Hi everyone. This is my first message. Just a bit about myself - I am 52, menopausal and under active thyroid. I have been overweight and on diets my whole life. I have had some success. In 2012 I was at my heaviest (313lbs) and managed to lose about 44lbs. By 2015 I had regained 22lbs. I had two very special weddings occurring later in the year and that gave me the motivation to loose the weight again but it was soooo slow. I tried following the same Weight Watchers program which had previously been successful but I had little results. Then I went onto shakes again with little results. It got to the point that I was practically starving myself just to see the scales go down. Problem was, the moment I at a proper meal the weight would automatically go back up. I have always been a high achiever and I knew the need to get my weight Down for my future health. This caused me to hate myself so much because I could not understand why I could not control my weight. I was constantly telling myself and my doctor that I wasundereating but still not losing weight the negative self talk would say "you obviously aren't doing it right and need to try harder".in the end my doctor did some blood tests which showed that I have under active thyroid (Hashimotos disease).That was 11 months ago and my levels are still not stabilised. It was also at this time that I became menopausal which also impacted on my ability to lose weight.This is when I started researching WLS and in particular the sleeve. Initially, I was horrified to think about having so much of my stomach removed and the long term health effects but then I met a woman who had the sleeve done two years ago and like everyone on this forum said it was the best thing she has ever done. So, I made an appointment with a surgeon realising that I can never lose so much weight and keep it off without the sleeve tool.This woman was my age and the same weight. I understand that everybody is different but she said that she has lost97lbs just as her doctor had suggested. So I guess I was expecting a similar result based on her situation and everything I had read on this forum. However, when I spoke to the surgeon last night, he said that I should expect a 44 to 55lb loss due to my age, thyroid and menopause. When I told about my friends success, he said there is no way I would achieve those results. I guess now I am wondering if that loss is worth undergoing such major surgery and weather the experienced sleevers out there have experienced any problems with weight loss due menopause and thyroid disease and whether my disappointment at the surgeons weight loss is reasonable? Sorry this has become a long winded saga. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Ovaw8ovathinka

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@@ovaw8ovathinka, I also read your post to cbonet about your niece. I think you would find support in going through your weight loss journey together, no matter your age difference. She is someone you can confide in who understands exactly what you are going through. Having my family members who have also experienced it make this so much easier for me.

I am 53 and had the sugery when I was 51. I have hypothyroid and in menopause. I have had the same struggles most of you posted. Regardless of what diet I did, I couldn't lose more then a few pounds (if any) and if I did, I would quickly regain it, plus some more.

I will admit, my thyroid and menopause did slow down my weight loss. My doctor also said it may be impossible to get to the 140's (my initial goal) because of age and menopause. I didn't believe him.

However, when I got to 167, I wore a size 10 and quickly changed my mind and decided that 155 was the lowest I wanted to go. I didn't want to get smaller then an 8.

To my dismay, between June and August of this year, I gained 8 pounds and went back up a dress size!! it seemed like it happened overnight. My doctor also explained to me around the two year mark, a lot of patients have a regain of 10-20lbs. Once again, he was right. Let me add, this doesn't happen to everyone. This is my journey.

I am buckling down and trying to do the right things again. I will say with 100% certainty, if I did not have this surgery, I would weigh a lot more than I do now. I am so grateful for this surgery and have not regretted having it for one minute!

I love all the things I can physically do that I couldn't do before. I am still off my blood pressure meds and sleep apnea machine and I am no longer pre-diabetic. Life is sooooo much better.

Edited September 22, 20169 yr by Kathy812

I am 53 and had the sugery when I was 51. I have hypothyroid and in menopause. I have had the same struggles most of you posted. Regardless of what diet I did, I couldn't lose more then a few pounds (if any) and if I did, I would quickly regain it, plus some more.

I will admit, my thyroid and menopause did slow down my weight loss. My doctor also said it may be impossible to get to the 140's (my initial goal) because of age and menopause. I didn't believe him.

However, when I got to 167, I wore a size 10 and quickly changed my mind and decided that 155 was the lowest I wanted to go. I didn't want to get smaller then an 8.

To my dismay, between June and August of this year, I gained 8 pounds and went back up a dress size!! it seemed like it happened overnight. My doctor also explained to me around the two year mark, a lot of patients have a regain of 10-20lbs. Once again, he was right. Let me add, this doesn't happen to everyone. This is my journey.

I am buckling down and trying to do the right things again. I will say with 100% certainty, if I did not have this surgery, I would weigh a lot more than I do now. I am so grateful for this surgery and have not regretted having it for one minute!

I love all the things I can physically do that I couldn't do before. I am still off my blood pressure meds and sleep apnea machine and I am no longer pre-diabetic. Life is sooooo much better.

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Hey Kathy182 thank you for sharing. Great to hear this.congratulations on your success.

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Sorry Kathy182 hit send to early. Regardless of how much I lose or how fast there is an overwhelming consensus by everyone to date that they have no regrets and life really is much happier and healthier on the other side. Thanks for the support.

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I'm looking forward to joining you on the loosing side too! I am 53, also have hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's and had a full hysterectomy in December of 2014. I'm revising from LapBand to VSG-just waiting on insurance approval/surgery date.

I'm hoping that VSG will finally give me the opportunity to get to a healthy weight. I was down to 200 and stayed there for almost three years with the LapBand, but since I started experiencing swallowing issues, my weight has increased back to 235.

I'm okay with losing slower, I just want to lose. I have an entire wardrobe of smaller sizes that I can't wear anymore and I really liked the way I felt and could move, etc.

You know, they say 50 is the new 30:)

That's great. I can't wait to get off my sleep apnea machine. I hate it.

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Hi folks -- like many of you, I'm post-menopausal, and I was diagnosed with Hashimotos in my 20's (I'm 56 now). I was sleeved on 9/14, and have lost about ten pounds since surgery, which seems like a huge drop to me! I was pretty nervous about going through with the surgery, but I had finally gotten to the point where I realized nothing else was ever going to help me. Not too concerned about the weight loss right now, just want to heal up and get back to eating solid food , but after that, I'll be content with slowly and steadily heading towards my goal. Good luck to everyone here!

I'm 55. I've had an underactive thyroid most of my life and had half my thyroid removed about 10 years ago. I had surgery 4 weeks ago (VSG). HW 271.5 Current Weight 225.5. My doc, when he first met me, said statistics say I should lose 70-85% of my excess weight. Therefore, if my weight was 271 and my ideal weight was 130, my excess weight would be 141 pounds. 70-85% of that is 98-120 pounds off. So, that would take me to somewhere between 170 and 150. My personal goal is 135. I'm working out 3-4 days a week and loving the post sleeve life. It's not easy, but emptying my closet is tremendously gratifying.

I had been off Synthroid for a number of years, but we are going to check my levels later this month because I'm feeling cold, sluggish and losing hair. All of those could very well just be the surgery and not my thyroid.

My advice is to find another, more supportive surgeon. At my last visit, my team was so encouraging - in part that is what has kept me going. Best of luck.

I am your age, just starting menopause and I don't have a thyroid(I lost it to cancer). I had hashimotos as well. My weight at my first consult in April was 256. I had my surgery in August and I am now 212. I am losing, maybe not a tremendous amount, but it is happening. I don't know why he would say that. You are going to lose ,and you will lose more than what he said you are.

Hi everyone. This is my first message. Just a bit about myself - I am 52, menopausal and under active thyroid. I have been overweight and on diets my whole life. I have had some success. In 2012 I was at my heaviest (313lbs) and managed to lose about 44lbs. By 2015 I had regained 22lbs. I had two very special weddings occurring later in the year and that gave me the motivation to loose the weight again but it was soooo slow. I tried following the same Weight Watchers program which had previously been successful but I had little results. Then I went onto shakes again with little results. It got to the point that I was practically starving myself just to see the scales go down. Problem was, the moment I at a proper meal the weight would automatically go back up. I have always been a high achiever and I knew the need to get my weight Down for my future health. This caused me to hate myself so much because I could not understand why I could not control my weight. I was constantly telling myself and my doctor that I wasundereating but still not losing weight the negative self talk would say "you obviously aren't doing it right and need to try harder".in the end my doctor did some blood tests which showed that I have under active thyroid (Hashimotos disease).That was 11 months ago and my levels are still not stabilised. It was also at this time that I became menopausal which also impacted on my ability to lose weight.This is when I started researching WLS and in particular the sleeve. Initially, I was horrified to think about having so much of my stomach removed and the long term health effects but then I met a woman who had the sleeve done two years ago and like everyone on this forum said it was the best thing she has ever done. So, I made an appointment with a surgeon realising that I can never lose so much weight and keep it off without the sleeve tool.This woman was my age and the same weight. I understand that everybody is different but she said that she has lost97lbs just as her doctor had suggested. So I guess I was expecting a similar result based on her situation and everything I had read on this forum. However, when I spoke to the surgeon last night, he said that I should expect a 44 to 55lb loss due to my age, thyroid and menopause. When I told about my friends success, he said there is no way I would achieve those results. I guess now I am wondering if that loss is worth undergoing such major surgery and weather the experienced sleevers out there have experienced any problems with weight loss due menopause and thyroid disease and whether my disappointment at the surgeons weight loss is reasonable? Sorry this has become a long winded saga. Thanks for taking the time to read it.
Ovaw8ovathinka


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Hi. I am 57, post menopausal, Hoshimoto and Graves Disease. I was sleeved in September. I was told that I would lose but it would be slower than someone without my circumstances. So far I'm averaging about 2 lbs a week. That's 2 lbs a week more than I was losing without the sleeve. Good luck to you!

@@littlelamb3, I had my surgery at 51, menopausal and under active thyroid. I was a good patient and followed most of my doctors orders. I honestly could have been better the first year and could have lost more. But having said that, I got down to 167-168# my starting weight was 243. This past summer I regained about 8 lbs and I'm really struggling to lose it but I'm staying determined.

Follow your doctors orders. The first year is crucial. This is when you can maximize your loss potential. Usually the doctors give you an average. Some people lose less, some more. Just give it your best!

I'm right in the thick of it - about 2 months post surgery - and went into it at 45 with jacked hormones, hypothyroid, tons of allergies, auto-immune problems, and a partially torn tendon in my ankle that requires low or no weight bearing exercise and PT. Not your ideal patient .

My surgeon was never negative about my losing potential, just upfront with "most patients lose x% of excess weight" but made it clear that everyone responds to surgery differently - fast losers, slow losers, big losers, small losers.

I am apparently a very slow loser. It took me weeks to drop below my day of surgery weight and even now I'm still a bit short of a 20 lb loss from that day.

However.

That number is still a good 15 lbs lower than my lowest weight in the last decade, and about 35 lbs lower than my "normal" weight. My surgery went well, but I am having new and different health problems tied to my compromised immune system and hormones. I'm working closely with my hormone doc to monitor things; she's doubled my armor thyroid and increased progesterone to try and deal with sudden onset menorrhagia. I've also had a severe bacterial infection in my ear that spread to my neck and jaw - 2 courses of antibiotics later and it's not entirely resolved. The giant eczema flare on my scalp travelled into my ears, making it worse, and I'm trying to figure out if I can truly give up dairy and still come close to my Protein goals.

Do I worry I won't lose enough weight? Absolutely - I have well over 100 lbs to lose. Do I hate the ongoing health complications? Extremely - they make it very hard to exercise and go to PT. Do I think they're surgery related? Tangentially. I was jacked up going in and it potentially flared up all kinds of things.

However.

I am actually losing weight, which I've never managed to do in my entire life. The scale isn't moving tons but my body is changing, hopefully for the better. So I don't regret the surgery at this point, health problems and all. Not feeling hungry all the time is *amazing*. So I just keep plugging on, keeping in touch with all the doctors, and praying that I actually manage to finally make that big change that will make the weight come off and stay off.

I'm not trying to be negative, just prepare you for unexpected complications and encourage you to keep a sharp eye on your thyroid and hormones. People keep saying "the sleeve is a tool" and I think they're right - even if I'm still struggling to use it properly

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Hi, I am 56 and have been hypothyroid and just found out about having hashimoto. I was sleeved on 9/13/16. My highest weight was 364 on January 1 2015. That is when I decided it was time to do something before my heath got worse. On 9/13/16 I weighed 285 Lb had used the diet that the classes provided and started walking. I am as if today 1/9/17 at 228 lbs. I cannot believe how much has changed. The doctor told me I would lose 97 lbs in the first year after surgery and at my 3

Month appointment I was down 47 lbs on their scale. So, so far I am down over half of what they want and my life is getting very full again. Don't let the doctor pace your lose as if you follow the rules and your stomach will tell you and get the exercise you should be a lot thinner in a year. I haven't been 228 lbs sense the early 80's.

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I had sleeve surgery a month ago. I lost 30 pounds on the pre-op diet but, nothing since the surgery. I am very frustrated because I am eating almost nothing.

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