NickelChip

Hey there! I had bypass back in February. My best advice is to ignore other people's stats and focus on you. I, too, was worried about my progress, but 7 months in, I am still losing weight and just bought jeans in a size I have not worn since I was 22 years old (I am 50 now). Here is how it went for me, just so you can see one example, but we are all different.
Starting weight: 251 lbs (BMI 40.5 as I am 5'6" tall)
Pre-surgery loss (over 6 months): -12.2lbs (this was from nutrition changes)
2 week liquid diet: -15.4lbs
Month 1: -8.2lbs
Month 2: -10.8lbs
Month 3: -3.8lbs
Month 4: -11.0lbs
Month 5: -3.4lbs
Month 6: -5.2lbs
Month 7: -3.6lbs
So far in month 8: -2.2lbs
Today's weight: 175.2lbs (BMI 28.3)
My goal is to lose another 20lbs in the next 5-6 months, which would be 3-4 lbs per month. That would get me to a "normal" BMI of under 30 and would be about the same weight I was when I was 18 years old.

Just finished a Half Marathon in ~2:10. Not too shabby for an old man that had a total knee replacement and open heart surgery, and that used to weight >330 lbs a couple of years ago.

That's all, thanks for indulging me! 😀

Hey there! I had bypass back in February. My best advice is to ignore other people's stats and focus on you. I, too, was worried about my progress, but 7 months in, I am still losing weight and just bought jeans in a size I have not worn since I was 22 years old (I am 50 now). Here is how it went for me, just so you can see one example, but we are all different.
Starting weight: 251 lbs (BMI 40.5 as I am 5'6" tall)
Pre-surgery loss (over 6 months): -12.2lbs (this was from nutrition changes)
2 week liquid diet: -15.4lbs
Month 1: -8.2lbs
Month 2: -10.8lbs
Month 3: -3.8lbs
Month 4: -11.0lbs
Month 5: -3.4lbs
Month 6: -5.2lbs
Month 7: -3.6lbs
So far in month 8: -2.2lbs
Today's weight: 175.2lbs (BMI 28.3)
My goal is to lose another 20lbs in the next 5-6 months, which would be 3-4 lbs per month. That would get me to a "normal" BMI of under 30 and would be about the same weight I was when I was 18 years old.

Pic on top...my senior year of high school (prom) when I was 17. Pic on bottom...a couple of weeks ago at age 46. Face is older, but body is pretty close. Just sayin.....😏😉

Choose the one that comes up around 21g Protein. I know that if you weigh out a 3oz serving (weight after cooking), you're getting roughly 21g protein, whether it's chicken breast, steak, or salmon.

Okay, so as I see it, you have three potential issues with coffee. The first is caffeine, which is the main reason some (not all) doctors say not to drink it. It's a mild diuretic, and if you are struggling at all with hitting your Fluid targets, you want to avoid anything that will make it worse. If, on the other hand, you easily can surpass 64oz Water in a day, you're probably good to go. I never had issues hitting my fluid targets.
The second issue is acidity. It's possible the coffee may upset your stomach (but if you are already drinking Decaf without an issue, you're probably fine here too). I had to stop drinking coffee except for a few times a month well before I ever had surgery because the coffee was making me sick, so I switched to tea. And I started drinking regular tea at around 4 months because decaf was just sad.
The third issue is all the stuff people love to put in coffee and forget has calories. That's just something to be mindful of, because if you mix up a large coffee with tons of real sugar, sugary syrups, and cream, you can easily consume hundreds of calories without even thinking about it. This happened to a friend who had VSG and didn't use sugar but would add a ton of cream to a very large thermal cup of coffee. He honestly thought he was just adding "a splash" of cream. Like, dude, that's 400 calories you just put in that coffee. And it's liquid, so it just goes right down without filling you up at all.

Just to add, meat loses about 25% weight when cooked. So 4oz of raw chicken will weigh about 3oz after cooking.

Okay, so as I see it, you have three potential issues with coffee. The first is caffeine, which is the main reason some (not all) doctors say not to drink it. It's a mild diuretic, and if you are struggling at all with hitting your Fluid targets, you want to avoid anything that will make it worse. If, on the other hand, you easily can surpass 64oz Water in a day, you're probably good to go. I never had issues hitting my fluid targets.
The second issue is acidity. It's possible the coffee may upset your stomach (but if you are already drinking Decaf without an issue, you're probably fine here too). I had to stop drinking coffee except for a few times a month well before I ever had surgery because the coffee was making me sick, so I switched to tea. And I started drinking regular tea at around 4 months because decaf was just sad.
The third issue is all the stuff people love to put in coffee and forget has calories. That's just something to be mindful of, because if you mix up a large coffee with tons of real sugar, sugary syrups, and cream, you can easily consume hundreds of calories without even thinking about it. This happened to a friend who had VSG and didn't use sugar but would add a ton of cream to a very large thermal cup of coffee. He honestly thought he was just adding "a splash" of cream. Like, dude, that's 400 calories you just put in that coffee. And it's liquid, so it just goes right down without filling you up at all.

I was going through my album, and while trying to lose weight I had favourited a few of my pictures for inspiration to get back to what I was. I was in the best shape after having my first child, see below photos from (2016/2017).


My highest weight at 90 kgs/198 lbs (a few days before my VSG in December 2023)

My post-op journey has all been about restriction and not being able to eat enough. It took me time to slowly build my stamina and muscle tone back. I have definition in my abs and my legs and arms are toned. I am 13 kilos/29 lbs lighter than my “before” fit (but it doesn't much show because muscles ha!), I am at an all time low in terms of weight but I feel absolutely fantastic. Hopefully can build kore muscle once I stabilize.
My “fit” after:

Okay, so as I see it, you have three potential issues with coffee. The first is caffeine, which is the main reason some (not all) doctors say not to drink it. It's a mild diuretic, and if you are struggling at all with hitting your Fluid targets, you want to avoid anything that will make it worse. If, on the other hand, you easily can surpass 64oz Water in a day, you're probably good to go. I never had issues hitting my fluid targets.
The second issue is acidity. It's possible the coffee may upset your stomach (but if you are already drinking Decaf without an issue, you're probably fine here too). I had to stop drinking coffee except for a few times a month well before I ever had surgery because the coffee was making me sick, so I switched to tea. And I started drinking regular tea at around 4 months because decaf was just sad.
The third issue is all the stuff people love to put in coffee and forget has calories. That's just something to be mindful of, because if you mix up a large coffee with tons of real sugar, sugary syrups, and cream, you can easily consume hundreds of calories without even thinking about it. This happened to a friend who had VSG and didn't use sugar but would add a ton of cream to a very large thermal cup of coffee. He honestly thought he was just adding "a splash" of cream. Like, dude, that's 400 calories you just put in that coffee. And it's liquid, so it just goes right down without filling you up at all.

I think the experience you're having emphasizes that a lot of this not as much in our control as we think it is. Which I'm sure is no more comforting for you than it is when someone is following every single rule and staying stalled at a higher weight than they had hoped. If it helps, remember that this stage is temporary. You won't keep losing forever, and when your body reaches its new set point, whatever it is, how you carry that weight is going to change. I know you probably look in the mirror and think what have I done, I'm going to look sickly forever, but it's temporary (and probably something you notice more than other people do). Whether your weight increases in the next year, or if it just turns out that your new, lower weight begins to look more natural to you as fat gets redistributed, this is only a brief point in the journey. The clothing not fitting part must be particularly frustrating, though, since it costs money to fix. I hope you're able to find an inexpensive solution, especially for your work clothing. You're sure to find your equilibrium soon.

The only way one cracker would make any difference is if you ate it right before going into surgery. Not saying you shouldn't ask yourself why you decided not to follow the rules because that's good information to process for the future, but you don't need to worry that what you did will make a difference to your outcome. When you're in that final stretch before surgery, usually after 8pm or maybe midnight the day before you go to the hospital, that's where you need to follow directions to the letter because you need to have an empty stomach so they can operate on it.

The only way one cracker would make any difference is if you ate it right before going into surgery. Not saying you shouldn't ask yourself why you decided not to follow the rules because that's good information to process for the future, but you don't need to worry that what you did will make a difference to your outcome. When you're in that final stretch before surgery, usually after 8pm or maybe midnight the day before you go to the hospital, that's where you need to follow directions to the letter because you need to have an empty stomach so they can operate on it.

Looking great!

I'm not sure where you found the 50% body weight number, but I had my 6-month appointment with my surgeon today and was told that losing 20% of your starting weight and keeping it off is the definition of "success" from a medical perspective. So, if you started at 252, that would be a 50 lb loss. Prior to gaining weight, you were at 65lbs lost, making your initial results within the successful range and if you are currently at 205, you're just slightly out of that range for longterm success.
I think you may have confused the percentages of "body weight" and "excess body weight." To determine your excess body weight for a woman, you start with 100 lbs and add 5 lbs for each inch over 5 feet tall. So for you, that would be 120 lbs. (That's not a goal weight, but rather an "ideal" for a person your height who has never been overweight.) You would then subtract that from your starting weight, giving you 132 lbs of "excess" body weight. 50% of that is 66 lbs, which is essentially what you lost after surgery.
Current research is showing that gastric sleeve surgery is not as durable for weight loss for some people. The Pound of Cure podcast has a lot of episodes that address this (you can find it on Youtube). It's certainly worth talking to your doctor about your options, which may include revision or GLP-1 medications. You'll want to find out your insurance coverage options, too. Of course, the first thing you'll want to do is make sure you are following your nutrition plan and exercise guidelines and cutting out bad habits to see if that helps you reverse some of the gain. If you haven't had a physical lately, definitely go in for that as any number of things can crop up, especially during perimenopause, that can cause weight gain.
Wishing you luck! I'm 50 and I'm definitely nervous about reaching my goals and keeping the weight off at this age.

Hi family, im 163. Just documenting!

Amazing and inspiring photos 🤩

Oh, yes. It really is so disheartening, and knowing it's normal/expected doesn't make it feel any better! To give you an idea of how my weight loss has fluctuated, here are my monthly totals so far:
February: -16.4 lbs (2 week pre-op diet plus surgery on 2/21)
March: -11.6 lbs
April: -7.6 lbs
May: -2.8 lbs
June: -11.2 lbs
July: -1.6 lbs
August: -8.4 lbs
And so far in September I'm at a whopping -0.4 lbs for the month. Let me tell you, May and July both sucked, and I honestly don't think I did anything differently in June or August to explain the variation. It just is what it is. I'd say stay off the scale, but personally, I enjoy having the daily number because I'm obsessed with having a record to look back on, so I get having to do it every morning. I'm sure you're far from done losing, even if you're at a slow point right now.
Just for fun, I'm attaching a side by side comparison that I made of myself yesterday. It's a photo of me from last summer at my highest weight alongside a pic of me from my walk yesterday. When the scale stalls, making something like this cheers me up and helps me see beyond the numbers on the scale.

I have to be honest about my experience so far with dietitians, and with post-bariatric advice and counseling in general. If you ask 100 dietitians what we are supposed to be doing, you will get 101 different responses. And if you ask them a second time, you will probably get even more. Too much Protein, not enough protein, carbs are the devil, carbs are fine, low fat, don't worry about fat, count calories, only count macros, work out more, don't exercise too much...
You've lost over 100 pounds. You are 12.8 pounds from your goal at only 5 months post-op, work out 6 days a week, and look and feel great. You seem really happy. I fail to see why you should change anything if you are happy with your results, unless you think the advice will benefit you. You know your body and what works for you, and unless your dietitian is a bariatric patient, she's never been through what you are doing first hand.
Take what she says with a grain of salt, except salt is bad, unless it isn't because electrolytes are good...who knows?

Oh, yes. It really is so disheartening, and knowing it's normal/expected doesn't make it feel any better! To give you an idea of how my weight loss has fluctuated, here are my monthly totals so far:
February: -16.4 lbs (2 week pre-op diet plus surgery on 2/21)
March: -11.6 lbs
April: -7.6 lbs
May: -2.8 lbs
June: -11.2 lbs
July: -1.6 lbs
August: -8.4 lbs
And so far in September I'm at a whopping -0.4 lbs for the month. Let me tell you, May and July both sucked, and I honestly don't think I did anything differently in June or August to explain the variation. It just is what it is. I'd say stay off the scale, but personally, I enjoy having the daily number because I'm obsessed with having a record to look back on, so I get having to do it every morning. I'm sure you're far from done losing, even if you're at a slow point right now.
Just for fun, I'm attaching a side by side comparison that I made of myself yesterday. It's a photo of me from last summer at my highest weight alongside a pic of me from my walk yesterday. When the scale stalls, making something like this cheers me up and helps me see beyond the numbers on the scale.

It is really reassuring to actually see the numbers - it fluctuates so much! I haven't worked my loss out per month, but maybe I should!
You've done absolutely amazingly! ❤️❤️

Oh, yes. It really is so disheartening, and knowing it's normal/expected doesn't make it feel any better! To give you an idea of how my weight loss has fluctuated, here are my monthly totals so far:
February: -16.4 lbs (2 week pre-op diet plus surgery on 2/21)
March: -11.6 lbs
April: -7.6 lbs
May: -2.8 lbs
June: -11.2 lbs
July: -1.6 lbs
August: -8.4 lbs
And so far in September I'm at a whopping -0.4 lbs for the month. Let me tell you, May and July both sucked, and I honestly don't think I did anything differently in June or August to explain the variation. It just is what it is. I'd say stay off the scale, but personally, I enjoy having the daily number because I'm obsessed with having a record to look back on, so I get having to do it every morning. I'm sure you're far from done losing, even if you're at a slow point right now.
Just for fun, I'm attaching a side by side comparison that I made of myself yesterday. It's a photo of me from last summer at my highest weight alongside a pic of me from my walk yesterday. When the scale stalls, making something like this cheers me up and helps me see beyond the numbers on the scale.

Oh, yes. It really is so disheartening, and knowing it's normal/expected doesn't make it feel any better! To give you an idea of how my weight loss has fluctuated, here are my monthly totals so far:
February: -16.4 lbs (2 week pre-op diet plus surgery on 2/21)
March: -11.6 lbs
April: -7.6 lbs
May: -2.8 lbs
June: -11.2 lbs
July: -1.6 lbs
August: -8.4 lbs
And so far in September I'm at a whopping -0.4 lbs for the month. Let me tell you, May and July both sucked, and I honestly don't think I did anything differently in June or August to explain the variation. It just is what it is. I'd say stay off the scale, but personally, I enjoy having the daily number because I'm obsessed with having a record to look back on, so I get having to do it every morning. I'm sure you're far from done losing, even if you're at a slow point right now.
Just for fun, I'm attaching a side by side comparison that I made of myself yesterday. It's a photo of me from last summer at my highest weight alongside a pic of me from my walk yesterday. When the scale stalls, making something like this cheers me up and helps me see beyond the numbers on the scale.

Oh, yes. It really is so disheartening, and knowing it's normal/expected doesn't make it feel any better! To give you an idea of how my weight loss has fluctuated, here are my monthly totals so far:
February: -16.4 lbs (2 week pre-op diet plus surgery on 2/21)
March: -11.6 lbs
April: -7.6 lbs
May: -2.8 lbs
June: -11.2 lbs
July: -1.6 lbs
August: -8.4 lbs
And so far in September I'm at a whopping -0.4 lbs for the month. Let me tell you, May and July both sucked, and I honestly don't think I did anything differently in June or August to explain the variation. It just is what it is. I'd say stay off the scale, but personally, I enjoy having the daily number because I'm obsessed with having a record to look back on, so I get having to do it every morning. I'm sure you're far from done losing, even if you're at a slow point right now.
Just for fun, I'm attaching a side by side comparison that I made of myself yesterday. It's a photo of me from last summer at my highest weight alongside a pic of me from my walk yesterday. When the scale stalls, making something like this cheers me up and helps me see beyond the numbers on the scale.

What a difference and you are looking great.