at some point. Discomfort from eating too much in the immediate post-op phase as I learn my body's signals and how to read them to know when to stop? We all go through that too. The biggest con that I can think of is that if I'd chosen RNY over VSG, my post-op weight loss would likely have been quicker, so I might have been down another 10-20 pounds by now, though that is not guaranteed. It is just very likely as RNY statistically has a greater percentage for weight lost than VSG.
As for what you've heard about bariatric surgery patients only being able to eat small portions, that is generally true across the board. That is one of the key features of ANY of the weight loss surgeries. It's a GOOD thing, though. Many people get to the point where they consider these surgeries because of eating too much. It's an unfortunate aspect of how many world cultures have evolved when it comes to food. The US is probably the worst about it. Think about when you go out to eat at a restaurant, especially a chain restaurant. You open the menu and you get a list of appetizers in your face to tempt you. So we order an appetizer or two. Then we order our entree which comes to the table is a massive sized portion that is, realistically, enough food for at least 2 people. Yet we're trained to believe that this is an appropriate portion of food. Let alone the fact that it's frequently overloaded with carbs and fat. So between appetizers and your entree, you've probably eaten 3 meals worth in one sitting. On top of everything else you ate that day.
So by getting a surgery that provides you with a tool that limits how much you can eat at a given time, you're able to retrain your body and brain to realize exactly what and how much the human body needs to survive and thrive. A good bariatric team will be there to help you change your relationship with food so that every meal and snack you eat during the day, provides you with the good nutrients that the body needs, while limiting the intake of the "bad" ones that the body still needs, but only in the quantities that it needs. Carbs and fats are not actually bad. The body needs them to survive. It just doesn't need them in the quantities that we frequently take in.
It is NOT an easy journey, but it is a deeply rewarding and fulfilling one that will, quite literally, change your life.
Welcome aboard and I look forward to seeing your journey and offering support every step of the way!

@Tealael Great idea!! Since I have not had my surgery yet I am going to start taking pics of what and how much I am eating now so that when I have a stall I can look back on how much I used to eat versus post-op, that way I won't be so hard on myself. You're the best!!