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Sorry you are going through this but as @Sigh said, you did this for you so pay no mind to them. If you do not want to keep talking about your weight loss just politely say it is not up for discussion. Stay focused on you and your journey!

Hello, Just started my liquid diet! How MUCH WEIGHT DID YOU GUYS lose ON IT? I was able to have a bunch of premier protein shakes and Jell-O, and some broth. I seasoned the hell out of that broth! I am so hungry.haha

Welcome! I guess it really depends on your definition of "working out". When you're only getting in 500 calories a day, your body won't be able to tolerate any kind of intense activity. You'll stop losing weight because your body will start holding on to every calorie it possibly can. A few months after surgery, when you're able to start eating more and can take in more calories, then you can start thinking about doing what I would consider a "work out". Walking is encouraged at all stages, but not running. Later on, yes, you'll definitely want to work out. But, not right away. You need to give your body time to heal and adjust.

3 weeks and counting until I smoke after this demonos sleeve. I've read a lot about calories carbs getting protien. Some of the stuff I've read are from 2010 to 2014...nothing really updated but in all those post not once did I read about working out. I thought the sleeve or any weight lose surgery go habd in hand with working out. Getting your body back on shape..getting rid of the flab. Hence needing calories and carbs as well as protein. Granted our eating habit will change due to the sleeve but its not a diet. I will nit treat it as such. So do anyone work out as well.

I had the lapband, and at first it worked well and I reached my goal. I had it because it was reversable. Then I experienced the complications that so many others have, and had to have it removed. I gained all the weight back. I have 2 friends that also had the lapband and also had to have it removed. I was happy to be thin, but at the expense of constantly throwing up, really bad GERD, and landing in urgent care twice because I was so dehydrated. I would highly advise against it! I am now 2 weeks post op with the sleeve, (at 62) and finally optimistic again.

I'm not really struggling with people mentioning my weight - thankfully all of my feedback has been positive. However, I am struggling with the food addiction portion of the program. For a few days, I was feeling more restriction than I had been and I was forcing myself to finish my portion - even though I was full. The Clean Plate Club rules were kicking in - hard. I talked to my therapist and have turned that around. It's definitely a mental game. And you don't have to see anyone you don't want to. If your parents are being stupid, stop seeing them. And I would recommend therapy, if you aren't already seeing someone. It really does help.

Lap bands aren’t commonly done anymore & many surgeons don’t even do them now. (Complications, low success rate - only about 30% lose their weight, greater risk of regain, etc.) Sleeve has become the more popular surgical option & many older people successfully have that surgery. (I was 54 when I had mine but there are many in their 60s & 70s who do.) Are you only interested in the band because it is reversible & makes fewer changes to your body? We all have our own reasons for choosing our surgery so certainly no judgment here. I just find it interesting to hear why people choose their surgery but maybe I’m just nosy. LOL! When I first decided to go the surgery route I thought lap band but then started doing research & realised a sleeve would be a better fit for my lifestyle, medical status & my weight loss/gain history.

I didn’t exercise & I lost all my weight & more. No running or cycling miles or hours at the gym for me. It’s not that I can’t I just dislike it … a lot. All I do are a few resistance exercises & stretches. (I did add some sit-ups but as I do them I tell myself I’m crazy.) I do a series of exercise combinations over three sessions each afternoon & evening. They take me about 25 minutes in total & wouldn’t burn 30 calories. I do them more to better support my back & my oozing discs & a little toning. There are a variety is simple exercises available on line for people with a variety of mobility issues. You could give them a try too & see if any work for you.

I am so sorry that you are struggling— I know what you mean about having everyone think something so private is up discussion, and it sucks your dad is being rude. In the past, I would even self sabotage when people would comment, but i am trying to work on that. Hugs! Remember, you ARE more than your weight or your looks, and you are doing this for your own self- other peoples opinions don't matter. I hope you have someone you can talk to about this- i am leveraging a counselor for the wave I can see ahead of me as well. I’d encourage you stay focused on your goals and your opinions. Sending well wishes your way!

I found everyone's posts about which procedure and surgeon they went with to be really helpful when I was struggling to find the right surgeon so I thought I'd start a thread for mine too. I've lost over 170lbs total and am currently 16 months out from my surgery, and at a stable weight for over 3 months. I just scheduled an extended Tummy Tuck for this August with Dr. John YS Kim in Chicago at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. There will just be a single scar, and even though I do have a bunch of extra skin above the belly button too, he said I didn't need a Fluer de Lis which is great. I had also seen Dr. Shifrin who had recommended a circumferential lower body lift to get all my extra backside skin too, with "auto-augmentation" to make it rounder. Dr. Kim recommended to not try to do that at the same time since the recovery would be quite difficult with both front and back worked on at the same time. I was having a hard time understanding how I would even recover when it would hurt to be on my back, front and sides so it wasn't hard to convince me. I was really unsure of if I was "at weight" or not and as long as I was standing there naked in front of him, I asked if I had more weight to lose or not, or if it was just skin. I find it impossible to tell. He said that I actually don't have much fat, just some on my pubis and above belly button which he'd remove with liposuction at the same time. It's nice to just focus on being a stable weight and not wondering if I'm getting it done too soon. The surgery should take 4 hours, and I would go home the same day, and then see him once a week for the next 4-6 weeks. There will be 2 drains in place and removed 2 weeks later as well. Plus a binder/compression garments for 3 months. The surgeon fee was $16,000 with a non-refundable 10% down when I scheduled and the remainder due 3 weeks before the surgery. With hospital and anesthesiologist fees it came to $20,800. If I change my surgery date, I lose the the deposit so I can't chicken out. 😅 There was another surgeon there, Dr. Galiano, whose fee was $10k less which was tempting, since it was still a great doctor at Northwestern hospital, but I really liked Dr. Kim and kind of wanted "the best". Dr. Shifrin who performs the surgery in an outpatient surgical center at his office would have cost $22k. I didn't feel comfortable doing these surgeries outside of a hospital so that helped narrow down my choices too. I have BCBS and only one of the surgeons was willing to try to document skin irritation so that insurance would pay for some of the procedure. Everyone else was just like "lol no it's cosmetic" and that was the end of it. I get infections from time to time but they do respond to medication and don't happen all the time so I felt like it was really unlikely that I could go that route. Insurance said that if your pannus was below your public line AND you have infections that don't clear up, then they would pay for just the Panniculectomy. The entire experience really convinced me that you have to see multiple surgeons because prices are ALL OVER the place, even within the same practice/hospital, and everyone had a different idea of what work I should do, the combination of it, pain management, etc. After the first consultation, I learned that I suck at asking questions while in a paper gown, and gave the surgeon a printed copy of my questions and asked him to walk through each one with me, which also was a great way to way to feel out their personality and willingness to work with me. My plan is to also get a breast, arm and inner thigh lift but none of the doctors wanted to talk about surgeries that wouldn't happen for maybe a year or longer out. Once I'm recovered from the tummy tuck, then we'd discuss the next area to focus on which for me would be arm/breast combo. So this process is going to take a while, with having to save up all of my vacation for the entire year for each surgery.

Hey folks!!! I haven't been here in a while. I got my surgery on October 3rd, 2023. I have lost approximately 75 lbs. I am going THROUGH it mentally! This started because of all the reactions from folks and I hate that my body is the center of attention, it is very embarrassing. I really don't want to constantly talk about the changes etc...I am still in the thick of it! My dad has made some pretty disgusting comments and it threw me off so I have been avoiding even visiting my parents right now. I've just been so damn irritable and I just want to hide! I know I am so much more than my body weight and just want to be treated normally. I have always hated that aspect of weight loss. Am I the only one?

OMG that is beyond frustrating. The only certainty I've ever had re dieting is that if you get your calorific intake low enough it's impossible NOT to lose weight. Your experience goes against that completely. I would ask my doctor for a full physical and an explanation if I was in your situation. I'm so sorry, the surgery is such a big commitment it's totally unfair that it hasn't worked as you hoped it would (and we all did too). The only other suggestion I can offer is looking at your exercise regime and whether you could alter that in any way. But that's just to try to make a positive suggestion. Best of luck.

I am early pre-op and although I'm getting the bypass, I'm also close to your weight and have a lot of physical problems. My fitness level at this point is practically non-existent so one of my questions in my first consult appointment was whether I should be concerned about undergoing surgery at such a low level of mobility and health in general. This was a physician's assistant and I'm sure each doctor would respond based on your individual circumstances, but she said that the surgery these days is really not that hard on a body and recovery is manageable regardless of whether or not you can exercise. Her words: 'people who have the surgery don't need to run to lose weight, they need to lose weight to run.' Granted, she also sent me home with a print-out for some simple resistance exercises to try. 😄

From what I understand since I’m still under the 1year mark is the reason for the lower calorie. Honestly at this point I’m scared to even up my calories. When I add back different foods I gain weight. Now I’m just not losing. I feel stuck in the 170s. I’ve been here since November

Honestly when I started adding foods like grilled chicken and other veggies I started noticing that my weight increased. I’ve lost a few of those pounds but not all. I’m not back eating just yogurt and drinking protein shakes. Occasionally I’ll eat grilled chicken and veggies but I limit it now. My vitamin levels are good. All blood work is good. yes I’ve talked to my wl team. They haven’t been much help ( in my opinion) they just seem to not believe me 🤷🏼‍♀️ Yes I do have artificial sweeteners. One coffee a day with Splenda and sugar free creamer. Sugar free jello and sugar free redi whip Very little processed food is in my diet. I will eat cheese with my veggies or chichen when I do eat that. Unless what I said above is considered processed. I eat no lunch meat or protein bars. My team has me on low calorie low carb and I stick to it. But occasionally I might go over but it’s not daily or even every other day. I weigh my food and don’t go over the 6 oz of food per meal I get 80 oz of water a day.

I with when you are right.. I haven't even gotten to my goal weight but it's ok.... The only problem I have is that I had to alter my anatomy [emoji2378] Sent from my WTCELERO5G using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you everyone. This helps put my mind at ease, at least that it will likely only be a little bit more discomfort and might make it a little harder to swallow. I keep hearing about the trapped air and it does sound miserable. I'm hoping to learn and practice a bit of deep breathing and maybe meditation to help make it through any tough times after the surgery as I can get very high anxiety but just in specific circumstances (like in a CT machine, deadlocked in traffic, etc.). I am actually looking forward to getting rid of the reflux and indigestion, possibly more than the weight loss!

TBH I would want to be looking for a new team. I am shocked by how low your calorie count is. I am also shocked by how accepting your team is of this low calorie count. I know lots of people on this forum do not get to their goal weight, which is why I set mini goals. Many are heartbroken by this and go off the rails. Have they said your goal weight is attainable for you? You started at a lower weight than me and I understand that it is harder for lighter people to loose the weight. I did your ideal BMI on a NHS site [ Your USA one may differ] For you it says 120lbs to 159 lbs for a normal weight. So 150 should be attainable. But would I want to stick on 700 calories a day, no. It does not seem healthy I was told that I needed to be at about 1200 cals a day to loose now and to go up from there to find a maintenance point when I am happy with my weight. How can being on 700 calories for the rest of your life be good for you? If you are over that you gain? You must be starving. It seems totally wrong and very punishing. I wish I could hug you

I was on clear liquids post op day 1 and 2, then 12 days or so in full liquids, then pureed/soft for 2 weeks, so once I had hit the month I could eat regular textured food. I was self pay in the US with virtual meetings. My sister was with insurance, in person meetings, weighted about 70lbs less and she was on liquids for 4 weeks, because that was her plan. Sent from my SM-G960U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yep. I have lots of loose skin... everywhere. And I wear it as a badge of my accomplishment of weight loss. No plastic surgery for me. I have had enough necessary surgeries. If my extra fat and skin in my stomach made movement difficult, I might have had that removed, but it doesn't, so insurance wouldn't pay for it, and I do not think I would put myself through anesthesia that is not needed. I don't worry about the extra skin, and the turkey neck thing is just there, and is part of who I am now. I recently was seeing a child in foster care ( I am a social worker ) and was doing some games with them as I was doing some play therapy. The 4 year old reached up and flapped the skin on my upper arms and was hysterical with glee. The foster mom was horrified. I laughed and redirected the child to more appropriate play. She asked why I had that, and I said because I am old. (Also true). No big deal !!!

I think many people here would put their hand up & say they too wondered if they really needed surgery & couldn’t just do it themselves. So you’re not alone in that thinking. However, I think all of us would say we tried dieting ourselves (or with clubs, dieticians, weight loss companies) in the past with all the best intentions many, many times, yet we all found ourselves obese. Yes, you are asked to follow a liquid shake diet post surgery but it is usually only for 2 weeks, then you usually progress to purées, soft foods then solid food. It is in place solely to support your healing of your tummy. Think of the sutures & staples holding your tummy together - you don’t want to stress or strain them with coarse or dense foods. After that the diet you will be placed on encourages healthy eating of nutrient dense foods. It encourages you to consider the nutritional value of what you eat, to work at breaking cravings & old habits., to look at your relationship with food. With the diet you slowly add a greater variety of foods & increase portion sizes until how you’re eating close to your maintenance point & it is much like the way you’ll eat in the future. The pre surgery diet, which often also is shakes, is also short term & in place so you will lose some weight quickly, reduce fat around your liver & make surgery easier. For me the surgery changed my metabolic rate, gave me a new set point (the weight my body is happiest at), it adjusted my digestive hormones. Most importantly it gave me time to look at my eating & develop new habits. No other diet did that. Every other diet I felt like I was punishing myself which is why when I finished the diet I went back to eating in the exact same way I always had & the weight came back. I didn’t with this. I have a new way of looking at food & eating. I’m not on a diet. This is just the way I eat. But only you know if the surgery will be right for you & that’s okay. All the best whatever you choose to do. PS - Sorry for the long post. I guess you can tell I’m very pro surgery but that is because of the success I’ve had.

Before surgery, I tried every diet in the book. And, frankly, I suggest everyone else do the same. This surgery is going to change your life. It isn't without risk. This is a drastic step and there are no take-backs. There are a lot of lifestyle changes that you will have to go through, post surgery. It's far from easy. If you think that you can lose the weight without surgery, I highly recommend that you do that. I failed every diet that I tried. Surgery was my last resort.

Definitely be patient!! My highest weight was 295 & no one really noticed till I was down to 190. That's also when I finally started buying new clothes. It will take time but you will DEFINITELY see the results physically too!

I lost 110 pounds before anyone commented, and then, all of a sudden, the opposite — people would not shut up about my weight! I was not happy about that because I’m a private person and didn’t want to discuss it. The timing corresponded to when I bought new pants because my old ones were falling off, even with a belt, so if you want people to notice, some new clothes might help. But don’t worry, people will start to notice! I’ve seen people talk about weight loss as being like using a roll of paper towels. Take 10 sheets off a full roll and you can barely tell, but take 10 sheets from an almost empty roll and it makes a big difference.

I don't think the inability to exercise is going to significantly affect your ability to lose weight. Yes, it does help - but weight loss is about 90% due to eating less and 10% exercise. I know of several people who rarely if ever exercised and they still lost a lot of weight with the surgery. secondly, I've had three surgeries since I turned 60 (although my RNY I had in my late 50s), and I was fine - but then, I don't have any major health issues, so that might make a difference. Your doctors can probably tell you if it's safe to have additional surgeries or not. as far as losing weight and keeping it off on your own, only about 5% of people are able to do that. Unfortunately, I was not one of the 5%. I lost and then gained back all the weight I'd lost about a billion times - again and again and again - decade after decade after decade. The only thing that worked for me was having weight loss surgery. I can't speak for you, of course, but that's been my experience.