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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.

The sleeve is never, ever recommended for someone with reflux or GERD. It's known to make it so, so much worse. I didn't even have it and the sleeve created it. My concern is that the bypass will cause significant weight loss, and if you're already not that big (231 pounds = 105kg) then it could be an issue. However, depending on your height, it might actually get you within normal height/weight proportions and get you into a normal BMI (body mass index). I can tell you, it WILL alleviate your GERD issues, your inability to eat anything, and get rid of most of what's causing your pain. You definitely will get your life back, and the recovery really isn't bad. You'll need to be careful with how much sugar and carbs you eat, and you will definitely eat much smaller portions, but give the current issues you have I think that might actually be a good thing. Going based off only what you've told me, I really think the bypass will be a good thing for you. I know it sounds scary, but I promise it's not. Especially when you consider everything you've already been through, and the benefits of the surgery itself.

I feel you, three weeks out and I have lost that joie de vivre, nothing taste's good, I have sn awful taste in my mouth, can't stomach purees or protein drinks, when I eat something it's painful, water tastes horrible to me, but then again this is why we lose weight I can honestly say I am not having cravings more of a repulsion, hanging in there since everyone says it gets better.

Just keep moving, drinking water and eating protein first hand stay off the scale! Your body letting go of the weight is not just physical but mental! Give yourself some grace and be patient with the process! It will move again so stay positive and try to keep the negative thoughts away! I just came off a three week stall where I fluctuated between 3 #s to the point I thought my scale was broken!!

Hi Alex. Allow yourself grace. Yes easier said then done but your mind and body are all adapting to this new rapid change. No one is perfect! And you made the most important decision you could and decided you wanted to take back your life. And are giving yourself a great gift of adding years to live. I don't know if this will help but remember one minute at a time or moment at a time. We are human and mistakes are okay and you realized that and moved on. MLC3409- well said and I feel you both one all of that year robbing. I am 35 and have a 7,4,and 1.5 yr old and feel this as well. Especially the yoyo weight loss effort I took with the 7 and 4 year old. Robber time from them when I just ended up back at my regular weight again. But now we move forward with a better choice to keep this weight loss and enjoy life more. We are all here for support. Keep in touch!

Fascinating article. Despite having taken several of them myself over the past few years, (including Saxenda and Wegovy), I'm very hesitant to embrace a world where weight loss drugs are the first line of defense against obesity. I say this knowing that at least some of my issue comes down to poor nutrition choices, made far too easy by an environment swimming in garbage foods and a culture that values quick convenience over everything else. When I commit to good nutrition, my weight decreases. I don't get skinny, or even "not obese" but I do lose weight. When the snacks and junk food make their way back in the house and I have stressful weeks with work where I'm at my desk for 12 or more hours and fast food feels like my only option because I'm too tired to cook, I gain weight. In about the past 60 years, we've gone from 13% obesity to 40%, with a 10x rise in severe obesity. This isn't just a weird thing that happened in a vacuum. There are pretty obvious reasons for this, some that could possibly be solved with significant changes to our food policies and investment in real nutrition instead of lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and massive food corporations. Much of our so-called food today has been designed to be addictive, by the same folks who brought us cigarettes, no less. That should give people pause the next time they're in the grocery store looking at all those shiny boxes and bags. On the other hand, in the days when only 1% of the US population was morbidly obese...that was my family. And some of my family lived really long lives, into their 90s. Except the ones who didn't and died young. And you don't know which you'll be until it's too late. Up until my 40s, I was one of those people who had healthy bloodwork despite being 90+ lbs over my "ideal weight." I didn't worry about my weight because I was healthy. But that changed rapidly with middle age as my weight went even higher. Now I take blood pressure meds and am prediabetic. My feet and joints ache and I worry what that means as I age. I wish I had done more to keep my weight lower when I was younger and developed better habits early on. I can't believe how ignorant I was of nutrition facts when I was in my teens and 20s. One thing I know is I can't afford $12k or more a year for the rest of my life to take these "miracle drugs." I'm not sure who really can or should. I'm grateful for surgery being an option, but it's not for everyone, and neither are the drugs. As a society, I would like to see more acceptance of humans in all sizes, and more focus on real health and nutrition instead of fads and gimmicks that make a few people really rich.

So I had my 3 month post-op follow up yesterday (at 14 weeks out). It went... about as well as my cynical little heart expected? Maybe better? LOL My follow up was virtual, so I didn't have to go in to the hospital which is a plus. The dietician I saw today is mmmm... fifth I've spoken to in my program. I honestly would feel a little better if I could have the same dietician every time but I understand that can be hard to schedule. Plus it's still not the worst -- to be honest, I've only actively liked one of the dieticians and yesterday's I passively was ok with -- so at least it's better than the weirder three I've seen in between. Review of my meds, of my health conditions as per usual. Somehow there's always something being left off from last time -- or several last times. Like, yeah, still have diabetes. My numbers are obviously a lot better now in my latest bloodwork, but considering it was one of the comorbidities that got me approved for this program/surgery it would be swell if I didn't have to surprise my care team 4/5 times by informing them of my past diagnosis. Review of my eating habits. Fingers-rapped (gently) over a few things -- not getting enough fruits / veg with skin, not getting enough fibre in each my meals and snacks because it's mostly just in one or two meals. I mean, if my fibre intake is within the 25-35 per day range that they suggested, does it really frickin' matter if it's split up between 3 meals and two snacks? (Also, the fibre range wasn't brought up until yesterday -- it hasn't been mentioned to me at all by any of my care team, or in the pre-op and post-op guidelines and manuals they've distributed to date. The only actual numbers I've gotten from my care team has been about protein, everything else has just been "keep it low fat" and "keep it low carb" and "stay away from sugars" etc in mildly vague terms. I figured out my own daily goals and limits for everything else by taking the average of what I could find online / in books / through the forum) I asked specifically if my bloodwork reqs could be combined with the bloodwork my PCP wants since both of them want it every 3 months for mostly the same things, and I'd rather not take time off work for multiple blood tests -- or sacrifice my blood twice in a one-month period due to timing -- particularly because of the low iron. And considering they both get copies of each other's test results anyway (thanks Ontario Health Care!). But no, no, we can't do that. They can't put his name down in the 'send a copy to this physician' area right in the form. Because apparently even though my PCP is the one to referred me to my endocrinologist, she's the one who referred me to the program. So they send the results to her, and she's on a network with my PCP which is how he gets my results as well. But they can't directly ADD him. ((Can my PCP just ask for the tests that he wants to check but they don't? Nope, cause in order for it to be approved by insurance they look to make sure there are corresponding requisites. Can I have my PCP just add them to his requisition? No, because as the surgery providers they need the requisition under their name for Ontario insurance purposes, and there are certain tests that my PCP can't request 'without reason' and that reason seems to be that everyone wants to bill the government insurance plan for every test they can, and my iron will 'replenish' so it's fine. Nevermind that I've had anemia on and off for most of my life and know from personal experience that the more often I'm tested, the more slowly my iron is replenished.)) ((He was just a dietician. I shouldn't have bothered asking him. But the fact that he had an answer ready makes me feel like they get asked this a lot)) Other than that, it was ok. I've lost half the weight towards my goal weight. He reminded me to expect things to start slowing down. I nodded along even though I started a stall literally the day I hit my halfway score and even though my logic knew to expect and accept all this, my gut reaction was of course 'what have I done to eff this up???'. He was kind of crossing all his t's and dotting all his i's in terms of chiding me on dietary choices -- ie, every meal and snack being 50% protein, 25% non starchy veg, 25% complex carb. Suggested that I eat all these things that their own program handouts say not to start until between month 4 and 6, like nuts and seeds. I was ever so grateful for the internal consistencies. ((This happened with the last dietician at my 1 month -- which happened at my week 3. She was asking me why I hadn't been choosing to eat this or that, and I had to remind her that their handout and biweekly seminars both said not to until week 5-9)) All in all... I feel 'meh' about my follow up, but good about myself and good about my loss so far. And great about the salt & vinegar roasted edamame beans I just had as a snack even though it was lacking a vegetable and isn't 'high enough in fibre per serving'. In other news, I'm only day 7 into my second stall and have been fluctuation between calm acceptance and riotous panic that I'm messing up somehow even after nitpicking my diet and exercise with a fine tooth comb. My ADHD is saying I'm only working in one extreme or the other today/this week.

Reading a lot about tiredness and fatigue, is anyone feeling the other way at night? I’m struggling to sleep! I feel tired but ever since the op I have not got to sleep easily, have tried walking further in the day, reading etc but doesn’t seem to help!! (I’m 3 weeks post op on Tuesday) Feeling really positive otherwise though, the weight is coming down and the pureed stage doesn’t seem to be bothering me so much!! Just need to keep up with protein water to ensure I’m getting enough in, as only manage a few mouthfuls of the pureed food! Xx

Well said, @NickelChip. I agree that we need radical change from our policy makers at the highest levels, and some real nutritional education. Part of my journey is that I have finally gotten very angry about the marketing/indoctrination and policy lobbying that the for-profit "food" industries have been allowed to get away with, at the expense of our health in the USA. I'm old enough to recall that the first food pyramid from the USDA said to eat 6-11 servings of bread, rice, cereal, or pasta every day. As a young person, I thought I was practicing healthy eating when I would have two servings of cereal for breakfast, then two sandwiches for lunch, and three servings of rice for supper. 9 servings was totally within the guidelines, so why was I gaining weight??? Thank you for sharing the article, @GreenTealael. I felt like I was reading about myself! Body size, obesity, health and their places in society and the science of medicine seem to get more complicated every day. I found the short history lesson on BMI quite fascinating.

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....

You and I are about the same stats!! I’m 5’1. My heaviest was 234 but I lost a fair amount then started gaining again and at 213 I decided it was time! With my 2 week pre-op liquid diet I weighed in at 197 this morning. 5 more days until my surgery. Scared but eager to see where this takes us!! We got this!! Let me tell you!! I’m really noticing my habits around food now that I can’t eat anything… and I’ve been having dreams of eating food and ruining my pre op plan for surgery. I just have to laugh at myself for that though. Because I know I want this.

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!!

hi i was wondering if anyone has been to kings college hospital london in dubai for weight loss surgery if so what was there experience as i a thinking of using them i would really like some feed back much obliged.

@BlueParis depending how much milk you're using in tea and coffee, that's a decent source of protein. I don't know if you have ultra-filtered milk available in France (in US, the brand is Fairlife, like the protein shakes, but it's just milk that has been filtered to lower carbs and amp up the protein, not supplemented like the shakes). I started buying Fairlife milk and make a 1L thermal container of hot tea every morning, with between 125 and 250ml of milk in it, so my morning tea alone gives me between 7 and 13g protein. I would try adding a slice of smoked salmon to the bagel, but that's just because I love that combo. The omelet seems very healthy and the pannacotta sounds delicious. You might consider adding more beans/legumes to your rotation. I am getting so tired of meat. I've just ordered a vegan cookbook to help me discover new recipes that are based on plant proteins (not the fake meat, processed plant products but real foods). Maybe bean soups and stews, lentil curries? Your stall will break eventually, but in your case, because you're already at a "normal" BMI, it may be a lot harder and slower from here on out. Don't lose hope! After barely losing weight the entire month of May, I'm losing at the quickest pace since surgery, 9 lbs in 16 days! That's been a real surprise. I am eyeing my next milestone, which is 5.6 lbs away, the point where I will cross from an "obesity" BMI into just the "overweight" category. I have never looked so forward to being called "overweight" in my life! I'm also noticing I'm just not very interested in food. Even though I can technically eat a bit more now than in the beginning, I don't really want to. I'm not hungry and chewing is a chore. I'm sick of meat. I'm tired of thinking about protein. And while I do still enjoy going out for a meal, I am exhausted by looking at the plate and seeing 4 days' worth of food in front of me. I'll be going on a family summer vacation next week and have no idea what I'll manage to eat. We're going to amusement parks and water parks, so the typical fare will be pizza and hot dogs, which sound terrible. I'm stocking up on protein bars, which I find a bit better than shakes, though not something I want in my diet normally. But better than a hot dog! So if anyone has a favorite protein bar, especially one that won't melt in my bag on a hot day at an amusement park, please share!

Like mentioned above it depends when exactly post-op you are asking about. I too was one of those weirdly low volume eaters (which, during weight loss phase, equated to being a super low-cal eater) According to my logs at week 6, i averaged 423 calories A DAY (vs. weeks 1-2 when I ate less than that for an ENTIRE WEEK) sloooowwwwwllly worked my way up to about 700-800 cals a day by the time I reached goal (about 7 months post op). I am 5 years post op and maintain now at about 1800 cals a day. (5'2", 51 yr old female, 113 lbs this morning). You will find that the number of calories each of us require to maintain or lose (or gain!) weight varies greatly. The trick is to find out what calories YOU need to lose/maintain/gain, and work that into your eating habits. Note also that this magic caloric number FOR YOU is forever a moving target and will change depending on your health, activity levels, metabolisms, time of year, amount of sleep you get, stress levels, medications, mood, etc., etc., etc. Good Luck! 😍

I get your frustration. I gained 5 lbs after Christmas and it just wasn't coming off. Last week I graduated off of Hint water and can now drink any water however I did change my diet. I know this is going to sound weird but it worked for me and I'll be 67 in a few weeks. I eat high protein, no sugar, sweetened with erythritol yogurt then my coffee with a small amount of sweetened flavored creamer and whipping cream. Lunch is usually a protein bar and a cheese stick. Protein bar is sweetened with the erythrirol.. Then the snacking begins - I make jello cubes out of unflavored beef gelatin, monk sugar and allulose, unsweetened kool aid and water. I make it thick and cut into 1/2" cubes. Place a hefty serving into a baggy and I can eat as many as I want. I snack from 3 til 8 on jello cubes, not non stop but maybe 3 baggies worth. I too was hungry all the time until I started eating the jello cubes. IDK why it works but in 5 days I lost 6 lbs. I pee non stop but that's ok with me. My jello cubes are about 35 calories a baggy but it's all protein and if you take a tryptophan with it it becomes a complete protein plus its tons of collagen. I've lost a lot of hair the past 6 weeks so trying to fight that. My surgery was 8/14 and so far I've lost 91 pounds (lost 45 before my surgery). I need new knees something awful so highly motivated. 17 lbs to go. I did join the gym 2 weeks ago in preparation for the new knees. Gotta get these old legs strong again. I hope things break for you soon.

like others, eight lbs in eight years is actually great. Most people have a 10-20 lb rebound - and usually earlier on than you - usually at about three years out. And fortunately, as someone implied, it's eight lbs and not 40! It should be do-able, although that said, the closer you are to a normal BMI, the harder it is to lose even a few lbs. I've said this before on here, but I remember going to Weight Watchers meetings before surgery and listening in disbelief to those barely overweight women moan and complain about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs. And there I was - 200 lbs overweight. But I totally get it now!!! I've been dealing with regain, too (I'm 20 lbs above my lowest weight and have been since even before the pandemic), but I've been weighing back and forth after all this struggling if it's even worth the struggle (and my doctor is fine with my current weight, so she doesn't "get it" - which is no help!). I know a ton of long-timers who are dealing with the same thing. Some have just given up trying and are just focusing on maintaining where they're at, some have had some success with Weight Watchers, others swear by intermittent fasting, some go really low carb for awhile. And some go back to eating the way they did the first year post-op (not all the way back to purees and soft food - but they way they were eating when they were 6-12 months or so out). Whatever works and fits your lifestyle is worth a shot. But know that it's tough - your loss will be in ounces at this point rather than pounds, so it's hard to see your successes - but it can be done and some people do succeed! Anyway, best of luck to you!

I switched electrolyte powders to LMNT which has a ton of sodium in it and I swear I gained 5 lbs in 3 days. Right before my first post surgery weigh in. I'm so mad! Needless to say I've decided NOT to continue taking it. But you might try that to put on a few lbs to tick your BMI over. Or like others have said, go eat out a few restaurant meals, they have enough sodium to bloat you too!

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

I’m at 5 months post op & down 90lbs. But I’m finding it so hard to exercise or walk everyday or any day. I feel lazy or tired after a long day at work so I’m not doing anything! Any ideas or suggestions that could help boost my weight loss and exercise?

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 am outwardly fierce and confident. No one but my doctor, since high school has ever dared to mention my weight. I would deck them. Now they just say wow you look good, your new hair style suits you or think my husband has a mistress. There is loads of Exorcist head turning going on when we go out together. What they are saying behind my back has not as yet been heard by me. I am a big believer in Karma. What goes around always comes around with a heavy hammer.

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...

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.

I haven't had my surgery yet, but honestly some of the things I am most looking forward to are these: being able to have most bath towels (especially ones at hotels) fit around me with no gaps. being able to wear my partner's clothes. not having to use my own weight as a way to get momentum to get off of a sofa. to be able to walk up a flight of stairs, or even just alongside my friends when we are walking without feeling out of breath and sweaty! Reading everyone's NSV's has been really encouraging. I can't wait to have my own!