Search the Community

I haven't seen any posts in a while -- how is everyone doing? I had a sleeve on 10/9, lost 19 pounds really fast, then at 2 weeks, hit a stall that lasted about 3-1/2 weeks. It was very frustrating and I felt like I had messed something up or done something wrong. I wondered if this was not going to work for me and yet I was permanently stuck with a tiny stomach. I hated seeing all the social media posts of all the people who seemed to be continuously losing weight every week while I stalled -- even though I knew not to compare my journey to other people. But even during that long stall, I had to stop wearing a bunch of clothes that were too big, I moved my Apple watch to a tighter setting on my wrist, I was able to stop taking all blood pressure and diabetes meds because my levels were all normal or low, and I even completed a 5K (walking it mostly but still!!)!!! My doctor told me not to worry about the scale -- that "it would catch up." So I just didn't weigh for a while, though I stayed the path on eating, water, protein, and movement. Well, today I got on the scale and have now lost 31 pounds since my surgery. The scale is catching up. What a relief! I'm sure that I'll stall again at some point, and I'll be in a better mindset to just stay consistent and keep with the program and have faith.

Congrats and good luck! I had mine last Monday, and had similar doubts going into it. The first 8 hours afterwards was the worst, but it wasn't so much that it hurt, it was more just an uncomfortable feeling. That combined with coming out of anesthesia and the way I overthink things didn't help, haha, but around 8 hours afterwards it started easing dramatically. I felt way better the next morning and walking was easy after that. Definitely recommend walking and Gas-X to reduce the pressure feeling. As for the scale not moving, just remember that weight loss is not linear, it comes in waves. Whenever there's a sharp change to our body, our mind overreacts because it thinks we're under threat and its trying to save our life, even if its something as simple as a diet. The fat we accumulated was as a defense measure to protect against starvation for our ancestors, but we as humans haven't adapted to the plentiful amount of food and high carbohydrate availability that we have present day. Think of our fat cells as little balloons that can store pieces of fat as a potential fuel source for starvation protection. As we go into a deficit with our calorie restriction, the body is forced to burn those pieces of fat, but those balloons remain, waiting to be filled back up again "just in case". If our body thinks it is threatened after a significant amount of that fat fuel is burned, it will temporarily fill it with water/fluid to keep the balloons in tact. This is where the "water weight" you may have heard of comes into play. So even though the fat itself is gone, those balloons are hanging on for dear life, thinking they're trying to save you. Only after some time passes, the body decides that its safe to shed those empty fat balloons, and you'll have a "whoosh" of weight loss after a stall period. These stalls can be 1 week to a couple months, which makes it very easy to get discouraged. When (not if) you get to a stall, just remember to stay the course. You had an entire lifetime to condition your body that your higher food intake was the normal amount required for survival, so it won't be convinced that everything is ok with a reduced caloric intake for a little while. Your weight loss will appear like stair steps instead of a straight line. Also anticipate slight gains during these stalls. That is just the water retention, and not fat reappearing, so think of it as "fake weight". As you get close to your final goal, and you're exercising more, remember that muscle weighs more than fat, I think about 1.5x as much. So as you build muscle, it will offset the number on the scale. That is why the scale number isn't as important in the final phase of your weight loss journey. It can be discouraging if you're only chasing the number, so keep in mind all the other victories towards the end. Think of the energy you have, an easier time breathing, the ability to do things you couldn't before, being able to wear clothes you never thought you'd fit in, and the additional years added to your life!

I unfortunately fall in the "small percentage" Arabeque mentioned like you most likely could be. I, since surgery still feel hungry and no, its not head hunger. I, like you probably do find it annoying to have gone through all this only to be fighting the hunger yet again. I do know they say it can take up to 6 months for the nerves that register "full" to repair as they've been severed during surgery and I still don't feel full (its been 3 months). I just stick to what I'm told I should be eating and figure the battle continues. Lets hope your hunger levels out or its just the "head hunger" everyone says it could be. Just stick to the plan, drink water when you feel hungry and as others have said distract yourself. I know its probably not what you wanted to read/hear but its the hand dealt - learn ways to handle it. In my case, I want the weight gone and to be healthier more than I want to eat - so I ignore the hunger. Good luck - baby steps to thinner and healthy.

Sorry about your one more hurdle CPAP addition. I too was put on CPAP before surgery. I was one point (5.9 so 6) above the not needing it - it sucks I know. Just tell yourself.. Just one more step closer to your surgery. What's odd is my CPAP score has gotten a lot worse since I had surgery! I was told (IF you can talk to a sleep doctor), they tend to diagnose / prescribe then from then on its crickets telling you its now under your GP's care - except they're not specialized in reading CPAP scores or diagnosing the machines data - that the change is due to my weight loss due to mask leaks...right...I have the nasal mask and its not influenced by weight gain/loss, so I've quit using it for now, especially since I'm past the required 3 months of usage by the insurance company. So again, just do what you have to by jumping through their hoops to become healthier and get your surgery!

I never did Wegovy (Semaglutide) but a few of my friends have done it. I went straight to surgery. As soon as my friends were off, their body put back on the weight and then some. Too many horror stories about Semaglutide, rotten food stuck in stomach, stomach paralysis, to name a few. My best friends daughter has been on it for 3 months and has only lost 5 pounds, she needs to lose well over 100. Found out her thyroid is messed up so she is on thyroid meds and has lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. She is still considering surgery, but will let her body adapt to thyroid meds first.

One note on long distance hiking: I'm having to do serious rehab on my hips and core in order to increase my walking capability. While my aerobic capacity and endurance are very good, my hips start to physically give out at about 3 miles. My physical therapist isn't really sure what the issue is, but thinks that it's a combination of weakness and poor flexibility from the postural adaptations that happen with extreme obesity (my legs literally point in a different direction than they used to!) and some effect of fast weight loss on the muscles themselves.

Anesthesia can mess with our bodies for a while after surgery, and it has been clinically shown that major surgery can trigger depressive episodes in people. What you are experiencing is completely normal even though it sucks. Add to that hormonal changes, and body changes, and changes in the nutrients you get, and recovering from a major surgery and yeah, you could feel pretty down! I'm 3 1/2 weeks post op. Some days are good and some days aren't so good. I've heard the first 3 months are really challenging and the first year takes a lot of resilience and adjustment. Next time your husband starts with the "this is what you wanted" I'd kindly remind him that those words are not supportive and guilt trips are not necessary. That you are cognizant of the fact that you wanted bariatric surgery to lose weight and improve your health, but NONE of us can even begin to understand the fullness of an experience before we actually have it...and living this experience is feeling challenging right now. Even the BEST things for us often come with distinct downsides. You are allowed to be upset! You are allowed to say this is a struggle! What would be more supportive of him would be for him to validate your feelings and assure you that things won't always feel like this, but while they do, he's there for you. I'm sure he's doing what he can, but everyone deserves feedback when their words are making it harder for you to deal with what you are dealing with. I too feel a little off kilter from the world right now. Any surgery brings grief with it when it alters your body. Let yourself grieve. You are in a liminal space right now, transforming from one version of yourself to another. Much like the caterpillar who winds itself into a cocoon, you have had to bury yourself into this new experience, and you will never be the same. Some parts of you have to die so that other parts of you can blossom forth and live. When you finally come out of this cocoon, flying will be so thrilling!! But in the meantime, the transformation sucks! LOL I don't think caterpillars think the process is fun either...

I'm so glad that work is going well! You look fantastic and all professional!! I hope it continues to be awesome... I am so sorry you have the BRCA gene. I had a cancer gene panel done this summer due to the endometrial cancer I had. I found out I have the CHEK2 gene, which is lower risk than the BRCA gene, but still high risk enough to consider an elective mastectomy. I've considered going that route if I have to have a boob lift post weight loss... I saw the oncologist this morning to talk about taking a round of tamoxifin to reduce my risk. It was informative!! It is possible they could do both the hysterectomy and the hernia repair at the same time if the doctors are in the same system. GYN surgeries often coordinate with other surgeons so their patients only have to go under once. You will be shocked at how light your pelvis feels post surgery, I still marvel at it! I love not having that monthly visitor, I didn't really understand how much energy it was taking for me for 2 weeks out of the month. And my iron levels stabilized really nicely post surgery. If you need any support don't hesitate to message me! I found recovery from the hysterectomy similar to my DS surgery, though I was sore longer with the hysterectomy...

Not in the least. I'm trying not to buy much at all lol. I have a box of smaller clothes when I lost over 100 lbs about 10 years ago (like size 13, 15, 19 juniors). I've bought a few pairs of my fav underwear in one size down from where I am now as the 3 pair I bought originally are already to large (guess thats a good thing). Other than that the only other things I've bought have been two pair of cute boots in a smaller size (where I was when I lost all my weight last time) and a workout set to aspire to. I figure the thrift shops will be my go to in between.

Sure... blame the weight loss. Good luck, Tek

I plan to do both. As difficult as it was for me to look at them, I took photos of myself in a tank top and exercise leggings just a couple days after the doctor appointment when I had my highest ever recorded weight. I kind of needed to look the picture to really see it and process it, you know? I plan to put on the same clothing again probably the day before surgery, and then keep those clothes to take pictures every month or so after. I think wearing the same clothing will really help to see the differences. I may take additional photos wearing just undergarments, but those will never see the light of day (whereas I already posted my before picture to an album here because I appreciate all the folks who have posted theirs). And definitely measurements. You'll want those for your own records, and keeping up with them as you lose will help when shopping for new clothing.

How do I lose weight? Fast I need pills nothing is working where is the adapax?

Ha. I don't actually know which of these threads to post in, so sorry for cross posting! But here is the difference after a year. Still hoping to shift about 25 more lbs and gain back some muscle mass, and will probably look into surgery to remove some excess skin, but all in all pretty happy with my results!

I had my surgery July 4th and the good news is that I am down 60lbs but the bad news is that I ended up between July 3rd and Nov 1st spending 12.5 weeks in hospital with complications following the surgery. I had pancreatitis and then also got infections as the surgery didn't completely close my stomach so I ended up with a small hole. Ended up having a number of gastroscopes, tubes fitted to my stomach and back to drain the infection and now have an internal tube fitted in my stomach, which will eventually (I hope) make its own way out as my stomach heals. Had really bad reflux until about two weeks ago when I started taking tablets with simeticone so it has eased considerably. Still in pain often, feels like my stomach is either bruised or pulled muscles. It is great to have lost the weight, especially as the hospital had me on feeding tubes with nutrients etc., but at the present time I feel like I would not recommend this surgery to anyone unless it was life or death. I lost the last few months of my life basically and know that the trauma is effecting me, can't sleep much (partly due to the pain and partly due to not being able to shift the hours the nurses would wake me), feel exhausted and also feel a bit weepy at times.

I did something today I wouldn't normally do. I was out and saw a dress on a clearance rack that really caught my eye. It was 70% off, but I was about to put it back because it's "not my size" when I realized it might fit me by the time the spring rolls around I would probably be about 4 months post-op by then. So I bought it! Of course, if I'm wrong, it was only $14. But it's exciting to have something in my closet to aspire to. Last time I lost a significant amount of weight was about 7 years ago, and not only did I regain it all, but I've moved since then and got rid of most of the smaller clothes. I think I have a few pairs of jeans and maybe a dress that I thought was too nice to give away "just in case." I think I'll mostly be living in oversized shirts and black leggings until the summer comes because I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff that I'll be out of quickly, especially since I work from home. Am I the only one thinking about this stuff, and a little afraid to jinx myself by buying clothing in a smaller size?

A very friendly lady doctor once told me eat 10 different vegetables a day instead of the recommended 5. I put this in place by eating a homemade veg soup or a vegetable salad for lunch. This meal replacement was very low in calories and super filling. I could eat a thoughtful meal with my family in the evening and a low cal. snack later in the evening, like jelly and yogurt or the porridge I swopped it for at breakfast. Of course the weight didn't stay off but I did loose lots until I went on holiday and broke out and went back to my old ways. I didnt feel like I was on much of a diet because I love salad and veg

I was a vegetarian for 12 years before I gave it up, and then life and the vicious cycle of weight gain and weight loss began for me. You can 100 percent get your protein without meat substitutes (which tend to be full of carbs btw). Beans with rice is a great way to get protein. Nuts and seeds, whole grains like oatmeal, couscous, quinoa, cheese, yogurt, and protein powders made out of peas. Ripple is a pea milk that is pretty good and has 8g of protein, it is very comparable to regular milk. I believe Ripple has other products too like protein powders and coffee mixes. If 8th continent still exists, that was the best milk substitute, I had a vegan bodybuilder friend who drank it like it was going out of style, lol. Don't forget about tofu, tempeh, edamame, and lentils (Not my fav). Chickpeas (hummus), peanut butter, There are other vegetarian and vegan protein powder options as well. I would suggest getting a good vegetarian cookbook, look for one that focuses on protein sources.

What did it help with? The extra weight or the PCOS? I'm excited to have no more visits from the monthly enemy lol

This is exactly how I used to think about dieting. I was punishing myself for gaining weight. I was missing out on my favourite foods or on what others may be eating when socialising. ‘Diet’ had so many negative connotations to me. So I don’t use the word any more. This is simply the way I eat. It took a while to change my thinking but it did/does help a lot. There are foods I simply don’t eat or eat very rarely now that I loved to eat before. Do I miss them? Not really. Do I feel I‘m missing out? Nope. You may find it easier to make small changes to your eating & food choices instead of jumping into a full ‘diet’. Small wins are still wins. Change one or two things each week like reduce your portion sizes & increase your fluid intake (64ozs). Increase your protein intake. Stretch out the times between your snacking, or reduce how many snacks you have each day. And so on until you have adopted the recommendations from your surgeon/dietician. And be honest about your struggles with them & tell them what you are doing to incorporate their weight loss plan. They may have other suggestions on what you can do too. All the best.

It may help you, like it has for me, to focus on adding good habits as much or more as taking away your bad habits. When I first talked to my doctor about bariatric surgery, I spent several weeks cleaning out all the items in my pantry and freezer that I knew were not doing good things for me. Things like snack foods and highly processed stuff, and anything I know I will binge eat, like pretzels or chocolate. I also bought some WLS books, including A Pound of Cure from Dr. Matthew Weiner. I read through all his steps for changing your diet and figured out the easiest ones for me to do and started there. For example, I'm not a big fan of artificial sweetener, and Diet Coke was the only thing I was really doing that broke that "rule," so it was pretty easy for me to make the cut. Same with adding a pound of vegetable per day. That change alone has made a lot of other things easier for me, like cutting out bread and reducing dairy. I find I am so full after a green smoothie at breakfast or a salad with beans for lunch that I am not as hungry at dinner, and don't feel the need to snack as much. When I do snack, I've bought raw or dry roasted nuts to replace the junk I used to buy. I've lost about 16 pounds in 4 months, and unlike in the past when I've "dieted," I don't really feel like I'm missing out. Plus, I make exceptions a couple times per month and don't feel guilty about it. By focusing on the health aspects and not tracking the calories, it really helped me make changes that promote a healthier weight without feeling overburdened or deprived. I hope that helps!

Hi! I'm at the beginning of the process for the gastric sleeve. At the beginning because I have yet to lose any of the weight I have to for the surgery. When I decided to have the surgery, I started tracking my food and I lost about 6 lbs...then as soon as the process started and it became a "have-to" thing, I started having a super hard time sticking to the diet. That, and I hit a bout of depression which makes it really, really hard to control sugar cravings. I'm in therapy for other reasons, but I don't have an appointment with their therapist until January. I'm having enough trouble sticking with the diet that I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to be able to do this. I feel so resentful that I have to diet. I know, I know, it's "not a diet, it's a lifestyle change". It's a diet. I have to give up most of my favorite foods for most of the time, and when I do have them I can barely have anything. I call that a diet. I know it's my fault and I got myself here, but that doesn't help, it just makes the whole thing feel more like a punishment. Did anyone else struggle with any of this? How did you overcome this thinking?

I'd really like to switch to being vegetarian for spiritual reasons, but I'm at the beginning of the whole process for the gastric sleeve. I have to lose 30 lbs to have the surgery. So far I've gained one. I swear, being told I have to lose weight makes me gain. I really have not liked meat substitutes I've tried, and I'm wondering if it's possible to get your protein without them. I'm looking at going vegetarian, not vegan, so I would still have access to dairy and eggs, but I don't want to overdo it on those. I'm not a fruits and vegetables fan and this is going to be a very hard switch for me, but I do really want to do it. Thanks for any info you can give!

Don't feel bad about 10-20 lb regain. I'm about 11-12 years out from Gastric sleeve surgery. I had it back in 2012, starting at 183 lbs, got down to my lowest of 185 lbs, then from 2016 through 2023 regained back up to 283 lbs. Earlier this year (around march / april of 2023), I was up to 297 lbs. I'm currently hovering around 280-285 lbs pretty consistently, and I'm starting the process to hopefully get the DS surgery. So, take it from me, don't feel bad about the small setback, recognize it and tackle it as soon as possible, because I didn't do that for myself, and I am kicking myself every day. I'm excited, reading these posts, that there are people with DS who eat things like steak and sushi....I love steak; and I love Japanese cuisine (sushi, ramen, hibachi, etc.). Secretly, I've been scared/nervous that I wouldn't be able to eat some of the things I really enjoy ever again after DS. I understand, though, that I'll have to limit my rice intake, and that seems fair enough for weight loss. Lately, I've been enjoying eggs; and I'll take a ribeye anytime and any day I can get my hands on it!

Not strange at all! Anesthesia can affect our mood and takes a while to get out of the system. Then the weight loss itself releases hormones that can trigger PMS on steroids 24/7 in some people. Plus, you just had a major surgery, depression is not unusual after major surgery. And on top of it all, bariatric surgery is stressful! The water and protein requirements are a full time job that first month at least! I'm 3 weeks out. It gets better once you can add food. Just focus on that water! If you get all your water in you'll feel a little better. Food will make you feel better still and will help you feel a little more normal. Hang in there! And if by change you are on psych meds you may need to talk to your psych if you continue to have mood issues, you may need a change in dosage. It's less common in the sleeve but it does happen for some people...

I know that after the surgery my hormones went crazy. I had stopped my periods for over 4 months before the surgery but they came back and stayed for the next 9 months. Now that I'm losing weight way slower my periods have stopped again and my moods have stabilized. So some of the depression is probably from that but I also got some of that alone/lost feeling too. Mine may not be the same but I felt and still feel lost between worlds. I have no idea how to act or dress or even talk as a normal sized person but I don't fit into my over weight world anymore. My version of self is as an over weight person so I have to figure out how to be a new me. I thought it would come natural but it hasn't happened that way for me yet. I'm sure its something that will be fixed eventually with practice. I hope you feel better soon though and that you can start enjoying life and food again. Hugs!