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I feel like I have not hit a stall neither and I'm about 10 weeks, granted I do not weight myself daily, more of once a week to keep me on track. I would not worry about a 2-pound gain, it can be the new food you are trying or retaining water, which is usually my case.

Hello, how are the November people doing? I have been doing good, did not see much weight loss last week since I was on vacation and did eat carbs and had a margarita, but did not gain. I started to walk 30 to 1 hr 5 times a week and will start strength training soon just not the stomach portion since sometimes I do have some small numbness there still.

Hello, how are the November people doing? I have been doing good, did not see much weight loss last week since I was on vacation and did eat carbs and had a margarita, but did not gain. I started to walk 30 to 1 hr 5 times a week and will start strength training soon just not the stomach portion since sometimes I do have some small numbness there still.

I never experienced a stall. The secret is to get off the scale. I was too large for a home scale for at least the first year, so I only knew my weight at my monthly follow-ups with my surgeon. Eventually I was able to fit on a home scale, which I weighed on several times a day for a couple weeks, then I returned to only weighing at monthly follow-ups. It certainly made for a lot less stress over weight loss. I still only weigh at medical appointments, usually my annual physical. One does not need a scale to follow one's plan. Good luck, Tek

I am also a guy. I was about 43 when I had surgery, about 64 now. I needed to lose a few more pounds than you, but it's not a competition. I'm honestly shocked that you are allowed surgery with 40 pounds to lose. Generally it's a minimum of 100 (give or take) pounds to qualify for surgery. I'm not sure if your lucky or un, but I guess time will tell. The current paradigm is 2 weeks of liquid diet pre-op, then 2 to 6 weeks post-op, then about 2 to 6 weeks of puree, then on to solid foods. Difficulty at any of the steps is very individual, but you will find a way to manage it. My plan was 6 weeks of pureed from day of surgery. I never had to do a liquid diet. Not being a quitter are fighten' words around here. You are apparently at 40 excess pounds. If this is the worst case situation then if you think you can lose weight via diet and exercise it may be worthwhile for you to try. Surgery is a harsh solution. If you are down to 40 pounds overweight after having been 100 or more overweight then surgery may be your best long term solution. You know your situation better than us. Most people do manage to eat what would be considered a normal meal size after a few months. Your current view of 'normal' may not measure up. Further, most post-ops can eat just about anything eventually, which can bring with it the hazard of falling into old habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place. With a little bit of restraint most people will be fine. Personally, since you asked, I eat more than a few bites more often than not. My typical meal size is still 4oz protein, 1 or so ounces of veggies. I can finish this meal 4 of 7 times, the other times my stomach says to take a break. I enjoy good food. You must have considered all these things previously. Just review why you made your decision in the first place and you will be solid. Good luck, Tek

I also experienced extra dry skin and scalp the week after surgery, I started using coconut oil in my scalp and that helped. Once I was allowed to wash the incision I started using dove body scrub, olay body wash, olay rinse off body moisturizer and the regular lotion all with hyalunoric acid, so far so good, can be doing better but concentrating on exercising this month Sent from my SM-G960U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi All, I’m almost 2 weeks post op and struggling with hitting my protein goals! Mainly because I don’t like sweets and most shakes have sweeteners. I have tried pea protein with “natural” taste but tastes like raw flour added to the food! Is there no protein powder that is just tasteless and can be added to any food / drink without compromising the original taste? Thanks 😊

I suffered through the chewables until 6 weeks out when my doctor allowed me to switch to capsules. Such a happy day, that day! Celebrate has been the brand for me.

Hi there LabRat ☺️. I had gastric bypass surgery about 9 months ago. Had my bloods tested last week and everything was normal in terms of liver function, EXCEPT my ALP, which my physician said was only ‘mildly’ elevated and isn’t anything to be concerned about. I can’t find anything online that speaks about ‘mild’ elevations of ALP. Everything I read says ALP raised in isolation must mean osteoporosis or bone cancer and I’m quite scared. My ALP is 151 (ref range 40-130). Is this something to be concerned about? my Vitamin D is ‘sufficient’ but it’s on the edge of sufficient and insufficient (it’s 20.9. Ref range: >20 is sufficient. 12-20 is insufficient). Is there a relationship maybe between some deficiency in calcium absorption by the lower vitamin D levels (my calcium levels are normal, but I know that the thyroid ensures calcium levels are normal by breaking down some calcium from kidneys, GI and bone). Could the mildly raised ALP be because of some calcium being broken down from the bone? Or am I reading too much into it and accept that 151 ALP is nothing to worry about?

I am 57 years old and just had my sleeve completed on 1/25/23. I am 1 week post op and feel great. I am so blessed that I have not experienced pain and am not having trouble staying hydrated. I need to get in more walks right now. It is so cold where I live and walking laps in my house is getting boring. lol. I am looking forward to this journey and I hope I have as much success as everyone on this thread! 😊

I think it is safe to say that EVERYONE hits stalls. It's frustrating, but happens to everyone. Lots of adjusting going on in your body, so your system has to catch up.

Everyone is progressing well. my stall has broken this week. FINALY. I didn’t meet my first goal. Only just 2 kilos shy. But I’m just glad I’m feeling alive. And loosing weight. I was given the green light to exercise again but limit the walking and weights. Soi mainly walk in the pool. I saw the dr again today. still have issues and now they are talking surgery 4 and mesh walls. When dr fixed the hiatus he tightened it to good and it’s been most of the issue I have with vomiting and not tolerating solids/soft foods. I have a new found love for Carrot and Apple smoothie. Sounds weird. But it’s so yum. I was told by the dr that our food hormones were cut away. And over the next 4 years they will grow back. But by then we should have stabilised a good eating pattern.

You are correct. I have receipts for the current medical policy. Click this link to the BCBSM website, or google bcbsm bariatric surgery medical policy MEDICAL POLICY - BARIATRIC SURGERY (GASTRIC SURGERY FOR MORBID OBESITY) Once the pdf opens, press Ctrl+F on your keyboard. Type 4/20/21 in the search bar. “Updated the policy to say 4 years for both BCBSM and BCN as per the JUMP’s recommendation and eliminated the 6 months waiting period statements” I also called Blue Cross Complete @ 800 228 8554. I spoke with a very helpful rep who informed me that there is no waiting period for Blue Cross Complete (Medicaid) Only documented medical weight loss program within 4 years of surgery request. Doctors determine the length of their weight loss programs. I’d give them a call and maybe do a three-way with your office manager.

You’ll only need to take the strong pain meds for a few days - I took my last one on day 4 but probably didn’t need it. Some find over the counter enough in a couple of days. We all handle pain differently. The shakes can taste disgusting after the surgery because our taste buds can temporarily change. Have a couple of different brands & flavours on hand. I forced myself to have a shake in the morning (doubled the water to dilute the flavour) & then had diluted soups (broths, consommés) the rest of the day. Ask your dietican for other protein rich fluids you can try. It’s really only for a short time. Water can be sort of hard to swallow - heavy. Try drinking other liquids as well. I drank green tea, thinned yoghurt drinks, electrolyte drinks as well as the diluted shakes & soups.. Warm drinks are often easier to drink - more soothing. As the months pass you will be able & encouraged to eat more. I was advised to start with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purées slowly increasing to about a cup at goal (at 6 months for me). Check with your surgeon & dietician for their recommendations for portion size, maybe calories & any other nutrient goals like protein. Yours will be different to mine simply because you’re male. Same with when you progress through the restricted return to eating stages to support your healing. I was on 2 weeks cycles: liquids, purées, soft before solid which is pretty common. Having the surgery is not being a quitter. The truth is you will still be doing the work & it is hard work. You can’t rely on the surgery alone to be successful. People can & do eat around their surgery. The loss of appetite & hunger don’t last & some don’t lose them at all. I worked harder after my surgery than on any other diet simply because I wanted this to work & be as permanent as possible. The head work, understanding why you eat, your cravings, habits, etc. is probably the hardest aspect. I also did a lot of reading to work out a way of eating (not a diet - they’re temporary) that worked for me & could be sustainable. This was a huge difference. I could always lose weight (until the last gain I had) but I could also put it all back on again because I went straight back to what I did before. I was a quitter then because I didn’t stick to any exercise plan or change of eating style. I still watch my portions, monitor my protein & fluid intake, randomly check my calorie intake, & carefully read the nutrition panel on the few food stuffs I buy - I tend to cook most of my own food from scratch. All the best whatever you choose to do.

I had a slump about three months after surgery. So so tired. Remember walking on my treadmill (thought it was about time I did something more physical) & struggling to keep my eyes open. Thought I was going to fall off & hurt myself. Went upstairs and napped. Can’t recall how long it persisted. I went back to taking a diluted bottle of hydralyte with me to give me an energy boost if I needed it. Never did get back on my treadmill 😁😁.

Yep, that's a stall. Totally normal, you'll have a lot more. I tend to gain around 4 pounds in a stall and then just stay there for weeks until it breaks.

Hi Lindsey, I have lupus and fibromyalgia. I just did a revision from Lapband to gastric bypass a few weeks ago. I actually am doing a lot better with my pain control. I take 50mg of amitriptyline at bedtime for it. I actually get more sleep now since I did the revision and it helps my symptoms.

The pre-op diet is a rough two weeks, and quite possibly the hardest part of it all because you have to stick to this strict liquid diet without yet having the help of the surgery. Stay strong -- you can get through it. Your boss sounds pretty rude for rubbing it in that you can't eat, but 6 months from now, she will probably be jealous of all the weight you've lost.

Yep! I've experienced a few stalls. I only lost like 5lbs~ in my 3rd month while I was doing everything correctly but I lost almost tripple that in my 4th month. Just keep at it! Stalls are normal & they will continue to happen. If you stick to your plan you will break out of it & your hard work will pay off.

Congrats! You look great and should be happy with over 70 pounds in weight loss. I only lost one kilo (2.2 pounds) in January, so that’s not great. But I haven’t really been able to exercise since I was sick in the first week of January and then I hurt my foot. So far in this journey, I’ve always lost more in the month after a slow month, so here’s hoping February will be a success!

Have any of you experience a stall in the weight loss? At the 3-month mark I noticed I stopped losing weight and I even gained 2 pounds. My diet has changed a little bit and continue to follow suggestions by my nutritionist.

I started my 2 week pre-op liquid diet yesterday, and its been surprisingly difficult. I can have 3 premier shakes a day, broth or fat free skim milk in between, and sugar free jell-o or popsicles. Of course I can have as much water as I'd like and a max of 1 cup of coffee a day. My struggle right now is all the food sales they're having at work. I've been sitting here sipping my broth and smelling chili and frybread the past two days. I can't close my office door as you must go through my office to reach my boss. I honestly wouldn't mind as much if the people visiting me or my boss didn't bring the food in and tell me how good it is before going 'Oh you're on your liquid diet right now, haha my bad'. I can't even escape at the gym because they're running a lunch event every day for senior citizens, so all I smell there is.. you guessed it. Chili and frybread. My stomach has just been so sad. I'm not hungry per se, but I want to eat I guess? I want to feel solid food. Every time it gets bad I just try to down some more water, but still. How do you deal with it? I went into this liquid diet so confident lol. Embarrassing side question here: how are y'alls bowel movements once you're well into the liquid diet?

milk of magnesia is the only thing that has worked for me. i am nearly five months post-op and i tried miralax, magnesia tablets, metamucil, and exlax. the only thing that was effective was the exlax but you can’t take that very often cuz it can cause lazy bowel where your intestines don’t move your food unless prompted by a laxative. i started taking milk of magnesia last week and it works great! :D i take 30 mL every two days and that has been very beneficial. i also have the phillips cherry flavor and it kind of tastes like cherry flavored detergent or washing liquid; it’s not the best tasting thing but bearable lol

I’m approaching two months post op and I’ve found I’m so tired. Prior to surgery I swam twice a day slept about 6 hours a night. Now I’m sleeping many nights by 8:30 pm. My activity is currently only at one swim a day plus 3 personal training sessions a week. It’s 4:30P right now and I wish I had more energy for a second swim or gym session this evening but I feel like I already am ready to sleep. When will my energy come back?

I originally had an ESG, it wasn't painful as such but I did have rolling stomach cramps, you can get over the counter medication for that (buscopan). You need time to allow the suture / anchor sites to heal, so I would think most doctors would give you at least a week or two of fluids (shakes), I did see one plan when someone had to do shakes for about eight weeks. It really does depend on your doctor's guidelines (I would have thought you would have been provided with guidelines by now). I am not sure why you think having a weight loss procedure makes you (or anyone else) a quitter. I imagine you have had many attempts at losing weight and haven't been successful? If this helps you lose the weight and maintain the lost, that's a good thing. ESG is a lot different than the surgical options, the reduction in stomach size is not as great as those options, you mostly certainly eat more than a few bites at a time (as is the case with the surgical options once healed from those procedures). This is from an Australian perspective but you may find it useful https://bmiclinic.com.au/endoscopic-sleeve-gastroplasty-faq/