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One suggestion in terms of your bra is to buy a bra with the correct cup size, but one that actually fits you on the biggest hook. That way you can use the other two or three hooks depending on how many are on it as you lose weight still because usually when they fit you, they aim for that middle hook so that you can gain or lose 10 pounds and it’ll still fit, but you know you’re not gonna be gaining anytime soon. Another option that I thought about doing myself because I had the sleeve and I know that I don’t lose much in my cup size. It’s just the band size is to buy one that fits in the cup, but it’s actually a size smaller in the band and use a bra extender, so it’ll last longer

Yeah, it was awful. At least I could keep water and chicken broth down. I'm been working slowly to building back up to more purees again, but I definitely didn't want to risk it last week. Otherwise, I'm doing okay. Been struggling with hitting my goals the last couple of days, which I assume is because I feel not great still. But I'm listening to my body. Eating and drinking until it feels like I can't and then pausing for a while. (Obviously, not eating and drinking together, but you know what I mean.) I go for my next post-op appointment on Wednesday. That will be my 1 month check-in. I can actually feel more weight loss in my legs and places around my stomach. I'm curious to see how much weight I do end up losing after all this. Like, I noticed my weight loss in how my clothes fit before my 10-day post-op. But I can actually feel it in places on my body when touching them now, so that's going to be interesting. We go on vacation 10/6 and we've already talked about my clothing situation. Even my bras need to be replaced at this point. But since I don't go anywhere except the doctors appointments right now, I'm going to make what I have currently work for the next couple of weeks. And then on our way down to our vacation spot on the 6th, we're going to stop by the outlet store and get me some new clothes and get properly fitted for the correct size bra. That way I have the most accurate fit for clothes for a couple of months. lol I still need to catch up on reading the forums. Hopefully I can get to that this weekend.

Hey all, I'll catch up on reading soon. It's been a rough few weeks. I caught a stomach bug last week and thought I was gonna die. And yesterday I woke up with a runny nose and muscles aches, same today. The fatigue seems to be worse these last two weeks too, but I'm guessing that's because my immune system got shot. But that is why I've not been around, I've literally been wanting to die. It has taken everything in me to be able to push through work and classwork before I pass out for hours on end. Just wanted to give you an update. 0/10 recommend on getting a stomach bug after gastric surgery.

I don’t take them because of an issue with my pancreas either. I don’t absorb protein well as a result of my gall removal. Malabsorption after gall surgery isn’t uncommon but it being for protein is more rare. (Also don’t absorb some medications either now like hormone replacement meds.) I forget to take them at times too - usually my lunch time one. I keep the bottle on the bench right in front of me to remind myself. The creons keep my protein levels at just on the border of okay. The original dose of 10 000mg 3 x a day didn't do anything so it was increased to 25 000 3 x a day which does. I don’t like having to take meds. Am lucky & very glad I only take the creons and a Nexium in the morning.

Hi everyone! I haven't been on this site in a VERY long time, but I am currently on a new weight loss journey and I thought I would report in with my experience and the hope that some of you newbies can learn from it. I had my VSG surgery on 9/1/2014, so 10 years ago this month. At the time of my surgery, I weighed ~260 pounds and I am 5'6". I have lost and gained weight a million times before that, with my highest weight ever having been 277 pounds. In the first couple of years after my surgery, I was able to get below my goal weight (165) all the way down to 154. During that time I trained for and ran in a half marathon and a full marathon, completing the full marathon in September 2016 (almost exactly two years after my surgery). I separated from my then-husband in May of 2016 and our divorce was final in December 2016. My life took a very different path after that and I did not stick to my healthy diet and exercise. I met my current husband in February of 2017 and while I love him dearly and he is THE BEST, he is a bit of a hedonist and we definitely supported each other in our hedonism. I became a connoisseur of fine craft beers and we have a large friend group who we go out with or have get-togethers with several times a week. I not only stopped running but stopped exercising altogether. Both my current husband and I put on weight in the seven years we have been together, especially during COVID, and I got all the way back up to 234 pounds! Last year, my husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and, in April, we resolved to turn things around together. Since then, I have lost 30 pounds and I am on my way down to my new goal weight of 180. So, here are some things I want to report, trying to lose weight again for the first time since immediately after my surgery: The restriction still works! I cannot eat much more than about 200 grams of food in one sitting. Once I cut out snacking and stopped drinking as many calories (beer), it was easy to rely on my sleeve to restrict my daily caloric intake. My metabolism is still normal. As a 5'6 female weighing 203.2 pounds, I still burn ~2100 calories per day just by living, according to my Garmin watch and it definitely tracks with the calorie differential I am logging and the weight loss I am seeing. I still can't eat and drink at the same time. I usually have to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to drink anything after I eat a full meal. Being overly full is still an unpleasant feeling. Before my surgery, I used to love the sensation of being "stuffed." Since surgery and to this day, it is still uncomfortable for me if I overeat in one sitting. Not a pleasant sensation at all, but not painful like it was in the very beginning. I can still get dumping syndrome if I'm not careful. If eat too much sugar too fast, usually in the form of ice cream or a milkshake, I get dumping syndrome and it is VERY unpleasant, fortunately, it is very rare. Food can still get "stuck." Every once in a while, mostly when I am eating turkey or pork it seems, food can get stuck and it is completely miserable. Be sure to thoroughly chew your food!!! Especially dense meats. My advice to anyone who is post-sleeve and still losing weight or trying to maintain their weight: Snacks are the enemy! It's so easy to get in extra calories by eating smaller amounts between meals. Your sleeve won't help you at all with this. Drinking your calories is easy and dangerous. I haven't given up my precious beer entirely, but I have cut back and I am mindful of the type of beer I am drinking as some types are more caloric than others. You can just as easily drink your calories even if you don't drink alcohol. Be wary of soda, milkshakes, energy drinks, juices, and too much cream/sugar/syrups in your coffee. Keep up with the exercise. It doesn't have to be training for a marathon like I did in the beginning. Currently, my husband and I take a ~mile walk after dinner each night and we try to do one, long, 4-5 mile walk/hike on the weekend. Just that moderate amount of activity can make a big difference. Be mindful of calorically dense foods. Even though I can only eat 200 grams at a time, if it is 200 grams of junk, it can have a LOT of calories! I hope the lesson that all of you take from this post is that the sleeve is a tool and it is all about how you use it. It can work for you, even 10 years out, as long as you use it correctly.

When I had my sleeve I tried to do the treadmill and absolutely could not stick with it. This time I am walking outside. Not sure if that’s an option for you but it’s so much more entertaining. Things to look at, people to say hello to, and you can go different ways and plus it’s fresh air. It’s also easier on your knees. I also walk a bit inside. For both, headphones help with music and a fitness watch so you can log your progress. After my nighttime shower I just put my exercise clothes on and sleep in them. That way when I wake up I am already dressed and I jump up and walk a bit around the house while my coffee is going and chilling over the ice so I can make my “proffee.” It’s just like 15 minutes (started with 5) or so but it’s a good start to my day. Then, I try to do a few minutes a couple more times during the day so I do it when I take my calcium (I have a recurring alarm to remind me). Depending on your job you may be able to do this on breaks. In the evenings, I prepare dinner but then head out to walk, depending on the weather. I am now up to 45 minutes but I started at 15. This one I get sweaty so I shower and put my exercise clothes on again (I have two sets and wash the other one daily) and then I sit down for my dinner and chill with my hubby for a while before it’s bedtime and i start it all again the next morning For me, it’s also easier to make a habit of things if I do them everyday, at least for a while. Eventually things will come up so I don’t do it every night, I’m sure but until it’s a habit I do it daily. My goal is 30 minutes a day no matter what but I try to do as much more as I can. The PA (physicians assistant) was at my support group meeting and did a talk one night on fitness and he shared that 90 minutes of exercise a week (15 minutes a day for 6 days of the week) causes a 15% Drop in “all cause mortality.” My surgeon was there and said that surgery actually only creates an 11% change so it’s pretty incredible. This takes 25 minutes per day because you want to do a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down. During the 15 minutes your goal is a zone 2 heart rate. You calculate the zone 2 range by first subtracting your age from 220 that is your MAXIMUM heart rate. Then you multiply that number by 60% that’s the lower number of your range and 70% which is the upper number of our range. The example is a 40 year old. 220 - 40 = 180 (MAX). 180 X 60% = 108 and 180 X 70% = 126. The zone 2 heart rate range for this person is between 108 - 126 beats per minute. (The fitness watch will tell you your heart rate so you can check You can do it at the gym if that works better for you and you can of course break it into three 30 minute sessions instead of daily if you choose as long as you get 90 minutes per week minimum. Once I can add strength training I may actually do it this way and do my weights on the other days. For now I’m just worrying about the cardio part. I can tell you though, it is so absolutely worth it. Since I have been doing the exercise I feel incredible. My energy has increased tremendously and my mood is so much better. It’s an all around good thing and not that hard, really, once you set your mind to it and get a few days under your belt it gets easier. I have been very sedentary for YEARS and I can’t believe I didn’t start this exercise thing sooner. It’s seriously pretty great!! Ooh and I was told the same thing for weights. At 6 weeks I can lift more than 10 pounds but not weights. Especially if I didn’t lift them before surgery and would be straining. Even at two months I’m supposed to slowly work my way up but I think that’s probably advisable for anyone whether they had surgery or not. Also, my friend found a fitness watch on Amazon for $20. Doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive one, just need heart rate and steps or distance really to get started. And if you know anyone else who wants to do some exercise, my friend and I talk on the phone most nights while we are both walking around our own houses. She said she wants to do her exercise bike last night but it goes so much faster when we talk. I said we can still talk while you ride your bike it doesn’t matter if we’re doing the same thing. The person you’re talking to doesn’t even really have to be exercising. They just have to be willing to talk to you and encourage you to keep doing it music works pretty well as an alternative busy a couple of nights and I’ve just used my headphones from instead of talking on the phone. Some people listen to podcasts as well

You don't really have to worry about food safety if the food is frozen at 0°F (-18°C?) or lower. It technically can keep indefinitely. The problem is the quality will degrade over time and this is made worse if there is air in contact with the food. From my experience, freezer burn is the biggest problem. After a while in the freezer things will start to dehydrate and oxidize if exposed to air. That's why you want to get rid of as much air as possible. You'll know if it's freezer burned when it gets kind of a grey or white surface to any parts exposed to air. This will cause an off flavor that's not particularly pleasant. This may be happen in a few months, or much, much longer if stored properly. I once tried to grind up a ~5 year old roast that I "rescued" from the bottom of my freezer. I knew it was freezer burned, but I was hoping that if I made chili from if, the strong flavors of the spices would mask the freezer burned taste. It didn't. ☹️ 0/10, wouldn't recommend.

I love what mom said that is so true we can be hard on ourselves....in other bariatric groups I belong too, I noticed a mindset amongst many that they were never satisfied. I will not be adopting that mindset and was glad I could listen in on groups early post op...I feel it's so unhealthy to never be satisfied with weight loss. Once I obtain my goal weight f**k it I am then in "maintenance" mode and I will allow myself 10 pound fluctuation. I'm not interested in loosing more after the goal weight. *it's unreal how much poop in the colon weighs..3,5, 10 pounds lighter

1. Iron Deficiency and Anemia 10 Years After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass for Severe Obesity 2. Iron Deficiency After Gastric Bypass Surgery 3. Risks of Bariatric Surgery: Anemia 4. Anemia After Bariatric Surgery: More than Just Iron Deficiency 5. Hematological Disorders following Gastric Bypass Surgery: Emerging Concepts of the Interplay between Nutritional Deficiency and Inflammation

I did not exercise while I was losing. No gym membership. No walking miles. No cycling. Nothing. Didn’t hinder my weight loss. However I did up my everyday activity. Parked further away from where I was going. Walked up escalators. Made multiple trips up & down my stairs instead of making one or two trips to bring up the groceries, etc. Or go down to take or the rubbish and then go back down to get the mail instead of doing it in one trip. Saw a program by the late Dr Michael Mosley that compared the benefits of doing a block of 30 mins of exercise a day vs doing 3 or 4 bursts of 5 -10 minutes totalling 30mins of exercise a day. The difference was minimal. They called it exercise snacking and it’s what I started doing about 20months ago. I incorporate a number of yoga based stretches, resistance band exercises and exercises to improve flexibility across my day. Honestly I wouldn’t burn 30 calories but I have more defined & toned muscles in my arms and legs and my flexibility has improved which is what I wanted. I don’t find it a chore and I sort of enjoy it (something I never really down with any other exercise except yoga). I do it, or a modified version if I’m away, every day bar the odd day once or twice a month. Exercise contributes only about 10% of any weight you’re to lose. However, there are other benefits to your health and well being. You just have to find something you enjoy doing & doesn’t feel like a chore or a punishment.

I didn't know there were different sizes and no idea what % of mine is gone. After a year I can still feel the restriction, unable to eat too much and rarely hungry though I can take larger sips now. Have gulped a few times totally forgetting there isn't space 😂 Eating now is more of a habit than needing to, had to force myself today to eat some lunch as just wasn't hungry at all but managed 50g cauliflower and 30g hummus. Example of what I can manage; Breakfast is a 125g or 150g yoghurt 99% of the time or sometimes a couple of small protein or banana pancakes as a treat. Lunch is usually homemade soup (150ml) or homemade dinner leftovers or half a shop bought salad (with falafal or chicken) My dinners are again 99% of the time homemade and would still be about 150ml in liquid dishes such as soup/dhals or 4 to 5oz for a bean stew/chicken dish. A while after dinner I will then have something for dessert such as two squares of 85% dark chocolate or a yogurt or a handful of nuts. In between if I can, I try to have a snack mid morning and mid afternoon. like some cottage cheese banana bread, nuts, protein bar etc. Eating out can be super annoying now when I see lots of things on a menu I would like and then realise that in all reality all I can manage is a starter but it does mean my food and dining out bills have dropped so much and if I don't finish it I usually ask to bring it home and it does another meal or three. When I go on holidays in a couple of weeks I have booked dinners out at three Michelin restaurants that have a menu you can chose from so it means for me just one course in each and it will be a bargain compared to having to usually order the 6 or 10 courses.

Champagne is one of my favourite drinks @Arabesque. I really don’t want to have to give this up as it’s a special treat for me. I’ve also got 10 bottles of the stuff at home (been collecting for a while) and I don’t want to have to give them away 😭 Would a champagne swizzle stick be useful as a way of getting rid of the bubbles do you think? Might drop a hint to hubby. He’s tea-total so culling my stock is all on me!

Yeah €150 is expensive but I get a small contribution from work towards gym membership so I think I will try it out, plus if it is too cheap I may not turn up! I have a free introductory personal training session at the end of Sept (have to wait until I am back from holidays) and then if I like it I can start membership from Oct. and they include personal training in their price so that should help me. It is a small gym, only 10 people allowed at a time and no-one from my work is a member there which is a bonus as my boss is a member in the cheaper gym near me. I really just need to be shown the correct way to use the weights to try to tone up arms and legs but any tips from you @AmberFL would be great and much appreciated for at home use. I have 3lb and 6.5lb dumbells at home but no idea where I am on fitness scale, I would think medium - I do pilates and aqua aerobics (but not for August as everything in this country closes down for the month!) and walking but nothing high energy.

Hello all! I had my SADI-S done on July 17th and I was trying to find a community/support from others who have gone through bariatric surgery. Both my parents had the RYGB over 10+ years ago, so I guess I'm not really new to bariatric surgery, but I am new to all things SADI/sleeve. I'm currently taking the Bariatric Advantage multiEA with iron and they are...gross. So I'm curious to the alternative people have been taking, but that also meet with the SADI requirements, since I know the malabsorption is an issue. I'm diabetic, and on the Omnipod insulin pump, but with U-500 Humalin instead of U-100. I am extremely insulin resistant, even after the surgery. But it has been way better than before the surgery, so whoo hoo. I think I'm just looking for people to share their own stories with the sleeve/SADI and any tips/tricks along the way.

You're welcome! Yeah, I noticed that. I did read somewhere that with a SADI you can subtract an additional 5-10 lb loss on top of an RNY. Not always guaranteed but usually equal to an RNY.

haha! girl I gotchu!! From what I read you work out a lot so if your comfortable with weights then lift heavy! I do anymore from 40 to 110lbs depending on the workout. I workout lower body 3x a week! Here are some examples of workouts I do! Also you can totally ask, I am having so much fun seeing what transforms my body lol. I have more written down in another book, but if you want more lemme know!! I have great upper body ones too! Still working on the abs lol I haven't found anything that has helped a whole lot, but with the workouts I do now my core is pretty strong. This is my quick lunch workout paired with 30min of cardio 4 sets 8-10 reps Leg Press Seated Hamstrings Seated Leg Extensions This is my tried and true for a booty pump: Cardio: Treadmill 12+ incline 3+ mph 30 min (don't hold onto rails) Back Extensions 15 reps no weights, 15 reps with weights, 15 reps with the heaviest weights Bulgarian Split Squats Heavy Weights 4 sets of 8 each leg Walking lunges Heavy Weights 4 sets of 8 steps turn around and walk back 8 steps Hip Thrusts Heavy Weighted 4 sets of 8-12 reps This is a machine only: Start at highest weight for 2 sets then finish at last set with 10 reps at heaviest weight, 10 reps at medium weight finish with 10 reps at lighter weight Back extension Glute Kickback Machine Hip Adductor Hip Abductor Leg lift Leg curl

Went to my crochet group again today and I didn’t need a nap afterwards. I’m hoping maybe I’m done with the afternoon nap stage. I plan to wake up earlier tomorrow and really try to power through again so I can hopefully get my sleep cycle back to normal. Day by day I get a little closer to my normal. ooh and yesterday was a follow up for the muscle cramps that I got in my calf which went away with the magnesium they gave me but I kept the appt anyways because i start soft food Monday and I had questions. She said that since my pre op appt I have lost 19 pounds so that’s one month exactly and the expected loss for a revision is between 5-10 pounds month so I’m doing good.

I’m a few years out so I have a little bit of perspective. I think staying consistent in a sustainable way is the key. Inly commit to drastic changes you can see yourself continuing 5-10 yrs later. It’s the only thing you can really control, everything else happens on a biological level. Also try to avoid diet/lifestyle creep. Special occasions diets (birthday cake, peeps, royal icing cookies, apple pies, stuffing and pies, gingerbread houses, eggnog etc) should stay where they belong. Don’t do it all of the time. There’s always going to be special occasions but they don’t have to derail months worth of progress (l’m looking at you November/December!). Congratulations in advance on your surgery anniversary ❤️

I'm honestly not sure. Pureed stage is stage 3 for me, but I'm not allowed anything with firm shells until stage 5. Stage 5 is also when I can get canned fruits and things like that too. 9 incisions sounds like a lot, but I know you had a different surgery than I did. I had 5 incisions plus an additional one for the drain. 19 staples. They took the staples out yesterday and then put steristrips on then. But by the end of the day, the steristrips were gone. I don't know if it's just how they were placed or what, but they did not stay long at all. I just ate my first meal of scrambled egg whites. Here's hoping!

This was at my bariatric surgeon's office, so I'm not sure if I can see anyone else for my yearly blood work and follow ups. At this point, I'm not sure I even want to bother anymore. As far as the carbs go, I can't tolerate more than 10-12 carbs per sitting and no mare than 40-45 total per day before I get sick. And by sick, I mean SICK. Light headed, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, shaking, serious fatigue, headache, It's like I went from being a carbaholic to my body almost not being able to process them at all. And there doesn't seem to be much difference in the type of carbs, either. Although bad carbs send me over the edge almost immediately, long before I get anywhere near my limit. But as far as actually going over the limit before getting sick, my body doesn't care if it's good or bad carbs. It just doesn't like them. Period.

So now I'm just PI$$ed!!!! I've been working with the fairly useless nutritionist to try and gain weight...as you know. Well the nurse practitioner from the surgeon's office called today because they want me to schedule iron infusions (I knew that was coming) and she said I should schedule an appointment to see her because the nutritionist mentioned I'm trying to gain weight and she's confused by that because I'm only barely out of the obese category and I still have more to go before I should be looking at maintaining, nevermind gaining anything. Ok...WHAT??!?! I told her I don't want to lose more because I was already below where I want to be and I'm not feeling great and she said I just need to add muscle. She said I'm losing muscle as well as fat and I need to start eating and doing work outs that promote bulking up to try and gain the muscle back. She said that will actually help me tone up and I'll lose more weight. I asked her how, since muscle weighs more than fat, and she said because I'll still be losing fat while I'm gaining muscle, but I'll also be toning up. She wants me to drop another 20-25 pounds and then add 5-10 back on in muscle. I told her there's absolutely no way that will happen because I don't have the time, energy, stamina, or strength to do it. And do you know what this heifer said???? She said "Well, you can let it slide if you want, but you didn't come this far just to come this far, did you? You're so close to the finish line. Let me help you finish strong." I literally LOST IT. I said "LADY, I FINISHED STRONG 15 POUNDS AGO!!! Since when do you get to decide what our goal weight is? I moved my goal weight twice. First it was 200, then it was 195, then it was 190. I was happy then, and now my body won't stop. I want it to stop. You're the OPPOSITE of helpful." I've never wanted to slap the taste out of someone so bad in my LIFE!!!!

Home from my post-op appointment. I can start purees tomorrow, as well as my vitamins. All of my staples are out and the incisions look great, but it does look like I started having contact dermatitis with the staples. But the doctor reassured me that it was not infection. 10 days ago I had surgery, and I have lost 26lbs. I can't remember the last time I was under 300lbs. I still feel like crying tears of joy. I was so worried that I was going to do something to screw myself up, even though I knew it was just anxiety. And this was the first real tangible thing for me.

I cleaned my house 2x the night before surgery. Then I decided to just stay up and watch a bunch of movies and listen to music. I never slept. Looking back, I was very anxious. Likely of the unknown. So here’s what happened the morning of my surgery: I drove to the hospital, parked and checked in. I was given a clipboard with tons of paperwork to fill out. There was a lot. I was give a scannable wristband to confirm my identity. I talked with the person who came with me trying to keep my mind off of what was happening. We talked about a lot of random things, but mostly what I was doing the next month. That helped me to believe that there was a future beyond the surgery. The nurse called me in. I gave her a the clipboard and was asked to verify my info. My wrist band was scanned. She measured my weight asked me to give a urine sample. I brought back to a room and given the preop gown to change into a bag for all the things I brought with me. My companion was also allowed in this room. The nurse asked me to confirm name and my date of birth and scanned the wrist band. She measured my blood pressure O2 levels and started an IV line with saline. Next in was the anesthesiologist. I once again confirmed my info and was asked questions previous responses to anesthesia. Since this was my first surgery with general anesthesia I asked what it felt like and he it explained everything very well. The surgeon came in and once again I gave my info but this time he asked me to verify what surgery I having. He asked if I had any questions or concerns I did not. Last person to come in was the nurse who is brought back to the OR. This is where it began to get real for me I was a little nervous. When I rolled into the OR everyone was clapping like it was a party and they were congratulating me in advance. It was pretty special. One by one they introduced themselves and their positions. I was moved from one bed to another. Then the dance to hook me up to cardiac monitors and other devices began. I was giving instructions on how to move which way to roll and everything that they were going to do before it happens. I was never left in the dark. When anesthesiologist came in I was hooked up to the IV he explain what would be administered. The oxygen mask went on and I was told to count backwards from 10 to 1. I didn’t get very far. I felt extremely tired, blinking a few times before drifting off to sleep. This was a dreamless sleep that felt like only a few minutes when I began to awake in the recovery room. I asked no one in particular if the surgery happened. I drifted in and out of sleep for a while. When I finally woke up I was in the hospital room, I would stay until I went home. I Hope that helps!

it's 50% of EXCESS body weight - not total body weight. Also, a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain after hitting our lowest weight is VERY common - it happens to the vast majority of us, usually in year 3. In fact, that's why I intentionally went under my goal, to account for that very common 10-20 lb bump up. (and like you, for most of us it just kind of happens without much "effort" on our part - it's basically your body settling in at a weight it's comfortable at) so everything you said is completely normal, and certainly not indicative of failure. That said, if you DO want to lose more weight, then yes, a revision or something like a GLP-1 would likely help. But you certainly didn't fail the surgery.