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It’s not an uncommon side effect of the weight loss. It usually is temporary & settles in time. But not for all of us. I’ve low blood pressure & slow heart rate like @Tomo. Should add I also always had a tendency towards drops in my pressure. It’s a family thing & it would occur more when I was at a lower weight. Now I weigh even less than in the past it’s like every day. I took my blood pressure a couple of times a day for about a month to track it’s fluctuations & noted what I’d been doing at the time but then promptly forgot to take it to my doctor. Spoke to her about it but she wasn’t too worried because of the pre disposition. Should add she initially put me on medication (fludrocortisone) when I first discussed it with her in my first year post op but it did nothing so we dropped it. Yes, I have low energy too or exhaust quickly. The low pressure means the blood is oxygenating the body as well as you need. I also have random hypoglycaemic episodes.so a fun experience when they all combine. I try to take an electrolyte drink with me if I know I’m doing anything strenuous. Otherwise I just pace myself & will rest if I think it’s getting too much. Amusingly when I had my gall out, they were concerned in post op about how low my BP was. Gave me a cup of tea to boost it - went up about 10 points & dropped again. Then gave me a shot of ephedrine. It went up 20 points & then they watched it drop right back again within a few minutes. Kept saying. It’s just me & how it usually is.

I’m having it on my face next week again by the cosmetic physician (supposed to be yesterday but doctor had to take unexpected leave). She’s using dermapen which is supposedly more advanced & a deeper treatment than the roller used in micro needling. Having it for my open pores & the acne scaring (had cystic acne). Friend had a series of micro needling treatments for loose skin on her face after her weight loss but she said it did nothing 🤷🏻‍♀️. https://facemedstore.com/blogs/blog/dermapen-vs-derma-roller

I am also going back and forth on my decision. It’s a permanent surgery. But then each time I lose weight, I gain it back plus more. Been 10 years that my weight started going up due to a very stressful divorce, menopause and then losing my mom and the pandemic, so …. My surgeon said that weight gain is typically only 10%… that is reassuring. I keep picturing myself thinner again (just going for healthy weight - not ideal weight) and healthier and more energetic that seems to help me focus on the positive of the surgery.

I have. My surgeon said just to maintain my weight…. Sooo I haven’t changed my horrible diet. Still eat what I want because like you said, can’t have it the same after. Kind of nervous I won’t be able to have any of the things I like after… what if my stomach can’t tolerate it.

Eat the amount of calories your team advises you to eat. I thought the same as you did in the beginning the stall will pass, it sucks right now cause you are in the middle of it but it will pass. I have been through four stalls since my surgery and I still lost weight maybe I will hit another and maybe not but I'm not too worried about it right now. Stay strong.

I hit a stall at 2 weeks and five days, and I'm at four weeks now and still at a standstill. So I've been in a stall for a week and two days. To be honest, I'm afraid that this is it. That I will have gone through painful and expensive surgery, only to lose a little over 20 pounds and nothing more. I'm eating 4-600 calories most days. The highest I've gone is 900 calories (included fruit juice) and the lowest was under 200 calories when I was feeling really bad and couldn't get anything down. The day after I ate 900 calories I gained 700 grams, so I don't think upping the calories is the answer.

Once a week, naked. Generally Wednesdays, the day of my surgery. I think the daily was discouraging. I also weighted myself day of surgery at home, naked... when they weighed me at the hospital, I was 2 lbs more, but wearing jeans, a tee, sandals, etc.

Yes, for the past couple of years, I always take collagen (Verisol collagen bioactive peptides, recommended by ConsumerLabs.com) in my coffee for skin elasticity and health. I am in my sixties, and I go in for Botox (forehead) but my dermatologist always comments on how I do not have any wrinkles under my eyes, nasoblasial area, and how nice my skin is. Unfortunately, since I am at my lowest weight, I do look more haggard but there isn't much I can do with facial fat loss volume except for fillers or facelift. I opted for Sculptra since it has always given me a natural look, promotes collagen and helps with facial fat loss. It has helped a lot in the last few months. Hopefully, once my weight stabilizes, so will my skin.

IMO a major culprit is that people try to adopt unsustainable lifestyles in the beginning to lose weight as fast as possible and get down to that magic BMI number (we all know that number I guess), no matter what. And then they burn out after - what time? - 10 to 14 months post-op seems to be a critical timespan for this. I've also read "and then life happened and I've fallen off the wagon" way too often. A sustainable lifestyle is sustainable even when "life happens" and the **** hits the fan. Anything else is temporary.

Pre weight loss surgery I drank the International Delight creamers, and went through a phase of using half and half. Then when I began my weight loss surgery journey 9 years ago, I swapped out those types of creamers for cashew milk and always sugar free sweeteners like Stevia. To me it was creamier than almond milk. Now that I'm 7 weeks post op revision, I've switched yet again. Now I make 4 oz of strong coffee with a full reusable Keurig pod and add it to a Fairlife protein shake. I make them both hot and iced. Then I add complimenting sugar free coffee syrups to that if I want. I can't recommend these syrups enough! https://www.skinnymixes.com/ (I also add these to Greek yogurt, SF tea, SF lemonade, and I've read that some people add them to oatmeal, but I've not tried that, I don't eat oats very often) I'm sure you could switch to half caffeine and half decaf for a while if you want to slowly eliminate the caffeine from your diet. If you truly enjoy the benefits from a warm beverage, maybe eventually you can go straight decaf and use a protein shake so that a warm cup of coffee is beneficial to your diet and you ensure you reach your daily protein goals. That's what I do. I have two cups a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so that's 60 grams of easy protein a day for me. Best wishes!

I am about 1 1/2 years post op and I have an issue. I lost 100 pounds, going from 305 to 205 in 7 months and then..... I started coffee again. Sugar sugar sugar. That crack like creamer, International Delight. I totally regret it because since that 100 pound loss, I've been going between 205 and 212, with no more weight loss and I have about 4 cups of coffee a day. Doing the math, that's 560 calories, 80g sugar, 80g cards a day. I have a problem and I am only just now realizing the extent of it. I'm at the point where I want to stop cold turkey today. The reason I drink so much coffee is due to self medicating for my ADHD. I didn't realize that's what I was doing until recently. I started real medication for my ADHD and it helps with it a lot, but I'm still addicted to caffeine as a byproduct. Additionally let me say this right now because I wish someone told me when I was first post-op: Sweetened coffee creamer, whether artificial or real, will increase your desire for sweets and risk your post-op health. Sorry for the scary text formatting, but this is important and I feel it needs to be said. --------------- Moving on, I now need to find a way to navigate this addiction and remove it from my life. Do any of you have experience with quitting coffee, especially cold turkey? I tell myself I like coffee not for the caffeine, but for the ritual and because warm beverages are comforting to my anxiety riddled brain. Coffee is my safe place, but I need to find a healthier replacement. What are some good bariatric friendly, creamy, hot beverages?

Surgery at IUCPQ, Québec City. Pré -op pounds was 284 pounds. 28/02/2022 : I passe trough 2 weeks of liquid diet. Lost 12 pounds. 14/03/2022 Steeve gastrectomy by Dr. Laurent Berthiot: weight surgery Day : 272 pounds.one Day surgery. Good recuperation without complications. Today, i am feeling really great. A lot easier for every moove I make. I am founding the real me that i knew so many years ago. So i've started at 284 pounds and today i have lost 75 pounds, so proud of me! I am meeting the person I was 9 years ago, i am loving myself more every day! My objective premier is to throw out of me 100 pounds Who hurt me so much! Sent from my SM-G975W using BariatricPal mobile app

For the first year and a half I weighed every morning. My weight slowed down after that and for the last 6 months I've weighed once a week. I just started maintenance a month ago. I weigh in my underwear and pj top after I pee first thing in the morning. I like having a little clothing on so I don't weigh completely differently when I do weigh at the doctor's office. That kind of thing can mess with my head sometimes. Sent from my Pixel 5a using BariatricPal mobile app

Once a month right now. I don't want to drive myself crazy as my loss slows down over the next 6-9 months. Some days it's difficult to not get on the scale, but I try to tell myself that if I keep doing what I am supposed to be doing, the weight will keep coming off. And my clothes continue to fit differently, so I know something is happening. I don't know what I will choose when I get to maintenance. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

There a mommy makeover in my far off future. Once I get to my ideal weight and stay there at least 6 months.

Admittedly I was lower BMI to start so I didn’t lose as much weight as some do but I lost 66 pounds and I only shrunk ONE cup size. I wish I would have lost more of them. Sad thing is I have tiny implants hidden down somewhere I got in my 20’s that even my Gyno is like are you sure wait now I feel them so I don’t qualify for a reduction because I did it in part to myself. Maybe some day I will hit the lottery and that’s the first thing I will be doing. Boob job.

My endocrinologist was FUMING when I told her about it. She's the one that referred me to the new Cardiologist. Now with the weight loss a lot of my problems are disappearing but the old guy didn't have to be a terd about it.

I have an arthritic back and a bum knee so walking long distances is difficult for me without a rollator or cane. This is how I get my exercise when I'm not at the YMCA pool. "Alinker" walking tricycles are powered by our feet, not pedals or motor. I try to do at least a mile or more daily--on pavement, not gravel! My cat often runs with me around my neighborhood and my friend's little dog sometimes runs with her or rides in her basket. I’ve had mine for almost two years. I got mine before I started my weight loss journey even though I was well over the recommended weight limit. At first I could only go about 50 feet and my heart would be pounding and I’d be short of breath. There is a steep learning curve. In the beginning they are NOT EASY to ride. but people with Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Rheumatoid Arthritis, amputations & paralysis can use them successfully. I decided so can I! Now I can go 2 1/2 miles at one time but usually go about a mile. I tend to run rather than walk on the level but it's hard work to go up hills! I can go up moderate rises, but if the hill is steep I stand up and walk it or get off and push it. It gets easier with practice. I rode two miles today including a couple of hills. It’s a lot of fun, especially when my cat runs with me. My friend and I are planning to run a 5k next spring with the trikes. I haven't traveled with mine yet but my friend has. She rides hers right up to the jetway at airports and gate-checks it. Alinkers are mobility devices and are permitted anywhere wheelchairs can go. Unfortunately, they are expensive, about $2600 in the US, but they do have a rent-to-own and crowdfunding programs. Sometimes used ones can be found on eBay and elsewhere. A good 2-wheel bicycle is expensive, too, and electric ones are even more pricey. For more information visit the website at alinker.com and Alinker on YouTube. They have a member-only Facebook page also.

I had a Cardiologist that was a naturally skinny man and everything I complained about was met with "lose weight". The final straw is when he told me I should just stop eating for a few days. I have a much better Cardiologist now that actually talks about my symptoms and test results.

A lot of people who have never struggled with their weight (or people who have only had to lose, like, 20 pounds) want to think of weight as a personal or moral attribute. They want to believe that their ability to control their weight is indicative of their personal superiority, so they feel threatened by the thought of some of us -- whom they view as inferior based solely on weight -- can "cheat" our way into their category. Many people who haven't looked into weight loss surgery also have no idea how hard it is. I think back to the first time I read about gastric bypass and thought it sounded like absolute magic -- the answer to all my problems! You get your stomach stapled and the weight just falls right off. And then I found out about all the risks and potential complications, dumping syndrome, and the fact that some people still regain the weight, and that was enough to turn me off from weight loss surgery for 15+ years. And even then, it wasn't until I actually started the process that I found out about the pre-op diet and all the post-op phases, having to constantly sip water all day just to avoid dehydration and go for weeks without solid food. I'd be willing to bet that most people have no clue how hard it is to get through all the pre-op requirements and post-op phases. Ironically, it's those people who have never had to think about weight loss surgery who really have the easy way out in that they don't have the propensity for weight gain in the first place. They have no idea how hard some of us have to work to lose weight and/or keep it off.

Sharing a blog post I wrote a few years ago that I thought might help some of you... On the face of it, losing weight seems so simple. How many times have we all heard statements like “just eat less and move more!” While that type of sentiment is factually true, it can be incredibly hard in practice. The reason is because we all are creatures of habit. Now when I say habit, I don’t want you to think of the negative connotation we sometimes give to the word habit. Habits can be and often are, good things. An example would be brushing your teeth before bed. If that’s a habit you have (may of us do), it would be hard to classify that as a bad thing. We do it partly because we know we should, but also because it’s just become a habit, and things would feel off if we didn’t do it. In fact, because so much of what we do on a day-to-day basis is routine, habits help us get those things done without having to exert much extra mental energy to them. It follows that if we want weight loss or other healthy behaviors to become habit, we have to “hack” our brains a little. We do that by replacing old behaviors with new behaviors. Over time, the new behavior become a habit that replaces the old behavior we want to get rid of. This again sound simple enough, but because we as humans are wired to seek out rewards, we sometimes do things we know we shouldn’t. This means we can’t just flip a switch and start working out, or ”eating better” (whatever that means). We first have to make sure the reward we get for the current behavior is minimized, and the reward we get for the new behavior is maximized. By doing that, we can slowly change behavior. To make this easier, I have grouped behavior change into six dimensions we need to focus on: We’ll start with the 3 dimensions of motivation. Motivation is often misunderstood, so I want you to think about it a little differently than you may think of it now. Motivation is simply the mental processes that drive your behavior. Thus when someone says “I have no motivation”, that’s actually incorrect. They do have motivation, they just have motivation to do something else. Personal Motivation – These are things that internally motivate you as an individual person to act in a particular way. There are several factors that make up personal motivation, but the most important factor is how a new behavior makes you feel vs. the current behavior. To change behavior, we need to minimize the negatives associated with the new, desired behavior and maximize the positive aspects of it. We also want to do the exact opposite for the bad behavior we want to replace. For a more personal example, I like fishing but am not a big fan of slow cardio (too boring to me). I can turn boring exercise into playing simply by using a row boat or kayak to fish from, rather than a motorized boat. If you have small children, you could play tag or hide and go seek with them, rather than walking on a treadmill. Social Motivation – This form of motivation is all based on the fact that at our core, people are social animals. In short, we crave acceptance by others. While this can be a negative if taken to the extreme, we can also make it work to our benefit. Examples would be having one or more accountability partners or using social pressure to ensure compliance. Structural Motivation – Also known as the “carrot & stick”. The goal is to find ways to add in additional punishments for bad behavior and rewards for good behavior. For example, many people find that meaningful financial rewards or punishments can drastically impact behavior. An example might be “placing a bet” with a family member that you will not eat any highly processed foods for the next month. If you succeed, you get the payout, but if you fail, you have to pay instead. Obviously the carrots & sticks don’t have to be financial at all, but for many people money is a big motivator. We move now from Motivation to Ability. I want you to think of ability as how prepared you are to replace bad behaviors with good ones. It does us no good to be super motivated to take on a new good habit if we don’t have the knowledge, skills, or ability to actually incorporate the that habit into our lives. Personal Ability – This is all about learning and developing the skills, tools & knowledge you’ll need to actively engage in the new behavior. For example, if my goal was to use horseback riding as exercise, I’d have to get a horse, find a place to board the horse, learn to ride, learn to care for the horse, etc. before that could become a reality. This is obviously an extreme case, but too many times we expect that simply having motivation will be sufficient to reach a goal. The fact is it’s not. No matter what the goal is, there is some level of knowledge or skill needed to make it happen. A more concrete example might be “wanting to eat more vegetables”. For many people, this is a challenge not because they don’t like vegetables, but because they have no idea how to prepare them. Learning to do so would be the TRUE first step to a better diet. Social Ability – Teamwork is the operative word here. Perhaps you really struggle to walk enough on a daily basis, but you also know if you have someone to walk with you, it would make it much more enjoyable for you. This can also refer to using a coach or expert to help. If you know you need to use strength training to reach your goals, but don’t have any idea where to start. Enlisting the help of a professional might be just the thing you need. Structural Ability – I like to think of this one as cheating to your advantage! So many times, we create environments where we’re almost bound to fail. Examples are things like keeping a bag of chocolate or saving your “fat clothes” just in case. Another classic example would be failing to plan meals ahead of time. Instead, we need to change everything we can about our environment to support us making good choices and eliminating anything that causes us to stumble. Taken together, these six sources of habit change can help you replace bad habits with good ones, but it’s not magic. You still have to work at it and you still have to make yourself more aware of when and why you are choosing bad habits over good ones. This awareness is really the first step to success.

Hello all! My name is Anne. I hope I'm in the right forum for this. I'm brand new here so please redirect me if necessary. I'm hoping for an accountability buddy, someone roughly a few years post op hopefully like myself, someone who needs some cheering on for keeping healthy eating habits... I had gastric roux en y back in 2019, lost 141lbs and 3 years out I've successfully kept it off - woo hoo! However, I have one BIG problem...for roughly a year now my diet has been AWFUL. I mean really bad. Lots of junk, lots of carbs, not remotely getting enough protein, you could say I've just gone off the rails. This coincides with one of the roughest times in my life with massive life challenges one after the other knocking me down, big ones, and just like life pre-surgery, I self medicate with junk food. Which is what landed me on that operating table in the first place. Believe me, I know how wrong this is. I know that the weight thing is a mind thing, that I should have self-soothing behaviors that are NOT food related. I know. But I'm 52 years old now and old (as in decades long) soothing behaviors seem to just be ingrained. I'm tired of making excuses for myself however. It's time for me to change that. It does not matter what life challenges I'm dealing with. It can only bring me harm to eat as awfully as I do. It's a miracle I haven't gained any weight back eating the way I do, and for that much I'm grateful. But nevertheless, it's downright wrong for me to treat my body so shabbily by eating this way. I just never feel good anymore, it's taking a toll, I have no energy, and it's my own doing. So I'm ready to turn this ship around. Is there anyone here who can relate to this? Anyone sliding into unhealthy eating habits? I'm hoping to connect with someone who could use an accountability buddy so to speak, so we can inspire each other to honor our bodies by treating it right by eating healthy and the way we were taught to eat following surgery. If anyone is interested, I'm assuming there's a private message feature here (again, I'm brand new, trying to navigate how all this works), shoot me a message. Regardless, best wishes to all who are in this journey together, no matter where you are on your road!

If you're on a PC, click on your name at the top, then "My Surgery": Then: Progress: Then change your weight: Then click save:

I am so sorry. I am in the same boat. We have been married for 12 years. We grew distant over the years as I put on weight. We have grown more apart after WLS. I too suggested counseling and his response was "I am fine and don't need to see a therapist". I have been seeing a counselor for the past 9 months. I have made progress but don't know how to proceed as I don't want to lose custody of the kids despite me being the primary caregiver / guardian (The legal system in my country grants custody to the father unless he forfeits). I am with him just for the kids. I feel stuck.