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I know this thread is a few years old but I thought I would ask how it went @dolphinkrazy22 I am 1.5 years post op. I had a VSG. I regained 10 pounds recently because I wasn’t as vigilant with my post op routine as I was right after surgery. I recently purchased Berberine and will be starting it tomorrow. I have a solid workout routine and have been consistent with strength training. I am hoping the Berberine will help with inflammation, performance, and weight loss. Let’s see how it goes.

OH YES! I am still pre-op and I HAVE to be at the goal weight the surgeon gave me of 275 on my surgery date, so I gotta make sure I stay in check! I went back to tracking, eating proteins first and doing my 30min of activity 3x a week. It came back off but I still have 19 more days till surgery day!

I had my first weight increase since surgery, 2 years ago. Just 1 pound but I jumped straight on it and its gone. The weather has be atrocious here, very wet and windy and it curtailed my walking. I just sat around watching tv all the Christmas/ New year period, its so bad for me.

I have people that do that to me, too. My highest weight was 421. I've lost nearly 200 pounds from that weight, and believe me, people don't hesitate to point it out. I know they mean well, but I think - to steal a phrase from Jennifer Aniston when she was talking about her ex Brad Pitt - there's a sensitivity chip missing. I don't think it occurs to people that we are aware of how big we were, we are aware of how much weight we lost, and we're aware of how different we look. We don't need to be reminded that we used to be as big as a whale, we know. I usually just give them a dead pan stare and weight for them to realize their faux pa and then they try to backtrack, which I find amusing. I let them squirm for a bit before letting them off the hook.

Thanks for this chuckle @summerset. So true. There will always be these types of people and there numbers seem to be growing. At Christmas, my brother’s mother-in- law responded to my youngest brother’s Christmas half hug & greeting with ‘’You are grossly overweight.’ She actually greeted me quite warmly which was unusual but then when she was leaving she told me she didn’t know who I was (which explained the warm greeting on arrival 🙄). Sure I haven’t seen her since I lost my weight but for F’s sake I’ve known her for almost 40years which included many years I was slim. Hurtful but pretty much what we expect for her - insensitive, tactless, cold B.

Actually most people lose closer to 25% - 30% of their weight in the first 3 months. You may not see half the weight gone until closer to 6 months. And the last chunk can take another 6 months or longer to come off, depending on your surgery, your activity level, your starting weight, your goal weight, etc... To put this in perspective for you, I started at 320 but my surgery weight was 306. My goal is 180-170 lbs. I've lost 28 lbs since surgery and 42 lbs since my highest weight. I'm 2 months post op. I've been losing the same 2-4 lbs for the past month. I'm losing slower than a lot of other people, but I am still on track. I've lost at least 25% of my weight and I still have a month to go before the 3 month mark. So I am trying to just be consistent with my protein, consistent with hydration, consistent with activity and consistent with sleep. These 4 things are the most impactful things for weight loss. Percentages matter more than the numbers themselves. And I finally measured myself and have lost 26 inches since surgery!! Big progress. even if others are going faster than me.

Two Month Update!!! How is everyone going?? I have been losing and gaining the same 2-4 lbs for a month now. Stalls are stupid. They swear the weight comes off the fastest in the first 3 months but that has not been my experience past the first two weeks. It is frustrating. But I feel a lot more energy and my underwear keep trying to fall down even though the rest of my clothes still fit, so I figure something must be happening. I got out my tape measure to do my month two measurements (I skipped the first month because I figured it wouldn't have changed much) and great balls of fire people, I have lost 26 inches!!! In two months!!!! I've lost 28 lbs since surgery, I had no clue it would add up to that many inches lost... I've lost 8 inches from my chest 😭 and 6 inches from my waist alone!! That means I'm losing a lot of visceral fat, which has me sooo excited. And is probably the cause of my underwear falling down. LOL Everywhere else (hips, thighs, arms) have lost 2-3 inches each! Moral of the story?? BE SURE TO TRACK MEASUREMENTS!! I have them in my Baritastic app and also on paper in case the app does something stupid with them. In other news, I've decided I can be more active now, so I'm adding in steps at about 1,000 per week. Last year with all the injuries and illnesses I averaged about 1,000 steps a day, can you imagine?? That is so low it is scary to me. So this week I'm doing 2,000-2,500 steps a day, and will increase it by about 1.000 a week until I hit 10,000 steps consistently. Steps are excellent cardio because below 5,000 you are considered sedentary/low activity. Over 5,000 is considered medium activity, and once you hit 10,000 daily you are considered highly active! So that's my goal. I can't do lifting or an elliptical or anything because I have a shoulder injury we are still assessing for surgery. But once that is taken care of and healed I'll add weights into my workout. I have a gym phobia but my partner is lovingly encouraging me to face that, as it will be the only way to get those steps in, we don't live in a walking friendly area. So to celebrate my progress so far I ordered a few funny sarcastic gym tanks and sweatshirts to cheer me up for when I have to go face the gym. Sarcasm always helps. 😂

I saw a few relatives over the Christmas holiday that hadn't seen me since WLS in April. All were very supportive and complimentary of my 100+ weight loss. One gal who is overweight, was very interested and asked many questions, considering WLS for herself. Then she said, "I don't know... I'm not really ready to take the easy way out." 🙄 Uhhhh I didn't get mad because I knew she was just being ignorant, but I did say... "Honey... it's far from easy." No one had been rude or called me fat when I weighed 320 lbs. at my heaviest. But they didn't have to. The look of shock, to those who knew me before, said it all. Strangers all treated me like I was invisible. But now? I read someone on here say, if I wasn't good enough for them when I was overweight, I'm too good for them now. Kind of agree with that.

The things people feel they have permission to say never ceases to amaze me... Fat phobia is deeply ingrained in our society. It is a sad thing because being fat is still seen as lazy or a morality issue instead of the medical issue it truly is. Just because we need support and sometimes surgery to deal with the weight doesn't mean it isn't a medical issue. People who are thin and have been thin all their lives can be really narrow minded about weight. They think they are incredibly self controlled and virtuous to maintain their weight, instead of realizing that most times it is luck of the draw... No one in my immediate family is as heavy as I am by any means, and in fact my sister barely touches 100 lbs. She's healthy, she's just naturally tiny. She's always been angry at the comments I get because she knows that she eats more food and more crap than I do, especially when we were younger, and yet she struggles to maintain weight and I can't keep it off. I adore her because she celebrates every win I have regarding my weight because she understands how hard it is. People can be biting to naturally tiny people too... My brother on the other hand is supportive but is very fat phobic. He gains 15 lbs and calls himself a fat ass and obsessively works out at the gym until he can get it off. He doesn't understand the struggle at all. I've been very open with everyone I know about the surgery because that's just how I live my life. Most are wildly supportive because they know how hard it has been for me... I'm sure a few silently judge me but they can keep their thoughts to themselves. I don't make space for their bullshit. The best way to deal with that crap is exactly what you did, to tell them to stop and show visible disgust. I react that way to other discrimination too, it is very useful for shutting down a conversation! LOL

New year new us. How is everyone doing now that the holidays are over? I didn't quite hit my 50pounds down by the end of the year goal that I was hoping for. But I'm down 45 pounds and I'm still very happy with that. I'm feeling very optimistic about this year and very excited to get back into activities that my weight has been preventing me from enjoying for years (like hiking and cycling). What non-scale goals do people have for this year? I'm hoping to have a revenge attempt hiking the Flume Gorge ( I tried like 6 years ago and failed, though that was before my knee surgery).

I love how supportive you have been of your wife (and am sorry to hear her diabetes remains an issue). I honestly think the relationships that most often fail post-surgery are the ones that are not healthy to begin with. The effects of the weight loss just shine a light on the problems that were already there and being ignored. Society sends the message that being overweight equals being unattractive, that you'll never find a partner unless you're slim, or that you're darn lucky if you do have someone, even if that person treats you poorly, and you'd better put up with it because you won't get anything better. None of that is actually true, of course, but sometimes losing weight is the thing that makes a person realize it and start believing they deserve a happy life. But if a spouse is one of the "good ones," they'll take your advice to heart and end up with an even better relationship. I'm so glad that's what has happened to you and your wife!

Welcome! I am also a newbie and pre-op! I have my surgery booked for May this year and I am so excited! I have probably gained weight, but I really am reluctant to weigh myself as I know it will push me into a negative mindset. At the moment I am feeling very out-of-body knowing that I'll be having surgery, and come late this year I probably won't even recognise myself! How are you finding things at the moment?

First, degrading someone because of their weight is simply UNACCEPTABLE. Period. That being said, I may have a different take on some of this. I've been VERY open about my surgery with family, friends, and co-workers (I've actually had two co-workers have the surgery after they saw my success). I WAS fat. Seriously FAT. Even if people didn't say things, I know darned well they thought them. Maybe it's because I am/was so open about the surgery, people are more comfortable saying "DAMN, I didn't realize you were THAT big!" when they look at before pictures. It doesn't bother me at all. I take pride in my accomplishment and try to use it as an educational moment. On another note, one thing I find myself doing now is sometimes thinking about how this surgery could change someones life. Not from a "OMG, did you see how much food they are eating??!!", but rather seeing someone overweight, struggling to walk, out of breath, etc (just like I was before surgery) and thinking to myself (I would NEVER say anything unsolicited) MAN, surgery could change your life.... Anyway, my takeaway, is that people ARE going to see you differently. Some are idiots and are going to say things they THINK are appropriate because now you're "one of them" and offend you. All you can really do is be proud of what YOU have accomplished and if they offend you, let them know.

Thank you for your post.. a breath of fresh air! I'm also 1 month post op and feeling pretty amazing. Like you no more pain in my back, my knees don't hurt and I don't walk down stairs like a toddler. I'm 28lb down and was really concerned at the start that I wasn't losing enough weight. But everyones body is different and this is my journey, so I'm trying not to compare against others and just follow the guidance of my dietitian. I got annoyed with myself yesterday cause I ate a choc biscuit 🍪. I'm still on puréed food and don't even know why I ate it but I'm not going to beat myself up about it just try not to do it again. I want this to work for so many reasons so I just need to focus on those x. Well done on your 37lbs!! Good luck for tomorrow x

Welcome to your first stall. They usually occur around week three but can start before or after that. They usually last 1-3 weeks. (There are lots of usually, often, averages, common, etc. after surgery.) While this time when the scale doesn’t move, is frustrating & can be depressing, it is an important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock of the changes that are occurring (weight loss, dietary changes, etc.) & reassess its needs in regards to metabolic rate, digestive hormones, and so on. The stress of your surgery can also impact this first stall. (Yes I said first as you’ll likely experience more of them.) The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. You can’t force a stall to stop. Best advice used stick to your plan & don’t stress your body more by making changes to your diet & activity other than those your plan wants. Take some body measurements. While the scale doesn’t move, you may notice changes in a tape measure or in your clothing.

Thanks so much for responding. I spoke with the nutritionists as well which she made me feel so much better too. She told me not to worry about what I did bc everyone in the beginning is learning as it is a brand new way of life we're adjusting to so I did feel better about that. It's been a week now and I been on track. So I am looking at your weight loss tracker. You started around the same weight as me and as of now you're 228 lbs, is that right? That's amazing! That gives me hope. ❤️

Welcome!!! I gained two pounds over the holidays, but then lost it. I've been gaining the same 2-4 lbs for the past month, it is a little annoying. LOL

Great post!! I remember reading your original post. I'm glad things have worked out so well! I'm sorry it hasn't resolved the diabetes. I had the duodenal switch primarily to deal with my diabetes and so far, so good! Unfortunately the gastric sleeve doesn't have the same metabolic effects that the bypass and switch do which comes from altering the small intestines and for some reason seems to put a lot of diabetes into remission. But some get lucky with the weight loss and dietary changes alone putting it into remission! It sucks your wife isn't one of those. I love that you found a way to really show up and support her. My partner is showing up to support me and it really means the world to me! These are hard changes to go through as an individual, even harder when you have another person (or a whole family) along for the ride... Priorities change. Relationships with food and our bodies change. That can't help but impact those around us. I'm glad it has made you two stronger than ever, and made you even more devoted to celebrating the beauty that she is. Props to you for leaning in and meeting those challenges together! I'm sure there are a lot of spouses that could benefit from reading your before and after posts!

Hello All- i posted for the first time just about three years ago with some anxieties as a spouse with my wife prepping to undergo the gastric sleeve. I originally noted being concerned about our lifestyle changes, relationship impacts (I had heard all the horror stories) and most of all health concerns into the future. The community was incredibly supportive and I had learned tips and useful knowledge that helped me coach and support my wife through it. I am happy to say we are better than we ever have been and her self confidence is through the roof. However the MAIN reason the surgery ever was even considered was to get her diabetes that started while she was pregnant with our first child and got very concerning bad with our fourth has still stuck around and caused issues….. First- this is Life changing not just for the partner getting the surgery, but the spouse too. We used to be foodies and that all had to go out the door. Same with alcohol. Two bites and you are full, a pint and you are drunk. So activities, dates, etc. and new hobbies should all be prepared for well in advance. Luckily we are both athletes and coaches and this allowed to have an outlet that wasn’t our prior foodies and beer/ brewery culture pastime. Two- Relationship, anyone who tells you that this leads to automatic divorce/ break up is paranoid or lying. Out of her support group offered by our health network, I think only 1 or 2 of about fifteen women ended up separating and that was from the other spouse cheating. I have to say that in many ways, after four kids and all our activities, youth sports and coaching- it created a second honeymoon period for us and really strengthened our romance and relationship because we both focused on our health again jointly and the magnetism increased dramatically. Third- It might not fix the problem…. We did not jointly go into the surgery for cosmetic or weight loss reasons. It was the diabetes and the doctors said it was a solid shot to cure or mitigate the disease. It was for a while, but it keeps back up. despite healthy eating, despite exercise and coaching, despite the surgery- medications came back into the picture and so did the celebrity weight loss drug (which is really supposed to be for diabetes…) This has been keeping everything under control but is a case of the cure being as bad as the sickness. The side effects are brutal and definitely have a quality of life impact, but we both want to live to see grandkids someday….. Fourth- dysmorphia is VERY really. We are both naturally larger people. I was a lineman in high school and college and she was a softball catcher in high school and college and ended up also playing women’s rugby there as well. Even with the surgery she went from an XL to L but she got her college/ high school figure back and as such her confidence went through the roof and started dressing like she hadn’t in years. With the medication though??? Her figure, face shape, everything changed. Down to a Small or Medium. For almost a year and a half she hasn’t recognized herself in the mirror. It’s a double wham with the surgery and the medication. Between her best friends and myself (we have all been in the same friend/ team group since college) the support was to have fun with it and go with the flow. Instead of worrying about it (the dysmorphia) it was embrace the change. All new clothes she could never wear before, she’s been a redhead now and then blonde and still is. Cut her hair shorter, started wearing makeup (never really did)- all just to try and put a positive spin on it. I’ve been the spoiled recipient of having a brand new girl (don’t think I haven’t romanced and spoiled the you-know-what out of her), but at the end of the day it’s been mitigation of all the life changes. The last part has been the most detailed because it’s the most recent and to me has been the most impactful- NOT having the surgery do its intended purpose and the dysmorphia we’re both very difficult given the efforts and life changes made. We’ve done everything we can to make lemonade out of those lemons though. We had an anniversary vacation better than our honeymoon this past summer (she has always been way out of my league and these days it’s very much over the top- I feel incredibly spoiled) and we have made time to ride our bikes together with our oldest babysitting the kids and we come to each others games when we coach. I would tell any spouse; husband or wife of someone who is going to have the surgery and then or also do all the meds: 1. Support. It’s a huge deal and you need to show up. 2. Don’t get insecure about your relationship because of the surgery. If you are worried it means you might not have a great relationship to start with…. 3. You will need to change your life too. Because of my size and my weight lifting, I need a lot of protein and calories. I will never look like a Hollywood star (like she now does) and always an NFL lineman- BUT- if I bring a cannoli, pie or a full growler into the house in addition to steak/ salmon, etc it’s teasing and not fair. You will need to learn self control to support your spouse… 4. Inspire and come up with ideas for positive re-enforcement. If the dysmorphia or depression sets in, you need to find fun things to do, supportive steps to take and positive angles to keep things going. 5. If you are doing all this as a spouse, what about YOU??? Are you going to die a martyr? Take care of YOURSELF too. I go lifting 3 times a week, go fishing in season. And for my 40th birthday when she asked what I wanted?? I got us a long weekend on the Cape, bought her some dresses I wanted to see her in and sent her to get her hair, nails, toes, eyelashes, etc.. done. Said I wanted a long weekend with my movie star wife. It was a great time, kid free and continued to strengthen our marriage. Anyways- why am I writing this? Posterity? Self reflection? Not really…. I just want to give Spouses a roadmap. It’s a huge change and you need to navigate the waters well. If you do you will benefit as much as your loved one. Good luck.

Do not have a date yet but getting closer feeling nervous but excited too. I actually gained weight over the holidays 😬 anyone else?

I had surgery on December 4. I rapidly lost about 13 pounds. Since my appointment on the 19th I’ve only lost an additional 4 pounds. I’ve been drinking more water add I’m still on soft foods. Is this normal or not? I’ve also been utilizing my treadmill and weights three times a week.

Happy to have you!!! I have been overweight most of my life, my first diet was at 12 with Weight Watchers because mom kept telling me that If I lost 20lbs I would be so pretty (it was never about health). My dad would tell me that I would never have a boyfriend because I was fat or I would struggle with acceptance because of my weight. I did not have my first relationship until I was 20 because of my self poor image ( I was about 240lbs at this point). Ended up marrying him and he was the most emotionally, verbally, sexually, physically and mentally abusive human being. We moved across the country and that's when the abuse got worse. He would degrade me and tell me no on would want me because I was disgusting and he had to imagine other women while we were intimate. We ended up having a daughter together and she was the best thing that's ever happened to me, but after 10 long years I left with my daughter when she was 18months! When I finally left I was 325lbs. Since then It opened me to a whole new world opened up for me and my daughter. I was able to focus on just us and my health was something that I needed to control- I started working out, eating right and got down to 240lbs met the love of my life and now I have happy weight. He is the best thing that has every happened to my daughter and I. Her bio-dad is not in her life, and we ended up having a son together and I shot back up to 297lbs. After some health scares with my family I decided WLS is the way to go!! I am set to have the Sleeve on the 24th!

Hey there, That’s awesome! Doing this journey going from not eating carbs and then reintroducing them as needed is key. I’ve lost weight, but it comes in stages. I’ll lose inches first, then the scale will be stuck. Then all of sudden the following month, boom, ten pounds gone. I was weighing daily then weekly and now I weigh every other week. Protein is vital.

Hello all. I'm 11 years out from my bypass and lost 150 lbs. I maintained 135 pounds surgeon wanted 125) up until COVID where I gained 10 pounds. I was able to get an overstitch last November and dropped back down. In the past 2 months I've gained 6 pounds and I am unable to figure out what's different now. I'm holding steady, but the body contouring is on hold until I get back down. Any suggestions? Thoughts? Thank you.

So glad you're here! There is so much idiocy in the medical community regarding weight and weight loss. Doctors literally know 95% of people cannot physically lose more than a small amount of their weight and keep it off, but they act like everyone can except you and they can't figure out why you're not doing it. Imagine if they told diabetics they couldn't have insulin until they used their willpower to lower their blood sugar on their own, just to prove they take it seriously. As for your ex partner, I hope on your behalf that certain parts of his anatomy shrivel up and fall off. You deserve better, no matter what weight you are at. It's hard not to internalize that kind of abuse, but remind yourself as often as you need to that he's garbage and did you a favor by taking himself out.