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I had this issue about a year out from surgery and had a complete workup because it could be due to many things - orthostatic hypertension, inner ear imbalance, low blood sugar, even a UTI. In my case, everything from my workup came back completely normal, so they were baffled. But a couple weeks later, I was at a retirement party and ate a piece of cake. A whole piece - not just my usual one or two forkfuls. About an hour or two later - dizzy. Very dizzy. I told my PCP. She suspected reactive hypoglycemia, sometimes known as "late dumping". She said to try eating something about every three hours - a protein. Or if a carb, then pair it with a protein. I haven't had that issue in a long time, so in my case, that was likely the culprit. It's just that my glucose level might have been normal when I was there for the workup; thus, they didn't catch it. In your case, it could be one of those other things mentioned, too (orthostatic hypertension is pretty common - although that tends to hit pretty early out from surgery - although that could definitely be the culprit, too..) P.S. I just re-read your post. Since it seems to be happening when you're standing, sitting, etc - then it sounds like it might be orthostatic hypertension in your case. Hopefully you'll get some answers soon!

For all my currently stalled folks, I want to offer some hope. I hopped on the scale this morning (like I do every morning) and I was down another 2 lbs. Since yesterday! That makes 6.4 lbs in a week, which is more weight than I've lost in one week since my very first week on my pre-op diet. I am in shock because I was so convinced deep down that the stall was going to be the beginning of even slower weight loss for me, especially now that the magical "first three months" was over. So don't lose hope! In other news, I finally bought that air fryer I've been thinking about for a year, so hit me with your simple, go-to air fryer meals!

March buddies, how're you all hanging in there? Is everyone nicely healed up? Are you coming across any difficult hurdles? Finding a love of new healthy foods? How's your hair lol? Me, I keep hurting myself, lol. First I tried recumbent biking too early -- even though it was on the most minimal setting, my care team scolded me good for that. But even as recently as last week, I bent/twisted sideways while sitting at my desk trying to reach my purse, but it was snagged on something and something about being in that position too long (or tugging a resistant object) aggravated something internally. The same area that took the longest to feel 'normal' and not tight after surgery. I feel like a dope. My hair has just started thinning in the last week or so. It was only a few strands from all over at first -- not concentrated anywhere -- so I got a new haircut hoping that the thinness would look purposeful. Two days after I found a little patch right at the front where my buzzcut ends and the bob-length hair begins. C'est la vie. I'm finding I'm craving sashimi on the regular. It was one of my first meals 'out' after surgery, so maybe there's something psychosomatic going on -- but when I eat it, it just feels like such a clean protein and is moist so I know it'll go down easily. It's my new comfort food, I guess. (Ironically, before WLS I could really only stand salmon or butterfish sashimi, everything else had to be in a roll, preferably with spicy mayo or unagi sauce -- and I hated tuna -- but now yellow tail and tuna seem to be my go-to.) I'm dealing with the cravings much better than I would've pre-OP, but I swear every three or four days something in my brain is trying to convince me that I should ignore my pre-packed lunch and go pick up some ice-cold fish instead.

Must meet one of the following three criteria: 1. Must have a minimum body mass index (BMI) of > 30 with a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus. 2. Must have a BMI of > 35-39 and must have at least one of the following conditions: a. Degenerative joint disease of major weight bearing joint(s). The member must be a candidate for joint replacement surgery if weight loss is achieved. b. Other rare chronic conditions (for example, pseudo tumor cerebri) in which there is medical evidence that bariatric surgery is medically necessary and that the benefits of bariatric surgery outweigh the risk of surgical mortality. 3. Must have a minimum BMI of > 40 Here is their wording. I’m obviously number 3 I’m just worried it’s a case by case basis and they won’t approve me.

Hello! I had the sleeve gastrectomy 9.5 months ago. I've been working on exercising and eating right, but I've been in a bit of a stall these past 5 weeks. I went down from 290 to 170 pounds, but I've been stuck at 170 for 5 weeks. I've been eating 1200-1500 calories a day and still not losing weight. I've done some research, and apparently, your body adjusts to low calories after a while of eating at that rate. At the beginning of my post-op phase, there were some complications on my end. I didn't eat ANYTHING for two months straight, not even protein shakes, and I was only hitting about 20oz of water daily (which landed me in the ER, but I'm fine now lol). I've looked online, and it says for my height, age, and weight, a good maintenance level would be 2100 calories. I'm eating well under that in a deficit and heavy weight lifting, so I don't know why my body won't drop anything. I'm worried that my body adjusted to the 0-calorie few months I had, then the 500-1000 calories three months after that. I've only started hitting my 1200-1500 calories in March when I joined the gym. I know the stall is not due to "muscle gain" because I'm not eating in a surplus, and I'm only eating 65-80 grams of protein in hopes of simply maintaining while I drop fat. I also read online that apparently people who go through rapid weight loss have even lower calorie maintenance than the average person, and that makes sense, but surely it cannot be under 1200, right? The majority of bodies need 1500 to operate. I'm so confused! When I ask my surgeon about calories, he says not to worry about them and eat healthy, which I'm doing. It's just frustrating because I want to work on building muscle, but I want to lose some more fat before that. I guess my question is, does anyone know anything about calories after surgery, and/or how many calories are you eating after surgery to help lose weight?

Even if those white ones are particulary high it's the advantage of my Cerebral Palsy ... my feet and legs are so twisted that heals are actually easier than flats, they straigten out my legs and make me more stable, I fall over my own feet in most trainers and flats (except birkenstocks that I find magical!) ... at school I got a special pass to be allowed to wear heels from about 7 years old ... all the other girls were so jealous! And there are worse disadvantages to be had. Well done on the 4 pound loss... thats massive! Enjoy it to the fullest. And how wonderful to slip into a old dress again and for cherry on the top it to be loose! I hope your daughters special event went well and that you felt amazing in your dress. I shocked a friend who saw me in jeans the other day... I pulled them out of my cellar, she hadn't seen me in jeans since pre pandemic (because I no longer had any jeans that fit ... and had resorted to wearing baggy dresses) and the jeans were tight and i had to wiggle wiggle jump into them and button them up lying flat on my back.. but I managed it. Hopefully they too will be loose one day. If I take the last 30 calendar days I've lost 7.5lbs - but since my three month "surgiversary" to now seven days short of 4 month surgiversary I've not even lost 2 lbs .... and most of that was in the last 24 hours! I really hope my stall has broken. I've arrived in Hungary and after a pretty chill Paris week have a very busy week planned so I just hope I'm able to make good choices food wise and that I get back to Paris to a loss on my scales! I wish I was that brave! I think if I tried that my team would have a field day and an intern would take a video and make it into a meme or a gif in minutes and I'd never live it down! I think it may be out but it is worth seeing a sports physio to ask and to "learn" how to run without putting too much strain on your knees, they may have tips and adaptations for you. Instead of regretting yesterday be proud of today and tomorrow if you can. Keep moving!

I cheated once with two baked chicken wings, and some of an empanada on stage three. I’m gonna be honest it didn’t hurt. I didn’t hurt and I didn’t feel full. I was scared though, that my body couldn’t process it. I don’t know. It was also my graduation night.

Is this normal ? I did also have a hernia . The first photo is two or three days after surgery and the second photo is 5 days after. I thought the bruising would go away but it is getting bigger . My tummy feels tight and full. My family says I am paranoid. Thanks

Yesterday was a bad day for me. Everything I ate got stuck and I spent a lot of time miserable with a bag nearby ready to be sick. I ended my day with applesauce and called it good. Today started off good with some movement on the scale. Down 1.6 lbs. small change I know but it’s the biggest change I’ve had in a day so I’ll take it. I wanted to weigh in before the weekend when I’ll no doubt eat things I shouldn’t and sit around way more than I should. I’m in no hurry to eat anything today after everything got stuck yesterday. I might stick to liquids today just so I’m not totally miserable all day. We weren’t supposed to get anymore rain til Tuesday but here it is again, cloudy and drizzling. Seems that is all we have seen the last two to three weeks. It’s not cold just dreary. I hope everyone else has a brighter happier day today.

It’s all about finding what works for you. For years I didn’t have breakfast & used to also say that eating breakfast made me hungry for the rest of the day & I would feel sort of blah after. Then I started having breakfast because I thought I should have something. Would deliberately work through that blah feeling & fight any urges to eat until dinner. Now I happily eat breakfast. I discovered that if I eat it after 8:30/9am I feel okay, not ready to eat again until about 1pm. However, if I eat at say 7:30am, I’m hungry much earlier, feel blah as before. Think that was always my problem because I used to eat breakfast at 5/5:30am. It was simply too early for me. My window between eating gets shorter after the intital 4hr to 1pm lunch (3pm, 4:30ish, 6pm (dinner), 7pm) & is when I add my snacks. It may be when you eat, what you eat, how regularly you eat, whether you eat several small meals or three main meals, etc.

So I had the sleeve three years ago and gained my weight back. I am pending revision and the dr did an endoscopy and found a hiatal hernia and some gerd. He then ordered a UGI and a gastric emptying study to get some more information to decide which surgery is most appropriate. I just finished the gastric emptying study and after only two hours the food was completely out of my stomach which may explain why I always feel hungry a couple hours after I eat. I am hoping maybe there is a treatment to slow down my stomach emptying and I won’t even need surgery or if I do it will be more successful this time. I see the dr in a week and I’m sure he will have an answer but I’m just curious if this is truly faster than normal and if anyone else has had this issue.

(Oh, here’s Week Two’s Spreadsheet. I didn’t attach it.) Week Two, you’ll still be focusing on the THREE things: Water, Protein, and Movement. This week, don’t focus on using the soups and yogurts and such to get all your food. Think of the food items as practice for your stomach, not so much as getting ALL your nutritional needs. It won’t happen, you can’t meet your needs with soup, yogurt, and pudding! Haha! You’ll be relying heavily on your protein shakes here, still. Your surgeon will probably give you the green light for your multivitamin and calcium supplementation. One note, every new food I tried, I was a little scared, just because I didn’t know how my body would react and I didn’t want to hurt myself. As it turned out, everything I’ve tried has been perfectly fine and I haven’t had a single issue. Try new things ONE at a time and take it easy. Eat slowly. Put your food/spoon DOWN between bites. Buy some baby spoons (they have stainless steel ones on Amazon!). Only stick to the diet your surgeon gives you - NO DIVERTING! You’ll only shortchange yourself, whether anybody finds out, or not. And worse case scenario, something happens to you because of diverting.

Whelp, now I'm so terrified about the surgery on Monday that I am psyching myself out thinking what if I die during surgery? What about my husband and our three young daughters? I'm thinking this is my addict brain trying any which way to prevent me from having this surgery, but there are risks. My doctor assigned a video for me to watch about gastric sleeve procedures, including benefits, complications, expectations, and 11 instances that the patient is at risk of death. So now I'm scared. I'm gonna talk to my Mom who had gastric bypass decades ago to try to chill me out, but anyone out there can calm my fears a bit. I'm also scared because I had some chicken breast and bunless cheeseburger, I'm putting myself at risk of death. Oh this cycle of nonsensical what-ifs is driving me mental!! Lol 😆 🤣 😂

KEEP THIS STAGE SIMPLE: Get your FLUIDS. Get that PROTEIN. Get MOVING. Three little things! This is the schedule I kept for Weeks 1 & 2 post-op. I bought 1 oz glasses at Walmart in the baking aisle. I bought 12 of them and used 6 per hour. They only cost me 97 cents each. I drank half an ounce every 5 minutes. After every ounce I drank, I got up and walked a lap around my downstairs. IF you start fiber now, take the fiber sparingly! Don’t overdo it, just get some. You can get constipated/gassy if you have too much. If you’re having gastro issues, eliminate the fiber until you get to soft foods, as your new stomach and sensitive track might not be ready right away. Use apple juice only if you need it for low blood sugar, and ONLY drink half-juice-half water dilution. Don’t drink straight juice. I use Hydrolyzed Collagen, by Codeage. I really like it. Also, drink decaf coffee only, of course.

I bought 1 oz glasses at Walmart (they’re the size of a shot glass and are 97 cents in the baking aisle). I bought 12 of them. I used 6/hour. I drank 1/2 ounce every 5 minutes. I got up and walked a lap around my downstairs after every ounce I drank. I rotated between protein shakes, protein water, regular water, fiber water (not too much at first!), popsicles, jello, collagen coffee, and Propel. This allowed me to get all my fluids and protein for the day. My first fluids every morning were 6oz of decaf coffee with collagen mixed in. BIGGEST thing to do after surgery: Get your protein, water, and movement. You do those three things and you’re good! As soon as they have you start your multivitamin and calcium, take them as directed. Take your multi and your calcium at least two hours apart. Your body can only absorb up to 500mg of calcium at a time so take calcium four hours apart. What I do, I take my multi at lunch (12:40) (because I tend to have yogurt or cottage cheese with breakfast: calcium), and I take my calcium during my 1st and 2nd snack (10:40am and 3:00 pm).

Week One: Clear Liquids & Protein Shakes Week Two: Full Liquids Weeks Three & Four: Soft Foods Weeks Five & Six: Modified Regular Diet (soft regular foods & soft carbs, if you choose to eat them) Week Seven: Soft fruits w/o skin, ground meat, and moist chicken/turkey Week Eight: Raw & Crunchy fruits/veggies with skin, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit Week 12: Dense meat (like steak), and caffeine and alcohol (if you choose to partake)

I was able to easily swallow tables about 4 or so days after surgery. The initial post surgery swelling made it painful the first three days but once the swelling went down it was okay. Spread taking them out. Like I had two multi to take so took one in the morning & one at night. Make sure you eat first before taking your vitamins because they a make you nauseous As you’re still on fluids, take your tablets (singularly) with the last sips of your shake. Remember too not to take your calcium, iron or PPI tablets together (wait an hour or so) between.

I was able to swallow all tablets but two (because of their size) as soon as I got home from the hospital. After about three weeks, I could swallow all tablets.

If you have access to a pool and don't mind being seen in a swimming costume aqua aerobics is nice and easy to get the body moving and help joints. If you have a yard/garden even just walking around it would be good to help get you moving, or stairs if you are in an apartment complex. I am not the best when it comes to exercise but I can certainly feel an improvement in my interest and energy levels as the weight comes off. I start each day with good intentions but often procrastinate or find something else to do but I do go to aqua aerobics once a week since February and since last month I am doing pilates once a week. I believe in turning up if I have paid so signed up for a year of the aqua aerobics and doing the pilates in 10 block sessions. At home I do the One and Done program, seven minutes every two days or three days depending on how I am feeling. Again as I paid for it, think $30, I use it and I can feel the difference. I also have an stationary bike that I use once a week or so if I haven't done any other exercises. I just do about 5km at a time as I find it boring but I am sure any little helps. My main problem area is my legs (ankles to thighs) as I have bad lipedema and while they have gone down in size since my sleeve surgery they still do me no favours in the appearance department so I am just trying to target them as much as possible.

Thank you… I went to Dr and was given antibiotics. I must have ingested a bacteria. Feel much better after three days on the antibiotic.

I'm still stalled but feeling better. I spoke to my clinic who said it is normal because I've lost more than goal at this point and had a lower BMI to start off with. The clinic has said the stall may last up to a month which means I'm half way through the stall trying to be rational about it. I managed a decent walk ( 15.4k steps) yesterday in my raincoat that helped. I'm still in London for work and it is grey and raining but I bailed on my hotel and came to stay with my little brother (who lives here for his work) and it's a bit like being home. I hadn't seen him in a few years because we're not that close but he made me airfryer spicy tofu and asparagus for supper, offered to look over some work excels with me and to top it off he washed, dried, folded my laundry from my suitcase whilst I was asleep and woke me up with coffee in bed this morning. (I suspect he's been talking to my partner). He's made me feel very cared for and also said that even without weightloss in the mix he gets very very down when he has a bad stretch of travel for work and the weather is ****. He helped me find friends of friends to stay with when I have a week in Budapest in 10 days time so that I'm not all alone at a hotel again. And we realised we'll both be in Boston for work next month and can meet up there and we also sync'd our work travel agendas and found out we'll be in Singapore in October at the same time as our brother in law ( sisters husband) and so all three of us can stay together! For my job the travel is going to be wild until the end of this year (wrap up of a 5 year worldwide project) and so I'm just going to have to "hack" it as much as I can. I get back to Paris very late tonight and might see if I can move enough meetings around to take Friday off work and just spend 3 days for myself in Paris. Hows everyone getting on ?

I don't think it made a difference to how much came out but it made my hair softer and kept it in good condition which meant I could go longer between washes. I was taking collagen every day as well, still do. The only vitamin I am no longer taking is the bariatric hair one as felt I did well with the three month supply.

I don't think you are going bald, just going through what so many of us have had to cope with. I had long thick straight hair pre-op and thought I was doing really well when I got to month four with no hair loss and then it was like a horror movie for two months. Clumps would come out if I washed my hair, I would cry in the shower when I saw what was in the drain and my hand after just a light touch wash. I kept my hair tied back and washed just once a week during the two months but you could tell where I had been by following the trail of fallen hair, I seriously shed more than my cat! I was so self conscious about it as had bald patches but thankfully others couldn't tell it was mostly underneath. I ended up cutting my hair up to chin length so it was not as obvious. After six months the hair loss stopped and now it is about regrowth, it is nearly as annoying though not in anyway upsetting. I have been getting my hair cut every couple of months so that my existing hair is as close in length to the new hair (which is coming in with a curl) and I have to put mascara in my hair if I go out in public as there are baby hairs sticking up all over the place, looks like static hair. I took special bariatric vitamins for hair for three months, no idea if it helped but I was prepared to try anything. I also got a couple of wigs but ended up not needed them. For washing my hair I used a really soft shampoo made from oat milk. Basically I just want to let you know that what you are going through is normal after the surgery, you couldn't have prevented it, it just happens to most patients as the body is coping with the weight loss and it will get better.

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The best part is also the hardest to explain. The best way I can put it is that pre-surgery, I had a demon in my stomach. This demon demanded rich foods and thought that if one of something tasted good, then four of something would taste amazing (this made the demon a liar, but I had to obey these lies). The surgery removed the demon. I no longer feel controlled by cravings. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The 48 hours prior to the surgery were miserable. I could only have water, Gatorades and black coffee. Then I had to take strong laxatives prior to the surgery, so I was defecating so much that my body was expelling food I hadn't even eaten yet. And I couldn't go to sleep because any flatulence had the potential to be ... explosive. So it's 1 am, I am starving, dehydrated, sitting on the john and I need to be at the hospital at 5:30. 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing major. I greatly underestimated how sore my stomach would be and how long it would take for the soreness to go away. I am a stomach sleeper and it was three months before I felt comfortable sleeping on my stomach. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I love the new life. I am able to exercise (bike, jog, lift weights) like I never have, I have great energy. I can shop at pretty much any clothing store. It has allowed me to become a better version of myself. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? It was probably 8 months to a year before I felt like I could try any food and not have to worry about my stomach having trouble. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? Can't eat, as in, I physically cannot handle it? Nothing. But there are plenty of things that I used to love that I am uninterested in. Like I have no desire to eat a donut. Just seems like pure sugar to me. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I did not have dumping syndrome (although some sugar alcohols hit my stomach hard). I did have some vomiting, but it was either due to eating too fast or eating a food that my stomach wasn't ready to handle yet (I had some stewed beef at like the 90 day mark and I wasn't as ready for it as I thought I was. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I would say 90-120 days before I felt physically normal (could sleep on my stomach, could handle most foods) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? In the immediate aftermath of the surgery, no. This was my first (and so far, only) major surgery and I really underestimated how much it would sap my energy. I was walking gingerly for a while. But once I fully recovered, I have had way more energy. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, in mostly good ways. The pre-surgery success-failure cycle of yo-yo dieting impacted my psyche way more than I realized. So this state of long-term success helped greatly (and success, both great and small, is an excellent anti-depressant). Will it cure your depression? Absolutely not. To the extent that you think your problems in life are caused by your size ("I'm single because I'm overweight" or "My weight is why they won't give the promotion" or "my weight is why my mother is passive-aggressive toward me"), the surgery will not make those problems go away. I'm very lucky and very blessed to live an amazing life and the weight-loss has only further revealed what an amazing and blessed life I have. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I do not regret it. I make it a personal policy not to outright recommend it to anyone because everyone has their own journey. For many years, I saw bariatric surgery as a last resort, a kind of "pull in case of emergency" lever. I realized that I was 40+ yrs old with a wife and children and no diet had ever worked for me and I was only fooling myself if I thought the next one would do the trick. I had to either pull the lever or make peace with being morbidly obese for the rest of my life. I pulled the lever and I would pull it again without hesitation.

I had sleeve surgery July 2023; 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? Everyday things, like my backside no longer taking up more than one seat on the bus, being able to comfortably close belt on plane seat, being able to walk with a bounce in my step, I now love clothes shopping etc. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? Severe complications from the day after the surgery which went on for months 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Yes, suffered from severe pancreatitis, had a leak in my stomach (twice), allergic reaction to medication given to me in hospital, blood infection. Ended up spending three months in hospital over a period of four months. Had to have another procedure last month also. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? Life after so many months in hospital meant it took a few months to get energy back and was on a sick cert so not able to do anything but rest. Now almost 11 months later I feel great for the most part. Have found it difficult at times to cope with the food choices but now that I am on regular food I just have to try and stick to the smaller portions, eating slower and only an occasional alcoholic drink. I don't let anything stop me now, always carry a protein bar with me just in case I end up some place where the food isn't suitable. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? Months as I was on a feeding tube in the hospital and then the times they took me off it I had to go back to liquids and start the reintroduction phase all over again. Since February really that I am comfortable and now I am even trying foods I never ate before (I had homemade egg muffins today - used to hate eggs). 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? I used to consider popcorn a food group in its own right and ate way way too much of it so now just have had it a couple of times. I love potatoes but try to stay away from them. But these are my choices, not a case that I can't tolerate them anymore 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? Vomiting a lot when ill, couldn't even hold down water, but as part of eating only a few times and I know that it was because I ate too quickly. No dumping syndrome. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? 10 months 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? Yes but only now 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, I fully believe I suffered PTSD as a result of the complications 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I regretted it for approx 9 months post op and was very annoyed with myself for deciding to have the op but that was only because of the complications and crap-fest I went through. Now I am through the worst of it I am starting to feel better about it all, I no longer blame myself (but haven't really forgiven the doctor yet) and I would recommend it if it is something you need in order to achieve a healthy long life.