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Haha! I love this comment. Honestly, if she weren't my boyfriend's family, I would have used all manners of vulgar language as a response! I don't know why people just see fat people as easy targets, as if it is their right to inform them that 1) they are indeed fat, 2) they are lazy, but also 3) they should lose weight, but only in a socially acceptable way. Makes my blood boil!

Definitely sounds like a stall. Some people don't gain during the stall, they just sit at their current weight during it. Me? I gain. And by gain, I mean anywhere from 3-5 pounds. It's infuriating. Then I lose and gain the same 2-3 pounds over and over until one day I get on the scale and see that I lost 5-6 pounds. That's when I know the stall broke. It's going to happen, a lot. So start focusing on your NSVs (Non Scale Victories). Those tell the story of what your body is actually doing better than the scale can.

I had my gastric sleeve done in 2018, so have a few years experience. I couldn't eat anything for at least 4 weeks post op, and then it was a tiny teaspoon of mush at each meal. It took me hours to get through a protein shake of 300ml. By the time I finished the breakfast one, it was time to start the lunchtime one! And so on to dinner... 1200 calories seems huge to me at 3 weeks. I was struggling to drink enough water at that point. My tummy was so tiny. Even if I drank too much water, I would vomit, because my stomach was too small to cope. I still suffer that vomiting if I am too ambitious with my portions. I wouldn't be able to even get through 1200 cal now, unless maybe I went on a strict no carb, high protein plan. Even then it would be a struggle. High protein foods are SO filling. I love fish and seafood, but I can hardly eat 2 tbs of grilled salmon at a meal even 6 years out. I lost 90 pounds in 6 months, luckily no skin looseness... very fortunate. I have slowed my weight loss and then plateaued at 120 lbs loss. If I was you, I would go back to your protein drinks, and go from there.

sounds like the infamous "three-week stall" that most of us experience (our first major stall - and the first of what could be many). Best way to deal with it is to stick to your clinic's eating plan and stay off the scale. Stalls usually last 1-3 weeks. They're aggravating, but they're a normal part of weight loss. It's just your body stopping to recalibrate once in awhile. 1200 calories seems like a lot for being so early out - I didn't hit that until I was more like a year out - but your surgeon may have his reasons for that, and I'm no medical professional. if you want to learn more about the stall, there are literally over 17,000 posts on it on this site. Just do a search on "three week stall". I am NOT kidding about the 17,000+ posts. It happens to almost everyone.

I had vsg surgery on 12/19/23 I lost about 12lbs during the first week and a half but since week two hit I've been seeing the scale not move at all, my inches on my waist was going down so I was to upset. Then I had my post op visit with my surgeon and He told me that I wasn't eating enough, He said that I was losing too much weight and I had told him that the scale hasn't even moved for the past week. But he expected me to hit about 1200 calories a day where I've been eating me 400 or 500. He had said that I should add a couple of snacks in to my meals throughout the day. So three meals a day plus two snacks at least. And it's been a struggle but I've done that and I've been eating around 800 calories a day. Maybe 9:00 but now I'm gaining weight so I'm just unsure of what to do. Should I keep going at this? 800 calorie 900 trying to achieve 1200 so soon after surgery or should I just stick with my four or 500? It seems like so much food for 3 weeks post-op. Also, just so it's clear, I'm pretty much clearer to eat anything I want now just to use discretion when choosing my foods. I am hitting All of my protein and water goals. But I was before when I was getting 400 calories or 500 a day.

The snugger pants could be from working out. I have 3 pairs of pants which had slim/narrow legs which now are tight around the thighs simply from building muscle. I started focussing on my legs (use resistance bands at home) about 8 months ago. Didn’t notice it in Winter as my pants have stretch in them but my summer pants don’t. Had to buy new pairs. Haven’t gained (actually lost about a kg) so same size but wider legs. Bit torn by it. Muscle yay! But bigger thighs & tight pants boo!

My pants still fit. A slightly snugger fit. I am adopting a different strategy. One that was mentioned of giving myself a week to incorporate one habit at a time. I get very impatient and want to do everything all at once which is great for the first day or 2 but very difficult to maintain. I am working on sleeping 2 hours earlier first. I also started taking Berberine. Let’s see how it goes.

So how much protein does everyone else eat in order to keep muscle? I expect none of you count calories but you probably pay attention to your protein intake so give me some numbers please... I'm just trying to get to normal. The correct amount to eat every day calories protein carbs. As of yet I have not seen any doctor who could give me that information... I'm looking for a nutritionist who specializes in gastric bypass. Until then just knowing a protein amount to shoot for would help. I'm 6"3 39 ,180 pounds

I have yet to get a date. I was trying for the Duodenal switch. Insurance denied, it was expected since that was the only bariatric surgery they don't cover, but it was worth a try. Resubmitted for Rouen-Y gastric bypass. Should hear back in a week or so. Hopefully I can get a surgery date in February.

I am turning 50 in a few months, and I've struggled with my weight most of my life. At 26, my BMI was probably around 30, but I didn't have the health issues so it was just a nuisance to me. I tried dieting and healthy eating for years, but my weight increased steadily in typical yo-yo fashion. Post-pregnancies, I spent my late 30s and early 40s in the 35-39 BMI range and started getting co-morbidities. By the time my BMI hit 40 this past year, I was aching in my feet and joints, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was prediabetic. So it's not about weight or appearance at this point but getting control of my health now, while my body can still bounce back and hopefully age more gracefully. I feel like I'm at that tipping point where if I don't act, the next decade will not end well and I will not have a good time of my senior years. This is despite all my best intentions and 7 years of actively going to a weight management doctor. All of that is to say that trying hard and knowing the right things to do rarely leads to success if you are prone to obesity. It's a disease, not a moral failing, no matter what people tell you. Unlike dieting, weight loss surgery provides lasting metabolic changes, as close to a cure as you can get. And you still will have to make all the lifestyle changes you would need to do anyway to lose weight, but they will actually work (instead of spending the next 24 years getting bigger and less healthy like I did). I have posted frequently about what a huge fan I am of Dr. Matthew Weiner's books, YouTube videos, and new podcast. Honestly, his books were life changing for me in terms of my perspective. I highly recommend starting there. He has 3 books, one is called Pound of Cure and gives great, scientifically sound information on what a healthy, set-point lowering way of eating looks like and how to get there. The second is a book that explains exactly how gastric bypass and sleeve surgeries change your metabolism and why they work (it's not just a smaller stomach and eating less!). The third is a cookbook with bariatric friendly recipes and serving sizes for different stages. These books are super fast reads. You can probably get through all three in a week (minus making all the recipes, of course!). With three months to go, my suggestion is get these books and start implementing the diet changes in a deliberate way. Start exercising in a sustainable way, working up to it little by little. See how you feel. Don't do crash diets. Don't start anything, whether food or exercise, you don't think you can basically do 90% of the time for the rest of your life, because there's no such thing as doing it for long enough to lose weight and then getting to "go back to normal." This has to become your new normal, with or without surgery. In three months, if you really aren't sure about the surgery, don't do it. It'll always be there. But know that it's an additional tool that will make the hard work you have to do either way in order to keep your health for the rest of your life more likely to stick. Without it, there's a very high (but not impossible) chance you will not be able to keep your weight in a healthy range.

First, I'm wondering, why are you having the surgery? It doesn't sound like you're unhappy with how you look, you didn't mention if you have any comorbidities like joint pain, decreased mobility, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc, and you don't have stats (bmi) that would cause a lot of concern. Second, I've only seen 2 or 3 people on this entire site that have trouble with losing too much weight. Increase your calorie intake, maybe cut the workouts to half, and that shouldn't be an issue. But it's exceedingly rare. Third, you will likely have some regain. It's just par for the course. Not everyone does, but most people do to an extent. If you stick to the plan and move your body, it should be minimal, but it's unfortunately a reality. Lastly, you will shed hair. A lot of it. Most people do. There are a lucky few that don't, but it's a reality the majority of us can't escape. It happened with my first surgery and with my revision. I used volumizing and thickening shampoos and conditioners, cut my hair shorter (it was down to my butt when I had my surgery and I cut it to just touching my shoulders), and styled it a bit differently. And it was fine. Not one person could tell (except me) and once the shedding stopped, it started to regrow fairly quickly. It didn't come out in clumps, it was basically excessive shedding that I mostly saw when I was washing my hair in the shower. It's not like I was losing hair throughout the day and it was all over my clothes or anything.

1). there are a lot more people who don't reach goal than there are who lose too much weight. Plus if you feel like you're losing too much weight, you can always increase your calories to put the brakes on it - or to start gaining. So I wouldn't worry about this one AT ALL. 2). fewer than 5% of people are able to lose weight and keep it off. You may be one of the lucky ones who can do that - and if so, and you're afraid of the surgery, it's not too late to pull out and try it on your own. I wasn't one of the lucky ones. I spent my first 55 years as overweight or obese. I gained and lost weight a million times and could never keep it off until I had weight loss surgery. 3). hair loss, if you experience it (and not everyone does), is temporary. I lost hair during months 5-8 post-surgery (so...for three months). It wasn't much, though. I could tell because there were more hairs in my combs and brushes, but I really didn't notice it at all when looking in the mirror, so I'm sure no one else noticed it. Plus hair loss after surgery is more like shedding - not huge clumps of loss like one might have after chemo. For a lot of people, they're the only ones who notice it. It's usually more loss of volume than noticeable "bald spots" - and it does grow back. to me, the risk of losing some hair temporarily vs. being morbidly obese for the rest of my life was a no-brainer. But you may think and decide differently for yourself - and there's nothing wrong with that. If you're not mentally ready for this yet, or want to try on your own to lose weight, then there's nothing wrong with canceling or postponing your surgery. You wouldn't be the first..or last.

HI!!! First, i wish you all a happy new year I had my first appointment with my surgeon a few days ago, i have some blood tests coming up in 2 weeks. So my surgery should be in 3 months. I'm 26 years old, height 5'9 and weight 260 lbs. My surgeon said i should be getting the sleeve. Okay, that being said...... I'm terrified. I'm scared about the hair loss because my hair is part of my identity and my self-love..... I can't stop thinking about it. Second, I'm scared of losing too much weight? I don't know if i'm over-reating.... but I've always been overweight so I don't know how I would react to my new body. People around me have always said that my weight looks good on me... Third, I'm wondering if I had tried enough before getting it ? I don't know if I should try to exercise and diet again one last time before getting it since I have to change my lifestyle anyway if I do this surgery.? I never really tried any diet and exercise program consistently in my life. Everytime I tried to do something, i would give up shortly after starting it. I'm a nurse and a university student, so my life is kind of crazy. My sleep schedule is crazy, my work schedule is crazy... Honestly, i'm just writing down all my thoughts because I feel like no one around me can understand what i'm going through.... and I'm looking for some advice or some guidance... Only my parents & brother know...

Do you have a dietician? If so ask them for more specifics. We all need the amount of information & depth of detail that makes us feel comfortable & confident about we have to do. We have different needs (food preferences like vegetarian or vegan, food sensitivities or allergies, general health, current weight, age, mobility, etc.) which is why I suggest you get the specifics from your dietician for what will best complement your needs. Your surgeon may have requirements too. As some general advice, start tracking your food (lots of tracking apps available like My Fitness Pal). Increase your fluids to 2L/64ozs. Reduce or drop any carbonated drinks. Reduce snacking. Reduce the highly or ultra processed foods in your current diet. Increase your protein & vegetable intake - look at around 4oz protein & a good cup of vegetables for a meal. Modify some of your cooking styles like use an air fryer or bake not pan fry. Swap simple carbs for complex whole or multi grains. Reduce the number of sugary/sweet foods you eat. You don’t have to do all these things at once, unless you have a tight time frame but certainly start introducing a couple of these things each week or two until you get more definite information from your dietician. PS If you don’t have a dietician yet, ask for a referral to one from your team.

What does your pre-op diet look like? Mine will be 2 weeks of full liquid, so basically protein shakes, water or sugar free flavored water, decaf coffee and tea, sugar free jello and pudding, sugar free popsicles, broth, skim milk, Greek yogurt, unsweetened applesauce, and cream of tomato soup. I think she said up to 5 shakes per day but I need to clarify at my final dietician appointment on Feb 1. Not gonna lie, I am not looking forward to this part. My previous clinic only did a 2-day liquid diet. But I can survive!

Hi all, I am glad I’m not the only one having issues. I haven’t had steak in 16 months. A month ago I was woken by my husband as I thought his arm was a big ice juicy steak🤣 Cat you could be gaining muscle and that’s why the weight doesn’t look different on scales. But your measurements do. The surgeon also said when you go to soft diet/full diet you can have a stall. But also fluid intake plays a part. Some Guy you are doing a great job. Screw what others think. Sarcasm is the way to go. meisha tell them how much you’ve lost overall. As that is when your weight loss journey started. Some people don’t know I had the partial sleeve. But I went in for hernia repair august 2022 and ended up with the Partial sleeve cause of stomach damage. So mine was a bonus and a kick start to reality. Me……When I had my 8wk post appt we had talked about the pain I was in and not stomaching soft foods and how I might end up having gastric bypass……. Well I ended up in hospital NYE. I couldn’t drink/eat or even swallow my own saliva without excruciating pain. Turns out I had a perforation in my oesophagus and stomach with a lot of inflammation. We had to go on a drip as I was also very dehydrated. Have intravenous meds 3 times a day as I was becoming septic too. So I am back on fluids for this last week and the next two weeks. 🙄. So over fluids/liquids. I cried Christmas Day as everyone was eating turkey and prawns. but the plus side is I’ve lost 10kgs since Nov 2nd.

So I eat 4200 calories a day. Long story short. 456 pounds at age 19 had DS 39 now and I weigh 178 pounds I've been working out 3x a week for two years. Lifting weights. At first I lost muscle, because I was eating 2200 calories most days maybe 60 grams of protein. I now I eat 4200 a day and get 250 grams of protein easy but even with gaining muscle I don't gain weight on the scale yet. I've gained in the past but once I started lifting weights I stopped. I just stay at 178ish.. my doctor wants me to take enzymes but I want to be able to gain weight with food... It's annoying to me I can't even gain a pound. I'm slowly raising calories 200 at a time. I wait a month then I'll raise it again but does anyone know how many calories I probably need and can anyone tell me for sure how many calories I absorb and how much fat, carbs, protein I absorb? My doctor says he can't tell me because everyone is different but... I need answers. I find myself scared every day I'll lose weight.. it's crazy to me im eating so much but my doctor's kinda not cool.. so I don't trust him last time I took enzymes I ended up getting up to 240 pounds on accident and the idea of gaining that much weight scares me.. I prefer to do it normally I just wonder what the calorie number is need. What works for you

So I got my psych eval back on Thursday. I also found out that I can do 2 of my dietitian appointments in the same month. I've already did 1 and I only have to do 4 total. I did the clearance with my pcp and have pulmonary and cardiology scheduled for this month. I also called my insurance and they said that approval comes one week after the file is submitted. So it looks like I might be able to get my surgery done in March. I'm actually hoping for the end of February but I digress lol

i always feel a little anti-climactic after the holidays. so much go-go-go for weeks to basically flat-lining on the couch in a blink. be nice to urslef, and try not to succumb to the pressure to be "on" nor the guilt of being not. ❤️

i was told it would take anywhere from 1-3 months. i took over 3 months because i did too much too soon and busted open my stitches twice. oopsies. so at between 3-4 months i had no more bandages, all my stitches (original and new) had all dissolved, and i could stand upright and had about 85% range or motion in my arms...it took about 7-8 months for me to fully "raise my arms in the air and swing 'em like i just dont care" 😂😂😂 but essentially at about 4 months i could do everything i was doing pre-PS except for the aforementioned arm-swinging. (oh and i was swollen/bloated, in lesser and lesser degrees - mostly in my abdomen - for about 6-7 months...but this didn't stop me from doing anything so i don't count it as something to recover from, if that makes sense?) my surgeon did all three (breast lift, arm lift and tummy tuck) all at the same time. it all depends on the surgeon and how long they are willing to keep u under, at what speed the work, if they will have an assistant, etc.. he told me he didn't want me under longer than 6 hours and that he could do all 3 within those hours. i believe i was in the recovery room in 5 and a half hours. i will say though that i was on the smaller side on surgery day (doc said i was the smallest person he's ever worked on)...so this may contribute to the shorter surgery time? i dunno... i had very very little actual fat to remove...it was basically just excess skin. the "material" he removed weighed a measley 400g . but oh what a difference 400g makes lol.

at 7 months my triumph/sv was reaching a my "revised" goal. i basically called goal 7 lbs above my original as i felt as i was looking way too skelator-ish. I was eating about less than 800 cals a day at the time and decided to start upping my cals. got to about 1500 cals 3 months later and settled into about 1800 today (5+ yrs later) ..,i was up to over 2300 at one point, but i was an exercise fiend during that era. i was exercising min 1 hour a day (sometimes twice a day) almost every day at the time. Today im at it 1-2 times a week. despite all this i weigh less today than both my original and revised goals. go figure. AND, i dont look skelator-ish at all. SCORE! lol WLS is still one of the best decisions i've made so far. Good Luck! ❤️

My first (of MANY stalls) was at 2 1/2 weeks. Every time I have a stall, I gain 3-4 pounds. Then I gain and lose the same 2-3 pounds throughout the stall. Once it finally breaks, I lose like 5 pounds in 1shot, then go back to losing my normal 2-4 pounds a week until another stall hits. That's why paying close attention to Non Scale Victories (NSVs) is so so important.

I use a combination stool softener and laxative because just softening the stool doesn't help me go any more frequently. I can go normally for 2 or 3 days, then have a few days of not going at all. Once I hit day 3 of not going, I take the stool softener and laxative and by the next day I'm GOING. And then I'm good for another 3 days, then it starts all over again.

i had 3 procedures done: arm lift, tummy tuck & breast lift. if i was told i could only choose 1, i'd pick arm lift every time. like u said, other areas are easily camouflaged by clothes/undergarments...but u cant hide ur arms in tank tops/short sleeves. ask ur surgeon what his thoughts are on ur results if you were to lose an additional 20-25 lbs AFTER an arm lift...it *may* be negligible? good luck! ❤️

not going to sugar coat it: recovery was not easy for me. i am not one to take pain meds, but i did after PS for almost 2 weeks. BUT: TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'd do it again for the results i got (even with the scarring - i scar terribly). I remember in the year after PS, i was all never again...im happy with my results and don't need anymore. NOW im contemplating doing something about my butt and my neck. hahhaa, never say never. PRO TIP: take your recovery easy and don't do too much too soon. I did not adhere to this and attempted to go running (TWICE!) too soon and busted open my stitches (TWICE!!)...which resulted in a longer overall recovery for me. 🙄