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I'm several years out so I probably shouldn't answer the first question since I've been in maintenance for a long time.. but for the first, I just made sure I was sticking to my program, weighed, measured, and logged everything I ate, and backed off on weighing myself - from daily to about once a week until the stall broke.

I'm only a week post-op so I don't have much experience with this particular conversation -- but I've struggled with weight all my life and have had a few periods of great weight loss. And those conversations were never great, either. Honestly, I feel like the majority of people just want you to reveal "the magic solution" to them -- whether because they want an easy solution themselves, or just want to write you off as having "cheated" for your success. They don't want to hear about the tough, ongoing, lifetime of work you're putting in. Some people -- those who deeply care and connect with you -- that won't be the case. But those people that care, won't get too pushy if you set a boundary. And that's really what I wanted to talk about: setting healthy boundaries. It's nobody's business how you achieved this. Decide how much you're comfortable sharing, and allow yourself to set a clear boundary. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving a bland "oh, you know, lifestyle changes" as an answer, and if they push further let them know "Honestly, I'm not comfortable talking about it. I'm healthy and happy though." Anyone who tries to push past your boundaries? Deserves the stink eye, and maybe a LOUDER repetition of exactly what you told them. At most. (But most people feel too awkward to push, I think. If they don’t, well, they don't really deserve you to be polite back. Get sassy. Ask them what part of your statement needs clarification. Ask them something extremely probing and personal back. Tell them to look up the definition of 'boundaries,' 'respect,' or 'pushiness.' Ask if they're a Taurus. Hiss at them 'Alien Abduction' and walk away. Most importantly, take care of your own emotional and mental health first -- because nobody else will prioritize it for you. 🤍

You look amazing! Who is your surgeon? I'm having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on 1/12. My surgeon will be Dr. Rodolfo Castillo. I'm getting a 360 Belt Lipectomy with lipo and a breast lift with gummy implants and it's costing $12,699. It doesn't include transportation because I have family in Southern California, but it does include everything surgery related: meds, compression garments, pre and post op appointments with the surgeon, lab tests, night at the hospital and 6 nights at a recovery house. I'll spend another week recovering with the family in S. CA. If all goes well, I intend to go back and get my inner thighs and arms done and probably a face lift.

I just made an account to answer this. I am two and a half weeks post op from gastric sleeve. I too have PCOS. I am 37 years old and my highest weight was 330. At surgery and after the pre-op diet I was down to 305. I'm currently 289 today. My comorbidities were hypertension, high cholesterol, newly onset GERD, and insulin resistance. (never made it into the diabetic range). I watched a ton of videos on youtube after I decided to have surgery. I watched the testimony of patients ranging from a few weeks out to twenty years. I also listened to bariatric surgeons discuss the process, pitfalls, and successes. My PCP had been talking to me about this surgery for three years and at first I declined because of all the people I knew of that experienced full weight regain. I only decided to have the surgery when I had determined that not being able to eat as much and what I want all the time was a small price to pay for my health and quality of life. Some things to consider between sleeve and bypass. Myth: Bypass patients are much more successful at keeping weight off. The sleeve is a newer surgery and was discovered as the first part of the duodenal switch. The 5 and 10 year outcomes for weight loss and regain tend to be around the same with the bypass slightly better. The sleeve is less punishing and is easier to 'stretch' out with poor eating habits but it can be done with the bypass as well. Overall, a change in relationship with food is a higher predictor of sustained weight loss than either surgery. The Switch is the surgery with the most rapid weight loss and sustained loss without regain but it is a heavily malabsorption procedure, carries the most risk of post operative complications, including dehydration and vitamin deficiency and requires a very strict regiment to sustain a healthy lifestyle. It can also result in some interesting bowel changes. Too rapid weightloss can also result in gallstones. Quite a few bariatric patients have had gallbladder removal after surgery. It should be noted that actual operative complications are low for all surgeries but not zero. Another controversial topic of sleeve vs gastric bypass is that the bypass is better for GERD. There are contradicting experiences for both surgeries. One thing is for sure you can certainly still have GERD with the bypass, although it seems revision from sleeve to bypass has worked to cure GERD for a lot of people. My GERD was very mild before surgery and so far I have not experienced any after. I am on a daily dosage of omerprazole but that's nothing new to what I was taking before. My triggers for GERD were fried foods and canned tomatoes. I know to stay away from that now. Keep in mind that the bypass is reversible in most cases while the sleeve is not. Also, the sleeve can be converted into a bypass or switch if complications arise or you fail to lose or sustain a meaningful amount of weight. There are very few options for bypass and switch if regain occurs outside of dietary changes, exercise and will power. Bypass patients can no longer consume NSAIDS, steriods, and possibly other medications after surgery for life. Switch and Bypass patients are more likely to experience dumping syndrome but Sleeve patients can also suffer from it. Constipation, diarrhea, and blockages and strictures can occur with all surgeries. Very minimal risk for long term serious complications. I have read quite a few posts that spoke about pain after surgery with the sleeve. Speaking for myself the only pain I experienced was gas after surgery from the surgeon introducing it into my abdomen during the procedure. I was given liquid pain meds but never took any, and no otc pains meds either. I felt discomfort from the surgery port sites for maybe a week. After that I was good. My surgery team has stayed on top of any side effects that could occur after surgery and I was very lucky. They gave me medicine for nausea before surgery, put an anti-nausea patch behind my ear also before surgery and discharged me with anti-nausea dissolveable meds. I took the meds for about a week though I never experience sickness and still luckily have not. I was a water drinker before surgery and can still easily drink water without any pain or nausea. Cold or hot temps don't seem to upset my stomach though some have reported either can cause pain. I am on the puree stage and things are going well. Really, experiences vary. I'd choose a doctor carefully and if possible speak to prior patients to get their experience pre and post op. I was lucky my Aunt had the procedure done the year before and could report on her experience. We chose the same surgeon. He had a 98% success rate. So after this long-winded wall of text I choose a sleeve because: I wanted a slower and steady weight loss. I did not want to re-route my insides. Had a co-worker suffer a bad bowel blockage with a bypass and had to have part of his intestine cut out. I did not want restrictions on not being able to take certain pain or treatment options should they become necessary in the future. I did not feel I have a dependent relationship with food. I ate too much of it. And sometimes the wrong things because they were easy and accessible. But I also enjoyed a lot of healthy foods. My kryptonite has always been lack of exercise and even skipping meals so that I overate when I did eat. I'm from the finish your plate generation, but I did not and do not rely on food for comfort, bordem or pleasure. Therefore, I felt and still feel that the more punishing procedures were not right for me.

My first birthday post-op was about eight weeks after surgery. All I remember was I had about two tablespoons of ice cream as a treat, and felt guilty about it for days afterward! (it didn't make me sick, but I was bound and determined from the get-go that I was going to be 100% compliant with my plan until I got all that weight off, so I felt terrible about eating that ice cream!). The next holiday was Thanksgiving. That was about five months after surgery. I took some Light & Fit pumpkin yogurt to eat while the others were eating pumpkin pie, so no guilt! (I will admit I was a bit of a drill sergeant with myself the first year after my surgery, but again, I was 100% determined to get that weight off! I wish I still had that resolve!!)

If you plan to get skin removal surgery and want it to be covered by insurance, make sure you document with your doctor ALL problems with skin rashes, sores etc. It isn't usually covered since it is considered cosmetic but if you can show a history of problems, there's a better chance of it being covered. I have lost over 100 pounds and have some loose skin, but I am getting cryo therapy twice a week. It helps to produce collagen and tightens my skin as the weight comes off. If I had waited till I hit goal weight, I don't think it would have been as effective. I also sit in an infrared sauna which has its own list of benefits. Rebounding helps too. There are some alternatives to surgery. Being proactive is important but it also depends on the amount of weight you have to lose and DNA. When I had rashes before losing the weight, I used a baby powder/cornstarch blend to keep the area dry. Moisture can make things painful and possibly infected. Good luck!!

Today was a week since I had my gastric sleeve surgery. I'm feeling perfectly fine, but I feel constantly hungry. I already included solid food to my diet bc I just can't be satisfied drinking liquids like chicken broth or protein shakes or creemt souos, they do not help at all like it was when I was on pre op diet. I should say that I kinda nervous that I already add solid food, but my body reacts fine. I never felt this "plumb" feeling that many people spoke about. I can easily swallow any food. Is anyone else having same issue with a hunger? How long does it take to you feel satisfied with small portions of food? Honestly, I started regretting about surgery, I expected it would help with food cravings but in fact I'm just limited in portions and feel hungry all the time

*raises hand* warning: this may get long.... now, for me, replace 'whiskey' and 'cognac' with Vodka Sodas or Red Wine or Espresso Martinis. i looked it up and according to North American AND European "standards" i would be considered an alcoholic in North America, as well as partaking in "harmful and hazardous" drinking if I were in Europe, based on my average daily alcohol consumption. I started drinking regularly during Covid, and basically never stopped. I too, consider myself a high-functioning alcoholic...i don't get black out drunk, i dont drink and drive, operate heavy machinery while under the influence, make bad decisions that would harm or embarass myself or others, etc. etc. since surgery i get affected much quicker, and on a lot less than pre-surgery. i'm pretty tipsy just after a single drink...legitimately drunk after 2. BUT.....i sober up really quickly too. the alcoholic buzz lasts me maybe 30-45 mins tops. then it's like i didn't drink a drop....which probably contributes to why i drink the amounts that i do. i am a boredom and social drinker (i.e,. i don't need it to sleep...i am a lifelong insomniac and need very little sleep all my life anyway *shrug*). so if i am busy doing stuff during waking hours that doesn't involve food, friends and sitting around, then i wont drink. i also have a chip on my shoulder, so often when somebody (i.e., Mr. or the Kid) challenges me that i couldn't stop drinking, I totally would just to prove him wrong. I've probably gone cold turkey 9-10 times for about a month each time in the past 5 years just to be right. Mind you, i never actually STOPPED for good, so maybe HE's right, ha. As for my current state of health, I am probably in the best shape in my adult life. I have maintained below goal weight since reaching it at 7 months post op. I am 5'2", 52 yr old woman, and this morning weighed 115.8 lbs. My body fat percentage hovers between 18-20% All my labs since surgery have been satisfactory, the last one being last fall. I don't take any medication any more (i used to take blood pressure and cholesterol and adhd meds). but I do have to take pesky PPIs i continue to need to keep my reflux under control. I have endless amounts of energy, bad moods and bitchiness are a rarity now, i am patient, calm, less stressed since losing the weight. I exercise (yoga, pilates, running, rock climbing) 20+ hours a week. I also dabble with swimming, hiking, volleyball, and dance for funsies. I consume over 2300+ calories a day so i'm definitely not starving myself (mind you, 400-500 cals are from alcohol...) soooo....sometimes i feel like i SHOULD worry about the amount of alcohol i drink, but really, if i'm honest, i don't, really. but if/when i do i feel like its becoming a problem, I can re-evaluate then (though this probably sounds like the alcoholic's battle-cry, no? ha!) p.s. may be worth noting here (not sure why) that i am also an ex-smoker at the moment. i smoked for 20 years, then quit cold-turkey for 10 yrs, then took it up again for 4 years, then quit cold turkey again last summer (am currently 14 months smoke free this time around, yay, me!). p.p.s. DISCLAIMER: i am in no way advocating nor opposing my M.O. to drinking to anyone who reads this. I am merely describing my own experiences. take or leave from it what you will ❤️ ...and scene. lol.

Decided to have surgery because my normal glucose went from low 80s up to mid 200s and a few low 300s. Tried metformin for a couple years didn't help then Ozempic which messed up my gallbladder and pancreas. Had my surgery on Dec 27 (198lb/245gl), was released from hospital on Dec 29. Went back into hospital on Jan 1. My intestine got twisted then caused blockage and my stomach was not closing of stomach acid and it was free flowing for 3 days at home. The must painful experience ever. Released from hospital on 7th. Basically started was like my first day out of hospital from surgery. Had my 2 week post-op yesterday 9th moved to soft foods and can do light strength training... Super excited. (184lb/83gl)

You sound so much like me it’s scary. Im 26, a nurse with no health problems. I had my surgery on 1/4/24. I had issues with self confidence, I’ve always been bigger and that really are at my self confidence. However I went into this with nurse brain, it’s quick low complication surgery, being young you’ll recover well. I was obsessed with information, and I thought it would be amazing. I was so excited till about 2 weeks post op, and then the severe depression came. I was not ready for the emotional challenge. Right now, I wish I had never done this, I would give my left leg to anyone who could help me stretch this or transplant a new one, anything. I lay awake thinking that I should have made one last try at something different ( I tried ALOT of things). Don’t under estimate when they tell you it’s HARD! I did, I thought about it medically, and not enough of how I could react to this. I don’t want to sway you either way, most say it is the best thing they’ve ever done, but just be ready. I wish someone had done that for me

I was in the large family that celebrated/soothed everything with food. Sad? Have a cookie you’ll feel better! Good grades? Have some ice cream! Birthday? Don’t forget the cake! Going to a reunion? Make sure you bring the potato salad and pink stuff! Oh someone died? Don’t forget the luncheon and the funeral potatoes and pie. But dinners most week nights were my responsibility after age 10 so we ate a lot of latchkey ability dinners- spaghetti, white people tacos (tortillas, ground beef, shredded cheese, iceberg lettuce and sour cream), and Mac and cheese with peas and tuna mixed in, and potato surprise (mashed potatoes, ground beef, peas, and shredded cheese). Now? I’m still the one cooking even for holidays and such. I don’t regret it but I do make better choices now that I know better…. Most of the time.

I strongly advise you to stick with the plan your surgeon gave you regarding food. Your stomach and small intestines have been cut and sewn back together, there are a lot of sutures in there that heal best without particles of food irritating them. And believe me, you do NOT want to compromise the healing of those sutures. I know it is hard to do nothing but drink. I was on fluids only for the first two weeks, no pudding, no eggs, nothing but fluids and my stomach couldn't handle protein shakes so I lived on broth, flavored water, and eventually I could do lactose free milk. But I got through it and so will you!! As hard as the changes are to our bodies, it is the head game that will do you in. You are strong. You can do hard things!! You only get the chance to heal once, so heal as well as you possibly can! I ate sugar free popsicles and crunched on ice when I had the urge to chew. This time without food is a very short time in the scheme of things even though it feels like an eternity. Find things to do to distract you from your hunger. Head hunger is miserable but you have to see this through because if you don't get control of the head hunger now it will drive you to eat around your surgery once you add food back in. The surgeon had me taking pills by mouth the day after surgery. It was a struggle but I understood it wasn't harming my stomach to take them, just go slow, one at a time, and give space between each one. But only take what they told you to take. You don't want to add anything extra that could irritate those healing sutures. ❤️

Listen to your body. If you feel tired, rest/nap. If your tummy says nope don’t like that don’t eat or drink it for a week or so & then try it again (your tummy can behave like a petulant tantrum throwing 2 year old for a little while). Don’t push yourself to do more physically than you are able. You may experience random muscle twinges & discomfort at odd times for a couple of weeks - part of your healing. We all heal differently. We all lose at different rates. We all experiences stalls at times while we lose ( they’re a vital part of your weight loss & do break when your body is ready). We all lose some of our hair (it doesn’t last & it grows back.) Don’t compare yourself with others & beat yourself up if you’re not doing the same. Use other people’s experiences as examples of what you might experience & might achieve not should be doing or experiencing. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t hit your protein & fluid goals right from surgery or everyday. As long as you’re making an effort, are pretty close & eventually you have more days you do than you don’t you’ll be okay. Follow your plan as closely as you can. If you’re struggling with aspects contact your team for alternatives or strategies to help. All the best.

6 weeks 1 day post op and I’m finally on soft foods today. I had eggs. Which I haven’t been able to have for 15 months. I’m so going to look forward to this stage. otherwise I am feeling really great. I can’t wait to try out some more foods I’ve been missing this past 15mths. I am on holidays too. So been able to walk a lot.

Had my first consult October 13th. All my testing is complete as of last week. Was hoping to get a surgery date for late December but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. (Duodenal Switch) I've been reading about others having 3 day up to a week liquid pre-op diets up to surgery. My surgeon said no less than two weeks. I guess all surgeons have their preferences. I've read a few books and listened to as many podcasts about Bariatric surgery per-op and post-op. I feel like a have a good hold on it. I started a Keto/Carnivore diet back in June. Limiting carbs and Sugar wasn't a big deal starting a 100 Gram Protein & 100 Gram carb diet the dietician has recommended for me to be on now. I've lost 47 pounds since June and 27 since my October consult.

I love this! I know my partner loves me regardless of the weight I am as long as I am healthy. (one of the convos we had that if anyone on of us became unhealthily overweight we would have a conversation about that- I wasn't there) He does have to navigate how this is going to go and how he will feel towards me. The parts that he loved are getting small, so I have these self destructive thoughts. Its a me thing and I know that, because my guy always compliments me and tells me how much he loves my saggy boobies LOL or my handful of a butt now. he's encouragement. I don't want to put so much emphasis on looks but man its tough when that's the only thing that is changing! Then I had an HR rep come up to me and tell me I am withering away and I look great. Like omg I wanna cry. I feel like I was this huge person walking around and more ppl want to talk to me. My partner is more handsy. Idk I didn't expect this. Its a lot ( I am rambling I know). I went through a lot of therapy when I left my abusive ex and I consider myself a very strong woman but my god the last week or so I have been feeling a type of way!

Try to work through the liquid diet and stay on it as recommended. Getting in 3 Protein shakes a day is pretty good, you're getting your protein in. I'm 3 weeks out from my surgery. Don't rush the soft foods, from my own experience you won't be able to eat much at all. It seemed like I could get in all the liquid I needed. Once I started soft food, I can barely get 1 measuring cup of food in. So you will need to drink one or two protein shakes a day to get in the protein you need with the food you can eat once you get to soft food phase. You won't be able to eat enough protein to get he recommended amount set by the dietician or whoever is directing you the recommended amount protein you need. I too lost weight before my surgery 70 lbs. Since my surgery I've only lost 7 lbs. Which is expected because of healing and getting the body back used to taking in soft foods again. You're doing really good, keep it up. Remember, when you do get to eat soft foods, take it slow. I've vomited only a couple times from getting to full. It's definitely different when you can only take a few bites and feel full. Wish you the best!

Yeah, I really didn’t mean food lol. I was meaning the drinks and broth. But that is good to know so I will get for the 3 weeks preop then I can do one week at a time post. I was thinking of getting a variety of flavor protein drinks since like you said some tastes change. I have been hearing that from everyone. Preop I will do protein shakes, chicken broth, SF drink mixed and popsicles. So post op I will do chicken broth, popsicles, a small pack of unflavored protein powder to add to water, and my sugar free drink mixes(like crystal light). wow that seems so much easier. Thanks for helping me think through a kind of shopping list.

well, i *thought* i was in menopause before I had my surgery (i hadn't had period in about 1-2 years). a few weeks after surgery i got my period and it came like clockwork every month for the next 2-3 years (i guess it wasn't menopause and i was just fat? or maybe the estrogen release from my diminishing fat stores that re-activated my period? i dunno.) Anyway, a couple years ago when i was at maybe 3 years post op, my period disappeared again, and i haven't had it since (except for a singe errant period when i was on vacaiton of all places last year). im 5+ years post op now and i guess to answer your question i was both perimenopausal and menopausal AND post-menopausal before, during and after the entire experience. i don't know if being in that state affected my weight loss in any way as i have nothing to compare to, but i can tell you i reached goal by 7 months post op (lost 108 lbs by goal date) and was down a total of 126 lbs by 1 year post op (i was 235 lbs 2 wks before surgery). like i said above, i'm 5+ years post op now and am still down 120-ish lbs today.

Hey hey! I could use your help. I’m supposed to be walking 30 mins a day, but here’s the rub… I need to have both knees replaced. I had gel injected into both knees a couple weeks before my surgery and it helped temporarily, but now my really bad knee is hurting again. I don’t want to strain anything I shouldn’t, but I know that exercise is important. Y'all have any ideas about alternative ways of getting my “steps” in?

I'm curious what you had instead of the protein drinks, or if you just weren't getting much protein those first weeks. Was there something that worked better for you than whey?

Hello guys! Just thought I would introduce myself! I'm Sonya and I am now officially on this beautiful weight loss journey. About a week ago i received my surgery date for lap band surgery after months of dietician and medical appointments; I am schedule for surgery Oct 18 and currently which is day one for me I'm on my pre-op liquid diet. I'm a bit nervous because this will be my first ever surgery. I would love some words of advice or encouragement because i am really freaking out a bit; especially when the my doctor explained a few things for the day of surgery when the procedure is all done. Thank you guys! I'm happy to be here!

I had my gastric bypass 11/10, now 11 days post op. Feeling pretty good, excited about soft foods in another week.

Hi all, can’t say how relieved I am in some ways to hear people are having the same challenges. Had the sleeve on 10/30 and while have lost 21kg / 46lba so far, if anything it’s getting a lot tougher. On one hand the extra energy and the ability to wear clothes several sizes smaller is an absolute win that genuinely has made me laugh out loud at times. Just really struggling with eating and drinking. Am only getting maybe 50% of the recommended water daily and even that’s a massive, massive fight. A cup of water can take 2 hours to drink or on days like today even longer. As for three small meals of soft food, I’d probably kill to manage that right now. A few spoons of protein yoghurt for breakfast and if am lucky a few spoons of puréed potato / fish / scrambled egg is about as much as I can manage (and most days I feel really uncomfortable after even that). Am taking my team, chowing everything extremely carefully but no joy. Per diet plan should be moving on from puréed food to soft food but after trying it for two days, looks like it’s a no go. Interestingly am not in the US (am in Poland these days) and here the approach was quite different. There was no specific pre-op diet at all which I found weird. That said, surgeon was incredible and the surgery itself went very well. I guess he felt confident enough shifting an enlarged liver (I have fatty liver disease anyway so maybe he thought that it may not help enough to make it worthwhile) Anyway, good luck all

I'm a little confused. According to your sidebar you've lost almost 100 lbs in 3 months?? How much were you expecting to lose? I'm guessing your surgery weight was different than your starting weight. To put this in a bit of perspective, I had surgery almost a month before you (Nov. 1st), my highest weight was 320 but my surgery weight was 307 and I'm currently at 251!! And my weight loss is considered quite a good pace and certainly within the realms of an excellent result thus far. That change in clothing size is way more important than a number on the scale! Feelings with these surgeries are tough because for some reason our brains expect years of weight to take a few weeks to come off. LOL Everyone thinks they need to lose faster, even the fastest losers among us. Everyone thinks they should be further along, even if they are quite far. We have really high expectations of ourselves and our bodies, probably in part from years of everyone else having unrealistic expectations of us and our bodies. This surgery is an opportunity to give ourselves a bit more kindness and compassion, and maybe recalibrate our expectations. Healing takes time. Even with surgery, weight loss takes time. And the entire process is SOOOO frustrating! I get it, I experience frustration on a regular basis. Today I was lamenting the fact that suddenly my boobs have flattened like pancakes. 😢😂