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I am five-months post gastric sleeve and in the middle of a five-week stall where I have not lost any weight. While admittedly after being impacted by Covid my exercise (walks) did go down, but over the last two weeks have been walking an average of 8000 steps compared to an average of 4000 steps for the first four months post op. Unfortunately, owing to mental stress have also been somewhat taking liberties with the diet, especially with occasional ice cream, and chips at night and also diet coke. For information, my surgery weight was 330 lbs with current weight 268 lbs with a total weight loss of 62 lbs over exactly five months. Reading the forum I understand stalls can happen but am concerned about no impact for around 6 weeks despite increased physical activity. Any insights on the following will help: a. How often does the stall last, especially if anybody has experienced around 5-6 months post-op. b. Any specific foods that can be included in the diet to trigger weight loss. Glad to be part of this group. Cheers

Hey everyone so I’m 2 weeks post op and have now started puree foods and I can’t tell when I’m full. I eat slowly and chew as much as possible I’m not drinking when I eat and yet I don’t feel full ever. The only way I seem to tell is when I finally throw up or I just guess. Does anyone have this problem or advice?

I am really nervous about getting dehydrated, which I heard can lead to kidney stones and other complications after WLS. I'd love to hear how everyone manages to get in enough liquids during the day, and what's considered enough at this point. One strange thing for me is that I see others are having a hard time drinking more than a few sips at a time and I have no problem with 2 oz in one shot! Why is this?

Well I am finally catching up with the rest of my November sleeve buddies. I felt that I have been lagging behind for so long and wanting to be where you all are in your progress. I can finally eat my protein allotment and a tiny amount of vegetables. There is some joy in eating again, I have missed the vegetables and salad more than anything. I almost lived on chicken before my sleeve but its the only thing unacceptable to my new stomach now. I am looking forward to having more energy and va va vroom

I have a box of ballerina tea and I want to do a 5 day detox my energy is poor and I’ve been feeling full and sluggish since I started back eating meat this week is this safe ?

Hi guys had my surgery 02/02, start weight was 21.9. I got down to 20.9 before my op on the LRD. first week weigh in after surgery was a loss of 8 pounds and this morning week 2 I’ve lost 3.5 pounds. However I got on the scale Sunday and it showed a 3.5 pound loss then, so in 3 days the scale hasn’t moved and I’m still on liquids? what do we reckon, I’m going to be a slow loser? Or I’ve hit the dreaded 3 week stall early? thankyou.

I am a little over 3 months post-op and have already started going back to some of my old eating habits--ordering take out, not separating eating and drinking, eating junk food. This week, I ended up splurging four different times on junk food I struggled with overeating pre-surgery. Luckily, I can't eat more than 3-4 ounces at a time, and I am still losing pretty quickly (down 45 pounds from surgery and 80 total from when I started losing weight in May of last year). I know that won't last though and am terrified of stretching my pouch. I'd still like to lose another 70 pounds but am having a hard time finding the motivation to exercise regularly and measure portions when I'm losing weight even when I eat terribly. Anyone else dealt with this?

At what point did you stop losing? I’m almost at a year, and have gone up/down the same 2 pounds for 2 months. I am happy at this weight (would love to lose another 10-15 pounds to be at a “normal” BMI), but am wondering if this is typically the end of weight loss. I’m feeling pretty good about continuing the daily maintenance it would take to stay this way long term. I’m not willing to do much else to lose weight because mentally, I feel I’d start obsessing, which would backfire eventually. I want to be at peace and not gain. 😊

Date of Surgery 12/27/21 The plan was to have band removed and sleeve done on the same day, what was not planned was the removal of 6 inches of intestines because of blockage due to scar tissue from previous surgery, was inpatient for 5 days. Week 1 at home was a struggle with gas and just being overall uncomfortable, Week 2 a little better but still not comfortable probably to be expected I know right Week 3: small celebration something close to non liquid food, which my body rejected so there went that joy Week 4: body accepting non liquid food but oh does it make me pay for it (stabbing paid at to of abdomen, explosive bowel movements Week 5: Nausea, vomiting or some form of vomiting since its more motion but nothing coming up, so it is extremely painful and my stomach is sore to the touch Week 6: Repeat week 5 Does anyone know what can be done to help with the stabbing feeling following eating and sometimes drinking it is crippling

Hey all.. I was sleeved 12/1 HW 432 SW 416 and current weight fluctuates between 378 and 370. Im not losing inches or pounds. I have multiple chronic illnesses, including PCOS. Goals consistently met, following plan. Its been almost a month and a half stalled. Ive tried everything- sugar, alcohol, carbs, protein. Cannot workout due to POTS, so doing what I can at home. Frustrated beyond belief. Sent from my SM-N986U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I lost 50 lbs before surgery and have lost 46 since surgery (4.5 months ago). I KNOW from everything I've read here, in my support groups, and in the information provided to me by my bariatric center that stalls are normal and inevitable. BUT THEY STILL SUCK DONKEY BALLS! I was losing about 9 lbs a month (rolling average) for the first 4 months, but since month 4, it's been just up and down the same two pounds. I'm TRYING to focus on the fact that I've gone from a 2x-3x to a large. I'm TRYING to focus on the fact that I can walk so much more quickly now. But I am so scared the weight loss has stopped. I am trying to do exercises, but I hurt my arm and my doc told me to rest it for a while. I was then doing more treadmill, but my hip started to hurt like it did when I did treadmill every day before surgery. My eating is decent but not perfect (I eat out a lot due to traveling for work, so I know my meals aren't low fat). I'm drinking so much I have to pee every hour. How long do stalls last and how do you know if you're in a stall or if your weight loss has STOPPED? (sorry for the CAPS 🤪)

Hi! 😊 I am new here and just wanted to start somewhere! I am 3 weeks from my surgery! I am excited and a bit nervous! I am having the gastric sleeve. At my consultation on January 11th, I was 287 lbs. Today I am at 272 lbs. Just trying to lose as much weight as I can before the BIG DAY!!!!

Hello, Newbie here! My wife and I travelled to Turkey from the UK last week and both had Gastric Sleeve. Although we both feel "hungry" we have kept to everything we were told. The next stage is approaching and we look forward to some sustenance. Eggs and pureed veg seems to be the plan and some homemade soup. Any recipe ideas for us? And talking of soups what portion sizes should we be aiming for? We are on Day 8 and I am taking a "mug" of Vegimte/Marmite with relative ease. Thanks for letting me (and the boss) join. Lots of questions in the future

Hi All, I’m two weeks post sleeve. Getting concerned that I don’t feel ‘full’ after 6 tablespoons of food. This is causing me to worry in case I eat too much and cause problems. I’ve not been sick or had dumping syndrome so worried if something is wrong. Terrified that I’ll overeat and stretch my stomach. Has anyone else experienced this or am I just over worrying at the moment? I am assuming that if I ate too much - I would know about it. Appreciate any advice, thanks.

I am 10weeks post op. I have been strict about measuring my food, getting my protein/vitamins and I workout 4 days a week. I have been stuck at 189 for 3 weeks and I'm feeling like I'm failing. I have been thinking about going back down to 2oz of protein per meal but I'm really trying to avoid unhealthy choices. Idk what to do. I have another 40lbs to my goal and I'm terrified I won't make it [emoji17][emoji17]. Sent from my GM1917 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello All, Sometimes it is nice to know that you are in a group of the "world's best" at something. It is my opinion that we are the world's best at losing weight. I do not mean to imply that once we have had bariatric surgery, we are good at losing weight. I am willing to say that, prior to your surgery, you have lost (and gained) tens and tens of pounds over your lifetime. You have tried at least six or more diets and you were probably successful in losing a significant amount weight on each of them. I have done this too. The problem is we are world class weight gainers also ...ugh! Thankfully, we have weight loss surgery to help us eat fewer calories. However, each time we lose weight, we must face the "STALL." You know, that period of time when we don't lose weight even when we think we should. Everyone dreads these time periods. If you are interested, I would like to share with you some information that has helped me over the years to overcome and understand stalls. First, I am not a doctor nor am I offering any sort of medical advice. I am simply trying to provide you with information from my own personal experiences. You are free to believe or not believe. Every single person is different. If you know something that works, please share. I would love to learn from you. Until then, here are my thoughts. Vary your exercise routine. This is pretty simple. One must understand that we come from a long, long line of survivors. Just think, there is a very good probability that several of your ancestors survived the black plague which eliminated almost half of the population of Europe. Over time, our bodies have learned to adapt to new "challenges" so to speak. Here is a secret to assist weight loss: YOU MUST CHALLENGE YOURSELF to avoid your body's natural ability to adapt and become more efficient to your routines. If you are doing any kind of exercise, you will need to vary this exercise every few weeks. For instance, I am currently using an elliptical machine for cardio. Every two weeks, I change my routine. I went from just moving for 30 minutes at any speed for the first two weeks to adding intervals of going as fast as I can for one minute and then slowing down for three minutes. I have also changed the interval times. For example, I went fast for 30 seconds and then slower for two minutes for a period of two weeks. Next week, I will be changing to a stationary bike for cardio. In a few more weeks, I will be heading outdoors for walking/jogging, etc. The point is to change it up so your body must adjust to new challenges. Build muscle. These are the facts. Muscle burns more calories, even while resting, than fat does. Did you know that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson eats more than 5000 calories per day? The man is a beast and definitely is not fat. He is able to eat so much because he has a huge amount of muscle mass. That muscle burns a lot of calories. Check out what he eats in a typical day here: The Rock's Diet. I wish I could say the phrase "build muscle" and, magically, I would build muscle...*sigh* Until then, I must incorporate strength training the old fashioned way. I lift weights. At the moment, my routine consists of body weight type of exercises, pushing and pulling. My goal is to preserve as much muscle as I can while losing weight. I want to burn the maximum amount of calories possible...even while sleeping. YouTube has many, many videos to help just about anyone. Keep track of your food intake. I measure my food and keep a daily log. I know how much food my stomach can hold and I do not over eat. But my personal opinion may be different than yours when it comes to caloric intake. Personally, I cannot live for the long term on 800 calories per day. Many of us were/are eating about 800 calories or so per day after surgery. I have no plans to eat only 800 calories per day for the rest of my life to maintain my goal weight. Therefore, I have increased the number of calories I eat per day. At the moment, I am eating around 1500 calories per day. I am about six weeks post surgery. The bulk of my calories comes from protein. I try to add calories to my day without adding a lot of volume to my stomach. Here are some things I do in order to add calories. Once per day, I drink a protein shake instead of water. Also, I will add the following ingredients to meals throughout the day (not all at the same time, mind you): olive oil, avocados, sour cream, cheese, mayonnaise and peanut butter. These are generally healthy fats which allow me to consume more calories at every meal. I try to eat approximately 400 calories three times a day and then supplement with a few snacks in between meals. I typically eat 5 to 6 times per day. Set realistic goals. If you do not know, one pound of fat is 3500 calories. To lose one pound of fat, you must create a deficit of 500 calories per day for each day of the week...500 calories x 7 days = 3500 calories lost. Create a deficit of 1000 calories per day and lose two pounds per week. 1500 calories = 3 lbs. per week. This is the idea...a 500 calorie deficit per day equates to one pound loss per week. A typical male burns about 2000 to 3000 calories per day (typical female: 1600 to 2400.) You can play with these numbers all you like but the reality is: it is very hard to lose a large amount of fat in one week. Last week I lost three pounds. I believe that this result is fantastic. That loss is a 10,500 calorie deficit for the week (equivalent to NOT eating 37.5 Snickers Candy Bars.) I believe this is a heroic effort on my part...I celebrated with a quiet "YES" and a fist pump while standing on my bathroom scale. Fist bumps to all of you who have shared the same win. NOT an exact science. Things change. There is not a perfect formula. When you lose weight, you lose fat AND muscle. This is NOT avoidable. No one is able to lose 100% fat. It is not possible to do so, therefore mentally prepare yourself for some disappointment. If you do not have strength training in your schedule, you will lose more precious fat burning muscle than you would if you incorporate strength training. Either way, you will burn fewer calories per day when you, eventually, weigh less. It makes perfect sense. At 300lbs. you may have burned 2500 calories per day. At 250lbs you may only burn 2200 calories per day. You were bigger so you burned more calories. Therefore, it is harder to create a calorie deficit when you weigh less because you are burning fewer calories. Again, this concept really sucks but it explains why we lose less weight as we get closer and closer to our goal. Okay...so this turned into a much longer post than I originally anticipated. Some of the words above make it sound like I have it all figured out. But alas, no. I have issues too. I gained over 100 lbs. in the last six years eating pizza with extra cheese and trying to diminish the world's supply of beer. I am somewhere in the early stages of this particular weight loss journey. My goal is to make this my last weight loss/gain journey. I truly wish all of you the very best life has to offer. The struggle is real and I know, like me, you are fighting every day. I look forward to all of your comments and learning from your experiences. Best, AnotherGuy

I’ve only lost between 39-41 in total including pre op. HW 256, SW 244, CW 215-217. I had a stall at 6 weeks and also gained 2 pds. I went from 215 to 217. Since then I have been losing and gaining the same 2 pounds. I do get my protein in but struggle with water intake. I average about 50 oz a day. My dr put my calories at 800-1000 a day, protein at above 80. Nut told me not to be concerned about fat or carbs at this point. I just started to work out so no muscle gain at this point. I am very frustrated. Anyone have a similar issue or any advice to give ?????

Hi all, I’m in month 5 and haven’t lost any weight this month- anyone else? Is this normal? My surgery weight was 353 and I’m not 279.

Looking for advice, will try to be brief. Thank you for allowing me to join your community! As the title explains, I have had two operations in the last 12 years. I have had issues with alcohol in the past which led to my revision. Anyway, I will complete a 'my story' post soon. Today I am trying to determine if what I am experiencing is normal or not. Thank you, in advance, for your candid advice. I developed GERD-like symptoms about nine months ago. I tried to moderate it with diet (less spicy / tomato), a few rounds of Prilosec. About seven months ago I gave up all alcohol in-part due to the painful symptoms. I had greatly moderated from my two bottle a day heyday, but I still drank. I am proud of my progress, but meetings may be in my future. At three months, Dr. ordered an endoscopy. I had the procedure October 30, 2021. Results showed that I was inflamed, but no ulcers. 'Just stay on Prilosec, forever if you have to' is the advice I received. After endoscopy, I decided to give up all carbonated drinks (I was hooked on about 100+ ounces a day of Diet Dr. Pepper). My go-to drink is now water. Also have added a lot of unsweetened iced tea and some coffee. A few days after New Year, my appetite started to decline. Just the thought of food was making me not feel well. I work from home and I fell into a habit of: one yogurt in the AM, protein drink at noon if hunger strikes, then just maybe 10 bites of anything around 4pm. Dinner at 7, maybe 20 bites over two hours. Hunger pains come on strong at times, but go away fast with 2-4 bites of anything.. As of today, Jan 23, my appetite is still just about 30% / 40% of what it was. I still find myself feeling like I have to 'force' myself to eat sometimes. Nothing sounds or tastes very good. I had a colonoscopy in December. Came back normal with one non-issue polyup (sp). Last week, I ran out of Prilosec. I decided to see if maybe I could get away with an as-needed solution. Big mistake. For the last three nights I have been awakened with extreme pain in my stomach. I have been taking Pepcid and Rolaids / Tums as needed. I plan to restart Prilosec tomorrow. Not sure why my stomach is still on fire??? I have a rather bland meat and potato diet. I quit alcohol and all carbonated drinks. Maybe a liquid fast and 100 Hail Mary's? This is my theory about my appetite issue: I think giving up the pop has resulted in far less bloating in my small stomach. Perhaps this has allowed it to heal back to a normal, or less inflamed, size. I cannot eat as much, but if I space out my eating, I'm sort of fine. I'm not sure about the mental aspects of this situation or how they corollate in parallel to the physical issues. However, the last time I felt this way (loss of appetite, could barely eat) was just before my emergency revision. Thankfully I have not developed the abdominal pains of that episode, just the eating issue. Just for context: I am a 47 year old male, about 260 pounds. I worry about constriction due to scar tissue, I was warned to look out for this. Thank you for any thoughts or advice! Matt

Hi, I just started with a Bariatric Center with the goal of gastric sleeve, and I'm confused enough it's frustrating. Had my first visit with surgeon, he told me that for my insurance, I should lose 10 lbs (no more without endangering my insurance).. Seems like it's five months until surgery, possibly six. I then attended a (no lies, pretty bad) online group nutritional presentation, that really skimmed over things like no caffeine and no carbonated bees, and was also informed that I had responsibilities to make ALL my pre op appointments myself, but I haven't been given any list of labs/tests to do so. I have no diet assigned... ? No instructions were specific about what I should be eating right now, but am trying to go for a LOT more protein and a LOT less carbs. Am I supposed to be starting with protein shakes? They mentioned, but no real clear direction. No followup appointments with the bariatric center have been scheduled as yet, no one has returned my call of last week, basically begging for my pre op appointment list. I try to be patient but am definitely a type A person who likes to plan. I am worried about losing too much weight and very confused about what specifically my diet IS. Already down about 2.5 pounds. I don't do well with uncertainty I guess. Also, the changes over the past two weeks, eating less, the ever=present journalling of food, the appointments I have been called for (apparently, not everything was my responsibility), the trying to lessen the caffeine, and my beloved sodastream plain seltzers, is difficult. I'm definitely planning to call the center with more specific questions this week, and in hopes I receive a call back, but can anyone give me a feel for what the first couple weeks in a program are like, and should I relax about what feels like chaos?

I had my surgery on January 5th, I am two weeks postop and am on a full liquid diet. Needing some ideas on stuff to eat, I’ve been doing two bites of yogurt and egg drop soup/tomato soup. I’ve been doing my protein drinks too but need ideas for a variety of foods. Thank you in advance

Hello everyone. On Tuesday, it will be 8 weeks since I had gastric sleeve surgery. I am having a long stall. It's been over two weeks where I keep gaining and losing the same 2 lbs. Is it normal to stall this long? Thank you.

Hi everyone. I don’t really know what I’m hoping to gain from this but I’m panicking about! Im 2 weeks post gastric sleeve and the first week I lost 11lbs (not as much as I thought I would but still good!) but this last week Iv lost 0.5lbs! Wth! Im so upset! Iv been doing everything Iv been told to! Please someone tell me this is normal or what I can do to actually fix this! Thankyou 😘

TMI but for the last month or so; I have been having a yellow discharge; it doesn't smell fishy. My VSG surgery was on 11/29/2021. This discharge is coming down excessively feels like day 2 of my menstrual cycle. I have to wear a normal pad. I had covid so I was not able to see my gynecologist until now. My appointment is tomorrow. I'm worried about what's causing the vaginal discharge. Has this happened to anyone else?