Search the Community

I’m looking for October 2018 sleevers to share stories and best practices. This has been a long journey and I’m so excited to finally get towards the end. I started in the Bariatric program, September 2017. I completed all pre-surgery requirements and was scheduled for surgery 1/26/18. I was going through this journey with my mother in law. She had sleeve surgery 12/14/17 and passed away one week later on 12/21/17. This was a huge setback for me  and at this point my husband was no longer supportive of the surgery. This resulted in my surgery being cancelled. It has taken time for my family to put the pieces back together. I have had so many ups and downs over the past few months and became discouraged and depressed. My husband is no onboard and has been a big support to me lately. I reentered the bariatric program on 7/26/17. I am tentatively scheduled for surgery on 10/29/18. I have an appointment with a Pulmonologist Monday to be cleared for surgery. I am very happy and am looking forward to a successful journey.

Agree!! Be careful what you eat and don't over do it. I know there are programs that have patients starting mushy foods almost right away but take it slow. I'm half way through mushy foods now at 19 days out and it stresses no lumps. Good luck, hope it works out great for you.

Celebrate does have a $10 sample pack that they ship for free. It comes with a $10 coupon. The sample pack has TONS of options to try. That's where I found the Essential Multi 2 in 1. I figure I don't want to have to manage too manage supplements and pills. Now I just have one bottle to deal with and remember. My doctor hasn't ordered iron for me at this point, so I haven't purchased.

If there were one straightforward aspect of weight loss surgery, it would be weighing yourself. Get on the scale, read the number, get off the scale. Done, right? Not so fast! The scale can be one of your most important tools on your weight loss journey, but only if you use it right. Surprisingly enough, using the scale right can take more than a bit of planning, just like many other aspects of your weight loss surgery journey. The number you see can jump around and start to drive you crazy if you do not know the reasons behind the blips. These are some reasons for some ups and downs on the scale, and how to prevent or at least accept them. Hint: It is probably not yet panic time! Up: Salt (Sodium) Did you have a salty meal last night? Did you snack on pickles, top your chicken with salsa, season your turkey burger with soy sauce or another salty condiment, or help yourself to a big salad with fat-free dressing? Those are all great choices for weight loss, but not for today’s weight. Are you confused? Here is the explanation. Sodium, which we mainly get from salt in foods, has no calories and is one way to add flavor without fat or sugar to food so you can keep calories down for weight loss, But, sodium attracts water. Eat a high-sodium meal or snack, and your body can retain water. You may feel bloated and notice your ankles or fingers swelling. That water inside of you is heavy, and the scale will tell you so. Tip: Do not eat a high-sodium or salty meal or snack the day before your weigh-in, or keep in mind that you did. Up: Stress Long-term, stress eating can add fat to your hips and pounds to the scale. Short-term stress can bump up your weight, too, without overeating. Stress hormones lead to water retention and (see above) water is heavy. Tip: Don’t stress out! Easier said than done, but being aware of stress can help. So can exercising, laughing with friends, and meditating. Up: Big Meal, Day, or Weekend Remember the part about how sodium attracts water? So do extra sugar and carbohydrates. It takes an extra 3,500 calories to gain a pound of body fat, but y you are likely to see your weight jump if you eat a big meal, or have a cheat day, or get out of control on the weekend. That sodium and those carbs can add up more quickly than you expect. A single restaurant meal with rolls or breadsticks, a burger and fries, and a small dessert can have over 5,000 mg of sodium and 200 grams of carbohydrates. That amount may “only” include 2,000 calories (barely over ½-lb’s worth of body fat), but it is enough to bump the scale up as much as a few pounds the next day. Tip: Do not eat too much! If you do have a cheat meal or day, do not weigh in after it. Most people consider Mondays to be a bad day for a weigh-in because weekend diets are often less strict than weekday eating patterns. Up: Lack of Sleep Do you ever feel groggy and heavy when you do not get enough sleep? The scale will confirm that it is not your imagination. You can retain water due to hormonal shifts when you do not sleep enough. Over the longer term, sleep deprivation can make you gain “real” weight (body fat) because lack of sleep: Increases ghrelin, which is a hormone that makes you feel hungry. Increases cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. Reduces your ability to resist cravings. Tip: Get enough sleep. It is not a luxury that is beyond your control. It is an important part of your weight loss lifestyle, so make it a priority. Down: Dehydration Weight loss is one motivation to exercise, but losing too much weight with a single workout just means you are dehydrated, not that you burned off pounds of fat in an hour or so. The scale can show you a low number because you sweated a lot. It can be motivating, but it is not healthy. Dehydration can lead to fatigue and to later water retention – and a bump up on the scale! Tip: drink 8 oz. of water every 20 minutes while you are exercising intensely. Weigh yourself before and after your workout, and drink 16 ounces of water for each pound that you lost during your workout. Down: Sudden weight loss Have you ever started a diet and seen the pounds come off quickly at first before the weight loss tapered off? It may have even happened after WLS if you were one of those patients who lost 10 or 20 lb. within the first weeks. A good portion of that weight was water weight. It happens when your body shifts from gaining weight (or being stable) to losing weight. What happens is that your body loses carbohydrates that were stored in the form of glycogen. Glycogen holds water. When you lose the glycogen suddenly by going low-carb or low-calorie, you lose water, too. So, your scale weight drops fast. Tip: Celebrate those first pounds lost, but keep working hard. Stick to your diet and stay hydrated so the pounds keep coming off for weeks and months to come. Now that you know that the scale can be fickle, you can concentrate on finding the balance between trusting the scale and trusting your diet. If you stay on track with your eating and workout program, and take care of the “little things” such as getting enough sleep and managing stress, you can outlast any bumps on the scale and come out stronger and lighter than ever.

Stopped by a store last night - just to check - and yep! I can now wear a size 10 dress comfortably! Loving my new body, new energy, new menu, new me! I need to work out more though. That's my next step. Increased cardio! Will let you know how it goes!

@BlueEyedAngel28 Congrats! You look fantastic and you look like you feel fantastic! Are you looking at some light cosmetics/plastics down the line? I know there are reports of the excess skin weighing 10-20 lbs, not that you look like you need them, you shrunk right up!

Someone who had a reversal done in 2015: "I had a laparoscopic gastric bypass in 2005. I did my research and was satisfied with everything but one issue that always nagged at me. There were little long-term studies of over 7 years post surgery at that time. The surgery itself was a success....there were no complications and I went from 230 to about 140lbs. I also developed chronic amenia. Six years ago I began to get a very strange headache and had so much pressure on my optic nerves that my eye doctor sent me to a neurologist. My sight was failing at that point too. A contrasting MRI showed there was no tumor on the brain or optic nerves and that it was a "phantom tumor"-- cranial hypertension which is quite rare. The doctor performed a spinal tap to relieve the pressure, put me on medication and monitored me for a few years. It went away and I forgot about it for a few years. On Jan 21, 2015, I had chest/stomach pain that I knew I could no longer self-medicate. I was slowly getting sick for months prior to this but made every excuse...peri-menopausal....being run down...etc. I was admitted to the ER that night with a strangled colon and sepsis due to intestinal twisting. The surgeon opened me....my vitals became too unstable and he decided to resume the surgery in the morning if I lived through the night. He was able to complete the resection the next day. He removed 1/3 of my colon and 72 inches of intestines along with my appendix. I was in a medically induced coma for nearly a week. Moved to a rehab facility for physical and occupational therapy. I was finally able to go home on February 25, 2015. This is when I began to really fail instead of recover. I now had short bowel syndrome. Another extremely rare condition. Nutrients and fats were not being absorbed from the foods I ate, my hemoglobin reached a critical level twice (3 and 4.7) requiring approximately 14 bags of blood for transfusion. I was losing weight rapidly...size 12 at Christmas to a 4 currently. Most of my hair has fallen out and I'm as weak and frail as a colt. I researched Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) and joined NORD, National Organization of Rare Disorders. I also found a closed SBS group on Facebook that connected me with 2 of the most amazing women I've ever met. Both living seven years with SBS. Living with SBS is a living hell. There isn't enough bowel to properly hold food in for absorption and I averaged about 26 explosive diarrheas daily. As soon as I took a bite or a sip of something the churning would start. It was loud and painful. Imagine the worst gas pain and diarrhea you've ever had and then imagine it 24/7. I only left the house for doctor appts. I had no energy and there was always the possibility of a public explosion. I was slowly dying.....wasting away. I had my gastric bypass reversal on August 7, 2015. I was lucky to have a good amount of viable intestines left that the surgeon used to repair the damaged portion. I was told that the surgery was a complete success. I no longer feel the weakness of being malnourished, my mind is clear which means the bacterial overgrowth is gone, food is staying in much longer and bowel movements are down to about 4-6 a day. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday, August 26 to get the staples out and for some labwork. Three interesting things that I recently learned: 1) The scar tissue from my gastric bypass caused the twisting 2) Cranial Hypertension and Short Bowel Syndrome, both very rare, are getting more notice because most of the patients with recent diagnoses have had a gastric bypass years ago....8-10 years is the average for "us patients". 3) Most people don't survive the kind of trauma that I suffered in January. There aren't many advocates speaking up about these very serious complications resulting from gastric bypass surgery." https://www.thinnertimesforum.com/topic/107174-my-gastric-bypass-emergency-resection-and-reversal/

i got my surgery on friday oct 13. this was a long rode and still is. trying to deal with a new life is hard... but well worth it. My highest weight: 274lbs My surgery weight : 232lbs My goal weight was 140lbs jus went to the doctors my weight now is 132lbs she said i jus loose 7 more lbs and i will b done loosing weight. my bmi is finally normal it is 24.. they said i lost 70 % of my body weight... Sent from my SM-S120VL using BariatricPal mobile app

I liked Premiere Protein shakes the best also. I added about 1/3 skim milk because they were so syrupy sweet. Costco prices were more affordable than Target. I think it's important to know what shakes you can stand to drink ahead of time. My pre-op diet was 10 days of sugar free jello, broth, shakes, sugar free popsicles, and other clear liquids. I figured I can do just about anything for 10 days. Then after surgery for 2 weeks, it was more protein shakes, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, runny Cream of Wheat, Greek yogurt, and Cream of Tomato soup. It's kind of comical how quickly you fill up after surgery. 2 tablespoons of soup and I'd be full. I didn't like Cream of Wheat prior to surgery, but I became so bored with what few options I had, I expanded. Good luck!

I got my sleeve in December 2013 at 315 lbs. Pretty strict for about 10 months. Next holidays, added some goodies and seemed to be able to maintain (had gotten to 210). Never got below that despite being active, not snacking, drinking only water, not drinking with meals, and eating appropriate portions. For my system, just eating less and exercising isn't enough. I'm at 250 now, less active due to work and caring for my mom who can't be left alone. Surgeon said even if I went back to super strict on the eating, I would lose some but he wants me comfortably below 200 and said I would need the bypass to have hope of getting there and staying there. Eating less and exercising didn't work before the sleeve, maybe I should have considered that having the sleeve wouldn't be much different for me. Hopefully having the added component of malabsorption plus the knowledge that I need to maintain a decently strict lifelong meal plan, will be what works for me.

Daily, except I travel a lot for work. This weekend I had a three day conference/day of vacation in a resort place and ate vacation food. I was prepared to have gone up a pound or even two, but it's fine because I'm home and back on target. But I lost 3 lbs!!! I think it was all the walking on the beach and in the heat. My reason for daily is similar to what many have said - I want to catch myself if I start to go up several days in a row or something. 10 weeks out and 48 lbs though - hooray!!! I feel SO good.

I also has surgery on the 25 and today got my menstrual cycle and I already had it on July 10. So let's see how it going to change. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone! Long story short ... got lap band 10 years ago and did okay but not crazy great. I went from a size 16 to 8. In April 2016 I got a mommy make over and in December 2016 started gaining weight thanks to menopause. If I hadn’t been overweight before and stressed about it I would have probably only gained 20 pounds but I freaked out causing my hormones to go crazy. So now I am a size 16 again and going in for a revision. I worked my ass off to get to a size 8 but those who knew I had lap-band tend to forget all those nights I spent at the YMCA instead of happy hour and think the band did all the work so this time I don’t want to tell anyone. My brother and SIL know but they have 2 babies and it would be really hard to go. My sister, Dad & step mother and my daughter tend to tell everyone who will listen my business. My doctor is 2 hours away so I’d like to stay at a hotel and Uber to the hospital. Has anyone gone through this alone?

I must agree with everyone a little. You all make great points and I don’t have a long opinion to anyone’s post. Everyone is different and we all have different results. We all have different addiction levels and we all eat differently. However, I truly believe we have to work at this for the rest of our lives. Maintaining our low weight. Hell- I’m too short to even gain 10-20lbs back if I want to stay this small. So... everyone’s goal weight is different. I don’t understand regain though like most Vets- because I can only eat 1/4 cup at a time... 10months out. I am however hungry quite often . So I eat Clean calories all the time. So my calories don’t add up as fast. Time will tell. We all have motivations that keep us from over doing it and from gaining weight. Whatever that may be. Mine is feeling sexy in size 4-6 clothes. Feeling light as a feather when I walk. Etc etc ... good luck to everyone!

This website has some great seasoning ideas! https://www.thisgrandmaisfun.com/roasted-chickpeas-recipe/ But it seems like different recipes roast them differently. I personally just rinse them off, let them air dry for a few minutes, put them on a parchment paper, use spray olive oil to coat, season them, and shake the pan every 10 minutes while in the oven. I usually bake them at 400 degrees for approx. an hour. You will find if you like them crispier or not. Greek "No Pasta" Salad Dressing- 2 tbsp. lemon juice 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 1/4 cup of olive oil 1/4 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp Greek Seasoning (I bought this from Walmart) Veggies- Cherry Tomatoes (halved or 4ths) Sliced Kalamata olives Chic peas Cucumber Edamame Red Onion Feta Cheese

Yes, I'm trying my best the only way I can meet goal if I start at 7:00am end at 10:00 pm I don't know what else to do Sent from my SM-N920T using BariatricPal mobile app

Actually, that's about the best thing that can be said about it. Collagen/gellatin is about the most common protein there is, it's an incomplete protein that has a poor amino acid profile. Basically all of the amino acids that are at a surplus in your body already. The only difference between the expensive collagen protein powders and Jell-O (aside from flavors) is that the proteins have been processed further to break them down into smaller particles. Oh, and collagen won't gel. Nutritionally speaking, same thing. If you look on a box of Jell-O, it states that the FDA does not consider it a significant source of protein because of the low quality of the protein. However, since collagen is being sold as a supplement, it does not get regulated by the FDA. I know, I was upset too after buy turmeric bone broth powder to use in cooking. That stuff wasn't cheap! Tasted good though. Be aware that all of these benefits are so new they are mostly marketing speak. There was a time that cigarettes were toted as healthy! https://www.healthcare-administration-degree.net/10-evil-vintage-cigarette-ads-promising-better-health/

I just listen to my body. At the start of each stage I've had a hard time getting the proper amounts in but towards the end of the stage it all works out. I'm struggling right now on my 5th day with mushy foods. I feel so full all day long and I've been 10-20oz/grams down from goal. I can't believe how few calories I'm getting in and still feeling ok.

Honestly I met my husband 10 years ago when I was around 175 and we were just friends. I’ve gained 100 pounds in 10 years over the time of him knowing me but 7 of those years he has spent by my side loving me getting me to the place I am now and he is truly my best friend and we have an amazing life. Mind you were waaaaaay outside the norm when it comes to lifestyle but I always come back to him

I am a July 2017 sleever. My goal weight was 140 lbs, and by June I was 144, which sometimes goes up to 145. So I didn’t get down to it. But I eat a nice amount in a day, I’m never hungry (except right before I eat of course), I have my little snacks which I don’t need to feel ashamed of, as their macros and calories fit in with a healthy diet. So my weight loss counselor told me as she graduated me, that I don’t need to worry about the numbers of the scale any more. I still feel I have too much fat and skin in the lower half of the body. I do plan on surgery to help with some of the trouble spots and skin. And I work out now, I FINALLY believe all those thin people who used to say they loved working out. Didn’t you also think they were lying? Lol. Now I am one of them. I still can’t believe it. I don’t overdo it but I like to do some kind of workout or exercise at least once a day, even if it’s just stretching for 20 mins some days. The surgery was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Which I did more for my kids than for me, because my blood pressure was getting so bad and I wanted them to have a mother for a long time. But it ended up giving me a new lease on life. I did not lose 100 lbs in 6 months. It took me a whole year to lose 60 little pounds. But that is pretty much what I needed to lose. I could go down 10 lbs but maybe I will after body shaping, skin removing surgery, and maybe I won’t. My face and arms and chest are pretty small and I am not sure I want them any narrower. At my age it just makes you look old. I thought losing so slowly would mean I wouldn’t lose my hair. I was wrong. I lost about 75% of it by last November and by January I was getting vitamin and mineral IVs and extensions in my meager hair (which looked very post chemo). Still have the extensions and also a ton of 2-3 inch new hair growing back in. Whew. My advice to anyone starting out would be to take full advantage of your surgery recovery period when you cannot est normally, and DROP ALL SWEET FOODS PERIOD. Go very low carb, and make your carbs be fibrous veggies and seeds etc. Avoid sweet tastes. Many Bariatric products are full of sweeteners, keeping your palate and gut bugs preferring sweet tastes. Avoid them. Seek the salty tasty ones. Use unsweetened, unflavored protein powders. My doctor’s Nutritionist told us to avoid fruit for 6 months. I did. Thereafter, only 1/2 c berries or less a day. You don’t ever need fruit while you are losing weight. It’s a great opportunity to reset your diet. The gut bugs who love sugar will die out and they are the ones who give you that craving. Take advantage. Another diet thing I learned from keeping meticulous track of what I ate was that 50% of my diet was fat. Healthy fat. And I continued to slowly lose the weight, almost daily, by eating the meats, eggs, dairy, and butter that I ate. All from healthy, Grass fed, pastured animals. Raw whole milk. A very clean healthy diet with a ton of fat. I just steadily kept losing. I’d heard fat doesn’t make you fat, but now I KNOW it. Good luck to all. One of these days I will post my before and after pics and measurements. Sorry such a novel here,

4 days post op vgs. Other then feeling tired more often I feel great. Still getting a handle on this 1 oz. every 15 mins thing though... HW 302 STW 291 (01/08/18) SGW 274.9. (07/25/18) CW 274.9 GW 151

Just wanting to see if anyone on here is having surgery Aug 10 with Dr. Illan. That is when I am scheduled and figured it would be great to connect ahead of time.

My post op papers says only to use miralax the first 2 weeks. Milk of Magnesia is ok? I’m 10 days post op tomorrow

I am 10 months out from surgery and am down 144lbs from my high weight last year. Physically I feel amazing other than having had my gallbladder removed a few days ago. I feel better now than I did 10 years ago. My issue comes in mentally where my mind still hasn’t caught up with my physical state. I am 6’4” and currently sitting at 189lbs so well within the normal BMI range now. The funny thing is though I constantly have family members telling me that I have gotten too skinny and don’t look healthy. Yet with all of that said, in my head I still see the same person I was a year ago before I began this journey. That constant mental battle to see myself in my true current state is a good thing in a way though because it has kept me focused on my journey. It really seems to help me stay in line when it comes to my eating and exercise.

Wow, I would go to the store tonight and get milk of magnesia before your impacted and have a ER visit. Many have taken this post op and had success. 10 days is way too long