I’ve done a lot of bypass research and found out so much that I didn’t have a clue about prior to research. Things like the foamies, the constipation, medication absorption, etc. I’m curious to hear about things that surprised you after surgery that your clinical team didn’t tell you and that you might not have come across in your own research beforehand. I want to be as prepared as possible for what’s to come. Give me the good, bad, ugly… all of it.

On 2/14/2025 at 7:02 PM, Beks18 said:

For everyone that answered, would you have the surgery again knowing everything you know now? I’ve officially scared the living crap out of myself by browsing Reddit threads and coming across some that are pretty much all about friends and loved ones dying from bypass complications or extremely malnourished people with a poor quality of life post-surgery. ?

Oh I wanted to add, the people on Reddit are not always telling the truth, they post for points. We all know that one person who, when they find out we want to have surgery, will tell us about their friend's sister's husband's great-niece's dog who had the surgery and lost an oz and then put on 300lbs so it was a waste of time, or they have a vague story that they heard and "i know someone who had the surgery and they died 6 months later" and you find out, yes the died 6 months later because they were in car accident so it was unrelated.

Some people tell you this because they are genuinely scared about someone they love going through a major surgery and all surgeries carry risks, and some people tell you this because they don't want you to lose weight and make positive changes for your health because they don't have the excuse to not improve themselves. They won't be able to say "At least I'm not as fat as NeonRaven".

The best advice to take is from people who have had the surgery themselves and not someone who knows someone or heard about a guy who....

Edited March 13, 20251 yr by NeonRaven8919

Another thing that really surprises me post surgery is how quickly my weight drops if I don't eat well and frequently (every 1-2 hours). I have been eating less the past 6 days and already dropped 2.5 kgs (I was at a BMI 19 to begin with, I already felt too thin, now I feel like I'm skin on bones). This would've never been the case prior to surgery.

Never thought losing too much weight, or stopping the weight loss would have ever been things I had to battle, but hey, I'd rather this than the other way around!

On 3/13/2025 at 2:41 PM, Lilia_90 said:

Another thing that really surprises me post surgery is how quickly my weight drops if I don't eat well and frequently (every 1-2 hours). I have been eating less the past 6 days and already dropped 2.5 kgs (I was at a BMI 19 to begin with, I already felt too thin, now I feel like I'm skin on bones). This would've never been the case prior to surgery.

Never thought losing too much weight, or stopping the weight loss would have ever been things I had to battle, but hey, I'd rather this than the other way around!

My goodness, how?! since I had my BA I cannot get my weight back down. Even with the exercise and cutting calories. I am feeling a bit defeated

16 hours ago, AmberFL said:

My goodness, how?! since I had my BA I cannot get my weight back down. Even with the exercise and cutting calories. I am feeling a bit defeated

Don't.

You went through major surgery, your body will need time to heal and recuperate. I hear the body needs extra calories following surgery to heal and close the wounds. You are already at your goal weight, you've done incredibly well and your journey has been a huge success. Plus the added weight of the implants, inflammation, water retention ....etc.

As for me, I have been struggling not to lose any more weight, my restriction is the bane of my existence, my portions are smaller than my 6 year old's (who's tiny and never interested in food LOL).

The minute I fall back on my eating schedule (which is usually very frequent) the pounds instantly drop. My surgeon keeps telling me he doesn't think I needed the surgery in the first place, ha! Also, the minute my training becomes less intense, I lose my appetite completely, meaning I need to work very hard in the gym to be able to eat more and not lose weight. It's all very weird LMAO.

Edited March 18, 20251 yr by Lilia_90

6 hours ago, Lilia_90 said:

Don't.

You went through major surgery, your body will need time to heal and recuperate. I hear the body needs extra calories following surgery to heal and close the wounds. You are already at your goal weight, you've done incredibly well and your journey has been a huge success. Plus the added weight of the implants, inflammation, Water retention ....etc.

As for me, I have been struggling not to lose any more weight, my restriction is the bane of my existence, my portions are smaller than my 6 year old's (who's tiny and never interested in food LOL).

The minute I fall back on my eating schedule (which is usually very frequent) the pounds instantly drop. My surgeon keeps telling me he doesn't think I needed the surgery in the first place, ha! Also, the minute my training becomes less intense, I lose my appetite completely, meaning I need to work very hard in the gym to be able to eat more and not lose weight. It's all very weird LMAO.

Its been 3months lol its only 5-7lbs heavier I work out hard, and eating around 1900-2000 cal which is less than I ate before Surgery. I am just scared my metabolism is messed up now- ugh!

2 hours ago, AmberFL said:

Its been 3months lol its only 5-7lbs heavier I work out hard, and eating around 1900-2000 cal which is less than I ate before Surgery. I am just scared my metabolism is messed up now- ugh!

It is not, I assure you

Have you factored in your implant weight? 5-7 lbs is not a big fluctuation if you ask me, people's weights can vary by 5 lbs a day.

How's your cycle? Water intake? Protein? Muscle mass? Honestly, I don't think 7 lbs are worth stressing over at all, unless you see a steady pattern of weight gain over time, which in any case can be addressed and reversed. I say you are doing fantastic

2 hours ago, Lilia_90 said:

It is not, I assure you

Have you factored in your implant weight? 5-7 lbs is not a big fluctuation if you ask me, people's weights can vary by 5 lbs a day.

How's your cycle? Water intake? Protein? Muscle mass? Honestly, I don't think 7 lbs are worth stressing over at all, unless you see a steady pattern of weight gain over time, which in any case can be addressed and reversed. I say you are doing fantastic

My cycle is normal, Water intake is the same aas usual. I have never been fantastic with it. However, my protein is out of control LOL like 175g - 225g a day. Do you think its having the opposite effect? I am trying to lean out and build muscle so I eat a ton of protein in small amounts throughout the day. Maybe my 1 coke zero I drink a day? i did figure my implants probably being around 4-5lbs in total?

12 hours ago, AmberFL said:

I am just scared my metabolism is messed up now- ugh!

It's not, I promise!

I could go into a lot of detail about why, but to make things short, I'd almost guarantee it's simply fluid retention. You recently had a long break from working out due to your surgery and now that you've started back working out, it's totally normal for your body to store a bit of extra fluid. Add in the implant weight and I think you're doing just fine.

8 hours ago, AmberFL said:

My cycle is normal, Water intake is the same aas usual. I have never been fantastic with it. However, my Protein is out of control LOL like 175g - 225g a day. Do you think its having the opposite effect? I am trying to lean out and build muscle so I eat a ton of protein in small amounts throughout the day. Maybe my 1 coke zero I drink a day? i did figure my implants probably being around 4-5lbs in total?

A few things here:

1. Factor implant weight at 5 lbs.

2. Your body took a break from working out, so going back will cause a lot of inflammation. From experience, I always gain an lb or two when I go back working out (especially lifting) after a break due to muscle inflammation.

3. Protein is extremely hard for the body to convert to fat. The golden rule is 1 gram per pound of body weight, hence you should be at at least 170 grams, so I say you're doing well with your protein goal. You could always experiment and add/reduce, see what happens? Doesn't hurt.

4. Pretty sure you are carrying a little water weight.

Again, go by how your clothes fit, I'm sure they're tighter around the chest Lol, but what about your jeans?

On 2/10/2025 at 8:19 PM, JFreeman said:

One thing that has surprised me is that I am always cold now! I used to always be warm, and now there are days where it feels like no matter what I do I am still cold

I still get terribly cold. Yesterday I felt so terribly ill with it.

@SpartanMaker and @Lilia_90 thank you, I am hearing what your saying and going to try and to stop psyching myself out! My pants still fit the same, so if were going by that then I am doing fine. Yes my weight lifting is slowly getting back to how I was working out previously so I will see what the next couple months seem like and adjust from there. You two are awesome! ❤️

How little you need to eat after a while! I remember one day at work, I was hungry around lunchtime but it wasn’t quite noon yet, so I had a small yogurt. The hunger went away quickly and I just didn’t feel like eating again until past 1 p.m. I was shocked that my body told me when I was full!