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same here im on my 2 week and it killing me

I am 8 years out from my gastric sleeve. I have gained 35 pounds. I need to get this off! My lowest weight after surgery was 155. Now I’m 190. It’s gotta go. I am retired now so I’m not as active as when I was working. I have back issues and can’t do a lot of exercising. I have been going to line dancing 1 day a week and I can tolerate that pretty well. Give me some tips how to jump start my weight loss again!

I’m 4 weeks post op VSG (3/13/23). Have lost 20lbs, just dropped into the 180’s for the first time in 7 years. My abdominal wall healing has taken longer than expected, so I haven’t been able to move as much as I’d like. Goal is to reach 170 by the time I visit my parents in late June. I’m learning just how finicky my body really is. Makes me feel less crazy about all the years of trying to lose and keep weight off….Not enough protein? STALL. Not enough fluid? STALL. Injured? STALL. Drink stuff with fake sweetener? You guess it…STALL! Lol 😂 ah well, I love this body anyway. Keeps things interesting if not downright insane and who wants to be normal anyway? 😛

I was a slow loser I had my surgery in March of 2020. I could eat what ever I wanted to right after surgery. Which confused me. Don't freak out. I thought right after surgery I would lose all this weight and My medical issues would just go away. I was wrong. My first year I only lost about 50 pounds. It wasn't until I got my mindset on point was when more weight would come off Trust me your stomach is about the size of your fist. Just try and get your protein in first. Don't obsess over everything. It will hurt you mentally. So water protein and veggies. And walking 🚶‍♂️ My doctor's off was no help for me actually i really never had any follow-up with them which bummed me out. But I just kept doing my thing. Don't be hard on yourself. Everyone is different. I would try not to do the snacks, even the sugar free ones. And watching the carbs, your body need the good carbs. It wasn't until I was way past the 6 month mark that more weight started to come off. I used to get upset when I saw/heard/read about people who lost 100 in 6 months. Crazy. I was too hard on myself and that was also part of my problem. I started at 250 and really it wasn't until I was well into a year when more weight would start to come ff But that was me. So. Protein water and movement. There is is book out there Bariatric Mindset. I know your not a few months in. Please do not start to get upset. You will be surprised how your bodies react to stuff. You have to have a better understanding/relationship with food. It took me a long time to finally get it. It took years to get where you started at it will take time to get to where your going. Yes you should be losing a bit more than what you said. Be honest with yourself and really be accountable for what you choose to eat. No you won't stretch you new stomach out. It's all about better choices now. Read read read and get your water protein in first. You can do this. We are so hard on ourselves. Please don't be. As long as you don't have any pain. Just keep moving along. It will happen. Be honest with yourself and maybe start logging your food. You would be surprised at what you see. Like I said I started at 250 pounds and 3 years later I sit between 130-140 We are all different. Much love to you on your journey you can do this.

I am 6 1/2 weeks PO, (Feb 23) and was handling soft foods well, and completely sticking to plan. On Easter, I had ONE corn chip, and within minutes I had a pain like I had eaten glass just under my right breast. Hadn't experienced anything like that with other foods, It lasted until 3 in the morning! I start "regular" foods on Thursday, but now I am definately more nervous!

I think your body is really confused. You had major surgery and probably didn’t eat much the first couple weeks, then started eating heavier than you should and sugar as well. The body probably latched into the sugar and carbs to replenish stores and turned the rest to fat (explains the gain). Then you go back on track and your body needs to adjust again, but after losing some pounds you’re eating less often (so your metabolism machine is slower) and still having sugar even if it’s a small amount. Your body is really smart. After going through trauma, it’s going to try to stabilize. Here’s what I do know… you still have time to get yourself back on the right path. You will need all your fluids (sugar free), the protein prescribed by your plan, very low carbs and all of your vitamins. If you don’t at least do these things, you’ll probably remain frustrated and stuck. It’ll take a jolt and consistency to recover. I believe you can do it because you already got this far. Dealing with our emotions and food is not easy, but it is possible. I’m pretty sure everyone here would pat you on the back and tell you to get back in the ring, don’t be so hard on yourself and stay focused. You’ve still got time to turn it around! You can do this. Sending you all kinds of encouragement! 🌈😊

I noticed that immediately after a long stall, the weight loss was significant. As if my body was making up for the lost time. Good luck

I hear ya! It is very difficult, frustrating, and down right annoying when you hit a stall. I’m 8+ months post-op and have hit 3 remarkable stalls. The longest one lasted almost a month, the other two were 2-3 weeks. Just follow your body’s cues and listen to them. The stalls will go away on their own in time.

Everyone has lost so much. I've only lost around 44 pounds, and I'm still hovering between being overweight and obese, at BMI 29 to 30. The first three months of this year have been one big stall for me. Last year, I lost a little or a lot in alternating months. So the first month I lost a lot, the second month a little etc., except once I had an almost two month stall. Now I have stalled for three months. What if I don't lose any more? I'm still chubby. I honestly don't see that much change. I still don't look good. I'm so disappointed.

I totally understand what you are going through, and I'm with you in the frustration. I'm 8 months from surgery and I've stalled for the last three months. I've only lost around 20 kilos (44 pounds) and I'm still 15 kilos or 33 pounds from healthy weight. I can't believe this is all the result I will get from a very costly and difficult surgery. I'm halfway there, and I don't know how to jumpstart my weight loss. It seems to make little difference what I eat. I don't eat a lot. A typical day for me is 8-900 calories. I went on a week long trip this Easter and decided to eat whatever. I still didn't eat a lot at every meal, because I get full really easily, but I ate regular food and didn't write down calories. I normally use myfitnesspal, but skipped it this week. The result? I still weigh the same as I did three months ago. Now I've gone back to low carb and I've gained 100 grams. During my vacation, I walked a lot. Didn't make any difference. I haven't exercised as much as I wanted to, because I've had repeated injury, but I still try to move as much as possible. And I cannot fast during the week, because it makes me so tired and cranky, and I need energy for working with difficult teenagers. I'm at a loss what to do.

if you're sticking to your clinic's food plan, then it's a stall. Most of us do experience our first one sometime within the first month or so after surgery, so no, it's not too early. HOWEVER, if you are eating too much, then you need to get back on track. It'll never be easier to lose weight than it will these next few months. This is the opportunity of a lifetime to lose a huge amount of weight, so you don't want to blow it.

So your plan must allow you to eat regular food son after the surgery? I know everyone's plan is different. We had to do protein drinks until you were starving, then added easily digested food like cottage cheese. I lose very slowly but staying on the liquid protein drink for 3 weeks allowed me to drop 15 pounds the first 3 weeks. I think psychologically it helped more than anything! I think you are doing the right thing by adding protein, stick with the 4 ounces, add some vegs, we were told carbs twice a week. I like that you can have them, just not everyday. If I'm told I can't have something at all, I rebel and want it twice as bad. I was amazed at how much I could eat after surgery. Once I was able to add popcorn, which was months down the road, I could eat 3/4 to a full bag! At the same time I'm, reading about people who were 6 months out and couldn't barely take 3 bites and wanted to throw up! I remember thinking mine must be a failure. But I'm a year out, had surgery 2/23/22 and have lost 60 pounds. Stick with it, keep the carbs low or out of there and it will happen. I know sometimes I question if I'm always over eating because like you said, you take one extra bite and you do feel over full. What works for me is meditation, if I can do it everyday the practice of mindful eating is easier to do. I try to always leave something on the plate and stop eating before I'm to full. I suspect this will be a lifetime battle. Hang in there! Your body is still adjusting after surgery and going thru a lot of changes. You may drop several pounds at a time, then stall out, then drop some more. Thats what my weird body did.

I second Dr. Shillingford. I’m in Tampa and did everything virtually. The fee for the surgery as of November 2022 was $11,500 and there is a separate $300 program fee which includes the fee to have the mandatory calls (medical history overview, education class and nutritional class) but it gives you lifetime access to the support group which has 3 meetings per month, one with the nutritionist Dr. Lillian (co-chair of ASMBS-IH FL) and 2 with Sandy/Jennifer the RN (one educational with Q&A and topics, the other for those less than a year out, open floor). I used MD Now for the Preops exams, it was around $300, and the Doctor may require a Covid test even if the hospital does not. Note that the surgery is in the hospital or outpatient facility depending on your BMI. You can send them an email and they will answer pretty quickly, sometimes when I have questions, I get a response in less than 5 minutes.

I am 4 weeks and 3 days post surgery - nothing tastes good, following my plan and trying new things to see if finally something will taste good - I've tried meatballs, chicken, turkey, eggs, ricotta bake, LOTS OF THINGS and they all taste horrible - getting frustrated and only applesauce and mashed potatoes taste good enough to be able to eat - I keep reading that this will get better, but I cannot live on these 2 things alone, cannot be good for me! Waiting for April 21st for "regular stage" but don't have much hope that things will taste good then either Have had a couple break downs and cried, but trying to keep my hopes up!

I had my surgery Feb. 28, so it's almost been two months. A week after surgery my weight was 212 and i have barely moved since. At first, I thought I was holding weight because I hadn't had a regular bowel movement. Nope, not the problem. Then I thought it was because I started eating too heavy too soon; which was definitely part of the case because I had gained four pounds, almost five pounds back. But then I got back on track and lost the five pounds, plus two extra. But since then, for about the past two, almost three weeks, my weight has been sitting between 209 and 211. I've stayed on track and have been sticking to low carb, high protein meals. Any snacks I have are sugar free and so are the drinks; either sugar free or low sugar. I haven't gone off track until last night for Easter. I had a small plate of food within my limits, but ate a dessert that was high in sugar. I know it's bad that I had sugar at all, but I am proud of the self control I did have with not over eating/eating too much. I listened to my new stomach and stopped when I felt myself getting full; which is something I am still getting used to and figuring out. I have been struggling financially, unexpectedly, after having the surgery so I haven't been able to meal prep and buy all the foods and snacks I need to stay on track and not give in to temptations. And seeing as how I don't know when this financial struggle is going to get better, I don't know what to do about staying up on nutrition. Besides Easter, I've found it easier to barely eat anything at all, than to risk eating badly again. I am supposed to be eating 4-6 small meals a day to make sure I'm getting nutrients and proteins in, but it's more like I eat 2, MAYBE three times a day, high protein meals, just to get close to protein goals. Even though I am proud of the little restraint i had, I am still ashamed that I ate badly in the first place and that I wasn't strong enough to fight cravings. Which is definitely still a real thing after surgery. But I am really scared and concerned that I caused my surgery to fail because of the first time I went off track. Did I? I think I am in a stall. Is it possible to stall this early? What do I do? By going off track did I cause my sleeve not to work anymore? If not, how do I get back to dropping the weight like before? I know the "honeymoon phase" of dropping weight goes on for about a year to a year and a half, but did I cut it short by not staying on track and eating things I shouldn't have. I really need to know and I really need some guidance. My doctor's office is really busy and they haven't been the best getting back to me unless I have an appointment.

I think if we had a poll on here more of us probably stalled around the 3 mark than ones who didn't. It's normal, stay the course, you're not broken you just put your body through a load of trauma and it needs to heal.

We just got back from Barranquilla and have only good things to say about Dr. Jimenez and his fellow docs and staff who helped our daughter, a 16 year old. The surgeon as over 15 years of experience as a bariatric specialist and is himself a gastric sleeve patient. His assistant surgeon has a daughter who had the surgery when she was a teenager. And he has handled many other teenagers from the US as well as Colombia. His other staff doctor has had the surgery as well and done very well (7 months out). She handles the protocol/nutrition and questions, along with standard follow ups, at least one week, one month and several months thereafter. These we do virtually, but we plan to fly down for a follow up visit in 3 months. Our local hospital in Raleigh has a weight loss clinic for teens and they signed us up for local post-surgical care as well. We are very lucky to have them and to have found this nice group of skilled physicians in Colombia. He has very reasonable charges and no hidden or additional fees, no "selling," just good medical care in a top flight, modern hospital setting.

I was getting so upset, I stalled at 97lbs down... this morning I past 100!

In 17 days I've lost 7.2 lbs in 18 days (nothing yesterday, .2 the couple days before. It's slowing down). Better than the 1.5 per week on my pre-surgery diet, but not as much as I hoped for the initial period. I'm hoping it will pick up once I can start exercising. I'm going to try walking again today and hope my back pain doesn't come back (back pain is a seperate issue, but triggers easier since the surgery).

Thank you for the thorough response!! I sure hope my leptin increases because my current cravings are just as uncomfortable as they were in the first 3 days of the pre-op diet.

the dreaded week 3 stall... it sucks, but it will pass. I think most of us hit that in the first month.

My stall Finally Broke!!!! It was just over 2 months.

I broke my stall and broke 100 Lbs! I'm so excited to be at this point!

some information: I'm 24 73kg/160,9lbs 179cm/5'10. So I had my surgery around August of 2019. I lost around 50Kg from than till now but I don't wanne lose any more. I started going to the gym last week but before that I also did 3-4 month at home training because I didn't wanne go to the gym before i could at least do something. (stupid to think like that but yeah...) My arms looked like twigs and still do but at least there is a some muscle to see compared to 4 months ago. All the information I find online regarding gaining muscle is all about "eat big to get big" but that's the thing i can't eat big, like probably most of you guys. I have been drinking protein shakes 2X a day protein bars... and other food that contain protein to at least get as much as I can let's say around 80g of protein But I don't see much progress (counting the 4 month workouts at home) and I don't know if I should just trust what I’m doing now or change something... Sorry about my writing, I would say sorry about my English but even in my langue I write with many spelling mistakes.