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Literally everything I've ever been able to do. As I mentioned above for the first time ever a doctor listened to what I said and instead of telling me to keep doing what I'm doing prescribed me something that deals with metabolic hormones. With the help of that I've lost over 20 pounds since January, however this is a lifelong injection for a problem surgery could help.
But I eat well, I go to the gym 3-4x a week, I drink about a gallon of water a day. Prior to covid I was doing the same thing and never lost weight. I know from March 2020- probably January of 2021 I had an exceptionally rough time as I was really mentally affected by my job closing and losing my family home in a fire. So I don't look at that period of time when I look at "I was doing everything" because I KNOW I wasn't.
The 'target weight' as per BMI is something I haven't been since I was maybe 11
Maybe you should find out why you gained so much weight in the first place.
You might have unresolved issues that prevent you from losing weight more successfully.
I'm 10 years out This month from RNY (gastric bypass), I lost 122 pounds and have maintained it successfully plus/minus 5-7 pounds I fluctuate. I did have complications requiring a 2nd surgery 6 years later but the issues were very, very uncommon and one has only appeared in medical literature 3 times previously. I'd do it all over again.
Re: the requirements. Those are dictated dually by your insurance and your Bariatrics program.
Standard is a BMI of 35 + with 2 comorbidities (being obese is a comorbid). Without comorbid, it's 40
Nutritional counseling in the lead up (mine was 6 months [insurance] and no set loss amount, more about viewing change and commitment) I made many changes and lost 12 pounds in 6 months. I lost 108 pounds in 6 months following RNY. You can do that math.
Several sets of tests to ensure overall health to withstand surgery- cardiac, GI series, numerous vials of blood, etc dependant upon present health/known issues.
Psych eval: mine was BS. Literally 10 minutes and one big "decider" question: Why do you want to have this surgery, then? (After the too-brief discussion of a terrible family history of young death and cardiac problems along with my 20-year struggle to lose any real weight and maintain that loss) Answer: "Because I don't want to die yet."
Long-term success is on the patient. You fail you- not your surgery, not your program. I fully admit to not always eating well at every meal, not getting in enough daily movement some days. But I get up the next day and try again. I was militant about weighing, measuring, and tracking my food intake. 10 years later I can better eyeball but still weigh and measure most foods. Frankly, my program sucked and offered zilch in after-care. Even when I began to experience complications I was blown off. I found a wonderful new program and an amazing, world-renowned surgeon to fix me all up.
If at 4 months out a called for serving was a tablespoon of refried beans and 4 shrimp, that's what I ate- I measured it out. It is very easy to disregard what serving size is and should be. So, eating around your surgery is a true concern by simply not being mindful of portions. Repeated over eating stretches out the stoma and allows for food to pass more quickly through the stomach. Same with eating & drinking at the same time- it's a no-no for several reasons.
If you're committed to a new life and new "rules" you can easily be a success story. However, if your weight is tied to psychological issues I recommend in-depth counseling prior and after, with someone with post-WLS population.
Since I constantly read, "They all gain it all back" consistently, which is factually incorrect across the board for nearly all types of weight loss surgeries, or the "My mother's sister's cousin's great-nephew died... it's dangerous" which is also factually incorrect, here's a meta-analysis of nearly 10k people 10 or more years out. https://link.springer.com/article/10...695-018-3525-0
Quote:
In summary, RYGB, LAGB and BPD/DS lead to substantial weight loss which continues for at least 10 years. Each has an effect size three to four times that of optimal non-surgical therapy.
You say you "eat well." That means - absolutely nothing.
Eat well - compared to what/whom?
Eat well compared to someone who eats deep fried fast food every day? Eat well compared to a starving kid in some third world country? Eat well compared to the average American?
What are you eating? What are your portion sizes? How often are you eating? What do your snacks look like? How are your foods prepared? Do you do your own cooking? What's your typical grocery shopping cart look like when you get to the checkout? What kinds of things do you use to give your foods flavor? Do you eat salad? What do you dress it with?
And then - what kind of exercise do you do? Even at 125 pounds over your preferred weight, you should be physically capable of movement (unless you're paralyzed or otherwise medically, physically confined, which is pretty much the only valid reason for not moving). If you get winded walking a block, then walk half a block. If you wheeze climbing 5 steps, then climb 2 steps, wait, and then climb the other three. If your legs chafe when you walk and it just hurts too much, then lift weights and do windmills with your arms to get your blood circulating. Or do leg exercises that you can sit down for.
When you lose a lot of weight very quickly, you'll want that skin to snap back as much as possible. And you'll want some muscle mass to give your form some definition. A good diet won't do any of that. That comes from exercise.
You say you "eat well." That means - absolutely nothing.
Eat well - compared to what/whom?
Eat well compared to someone who eats deep fried fast food every day? Eat well compared to a starving kid in some third world country? Eat well compared to the average American?
What are you eating? What are your portion sizes? How often are you eating? What do your snacks look like? How are your foods prepared? Do you do your own cooking? What's your typical grocery shopping cart look like when you get to the checkout? What kinds of things do you use to give your foods flavor? Do you eat salad? What do you dress it with?
And then - what kind of exercise do you do? Even at 125 pounds over your preferred weight, you should be physically capable of movement (unless you're paralyzed or otherwise medically, physically confined, which is pretty much the only valid reason for not moving). If you get winded walking a block, then walk half a block. If you wheeze climbing 5 steps, then climb 2 steps, wait, and then climb the other three. If your legs chafe when you walk and it just hurts too much, then lift weights and do windmills with your arms to get your blood circulating. Or do leg exercises that you can sit down for.
When you lose a lot of weight very quickly, you'll want that skin to snap back as much as possible. And you'll want some muscle mass to give your form some definition. A good diet won't do any of that. That comes from exercise.
If you are addressing me, "eat well" means following post-Bariatric surgery guidelines & recommendations, specific to RNY. That information is easily accessible but I will share what 10 years post *should* look like and what 99% of my days do.
1- I do not snack regularly and when I do it's generally 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with a
banana, strawberries or blueberries or sugar-free Greek yogurt, and once in a while 2 Hershey
miniatures.
2- there are daily "goals" to meet per the recommendations from the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeon (ASMBS):
• -80 to 100 grams of protein per day: I eat lean red meats, grilled chicken, and a variety of fish and shellfish along with a whey protein shake in the morning and possibly one in the evening, if I haven't reached my protein goal. I have food tolerance post-surgery and am generally picky, so no pastas, breads, or rice other than a small bite or two (I don't digest them well and will vomit- and that works cause pre-surgery I loved carbs)
• 64-100 ounces of water/non-caffeinated liquids a day. As one post-op should not be drinking while eating, and should not drink for at least 30 minutes after eating, many struggle with this. Personally, I do not often miss this goal as I am awake early and start my day at 4 am with the goal of a minimum of 30 ounces of water before I have breakfast, same for lunch and dinner.
• I do not eat fried foods, overly fatty or sodium-laced foods. I avoid lunch meats or basically any pre-packaged food in general. We rarely eat out and when we do I will often order an appetizer that's reasonably healthy for a meal, or share off my husband's plate (depending on what he's eating), or if a fast food place, modify the meal as much as possible, usually a grilled chicken sandwich, no bun.
• I eat a variety of steamed vegetables alongside my meals.
Re: serving sizes: there are guidelines based on the timeline of your surgery. Early out, it’s teaspoons, tablespoons and moves into ¼ cups, etc. Depending on the density of the protein I am eating, dictates how much my serving size will be. I can eat about 3-4 ounces of steak and a few bites of a vegetable but can easily eat a cup of chili (chili is what is considered a “slider” food as it has a lot of liquid). I weigh out my foods before they go on my plate- accountability. I also take small bites, chew until applesauce consistency and place my utensils down each time I take a bite and chew.
As I still measure, weigh and track all my intake I can give you what I ate yesterday as an example of how I eat. I also meal prep each meal at least one day in advance. I often lay out the dinner menu one week at a time
Breakfast
• 1 egg and 2 egg whites scrambled with 2 teaspoons of pico mixed in
• 3 pieces buccatini (small mozzarella balls)
• ¼ cup low fat cottage cheese
Lunch: (Salad)
¼ cup shredded butter lettuce
2 chopped Roma tomatoes
1 chopped mini English cucumber
5 chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon of red kidney beans
3 buccatini chopped
½ tablespoon sliced unsalted almonds
1 hardboiled egg chopped
12 grilled jumbo shrimp
Dinner
3 ounces of corned beef
½ cup of boiled cabbage
3 small boiled potatoes
About 10 boiled baby carrots
For purposes of full disclosure, I do not have a gall bladder and I do have “Dumping Syndrome” that’s associated to RNY. I cannot physically tolerate anything high in fats or sugars without getting very sick- vomiting, diarrhea, chills, sweats. That does help keep me in line as it’s a miserable experience and one I avoid at all costs unless I truly want something I shouldn’t eat- like ice cream. And I will only do that when home so I can lay down until it passes.
I also do not experience much physical hunger as long as I stayed continuously well hydrated. There are times that I don’t eat 3 meals, or even a single meal. I can actually do that for a few days at a time and will do that when I feel I’m a bit off the wagon so to speak and use that ability as a re-set to start the bariatric food stages all over again.
I just make sure I drink my protein those days. I also fully admit to being somewhat of an outlier- not all folks are meal preppers, not all weigh and measure, not all follow the “rules”. I have always been a scheduled person with a tendency to adhere to rules. I like having my days mapped out and that includes what I’m going to eat.
I looked to getting WLS last year - and was approved for it. However, the more I talked with my husband about it the more I realized he would not be supportive in the way I would need him to be post-surgery, and so I opted to delay it until he would be. My doctor agreed that I was making the right decision to wait because part of the success is having a solid support system around you.
I have a former co-worker that had WLS a few years ago and lost over 100 pounds. When she and I started working together, she was waiting to get approved for skin removal surgery. However, she got lazy and began eating most of her evening meals at the local bar while also downing shots. Very quickly the weight started coming back on. By the time she quit and went to another company she had gained back 40 pounds. I was very sad for her because she truly wasted her money...
I currently weight 210 lbs. This is one of my highest weights in my lifetime. I used to weigh about 150 or less. I've been approved for Bariatric surgery and I am awaiting a surgery date. But, I am nervous. It is the sleeve I am supposed to have done.
I'm wondering should I just try to lose weight naturally? I was 219 and was able lose 9lbs on my own. I am a vegetarian but was not able to adhere to the meal plan myself and the dietician came up with consistently. Yet, I still lost some weight.
Has anyone had any positive or negative experiences with Bariatric surgery? What might be something you wish you thought of beforehand?
Thanks
Getting Bariatric surgery will cause rapid weight loss. It's great in the beginning but then comes the excess skin. That skin hanging on skin can get infected real fast and be very uncomfortable having to tuck it in your clothing.
But losing weight a little at a time I think would give your skin time to sort of bounce back a little. You don't want it like a stretched-out rubber band. Where I live it's hot as hell outside so walking outside is not for the person, I know who got bariatric surgery not even for me who is gaining weight very rapidly and I afraid I will soon need this surgery.
First, I suggest you try what I have to try and do. If you drink soda give it up. Mix about a shot of seltzer with your glass of soda. do that for a week or two then two shots of seltzer to the same size glass and eventually you can get down to all seltzer and no soda. But make sure you drink something with a little caffein like one cup of coffee in the morning, so you don't get the headaches.
You will have to take a lot of vitamins for bariatric patients. This tells me that can get expensive and the patient will not be eating enough to get good nutrition in them so only healthy foods, no sugary snacks, still you will not be eating enough to be healthy. I don't want malnutrition so I won't go for that surgery for myself but if you think it's right for well that's something you need to really think about. Try YouTube and ask people what they hated most about it. Also not that I am a big fan but I happened to be flicking the station on TV and saw Mama June and her daughter and now I see even she is gaining the weight back. She went from using food as her vice to another and ended up back to her food vice.
I looked into bariatric surgery several years ago. What struck me was that I would have to eat completely differently if I had the surgery; smaller, more nutritious meals. Patients who went back to eating the same way gained weight and often got sick.
So instead, I just started eating smaller, more nutritious meals, and lost weight. I'm not at my "goal" weight, may never be there, but I have lost nearly 100 lbs and am much healthier.
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