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You seem to have a really cynical outlook on all of this. I, too, am a scientist by profession, and I've always been a bit of a pessimist, but I think sometimes, it's worth giving people the benefit of the doubt. It looks like you don't think your bariatric team has your best interests at heart. I know you've been burned before, and I also know what it's like to be constantly judged as stupid, lazy, noncompliant, untrustworthy, unworthy, etc. because of my weight, so I can understand your feelings about this, but don't forget that these are people who have devoted their careers to providing weight loss surgery. I'm not saying that they all genuinely care about alleviating the plight of the obese, or that they're sympathetic toward those of us in a position of needing this surgery, but I doubt there are very many medical professionals in the bariatric surgery field who are out to punish and criticize fat patients just for fun (or out of personal dislike of fat people). If for no other reason than their own self-interest, chances are that they want patients to succeed with weight loss surgery, and they are probably doing what they believe will contribute to their patients' success. Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes people can be right for the wrong reasons. I've run into this in my own job, where someone has told me something that didn't seem to make sense, and I (as someone like you with an inquisitive mind) have gone looking for the real story, only to find that what I was told was correct, even though the reasoning was not. In this case, your dietitian might be giving you good direction even if she doesn't actually understand what she's talking about. Just because that dietitian (or even the whole bariatric team) doesn't know or understand the reasoning behind the rules, it doesn't necessarily mean that the rules are incorrect or arbitrary. Finally, if you hang around this forum for long enough, you will see that many patients want and need a lot of hand-holding. Some people would rather be given strict but arbitrary rules than loose guidelines. People are constantly on here posting questions like, "I had surgery X days ago; can I eat Y?" And honestly, considering that, I can't blame surgeons at all for wanting to make things as black and white as possible so they don't have to spend all their time answering these incredibly specific questions, tailored to each individual patient. Most patients are not medical researchers, and many want definitive instructions from their doctors. Many people would be paralyzed with indecision if they were told, "Some studies say X and others say Y; you figure it out." Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how closely to follow your surgeon's directions, and if you do your own research and believe you have found a better way, you can make that decision. But I would venture to say that you will likely have a better experience if you have a mindset of working WITH your bariatric surgery team instead of taking an adversarial approach.

So excited[emoji16] about finally getting my surgery date today!! I'm scheduled to have the Gastric Sleeve Surgery on 11/28/22 . I'm so ready to start losing weight and enjoying my journey while doing so. The Scale only goes down [emoji116] from here !!! 250 here I come !! Sent from my SM-S134DL using BariatricPal mobile app

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if there's one thing you'll here on this site perhaps more than any other it's this: don't compare yourself to others. There's nothing good that can come of it. Even if you found someone that was your exact same starting weight, height, and even had surgery the same day, there are still way too many other variables that could impact your progression. Just some examples: age, physical fitness, %body fat, basal metabolism, diet, bougie size, surgical complications, etc. Honestly, it sounds like you're doing fine. If you're not happy with your loss so far, talk with your bariatric team. They may have suggestions for you such as increasing the amount and type of exercise and/or changes to your diet. Best of luck!

As I said I think I kept losing until my body got to its new set point - thank you surgery. for me my new set point was at a lower weight than I’d expected (my goal was the lowest weight I would always bounce up from). Your set point will strongly influence your final weight. You can eat yourself above it but it takes a lot of effort to eat & exercise yourself below it. People often talk about getting too thin & looking gaunt but, apart from a couple of months while everything settled, I don’t look like a lost too much nor am I bony, I just look small. But then I am short & have a smaller frame & believe me I still have body fat. I’m talking to you thighs, hips & tummy! 😉

Me too same day!!! Good luck!!!

That's terrific!! I finally got my date for gastric bypass, November 4. Excited & nervous, but like you I am looking forward to the journey. Good luck with yours!!!

Hello Gignac, Whatever you find that you like now may absolutely disgust you after surgery. Lots of us wasted money pre buying products that we have hated. Just buy a few and that way you won't be throwing loads away. Good luck with your upcoming surgery

How exciting!!!

I'm 4.5 months out from my surgery and at 5'2" I've lost 65 pounds so far. I've gone down from a size 22/20 jeans to a size 14 or in some cases even size 12. To put in perspective, my older sister who had the same surgery (RNY) a few years ago, also 5'2, had lost 45 pounds at the point I'm at. This shows how different weight loss is individually. In my case a lot is probably from nutritional issues and losing weight too quickly. That's an ongoing issue my team is still trying to work out. It's hard to get enough nutrition when you are full for the day after literally one bite of something in the morning.

I look at this whole process in that I am the customer and they are providing a service. I will lean on their experience but will always question if I do not understand and then I fully expect as a customer that they will explain. This is a paid transaction and they are there to make money just as any business does and I am a customer seeking a paid service of the highest quality. Luckily, my Bariatric team has been nothing but professional and accommodating. Remember, it is a 2-way street of respect and communication for this process to work. BUT, IF I had encounted a Bariatric team that I did not feel comfortable with, then I would look into a different service provider.