Search the Community

My first stall happened about 2 weeks post surgery and lasted about a month. Now, I seem to stall about every other week. *shrug* As long as I'm staying on track, I'm not worried. The weight is coming off - even if it's a bit slower than I'd like.

Buyer's remorse is normal. Being tired and dizzy and sluggish is normal. It took me a couple of months to start feeling like I was myself again. Like you, I was a low-BMI patient with other health factors that got me approved. Also, like you, I tried all the diets - and nothing stuck. Only 5% of people will keep their weight off, long term, just with diet and exercise alone. Bariatric surgery is BY FAR the best way to keep your weight off for life. Don't be fooled, we still have to diet and exercise, but the surgery helps us do that. Hang in there. This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it WILL pass.

Before my pre-surg diet, I had some food funerals. Not so much binge eating, because I was not allowed to gain weight. But, I did eat things that I knew I wouldn't really be able to have after surgery. I started therapy about 2 months before surgery. I knew that I had issues and would probably have even more issues after surgery, so I got that going. Have you considered working with a counselor? They might be able to help.

I've heard that from others. They make special cushions with tailbone cutouts. So far, my tailbone isn't bothering me, but I imagine it probably will when I lose some more weight. I still have a fair bit of padding on my rear. LOL!

I’m a bit nervous since I’m five months past surgery tomorrow and I’ve only lost a little over half of my excess weight. I spent most of October and November in a stall, did well in December and so far in January I’ve lost a little bit but not a lot. I still have 17-18 kilos to go to get to a healthy BMI, and I’m not going to get there in a year if I will only lose a kilo a month from now on. I lost a total of 19 kilos in the first five months, most of it in the beginning and then in December.

This isn’t a NSV, but everyone reading this thread HOPEFULLY can give me some insight. I am 18 months PO. I have lost 156 lbs. (total) BUT, WHY do I bite the inside of my mouth when I chew sometimes! Is it the weight lost in the face, sagging to allow me to ‘bite it easier’ now?

I don't know how accurate this calculator is overall, but it was helpful for me to see a baseline trend of what could be expected in the first year on a month-to-month basis compared to people of the same demographics (age, gender, height, weight, ethnic group, and WLS type). That being said, my chart predicts an average weight loss of 12 lbs in the first month, and I lost 9.5 lbs in the first 5 days after surgery. I'm only on day 9 post-op now, but I am 5'3", my surgery weight was 221 lbs, and I was at a BMI of 39 on surgery day. https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/ Hope this helps! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

The first few months post-op are the hardest because you’re still healing from surgery and adjusting to a lot of changes, but you’re not yet getting the benefits of the weight loss. It’s very normal at this stage to have feelings of regret and wonder if the surgery was a mistake. As time goes by, though, it gets easier in many ways. You’ll be able to re-introduce more foods into your diet as well as get used to the changes that will become your new “normal.” And in the meantime, you’ll lose a lot of weight and get to experience life as a non-obese person. This rough part of your journey will be a blip in your memory, and if you’re like most of us, eventually your only regret will be that you didn’t do this sooner.

So you're barely over a week out - it's major surgery and it does take some time to bounce back from the body-shock. Some have a rougher time than others post-op, which sounds like where you're at. It's definitely not an easy recovery regardless, and some people experience very real hormonal disruption that can really bring on some horrible emotional turmoil. Regret right after surgery is actually pretty common. And I know it's a broken record, but it's honestly true - it gets better. Hard to hear when you're in pain, feeling weak, and are trying to navigate a brand new and often overwhelming new life change, I know, but even folks who had a rough time like you will, months later, attest that it gets better and is worth it. If you could have lost the weight without surgery you would have. We all would have. Never having long-term success is what brought us all to taking the surgical help. Be kind to yourself and like SleeveDiva2022 suggested, a bariatric therapist might be a good idea.

As soon as I put a deposit down for my surgery I started binge eating massive amounts of food. Like a dozen donuts in one day, an entire large bag of m & Ms. I feel so uncomfortable all the time. I bet I will have gained 10 pounds before date of surgery. I am out of control. I guess I want to ask if this has happened to anyone else but I’m afraid I’m alone in this behavior. What will happen if the surgery doesn’t happen?! I’m in a mess.

I'm having a lower body lift, arm & breast lift with Dr. John LoMonaco in Houston. Although he's a 5-hour drive from our Texas home, I chose him because he specializes in bariatric weight loss patients. He has fantastic reviews on RealSelf and everywhere else I researched. I only found 1 negative review and I asked him about it. He definitely lived up to the hype during my in-person consultation. My husband was skeptical about me undergoing surgery until he met Dr. LoMonaco and my fella is very difficult to impress. Because we live part time in Kansas as well, my initial consultation was via pictures. I was gobsmacked when he answered my emails (generally in the late evenings) personally. Not an admin nor a form letter. Good luck on your search!!

Maybe finding a good therapist & a dietician will help your cousin get back on track. They can be very helpful during this process - supporting her through the emotional turmoil & sorting out her dietary concerns & issues. Also speaking with her surgeon (via Skype or similar) or asking them for a referral to another surgeon close to her now may be helpful too. There is no need to go back to the very low calorie, shake diet. This was in place for a specific period of time to support healing. Sure people lose weight on very low calorie shake diets but they are not sustainable & regain is usually inevitable. Eating in a way that was more like what she was doing when she well into her weight loss (say the 6 or 12 month mark) would be more beneficial: observing portions, protein & fluid goals, & eating a range of vegetables, fruit, dairy, & small amounts of low processed multi/whole grains. As @catwoman7 said a bounce back regain of 10-20lbs is very common in the 2nd/3rd years so her regain could be just that. Also I wonder if she was given reasonable expectations as to what her weight loss could be after surgery? The average weight loss after sleeve or bypass is about 65%+/- of the weight you have to lose to put you in the healthy BMI weight range. (Yes, the healthy BMI range is not always the best weight range for someone & yes, some people do exceed the average result.) She may be beating herself up with somewhat unrealistic goals ( though I understand her desire to lose more). This video may be of assistance to help your cousin look at her achievement of losing 175lbs in a different way: a success.

I straight up regret having surgery. I was a low BMI candidate with a bunch of other health factors that got me approved for the procedure. I am weak beyond measure and dizzy everyday. Can barely handle self care without issue. I had post-op rectal bleeding, went back to the hospital for IV hydration, everything is just difficult. I can’t help but feel like I wish I would have just lost the weight on my own. I did WW, keto, boot camp training sessions, you name it and never had long term success. I know people say it gets better with time but when?! I’m a mom of twins, laying around all day just isn’t my style. I wish I never did this :(

Something isn't adding up here. If she's getting in 109g protein, that's 436 calories right there. If she's only taking in 662 calories, then her protein would be about 65% of that. Maybe some misinterpretation of what MFP is reading? I can see that they might "recommend" 35% protein for her low calories - a typical normal diet might be 15-20%, and a bariatric weight loss diet might well be 50-60% (or more, at the beginning when we are eating little else other than protein.) 60-80g would be a typical recommendation for a woman with a sleeve, as there is no significant malabsorption involved, though some go higher than that as a means of avoiding "carbs", or under the false assumption that the extra will help avoid loss of muscle mass (it will to the point that one is actually working to build muscle mass, but the only thing the excess does, other than make expensive urine, is to avoid deficiency, but one doesn't need much extra to avoid that - the typical bariatric recommendations will cover it.) It does sound like a bariatric RD would be a good person to consult, and if she is truly only getting 6-700 calories and still struggling, then there may be some other metabolic issue going on, and some other appropriate specialist may be in order. But a good RD would be a great start in getting a good baseline of what is really happening dietwise. Starting at 400 lb, a sleeve is often somewhat marginal for getting to normal, particularly for a woman of that size (how tall is she - that's a factor as well in determining an appropriate goal and understanding metabolic issues.) You say that she recently moved cross country - where is she now - that can be a help in finding new specialists. It might be that the VSG is indeed marginal for her needs, and she really needs something stronger. A DS is a straightforward conversion from the VSG (as it uses the sleeve as its basis) and is typically the strongest metabolic tool of the mainstream procedures, so that is also a longer term consideration.

"journey" "3 week stall" "only x lbs" (in a dismissive way in referring to lbs lost) and, similar to @Tomo, i have a pet peeve about the ANGST folks unnecessarily put upon themselves when comparing their own results to others without CONTEXT. Yes, Sally may drop 30 lbs the first month because she started off at 350 lbs, vs Jane who lost "only" 10 and started off at 200. And yes, Joe, who is also 350 lbs lost 50 lbs, but he is like 8 inches shorter than Sally and is a dude. and there is brenda who lost 5 lbs cuz she has a medical condition and hasn't yet learned how to adjust her lifestyle around it. we all have the same goal: to lose weight. in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter sh*t if i lost faster/slower more/less than some random stranger on the internet. *rant over*

Have you tried any other appetite suppressants? If you go on Wegovy, it'll work but if you ever have to go off it (like if there's a nation wide back log again) you'll gain everything back and then some. My friend was on Ozempic and this happened to her. It might be better to look at an appetite suppressant and a metabolism booster and carb blocker (I use those) and do a reset on your stomach to get it used to eating smaller portions and better foods, and try drinking some brewed teas (I drink hibiscus tea, green tea, white tea, yerba mate tea, and black tea. Sometimes I switch some of those out for oolong tea and pu-erh tea.) They help with fat burning, suppressing appetite, some have a bit of caffeine in them for a natural energy boost. I would try that stuff before you go on a medication that will likely go back out of stock, and will cause major weight regain as soon as you have to stop taking it (my friend was working out, changed her diet, and taking Ozempic and within 10 days of being off the Ozempic, she had already regained 5 pounds. After a month, she gained back everything she lost, and after 2 months, she gained an extra 5 pounds).

This. Your weight loss is likely to be most in the first month after surgery and then slow down and slow down and slow down more as you progress. Added to that everyone's journey is different. I am exactly the same as you - I wanted certainties going into this surgery, and things I could influence or control. Several months in I just realised that the surgery does its job if I do my job, and it was all SO much relaxed thereafter. Best of luck on your journey xxx

as long as you know how many calories it takes to maintain your weight - and track your food intake to be sure you're not going over that (except for an occasional "splurge" day, like on a holiday - in which case you just get right back on track the next day), you should be OK. Also, decide on what your top acceptable weight is, and once you get there, it's all hands on deck to get it back down again before it gets out of hand. as for the hunger, I'm guessing your body is probably happy where it is and doesn't want to lose weight. That's not to say you can't, but it'll be a struggle, because you'll be fighting biology. I'm dealing with the same thing right now. I want to lose 10 lbs - but the old body doesn't. You'll have to decide if it's worth the struggle. For some people it is, for others it's not. If you want to lose but the hunger is really bad, there are medications to control that (Wegovy might be one (??) - not sure - but they're out there). Some clinics are fine with prescribing those to you, others aren't - but it sounds like your is OK with it.

at two years out, she should be getting double the number of calories she's getting now (if not more - depends on her height, weight, activity level, etc) - unless she's super short or has really screwed up metabolism or something. 662 calories is only common in the first few months after surgery, not at two years out. re: the 10 lb gain, most of us gain 10-20 lbs after hitting our lowest weight, so that's not uncommon. It's almost expected...(not inevitable, but it happens to most people) protein - most of us are encouraged to get 60-80 grams a day. I need 100, but that's because we discovered early on that I malabsorb it - my prealbumin level tanks if I don't get that much. But I'm not the norm. 300 is crazy. No one needs that much - not even body builders. That's so weird that the app is telling her that!! you mentioned an RD - might be a good idea for her to see one to get some good advice and guidelines on what/how she should be eating. She may have some issues that we don't necessarily know about (like me and my protein issue....)

I had my surgery this past November at the age of 60. I am down about 32 LBS, i don't expect to lose fast due to genetics and my history but i am determined to continue to follow my plan no matter what. With what i lost so far i already can tell a big difference in how my knees and legs feel, i can walk longer distance without pain which to me is a huge win. I just put on a pair of jeans that have been hanging in my closet for a year because i couldn't even get them over my hips!! For me, the sleeve was definitely the right decision. I still new on this journey but so far so good. I have my surgery with the surgical weight control center in Las Vegas highly recommend

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.