Search the Community

All good advice above. Don't compare yourself to others when it comes to weight loss speed - even if they are in a similar weight range. Just focus on your program and stay the course. We are all different and will lose at different rates even when stats are similar. Even if you are a "slow loser" that does NOT mean you will not get to your goals. It just may take a little longer. Be prepared that weight loss is not linear, even with WLS. Others mentioned the stalls, but it can't be overmentioned that your body will lose how it wants to, and it may not match your expectations or emotional needs. It is very frustrating but do not get discouraged. Being cold all the time is a real thing. Also, if your tail bone starts to hurt when sitting, it is very common. I recommend getting one of those cushions. Take pictures and measurements! Seriously, this really helps when weight loss (the scale number) is not cooperating. I've made it through so many stalls by pulling out the photos and seeing the major differences. And, also looking at my measurements, which have still changed during stalls (highly encouraging). I also started making note of all my non-scale victories because it is about so much more than the scale, even though that is nice too. That's what I can think of this early in the morning. Best of luck!

I wonder if you have to continuously use it like you do Rogaine. Once you stop Rogaine you will lose the hair it helped you grow back.

You will experience stalls. You will lose some hair. You will experience constipation. Your taste buds & sense of smell can become temporarily extra sensitive making some foods taste or smell awful. You will experience loss of energy, feel weak & tired. You may experience some blood pressure drops. You may still feel hungry (real or head). You may not feel hungry at all nor be interested in eating. Your tummy will be sensitive & can be fussy about certain foods one day & fine with them the next. You may vomit or be nauseous. Multivitamins can make you nauseous. You may experience the foamies - spit up thick saliva & maybe regurgitate the last bite or two of what you ate (generally happens if you eat too much, too quickly or food that is too dry or coarse)? They may only happen to you a couple of times or not at all. But you can trust they do get better & pass. Stalls break. Hair regrows. Food taste yummy again. Some things pass pretty quickly. Some take a little longer & others we learn how to manage (like constipation & the foamies). These experiences are all part of the process. Not because you’ve done something wrong or are failing as some think & beat themselves up about. We’re experiencing a lot of psychological & physiological stress: the surgery, healing, recovery, our changed & reduced diet, the head battles, reassessing the how & why we eat, etc. They ‘re just how our body reacts to cope with the stress. And you can rely on: We all lose weight at our own rate. The more you have to lose the faster you’ll lose to begin. The closer to goal the slower your rate of loss will become. Hope I haven’t scared you. Rather you be prepared than go through the anguish of doubting yourself because you didn’t know. I’d rather go through those things for a few months then be obese. It’s all very much worth it. All the best.

A lot of it is due to the stress you & your body has been going through. The hair you’re losing is hair you would lose as part of your usual hair loss cycle. It’s just this cycle has been accelerated. You are growing new hair but at it’s usual rate which you normally don’t even notice. The new growth hasn’t been affected which is why taking rogaine, etc. is really an unnecessary expensive. Supplements to supposedly support hair growth again only help your new growth not your existing hair which is dead & is supposed to fall out at some time. It usually last about 3 or 4months & that seems to be about the same for people who take additional supplements, etc. But even knowing about how long it lasts & that it’s part of the process it still can be difficult to accept the clumps in the shower. If your hair is long, cut it shorter so the loss isn’t as noticeable.(Also the clumps won’t look as much with shorter hair than long strands.) It will also take less time for your new growth to catch up & be the same or similar length to your shorter hair.

Although my dermatologist said I could take Rogaine, she said that it could also cause more shedding at first. I opted to do nothing and let nature take its course. About six months after surgery, more hair started growing in, especially around my face. I now have hair of two different lengths. The longer hairs are thin, and the shorter hair is thicker.

I did everything I could both pre and post surgery with hair supplements and collagen support supplements, and am still religiously taking them now. Still didn't stop hair loss. It MAY have helped in how much I lost, but I'll never know because I have nothing to compare it with. I started losing hair from month 4 until about month 7. Now I'm just waiting for it to grow back, and hoping the supplements will assist with that. Just gotta be patient. Beyond that, cutting my hair off into a cute pixie has made my loss a lot less noticeable, especially to myself! A good cut will honestly make all the difference.

I had my PS done by Dr. Alex Earle in Miami. He does lots of surgeries on massive weight loss patients. I had an extended tummy tuck that included muscle repair and lipo to the flanks, a breast lift & augmentation and arm lifts.

They have not suggested this yet but him and I have talked about it and we feel like if they don’t find anything during this next EGD that it may possibly be the next step. I have been doing lots of research on my own and since his surgeon suggested there may be Nerve Damage that’s been a topic that I’ve been really trying to investigate. I have read that there’s a nerve called the Vagus nerve that comes from the base of the brain/brain stem that branches out like a tree and runs to all your major organs. The heart, lungs, stomach, large and small intestines kidneys and liver. I’ve read that depending on where that nerve is damaged would determine what part of the body and organs it would affect. He hurt his back in 2015 and our stupid ER Doctors sent him home saying he had a pulled muscle. We found out after his gastric bypass surgery (last year 2021) by his Surgeon that his back had actually been broken. So I am really wondering if this could have caused damage to the left Vagus Nerve and is what is causing his problems. Even his lung problems because after he injured his back is when all his health problems started. He started having migraines 2015), lung/breathing problems (2017), and the GI problems (2019). His surgeon has stated that he was at a loss with him and wants to send him to a Neurologist; however, Covid had things messed up for a while and now the surgeon has had a change in hours, locations, and staff. He even has a different Nurse so when we’ve called to find out if he’s sent a referral and what’s going on no one seems to know what we are talking about. We’ve yet to see a neurologist. He has spoke to his family doctor and instead of sending to a neurologist he has sent him back to his GI doctor who wants to do another EGD. So now we are in the process of having to get clearances again from his pulmonologist and his heart doctor (he doesn’t even have heart problemS but when he got sick with his lungs he had to start seeing one and has had 4 heart caths since 2017 and all 4 have been clear), now they want to do another stress test, another blood gas, and more blood work to clear him for the EGD. We live an hour and a half away from the pulmonologist and heart doctor. His GI ordered a stomach emptying test which makes the 3rd one and he couldn’t even finish it because he couldn’t hold down the radioactive eggs, since he threw them up the test was incomplete and they sent us home. Waste of time and gas. It makes no sense to me to send someone who can’t hold down a bite a food at all to have a stomach dumping/emptying test done that requires you to eat a small portion of a food. This is a 4-6 hour test and 20 mins in he’s thrown the tablespoon of radioactive eggs back up. Makes no sense at all. He has 12 appointments by the end of the month just to get cleared and have everything done before the EGD. I realize they have to be safe and the clearances are important but my husband is literally starving to death, malnourished, losing hair, teeth are in very poor condition, money is low, gas prices are high and these appointments are an hour and a half away and he needs answers now not 3 weeks from now. I don’t understand why they just keep redoing all the same tests over and over and over again. Instead of getting him in with a neurologist and atleast ruling that out. I feel like I am the only person who’s actually trying to figure this out and the doctors just want more money, more money, more money. My husband is a wonderful man. He’s been my best friend for 30 years but we’ve only been together as a couple for 3 years and only been married 2 years. He’s always been the strongest person I’ve known so to hear him say he doesn’t know how much more he has left in him or how much longer he can survive with no nutrition is unimaginably devastating. I hate even eating in front of him. I hate seeing him eat 4-6 bites of something in an hour time frame and then throwing it with in 5 minutes but most of the time it’s 1 or 2 bites and he’s pushing the food away holding his stomach and running to the bathroom just to throw it up. This is scary and hard and I just want to help him. I want to fix it for him and I can’t. I refuse to give up till I find the answer but I’m no doctor. That’s why I am here trying to find someone else who may have been through the same thing or something similar. I honestly think they probably should have already placed him on a feeding tube but for whatever reason they haven’t. Thank you so much for your reply. I apologize for writing a book in response to you. I guess I needed to vent and cry to someone. I just wish they would have done a more thorough assessment and job and found out what was wrong before they made his stomach the size of a walnut. I also wonder if the part of the stomach that they cut off and left in there is what is causing all this? It still has blood supply and nerves running to it so could that be the whole problem? Thank you for your time, reply, and for listening.

I am a long time lap bander and flipped to a sleeve in 2016. In there I lost and gained weight and am back around my goal weight where I have been for a while. I recently moved to the St Petersburg area and am looking at plastic surgeons in the area. I want one who understands weight loss patient skin is different, more damaged than a standard patient. I am looking at arm lifts, thigh lift, some abdominal lips, breast lift and reduction and because I am feeling saggy maybe a small face lift. I did a tummy tuck and breast lift 20 years ago and the boobs took the hit on the weight regain I had the tummy tuck held up well. There are a ton of options in the area was wondering if anyone had experiences and recs? I am also looking at maybe going to Columbia to a practice there the quote is appealing and the doc is American board certified and teaches in the US. All the work there will be 20-25k and that includes a 10-12 day hotel stay, nursing care and transport to and from the hospital as needed.

Congratulations! 20 weeks post surgery and am on the tail end of experiencing the worst hairfall episode of my life. I feel like im balding. I dont think I have enough hair to last this part of the journey. I’ve only lost 70lbs. I’ve been quite good with the food, not so much with the daily movement. I’m losing about 2lbs per week on average now. Will be meeting with my surgeon at the end of October. Hopefully I can meet their target and lose another 25lbs by then. what is everyone doing about the loose skin and hair loss? I’ve started scalp treatments, drinking collagen, using firming oils. Not sure if they will work though. Im afraid that it’s a case of too little too late.

I see this image shared often on other support sites about the 2-3 week weight loss.

Something I swore to myself before going into surgery (among many other personal goals) was that I'm going to not even try to care about the number and I'm definitely not weighing every day. I figure that if I continue to follow my surgeons and my nutritionists instructions, the weight will come off in due time. I am starting to slow down in weight loss and have started week 5. As a "lifer" to weight loss struggles, I've learned that our bodies know what to do and if it means holding onto a few pounds for a few days for energy or whatever, as long as I am doing what I am supposed to do, my body will work with me and do what it needs to do. I knew the weight loss would slow down after the first couple or few weeks and I'm fine with that. As long as I don't gain a bunch back, I am moving in the right direction. Also keep in mind that if we aren't losing pounds, we are losing inches. Typically we don't lose both at the same time. Additionally, if we are exercising, in a way that builds muscle mass, the pounds may not seem to be coming off when in fact, those pounds are showing up in the form of muscle mass which weighs a lot more than fat. Keep your chin up! You are doing awesome! Don't worry about the dumb scales. If your clothes are getting lose and you feel good, then you are definitely moving in the right direction! 🤗❤️

From what I have heard nothing really helps with the loss. What happens is the cycle is sped up and you just shed the hair faster than normal. Most of those products will make the new hair growing in nice and healthy and thick but they won’t make slow the shedding or speed up the growth. Some people get a cute shorter cut to try distract from the issue.

I'm only 2 weeks post-op. I'm not supposed to be stalled already! I'm a daily weigher and have been 395 or 396 since last Saturday. It's actually not bothering me that much. I'm tracking, so I know I'm doing things right and this just happens. I've expected it, just not this soon. But I am ready for some more rapid weight loss. Waiting patiently.

I started losing tons of hair around the same time as you. I had thought I was in the clear since it didn't happen early on. After my 6 month blood test, everything was in the normal range, I was recommended Rogaine for women or Viviscal sauce it wasn't an obvious vitamin or mineral deficiency. I opted for Viviscal, and it took two months and the hair finally stopped falling out. I see a lot of new hair growth near the front. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello! I’m just 5 months post-op and doing fantastic. Everything’s gone so well thus far except for the crazy amounts of hair I’m losing. It started a few weeks ago and hasn’t let up. I knew this would happen and it’s an easy price to pay for how healthy and happy WLS has made me. I’m wondering if anyone knows of a way to combat or at least mitigate the loss? My hairstylist suggested a supplement called Viviscal, and castor oil for my scalp, and shampoo and conditioner that regrow and thicken hair. Has anything worked for you? Thanks in advance!

Hi all! Reporting in! I’m officially down 83lbs since surgery on 2/3/22. Previously size 2XL-3XL and 20, now size Small/Med and size 10. I’ve never felt better or been happier. I’m stoked about what I see in the mirror but am bummed that the excess skin/fat gives me a muffin-top in fitted clothes. Better healthy and saggy though! My hair started falling out a couple weeks ago and it’s a LOT. I knew it would happen but it’s unsettling nonetheless. How is everyone else doing? We’re 5 months past. Can you believe how much life has changed??

I am going in for a revision in 2 weeks and hoping some of you may be able to tell me about your experience. VSG in Dec 2016, lost 70lbs and then got pregnant. Did not gain any back until COVID. I’m now 30lbs away from where I was at my initial surgery date. Has anyone completed this revision? What has your weight loss experience been? Is it a lot slower? I’ve heard many people have increase bowel movements? Have you found less restriction to make it more difficult to lose? To complicate everything my gastroscopy just revealed a significant hiatal hernia which will also likely be repaired at the same time. I’m glad they found it because I’ve had a lot of unexplained chest and back pain since my last pregnancy. I’m a bit nervous about the recovery though. Any info you can provide would be great! Thanks!

I went for all my testing on July the 7th for my Gerd and went to see my doctor and hes gonna write Things up and send them to my insurance company he said we're not gonna put it down as weight loss I also have a hernia and I have high blood pressure so hopefully I will get approved. Sent from my SM-G991U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm doing good. My lowest weight was 135 (60 pound loss). I tend to hover between 140 and 145 pounds. I still struggle with evening snacking. I'm still able to eat multiple "snacks" over the course of an evening due to head hunger/old habits.

I agree with starting now. If you have a handful of meals that you cook regularly ask for suggestions of calorie cutting tips or healthier options for those meals. Like for instance using frozen cauliflower crust for making pizza and topping it with chicken and veggies instead of pepperoni and real crust cuts calories and adds protein. Tacos can be made with ground Turkey and fat free cheese or made fresco style. I recently posted recipes in the recipe section for chicken and black bean nachos that I made with baked Tostito scoops and low-fat cheese and also for zucchini pizza stacks that were delicious. The pizza stacks are a little more calorie dense because of the pepperoni but you could try Turkey pepperoni to cut calories even further. I don’t recommend leaving it out alltogether I tried that and didn’t get the pizza flavor without it Little swaps, though, like Using low carb wraps anywhere you can instead of bread cuts calories. And finding sugar free and lower calorie dressings and sauces will help cut tons of calories. Also using spray Pam instead of oil to cook with or just measuring your oil and sticking to a smaller amount. During your weight loss phase you will probably have to cut down even further leaving some things off your plate but Once you get to maintenance things will get back to your new normal. I would just make a few swaps here and there to start and then a few more once those have been accepted by the family. Some things you will find don’t taste bad in lower calorie options and they are pretty painless changes. Others you may get a little grief about. 😂

Yeah, I remember i was pretty stinky (or at least stinkier than normal, lol) for a few weeks in the beginning. If i recall correctly, it came about sometime in the first month, and went away sometime in the third (not 100% sure on that though, its been over 3.5 yrs). The good news though is that it DID go away AND never came back!! Pre-op i wore deodorant every day cuz i was a sweater. After the weight loss my pits are bone dry and no longer stink, yay. I hardly ever use deodorant now. Goof Luck! ❤️

Good for you for taking this approach. You will be in a great place when you officially start your journey. Congratulations on the weight loss.

While technically going to different doctors looking for a different answer is doctor shopping, I think this is really only a bad thing if you are trying to get meds and stuff that you really don’t need. There is nothing wrong with getting a second or even a third opinion. I agree that knowing WHY they are saying they don’t want to do revision. Could be as simple as that your insurance doesn’t cover it or as complex as a medical issue that makes it dangerous. But if it’s the former you always should be given the option to finance and if it’s the latter than another doctor with a different approach may be able to help you. I would call and ask them why. Tell them you are seeking other answers and need to know why they feel you are not a candidate. Also, I just got an email yesterday about the use of diabetes medications now being accepted for weight loss Something like GLB-1?? They are difficult to get covered by insurance and not cheap but being covered by more and more every day Dr. Weiner, a weight loss surgeon says. Perhaps worth looking into.