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it's super common. It takes a long time for your brain's perceptions of your body and what your body actually looks like to align (I had this issue pre-surgery, too - I was always shocked when I saw a picture of myself (the few that there were, that is - I HATED having my picture taken back then!). I think in my head I weighed in the 200-250 range, not 373! And after I got down as low as the 130's, I *still* saw myself in the 200-250 range for quite awhile (I've gained about 20 lbs since hitting bottom (which is also super common) - between that and the fact I'm several years post-op, I think I'm finally in alignment!!

This is a big issue that I don't feel gets addressed enough before or after surgery. I really felt this alot and spoke to my doctor about this. I didnt try to hide what I was feeling, they are your feelings. I also started a journal that I write positive affirmations about my weight loss journey. If I feel like I am going down that dysmorphia rabbit hole I reach out and speak to someone about this. It really helps when speaking with someone that has had the surgery and the same challenges and understands the process emotionally that goes with this surgery. Its hard to explain stuff or get true feedback and support from someone that doesnt really understand this process in my opinion. One of my coworkers had the same surgery and when we first met we smiled at each other and said "sister". I know that sounds odd but we bounce stuff off each other whenever we work together. For example she reached out to me because she was having issues with her husband (who is very supportive of her, but just doesnt understand the process emotionally.) talking about her watching her carbs. He felt she was getting "overly obsessive" about it. She is 3 yrs post op and has been struggling with some weight gain. Her husband makes her lunch for work and the stuff he puts in there is just bad! lots of breads, pastas, etc. well you can imagine. she has been making her own and bringing more healthier choices and she has started to drop again. The thing is you can't be afraid of your feelings, and need to address them whether its finding a support group or connecting with someone that you feel comfortable talking to. I talk to my doctor (reg doc) and have come up with some approaches that work for me. For me the anxiety is what gets me and I am proud to say I have a good handle on that now and the dysmorphia is so much more under control if you will. One really important thing that also helped me was to be realistic in my vision of myself. I am not 18 years old and will never have that body again. Accepting my self now at the age I am at now (60) and really feeling comfortable with my body now is extremely important. Society does woman an injustice by attempting to dictate how we are supposed to look. I feel great, better than I have EVER felt and I feel more alive now that before my surgery. I embrace that. I am happy and healthier for my surgery and owe it to myself to love myself and enjoy the rest of my life feeling good. Don't be hard on yourself. I recommend getting a book of positive affirmations and reading one every day. It sounds corny but the more positive you put into things (its hard in this negative world we live) the more positive you will feel. Love and light.

This is a great question!!! I have always been UNrealistic in my weight loss journey before my surgery so this was a concern for me. I looked over my past and tried to remember the weight where I felt good, confident as well as taking into account my age at the time of surgery and my activity level. I have some orthopedic issues that hinder my work outs and general walking. I discussed this with the therapist I spoke to before my surgery and it was agreed that my number for me was very realistic. I made my goal weight just shy of a year post op! I followed and still follow my meal plans, I do add in an "extra" here and there but its always worked into my plan and I avoid excesses. I took the time to learn what my eating triggers are and when I feel like I am going down that rabbit hole I adjust and use other non-food coping strategies. Each journey is very personal and once size does not fit all. This is something I have really became fully aware of during my journey.

I had the Loop DS, but my stomach is a VSG stomach, if that counts? And, I'll be 3 years post op next month so I don't know if I count, but... my tip is to take the weight loss phase and use it to learn how to eat in a better and more sustainable way. Make healthier choices, but allow yourself the freedom to eat the things you want in moderation (i.e not all the time). If you start to put on weight then monitor your calories (though in year 2 you WILL put on anywhere between 5-20 pounds back on average, or so I've been told by my surgeons office. I originally put 21 pounds on due to a med I was taking and once I stopped taking the med I worked on getting the weight off and was able to lose half the weight I'd gained, but I can't get under 186 pounds no matter what I do. I'm okay with it though as long as I stay in the 180's, but if my weight creeps into the 190's I start monitoring my calories closely to see if I'm eating too much. Which I usually am lol. I cut back and the weight comes back off, but stalls once again at 186 😒).

Yes, I have definitely felt this, though not currently. I always recommend therapy, even a two month “tune up.” It can be cost prohibitive so other resources I found useful are body movement classes like yoga and Thai Chi that ground me in my physical body. I like to walk meditate, journal. Use what you have done in the past that helped you recover or grieve like art, music, a house of worship. O.A. meetings have discussions on the topic. WLS is a wonderful tool that helps with weight loss, but it doesn’t fix our brains. The fabulous thing is you have already begun your amazing journey of great success to heal your whole self.

If you are over 3 years post op and have kept your weight off. What’s your top tips!

Post surgery question(s)... Has anyone struggled with body dysmorphia? I have reached onederland, and thought I would be more excited than I am. I see some weight loss, but my brain isn't connecting the dots and I feel like I should be more excited than I am to have reached such a great milestone in 6 months. Instead of being excited I am just trying to reach my next goal and keep telling myself that maybe then I will be happy. I just need my brain and body to be in unison. I think this is part body dysmorphia. Any advice would be great!

I found my rate of loss just got slower. & slower. There wasn’t a sudden change. It goes hand in hand with you slowly increasing your calorie intake as your portion sizes get larger & you’re eating a wider variety of foods which you should be doing. Plus every week you have less to lose. The hair loss is temporary & only lasts about three months. Small cost to pay for the weight loss. The thing to watch is complacency in your food choices & activity. It can be easy to let a treat become a more regular addition to your diet, to add extra snacks, larger portions etc., not tracking & measuring as carefully or regularly. Boredom & diet fatigue are real. But stick to your plan, recommendations from your dietician & the new habits & behaviours you’ve been establishing.

Ok, my weight training today was INSANE. I only have 7 pound weights (I need to buy more) but I used them to their limits, believe me lol I did 50 squats with them, 50 lunges with them, 30 bicep curls, 30 hammer curls, 30 overhead presses, 30 goal post presses, 30 side curls, 30 side extensions, and 30 tricep kickbacks. My goal is to get to 100 squats, 100 lunges, and 50 reps of each arm exercise. I'm gonna get there!!! I don't have as much arm strength as I'd like (that's more because of my MS) but I'll get it. Might take a while, but I WILL get there. I know I'm going to be SO SO sore tomorrow, but I'm doing strength training (sit ups, stomach crunches, push ups, calf raises, front and side lunges without weights, squats without weights, and side leg raises) so I gotta keep pushing. I'll do a rest day on Thursday (was going to do it on Friday, but I think my body will need it before that) and then start all over again with cardio on Friday, weight training on Saturday, and strength training on Sunday. Here's hoping I can keep this up!!!

Hi everyone, happy Holidays to all! I'm sending this out because I need accountability here. I've been slowly losing, but at least the scale is heading in the right direction. I was doing great on my life style eating plan, until I baked a couple of batches of sugar cookies for the Grandkids to decorate. They stayed in my freezer for one week. I would grab one here and there. Plus, I baked some brownies for a Christmas function and the left overs are in my freezer! I fell back into old eating patterns, right now I'm under massive stress, aside from the holidays, travel, etc. I went back into stress eating, the more physical pain I was having, the more brownies I crammed into my mouth! I have now either given away or threw away all cookies, brownies, frosting, etc. If it ain't around, I can't eat it. Back to my program I go. I don't think I regained any weight, just slowed down the process.

Congrats! wish you the best. My weight loss did slow once I added food and stopped the complete protein drinks. Having said that, I'm 64, have restricted movement and had insulin resistance. So, I had a lot of thigs to work against. Still losing, but its abut 5 pounds a month.

I was revised from VSG to RNY over three years ago. I can say that my lifestyle and routine is about 95% the same as VSG (and about 75% the same as pre WLS.) I think I was back to what I considered normal in about 4 months after surgery. Your experience may vary of course. The 5% margin of difference between VSG and RNY was the immediate post op period where I had to adjust to new bathroom habits and figuring out exactly which food I no longer could tolerate. Now even the things I didn’t tolerate immediately I can have in some amount and some things I just don’t want at all (super sugary sweet stuff). I can’t speak to the weight loss aspect because I was at my goal and have pretty much stayed there, but the reflux/GERD is gone and has not returned, yet (although unlikely anything is possible). Good luck

I’m having my revision from sleeve to bypass a week from today. Going over all the dietary changes and potential unknowns, I’m just not looking forward to this at all. I wish my weight and reflux were much worse so the revision felt 100% necessary; right now it feels more like 50%, but that’s not going to change the longer I wait. I’m dreading the post-op period and all it’s unpleasantness. Long term, I’m really worried about food intolerances changing my ability to enjoy things that bring me a lot of pleasure. Trying new foods when I travel, indulging in a pastry on a Friday morning, drinking fabulous wine. I swear, I don’t even remember how I managed all the mental and social repercussions the first time around. It just feels more daunting this time. Maybe because it was so unambiguously needed then, I had a more gung ho attitude. Could someone please tell me that six months or a year from now, my lifestyle will be pretty much the same as it is today? Perfectly okay to fib to me if needed 😅

Does anyone know why I can't seem to lose the weight. So far it's been 2 months with the balloon I only lost 7 lbs. Always feeling sick to my stomach. Any advise...

Hello Everyone!! I am about 1 week and a half away from being 3 months Post-Op! I am making this post so that I can get a heads up of any changes I should be expecting soon, I know one may or may not be hair loss, but my main question is will my weight loss begin to slow down drastically? I understand that these changes are different for everyone but I would still appreciate everyone's input since I don't know what to expect lol

I lost 16 lbs the first *month* and started at almost 400 lbs - so you are doing fine! I think a lot of people's expectations come from shows like "My 600 lb Life", but you have to keep in mind those people have starting weights of 600-900 lbs - so they are MUCH heavier than the average WLS patient. And starting weight is a big factor in how fast the weight is going to come off (or at least at first). The closer you are to a normal BMI, the slower it goes, unfortunately...(and at a starting weight of 250 - you're much closer to a normal BMI than I was - let alone a contestant on "My 600 lb Life"!) anyway, hang in there. If you follow your program to a "T", the weight will come off. Your level of compliance is a MUCH greater indicator of your ultimate success than your rate of weight loss is.

Thanks everyone, I’m still pleased with what weight loss I’ve had already and I know everyone is different so shouldn’t compare to others but seems like everyone’s loss has been greater so just want to make sure it seems like I’m on track. Fully aware I won’t loose 60lbs overnight haha! only just moved onto soft food (no puree stage) been on liquid for 4 weeks. I’m tracking what I’ve started to eat on my fitness pal it’s still only circa 700/800 cals a day as portions and Snacks are small, getting my 60g Protein and Water intake as per my plan so everything seems on track for what I’m supposed to be doing. I feel great in myself - started to incorporate walking daily - I know I’m still early days so only time will tell 😊

Hello and welcome in this forum. I weighed in, heavier than you. I lost 15lbs during my 3 week pre op. Then 27lbs in the first month. So you seem on track to me. What kind of foods are you eating and are you tracking your proteins and calories ? Everyone has a different weight loss journey and its not a great idea to compare with others. Medications, age, height and medical issues are different with each person. This leads to different weight loss. Also how much you can walk or exercise can benefit weight loss.

Oh, I'm sore lol I woke up and body said "Bit%& you ain't doing ANYTHING today. Lay down" LMAO I'm going to be doing weight training today, but I'm going to go easier than she suggested since my body is NOT HAVING IT lol Tomorrow is strength training, then Thursday is cardio again, then I'm going to rest on Friday. I might rest on Saturday, too, depending on how I feel on Friday. We'll see.

Hey, I had a VGS on 22nd Nov and now 4weeks PO. I’ve lost 22lbs so far (11lbs of this on the LRD pre surgery). I was hoping for a little more progress than where I’m at currently, I’ve been sitting at a loss of 22lbs for the last 2 weeks - I know of the 3 week stall period, just want to see if anyone had had similar losses to me in their first 4 weeks to see if I’m on track, as often posts I see it seems everyone has massive losses in the first month or so and mine seems a little low :( starting weight was 250lbs ans I’m 5ft 8in for reference - thank you

When I was 29 I was 220 at 5’5. I lost 90 lbs and hit my goal weight and had no sagging skin whatsoever. I even developed a 4 pack abs but I also incorporated daily cardio and strength training in my life as well.

I have 3 scales. lol My favorite is the Innotech wireless Bluetooth smart body scale that I got at bariatricpal. That thing is so consistent regarding weight. Up to date, it by far, the most consistent scale I've ever owned. I love the app too. My other two scales are not consistent at all, especially if I tilt or move.

I think my cousin is trying to kill me LOL She's a trainer, and she gave me some really good pointers for cardio, strength training, and weight training. Well, today was cardio day, and she said to go to speed 2.5 and incline 15 on the treadmill and sustain it for a solid 30-45 minutes. I thought "no problem, I can do that". OMG by the time I got to incline 12 I thought I was gonna die lol It took me 20 minutes to work my way up to incline 15. Once I got to it, I was able to sustain it for 40 minutes. I'm so proud that I was able to do it. I really didn't think I could, especially at the end. Now I'm exhausted and my body is screaming, so it's time to eat dinner (chicken drumsticks) and then take a long, hot shower.

Yep, I hear that. I'm in my first real stall since starting to lose weight. (Fake stalls are where it's obvious why you're not losing weight and it's cheeseburger or couch-shaped.) Trying to just stick with the program, keep up my activity and not freak out, but trying not to freak out is like trying not to breathe for me. 😂

Hello July buddies! I'm 5 mos out from surgery. I hope to post a couple of pics here soon. My highest weight was 290 lbs about 2 years ago; I'm now at 175 lbs. I am still losing a pound every few days. I'm learning my triggers and finding new hobbies - which includes cooking! My goal is to be 150 lbs but i'll see what my body tells me to do. My husband is scheduled for bypass next month. Very excited for him! I'm trying to remember all my tips & tricks to help him out. He says my progress has been a great motivator for him. He's such a sweetheart I hope you all are doing well & are healthy. Merry Christmas!