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Honestly i never wanted this surgery WLS, i refused it fighting with the doctors the whole year. But when i learned it was actually meant for GERD patients to help us eliviate the reflux and saving our throat is when i said Yes i'll have the surgery. Doctors noticed the weight loss for GERD patients then it became the number 1 surgery for obesity. Perimenopause has a huge hand in our weight gain belly and reflux triggering more. Our hormones are off the track so I do take BHRT (BioIdentical Hormone Therapy) to help with a lot of my symptoms. Overall i really cant tell if my reflux is worse or not it's there regardless and i cant get off my meds.

I had my lap band removed in November of 2023. It was the best thing that ever did. Getting a lapband was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life in the biggest waste of money. It was a complete rip-off. They give you nothing but false hope. I paid for it on my own. I basically just threw $10000 away. I never lost weight. What did happen was a bunch of complications and side effects. Reflux excessive gas. Severe pain in my chest and shoulder blade area. Vomiting food up of course. I wouldn't recommend getting a lap band to my worst enemy. 2 months after getting it out. I still have excessive gas. On a good note, most of the other things that I mentioned have subsided. I can't wait for the lawsuits to start being filed. I will be right there with them. My money should be returned to me because it never worked. Like the old saying, goes. If it sounds too good to be true. It probably is.

Thank you for understanding as a GERD patient. My doctors never wanted to fully check what pain i was going through all these years and it had me pissed off. I wanted bypass, but yes what you said the dr felt by repairing my hernia it would subside. I feel since i've been on these meds for so long my body and stomach got use to it. Eventually I will get the bypass cause i'm still on meds and I still watch what i eat as a GERD patient.......no grease, hot or spicy foods. I do cardio, running and weight training and mix it up. My belly is the hardest to lose. Once again thank you for understanding me as others really dont understand what we go through its not weight that causes us pain, and we gained weight because we couldnt exercise due to the pain.

I hope your gerd issue subsides or they can get it under control. I don't think that is hindering your weight loss. Are you eating too many carbs? Do you track what you eat? Also, now here is the blunt truth..... you are considered obese if you were 5'3 and 210lbs. I'm not being mean, because i myself was considered morbidly obese and would never shame anyone on their weight but a fact is a fact and at that weight and height for a female that would be considered obese. I would try talking to your nutritionist if you are worried about losing weight slowly but do keep in mind we all lose at different rates, stall at different times etc. As Arabesque said, don't compare yourself to others weight loss journey because we are all different and you will drive yourself crazy! Best thing to do is talk to your dietician.

Perhaps, but, I'm getting the amount of calories; 800, protein; 80, Carbs; 50 my surgeon/dietician put me on. That being said, I thought the same thing, but, I'm hesitant to go against doctors orders or diet plan. I have an appointment February 21, so maybe at 6 months they'll up my caloric intake. 🙏 I posted this concern of mine because I thought surely my clinic knows what works and yet my weight slowed way down. Anyone at 800 calories 5-6 month out too? I thought this was the norm at this stage...

Well, I don't like that dietician. That was just unprofessional to comment on your weight compared to other patients. And also a load of garbage, as there are plenty of people your starting size who seek out wls every day. As for why you've struggled with your weight, it's the same reason we all have: genetics plus environment. Your body is very efficient at storing fat for survival and your current environment offers you the exact kinds of foods your body is best at converting to fat. It's not your fault. Are there things you can do better to keep from returning to where you were? Of course! Learning to resist those simple carbs is going to be very important to longterm success. But it's not a moral failing or lack of willpower that made you obese, and you can definitely make the changes you need to make with the surgery to help you. Good luck!

I never even attempted to go the NHS route as knew it would be years. I’d toyed with the idea of surgery for a couple years, then I suddenly thought, what am I waiting for? No time like the present so just booked the consultation. There’s only one private hospital in my area of Scotland so it was Circle Health and Prof. Bruce for me. Both outstanding. I saw the psychologist and dietician within 2wks of the initial consultation and was then cleared for surgery. Zero complaints from me about any of the process, and apart from the constipation I’ve had a very easy recovery. So easy in fact I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I expected to suffer, and know how to cope with that as I have endometriosis, but no suffering ensued. so I feel very fortunate. I’m trying to take each day, one at a time. Last week I was panicking worrying about putting back on weight I’ve yet to lose. Eejit. So that needed to be quelled. My energy level is good, I’ve been slowly increasing the distance I walk every day, I drove after a week and plan to returning to work one month post surgery, all being well. The future looks brighter for me from where I’ve been sitting. Wishing you as positive an experience as I’ve had .

Maybe the fact that you are practically starving yourself is the problem. Even with the weight-loss, your body still needs enough calories, including protein, carbs, and fats to burn. That’s when you start (or continue) losing weight. When you start eating too few calories, your body reads that as famine. It holds onto whatever calories it can. Your best bet is to eat enough calories that you and your body don’t think you’re in a famine.

yes - obesity is a complex disease. Among other things, at some point it can cause biological changes that make it very difficult to lose weight. For example, I've read that research has shown that even gut bacteria is different in very obese individuals than it is in normal-weight individuals. your experience is very common. In fact, I took a course in obesity and weight loss at a local university (nutrition department) a year or two ago that addressed this. The usual pattern is that people lose about 5% of their weight in the first few months of dieting, then it levels off for a couple of months, and then it gradually comes back on. About a year later, they're back to where they started. That knowledge didn't surprise me at all - that happened to me over and over and over. Weight loss surgery is the only thing that ever worked for me. Surgery won't help prevent the behavior. What it does is. 1). takes away your hunger for the first few months - (for a lucky few this is permanent - for most of us, it comes back sometime during the first year post-surgery) and 2) keeps you from eating a ton of food at one sitting. What it doesn't prevent is "grazing" or mindless snacking, and that can be a really slippery slope. Take those first few months of no hunger and really work on changing that behavior. Nine years out, I struggle with that every day - the urge to eat mindlessly. It takes a lot of work and dedication to control that (although honestly, a lot of my never-been-obese friends struggle with that, too). I don't know if I'd ever eat my way back up to 373 lbs again, but I know if I let myself loose for more than a few days, my weight starts heading north...

Hi All, First Post I'm female in the UK and nearly 59 years old. I have been a fat toddler, a fat child, a fat teen and a fat adult. I have yo-yo dieted all my life, with each yo-yo lasting for a shorter period and resulting in a new high-point when I would inevitably bounce back. In July '23 I reached a new all time high 24st 9lb (345lb) I was about to start the diet again, about to go through the same loop but just couldn't face it. I made an appointment with a bariatric surgeon, discussed my history and options and agreed that a gastric sleeve was a good fit for me. I was told I was too heavy for their practice and I needed to lose 56lb before I could have the surgery. The surgery was booked for Jan 2nd '24 and I started dieting. As is the practice here I had an assessment with a psychologist who confirmed I was a suitable candidate and a dietician who again confirmed I was a suitable candidate but in the process managed to make me feel like I had already failed, in her words I was "Much heavier than most people who come to us" As she was a gate keeper and I needed her approval to progress I did not complain. That time will come. Following my initial consultation on the 8th Aug I started dieting to get down to the target weight. I have never had difficulty in losing weight I simply cannot maintain any losses. My normal pattern is if it takes me 6 months to lose the weight I will regain it and 10lb in the following 12-18 months. By the day of surgery I had lost 75lb and was already feeling so much better. I considered carrying on with just dieting and not having the surgery but I was already beginning to see my discipline weaken and I knew it would be the same old story. Surgery went well, I had very little pain or discomfort and by and large I cannot complain. I'm currently on the pureed stage of the diet and doing OK managing to keep protein and fluid levels up though I struggle with the fluids some day. I have lost 13lb in the last 21 days but have hit the dreaded 3 week plateau. Early days but I have no regrets - to be without hunger for the first time in my life is such a relief, I feel good and am doing more and more each day. I am already starting to live the life I want and i can see so many more benefits ahead and believe they are attainable and retainable. I wish I knew why I have struggled so much with my weight - there is no one trauma or set of childhood issues I can point at. It is not that I have a compulsion to eat everything in sight there are so many foods I can just ignore, I have no interest in sweet foods of any kind or greasy deep fried foods. But I cannot resist bread, pasta , rice etc and my down fall has always been the second or even third portion of these carbs. For this reason if no other I hope the VSG will not only prevent that behaviour but I also hope it will give me enough time to re gain control before considering a second helping. My parting thought for this post is that as I have gone through my journey thus far the one thing I have found is that my story is not that unusual, my problems are not unique and most importantly that they are not the result of some moral failing or fundamental weakness. There is more to life long obesity than can simply be solved with "diet and exercise" and having finally found medical professionals who believe that is the case I see this year and this journey as a new lease on life that I am going to grab with both hands. Koshk - newbie

I still have more weight to lose but yes, sitting in my changing body is more uncomfortable than I anticipated. Even in a relatively comfy chair.

Hi, I had gastric bypass surgery August 16, 2023. My heaviest weight ever was 260 lbs, but I started the 6 month weight loss program weighing 249lbs (5'3"). I had to do a one week of liquid diet which was just protein shakes, water, decaf tea. I can honestly say it was the hardest 3 days of my life on the liquid diet because the physical pains of hunger was a constant reminder I needed food. Day 4-7 was more so a mental hunger and I had a boost of energy. What helped me was just constantly drinking LOTS of water though out the day and keeping myself busy. Heaviest weight: 260lbs Starting weight: 249lbs Surgery weight (day of surgery) 235lbs Current weight: 181lbs Peppermint tea helped eased the hunger pains when I was experiencing stomach cramps. Also, no one told me my tongue will turn white, like literally a coating of white film on my tongue during the liquid diet phase. Something to do with ketosis (detox of sugar from body) Best of luck!

They pump you with a lot of fluids after the surgery so you’re probably still peeing that out. When I had my gall out the pumped me with so much fluid I gained a good 2 kgs. Thankfully I’d lost it two or three days later once I’d peed it all out.

I'm getting surgery on january 29 th.... they told me on the 19th my official date and I started my liquid diet yesterday. I had my last meal on saturday... i went to all you can eat sushi Sooooo.... I'm on day 2, it's going great. Not easy but i'm okay for now. Any advices ? Also, I'm a 5'9 woman and my weight is 262 pounds. I'm 26 years old, anybody have similar numbers to me ?

Mine would if it wasn't so saggy now! "Has the Dr given any explanation? Any advice? My dietitian keeps telling me we are losing inches not necessarily pounds. I call BS. All I know is I have 17 more pounds to lose to get new knees. After that I hope to lose another 60 so my hubby can buy me a face lift (he doesn't know it yet) SURPRISE DEAR LOL" I see my doctor next month for my 6 month check in and in two weeks my blood tests. It will be with the dietician, to be honest she's seemed kinda pointless. Just says you're eating as you should...perhaps add some fruit, to which I explained again when I eat carbs my heart races and fruit is high in fructose soooo. Then she'll suggest something like those nasty palm heart noodles, boy those were a mistake..again texture issues. It was like eating a bowl of slimy rubber bands. She gave me a G7 to monitor my blood sugars after the fruit discussion oh joy! I agree with the inches vs. pounds being BS. Last time I checked fat or "inches" weigh something. You can't lose inches without weight - unless I'm packing on muscle (weighs 7 times more than fat) but I assure you that's NOT it! Lolol "surprise dear" face lift, I love it! 😆😂😆 17 lbs should go quick for you and you'll have new knees soon enough! Thank you for the laugh, at this point it is well appreciated!

I can't see why the weight isn't falling off for you. Dang, you certainly are eating very lean and low calorie. Seems unfair. I'm clearly nobody to give advice since I ballooned to nearly 350. I only know for my body and if I hit a stall I have to eat a bigger amount for one day then back down to low calories and it seems to jolt my system into more weight loss. My sister had gastric bypass - lost 85lbs and starved herself on cabbage to get down to the 100lbs loss so she could get her knees replaced. Once replaced and she started eating a normal (for us) diet and gained the 15 lbs back but has maintained her weight for the past 3 years. Th beef gelatin has no flavor, none. I can't eat sugar free jello due to the sweeteners they put in it. Many sweeteners are inflammatory and due to my super bad knees I can't stand any inflammation of that kind. If those products don't bother you then you could do sugar free jello, add some extra unflavored beef protein and have a tasty snack. I should add some foods make me retain water - like any tomato product and any wheat or rice. I've no clue why but if I eat those my feet, ankles and lower legs swell. I've been eating mostly paleo for the past 7 years. Has the Dr given any explanation? Any advice? My dietitian keeps telling me we are losing inches not necessarily pounds. I call BS. All I know is I have 17 more pounds to lose to get new knees. After that I hope to lose another 60 so my hubby can buy me a face lift (he doesn't know it yet) SURPRISE DEAR LOL

So maybe super embarrassing but no one told me I'll be sitting on cooter and butt bone when losing weight, their is no padding down there. 😭😭😭

Congrats!! I'm sure you feel relieved! I'm at the point where I've been in a stall or at least a weight loss slow down stall for a few months myself. But I've only lost about 3 lbs the last month..21 over 3+ months and I'm only at 5 months post op! As annoying and worried as I'm sure you've been.. I hope it helps some knowing you made me feel relieved knowing it might only be temporary. Again, congrats and you're soooo close to your goal now - you've got this!

.......... I "think" I broke the stall ! * knock on wood* 😁 Yes! I've been at 192 for months and nothing I did would break it. Finally ....I am gradually going down and as of today I am 185 ! It's the weirdest thing - all summer I was exercising and walking and the scale wouldn't move. Now that it's winter in Wisconsin , I haven't been walking at all except for grocery shopping and the weight loss started again. The only reason I can think of why I was stalled is,I must have been gaining muscle . Well - I'm not going to question it .... I'm just going to enjoy it I'm so happy to be a "loser" again..... LOL

you'll lose bone mass. You lose everything when you lose that much weight - fat, muscle, and bone! But then again, you need a lot of infrastructure to hold up 300+ lbs. It just isn't needed once you lose a ton of weight. Exercise and protein will keep you from losing too much protein. Exercise (especially weight-bearing exercise like walking, dancing, strength-training) will keep you from losing too much bone mass. But losing SOME of both isn't necessarily bad, since it's not needed. hair - not everyone loses it, but most do - but it's temporary. I didn't lose enough for others to notice. In the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay, and at this point it's just a blip on the screen for me.

I'm curious if you've had any discussions with your surgeon about converting your sleeve to a duodenal switch if your weight loss continues to be disappointing from the sleeve. I've heard there are some patients who just don't see the results they need from the VSG alone, and that might be an option for you.

I get your frustration. I gained 5 lbs after Christmas and it just wasn't coming off. Last week I graduated off of Hint water and can now drink any water however I did change my diet. I know this is going to sound weird but it worked for me and I'll be 67 in a few weeks. I eat high protein, no sugar, sweetened with erythritol yogurt then my coffee with a small amount of sweetened flavored creamer and whipping cream. Lunch is usually a protein bar and a cheese stick. Protein bar is sweetened with the erythrirol.. Then the snacking begins - I make jello cubes out of unflavored beef gelatin, monk sugar and allulose, unsweetened kool aid and water. I make it thick and cut into 1/2" cubes. Place a hefty serving into a baggy and I can eat as many as I want. I snack from 3 til 8 on jello cubes, not non stop but maybe 3 baggies worth. I too was hungry all the time until I started eating the jello cubes. IDK why it works but in 5 days I lost 6 lbs. I pee non stop but that's ok with me. My jello cubes are about 35 calories a baggy but it's all protein and if you take a tryptophan with it it becomes a complete protein plus its tons of collagen. I've lost a lot of hair the past 6 weeks so trying to fight that. My surgery was 8/14 and so far I've lost 91 pounds (lost 45 before my surgery). I need new knees something awful so highly motivated. 17 lbs to go. I did join the gym 2 weeks ago in preparation for the new knees. Gotta get these old legs strong again. I hope things break for you soon.

Update: Gastric Bypass Date 8/16/2023 Starting weight 376 Current 270 Down 106 pounds. My heaviest was 387. Current 270 Down 117 pounds

Anyone else at 5 months noticing the weight loss is slowing down? In the last 3 months (my scale averages it out) I've lost 20.4lbs. From December to today 3.8lbs - less than a pound a week!! I'm not happy. I do exactly as I was told: 1. No more than 800 calories 2. No more than 50 carbs 3. Low calories, low low sugar, low low fat 4. Drink the equivalent of Lake Superior every day 5. I'm always active, stairs, dog walks, cleaning, treadmill, Occulus, etc etc... 6. Take all my vitamins I didn't go through surgery, liquid diets, being hungry all the time (including now) to have weight loss come to a screeching snails pace this soon after surgery! Is there such a thing as a complete slow down/stall 3-4 month post op for several months? I worry because everyone says its "normal" to slow down at 6 months..but this started at 4, what will happen at 6?

I just wanted to say it sounds like you've been through a lot, and I hope the plan you're starting now with the enzymes will have the results you need. It must've sounded like a dream come true as an obese 19 year old to get to eat all you want and not worry about weight gain, but it starts to sound like a nightmare when you're told you must eat thousands and thousands of calories every single day or you could die. That's terrifying. And then again, taking the enzymes could mean gaining more weight than you wanted, and that's not great either. My only advice is to keep a really close eye on things and work with your doctor and nutritionist as much as you can to get the right balance of working out, food choices, and medications/enzymes to get yourself healthy again.