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Thank you for this. One of the reasons I'm rebellious about some of the diet rules is the nutritionist applies all the same rules whether you had a sleeve or bypass. I don't like the doctor on the nutrition team because she has static goals regardless of your personal abilities. I didn't get a "good job, you're getting closer to your goal of 80g protein and 800 cal." I got "It's been 6 months, you need to consume 100g of protein and 1200 cal." This was very disheartening because I told them my stomach would hurt from trying to force myself to eat the 3/4 cup portions she told me to eat and I felt like all I did all day was eat and drink and still wasn't reaching the prior goal. It passed me off and I just mentally told her to go to #&%$ and took it at my own speed. I found more help here than from her.

Just got my surgery scheduled for Feb 7th. Start my two week liquid diet tomorrow. My first weigh in October with the Bariatric center was 363 lbs. I weighed at the Surgeons office today at 310 lbs. Ready to get this done and move on.

Just finished not long ago my 3 week crawl through full fluid. My fav go to I've made is .5 cup of microfiltered lactose free protein milk, 1 tbsp of greek yogurt, 1tbsp peanut butter (i am not sure if this is okay on your preop.. but I tolerate it well post op and am very mindful of the fat content for the day, this is basically my fattiest meal), cocoa powder, probably .5 tbsp. and I put a full scoop of protein powder now, but was doing half a scoop before. I fill up my ninja smoothie cup the rest of the way with ice, blend it and it's like a peanut butter chocolate milkshake. Good luck!

I had my final pre-op appointment with my surgeon today. Nothing really to report as it was very routine. I weighed in about 3lbs down from 3 weeks ago. That was nice, but I'll admit I have not been too strict the past week about my food. I start my 2 week liquid diet in 2 weeks and that'll be plenty strict so I've stopped for fast food once and had some chocolate when I normally wouldn't. I see the nutritionist next Thursday and then it's just a countdown to Feb 21!

Weight loss distribution is a funny thing. I have been tracking my measurements and it is odd to see where it is coming off, even this early on. I've lost an inch from my wrists at the 2 month mark. Why? How? I have no clue. Or I've lost nearly 9 inches from my waist just shy of the 3 month mark, but my protruding belly area, where I expected the weight to come off first, isn't budging. I've been told by a number of vets that it takes a year or two after you've dropped most of your weight for your body to get a clue and redistribute the fat you have left. So this means at times when you are dropping the weight you may look skeletal in some areas that you used to have padding in when you were that weight before. But try not to worry too much about it, usually within a year or two it rebalances as it redistributes. I'm sure that doesn't apply to everywhere, but it applies to most places... Also, most surgeries have a rebound once you reach your set point and stop losing. This is often in the 15-20 lb range. So conventional wisdom from the vets is to ride your weight loss down as low as it will go (unless you end up officially underweight by BMI), as you will rebound and then complain about that extra 20 lbs that came back. LOL

How much protein are they expecting you to get in? As far as I know, 60-80 grams is a typical goal for a bypass patient, with 80 grams being the excellent mark. And I agree, that is only 4 oz short of 64 oz, nothing to get bent out of shape over. Is more better? Yes, to a point, but my PA told me that to be getting 64oz of water in by 3 months is better than most patients are able to do... So it is odd they are riding you about it. You are doing great!! Most people cannot get their full requirement of protein in at 3 months, let alone at 6 weeks post op!! Give yourself some credit and ignore the complaints from them. I think it is generally good to follow our team's advice, but when they are making you feel bad for being within range of your goals (or very close to it) at 6 weeks post op, I think it is okay to set it aside and really appreciate for yourself how good you are doing... But that's just me, your mileage may vary. LOL

How is everyone doing now?? I'll be officially 12 weeks out tomorrow! I'll post my stats then and update you guys. I can't believe we are all getting to the 3 month mark...

Yeah, the dietician was a prick to mention your weight in relation to other patients. You were not unusually heavy and it is just plain unprofessional. I hope you have a word with the surgeon about it at some point, people need feedback on how their staff are carrying out their jobs. I'm sorry it is so hard to obtain this surgery in the UK, you should have been given ample support and encouragement on your journey, not criticism. As was said above, you may need the support of a dietician post op and going to one who was condescending to you pre-op is not a recipe for success post-op. You may want to seek out your own dietician for support. One you can feel free to fire at will. LOL I find dieticians assume by default we are all idiots about food, especially healthy food. And they tend to fixate on weird things, like pasta alternatives that are "just like the real thing!" that they have probably never eaten themselves. Or cottage cheese!! OMG I do not want to eat a bowl full of cottage cheese!! I think they should have to go through a 3 month staged bariatric diet, including an all liquids portion, so they have some lived experience and can be a little more human with their patients... Although I will say I've actually run into a few dieticians that have had bariatric surgery and while they don't say the stupid weight things anymore, they do still have a lot of biases from their training (like no protein supplements because they aren't "real food"). Your weight story is not unusual, as others have said there is more and more research pointing to obesity being a very complex disease and far from a moral failing or issue of willpower. There are a lot of stigmas around weight and weight loss surgery and unfortunately the medical community is a willing participant in much of that misinformation. I'd advise you to find a therapist or a mindful eating coach who can support you in changing your food choices early on, so by the time your hunger comes back your new habits are firmly in place and something you can rely on. I wish you so much luck on your journey!! You are doing great!

OMG I'm so excited for you I teared up when I read your post!! I know how hard it has been and you've been so upbeat about it! I wonder if you were gaining muscle or maybe burning a bit too many calories with the exercise and now that you've slowed down on that your body feels it can let go of some of the weight?? My best friend loses more weight in the winter for some reason. Doesn't matter what she does, it seems to consistently come off better in the winter. Our bodies can be so mysterious sometimes... Whatever the reason is, I'm so happy the scale moved a bit towards your goal!! And I'm really glad you stayed consistent all summer, they say that's the best way to break a stall, even though it is so hard to keep the faith. I bet your body composition has changed a lot over the last 8 months even if the scale wasn't moving for a chunk of that time. Your experience is so encouraging because it shows that sometimes the scale can move months after you've thought it was done for good! You aren't the first person I've seen have a stall that has lasted for months instead of weeks...

Hi everyone, just wondering how those that had the sleeve in April 2023 are doing? How is your journey going so far? any setbacks? Stalls? New successes?

I think the people that lose so much weight after 6 mos are people who started at a much higher weight than both you and I. The heavier one is going into the procedure, the more they lose more quickly. I do know that if a person does not enough they will put themselves into a stall so i dont think those people are starving themselves, i think they are just bigger to begin with. I am only a couple months ahead of you (my surgery was 4/12/23) but my weight loss has considerably slowed and i havent even hit one year yet. I do eat more normal foods now as opposed to "diet food" but i do still limit my carbs and fat and sugar. Regardless, in the last 3 months ive only lost 10 lbs. Kind of annoying but i also could do better on my diet so that is partially my fault. How is your sleep? I also notice that when i get more sleep i seem to drop weight quicker. Im not the best at going to bed early enough though.

I don't have MS, but I do have several autoimmune diseases along with Fibro and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am almost 3 months out from a traditional duodenal switch. I have found my energy level and ability to exercise has increased a lot, I no longer get post exertional malaise. I also have less pain because the surgery causes your inflammation levels to decrease and as you lose weight, those levels will continue to go down. Since I am so early out, I have not had any nutritional issues. However, my surgeon did advise I go with a longer common channel than the standard 100cm cookie cutter length that most doctors go with, because I have a history of nutritional deficiencies. I went with 175cm. I'm really glad I had the DS, I'd do it again every year if I had to just for the fact it put my diabetes and high blood pressure into remission immediately after surgery!! Plus I have more energy than I've had in 2 decades. There is a different forum that has more DS patients on it, you might try posting there. It is www.bariatricfacts.org I'm not sure if anyone there has MS, but they are great with recommendations. There's also a support group for DS patients on FB called "Duodenal Switch SUPPORT Group" and there are a TON of DS patients there, you might try posting and seeing if any have experience with the switch and MS. As for surgeons, I had my surgery done with Dr. Pilati at WakeMed Bariatrics in Cary, NC which is right outside of Raleigh. We have a number of excellent DS surgeons in this area because of our world class healthcare centers. I don't know of any in the DE area but the women at bariatricfacts might, a lot of them are vets of the surgery for 10+ years!

I've read that caloric intake for a bypass patient at that month mark is not unusual. However, if you are more active than the normal bariatric patient, it is possible you are burning so many calories that your body is experiencing more of a caloric deficit than your dietician has estimated for you. Some dieticians are VERY good at individualizing their care to each patient's intake, activity, and dietary needs. Others stick to the book and will give everyone the same plan regardless of how many calories they are burning. That can be a detriment to you if you are burning more. If you are walking several miles a day, or intensely working out, you may need more protein than your current calories are allowing for. It might be worth messaging your dietician to ask if they took this into account. Stalls definitely happen, I had one last 6 weeks pretty early out after surgery, and I'm losing a little slower than I like, though they say it is right on target so I'm making my peace with that. It is good to stick to the plan you are given by your team, just make sure that plan is taking into account the whole picture of YOU, not just what patients average in general. Many bariatric patients are quite sedentary and averages account for that, not for active patients.

I'm another 40 pounds down or so and it's... bad. I don't have to stretch or flex, you can just count my ribs all the way down, except for where there's a fold of loose skin (I think these are technically called breasts?). This isn't "I'm so used to my obese self I don't understand what healthy is" type skinny, this is "I can play the xylophone if I wear a low-cut shirt", tabloid speculation about drugs and anorexia type skinny. On some level, I'm stoked, my ED self is absolutely thrilled to be able to see every bone, but I just don't understand how I can have so much hanging fat on my lower body and look like a skeleton on top. I do have a small frame by wrist size, but my rib cage apparently did not get that memo. Because, again, I'm still overweight. My bodyfat percentage was assessed at over 30 a few weeks ago. Where the #%@! is it? My weight loss also hasn't plateaued, or even significantly slowed. I'm still losing around 1.5-2% of my bodyweight per week. I am absolutely not following the diet plan given to me, eating much larger portions of much more calorie dense food but I continue to diminish. On one level I'm thrilled, but on another I'm worried this won't stop and I'm going to have to wear turtlenecks to stop birds from nesting inside my torso.

I concur with AmberFL, each surgeon has their own requirements. I was on liquid diet for 2 weeks pre-op and 3 weeks after... Hopefully your bariatric team gave you a diet plan for all phases but of your journey! Mine was no caffeine (no teas or coffees), protein drinks, broths, sugar free Jello and of course all the water I wanted! Oh joy!

It was a long process with the NHS was about 3 years , when I got on the waiting list after meeting the surgeon, I was lucky to get a cancellation so I only waited 5 months

Congratulations and I echo your feeling. I had a smile on my face all week. I was a oneabee all my life

Day one of my liquid diet. After re reading my pre op diet, it states that I can’t have creamy soups. 😕 I hope these two weeks go by super fast.

I am am at the same point and I am still struggling to get to 600 calories a day. I hit a massive stall and did not lose any weight for 3 weeks. Scale finally moved this week. Stalls happen your body needs a chance to recover. Stick with your doctors plan and the stall will pass.

I was considered obese because i couldnt exercise with the pain i was dealing with for 13 yrs, including regurgitating and vomiting if i jumped around. My food intake is ok it was just a question i asked to GERD patients. If doctors would have repaired my hiatial hernia when i asked them to find out why i was in so much pain i wouldn't have needed WLS. I am not worried about losing weight at all, I eat what i can as a GERD patient and exercise 4-5x a week. My belly is my only issue but i'm also going through perimenpause for the past 5 yrs. I am happy i can eat again and do things that i couldnt do because of the pain. I never had diabetes, high blood pressure only high cholesterol only because of my perimenopause, but i kept that down without medication because i've already been on meds for 14 yrs due to my GERD. I dont compare myself to others but i can't understand how people say they lost so much weight after 6 months sounds like starvation to me. my doctor or nutrionist have no issues with my food or exercise; i was just asking if it was true for GERD patients to lose weight more slowly than normal obese patients.

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.

Hi Vanessa, I'm also 5'9 and started at 262. I had a 2 week liquid only diet, and a couple of days of that were pretty rough but I made it through without any slips. I'm 3 weeks post op now and the things I thought would be hard don't seem to bother me, watching others eat my favorite foods is not an issue. What's been harder for me is the expected emotional roller coaster, probably hormonal, and the changes that have happened so quickly. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm tired and emotional because I had a big surgery, and I'm eating very few calories. So when I walk on the treadmill and go too fast, too long, I have to rest for a day and I don't like that. I know it's temporary, I'll start feeling better soon.

So, I will be allowed water, decaf tea or coffee, sugar free flavoring, sugar free jello and popsicles, broth, skim or 1% milk, yogurt without any pieces in it, unsweetened apple sauce, sugar free pudding, cream of tomato soup, and of course protein supplements. I have to do this for 2 weeks. But I would call your office to make sure what they want you to do because they're all different.

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 .

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