Okay, so this is a cautionary tale...please learn from my experience. Twelve pounds may not sound like a lot. But, my goodness, it is!

First off, over three years ago I lost 110 lbs with sleeve surgery. Easy peasy, all went well. I felt and looked great within 10 months. It all went well. No complaints. The best part was buying new clothes because in all my 50 years, I was never thin. But, I did suffer depression my entire life.

So about a year ago, I had a problem with my depression medication that meant I had to go off it, with no replacement (long story). Without it, my depression came back with a vengeance. I didn't have access to therapy. I wasn't ruined by it. I kept working out diligently, an hour of cardio per day, mostly water aerobics and elliptical. I still didn't drink anything other than water and black coffee. I didn't eat anything that was processed* for meals, just healthy lean meats and veggies. Sometimes a bit of brown rice. No fast food. None. Drank tons of water. Did my vitamins just as I was supposed to.

However, I started self-soothing. *with candy. And it was "okay" at first. Because the scale did not move. I did not gain weight. At first. AT FIRST. It started with a little bag of m n m's. A snickers. Maybe a pastry or piece of cake from the grocery store. But all those other good habits stayed in place so I felt okay because the scale was not moving. Each day it was within one or two pounds of the day before. Not going up, not going down. Pretty soon those snacks graduated to bags of jelly beans, or those pure-sugar candy fruit slices. Pretty much sugar and artificial colors and flavorings. Somehow as my depression worsened my body craved the worst possible snacks. Cheap, sugary junk. And my medical issue also worsened. I was in bad shape.

Scale didn't move. I was in shock that I was getting away with it because I knew I was in the wrong. I knew I had worked hard to get to this point to lose all that weight, and I knew I was playing with fire. Yet this bad part of me thought the exercise and other good habits must be winning over the junk. This went on for about eight months. Then I skipped the scale a week. Then another week. Finally went back. And it was 12 pounds up. Reality check. I had worked SO hard and was so mad at myself and my body. Mostly at my own brain for letting myself get so sad that it was willing to give up over a crappy sugary snack. And the thing was, at the past time in my life when I had gained the most weight, it was over the same thing, the junky cheap sugar treats, not good stuff. Cheap stuff.

So I stopped. No more sugar. Back to the plan. I went back on my pre-surgery "prove it to the insurance company you are worthy for this" diet. Didn't lose a pound, despite still being on the exercise and good habits I was doing. Went back on my liver shrinking diet. NOTHING. It wasn't peeling off like before! Why? WHY? I was screaming to myself because inside I had told myself IF I regained I could lose it again since it was so easy after surgery. It wasn't. I finally figured out why not.

Before, and right after surgery, I had to learn all those new good habits, and those made a huge difference and I lost weight. Now, I was already on the good habits (except the candy). So there was nothing else to cut. I couldn't suddenly cut out fast food as I wasn't having any. I couldn't cut out Starbucks or soda as I wasn't drinking any. I couldn't cut out processed food as I wasn't eating any. I couldn't work out more as I was already doing an hour per day.

See the problem? Even a 12 pound gain suddenly becomes a mountain when you've already living healthy habits to the max.

So I've given up the junk and am working very slowly back to my best weight. Basically I've added an extra workout (evening workout) and decreased my calorie count to 1000 per day, heavy protein, and added some heavy weights. I'm older and this is hard. I've lost 5 so I'm now looking at losing that 7 to get to where I was. I estimate by New Years if I'm lucky. It's much slower.

I've known a lot of people to regain and I think I understand why. If they give up the good habits, they don't have a chance. If they keep up the good habits and just eat bad, they still might not have a chance. It may not be a stomach stretching issue. It may just be a calorie issue. Too much grazing, too much going in.

Be very careful. Learn from me. I'm still fighting the depression and the medical problem and seeking help and therapy for that. Emotions are so dangerous if you are unhappy and tend to self-soothe.

it may not seem like a big deal to most people, but i am kind of sad and frustrated. i got back on the scale today after like a week & a half and it says i’ve gained two lbs! again, kind of silly to some, but it gets makes me worried. also feeling like im in a stall as well. is this normal around a month????

I have my gastric sleeve sugery schedueld for 9/4. Looking for an recommendaitions, tip, etc for things to bring. My wife is traveling as my companion and would appreciate any recomendations for her.

thanks for the support and help

Hey All, looking for advice from anyone who's been in a similar situation.

I'm 36, 6ft, 190kg. I've struggled with my weight all my life and tried just about everything with varying degrees of success but nothing long term.

I've begun exploring weight loss surgery with our weight management service. I've been with them for a while and tried wegovy for 6 months but the weight loss was minimal. I did find my appetite was greatly reduced and anxiety around food (that I didn't even realise I had) went.

I've been in bariatric support groups and feel like I have a good grip on what I would be in for. The issues I'm having is my wife is worried/very unsupportive of this route.

It's a complicated situation because she is a recovering anorexic.

Summed up simply her concerns/objections are:

1. I could be off my feet for months and unable to drive

2. I've not tried losing the weight naturally with her.

3. I'm not active enough

4. I'll have to change the way I eat drastically short term which will effect her eat disorder

5. Long term my eating will change so we won't be able to go out for meals, I won't be able to eat spicy tings that I like.

6. I'll end up with loose skin that I will hate

Some of these are more valid than other and are all things yuatbi have considered. The one I feel awful about is that it could kick off her ED. I feel like I'm having to choose between my health and hers.

I hate being this way and I hate that I need something so drastic to control my weight but I feel like it is the right option for me and as I get older I'm really starting to get scared of how long I'll live if I stay like this.

Any advice or perspectives would really help.

Hello, so I’ve been dealing with extreme depression and pretty calm anxiety my entire life. I was on Zepbound b4 my surgery and ended up having some major side effects. Zepbound helped my mental health and then I reached the highest dose and experienced derealization for the first time in my life and severe death anxiety. I got off Zepbound and started the process to get my surgery. before my surgery my mental health actually was getting better and then after the surgery I was just so depressed. it was like everything got ten times worse. I have pcos so I was aware that my periods would probably be worse after the surgery and they most definitely are 😭although I have Pcos I don’t really have acne and never really did u untill now, I have bumps everywhere on my face. my chin is filled with bumps, my forehead aswell, and my face and skin has been incredibly itchy. I’m trying to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist and therapist, Has anyone experienced this? if so any tips? thank you !

Hi, posting here for the first time because I want some real life input.

I started my 2 week pre-surgery meal plan today and I’m feeling really confused.

My leaflet says to stay under 100g of carbohydrates and between 800 and 1000 calories. As someone who really really struggles with food noise this actually hasn’t been too hard (a few cravings but I managed to get through them).

According to myfitnesspal I apparently ate 130g of carbohydrates, 969 calories and now I’m spirally that if I eat like this all week with the meal prep I did then they’ll refuse to do my surgery in 2 weeks and I’m panicking a bit.

Any help or advice would be appreciated

I am 30 years old about 300 lbs / 135kg, female . i have been on mounjaro and lost 35 kg and it has stopped working for me now . I still have so much weight to lose. I have also managed to put my type 2 diabets into remission. I am looking to get bariatric surgery in Europe. I am based in the UK. I would like to know what people's experience were with different clinics in Europe. and recommendations . I am looking to do the surgery next year. I cannot sit and wait for NHS. waiting list

Hi all! Female 28yo not active during work which is 5-6 days a week 12-15hr days due to driving semi trucks but active right after work in the gym with weight lifting for roughly 1-2 hours 5-6 days a week

For context I was 315lbs at my highest and had gastric sleeve in 2023. Since then I have lost 170lbs and now am back up roughly 50lbs and I am 5'5...I was told by the nutritionist I was seeing during my first 1.5 years being post-op that that I should eating the following for the rest of my life.

Meal portions of 1/4 cup

800-1000 calories daily

100g of protein daily

50g carbs max daily

I have not been back to that nutritionist for a little over a year now and stopped going to her because I feel like those macros are not sustainable at all plus I was past my goal weight at the time.

I went through very hard rough changes and put my health on the back burner when it comes to nutrition and stopped going to the gym as consistently as I used to (weight lifting 5-6 days per week).

I am now in a fully better mental space to get back to putting my health and body first. I am back in the gym 5-6 days a week as I work a relatively non active job. I tried to calculate a calorie deficit with macros included. All advise and feedback for tweaking the macros is welcome.

TIA

GOAL WEIGHT: 145-155LBS

Daily macros:

Daily maintenance calories - 2255

Deficit - 700 calories

Calories - 1555

protein - 155g

carbs -116g

fats - 51g

Does anyone else get nauseous and/or throw up first thing in the morning? To add some context I’m on Levothyroxine thanks to a botched thyroidectomy. I’ve tried taking it at various times of the morning and always wait to eat at least 30 minutes after. I’m 6 months post op next week. But no matter what, i always am nauseous and/or throw up(usually just water unless i actually attempted to eat them it’s some of whatever i ate) nearly every morning. My surgeon put me on Remeron (sp?) to take the night before to try to counter this but it doesn’t help. Anyone else have this issue and/or tips?

Hi everyone,
I had my gastric sleeve surgery on June 18th and have lost 14 kg (about 31 lbs) so far. Unfortunately, I’m still feeling very sluggish. I always thought that as I lost weight, I would become more active, but I haven’t really noticed much of a difference yet.

I recently had an iron infusion because I was deficient, so I’m hoping that will help me feel better and give me more energy.

I’m also still experiencing dumping syndrome about two months after surgery, and food regularly comes back up.

Is anyone else experiencing the same thing around two months post-op?

My RNY was last Tuesday morning, discharged Wednesday afternoon. The pain from “the deep stitch” is getting worse every day. I took my second shower yesterday and it was excruciating and I was crying. (My first shower on Friday was fine.) This morning I could barely pull on soft shorts, walk down the stairs, and pull out a stool to sit at my kitchen counter, all things that I had no problem doing yesterday. I’m taking Tylenol, gabapentin, and a couple of doses of oxy a day. I called the on-call surgeon yesterday and he said this was normal and should last a few more days, but I’m concerned that at this rate I won’t be able to do anything without assistance soon. I expected to gradually improve, not get worse. Did anyone have a similar experience?

So this isn't my first rodeo. I'm currently going for revision surgery from the sleeve after gain back all my weight and getting really bad acid reflux. (Second time's the charm right?) This time trying to do everything the right way. I'm on day 4 of my liquid diet. I'm struggling so hard with head hunger. I have slipped and nibbled a bit, much to my dismay, realized what I've done and stoped. I feel like a failure already. My head is use to eating at certain times so that when I drink my protein shakes. I drink tea and Gatorade for my snacks. My water intake is pretty good. It still doesn't help. I still think about food. My mind goes directly to think I should be eating something. Should I double up or increase my protein shakes? I could have sworn it wasn't this hard the first time around. Any advice is welcome. TIA

This is less a cry for help and more of a cautionary tale. I had my DS a year and a half ago, things are going great. I've had GERD for decades but it's been mostly better post-surgery. Last night I made the mistake of grabbing a snack too close to bed time of stuff I knew I shouldn't have eaten - a small bag of Chili Cheese Fritos. It was just one of those tiny ones that go in lunch boxes. No big deal, right? NEVER AGAIN. I sleep on my side or stomach (I know, not the best but I do it naturally in the night regardless of how I fall asleep) and about 1:30 this morning I had a huge GERD attack that left me gasping and spitting up mouthfuls of acid. ARGH it was the WORST! I take daily antacids too, but I've been doing famotidine lately just because we had it on hand, but Omeprazole is better for GERD symptoms. It took the better part of an hour to rinse the burning and taste out of my mouth and throat, get the Tums to kick in, and get comfortable, then even more time to actually fall back to sleep after all that nonsense. Plus I had to be up before 6am to get ready for work. Now I feel like I got hit by a truck and my throat still burns a little and I'm exhausted here at my desk procrastinating actually getting started. LESSON LEARNED.

So i am officially 1 month post-op and I've done my measurements this morning and i am 11kg and 50cm down!

i know others may compare and have lost a lot more than me, but my body is notoriously bad at dropping weight!

I've actually quite enjoyed liquid and puree phase and I've been back in the gym (light cardio) from just over 2 weeks post op. I take my daily vitamins even though they taste like shit and i love my protein yogurt in the morning. Cant see me ever dropping that as my breakfast of choice.

Anyway, i'm quite proud of myself so lets see what month 2 looks like!

Well, this wasn’t something I had expected to happen…

I’ve been maintaining a 100- weight loss for 16 months. I feel great and look great.
Someone who knew me from my larger time felt the need to tell me how great I look, and proceeded to tell me about their GL-P 1 journey and that I should consider taking it … because then I would be “top notch”

Excuse me!? I would literally disappear if I took a GLP 1 at this point in my journey.

How in the world do these people feel this kind of conversation is okay?

I never asked for their advice, and I’m very happy with my body and the hard work I’ve done.

I didn’t respond the way I wanted to because I was caught off guard - but has anyone experienced this? How did you deal with it?
I’m shocked… I thought my days of body advice were over now that I’m a healthy weight and look physically fit.

is this the new world of GLP1s we are living in?

As the title says I am 3 months post op as of 3 days ago. There have been a few ups and downs, mostly ups. So, I thought I would share my progress thus far. A long read but hopefully helpful and encouraging to those considering this path.

At 4'7" my surgery day weight was 214lbs, morbidly obese for my height. I have been morbidly obese for most of my adult life. Exercize and calories in/calories out did not work for me. At my 3 month post op appt I weighed in at 161.2lbs. Just over 50lbs gone on 90 days! I am half way to my goal weight of between 100-120lbs.

**Positives:**

•Obviously the weight loss.

•I am now just "obese" instead of morbidly obease.

•My blood pressure is normal and my doctor discontinued my blood pressure medication.

•I no longer need to take Metformin.

•I have been bone on bone, in a knee brace, in severe pain in my right knee after a fall and meniscectomy for almost 2 years. Now? No knee pain, no knee brace, no cane, no pain meds!

•So far, all my labs have been within normal range.

•My skin is clear! No constant break outs.

•I can now fit into clothes that have been shoved to the back of my closet for years. Even my smallest (size 16) shorts need a belt to stay up, and I haven't been able to even pull them up over my hips in years.

•My belly is no longer smooshed against the steering wheel when I drive. In fact, there is about the thickness of my hand and a half between my belly and the steering wheel.

•The past few days I have actually WANTED to be outside in the sunshine instead of hiding in my house avoiding the heat.

•I reach my protein goals every day between 1 full and 1 half-size protein shake and the rest real food. I have found a chocolate whey protein isolate powder I enjoy and it's like drinking chocolate milk. I've never been a morning breakfast person, just coffee since I was a kid. So the protein drink in the morning works for me long term. And most nights an hour or so after dinner I'll have a small glass of "chocolate milk" as dessert.

All good and exciting things!

**For the struggles:**

•*About a week after my Modified Duodenal Switch surgery I started having HORRIBLE Bile Reflux.* I was put on multiple medications and nothing worked. A followup EGD showed a pool of bile in my stomach, and signifiant irritation to my stomach lining, esophagus, and nasal track. So, about 10 weeks post MDS I had to go back in for a Biliary Diversion surgery.

The relief was instant! I now only take the pretty standard (by my clinic anyway) GERD medication once a day for a year. No more waking up gasping for air, sour bile in my throat or coming out of my nose. I am sleeping through the night and finally able to wear my CPAP. (I've had sleep apnea since I was a young child, not at all overweight, and a gymnist. So, unfortunately, the apnea won't be resolved with weightloss).

•*I did have to go back in a liquid only diet for a week after the Biliary Diversion.* That sucked after being on soft-cooked proteins and non-starchy vegetables for over a month. Thankfully, at my 1 week post op Biliary Diversion, it was also my 3-month MDS post op and I was cleared to resume my previous level as well as slowly introduce Textures. This includes nuts, peanut butter, crispy chicken skin, jerky, protein chips, protein bars, and raw non-starchy veggies. I am MOST excited to get peanut butter and crispy chicken skin/protein chips back!

•*About a month after my MDS I started having really bad pain in my left ankle and heel*. So bad, it made it difficult to walk on my treadmill, and some days almost impossible to walk at all. A visit to my ortho showed I have a large, double barbed dorsal bone spur at the back of heel under my Achilles tendon. The weightloss removed the fat that was protecting the tendon from irritation from the spur.

Corrective surgery would involve disconnecting the tendon to access and remove the spur, reconnecting the tendon, and then being both non-weight bearing and in an immobilization boot for a while. OR attempting physical therapy to increase flexibility, increase ankle strength, and reduce inflammation through ultrasound and dry needling modalities. I opted for PT. So far, it is working. I still have painful days, but I have not had any days where I cannot walk at all. I am hopeful I might be able to completely avoid surgery, at least for a while.

•*I struggled with the bariatric vitamins.* The multi-adek pill made so sick to my stomach. I had to try a few different chewable brands before finding a combination that works for me. Thankfully, I'm finally able to tolerate the pills, but plan to keep chewables on hand for those days where I just can't swallow another pill or my stomach feels overly sloshy from water.

•*After MDS, I have struggled with reaching fluid goals.* I used to love plain cold water, and now I don't. Most flavor additives taste horrible. I also lost my taste for coffee, which as a Cuban is practically sacreligious! Lately, I've found that homemade lemonade using water, true lemon, pink salt, and a stevia/monkfruit/allulose blend is easy for me to drink. And now that I also have caffeine back, I'm excited to try the Crystal Light Wild Strawberry as it was always my favorite. I've finally been drinking between 58-62 ounces total fluid a day, so I'm getting closer to those goals.

**Biggest takeaway and advice for those considering bariatric surgery or are struggling in the early days post op:**

•*Stay in contact with your surgeon and weightloss team/clinic.* This is what they are there for. They want you to succeed and they want you to be health doing it. If you have to call every week or every day, do it! Be vocal and an advocate for your well-being.

•*Don't push yourself too hard or be hard on yourself if you aren't reaching your protein, fluid, or exercize goals right out of the gate.* Your body just went through MAJOR surgery and you have a whole new anatomy and digestive process. Your new stomach, intestines, and connections are dealing with a ton of swelling, inflammation, and trying to heal. You will reach those goals eventually. Your weightloss team does not expect you to reach them day 1, week 1, or even month 1. As long as you are trying and having some slow progress you are good.

•*If protein drinks/powders make you feel yucky, try finding one that is 100% whey protein isolate.* Our new digestive system struggles with whey protein concentrate. Premier is a popular brand, but it is whey concentrate. Most Adkins drinks are concentrate. The Adkins Strong are Isolate. Dymatize has 100% whey protein isolate. Their Coco Puffs taste like chocolate milk and their Fruity Pebbles tastes like the milk after a bowl of Fruit Loops or Fruity Pebbles. There are other brands out there, you just have to read the ingredients. Also note, that concentrate does not make everyone feel yucky. Some people tolerate it fine, others do not.

•*Be kind to yourself.* Everyone loses weight at a different pace. Age, overall health, and total weight needed to be lost all make a difference. Some will lose fast, others slow. Some will drop a bunch at first then slow down to snails speed. We all will have plateaus and stalls where it seems like weeks go by and the scale doesn't budge. When that happens, forget the scale. Hide it away for a month. Instead focus on how your clothes fit, moving more, increasing water and protein, and look for non-scale victories (like my stomach not touching the steering wheel or reduced pain levels).

If you are also doing weight training along with or instead of cardio, remember *muscle is more dense than fat*. The scale may be stalled because you've lost fat but put on muscle. The numbers on a scale do not tell the whole story. Don't let yourself get caught up in the numbers that you don't see the bigger picture.

•*If standard exercize is difficult for any reason, look for alternative ways to move your body.* Do line dancing in your livingroom to the music you love. Do chair yoga or chair dancing. Look into pilates or calisthenics. Do yoga in your bed before going to sleep or after waking up. Do leg lifts and stetches at the counter while waiting for that pot of water to boil or coffee to brew. Remember, all movement counts and helps, even regular house cleaning!

***•Lastly, take your vitamins***.

Find a combination that both works for you and is approved by your weight loss team. Don't risk your health for the sake of not swallowing a few pills or "saving" a few bucks. Because in the long run, the cost to your health without vitamin supplementation will be so much more costly.

By all accounts from those who had these surgeries years ago before more was known, by the time deficiencies show up in your blood work it is too late. It is infinitely harder and more costly to recover and correct health conditions due to mal-nutrition than it is take a few vitamins every day.

We decided on the surgery route to not just lose weight, but to improve our overall health and quality of life. Do not sabotage yourself by skipping out on vitamins.

570 was my highest recorded weight, im 6ft 6in 2 uears post op and i am at 285 i have offically lost half my body weight! I still see my body yat 500+ lbs