Search the Community

it's probably the IV fluid. It's basically salt water, which some people retain for a few days. I've heard of people "gaining" up to 10 lbs while in the hospital! Give it a few more days - should be all out of your system by then.

Everyone has their own expectations regarding how they want to look. I am down 70lbs at 5.5 months gastric bypass. I am beyond ecstatic. I have never felt better. I was wearing 3X at day of surgery. I’m sizing down again to Size 8 in JCREW pants. My face does look very thin and there is some sagging. I have lost the fat pads in my face which was to be expected. I am having laser ablation in January followed by Botox/fillers and PDO threads. My goal weight is still 20 lbs away. I know my surgeon is going to tell me I’ve lost enough now, but I am aiming to lose the last 20 lbs. Everyone’s different. You have to do ‘you.’

Well its exactly one year since I got my sleeve. I am so glad that I was able to do this. I cannot believe the difference in myself. As the pounds fell off, I gained my independence and gained myself-esteem back. That alone was worth every penny it cost me. I was beginning to become a hermit, happy to stay home and never face anyone again. Yes, the preop diet was hard. I was sick and nauseated for weeks after and my recovery was slow. Would I do this again? in a heartbeat, I wish I could have done it years ago. If you are thinking about the surgery and are still on the fence. If I could do this, you can too

25lb more to go to reach my goal weight. Decided to weigh myself a week or so early from my usual 4th of the month. getting there. 6 more pounds and i will be under 200 So that is my goal for the next week and a half is to loose as much of that 5lb as possible lol.

Lifestyle changes are a major part of any long term weight loss & maintenance plan regardless of whether you have surgery or not. To return to eating the same way as you did before is a guarantee of weight regain. How & what you eat in the long term is up to you & how to manage it so it works with your lifestyle. Many are more flexible in their food choices & eat foods which may be considered unhealthy at times. But they don’t do it everyday, watch portion sizes & they accept it will result in a some regain & maintenance at a higher weight. It’s all about balance & sustainability. It’s important to keep to the no fluids 30 mins before & after eating while you’re losing to avoid filling up on them & flushing the food through your tummy more quickly. Plus you’ll be sipping & drinking all through the day so you won’t really feel thirsty at meal times. As time passes you’ll discover the amount of time you need to leave before & after eating. It may just be 5 minutes. And you eventually won’t miss drinking while eating. Just another of the new habits you’ll adopt. Taking vitamins long term isn’t always needed with a sleeve. The only reason you may need to continue to take additional vitamins is because you are lacking in something. I haven’t taken vitamins since 8 months post surgery. My blood work showed & continues to show I’m not lacking in anything & have no need to take supplements. Except, this year we realised my vitamin D levels drop in winter so I take D only then. Nothing to do with the surgery - just me & my sun avoidance ( am very fair). I weigh 2kgs more now than I did at my lowest weight. I put on the weight at the end of last year after a necessary dietary change (don’t absorb protein well since my gall was removed) & a medication change. Don’t like it but accept it for what it is. Sometimes things are beyond your control. I’ve never been able to maintain like this after weight loss. I’d be regaining in a couple of weeks after a diet. I work at it every day. I watch what & how much I eat. Don’t exercise as such but have a series of stretches, sit ups & resistance bands exercises I do almost every day. A lot of this is discovering what you need & what works for you.

You've still lost 40 pounds, which is a lot. I did feel a bit bad, reading all the posts here from people who have lost 40+ and 50+ pounds, when I've only lost 36. Still, I've never lost more than 10-15 pounds in the last ten years or more, and always ended up gaining them back. Normally, I'd lose the 10 pounds or so in a few weeks, then stall no matter what I did, and then regain. Sometimes slowly, sometimes more quickly. Sometimes I'd manage to keep 10 pounds off for a while, but it always ended the same way. So, in that context, 36 is not too shabby. I hope I too will get to the 40+ pounds lost soon, maybe even this year.

I believe that is the idea - I've never looked at it from the mathematical perspective (though I tend to be a numbers guy,) but that makes sense. Lower GI foods have a lower impact on your insulin responses than high GI foods. Then there is the related idea of Glycemic Load, where the important factor is the combined GI of an entire meal, so that high GI foods are averaged with the low GI foods to estimate the response to more real world eating. That way, pineapple on your ham has a much less impact on your system than it does by itself. There is a related concept that I have heard offered more recently that the beyond the basic food statistics, that processing of the foods, including cooking, impacts its absorbability and can/should be considered. This makes some sense in the apparent problems with packaged or processed foods, beyond just the added sugars that are often included. The problem with this seems to be objectively measuring these differences on a wide enough scale to be useful, beyond the basic "avoid packaged/processed foods" advice, or raw is better than cooked as the body needs to do more to break it down. This whole topic does illustrate the futility of simply counting carbs as a guide to health or weight loss.

I thought the water thing would be really hard, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Taking vitamins hasn't been a big deal, either. It seems overwhelming at first, but after awhile I was on auto-pilot. I take a small handful with breakfast and another small handful in the late afternoon, then my iron before I go to bed. I'm a bypass patient, so you'll likely take fewer vitamins than I do since you're considering VSG. so those two fears are really not anything to be concerned about. The regain one is, though. Losing the weight isn't all that difficult as long as you follow your clinic's plan. It's the continual work it takes to keep the weight off. You really do have to monitor yourself for life - otherwise, if bad habits start creeping back in, your weight will start to go up again. I struggle with it every day - but, it's worth it to me. I never, ever want to be morbidly obese again. P.S. I should add that I was NEVER able to keep weight off for long before surgery. Now, it's a challenge, but do-able. I've managed to keep it off for six years. I have much better habits now, I exercise regularly, and my stomach can't hold as much. Eating over 2000 cal/day is painful for me now (and I rarely do it). Before surgery, 2000 kcal would have been a "diet" level for me.

Hello I had the same type of concerns pre-op. I have ALWAYS drank tons while eating meals. Easily 20 oz or more every meal, so I had this same concern. During the pre-op process I decided to start this and see how it went. At first it was hard because naturally I would reach for the drink, even sometimes I felt like I needed the liquid to swallow. (It was weird) With some practice I was drink free at meals before surgery and just had to work on not drinking 30 min before and after the meals. Now 7 months post op, it is a non issue for me. I sometimes drink a little closer to meals than 30 minutes if I am not paying attention but after meals it is always 30 minutes or more. You would be surprised how easy it was to make the transition. Start now and right after surgery you are on all liquids so it makes it easier. The vitamins were never really a concern of mine because I took GERD and high BP meds every day anyway so in my mind I was expecting to get off of those meds after surgery and with weight loss so I was just swapping those for daily vitamins. In my mind nothing changed. I was off ALL meds by 2 months post-op and now just taking vitamins. 1 a day multi vitamin with iron, and 2 calcium a day so its not too bad. Some people take a ton of vitamins though. We were instructed to start with this and it may need to be adjusted depending on blood work results. So far so good for me, I get blood work again next month. Lastly, I put off my surgery for years. Two reasons, 1 was that I have lost over 100 lbs multiple times so I kept telling myself I could do it again. But, I could never keep it off so I decided that the surgery would (hopefully) be the key to keeping it off. 2 was that I was also afraid I would fail and just gain it back again. I still worry about this a little but then I take notice to how much my eating habits have changed (without effort most off the time) and that even on my WORST days I have never consumed more than 1600 calories. My daily calorie goal is to stay at about 1000 right now. Before surgery I could pack in 5000-6000 calories a day if I wanted. Still not saying it is impossible because it does happen but I believe if you make the changes and give them time to become habit you will be ok. I am sticking with this, I am still in the loosing phase so I really don't know what will happen but I have high hopes this time and have been thinking about it regularly. Whereas before surgery I was always just focused on loosing the weight and never thinking about keeping it off. Sorry for my super long post but I hope it helps ease your mind! Best of luck to you!

The dietition at the weight loss center recommended isopure unflavored protein powder. I went and got it right away. When I went into GNC i told the girl that i was looking for unflavored protein powder and that i was in pre-op for gastric sleeve. Before I could tell her what he dietition recommended she said I will show you the one everybody seems to like and she came back with the isopure. I tried it with unsweet tea and it was great to not have the sweetness. I couldn't hardly stomach another sweet protein shake yuck! So I will experimenting with some other liquids. I am on day 8 of 14 pre-op. I cannot wait until next Monday which is surgery day!

I am on day 8 of 14 on the liquid diet and yes it sucks!! I got the point that i cannot stomach the sweet protein shakes. I had my seminar today at the weight loss center, they suggested i get Isopure unflavored protein. I ran out and got it right after the seminar, I am going to survive this, whew that was close, just thought of the sweetness made me sick. I had some of the unflavored protein in unsweet tea and it was great!!

Will you be home for Thanksgiving or at a family event? I will be at home on the holidays so I will eat as usual. Like you breaking your stall (congrats), the weight loss and fear of gaining it back, are great motivators not to go overboard during the holidays. I count calories, weigh my food no matter what. If on vacation, or a special event, I eat a bite of different things, log them right after the meal. If I can't log at the time, I take snapshots of the dish before I eat (and after) so I can remember what I ate and how much I ate, then log later. 24/7, 365 days/year.

I'm six days post-op, and I don't think I regret it. The day I was dismissed from the hospital, they stopped my blood pressure and diabetic medications. That's huge! But since then, my sugar has been low, and my pressure has been low once or twice, which is weird. I'm just wondering if all my problems will reverse or if my body is trying to find my new homeostasis. I've been on liquids only for nearly a month now, and that's getting old. But no soreness, and I didn't experience any gas pain at all, even in the hospital, probably due to my unique circumstances. I've had a bit of trouble sleeping and have been a bit lightheaded. Lastly, I thought getting in protein would be a breeze, but in reality, it's far more challenging than I thought. I never knew how much I truly disliked protein shakes until I had to drink 3-5 daily for 30 days. I look forward to eating again, even if it is mush. Anything not sweet, anything I can use my jaws on, LOL 😂. Liquid Diet Weight Loss: -27 lbs (2 weeks) and Post Surgery Weight Loss: -4 lbs (4 days)

Yes its normal. Its all based on your weight, height. SOme are only on it for 1 week. some 2 weeks some more than a month for the bigger people. and some only 1 day before. Consider yourself VERY LUCKY. I did 2 weeks and it was hell lol

55 lbs is fabulous! Congratulations! So far I've lost 47 at my 3 month mark. My weight loss has slowed down and I panic sometimes thinking I'm eating too much but it's coming along. Exercise is hard for me too. It's cold outside and I don't want to take walks 😩. I'm so happy for all of us! The first couple of weeks after surgery were hard but worth it.

Today is month 3 since surgery. All together I have lost 55 lbs and 36 inches. I need to start an exercise routine. I think that’s my biggest growth area. But I am definitely happy with my progress. Very excited about this. This is a revision for me and this time it feels very different. My surgeon said my weight loss will be slow but I don’t find that to be the case. I think I’m progressing just fine😊.

11/3 surgery hitting the expected stall a little early… been same weight since friday- but it’s all good! that to me means healing at this stage and after what i have been through healing is great… i am feeling good, just a little achy and my stamina is starting to improve … still have some issues with enough liquids, but reaching over 50 oz so not far to go… so far experimenting with purée has gone well… i full easy but my body hasn’t rejected food yet! continuing to get hiccups and burps if i drink or eat too quickly … gotta listen to that !

Veterans of weight-loss surgery, what kind of plan do you go into Thanksgiving with? Do you count calories, weigh your food or just eat tiny portions of what you want? Do you go out of your way to make WLS-friendly sides and desserts? I just broke a 3 week stall and I don't want to go back to that weight ever again. Any tips and tricks are appreciated!

You all make great points. I can easily ignore and move past people's comments, but at that very moment when it happens it annoys me. haha Also, you all reminded me of family and the holidays! UH OH! I haven't seen most of my family in months! I have probably lost around 80 more LBS since the last time I saw them. So, Christmas will be interesting. My entire family is obese, most of them severely obese. So everyone ALWAYS comments on your weight loss. "What's your secret..blah blah blah" Really, just eating WAY less! \ Good luck to everyone through these trying times!

I agree, it is likely head hunger also. A few other things you can look at is to ensure you are managing your physical hun ger with the sleeve as much as possible. Please consider the following the options: (1) eat solid food that needs chewing, helps to reduce hunger (2) 50% meals are protein based, of a solid form also to help reduce hunger (3) Be well nourished with nutrition have a shake with extra protein powder and a MV for weight loss surgery (4) avoid looking for fullness Hope that helps Helen

Lol, I over prepared too. I made sure to have a mini fridge or cooler available. I did bring my lunchbox with ice packs and chicken just in case there weren’t good choices. That chicken saved me a couple of times when it was lasagna/Spaghetti. (Not a restaurant but family reunion over several days). I stayed in country so I could bring my water bottle and flavor packets, which would have been fine empty for traveling out of the country. The best part was being so active that I was really burning calories! I lost weight and enjoyed every bit of time with my family!

I can relate so much to eating at night. With my old eating habits, it was normal for me to wake up in the middle of the night and eat. I would sometimes eat a whole meal from leftovers. Currently I am 59 days out ( 8 weeks ), and that fat monkey on my shoulder is trying so hard to get me back into old habits. I find myself eating at night again, but thankfully I can't eat much anymore. But still, it's always been a horrible habit of mine. I do try most times to grab something smarter than dinner leftovers, like a banana, or a protein shake. I was surprised to see you were still on pureed food. But I know every doc is different. My doc said post surgery diet was to be 3 days clear liquid, 3 days full liquid, 3 days pureed, then solids as tolerated. I started slow with the solids. At 8 weeks now, there isn't much I haven't eaten ( no junk foods, sweets, or sugary sodas ). But now it's getting scary. I mean, I can only eat so much, but like I heard someone else say, my fat brain wants to eat when I'm not hungry. Eating just because something tastes good. Horrible old habits. I am losing weight ( 33 lbs in 59 days ), but I feel like I can do better. I must somehow convince myself that we should eat to live, not live to eat. I know I am addicted to food and the battlefield is in my brain. It's a daily struggle, but I know I can do this, and so can you !

Hello all, had Gastric Bypass on 11/14 and so far it has been way easier and less painful than expected. The only thing is I put on 10 pounds over night from when I was weighed before surgery and when I got home the next day. I’m SLOWLY losing that water weight… but still 4 pounds higher than when I went in. but I’m walking, drinking well, getting tired of protein shakes… would kill for some grilled salmon or even cottage cheese! fortunately, my appetite is under control so when my son eats his meals, I’m not (too) jealous!

i actually smiled when it was the same weight because i believe this stall means the body is holding onto things while rapidly healing… healing is perfect to me!!!! you are right…. a few days or a week or so I will be back into dropping (unless i get my clearance for doing some strength exercises then i might gain muscle, which is even better to me!! )

this is part two… part one brought me to surgery with my weight loss adventure .. (quick warning, i tried not to be graphic but an infection is referenced) now I am someone who weighs almost every day for several months but i have trained my brain to be chill about the number… just watch for trends because bodies are sometimes heavier for non fat related reasons… i have seen my body go up, down and drop drastically and rise rapidly all while loosing weight as a trend… now i am in my early post op and start with my surgery weight of 351.4 on 11/3/22 sat, 11/5/2022 - day 2 post op after first night home - i dropped to 349.4 - considering swelling and fluids I was satisfied because I thought that I would have been up.. sun, 11/6 - 348.4 - spent lots of time walking in my yard gathering pecans with my picker upper stick for a few days - more than 5 gallons worth mon, 11/7 - 347.6 struggling with fluids, slight pull feeing while sitting and standing but otherwise good! tues, 11/8 - 349.2 - more sore but not really in pain.. i attributed this to walking a bit much the day before and trying to get more fluids… tried to power through and keep being as active as i could… (today i also had bathroom success lol) Wednesday, 11/9 - 349.2 - incision area hurting more and thought that I truly overdid it and took a lazy day… mild temp of barely 99 Thursday 11/10 - 347 - more pain in big incision area and it was warmer, mild fever 99.8 degrees- still blaming myself for pushing myself to be so active post op. took a super lazy day (even made someone get a birthday cake for my son who turned 19) friday 11/11 - 345.4 - something was wrong. pain was so much worse getting up and down and even sometimes moving. temp went to 100.8 in morning and i was feeing off. called dr and waited for call back. incision area looked ok but felt warm and kinda harder than it did.. not much redness… by 1 pm temp spiked to 101.7 even with tylenol. called again to dr and said something was wrong … they called in antibiotics and made appt for monday to see how i would respond. 11/11 - trip to town going to antibiotics- my husband drove .. we went into aldi to pick up a couple items before going to kroger to get meds and another grocery order ( we were feeding guests on saturday playing a game) and i actually have little memory or the store trip just bits and pieces … i told my husband i had a big problem and my pants were wet.... my infection, well, ruptured while in store.. we went to kroger to get antibiotics where i took one in the parking lot then i fell asleep immediately in the car for the ride home (unusual).. when finally hope after another stop i slept through, i groggily made my way in the house, cleaned myself up with hibclens and stumbled into bed without bandaging my still seeping wound and wrapped up shivering … and immediately went back to sleep… my mom called an hour or two later and i answers on my watch.. groggy and not very coherent.. hard to love, hard to talk, slurring words.. she called my husband who was doing another errand and he eventually came home and checked on me .. i was not medicated as he thought and still seeping a lot and he bundled me up and brought me to the er despite my slurring attempts to protest that i was perfectly fine and just wanted to sleep.. the er had a full waiting room, but when the staff talked to me and saw the state of the towel against my incision area - i was not only taken back but in a room immediately… my bad veins were acting up.. 7 different iv attempts and had to get an arterial pull for blood.. multiple bags of fluid, potassium iv, multiple antibiotics, a ct with contrast, .. in other words a long long night.. 11/12 - 7 am my surgeon came to er and i was more coherent than most of the night… i had a large infection and was a little dehydrated … but with the treatment already received and the iv antibiotics combined with oral, he thought i would be ok and i could go home with a bandages wound and see him monday morning. i slept for a few hours when i got home, then woke up sore and still hurting some but better than i had felt in a few days. bandages changed every couple hours due to drainage. when i got home before 9 am i weighed myself out of curiosity and i was 352. it made me laugh because they really did pump me full of fluids!! every day after got better. less pain, discharge stopped monday and slowly the fluids started to come off. i am now 17 days post op and i am down to 335.6 for the second day in a row. might be that famous 3 week stall early. but i am fine with that because it usually means good healing is finally taking place and the scale with catch up eventually. i can move better than pre surgery and 100% better than six months or a year ago. my stamina still sucks but is improving even with the infection (two types of streptococcal bacteria) I am doing good and on my way to the life that i keep telling myself I deserve to live. i want to make plans and do things for the first time in a few years. i am no longer afraid to go to a store because it hurt my back so badly and turned my face from pale white to tomato red due to the physical effort… i can actually go in without the immediate pain! so far even with the setback this is one of the best things i ever did for me