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That is now 7 Amazon deliveries due in the next few days and an order from About You. This weight loss journey is so expensive 😂

The whole shebang huh lol. Im a bit leery of it all myself. I have lost enough weight now between gastric sleeve and zepbound that I have the sagging skin issue in several places. My biggest area that I suppose bothers me (in looks) is my arms. I hate how much is sagging and actually quite heavy skin. If I do anything it will be those upper arms for sure first!!! It wasnt really until recently I noticed it wasnt just the upper arms, it has now gone downward into forearm area. Skin there is really starting to get loose. I just dont know whether to do both upper arms at the same time or one at a time. I have not spoken to a plastic surgeon yet as I am only just now seeing other areas of my body with loose sagging skin. Ive lost a considerable amount in the breast area, my thighs are now saggy and loose as well as my butt lol. I just noticed a noticeable fold of loose skin thats irritating ha!! I just dont know if I want to go through so many surgeries to get rid of all this, it seems a bit much but I guess time will tell which areas will irritate me enough to do something about it.

I had sleeve 3.5 years ago and I gained all my weight back because I was too embarrassed to ask for help before it was too late. You already taken a big step in reaching out here for help. I would also reccomend that you make an appointment with your team for further support. I thought for sure mine was going to chastise me for messing up but that couldn’t have been further from what happened when i finally did. All they wanted to do is help. I ended up doing a revision but my preop diet was pretty doable and detoxed me from sugar and carbs. Mine was two shakes a day and then low carb dinner of 3oz lean protein with a cup to a cup And a half of lower carb veggies. Something like that may be a Reset of sorts but you shouldn’t do it without consulting a doctor. Anyways, doing that I noticed that each day it got easier and easier as my body stopped cravings the sugar and carbs so I didn’t feel like I was starving myself anymore. For me, that’s the biggest obstacle. If I’m not starving I can make the better choices. You may also reach out to your dietician. Be honest about what you are eating as ask for help to make small changes to get you back on track. Keep posting and let us know your progress of struggles.

I had gastric Bypass in 2019. I have gained about 13 pounds back, but pretty happy overall. Last year when I was laying flat on the floor and went to sit up I felt the oddest sensation. It was a pain and pressure along with a knotty feeling protrusion that popped out in my stomach right below by right ribs. I was able to push it back in. I saw my gastric surgeon, who couldn't feel anything but sent me for a CT. The CT showed nothing. However, this protrusion has happened many times since. I even had my husband feel it last time to ensure I am not going crazy. Has anyone else had anything similar? What are your symptoms and what has been done for you? Any advice? Thanks! Lynda

I didn't weigh the weighing scale but I also am not great on gauging weights or measurements myself. I am sure it is as they say, which I didn't ready (oops) I just read the reviews of people saying how light it was to put in their luggage etc.

Yea since I was a revision to SADI they did not operate on my stomach. My portions are the same as they were years out from my sleeve which was about a single serving of most things. The weight I have lost is really just from eating 100% clean and exercising quite a bit. I really don’t worry too much about portions (although I still can’t eat a ton at once). I truly do believe that I am a carb addict though. It’s hard every single time I eat a lot of them to get back off of them. My plan is just to allow myself to have as much fruits and veggies as I want until the cravings ease up and then go back to my normal portions. We celebrate on Christmas eve and just have breakfast on Christmas while we watch the parade so I started yesterday and my plan worked, but I still ate a lot of calories because of eating all day long and I still want carbs just as bad today. My body just screams out for them. And for a while too. It’s really almost not worth it.

Congrats on how well you have been doing!! I had the gastric sleeve and would love to share my story The good: I had my surgery on January 24, 2024, and I am now almost one year post-op. I reached my goal weight about seven months after the surgery and have been maintaining it within a +/- 3-pound range. Once I started weightlifting, I noticed a significant transformation in my body, which has kept me motivated because I am starting to love what I see in the mirror. I have gone from a size 2/3X top to an XS/S top, and from size 18 pants to size 4. I never imagined my body could look and feel this good. My health has vastly improved, and I have so much energy. I am happier, and that positivity radiates from me. The bad/challenges: I still experience episodes of binge eating, although it is not as severe as it was before. However, when I'm not being mindful, I tend to grab chips and eat too many, or take mini candies and other snacks that I shouldn't have. I am aware of my actions, but for some reason, I don't seem to care in the moment. It has happened maybe two to three times, and each time, I feel really angry with myself. I recognize that this is something I need to work on, and I'm conscious of it. I understand that this will be a lifelong challenge for me, but I am actively working on it and taking it one day at a time. I tend to be hard on myself because I am so afraid of going back to my old habits. This is a second chance at life and I want to make the most of this! Everyone has their own journey. We will all face challenges and struggles, but for the most part, this is an amazing tool! Make the most of it in the first 12 to 18 months. Take advantage of the rapid weight loss, work out, and engage in activities that intimidated you when you weighed more. Take risks, because I promise you will be so happy that you did!

Yea since I was a revision to SADI they did not operate on my stomach. My portions are the same as they were years out from my sleeve which was about a single serving of most things. The weight I have lost is really just from eating 100% clean and exercising quite a bit. I really don’t worry too much about portions (although I still can’t eat a ton at once). I truly do believe that I am a carb addict though. It’s hard every single time I eat a lot of them to get back off of them. My plan is just to allow myself to have as much fruits and veggies as I want until the cravings ease up and then go back to my normal portions. We celebrate on Christmas eve and just have breakfast on Christmas while we watch the parade so I started yesterday and my plan worked, but I still ate a lot of calories because of eating all day long and I still want carbs just as bad today. My body just screams out for them. And for a while too. It’s really almost not worth it.

I feel like you may be overthinking the malabsorption component of RNYGB? Yes, this does elevate the risk of nutritional deficiencies for some vitamins & minerals since absorption sites are somewhat bypassed. You've got to keep in mind though that ALL bariatric surgery patients are going to be nutritionally deficient, at least during the weight loss phase when you'll be eating a very low calorie diet. Very low calorie also means very low amounts of most vitamins and minerals. Even if your diet were perfect (virtually no one has a perfect diet), you just can't consume sufficient food to make up for your nutritional needs. Yes, you'll eventually get back to eating more normal amounts, but until then, bariatric multivitamins have been formulated to make sure you don't suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Keep in mind too that the supplementation recommendations are all based on averages and in reality very few of us are average. The volume of food and the nutritional quality of said food, as well as genetic and epigenetic factors all influence what you'll be able to get from diet alone, as well as how well supplementation works for you. As a result, ALL supplementation recommendations are set up to ensure ~95% of patients will have no nutritional issues. Bariatric multivitamin manufacturers also tend to over-rotate on anything that does not have an established upper limit since they know that their consumers will be having frequent labs done. If someone were to be deficient in a particular vitamin, then they're likely to seek out a different product. You can see this pretty clearly by simply looking at something like the ASMBS recommendations vs the massive amounts of many vitamins found in bariatric multivitamins. Know too that it's entirely likely your bariatric team will have you adjust your supplementation after your labs are done post operatively. Many will want to do labs around 90 days, 180 days, then annually thereafter to monitor for nutritional deficiencies (or sometimes even excesses). I for example had to modify what multivitamin I took because my B12 level was sky high. I get the cost concern, and you may be fine with just a regular multivitamin, but keep in mind your overall food bill should drop since you'll be eating so little. This should more than cover the cost difference, so personally I'd err on the side of caution and take a bariatric specific multivitamin at least while you're in the fat loss stage. Once you're in maintenance, you might be able to adjust that (with your doctor's blessing).

I didn’t loose any weight with the liquid diet because I had already been following the bariatric plan for a whole year before the surgery so my body was used to being calorie restricted. The salt levels sound kind of high… like others have said. Don’t be surprised if you gain weight while in hospital because the IV fluids are full of salt too. Just keep drinking water and it will come off. Best of luck with your recovery!

Frustrating & upsetting I know but like everything about this experience (including the amount of weight you lose, your rate of loss, your time line for losing, etc.) the three week stall is just an average. Some will stall earlier & some will stall later. They usually last 1-3 weeks but could be more or less. Don’t worry, you will start to lose again. Just give your body time to reset it itself and work out your new needs. You’ll notice the scales dropping again when your body is ready. Can’t force it. You’ll only stress your body & yourself more.

Hello all, I was wondering if any of you are consuming regularly diet drinks, without experiencing any weight increase impact, 1 year or more after your gastric bypass? Craving a Coke Zero, but I am afraid I will get hooked on it and this will eventually impact my weight. I am 1 year post RNY and almost at goal weight (struggling with the last 20 pounds). Thank you!

I am so sorry to hear you had to go through that. But your right, it was a perfect example of something life changing that you got through and you got through it sober. That’s amazing!! I am just hoping to get through this and figure out a way to help make some changes to the process. Dealing with all these insurance hurdles and the administrative red tape with all of these doctors offices is just way harder than it needs to be. I struggle with anxiety and I told a lady today that I am more anxious about getting the appointments scheduled and getting the staff to do my insurance authorizations or fax my records to other places than I am that I have cancer. I said I don’t know but that seems pretty backwards to me, doesn’t it you? I think I got her attention with that statement. But, I have been able to manage my anxiety pretty well without much medication which is a huge win for me. My exercise helps a great deal with my anxiety day to day. It doesn’t take it away entirely but it brings it to a more manageable level. Yoga is really good for it too so I got started with that new habit just in time. Have you tried the tropical variety of the sugar free popsicles? I absolutely love the pineapple ones. They are so much better to me than the old school flavors. I actually forgot that I have them in the freezer. I need to get back to eating them when the sweet tooth hits. I have a non scale victory. Well I guess it is a scale victory but it’s about more than just the scale. The support group that I belong to for cancer had a therapy program where you get to work with horses and they have a weight limit. It’s technically 180 but I told them I was a tad over and they said I should still be okay to do it. They make us do a whole medical packet and get it signed by our doctor so I won’t know for sure for a while but at least it wasn’t an automatic no like it would have been four months ago i hope you have a fabulous holiday and enjoy your trip. I bet that seat will be extra spacious for you. I haven’t flown since my loss but my best friend travels a lot for work and she has recently lost a bunch of weight and she mentioned how it keeps getting easier and easier for her. Not just to fit in the seat but the trip itself takes less out of her than it used to.

So the surgeon was really nice and I felt comfortable with him - had already researched him and also got good feedback from another patient of his. Sadly the health dept will no longer cover boob jobs, ended in 2024, they will do arms, tummy, legs etc though. He says my boobs are still doing well for my age and weight loss so unless I was very self conscious about them he thought it was not worth the cost (EUR 10k!!!!). He said my stomach didn't need any work as it is looking very well. My thighs he could do a small lift but he didn't think it would be very noticeable so again he didn't think it was something to consider unless I really wanted to. For my lower legs/calves he said my lyphodema is too bad that he could not cut there and that all he could suggest would be a few rounds of liposuction on them but then they would look worse probably because the legs would become saggy, whereas now they are large but "steady". The arms he said he could certainly do something with and I agreed he could submit my request to the health dept for approval. I would have to pay just under €3k contribution but I wouldn't mind that. Will see if I get the approval, once I get the approval it is then approx 5 months wait for a surgery date. I guess I am happy that firstly he doesn't do what he considers unnecessary surgeries and secondly that I am may not not looking so bad that surgeries are not vital. I will be investing in some new good bras instead of €10k for now

Oh OP please update your stats! No idea what surgery you had or when so no idea what advice to give about the gain. Sounds an amazing time. Big PSB fan here too. I saw them many years ago supporting Take That in Manchester. Glad you had fun. 🤩

Thank you for your encouragement! I am at a plateau in my weight loss journey. Somewhat discouraging. I am exercising, measuring, and getting my protein in. Worried I am not getting enough hydration (noticed some dry skin on my legs). Wishing you continued success throughout your journey!

My B-12 levels are right where they need to be. I have systemic lupus, which has always caused anemia. I actually have wrist and ankle weights, so I'll try wearing them and see how things go. I didn't even think about it, honestly. I'm just nervous about burning more fat and calories before I build any muscle. I haven't mentioned it yet, but besides my butt being flat and flabby now, I literally have almost no muscle there. When I sit on anything, I have to be careful because I'm literally sitting on bone. Actual bone, and it hurts. So I have to do this carefully.

I agree with @NickelChip, you’re not a failure. Not just from a statistical perspective but also from the perspective that you lost weight & kept it off for a while. That in itself is a success because we know how hard it is to lose any weight at all let alone keep it off for anything more than a week. Yes, there has been some discussion around the long term effectiveness of the sleeve but I think it could be said of any of the surgeries - it may work for some but not all. And what sometimes defines as a success may differ too. Too many external and internal factors can affect how successful you are in the short & long term too. I had my surgery when I was almost 54 because peri menopause & then menopause did a number on me & my weight. Quickly pushed me to my usual high weight then I swear overnight, to my all time high of 91kg, (Hormones are the gift that just keep giving whether you’re producing what you need or your production is decreasing as you near &/or are in menopause.). So yes, being in peri menopause or menopause could mess with your weight. I’d get in touch with your surgeon and ask him about a revision, GLP-1 meds and any other options. The fact you are ready & want to do something is such a positive position to be in. All the best.

I too am a fast eater, always have been. When I was at my highest weight I would eat so fast that I would get horrible indigestion pain on the right side of my stomach that would last 4 days. I still struggle with this, not nearly as fast as I used to be but I mentally need to remind myself to eat slower. During my first weeks post op I would set a timer for each bite, it took me ages to finish a meal. Nowadays if I'm really hungry I'll eat my first two bites really fast then my restriction reminds me to slow down, I almost always end up eating less that what I need to because of it, and then feel hungry again an hour later.

I would have focused more on my therapy sessions. I would have taken it all more seriously. My approach to the whole thing was "yeah yeah, I'll just go along and do what you shrink-folks tell me, let's just get this over with as quickly as possible, just sign me your 'ok' so that I can move on to surgery". At the moment I'm not very much inspired to go into more details and write some more... currently struggling with a serious weight re-gain (almost 20 kilos regain) ... and I don't know... some (almost) 3 years after my surgery, still struggling, just like before the surgery.

I’m a little surprised that your doc suggested the sleeve if you’re already having esophagus problems. I’m not a doctor, but my esophagus hernia excluded sleeve surgery automatically. Yes repairing can happen the same day. Be prepared for recovery taking a little longer with a sore and swollen throat. Everyone looses weight and recovers at different speeds. Just keep thinking about how much you are improving your health and quality of life.

Excellent thread - thank you @JamieLogical! I got sleeved almost 3 years ago. I hit my goal weight well within my first year. I lost another 10lbs very slowly in my second year to reach a BMI of 20. I was absolutely thrilled - I had lost just over half my body weight and was well beyond wildest dreams territory after a lifetime of obesity. But I started to regain this year. Initially I thought it was just the classic '3rd year regain' of the 10 - 20 lbs that so many people seem to experience. I asked lots of questions here and was reassured by the answers. I hadn't really drifted *that* much off the path (I thought). However, I continued to regain with no let up and was getting really worried. I eventually reached 16lbs over my lowest weight a month or so ago. Finally, I decided to go back to absolute basics and see whether that might reverse the regain. Carbs had crept in a bit (NOT A LOT, honestly) so I started every meal with protein, ate veg next, and stopped all bread, rice, pasta, potatoes etc. Just as I would have 2-3 years ago. Guess what? I have lost 9lbs of that regain in just over a month. My current diet is pretty much strict keto and not hard at all. I totally agree that the tool is there, we just have to use it and not eat around it. I'm so happy that I caught myself before I regained much more, but I can also totally see how I might have undone much more hard work. I wish you all the very very best with your new loss. I suspect you'll greet every milestone with just as much joy as you did originally.

Brachioplasty six weeks out now. Still putting silicon gel on incisions BUT started wearing these compression sleeves last week that really help sequester the pain especially in the daytime. The throbbing, burning and uncomfortableness are still there - but the compression helps numb the intensity. Many surgeons do not use them for this procedure since they can open up the sutures. I waited 4 ½ weeks for them to heal better before I sleeved. Keeping busy with light housework, cooking, holiday cards, planning for holidays and the 30th anniversary gala for Spring 2025! It will be fabulous, and really planning something special for hubby after his patience, loyal loving care in this 2019 - 2024 weight loss journey + saga now with the arms! Like SSS, by far the worst. I do not take any meds all day accept for Arnica, then a Tramadol at night to sleep. I definitely think I will be an 8 - 10 week heal time girl.

Hi there! I have had surgery mid September last year and from a prop weight of 213lbs I have become 138lbs (as of this morning). I don't have any restrictions either and my weight loss has plateaued now. I get quite hungry often too and have had multiple stalls. Please trust the process and wait it out. You'll be fine

I second the suggestion to track everything you eat or drink. I know it can be annoying to weigh/measure and record everything but it is the best way to ensure your portions are too large or you’re missing hidden calories or underestimating them. For example ate your potatoes mashed with butter, milk & are you counting them? Try to focus more on home made foods too so you can control the ingredients and cooking methods. I’d also suggest eating more regularly aiming for three small meals of real food not two meals of shakes. I was someone who lost their hunger and interest in eating for about a year. I ate to a routine to ensure I was getting in the nutrients I needed. I still eat this way. Even if I’m not all that hungry, I’ll still eat something. At 800 calories, most of your meal would be protein with some vegetables. Take your record of your tracked eating & drinking to your dietician and ask them to review it and make actual suggestions of what you could eat (add or remove). Demand better advice than an eye roll or general you must be eating something that’s sabotaging your weight loss.