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The first year is where you will have the most success setting a new baseline weight, so avoiding excess sugar is important. I will say from personal experience, and recovering from Type 2 diabetes, if I have sugar like I did over the holidays (cookies, egg nog, cake), I would start to crave it constantly. It would take about 2-3 days of avoiding it to stop being "hangry". If I didn't make myself focus on high protein and savory foods, I would crave sugar, bread, and starch constantly. For special occasions you can have some after your restrictions are lifted, but just be aware it will temporarily make you crave more, and can get out of hand if you let it.

What does your bariatric team say? We both had surgery in August and according to my team I should be at max 800 calories a day, 50 carbs max a day and 80 grams of protein. 1200 calories a day sounds closer to a maintenance amount... On average on maintenance a person should get from 1200 - 1800 per day. I'd check with your surgeon/dietician and see what they say since each surgeon has their own plan, but if you're putting weight on and sticking to the diet..they need to know. Good luck I hope this helps. I'd add more exercise and less carbs and calories..but I'm not a medical doctor.

Hey! I'm SO glad your pain is better managed now than it was a few days ago! I totally hear you about the passing gas (and btw I need to go back to tagging multiple people in a reply, feel like I spammed this board >. ) I'm nervous about taking too much stool softener because I know with the SADI loose stools can be a thing but at the same time with all these danged protein shakes I'm just not sure the colace 2x day is doing enough. I hope bowel movements level out for me soon; I've gone from one extreme to the other once already and don't want to do it again lol -- We made it to the other side, though! I'm so happy for you and hope your recovery continues to go smoothly. I'm interested in the binder thing people keep talking about - I wonder if they didn't do that with me because I had the SADI/SIPS instead. (For those not familiar with the SADI/SIPS, it's basically just starting with the sleeve and the surgery they most commonly do to revise it by shortening the intestinal tract beneath in place of the Gastric Bypass right off the start - I chose it because I wanted to eventually be able to take NSAIDS and there's a thread here that discusses the SADI/SIPS more. My surgery was still laparoscopic and recovery has been about the same from what I see, just fewer points of connection internally to heal) I'm also excited for all the rest of you folks with upcoming surgeries! I don't want to spam anymore but did want to say to @Singingbarista and @AndreaJD that the insights you've offered were super helpful, especially in terms of 'telling others' about the surgery. That's GREAT advice - to say you've been working with a dietician and weight loss clinic. You're so right; it shouldn't matter what others think but women especially have long been taught to seek approval. It's just another thing to relearn and the amount of support on this forum has been absolutely fantastic. I finally got a delivery of Premier shakes this evening in flavors OTHER than chocolate, French vanilla, and Mocha and oh my goodness it's SO nice to taste something strawberry-ish! I didn't want to keep responding to each post independently but to those who had very little notice about the surgery date - that's for sure a mixed blessing! Less time to prepare, but less time to be nervous about it, I guess? Sometimes it's easier to just plunge in (as long as you feel educated and ready!) To all of you going through the liquid diets, especially if you feel hungry during it - I'd suggest you might really want to consider trying some of the 30g protein shakes. I was very worried that I would be hungry but those are surprisingly filling, especially if you drink a lot of sugar free flavored water / Gatorade / Powerade of some kind. And don't forget you can enjoy sugar free popsicles, flavored warm broths, fat free cottage cheese, sugar free pudding, sugar free jell-o, and sugar free yogurt (usually - I mean, obviously follow the guidelines you were given by your surgical team!) The pudding can be made with protein shakes to help with your protein intake instead of milk, and if you match the flavors it's actually quite tasty and filling.

I had my surgery on Sept 14. I'd lost 20lbs during my two week pre-op liquid diet, and another 22lbs up to Oct 19 (5 weeks post-op) and had no change the next week and this week actually gained three pounds. Not impressed!

Wishing you a speedy recovery. When I had breast reduction (pre weight loss, 13 years ago), the pain wasn’t that bad— but hey, I have a high pain tolerance and didnt take pain meds after VSG either. BUT yours, I would take the meds for sure. STill, im interested in a tiny tuck myself… looking for any recommendations in Tijuana. Let me know!

Stretching in the sense that you mean it is exceedingly rare and only happens if someone consistently binge eats over a relatively long period of time. What does happen naturally is increased capacity. This is true for sleeve and bypass both. After 6 months or so, your stomach regains some of its elasticity and can accommodate a bit more at one sitting. This is fine and healthy. Everyone is different, and everyone's capacity at a given point post-op is different. I don't know what you were told for goals, but my program says 60-80g protein per day and 64oz minimum of water. They want my protein to be around 40% of my calories, and I generally aim for 800-1000 calories per day, but that was not strictly set and will change over time. 1200 seems to be a common goal for the later stages of weight loss, with the amount going up once you are in maintenance. 5oz per meal is reasonable, but you need to be eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plus possibly a snack. My program says aim for 20-25g protein per meal, and supplement with a protein snack or shake as needed until you can get the full amount from food comfortably. By 9 months, you should be fine getting it all from food. Your brittle nails and hair loss suggest you are not getting enough protein and may not be getting enough other nutrients. You should continue to aim for around 4 oz of lean meat or fish, (or a serving of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, for example) per meal. 4oz cooked skinless chicken breast has 25g protein. Your second priority at every meal should be nonstarchy veg. If you still have room, you can have a little bit of carb (rice, potato, sweet potato, bread, etc.). A serving of fruit makes a nice dessert. An easy way to eyeball it is to take a salad plate (not dinner plate), and put a piece of meat the size and thickness of your palm on one side, and fill about 2/3 of the other side with nonstarchy veg and the remaining 1/3 with carb. Go light on the sauces and butter. If in doubt, check Amazon for bariatric cookbooks. There are several by bariatric experts, including surgeons and registered dietitians. Kristin Willard's Bariatric Meal Prep is a personal favorite, with portion sizes for different stages, and a full color photo for every recipe.

I have this problem. I'm not an overeater. I eat very carefully and about 1200 calories a day. I get exercise. I don't binge. I drink water. I gained 60 lbs in one year when I was about 16 and the weight has done nothing but go up ever since. No one could tell me why. My diet and activity level didn't change. The best they could guess is it was my thyroid but those levels were normal until my 30s. I did develop an autoimmune disease at 14 though and it could have contributed inflammation. I became diabetic a few years ago and have steadily climbed to over 300 lbs. At this point doctors say it is inflammation and metabolic disorder that was probably subclinical for years. Some of the weight is definitely med related and now Im physically disabled which contributes too. All this to say not everyone who gains weight has an eating disorder but it's rare and doctors will have no clue what to do with you! With the extra weight you should qualify for surgery, right?? I wish you the best of luck. I'm halfway through my pre-op diet and true to form my body hasn't lost a pound. 😂

Honestly? That it was the day before surgery. If it was 3 or 4 days out, I might have given in. Just being honest. When you have a large stomach and have a really high bmi, going to all liquids and shakes and having calories super low isn't a realistic long term situation. The hunger was on another level. I kept reminding myself that I needed to do this for my kids, my granddaughter, and ultimately myself. I was tired of all the pills I had to take, tired of all the health issues and mobility problems and joint pain. For the most part, that worked. When I stopped caring about that stuff, I started forcing myself to look at my body in the mirror and really see what I looked like. I reminded myself that the surgery would help me not be fat like I was, not look like a butterball turkey, not look like my face and neck were gonna pop. By the time THAT quit working, it was the day before surgery and I knew that I was about to be on the other side of this. Seeing that I was losing weight before the surgery because of the diet really helped, too....

I went through all my "small" clothes too. I was able to wear the smallest ones until about 10 pounds from my goal. When my pants fell down walking up the stairs with my arms full, I knew it was time to buy. I like Ross and thrift stores. I also bought from TEMU, though I return half of what I buy. TEMU ships from China and takes 2-3 weeks, so I had to predict my size or order something that would look good a little tight. My daughter in law and 2 of my friends are thrilled with their "new" wardrobes too. One of those friends is right behind me in her weight loss, so she really needed the clothes I gave her.

I'm up on January 3rd! Also excited, nervous, scared of what I'll feel like, scared I'll have the surgery and do everything right and still stay stuck at my current weight.

The guidelines lines I’m referring to are : Limiting sugar intake to 5g or less per serving, protein forward meals, limiting carbs and fats. Separation of meals and drinks (30 min rule), limiting calories from drinks, etc. (I’m sure others can chime in with more Bariatric specific rules that they were given to follow). What is your doctors recommendations now that you have stalled? How tall are you? What does your exact calorie intake look like weekly? Do you accurately track it or eyeball the amounts? Have you used any online calculators to figure out your BMR, visceral fat, lean muscle mass, etc? These can help you figure out your excess body weight . Also InBody and DEXA scans will tell exactly how much excess fat you are carrying.

I echo it is your decision & your reasons are your own too. But if you go into it, still questioning your decision & aren’t completely ready to make the changes you have to make, it is highly likely the surgery won’t be successful for you in the long term. I hazard to say that 80% of our weight loss & then 99% of our maintenance is all down to our commitment & willingness to do the head work & make the permanent changes to our eating & relationship with food. The truth,& it’s a hard truth, is some people do regain a significant amount of weight again if you’re not 100% in, you’ll more likely experience this. I didn’t have any comorbidities but I knew they were in my future. I was almost 54 & menopause had done a number on me & my weight. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be the size I was emotionally, psychologically, physically & yes aesthetically too. I woke up day & said enough. Made an appointment with my doctor that day & about 5 weeks later I was being wheeled into surgery. Best decision. Haven’t looked back. Happily maintaining at 4.6yrs. But you have time to make your decision & you can only do what’s best for you at this time. Maybe ask your surgeon for a referral to a therapist & talk through your thoughts & feelings with them. And if you decide no now, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it in the future, All the best what ever you decide to do. PS - The hair loss is nothing in the big picture. Yes, it can be frustrating & depressing but it only lasts for about 3 months +/- . The hair your’re shedding is hair you would have lost anyway. It’s just your natural hair loss cycle is accelerated for a while. Your new hair is still growing as usual at its normal rate. It’s the stress of the surgery, dietary changes, hormonal flushes, anaesthetic. So don’t stress yourself more by overly worrying about the loss - you may make it worse. Many experience hair loss after pregnancy and other surgeries too. I lost a lot with a stressful time at work. So it could happen with many things. The only person who noticed my hair was a little thinner was me & my hairdresser. A year later it was pretty much back to how it was.

Hello @ Skyeblu99 Welcome in the forum. Its a great place for information and advice. We do not judge or be nasty as we have all been in the same shoes. Is there any chance you can ring and postpone your surgery a month? You are in hole and with Christmas on the horizon its going to be super tough to lose the weight before your appointment. Hats off to you if you can do it. I sure couldn't.

Another thought. lol! I presume you’re still working from home? If so try adding in 5 or 10 minute breaks where you do some simple exercises. Good for your mental health & your physical health. Lots of online programs you can follow. Buy some resistance bands & hand & leg weights. Short burst of exercise, know as exercise snacking, are just as beneficial as exercising in one single block of time. This is what I do because I don’t enjoy traditional exercise. I do 4 sessions a day of 5 - 10 minutes a day in my home. It’s easy & you should see my arms & legs. 😁

Day 5 out of 14 on the pre-op diet and I've settled into somewhat of a routine. I do a Bariatric Fusion cappuccino shake at breakfast with a 20 oz decaf tea that has 1/2 cup Fairlife milk and a scoop of collagen in it. Oikos triple zero yogurt for a mid-morning snack. Bariatric Fusion chicken soup shake for lunch. Jello for snack. 2 scoops Syntrax Nectar unflavored powder in one cup of Pacific Foods tomato basil soup for dinner. Jello for dessert. Sometimes a Good Night protein hot cocoa before bed if I'm hungry. I also take my chewable Celebrate One 45 vitamin, 3 celebrate calcium chews, 2 scoops of Benefiber, Vitagut liquid probiotic, and a liquid omega 3. Believe it or not, all of those supplements add 160 calories and 14g carb to my day! I also drink three 32oz waters with a sugar free flavor packet in each. Total average daily macros: 850 calories, 105g protein, 11g fat, 50g carb Weight loss so far: 7lbs

Yes, weight all your food together to make 3oz.

I am 67 years old and just had VSG surgery on 1/24/24. I had a very easy recovery, I think. Obviously my incisions were tender and my left side hurt when I bent over. But other than that I felt pretty good. A little tired (after effects of anesthesia?) on a couple of days during the week after but a quick nap was the solution. I had no need for the pain medication I was sent home with. I took Tylenol once but it was for a headache. I am 6 1/2 weeks out and have lost 15 pounds. I had the "3 week stall" at 2 weeks and it lasted for 2 weeks but I am back to losing slowly. It appears I am going to be a slow loser, but I was that way before the surgery any time i tried to lose weight. I was (and am) most concerned with reducing my risk for diabetes, which is in my family medical history. I would also like to get off of blood pressure and cholesterol medication. I asked my doctor when I first went for my consultation if I was too old...he said "Absolutely not. My oldest VSG patient so far was 80 at the time of surgery." So I stopped worrying about age being a factor. And I feel great and have tons of energy. You'll do fine!!

I highly recommend checking out A Bra That Fits calculator. I was recently pointed in this direction as I'm having bra fit issues as I'm losing weight. Band size I've always been spot on, but cups are always too small. Turns out I was wearing a bra 6 sizes too small in the cup!!! YES 6 SIZES TOO SMALL And I'm not the only woman that does that... I'm apparently a 44H right now, not a 44D/DD. Go figure. I went to the reddit for that website and the FB group, learned a lot about my breast shape, and ordered 6 bras through the "Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy" thing. 4 of them were too big and awful looking, apparently the calculator can overestimate cup size for my breast shape. I could see that the bra shapes would be horribly wrong if the cups fit correctly, it seems my breasts sit high and I have breast tissue under my arms that migrated there from wearing too small bras for 25 years...plus I have breast tissue way up high to almost my collar bones... I did eventually find one that fit amazingly! The women in the FB group advised me to go down one band size smaller and up one cup size (maintains the same cup volume) and to use an extender on it so I'll get 2 months out of my bras, as I'm currently dropping a band size a month, but my cup size isn't changing. I thought that was a great tip for making my bras last longer, since they are so damned expensive. In this properly fitting bra my shoulders don't hurt because there is no pressure on them! The band is actually carrying the weight of my breasts, like it is supposed to. And the wires are wide enough they aren't sitting on the breast tissue under my arms that I had just assumed was fat! As for other clothes, I've found the best way to stock smaller sizes is Ebay and Poshmark. I search for lots/bundles a few sizes smaller than I currently am. These are often listed by people losing weight and changing sizes, who want to clear out their closets fast instead of list item by item. I plan on selling my clothes this way too as I outgrow them! I recently got a bundle of 5 leggings in an XXL from really quality brands. Almost brand new. Since they are different brands they'll fit differently and probably last me a few sizes... I also found a tank top lot listed that way, and since I'm a leggings/tank/cardigan woman, these should last me a while. I have also picked up a few aspirational things on deep discount in a Large, so I can have some pretty things at that size for cheap, even if I don't end up staying at that size. I can't even fathom I could be that size by the end of this year! Anyway, this is how I'm saving money clothes shopping online!

Wow, you look great @Char V!! You have obviously exceeded his expectations of your weight loss!! Yeah, I grew up pretty poor and finishing the food on my plate was a huge thing. My parents were excellent at food guilt and money guilt. But I've put a lot of hard work into letting that go because it just wasn't a healthy mindset for me... My fridge is full of leftovers like most bariatric patients, and we actually eat most of the leftovers (my partner too has weight issues and is diabetic). I try to order things that can be leftover and still taste decent. But every once in a while I set that aside and just get what I want, even if it won't be finished. My mindful eating coach challenged me to do that to teach myself that eating more than what I need is just as much a waste as throwing it in the trash... None of us can avoid food waste. It is fine to try and mitigate it as best we can while at home, if that is what our values dictate. But when eating out I need to sometimes practice leaving food on my plate and being okay with that... It was hard, but I'm working on it!! Still, I would be unpleasant if someone opted to point out my "wastefulness". 😂 Traveling all around AU working is definitely stressful on the body AND the diet! I recently opted not to go on a business trip with my partner because I didn't want to deal with attempting to eat for a week out of my hotel room without a fridge. Even I have limits regarding food wastage. LOL If we were driving there and I had a fridge it would be different, when we travelled for the holidays when I was 2 months out I was fine. I got a lunchbox that fit a fair number of shakes and protein snacks, cheese and such, and made sure to carry protein snacks wherever I went. But this gets considerably harder if you are flying around to places...so I decided to stay home with the cats. LOL Are you flying to various places or driving?? Sydney is such a lovely city, I really enjoyed my week there. Though it wouldn't be as much fun in a moonboot!!

My hands are getting smaller!! Specifically, my fingers. I've had chubby little hands since I was 14 and my autoimmune disease showed up. When I was 200 lbs last time I was still an 8 1/2 on my ring finger in US sizing. Yesterday I finally took off my wedding rings when I noticed that even with the ring snuggies they are spinning around on my finger and threatening to come off. So I decided to measure them. I had gotten up to a US size 9. Now my ring finger measures as a US size 7!!! Never in my life have I ever wore a 7 in rings except maybe when I was 12?? 😂 I cannot get over how differently our bodies lose weight with these surgeries. I have to find a substitute ring to wear now because at this rate I'll be a US size 5 when I'm at goal! LOL I never thought I might have to sell my wedding rings because they can't be resized due to the difference being too much! This is so fascinating...

Congrats! That is great progress! Look how much you're able to do now that you weren't even a couple months ago, its amazing! Glad your health is improving so quickly! Yeah, I'm dreading my upcoming stall. I it's "when" and not "if" it happens for everybody. Just have to remember its just your body coming to terms with the drastically different caloric intake, and it will freak out periodically along the way. As long as we stick to the plan, we're still burning fat, even though our body is offsetting the scale number with fluid retention while it panics. It took years for us to put the weight on, so anything shorter than that makes our body interpret it as a threat. Once it realizes you're maintaining your health while burning the fat, it will gradually release it. Weight loss won't be linear, it will look more like stair steps with the occasionally brief increase (again, "Fake weight" since its fluid retention) before it steps down again.

Pre-op weight target and surgery still in front of me I had to lose a certain weight before I could continue to the "next step". Okay then as long as the mulitvitamin has it, then I dont need the extra? just calcium citrate and iron?

As you lose more weight, its important to track the percentage of weight loss rather than only the number on the scale itself. We all have a base weight with all of our bones and internal organs that won't change (if we're healthy) and the muscle and excess fat on top of that are the variable amounts. For example, using big/round numbers for easy math, not for actual healthy goals - If SW is 300lbs and GW is 100lbs, then the total excess weight one would need to lose is 200lbs. If that person goes from 300lbs to 200lbs (100 lbs total loss), that is 50% of excess weight lost. If the person is now at 150lb and still trying to go to 100lb (50lb excess remaining), then a 50% loss would only be 25lbs. While its not the exact same amount of effort, you can use this to frame it in your mind that roughly the amount of effort to lose that first (300 - 100) matches the effort needed for the 25lb loss from a 150lb current weight. Again, these aren't precise or necessarily healthy weight numbers I gave, I was just trying to paint the picture to help reframe things to prevent being unnecessarily negative to yourself. You are still doing great! Also, don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat (I think it is roughly 1.5x heavier than fat for a given amount). As you build more muscle from exercise, you will gain weight, but it will be healthy weight. That's why it is important to also focus on more non scale victories later in the process, since the number on the scale isn't everything as you approach the finish line!

FWIW, dehydration will cause at least half the things on your list... I know it is hard, but you really have to hit that 64oz minimum as soon as possible. Dehydration is a major complication after WLS and it will do a number on your skin, make you tired and nauseous, contribute to dizziness, and worsen head hunger... You are only a few weeks out from a major surgery, low libido can take a while to rebound and the rapid weight loss releases bursts of hormones that cause mood swings, sometimes impacts our libido, make our cycles weird, and caused a few meltdowns in our house early post op. 😂 For the constipation try stool softeners combined with Miralax. These are non-stimulants so your system won't get addicted to them like it can the stimulant laxatives. Also, try increasing your fat a little. That might help with the dry skin and dry lips too. The post-op diets are extremely low fat, which made me super fatigued too.

Hi guys. Been a few weeks since I've posted here. Feeling a bit frustrated and puzzled right now. So my first six weeks weight loss was great. I lost 48 pounds in six weeks since my RNY on October 9th. However, since then I've pretty much stalled out and only lost 3 pounds in the past three weeks. I noticed my weight seemed to stall once my surgeon cleared me for solid foods. So far I've been very blessed with my recovery. I've never experienced a single episode of nausea or dumping syndrome no matter what I eat. Not one episode from day of surgery up til now. Pork, beef, carbs, fat. Nothing seems to negatively affect me. But what really puzzles me is I seem to be able to eat much more than I should. For example, I can drink an 11ounce (330mL) Ensure in about a minute or two. Also if I don't strictly measure out my food portions, I'll easily eat more than I should, again with no nausea I should expect with overeating. I'm paranoid of stretching my new pouch out. When I brought this up with my surgeon during my follow-up, he looked puzzled as well but basically just dismissed it, saying we'll discuss it at next follow up if nothing changes. Sometimes I wonder if he actually reduced my stomach to the size of an egg like they said it would be post-op. I definitely cannot eat near the volume I could pre-op, but I feel like I'm able to eat way too much. Such as 8 entire grilled chicken nuggets in about 10 minutes time. Otherwise, I feel great. No complications whatsoever. I really hoping I haven't gone through all this time and money for nothing. My surgeon told me at my followup that I can expect weight loss to level out between 9-12 months post-op. And I can expect to lose half my total weight loss at 3 months. Have about another 75 lbs to go for my goal weight, so I feel like I'm on the clock here. Has anyone else out there experienced anything like this?