SleeverSk

I second getting with your team.

Having said that, I have the constriction issue too. I have come to see it as a blessing. When I drink or eat something I take a tiny bite then I wait for it to hit the constriction/spasm. I just wait for it to relax a bit and drain through. 2 or 3 seconds. I literally feel liquids swirl like a drain. Then I wait for it to hit my stomach pouch. 2 or 3 seconds more. Then I wait for a feeling like satiation which is usually about 5 or so seconds after it hits my stomach.

I don't know your situation but maybe you can experiment with something hot or cold and see if you can be in touch with your body.

Would love to hear how it turns out. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

this isn't normal. You really need to contact your team.

This isn’t a NSV, but everyone reading this thread HOPEFULLY can give me some insight. I am 18 months PO. I have lost 156 lbs. (total) BUT, WHY do I bite the inside of my mouth when I chew sometimes! Is it the weight lost in the face, sagging to allow me to ‘bite it easier’ now?

No extender needed!

I bought this basketball jersey many months ago in a size I knew I wouldn't fit in (it's an athletic fit medium) in hopes I'd fit in it this year.
I tried it on today & it finally went on! I couldn't even get it over my shoulders when I got it

I've heard that as a rule of thumb, but it's not true for everyone. I'd lost 40 lbs at 12 weeks, and 129 lbs at the year mark (so in other words, an addition 89 lbs).
and no, I wasn't done losing at the year mark, but my weight loss was pretty slow after that mark. I didn't quit losing until I was 20 months out.

I am a believer in Jesus and what He did for me on the cross. It does not matter if you had the surgery. What really matters “ Where will you spend “ Eternity “

My mother and grandmother were hospital nurses. They said the hospitals ask this in case something in surgery goes sideways. Like they find cancer while in there… so to help provide support while you feel unwell some people do feel comfort in the rituals of religion. Obviously religion doesn’t comfort everyone. The hospital clergy also want to be warned to stay away if so directed. The records last if you go in years later for a different issue.

Just to update everyone...I don't speak to them anymore. I have lost almost 70 pounds in 3 1/2 months. I work out, watch my diet, I'm strict about doing everything I'm supposed to. I take my Vitamins and supplements. And the last straw was when they told me my weight loss didn't count because I took the easy way out and let the surgery do all the work for me. They said anyone who has most of their stomach removed can drop a ton of weight, so I shouldn't be acting like I accomplished anything. That was it for me. I was done. And I haven't looked back since!!

"journey"
"3 week stall"
"only x lbs" (in a dismissive way in referring to lbs lost)
and, similar to @Tomo, i have a pet peeve about the ANGST folks unnecessarily put upon themselves when comparing their own results to others without CONTEXT.
Yes, Sally may drop 30 lbs the first month because she started off at 350 lbs, vs Jane who lost "only" 10 and started off at 200. And yes, Joe, who is also 350 lbs lost 50 lbs, but he is like 8 inches shorter than Sally and is a dude. and there is brenda who lost 5 lbs cuz she has a medical condition and hasn't yet learned how to adjust her lifestyle around it.
we all have the same goal: to lose weight. in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter sh*t if i lost faster/slower more/less than some random stranger on the internet.
*rant over*

So, what things about the bari world/community give you the ick? No idea why, but for me it's the word "pouch" and the concept of having a pouch inside of me -- I'm sure there are good psychological reasons for why most bari professionals use that term post-op, but for me I will always call it my stomach and I feel so much better when other people do too.

I'm 3 1/2 weeks post op from gastric sleeve surgery and everything is going great. I'm following the protocol to the letter and gradually losing weight. Saturday night my significant other and myself took my two nephews to dinner. I was able to order a bowl of soup/broth with no issues. During the course of dinner I used a spoon and took a taste of the queso that my nephews had ordered. My significant other then proceeded to lecture me about food choices. I told her that soft cheese was ok on my current protocol. This didn't seem to make much difference to her. It sort of hurt my feelings but I didn't say anything. Am I overreacting or should I be thankful that I have someone watching over me so carefully. She has been 100% supportive of me in all ways. I just guess I felt like it was unnecessary for anything to be said at all. It's not like I wolfed down a basket of chips and ate the whole bowl of queso. I was kind of proud of myself as I thought "wow...that's the least amount of queso I've ever eaten in my life!

So someone dug out this thread: https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/434528-i-am-a-food-addict-and-bypass-isnt-a-cure/
I saw several users wishing for more discussion on this. However, we don't have these discussions. If a thread like this pops up it gets some traffic and then gets buried under other threads until someone might dig it up again.
So... what in your opinion is the reason we're not talking (a bit more) about this? Are people talking about these issues elsewhere? Are we too scared? Ashamed? Do we not really care? Or are we all cured after all?

Hello All,
I've been lurking here for a while and have appreciated your transparency and vulnerability. I was on this forum almost ten years ago after having a gastric sleeve. I never met my goal weight; over the years, the weight returned. Last month, I was only 50 pounds short of my highest weight. So, on December 12th of this year, I had a revision to gastric bypass. I feel a little discouraged right now because I don't feel I'm making the progress I expected. I lost 11 pounds my first week, but I am only down another 3 pounds for the next 3 weeks. So, I am only down 14 pounds at three weeks post-op. I do not have an appetite at all and am having difficulty getting anything down but liquids, although I was cleared to begin soft foods today. I couldn't even engage in the puree phase too much. Protein Shakes are very hard to get down, so I've transitioned to Isopure (which is more of a liquid). Despite eating little to nothing, my weight loss is slow. It could also be attributed to my starting weight being a little lower than most. I started at 5'2, and my starting weight was 222. Additionally, I take bipolar meds, which are known to cause weight gain. Any words of advice or encouragement? I'm feeling down right now.

I was going to say the same thing in fact I will, go back to the ER and or the surgeon who did the surgery sounds like you have an infection and that is serious

Go back to the surgeon who removed your gall or back to emergency sooner rather than later. You shouldn’t still be experiencing pain & the other symptoms three weeks out. I wonder if you may have an infection.
I had my sleeve surgery about 2 months before you had your bypass. I had my gall removed in June 2021 so 2 yrs later. Gall stones are pretty common after weight loss. I’m surprised no one picked it up or explored the possibility more deeply sooner & you had to experience gall attacks for so long. They picked up my single gall stone about 8 months after my sleeve during a ultra sound of my liver to check it was okay. I had no symptoms. When I had my first attack (yes, it was horrendous too) I I knew what it likely was. Saw my GP, got a referral back to my bariatric surgeon & he removed my gall about 2 weeks after that first attack. Yes the recovery was a little worse than my sleeve but not much - had gas pain which I didn’t with my sleeve & a little more general discomfort for a week or so. I wonder if your surgery & recovery has been longer & more arduous because your gall wasn’t in the best way (lots of inflammation, the adherences, etc.) But definitely seek medical advice.

I had a about of hunger induced anxiety today, it's hard to pick and even my friend who is naturally slim and eats little mentioned she had anxiety but we made a connection between when she hasn't eaten and anxiety. It's actually very interesting how our blood sugar level can mimic anxiety.

I had a about of hunger induced anxiety today, it's hard to pick and even my friend who is naturally slim and eats little mentioned she had anxiety but we made a connection between when she hasn't eaten and anxiety. It's actually very interesting how our blood sugar level can mimic anxiety.

I know that feeling, I don't have any advice, just support to let you know your not alone.

I am happy that you are in a GREAT PLACE for yourself - physically and emotionally and educationally ! I love that you went back to school to get your BA degree. And getting 4.0 grades .... WOW !
I won't question your level of work outs. I am almost 67 years old, and I consider my day to be MY work out. I work full time as a social work supervisor; I do my own housekeeping, take care of several critters and a small flock of laying hens, do organic gardening and walk to and from my car, on knees that both need replacement.... I now am restricted to no more than lifting 25 lbs, so I do need help from time to time with the 40 pound feed bags.... but hey.
My comment for you is to be kind and gentle with yourself. It sounds like you are doing a lot, and that you are really into everything you are doing. (Big Applause here !!!) But take some "you" time too. Again, Congratulations on your successes !!!!!

I'm really worried that you're overtraining.
While physical exercise is a good thing, it's absolutely possible to overdo it. Some possible warning signs for you to watch for:
Feeling tired all the time Trouble sleeping Constant muscle soreness Symptoms of depression Mood swings and/or feeling irritable Feeling stressed all the time Why should you be concerned?
Due to your weight, you are at a lot higher risk of injury when exercising. Overtraining ratchets up the likelihood of injury quite a bit more. A significant injury right now could set you back months. Due to reduced food intake, you are at a pretty significant disadvantage recovery-wise compared to someone that does not have to contend with a very low calorie diet. Calories from food (not just protein), is absolutely needed to help post workout recovery. Overtraining can actually be counterproductive to weight loss because it significantly increases cortisol levels. I won't spend too much time talking about why cortisol matters, but even slightly elevated levels of cortisol can negatively impact weight loss. Plus, if you're impacting your sleep levels, this negative effect is exacerbated. Overtraining can actually be bad for your heart. We tend to think that if some cardiovascular exercise is good, more should be better, but that's not always true. Among other things, people that overtrain can cause problems like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and AFib. While I don't think you're quite to this level yet, it's something to watch out for. Overtraining can actually impact your ability to fight off infection. Getting sick could also set you back quite a bit. If all of the above weren't enough, the likelihood of you stopping training altogether is significantly elevated if you overtrain. I certainly understand you think you're doing the right thing, but hardly anyone that's overtraining realizes it until they suffer the impacts of it. I also think many formerly obese individuals may be more likely to overtrain for a few reasons:
We are typically starting from a poor base fitness level, so it does not take nearly as much to overtrain. Most of us have tendency toward addictive behavior. (Yes, overtraining can be due to transfer addiction.) We are trying to "makeup" for a previous lack of exercise. We think that this will help us lose weight faster. As I mentioned, this behavior can actually slow down fat loss, rather than speed it up. Instead, our goal should be to build a sustainable level of fitness that accomplishes a few things:
To develop a good level of cardiovascular endurance that keeps our bodies and minds healthy To strengthen our muscles to make everyday living easier and more sustainable for the long-term To decrease the risk of illness and injury To burn more calories, both during exercise and at rest To look good naked (okay, for some of us, maybe that's pushing it!) One of the best ways to do all that is to ensure your current level of exercise is sustainable. From that sustainable base, we add in something called "progressive overload" to ensure we are actually benefiting from the exercise. When we overtrain, there's no room for progress, meaning eventually you either burnout, or your body adapts and the benefit becomes lost.
Sorry for the long post here. I know to you I'm just some random person on the internet and you're not likely to pay much attention anyway. Even so, the risk is real, and I encourage you to research this to make sure I'm not just blowing smoke. More than anything, even if you don't think you're overtraining, I'd hate for others to come away from this thread thinking your exercise workload is what they should be doing too. For 99% of us it's not.

I got tired just reading that.
Congratulations and continued success.
Tek

I went in for surgery on Thursday the 29th to convert my sleeve to a gastric bypass due to weight loss failure. When I woke up from anesthesia I got the bad news that my surgeon was unable to do the surgery safely. When he got in my belly he found all of the mesh from my hernia surgeries as well as a new recurring hernia I didn't know I had. Apparently I have adhesions of the mesh to my bowel. He says he can repair it and isn't giving up on me but we need a plan B. I cried the entire day I was so upset. Waking up to pain and incisions only to discover the surgery didn't happen after so much preparation for that day I was completely overwhelmed with a feeling of grief. I'm really hoping he is able to fix my hernias and mesh successfully so he can complete the conversion to bypass. Has anyone else gone in for surgery and had the surgeon not be able to perform the surgery? I'm still feeling bummed and I don't really know exactly what's next until I speak to my surgeon again and my new incisions completely heal. Happy New Year

I really can’t understand the science behind why this is happening. I was sleeved on December 19. Tomorrow makes exactly two weeks since my surgery. Yet, this entire past week, my weight has stayed the same. Makes me feel like all this misery is for nothing. I’ve been on nothing but liquids. Protein Shakes, chicken broth, Jello, and yogurt. I add a scoop of Protein Powder to my yogurt for added intake. I’m literally starving.

This liquid preop and post op has been extremely tough. To the point where I didn’t wanna leave the house and Celebrate the holidays with friends and family. What’s the point of going around food and drinks and people having fun when I can’t indulge in ANY of it. It’s hard just looking at other people eat while I sit there with Water and a Protein Shake which I’m so very tired of.

Then to step on the scale and see that I haven’t lost a since pound since my first week smh. I know they say don’t weigh yourself blah blah because stall will happen. BUT THIS EARLY???? Has anyone else experienced their first stall this quickly after surgery??

Hi Hannah, welcome to the group! I was sleeved 13 months ago and I don't know what I would have done without the folks here, it's an amazing community. From the stats you hit a low of 140 and are now 148 at 8+ years out? That's absolutely amazing. I'm sure you know, lots of people (most?) regain 5-20lbs in year 2 or 3 so maybe 148 is your new set weight - is that possible?
How does it feel 8 years on? Do you still get help from your sleeve to maintain?