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What do you wish you had known



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On 06/26/2020 at 07:53, sweetsmith78 said:






At the time of sleeve gastrectomy, mean BMI was 43 and 78% of patients were female. They had a mean follow-up of 5.9 years. Overall, Peterli and colleagues found that the average excessive BMI lost after 1 year was 61.5%, and then 61.1% after 2 years. By 5 years, average excessive BMI lost was 57.4%, they reported.Jul 17, 2013


Can you show data for year 6+ by chance? If the trend holds,the number will continue down one would guess.

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@sweetsmith78 I offered my feedback to the question posed by this thread. My perspective is as a person having had the sleeve for 6 years.

You are free to take it or leave it, but others might value the input of those of us having much more experience in this. 🤷‍♀️

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I wish I would have been told about: (1) the post-op nausea and Constipation, (2) how sore my throat and esophagus would be, (3) how I would not progress to pureed foods as soon as others, (4) how my liquid intake should be 4 ounces, slipped remarkably slowly, (5) how I could not possibly down 64 ounces of Water and Protein right away, even when sipping at 4 ounce increments throughout the day, and (5) how I should have initially purchased liquid vitamins and Patches rather than chewable ones, because I could not swallow them.

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How about a positive answer? I wish I had known how much fun being a normal weight would be!😁

Or that I can finally look good in clothes!

Edited by JRT Mom

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On 6/28/2020 at 8:24 PM, Erica McKinley said:

5) how I could not possibly down 64 ounces of Water and Protein right away, even when sipping at 4 ounce increments throughout the day, and (5) how I should have initially purchased liquid vitamins and Patches rather than chewable ones, because I could not swallow them.

I agree with these for sure. I wish I would have purchased liquid vitamins.

On 6/30/2020 at 9:55 AM, JRT Mom said:

I wish I had known how much fun being a normal weight would be!😁

Yessss! I love this positive answer and I totally second it.

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I just had my surgery 6/30/2020. First 2 days were tough but since everything has been textbook.

The one thing I wish I knew ahead of time was how easily I would get tired. I understand this is normal but I expected to regain my normal energy pretty quickly. I had to tell myself today to just relax and enjoy the afternoon naps.

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30 minutes ago, MSStoney said:

I just had my surgery 6/30/2020. First 2 days were tough but since everything has been textbook.

The one thing I wish I knew ahead of time was how easily I would get tired. I understand this is normal but I expected to regain my normal energy pretty quickly. I had to tell myself today to just relax and enjoy the afternoon naps.

My surgery was 6/29. Naps are good!

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I wished I would have known about the exhaustion. I liken this experience to the first trimester of pregnancy. No energy, sleep a lot, the smell of food can make you nauseated. I have weird food cravings too... Like collard greens. I always liked collard greens but for some strange reason, I love them now.

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Thank you, everyone, for your honest responses. I am considering gastric bypass and know it is a big life decision. Is there a best place to post questions about the mental/emotional piece?
Speaking as someone who had to go off their BiPolar meds in order to get surgery, idk if there is a group here or not, but feel free to message me if you have questions.

Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

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I wish I would have known how much of a thing body dysmorphia is. When I was 334 pounds I knew how big I was and considered myself gross and unattractive. Now that I'm smaller, I still see myself as that 334 pound woman even though others tell me how great I look now. I just don't see it and it's truly a thing that is totally messing with my head. I wonder when I get to goal if I will still see myself as morbidly obese or truly see what others see.

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2 hours ago, Ninabeena said:

I wish I would have known how much of a thing body dysmorphia is. When I was 334 pounds I knew how big I was and considered myself gross and unattractive. Now that I'm smaller, I still see myself as that 334 pound woman even though others tell me how great I look now. I just don't see it and it's truly a thing that is totally messing with my head. I wonder when I get to goal if I will still see myself as morbidly obese or truly see what others see.

Yes, I felt like a big fat slob even after getting to goal. What helped me (but will be difficult in pandemic times) was trying on clothes and asking the salesperson for their opinion. I started to see myself as thin when I was trying on a jacket and the salesperson said, "You really need a six, you're kind of narrow."

Never before in my life had someone described me as narrow.

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I did because I am a firm believer that when you are a patient in the hospital you need to ask questions and also never suffer unnecessary pain or discomfort if you don't have to. After surgery I did feel a lot of discomfort from gas that I could not release and nausea. I was given some over the counter stuff. I immediately got up and started walking to release gas but nothing but a small burp here and there. I kept walking every hour and nothing again. So, I asked the nurse to please call the doctor and see if there was anyway he could send me something else to help with the discomfort and nausea. I did have to have a debate with the nurse about it because she kept insisting that is what the doctor recommends and he gives all patients the same. I had to tell her nicely that I understood all that but that was not what I was asking her. I already knew what he had sent me and it wasn't working to well and if that is what he gives all patients then fine but I still want her to ask in case he can give me something stronger.You have to really be careful in the hospital because they are not feeling the discomfort and some don't want to go the extra mile. Guess what? TARA! Omg, whatever they gave me stopped not only the nausea asap but also relieved so much pressure. I was home free 2 and a half hours after surgery. I was in heaven! So, don't settle if you don't have to do so.

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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

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      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

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      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

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      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

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      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
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