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So I think my body is weird. I have been at over 1000 calories since August and still dropped a few pounds. September was closer to 1100-maybe 1300. The past few weeks I’ve been bumping up to 1300-1500 with 40% carbs (it was so scary to do that) and I have lost 1-2 pounds in the past month. It has been so much easier to eat more. I can now eat an egg, slice of cheese and 1 cup of cooked spinach in 10-15 minutes and usually finish that. I can drink 16 oz of a protein shake in less than 30 minutes vs it took me an hour to do that 1-2 months ago. Regarding exercise I only go to the gym 2x week but I’m pretty active at home and work so I am usually getting 7-10k steps on non gym days. Even though I am purposely eating more than I desire to slow down weight loss/maintain I do worry that I’m creating bad habits like eating when I don’t feel like it. If I’m busy at work I will go only have 250 calories and suddenly it’s 3pm and I’ve had nothing else. No I’m not eating cookies or chips but I am purposely eating high calorie foods. I do feel like I’m in control of things now. A few months ago I felt like I didn’t and was loosing too fast.

Hello- I will TRY to make this short: I had vsg June 2016-I initially went from 229 to 160ish then got pregnant a year later. 3-4 months postpartum I was at 143 (I tend to loose weight during my pregnancies and loose after) but that only lasted a few months. Fast forward to today, I am at 185!!! I am only about 45 lbs from starting weight....that's scares me, I don't feel well physically...emotional, as I am back to carrying all of this weight around. I had an appt with my surgeon almost 2 months ago and I explained to her and the nurse that I am always hungry. I STILL focus on protein,....my diet is mainly protein but I also make sure I get my veggies in. I was referred to the nutritionist I saw before my surgery. I am puzzled by that because my issues are not what I eat, ive gathered the info I need prior to my surgery. Prior to surgery I had NO comorbidities. Now, I am on medication for blood pressure, and my recent blood test show that my cholesterol is high...first time ever....this is not how this experience was supposed to pan out. The point of my post is, I've done research and want to know if I would be a good candidate for a revision. The revision I am looking at is sleeve to Duodenal switch which I know was originally a part of the sleeve procedure. Just wondering for those of you who have had revision, how exactly did the conversation with your Dr start. Did you have to ask about it or did the Dr tell you it was an option? I have an appt coming up on 11/11. When i made the appt I asked if I could possibly have a scan to see if the size in my stomach have even changed. I was told most like they would not do a scan because YES the stomach does naturally increase in size about 2 yrs after vsg. Now what??

You are absolutely correct in how bariatric surgery not only changes your eating, digestive habits forever, but there is also a huge mental impact as well. I do think we all suffer some form of regret and remorse. Everyones experience is different. I am 18 months out from gastric sleeve. I have lost 75lb, but goal is another twenty pounds and I have been stalled now for 3 months. Frustrating. Everyone tells me that I shouldn't get dumping syndrome, as "people who have sleeves don't suffer dumping". Well I definitely do and it's miserable. My husband and I are medical, so we know the condition. Seems to happen mostly when I eat protein (red meat, chicken, less so with eggs and fish). I become extremely sweaty, pale, dizzy and nauseous. I feel like I could lay down on the floor and pass out. It lasts about 30-45 minutes which feels like forever. One of the strategies my husband proposed was to view these episodes as similar to a "ice cream headache".. Only longer. If I stick it out, I will feel better soon. I am not dying, and this too will pass. We loved eating out at restaurants, having brunch, eating with friends. I am quite scared of food because I don't know how my stomach is going to react. So, now we don't do as much of that. And because we chose not to tell anyone (my decision), I do worry about whether people will notice that I have hardly eaten anything.. Especially if we are guests of friends. I hate thinking "what if they think I funny like their food?!" I wish some days I could be reconnected as well, but as I have dropped 5 dress sizes, have no loose skin (amazing but probably genetic elastic skin.. but I am thankful for that) my knees don't hurt anymore, I can wrap a standard size bath towel around me, climb stairs without huffing, cross my legs very comfortably etc etc.. It has been worth it. Just keep reminding yourself. Enjoy all the benefits, and try not to focus on the bad. Best wishes.

what I know about exercise Is that exercise is not for weight loss, you don’t lose weight with exercise what happens is you build muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. I can’t recall the exact numbers but I think 1 lb of fat only burns 2-3 calories but 1 lb of muscle burns 7-10 calories. so I would think weight resistance, muscle toning and stretching would be most beneficial. for me it’s frustrating not being able to exercise. I have one of few if only medical conditions (that I know of) that exercise causes damage. I get very sick and it literally ages my muscles instead of being beneficial. my metabolism prior to surgery didn’t seem to exist. I was eating approximately 800 calories a day, at best I managed a long walk at first once a week or every two weeks but it’s slowly taken it’s toll. I would go on birding walks to take photographs but each time paid a hefty price physically. My weight started to go up and got out of control. This had happened the first time to this extent in my late teens. All doctors could say is it was metabolic disorders but not what I could do. My first battle with my weight doing strict low carb and low calorie helped. But it was impossible to maintain. I reached A decent goal and it would slowly slide upwards. if I said that already I’m sorry. I find it interesting how some people can eat a lot of calories and even carbs and still lose. I finally hit around 66lb loss from April 29th so around close to six months? My calories range sometimes a little less than 300 Calories if I can’t help it to a little over 400 a good balance is 370. Protein tends to be sometimes a little below 50 grams, to a little above 60 but a good average is 50. I haven’t counted carbs but probably never more than 20-30 net carbs. the problem is that each person is very different in what works for them. My loss has slowed to a crawl but I’ll take anything I can get. What I hope is that this is the tool that helps me maintain long term. My worry is not reaching goal and maintaining it there while eating normal amount of calories. I think I’d hoped I could eat a little more calories or at least worry about them a little less than I do now. For some reason my body didn’t tolerate eating more veggies in the past. Which makes no sense to me, I dip my toe into slightly more normal foods but still rely on the basics like protein powder mixed in TwoGood yogurt, cottage cheese (usually good culture since it comes in individual containers) occasionally poached or soft boiled eggs, sometimes BariatricPal soups like mixing creamy chicken pasta with a packet of beef broth) I might be repeating myself (I’m sorry) I tried things like tuna and got sick. I was told I’ve a stricture I’m not sure the status of that. My nutritionist wants me trying soft vegetables and different proteins. having a colonoscopy and endoscopy threw me off track but thankfully my recent surgery didn’t. At some points my calories ranged a little higher ie. 480 but I tend to vary the calories and protein daily. I tend to see things move by ounces. Sometimes crawl or stall. May my loss was about 24.4 lbs, June 9.7 lbs, July my weight loss averaged 9 lbs, August 7.9 lbs, September 7.9 lbs, and October 5.1 lbs. Total 64lbs from weight at day of surgery of 203lbs. I was 205lbs at last nutritionist weigh in. 208 lbs at my doctors office. BMI 40. Since I have a smaller frame and short height I wish to reach a goal of under 110lbs the last time I got to about 124lbs for now I’d take that over where I was headed prior to surgery. Of course then there is the extra and saggy skin.

Hey WLS Fam 😍 Updates: Yesterday I was my 3 month post op Surgical/NUT visit. I actually had to delay it a little bit as I was still travelling unexpectedly 😌 (I was 3 months post RNY Conversion on 10/15) On 9/6 I needed a dilatation and for a few weeks after it was hit or miss on if it had worked then all of a sudden I was perfectly fine 🙌💃🏆. I am thrilled. Really patience is key. I know its super frustrating to read when youre in misery but sometimes time is what will do the trick. Not every fix is instant. So it appears I scar to an exaggerated level which is why I stricture and it takes time to show up and relax. I'm keeping an eye on this and will know what the symptoms are so if it happens again we'll take care of it quickly. My surgeon is very very happy that during the endoscopy the sites looked healthy. He also very very happy that I have only lost about 5lbs. He didn't want me to lose anymore weight and was adamant that where i am at is where i belong. I agree because when i dropped to 146 ... Mercy ! The skin on my face and neck started to losen. Nope. We also started to document the rashes under the folds of my skin 😉 and he RX powder for it. I suggest everyone get on top of this ASAP if you can... Labs will be processed this week and I'll know what my latest numbers are soon. All food restrictions have been lifted by my NUT. I still don't really eat bread except on very rare occasions. I never eat rice or pasta (was over them since before surgery), I eat starchy vegetables, legumes and roots at my discretion but not in abundance. But bihhh salads here I come

Well I. see. Mikeey's point, it is Valid but. yes Ambivilence is also more prevalent than many on here do admit. And if it helps , you have a Soul Sister in Ohio, almost 14 months out from my RNY, finally admitted to my PCP today, that although I am grateful my body size. is now one- half my HW, I am approaching a " normal" size appearance, now weigh 20 pounds less than HIM, deep in my inner- Frustr8 at least 30% I wish I could go to my surgeon, and request to be reconnected. I MISS my pyloric valve, I miss a smooth digestion, I am SO SO TIRED. of my frequent urp- up 1o Emesis, I yearn to feel a " FULL" sensation because I never really have one, I yearn for a day with no pouch, stoma or jejunem pain. Although I have been judged to have a patent/ open diameter there - I will carry to my dying day visible scarring with every endoscopy. I have just enough gastric acid prodution to ulcerate my upper small intestine but not enough to digest meat --not even highly ground or pureed stays down . It is my belief when my pouch was "stapled off" and devided, my gastric inervation was either destroyed or severely limited, my pouch drains, mostly by gravity instead of motility. But rationally I am aware I would have a 45- 50% chance of not surviving an open abdominal SURGERY, yes my Surgeon does have the skills, I chose the Chief of Bariatric. Medicine at The Ohio State University, after all. And I am LUCKY ( if you want to CALL,it that) I did not have to donate 3/4 of my natural stomach to either Medical Science or the Waste Incinerator. So everything still remained within ME, just rendered portions less or non- functional. But the ultimate irony- except for the first 14-15 days post- SURGERY before my pouch strictures and stenosed, I have not been pain- FREE, oh Tylenol does take it down to a dull roar, but like the rotten stepchild you receive in a Second marriage, yeah the very same one who tries getting in your face and stating " I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU- YOU'RE NOT MY MoM!" it just hangs around glaring if you try to make contact. I DID really think by now the Sunlight would be warm and welcoming, the Bluebirds singing and all the Flowers blooming freely and THEY'RE NOT. Tried to discuss my dis- ratification with my NP at the Bariatric Clinic only to be told " Quit Your Belly- aching- YOU know you are healed, there is nothing really wrong with YOU, you are just wanting to be coddled and/or pitied- it's been over a Year so you have been already " grandfathered" into health" Gee Thanks for such a " lovely" assessment- remind me to fill out that card that says how WONDERFUL you all have been to ME. If I had desired to be ignored, I wouldn't have travelled 50 miles to see YOU! I really wish I could go back to being rejoined- if I died at least I would return to my GOD the way He Made Me- rejoined in a proper manner sans the interior scars and exterior droopy skin. And forgive me, my last breaths would be at peace . Sorry but I didn't want you to feel an "outlier" there are OTHERS out here in Cloud Cuckoo Land, and I'm not going to Gild the Lily- there are pluses and minuses whether or not anyone admits it! Much love, stay as strong as possible and perhaps there is still a Brighter Day for Us Both!

I had my original surgery Gastric Bypass in 2008 and it was successful, I went from weighing 345 to 190lbs, through the course of 10+ yrs I’ve had 3 children and gained weight, I went for the revision last week, from what I was told I won’t loose as much weight as when I got my original surgery... but everyone is different so I’m hopeful. surgery was Oct 16 and I went in weighing in at 237lbs as of today I’m 228... so it’s working wonderfully and I’m feeling better.

@bree03 Here’s a pic for u it just says bariactiv all came in that blue pouch that I get monthly I can give u the number to company that send them if u like I also take a hair skin and nails daily also just the cheap kind or the gummies  whatever is on sale when I’m out I get long as they are small dollar tree has some that are good that I’m taking now a months worth a dollar can’t beat that at all 

I'm confused, so the surgery 8s not guaranteed to help you loose and keep weight off? I'm new to this group and considering the surgery. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Jeelena, first off... YOU LOOK FABULOUS!!! Congratulations! You had such a pretty smile then, and now - It simply radiates. You are stunning in your new gown. Nice arms, too. Thank you for sharing your process and specifics with us. Inspiring. I, too, have accumulated a lot of loose skin on my upper arms (¾ sleeves are a God send!) and very sagging breasts (another God send - a great supportive bra!) LOL!!! Wearing a size petite 8 or 10 jeans (2-3X before) but the mid-section droop does get in the way. The slight stretch in new generation slack/jean fabrics does help hold it all in!!! Petite medium to small tops with a 38C from 40DD. Experimenting with body foundations for the first time for wearing dresses. I rarely wore a dress before. I plan to start preparing, saving$ and interviewing plastic surgeons for a tummy tuck, hopefully before my 25th anniversary vow renewal + gala next May. I want this defined waist for my gown design below. :] I have not tried Pilates yet. I must follow-up on your recommendation for it as a new exercise routine. Actually, loved water aerobics even hovering at my highest of 298. Oh boy. Remained pretty active + happy despite all the weight and baggage I carried. For now, I walk with my dog and remain very active with work. I am meeting with a physical therapist next week to review my back posture, gate and balance before starting any formal exercise. Adhering mostly to The Obesity Code way of nutrition. 80-100oz.+ of water or hot tea per day. Add propel and Isopure. 21 pounds until my final goal BUT others who have already had plastics say 5 - 8 pounds can be attributed to the weight of loose skin. Factoring that in, I'm only 16 pounds to goal. LOL. Probably as a petite 5'0" and shrinking with age (turned 60 past May) - losing too much weight, not really. Some research says I should weigh 105 - 112. Will cross that bridge when and if I get there. Jeelena, how are you finding maintenance? Are you still losing? Keep up your wonderful achievement. Sending posies in way of celebration with you! ;]

I'm 8.5 months out at this point and am crawling along at a snail's pace. At my 6 month follow up the NP said I was doing so great, and only had 10 lbs to go - I said that I really had about 20 lbs to go, but you know how they formulate it differently to have as many success stories as possible. 70% of excess weight rather than healthy BMI. But whatever, I told her my personal goal was 128 not 138. I asked for guidance on how much I should be eating as I was aware of less restriction and more hunger - she told me 600 cals a day until I go back at the 1 year mark. That seemed extreme to me, but I did it for a while. I'm a compulsive tracker - have 8 years worth of tracking on MFP. Daily, I track weight, calories, protein, water, carbs, fat, steps, exercise, bowel movements, menstruation, ovulation. The scale didn't move on 600 and I gained a little. And my energy was terrible, my skin awful, and I began having more food cravings. Honestly - and I am a PCOS weirdo, and none of us are in any way typical at all, and I am not saying anyone else should do this - I only see consistent downward movement on the scale when I up my calories to 1100-1200 and up my carbs to 100g. It is terrifying to me to eat more carbs, but for now I'm going with it. My stats, graphs, and charts show a real correlation that I don't think is coincidence. I am well used to being disciplined - I think as PCOSers we all are - so I will stay on this protocol for a while and if it stops working, it won't be hard for me to go lower again. I avoided coming on here for a while as I felt like I was a fraud or a cheat or I would be admonished for not doing things the "right" way - but I know my body and I'm honest with myself about what I put into it, so for right now this is what is working for me, and me alone. I don't think it helps that it is the last 20 lbs I am trying to lose, and everyone always says they just don't want to budge. (I am also a vegetarian BTW - have been since I was 6 - and I don't have any trouble getting plenty of protein from food. I haven't had to have protein shakes since 6 weeks out. I do a lot of dairy though: FF cottage cheese, FF Greek yoghurt, light babybel cheeses.)

Since this whole surgery thing i have found it fun to test and figure out different things to do. How to cook ..... Vitamins and Minerals .... and now the cleanse Had a blood work up a few weeks back and finally got all the vitamins and minerals up to snuff. So the next thing was to cleanse all the chemicals out of my body - Background: Vodka, Nicotine, and Garbage food for 45 years and all that soaked into the body fat! So after a ton of research and plan from a Nutritionist the plan was ready to go. heck would be easy after prep for surgery and 4 months of eating like a bird. Plan - For 10 days only consume protein shakes with Vitamins and Minerals along with body cleansing potion. Body Cleansing Potion: You will find a ton of them to buy at Amazon, I decided to make my own! I am culinary Skilled so i made a gallon! I suggest you make your own You can mix up the veggies and Minerals each day. Plus you get to buy those weird veggies you had not clue what they were? 10 Day results 1 thru 3 - Not much different - Never Hungry anyhow so No hunger but definitely feel sluggish 3-5 = Game on time all of a sudden you can really tell you are getting flushed, Skin is happy, Energy level is good, Just feel Great 5-8 = Extreme flush is in order - Taking in 200G of protein and every dang vegetable and mineral thru a food processor in Juice form that Whole foods has . (Not really but about 4 different weird veggies a day - Rotating them) - Gallon of water a day 8-10 Wind it down time start limiting the flush and keep the healthy Veggie Drinks - The outcome was amazing lost a chunk of weight but the biggest thing is your body has been cleansed and recharged. Going to do this every 8 months - The feeling of being so clean and recharged is amazing. THE KEY DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY - YOU CAN NOT EAT A SINGLE FOOD THIS IS A LIQUID JUICE ONLY. NOTHING MADE IN A BOTTLE OR CAN OR BOX HERE ARE THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE COMBINATIONS BELOW: I used these as the base and added about 3 or 4 Just mix up all the stuff from the Produce are using these as the base. My Main base was always pinapple or bannana for taste adding fake sugar to help taste. You only need 4oz at a time 4 times a day so easy to slam down Drink Your Greens: Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Lemon, Ginger, and Apple (optional: parsley) The Detoxifier: Beets, Carrots, Lemon, Ginger, Apple The Vision: Carrots, Oranges, Ginger (optional: turmeric) Sweet Carrot: Apples, Carrots, and Parsley

Yes, I know what you mean. I’ve had thoughts like “what if I don’t carry skinny well?” I’ve always been curvy, I have good skin, very few wrinkles, what if I’m an ugly skinny person? Yes I realize health is more important, but there is a sense of mourning the old curvy me that loved food of all kinds. I think that it’s okay to have these moments of fear and vanity. We’re human, and this is a lot to process.

This was an important note for me. I want to get to 130, but I also fear how I may look. I'm pretty happy where I am, minus my stomach (which probably can't be "fixed" without surgery). My legs are like toothpicks and my arms are skinny, but with extra skin. I sometimes fear my face will look skeletal in another 15 pounds. Some of this may be in my head, but some of this comes from recent comments (both from those who knew obese me and those who've never known me any other way). You make a good point about how things seem to shift around just right- I've noticed that already on my journey! For now... back to loss mode and getting back to the gym to gain some muscle!

Did they give you a Lovenox shot right before your surgery? It would have been in your side or belly. It is a short term acting blood thinner to help keep you from getting blood clots in your legs after surgery. Works well but the down side is you can get awful skin bruising where your punctures and sutures are. That's what your picture looks like--healing bruises. Boa Sorte e ben vinda!

As I get closer, I understand the need for physical support. I had a real moment last week thinking about not wanting to overwhelm my extremely small support group. I also have to honor who I am and stay true to self, I have boundaries and respect for other's business and beliefs. I'm not seeking validation or permission, but we will need support. My advice is to share with caution and listen to your inner voice. I just shared with another person who I felt would be an asset to my cause. I know she didn't mean any harm, but her response was..."you don't need that surgery, you aren't that big." Ohhhhh, how I loathe that response for so many reasons. Now, I have to explain my health is on the line--prediabetic, high blood pressure, hormone levels are out of whack and etc. Then I get the, but you look good... so do I have to be physically displeasing to you before I can have your support???? People who don't struggle with weight and health issues due to your weight have no idea how hard it is to to walk in our skin. We each have our battles and some far worse than others, but no journey is the same. So, yeah I will be keeping this procedure to myself as this is for me. I have enough ppl who know.

You have given up food. Its like loosing a friend. I had a grieving period for this loss where I was full of regret and depressed. I think it is normal. Mine passed and hopeful yours will as well. Sent from my moto g(6) using BariatricPal mobile app

Good luck. 🍀. I’ve been stalled for the last 2 weeks. It’s kind of discouraging but I just keep on going and trying for more loss. I still have 8 more pounds that my doc would like me to loose before my surgery. Guess I shouldn’t be worried about it though since I don’t have a date yet. Go for my last nutritionist appointment this week. Just waiting on insurance approval to get my date.

Thanks AZhiker--I really didn't think there was a way to get rid of the apron skin. I'm at 160 right now and feel as if I'm at my maintenance weight as I haven't lost more over the last few months. Who knows, though, I might make my goal weight. I've always had large breasts (even when i was thin) so I know that I won't lose more there, but it's interesting what you say about the stomach. Will the skin really tighten up? Any exercises that you noticed that make a difference?

I sure hope insurance will cover it! I'm tentatively scheduled for my breast reduction and panniculectomy (apron skin removal) on February 26 of next year. The panniculectomy can't be done until one year after my gastric bypass. I'm pretty scared out of my wits and do not look forward to more surgery, but I know if I don't schedule it I will chicken out. My consultation was for the breast reduction only and here I am pretty sure I'm going to have it all done at once based on the surgeon asking me if I wanted to consider the panniculectomy. I have to do more research. I think my insurance will cover both surgeries, but the surgeon's nurse is going to verify with an insurance rep (she said her research online seems to imply it will be covered). The panniculectomy is not a tummy tuck (a tummy tuck involves tightening the muscles). I think I can pay extra for this as it would include a "contouring," but I never plan to wear a bikini and it sounds even more painful than the panniculectomy. Anyone else going to do a panniculectomy or have spoken to a surgeon about it yet?

If you have one sore spot that seems to be the skin/incision you can try an ice pack(with a towel so it’s not too cold). That localized and numbed sore spots so I could back off on pain meds. Sleep with 2 pillows, roll on your side and put legs off the side of the bed so you don’t use your ab muscles to get out of bed.

I had my surgery 12/10/2018 and I am at goal weight. Before surgery weight somewhere north of 320, (I would t weigh myself but the one time I did I saw the scale hovering at 32—- and I quickly stepped off) day of surgery 294 and today 164. I have went from a size 24 to size 8. I feel amazing. Pictures of me April 2018, September 2018 and September 2019. I have quite a bit of loose skin on my abdomen and inner thighs but I can live with it for now. I met with a plastic surgeon back in May and asked her what I could do to improve my overall body appearance and prepare for a tummy tuck and breast lift and she recommended pilates. I got a prescription from my primary care and my insurance covers most of the cost of pilates. I am addicted to pilates. I am slightly concerned I won’t be able to stop losing weight now that I met my goal. Does anyone else ever worry about losing too much weight?