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Thank you for this timely post - I'm 4 years out and have gained ~25 from my lowest. For months I've stuck my head in the sand and pretended it wasn't happening. Got on the scale Sunday, felt sorry for myself - blamed it on work stress, home stress, etc - Decided to log in here on Monday and this was the first post I saw. THANK YOU again for the wake up call. I restarted tracking yesterday (let's hope it sticks this time!) and rather than "just eat", purposely made better choices, got my protein in - Found that if I eat what I'm supposed to, I really do get full quickly. The tool works, you just have to let it.

Tbh...there is no "best shoe for walking." One type might be great for me and not you. Plus, one might be great for being 100+ over weight, but not at healthy weight. Your best bet is to go to decent podiatrist and ask their opinion or a shoe store and try them on, tell them what you are needing and looking for in a shoe.

Some of us do gain during stalls, so try (try! lol) not to worry too much about that either. ❤️ I just want to say, kudos to you doing so well on this extended liquid diet. It probably gets easier as it goes on, but I'm sure you'll have tougher days and easier days. If you ever need to vent, we're here for ya! But seriously, it sounds like you're really killing it already!

Our surgeons did their very best to educate us in a manner that would be easy for a broad population to understand but sadly WLS is not as simple as restriction driving weight loss. Check out these excerpts from a review on the Endocrinology of the Gut and the Regulation of Body Weight and Metabolism and also a study that tried to predict outcomes of various WLS on (hedonic) hunger and weight loss : The mechanisms behind the success of bariatric/metabolic surgeries remain to be fully elucidated but post-surgical changes in gut-derived hormonal peptides, bile acids (BA), gut microbiota, and vagal tone are suggested to be involved (13, 14). Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556470/ Bariatric surgery engenders weight loss through a number of biological changes, which alter eating behavior and thereby result in a reduced energy intake, which is the main driver for sustained weight loss. Gut hormones, metabolically active polypeptides secreted along the GI tract in response to fasting and eating, act upon CNS centers involved in appetite regulation and generate either orexigenic or anorectic responses. Following bariatric surgery, gut hormone secretion profiles change as a result of the anatomical changes from the surgery. Altered gut hormone secretion profiles are thought to be key mediators for weight loss following RYGB and SG. RYGB results in a marked rise in meal-stimulated circulating levels of anorectic hormones peptide YY 36 (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1); these changes are also seen post-SG but to a lesser extent. SG, in contrast, leads to a significant reduction in the orexigenic hormone ghrelin, by means of removing most of the ghrelin-producing cell population from the stomach. Ghrelin and PYY/GLP-1 act on appetite-regulating areas of the CNS in an opposing manner, stimulating orexigenic or anorectic responses, respectively [16]. Read more here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11739-022-03063-0#:~:text=A reduced energy intake%2C as,weight loss following bariatric surgery.

I love what mom said that is so true we can be hard on ourselves....in other bariatric groups I belong too, I noticed a mindset amongst many that they were never satisfied. I will not be adopting that mindset and was glad I could listen in on groups early post op...I feel it's so unhealthy to never be satisfied with weight loss. Once I obtain my goal weight f**k it I am then in "maintenance" mode and I will allow myself 10 pound fluctuation. I'm not interested in loosing more after the goal weight. *it's unreal how much poop in the colon weighs..3,5, 10 pounds lighter

I have a cousin and a close friend who take the shots. One takes semaglutide and the other takes tirzepatide. They both love them. It's expensive, and they have to take the compounds because insurance won't cover the name brands (but they pay $250/mo for sema and $325/mo for tirz, so not horrible) but they love it. Both say their diabetes, head hunger, and high cholesterol are completely gone. But they will have to stay on them forever, otherwise they'll gain back what they lost. My cousin went off and within 3 months gained everything back plus an extra 15 pounds. So now she's back on and will be staying on.

I was about 270 so it's about the same. I think this is some new NHS weight loss diet and I'm the test group or something.

Only you know the answer. Simply because you know your history with weight loss & gain & you know yourself best. You have to be ready, because it’s not easy & there’s a lot of work you have to do. If you need more time, that’s fine. As @ms.sss said, you’ll be ready when you’re ready. For me, the surgery provided an opportunity & the time to really understand my relationship with food. I regularly dieted & until the last few years, I could lose weight but as soon as I stopped the diet I returned to eating the same way I always did, for the same reasons & in the same situations. And of course I’d regain the weight I lost. With the surgery & the post surgery eating plan I slowly developed a way of eating I was comfortable with. I worked out what foods were best for me & which weren’t. I became more aware of portion size. And I learnt to recognise the situations (physical, emotional or psychologically) & behaviours that influenced my eating. Because it was a slow process, it was easy to adopt & adapt to my new eating style. Something that diets never did & I never did while dieting. I realised I saw diets as restrictive & a punishment. Now, how I eat is just how I eat. All the best whatever you choose to do.

my bowels have been about the same, I guess I am just not prepared for this when I am only 6months out. With the amount that I workout I figured I would stay stagnant not gain. I do allow myself "treats" but track which I have been doing the entire 6months. I am stresssinnnnn...

I am sure it varies for everyone depending on the approach of the psychiatrist and the medical programme but from what I remember I was asked about why I believed I put the weight on, what I had done in the past for weight loss, did I suffer from depression, did I have an eating disorder, how my weight impacted my life, did I have a supporting family and friends group etc. Then I was asked about what I wanted from the operation, he made sure to explain that the op is not the treatment alone and I would have to put in the work on myself and my body, how the op was a tool to help me and I would have to make changes and choices for the rest of my life. He also then asked would I be happy with the changes to my body such as saggy skin as that is what a lot of people are left with. We discussed my weight journey over the years, how I am an organised person so if I am given a set of rules (with a few bendy grey areas 😉) I felt I could follow the changes that would be required without much of an issue and that while I would love to not have saggy skin I knew that would be impossible but that being a healthy weight with less risk of health issues was more important. If you already put down about being schizoaffective on your medical forms and they considered it an automatic fail I would hope that that they would have already told you.

it's an individual thing, but most of us are supposed to shoot for 60-80 grams of protein a day. Calories are all across the board, depending on your body composition and activity level. There are people on here (well, women - men can usually eat more) who maintain on 2000 a day, and others who can only have 1200 a day. It takes some trial and error to figure out your maintenance level. Log your food for a couple of weeks (if you're not already) and note your average calorie intake. If you're gaining weight, slowly reduce your calories. If you're losing weight (and don't want to), then gradually increase them until you reach a point where you want to be - and are maintaining that.

If you go into your profile and update all of your info (starting weight, current weight, goal weight, bmi, surgery, height) that helps. Also, what is your diet like? Do you work out? Do you track your food? So you have any other health issues that could be stopping the weight loss? Have you talked to your nutritionist and surgeon?

I have to believe that, while losing the weight won't reverse the arthritis, it HAS to help it not be quite as bad given there won't be as much weight to carry around. Any weight loss should improve that, I would think. Yes, there will still be pain, but not the added pain from the weight on the arthritic knees. So I have to believe the weight loss will be at least a little bit of help in the pain department there. I'm glad you got the answers you were looking for and have a plan moving forward!!!

Just checking in to see if anyone has had the panniculectomy procedure? How bad was the pain after surgery? Did you see a noticeable difference? Was it worth it? Would you do it again? Did you gain any of your stomach back? Does the fact that they don't go all the way around bother you? So many questions, I appreciate any answers you can give me.

Late posting today as I’ve been to the gym this morning and thoroughly enjoyed myself 🥳 Hubby is off work this week so he came with me. We like going together as we both wander off to do our own things but touch base occasionally. Unfortunately there were couple of teens who enjoyed pointing and laughing but it didn’t stop me and it just made them look like a pair of dickheads, especially when others glared at them. I don’t know if they expected me to pass out within a couple of minutes of beginning my workout but I did over an hour so sucks to be you, kids…I did have a chat with a member of staff as to when the quieter times are (without teens as there were quite a few and they have no absolutely no gym manners) and he said before 3pm when the schools go back. Thankfully that’s this week so we will be back Wednesday afternoon to have another go 🙂 Of course it will be interesting to see what state I will be in tomorrow but I didn’t hammer it, just familiarised myself with everything again. I did have a protein shake when I got back home plus a hot bath with some Epsom salts in the hope of counteracting the worst of the aches and pains. Looking forward to trying some free weights to get some hardcore toning going on! Couldn’t today as the free weights area was busy. Went out for lunch yesterday and kept it relatively healthy. Gains from the past week or so have pretty much gone, which is good. I’d thrown on a pair of leggings and a t-shirt earlier in the week and hubby commented on the fact that the weight was coming off my legs and backside. I think his exact words were “you’re losing weight off your legs and arse love”. Such a way with words, what can I say?? Clothing does continue to improve fit-wise, so I'm happy with that. Granddaughters first day of school on Weds and her 5th birthday on Thursday so there will be cake this coming weekend when we’re there for her party. I can’t believe she’s almost 5 - time really does fly! Surgeons appointment coming up on Friday - eek! I think I’m as prepared as I will ever be for it. I’ve got over the initial shock re the speed of it and I’m now just looking forward to it. My mini food processor thingy has been delivered and I’ve downloaded a couple of additional Bariatric recipe books for my Kindle (all freebies, thankfully) I’m trying not to think too deeply about the puréed phase as none of it sounds appealing but I know it’s something that has to be gone through! 6 weeks isn’t too long in the grand scheme of things. Have a super week everyone 😉 Onwards and Downwards!

so heres the funny thing: my original goal was 120 lbs, but i actually called goal when i got to 127 lbs cuz i felt like i was looking too skinny/sickly. this was as 7 months post op. as time went by, the lost a bit more weight, the gained a bit of that back. im 5.5 years post op today and weighed 119.5 lbs this morning....which is roughly 7 lbs LESS than when i thought i looked like dead man walking all those years ago....BUT....honestly, i feel like i look waaaaayyyy better and healthier and fitter now, at a lighter weight! further, there are some days when i legitimately think i could lose 5lbs for effs sakes. things tend to shift around and settle and regular exercise does WONDERS for one's physique. long story short: a particular weight can look totally different on you at any particular time in ur life. dont worry so much about the number on the scale and trust what you see in the mirror or how your clothes fit and how you FEEL. Good luck! ❤️

Just to add, meat loses about 25% weight when cooked. So 4oz of raw chicken will weigh about 3oz after cooking.

I’m 5 years out & I did not need to loose that much weight. I wish you the best of luck! My surgeon told me to go back to the basic, the diet of pre surgery. Liquids only. I know it is tough. Also look into the Fast metabolism diet that is how I got to my ultimate goal weight. It’s eating healthy foods in a certain order each week. You don’t need to buy any crazy pills to take every day, just eat a certain amount of foods. Even though we can’t eat the amount of foods the diet calls for, just following the food regimen was enough for me. I wish you the best of luck in your journey.

Thank you for your encouragement! Will definitely tell my husband and will check with my team before starting weights.

Reporting my win for the week: Since surgery on 4/11/24 i have remained with steady weight loss about 2 to 2.5 pounds per week. I do not own a scale and went to my parents to visit this weekend and stepped on their scale im down another 13 pounds from last month. I think my walking about 5 miles daily also helps if not helping with weight management definitely helps with my mental health. I feel so good after working out! 🏋️‍♀️. Let's us all win for the future weeks ahead!

I have a cousin that had gastric sleeve 5 years ago. She's since gained weight back. But, she also didn't follow the guidelines that were set for her after the first year from surgery. I had gastric bypass in February. The past 6-7 weeks or so I feel like I'm hungry more often than I should be. At least that's what it feels like. Though, I do workout a lot. So, im certain that's most of the issue. Learning that my body is telling me to fuel is different from eating before. When I ate for any other reason other than just fueling what my body needs. Going from living to eat, to eating to live is a process. I hope you get the answers your looking for.

My first thought was that the body composition measurement wasn't accurate. You're maintaining a steady weight, so it would seem odd that just your fat would drop but your overall weight would stay the same. If all your labs look good, I would see about getting remeasured. For the other symptoms you were having, though, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at what you're eating and make sure you are getting plenty of fruit and veg, and increasing your healthy fats if you can.

Hi I’m new here I start my pre op diet tomorrow 10/9 and my surgery is 10/23. I’m very nervous and scared. starting weight 274

Ok what??? HOW??? I was staying between 177-179 for the last few weeks so I thought I was FINALLY at the place my body was setting at. Apparently not!!! I've even increased how often I eat. But it seems like the more I eat, the more I lose. The less I eat, that's when my weight stays pretty much the same. And that seems pretty messed up to me. So I have to starve myself to STOP losing weight but if I eat well I'll keep going lower??? What??? I don't WANT to go lower. I was supposed to stop at 190!! Make it make sense, cuz the math ain't mathin. Just had blood work done. Other than being anemic (thanks lupus!!) everything was normal, including my thyroid. My nutritionist and I got my calories up to 1600 per day when not working out and 1800 when I am. Protein up to 90g on non work out days and 120g on work out days. Carbs are trickier since I'm super sensitive to them, but we got them up to 35g on non work out days (up from 20-25) and 45g on work out days (up from 35). Healthy fats we upped to 70g on non work out days and 100g on work out days. My fluids are always good. Normally I drink around 80 fl oz on non work out days and 100+ on work out days, which 20 of those being an electrolyte drink like Prime hydration, Propel, or Gatorade zero. Being that I'm 2 years and 4 months removed from my 1st surgery and 1 year and 2 months removed from my revision, she's really surprised that I'm still losing. I said "You and me both, lady. Now how do I make it stop?" She said to just keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully my body will eventually hit it's set point and stop on its own. Um...what?? I'm now 15 pounds below my goal. I understand the whole "bounce back weight gain" or whatever it is, but that can't happen until my body finally picks a weight to settle at. I really don't like how I look at this point, and it's frustrating that nothing fits...again. I know it seems crazy to complain about this kind of thing, and believe me, I never EVER thought I would be the one doing it. But something's gotta give, you know? I'm really starting to look sickly, and in my line of work, that's not a good thing at all.