Search the Community

Rahhh … I’m still stalled! Trying to keep with the onwards and upwards mentality even if it would be much easier if the scales were going downwards … managed 26k steps yesterday so that’s a plus. Starting to get homesick from travelling so much for work. I get back home to Paris on Saturday and have to leave again Thursday. I then have nearly 3 weeks non stop without getting home again. I’m finding it complicated to make good food choices and have enough protein. I’ve basically been having milky coffee and potatoes as a main food groups for the last few days. I hate protein shakes, I don’t really eat meat ( and strictly no pork), I don’t really eat fish ( and strictly no shellfish or seafood). At home I can do cheese and chickpeas and lentils and tofu etc etc but being out and about so much is complicated. I did hit 12 weeks no alcohol on Tuesday which is a big win for me because I’ve never thought I’d make it so far and the not drinking is getting easier day by day to resist the temptation. And also I sort of told myself that I go 24 weeks (6 ish months rounded down) so I’m half way through.

Congrats on the surgery and taking a huge step forward in improving your health! Also, welcome to the post-op malaise phase of the process, haha! I was there a few months ago, and I think its a rite of passage to be like "What have I done?!!" somewhere in the first 6 weeks. It does get better gradually, but the first month is the roughest. You will be able to eat "normal" foods again soon. I think I was able to eat most things again around the 3 month mark (mostly excluding carbonated drinks and alcohol). Just take your time and listen to your body. Some things will fight back, and if they do, just wait 3-5 days before trying again. I had a lot of trouble with green veggies initially, but was able to handle them around week 6. Also remember the weight loss pattern will resemble stairs and not a straight line. You'll have periods of weight loss, followed by a couple/few weeks of stalling and slight regain. This is just your body recalibrating itself after a large loss to ensure its safe to continue letting go of fat reserves, because it mistakenly thinks you're in a survival event and doesn't want you to starve to death. Just remember this is part of the process, and its not a failure. This really got me down initially and compounded that regret feeling, but after a long stall I'm making progress again. Also, Cipro is very likely the culprit in making you feel sick. it's a very strong antibiotic, and good at its job, but the side effects can be harsh. I've developed some partial hearing loss because of it after years of taking it for recurring Diverticulitis. Ask your doctor if there is another antibiotic that can do the job, but with fewer side effects. Good luck, and I wish you luck on your journey!

I have an appointment already this week. My body composition is done via bodpod at my bariatric clinic. So the accuracy is pretty spot on. At 12%, it's very concerning.

If you have access to a pool and don't mind being seen in a swimming costume aqua aerobics is nice and easy to get the body moving and help joints. If you have a yard/garden even just walking around it would be good to help get you moving, or stairs if you are in an apartment complex. I am not the best when it comes to exercise but I can certainly feel an improvement in my interest and energy levels as the weight comes off. I start each day with good intentions but often procrastinate or find something else to do but I do go to aqua aerobics once a week since February and since last month I am doing pilates once a week. I believe in turning up if I have paid so signed up for a year of the aqua aerobics and doing the pilates in 10 block sessions. At home I do the One and Done program, seven minutes every two days or three days depending on how I am feeling. Again as I paid for it, think $30, I use it and I can feel the difference. I also have an stationary bike that I use once a week or so if I haven't done any other exercises. I just do about 5km at a time as I find it boring but I am sure any little helps. My main problem area is my legs (ankles to thighs) as I have bad lipedema and while they have gone down in size since my sleeve surgery they still do me no favours in the appearance department so I am just trying to target them as much as possible.

@ShoppGirl I am having the same issues right now. I have been up and down the same 2 pounds for almost two weeks. It’s like the doctor jinxed me. He told me I should lose 20-25 pounds between my last appointment and the next visit in 8 weeks. Well, tomorrow makes 2 weeks since I have seen him and I have only lost 2.3 pounds. I am really struggling to get calories and rarely hit 600 for the day. I also struggle with my fluid goals. I can hit protein no problem. I still can only eat about 1/3 cup at a sitting and since I have zero hunger, it makes it hard. I feel like I am forcing myself to eat. I have committed to making the gym at least 4 days a week. Because my knees are “bone on bone” I am limited to which exercise machines are comfortable and walking is not. I think I may call the orthopedic surgeon and see about more shots for my knees. It is funny when you hear people that think this journey is easy. There is nothing easy about this.

I had the SADI-S on June 14, 2024. Tomorrow (Aug 2) is my 7 week post op day. I was 278 when I started my liquid diet. I was 268 on surgery day. I was 275 directly after the surgery. Last week I was 238 and I had a combined inches lost of 31. I have been experiencing a stall for a few weeks. I’ll lose some and gain some but it’s the same 3 pounds. As such I’ve been trying to get more movement into my life. I’m eating, at the advice of my surgeon, in a trial and error way. He wants me to be able to eat normal foods as it is easier to get to your protein goals. I haven’t eaten bread, sugar, pasta, or potatoes. I probably won’t go back to those foods. The pain feels like you went hard on Abs day. It was pretty much gone after 3 weeks. Eating too much (even by a single bite) or drinking too soon after a meal hurts worse than after the surgery. If you feel full and you think it’s too soon, take a break then pick it back up. You’ll be able to get it down eventually. Your anastomosis will be swollen (the link between your stomach and intestines) so there’s a bit of backing up before it goes down. I found shaking my stomach helps the food/liquid go down. Get good with your food being cold. Even if it’s hot when you start eating, you can’t eat it fast enough for it to stay warm. This has been the worst change for me besides the smell of my 💩. Work on finding low fat/non fat substitutes for cheese, dairy, etc. Sugar free substitutes for drinks can help get water in. I like G Zero and the added electrolytes are helpful. Track your food in an app. Weight/measure everything. Avoid “eating out” even if you can find reasonable foods to eat, it’s impossible to know your macros when you’re only eating small bits of meals and maybe removing bread etc. I only have been out once and that was two days ago. I ate a few bites off my husband’s plate. I kept looking at everyone’s full plates and thinking about how I would have eaten all of that and still been hungry. You will be exhausted from lack of food and energy. However force yourself to at least walk laps around your home. Only weigh once a week. I had my husband hide my scale. It was pissing me off that my weight was fluctuating. You will see more movement in measurements than you see on the scale. Try not to fixate on the numbers and remember not to compare yourself to others. People with more to lose will be losing faster than you. Some will not follow a good diet and lose very slowly. Let your doctor guide you on follow ups. Trust the process. Im new to this message board but feel free to reach out to me if you want. I’m on instagram as @BariatricBunnyBabe and TikTok as @Bariatric.Bunny and when I find things that work I post about them. I also share my wins and my weight loss stats. SADI-S can 100% feel lonely but we’re out here doing the thing!

I love to hear everyone's Wins as each week or day passes there is a New Win.

@BlueParis Still stalled I had my 3-month appointment yesterday. It seems I'm on track based on the numbers my doctor wants to see, which is losing at least 10% of your day-of-surgery weight at the 3-month mark. For me, that would be 22.3 lbs, and I've lost 22.4 lbs. So, I just have to trust the process, I guess. I have to go in Friday morning to have blood drawn for iron and B-12 check, and I need to redo my TSH (thyroid) from my physical earlier this week because Biotin messes up the results! So I have to stop my multivitamin and my biotin supplement for 72 hours before retesting. And @Noelle74it's so true that the weight does not just "fall off." Maybe the first few weeks, but after that? It's a struggle. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of frustration. I think a lot of trial and error, too, until you find what works for you. My plan is to just keep tracking protein and water, as directed by my dietician, for the next month. I have a vacation at the end of June. If I get back from that and don't like my progress, I will try limiting carbs to under 50g per day until my 6-month check-up at the end of August. If I'm worried at that point, I will talk to doctor about adding GLP-1. But hopefully there will be no cause for concern. My next thing is to learn how to use my resistance bands! That's my goal for the coming week.

So after my post last week where I was .4 away from my goal, I am not 1.2lb UNDER my goal! So I am working on my macros to see what caloric threshold I should hit to stay around the same. Last week I was eating around 1100-1200calories and I still lost weight. Gonna stay around the 1200-1300 mark. Any input on this aspect would be great! I’m still working out 6 days a week (been an addiction lol) Last week my sisters, mom and I had a spa day, laid by the pool with drinks after our massages and I couldn’t believe the difference in how I looked between the summers! The drink in my hand is coconut mojito mocktail that was delicious but too sugary I had a couple sips because I didn’t want to 💩 everywhere 😂

I took three weeks off (desk job) but could have gone back after two. I was pretty tired the first few weeks after surgery, though...

Great news, keep doing what you are doing. You are in the toughest few weeks with so much to re learn, go slow. Be kind to yourself, dont compare yourself to anyone else. Sermon over

So happy for you! Wohoo you will reach your 13 more lbs in no time! I am doing ok myself, finally not in my week 3 stall. I’m in the last day of week 4 and loss 15 lbs post op. From 250-235. 85 more lbs to go!

Be careful with the gum post surgery. I had a piece when I was almost three years out from sleeve and I swallowed it accidentally. Hadn’t swallowed gum since I was a kid but sure enough I did it. Thankfully it did not cause a blockage but this is a real concern after surgery.

@LisaCaryl glad to hear your knees are better. Just wanted to mention also that I’d wait to worry on your A1C until they test it again later. It’s an average of your blood sugars over about 3 months if I remember correctly so it’s very very possible it just hasn’t been long enough for it to start coming down. 🤷🏼‍♀️ and LOVE the quest chips! I like the ranch and the taco ones, just wish they weren’t ridiculously expensive. 😩 And I think we’re 4 mo today woohoo. @NickelChip hope you have a great time on vacay! @Noelle74 wishing you luck on the new job! Hope ev1 else is doing well, I’m on one of my longer stalls and it’s driving me nuts! Doing what I should, tracking food and started a little Pilates bar exercise . I know it’s normal but like ev1 always says it’s just sooooo frustrating. plus my 6’1” skinny hubby is losing weight (that he absolutely does not need to lose), eating about twice what I eat (that I cook) and still eating out at restaurants with clients at least 1-2 x week. 🙄 Ain’t life a b@#&h! I know life’s NOT fair, but I just want to whine a little and say once…… Totally NOT fair! 😂

It will happen soon don't worry so don't spend a lot of sizing down as I have found that I buy something and then a few weeks later it is too big already. Buy cheap if needed, belts have been great.

@RonHall908 you look fantastic! Go you! What a difference - you allready look like a new man and so much younger! Im still stalled, but really glad to have you all here, it does help and is making me feel less alone with the struggle of the stall. On the upside I’m in Barcelona for work and finally have a blue sky for the first time since I got back from Eygpt! That’s helping my morale! I have the day of because it’s May Day Labor Day so I’m about to go and visit the Miró Fondation. Also yesterday I was 74 days since surgery and I reset all my step counters at surgery… I’ve done 802 388 steps since which works out at an honorable average of 10 800 and some steps per day or 7.35 km or 4.56 miles a day … and that I’m proud of because walking isn’t always the easiest for me!

I finally did last week. I am scheduled for surgery for Sept 5

I’m one week out of surgery and I’ve been consistently hitting 4000 steps a day since I left the hospital a couple of days ago I’ll take that as a win any day

The stalls aren't fun. But I've been reassured by the baritastic dietician and doctor that it is part of the process. It's just a tough thing to swallow when the number don't move. Sounds like you need a little rest from traveling. But, I understand work. The past month my sleeping habits have gone sideways. I'm constantly waking up at night. I wear a bipap for sleep apnea. Also have a smart watch that help tracks sleep. My REM sleep has been less than 45 mins a night.

That is great and you will have a fabulous time in Greece. In another few weeks the clothes you bought will probably be too big 😁

If you have the days to take, take them. I am self-employed and work from home. There were certain things I had to do within a couple days of getting home because nobody else could do them, but it was a struggle. I was sore and exhausted. I'm three weeks out and doing a lot better but I still get very tired midday. It would have been great to have at least a full week to two weeks to recover. Also, figuring out what to eat and when to drink and all that really takes up most of your brain for a while.

not sad at all! I started walking too girl! When I first got this surgery I committed to walking for 30min 5days a week during my lunch break. I did that for 6 weeks, till I started introducing weights with work out videos with Sydney Cummings, So I did my walks during lunch then came home and did my 30min weight work out, After two weeks I knew I needed to go to the gym where I had more options with weights. The top picture is my first day at the gym and then the bottom is this week. Just consistency and tbh I didn't think I would achieve what I did. I really thought in my heart of hearts I would bottom out around 190 and just be "chunky fit" and I was/am okay with that. Start slowwwwww, its not a race and with consistency you will be shocked with your success!!

Thanks for this info! So many thrifts in this city. That will be my project in the next few weeks!

I think the experience you're having emphasizes that a lot of this not as much in our control as we think it is. Which I'm sure is no more comforting for you than it is when someone is following every single rule and staying stalled at a higher weight than they had hoped. If it helps, remember that this stage is temporary. You won't keep losing forever, and when your body reaches its new set point, whatever it is, how you carry that weight is going to change. I know you probably look in the mirror and think what have I done, I'm going to look sickly forever, but it's temporary (and probably something you notice more than other people do). Whether your weight increases in the next year, or if it just turns out that your new, lower weight begins to look more natural to you as fat gets redistributed, this is only a brief point in the journey. The clothing not fitting part must be particularly frustrating, though, since it costs money to fix. I hope you're able to find an inexpensive solution, especially for your work clothing. You're sure to find your equilibrium soon.

Yes, I had sleeve 3.5 years before I started my journey to revision. It’s considered fairly “new” In the medical community but finally got endorsement by the ASMBS so it should become more prominent now but finding info on it as a standalone procedure was tough enough, nevermind as a revision. Like @Arabesque said I had a really difficult time making my decision between the SADI and bypass but i did finally land on the SADI and I am happy with it. This week at six weeks out I was down 40 pounds (including the weight I lost on my two week preop diet which was basically two shakes and a low carb dinner). With the sleeve I felt like I was on a diet. The reduction of the hunger hormone helped me to keep my portions small and get down to 167 (i’m 5’8”) but I was able to eat more than expected from day one. Not a lot more but enough that once the hunger came back and I was eating several times a day I was gaining from even healthy food. The fact that I felt like a failure for not reaching my goal and that I was gaining in spite of my best efforts discouraged me and bad habits started slipping in bit by bit but rather quickly I gained it all back plus some. Things that have been different with the SADI. For one, my level of commitment. I quit going to my follow up appointments at the Dr and stopped posting here when I regained a big chunk of weight post sleeve because I was so embarrassed and I never went to the in person support groups to begin with. After I started my journey to revision I began posting again and committed to doing the in person groups when they meet monthly. I also have made even more than the minimum required appointments with my team to acquire as much information as I can and I asked to do my follow ups more often which helps for now with my anxiety over healing but also will help to keep me accountable In the future. In terms of the surgery itself it seems to have made more metabolic changes for me. For one thing I was actually a salty snacker before my sleeve but post sleeve I craved sweets. I actually woke up from my sleeve surgery craving various desserts but with SADI I was craving Fish Tacos (a meal I never even enjoyed pre surgery) and I have been eating all kinds of stuff I had to force myself to eat pre surgery and I’m actually enjoying them. I mean not like pizza but still pretty good I am back to regular food now and I may have a sugar free popsicle once a week. Other than that I don’t really want sweets and my food cravings are very quiet and good choices are really good. In terms of motivation and energy I have a ton more. Part of that may be due to my exercising this time compared to the sleeve in which I didn’t do any. This time I started out a little shy of a month just walking to the end of my street and back and now I’m up to over 15k steps a day (sometimes 19k) and I’m getting ready to try YOGA at my community center (waiting for my 8 weeks post op just to be safe). I feel fantastic. It’s not just he honeymoon phase either. I actually wake up hours earlier eager to start my day and at night when I hit the bed I feel accomplished and I sleep so much better. Everyone I talked to said fat was okay with the SADI and carbs were the enemy but that has not been my experience. Maybe processed carbs are bad but in things like veggies, fruit and oats or brown rice are okay for me. I actually do lower fat because I had my gallbladder out so think almond milk and 2% cheeses or non fat yogurt (surprisingly not bad tasting though). In terms of carbs if I remember correctly she started me at. 60g and then increased me to 80 because of my activity. They did not resleeve my stomach so my return to food progressed a little slower than yours will if your getting re-sleeved though so that will not be the case this early out. You won’t be able to eat the volume of food that I do at this point. I can actually eat every 3 hours. Most times I’m already up but I have an alarm set for 8 and I wake up and have my proffee which I finish by 9 with my multi vitamin and then every three hours (12,3 and 6) I have a small meal with my three calcium chews. My last meal being a snack at 9pm and I take my magnesium and hair vitamins. I seriously have so much energy. I care so much about what I put into my body. I make everything from scratch and before it was all about convenience (hated to cook) and I won’t lie and say I love exercise but I want to do it. In fact I’m nursing three blisters now and they just weren’t healing with the continued training so I’m having to force myself to slow down today. It’s so weird. I haven’t exercised in over 20 years. I have avoided it at all costs!! I mean I had to make the decision to get started of course but the surgery gave me the energy to do it. Ooh, the recovery was a bit tougher for the SADI, well a lot for me but they took my gallbladder too. I was okay without pain meds once I finally was able to pass gas (like 7 times one morning) but I spent five days in hospital because I couldn’t pass gas and my pain was only managed on meds they wouldn’t send me home with. Once I got home I took half of one pill because my husband forgot to get the Tylenol and I had to wait for him to get it I the store but after that i managed without it. With my sleeve I work up and refused pain meds and was fine the next day. In fact i almost forgot I had surgery when I was out front and asked my husband to pass the basketball to me. So night and day difference in recovery but it wasn’t horrible. Just not expected. Anyways, I’m sure that once I get closer to goal I will be tempted by less desirable food choices and it won’t be as easy as it is now but I honestly do feel like it will be different this time. For one, I have more support but also, I am actually changing my entire lifestyle this time. I am even looking for organic and cleaner ingredients in my food instead of just processed junk that’s diet friendly. I feel great and I want to continue feeling this way for a long long time. That got kinda long, sorry. I really hope some of it helps.