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Your weight loss journey is so inspiring! I can't even imagine myself being skinny right now—it feels like every time I look in the mirror, I still see the same person or even feel bigger sometimes. But hearing your experience gives me hope. I can't wait to fast forward to six months post-op and see where I’ll be. I know it’s a long process, but stories like yours make it feel possible!

Wins -- Well, I let myself have a few more carbs yesterday, bringing my net carbs up closer to 30 when they have been running in the teens or single digits the past eight weeks (one other time in the 30s on a day I had chili) and seems to be so far so good. I started spacing out my three meals to having more like 4-5 meals per day every three hours and find that works SO much better for me. It also helped me get past my 3.5 week stall that lasted about a week. I went out walking a couple of times this past week and also started using my exercise bike. Noticed that walking around is not leaving me as sore and my stamina is increasing. I also had a couple of NSV - I had to scoot up my car seat a bit, was able to wear a pair of jeans that were WAY too tight before my surgery, and I tried on a shirt yesterday that used to be tight in the arms and across the shoulders and found it fit comfortably! I'm starting to get comments on the weight loss being visible, so that's nice. Portion sizes remain very small - I don't dare eat more than 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of combined foods per meal. I did add in a few bites of things that aren't just protein based, and that has been a nice switch.

this was what i first thought of as well. my weird body pains showed up around 1 month post op: neck and shoulder pain, mid back pain, hip pain , elbow, ankle and heel pain. at the time i was told by my chiropractor (and google lol) that is was due to my changing centre of gravity and loss of padding (fat) when sitting or laying down which results in changes to your body's needs to hold itself up. we wls patients lose weight so quickly and our skeletal and musculature makeup are playing catchup, hence the pain. i was also told that slowing down weight loss helps (i.e., eat more). for the record, i did not try to slow down my weight loss, ha! my pain went away around 4-5 months post op if i recall (which was nearing the end of my rapid weight loss phase)

Hello all .I am 47 yrs old and was sleeve in 2017..Before surgery I was 295 got down to 175 . Fast forward I am divorced single mother and I began drinking heavily gained 30 lbs so I did the endoscopic revision where they re-tighten the stomach the first week I lost 7 lbs mind u I had my revision 9/5/2024. I am almost a month out I don’t feel any restriction and I never feel full… The surgeon said I won’t feel any real restriction because Im not on a regular diet yet . i am on soft foods now but I feel myself getting very depressed because I haven’t loss anymore weight please any suggestions would be helpful.I really want to feel like myself again and lose these 30 lbs..

Hello! My name is Zach, and I am a 2nd year medical student conducting a research project, "Evaluating GERD symptom alleviation following robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery", which essentially seeks to evaluate the efficacy of robotic gastric bypass surgery in relieving GERD symptoms. I was interested in minimally invasive surgery long before starting medical school, and decided to spend my past summer working alongside a bariatric surgeon in my hometown. While working with him, I noticed how many of his patients stated that their GERD had resolved after undergoing robotic gastric bypass. My time there was limited, so I was not able to really share this survey with his patient population. Below is a link to a survey that follows the guidelines outlined in the official GERD health-related quality of life questionnaire. I would greatly appreciate your help with this! My goal for this survey is that your responses will allow me to publish a paper from an educational perspective, illustrating how efficacious robotic gastric bypass is at alleviating not only weight loss, but symptoms of GERD as well. While I hope that all of you have had nothing but success following your surgeries, I understand that this is not always the case. I would love to hear all of your various experiences and perspectives, whether they are positive or negative. This survey below is entirely anonymous. You should not be asked to sign-in to Microsoft in order to complete the survey, and I will not have access to your name or any other patient identifiers aside from your age. When you first open the link, you will see information regarding informed consent. After agreeing to participate, you will then see seven screening questions. After that, you will begin the actual survey, in which you will answer questions regarding various symptoms before and after your surgery. This survey should take about five minutes of your time. Survey link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=5CBDHRt_fk2_8ubn-Q2YhAxSQabe5PdIrhihxZU9cCZUQ1hSQjE3WkozVEFHTUQ5N0RTNERSMUNPMy4u If this type of post is not allowed, I understand and apologize! I hope to have the opportunity to share your experiences with this survey and shed some light on the relationship between gastric bypass and GERD. Thank you all in advance!

Thank you for sharing - I hadn't even thought about clothes but am actually kind of excited for when that time comes. I have avoided shopping because it stresses me out but now look forward to it. I'm glad your experience hasn't been different from others who are taller, I was worried that being shorter and having a starting weight that was less would make it the weight loss a lot slower and maybe even not as effective. I'll definitely be asking a lot of questions as I move along the process, so thank you for being so welcoming :)

Thanks! We definitely have this! My doc put me on a 12 WEEK milk diet (milk with skimmed milk powder, a cup of broth for lunch and lots of water) It's been really tough and it's been ten weeks of taking it all in my stride, but as it gets closer, I'm starting to get nervous! The only surgery I've ever had has been an impacted wisdom tooth removal and this is major surgery! I'm at the point where I just want it all over with now to start the major weight loss, but I also want to delay it because of fear and one last Pizza Hut pig out. But the end is in sight and I'm excited!

Hi! If you're having surgery in October of 2024, join here! It's nice to have support and we can all follow and support each other together! My Surgery Date (Sleeve) is 7th of October. Starting weight is 122.5kg (270lbs) As far as I know, that's the highest I've ever been. Weight loss since starting pre-op diet: 10.4 kg (22.9 lbs) Weight loss on Surgery Date: TBD Let's do this!

Welcome too. Not as short as you either (5’3”) but after I lost my weight I discovered I actually had a small frame so in a way I look tinier than I am. My biggest challenge has been feeling overwhelmed in certain styles of clothing. (Bet you thought I was going to say it was something about my weight loss experience.) When I was larger I had this big body that carried/filled a lot of clothing styles. Not any more. I look like I’m drowning or am a lifetime girl wearing my mummy’s clothes. And certain proportions can be way off now too. Like tops are too long & make me look weird & unbalanced. (Trousers have always been too long.) Being shorter than average with a smaller frame didn’t affect my weight loss at all. My experiences were the same as most others here. Just need fewer calories than many of my taller friends to maintain my lower weight. I remember once my surgeon’s colleague, who did my follow ups, weighed me and started to say I had lost too much weight. She paused and looked me up & down & said you really are quite tiny aren’t you. My weight wasn’t an issue after that. (Except every now & again they’ll say I should try to put on a couple of kilos but that’s because of my age, 59, and not anything else.) Keep us updated on your progress. Don’t hesitate to ask questions here either. Everyone is happy to help, share what they’ve learnt and offer support. Though having the surgery can be a bit scary, it also is the beginning of very exciting and rewarding future. All the best.

I haven't checked in in a while. I got super busy with haunt season starting and getting into the groove of working weekends. So far, everything has been going well. I haven't had any dumping, overeating, etc. I'm on regular diet now with a daily goal of 64oz of protein but I blow through that and usually hit over 100. I am still supplementing with a Fairlife either for breakfast or a snack before going to the gym. Last night was my first time eating out out (I've done Sunday breakfast but it's always an egg). We went to BJs and it's crazy how hyperaware you become of portions. In the past, we would get an app, entree, and dessert. My kids are having "sympathy pains" and have started eating smaller portions so we only got entrees. In the past, I would have gotten a burger or sandwich with fries and eaten the whole thing. I ended up getting a chicken breast dish and brought enough home to have lunch for the next two days. The weight loss has been up and down since I weigh daily right now. I won't say I've stalled because if I just looked at my Monday entries, it shows a consistent loss. This week is the first week that people have noticed and I can see a difference when I look in the mirror. I donated almost half my closet of size 18/20 items that were just too big. I'm in a size 16, almost a 14 and I went from a 2XL shirt to a large.

My hopes are the same it has certainly gotten a lot of attention so perhaps it will help reduce some of the stigma at the very least. I have two friends that are currently on them for weight and they have shockingly low copays. My one friend showed me the pharmacy paper where it said her insurance saved her X dollars and I don’t remember the exact amount but It was well over a thousand.dollars. I follow Dr Weiner too so I learned about them when they were fairly newly being used for weight loss. I also looked into it before i went with my revision, but my insurance does not cover them for weight loss as of when I scheduled my surgery. My family provider’s office is currently working on getting compounded version to offer to their patients and hope to get the price under $200 a month they said but the NP said she would not put off surgery waiting on all insurance to cover it or for them to get a good compound because those things usually take quite a while.

Insurance in Australia doesn’t cover pharmaceuticals in there same way as the US. Prescription meds here are either on the PBS (pharmaceutical benefits scheme which are meds subsidised by the government to keep the costs low - about $31) or not. If you have private health insurance they may cover some of the costs of non PBS drugs but I think it depends on your insurance company and your cover. My insurance would pay the difference in the cost of a prescribed non PBS med and if it was a PBS drug. So if non PBS drug cost me $35, I’d get $4 back. Think ozempic is on the PBS but there have been lots of shortages & there are restrictions on who can be prescribed it (diabetics only I believe). Not sure about the other semaglutides. Wegovy only recently became available here for weight loss - it’s not on the PBS currently.

You go girl!!!!! I love to f**king hear it! In so many other groups I'm in nobody is satisfied with their weight loss! Once I get to 160 baby I am done and then maintenance will start. I am so happy for you!! I too will have boob surgery in April 2025 once I make 1 year! My gift to myself! I have lost a lot of weight really quickly! I can not wait to have those girls out summer 2025 in a halter/tube top! 😂😂😂.

I love that they gave you daily goals. I feel like the drs only gave me a protein goal and it’s 114 grams… and I’m still in the purée stage to needless to say, I am failing that every day. But everything I eat has high protein and I probably am getting about 60 grams a day, so your post made me feel better! I feel like my weight loss is super slow but at least it’s in the right direction and happening! I can’t wait to start getting rid of clothes that don’t fit!

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.

You've gotten some good advice already, but reading your post, a few things stood out to me. These are in no particular order: 1200 calories sounds high for 15 weeks post-op, but if that's what your plan calls for, who am I to question it? I think the bigger question is does this 1200 number include all the alcohol? One of the reasons alcohol is not recommended post bariatric surgery is that it's got a ton of calories and will definitely slow weight loss. The other huge concern on alcohol is that a substantial number of post-op patients develop alcohol use disorder. (Some estimates are as high as 20% or even 30%.) You didn't actually specify how much you drink, but when I see "active social life", I interpret that as "I drink a lot". Maybe try drinking non-alcoholic drinks when you are socializing? If you find that you can't give it up the alcohol, this is a major red flag and you really need to seek help. Taking another approach here, I noticed that you are being more active, which is fantastic! I did want to make sure you knew that changing your activity levels like that (starting a couch to 5k plan), will cause your body to retain more water. This means you may not see the results you are expecting on the scale, even if you are still losing fat. Keep in mind that the your weight is made up of lots of things other than just fat, so variations are normal and are just part of the process. If you are eating less than you burn in a day, then you are 100% burning off fat reserves, even if the scale does not show it. Best of luck.

Do you track (weigh and measure) everything you eat and drink? Are you following the plan set by your surgeon and dietician? Are you meeting your fluid (alcohol doesn’t count) and origin goal every day? Are you focussed on eating protein rich and nutrient dense foods? Yes, alcohol will slow your weight loss. Did your surgeon really say live your life? Did they mean alcohol? Did they know how much you drink? Did I drink alcohol while I was losing? Yes. I had a gin & tonic at around month 3 (nursed it for hours) and then a couple of single glasses over the next 6 or so months after that. This first 6 months to a year or so are a gift. You want to embrace this time to lose the majority of your weight. So yes, you will have to make some sacrifices but for these few months it’s so worth the lifetime of future benefits. Doesn’t mean you can’t go out and socialise. It just means you have to make best choices you can in whatever situation you’re in and put yourself first. The reset diet of returning to the liquid stage is an old wives tale. You’re not trying to reset your tummy but reset your head, your thinking. You can do this.

Thank you so much for sharing your journey—it’s really encouraging to see how far you’ve come! Your progress is amazing, and it’s a great reminder that the weight loss isn’t linear but still consistent over time. I definitely need to shift my mindset and focus more on my own path, like you said. I love that you're fitting into jeans from when you were 22—that’s such a huge win! Hearing how your weight loss has unfolded over the months gives me hope, especially knowing that you’re still losing at 7+ months post-op. I’ll try to keep that long-term perspective in mind, and stop stressing about how fast or slow the weight is coming off right now. Thanks again for the advice and inspiration! I’m feeling much more positive about my journey now.

There are lots of averages around weight loss and the different surgeries but, trust me, there are a myriad of differences around those averages. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how they get those statistical averages. Everyone loses at their own rate and as with all averages, some will lose more or faster and some will lose less or slower. You’re losing and that is the only thing you should consider. If you are losing any amount, you’re winning. Celebrate every pound you lose. You’ve lost 10kgs! That’s amazing. Congratulations!

Wanted to share my experience and echo the other commenters here. I am 9 weeks out of my gastric bypass and I am right where you are almost exactly weight loss wise- Pre surgery and liquid diet I was 260lb (117kg) After liquid diet in surgery day I was 244lb (110kg) Now after 9 weeks I am 99kg. I haven’t weighed in a few days so I may be a pound or two more but I’m trying to limit myself to only weighing every few days so I don’t hyperfixate. I definitely feel like I’m losing slow- but last week in my bariatric programs’ support group on zoom, almost EVERY patient had that same feeling. It was very validating and most of us were feeling disappointed and impatient. After hearing that it made me feel a lot better. I keep reminding myself that I haven’t even been this weight in a long time and that it’s going to keep going down on its own schedule, when it’s right for my body. Keep fighting the good fight and showing love and kindness to your body and we will all get there.

You must be so incredibly frustrated! Which type of surgery did you get, the sleeve or the bypass? I'm at about 7 weeks post op from getting the sleeve + intestinal revision and my calorie consumption ranges from 500-700/day, with my carb intake less than 35/day and a protein goal of 60/day with fluids of at least 48oz/day. I agree with others - it seems like a good idea, regardless of any advice you get from this forum, to revisit your surgeon. That said, I do believe you hit the nail on the head for one with the alcohol, and secondly I'd ask how many of your calories are coming from carbs. It's ok to include carbs in your diet, but really, this early, unless you are very physically active there isn't cause for many of them. At this stage it's typical to eat no more than 1/2cup - 1 cup of total food per meal, three times a day (or spaced out into 4 meals if needed). That's including your protein, which as someone else said should be the first thing you eat. Another thing about alcohol - it tends to cause dehydration - so you'd need to be consuming even MORE water throughout the day to compensate for that, just like caffeine. If you aren't hitting your hydration goal (PLUS, because of alcohol) then your body will struggle to convert your stored fat into energy, which is what causes most of the weight loss. An example of what my diet looks like at this stage is a single serve yogurt for breakfast (I have been getting the Aikos zero sugar or 2Good ones) - Remember no drinking 30 minutes before or after, and your meal should last at least 20-30 minutes. For lunch I might have a 'tuna melt' - which I make out of 1/3 can of tuna in water, a zero net carb small tortilla, and maybe 1/8 cup of shredded cheese or a low fat string cheese (I cook it folded over like a quesadilla) with maybe 1/8 cup of low fat cottage cheese, then for dinner a serving of one of the many bariatric recipes - there's a ricotta bake (lasagna with no noodles, basically), unstuffed cabbage rolls (Kind of like egg roll filling), or maybe chicken or tuna salad made with low fat mayo and a dab of relish with some cucumber slices/2-4 saltine crackers. I use the free Baritastic App to track my food and fluid intake. Using a tracking app increases weight loss significantly from what I've been told because you can see and understand what exactly you're putting in your body. The good news is that as far as I know, it isn't too late to backpedal and reset yourself! I'm NOT a doctor but my understanding is that if you get off track after weight loss surgery, especially this soon, one way to 'reset' is to go back on a liquid diet for a week or two, with zero-sugar jello, zero sugar pudding, and protein shakes (less than 5g of sugar each) to hit your goals. After that, work your way back up to puree foods for a week, then soft foods for a week. I strongly recommend eyeballing the nutrition information on any shake you think of buying, too, because there are some that are loaded with sugar and have as many as 22g of carbs EACH. After weight loss surgery it's also strongly discouraged to have fried food at all for the first 6 months, and after that maybe once per month. The same goes for sweets and baked goods. I hope this helps, and again - I feel like you should really follow up with your surgeon and a nutritionist! Best wishes!

In one of my groups I'm in a licensed therapist on the baratric team stated when we see ourselves gaining again, go back to the beginner basics the way we treated our bodies right after weight loss surgery: Go back to those high protein meals/ veggies getting full on that and not snacking and indulging. That stuck with me.

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.

I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t be in a rush and don’t compare yourself to others. It’s not a race or competition. Everyone has different circumstances and factors affecting rate of weight loss. For example, the more excess weight you have, the faster it comes off, so you can’t expect to lose as quickly as some who started 50 kg higher than you. i know most of us go down the path of WLS because we are fed up with being obese and we are desperate to lose the weight after a lot other attempts. Of course we want it to happen as fast as possible. But here’s something to consider. WLS makes it virtually impossible to fail at losing a significant amount of weight. That’s the “honeymoon period” for about the first year after surgery and almost everyone has amazing results. What really matters, though, is what comes after the honeymoon period. It is heartbreaking to see people go through all of this to lose 100+ pounds only to regain it. It doesn’t matter how fast you reach your goal weight if you don’t stay there. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you, decades, to enjoy your new chance at life. Trust me, in 20 years, you won’t care how many pounds you lost in the first month or two or six. Don’t worry about how fast of slow you’re losing now. Keep following the program and you will lose a lot of weight. Set your sights on the rest of your life, everything you will get to experience in your new body, and how you will keep it.

Hey there! I had bypass back in February. My best advice is to ignore other people's stats and focus on you. I, too, was worried about my progress, but 7 months in, I am still losing weight and just bought jeans in a size I have not worn since I was 22 years old (I am 50 now). Here is how it went for me, just so you can see one example, but we are all different. Starting weight: 251 lbs (BMI 40.5 as I am 5'6" tall) Pre-surgery loss (over 6 months): -12.2lbs (this was from nutrition changes) 2 week liquid diet: -15.4lbs Month 1: -8.2lbs Month 2: -10.8lbs Month 3: -3.8lbs Month 4: -11.0lbs Month 5: -3.4lbs Month 6: -5.2lbs Month 7: -3.6lbs So far in month 8: -2.2lbs Today's weight: 175.2lbs (BMI 28.3) My goal is to lose another 20lbs in the next 5-6 months, which would be 3-4 lbs per month. That would get me to a "normal" BMI of under 30 and would be about the same weight I was when I was 18 years old.