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Today is the day for me! 8 days of liquids and I’m down 10 lbs. Mostly water weight I’m sure, but I’ll take it! I am feeling very confident and proud going into surgery today, because I did not cheat at all during the liquids, even over the long holiday weekend. Can’t believe I was able to do that. Best wishes for any other June 2 friends and continued healing vibes for our June 1 friends :-)

Hello and please do not feel like a failure. Lots of people on here have not lost the weight they imagined they would. Some people think that the sleeve or bypass will do all the work and that they need to do none of the hard work. Could you tell us a little more, we really need to know - What you weighed, what you are eating, what you have tried to do to get back on track, etc. It does sound like you need counselling, body dysmorphia is a wicked cruel syndrome. Please get the help you need

I've lost a similar weight to you in roughly the same time span. I did lose more post op than pre op though, 7kgs vs 10kgs. In the infamous 3 week stall now. Plus I'm backed up and working on fixing that issue. Taking a break from the scales. You need to be patient. This isn't the 100 metre sprint, it's an ultra marathon. If you do a bit of googling you'll see that the first 6 weeks isn't a time to expect anything much. You're body is adjusting to its new way of life. Hang in there, I'd anticipate you'll have weeks of great losses given you're starting a bit higher. It will come off nice and steady. Join our May Surgery thread, we're all there for each other.

Oh, me! I actually started running before surgery and did a ton of 5ks and 10ks, but ended up with a labrum tear after over-training (...and the 80+ lbs of extra weight I was carrying didn't help). I started back up after surgery and I'm currently training for a half-marathon in September. I strongly recommend a Couch To 5K program - there are several companies/apps, but they're all pretty much identical. You start off with short running intervals alternated with walking breaks until you're running 30 minutes at a time. There's a reddit community dedicated to C25K and everyone is really supportive. If you've never run before, the very first C25K run is a HUMBLING experience, but I promise, it gets easier. The great thing about running is that you improve really quickly; it's such a massive confidence boost.

Nece - beautiful girl. I know how unattractive excessive weight can make you feel, despite how much our nearest and very dearest telling is something the opposite of that. Unfortunately, that head space is not one that changes overnight. Honey I hope your surgery provides you with something to help you live the life you’ve imagined xxx

I barely lost in the first two weeks post surgery and promptly stalled at the end of week 2, where I proceeded to stall frequently throughout the entire first year. My rate of weight loss post surgery was the same as my rate of loss doing calorie counting pre-surgery. I never had the big-loss-numbers some others have. But it still worked, I reached goal at around month 13/14. Despite not losing fast, it worked. It's done what I needed it to do, it stopped me self-sabotaging and continues to be the adult in the room when it comes to me and food. Losing slowly and steadily is ok! So long as you stick to the plan, the weight comes off. If you're an emotional eater, get yourself a bariatric therapist who can help because the primary thing this surgery does is help with portion control. Everything else is down to us, the calorie counting, the staying on plan, and getting on top of any mental issues that have contributed to obesity and may cause trouble down the line.

Ok, is painful intercourse a part of the changing hormones from losing weight, or should I talk to my doctor about it being another issue? It's not really dryness, though there is some. It is mostly pain during, not after.. I thought increased estrogen would help. It's only been in the last few weeks that this has been going on.

Great advice from the others above. Yes there are many advantages the survey affords you. The other bonus of the surgery, which I think is most valuable, is the time & opportunity it gives you to change the way you eat. You introduce healthier, more nutritious foods. You discover healthier ways to cook food, better alternatives to old favourites, new flavours, portion sizes, nutrient content of foods, etc. You change your relationship with food, better understand how you ate & why you ate & better manage those impulses. (You can do this alone or do it with the support of therapy.) You understand more about what your body needs you to eat to function effectively versus what you just want to eat. You’ll learn what your body needs will likely be different to what someone else needs. And that there’s no one right way to eat. There’s only the right way for you. Don’t know about you, but no other diet I was ever on gave me this opportunity & I’ve been on a lot of different ones over the years. I saw a diet as being restricted or being punished. As soon as the diet finished I went back to eating the same way as I did before. I didn’t learn a single thing in all those years of dieting. Since my surgery I’ve made quite a few changes to my eating but I don’t think I’m on a never ending diet to maintain my weight. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. This is just how I eat. It’s a change of how I think about & look at food & eating. And yes, I still enjoy food & the flavours, textures, etc. I’m very grateful for all I’ve learnt & discovered since my surgery.

June 22nd will be here before I know it. I’m so ready for this new journey. I’m so tired of feeling this way about how I look and ache all over, my poor -very supportive husband thinks I don’t love him because I avoid sex due to my insecurities. My body grosses me out, he doesn’t understand that it should be enough for me that he loves me and doesn’t care about my weight, but it matters to me🤦🏽‍♀️

Hey so I was sleeves Sept 8 2021. In total I lost 68 pounds. I feel like a complete failure. On too that I’ve gained 10 pds of that back. The body dysmorphia is so real right now. Its like I’m falling into a depression I cant get rid of. I dont feel beautiful anymore , I hate walking past mirrors. Im constantly comparing myself to others. This weight-loss journey is more mental than anything. And it is overwhelming me. Please any tips or advice , I would greatly appreciate it. I’ve been working on my water intake, cutting back on snacking and intermittent fasting hopefully something helps me.

When I got down to about 100 pounds overweight I challenged myself to run 5k just to prove I could. I did a program similar to Couch to 5 K (C25K). It took about a month. I discovered I enjoyed running. I could use to time to put the day in order and ponder life's challenges. I started adding distance, then worked at improving time. At some point I decided on running a marathon, so got a book (Idiot's guide to Marathons) and followed the program there. The more I ran the more I enjoyed it. I lived in Las Vegas at the time and decided I would run in the Valley of Fire Marathon which was out in the desert near Lake Mead. A couple months before the marathon I had a business trip to Long Beach and as it happened the Long Beach Marathon was that weekend. I decided I would sign up and use it as a training run. I didn't really intend to finish, but as it turned out I did. It was wonderful. So my second marathon was Valley of Fire, which was up and down a hill. Very challenging. My third marathon was Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. 4th was San Francisco Marathon where I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. This was a tough one for me. I tripped at about 1/4 mile from the start, landed hard on my chin. I new there was an aid station about mile 4 on the other side of the bridge, so I said I'd get to there and call it a day. By time I got there I didn't feel bad at all, the bleeding stopped and the aches were subsiding, so I continued knowing I could cut to the half marathon if necessary. The half marathon cut off was about mile 11, and I was doing well so I just stuck with it. At about mile 13 was the first sustained uphill where I finally needed to take some deep breaths and realized I couldn't. I trudged as well as I could to the end, where they diverted me to the hospital tent then the hospital. Turned out I had a broken rib and required stitches in my chin. My 5th and last (as it turned out) was Long Beach Marathon, a year after my first. I was way past goal at this point, and couldn't eat enough to stop losing weight. For the year of marathons I ran about 90 miles a week, went through a pair of shoes every 6 weeks. I'm prouder of my marathons than I am of losing 500+ pounds. To your questions: I never worried about fuel during a run that was less that 15 miles. Over 15 I did a "goo" every 5 miles. Hydration is where I focused. That and breathing. I had to be careful as most "fuel" is heavy on sugar and I dump on sugar. I did dump a few times until I learned my tolerances of different products. I did yogurt before and after. Building stamina is what the C25K and other programs are about. Keep a running log & journal so you can see your improvement, which is extremely motivational. Be patient. Good luck, Tek

I'm pleased to report that my surgery is now scheduled for early next week. I've been following all the pre-op guidelines to the letter- including the diet. I actually feel pretty good- way better than before and the surgery has yet to happen. Today, I did the pre-admission process at the hospital and the folks there --they have a specialized unit-- could not have been nicer. They use some method to reduce pain that does not involve opioids and the fact that I will be on a liquid diet for the first several weeks after the procedure will no doubt lead to some immediate weight loss. But then the real work begins, and I'm looking forward to it-- walking (something that has been more difficult during the last year due to weight) and eventually getting back to the gym. I am eager to get back into good physical condition. Mentally, I'm psyched. As to food and eating, I've found that even apart from the pre-op diet, my taste for a lot of food and my ability to eat large portions has already diminished due to gastric problems so I'm not going to be disappointed that I can't carve into a big honking' slab of steak. We'll see if my attitude changes over time--I never obsessed over food though I was always a good eater. It's just that all the tumult of gastric pain and reflux made it unenjoyable. And I'm really looking forward to fitting into some clothing that I've not been able to wear for a while. I know this is going to take time, but I feel like I'm fortunate to have explored this path and want to take full advantage of it. Will report back post-surgery and may have questions. The surgeon's office has been wonderful and seems to be very well coordinated with the bariatric unit of the local hospital here. I've been very impressed, having had some terrible hospital experiences in NYC when I lived there.

I had nasty reflux for years before my sleeve. I knew that it had always improved at times when I had lost significant amounts of weight so I gambled on that happening again if I had sleeve as opposed to bypass. So far that gamble has paid off. 🤞

OP we all second guess and over-analyse immediately after our surgery. If you stick to your plan you WILL lose weight. Significant amounts of weight. You cannot not do that. However - you will NOT lose weight in a linear fashion. There will be many weeks (or even the occasional month) where you will lose virtually nothing despite knocking your socks off. What matters is that in the long term (18 months or so) if you do what you are asked to to use your sleeve to the max then you will lose LOADS! Welcome to your journey - it's quite the ride for lots of us!

You have done so amazingly well. Hair loss is (sadly) an inevitable part of losing massive amounts of weight. Your body just stops growing it for that time because it's not absolutely necessary. I promise it will grow back afterwards. I'm sorry there is no evidence at all that any particular supplements make a blind bit of difference. People take them and their hair grows back (and then they evangelise). But - other people don't take them and their hair also grows back. Me included. I wish you all the best - you're doing fabulously!

Yes I am running 18 months after my sleeve. Many years ago I did much longer distances - lots of half marathon type runs. Then I got properly fat and couldn't run any more but missed it hugely. Since I have got down to a normal BMI I am running again, but much shorter distances, and only with the aim of maintaining weight loss and general fitness - I have nothing to prove to anyone these days distance wise. I can run 3 or 4 miles easily and I do that (or less) a couple of times a week. I could push it and extend that but I have no inclination to. If I can keep this up as part of my maintenance regime I will be a VERY happy bunny.

Hey new best friend!!! If you don't mind me asking how long did it take for you to hit running the whole 5k? I use to be a bit athletic and i was working on running last year but the extra weight just got me discouraged. I had to look up GU's. You don't have issues with the sugars causing issues with your stomach?

I was under the impression everyone has to do Optifast or something similar to reduce liver size prior to surgery, but maybe that is more of a Canadian requirement vs. what bariatric surgeons require in the US for patients - as I am Canadian. So yes, I was sort of expecting that whoosh of weight loss at least temporarily following the surgery. I do also think there is a little bit of hype of weight loss made by the bariatric program I was in as they do want to get paid to do the procedure ultimately. Yes, I concede that getting the surgery will help keep me on track long term, but I didn't think the weight loss would be the equivalent of the weight loss of someone who sticks to a diet and exercises everyday - the 1 or 2+ pounds a week, so maybe my expectations were off there. However I think that is a reasonable expectation nonetheless because my stomach is much smaller than a normal person - so I can't consume what a regular person would daily anyway when it comes to calories or portion size. Of course the before and after photos of many people online can be quite shocking even from 6 months to a year, so of course one hopes for similar results. Or like that actor Billy Gardell - but yes, I know he can afford chefs and other things to keep him on track. Again, I am just thinking outloud here. Maybe my entire view will change in a couple of months. I think you kind of nailed it - I was expecting a whoosh of initial weight loss. Thanks, HM

One thing you can try is tracking calories. Find a BMR calculator online and determine your current calorie requirement. Then use a calorie log for everything you eat in a day. You should be able to determine from this your daily calorie deficit. This should give you a good idea of how much weight you could possibly be losing in a week. It is going to vary depending on stalls, water weight, etc.. 3500 calories is 1 pound. So if your deficit is 500 cal per day, you would lose 1 pound a week. I’m sure it’s more than that but that’s a nice round number to see the math.

People who go on a serious pre-op diet often don't have the big whoosh of weight loss in the first few months that others do because your body has already cleared out a lot of the water weight, stored carbohydrates, and sick muscle cells that makes up a big chunk of that whoosh. Once you get to a more steady state of weight loss, most (more than half) of what you are loosing will be fat. Yes, it's a journey and yes, the surgery is a only tool that helps you have success in the long term. You won't lose weight much faster than you would with a traditional diet. But imagine you lose "only" 10 lbs a month for the next year and a half - that's 180 lbs lost, which will put you at your goal weight of 210. Without the surgery, you'd likely fall off the wagon after 3 months, 6 months because you'd be starving. Instead, you'll actually be able to stick to that diet. How many diets did you start in your life where the start of that diet was more than 18 months ago? Imagine if one of those had actually worked. You'd already be at your goal weight now. But you're not, because it was too hard to stick to it. Bariatric surgery is a tool to help you stick with it. Bariatric surgery isn't a quick fix, and it doesn't mean you don't have to work pretty much just as hard as you would with a regular diet. It just makes it so all that work actually "works."

Don't feel bad, I am now at the point where one month I lose 10-15 lbs, and the next i will lose like 2... But I am not gaining, so it's ok. You're doing great.

Thanks for responding. I was 425 at my biggest. I am now just under 390, but most of that weight loss was from the 4 weeks of Optifast. Not the 3 weeks now after the surgery. When it is all said and done, I am looking to be 210/220 max which is the weight I was prior to gaining the weight. I haven't been overweight all my life, but I have been for a good 10+ years now. I am an emotional eater. Eat my stress away as opposed to say drinking or smoking when it comes to other dealing with life vices. I remember one time I lost about 20 pounds in two weeks when I did the Keto diet and joined a gym. Yes, I know that much of that is water weight and that rapid weight loss wouldn't continue as well as the fact that I didn't stick with it, but these are just questions that are popping into my curious head now - will I pretty much lose the same amount of weight monthly if I just stuck to a more traditional way of losing weight. I know it is a journey and tool for long term. I guess I am thinking how am I not losing more weight from just a calories point of view of just soups and other liquids in small amounts as I am not in the solid foods yet phase. I am also just thinking outloud here and just wanted to see what other people had to say when it came to weight loss just after surgery. Thanks HM

Dr. Laura Carmina Cardenas in Tijuana has done a lot of plastic surgery for massive weight loss patients (in fact, she's a bariatric patient herself and she specializes in plastic surgery for bariatric patients). Dr. Francisco Sauceda in Monterrey also specializes in massive weight loss patients and has done many of us WLS patients. there used to be a nationally-known plastic surgeon in San Antonio who specialized in WLS patients, too, but he retired a year or two ago. there are lots of plastic surgeons in Miami and it's one of the cheaper areas in the country to have it done, but I don't know any names. There are people on here who've had their surgeries done there, though, so they may respond. Just be sure to go with someone who either specializes in massive weight loss patients or, at minimum, has at least done a boatload of them. It's a complicated surgery, so you want someone who's had a lot of experience with it.

What were you expecting to lose? If you're looking for 30+ lbs the first month, that's pretty rare unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". For most of us "average" WLS patients, that much loss the first month is pretty unusual. Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range. Plus most people don't lose much the first week because of the "gain" from the IV fluids you get in the hospital (which of course is just water) - and then there's the infamous "three-week stall" that many of us experience, where you can go a couple of weeks (usually 1-3) without any loss, because your body is kind of recalibrating after the surgery - so you may be experiencing that as well. you're not going to lose the weight any faster than if you ate the same thing without surgery. With the extreme calorie deficit we have the first few months out, you'd probably lose about the same regardless if you had surgery or not. The difference is, it's much more easy to sustain that deficit with the surgery. Most people probably could not go for months on end eating something like 800 calories. But with the surgery, you can. Your hunger is suppressed, your stomach is tiny, etc. The most I could ever lose before surgery was about 50-60 lbs. With this, I lost over 200, and have kept it off for eight years. No way could I have done that without the surgery.