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I have been having issues with my phone that I have literally spent like 20 hours on the phone (mostly on hold waiting for a representative) over the last 3 weeks trying to straighten it out and now they did a ticket and someone is supposed to call me in 5-7 days but he basically implied they did all they can do. I have tried anything and everything I can think of. Gone into the store, then another location, new phone, new carrier and back to the old carrier with the old phone. Nothing is working. BUT, even though I am stressed out to the max I have stayed on plan in terms of diet and kept up with my activity. In the past this entire last three weeks I would have given myself a number of cheat days because “i needed it with all that was going on” but Nope. This time I am not turning to food. In fact I am walking more and doing more YOGA to try and calm myself down which surprisingly helps more than food. Huge win for me!’

When I had the Sleeve, and other than the gas pressure I experienced, I went home the next day and I was on my feet and feeling better by day 3 and feeling back to myself by day 7. It really was a breeze thinking about it now. It seems straightforward, not complicated at all-- what SADI entails. My surgeon also did an EDG on me a couple of weeks ago and told me that my sleeve was in great shape and he did not want to revise it. So, really I'm just going in for the Switch. Thank you so much for getting back to me, and sharing your experiences with me. Since I've been talking with more people I've been feeling better about the surgery. Everyone seems extremely happy with their decision to do it and is very excited for me to get it done. Everyone has sent some great positive vibes my way, which has helped with the anxiety over it. So, I thank you and everyone for that! 💜 I'll be sure to post an update after surgery.

I first came to this board in March of 2022. I had my 1st surgery (sleeve) in May 2022. I had my revision to bypass (due to A LOT of complications with the sleeve) in June of 2023. Since then I have been complication free. But I was struggling to maintain my weight. I was put on a diet and exercise regimen to gain and then maintain my weight. Well, my metabolism finally sorted itself out, but I wasn't paying attention. I was supposed to weigh myself once a week to see how things are going. I went 4 weeks without weighing myself. And I was just eating whatever I wanted in hopes I would gain. And boy oh boy, I did gain. I went from 176 to 190 in 5 weeks. That shocked me, because I wanted to get to 180 - 183. Now I have to stop eating willy nilly, get my diet back on track, and focus more on my workouts. I became lax with what I needed to do and I found myself going back to old eating habits. Examples include eating whatever I wanted, even when it went against my diet. Not working out as much as I was supposed to because I was tired or didn't feel like it. Eating when I was bored. Eating something because it's there, not because I was hungry. Grazing all day and night, which was ALWAYS my issue. I'm telling you all this because I've seen so many posts where some of you guys really beat yourself up for messing up. You're afraid you'll undo all your progress. I admit, that has creeped into my mind a bit, but I remind myself that I know what to do and what not to do. I know how to get back on track. And I know how to give myself grace while still holding myself accountable. It's just a matter of doing it. So I'm going to course correct, get back to the proper diet and exercise routine, and really work on my eating habits. Just know that EVERYONE can slip up. It's not the end of the world....even if it feels like it is. Just own up to your mistakes, correct your actions, eat and exercise properly, and it'll all be ok. And with that, I need to go work out. Have a good one, and wish me luck that I get this sorted.

Hi, I am almost three weeks out from a bypass and started experiencing the feeling of liquid coming back up into my throat after drinking, similar to reflux. I had a couple days where I vomited and I think that is be ause I was putting too much in my stomach too fast. (Only took 3 sips to do it). I saw my surgeon yesterday and he explained that there is still swelling inside the stomach and that I need to take the drinking a little slower, but to keep with it. I may get some IV fluids for it, but I just keep woking on sipping fluids to get my liquids in. I have to remind myself it is a marathon, not a sprint. Hang in there!

You're only two weeks out, so it's absolutely fine to take things slow. It's also fine not to hit the targets that have been set for you this early on. Just do your best. I actually did okay for the first few weeks, but at one point around week 4, my stomach just didn't want certain solid foods and I started having vomiting. My doctor had me go back to liquids for another two weeks. It was no fun at the time, but it eventually went away. Your body will adjust over time and you'll go back to mostly normal. I really liked creamy tomato soup with plain protein powder mixed in during the soft phase. Also, refried beans with some melted cheese were delicious. Think of food as more of a "nice to have" thing right now, knowing you are getting what you need from your protein and vitamin supplements. It's okay just to have a bite or two, or to have the same things for a few days in a row and not get a lot of variety. The first few months you're retraining yourself with eating and your body is going to be doing all sorts of weird things until it recovers.

The doctor responded to my question in writing a few weeks ago that there is no good answer because there is no way to know, but saw the value of having access to my stomach to monitor, i don't think she had a chance then to review the EGD pathology report and now suddenly I have a meeting with her. The program coordinator couldn't explain to me why it was so early. 15 years ago I had a bladder cancer scare, and the urologist reacted the same way after they got a pathology report. In that instance they had access to my bladder and did a scope and did not find anything really abnormal. I know the risk is rare, and I look forward to learning about the alternative ways to monitor. And I hope you're correct. RYGB in general would be something I'll have to warm up to because of the increased complications associated with it. The great news is there is a lot of data on it, and surgeons are very familiar. Sinceit's not novel, and if I move I will surely find a doctor familiar with it vs SADI-S or even BPD/DS. For example in my area very few surgeons do either of those two. My insurance doesn't cover SADI-S or OAGB. My preferred surgery is SG. If I'm not a good candidate for it, then I'm glad I'm waiting because I need to do some deep thinking. Dumping sounds terrible. Arthritis runs in my family, and at time even at my age my knuckles and joint hurt. Nevertheless the nephrologist advises against NSAID but they are not off limits with RYGB they would be mostly off limits. I'm not SG or bust really, but I just had a relative share they have precancerous cells in their stomach. That two of my father's siblings with either stomach cancer or precancerous cells. It is a little too close to home. I may be, however, more at risk of dying by slipping in the bath tub, or driving on the highway than getting stomach cancer in my remnant stomach. So I have to be realistic. If I do nothing and get kicked off of Zepbound my weight will return, and my heart will enlarge, and I could die of heart failure or a stroke (in the last 5 years 3 close family members had strokes, and my grandfather die of a stroke years ago). Those are conditions I have now. The enlarging heart may not get worse, but it likely will. My cardiologist is why I aggressively started losing weight to lose 40 lbs since my bariatric first appointment weight-in in February. I've now been taken off one of my four hypertension meds, but I'm still on three. My other concern about RYGB is how will it impact my ability to take sustained released meds. all this I'll talk to my surgeon about in my meeting Tuesday. I've been considering bariatric surgery since 2018, and i put it off. 2022 after a few health scares and being diagnosed with mild but concerning LVH I started seeing a dietician and working out. Later I battled shame to start Wegovy in 2023 and worked with an obesity specialist's practice. In 2005 due to insurance I switched to Zepbound. After my cardiology follow up in January I went for my first bariatric consult. I briefly considered ESG, but after researching decided against it and insurance doesn't cover it. I witched Weightloss clinics and aggressively started tracking and living in a calorie deficit. I'm under no illusions about being able to keep this weight off w/o surgery long term. I don't know if the co pays next year will be even higher already $500 $360 with a coupon, or if my financial situation will change. ifI do nothing, the I'm not sure if I'll make it to my mid sixties if I go back to 315-320. So I have to do something, the question is what.

hmmmm...i was diagnosed with fatter liver maybe a year or so before my wls. it was basically reversed by the time i had my 3 month post-op follow-up. honestly though, i don't really know how "bad" i had it - im sure my doc told me but i probably wasn't paying attention - in any case, i didn't even notice any ill effects from it when i did have it. sorry...i realize that wasn't really much help.

I’ve lost around 100lbs. I have been gaining and losing the same 4 pounds since last fall, about the same time I hurt my back in the gym. I’m recovered now and need to get back to exercising. The gastric sleeve has been super helpful because even if I have a cheat meal, it’s very small and almost no weight impact. I’ve always liked protein heavy meals so this has been pretty easy for me. Limiting bread and sugars, and not drinking soda has gotten me most of the way there. I have started to drink a few beers a week…I try to keep it to lite low cal/carb beer.

6 days Post surgery update! Feeling great! 🥳 no problems tolerating fluids *touch wood* I have had some delicious home made soup which I strained, red lentil and veggies made on home made bone broth is delicious! I had prepped a large amount of bone broth and soups for Post surgery, but we had a Natural Disaster level storm through, which took out our power for 3 days!!!!!!!!! Lost everything, so have had to make more. Tonight I thought I would try Thai flavours and a bit of spice to see how my tummy reacts. Had a few sips whilst making it, and no dramas! Red curry soup with powdered peanut butter and coconut milk. 141 cals for small bowl. Taking it very slowly in case my tummy rebels.

i actually thought i was in menopause at the time of my surgery...i hadn't had a period for almost two years just prior to that. about 2 weeks after surgery, i got a period, omg. and lasted for like 8-10 days. which is weird, cuz when i was regular, my periods lasted 4-5 days tops. and this one was HEAVY. after that, i got my period like clockwork, every 4 weeks, lasting 4-5 days again. guess i wasn't in menopause after all, i was just fat. which sucked (the period part not the fat part) cuz i really hate getting periods. then about 4 years later, i truly went into menopause. and haven't had a regular period since 2022. yay! but yeah, i as i understand it, hormones are stored in some level of fat, so when there is rapid weight/fat loss, your hormones are released back into your body (bloodstream?), and you are effected by it. so if hormones are the cause of your spotting, this could be why. but to be safe, pls have a visit with your doc or gyno. don't mess with reproductive health: if you can catch something early, catch it early. good luck! ❤️

Of course!! I have my alarms set for 9, 12, 3, 6 and 9 (every 3 hours). I am up before the 9am but I do my Yoga or walk in the morning and then it takes me a while to drink that big proffee drink so it’s usually 8:30 or 9 when I finish it. It’s more of a reminder if I set it down and forget about it. Lunch at noon, small snack at 3, dinner at 6 and small snack at 9. This works really well for me for food and I am able to get my multi, 3 calcium’s and then my magnesium and hair vitamin all separated by a few hours. Ooh and Chomps Turkey Jerky is a good snack to keep on hand as well. They have mini turkey sticks but the pepperoni ones are better tasting. I just eat half and save half for later. I also have a pack of ziplocks in my car.

Congrats on taking the first step! As @FifiLux pointed out, the keys are really going to be reducing portion sizes and making good food choices. These will be really important after surgery, so getting started on them sooner rather than later is the right approach. By the way, fad diets like Low Carb and Keto may work for some people, but as you said, they don't work for you so there's no point going there. It's also really critical you don't try to make drastic changes all at once. What you need to focus on is one sustainable positive change at a time until it becomes the new norm for you. People almost inevitably fail when they make wholesale changes to their diet and activity level simultaneously. Also, If after implementing a particular change it still feels like a challenge to you, then keep at it until that one is just part of what you do. Once you get to that point, only then is it time to try to make another change. My suggestion is to pick no more than 2-3 things per month you want to change about your diet and activity level and start with the ones you think will be easiest first. Changing subjects a bit, let's do some math here. To lose 6 pounds a month, you'd need to reduce your energy balance by -750 calories a day. This can be made up of lower intake, greater activity, or most likely both. At your current weight, walking ~3 miles an hour would burn ~200 calories per mile. Thus a 30 minute walk would burn ~300 calories and an hour walk would burn ~600. Add in smaller portions of the same things you're eating now and 6 pounds a month will be easily attainable. Keep us updated as you progress and the smart folks here will be glad to help.

First, remember that you're not on your own here -- it's your doctor's job to look at your test results and determine whether there's any cause for concern. It's also important to keep in mind that you are now a bariatric surgery patient as well as someone who is recovering from surgery. This means you have abnormal circumstances, so it is very common to have "abnormal" results for some tests. My surgery was almost 5 years ago, so I don't recall specifics, but I do know that I had some "abnormal" results after surgery that were expected because I was recovering from surgery. Another example is that my B12 levels are always sky high, but that's because I take a daily B12 supplement. I've found that ChatGPT can be helpful in explaining test results. You can upload a screenshot of your results and ask for an interpretation, and even give some background information (e.g., say that you had bariatric surgery 4 weeks ago) for more personalized results. It can also give you some questions to ask your doctor about your results. This should go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway: obviously, ChatGPT is not a substitute for your actual surgeon, so you should only use it for information purposes, but it can still be really helpful to understand the implications of some tests and prepare you to discuss with your doctor.

for me: (1) continuing to track my food intake (via MFP) and weighing myself daily...and making adjustments when a moving weight trend shows up in either direction i dont really want. also, (2) regular exercise (which morphed into a love for exercise) and (3) striving to maintain an angst-free existence: understanding that i am not perfect, that nothing is forever, that i believe i can and will adapt, accept OR change, whatever the circumstances. i am 6 years post op next week and have maintained below goal weight this entire time, following my own advice above. i know that my M.O. is not for everyone...but i also know that each one of us can figure out what works for us (and what doesn't) and act accordingly, if we choose to.

Love your idea of creating this post, just 1 win at a time! So up lifting !!! Wish I saw this the past few weeks. Yesterday I work out for about 3 hours and burned over 1000 calories! Jogging in the early morning and walk to Orange Theory Fitness for my class. After lunch I went to HOTWORX for more work out. Felt so great that I took the day off and was so productive. I’ve been stuck on 201/202 lbs for a few weeks. This morning I am poppy playtime longer in 200!!!! 199.6lbs!!!! Omg I am just screaming and crying. This was my first goal I wanted to hit. I beat myself up often and was so upset I didn’t reach it 3 months ago when I was at the doctor appointment. So I started 273 lbs, on my surgery date in Jan 24 I was 250, took me 8 months to reach 200. My next appointment is in a month and I look forward to show my doctor that I am in ONEDERLAND! (Under 200lbs)

This may be a good advice for other people this has stuck with me for a long time. In another bariatric group this lady on zoom made a statement "Hunger is not an emergency" this resonated with me. Hunger really is not an emergency for the past 3 plus months I fast from 8pm to 12pm about 16 hours. Once you mentally prepare yourself it's a breeze. I tell myself hunger is not an emergency and there we go!

Happy to see you're doing so well! I'm going home today. Ended up getting sleeved on Wednesday, which wasn't the initial plan. My surgery was scheduled for Thursday, Jan 30. When I arrived on Wed morning for my pre-ops (blood work, urine test, EKG, meeting with psychologist, etc) they asked if I'd like to have the procedure that same day as the schedule had unexpectedly opened up. I was like, sure let's just get this over with lol They gave me a bottle of water with 1000mg Tylenol, benadryl, and Clonopin to help me relax, and told me not to drink anything else from there on out. I had the VSG around 3:00p. I remember the anesthesiologist saying, "If you feel a little dizzy, that's normal." And then nothing. I woke up in recovery lol I was really groggy when I woke up and a little disoriented, like "Where am I? What's going on? It's over already? That's it?" Haha. I did feel pressure in my abdomen and I kept having to tell myself to breathe. I haven't felt much pain, only when getting up and sitting down, and I haven't felt nauseous at all, thank god. A young lady in the room next to mine had nausea SO bad. I felt for her cuz that's awful. I've been walking a lot to help relieve the gas pressure. It's a lot better than it was a couple days ago. They took out my IV yesterday and I have been able to take my medications by mouth without any problem. I'm able to tolerate liquids, and have been mixing water with gatorade. I got a B12 shot in the ass today, and that sucker hurt! Yowza. They have me on an antiobiotic and blood thinner for the next week. I also have pain medication that I can take every 6hrs, but I honestly haven't needed to take it that much. I'll just use Tylenol once I get home. Looking forward to going home today and seeing my three babies! (They're cats lol) But first I have to discharge and then go to the airport. Hopefully the flight home isn't too bad. 🤞

Your PCOS is probably your worst enemy when battling your weight. Hormones were certainly mine. From puberty I started gaining and I bounced between 60 & 75kgs most of my adult life using a multitude of diets & exercises programs to manage it. Generally I was a low calorie eater even regularly skipping meals to limit calorie intake. I went to a dietician once who told me I wasn’t eating enough. (Never lost a pound seeing her.) Perimenopause hit and I suddenly went from 60 to 80. Then menopause and I was 91. All gained seemingly overnight. Couldn't lose except a couple of kilos on a 500 calorie a day diet and it took weeks to lose that. Nothing worked until I had surgery. When hormones come into play how many calories you eat, how much you manage the quality of the food you eat, how much activity you do, you are fighting a battle with the odds against you. One of the benefit of the surgery is that it alters your hormones (gut, metabolic, reproductive and other hormones like cortisol) to varying degrees. This is why it may help you. A lot of others on the forum with PCOS have found success with the surgery & hopefully some will respond with their experiences. But as others have mentioned you have to be mentally & emotionally ready for surgery. It’s not easy with a lot of head work involved. It takes a lot of commitment. And it is a lifelong commitment but so worth it All the best, whatever you decide to do.

I set my goal weight at 155 lbs to reach a "healthy" BMI of 25, partially because I felt like it would be nice to experience going to the doctor and not having my weight come up as a red flag (although my doctor is really great about things like that), and partially because it was the weight I was when I graduated high school and I was curious to see if I could get back there. My "secret" goal would be to reach 151 lbs, which would mean I lost 100 lbs from my highest weight. I'm currently a week from my 1-year surgiversary and 8 lbs above my goal, so I'm pretty happy.

Congratulations on your success so far! I completely empathise with the surreal feeling - it is almost like a weird out-of-body experience! I can answer a couple of your questions, obviously not the one about maintenance as I am only like 7-odd months post bypass now I think! I believe I have lost almost 100lbs now (45kg, 7 stone), and in the initial first 5 months I was really struggling to go to the gym so I wasn't very active. I have started going to the gym now and I am really enjoying it, not seeing as fast-paced weight loss currently, but that could be because of muscle gaining at the gym and normal stalling! I think my biggest challenge/lesson has been listening to my new stomach now. Understanding when it is full, and also looking at food differently - I just see it as fuel now, rather than thinking about it 24/7 which has been hard. It has also been a challenge to actually accept that I am smaller now - I still instinctively reach for my old clothing size in shops (UK 22-24), and am genuinely shocked when it is too big, or when something I see as "tiny" fits me. The changing the mind is a long haul lesson I believe! All the best for you on this journey x

We would come down like a ton of bricks on someone who was mean on here. Its a safe place. People come for advice and reassurance and because I was helped I am paying it forward. I might add that it keeps me on track too so I am not as selfless as I seem. This is wise, I told only my husband and son. It was my decision to do this and like you I didn't want to listen to any negativity. Yes you will, I do. But in the beginning few days its a scary struggle and I did panic at this stage but we all got there. I got to a size and weight where I was happy. You then up your calories, a little each week until you get to the point where you stop loosing weight. Its really simple but takes a little courage to let go a bit.

my go-to fave was ISOPURE dutch chocolate flavour (its the least sweet of the *many* brands i tried). low carb, not too sweet, not powder-y feeling. blended it up with 2 tsp decaf instant coffee crystals, 1.5 cups water, 1 cup ice and 2 tsp benefibre (for regular pooping lol). had 2-3 of these the early post wls months, then 1 a day in the later months until about 7 months post. recently went back to drinking 1 a day to deal with some unintended weight loss. ISOPURE also has a flavourless zero-carb version that used for cooking...not for drinking though cuz it really isn't that flavourless, ha.

i skipped puree cuz it grossed me out. i barfed a little in my mouth when i saw the beef i pureed for my first foray into that stage. in the end, i just extended my full fluids diet an extra week then went straight to soft foods afterwards. though others have had great success an joy in this stage, so it cant be all bad?

I went through 3 jars of pickles during pre-op. lol. My nutritionist said they were a “free food” so I ate all I could tolerate. lol

New here but usually trolling,I'm having such a hard time with food no matter what it is fish,chicken, lean meats etc. Some days or should I say most days just the thought and smell of food wanna make me gag,lately I have been passing days of not eating just supplementing with protein shakes. My situation is everytime I do eat something I'm spending the next whole day visiting the bathroom 8-10 times a day and feel terribly crabby and have no value of life as I cannot leave the house without having an accident os two. I am getting very frustrated and getting depressed of this situation. I'm 9 weeks out this coming Tuesday and have lost 55lbs and down 2 pants sizes but not very happy about this bathroom thing and my quality of life as I can barely leave the house unless I don't eat a couple of days,and I don't even get hungry or feel like I can eat anything right now food just disgust me. Any help I will appreciate.