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Hi Vivis, I am six weeks postop. I had a stall in weeks 2 and 3, but I started to lose again in week 4. It was tough. However, despite the stall, my total weight loss, as well as average weekly weight loss to date, is on track with statistics I have seen. So, please do not worry. The posts above are awesome and wish I had them a few weeks ago! I am writing to add that it was comforting to me during my stall to read as many prior posts as I could about the "three-week stall." Type "stall" into the search engine above and there are about 17,000 reassuring posts! Every post made such a difference to me.

Decrease in hunger hormone, restriction of volume of food I can drink, and the “reset” after surgery to give me a head start on weight loss.

Back last March, I got ESG (endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty). I had 6 weeks of a liquids only diet. I painstakingly tracked calories after that according to what doctors said to do -- a 1200 calorie/day diet. Yeah, I'm a short woman, but it sucks. But I soldiered on! I put myself on my home scale week after week, watching the number bounce around but generally trend down. I was so happy. I started at 251 post-colonoscopy-cleanse (since they have to remove all of everything in your gut before doing the procedure), and finally, after a year, I got to 215. I was so glad! And then I stepped on an actually accurate scale at work today, apparently. 238. Are you f**king joking? I said it had to be my clothes and stuff, so I went into the bathroom (single occupancy, thankfully), and stripped. Hopped on. 235. Dammit. Well, maybe it's not accurate. We have some weights around the office, I said. Let's put one on, I said. It claims to be 45 lbs. Scale says...45.2 lbs. Augh. So my bathroom scale is either 15 pounds off, the very concept of which is destroying me, or I've gained a whole ton of water weight for no reason. But I've taken tape measurements -- my waist is down 4 inches and my hips are down 5. I'm eating less in general. I really do think I'm making my calorie counts. My arms and stomach look more defined. That's got to be significant, right? ...Right? If all this adds up, I have not lost 14% of my body weight. I have lost 6%. And that means I am a severe outlier and a failure at the procedure. This was the last ditch effort for me after more than a decade of trying everything I could figure. Most weight loss meds haven't worked for me. Saxenda worked for a while and then stopped. Was the doctor's office scale wrong? It agreed with my bathroom scale at the time. Has my bathroom scale broken and I'm just fucked? Did I just gain a whole shitload of water weight? I don't have my period due to an IUD, so I can't imagine it's that. Please give me something that isn't "you failed." Please. Please.

My friend, as charismatic as Dr. Vong maybe, he is not your surgeon so please go by the recommendations of your team. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, there is *some* truth to it. Ask your team about their take on it but most of the weight loss will occur because of dietary, hormonal and metabolic changes. Very little will happen because of the gym (early on). Only a humble guess but perhaps that’s why most Bariatric teams include a nutritionist and not a fitness instructor. My advice is to focus on what is emphasized most on your personal plan. Maybe your team wants to include exercise for flexibility, bone and muscle health, etc.

Hi guys! I'm all sorts of confused... I just reached 2 weeks post-op. My surgeon cleared me to go back to the gym. Prior to the surgery, I was working out daily 7 days a week lifting weights and throwing in some random cardio for a month and a half straight. In my past, I've consistently gone to the gym for Zumba classes, but obviously through-out the years I would commit and other times I wouldn't. This has been on and off for like the past 10 years. But I was able to go today and I did the same exact weight routine prior to my surgery and I felt absolutely fine! No pain. No issues. HERE'S WHERE I'M CONFUSED! I came across this surgeon who does NOT encourage you work out. He goes through all the "myths" of working out. I primarily want to work out like I was before because of 1- loss skin prevention and 2- better weight loss. HOWEVER after watching his video -- I'm confused. He's absolutely right -- when you work out, you burn X amount of calories, but with a VSG, and since I'm so fresh out of surgery, I can't possibly eat more than I'm supposed to in order to prevent the stomach from stretching...and on top of that -- I have such a limited amount of nutrients coming in since I'm only eating 3 times a day 1/2 a cup of food. And I'm worried about stretching out my stomach I mean I can't even eat and drink at the same time anymore because we're told not to. There's no way to eat more unless I bump it up to 4-5 times a day of eating (but that's stage 3 of the diet and that begins in 3 weeks). And also another myth -- skin doesn't have muscle, so how can you tighten your loose skin (if and when you get there). But I see so many overweight people who have gone to the gym and don't have loose skin. I see other surgery patients who never went to the gym and have so much loose skin. So yeah...I'm really confused as to what to do. I'm barely at my beginning, so I'd love to find an answer as to what path I should take, but I'm not an expert and I don't have all the answers. I know I need to consult with my nutritionist and possibly a personal trainer (but their sole purpose is gym-related) but my surgeon okayed it and encouraged it...

Good Afternoon, I am new here. Today I submitted paperwork to a bariatric surgeon to discuss getting a gastric sleeve. My doctor and I met today to officially get his blessing as my current weight loss has stalled out. I just can't get over the hump. I've lost almost 40 lbs over the past year with diet and exercise but I just can't get any further. I have diabetes, knee pain, and I am not as young as I used to be. Looking forward to meeting other folks in various stages of the same journey. I'd love any tips, tricks, good vibes, etc. as I navigate this whole process.

Good afternoon. I just joined the forum, and I was wondering if anyone has had the TORe procedure done? Thoughts? Weight loss after? I have an appt this coming Monday for a consult. I had gastric bypass 9 years ago and lost 110 lbs but never got to my goal weight, plus I've gained about 20 lbs since the bypass. I'm just trying to weigh my options before I commit to anything. Thanks Amy

My insurance does not cover anything at all dealing with weight loss at all, meaning surgery and medical weight loss programs. But I went to a new surgeon and they have a program for self pay people and I will be having surgery in the next few months. I will be having the SADI-S procedure.

I thought I would be more obsessive about it and want to see every pound that comes off. Turns out, I weigh myself once a week. That way I don't see the daily fluctuations (which I know are normal, but I still don't want to see them lol) and the weight loss has a bigger impact. I'm still struggling with pain in my largest incision as well as the stomach muscle behind it (honestly, that muscle is the bain of my existence right now) so getting that wow factor from a week's worth of weight loss helps in dealing with the lingering pain.

I am 11.4 pounds lower then what I weighed morning of surgery. I had a couple days I hadn’t lost anything and then after day 5 i have noticed changes in my clothes and stomach size. I weighed this morning and was down 11. I bet you start seeing loss now

Racefan, are you back to your pre-op weight? The weight you achieved after the liquid diet if you had one? I’m post op day 5 and I must still have surgical gas lingering, I just made it back to my weight I achieved for liquid diet. No additional loss 🤷🏼‍♀️

Mine is tomorrow too! Good luck to us! I have baby fine hair so losing more will be upsetting. I know they say it’s temporary but it has to regrow and mines not short.

Not every bypass patient dumps. It’s about 30% like lizonaplane said and not everyone of them dumps on things such as fruit. I think it’s mostly from large quantities of added sugars for most people. It’s a good idea to try anything new at home for the first time though. Just in case. And any sweet treats I would start with maybe a bite to see. Wait a few hours before trying any more than that. Or better yet. Just avoid it alltogether. Better for your weight loss.

So I want to know more about this dumping thing. When I was getting ready for surgery my doctor never mentioned anything about it, and none of the information he gave mentioned it either. A couple months before my surgery I started reading about it in forums like this one, and it seems like an awfully major thing to not mention. So I brought it up to the some of my doctor's nurses and all I got was cagey non-answers. So I had the surgery, doing pretty good, getting in the protein and water groove and lost 45 pounds in 5 weeks. BUT I'm sacred to death of dumping and this casts a shadow over trying anything new. I ate 4 cherries the other day because they were so good, but I worried the whole time because someone on this site said they dumped on cantalope. I was fine with the cherries, btw. I'm worried that I may be at work or awya from home and have a bout of dumping which would be really bad. What I want to know is: 1. Do ALL gastic bypass patients dump? 2. What is the riskiest thing to eat: sugary things (including fruit) or oily stuff? 3. What if you were away from home and dumped? Has anyone experienced this? I'm not planning to binge on sweets or grease, I'm happy with my wait loss and want to continue it. I just want some answers so I don't continue to be so fearful about eating. Thanks for any imput!!

This post may be touchy for some people. But we will try. I do ketamine infusions periodically for depression. My ketamine physician said to wait until cleared on 5/16/22 and then we could resume once a month infusions. My next appt is set for 5/23. Anyone have any feedback on resuming this type of treatment post weight loss surgery? It’s fairly uncommon treatment so maybe not but I thought I’d try for some feedback :)

My surgery is tomorrow! I have the same fears — hair loss ,skin,etc — already losing my hair (hashimotos). But supposedly the vitamins will help :)

Yes correct. The reasoning my surgeon prescribed it because he said its common for people to get gall stones during rapid weight loss so basically its a preventative thing.

Not every one develops gall stones after weight loss surgery. Many actually had them already. They are caused by high cholesterol or high bilirubin levels & can develop during menopause. As you lose weight cholesterol, which is stored in your fat, is released as you lose weight & can cause stones to form. They found a stone at about my 6/7 month mark after a ultra sound to check my liver function. Don’t know when mine formed as I was menopausal before my sleeve, my cholesterol had gone from a steady for years 5 to 5.6 as I lost weight (it’s 4.1 now) & I have high bilirubin. I won the lottery of causes. Never had symptoms before my first attack 25 months after my sleeve surgery. I had my gall removed about two weeks later. The gall removal surgery recovery was similar but different to my sleeve. After sleeve, I had no gas or pulled or strained abdominal muscles. I had a lot of gas pains & muscle strain affecting my movements for a good week after the gall surgery. But no restricted diet, constipation or diarrhoea, no swallowing issues of course so that was a plus. My surgeon used the same incision sites he’d made for my sleeve. I was home the next day. Same weight restrictions for lifting & same no driving for a week again. He sent me home with some opioid pain meds but I didn’t take them. Did take one nurofen, with his permission, on day 3 but no pain meds at all after that. Just put up with the gas & muscle pain. Haven’t heard about a potential for weight gain. I have gained 2kgs in the last five months but continued to maintain my weight for 6 months after the gall was removed. I attribute the weight gain to starting a higher dose HRT & working on increasing my protein in that same five months. Plus I’m at the 3 year mark & there is always a potential for weight gain during that 2 or 3 year mark. Since my gall removal I don’t absorb protein well anymore which was unexpected & is likely just me. We tried medication (creons) for 3 months which didn’t seem to help hence my increasing my protein intake. I’m back on creons to give them a longer go. I am noticing my hair is thinner (not shedding like after the sleeve) & my nails are weaker because of the protein issue. The other odd side effect of no gall is I have random diarrhoea attacks. Usually every 2 or 3 weeks. Almost like there’s a build up acid, which the gall used to regulate. It irritates the bowel & causes the diarrhoea. My sister in law is the same & she hasn’t had weight loss surgery. My aunt says if she eats anything fatty she gets nauseous. Not everyone is prescribed meds for gall stones after surgery. Personally, it seems odd to prescribe meds to dissolve gall stones before you have them. I did ask my surgeon about dissolving the stone after my attack but he said: if you grow one stone you will grow another so it’s best to remove the gall. I have three friends who have had sleeve surgeries too within the last 4 years. None of us were prescribed urisidiol or similar & I’m the only one to form a stone. But your surgeon must have their reasons for doing so.

I am so very sorry for your loss, Star Wars & Cupcakes. I had gastric sleeve surgery on November 30th and very tragically lost my younger brother and only sibling on April 12th. The grief can be unbearable and I often feel so much anxiety that I want to crawl out of my skin. So I decided to join a running (for me, walk/run) group 5 Weeks to 5K training. I did it so that I could release some of this painful anxiety, sleep better, and be around a supportive group of people in beautiful nature (lucky me I get to run near the ocean and in redwood forests). I even got my 70 year old mom to join it with me! In addition to that I walk with both of my parents as much as I can. We are heartbroken, our lives changed forever so suddenly, and the exercise, nature, and supportive group of people has been very therapeutic. (((HUGS))) Star Wars & Cupcakes, and thanks for starting this thread for other people to refer to in the future.

Your weight loss will be erratic. Ups & downs & plateaus. Nobody has a perfectly straight line graphing their loss. @Tufflaw’s graphs are a great example. And the faster weight loss rate doesn’t last. It will start to slow & eventually get to the point you think you’re not losing anymore when you’re almost at your goal. Some people recommend only weighing yourself once a week or even less frequently. I weighed myself every day but I knew what to expect. As long as your general weight loss trend is downwards you’re doing well. (Though it’s a bit early for you is see that trend.) All the best.

That was me too. (Similar demographics too.) No health issues just not really healthy & fit. But I knew those comorbidities were in my future. All surgeries have risks but weight loss surgery risks are pretty low. You’re going into the surgery pretty healthy, all things considered, so you are in a stronger place than some others with a higher weight & existing comobidities. Ask your surgeon for their stats. It’s perfect ok to have a degree of apprehension about the surgery. It is something you’ve no experience of & changes will be made to your body. Those changes don’t really hinder or restrict your future life in any way but they will allow you to live a better life. You have fabulous reasons for proceeding but it is your choice. As @The Greater Fool said the negative stories you’ve read about surgery are the same side effects as not having surgery & continuing to be obese &/or gain more weight. Plus the horror stories make the better online stories. Good news & happy experiences don’t so are much harder to find. Since my surgery I do have an issue with low blood pressure. But this is a pre existing genetic issue & I would experience it when I was a lower weight in the past. Ironically, the weight I was carrying actually kept my blood pressure at a healthy 120/80. The surgery can’t change your genetic pre disposition to health issues but the weight loss may delay or reduce the severity. All the best.

Just got my date today for July! I don’t have a pre-op diet but I’m supposed to work toward small weight loss 2 - 4 lbs a month and adjusting to eating more often

I hear that revisions are slower with weight loss. Just keep in mind, you lost 15lbs in less than 30 days! That's awesome!

My BMI was on the low end and my knees were only beginning to hurt and only with vigorous exercise so I was kinda like you. It wasn’t like I was unhealthy. but I knew that I was gaining weight year after year so it was only a matter of time before my knees hurt worse and limited my movement more making me gain even more weight and that would limit me even further. It was just beginning but it was going to snowball out of control. There were other reasons that I did it though, I was sitting out of things because I was embarrassed of my size or I didn’t have anything to wear that I felt good in and stuff like that and Despite all the crazy diets I tried i was only going to gain more. I am now over a year out and I had very little pain post op and no food intolerances or anything like that. I did not lose as much weight as I hoped. I reached my first goal which was an easy one but couldn’t reach the second. I am on meds that make weight loss a little more difficult. My point is that I did not get to my dream weight but I am still VERY glad that I did it because I am at least comfortable at this weight to go out and live my life again.

You know, I'm almost 4 months post-op. I have yet to have hair loss... Pain--and I have had a few surgeries in my lifetime--is not that bad. They will probably give you a few pain pills. Use them. After the first few days, you should start to feel better. I have had nausea--but figured a way to cope with that. Just bought some new clothes this past weekend, in a smaller size--nothing feels better than that, lol!