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So tomorrow is two years from when I had my sleeve surgery, though it is only just over one year since my last procedure due to all my post of complications, and a few weeks ago I turned 50. Here is a picture of me at 40 and a picture at 50. My weight back in May 2015 was about 130kg (20st / 286lb), it went up and down in the years between to where I was 120kg before surgery and now I am between 63 & 65kg (10st/141lb) so I am now half the person I used to be. 40yrs vs 50yrs The last two weeks I have had really bad abdominal pain on and off and when it showed no signs of improvement I went to the emergency department where my bariatric surgeon had some of his team waiting for me. After CT scan and blood tests it showed my abdominal area was very inflamed but no infection thankfully so they hooked me up to painkillers and sent me home with a prescription for more pain killers (tramadol) and muscle relaxers. Yesterday I had my follow up and the surgeon has said that following a review of my results it looks like the clip that they had to place when I had my leak is now causing a reaction so I have to continue on the pain meds plus add in antibiotics for a couple of weeks. The surgeon has said the clip has to come out as it is a matter of quality of life for me going forward as he says the pain can come back any time in the future if left it. The choices he gave are that it can be done by open surgery to remove (which he says is his second choice) and his preference is to do a revision surgery to bypass. Given all the sleeve post op complications I told him that I didn’t want to go down a surgical route, especially back in the same hospital but he feels this is the best option though he did say I could of course get a second opinion. So I have done just that, I contacted one of the surgeons (a mentor of my bariatric surgeon) who I had to be transferred to when my leak would not heal (the one who had to ft the pigtail/tube in my stomach) and he has said from looking at my files he believes it can be removed without the need for surgery and can see me in two weeks time to review my case and check scans so fingers crossed he can do something endoscopic wise. I am due to get my arm lift surgery end of October so if I had to have stomach surgery in the next few months I wouldn’t then be able to get my lift. Obviously that is not a reason to decline the surgery if it is the best and only option but it would be great to get everything resolved without stomach surgery and still be able to get my arm lift.

My pre-op diet was 12 weeks of milk with added skimmed milk powder, and one salty drink a day (broth) (This was the diet my doctor put me on as they are researching it, not some weird fad diet I'd heard about to be clear.) I lost quickly for the first 2 weeks, hit a plateau, gained weight, plateaued, jumped back down and repeat. It's not a straight path downwards, sadly. I did lose the required weight. If you stick with the programme, you will get there. The bus kind of drives it self in terms of where toi body wants to be at.

Hi I’m 4 weeks post op and have been experiencing a lot of stomach cramps nausea and going to the toilet it’s been going on for 3 days now anyone have any advice?

I'm 11 weeks post op ty all for your posts

Many of you know my story. Was two months shy of turning 54 in 2019 when I got my sleeve. Lost all my weight & more and was successfully maintaining that low weight. I began gaining weight from puberty: about a stone a year. Then I started my 60-75kg weight diet/regain swing from my early 20s until peri menopause & menopause hit and then seemingly overnight I was 91kg. Nothing I did moved that weight. Hence my decision to get a sleeve. I experienced some weight regain (good 2 almost 3 kgs) almost 4 yrs ago after I had my gall removed. We worked out I had an absorption issue and wasn’t absorbing protein well or it turned out my HRT tablet (hot flushes, etc. had returned). Switched to a patch and lost the weight without doing anything & no menopause symptoms. Had a hysterectomy in September 2024 & then couldn’t access the HRT patch I was using (damn supply chain issues) & this is when my body turned against me again. ALL my menopausal symptoms returned: hot flushes, night sweats, poor sleep, headaches, creaky joints, acne, etc. & weight gain. Only three kgs so far but that’s in the last three months. And so here we go again. My body working against me. Since this regain began in January (used my last HRT patch in December & was my usual weight at the end of Dec) I’ve made some modifications to my eating. Dropped a snack, reduced some portions (which were still only recommended portion size or a little less). I eat pretty carefully anyway & stick closely to my plan of eating. Was eating about 1600 calories a day and now am probably at about 1300/1400. So at the very least I should have slowed the regain but nope. It’s scary & upsetting. I recognise it as being how my body & my hormones work (or don’t work!) but that doesn’t help. My doctor is trying to help me sort out alternative HRT but nothing is working yet as it all involves at least taking one tablet. I wish I was completely past all this hormone crap & I wish supply chain issues for pharmaceuticals were a thing of the past for everyone affected. I so wanted to be my maintained slim self when I turned 60 in 4 months. I always have been overweight at significant birthdays. This one was going to be different. The way I’m going I’ll be a stone heavier. Not overweight but more than I want to be & have been happy at. Very sad face.

Not sure why that posted three times but it won’t let me delete it. Gotta love technology.

So I’m 5 weeks post op and have only lost 13 lbs. I feel stuck and wondering if that’s normal to lose only that amount in a month? I feel defeated as I only have protein shakes for breakfast and lunch while I’m at work . but dinner is where i incorporate a soup or broth. I just don’t know if I’m doing this right? I’m supposed to be in the pureed stage and then go into soft foods next week.. I need advice on how to help my weight come off faster /better.. this has been a crazy mind game for me ..

Welcome to the Bariatric Group! Diabetes is a strange critter. With diabetes, you have to remember that your liver will push out glycogen and convert it to glucose overnight, that is why you have differing numbers with the same breakfast. It is also dependent on what you ate the night before. I still get strange numbers, but I'm off all of my medications and insulin for diabetes and I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery. I haven't taken any meds or insulin since the day before my surgery. The highest I have been is 137, and I don't go below 83 mg/dl. I got rid of my Dexcom 7s to a needy friend, and will be giving my syringes and unopened bottles of insulin to my endocrinologist who I see next week on Thursday. Already, it has been quite a ride. From the hormones flying about, to not having to inject insulin and reduced medications, I'm moving better, walking a lot and recently was released to go back to the gym where I swim, cycle and lift weights. I can't imagine my life any different now, best decision I've ever made. Ask me in a year how I feel. LOL

My name is Marisa. I’m having a gastric bypass surgery on August 7th. I’m starting my liquid diet two weeks before that and quitting smoking. I’m doing this for my health. I’m 60 years old and I’m looking for some encouragement from others who have had this done. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I’m a little bit scared of the change and what I have to intake as protein to fill my daily intake. Is there anyone out there who follows a specific program? Please let me know. Thanks, Marisa.

Still looking for ways to use up all the smoked chicken! Last night it was a Southwest-style salad with some of the smoked chicken. Tonight I'm planning on loaded baked potatoes with BBQ smoked chicken. I also made some Jambalaya style soup and added smoked chicken to that. I froze most of it, but perhaps weirdly, I like soup as a post-workout recovery meal, so I suspect I'll be eating a lot of that most weeks!

Glad you are doing well! Same for me, almost! Losing hair, I've lost a little over 60 lbs since sleeve surgery on Dec. 2, 2024, have sagging skin, but overall, I am very glad I did it in hopes I can KEEP it off this time. I'm eating 900-1100 most days I think. And have upped my water and protein since hair has thinned. Praying it comes back like normal soon. I have recently begun working out with resistance, etc 3 days a week and 5 days a week I have a goal of 10k steps. On day 2 of this. LOL! Just need to make it habit again like I did before. It helps! They said at my already-scheduled one year visit on Dec. 2, that I should probably be around 166. But my own goal is 154. So gotta up my game!! LOL! Then they said ultimate goal should be low end 115 and high end 125 lbs. Cannot imagine being that small. Lowest I ever got to was 155 as an adult and was there about 5 minutes. LOL! Thanks for doing a check in for us December Peeps! That's my month. Birthday and Christmas all in one! And now surgiversary too!!

I have PCOS as well my periods were so bad I couldn't even leave my house for 2 weeks at a time for fear i would just gush. My doctor gave me the Mirena IUD and put me on Norethin and my periods stopped all together it was amazing. 2 days after my surgery i started my period and was like what is happening worst time ever but my body just went through stress so. but I have been getting periods now just light spotting but this surgery has changed my hormones for sure its crazy.

Sorry, wanted to make one other comment here. Please don't approach your weight loss as something that will inevitably stall short of your goals. Plenty of us make it to goal and below, and have maintained this lower weight successfully. There are two things that will really up your chances here: You need to eat better and move more. If you slowly start making better food choices, you'll find you'll lose weight more steadily and be a lot less likely to regain. By making better food choices, I mean eating less ultra-processed foods and focusing instead on: Protein: High quality legumes Lean dairy Lean meats Carbs: Mostly veggies Some whole grains Some fruit Fats: Try to make this primarily monounsaturated fats This is not to say you can never have a treat, or have to eat only the above, but the more you focus on less processed foods, the better off you'll be. I also recognize that you can't make changes like this overnight. Take your time by just making small changes here and there until they become your new normal. Once those small changes are the new norm for you, it's time to make another small change. Keep at this process of making just small changes and eventually, your diet will be a lot better. In terms of movement, we now have lots of data to show that people that are successful in maintaining after weight loss tend to be very active. Once again, I know you're not going to be running any marathons tomorrow, but you absolutely can start small and focus on doing more and more over time. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week, which works out to 30 minutes per day for 5 days. They also recommend 2 days of strength training per week. Some data suggests that formerly overweight and obese people need to do even more than this, so my personal recommendation would be to shoot for at least 300 hours of moderate-intensity physical activity or 150 hours of intense physical activity, or some combination of the two per week. If you are over 65, the CDC also recommends you do some sort of regular training to improve balance since this can have a dramatic impact on fall risk. I know that sounds like a lot, but again, if you start slow (even 5 minutes a day 3 days a week), you definitely can get there. For reference, moderate intensity physical activity is walking a brisk pace, or similar activities such as a slow bike ride. Intense physical activity is more like jogging or riding a bike up a hill. If you didn't work up a sweat, it definitely does not count as intense.

Yes, any crisps or crisp like foods such as pepperoni crisps or Serrano ham crisps mentioned above are all a big no for the purée stage. Sure look at them for when you’re much further out but ensure serve the portion recommendations. They can be moorish and before you know it you’ve eaten 2 or 3 serves and there’s 200, 300 calories. (I’m looking at you those pork crackling/scratchings.) It takes at least 6 weeks for your tummy to heal. (Think of all those sutures and staples holding it together.) The staged diet of liquids, to purées, to soft is all to protect your tummy/digestive system and not damage your it or impeded your recovery. Remember too any desire for crunch is a craving and thus a head hunger. It’s got nothing to do with real hunger. The first weeks after surgery are stressful and emotional & naturally your head tells you to seek something to comfort you: food and often crunchy or salty food. Look for distractions at these times: craft, read, play a game, call family or friends, sip a warm drink, go for a walk, etc. It does help. You will get through it and learn to better manage cravings in the future.

Hi everyone! Is anyone still around in this group? Its been 4 years since my surgery, and what a ride it has been. I have had ups and downs, and now I am trying to work on myself a little mor and loose some more. I had my tummytuck done in April and in three weeks I will have my inner tight surgery. To keep the weight down I have used Ozempic and Wegovy. Would be fun to hear if anyone is still around and how have your been since surgery!

Wins -- Well, I let myself have a few more carbs yesterday, bringing my net carbs up closer to 30 when they have been running in the teens or single digits the past eight weeks (one other time in the 30s on a day I had chili) and seems to be so far so good. I started spacing out my three meals to having more like 4-5 meals per day every three hours and find that works SO much better for me. It also helped me get past my 3.5 week stall that lasted about a week. I went out walking a couple of times this past week and also started using my exercise bike. Noticed that walking around is not leaving me as sore and my stamina is increasing. I also had a couple of NSV - I had to scoot up my car seat a bit, was able to wear a pair of jeans that were WAY too tight before my surgery, and I tried on a shirt yesterday that used to be tight in the arms and across the shoulders and found it fit comfortably! I'm starting to get comments on the weight loss being visible, so that's nice. Portion sizes remain very small - I don't dare eat more than 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of combined foods per meal. I did add in a few bites of things that aren't just protein based, and that has been a nice switch.

Did you go in to the clinic and did your doctor do a full physical? If not I would consider a second opinion especially being 9 weeks out. At 9 weeks you should be on solid foods unless you were advised to do liquid/puree for longer and you didn't? A second opinion can never hurt. You said mentally food makes you want to "gag"and you find food " disgusting ", perhaps not only having a complete physical but talking to the dietician or a mental health professional would also help... Also, you never stated what your average meal menus consist of...and quantity..other than low fat meats and protein drinks. Are you getting enough fiber to assist with those " accidents"? I'd at the bare minimum set up an appointment with the dietician. Good luck hope you start doing better soon!

You're lucky it's only a week long the pre Op! I have 2 weeks, but I have seen some here have had to do 12 weeks of it 😬

If any pain feels unusual or is strong to you, yes contact your team. It may not be anything but it’s always better to be sure. In saying that, certain sutures like ones that act sort of like scaffolding or support can snap as they dissolve and cause some pain so it could just be that. Ensure you’re not lifting, pulling or straining too much while you’re healing too & pulling on your internal organs and sutures, etc. Remember it takes around 6-8 weeks to fully heal so you’ve still got a couple of weeks to go. All the best.

I had mine June 17th. It’s been almost 4 weeks. Eating, staying hydrated have been going well with no major issues. However, I have a terrible burning/stabbing pain internally between two stitches on my right side. My surgeon says it’s normal, it’s excruciating at times. I’ve been wearing an abdominal binder to work which has been helping to function as normally as possible. Sleep is rough because of this pain, every movement is sharp and wakes me up. I’m ready for this part to be over. I’m at the point where mentally I’m feeling regret but I know it’s because of the pain.

Hi I am 4 weeks post op and had bloodwork yesterday. My regular results were normal but my metabolic panel was high in some areas (Bun Creatinine) was really high. I know that has to do with liver and kidneys. I am wondering if it is because I drink mostly no sugar gatorade and bone broth besides Protein shakes and maybe A cup of water a day. My Chart results. Haven’t spoken to Doctor. Has anyone else experienced this ?

Awesome! I am going to do these 3 times a week. Thank you so much. I hope this helps me! Amber and others have always given me good info too. And my husband just bought me some cards with instructions similar to this. He goes to the gym nearly every day and works a physical job. I just need to implement what I've been shown. I was walking and doing light weights here. But I need to commit to something more structured. I appreciate all your advice! Excited to get started! 🤩

I set a my goal for what the BMI chart considers "normal", but really, I just want to get down to a UK 12 dress size. That was a size I just skipped over. I went straight from teenage sizes to size 16. I've been overweight all my life. When I feel like I'm stalling, I tend to panic and think I've failed and I'm trying to stop that so I take my measurements and remind myself how far I've come even if the numbers don't match what I wish they did.

By your logic we should also call DS & SADI sleeve gastrectomies. Heck, it's even in the name for SADI-S: single anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy. Either way, both surgeries probably have more in common with sleeve than traditional bypass in that they retain the pyloric valve and the bulk of the stomach is removed. Yes, they all bypass a section of the small intestine, but RYGB only bypasses the duodenum whereas traditional DS bypasses the duodenum, jejunum, and proximal ileum. SADI-S sort of splits the difference. Where and how much of the small intestine is bypassed makes a HUGE difference in nutrient absorption since the various parts of the small intestine affect absorption differently. Grouping them all together just because they bypass a part of the small intestine makes as much sense as grouping them in with sleeve gastrectomy since they also are pyloric-sparing surgeries. Aside from the technicalities of the surgeries themselves, In practice DS/SADI are pretty rare, so trying to group them in with RYGB just seems really odd to most of us here. Heck, the name of the surgery specific board here is "Gastric Bypass" not "Roux-en-Y gastric bypass". If that's not enough for you, just do a Google search for "gastric bypass". Pretty much every result you get is going to be one that is using the term interchangeably with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Let's get back to the question at hand and why I called this out. By you grouping all three of these surgeries together and claiming they all need additional supplementation of vitamins ADEK is factually incorrect. Gastric Bypass patients do not need this. For someone that seems concerned about taking vitamins that "aren't needed", please don't spread misinformation about what others need.

Hey guys! Thanks for taking your time to read and answer I appreciate it. I had Gastric Sleeve last Friday the 14th. I have had a few moments where it felt like I was having low blood sugar, because I was/am prediabetic. It will go away even eating a sugar free popsicle will make it better. My bf told me it's not my blood sugar cus sugar free wont fix that. I have just had a handful of moments that felt like i would pass out if i didn't get something in me. Is that normal? I get in all my fluids and then some, ate my 2ox 3 x a day liquid diet as well. I was getting about 40 grams of protein a day which was all I could really fit in in three meals of 2oz lol. Today I am starting puree so I am expecting it to get better but just curious. I've had 0 complications and 0 dumping as well.