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Friend’s daughter’s wedding on the weekend. It was a formal wedding. And yes I did wear two gloves. 😁 Wore the second dress for the Sunday lunch event. More low key & fewer people. Excellent wrap dress: no gaping neckline. And my hair actually stood up for both events - just softer. Whoo hoo!!

I was walking in the hospital. By the 4 day I didn’t need to take any pain meds. Sure had the odd twinge but walking in lying up & down stairs, wasn’t an issue except from an energy & lethargy perspective. But we all recover differently. If you’re still experiencing pain that is restricting you from performing basic activities, after a week & your pain meds aren’t managing it, contact your team. You’re sleep may be off because you’re not very active & may be napping during the day. (I miss those nana day naps). Also the hormonal flush associated with weight loss could be upsetting your sleep patterns. Yes, check with your team before taking any meds, over the counter or prescribed, just to be sure as @summerseeker suggested.

Highest weight: 346 Weight the day of surgery: 316.4 Current weight: 266 It’s been 9 months since I had the sleeve and I’ve only lost 50 lbs. I‘ve expressed my concern with my surgeon, and she seemed somewhat concerned. She put me on Phentermine which helped me lose 10 lbs but that’s about it. I can’t eat as much as I used to, but I can still eat quite a bit before feeling full which scares me. I portion my food out to try to avoid overeating. I’m not sure what more to do. I don’t have any health issues other than being obese. I’ve been feeling really defeated about this. Does anyone have any advice on maybe kickstarting the weight loss again or maybe taking a different route for another surgery?

You're crazy, lol. But seriously, though. Too much protein will put a strain on you liver, gall bladder, and kidneys. According to what I've read, the amount of protein a person needs before surgery depends on your gender, age, and weight. After surgery, it will depend on if you're absorbing everything you eat, or if you have a malabsorptive surgery. Protein intake for bariatric patients, pre or post op is meant to replace the protein we lose with weight loss.

Hey Eva, wondering how are you now with the weight loss? Im struggling myself... im in week 8 and from 2 to 7 didnt loose anything.

Good Morning Everyone! QOTD is what is your favorite recipe/foods/shakes for your pre or postoperative surgery? I am still able to eat many foods except for carbs still so I haven't delved into Bariatric recipes yet, but I will share mine once I do! For now I've been trying a lot of different protein shakes from Premier Protein including chocolate vanilla, chocolate peanut butter,cake batter, strawberries and cream and caramel. I love all of them, except for strawberries and cream is not my favorite, but they have been great for when I'm craving dessert! I have one for breakfast in the morning and I mix it with a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen to keep my skin looking great during this process! I feel like that and my Solgar Biotin and Hair Skin and Nails has already been helping. I am big on skin care amd a Sephora "junkie" and can give anyone advice on that!

you're also what we call a "light weight". You started out at only 209 lbs. Many of us started out at 250+. Starting BMI is one of the factors that determines how fast or slow the weight comes off. Given your starting weight, I'm not surprised at all at your loss so far. But as long as the overall trend is down, you're good!

Honestly and genuinely, and without disagreeing with anyone here (because only they can know what has worked for them and all of our experiences will differ) stalls and plateaus are a completely normal part of losing weight after WLS. If you stick rigidly to the plan you have been given then in the vast majority of cases stalls will break, plus eventually (sooner or later - and people get there at different rates) you will get to your new set weight. That weight might not be your ideal weight but that's what the surgery does. All of the side stuff you do along the way makes little to no difference IMO. It's window dressing. And we kill ourselves angsting about it. Sure, if we've been on a long stall and we then decide to increase/decrease protein/carbs/exercise/type of exercise/duration of exercise/CALORIES/whatever, and we resume losing weight, it is human nature to attribute the renewed loss to whatever we did. But we're working with an experimental group of 1 (me) with no control group. Basically if all the time we're sticking to our programme then that's what kick starts the new loss, not the other stuff. If I could go back in time 20 months I would just say to my post-op me "stick to the plan, use your tool, and see how far you can get. You will lose rapidly and lose slowly with no rhyme or reason. Stop comparing yourself to others - they're different to you. Surgery works, stick to the plan!!!!" I really hope this helps someone else.

Well, your weight loss is really great. I lost like that when I had the sleeve in 2009. Ended up losing 149 lbs in the first 18 months. I've read and was told that revisions lose a lot slower because our bodies have adapted to a small amount of calories, so they hold on to them for dear life. I'll eat like 1 scrambled egg and 1 oz of turkey for breakfast, 1/2 cup of albacore tuna with 2 tbsp light mayo for lunch, 2 oz of chicken breast and a laughing cow Swiss cheese wedge for dinner. I am only up to 15 minutes on the treadmill though. I'm upping the time little by little. I was cleared just this past Monday for the treadmill. Maybe my carbs are too high or my protein is too low? I wasn't told to count calories, but I've read that at this point it should be between 300-600 cal/day. I use the Baritastic app to document my daily nutrition and H2O. It's pretty neat.

Don't forget to look up weight loss cartoons .... they'll crack you up later when you're reading through it

I’m 13 months out from sleeve. The first six weeks are the toughest part, learning to drink often, learning or relearning how to eat and what you can tolerate. You will lose then stop losing and think you’re doing it wrong. You’ll feel regret and frustration and pain and exhaustion. The diet progression sucks. It’s just tough. So, be kind to yourself, try to hit your water and protein goals and move as often as you comfortably can. Even if it’s a sad little shuffle around the room. Everyday it will get better and around six weeks the steady weight loss begins. Understand the changes in your hormones will make you feel emotional and anxious. But the good stuff is right around the corner. You made it this far, just keep moving forward and pay strict attention to measuring your food until you can feel your restriction. The signals from your new tummy won’t be noticeable right away and it’s very important you don’t eat too much or the wrong kind of stuff. Later, you’ll be able to enjoy all kinds of stuff but now is the time to pay attention to the guidelines. And as soon as you’re cleared, start an exercise routine even if it’s just walking at first. It makes a huge difference in how you feel and how quickly you lose. Good luck!

So I just had this revision, and I can tell you that the weight loss will not be like it was with the sleeve. I had it because I developed GERD, esophagitis, gastritis, and a TON of pre-cancerous polyps all through my stomach. So I also didn't have a choice. I was on 80mg daily of Nexium and still had break through GERD. With the sleeve, I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 weeks. With the revision, I lost 14. I also wasn't interested in doing it for weight loss, since I was chugging along and doing well until it all went stupid. My goal was to get back to living my life, get back to my beast mode work outs, get back to feeling good and not having pain. And that's what the surgery is doing for me. Losing additional weight is inevitable, but eating the stuff you're eating right now is not the way to add additional weight. The sugar and heavy carbs are a no no, especially once you have the bypass. Keep in mind, the more weight you add on now, the more you'll lose. If you really feel the need to try and pad your weight a little, do it by adding additional protein, add in an additional meal or 2 snacks (but don't make them junk). Increase your calories, not your carbs and sugar. Again, I'm not saying this is what you should be doing, but if you're determined to add weight on before the surgery, at least do it in a healthier way than what you're doing now. I can also say, the recovery from the bypass has been SO SO much better than with the sleeve. I honestly wish I had just done the bypass to begin with. So much less pain, I was up and around faster, able to do things better, could handle my pills and supplements (had to crush or completely eliminate them with the sleeve for the first 4-5 weeks), able to handle cold liquids (couldn't with the sleeve), able to get my fluids in so much easier (I drank a 20oz of water in the hospital the day after my surgery and could barely handle 3-4oz with the sleeve). So all in all, I'm exceptionally happy I did the revision. No more GERD, no more PPI, no more pain, much easier recovery, and while the weight is still coming off, it's doing so at a slower and more manageable pace. I wish you all the luck, and I promise you'll feel so much better after the revision.

That weight loss is pretty good for someone with your start wegiht, you are not going to lose massive amount when starting lower. So nothing only about your weight loss at all.

Look at it this way, you are about halfway to your goal!! That is not a failure! By New Years you will be at GOAL! You have lost 32 pounds… be proud of that! You are doing everything right, but the mind seems to only dwell on finding fault in the little things. Your hair will return and you will continue to lose weight. Stick to your plan and try to focus on the positives. Congratulations on your fortitude, progress, and determination!

I had my surgery on March 13th, exactly four months ago. At this point, I’ve only lost 32lbs (25 since surgery), which I am totally bummed about. Unlike others, my hunger returned almost immediately. But I have a ton of energy and am able to do so many things I couldn’t do easily before. My clothes fit and I feel more like myself. The down side… My weight loss seems to be dependent on everything being perfect each day (right amount of water, zero sugar, low carb, high protein, high fiber, can’t be sick or injured), which is not easy to do. Even at a calorie deficit, I’m not losing like I should be. Thankfully, of the weight I’ve lost, 19lbs was pure fat. I’ve only lost 2.5lbs of muscle. This is great news and has helped me transition back to the gym over the last few weeks. My heartburn didn’t go away. I actually need to be on omeprezole daily (sometimes twice per day), which is more of an annoyance than a problem. Two weeks ago, right on schedule, my hair started falling out. It’s been traumatic even though I knew it was very likely to happen. When your hair falls out but your weight loss is at a halt, it feels awful. Like what am I doing this for? I know the answer but in my “feel sorry for myself” moments, that’s the question I hear in my head. My body has been changing, and I can see where my skin was stretched out now in the strangest places. This and the hair loss has led to a spike in emotional eating. I’m sure that’s why I’ve been stalled the last 2-3 weeks. Sigh. I feel like a bit of a failure. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change my decision. I just feel like the first six months are critical and I can’t seem to take advantage of them like I want to. Has this happened to you? Did you still make it to your goal? Any thoughts welcome 🙏

Oh no… this must be so hard for you. I’m at the “typical” point right now (4 months out) dealing with shedding over the last two weeks. My hair fills a brush twice a day!! And I still lose clumps in the shower. It has been heart breaking even though I knew it was likely, actually dealing with it emotionally and physically has been so hard. So when you say this is your third time going through this in the last two years, I felt like I just wanted to give you a hug. it’s true there isn’t a whole lot you can do except commiserate, but I hope you know it’s safe to do so here and we understand. Hang in there!

Second day out of surgery. Sheesh! Had the surgery Wednesday about 11am. Woke up with terrible lower back pain in my bed in my own private room, so lucky! I’m in Australia btw, so it’s winter here and I had lots of nice blankets. The nurses were angels. I was quite zonked on the anaesthetic and they were so lovely & kind. I feel asleep and kept waking up as they did obs, and let my paracetamol topped up. My tummy as very tender, and it was a bit painful to get a comfortable position with my back being sore, but it calmed down and I was ok physically. Mentally I was having lots of daydreams and dreams about things and possibly hallucinating! I wish I could remember what they were about but I do remember laughing out loud a few times! At about 6pm I was with it enough to properly open my eyes and be conscious enough to go to the toilet with the help of the nurse. She had to unplug my arms and legs from the wrap around things that massaged them to encourage blood flow (I kept thinking that my dog had jumped up and was snuggling up against me!). I rolled up into a sitting position with a bit of pain and rolled the IV pole to the toilet and she left the room for some privacy. Managed to pee ok and make it back to bed. She came back and plugged me back into my machines. I went to pee a few more times and it was just pee. I managed to text my friends and family and start taking sips of water from a straw. I just dozed in and out of consciousness quite pleasantly. Wasn’t in much discomfort or anything. Was happy that it was over and I had a nice bed to be looked after in. My surgeon popped in around 6am to check in on me and tell me how wonderfully it all went. He also said that my liver was quite fatty, so we did this just in time, which was a bit scary but great to know that I’ve done the right thing! Around daybreak I had some endone for the tummy pain, and kept napping. At about 10am I had some clear chicken broth, some hot tea with rice milk and some chocolate protein milk for breakfast, not too much but I did my duty! The feeing of anything going down is very strange, and not too pleasant if it’s more than I sip, so that took a while. I got my final paperwork and directions and popped on my comfy clothes and went downstairs to get my Uber home at midday. I felt a bit woozy and a touch nauseous in the car but made it ok! Last night I was doing ok but then I woke up with the dreaded shoulder pain! So sad, I was hoping I’d skip that! Anyway, I’ve embraced the endone (was not wanting to take much, as I hate it, but it really is necessary for this pain) and keep swapping out ice packs. Keeping up the shakes and the protein powder water ok so far. Have absolutely no hunger but I’m a good patient and I don’t want to get dehydrated or lose my hair! I’ll just do the best I can. I did get quite grumpy and a bit sad for myself, but I reflected on my situation, and all the drugs my body is on, plus the stress it’s been subjected to and I talk myself to calmness. Managed to keep up my pooing which is great, but BOY OH BOY it’s not something I’ve ever smelt before! Prepare yourself! I’ll let you know how I go.

I'm 22 months post op...and my hair started falling out again. I've been sick since February with what they finally determined is sarcoidosis, which means I have to be on steroids for probably the next 6-12 months. Luckily, it's not making me gain weight, in fact it's making me lose more. Prednisone can cause hair loss, and I know I'm not eating enough, but it's really hard for me to do so. I had to stop taking calcium during my treatment. There's just so many factors causing this and I don't know what to do other than just ride it out and get a new collection of hats and bandanas. I don't really want to wear a wig, I ride a motorcycle and I can't exactly stuff a wig under a helmet, and all I can imagine is how hot and itchy it's going to be. After the first time it happened, at the normal time most people experience it, 3-4 months after my surgery it came right back a couple months later, thicker and healthier than ever...but I'm not healthy right now, and my hair is letting me know. The hair loss might actually be WORSE this time. I don't know that I'm looking for advice, but I'm just screaming and sobbing into the void right now. I thought I was done with this but here we are again.

Yes I think surgical teams do tend to be quite conservative in their estimates. If the average loss is 65% then lots of people lose less and lots more (that's how averages work, LOL). I think they don't want to 'promise' a greater loss in case we complain afterwards that their surgery didn't achieve it, so they pick the lowest common denominator.

I don't know if this is an across-the-board thing or not but the "projected weight loss" I was given by my doctor was VERY conservative. They expected me to end up between 135 and 145. I started at 245 and for someone my height, 140 would have still had me in the "obese" category. I weigh 95 pounds as of this morning. It's going to be pretty dependent on your height, your starting weight, your fitness level, your understanding of nutrition and your body's overall unique system...but people can and do absolutely blow right pass the initial number their doctor says. I think they're trying to be realistic, but I remember feeling that way when they gave me that number, like, "That's it? I'm going go through all this and still have to have a conversation with my GP about what we're going to do about my weight every time?"

Same here my original surgery was supposed to be on April 26th. I've lost 22 pounds since my heaviest from following the preop diet before. About 2 weeks before I freaked out and cancelled. Too many people were telling me not to do it, horror stories and I barely had any support. This time I have not told anyone I'm doing it yet except for my sister and best friend. My pre op isn't as restrictive, they didn't give me a set calorie count and liquid starts 2 days before surgery. I did keto diet on my own before this from 2019-2020 and lost 90 pounds naturally, but I gained it back when I met my significant other and went off that diet. I feel like i dont like to exercise so that worries me and haven't found the motivation to start. I keep telling myself it's not important for weight loss and I'll do that x amount of weeks before or after the surgery. It doesn't help that my significant other isn't really supportive. They are worried for me and is the type that if I say I'm depressed and start crying about the surgery, instead of talking me thru it and saying it will pass, they will start crying too 🤣🤣, blame themself for not stopping me, say they dont want to see me suffer and convince me I'm not ready to do it and they won't be able to stand seeing me suffer after. Although I know it's good intentioned again, I need someone who's not as soft. I should be able to say I'm feeling depressed about it without them being the one that gets sad and emotional, I'm the one that should be sad lol. Last time was the second time I cancelled the surgery after going thru all of the motions. Now I'm telling myself third time is the charm and the office is going to think I'm nuts if I keep freaking out and canceling then saying just kidding the next week 🤣🤣

Before surgery at one of my dietician appointments , she did a bunch of calculations and said this surgery will help me lose 30 pounds. Granted,I started out with a lower BMI , but after reading all the weight loss by everyone else ,I feel like having the surgery, I went nuclear over a measley 30 pounds ! I do want to lose more ,so I guess it's up to me to do the rest of the work after I hit that point. Did anyone get a calculation like this ? Have you lost beyond the number they gave you by your own efforts ? Maybe I'm overthinking this . I've been at a stall for 3 weeks now and I think it's messing with my head .

Stalls can be agonizing. ( I'm in one now ...ugh ) I am just so impressed with your weight loss so far ! I'm crossing my fingers that it will end soon for you !

I am aware that it is normal and its the loss of fat but dang. i have tried an egg crate cushion, a donut butt coyx or however its spelled cushion. Ive tried them on top of each both ways. The only smallest relief I get is if I set at an angle, on my hip, with my ankle under me to keep me tilted. But this puts my foot/leg to sleep. I have similar pain in my husbands truck, or sitting in my car longer than 3 hrs. I can't change my office chair bc work requires all of our chairs to look identical. HELPPPP.

I think it’s likely your new set point weight too. And yes to lose more than this set point, where your body is happiest at, & maintain the lower weight is much harder because you’re fighting your body every day. Unfortunately not everyone gets to the goal weight they chose. The goal you chose is a head weight goal & in this situation your body weight set point goal wins. The average weight loss is about 65% of the weight to be lost. 85lbs lost is still something to be very happy about. Have a chat with your team for what else you could do (including medications) & ask your nutritionalist to review your eating. There may be something you’ve missed.