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Thank you everyone!! I am going to wait until next week because I will be 8 weeks out. NP says I’m good to do anything but weights now but I just feel like it may be more strenuous for me than she thinks. Maybe not but at least I will feel safer then so I can focus on the poses instead of whether I am hurting myself. I actually may even pull up some stuff on you tube or whatever and just watch now so maybe some of it will at least be a little familiar. I did order some cheap leggings on Amazon that had three In a pack for $29 and they were garbage. The material was not nice at all. I am sending them back. I will get one pair of nicer ones because I will need them to walk outside soon anyways. I figure I can get Navy and wear them with different tops. Right now I am nursing THREE blisters anyways. I had the one on the side of my foot for like 5 days now. Started small but I put a blister cushion on it and tried to keep doing my 5-7 miles for two more days and it just got bigger and bigger. Now it’s huge. Then I had the brilliant idea that I could just wear my slides and walk inside but apparently those squish my toes too close together because the second day of that I got little blisters on the inside of my pinky toes. My feet are probably like we had a lot of years of a really cushy job, what in the heck are you doing to us. It will be good to have something else to do to give my poor feet a break on between.

I was looking for an introductions forum, which was mentioned somewhere, but couldn't find it, and this seemed the most appropriate place! I just joined the site after reading - well listening to - Alec Brecher's book on the gastric bypass. I'm George, I'm 43 year olds and I currently live in Spain after a lot of moving around. I've been overweight all of my adult life, but I have rapidly gained a lot more weight in the last few years. Considering bariatric surgery was first recommended to me by my doctor a few years ago, but it was right before the pandemic and that interrupted the process I was on at the time. I am now scheduled to have (hopefully) gastric by pass on April 15th, privately, at a clinic in Latvia. I decided to pay for it myself since the wait time to do it on my government plan in my part of Spain right now is said to be about three years. Currently I am on Rybelsus to help me loose some weight before the surgery, and there's been /some/ success. I expect to be on the liver reduction diet for a month before the surgery and I have to admit I'm not looking forward to it! I look forward from learning from everyone on this forum.

That doesn't sound like enough food, or a very healthy choice, to be honest. Crispy chicken is fried. Sweet tea is nutritionally the same as soda and can provide a shocking number of empty calories. You aren't getting enough protein and if you're only eating once a day, that's probably messing up your metabolism. Just based on what my dietician has told me, I suggest three meals per day, a minimum of 60g protein per day, 64 oz water, and little to no sugar or simple carbs. You might try cottage cheese with fresh berries for breakfast, a spinach salad with 3oz grilled chicken for lunch, and 3oz baked salmon with steamed broccoli for dinner. Maybe add in a serving of raw almonds for a snack. Make sure you weigh all your portions.

@@AmberFL I get between 1700 and 1900 calories per day right now, it's working well for me. I'm having a surgery tomorrow though and won't be able to work out for a least 3 -4 weeks and will likely try to cut my calories to 1400 per day to avoid weight gain in that time. We'll see how well that goes, lol.

first of all, most people who aren't the size of the folks on "My 600 lb Life" tend to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the entire first MONTH. So at only two weeks out, you are way, way ahead of the game. secondly, you are starting out at a MUCH lower BMI than most WLS patients, and starting BMI is one of the factors that determines your rate of weight loss those first few weeks and months. So your rate of weight loss would be expected to be at the lower end. So again, esp given your low starting weight, you are way ahead of the game. third, you have likely hit the infamous "three-week stall". The vast majority of us have our first major stall within the first month or so after surgery. It's usually the third week, hence the name, but it can happen any time during that first month or so post-op. It usually lasts 1-3 weeks. I had mine during weeks 2 & 3. After it broke, I dropped like six or eight lbs practically overnight. so first, you need to manage your expectations. You are not going to lose like someone who starts out at over 600 lbs. But again, you are currently WAY ahead of most of us even "normal" WLS patients at this point. Secondly, the stall: you just have to ride it out. The only thing you can do is make sure you are following your plan to a "T", and stay off the scale. Stop weighing every day. Just weigh every few days or once a week until it breaks. And it WILL break as long as you're compliant with your plan. if you want more info on the three-week stall, do a search on this site for it. You will find over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding.

Good luck! I’m a week in and am miserable to be honest. I know it will be worth it though.

Yes - I have that. Or at least that is what my physician thought after I had occasional symptoms like that and they couldn't find anything else wrong with me (had the workup about four years ago). She said to eat something about every three hours - preferably a protein or something paired with a protein. It works - I rarely have those symptoms any more. P.S. any kind of protein is fine - even a thing of yogurt.

I am here to add my vote for meal planning. I also have ADHD tendencies and I LOATHE food tracking. In the early days after surgery when I absolutely had to make sure I got in my protein and water, I managed to track by keeping a physical tracking notebook next to me at all times. I had to see the book to remember to do it. I stopped tracking around 5 months when I was consistently hitting my goals. Now that I am almost a year out, my weight loss has slowed (as expected) and I am finding it too easy to make poor choices if I don't plan ahead. I forced myself to actually track for a couple days and was shocked by how many calories I could eat and what I was choosing even when I "thought" I had been pretty reasonable. So, instead of tracking, which I am still terrible at, I've started meal planning and prepping ahead. For breakfast and lunch, I came up with a selection of maybe three or four choices I liked that have around 20g protein and entered them into my meal tracking app. For example, a spinach frittata for breakfast that I can slice into several servings, fruit cups that I make ahead for the week, single-serve packets of protein oatmeal or a protein bar for those days when I have to grab and go. For lunch, I make homemade chicken veg soup and also salad jars. I also like to make a batch of turkey chili to have on hand, which I store in single-serve containers. I also came up with a few snacks I like such as Greek yogurt with blueberries, or an apple with cheese. I also entered in my typical favorite 6 or 7 homemade dinners as recipes or meals in the app so I could easily add them to my day with one click. Before my shopping day, I try to plan my meals for the coming week. If I see my calories going too high or my protein not being enough, or whatever, on any given day, I can adjust accordingly. On a day that I eat oatmeal, I make sure my other choices are less carb heavy. If I have eggs for breakfast, I might plan to have a carb at dinner. I have the tab easy to get to on my computer, but printing it out each day would also work, as would entering each meal as a reminder in your phone's task list or calendar app. It is so much easier for me to look at my menu and follow it than it is for me to decide what to eat every day in the moment. It also means that if I can eat what I plan most of the time, I can have a restaurant meal or a dessert a few times a month without worrying about it or trying to track it. And since I tend to package up most of my make-ahead meals in single-serve containers, it's pretty easy to grab something to take along if I'm going to be out and don't want to have to hunt for food on the go and risk being off plan. The worst days for me are when everything in the house is an ingredient instead of a meal. That's exhausting and inevitably leads to snacking or poor choices. I find I need to set a regular day of the week for shopping when I can also have time to prep some items right away, before the food even goes in the fridge. I have the most success for the week when all my produce enters the fridge already washed, sliced, and portioned into fruit cups and salad jars, and when I can kick off a batch of chili in the slow cooker, a frittata in the oven, and a batch of taco meat to store for later in the week all at once. Freezing complete single-serve meals is another great strategy for those busy days when you might otherwise get off track. Like any habit, it takes a while to establish and may not be 100% perfect all the time, but I definitely find this helping me.

Hello everyone!! I know I did a bit of a vanishing act, but I have things to report in. First of all - I hit a really frustrating plateau that lasted about 3.5 weeks from around weeks 7-10. That had me feeling pretty bummed, as it was post-two month check in and I had been feeling great about my progress before switching from purees to solids. I had last posted about hearing somewhat contradicting information from the nurse and Nutritionist. I had been told that I didn't need to really worry about staying on keto because I wasn't eating much as long as I hit my protein goal and by the nurse to try to stay Keto because eventually I'd get this great burst of energy from going into ketosis. WELL -- After doing some research I found out that the thing your brain tells you would be the worst thing to do - EAT MORE - was actually the solution. I started bringing in more vegetables and an occasional grains while sticking to mostly lean meats, plus using a protein shake for breakfast to keep me on track with my protein goals. I was already using Genepro; and I since picked up one of the Whey protein powders in a chocolate plus some of the PB2. That did the trick! I have started allowing myself an occasional 'cheat' type meal on days that I'm locked in on my protein, and find myself often meeting my protein goal and then some - more like 70g of protein per day rather than the minimum of 60g/day. The result of spreading my meals out - breakfast, three hours later lunch, three hours later 'dinner' and three hours later 'protein snack' if I'm still hungry - DID IT. My energy is up now that I've been walking more and giving my body more fuel. I am seeing the weight loss finally, and even when the scale doesn't show it right away I'm seeing my measurements shift and the way my clothing fits feeling different. I had purchased a cute pair of jeans about a week before my surgery and a button down short sleeve gingham shirt. At the time I couldn't get the jeans all the way up over my thigh; and now they fit loosely. My bras don't fit properly and I already had to buy one in a smaller size. I'm turning down plus sizes clothes I like that I find at the thrift store for pretty much the first time because - they're too big. I'm borrowing shirts from my Mom that I handed down to her previously and other friends handed down to her rather than me because she was a 2x/3x for a long time (mostly due to her chest) and I was a 4x+. I can feel where my arms have gotten smaller in the way shirts don't feel snug in the arms, shoulder, and chest area. I've gone down 2.5 ring sizes! All in all, I've found that portion control is still a big deal, but so is listening to your body and remembering that if it sends you a message about hunger, there is a reason. I DO have to focus on making sure I drink enough water, but the Baritastic app has helped me keep my sugar low. Even if I do hit over 30g of carbs in a day it's rare and because of something like beans, rice, or vegetables. I'm feeling more comfortable loosening the reins a bit on how strictly I adhere to my diet - although I still don't do anything carbonated, do minimal caffeine, and keep sugar very low. The idea to bring your own tupperware to restaurants along with a cooler is really smart. I'm not in an organized group exercise of any kind yet but I do have personal goals like trying to get in over 10k steps three times per week. I'm working my way up and have gotten to an average of around 5k steps each day, which I'm very proud of. My calorie deficit is usually 800+ calories less taken in than what I'm burning via exercise per day, and this week I have lost almost 6 lbs due to exercise and losing the bloat from my first period post surgery. I wanted to mention that - I did miss my first month's period and my second month's was late. As to exercise - I feel the activity in my back and as a low ache across my lower abdomen mainly, which I think is a result of using those core muscles and the way my figure is redistributing the weight on my joints. I'm shopping Marketplace to add weights to my exercise and still use my exercise bike when the weather isn't nice enough to walk. OH! And Old Navy has an amazing 50% off sale on their website right now and I just finally ordered myself some pants in two sizes below my pre-surgery size! I'm so excited for them to get here. Best wishes all, keep up the amazing work and be kind to yourselves!

I was on liquids for 2 weeks, then small smooshie foods for 2 weeks (like hummus, avocado, cottage cheese), then steamed foods like steamed veggies for 2 weeks. THEN I went on regular foods. But in extremely small portions. Before 6 weeks, your stomach is still swollen, still healing, and can't handle regular food. I would go back to liquids for a few days, then mushie foods for a week and steamed foods for a week. THEN I would try to eat regular foods again. Your stomach should be healed enough by then.

Hey all, Thank you for your lovely comments ❤️ I genuinely appreciate every single one of them. I'm still in a bit of a slump at the moment! I have gained for the first time in my weight loss journey (albeit just 1lbs at the moment but still), my weight doesn't seem to be shifting down currently. I also bumped into a friend today who said: "you are looking so much better"...like...okay... I hope this mood/weight gain/stall goes away soon x

I’m a week post-op and I’m up to 32 oz of water. My issue is I get gas pains no matter the water’s temperature. Has this happened to anyone else??

Good morning all... I have been getting bored with my protein shakes so for the last 2 weeks I have been going to this nutrition store to get a protein shake and tea every morning. The protein shakes and tea are made with Herbalife products. The shakes are 24 grams of protein, and the teas have a bunch of vitamins. What are your thoughts on using these as part of your plan...

Yes, it could be the beginning of a stall but remember all the weight loss rates you read about and weekly/monthly weight loss goal you may be given are all based on averages @eJean. For everyone who meets those averages there’s someone who exceeds it and someone who doesn’t meet it and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with having lost 16.5lbs in your first month. Don’t ‘only’ it. You’ve lost more than a stone in a month. Amazing! I remember my weight loss slowed so much around months 5 & 6 I was losing grams/ounces a week @Bypass2Freedom. I never thought I would hit my goal - it was hellish frustrating to be so close yet so far in my mind. Yet I did and then continued to lose 11kgs more for another 11 months at various rates. So don’t give up. Do remember though that if you reduce your calorie intake to reduce your weight more you will have to continue to eat less than you are now to maintain the lower weight. You never know the weight you will stabilise at and you can maintain. You can stay your oath or make some adjustments and see what happens. Oh, and don’t forget you can still experience stalks along the way nit just at the beginning. PS Check out a basal metabolic rate calculator. They’re not perfect much like a BMI calculator but might give you an idea of whether you are eating less than you need to maintain your current weight & the activity you are doing. If you are consuming less than they say you need you should keep losing.

Finally hit over protein for first time in 5 weeks. I’ve not lost any weight in over 10 days. I’m eating around 500/600 calories a day in total since 27th January . I’ve lost around 10kgs since surgery should I be worried x

Thank you. I also had hernia repair & have had zero heartburn so far so that is something I’m very happy about straight away. You’re right, I need to just stay away from the scales for a few weeks maybe. Im reading different things about how long people are swollen for.

I have been upping my water intake, and I did have the hormonal coil put in last week on Monday! maybe it is the hormones! the universe is cruel haha

Hi guys, I'm feeling a bit low so I thought I would reach out, everyone seems so friendly here. I had sleeve surgery nearly 6 weeks ago and one of the surgical sites just wont heal. They were all fine, scabbed over and looking great until two weeks ago when they starting weeping. When this happened I covered them up with an antiseptic cream and saw the doctor who prescribed antibiotics for an infection I had. The scab came off on one of them along with the stitches leaving a sizeable hole which scared me to death! Now this hole won't seem to heal. It is about as 1cm deep and 1.5 cm wide. The nurse is packing and dressing it twice a week, but it's really getting me down. I am type 2 diabetic so I know that alone indicates slow healing but my glucose levels are right down now since the surgery which is great. Has anyone else had problems of this nature? It's really getting me down and it makes me feel queasy when I have to have it changed.

I cancelled my gym membership in the month I had my surgery since I wasn't going to be able to exercise for 6 weeks after the surgery and I would be away for another 4 weeks and Christmas was coming up and didn't want to waste the money (month to month membership). I need to get back into the gym, but I've not been in months so I'm going back to complete novice stage. But I have been cycling so that's at least something. I want to make going to the gym a habit again. I haven't renewed my membership yet because it will be too crowded with all they "new year, new me" types who use the gym in January for two weeks and then never again.

In my opinion [ and I am not you or your age ] your arms are great. The brachio surgery is brutal. We use our arms so much, its difficult to imagine how you can manage a week or more without use of them. The scar is big and the main thing that puts me off besides not being able to clean myself. Good luck in everything you decide x

3 lbs in 10 days sounds like water retention. Have you had more salt than usual? I gained almost 4 lbs in a week at Christmas, but it was gone within 2 weeks and now I'm back to slowly losing. If you've had a disruption to your routine, that could explain it. Or hormonal shifts. Or just your body messing with you because you were looking forward to hitting a certain number on the scale and the universe finds it amusing to taunt you (been there).

Wow!! Love this! You are rocking it! Major Wins! I do not own a scale, not good for my mental so I do not know where I am at, hopefully no stalls but if so not going to think much about it. I want to remain happy and stress free 😂. My 6 month post op is in NOV so we shall see. Like someone else on this post said we just have to do what's right like 90% of the time and everything will work itself out!

That's exciting! I have a few weeks to go until my 3 month follow-up, but like you, I'm anxious to hear what my surgeon says. I started losing weight right after the first of the year during the pre-op diet, had my bypass January 30, and have lost a total of 41 lbs. so far. It's been quite a journey!

totally me this week! I am just having a week where I feel like puffy, slow, tired, just unmotivated to work out. I am still doing my workouts because I know its a slump but I am just there this week.

I remember my hands especially were so puffy with fluid. It took over a week just to get back to my day of surgery weight because of all the fluid. But you're still losing fat even if the scale doesn't show it, so don't worry!