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It took one year and two weeks post surgery (plus 7 months pre-surgery), but today, nekked, on my own scale, I hit ONEderland, 199.6 lbs. Yipee! I know it's transitory and I'll bounce back and forth for a while, but this is the first time my scale has shown under 200 lbs for about 25 years. I've gone from a size 30-32 to an 18-20. My hair is growing back. My brother is moving back home after 30+ years as an expat. I've booked a southern Caribbean cruise for April and he's going with me. All is good! Just when I finally got all skinny leg pants, I discovered that the "in" style is again baggies. Well, there are some things you just can't win.

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.

I'm post-op 10/19. Stalled 2 weeks then bam down 4.5#. Down 40#. After 7 weeks it has jumped by at least 3#. Patience. I'm on regular food now and using Myfitness to see how much protein fat, calories and carbs I'm getting.

Congratulations! Looks like your results will be fabulous! I had my surgery a couple of weeks prior to yours and will be having a lower body lift as well as an arm lift on January 25th. Thanks for the tip on the drain belt; I plan to order one.

Had my first Secret RF (same as the ones you mentioned) session Friday afternoon so my fingers are crossed. My doctor focussed on skin laxity (sounds nicer than saggy skin) this time so nothing done to my forehead. In 4 weeks we’ll do wrinkles & scaring. At the third session we’ll decide which we’ll do & if I need a fourth session. Secret RF uses different size heads (not sure if the others do too) for the different procedures & the heads are disposed of after each session (& aren’t cheap). She kept changing the needle depth on different areas of my face. Also my doctor used a stronger prescription local topical anaesthetic (20+% vs the lower over the counter 5% many non medical clinics use). Even inside my mouth & tongue were numb 😆. It really was pain free. Occasional little poking feeling lasting a much like if you tap your cheek bone with your finger nail. Redness was much less than derma pen - that lasted for days. No pain, heat or discomfort after either. Pxts are 30mins after treatment, the next morning & this morning. Of course it does take three months to see real effects which is your natural skin cycle though they claim some can see small change in a couple of days. Don’t know if I’m crazy, or wishful thinking, but I think my cheek is a little smoother& firmer today. Jowls are still there though. Wish I had taken a pxt before the session.

"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*

your stall is actually late - most people have their first major stall around the three week mark (in fact, if you search this site for info on the "three week stall", you will find over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding...) actually, I just decided to do the search for you. Here you go - 17,501 posts now! https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall

OK I had my DS surgery 11/15/22 I've lost 28 lbs. I've lost 2 lbs in the past 2 weeks. I thought this was gonna drastically drop off. I'm doing my protein shakes ,and water. Why am I at a stall already Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 14 months post gastric sleeve, now in maintenance, and I have weighed myself every single day. Small fluctuations don't bother me, nor do stalls - I just like to know what's going on! If it will bother you not to see consistent losses then I recommend leaving it as long as you can between weigh-ins. But you do you!

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

I started with a bmi similar to yours three weeks ago. I had my surgery on 12/27. I was scared and my brain was chaotic for the weeks leading up to the surgery day. I suggest just taking things a day at a time. Follow your surgeon's plan for you and try to keep your mind busy with other things. That being said, I was prepared by the day of surgery for any rate of weightloss going forward. All I can do is my best. I have given myself the tools to succeed and I am following directions to the letter.

yep, what they said 👆🏼 ...the largest pound "droppages" (is that a word??) happen in the first 1-2 months. i lost 21 and 17 lbs the first two months respectively and then roughly 10lbs each month thereafter until goal (lost as little as 9 lbs in month 6 and as high as 13 in month 4) i weighed 235 two weeks before surgery (BMI 43 cuz im a short 5'2") and 223 on surgery day. am 4+ years out and have gratefully stayed below goal the entire time (so far). this AM i weighed 120 even.

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.

It’s 5a.m and this is day 3 of waking to foot/leg/thigh cramps. Wrapping up week 1 of 2wk liquid fasting and these cramps are WORSE than not eating! As soon as a store opens finding some pickle juice (I don’t even like pickles🥴). Really hope it works.. I’ll let y’all know🙏🏽🫶🏽

i typically weigh myself once every 2 weeks to see where i am at.

I weighed myself weekly to begin with, but once it became clear that I was going to be a serial-staller, I stopped weekly weigh ins and went with bi-weekly to monthly. As I got closer to goal, I weighed myself less and less, letting months go by. I found that actually really healthy, mentally. So I hit milestones like "under 100kg", and finally "goal weight" without even realising until weeks later. Obsessing about the scale isn't helpful. I could feel my clothes getting looser, which was much more significant, and I was sticking to my plan so even when weight loss slowed down, I knew I was heading in the right direction.

I know there is no one recommendation, but I'd like to hear from veteran WLS or patients 6+ months out. How often did you weigh in after WLS? Once a month? Once a week, or every two? Does it just depend on your mental well-being? I don't want to obsess and my surgeon didn't mention anything. I want to create a plan now that I can stick to and was thinking once a week was sufficient. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Some people lose less, some lose more, but you lose more pounds per month the higher your BMI. I lost 23 pounds the first month, but I was also well over 300 pounds. I lost 16 pounds the second month and 17 pounds the third month and only 7 pounds the fourth month and 11 pounds the fifth. My point is... your weight loss isn't going to be steady. It'll be all over the place. And even if your numbers are smaller... every pounds adds up. I reached my goal weight in 18 months (admittedly I did have the gain back that happens during your second year leading up to your third, partially due to a med that made me gain weight, but I'm still satisfied with my weight loss which is maintaining at 186-191. I'm 189 today. But I'm also having my monthly so I'm sure it'll go down again after the fact lol. TMI, sorry.). Technically speaking I still lost over the amount that was projected for me. My lowest weight according to my surgeon's office was estimated to be around 189 pounds (where I'm today) but I got down to 175 at my lowest. It was estimated that I'd end up at 199 during the gain back period when I hit 3 years. I'm at 189 currently and my 3 year surgiversary is about 2 weeks away. So you can certainly lose more than you surgeon says, but it's very much about your own body, metabolism, and dedication. I mean, I honestly feel like I could have lost another 10-15 pounds if I'd been super strict with my diet, but I didn't feel like I could have maintained that and kept my sanity. During the weight loss phase I took that time to learn a new way to eat in a sustainable way. Being super restrictive just is not something that I can do for the rest of my life to keep off an extra 10-15 pounds. My dietician says that the way I chose to go about things is healthier and sustainable and my blood work looks great so I'm clearly getting enough nutrition with my diet and my weight has been steady and maintained for the last 6 months (for almost a year before that it maintained at 179-183, but the stupid med made me gain weight. It's been maintaining where it's at now though for 6 months, so that's good). Just, take your doctors numbers into account and then try and smash them if you can lol. Also, sorry for the long post. I'm an aspie so sometimes I do give out what some think of as pointless info that they feel they don't need, but hopefully this did help you in some way. That was the intent, anyway.

There are a few things you can rely on during this process. And all of them are okay. None are wrong or right. Everyone loses at their own rate. Some lose more quickly. Others lose more slowly. Many factors influence this including, age, gender, pre existing health conditions, medications, etc. Hence the range of possible loss your surgeon suggested in your first month. The more you have to lose, the faster you’ll lose at first. Everyone’s rate of loss slows as they get closer to their final weight. Stalls happen. You will have times the scales won’t move. The first often occurs around week 3+/- & they often last 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your plan & your weight loss will start again. Not every one reaches their goal & some exceed their goal. The average loss at the three year mark is about 65% of the weight you were to lose to put you in a healthy range. I’d expect that is where the 55lb weight loss your surgeon has suggested comes from. Like you, my BMI was 35. I’d lost all my weight by 6 months but continued to lose for another 11 months while sitting out my maintenance, albeit very slowly, to about where I am now. But that was my journey. Yours could be similar or different & that’s okay. All the best with your surgery & journey.

Nope still can’t more than 3 years out. One maybe two larger mouthfuls & that’s it. I get gurgling or my restriction at that point. Certainly couldn’t do more. So I just do regular swallows & never get thirsty. In the past I could down 300/400 ml no trouble if I was thirsty.

It’s strange how different doctors do things. My sleeve is on the 11th. My pre surgery diet is only one day of liquids. That’s it. Now, during recovery, its more like what other people report. I have 2 days clear liquids, 2 weeks liquids, the 2 of purée, then soft, and on to “normal” food. I just find it interesting.

It's now been nearly 3 years since my surgery (34 months), and a year and a half since this post, so I thought I'd post an update. Mostly, I'm still gloriously happy with my results! I still have my protein powder latte most mornings, and eat 2 eggs about every other day. I still aim for 6000 steps a day and get them about 2/3 days. I did indeed lose and then regain. When I made this post at the 18 month mark, I was 140 lbs (down from 208 before surgery). I hit my low point of 136 lbs at 23 months. I'm currently 142 lbs. (Though a few lbs might be holiday/too-cold-to-walk weight - 139-141 lbs has been my usual for the 6-8 months.) But curiously, I also went down a pants size in the past year as I was slowly regaining - from size 6 to size 4. So I expect that a few pounds of the regain could be muscle lost during the rapid weight loss phase right after surgery. One of my friends told me I look better now than I did a year and a half ago. I'm not sure that I can tell any difference from looking at my photos though. May 2021, 14 months post, 142 lbs Feb 2022, 23 months post, 136 lbs. Face does look a little thinner. Dec 2022, 33 months post, 142 lbs. A tad less cheeky compared to the previous one at this weight, but mostly my skin looks better.

Hi, I’m at the very start of this journey! A little about my situation: I’m 53, live in the Atlanta area and have a BMI of 40. I live with excruciatingly painful knee osteoarthritis. I have a long history of failing at various efforts to lose weight. If you can believe it - I’m otherwise pretty darn healthy…sleep apnea but no elevated blood pressure or cholesterol and a healthy A1C. Haven’t found a single orthopedic surgeon who will operate on me without my losing a significant amount of weight - both my GP and my orthopedic consults have suggested bariatric surgery. My employer-provided healthcare excludes virtually anything to help me with weight loss - no meds, no programs and of course, no surgery (even if medically necessary). (Apparently having a heart attack or getting other serious health issues is preferable??SMH) One of my coworkers had the gastric sleeve done (she is independently wealthy and self-paid) and looks/feels fantastic. I haven’t found anyone locally who can do a gastric sleeve (I prefer this to RnY) under 15,000. All my research domestically yields prices that are comparable, as the quoted price is always more than the one in the ad. As a teacher, I have limited means. Surgery in Mexico is probably my best bet. My GP was trained in Guadalajara and recommends Puerta de Hierro hospital. I’m considering this over Tijuana because it is closer and I’d be in a plane for less time. Research seems to indicate a low of about 5K and high of 7K. I speak Spanish fluently (native speaker), so communicating will be no problem. To that end, I have a few questions: 1) Has anyone had a bariatric procedure in Guadalajara? Experiences? 2) I feel quite old in getting this surgery - has anyone done it after 50? 3) For those who have had the surgery in Mexico, what have you done for follow-up care? Any groups/resources for post-op support? 4)Is there anything you wish you’d known before you had the surgery? Any tips you would love to pass on? My deepest thanks for reading this and for any responses!

After surgery its going to be very hard to get the full amount of protein and water in. So dont stress if you dont even get half in right after surgery. It took me several weeks before i could get enough protein in and water was a struggle for a while. Buy little 1 ounce cups on amazon and pour an ounce and work on each individual ounce. The surgeon should give you a paper to let you know how much protein and water to get in daily. Just do your best. one premier protein shake typically has like 30 grams of protein. Thats about half of what you need daily. you wanna shoot for about 50-60 grams of protein daily and 48-64oz of fluids daily like water. (your protein shakes count as fluid)

My surgery is Tuesday! My question is about protein drinks following surgery. I know in the beginning with liquids they suggest 3-4oz an hour. If I'm having a Premier Protein for a meal, am I only supposed to do 3-4oz of it, or can I have the whole drink? I keep forgetting to ask this at appointments and I know I can next week, but I figured I'd ask here also.