Search the Community

CROSS POST Hey all! I'm a 3 timer (I've had all 3 surgeries: lap band, sleeve, and bypass, currently underweight, struggling to keep weight up after losing colon in emergency surgery about 10mths ago but still remember what being overweight was like). My cousin had the VSG about 2 yrs ago at almost 400 lbs and has been semi successful and has lost close to 175lbs but over the past 9 mths or so has plateaued becuz of numerous "reasons" (moving across country marital woes, works stress, you name the stress, heredity,, etc.). She has reached out to me for help, as I admin a FB group for people with wls's + i was fairly successful (before I lost my colon, lol ) as she's desperate for help before it gets out of hand. She's gained 10 lbs in the past 10 mths since moving cross country and doesn't want to continue on. So, for the past month (and yes, even during the holidays), she's kept a strict journal which she always during her active losing phase. She sent me the last few days worth. I was dismayed to see her intake/output. Literally I think she's starving herself. She's taking in 662 calories a day and exercising 280 . This means she's getting in maybe 380 cals a day. And shes' a special needs teacher and a mom of a 6 yr old! OMG! She's drinking a lo cal protein shake for bfast and lunch and eating a super lo cal protein/veg dinner. She's getting in plenty of water and her vits, luckily. I think she's starving. But she said she's tried every variation of every single meal variation out there and she's frustrated she wants to cry. She's been on every "diet" her entire life and this sleeve was her saving grace and the only thing that worked - for a minute. Until the honeymoon was over. It's been about 2 yrs and now the hard work actually starts and I've told her this. Ok, I just got this info from her when I asked her how much protein she was getting: 109 gms a day. MFP shows only 35%. And she downloaded the ACTUAL MFP pie chart to prove to me this WAS the case and OMG! This is TRUE. Since when is MFP encouraging people to get almost 300 gms of protein a day? What protein u don't use, u pee out. Unless u r an unlucky few that r prone to kidney disease and then u get kidney dz! Seems ridiculous. Almost 300 gms!? And now they charge u? I told her she really doesn't need more than 70-80. I need some input on how to help her. Some ,meal/snacking solutions. I dont think she needs to know that she needs to increase her protein as she's already getting an overabundance in that department. Maybe something her dr can do for her? Tests or something? Metabolism tests? Is this done with blood or what? Or can it be done by a RD? HELP! Marci X POSTED

Good morning! I am scheduled for a sleeve to Roux en Y revision on February 7th due to horrible GERD. Highest weight ever was 245. Lost down to 165 and now sitting at 200. Excited and nervous at the same time. I love the support and advise on this forum.

I need help. I am 5’ tall and 63 years old. I had RNY in 2017 at 233 lbs. Goal was 145 lbs which took over a year but I made it. After a 25 lb regain, I had a revision in 2022 because the opening was twice the size it should be. My current weight is 160 lbs. I want to drop 15 lbs to reach my original 145 lb goal weight. I am always hungry. Nutritionist said I would be a good candidate for Wegovy. I am worried sick about weight regain.

I had the surgery last year when I was 62. Only regret was waiting so long but I never had the funds before. I feel so well now and am super happy with my weight loss so far

when I was in the weight loss phase, I weighed myself daily except for when I was in a stall - then I'd just weigh about once a week until the stall broke. Once I hit maintenance, I started weighing about once a week.

You see your biggest drops the first month or two. As others have said or implied, weight loss drops off the further out you are from surgery, and the closer you get to a normal BMI. You're obviously starting at a lower BMI than I did, but it took me 20 months to lose all my excess weight. After I hit the year mark, I was losing about 2 lbs a month, despite working pretty hard at it.

I weigh myself once every morning and log it in an app. If I am at home, I weigh myself all the time, just to look at the number. I have a scale in the restroom, so if I go in to brush my hair, for example, I step on it. lol Weight fluctuations don't bother me. Probably because I have a history of water retention.

I weighed myself weekly to begin with, but once it became clear that I was going to be a serial-staller, I stopped weekly weigh ins and went with bi-weekly to monthly. As I got closer to goal, I weighed myself less and less, letting months go by. I found that actually really healthy, mentally. So I hit milestones like "under 100kg", and finally "goal weight" without even realising until weeks later. Obsessing about the scale isn't helpful. I could feel my clothes getting looser, which was much more significant, and I was sticking to my plan so even when weight loss slowed down, I knew I was heading in the right direction.

I would say that estimate is likely conservative. You're starting at low BMI, as I did. Your prognosis is very good. Many low BMI patients lose all (or almost all) of their excess weight. These are two great videos that talk about weight loss in low BMI patients:

To celebrate reaching my goal weight (95% excess weight loss), I had a DexaScan done to measure my body fat percentage. I'm at 20.6%, which is in the Ideal range for my age. The scan revealed that my weight loss was mostly fat and not muscle.

Some people lose less, some lose more, but you lose more pounds per month the higher your BMI. I lost 23 pounds the first month, but I was also well over 300 pounds. I lost 16 pounds the second month and 17 pounds the third month and only 7 pounds the fourth month and 11 pounds the fifth. My point is... your weight loss isn't going to be steady. It'll be all over the place. And even if your numbers are smaller... every pounds adds up. I reached my goal weight in 18 months (admittedly I did have the gain back that happens during your second year leading up to your third, partially due to a med that made me gain weight, but I'm still satisfied with my weight loss which is maintaining at 186-191. I'm 189 today. But I'm also having my monthly so I'm sure it'll go down again after the fact lol. TMI, sorry.). Technically speaking I still lost over the amount that was projected for me. My lowest weight according to my surgeon's office was estimated to be around 189 pounds (where I'm today) but I got down to 175 at my lowest. It was estimated that I'd end up at 199 during the gain back period when I hit 3 years. I'm at 189 currently and my 3 year surgiversary is about 2 weeks away. So you can certainly lose more than you surgeon says, but it's very much about your own body, metabolism, and dedication. I mean, I honestly feel like I could have lost another 10-15 pounds if I'd been super strict with my diet, but I didn't feel like I could have maintained that and kept my sanity. During the weight loss phase I took that time to learn a new way to eat in a sustainable way. Being super restrictive just is not something that I can do for the rest of my life to keep off an extra 10-15 pounds. My dietician says that the way I chose to go about things is healthier and sustainable and my blood work looks great so I'm clearly getting enough nutrition with my diet and my weight has been steady and maintained for the last 6 months (for almost a year before that it maintained at 179-183, but the stupid med made me gain weight. It's been maintaining where it's at now though for 6 months, so that's good). Just, take your doctors numbers into account and then try and smash them if you can lol. Also, sorry for the long post. I'm an aspie so sometimes I do give out what some think of as pointless info that they feel they don't need, but hopefully this did help you in some way. That was the intent, anyway.

There are a few things you can rely on during this process. And all of them are okay. None are wrong or right. Everyone loses at their own rate. Some lose more quickly. Others lose more slowly. Many factors influence this including, age, gender, pre existing health conditions, medications, etc. Hence the range of possible loss your surgeon suggested in your first month. The more you have to lose, the faster you’ll lose at first. Everyone’s rate of loss slows as they get closer to their final weight. Stalls happen. You will have times the scales won’t move. The first often occurs around week 3+/- & they often last 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your plan & your weight loss will start again. Not every one reaches their goal & some exceed their goal. The average loss at the three year mark is about 65% of the weight you were to lose to put you in a healthy range. I’d expect that is where the 55lb weight loss your surgeon has suggested comes from. Like you, my BMI was 35. I’d lost all my weight by 6 months but continued to lose for another 11 months while sitting out my maintenance, albeit very slowly, to about where I am now. But that was my journey. Yours could be similar or different & that’s okay. All the best with your surgery & journey.

I am driving myself crazy with pre-op jitters but anyhow. I have a BMI of 35 and my doctor told me to expect to lose 55ish pounds from surgery. I read you lose 8 to 16 pounds first month so I am confused everywhere I read says it takes 18 months to reach that weight. How is that so if I lose 8 to 16 pounds a month? I don't know if weight loss is much slower than what I am reading because I have a lower bmi. Can anyone clarify?

It's now been nearly 3 years since my surgery (34 months), and a year and a half since this post, so I thought I'd post an update. Mostly, I'm still gloriously happy with my results! I still have my protein powder latte most mornings, and eat 2 eggs about every other day. I still aim for 6000 steps a day and get them about 2/3 days. I did indeed lose and then regain. When I made this post at the 18 month mark, I was 140 lbs (down from 208 before surgery). I hit my low point of 136 lbs at 23 months. I'm currently 142 lbs. (Though a few lbs might be holiday/too-cold-to-walk weight - 139-141 lbs has been my usual for the 6-8 months.) But curiously, I also went down a pants size in the past year as I was slowly regaining - from size 6 to size 4. So I expect that a few pounds of the regain could be muscle lost during the rapid weight loss phase right after surgery. One of my friends told me I look better now than I did a year and a half ago. I'm not sure that I can tell any difference from looking at my photos though. May 2021, 14 months post, 142 lbs Feb 2022, 23 months post, 136 lbs. Face does look a little thinner. Dec 2022, 33 months post, 142 lbs. A tad less cheeky compared to the previous one at this weight, but mostly my skin looks better.

Hi, I’m at the very start of this journey! A little about my situation: I’m 53, live in the Atlanta area and have a BMI of 40. I live with excruciatingly painful knee osteoarthritis. I have a long history of failing at various efforts to lose weight. If you can believe it - I’m otherwise pretty darn healthy…sleep apnea but no elevated blood pressure or cholesterol and a healthy A1C. Haven’t found a single orthopedic surgeon who will operate on me without my losing a significant amount of weight - both my GP and my orthopedic consults have suggested bariatric surgery. My employer-provided healthcare excludes virtually anything to help me with weight loss - no meds, no programs and of course, no surgery (even if medically necessary). (Apparently having a heart attack or getting other serious health issues is preferable??SMH) One of my coworkers had the gastric sleeve done (she is independently wealthy and self-paid) and looks/feels fantastic. I haven’t found anyone locally who can do a gastric sleeve (I prefer this to RnY) under 15,000. All my research domestically yields prices that are comparable, as the quoted price is always more than the one in the ad. As a teacher, I have limited means. Surgery in Mexico is probably my best bet. My GP was trained in Guadalajara and recommends Puerta de Hierro hospital. I’m considering this over Tijuana because it is closer and I’d be in a plane for less time. Research seems to indicate a low of about 5K and high of 7K. I speak Spanish fluently (native speaker), so communicating will be no problem. To that end, I have a few questions: 1) Has anyone had a bariatric procedure in Guadalajara? Experiences? 2) I feel quite old in getting this surgery - has anyone done it after 50? 3) For those who have had the surgery in Mexico, what have you done for follow-up care? Any groups/resources for post-op support? 4)Is there anything you wish you’d known before you had the surgery? Any tips you would love to pass on? My deepest thanks for reading this and for any responses!

Glad you got a guide from your doctor. As @Arabesque says, it might be close to that or further away depending on a whole lot of factors - what matters is that you're happy with your loss and that you can maintain your final weight. Nobody wants to be 'on a diet' forever after WLS. Best of luck!

hi all, i’ve been following this thread since pre op to gain insight on what may be realistically in store for me and thought i’d give my update for anyone else who stumbles upon this thread im 5’4 and at my heaviest weighed 207. i was asked to drop to 205 by surgery date. i went in day of weighing 204. was not required to do a liquid diet at any point in time pre op. i am now 10 days post op and i’ve dropped 20 lbs (currently weigh 184). i also woke to a lot of phlegm for the first like 5 days which caused a lot of coughing and trying to get it out of my system so it caused a lot of stress to the biggest incision which lead to a LOT of pain and i want to give my body time to heal properly so i have not done any walking or working out. light chores around the house or a shower and i am absolutely beat, i don’t see how anyone could have the energy. but i plan to start light walks next week when i’m eating in phase 3.

Yea the weight loss does get slower the closer you get to a normal BMI. My last 20 or so pounds were a BEAR to get off. I worked my butt off and lost about 2 lbs a month. But I finally got there...

I weigh myself on the 4th of every month along with measurements. Little late on posting i forgot. But yea no big changes at all in the last month. Weight loss has slowed down by a lot which is expected this far out. I had surgery in April of 2022. Struggling to get below 200. I leave on Sunday for the Caribbean which sucks because well the big food down there is everything is fried lol. So i am bringing me a load of "snacks and foods" in my suitcase lol.

2 NSVs to mention. 1. I just got my annual labs drawn and the lab has those chairs with the padded lap bar that comes down, presumably to contain surprise fainters. The last time I had labs drawn, maybe 7 months ago, the bar rested on my stomach and couldn't come down all the way. Today it came all the way down and there was room to spare. 2. I'm a side sleeper and at my highest weight, my hips were so wide that my body was kind of a slope and my top arm would fall down with my shoulder pressing into my neck. Now, not only is my arm horizontal and not choking me, but my elbow is dipping down into my waist. I don't find this comfortable, but it's definitely a victory. I'll be experimenting with pillow placement to deal with being poked by (still very buried, but now detectable) hip bones.

You're talking about the sleeve, right? For rny, there is a pouch because the stomach is bypassed. Nothing really gives me ick. I do have a pet peeve though concerning wls. People who have too high of expectations. For example, complain they lost "only" 15 lbs a month (that is a whopping 52500 calories less) and blame the surgery when they wouldn't have lost weight at all if it weren't for the surgery and probably would've continued gaining.

I was put on anti-anxiety meds a few months ago due to chronic anxiety and frequent panic attacks, and I got into a really in depth convo with my PCP because I'd already been on a med for my TN (trigeminal neuralgia) that made me gain weight and I was only able to lose half the weight that I gained so I absolutely did not want to go on a med that had a high possibility for weight gain. She told me that basically anything for anxiety or depression could lead to weight gain. So we ended up choosing a med that had less potential side effects and moderately low risk for weight gain which is the med Celexa. I take 20-30mg a day (20 for good days and 30mg on bad days). The holidays f-ed up my med cycle and I had to go without my meds for a solid week (the pharmacy f-ed up my refill order and due to the holiday couldn't get in touch with my doctor) and I had multiple panic attacks in that time and during that week it really hit home just how much the meds had been helping because without them I was an absolute disaster (the worst day of the week I had four panic attacks in one day. FOUR. IN. ONE. DAY). Anxiety is a terrible thing to have to deal with and I'm glad you reached out for help (I waited. I allowed it to get worse and worse and for 3 months I just dealt with it until the panic attacks that were one a week or one every other week started happening almost daily. I hope you don't have the panic attacks with your anxiety. Because it's scary. And sucks. So much.)

Agreed as well. BMI is best used as a guide only to give you a bit of an idea not a rule. Actually any goal you set should be a guide only too. Your body will decide what weight you reach as the surgery resets your set point. This is the weight your body is happiest at. You can lose more weight but you have to work harder to lose it & harder to maintain it. Not everyone reaches their goal weight. (The average is about 65+/-% of the weight you’re to lose.) Also many find when they near what they thought was their goal weight, they’ve lost enough & they feel better being at a higher weight. Other get to their goal & think they are too thin for them. Others get to their goal & find they can or do lose a little more. Lifestyle, age, frame, activity levels (how much you do or want to do ), etc. should be considered when choosing the weight you want to attain. And yes, I’m someone who’s on the lower end of the BMI scale. It seems to be where my body is happiest so my set point - I lost the additional weight without intending to. I also have a smaller frame (for years I was told I had a largish frame - it was just fat) so being on the lower end of the scale is more appropriate. I don’t have protruding bones or look gaunt. I maintain my weight pretty easily & don’t really exercise (stretches & resistance type things). My doctors are happy but most importantly I’m happy & healthy. That is the real goal.

I got a Wyze scale, shows the exact same weight as at my surgeon’s office. I think it’s .1 lb off, but it’s pretty spot on otherwise.

agreed. People who have lost a lot of weight often have more muscle and bone than someone who's never been overweight. It's because you needed that extra "infrastructure" to hold up the weight. You lose some of that as you're losing weight, but not all of it. The PA at my clinic said you'll probably look about 10 lbs lighter than what the scale says, because of the extra muscle and bone weight (well, and loose skin if you have it). So the lower end of the BMI scale might be too low for the OP. I got down to the middle of my normal BMI scale, and I looked crazy thin. I look much better at the higher end - or even slightly overweight.