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Are you tracking what you eat? As your weight gets lower, your body uses fewer calories, so if you're consuming the same calories at 149 pounds that you were at 156 pounds, your weight loss will be slower, or you might be at your maintenance calories and need to lower your intake if you want to lose any more weight.
Don't compare your weight loss to anyone else's. You have lost less than most WLS patients, but your starting weight was lower than most WLS patients'. For example, I lost 200 pounds, but you couldn't match that because you never had 200 pounds to lose.

Stalls are the worst! I had a stall that was 5 weeks long and now the weight loss has slowed way down. I wasn't told to go back to shakes though, but to increase my calories and add strength training. Its weird how each dr has their own plan and we just have to hope that our dr can get us to our goals. You have done so well though and should be proud! My favorite shakes were the fairlife ones if you haven't tried them yet. Good luck and keep us updated on if the shakes work.

I am in a major stall! I have lost 50 pounds so I'm not disappointed in the total loss, but just not going below the 151-152 mark is annoying. I have 20 to 25 more to loss to reach my goal. Even though my calorie count is good I have not been drinking Protein Shakes. I just got so tired of the sweetness. (Never thought I would say that!) LOL At my dr appt last week I was told to go back to the shakes for 1 or 2 meals a day. Thanks for letting me vent!

I just got my date for my surgery. The date is May 30th!!! I must admit when I saw the email, I was overcome with emotions. I CANT BELIEVE IM ACTUALLY DOING THIS!! POSITIVE FEEDBACK WELCOMED.

Congratulations!

Hi Mark, welcome. I noticed that you’re willing to treat other side effects of your weight with medications & tools - CPAP machine, meds for the high blood pressure, and knee surgery for the worn out knees…
But you hesitate with GERD and Constipation, both of which can be corrected with medications alone (over the counter options as well as prescription). Having the surgery could even correct your high blood pressure and sleep apnea, which would remove those issues from the list. Not to mention, weight loss in the long term is desirable for knee replacement.
This leads me to ask, what are you actually scared of?
Weight loss surgery is an extremely effective procedure for long term results, and the RNY gastric bypass is highly effective in treating or preventing GERD. I’m so glad you’re here, because there is a lot to learn and reconcile with when it comes to weight in our society. At the end of the day, getting to a healthy weight and keeping it off is what everyone here is working toward. You will never be alone in this if you choose to move ahead. Best of luck to you!

Yes. I love how my sleeve won't let me cheat. I occasionally give in to temptation and try to eat too much, and my sleeve be like "What we're not going to do today..." LOL

All of these responses are great and right on point! I believe we have had all had the same type thoughts and questions. I finally asked myself, after many times of losing and gaining: "Well how did that work out for ya?" Apparently not well! LOL Surgery was the best decision ever!!!! Best Wishes!

My only regret was that this surgery was not available years ago. I had my VSG 12 years ago, in my mid 50's. I am now 67 years old ( next week !) and lost and gained back weight my entire life. I weigh less now what I weighed in graduate school, which was in 1980. I have lost half of myself. I started at 320 before my pre surgery weight loss. I am not skinny by any means. But I went from super morbidly obese to now in the (high) but NORMAL range of BMI - but more than that, I have learned how to maintain my weight loss.
Can you lose 70 pounds without Weight loss surgery ? I don't know. Will you lose 70 pounds with surgery ? YES. Is it scary to have surgery ? Yes, especially thinking about it ahead of time. But having surgery in your 30's is easier than in your 50's !!!
And By the way, having bariatric surgery helps us to lose weight NATURALLY. There is nothing un-natural about surgical intervention for a medical problem. Don't think of yourself as being broken. Think of this surgical intervention as a medical necessity for your future.

Thank you! I’m definitely not ruling it out completely.

All of these responses are great and right on point! I believe we have had all had the same type thoughts and questions. I finally asked myself, after many times of losing and gaining: "Well how did that work out for ya?" Apparently not well! LOL Surgery was the best decision ever!!!! Best Wishes!

My first visit !


My consultation was today and it was so easy and exciting. The LNP explained everything to me told me about my surgeon and what to expect the day of surgery. She said most insurances require 3-6 months but my booklet plan doesn’t say anything about any time. It says it’s at the discretion of the surgical team.

I already had a blood panel and thyroid done in February so I am good to go on that ! Only thing is getting an ekg with my primary have her sign off on surgery then the nutritional visit the physc evaluation & endoscopy. I am hoping to have surgery by end of may 🙌🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽

I think many people here would put their hand up & say they too wondered if they really needed surgery & couldn’t just do it themselves. So you’re not alone in that thinking.
However, I think all of us would say we tried dieting ourselves (or with clubs, dieticians, weight loss companies) in the past with all the best intentions many, many times, yet we all found ourselves obese.
Yes, you are asked to follow a liquid shake diet post surgery but it is usually only for 2 weeks, then you usually progress to purées, soft foods then solid food. It is in place solely to support your healing of your tummy. Think of the sutures & staples holding your tummy together - you don’t want to stress or strain them with coarse or dense foods. After that the diet you will be placed on encourages healthy eating of nutrient dense foods. It encourages you to consider the nutritional value of what you eat, to work at breaking cravings & old habits., to look at your relationship with food. With the diet you slowly add a greater variety of foods & increase portion sizes until how you’re eating close to your maintenance point & it is much like the way you’ll eat in the future.
The pre surgery diet, which often also is shakes, is also short term & in place so you will lose some weight quickly, reduce fat around your liver & make surgery easier.
For me the surgery changed my metabolic rate, gave me a new set point (the weight my body is happiest at), it adjusted my digestive hormones. Most importantly it gave me time to look at my eating & develop new habits. No other diet did that. Every other diet I felt like I was punishing myself which is why when I finished the diet I went back to eating in the exact same way I always had & the weight came back. I didn’t with this. I have a new way of looking at food & eating. I’m not on a diet. This is just the way I eat.
But only you know if the surgery will be right for you & that’s okay. All the best whatever you choose to do.
PS - Sorry for the long post. I guess you can tell I’m very pro surgery but that is because of the success I’ve had.

I am am self-pay, but going locally to JourneyLite. I was so close to pulling the trigger on Mexico, but I must admit that even though this is more expensive, I do not have to deal with travel, and am pretty close to the hospital. JourneyLite was definitely cheaper than the local hospitals' costs around here! By about 5k to 10k!
Even though I likely do not need it, BlissCARE is available at JourneyLite. Since my insurance doesn't cover ANY weight loss surgeries or drugs, I need the peace of mind that comes with having complications insurance.
My pre-op diet consists of 1 week of foods I had to buy from JourneyLite--at first I was outraged I had to buy their foods. But in the end, you know what? It is really nice to just eat their foods and not worry about anything at all. It was 1 week because my BMI was lower, if BMI was higher it would have been 2 weeks.
I did start my own low calorie diet before I start the official pre-op diet. Around 1200 calories. Just to get my mind and stomach ready for the < 1000 calorie very low carb pre-op diet. I am also now weening myself off of coffee.
I am *super* nervous! Surgery day will be here before I know it, and life will change for the better.

For me the weeks and days before surgery were harder than after surgery. It takes time to undo our behaviors and habits. Since your surgery date is so close, you undoubtably have taken many positive steps in the right direction, one little tiny half-step back is forgivable. So forgive yourself and know others are with you on this journey!

Jordan's Skinny syrups are really good and have a wide variety of flavors for coffee and other drinks as well. In my opinion, they are much better than all the others I have tried. Zero cal, zero sugar, zero Protein for 2 tablespoons. I bought mine at TJ Maxx. You can get them on Amazon but are considerable higher in price than TJ Maxx. I have tried about 8 flavors, my favorite is Vanilla Caramel Creme. Actually tastes like it has creamer in your coffee. Word of caution: Jordan's Skinny Syrups are quite strong with flavor and sweetener. Start with a small amount, a teaspoon at a time, until you determine how much you want. A little goes a long way.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. Advice - rest, sip, sleep, sip and repeat. hugs

I am having VSG surgery at Endobariatric with Dr. Alvarez on 3/3/23. Dr. Alvarez's fees are almost twice that of other sugeons in Mexico but his credentials, professional memberships/affiliations and surgical success/risk rating is among the best of bariatric surgeons internationally .... I am confident in my choice!

You need to evaluate whether you are mentally prepared to make permanent changes to your relationship with food. Emotional eaters frequently go through a mourning period because it is harder to depend on food as a crutch to deal with life's problems and disappointments. WLS does not force a person's compliance. Adherence to a structured plan is essential to success. WLS is not a cure all or quick fix....it is a tool which can HELP us but we still have to be disciplined and put in the work.

Not only do we need to physically prepare ourselves for WLS, but mentally as well. Drastic weight loss can cause fluctuations in hormones which can create an emotional roller coaster ride. If you are suffering with episodic periods of depression, i strongly suggest working with a therapist before pursuing WLS, which is a dramatic life changing event. Best of luck to you!

I was sleeved on Sept 1, 2022. I have lost over 45 pounds, about 30 more to go. Great experience! Before my surgery I tried to learn how to eat slower, take smaller bites, chew properly, drink lots of Water, got completely off caffeine and carbonated drinks. Good luck!

I got my date for February 1st. I've been quiet about it as this is the 3rd try to get the gastric sleeve, but I'm feeling good. 2 more days! Actually 1 1/2! I am very excited. Looking forward very much to the new me. This process has been going since 7/2021. During that time I changed my way of eating to what my after surgery foods would be. I've lost 50 lbs. I still need 125+ more to go. But I'm more than ready. Wishing all who come after me well.
Sent from my SM-S901U using BariatricPal mobile app

Weighed myself today and i seriously thought i gained weight. but finally i am under 200lb at 197. I have not been under 200 since i was in high school. So happy. It took around 2 months to loose nearly 10lb being this far out from surgery.

I could be you, you’re not alone. I got help through my clinic and Psychologytoday.com because loosing weight and lifestyle changes is a major head game. If we could do it all by ourselves we would have. Therapy has helped me tremendously. You are worth it!

I had a VSG 12 years ago. I was 54 years old. I can make the math easier. I am 66 - quickly approaching 67, this spring. I was miserable, recently divorced, single parenting a teenager, working.... and my weight had hit 320. I was, at that time 5'3", and morbidly obese. I went on my own diet, and lost just over 20 pounds, went to the Doctor and requested weight loss surgery. I did their 12 week mandatory pre diet and classes. I was approved, and got my surgery.
Fast Forward.... I lost weight to about 175 pounds. I went from a women plus 28 to a 14/16 petite.... depending on the clothing. I also Lost my younger brother, mother and then my father during those last 12 years. And I gained back weight. I weighed 220..... So Just before the pandemic, I decided to try to lose 10 pounds in a year. Thank goodness for my VSG. My body remembered how to do this. I lost the ten pounds in the matter of a couple months. I decided that since I had issues with regain, I would pause and maintain the weight loss for at least a month or more, before starting to lose weight again. I wanted to LEARN how to maintain the loss. Each 5 or ten pounds, I would stop losing ON PURPOSE - and maintain the weight I was at. I lost back to 173 pounds. I weighed that is graduate school. 1983. I maintained my weight for the past year between 172 to 175.
A couple months ago, I decided to try to lose a bit more. The scale was reading 175 more often then I wanted. So.... I did it again. Even more slowly. Right now, I am doing my " lets maintain this for a while" thing.... and weigh 164 I think I might have weighed that in college... like maybe 1978.....before going back for the Masters Degree in 1981. My old Navy size 16 petite that I bought two years ago are too big. I just bought TARGET jeans in a size 14. Age does weird to a woman's body, as does loose skin.... But I can tell you this.... my VSG is still there. I won't ever be 'skinny' - but I am basically barely overweight (you get a few extra pounds on the SMARTBMI scale adjusted for age !) and I am more than thrilled. Do I eat perfectly ? Nope. I have a treat every darned day. A couple Cookies or a small dish of ice cream.... or a bit more carbs than are necessary... But I am so flipping "normal" - I am not the heaviest human at work. Someone asked me to "slide" in to sit at a table that was close to the wall because I could "fit". I stood there staring at them..... If we have take out delivered to the office, I participate. I order something that I can eat for another two meals after having lunch.
Challenges ? Plenty. Did I manage to raise a great kid, who is doing well ? Yes. Have I figured out how I need to eat to "DO ME" ? Finally. At 66 years young !!! 2004 pic.eml 2022pic.eml
I tried to put in pics 2004 and 2022 320 pounds and now 164 pounds

This is my progress so far 8 months post op and 18 lbs from my goal weight.
HW 225
SW 197
CW 134
HT 5'1"

I stepped on the scale this morning and saw 199! I haven’t been one-ANYTHING since I was a teenager! I’ve seen 299, 279, 249, etc… but to see 199 makes me emotional! I had VSG in September and just celebrated four months post op! Just wanted to share my little win!