greenchilegoddess

Weirdest NSV of the week: went back for a follow up with my PCP for something I went in for two weeks before surgery, and after the nurse entered in my weight she got an error because the drop was so large so quickly that she needed a supervisor to come make sure the numbers weren't added incorrectly, and flag my file. Once I caught on to why she was so confused and concerned, I explained about surgery and everyone was VERY relieved.

Weirdest NSV of the week: went back for a follow up with my PCP for something I went in for two weeks before surgery, and after the nurse entered in my weight she got an error because the drop was so large so quickly that she needed a supervisor to come make sure the numbers weren't added incorrectly, and flag my file. Once I caught on to why she was so confused and concerned, I explained about surgery and everyone was VERY relieved.

Weirdest NSV of the week: went back for a follow up with my PCP for something I went in for two weeks before surgery, and after the nurse entered in my weight she got an error because the drop was so large so quickly that she needed a supervisor to come make sure the numbers weren't added incorrectly, and flag my file. Once I caught on to why she was so confused and concerned, I explained about surgery and everyone was VERY relieved.

Have a mixed NSV from today! I'm 5 weeks out, and flew Southwest today to visit my parents for the holiday. I paid in advance for the COS extra seat policy, and when I got there I was stopped by a supervisor and told I wasn't big enough to qualify. I'm down 30lbs since surgery and about 45 since I last flew. The downside is that I'm still big enough that people don't exactly look thrilled to have me as a seatmate!

Have a mixed NSV from today! I'm 5 weeks out, and flew Southwest today to visit my parents for the holiday. I paid in advance for the COS extra seat policy, and when I got there I was stopped by a supervisor and told I wasn't big enough to qualify. I'm down 30lbs since surgery and about 45 since I last flew. The downside is that I'm still big enough that people don't exactly look thrilled to have me as a seatmate!

Have a mixed NSV from today! I'm 5 weeks out, and flew Southwest today to visit my parents for the holiday. I paid in advance for the COS extra seat policy, and when I got there I was stopped by a supervisor and told I wasn't big enough to qualify. I'm down 30lbs since surgery and about 45 since I last flew. The downside is that I'm still big enough that people don't exactly look thrilled to have me as a seatmate!

Yeah! I'm 5'7 and 285 pounds at the moment, wearing an Old Navy size 22 in jeans. I've lost a lot of belly fat, but my thighs definitely still encroach a little under the armrest next to me, and my arms are pretty large so there can be a problem there too when flying.

Have a mixed NSV from today! I'm 5 weeks out, and flew Southwest today to visit my parents for the holiday. I paid in advance for the COS extra seat policy, and when I got there I was stopped by a supervisor and told I wasn't big enough to qualify. I'm down 30lbs since surgery and about 45 since I last flew. The downside is that I'm still big enough that people don't exactly look thrilled to have me as a seatmate!

Have a mixed NSV from today! I'm 5 weeks out, and flew Southwest today to visit my parents for the holiday. I paid in advance for the COS extra seat policy, and when I got there I was stopped by a supervisor and told I wasn't big enough to qualify. I'm down 30lbs since surgery and about 45 since I last flew. The downside is that I'm still big enough that people don't exactly look thrilled to have me as a seatmate!

Have a mixed NSV from today! I'm 5 weeks out, and flew Southwest today to visit my parents for the holiday. I paid in advance for the COS extra seat policy, and when I got there I was stopped by a supervisor and told I wasn't big enough to qualify. I'm down 30lbs since surgery and about 45 since I last flew. The downside is that I'm still big enough that people don't exactly look thrilled to have me as a seatmate!

Hello all,
I was sleeved on Wednesday and I've heard that most people end up gaining weight during their hospital stay due to the extra IV fluids and swelling from the procedure. If this happened to you, how long did you feel it took before that extra weight had dropped and weighing yourself was useful? From a physical appearance standpoint, how long do you think you looked or felt swollen after?
Thanks for your help! Trying to not psych myself out by weighing too early.

I have Aetna and am currently doing my required visits. What I did was 12 visits with a nutritionist (2 a week), so it equates to 6 weeks. I will be done the second week in May.
*edited: I wanted to add, I was told either 12 visits with pcp (which would take 12 months), or the 12 nutritional visits. I would contact the insurance company directly. They can give you the requirements in writing. I hope this helped. 

Oh wow, a lot to think about here (and talk at my surgeon about, if I get to see him again any time soon). I don't think my doctor would even consider DS (it's not on his practice website) and I'm financially limited to his practice because I'm on university health insurance. That still leaves the RNY/VSG issue but hearing from you both helped. It's also really great to be reminded that the average is just the average and does include people who are noncompliant, so a sleeve isn't a hard limit on my success. Here's hoping I end this journey with 100% excessive weight loss. I know I shouldn't focus on that, but I haven't been a normal weight ever in my life and I want a chance at it.
I just wanted to also say thank you to all three of you. I wasn't expecting so much kindness and so many time intensive responses, and I'm truly blown away. I'm keeping this a secret from all but one friend for now, and knowing I can come here and talk/think through these things is so reassuring.
Have a great week everyone ❤️

also, you're right - the big drop the first month is mostly Water weight, so if you lose a lot of weight before surgery, your water weight will be long gone, so you won't notice a big drop. Still, I lost 16 lbs the first month - and my water weight was definitely long gone...

Hi there,
I felt just like you, I really wanted the bypass because my reading had told me that bypass patients on average lose more weight and keep it off longer. So I was super disappointed when it turned out that there was a medical reason why I couldn't have the bypass (at least not safely). But I went forward with the sleeve and it all worked out for the best. The surgery has been very effective for me and I lost a lot more than that 70% average of excess body weight you read about. I lost it all. I know learning how to maintain it crucial, so that's what I'm focused on now. The best way to eat for long-term maintenance. So @catwoman7 is absolutely right. That 70% average is not a hard cap on how much you can lose with the sleeve. It's just an average based on outcomes they have tracked. I'd suggest you talk it out with your surgeon and get all the pros and cons to help you make your decision. Kind regards. 🤗

I was 389 pounds when I started my journey so I had a LOT of weight to lose. On top of that I'm also partially disabled due to two back injuries so I can't exercise beyond walking and right now even that is limited due to some other health issues, so for me I looked at the average percentage to make my choice because I knew I was pretty much relying on the average due to not being able to exercise much. Diet I can do, exercise not so much...
VSG average is 50-70% loss of excess weight
Gastric Bypass is 50-80% loss of excess weight
Duodenal Switch/ Loop DS is 80-100% loss of excess weight
So I went with the Loop DS. I chose it because it's the second most aggressive surgery (Traditional DS is #1) and chose the Loop DS because it's the new and improved version of the DS with the improvement being slightly more small intestines so less chance of diarrhea issues... (instead you have the occasional Constipation issue lol).
You can always lose more than the average. The average includes those that don't follow diet guidelines and don't lose much alongside those who lose way more than the average. The more weight you lose before surgery the better. I lost 68 pound myself during my six month program. I was 321 on my surgery day. I'm almost 13 months post op now and down to 197 (I haven't been under 200 pounds since I was 13... 20 years ago. I just got into ONEderland last week and I still want to cry because it doesn't seem real sometimes).
The choice of surgery is a very personal thing. It's something that you have to live with so it's a choice that you have to make for yourself. If you are most comfortable with the VSG, then go for it! I wish you the best in your journey!

Oh wow, a lot to think about here (and talk at my surgeon about, if I get to see him again any time soon). I don't think my doctor would even consider DS (it's not on his practice website) and I'm financially limited to his practice because I'm on university health insurance. That still leaves the RNY/VSG issue but hearing from you both helped. It's also really great to be reminded that the average is just the average and does include people who are noncompliant, so a sleeve isn't a hard limit on my success. Here's hoping I end this journey with 100% excessive weight loss. I know I shouldn't focus on that, but I haven't been a normal weight ever in my life and I want a chance at it.
I just wanted to also say thank you to all three of you. I wasn't expecting so much kindness and so many time intensive responses, and I'm truly blown away. I'm keeping this a secret from all but one friend for now, and knowing I can come here and talk/think through these things is so reassuring.
Have a great week everyone ❤️

I’ve always said I’m great at losing weight, but I’m better at gaining it back. I lost almost 60 lbs before surgery, and I’m down almost 45 in the three months after. I tried to find out exactly what you’re asking- should I use 339 as my “start” or 281 when I use those fancy online calculators? I never found an answer.

I finally decided that it doesn’t matter. Those numbers are averages and that’s not what I’m going to do. I have control over what I eat and how I live and I’ll use my tool to get to 100%.

In the end I’m so grateful to my past self for losing weight prior to surgery. It gets harder the further out you get post surgery so make the most of the time you have. Every pound lost now is a pound you don’t have to lose later. It will also make the preop diet and the post surgery life less of a shock. I felt very well prepared because of changes I’d made in the months prior.

Oh wow, a lot to think about here (and talk at my surgeon about, if I get to see him again any time soon). I don't think my doctor would even consider DS (it's not on his practice website) and I'm financially limited to his practice because I'm on university health insurance. That still leaves the RNY/VSG issue but hearing from you both helped. It's also really great to be reminded that the average is just the average and does include people who are noncompliant, so a sleeve isn't a hard limit on my success. Here's hoping I end this journey with 100% excessive weight loss. I know I shouldn't focus on that, but I haven't been a normal weight ever in my life and I want a chance at it.
I just wanted to also say thank you to all three of you. I wasn't expecting so much kindness and so many time intensive responses, and I'm truly blown away. I'm keeping this a secret from all but one friend for now, and knowing I can come here and talk/think through these things is so reassuring.
Have a great week everyone ❤️