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It's not something that has been easy for the past 15 years. I used to workout several days a week for a long time, but I was just more into weight lifting, not so much cardio or anything like it. Since I've lost a lot of weight, that same drive has kicked started again. Also, I know this is going to need to be a long term thing to ensure I don't go back to what I was doing before. I have knee replacement surgery in October, so I'm trying to keep the knee strong for better recovery.

I use my starting weight from before the pre-op diet. I was my highest when I started that, and my diet was only for 10 days, so I figured that was my beginning weight. I think my dietician uses that one, too. That puts me at 41 pounds lost as of today, and I'm thrilled. I'm with you on not having a particular weight I must reach. I don't even have a number in my head. (I did put a weight on my ticker here, but that was just for progress purposes) I think my goal is to see how much comes off and how I feel at that point. At my age, I'm looking to feel healthy, and that's my goal. I won't be a supermodel or wear a bikini! Lol. I think we are all doing wonderful, and I'm excited for each and every one of us!! ♥

Ask to see their medical degree, after all your medical doctor says you are right where you should be and since he/she's medically trained their diagnosis has more weight - perhaps if they disagree they should debate them about (my - you) your healthy weight...and ask them if they'd like the doctors number!?

What version of the truth you choose to tell is up to you IMO. If you refer to the gall bladder thing as a stomach surgery and you said your “stomach surgery” is why your losing- frankly that’s not a lie because the WLS was a stomach surgery too. In terms of claiming it’s due to all the changes you are making that’s absolutely true. I made the changes three years ago and guess what. I changed back to old eating habits and I have gained it all back. I still have a sleeve but I am obese again. So that surgery did not do the work to lose the weight. I did. And the second I stopped doing my part I started gaining and ended up right back where I started. My point is it is what you are doing that is making all the difference in your weight. The surgery is just a tool. No one tells a carpenter he is taking shortcuts if he uses a drill instead of a screwdriver. So why does society assume we shouldn’t take advantage of the best tools money can buy to set us up to succeed. I am willing to bet that they all buy the latest and greatest gadgets they can afford to make things easier on themselves. And realistically it’s not even like it makes it that much easier. It just makes it possible instead of impossible!! IMO taking the lazy or easy way out would be to never try anything. We have tried everything. To include facing some pretty scary complications not everyone would face to achieve their goals. Nothing about this is easy and people who think it is are just ignorant. You just have to decide what your comfortable sharing. It’s no one’s business unless you want them to know. Honestly if someone was really going to think I was doing drugs I would just think to myself that they never really knew me anyways so what reason do I have to care what they think about me. You are facing enough with your upcoming surgery. I say Focus on yourself and your health.

I'm happy today because I have lost 109 lbs from my high weight! I downloaded a coloring page from Etsy to track my weight loss, and once I hit that goal (literally on New Year's Day), I downloaded another one with my next goal. It's fun to color with crayons (and kids water colors, when I couldn't find my crayon box for a while) I keep them on my big magnetic white board. When I'm in a stall or gain a couple of pounds, I don't/can't remove any pounds, because they're already colored in. I just wait until I can color in new spaces. I recommend trying something like this, if it resonates with you!

@Bypass2Freedomsharing your workouts would be so great, thank you ☺️ I generally sort of notice weight loss when I’ve lost around 3 stones, so documenting it has helped. @catwoman7I will be honest and say that it’s so very hard putting myself in front of hubby with a camera when the size of a house. Hubby reminded me of something today which made me stop and think - when I’d lost loads of weight years ago, I would happily have my picture taken. Hubby said I would have given our 4 year old granddaughter a run for her money when it comes to posing etc (she’s a diva, what can I say 🤷‍♀️) and he’s looking forward to that time again. @SleeveToBypass2023aw, what a lovely thing to say, thank you ☺️ I won’t forget the bike 😉

I will be honest. This is not making me feel okay, I have only been on this journey 6months and I didn't think this would happen this soon, I am weight lifting and my body composition is more muscular. I just am not ready to go up.

I think for your height, you can afford lose more and not have a health problem (meaning being underweight or under BMI 18.5). I am now at a BMI 19 and my weight loss is going strong no matter what I do (mind you I am 24 lbs under goal), so I gave up trying to do anything about it 🤷‍♀️ The more I try to stop it the more it doesn't lol, so I don't really stress about it much and I am letting my body do its thing because I know while losing weight is a breeze and unintentional now, it won't be in a few years so a little cushion and wriggle room isn't bad, unless I drop to BMI lower than 18.5 then I will do what is needed and see my surgeon. I say, let your body do its thing as long as you're healthy, eating well, working out and your blood work is fine. Congratulations on your success ❤️

I am going to guess that it's water weight (as @catwoman7 said) unless you ate 19,250 calories extra. I often gain anywhere from 3 to 7 lbs of water, sometimes it takes a week to come off naturally and sometimes it takes a little longer.

I absolutely LOVE to pull out my historical spreadsheets! thanks for giving me an excuse to do so!!! 1. Pre op weight, BMI or measurements 2. Surgery type VSG (Sleeve) October 24, 2018 3. Lowest post op weight, BMI or measurements and when it occurred 4. Maintenance weight, BMI or measurements and when it occurred Stabilized at about 115 lbs (BMI 21) around June 2020 and stayed that way for about a year or so. Unfortunately i don't have measurements for that time but i think they were similar to my lowest post op weight above. 5. Bounces (up or down) in weight, BMI or measurements and when they occurred around year 3 i averaged closer to 120 lbs (but rarely ever above 120), and have stayed that way until today (almost 6 yrs post op). This morning I weighed in at 119.4 lbs. 6. Methods used to maintain and what has/has not worked i track my food intake almost daily i weigh myself daily when i have access to scale (i also take my measurements once a month) i engage in regular exercise. i try to NOT eat to fullness (don't always succeed) if i want to eat something, i do, but i generally limit it to tastes/bites, vs full on meals. i generally ONLY eat things i really want to, and skip the stuff i deem "not worth it", as i consider it a waste of valuable stomach real estate. 7. How your life has changed (losing vs maintaining perspective) i eat carbs now lol (i avoided them like the plague during weight loss phase, and a year or so afterwards). its been a while for me know and i do notice that i am not as worried as i used to be about regaining weight. i think i've learned to trust myself in that i can make good decisions about my health and weight maintenance, and that i know i am flexible/resourceful/confident enough to make changes and adjustments WHEN things change. i guess that is it really, i am exponentially more confident than i was before: in terms of decision making, self-image, relationships, dealing with stress, all of it. I am so much more CHILL. Life is really good (plus im super HAWT, lol) 8. Words of wisdom/cautionary tales/stories of beating the odds Don't give into the angst. Don't try to do stuff that is beyond your abilities or desire. Don't compare yourself to others. Exercise. Drink water, Wear sunscreen.

Hi everyone My surgery date is 4/30 so close enough to join the May group 🤣 1. I am excited to start this journey! I do have anxiety as well because I had a procedure done years ago that didn't work well. I had a lap band done back in 2005 with NO SUCCESS. The band was nothing but a problem. It flipped twice and the port moved so all of the saline was removed, and it's just been hanging out with me ever since. 2. For my hospital bag, I plan on wearing the same comfy clothes home that I wore in. I'm bring my crocs, chapstick, a long phone charger, a couple protein shakes because I was told by my surgeon that their options were not the greatest, and a heating pad. 3. I am excited to finally get some of this weight off of me!! I have lost the 60lbs (and gained the same 60lbs) since 5th grade, I swear. My son is 14 and I'm excited to be able to finally ride amusement park rides with him. We got this!!

I'm exactly the same. Even starting to talk to somebody, I would panic wondering how they could really like me, and delete the dating app. But this is definitely something I want to do. I want to go to more concerts and music festivals, too. All the standing is painful and makes me not enjoy the show. Less weight on my knees and I can stand longer and do more

So this could be your body’s set point. The weight your body is happiest at & will continue to gravitate to this weight despite your efforts to lose more. Remember if you reduce your calories & increase your activity to lose more weight, you will have to continue to eat fewer calories & be more active than you are now to maintain the lower weight. And this isn’t sustainable as you’re already experiencing & your body will fight you the whole time. This becomes a head issue. You’ve lost about 100lbs. That’s an achievement. Plus you’ve built muscle which weighs more than fat too. Look back on how you were before there surgery - general health & status of your cop morbidities, mobility, ability to do the things you wanted to, self confidence, etc. What have you gained or regained with this weight loss. Don’t fear your appointment. Take in your tracked food intake (there could be something you’re missing) & your activity. Ask what else you can do. Ask if this is it for you? Ask what else you can do. Maybe raise whether the GLP-1medications would be of benefit. Do you see a dietician? Because of your intense weight training, you may need to be consuming more & by reducing your calories you have put your body into starvation mode. Even with all this, don’t give up yet. Many of us continued to lose well into our second year albeit very slowly like grams not kilograms a week or month (ounces not pounds). All the best.

I'd say, chat with your surgeon about a quitting plan that feels right for you. And about the potential weight gain, girl, we all worry. Maybe focus on the awesome changes you're making with your eating habits. Small wins count! Oh, and by the way, ever heard of Bulk Buy Vapes? Word on the street is they've got top-notch stuff!

I've heard/read of this before - so yes, some people do seem to develop lactose intolerance after weight loss surgery. You could try something like Fairlife milk. It's ultra processed although it has higher protein and less sugar than regular milk, and it's lactose free. There are other brands of lactose free milk on the market, too.

I'm 35 and I've always been overweight. I think I was even born overweight! lol! My mother always said I was her heaviest baby, but the doctor said I had a large frame. Being active and exercising always physically hurt after I developed a hip problem around 12 and then getting bullied about not being good at sports just made me stop trying. Up and down with every diet and no luck. I'm looking forward to being a "normal" weight for the first time in 35 years!

The pre-op diet is specifically designed to be very short term and to drop a good amount of weight to make the surgery safer. There's no way it can, or should, be sustained long term. If you're having the surgery because you haven't been able to lose, or keep off, weight successfully in the past, then that isn't likely to change just because the pre-op diet was temporarily successful. But if you're having doubts, more than just normal pre-surgery jitters, than definitely rethink the surgery. It's life changing. And A LOT of changes will have to be made in order for it to be successful. If you don't think that's something you're ready for, don't do it.

So my doctor has me seriously ticked off. She told me she'd like to see my weight and bmi down. I said "WHAT???? I weigh 183 and my bmi is 30. What's wrong with it???" She told me she wants to see my weight around 155 or 160 and me at a normal bmi. I was like "if I do that, I'll look sickly!!! I've always been bigger boned and somewhat curvy, I carry my weight differently. Not one person would look at me right now and think I look like I weigh 183. No way would I look healthy if I went down to 160" and she said it would be better for my health and I should at least think about it. I told her "my blood pressure already runs on the low side of normal. I struggle to keep it up to 103/55!!! My A1c is 5.0 and my glucose is 96. I'm not on any meds except what I take for my MS. All my labs come back perfect. What else do you want??" I told her I feel amazing, I'm really active, I'm able to work as a clinical medical assistant for a busy specialty practice (infectious disease) which has always been my dream, I hike, I work out, literally I'm living the life I only dreamed about. What am I missing here???? I was so mad. And she said we'll discuss it at our appt on the 17th. I said "oh we'll discuss some stuff, alright, but that ain't happening". She's going based off my height, weight, bmi, and their supposed "ideal weight" BS. My bariatric surgeon is ecstatic with my progress. He actually said I've lost more, with both surgeries, than he realistically expected that I would. My neurologist is thrilled because losing all the weight has significantly improved my MS symptoms. My gastroenterologist is thrilled because all of my GI issues have gone away. Just this idiot yahoo isn't happy. I definitely think I need a new doctor. This is just too much. For reference, here's what I looked like when I first started seeing her, and here's what I look like now, literally this week....as in Monday and yesterday.....

Not sure about what stage hon in but nutrition wise The only ones I see have bacon which may not be ideal in the weight loss stage. What about boiled eggs? . They are high on protein and pretty portable. If you need to keep the calories lower just bring a couple and don’t eat the yolk.

Okay, I am about 20lbs from my weight goal but really may never get to that goal, as I am weight lifting and working out. Honestly my boobs are so depressing and Idk if I can hold out 8 more months till I hit a year. Do you all suggest I start my search now for surgeon and see what they say?

Yes it’s a lot of lost weight! I really liked the movie, and it helped me. Thank you for the answer !

So today I am finally at 3 months post op. Here is what that means for me: I can stop taking lansoprazole...YESSSSSSS! I absolutely hate the taste of that thing and if I never have to take it again, it'll be too soon. I can start taking tablets again, meaning I can try my Forceval prescription vitamins. I have heard that these can make people feel quite nauseous, so I will wait an hour after eating in the evening to take it, rather than in the morning as I usually do. I am due for bloods to be taken via my GP, though I imagine I'll struggle to get an appointment! I just wanted to reflect on my journey so far, and where I am at now. It is weird how quickly this becomes your new normal. In the beginning with the gas pain, the extreme fatigue etc, I did wonder how I'd adjust, but here I am! I was shocked at how fast the weight dropped initially, and I know I will keep losing (hopefully) for a little while longer. I think we all go through this weird mindset of being overweight for such a while, and our bodies not responding as we had hoped to fad diets, or us punishing ourselves for 'not trying hard enough', that I truly wondered if the surgery would even work. And it has worked, and it will continue to do so! I am in the dreaded - but very expected - 3 month stall. My weight isn't really moving much, but I know that I just need to keep on with my normal eating and routine and it'll break eventually (thanks to reading all of the posts regarding this phenomenon 🤣) I can still get dizzy when I am exercising, and my strength at the gym has really decreased which I am a bit miffed about, but I'll get there! TMI incoming: but pooping is still an annoyance...the severe constipation I had in the early post-op weeks still results in some little tears when I pass a bowel movement, so I am dealing with my new normal 😂 Positives: I passed my driving test and I am picking up my car on Saturday! I really do attribute passing to losing weight, and how it has made me feel more confident and capable. I can walk around for hours and not have pain in my hips and lower back. Pre-surgery this was absolutely excruciating, even the 5-6 minute walk home from work I had to stop 2-3 times due to the pain and being out of breath. No such worries now! I can see the weight loss in my face, which makes me happy. I can fit into a pair of denim shorts that previously couldn't even make their way up my lower thigh! My current weight is amazing to me, even though I am not at my goal YET, I haven't been this weight since 2017. In general, I just feel happier in myself, and I can't wait for the future! If you have read all of this, thank you! ❤️

Aw, thanks for your comments @SleeveToBypass2023 😊 Isnt it odd how you see yourself in the mirror everyday, you buy clothes in (much) smaller sizes, you’re able to do things that you struggled with previously because of excess weight etc but it’s a simple comment that really hits you and makes you just stop? I wonder how long it takes for someone to just think of themselves as a thin person? I remember when I had lost weight previously, I saw a slim pair of legs reflected in a coffee shop window and thought to myself ‘ooh, I wish my legs were as slim as that’….it took a while for the penny to drop that actually they WERE my legs! I think it can take quite some time for our physical selves and mental selves to marry up 🤔

Adding another voice to the chorus that you don’t have to go to the gym if it’s not your thing… Diet plays a much bigger role in weight loss than exercise, so that should be your focus. Depending on where you are with your diet progression, this may not be the time to be doing intense workouts, anyway, since you may not be able to eat enough to fuel a serious gym session. Exercise is definitely beneficial to your health and important for maintaining weight loss, so the instinct to start now is a good one, but it doesn’t have to be miserable. Try to find something you don’t hate. Just walking is great exercise. Start an episode of your favorite podcast and walk until it’s over. Check out some YouTube videos that you can do for free in the privacy of your home. Someone on this very forum recommended Leslie Sansone videos and now I pass that recommendation along to anyone who hates “going to the gym” and/or doesn’t know where to start. FWIW, I didn’t go to the gym even once for over 3 years after my surgery. I lost the weight working out at home, walking and doing free workout videos. It’s only been in the past year that I started taking fitness classes, and although I am a self-proclaimed exercise hater, I must admit that I’ve come around. By the way, although I’ve discovered that a lot of stereotypes about gym members being mean to people who are overweight and/or out of shape are wrong, it is a heck of a lot easier to work up the will to go to the gym when you are already in decent shape from, say, home workouts, so maybe put the idea of going to the gym on hold for a while and see how you feel once you’ve gotten some results from working out at home.

22 pounds in 6 weeks is awesome!! How many times have you lost almost 4 pounds (1.8kg) a week on any diet in your life or been able to stick with it for six weeks? Seriously, you really have to work just as hard at the mental part as you do at the physical. The mental meaning stay away from the scale as much as possible, and don’t compare yourself to other people because their situation is entirely unique like others have mentioned even if someone had the same starting weight as you you don’t know their age their activity levels, there medical history, all of that plays a role in it. I have seen people on here who have continued to lose beyond 18 months even. Like any other obstacle in life keep your focus on the aspects that you actually have control over and try not to worry about things you don’t.. Congrats on joining the gym, big step. I really hope adding more movement makes you feel as amazing as it has for me. I am still concerned about the weight part obviously but I’m telling you that feeling as good as I do, I’m not focused on it nearly as much.