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You’ll find your rhythm, it might take a while but you’ll begin to understand what works for you and what doesn’t. When I first started working out I was doing 2 hours of cardio a day. When I knew better I cut it to 50 minutes a day and lost more fat that way. I would train glutes twice a week if I could but I get too sore because I don’t eat adequately to recover and for them to grow hence the once a week. If you can train glutes twice a week and rest well between the sessions (say beginning of the week and end) and eat well then go for it, nobody minds a juicy perky booty lol. Shoulders are not large muscles so I would limit it to 3 exercises a week (shoulder press, upright rows, lateral raises) and 2 bis and tris exercises as these are smaller muscles. I didn’t meet my protein goals for over 4 months post op. At 6 months I upped my calories to 800 and at 7.5 months (now) I’m averaging around 1000 calories a day, give or take. I have some fierce restriction so my portions are very small but I eat frequently (every 1.5-2 hours when I’m not busy or distracted). On weekends I forget to eat and can go 6 hours between meals but on weekdays I try to stay consistent and eat every 1.5-2 hours. It’s very unlikely that you’ve messed up your sleeve, you’re losing weight and keeping active so it sounds you’re doing it just right. You might be surprised to find out that you might need to eat much more (1800-2000 calories) to maintain your weight! My brother was sleeved 3 years ago and to maintain his weight (mind you he’s really slim) he’s eating around 3000 calories and he’s not active lol. Not saying you should jump to 1800 calories overnight but maybe gradually start increasing your calories until you hit the sweet spot and your weight stabilizes. Track everything and keep a food journal and note down your weight changes (loss, gain, maintenance). Remember you are very active and you WILL feel more hungry than someone who isn’t. Your body is new to weightlifting and is trying to build muscle, and building muscle requires a lot of calories. At 4 months post op I started serious weight training again and I was able to up my calorie intake when I was failing prior to that, I am just much hungrier working out than when I am not. At 3 months post op I was barely getting in 200 calories a day. Don’t doubt yourself, you’ve done amazing!

@MrsFitz ahh amazing! Congratulations That does not sound fun at all oh my god...definitely take it easy! My dad has had to have those in the past and I know it comes with a fair amount of suffering so my heart goes out to you! That is going to be amazingggg! Thank you! I should have my test soon which I am absolutely bricking!! 🤯Hair is all complete, and I have had a little bit from the sides shaved off oop hehe. I shall do!

So we are at the middle of the week - how are we all doing? What is something that has gone well so far/or something that you are looking forward to? Anything you'd like to learn from/improve on? My week has been okay so far! I have a driving lesson and then I am getting my hair cut, which I am in desperate need of as my fringe is in my eyes 🤦‍♂️ I am trying to increase the amount I am eating, which is proving difficult, but I'll get there! I also start with a personal trainer tomorrow which I am excited about!

Just got a call from the pre op nurse. Boy is this getting real!! I’m sure your instructions will be different so Idk if any of this is helpful fo anyone else but I typed it out for myself anyways and figured I may as well copy it here in case there is something someone hadn’t thought of yet. Please let me know if I am missing anything as well. Two Days Before (Monday) Switch to the liquid diet this morning. I also think I’m going to go ahead and pack that evening because there is enough to remember the night before. I have duplicates of all my toiletries and stuff I plan to pack so why not.(move my one rx so I don’t forget and take it in the morning) The Day before surgery: (Tuesday) Skip that one medication I moved starting this morning, switch from full to clear liquid this evening, remove rings, change sheets, take my shower with the special soap, take the nausea pill at bedtime and of course nothing at all after midnight. Surgery Day: (Wednesday) Wake up at 3:30am and take my allowed meds with 12oz of regular sugar Gatorade- finishing everything before 4:30, take my second shower with the special soap, toss towels in wash so they are clean post op, brush teeth and get dressed (which should be pretty fast considering I can’t put anything on my body or hair at all except clothes-no jewelry, makeup, lotions, deoderant, perfume-Nothing. (She said they don’t care if we stink. lol), Then head to the hospital at 5:15. *I have to remember not to pee after that Gatorade because they need a urine pregnancy test shortly after I arrive at 5:30. Turn off phone and give to hubby just before Surgery which is scheduled for 7:30am🤞 I asked about my meds. They say to leave everything valuable at home (except ID and insurance card) including wedding rings and medications but for the sleeve I was on some pretty new meds that they didn’t have in their pharmacy so my husband had to run home to get those. She said that very rarely happens but I could have them handy at home for him (in the original bottles) just in case. So, just a heads up if your driver can’t ever find anything like mine and you are on something less common it couldn’t hurt to leave them in plain view 🤣 I also plan to have a couple of things ready on the table that I will just ask my husband to bring me if it looks like I will end up staying a second night like my crochet bag, a book and some drink mixes (if they don’t have the ones I like). Things I can live without for one night but may want if I’m staying longer. I know at my bospital that they don’t give you a room until you are done with surgery and recovery so your bag has to go into a locker or something and they have to inventory all the stuff so they were very appreciative that I packed light for my sleeve.

Hi everyone. I'm a bit of a complicated outlier, as my duodenal switch will be a modified duodenal switch with Demeester adjustment. I'm getting a duodenal switch for biliary diversion ( bile reflux). And I have a herniated stomach, so it will need a hernia repair. This means my stomach will not be reduced, but it will be restored in terms of hernia. And the new bile limb will only be around a 100 to a 150cm down. Enough to prevent bile from flowing into my stomach, but less malabsorption and weight loss issues. The issue is, that my stomach gas gastroptosis ( which means it is very elongated and stretched down towards my pelvis) this means it is quite painful and traumatic when vomiting occurs. I have read so many horror stories about vomiting post op or even within the first 3 to 6 months. I'm wondering, does that mainly occur due to reduction of the stomach? Or is it an unavoidable cause of the new limbs being created. I'm terrified of obstructions, ileus and other nasty complications.

Just got a call from the pre op nurse. Boy is this getting real!! I’m sure your instructions will be different but I just thought I would share mine for anyone having surgery for the first time to have some idea but it will also help me to organize all of this in my mind 😊 Two Days Before (Monday) Switch to the liquid diet this morning. I also think I’m going to go ahead and pack that evening because there is enough to remember the night before. I have duplicates of all my toiletries and stuff I plan to pack so why not.(move my one rx so I don’t forget and take it in the morning) The Day before surgery: (Tuesday) Skip that one medication I moved starting this morning, switch from full to clear liquid that evening, remove rings, change sheets, take my shower with the special soap, take the nausea pill at bedtime and of course nothing at all after midnight. Surgery Day: (Wednesday) Wake up at 3:30am and take my allowed meds with 12oz of regular sugar Gatorade- finishing everything before 4:30, take my second shower with the special soap, toss towels in wash so they are clean post op, brush teeth and get dressed (which should be pretty fast considering I can’t put anything on my body or hair at all except clothes-no jewelry, makeup, lotions, deoderant, perfume-Nothing. (She said they don’t care if we stink. lol), Then head to the hospital at 5:15. *I have to remember not to pee after that Gatorade because they need a urine pregnancy test shortly after I arrive at 5:30. Turn off phone and/or give to hubby just before Surgery which is scheduled for 7:30am🤞 I asked about my meds. They say to leave everything valuable at home (except ID and insurance card) including wedding rings and medications but for the sleeve I was on some pretty new meds that they didn’t have in their pharmacy so my husband had to run home to get those. She said that very rarely happens but I could have them handy at home for him (in the original bottles) just in case. So, just a heads up if your driver can’t ever find anything like mine and you are on something less common it couldn’t hurt to leave them in plain view 🤣 I also plan to have a couple of things ready on the table that I will just ask my husband to bring me if it looks like I will end up staying a second night like my crochet bag, a book and some drink mixes (if they don’t have the ones I like). Things I can live without for one night but may want if I’m staying longer. I know at my bospital that they don’t give you a room until you are done with surgery so your bag has to go into a locker or something and they have to inventory all the stuff so they were very appreciative that I packed light last time.

I honestly don’t think them smart scales are super accurate. I’ve seen a few people on here say they got DEXA scans and that their scale was not the same. That being said. They do warn that we will lose muscle and that’s why it’s important to start with some strength building as soon as we are cleared to do so. About the stall, some people do actually gain a little. Usually it’s followed by a quick drop of that gain- plus some. I think it’s your body trying to hang onto every single calorie it gets because it thinks it’s starving. Sorta has to recalibrate for a short time and then you should be back on the downward trend. If my google search is correct 1kg is only 2.2 pounds. Honestly you could see that fluctuation any day. Doesn’t even have to be a stall. Could be your body retaining water or your bowels are full or you weighed at a differnt time of day. Virtually anything can cause that. That’s why they say it’s best to not weigh daily. I know it’s hard not to and I’m guilty of it too but we really do just cause ourselves unnecessary stress by doing it. When I had my sleeve my daily loss fluctuated several times by a couple of pounds. Even 3 or 4 a couple times because I weighed daily. But I did only record my weight once a week and that made it way easier to see the overall downward trend.

The distal gastric bypass can indeed lead to more significant weight loss since it bypasses a larger portion of the intestine, but it can also come with an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies and other complications. It's crucial to discuss all potential risks and benefits with your medical team and possibly connect with others who have had the procedure to hear about their experiences. Good luck with your decision, and make sure you get all the information you need to feel confident moving forward!

I heard it! I was intrigued, and honestly I think that any treatment that helps people improve their body and/or mental health is worth investigating thoroughly -- so I'd like to see how it develops. But that said, my question is, how do these studies take into account the people for which depression, eating disorders, etc all go hand in hand with being or becoming obese, low self worth, trauma, etc. Mental/emotional health and obesity / physical health & ability can easily boost each other up positively or send you into into a vicious downwards spiral when things are going bad. How many people on GLP-1s who attempted/considered suicide were already suffering from depression or suicidal ideation, etc? How many people who lost weight through GLP-1s had their mental health and self worth so intrinsically tied to their body image or the side effects of obesity that the resulting weight loss improved that aspect of their lives almost as a side-effect? Either way, the potential for improvement in both areas upon taking GLP-1s would be worth it, in my eyes, but I'm always a bit skeptical about how studies like this are framed.

I started to do that just in a standard pocket notebook (so I had it with me no matter what size handbag I was using), a day a page, and did little motivation or positive comments a couple of days a week. Each time I had a decent weight loss week (I try to weigh only once a week or I go mad with overthinking the fluctuations) I would note it and then highlight it in a neon colour. After three months I switched from the notebook to online tracking with myfitnesspal as I just found it easier to track portion sizes, calories, carbs etc. as it took a lot of the work away from doing it myself. I then moved to a manifestion & positivity journal instead to keep it separate from my food tracking as I didn't want the two things to be linked as for me I find it easier to disassociate food journaling from feelings going forward. I found a journal that also had positivity exercises in them do to each week, some were not relevant to my situation at all but I considered if 'food' for thought.

This surgery is something none of us have had before & so we have no understanding or experience of how it feels post surgery. Add to that our bodies often respond differently to the surgery, it can be hard to predict exactly how you will feel & respond & how long you will be affected. Like I had no gas pain at all with my sleeve (don’t hate me) but when my surgeon removed my gall bladder two years later boy oh boy did I have gas pain. Also even if we are told things or it’s in the material we’re given, the information overload & usual emotional stress of the surgery means it can be easily missed or forgotten. So 100% no judgement. We’re always happy to share our experiences, advice & any tips we found helpful here. PS: I do have some judgment for any surgeon or team if they don’t ensure you’re well prepared for the very common post surgical experiences like hair loss, constipation, nausea from vitamins, etc. though.

I was a teaspoon dipper or baby bite person too. My bites were just want ever was on the end of the teaspoon I dipped into my food. Don’t be afraid to wait longer between bites: a couple of minutes. Even eating 1/4 cup of food would take me 20 minutes or more. I would avoid the crackers and focus only on eating protein at this stage and any incidental vegetables like what might be in a soup you’ve blended. Generally any carbs should be left to the last thing you eat & only if you are able. So eat your protein first, then if you are able any vegetables then finally carbs you’re allowed at each stage (usually whole or multi grains not the more highly processed, less nutrient dense breads, rice, pasta, crackers). So if you were able to eat the saltines, you would have been able to eat more of the chicken salad & therefore more protein. There were many times I ate protein & nothing else for some meals for months. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Good for you with your loss. I guess you showed them!! i would love to lose it all but I know that not likely going to happen with either of these surgeries. I was not always obese. In fact, I was quite tiny until I was 25. I started gaining right around the time my bipolar manifested and i started on the meds. I have lost weight here and there but overall I have gained steadily ever since. I was used to seeing myself thin more than half my life, though and i have not been happy with my body since I was like 30. I often see people on here say they see a stranger when they lose weight but I still see a stranger when I look in the mirror now. I realize that I am not in my twenties anymore and I’m not going to be a size one again but if I had a magic wand I would love to be close. I set my goal to 180 with the sleeve and I did surpass that a bit but I still wasn’t happy if I’m being honest. The dr had told me that I would probably get to around 150 so when I didn’t I was pretty let down. This time I think I will be happier to get to the 168 than I was before. Now I realize that I was at least healthy at that weight but I would still keep trying to go a little lower if I could. i think I will figure it out in terms of the surgery once I calm down a bit. The logical part of me knows that either one will get me to a much healthier weight, which is the most important thing. I don’t know why I am freaking out so much this time when I was so calm with my sleeve. I do have some pretty major stuff happening in my personal life that’s occupying a lot of my brainpower this time so maybe that’s why this decision is feeling so overwhelming. I really do appreciate all of your kind and thoughtful responses as well as everyone else’s here. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far without the support of this community. ❤️

"So this is the first day of a 12 week liquid diet to lose 10% of my body weight before the surgery." Wow, 12 weeks is a long time on the liquid diet portion of the prep surgery step! Im glad mine was only a week or two. Sorry for your losses, I'm sure its very difficult. Good luck and congrats on getting your date moved up!

I am scheduled to have the same revision in 12 days and I am seriously stating to freak about whether the bypass would actually be better for me. I am concerned about the post op diet like you but I suppose I can tough it out if I’m allowed 3 shakes a day plus the tiny meals they suggest for the virgin surgery. Please let me know how you are doing. Whether you felt the weight loss was adequate. How much torture was the post op diet while still having your hunger hormone? Do you wish you had done bypass instead?!

I am scheduled to have the same revision in 12 days and I am seriously stating to freak about whether the bypass would actually be better for me. I am concerned about the post op diet like you but I suppose I can tough it out if I’m allowed 3 shakes a day plus the tiny meals they suggest for the virgin surgery. Please let me know how you are doing. Whether you felt the weight loss was adequate. How much torture was the post op diet while still having your hunger hormone? Do you wish you had done bypass instead?!

It's great that your body is starting to regulate! But also... periods, boo! I started using the Mirena IUD after my youngest was born, so going on 13 years of no periods (although not everyone has that luck with it). However, the last couple months, I have had noticeable spotting that lasted several days, and also the tenderness in my breasts that I always had with my period. So definitely there's something changing for me, too, with weight loss, even though it's being masked a bit more because of the birth control. I was starting to wonder, since I'm 50 now, if maybe I was done (hard to know if you've hit menopause with Mirena) but this seems to have answered that question, anyway.

Absolutely normal to experience stalls after surgery OP. We all have them - and I mean ALL. What matters is how we react to them. They can be demoralising, demotivating, de-everything!! I do see that you have included the words zombie, dissociated, automaton, emotional shock, shut down, apathetic, superficial and others - in just one post about a stall. I totally understand that this might result from an in depth knowledge of the psychology of weight loss, or just psychology generally. I do hope that you can focus on how well you have done (and will do!) and are having lots of support from wherever you can get it.

Ugh, YES. Part of it is the hormonal changes (not just menstrual!), body chemistry changes, etc. I don't know if there's much we can do about this part beyond nutrition, hormone supplements if required, etc -- much like menopause and pre-menopause. Another part of it is also that for many of us, food was a coping mechanism for a long time and now we've removed that as an option. It means we have to either face the things we were trying to drown out with gravy, or find new and improved, healthy ways to cope. Instead of "What a shitty day, I deserve pie!" it's "What a shitty day, I should eat a protein bar and hit the gym to work out my frustration!" or "What a shitty day, I should actually talk to that person about their poor behaviour." On my side, I've suffered through cyclical depression throughout my life. I'd like to say it gave me a good launching point for when the post-op emotions started hitting, but it's one of those struggles that's just ... always a struggle, lol. I cope with a few CBT techniques that I've learned over the years to get through the most intense moments, and once I'm feeling less unbalanced it's easier to get into a better headspace. Be the one to reach out to someone else at least once a day. Do 20 minutes of mindful self-care -- ie give yourself a hair treatment for 20 minutes and try not to think about anything other than brushing your hair, count strokes, massaging your scalp etc. ((Side note: if you're currently in The Hair Loss phase, maybe skip this for a hand treatment? My hair is suuuuper thin right now.)) I try to re-direct myself into how to make positive changes regarding whatever it was that recently bothered me / triggered me. Not 'fix' things, but improve the situation or my reaction somehow. Sometimes it just requires a long circle of thinking until I realize I'm internalizing something that I don't need to be, or upset about something that normally wouldn't cause a reaction at all, etc. One of my biggest problems and solutions is exercise. If I'm a moody mess, I don't want to exercise. Have no motivation to get up and do it. Yet everytime I force myself to do it, I feel bloody amazing afterwards -- energetic, spirits buoyed, all that good stuff. It doesn't have to be anything major, just walking outside at a good pace can change my mood about 15 minutes in when those endorphins kick in.

Ugh, you're killing it!! ❤️ You look great and you've been losing so darned quick. Also, I love your natural hair. It looks so chic, especially with that length!

Hey. Just showing yall my real hair. I took out my extensions. I may get it straightened this weekend. I’m also 177. 17lbs away from my goal!!!

Could you find the motivation to even start with a few small steps, like finding a way to get your protein up even by way of including it in water and that way two steps covered in one? Your body needs the protein and if you are not getting enough it could be contributing to your mood/fog. So what if you haven't gone to the gym, I don't go, but I have made an effort to find a couple of fitness things I like to do. I know I could do more but hey I am doing more than I did pre-op so its a win win as far as I am concerned. I am not going to put unrealistic pressure on myself as I know I will fail, maybe that is the same for you? For the alcohol you don't say how much or often you have a drink but if you can't go cold turkey could you even cut back or opt for a lighter drink? I have a drink (or three) when out with friends, its not the end of the world but I am realistic that it will probably impact the weight loss for a few days and I restrict myself to only when out, certainly not at home as that is a bad habit that I am trying to make sure I don't bring back. Could you start writing a daily positivity list/journal of all the positives you are finding from the loss you have had so far? I started to do it to help me with the PTSD I am suffering from my surgery, I note just random things such as; was able to jog to catch bus and not be mortified / was able to get through turnstile without turning sideways / so and so told me I was looking great / sun is shining and I feel energised / had to tighten jeans belt again Small steps could help you out of the funk and get you on track as there was a reason you would have had the surgery and you don't want to get back there. It takes work but you have already made good progress but it will get harder to loose the lbs and you could end up with other health problems if you continue as you are. Does your doctor have a support team that you can reach out to? I think an honest conversation with them is needed and will help you, they can hopefully provide tools to get you in the mindset needed to continue. Don't feel ashamed to talk to them as I am sure you are not the only one how feels like you do.

Had this happen to me quite often. A year ago I picked up a brand new pair of Jennifer Lopez jeans size 16 at a rummage sale, thinking I'll put away for a future time. Got home and curiously tried them on and they fit!! Buttoned.. zipped up and comfortable to wear. Fast forward to now, I bought a new pair of Old Navy shorts size 8 in Goodwill, In my mind I doubted they would fit but did. Amazing feeling and it's been many many years since I wore a size 8. Oh and today I put on a XX boho style shirt and wore it as a dress. 😎 I remember thinking this same thing but it was usually weight loss after any food centered holiday. That's never happened to me ..eva. Glamping at the lake every weekend doesn't seem to have much effect on my weight loss either. I'm very thankful.

True for most, but as I said I have two friends who didn't have bariatric surgery and have been able to maintain their GLP-1 weight loss. One for a year and a half and the other for 10 months both quit taking it. They said it can be tough but they maintain by eating right and getting their steps! So happy ending for them! There will always exceptions to the rules.

"They changed their eating habits while on the medication, but once they stopped, that all kind of went out the window because all the things the meds stopped came roaring back." This is the problem. If people who decide to utilize this medication tool don't maintain healthy smaller portions and eating habits they will put weight back on. They've never learned or failed to follow a new healthy life "diet". They need to learn healthy eating while on the GLP-1, unfortunately most don't and go back to their old eating habits prior to starting the medication regimen. As long as you know this and stick to better, smaller portions and maintain a healthy lifestyle gaining weight back shouldn't happen. I know two people who've done this and have maintained their weight loss! GLP-1's are nothing more than a tool and should be used accordingly by learning to eat to maintain the loss and how to understand the hunger when it comes back. I'm assured that it won't happen to me since I have learned to eat healthy and exercise - we shall see!