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Wow I had surgery on the same day and I've only lost 7 congrats on your weight loss

Good for you! The first two weeks you tend to drop a lot of water weight. Depending on your weight, they say the first 10-20 lbs is water weight. It's normal. Then it slows down to about 1-5 lbs per week. Make sure you get that protein in though, and plenty of liquids. You don't want to end up dehydrated and with your hair falling out. I, for one, was getting maybe 20 oz of water in a day (counting 2 protein shakes made with water) and started getting very dizzy and strong migraines...I was getting dehydrated really bad. I upped my water intake using lemon ice tea crystal light, because water tasted gross to me after surgery, and I began to feel better within a day.

I've had many surgeries...c-section, nephrectomy, gallbladder removal, lapband. When my band slipped I lost all hope and gained all my weight back. I had RNY less than two months ago and I'm already down 50 lbs!!! The doctor took out the lapband at the same time. I only stayed in the hospital 2 days and have had no complications. I was scared to death, but this has been the best weight loss decision i've ever made. In my opinion RNY is the way to go.

Every one loses at their own rate. There is no right or wrong amount of weight to lose each week. Yes, there may be average amounts of loss people who are similar height, weight, age, gender, etc. may have in common. As long as you see the trend of your weight loss going down you’re succeeding. The amount you lose each week will also slow as you progress. It is possible you are experiencing a stall as has been suggested. These are extremely common. We talk about the three week stall but that first one can happen at week 2, 3, 4, 5 …. It’s just your body taking a breath & trying to catch up with the changes (surgery, weight loss, reduced calories, dietary changes,…). You will likely have other stalls as you’re losing. We’ve all been on that gain, lose, gain roller coaster. Personally I know the reason I always regained after losing was because the diets I was on weren’t sustainable or I just went back to the same old way of eating. I’d start regaining a couple of weeks after the diet ended. The difference this time is that I work at sticking to the changes I made to how I eat, what I eat, why I eat every day. I have many years ahead of me but I’m going to work my butt off to try to stay my course cause that desire to go down my old path is always there. I just understand it & manage it better now. Your success starts & ends in your head. It’s not just what you put in your mouth. You have to do the head work. Many do this with the help of a therapist, others do it themselves. There are lots of people here who are happy to share experiences & offer support. Follow your plan, meet your protein goals, get your fluids in, be more active and your weight loss will continue. You’ll get there.

Hello, I am three weeks out and I have lost 24 pounds. Am I on par with everyone else? It seemed like I was loosing 2 lbs a day but now I am down to two every other day. I've also been able to eat a little more than I could up until now. I'm afraid I am pushing my stomach to the limits trying to get get Protein and fluids and I'm afraid I'm stretching my stomach back out. Am I just paranoid?

Sounds good, thanks :-) Yes, she has a very traditional view of weight loss. "Diet and exercise!" When I did mention WLS once, she started talking about all the other options I should be exploring versus having WLS. I tried explaining that to get to the point of requiring WLS, you HAVE tried everything.

Hi Shaonnatay and welcome. Your weight loss is slower than some, but it's still an impressive loss. Congratulations.

Even when I was the lowest amount of weight in my mid twenties I still perceived myself as fat. Something else to work on I guess... I complained a lot one day about it and my Mom got fed up and drove me to the grocery store and had me hold up 2 thirty pound bags of potatoes and she told me that I used to carry that weight. That alone really put into perspective how my body had changed as I struggled to hold on to them and carry them around. You sometimes cant help how you feel but try to redirect your thoughts to remind yourself of where you have come from. Well done on your weight loss

Wow!!! You look like from 'the text book of gastric sleeve' you look amazing and your hair looks great, if you hadn't mentioned I would I have even commented saying 'lovely hair' now i gotta add... 'Gorgeous hair' I have my surgery in 5 days... And I m getting all worked up, seems a lot of emotions I m going thru..... You just motivated me a whole lot???? Thankyou for sharing????

You are officially my hero. We're starting at about the same weight & height. I am amazed at the weight loss you gave experienced in only one year!!! I was sitting today thinking about how much I could realistically expect in a year, and realized I had 130# to loose. Thanks for sharing! I'm inspired!

This has nothing to do with weight loss or surgery or anything. I'm self diagnosing here... I'm pretty sure I have something called Misophonia, which, according to WebMD is a "disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable give the circumstance". Certain noises DRIVE ME NUTS! I can't stand mouth noises in particular. Mouth noises are lip smacking, throat clearing, loud chewing, etc...... It's the worst!!!! Of course, a coworker does all of these things, so I feel insane right now! UGH!!! I wish I could just not let it bother me, but that's not how this works.

My doctor recommends the Slim fast low carb shakes too! Don't stress too much regarding the fat content. I was told that we need enough fat as well as Protein in our diet to prevent hair loss.

85 pounds gone forever Great advice from@Berry78. Hunger changes and weight loss slows down as you get further out from surgery. Seems to be a normal experience. You still have restriction, but, you can also take in more volume. It will take a bit of trial and error to find what fills you up and what macronutrient ratios (protein, fats , carbs) keep you in weight loss mode. Volume for me at three years is a bit over 8oz of food. I just had a salad 4.2 oz peppered turkey, half a piece of bacon, 4oz dole salad and lite dressing. I ate half of it..took a break..then finished the rest. I agree, The fiber and bulk of your vegetables will help you feel more satisfied. Changing foods to have more variety may help quite hunger. Keep healthy salty sweet snack options on hand. Something to try for exercise, rotate what you do. Don't do the same workout over and over. You are right. increase the intensity. Try intervals. Walk a song five mins. push the intensity five mins repeat the process for the whole workout. You will get stronger and your pace will increase over time. Hope you find what works for you.

Congratulations on your weight loss and your 1 year surgiversary! I am exactly 1 year today. Great advice from these ladies and I finally clued in a couple of weeks ago and started keeping a ziplock bag in the fridge with cucumber slices, red peppers and baby carrots. I still weigh everything that I put in my mouth, even the fresh veggies. The fresh veggies have helped me a lot over the past few days, because the hunger started coming back for me at around 10 months. I upped my calories 1100-1250 a day and didn't realize until a few days ago that that is why I have been at a stall for over 2 months! Why am I such a slow learner? Duh. Keep up the awesome work, you are almost there!

Congrats A.J.!!!!!!!! That is such great news.... your weight loss is inspiring. I'm 10 days post op and have lost 15 lbs... I don't get my first fill until Jan. 18 so for now I'm sticking to eating no more than a half a cup while taking my Vitamins and getting the Fluid in. I don't know about you but I can't wait to countdown to the New Year because this New Year it will finally happen that I'll lose weight.....yay!!!!! I too am trying to figure out how to paste that ticker as well. There is a previous blog about it but I still didn't get it. If someone can give a step by step on how you post it for those of us who aren't that tech savy(lol) would be greatly appreciated. Continued success to you A.J.

Hello, My name is JJ. This week I have taken the first step in getting my health together. My insurance covers weight loss surgery after 6 months of supervised dieting. Today I saw my GP and she is completely supportive of this journey, and was genuinely honest about it being a tool, not a cure all. I appreciate the honesty. I have chosen a Dr. and will attend his seminar in a few days. At that point I will fill out the paperwork and go from there. About a year ago I had a major surgery that improved my health by 75%. Since then I realize how great I can feel, and the immense pleasure of being a part of life without pain. My BMI is 41. I am 5'1" and 219lbs @ 39 yrs of age. I have thyroid disease (hypo), high triglycerides, mild sleep apnea, depression (after losing a child) and am pre-diabetic. Around 10 years ago all self-esteem issues vanished for me after the birth of our child. I finally started living life as much as possible, only being held back by pain. I buy clothes that fit, and look nice, and never agonize about what I am wearing or how it fits. I take care to look up to date, and presentable for me. I like looking nice and feeling good. My husband is FABULOUS. When we met I was around 150 and as I grew through the years his devotion and commitment to me grew even deeper. He's not a chubby chaser, but loves me and respects me. He looks like a male model still, and I have grown obese. I know I have a good, good man. My goal is to feel as great as I can, be 100% a part of life, and come off of all my meds. I am ready for this change. Thank you to everyone that is so forthcoming on this site. Just what I have read in the last few days has helped with questions and curiousness!

I, too. am waiting for insurance approval. I requested a copy of my insurance company's policy on weight loss surgery. I reviewed it, and my primary care physician and endocrinologist agreed with me that I met all of their criteria. Letters of medical necessity from my doctors were mailed out last week. I enclosed all information I gathered about the Bariatric Program at Portstmouth Regional Hospital, New Hampshire. So now I am playing the waiting game. Next week I am meeting with the Bariatric Coordinator, Nutritionist, Physical Therapist, and Psychologist - all on the same day, as I live 2 hours away. I will be staying the night before, as I plan to attend the Support Group that evening. I am determined, and I feel I have done my homework, so to speak. I found on the website that there are sample letters of appeal you can send to your insurance company. Be strong, be determined and don't give up. Best of luck to you sweetie. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Rachel

Thanks Lil, Thats interesting reading. I like the bit about weight loss stopping after 2 weeks, thats exactly what happened to me even though I was still not eating close to what I did before. I know its normal but still hard to accept. It will start moving again!! Elsie

I don't know what Lupron is...why do you have to take it? Maybe with some more info we could all put our heads together and maybe find a way to help you jump start some weight loss. If it is another health issue, it may have to be taken one step at a time. When I originally looked into the band, I was unable to follow through due to a cancer diagnosis. Following treatment, and surgery, I was not interested in doing anything to be honest except live! Then as time went on, the thoughts returned...and here I am. The point being, sometimes other health issues have to take the priority slot...but that doesn't mean it is permanent! If you could let us know what else is going on, maybe we can help a little. I am sorry you feel like a loser, I don't sense that about you at all! I see someone battling more than one issue, and that is never easy!! Hang in there!!! Kat

Yep, the surgery disrupts the hair growth cycle. Pregnancy does, too. In both cases, if you're getting enough Protein and taking your Vitamins, most of the hair lost is hair that would have been lost, gradually, over the time since surgery. (Ordinarily, we shed ~50-100 hairs/day. After surgery, we hang on to those hairs instead of shedding them daily; then, BAM! They all come out, seemingly at once. But most of what we lose is hair that would have come out gradually and less dramatically over time if we hadn't had surgery.) Do make sure you're getting enough protein. Biotin can't hurt. And if you're losing a lot, I've heard that a salon regimen of Nioxin is really helpful. (Have a hair person set you up with the right regimen for your needs.)

My hair was clogging drain and vacuum at about months 3-7! I got plenty of protein and took biotin. It's finally getting better. What's bad is when it starts growing back in and you have all these little spriggy hairs sticking up all over your head!! UGH!!!

I would see those little spriggy hairs as a very good thing!!!!

congrats on your 100 pounds weight loss and a speedy recovery from your surgery!!!! you must look awesome and fell great--you should be proud of yourself and walk with a new found confidence!!!!irish

@@chilepeppr4 welcome to the boards. You'll learn lots here. You have a beautiful family! Your post really jumped out at me...maybe because I see myself 15-20 years ago. My highest weight was 325 at 5'4" tall. I spent my children's youth alternately dieting and indulging. A few times I got down below 290, and once I even got down to 230. The older I got, though, the less success I had. By the time I hit 50, I wasn't able to lose weight at all. I had so much to lose, and it came off so slowly (maybe a pound or 2, or nothing a month) that I just was in despair. I hated being fat, I hated that I had spent my youth and my child rearing years morbidly obese. I can never get those years back. While I was fortunate regarding health, obesity was starting to threaten my health with blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol rising. I was becoming more and more sedentary. I had prided myself on my ability to move easily and partake in all life's activities. I had really made an effort not to let obesity hold me back, but the truth is, it did. So, I decided to have WLS three years ago, and was sleeved in December 2012. I lost 145 pounds in 14 months, and I'm maintaining that loss. Honestly, losing the 145 pounds was pretty easy with the sleeve. I was willing to do what it took - have a painful surgery, go a couple of months without eating (2 week liquid before surgery and about a month of full liquids after), commit to a lifestyle change of ALWAYS watching what I eat, and exercising. I was ready for a change, so I wasn't one of those who mourned food as a coping mechanism. I was glad to be free of it. Hunger was gone for the first year or so. Fast forward to today - I can eat enough to be like a normal person. I can eat whatever I want, though the quantity is less than before surgery. I consciously watch what I eat - every bite. I log it all. I do get hungry now, but it is reasonable hunger. I also know that I could be right back up to 325 pounds if I stop doing that. I didn't know that before I had surgery, and in the early days, I thought I was "cured" of obesity. Turns out, the sleeve gave me a fighting chance at a healthy weight, but these days, it's mostly me. I'm worth it, so I keep doing all the things I need to do, even when I really don't feel like it. That's a super long response, but I just wanted to share my experience with you. Even with a lot of weight to lose, if you put the work in, you can lose it. It's not a miracle, but sometimes it still feels like one to me! The quality of my life is greatly improved. My adult children always marvel at how fun I am now. I didn't know I wasn't before, but glad I am now. That is a direct result of losing the weight. Congratulations on your decision to take control of your life!

Sorry you are feeling down. Fast food was a real dowfall for me too. I was pretty good at not buying junk at the store, but would go out for fast food instead of eating the healthy stuff I bought. I find since I haven't had it in so long, I don't miss it very much. I would just go cold turkey and break the habit. Just tell yourself fast food is not an option for you. That's what I did anyway. Also, are you excersising? It has so many benefits, just one being weight loss. It's tough to start, but it will become a matter of routine. It took me about 4 months post op to hit the gym. Now I go about 5 days a week. Good luck, you can do it!