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@SpartanMaker funny you mentioned your run and how you had to play the why in your head -this morning I woke up at 4am. as I always do. and kept pushing the snooze button, but I knew I had to go the gym and do lower body weight lifting- I knew in order to progress how I am trying to shape my body I needed to do it. So I got up, and did it. As I was working out, I told myself your here, put your game face on and just effing doing it. Probably one of the best lower body workouts I have done in a long time. I am constantly repeating it in my head- glad I could help!

First and foremost, I'm not going to preach abstinence, we are all adults and can make our own decisions. For me, apparently, I'm not an adult enough to be responsible. I've let alcohol take over, I drink daily and I've gained weight back. My spiral started around 4 years ago and has progressed steadily. Until recently, I was in control. I could drink and be ok. I would get drunk and know what happened the next day. Now however, I will get drunk and can't remember a thing. The next day I have massive brain fog, can't concentrate, can't orate correctly, I feel like crap, have the shakes etc. To be clear, I never leave my house and drive. I worry however that it could come to that. My weight is making my back problem even more painful. My clothes are tight, I'm depressed, and it's just awful. I feel like it's groundhogs day every day. I say I'm going to stop and I last a few days and then I slip back. However today I've made a decision to stop drinking entirely. I'm done. I'm not drinking ever again. I clearly can't control my self. I'm an addict with food and now alcohol. Much like food did, booze will ruin my life if I continue. I'm going to join AA and clean my life up yet again. Writing this is a first step for me. I'm not looking for pity, or to be chastised. I need to be self shamed and admit what I am. I'm an alcoholic. However, I can change this, I will change this. I will be healthier soon, it will be hard but I'm going to get there. So please, be careful with alcohol. We all spent a lot of time and money to say nothing of the physical and mental pain we've been through, don't throw it away. Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using BariatricPal mobile app

Well there is never a 100% guarantee because we are all different but I would say that your response so far makes it very likely that you will be a success story based on my personal experience and the knowledge that I have of others experience who have lost and kept it off vs those who have regained a significant amount. I had my sleeve surgery 3/9/2021 so I have been on these boards since then and I have been going to in person support groups since a couple of months prior to my revision and my personal experience and learned experience is that one of two four things happen to cause regain. 1: the person never really does change what they eat. This is a problem when the anatomical changes control portion of less nutritious foods for a while so they lose some but then as the stomach stretches they can eat more and they regain or they are able to have just a taste of things in the beginning but when appetite comes back that changes (note that some people can have just one bite of a brownie forever but that didn’t work for me so we just have to be mindful of how our body reacts and stop doing it if we can’t stop ourselves at a small portion). 2: the surgery was never a good fit. I know that this was part of problem with the sleeve for me because I never did feel ANY metabolic changes. I still absolutely hated healthy foods that I didn’t like before and I did not have any additional energy or motivation after the surgery. Basically I think for me the surgery was probably like Wegovy would be. The hunger hormones went away for a while and I was able to eat less until that came back. But nothing else changed for me. I never felt a change in energy and I was never about to get start r with exercise and healthy food options did not appeal to me in the slightest. I ate alot of chicken breast and a few veggies that I don’t mind in the beginning but there was no variety so like most diets I couldn’t sustain it when the hunger came back and I wasn’t moving my body to help my physical and mental health to keep it going. 3: This would be a combo of the two which would be where i would actually say that I fell with my sleeve. Because I didn’t like enough of the healthy food even a little bit I started having less ideal foods far more often. I mean i wasn’t eating McDonald’s ever and I wasn’t having poor choices all the time but I would have like a quarter of a frozen pizza or a lean cheeseburger with a roll several nights a week thinking it was okay because calorie wise it wasn’t much worse if that was all ate. The problem was the other macros and the fact that for me they were slippery slope foods and they made me crave more. I wasn’t gaining on that but carbs make me crave carbs so that little devil voice took over and I tested the waters a bit more by having just a few fries or a bit of cake with that but it was way too often and far too early out for me to know my limits. Then, to make matters worse, my mental health issues kicked in where I had not only stopped losing but gained 20 pounds and when I couldn’t reverse it even when I tried my hardest to rein it in (because I was now craving the carbs again bad) i just considered that I was a complete failure and they didn’t say it but i could see it that my friends and family felt that way too and I just slowly just quit trying. This is when the support of people who get it would’ve been sooooooooooo very important. Never been obese people are never going to be able to get it or be able to help. Reach out to your bariatric support if you struggle. Even if your disgusted. They get it and never judge. 4: Some people even though the surgery is a success and they make all the lifestyle changes and everything is working lose sight of their lifelong goal for one reason or another and let bad habits slowly slip back in and they gain. I think this is probate going to be the hardest one for me. To not take my eye off the prize 5 years down the road. But we can do it. I think that staying active in these support groups and checking in with my team is going to be key for me. I am going to ask to have my follow ups a couple times a year even when I’m a ways out just to keep me in check. I know that I am able to gain a lot of weight in a year!! I never did the In person support groups at all after my sleeve and I stopped posting here for a while and didn’t go to my follow up appointments when things were out of control and I needed the help the most. Basically for me the sleeve was just one of my longer and more successful diets that started with the curved appetite and a lot of hope that it would work this time but slowly ended when the hunger came back, bad habits slipped back in, the cravings got unbearable and my all or nothing thinking finally got the best of me. I think I probably would have leveled out somewhere between my starting and my low weight if I had not given up but since I started at a relatively low BMI to begin with that did not seem like a success to me at the time. 89 pounds later I only wished I had been back to that weight though. I learned a lot from the sleeve experience though and I think that knowledge is helping me now. Hopefully, it helps others too. I try to let my experience be a cautionary tale without scaring anyone too much. Anyways, based on your nutrition changes, steady loss and your activity I do not think you are like me with the sleeve or others who I’ve seen who never even tried to eat differently or exercise so I don’t think your surgery was a bad fit at all or that your just expecting the surgery to do all the work. I think that your surgery is doing what it was designed to do for you and so as long as you keep doing your part you should get your where your body needs to be. Just don’t get caught up in a certain number and let your brain get the best of you like I did. That last 10 or 15 pounds may feel like a lot but your already so much healthier and happier that you were before. Keep striving for that goal but don’t let it be the only thing that matters. To me it will be icing on the cake to what is already a success story Your body will have its own idea of what is an ideal size for you and you may have to just accept that it may not be exactly what you have in mind (it could be lower but it could also be a bit higher. It may be a sorry to accept where your body is happy and healthy if you don’t want to be really working hard at this forever. Honestly, I imagine we will have to work at it for the rest of our lives to some degree. By that I mean that we will probably never have it as easy as someone who has never been obese. You are doing so incredibly well, though, making actual lifestyle changes and I have listened to anyone who is willing to share whether they were successful or not and that seems to be the biggest piece of advice. This is not a diet it is a lifestyle. Your surgery is working for you and you are working hard for you as well. Those two things are key to this journey long term. Just keep it up and I really believe you will reach all of your goals. ❤️

Its not a physical thing, but the most important thing to have is patience. Patience with yourself and patience in the process. Trust the program/process and follow your doctors guidelines. Lastly, give yourself some grace, the weight didn't come on overnight and it won't come off overnight. You will have doubts and mistakes - don't be too hard on yourself, just take it a step at a time and get back up and on the program again. Other than that, there have been numerous forum posts covering your question. You will find tons of advice on actual items etc., if you put in a search for your answers! Congrats on your upcoming surgery and welcome to the forums and a healthier way of life!

Hi guys I just thought I would check in with you all and tell you of my progress, trials and tribulations! I'm nearly 6 weeks post-op and I am still adjusting to my new life. I am doing very well all things considered, except that one of my surgical sites reopened and is not healing properly, don't worry I am having medical support from the doctor and nurse, I just feel a bit down with it to be honest. I'm type 2 diabetic and my glucose levels have stabilized which is awesome! I lost 2 stone 1lb in just under a month which is amazing, I did stay the same last week which was disappointing but I guess my body needs time to catch up! I'm struggling mentally with self-imposed restrictions and triggering situations like food shopping etc and I wondered if you guys could help me gain some clarity I am one of the unlucky ones that still experiences real hunger and it is definitely not head hunger. I need to eat around every 2 hours, I am getting all my protein in and my fluids and I'm eating around 700 cals a day. My problem is that when I feel real hunger I panic and I don't know why! I have had lots of therapy and I am in a very good place now after many years of struggles with my mental health. I guess I was expecting not to feel hungry like most other people, and that was the case until about 3 weeks ago! The self imposed restriction is calorie counting! I am conflicted about whether I should be counting the calories in non starchy veg such as sprouts, cucumber tomatoes, gherkins, beetroot etc and fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and satsumas. Should I be counting calories at all? I'm eating around 700 cals a day at the moment. I am committed to eating healthy and do not crave junk food anymore which is awesome! I go for whole foods mainly and low carbs. Previously when I have given myself restrictions before I have done great for a few months then fallen off the wagon. I know it is different this time as I have a new tool, but it's taking my brain a while to catch up! I know that I am at the early stages at the moment and still learning my fullness cues and practising a fair amount of control, I used to eat mindlessly, now I think about everything that goes in my mouth. What do you guys think of this? I also worry that my weight loss will stall and I know it's only been a week so far and its not a stall until 3 to 4 weeks, but I have seen it so many times on lots of forums and it worries me a bit to be honest. I know that no one really knows how their weight loss is going to go as everyone is unique and I need to stop overthinking things but its so hard when I have done it all my life! Did any of you guys have similar worries or concerns in the early stages and did it resolve itself? Any advice would be great! Thanks in advance x

It is still super early on for you, but it seems like you are doing a great job; both with your protein intake and your weight loss. We all lose weight at different speeds, but it's about not adding foods in too fast to let your body heal and making sure you are getting all the protein and vitamins you need to keep your body healthy. Keep making good choices and enjoy the journey!

So as I mentioned in my last thread, I had VSG in 2014. I did quite well for a decent amount of time but after really losing focus of my diet and lifestyle I have had significant regain. I have literally had GERD my entire life. When my surgeon initially told me that VSG WAS an option, I decided to go ahead with it thinking it was a much 'safer' option than RNY. He did reassure me that the GERD I had was directly related to my significant abdominal weight and that with weight loss it would subside. It DID, and eventually I went from a double strength PPI twice a day to a H2 blocker (at my lowest weight) a few times a week. I thought I was over the moon with this! However, fast forward about 4 years and now my GERD is worse than ever, I literally have productive reflux now. I will be sitting and talking to my husband and what I ate a couple hours ago will just shoot up to my throat without warning (I just read another thread saying this same thing). I get it SO bad when I lay in bed that I will run to the bathroom and literally spit out acid. When I had my VSG I had a hiatal hernia repair too, and I was under the impression that was a permanent fix but i'm thinking maybe not. I have EGD this Thursday and frankly, I am petrified scared of what she will find. I'm not worried about my sleeve but I AM worried that there is irreversible damaged to my esophagus or God forbid, esophageal cancer is found. IF I am found to not have anything significant, I've decided to go ahead with a revision for my longterm health. I have been on PPIs for decades. I want off of them. And I want to conquer the regain.

I was going to say some of the same things @Justarwaxx said! I watched a reel on - I think maybe Facebook? - that addressed the notion that some people have on a Monday after having a couple of cheat meals over the weekend and suddenly the scale says they gained 5 lbs - and the fact that thinking like that isn't realistic. You don't gain 5 lbs in 48 hours unless you are eating something like 4500 calories per day and not moving AT ALL. There is a LOT of wiggle room in what the scale reads. When it comes to weight loss, the goal is to create a calorie deficiency so if you are burning more calories than you are putting into your body consistently you're GOING to lose weight. A lot of factors are at play with what the 'scale' reads, including digestion, fluid retention, even hormonal changes. Plus, yes, with the extra exercise you're doing I bet your body is simply trying to find it's consistent expectation so it knows how much energy you need, how many calories it can expect, and how much fat to break down to keep you running like a well maintained machine! Plateaus are GOING to happen throughout this process. It's a marathon, not a sprint, too -- keep in mind that you're going to be losing weight for the next 18+ months more than likely. Just keep at it, and try not to weight yourself too often. I know it's hard, because we want to see those RESULTS, NOW! (At least *I* do ) but... be patient. We're only a couple of months out from our surgeries!

Hello everyone! I am very sorry to those who interacted with the post and didn't get any replies. Unfortunately week 2 of my LSD my doctor called to say the surgery is cancelled due to fact I failed my psych assessment. I lost nearly £2,000 in money that they refused to refund (the cost was for booking my surgery date) due to being caught in a catch 22. Because I failed my psych assessment it is considered MY fault not theres, therefore under the contract I signed prior, no refund. It really made me depressed. I'm back on here losing weight with Mounjaro. I would still like to connect with people whether you're pre surgery, post surgery, losing with the injection or naturally. I am hoping I can lose enough weight so I don't need the surgery, but if I do, that's fine too. Thanks!

I have already had my Psychiatrist evaluation and the ok letter plus 3 others, I had to get. My first visit to my new psychiatrist was my one he used to okay me! We started at the beginning since he was new. We didn’t really cover a lot about the surgery but I did tell him about it in the beginning. I’ve been depressed, anxiety and grief since 2005. But no problem getting letter! Actually that’s when my weight gain started with behavioral meds.

Ooh, I'm here too, and it's been very interesting. I've started drinking a protein decaf coffee again to add a cup of fairlife skim milk to my day. I know that some of us need to be very careful about carbs, I need more carbs to support my exercise which is basic strength, walking, and the 2x weekly run. I add an extra apple, gluten free pretzels, and popcorn (which is totally ok for me in my known portions). I also add a few days of cashews, easy to eat and high nutrient density. I would say if you aren't going to track calories (and why would you if that isn't your favorite) then it would be helpful to add a specific snack/food etc and have that extra every day for a few weeks and see where that gets you. If you continue to drop weight, increase it, if not, you have likely found your maintenance diet. The thing that has been most eye opening for me is the fact that I can occasionally go over and not see any consequences for one day of overdoing it. In the past that would have been hell to take off again, now it just seems to regulate like a normal person. I had surgery 1/24 and have been at my same weight since 11/24. I'm not fighting to stay here, I'm struggling with some head hunger vs real hunger, that was to be expected, but otherwise it's been such a different reality from presurgery.

I was going to say the peri-menopausal syndrome has struck again. I had to switch to 50mg DHEA while the hormones were swinging around. I had my various doctor’s blessing. It is a hormone therapy treatment so please talk with your physician. Formal Hormone replacement therapy would have been better but alas, insurance. Now I’ve weaned off to 25mg at age 57. I live just fine on 900-1200 kcals at 5’4” and I’m not frail, I weight lift and have a super active job, and walk 20-30 minutes a day. Each of us is different. Soups make me very full, and salads when I can’t stand the hungries.

Timely seeing this thread topic. Hair loss concerns here as well. Not simply from weight loss, but from getting older and fighting the DNA that threatens to thin my hair severely. I tried the head shaving thing a few years ago and it wasn’t for me. Got outa the shower looking like I had been in a cage match. Bleeding from some new cut all the time. Some dudes rock the bald look. I will do it if forced to, but in the meantime I am gonna throw money at it and hope for the best. Currently taking daily vitamins, iron, fish oil, potassium and started the collagen caplets this morning. Protein intake is good. Drink BCAA’s daily, too. I really noticed it when getting a haircut recently. The gal cutting it was cracking jokes about trying to work with my Donald. I was laughing, too….but geesh. Dis getting ta be serious bidness.

I suspect that, given your loss to date, you still have a good way to go @Bypass2Freedom My original (totally guesstimated) 'goal' weight was based on the average loss after a gastric sleeve for someone with my starting weight. I would have been thrilled to get there and no further - I honestly mean that. But it was way out. I sailed through that and beyond. Kept sticking to the plan and finally landed well below. I know other people who stick to their plan land well above. The moral of the story is - stick to your plan and (within reason) you will land where you will land. Unless you actually end up underweight or unwell you don't need to add calories on purpose (that's my experience anyway) - your expanding capacity for food and your increasing hunger will eventually meet you in the middle. Whilst you are in the honeymoon post op period I say milk it for all it's worth. Meet your goals, take your supplements and enjoy the ride. Then begins the lifelong journey of maintenance. That's another story, LOL.

Ohh, I didn't know you had access to a gym! I might have modified this a bit because I was trying to make sure these exercises were something you could do without equipment. Here are some suggested modifications if you are using a gym: If your gym has a hip thrust machine, feel free to use that instead of doing the glute bridge. As I mentioned, hip thrusts offer a bigger range of motion, so are an even better exercise. Push Ups are probably fine as they are, but once you get to doing 10-15 knee pushups, you might also start doing the chest press machine, or doing a bench press with dumbbells. Once you get to unsupported squats, you can start adding some weight. Some gyms have hack squat machines or leg press machines and both will work great here. Another one to consider would be a goblet squat (google it). The nice thing about this one is that it will emphasize your quadriceps a bit more, which might be good since we're hitting your glutes and hamstrings pretty hard with the hip thrusts and lunges. As to rows, feel free to skip all the ones I wrote and do a seated cable row or do something called a bent-over row with dumbbells. With leg raises, do them as listed, but if you get all the way through those, then the next logical progression is to move to hanging leg raises. These can be done on a dedicated machine (sometimes called a captain's chair). The lunge exercises are probably fine as they are, but feel free to add weight (hold some dumbbells in your hands), if you get to where the versions I listed are not enough for you. As an optional thing, if you wanted to add in one additional exercise per session, I'd do a Bicep dominated exercise one day, a Tricep dominated exercise another day, and a Calf dominated exercise the 3rd day. The actual exercise selection does not matter much, so do whatever exercise you like or whatever machine your gym has. You can even do a different one every week. Again, if you're happy without this, then skip it. it's not going to make a huge difference, because we are hitting these muscles some already. Best of luck!

I know I’m over reacting and not giving myself enough grace but I have gained a pound this week and only lost 6 lbs in a month. I’m so frustrated! I really wanted the weight to fall off after surgery and I have come to terms that it will be a slow process (even though I’m eating so much less than I was). I have even been trying to walk more. I know there is nothing really to do but keep going and it will get better, it’s just so disheartening to not to see the scale going down, especially at 5.5 weeks out.

First post in a very long time-I’m enjoying the Christmas season except for one thing. If I hear one more time I need “more meat on my bones” or that I need to put some weight on I’m going to lose it. Ironically, some of the comments come from overweight family members. I would never think to tell them they need to lose weight. 7 years out and I’m happy where I’m at!! Hope all goes well with your health concern.

Well here’s one I never thought I’d post. I just found out I’m pregnant 11 months post op. (Happy) accident (failed BC) But I’m really worried about how it’ll affect me weight wise, I was doing so well I’ve hit my goal and was 3kg away from hitting the goal I’d set for my 1 year post up next month Anyone been through this ? How did you navigate pregnancy after a sleeve ?

I just checked and at 2 months, I was down 20.6 lbs from the day of surgery. There's really not a hard and fast rule for how much you'll lose. Everyone is different and it depends on your starting point and how much you lost pre-op, too. I had some months when I lost a lot and other months where I hardly lost anything, but overall it moved steadily downward. My weight loss has stalled for the past month or so, now that I am more than a year out. The only guidelines I was given was 60g minimum of protein per day and 64oz water. I am now almost 14 months post-op and I've gone from 225 lbs on surgery day (251 was my highest, which was 6 months pre-op) to anywhere from 162-165lbs. My exercise consists of walking and that's it. I'd like to lose another 10 lbs but I'm also pretty fine with where I am as long as I don't gain (which is why I do hope to lose a bit more). I've gone from a size 22 to a size 12. I think I could still lose a bit more if I focused on cutting out some bad habits that have crept in with sweets/simple carbs, and if I increased my daily exercise to something a little more challenging than a walk. I don't count calories and I don't really track macros at this point, either. I just try to eat reasonable meals that focus on protein and veggies, and not snack too much or eat junk food too often. A typical day is either spinach frittata, Kodiak protein oatmeal, or a Greek yogurt for breakfast, plus a serving of mixed fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, grapes. Lunch is a good size spinach salad with 3oz chicken and some black beans. Dinner might be a bowl of homemade chicken, bean, and veggie soup, chili, or maybe some grilled meat and veggies. Sometimes I eat chickpea pasta with marinara and meatballs but other types of pasta and breads don't settle well. For snacks, I like string cheese and an apple, or some mixed nuts or roasted edamame. I have to be careful of overindulging in things like popcorn, candy, and cookies because they are too easy to eat without getting full (and sadly I don't get dumping from them). Red meat fills me up very quickly. The hardest thing for me now is dealing with the head hunger that makes me want to reach for food if I am bored or stressed. Getting the stuff out of the house completely is the only strategy that really works for me with that. My only real advice is don't drive yourself crazy. Just do your best each day and pay attention to your body. That's more important than counting calories. You're not on a diet! You need to figure out what you can sustain for the rest of your life, while paying attention now to the basics (protein and water, plus vitamins) to keep up your health.

I know that things slow down, and I am not necessarily feeing low about this, but I just wanted to see what others experiences were with when their weight loss started to slow down & then stop. I am 7 months post-op tomorrow, and I am still losing, but it is definitely at a slower rate than the first 3-4 months (which is of course to be expected). My surgeon said you can keep losing weight anywhere up until 16-18 months post-op: does this resonate with anyone?

Honestly, the biggest surprise has been how much my relationship with food has completely changed. I actually taste food now in a way I never did before, when you can only eat a few bites, you really pay attention to every single one. I used to mindlessly eat while watching TV, but now every meal feels intentional. It sounds weird, but I think I appreciate food more now than when I could eat unlimited amounts. I thought losing weight would just make my blood sugar easier to control, but it's been way more complicated. Some days I eat the exact same breakfast and my numbers are totally different. Also nobody really prepared me for how emotional it would be watching my medication list get shorter - getting off blood pressure meds was amazing but also this weird moment of grief thinking about all those years on pills.

^ This. Post bariatric surgery eating is really hard! Never let anyone tell you that bariatric surgery is "the easy way out"! Regarding your protein intake, let's start with an understanding of why a protein-first diet is recommended post-surgery: Primarily, we are hoping to stave off something called muscle catabolism. This is when your body basically breaks down your own muscles. This happens mostly but not entirely to meet your daily essential amino acid needs. If we eat enough protein, this significantly reduces the amount of muscle mass your body will burn. That's important because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, meaning you'll burn more calories even at rest. Most scientific literature suggests that 60 grams per day of protein is sufficient to meet your essential amino acid needs and thus hold off the bulk of the muscle catabolism that happens while on a weight loss diet. Note that some muscle catabolism is inevitable and no amount of protein intake is going to prevent that. The second reason protein is important is because protein is filling and relatively slow to digest. Studies have shown that eating more protein than the 60 grams per day minimum can help you feel more full. That basically will result in reduced overall calorie consumption. For this, amounts between 1.6 grams to 2.2 grams per day per kilogram of ideal body weight have been shown to be effective. For example, if 60 kg was your ideal body weight. protein intake between 96 and 132 grams would be suggested. I'm not sure what your surgical team told you, but since you're already getting over the 60 grams per day minimum, I'd say you're doing fantastic! As you get further out from surgery, you'll probably want to consume more, but keep in mind that all it's really doing is keeping you full longer. It's not going to sabotage your weight loss due to excess muscle loss. TL;DR: You're going fine on protein, don't sweat it.

as everyone has alluded to above, the number on the scale is often not very indicative of your overall progress. i had a goal weight and goal BMI number. turns out neither were where i wanted nor ended being at. its weird because a certain weight number looks totally different on me at different times. at one point in my life 115 looked "fat" on me. 5 years ago it looked malnourished. then 3 years ago it looked awesome. these days (i'm 6+ years out), i go by how my clothes fit me (i.e, body measurements). so long as my clothes still hang well on me, i'm all good! when they start getting looser or tighter, then i'll make efforts to correct. so i guess i'm saying if your clothes start hanging looser on you, that is a better sign of your weight loss vs. the number on the scale. good luck! 😍

I've been looking for a new job, which has been stressful since I'm trying to fit interviews around my current job, getting rejected feeling really stuck. My weight is stuck too. Losing extremely slowly the last month. The same kg up and down. I'm constantly craving food because that was my go-to for emotional times. I've not given in, but ih that craving is stil there. The UK financial year starts April 6th so I'm hoping that will mean more companies have different staff requirements and that will food the market with new jobs and that will help my stress.

Tomorrow is my 2 month surgiversary and I'm already halfway to my (numerical) weight loss goal!