A great many people lose in a stair-step pattern. Nothing for a while, lose a bunch fast, nothing for a while, lose a bunch fast, repeat.

Be honest with yourself about what you are eating. Write everything down that you eat or drink. Count every calorie. Protein should be always eatin first. Dense protein is the best option, like a boneless skinless chicken breast. 3 to 4 oz. If you are still hungry eat as much non-starchy vegetables as you want to get full. But with restriction from the sleeve(this soon out from surgery) I don't think you should have much room left after eating your 3 to 4oz of protein first. When I was 1 to 4 months out I was eating 400 to 600 calories a day. And those calories came from protein. 6 months out I try to keep my calories to no more than 800 a day most of the week. But 2 days a week I don't limit myself. I can for sure eat more food now at 6 months out so Its even more on me now to be on top of how much I eat at each meal, how many times a day I am eating, and what types of food I am eating when I do eat. I don't eat any refined carbs or sugar anymore.

I had gastric sleeve surgery on June 21, 2019. At my 2 week post-op appointment, I had lost 16 pounds. I had a one month follow-up this week and I had gained 18 pounds. I gained this weight over the course of one and a half weeks. I had problems with my potassium prior to surgery and I've been going to get it checked weekly. It had come up last week so the doctor changed my fluid medicine. I was taken off of one fluid pill about two weeks ago because she felt like it was dropping my potassium. My bariatric surgeon told me that this was the very first time that he has had a patient to gain weight. What should I do?

It's not gastrectomy, where they physically remove part of the stomach as in the VSG or DS, but it's more like the sleeve plication where they fold away and suture up much of the fundus leaving a sleeve like tube as a restriction, only they do it endoscopically. It is usually referred to as a endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty.

The docs that I have seen promoting it call for it to be done with a BMI of 30 or above, which implies that it is of similar efficacy as the bands and balloons. As it doesn't remove any of the structure of the stomach, it is unlikely to have any significant hormonal or metabolic effect, also like the bands, balloons and plications - so it would be considered to be a purely restrictive procedure - i.e., no metabolic help on the patient's obesity problem.

ASMBS's thoughts on it (endoscopic bariatric procedures in general) can be summed up as interesting, needed but not yet ready for prime time:

https://asmbs.org/resources/a-pathway-to-endoscopic-bariatri c-therapies

All insurance COMPANIES cover weight loss surgery. But most insurance PLANS do not.

It's like car insurance. You can buy an inexpensive policy that covers the fewest things, with the lowest limits. If you want to spend more, you can buy extras, like collision, glass replacement, towing, rental car, etc. So you can get lower coverage for lower money, or more money for more coverage.

Health insurance is pretty much the same. Employers want to save money, so they don't choose to buy the "extras," such as weight loss surgery. It's an expensive add on.

I'm sorry, but your question is impossible for us to answer. Someone can say "I have Blue Cross, and it was covered." But the Blue Cross plan you end up with could exclude WLS.

You could shop for a plan and buy it yourself that you know covers it. But not many of us could afford that. Frankly, for what six months of insurance would cost, you could go to Mexico and pay for the whole surgery out of pocket.

I wish I could be more helpful. Good luck.