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Hi all! I’m a new member of the group - I hope you’re all well! I had gastric sleeve surgery on 31st January 2023, after losing 13lbs on the pre-op diet. On the morning of my surgery, I weighed 281lbs. I lost no weight in the first week even though I was drinking my required water intake and having between 60-80g of protein a day. Today is two weeks post op. I’m officially allowed to move onto purées and so first thing this morning, I weighed myself and I’ve only lost 4lbs?? I try not to compare myself to others, but I’m so disheartened and even low key regret having the surgery now. I keep seeing people reporting a stone weight loss in a week, 12 lbs a week, 8 lbs the second week etc and so I assumed this would be the same for me. I’ve been very strict with my post op diet and making sure to get in at least 30 mins of movement a day. I’ve typically been consuming protein shakes, water, protein yogurt, tomato soups and the odd sugar-free/fat free children’s ice cream lolly. I feel like I’m doing something wrong, and feel like a bit of a failure. I feel like my body is actively working against me. I spoke to my bariatric nurse who just said ‘you’re still healing, give it time’, but I don’t know if it’s just an excuse.

Hmm. Sounds like lots of us had significant weight regain or never met goal. I also found out that my severe GERD that started immediately after the sleeve surgery is due to a hiatal hernia (also not there pre surgery). My choices? A sleeve revision, bypass, or be content with where I am. I’d love to hear what choices you all are making. thank you 😊

I’d also add that carrying your weight with your current co morbidities you have seriously compromised your health & longevity & it will only get worse. The surgery will help you lose the weight so you can live a longer, healthier life with her. Remind her you’ve dieted before & yet here you are. You need the extra help & opportunities surgery offers.

I wasn’t given calories either just portion sizes. Started at 1/4 - 1/3 cup slowly increasing to about a cup by my goal at 6 months. I was a low calorie consumer so barely 900 at 6 months but that was me. I found, that as your dietician suggested I slowly increased as I was able to eat more & needed more. By the time I was stabilising (around 18months) I was following more accepted recommended portion sizes: 3-4oz protein, up to a cup vegetables & eating around 1300 calories (now about 14400) which is about appropriate for my age, height, weight & activity level. But that was me. Your needs likely will be different.

Small, fine strainers (tea strainers are good) to ensure any soups you eat a completely free of lumpy or fibrous (herbs) bits. Zip lock bags for freezing single serve portions. (I even use them for soup. Measuring cups & spoons & scales with small weight increments. Baby spoon & fork or buffet spork small bowls & side plates if you don’t have any blender, stick blender, NutriBullet or similar. Have all your over the counter meds ready - non NSAID pain meds like tylenole, stool softener or similar, soluble fibre, electrolyte drinks, gas X, Imodium, recommended multivitamins, etc. The best shake question can be challenging as many find their taste buds change & the shake or flavour they enjoyed before surgery they can’t tolerate after. Have a couple of flavours & brands on hand. Have a range of soups (cream, consommés, bone broths) on have in case you really struggle with the shakes too. Don’t worry about buying clothes yet and even then buy very few. You may already have smaller sizes in your cupboards or you may drop so quickly it’s not worth the money - except if your pants/skirts/knickers are falling down 😁. All the best.

Since everybody is different here are my stats. I am currently a little over 1.5 years after revision to rny (gerd reasons). I am 5'3, in my 60s, no formal exercising, currently averaging around 1500 cal total calories, and weigh 107.7 lbs. I stayed about 800 cal till I got to my first basic goal weight (140 lbs). Then I upped it a little each month till my weight loss slowly leveled off. I was (and still am) slowly losing weight as I grapple with finding my maintenance calorie level. I do look at my net calories for interest but I do not go by net calories since the calories burned calculations are notoriously wrong.

Hi. i am new here and I am having my Bypass on the 20th of February. Any surgery Buddy who wants to share notes on how they are managing the pre-op weight-loss? Sent from my 2201116SG using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi. i am new Here and I am having my Bypass in the 20th of February. Any surgery Buddy who wants to share noted on how they are managing the pre-op weight-loss? Sent from my 2201116SG using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello. I am new here. I'm already finding this forum very informative. I have my first initial consult with the bariatric surgeon next week. I know I have to tell my wife and frankly I do not know how she will react. Knowing her she will say I don't need surgery, I just need to stop snacking particularly at night. I really want her support if I decide to have WLS, probably the original gastric bypass. I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I am now 67. I was on the original Atkins in 1971. I have yo-yo dieted many times. I don't think I am morbidly obese and I hide my weight well but my BMI is 37%. I have enjoyed bicycling and at one point about 20 years ago I was riding a lot 2-3 hour 4-5 times a week. Even then I was not able to lose much and always struggled up every hill. I take medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol, GERD and type II diabetes. My other main motivation is to get off my medications. I understand this will be a transformative procedure if I choose to have it and will radically need to alter the way I eat. I think I am prepared for that. Any suggestions on "selling" the idea to my wife would be appreciated. I know I would enjoy bicycling much more and probably ride more. I do still work some, about 20 hours a week. I work at home. Thank you.

I've been in therapy for a few months because my body image is really out of whack. While I don't think I am the same size I once was, my concept of what I look like is about 50 pounds behind, and to this day I still pick up clothing thinking there is no way it is ever going to fit only to find out it's too big (even clothes I already own!). I was carrying the majority of my weight in my trunk, so almost all my excess skin is on my neck and stomach. The neck is snapping back slowly, but my stomach would probably need surgery before I would feel comfortable wearing a bikini in public. (I read somewhere that if a part of your body had stretch marks on it, it's less likely to bounce back entirely due to the scar tissue, and that lines up with my experience, I only had stretch marks on my belly and bustline and those are the two most stubbornly saggy areas.)

I am 1 month post-op today and I’m down about 18 lbs. I healed quickly, I’ve been back on the treadmill since week 2 and am walking 2+ miles a day. I had very little pain post surgery and I have had NO problems with any foods. To the point where I feel like I SHOULD be having more difficulty. I have lost little if any weight since January 25th. A girlfriend thinks I’m consuming too many calories. I am eating between 800-1000 calories a day, but burning between 400-500 on the treadmill daily. I’m tall. 5’8” and my SW was 290. CW is 272. I started the pre-op diet at 303.2. Am I eating too many calories? Should I feel ok that my NET calories daily are closer to 500-600 calories a day? I feel like my mind is slipping into that dark space where I feel like this surgery is gonna be a failure. Like…. The weight just isn’t going to come off. I know this “stall” was to be expected…. But I would feel better with more directions aside from meet your protein and fluids (which I’m doing). Would love to hear your thoughts.

Keep doing what you are doing. It's not uncommon to have frequently plateaus and then drop 5-10 pounds. also if you are lifting weights you will gain muscle mass as well and may not show a loss but that is fine. I had my surgery Nov 2021 and I am still losing and go up and down 3-5 lbs depending on the month. :) I have surpassed my goal weight and don't focus so much on the scale. I may weigh once a month if that. Just be mindful of your water and protein and the rest will follow.

I think I was pretty much exactly where you are at 3 months post op! My team went one step further and didn't give me ANY goals at all. Just food consistency phases. I learned how to eat and what to eat mainly by reading this forum. I think I still had to push myself to reach 800 calories a day - I remember at that stage often having to take a few spoons of nut butter or some cheese at bedtime just to hit the 800 some nights but I never wanted to eat any less than that. I was drinking alcohol at weekends by then too so my intake was well over 1000 on two days a week - that was by choice though. It may have slowed my weight loss a little but luckily it didn't stop me reaching goal. I mainly walked, but I walked *very* fast and did (still do) it several days a week. I have never adjusted my intake to make allowances for that - never felt the need. I was very conscious of squeezing every pound of loss that I could over the 'honeymoon period' when I wasn't hungry - with my own personal concession being a couple of glasses of wine on Fri and Sat night. Over the months my calories have kind of drifted upwards really - never planned. I can just eat a bit more before I get full, and I get properly hungry now which forces me to eat again at the most 3 hours later - at 3 months out I was pretty much eating by the clock to get 100 or so calories in every 2-3 hours. You had your surgery almost exactly a year after me and you started 4lbs heavier. I've just looked at my diary and this time last year I was...218lb exactly, same as you today. What are the chances? You are doing brilliantly. 😍

I was eating around 800 for most of that first year. I went over 1000 at around the year mark. Your weight loss WILL slow down and do some yo-yoing the further out you go, so that's not abnormal. As long as your overall trend is down, you're still good.

How did you know it was time to up your calories? I am 3 months post op and averaging about 750-850 calories a day. I am hitting my recommended protein and fluid goals. I recently started working out regularly and burn about 250-400 calories a day from exercise (according to my Apple Watch). I am starting to wonder if I am not eating enough and it is hindering my weight loss. I am still losing, just slowly, and it is more of a yo yo type loss. I am worried about not properly fueling myself and wrecking my metabolism. I am not feeling overly hungry or deprived. My dietitian/surgeon won't give out calorie goals. They take the approach that if you follow the protein/fluid/serving size guidelines, everything else will fall into place naturally. They want us to track what we eat, but only focus on protein. It's hard, because on MFP all the other numbers are right in your face (calories/macros). Just curious what your calorie intake looked like around 3-4 months post op and how you knew it was time to adjust your calorie goals as you progressed. Thanks!

Great for you! That’s wonderful, I love the bariatric store, it had wonderful cookies that are all protein and fiber. They are pricey though, but worth it! I’m exactly one year out and still losing, though it had slowed considerably. I have 11 pounds to go, then will be within normal weight range. Will be at the top, but at my age, I’m not necessarily trying to get back to 120-130. If I get there, great. If not, I’m a lot healthier than I was before.

I’m 59. I had surgery last September on the 26. I’ve lost 49 lbs. when I weighed last on January 8th of this year. I know I’ve lost more because I’m fitting into a medium and large. It’s very hard to not graze. Try ordering from BariatricPal. Everything there is healthy you can’t miss. That’s what I’m do ping and I’m loosing weight by the week. Focus on your protein shakes, water and do your snacks. If you want sweets you can have that too. Look whatever you want to eat look for it in there. I felt like eating pancakes the other day. I ordered BariatricPal pancakes with the zero sugar. You don’t have to make a large order . Whatever you feel like eating just order it. I eat everything and since I started to get ready for my surgery last September I’ve lost 94 lbs. Try it you won’t be sorry.

Have to admit I’m very surprised by your PCP’s attitude about this. If your post surgical plan says not to swallow meds or take slow release meds for a period of time, you would expect your PCP to be supportive. The main reason slow release meds are avoided is because of possible absorption issues (more common with bypass but can happen with sleeve). Many, many people successful change their meds to non timed release. It is possible. What will your doctor do when you need to reduce your BP dosage as you lose weight?? I’d ask my pharmacist too about alternatives so you’re more informed about options when you go back to your PCP. As @The Greater Fool said it’s highly likely your meds were first formulated as non time released.

Thank you! I never struggled with body dysmorphia until I started losing weight. I definitely understand that it takes time, it is just such a weird experience. I look at myself now, down 86 lbs and I don't see a difference, I feel like I look exactly the same, even though my clothes size has shrank and the scale says differently. I look at before photos and see a difference, but when it comes to just walking by the mirror and looking, I feel nothing. I feel like I should be proud of how far I have come and the struggles, but nothing. I talked to my doctor who said he would be happy to refer me to a therapist if need be. I am going to wait it out for at least a year and see if my mindset changes. I am only 7 months out. I just got a comment about my weight! It was so uncomfortable. An old guy asked if my husband had stopped feeding me because I had lost a lot of weight. He then asked if I was ok. It was awful. People can be so rude!

Hello. I am new here. I have my first initial consult with the bariatric surgeon next week. I know I have to tell my wife and frankly I do not know how she will react. Knowing her she will say I don't need surgery, I just need to stop snacking particularly at night. I really want her support if I decide to have WLS, probably the original gastric bypass. I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I am now 67. I was on the original Atkins in 1971. I have yo-yo dieted many times. I don't think I am morbidly obese and I hide my weight well but my BMI is 37%. I have enjoyed bicycling and at one point about 20 years ago I was riding a lot 2-3 hour 4-5 times a week. Even then I was not able to lose much and always struggled up every hill. I take medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol, GERD and type II diabetes. My other main motivation is to get off my medications. I understand this will be a transformative procedure if I choose to have it and will radically need to alter the way I eat. I think I am prepared for that. Any suggestions on "selling" the idea to my wife would be appreciated. I know I would enjoy bicycling much more and probably ride more. I do still work some, about 20 hours a week. I work at home. Thank you.

Every insurance company is different but it’s usually a medically supervised weight loss program (someone correct me if I’m wrong please). To know for sure you need to ask the insurance company directly. Also there may or may not be a separate requirement from the Bariactric practice so check that as well. If the owner of the spa is a licensed medical professional or there was a nutritionist on staff that may work. Even so you can ask your referring doctor to add your previous weightloss attempts with the spa to your records as a back up. Here is Cigna’s info on Bariatric surgery (it’s long but page 2 describes what you are looking for) https://static.cigna.com/assets/chcp/pdf/coveragePolicies/medical/mm_0051_coveragepositioncriteria_bariatric_surgery.pdf

Hi everyone !!! I recently decided to try the gastric sleeve option which my doctor supported. I am currently 223 pounds 5’2 so my bmi qualifies. Family history of diabetes and hypertension and heart disease cholesterol you name it they got it. The question I have is about the necessary documentation as far as documentation of weight loss within the previous 12 months. I had been going to Urban Skin solutions weight loss mes spa. Trying lipo injections and phertamine to no avail I have the documents which show my bmi and weight for every visit. Would this be enough ?

I had the same issue as you, bad reflux! My dr agreed on a revision from sleeve to duodenal switch. Im 6 days post opp, lets hope i can drop the rest of my weight

Your frustration is palpable and I’m sorry you feeling disappointed and that you weren’t given this information before surgery. Even if you feel like your weight loss has somehow been capped you when you reach a stall you stall you might consider switching it up with a focus on weight training. What our surgeries don’t take away is our ability to sculpt our bodies by adding lean muscle. That’s still within your power. I’ve really enjoyed weight training in the past - it’s given me so much confidence to see myself grow stronger and the Protein focused diet can be similar to what is encouraged of us post surgery. I hope it’s an option you consider to move past this roadblock.

I'm 2.5 years post-op from gastric bypass. I think weight loss surgery can help make major changes to your relationship with food and eating, but it takes a lot of time and work to undo the habits and mindset you've developed throughout your life up to this point. I had read that a lot of people experience changes in their tastes after surgery, and I hoped that would be the case for me but was not optimistic. I mentioned this hope to the psychiatrist during my psych eval for the surgery, and he kind of laughed at this idea and told me not to count on it. I've always been a picky eater with a long list of vegetables and cuisines that I wouldn't eat. Some people say that after surgery, food tastes different (e.g., anything sweet tastes too sweet), but that was not my experience, so I figured I wasn't one of the lucky ones whose tastes would change. Well, fast-forward to now and my tastes have changed... sort of. It's hard to explain because foods taste the same now as they did before surgery, but my likes and dislikes have changed a lot. I used to hate seafood and now I love it. I eat all kinds of vegetables that I used to hate. I'm not sure if my tastes have changed or I just have more of an open mind, or maybe having to go through the pre-op liquid diet and post-op stages made me appreciate real food more when I reintroduced it. Either way, I'm eating healthy foods every day and loving them. Before surgery, I loved watching cooking shows like Top Chef and Great British Baking Show. For the first several months after surgery, I couldn't bear to watch cooking shows. I hated even seeing food commercials on TV. It just made me sad and angry to see foods that I could no longer eat. But eventually, I got to a point where I could see food and cooking without the emotional attachment. I can watch Great British Baking Show and appreciate the cakes and cookies they make without being sad that I can't eat them. Once I got to the point of reintroducing solid food, I put a lot of effort into recreating "bariatric-friendly" versions of foods I used to eat -- especially pizza. Pizza was my kryptonite, and before surgery, I could not get enough pizza. I could have eaten pizza every day and never gotten tired of it. After surgery, I tried chicken crust pizza, and making pizza with low-carb tortilla for the crust, topped with sugar-free marinara, low fat mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni. But I also started trying healthy recipes that I found on Pinterest, and eventually, I stopped craving pizza. I haven't had anything resembling pizza (even a healthy version) in well over a year and I don't care. If you put two plates in front of me, one with a slice of pizza and one with grilled salmon and roasted vegetables, I would go straight for the salmon and not even be tempted by the pizza. This is just wild to me because three years ago, I wouldn't have eaten salmon if it were the only food available, and I never could have passed up a slice of pizza. Sometimes I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience because before surgery, I couldn't imagine being the health nut with a refrigerator full of fresh produce and no junk food in the house, eating grilled fish and cauliflower rice and salad with fat-free dressing, but here I am. I am constantly finding new, healthy, delicious recipes. Every single day, I eat healthy food and think, "Holy crap, this is delicious!" I honestly enjoy food more now than I did when I was eating whatever I wanted with wild abandon. It took me a long time to get here, and I can't promise that you or anyone else will have the same experiences after weight loss surgery, but my relationship with food has changed more than I could have imagined.