Stalled

I'm looking to spice up my exercise routines. I'm a relative beginner and am still obese so the exercises I can do are still limited. I'm interested in gaining strength so I can do a wider range of exercises. So I wanted to ask what are your favorite exercises/routines and why?

As the title says, what are some of your favorite sugar-free foods, treats, or snacks? What about food substatutes or alternatives (eg. zucchini chips instead of potato chips)?

Hello all, My name is Jen. This is my first post and I hope to find some support within this community. I had my gastric sleeve procedure in July 2017 at 22 years old. I was 310 pounds before the two-week fast and was 291 pounds at the time of the surgery. After the surgery, I lost weight rapidly, I was down to 225 pounds by December of that same year. But then my weight loss decreased and for the past 2.5 years, I've been stuck at an average weight of 215 pounds. Since COVID started, I have actually gained weight and am now 235 lbs (not being able to go to the gym has sucked). At one point nearly 2 years after my surgery I had even gotten to 196 lbs, which was a 100-pound weight loss. I want to lose another 100 pounds to meet my goal weight range of 135-140 lbs, which would be a healthy weight for my height and build. But I need help. I have other factors that are making weight loss more difficult. I have PCOS which naturally makes weight loss difficult. I use birth control pills to help regulate the hormones that are affected by PCOS. I also have had bone and joint problems since I was a child. I've been trying to focus on my diet, but I must admit I have a giant sweet tooth and I am a picky eater. Pizza and candy are my banes. I'm also a graduate student who is under a ton of stress and has very limited personal time. This makes exercising and preparing meals difficult. Despite these complications, I don't eat out at all, nor do I order take-in. I have a treadmill that I walk or jog on for at least an hour each day, and I attend Zumba twice a weak (I'm not very good at it haha). I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic but I do have asthma. So, is anyone else in a similar situation that would like to build a little group? I've never had any weight loss support and I am hoping that by building a group, I can find more motivation and encouragement as I lose 100 more pounds. TLDR: 4 years since VSG surgery and I'm still not at goal weight, keep stalling or gaining weight. Need friends in similar situations for support, guidance, motivation, and encouragement.

You can sip if you need to. It's not going to hurt you. Just try to stick to non-carbonated and non-alcoholic drinks.

Sip, always have a liquid in eyesight and reach, sip, drink a variety of liquids, sip, ice chips or sugar-free ice pops, sip. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Some people go to the extreme and set alarms to remind them to drink. I don't go to that extent. Some people have a favorite glass, bottle, mug, etc that encourages them to drink more. If your urine is really dark, you should see a doctor because there might be something else going on. Sometimes weight loss and a drastic reduction in calories can be dangerous for people with kidney disease.

There is a really common misconception that we need to drink 64+oz of fluid each day. This actually isn't the case, drink what you can, when you can. Everyone's body is different and its needs are, therefore, also different. When you're thirsty, that means you're starting to get dehydrated. With the VSG surgery, you won't be able to chug/gulp anymore so you have to be sure to drink when you're not thirsty so you don't get dehydrated. I could drink larger quantities in one go after about a year. I still can't chug a whole bottle of water but I can do about 4oz in one go. Seriously, don't worry about the drinking every 10-15 minutes thing. Just drink when you remember and keep a liquid on hand. And if you find yourself getting thirsty, try harder to remember to drink. Put your bottle at eye level, put a bottle near the microwave or oven so you remember to drink before you eat, a bottle on your nightstand, another in your car, essentially put a bottle everywhere you frequent so when you see it, you take a sip.

You're completely right about both your points. I should clarify, what I mean by "exercise" is more accurately "activity". This early on you shouldn't be afraid to walk a lot or do similar low-stress activities like swimming (if you're cleared for it). Whatever your body feels like it can do, but not anything intense until further on in your recovery. And the part about not starving your body is VERY important too. Unfortunately, everyone's body and metabolism are different so it is difficult to determine what is right (calories amount vs exercise burning) for each person without some experimentation. I think you're at the right caloric level, you might even want to try to eat more to get more calories because your body might be in "starvation" mode right now and that could be one reason why you aren't losing as much as you would like or expect.

Exercise is key. If you aren't exercising, you need to start. You need to be burning the same or more than the number of calories you are consuming. Are you counting your calories or have an idea of how many calories you consume in a day?

You should be eating between 4 to 6 small meals a day and drinking water in the middle. I was still in the non-clear liquid stage at 4 weeks post-op so I didn't start eating meals until my 2nd month. Those consisted of purees, mashed potatoes, pudding, soup, etc. Then I moved on to soft food. So I was mostly getting my protein from protein drinks for the first 3 months. It is super concerning you're passing out. I think you should talk to your doctor or surgeon. Remember that eating anything is better than not eating anything. So if you can't do a meal, go ahead and grab a handful of nuts or something. I started with lean meats for proteins. Mostly variations on chicken. Pork loin was also a favorite. I ate edamame like it was crack. I couldn't tolerate bread though.

4 years post VSG. No regrets. I was 310 lbs at 22 years old. I'm now ~230 lbs but at one point I was down to ~198 lbs. I didn't have any hair loss, but I have very thick hair anyway. I have PCOS so my hormones are messed up anyway too so I was on birth control for the extra estrogen, this could have helped prevent hair loss. My mom had the surgery (same doctor and procedure) at 51 about a year before I did. She has naturally thin hair and was post-menopausal. She didn't lose hair either. It really is just chance and your hormones (particularly cortisol and estrogen/testosterone ratios). You can talk to your doctor about your medical options to help lessen hair loss. But if you do have hair loss, I think you should just embrace it! It will only last a couple of months (usually) and then it will start growing back. But this could be your opportunity to do something to your hair that you've never done before, cut it super short, dye it as close to your skin color as possible can sometimes disguise hair loss, add hair accessories, etc. Neither of us had complications, she even had a hernia fixed for free at the same time! I was up and walking around within hours of waking up. My mom was walking laps the next day (she isn't that great with anesthesia). If I hadn't gotten the surgery I have no doubt I would have been recruited for "My 600 lb life" by now.

If you're eating too few calories, your body thinks it is starving and will actually store the calories you do consume as fat to protect your organs and conserve during your starvation. That might be what is happening with you. If you consume the exact correct amount of calories (burn what you eat) then your body forgoes the storage part and jumps right to the "using it" part. So yes, if your surgeon says eat 1000 calories a day, try to do that. Regarding exercise, that is really helpful with the "burn what you eat" process. I don't recommend rigorous exercise so soon after surgery. But more activity and movement, in general, is always a good thing. If you're walking 5000 steps a day, increase it to 8000.

I love kale chips! It just takes forever to make them because of the stems/veins.

Hi All, I'm new so I'm not as familiar with this website. But I would like to post a "status update" but I can't figure out how to do that. Obviously, I can post on topic threads but that isn't what I'm interested in doing. Any instructions would be appreciated! Below is what I am seeing when I go to the status updates page. As far as I can tell, there isn't anywhere for me to create new content.

4 years after VSG and I still can't drink Gatorade. Tomato sauce and ketchup are hit-or-miss.

I was 22 when I had my gastric sleeve. It was in July and I was staying with my parents before going back to school in August after the summer break. This gave me plenty of recovery time. I didn't attend any social gatherings during the recovery. But it was the 4th of July the day before I flew out to get my surgery, there was a family bbq and I was on my liquid-only pre-op diet. It was terrible but I overcame temptation. Everyone was asking why I wasn't eating. But I just said that I had a surgery in a couple of days and couldn't eat anything. But at that moment I made a promise to myself. "I will answer honestly whenever someone asks in the future, I won't hide it, there's nothing to be ashamed of" When I got back to school after my surgery there were a couple of social gatherings where it came up, and I just said, my stomach isn't big enough to eat what is on my plate, when they would ask why I would say, "part of my stomach was surgically removed in July" and that is usually good enough. But when it isn't I just say, I had the surgery done voluntarily for my health to help me lose weight. I wasn't uncomfortable about it. I even had to tell my lab classes that I would need to leave periodically to drink water (no food or drinks in labs). Inevitably I would have to say why. Comfort is relative. If you think you will be uncomfortable because you're hiding the surgery, don't hide it. If you're uncomfortable because of all the food, bring your own. etc. Do what makes you feel best. If you aren't ready, you aren't ready, and that is fine. Like I said, I had a couple of months at home before having to join the world. I think that helped a lot.

Glad to help! Also, I forgot to add something about your comment about water being nauseating. Is that all the time? I don't drink anything about 30 minutes before and after eating. I have also found that my filtered tap water gives me heartburn, but bottled water is doesn't (depending on the brand). Different bottled water has different pH so you might want to experiment and see if there is a bottled water brand that doesn't make you nauseated. Because it might be due to pH or certain minerals in the water you're drinking.

I just tried going onto chrome and it still doesn't display for me. I am also using my PC and not the phone app. So weird.

First, I recommend talking to your surgeon or doctor. Since it's been 16 weeks, you could go in and get your vitamin levels check to make sure you're getting enough nutrients from your diet. The high protein daily recommendation isn't always feasible 16 weeks after surgery, it wasn't for me! I could only take a couple of bites of my food and then I was full. I couldn't eat a full chicken breast until about a year after the surgery. I was told to have 4-6 small, high-protein meals and then snack with fruit or veggies throughout the day. And not to worry about veggies or fruit with a meal until I could fit more into my stomach (about 1 year later). As long as your taking your vitamins it shouldn't be a problem, you might want to add a fiber supplement though. The 64 oz of water is just a rule of thumb, not everyone is able to do it or actually need it. As long as you're not dehydrated, don't worry about it. Just remember to sip throughout the day and keep some water on hand. Regarding distaste for food, yes, it gets better. I couldn't stand some of my favorite foods after my surgery. But I'm 4 years out and I'm now able to tolerate most of them again. I also noticed (my mom did too) that eating slower helps your stomach handle food better. TLDR: get your vitamin levels checked, but if they're good, you're fine. Don't try too hard to meet the diet "requirements" just try your best.

No, I just notice that there is a "status updates" section that people seem to be able to post to that aren't topic thread-worthy. But I can't find anywhere that lets me post a status update. I emailed bariatricpal using their "contact us" link but no one has gotten back to me and it's been about 5 days now. I was able to figure out how to update my weight and stuff yesterday! I only weigh on Sunday mornings so seeing that I lost 5 pounds this week made me want to explore the website more and see if I could post on the status updates like I'm seeing others do.

Hi Lynn, My "create" tab doesn't have a "status" option.

I was on only liquids for my preop diet (2 weeks) and for two months post-op. I got so sick of all of the protein drinks because they were so sweet. And I admittedly have a sweet tooth, but by the time I could have non-clear liquids, I was 100% done with sweet drinks. I rejoiced when I was allowed to have milk! I don't completely understand what you mean about an instant change. But for me, it was mind over matter. I knew that if I ate solids before my stomach healed completely, I would be putting back my recovery and potentially damaging my body even worse. I didn't want to risk it so I stringently kept to my post-op liquid diet.

That is really awesome! Congratulations on your success! You should be proud of yourself

Hi Sunny, thank you for the advice and I'm glad that it is working out for you! I will absolutely be taking a look at Dr. Weiner's books and videos! That being said, there are some things that I don't completely agree with you about. Yes, I think focusing on the high protein, low carb diet is important, and limiting snacking is also important. But here are my two hold-ups. 1) We all snack. With the gastric sleeve, we are told to have 4-6 small "meals" a day to meet a minimum caloric intake. I, and many others, are not going to cook 4-6 "meals" a day, it takes too much time. So, I would rather have a healthy snack like yogurt and berries than an unhealthy one like a sleeve of cookies. Eating sliced deli meat and nuts can get very boring very quickly. That is why I'm trying to build a list of healthy snacks and alternative/substitute foods. This brings me to my second point. 2) Most of us live with other people. This means we are constantly exposed to the snacks and unhealthy food they are eating. If I can replace these foods with sugar-free or healthy alternatives, I won't be as tempted by them and even if I do indulge a little, they aren't as unhealthy as having a slice of cake or a handful of Doritos or potato chips. That is also why I asked about substitute or alternative foods. Again, I appreciate your comment, suggestion of Dr. Weiner, and your encouragement, but it is a pipe dream to think that a person can stick to the pre-op or post-op diets everyday all-day for the rest of their lives. I'm just trying to limit my bad choices, especially while I'm at home surrounded by other people's food.

I think it's great that you're making some snacks yourself! I actually make zucchini and kale chips myself using fresh vegetables and my dehydrator. So they aren't processed and taste great!

Did you happen to have a hernia that they fixed during the surgery? That's the only time I've heard of someone having a binder after surgery. Maybe it depends on what surgery you had? I only know for my gastric sleeve I was a textbook case and didn't need a binder but my mom had her hernia fixed at the same time and did need a binder. I know you didn't ask, but for people who are curious, binders are great for encouraging the muscles to rebind and heal in the correct positions. It is why they are recommended to women after they have c-sections. I don't think there is any harm to wearing the binder as long as you are keeping your incisions clean. Binders do sometimes increase the risk of infections since it is so tight to your body and sweat can soak into it.