Do you have a question?

I run a large, face-to-face support group which is in many ways similar to this group because it is very diverse, representing just about every point in the WLS surgery journey and just about every surgery type.  One of the things that I've found in our face-to-face meetings is that often when one person asks a question, many others chime and say that they had been wondering the same thing. The other thing that happens is that you will get several different perspectives on the same issue. So I thought I'd ask you to pose your top 3 questions and let us know where you are in your journey and which surgery you have had or are considering. I will do my best to answer questions, but I also hope that others will chime in with their experiences.

Please do remember that we are lay people sharing our personal experiences and opinions. Any time you get information that conflicts with what your doctor's office recommends, please go back to your doctor for advise and/or clarification.

I look forward to seeing what questions you have, sharing my experiences and seeing what others in the group have to say.

I am 3 weeks postop today and I am very frustrated. I have not lost a single lb in a week. Is this normal? I was dropping up to 3 lbs a day for the first 2 weeks and now NOTHING! In the past week I have completely adhered to the pureed diet with an average daily caloric intake of ~500-650. Is my body going into a rebellious mode or what?

Jamie,

I had the same thing happen to me and really had a hard time because I thought that I was the one person who did this and still couldn't lose the weight. That said, I found that this is totally normal. Most people will hit a plateau somewhere during the first 2 to 6 weeks. I don't know why they don't tell us that this is going to happen. Just stay with your surgeon's dietary plan and make sure that you are getting in the protein, supplements and fluids that your surgeon prescribes. Make sure that you don't reduce your intake if your weight loss slows. Doing so can cause problems and can back fire by causing your system to become more efficient on less calories... so make sure that you get in all of the protein and calories prescribed.

While we wish that the weight loss would come off as though we were on a slide moving in a steady downhill path. Unfortunately, our bodies lose weight in a stair step pattern where we drop then stop, then drop again.

If you haven't done it already, make sure to take some full body photos in front of a door and then repeat the photos in front of the same door once a month throughout your weight loss journey. Take a full front, full profile and full back view in front of a door. Dress nicely and make sure to smile... You'll want to enjoy the photos in the future. At any rate, since a door is a static size, it helps you see your body shrinking in relation to a fixed object. Sometimes as we are losing the weight we don't see our bodies changing and this will help.

I also suggest that you take full body measurements because sometimes when are body isn't showing any progress on the scales, the tape measure will show progress with a different set of numbers. I suggest that you take the measurements once a month when you take the photos.

Hang in there, the weight loss will resume.

Barb

I am just starting on my journey. I go to my first consulation with the surgeon and dietician on Feb 7. I am so ready to get started. I still dont know yet how long I have to wait to have my surgery. What can I expect from my first visit? I know every doctor is different buy was just wondering how much weight loss I have to do before surgery? I have hypothyroidism from being hyperthyroidism and them doing radiation iodine to kill my thyroid plus I have sleep apnea and high blood pressure. I have also been diagnosed with bradycardia so needless to say I dont lose weight easily! If I just look at food I gain weight. I am anxious and nervous at the same time. With me not being able to lose weight I am worried I wont be able to lose weight after surgery. I am hoping to have the Roux en Y done but we will see what my doctor says on Feb 7. I am 5'4" and weigh 230 lbs.

Thanks

 

Hi Karen,

Pre-op weight loss can vary from program to program, with different doctors within a program and to some extent from patient to patient with the same doctor. Some doctors will require that all of their patients lose a specific number of pounds or percentage of their excess weight. Some will require that all of their patients go on a pre-op liquid protein diet. Some do not require a diet. Actually mine didnt require a specific pre-op diet, but I had a six month waiting period before my surgery and I had been working on a South Beach style diet and had lost about 30 lbs during that time. There are a number of reasons that surgeons tend to prefer some sort of pre-op loss, but they generally fall into two categories; first, obese people tend to have fatty liver disease which enlarges the liver. When you start to lose weight, the first place you lose weight from is the liver. This reduces the size of the liver making it easier for the surgeon to perform the surgery and much less likely that you will have to have surgery via open surgery which is more dangerous and has a longer, more difficult recovery. The other reason that some surgeons want you to lose weight pre-op is to show that you can and will stick to the program.

Please talk with your doctor about their experience with patients with hyperthyroidism. I'm sure that they will want to work with you and your endocrinologist to maximize your weight loss opportunity and potential. I have a completely different issue, but my surgeon's office worked with my hematologist regarding my issues.

I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing about your journey.

Barb.

Another question. Went to mandatory seminar on Jan 19 I go to dr distlear on Feb 5 they said I would see dietician then too. My question is when does my waiting period start. Insurance lady from dr office called I only have to wait 3 months. When does the 3 months start january or february