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I am just starting Zepbound tomorrow! Ihave had a long journey. I was lapbanded in 2002. I lost 130lbs. In 2014, after not seeing any doctors for 5 years, I went to a local bariatric surgeon just for a checkup. He found my esophagus had expanded. My band was too tight and I was packing my esophagus..didn't even know..no pain. Immediately unfilled and gained 30lbs in a month..eating NOTHING! LIke almost! I was refilled after about 3-4 months and then developed an infection..and to cut to the chase..band was removed in 2018 and revised to sleeve. By then I was up 50lbs. Since then I gained another 50lbs..so the sleeve did nothing. Between covid, bad eating habits and menopause, I cannot get this weight off..I tried keto..lost a few lbs..tried intermittent fasting..lost a few more..but my body just won't move the weight down..so broke down last week and saw my new primary doctor and she prescrived Zepbound..well orginally Wegovy but that is harder to find and Costco had Zepbound. I will start this Saturday.

If you are counting total carbs you need to be under 50 grams total carbs to maintain ketosis. If you are counting net carbs you need to be under 30 grams net carbs to maintain ketosis. They aren't interchangeable. Some believe fiber and sugar alcohols don't impact blood sugar so they can be subtracted and net carbs followed, but that doesn't apply to everyone. I can't eat any of the high fiber "keto" products like breads. For me, carbs are carbs and keto bread will knock me out of ketosis just as fast as a chocolate bar. 🤣 I am not the norm, but it is incredibly annoying!! And I know others like me. Regardless, my dietician said we should count total carbs because net carbs are not a recognized measurement by whatever association decides these things. LOL Most fruit is high in carbs, yes, and so most people watching their carb count choose coconut and berries as opposed to citrus or bananas. Same with veggies, green beans would be a better choice than a sweet potato. Keep in mind this state of ketosis is not intended to last forever, so what might not be the best item to eat right now will fit perfectly later on in your nutritional picture when you can increase your carb count.

Hi! I was wondering if anyone who is 5+ years since surgery is still experiencing any issues? I find that when I eat certain foods, much like when I was about a year or so out, that I have a feeling of being too full and can’t keep the food down. It isnt all the time. And it isnt really if I eat too much or too fast. I still eat pretty small meals at any given time and typically just eat 6 or so very small meals. An example would be if I eat pasta, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 a cup may feel unbearable and too full and can’t keep the pasta down. It could be something random like a handful of jelly belly jelly beans. I would say it happens maybe 1 a week? Just curious if anyone else has this issue. I have done well at keeping the weight off since the surgery and have hovered around 130-140 for the past 2 years. I am fairly active 50’s, 5’5 female. Thanks!!

2 lbs a week is considered "rapid weight loss". I know it doesn't seem like it, especially when comparing to others progress, but it is true... By 3 months you want to have lost 25% of your excess weight to be "average" and right on target, though even if you aren't at 25% lost there is still hope, because some people lose very slowly the first 3 months, then pick up the pace. If your surgery weight was somewhere around 286 and your goal is 150, your excess weight is 136 lbs. 25% of this would be 34 lbs. You have lost 43 lbs. So you have actually lost 32% of your excess weight! That is excellent!! You are ahead of schedule... Percentages IMO are much better to use than actual lbs lost because it is the percentages that really show you where you are! And on a funny note, I was exactly where you are at 3 months--43 lbs lost, 137 lbs excess weight, so 32% towards my goal weight! LOL Your team should be thrilled! Sorry your boobs are going south too... A good bra does help, I am losing fast in the band size for some reason, I have to buy a new bra every month! LOL

Do you all buy any of bariatric pal foods? I’m about 3 days away from my 4 month post op. The bariatric foods hep me a lot to stick to my 60+ mg of protein a day still drink one shake a day because I get about 40mg protein in one shake. I usually drink around 4-6 pm so with my meals and snacks. I get the rest or more of protein through out. I too have sm stalls depending on if my right leg is swollen or I need to have a good bowel movement sorry TMI but I’m on pain management with chronic constipation. But I’m losing steady not as fast as first surgery but since I’m more sedentary then prior it’s expected but losing. Day of surgery was 304 now 272

Yay for approval so fast!! You'll have a surgery date in no time!!

Well I got Approved! That was super fast. I am so excited. 😉

I have the best luck with the Fairlife 30g shakes and their 26g and 42g "core" shakes. They dont' have that chemical taste that most other shakes have, and taste closer to a Nesquick. They do have monk fruit and sucralose in them, but I've been able to tolerate them. I am sensitive to a lot of sugar alcohols (sorbitol and xylitol in particular) which trigger a bad insulin response for me, but I haven't had that experience with the Fairlife brand. Premier protein isn't bad, but I think Fairlife tastes a lot better. They can be hard to find, but I've had the best luck checking at Sams Club (or Costco / BJ's Wholesale if they're in your area). They sell out fast, so I check in the morning and place a pick up order for after work.

Oh hey, hi, how YOU doin? Just as a FYI... At this time in 2022 I was 421 pounds, size 28/30 and 4x/5x, wearing a size 11 shoe, size 10 ring, and wearing 22-24 inch necklaces. I couldn't wear bracelets at all. Fast forward 2 years, and today, I am 218 pounds, size 14/16 and wear an xl top (2x if I want it looser), size 10 shoe, size 6 ring, and 18 inch necklaces. And now I can wear bracelets.

For life? Not true at all. Stage two of the post op return to eating is purée. It usually is weeks 3 & 4 so two weeks only in the first month. The staged return to eating (usually a two week cycle of liquids, purée, soft then solid foods) is to protect & support your healing tummy. It takes about 8 weeks to fully heal. Some surgeons recommend chewing well before swallowing to help during this time too to ensure nothing too coarse or fibrous is swallowed that could impact your healing. It also makes you stop & think about your eating. I wasn’t told to do that. A couple of weeks on the solid food stage (probably early start of month 3) I was eating chicken thighs, steak, lamb chops, pork loin, etc. Yes we are advised to eat slowly. It takes a good 20 odd minutes for the message to get through that you’re full. If you eat quickly you’ll easily eat too much & be over full. It’s about being mindful when eating too. Putting your cutlery down between bites & really thinking about if you need the next bite yet or just want it is a good habit to get into. It’s actually a good practice for everyone not just bariatric patients. So many people just shovel in spoonful after spoonful of food in their mouths & before they know it they’ve eaten copious amounts of food & are groaning & uncomfortable because they are overfull. Something to be aware of is eating too much, too fast or food that is too coarse or fibrous can result in the foamies. Thick foamy saliva rises to protect your oesophagus & to help you bring up the excess food or food that is causing a blockage. I still have the foamies at times. I think my oesophagus is more sensitive. Char grilled meats & vegetables & sometimes fibrous vegetables can cause me grief. But I feel fine once I’ve bought up the offending thing, I feel fine. Last time I had an episode it was because I hadn’t trimmed my sugar snap peas well & there was string left dangling & it irritated me. Most people rarely experience it & not in the long term. There’s lots of misinformation & scary horror stories online many not based on any truth or vey little or posted to drive likes (the scarier the story the more clicks). Go to reputable medical sites & forums like this one. Generally a good idea to avoid social media too. Highly recommend the you tube videos of Dr Matt Weiner (A pound of Cure) & Dr John Pilcher. Straight forward, practical information, clearly explained.

Had surgery on 14th. My anxiety was insane during Pre op worrying about what is coming aftersurgery and i had to lie on a tiny stretcher for 3hrs before going in. Pain conrtol was terrible after surgery and i didn't get relief til i got to my room and on dilaudid. Then the first day was great and relatively pain-free and stress-free. I insisted on the overnight because I knew with my anxiety it would give me a good Kickstart to recovery. Went home next day and I still took some hydrocodone that day but didn't take any more after that. I couldn't believe that these incisions hurt less than my gallbladder and a colon resection so recovering from the surgery pain is fast compared to other laparoscopic surgeries I've had Struggling really hard with the eating. I can't seem to figure out how you can get all the protein you need and all the water you need in a day when you have to pause between meals like you do and you can only drink so many ounces an hour. My Cravings are huge. I was really hoping I wouldn't feel hungry anymore but I feel like I feel hungry all the time. I was psyched to get to the full liquid diet only to find out that I couldn't have cream soup or pudding more than once a day. Have to mix protein powder in with everything I'm definitely going through my doubts about why I did this. I mean I know why but looking at food and realizing I can't just reach over and take a little bite of something is really hard. I am adhering to the diet because I don't want to be sick but I feel like I might be drinking too much through the protein meals or water because I seem to get that full feeling quickly after just a sip but then it releases itself through burps I'm also psychologically in a bad place because my psychiatrist did not change one of my meds over from extended release to normal release and so this weekend has been really rough and I can't call him till tomorrow. I am definitely very low about all of this right now

Hi Joe, I am almost 8 weeks post surgery. While I can't speak for everyone, I did not experience this. Yes, you have to chew your food well (if it needs chewing), but it is not as onerous as it seems. Sure, the first time I had solid food I made sure that it was well chewed and I ate it slowly to make sure it was not going to present a problem. I've done that with every new food I've tried. But it has NEVER taken me 10-15 minutes to eat 2 tablespoons of food. In fact, I have to make sure I don't eat too fast! It is like drinking water after surgery... at first you struggle to take a sip at a time. Then you notice you are taking bigger sips and then a large swallow. I can drink 8 oz of water in a couple of swallows now. I know that thought of the changes this surgery may bring to your life can be scary, but does it really matter if when you are past the initial stages of the process it takes you 15 minutes longer to eat your dinner than it did prior to surgery? That you can't get your money's worth at an all you can eat buffet? If you look at the surveys of people who have had WLS, their most common regret is that they didn't have the surgery sooner. BTW - I'd always been a "healthy" fat person until I wasn't. I can't count the number of times I lost a little weight only to gain it back; Weight Watchers should have been giving me frequent flyer rates. Today, I went under 300 lbs. for the first time in 19 years and I'm 35 lbs away from being a weight I haven't seen since 1984. Yeah... I'm good with it all!

Literally, same!!! I clicked so fast..... lol

Sleeve in 2017 to revision Gastric Bypass Aug 2023 - Update Hi All! I can't believe how fast time has gone! I will be going to my 6 mth check up tomorrow 2/20/24. Everything is a lot better! As of today I am 173lbs, I'll update my ticker it's still at 183. I am able to eat more varieties that I cook at home. Can't tolerate beef to well but I was never a big red meat person. I am still on the fence with salads/raw vegs though I can tolerate raw onions and tomatoes. I CANNOT eat take out! Purchased chinese for my son as he was going back to college... tried a little and was bringing it back up the rest of the night! If I eat out it has to be at a place that actually cooks food like salmon, veggies, no added anything. Food prepared at home is MUCH beter because you know what's in it. I am not doing too well with my multi because I purchased capsules that I open to put in my protein smoothies (Unjury Vanilla) which I don't take every day anymore. I just purchase the multi-vitamin patch from the bariatric store, I'll update you on that later My food is mostly a diet consistency of pescatarian due to the low cal/high protein and the ease of my system digesting the food. I would occassionally eat chicken as well (ground, poached breast etc), turkey hardly ever because the meat is not as soft as chicken. My veggies are fine steamed, some legumes & beans (occasional), as far as grains or potatoes etc I try to not do carbs at all or keep them at a bare minimum (jasmine or basati brown rice) with an occasional meal...I've really gotten into sweet potatoes as I didn't eat them a lot before. Swelling is gone, skin is good, and I can visually see the difference in pounds and inches loss especially from a side view lol. I still have work to do (vitamins, eat more, move more) and I am working on it. BTW!!!! I am back in the health & wellness field as I start my new position next week. I took a pause last summer. Now as I am on my health journey I'll be helping my patients with weight loss and adopting healthier lifestyles. My goal is to lose 13 more lbs and as you all know after running so long and you can see the finish line in sight....your legs get weary and that last sprint is the hardest. It is good to move from "morbidly obese", to "obese", to now "overweight"...do you guys feel the same? Let me know how you all are doing!

@newbegining2024 Hi All! I can't believe how fast time has gone! I will be going to my 6 mth check up tomorrow 2/20/24. Everything is a lot better! As of today I am 173lbs, I'll update my ticker it's still at 183. I am able to eat more varieties that I cook at home. Can't tolerate beef to well but I was never a big red meat person. I am still on the fence with salads/raw vegs though I can tolerate raw onions and tomatoes. I am not doing too well with my multi because I purchased capsules that I open to put in my smoothies which I don't take every day anymore. I just purchase the multi-vitamin pack from the bariatric store, I'll update you on that later My food is mostly a diet consistency of pescatarian due to the low cal/high protein and the ease of my system digesting the food. I would occassionally eat chicken as well (ground, poached breast etc), turkey hardly ever because the meat is not as soft as chicken. My veggies are fine steamed, some legumes & beans (occasional), as far as grains or potatoes etc I try to not do carbs at all or keep them at a bare minimum with an occasional meal...I've really gotten into sweet potatoes as I didn't eat them a lot before. Swelling is gone, skin is good, and I can visually see the difference in pounds and inches loss especially from a side view lol. I still have work to do (vitamins, eat more) and I am working on it. BTW!!!! I am back in the health & wellness field as I start my new position next week. I took a pause last summer. Now as I am on my health journey I'll be helping my patients with weight loss and adopting healthier lifestyles. My goal is to lose 13 more lbs and as you all know after running so long and you can see the finish line in sight....your legs get weary and that last sprint is the hardest. Let me know how you all are doing! (this will be posted in a new thread as well)

I'm scheduled for sleeve surgery in three days, and I'm experiencing serious cold feet. I'm a 44-year-old male, 5'9" tall, weighing 270 pounds. I've struggled with yo-yo dieting for over 21 years, with my highest weight being 280 pounds and my lowest 198 pounds. I've had success with intermittent fasting and restricted calorie intake, but I've regained the weight. I suffer from mild sleep apnea, which causes heavy snoring and comes with its challenges. Thankfully, I don't have any other health problems, and I take medication that contributes to weight gain, though I doubt they'd make me fatter the 270 pounds than I am now; they just make it harder to lose weight. I'm feeling uncertain about the necessity of the surgery since I'm not extremely heavy and overall healthy. I'm also worried about only being able to eat small quantities in one sitting, and the idea of changing my body scares me. Yet Im also excited to get this option available

Does anyone have porphyria? Specifically , acute intermittent porphyria. My doctor is testing me for this genetic condition. What's interesting is one of the triggers is low calorie high protein diet. I was reading for people who have it, it can lay dormant until triggered. It seems like , looking back through my life, I had flares. But whatever is going on now, is not fun.

I had nausea until about 8 weeks out. It was constant and impacted my ability to eat, drink, and take my vitamins. A few things helped me (and others like me) that may help you: 1. Ondansetron only takes the edge off of nausea for me. It is rather ineffective for my body. I have much better results with promethazine, it actually manages to eradicate the nausea for a number of hours. I'd ask about a prescription to try it, at this point it is worth trying something else for the nausea and they have a number of meds out there that can help with this. I took it several times a day. 2. My surgeon told me to be gradual with my addition of vitamins. I had to take the chewable B complex everyday, and the little B1 pill because my complex didn't have enough B1 in it alone. But these were pretty gentle on my stomach. The actual multivitamins though he said are rather activating for the stomach and some people can struggle to incorporate them early after surgery. It could be these are contributing to your stomach pain and nausea, especially if your multivitamin contains iron, as it can be a little hard on a new tummy. So talk to your doctor about this, perhaps they can switch you to a bariatric B complex and let you try adding in the multivitamin closer to 3 months than all at once right now. 3. When my stomach would hurt I'd massage it in clockwise motions with firm, but not painful, pressure. I got twisting stomach spasms for the first few weeks with any food or water and this was the only thing that helped ease the pain of them. 4. My PPI needed an extra dose and for me, omeprazole is worthless. Some people metabolize it fast and for some it just doesn't work as well. Have they considered switching you to Pantoprazole? It is often used in the hospital because it is so effective. It might be worth switching to it to see if it is any more effective for you. A lot of bariatric patients end up having to switch around to find the most effective one for them. 5. Hydration is crucial early out of surgery. They should have had you exclusively focusing on hydration for the first two weeks along with the B complex. It sounds like your electrolytes are off, probably because you are chronically dehydrated. Nausea is made MUCH worse by dehydration!! You are 6 weeks and still struggling. Unfortunately at this point you DO need to be trying to get in some protein with your hydration to prevent malnourishment. Greek yogurt is great for this, but there are other options too. Have you tried any protein water powders like SEEQ or Syntrax Nectars? These are easier to stomach and come in nice flavors. SEEQ watermelon is seriously tasty. LOL Try some sample packets!! It is okay if you can't hit your full protein goals yet, every little bit helps. If the change in meds doesn't help you at all, I hope they consider doing some imaging and a scope to ensure you aren't experiencing something like a stricture. They are rare, but they do happen, and they can cause issues with progressing the diet. 6. Water flavoring packets can help with getting in more water, as does sipping it around the clock out of those tiny cups until you get the hang of getting more water in. It can and does feel like a full time job and you will feel like you are floating! This is normal. Electrolyte powders are a great addition to water at least once a day because they really help you get minerals you are missing since you aren't eating them in food! And try a variety of things and a variety of temperatures. Some hot broth or tea, some flavored water over ice, something room temperature, sometimes the tummy has an opinion about what the best temp is! I am so sorry you are dealing with these issues 6 weeks out. It sounds like your team needs to be more proactive in trying different meds and doing some testing to figure out what is going on. Honestly, some do struggle like this for a while. On occasion some end up with TPN for a while to help them get the nutrition they need. It sounds like you aren't quite at that point because you are keeping some foods down, but it is an option if you continue to struggle and end up in the hospital repeatedly for low vitamin levels. Some find a month or two of TPN can get them past the roughest part and then their systems are able to handle food and water without issue. It really depends on the person. But you don't want to go that route if you can avoid it... ❤️

I won't lie, this is hard. After the first couple of days, I was doing okay, but today was a challenge. I've been freezing all day and I keep thinking of favorite foods, just randomly popping into my head. Not even unhealthy things, just things I can't have. Which is basically everything right now. Next Wednesday can't come fast enough! I hit 229.4 on the scale this morning, which is the first time I've made it below 230 in over a year. Just have to stay focused on why I'm doing this!

I'm the poster child for Goodwill ! My sizes are changing so fast, I'm always buying ,wearing and re-donating them. I tell myself I'm just "renting" the clothes...LOL The BEST thing that's happened is I'm off ALL of my meds ,no longer pre-diabetes and my last blood pressure was 110/70 . That's unheard of for me So far, those are the best "problems" I'm having !!!!

I had the modified ds and it said pretty much stop eating after 30 mins or you're grazing? But it feels like 30 mins is too fast for me bc i get that feeling you're describing happens even if I've had maybe less than .5oz of anything. I'm 6 wks out from surgery too. Idk if I have gotten the "full" signal yet, just pain or nausea..

My surgery is Fed 19 and coming up fast for me.. im excited tho.. i can’t wait for this to happen

I have a question for folks that may have experienced this. I'm not convinced it is 100% related to my surgery since I had some of these symtpoms, albeit milder, prior to my surgery. I felt like the dizziness and general weakness went away the first 4 weeks following surgery, and I was able to walk 2 miles easily without stoppoing, and 4-5 miles a day with minimal rest. I was really looking forward to going back to the gym once I was cleared to lift weights. However, I caught Covid, and was mostly stuck in bed for 2 weeks over Christmas and New Years, around the time I was working in solid foods again. Since then I'm barely able to walk 1 mile without stopping, and even then I need to rest for over an hour to feel right again. It's gotten progressively worse, especially in the last two weeks, to the point that I don't feel comfortable driving when the vertigo and extreme fatigue hits. It's to the point that I'm falling off my treadmill if I go more than a half mile. It went from being somewhat disruptive previously to debilitating now. Luckily I work from home, but even that is starting to get disrupted. Over the past year I was evaluated for heart issues, had 3 MRI's, a CT scan, echocardiogram/ultrasound, had my carotid checked, been to two opthamologists and tried two different pairs of glasses, checked out by a Neurologist and Neurosurgeon, evaluated by an ENT, went to a hearing and balance specialist (no Menieres disease, inner ear crystals, etc), normal BP (between 110 and 130 systolic, and 70-85 diastolic), Blood Sugar has returned to my pre-diabetic levels (92-98 fasting, and no higher than 130 when checked 2 hours after eating). Pulse Oximeter is showing O2 staying between 95-98. CPAP was re-titrated to treat sleep apnea following the weight loss. Blood labs showed Total Cholesterol and LDLs somewhat high, but decreasing steadily since my surgery in November, High levels of Iron and Calcium though, but everything else plus thyroid were normal. Heart rate has dropped from pre-surgery rate averaging around 80-90 bpm down to 40-55, but my PCP wasn't able to determine why. My father and grandfather (currently 92) both have a normal heart rate between 45-55 for their whole lives, so maybe that one is hereditary. Thanks for reading and any advice is appreciated!

I agreed with some, that the stomach was on fire kind of sensation. But eventually after surviving the tolerance level for 12hrs, the pain reduced and i was able to walk with the grace of God and a great support of my wife. 1 week past, I laughed today and literally the intolerable pain of the stomach pull was bloody torturing and went through extreme level of hurt. Please take note, do not try to sneeze, laugh, stand up fast, sit at low height, or even feel nausea… suffering level is tremendously high.

I made it down to 144 on my own but I finally reached goal thanks to plastic surgery. I'm still recovering from my surgery 3 weeks ago. I actually went to mexico because I found a great Dr that I loved his work and he is board certified in the US as well as Mexico and Cuba. He is known for being very safe and I had to be pre screened medically twice before he would even operate on me. He also works out of a hospital so I thought I had all of my bases covered but my luck is always bad lol. I had complications but I still received amazing care. My only symptom after surgery was a fast heartrate. They brought in all the guns and had a cardiologist, the surgeon himself, a radiologist and the surgeons partner all come in and test me and discuss on my care. My blood came back with a hemoglobin level of only 6.9 and the ultrasound showed a large hematoma. So they immediately wrapped me in a compression garment and then taped me even tighter and I was given 2 blood transfusions through the night. Early the next morning at 7 am I went in for a second surgery to remove the hematoma and to see if I had any active bleeds which I did end up having an arterial bleed which they then fixed. I was also given one more bag of blood. I have the pictures of me opened all the way up during the original surgery and you could not see any bleeding at all so I don't know how this bleed happened but they acted quickly and I felt safe and taken care of the whole time. My dr always has everyone stay at least 1 night in the hospital and I think that is what saved me. So many people go home right away and if that had been me with no other symptoms, I am afraid to think of what could have happened. I was never dizzy or nauseous or even really tired. Just a fast heart rate of 120 with spikes to 150. Unfortunately because I had to have 2 surgeries my front tummy tuck scars are taking forever to fully heal but they are still doing great. No infections, just slow healing. I had a lower body lift which is the cut that goes all the way around and is great for tightening the front and the back. Lipo to my back and flanks, a small bbl and breast reconstruction. So I did have a ton of stuff done and with hind sight I may not have chosen to do it all at once because I wonder if that was increasing my chances of complications After the fact though I'm so glad to have it all done and not have to face any more surgeries. They removed about 8 lbs of skin and 2 in fat. I haven't weighed this little since middle school and I'm still swollen so who knows what my final weight will be. I'm so happy with my results and will have to share pictures once I'm fully healed. My youngest daughter and I went shopping this week and bought crop tops to wear together to celebrate. I've never worn a crop top ever. So I'm looking forward to wearing it in the near future. Gastric bypass certainly has changed my life in amazing ways