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I definitely need to start exercising more, and I have a fitbit, but I lost my charger. I was walking outside, but not that it's getting a lot colder and slippery at times, I plan to rejoin a gym. I'm just finishing up my final assignments at university, which are all due next weekend. However, I don't know if I'll have the time to work out five times a week. Walking outside is easy, but going to the gym takes time. I pretty much just have the time from when I finish work until my son needs to be picked up or comes home. Some days that's an hour, some days only half an hour or less. I definitely don't have the time to work out with a trainer, but I plan to have a trainer I know create a plan for me that I can follow on my own. In other news, I had my hair cut to shoulder length today. My hair looks thicker, but I think I look worse. Not necessarily older, but worse. At least, it will take some time getting used to. Maybe I'll look better after I've lost more weight. If not, the hair will hopefully grow back.

Sorry you're struggling so much! Based on what you're describing, neither weight loss surgery, nor GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic/Wegovy/Rybelsus would do anything for you. Both WLS and these meds work by helping patients reduce caloric intake. You've already said that doing so didn't work for you, so I see little point in either approach. Here's the deal. While this is a slight over simplification, you can't overcome basic physics even if there's some sort of hormonal imbalance. If you eat less than you burn, you'll lose weight. If you eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight. There's no way around that. This makes me think you may be asking the wrong question? I think instead of asking how can I reduce my food intake further, the question you should be asking is why is my metabolism so low and what can I do to increase how much I'm burning? Based on what you've described, there really are only two explanations: Either you are eating a lot more than you think you are (it's common for people to dramatically overestimate caloric intake), or your metabolism is unnaturally low. My first recommendation would be to have a baseline metabolism check done. This is sometimes called resting metabolic rate (RMR), resting energy expenditure (REE), or Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Do some Google searches and you should find a place near you that can test this. Even if you do nothing else, knowing how many calories you burn at rest will help you understand what you should do to get to a normal weight. Next, I'm going to guess that your previous fitness attempts were focused primarily on steady-state cardio. While that's great for heart health, it's not what I think you need. I would strongly recommend finding a reputable trainer that can help you add muscle mass through proper diet and exercise. Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism. In your case, where you've likely severely negatively impacted your metabolism through a starvation diet/anorexia, you may have to "reset" things with this type of training regimine. One final point: stop obsessing with the number on the scale. This is a poor analog for how fit you are. Your body weight is comprised of lots of things other than fat (muscle, bone, water, organ weight, etc.), so you could actually be really fit at 180, or carrying too much fat at 160. For example, you made a point of saying that after months of working out in a gym, you ended up weighing more than before you started. That's actually somewhat common and not necessarily a bad thing. That extra 6 pounds may have just be fluid retention, or muscle (likely some of both), so the number on the scale was not a good way of tracking your overall health. This is one of the reasons we strongly recommend also periodically checking your body measurements, as well as potentially checking body composition. You can buy a BIA scale to check that, or there are plenty of commercial places that will do it for you. Best of luck.

thanks… just more annoyed that i had to go through it again… was nasty, still is… only gained 2 lbs from fluid from the er visit that will flow out in a couple days

If snacking &/or overeating are your concerns, IF may not work for you. As @SpartanMaker said, its success depends upon compliance. If you’re drawn to snacking &/or overeating now, you’ll likely still do it in the smaller eating window of IF. It doesn’t stop you from eating or stop you from making not the best food choices. If these are your areas of struggle, you’re half way there because you’ve identified the problem. Go back to measuring & monitoring your portions to get back on track. What are you snacking on & why are you snacking? Habit, boredom, craving, etc.? Look for something to distract you instead of snacking. We’ve years of thinking we need to go on a ‘diet’ when we put on some weight. When some simple changes of behaviour might be all we need.

@SpartanMaker This is incredibly helpful. THANK YOU for taking the time to share such a thorough and thoughtful answer. I'm mostly considering IF because I'm concerned about weight regain. Now that I've moved into maintenance, my calorie count is creeping up. I find it pretty easy not to eat before lunch, so IF might help limit my snacking/potential overeating. Again, THANK YOU. You've given me lots to think about.

This is an interesting question. I've read quite a lot of the scientific literature on Intermittent Fasting (IF) and I think it can be summarized as follows: IF has similar and many times better results vs. daily calorie restriction if the goal is weight loss. A lot of this additional benefit is due to the inherent ketogenic nature of IF. Compliance with IF is typically better than daily calorie restriction. If weight loss is the goal, IF can fail spectacularly if the subject overeats when not fasting. This is problematic for some people because they feel like IF gives them an excuse to eat badly on refeed days/times. IF really only works if you eat "normally" when not actually fasting. While there are numerous studies showing improved biomarkers with IF, almost all of those were done with either animals, or with overweight subjects. When compared to daily calorie restriction, many, if not most of the benefits are explained simply by underfeeding, not by IF specifically. (I should note here that IF can be extremely beneficial for certain specific medical conditions. I'm excluding a discussion on that subject and assuming we're talking about otherwise healthy adults.) Taken as a whole, the conclusion I've personally come to is that IF can be beneficial for the right people, but it's not for everyone. Which leads me to your question: Is Intermittent Fasting good for maintenance after WLS? Assuming by "maintenance" you mean you'd be at or under a normal body weight, I'm not sure how beneficial IF would be? After all, IF is typically talked about as a diet or weight loss strategy. My point being that if instead, you are worried about or are actually seeing weight regain in "maintenance" then IF may work for you. Keep in mind however that IF & daily caloric restriction should both technically work. The question I can't answer is which is best for you. Only you know which eating pattern you can best comply with. Also, there are genetic and epigenetic factors at play here as well. Some people just do better with different eating patterns. The best advice may just be to try IF and see how you like it. Don't forget there are lots of different IF eating patterns and while 16/8 may work great for one person, someone else may need 5:2 or even alternate day to be successful. If gaining weight is not an issue and you're looking more for the potential health benefits, I'll point out again that most of the scientific literature seems to support that both IF and underfeeding in general have the same benefits. This means it really comes down to you again. Can you avoid overeating when refeeding? Do you struggle with compliance on a "normal" diet? Your answers will determine your success with IF.

So much of this is an individual journey. There are averages & common experiences but a lot of variation too. From whether you’ll lose hair or not & how much you’ll lose & for how long to how fast or slow you lose. As for the hair loss, some, people swear by taking supplements to help with the hair loss (biotin is very popular) but their hair loss still slows to their usual rate after 3 or 4 months like most do. I say save your money. Cut your hair if it’s long so your new growth doesn’t take as long to catch up to the length of your remaining hair. Plus short hair looks thicker & bouncier without the weight of longer hair pulling it down. And it doesn’t look as much in the bottom of the shower. 🙂 As for the rate of weight loss, best advice is to stick to the plan you were given by your dietician. Or if you didn’t get one for past the initial staged return to eating, get in touch with them to review what your eating, guidance & other options yiu could include in your diet. But I agree, 25 lbs in 2 months is a good loss. Remember you lose at your rate & your weight loss will slow as you get close to your goal.

@kelly jojo First few weeks, we are usually bloated. After surgery I gained over 10 lbs due to the IV. Your body is healing and adjusting. I was told not to take my weight too seriously until I was fully healed (6 to 8 weeks). Try to be patient and stick to your program. 3 lbs a week is actually good at your weight (10.5k calories less), that's 12 lbs in a month if continues at that rate. If losing 3 lbs a week is upsetting then beware of the infamous 3-week stall where you may not lose anything for a few weeks.

Feeling really discouraged. I had the vertical sleeve on 11-23 and I have only lost 6# in the first two weeks. I am only allowed to have protein drinks, cream of wheat and thin soup for another week. I have been getting my liquids in and about 45-60 grams of protein a day. I was 219 the day of the surgery. Has anyone lost so little the first two weeks and then had the weight start to come off? I am nervous I will be one of the few people that this doesn’t work for!

well...i sort of do intermittent fasting naturally (both during weight loss phase AND during maintenance) i normally don't eat until after noon (just not a morning eater...never was even before surgery). After surgery i don't normally eat past 7 or 8 pm..i got into this habit cuz i had a horrible experience with nighttime regurgitation one night and it was enough to make sure i always went to bed on an empty stomach. ...sooo i ended up practicing 16/8 IF without really meaning to. been doing this pretty much about 90% of the time for about 4 years now. not sure if doing so has any added health benefit but i do it anyway cuz its just how i roll lol. p.s. i meet all my nutritional needs most of the time and can easily get 1800+ calories in during those 8 hours (fyi, i graze). my last set of labs 1.5 months ago say im in great health...and i dont even take any vitamins. YMMV. Good luck!

I agree that everyone's journey is different! Before my weight gain, I did have a pretty fast metabolism, as far as what I am doing now is just prioritizing protein and trying to stay away from carbs.

25 lbs in two months is GREAT! Don't compare yourself to everyone else. Everyone is different, different start weight, different metabolism, different diet plans, just different. You are doing great!

Hey guys, I recently got my sleeve in October and I am now so close to my goal weight! I am just scared of hair loss and would like to know tips or tricks please

Sorry you are struggling. We all know how frustrating that can be when it seems you are doing everything right. With your height and weight, you have a BMI of about 32 which will not meet the insurance requirements anyway. Probably why they won't bother referring you. You need to have a BMI of 35 or higher and at least weight related health issues. (High BP, diabetes, etc) or have a BMI of 40 or higher without the related health issues. The only way you will be able to have any type of WLS is to pay out of pocket if you can even find someone to do it with your current BMI. I am sure, there are surgeons out there that would do anything for the money, but I am not sure you really want "that kind" of surgeon being trusted with your life. With that said, have you discussed medical weight loss with your doctor? Prescription meds to help with weight loss? If not, you could try that. I feel for you and wish you the best!

I've had a long history with weight problems. By the age of ''4'' I was already 68 pounds despite having the diet of the typical child. By the time I was 15 I was in the 180's and eating honestly no different from my peers. By 17 I had joined a teen fitness group and failed to lose any weight what-so-ever. I resorted to starvation about a year later and by 19 I was 150 pounds and subsisting on 500 calories per day, taking diet pills and using tea laxatives. This lead to a cardiac issue which lead me into an Anorexia treatment center by 20. I cleaned up my act and began a ''healthy eating journey'' but sadly for me that resulted in a slow creeping weight gain of about 7-8 pounds per year. Sometime in 2014 I had reached ''180'' again and decided to join a gym. Worked out for months and lost nothing. I reduced my sugars, cut out processed food.. somehow I ended up weighing even more. I was 186 by the end of that year. By 2021 I was ''210'' pounds. My doctor weighed me. I was in shock. Literal shock.. could not even believe it because I was working with a nutritionist at the time and following through with everything. This last year I have worked out constantly, eaten no carbs and I am 208. I have only lost two pounds. I am nearly 33 year old and my weight has been a seemingly life long struggle and close to resistant to change unless extreme measures were taken (Anorexia). I am very disappointed with this. I have been tested for PCOS, Cushing's, NCCH etc many times and nothing showed up. I had severe acne (took accutane three times) and mild hirsutism as well but all blood tests come back normal, ultrasound reveal no cysts and I've gotten a monthly period since 13 years old. No doctor can explain this. I feel as though they do NOT believe me when I tell them what I eat. I just had an appointment with an endocrinologist and he said what I was telling him was ''impossible''. I have asked my doctor to refer me for weight loss surgery but at 210 pounds and 5'7 they just won't do it. I am at a loss.

It can be difficult at first to get the full 64ozs in. Swelling from the surgery & a sensitive tummy can’t make it more challenging. As long as you’re making an effort & getting closer to the full 64ozs you’ll be ok. And don’t forget your protein shakes, soups, broths, all count to your fluid intake. Often warm drinks are more soothing & easier to drink: try adding green or herbal tea to your daily fluid intake. Protein waters are great addition as well. Some find it helpful to set a timer so they sip every 5+/- minutes. I also drink during the night. 64ozs or 8 cups of liquids is actually the recommended intake goal for all adults not just those who’ve had weight loss surgery. It’s necessary for your body to function effectively.

It’s becoming more & more common & not just for weight loss surgery patients. I know 3 women who have iron infusions (none had wls). Five years ago I knew no one. (If you will continue to take iron supplements as well as the infusion, don’t take the iron when you take calcium as the calcium inhibits the absorption of the iron.) As for restless legs, my mum (suffered for decades) found a lot of relief from Sifrol. It’s a Parkinson medication. Worth talking to your doctor about.

There is no doubt that cannabis has several positive qualities concerning human health. It is used to relieve pain. It is effective in combating insomnia. It is also used to combat some personality disorders. Unfortunately, cannabis is not omnipotent when we talk about human health. Many diagnoses involve the use of medical drugs, with which, alas, marijuana does not constantly interact well. Such medications include narcotic drugs, including anesthesia, used in surgical procedures. Therefore, you should consult your doctor before taking this product. So, for example, when I had weight loss surgery, I was apprehensive and ready to take my chewable bought on OrganicCBDNugs. But luckily, the doctor was able to reassure me without them.

You and i are both the same height and almost the same starting weight. I was so happy when i hit 100lb lost. Now i am trying to get under that 200 mark but struggling to loose these last 5 lb lol. Congrats on your achievement!

I was a revision which means weight loss is slower, but I am 5'4" and started my journey at 286 lbs and today I am 246.3. I am 1-month post-op. I'm using the 3 patches that the bypass patients use plus one multivitamin.

100% Very few get too skinny, the majority is the opposite. They have to work hard just to maintain their goal weight or lose the last 20 lbs. Our bodies are smart and they adjust (i.e. hunger comes back.)

One year, 2 months, and 2 weeks 114.5lbs 64 inches Pant size 22 to 8/9 Shirt size 2xl to M I have been trying to lose weight, quite literally, my entire life. My earliest memories are of being uncomfortable, knowing I was in a bigger body than I "should" have been. I tried and failed at every diet, and consulted with 3 other surgeons over the course of a decade before I finally committed and had surgery. I went to therapy, read the books, stuck to the plan, fell off the plan. got back on, cried, rejoiced, and everything in between. And today, I hit my "goal" weight. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't elated to see that long desired number. It was overwhelming and thrilling. But truly, even more than any number, is the life I've gained, the love for myself that I've learned to cultivate, the life changing decision to care for myself well and no longer allow myself to be at war with this one precious body I have. As so many WLS patients say, I just wish I had done it sooner. I'm rooting for each and everyone of you as well. 💓

My double (triple) chin situation always made me VERY self-conscious so when I started seeing my face/neck slim down, I was THRILLED. Over time, I definitely developed a little bit of saggy skin there, and maybe some day I'll look into doing something about it, but not having all that extra weight on my face is just such a relief for me that it honestly doesn't bother me much. I've just recently (TODAY) reached goal, so it will be interesting to see what happens and if the skin firms up any over time.

I don't know how much of this is due to weight loss vs just getting older, but according to the marks on the wall at my Mom's house, I'm almost 3/4 of an inch shorter now than in 2007. Guessing I had pretty fat feet! ... or fat on the top of my head, Lol!

it gets better with time… you adjust .. and if you start getting too small you can adjust your macros to slow the weight loss