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Those 5lb in the first week of a heavily restricted diet are likely to be 4lb of fluid loss. You've already lost any fluid retention so you won't see any of those big fluid losses. At your current weight of 216lb you are not going to be losing 5lb a week on an ongoing basis, it isn't sustainable. 2lb a week is great though it may not seem like it to you.

My hair loss was pretty bad between months 4 to 7, but it has started growing back now. I am almost 10 months post op now. Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I asked my dietician about prevention before surgery and she told me it’s just inevitable and a hormonal response from the surgery. I’m just expecting it. I’m also going to take flaxseed oil and biotin supplements bc they’ve helped me with hair growth in the past when I’ve had thinning hair from a hormonal imbalance.

you'll likely hit several stalls along the way. If you're following your plan, then that's what's going on now. Like you did the first time, stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days. Your weight loss will start up again.

re: 5 lbs a week - that's pretty common for month #1, but beyond the first month, no. I know people on shows like "My 600 lb Life" lose can lose a ton of weight really quickly, but they start out at much higher BMI's than the average WLS patient. It seems like most of us lose in the 15-25 lb range the first month, and then maybe 10-12 (maybe 15 for some) lbs for a few months - then it drops again...and then drops again....until it finally stops. So at 2 lbs a week at seven weeks out, you're a little under that, but not by much. If you're following your clinic's plan (and it sounds like you are), that's about the only thing you have control over (other than activity level - which you also have control over). The other things that affect your rate of weight loss (age, gender, genetics, metabolic rate, starting BMI, your body composition (people with muscular bodies burn more calories)) you really don't have much - if any - control over. So do what you can - i.e, follow your plan and try to be active. As long as you're trending downward, you're good. you're also not starting at as high a BMI as some of us. I started out at 373 lbs. I lost 16 lbs the first month, then 10-12 lbs a month until month 6 or 7, then 5-8 lbs a month until I got to about the year mark, then it dropped again. By the end, I was eking out maybe 2 lbs a month. here's the difference I found (surgery vs. no surgery). My rate of weight loss was about the same. The difference was, before surgery, I'd drop about 50 lbs (and that was on my more successful attempts - most of the time it was only 20 lbs), then I'd hit a brick wall, and then my weight gradually went back up 'til I was back at square one. If not higher. That didn't happen this time. I kept going. And I didn't put it back on.

Your weight loss will be consistent. Follow your plan. The weight loss phase was the worst for me because it was slower then everyone else around me. I had to keep reminding myself it wasnt a race but my journey which would not be like everyone else. You will lose all the weight you want to lose if you stick to the plan and you will make it by your year kbrookings.

I don't know your stats but 800 calories a day doesn't seem too high to me. Unless you're really tiny and inactive, you should be able to lose on that amount. I mostly eat mini-meals throughout the day. I start eating at about 6 AM when I have coffee before work and I eat every 2-3 hours or so until about 6-7 PM (like maybe 6 AM, 8 AM, 11 AM, 2 PM, 5 PM and 6-7 PM). I'm naturally more hungry in the daytime and not so much at night, so I don't usually need to eat at night. It looks something like this: 1. 6 AM: Morning latte (made with Kitu Super coffee, 10g or Protein and no sugar) 2. 8 AM: 1 scrambled egg 3. 10 AM: Yogurt 4. 12 PM: 1 chicken thigh 5. 2 PM: sugar-free pudding 6. 4 PM: Lunch meat wrap made with Mission Carb Balance tortilla 8. 6-7 PM (Nighttime snack): cheese stick When I was still losing, I restricted carbs but not calories, so if I had a hungry day I might eat a little more or conversely I might have a low appetite day and eat less. I ate around 800 calories a day from 6 months through about 18 months, so I guess that's why it doesn't seem excessive to me. I did not have weekend treats while I was losing (although I did have special-occasion treats, like Christmas and my birthday). The more often you eat on-plan, the faster your weight loss, but you get to decide the balance between losing weight and enjoying life. Just be alert to how things affect you, so you can adjust if there is a problem.

I KNOW the everyone is different, but... Before surgery I could eat healthy and strict and lose very quickly (like 5 lbs a week); so why after this surgery am I not losing more than maybe 2 lbs a week? It is so frustrating knowing I could be losing more WITHOUT the surgery. Am I not taking in enough calories? My dietitian says to keep my calories closer to the 300 mark which isn't helping, plus I already HAVE been. Weight loss has been off and on, but now like 1 lb a week. I know it is not going to "melt off" for everyone, but all of the doctors, nutritionists, etc told me this was the "honeymoon phase" where I would REALLY be losing. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT WORKS FOR THOSE WHO ARE 6-7 WEEKS POST SURGERY!!! As in, what is your calorie intake / activity. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Before surgery I could eat extremely healthy and strict and lose very quickly (like 5 lbs a week); so why after this surgery am I not losing more than maybe 2 lbs a week? It is so frustrating knowing I could be losing more WITHOUT the surgery. Am I not taking in enough calories? My dietitian says to keep my calories closer to the 300 mark which isn't helping, plus I HAVE been. Weight loss was decent, but now like 1 lb a week. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT WORKS FOR THOSE WHO ARE 6-7 WEEKS POST SURGERY!!! THANK YOU!!!

My surgery was 3/3/21 I was 268 and I told myself aim big so my first weight loss goal was 205. I had a stall in April of three weeks the scale wouldn’t budge to pass 215! Then it began to move only took a week and a half to get to 206.8 and now guess what?! It won’t budge! It refuses to give me my first goal, lol

I lost so much hair in months 4-6 and now its actually growing back. Thank God. It is normal so don't freak out like I did. I would literally cry every time I washed my hair. I have 2 bald spots, but because my hair is growing it is now covering them. My nutritionist told me to take Flaxseed Oil pills 1,000 mg a day. I have been doing it since month 4 and now I am almost 9 months out. I do believe it helped a lot.

hair loss is a potential side effect after major surgeries (and other things, too, like childbirth) because of the stress to the body, but I think we see it more often after bariatric surgery because in addition to the trauma, we're also taking in very few calories those first few months. At any rate, hair loss is a common occurrence after weight loss surgery. there's really not much you can do about it other than let it run its course. It'll eventually stop and the hair will grow back. It usually lasts three or four months. I lost hair from months 5-9. Fortunately, I didn't lose much - I barely noticed it let alone others. Some people lose a lot, some people don't lose any at all, most of us are somewhere in the middle - WE notice it, but others don't. about all you can do is keep on top of your vitamins and protein so it doesn't get any worse than it would otherwise - and know that it'll stop and grow back.

I had my surgery back in August of last year. While it’s been a challenge, I’ve seen great results. However over the past few months I have seen some significant hair loss. I don’t have any bald spots, but there is a noticeable thinning out. I’m taking my daily vitamins I am not sure what to do, if anything. Any advice?

Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch is the original. SIPS/SADI-S/Loop DS is the new version. The new version was created to mitigate some of the issues with the original i.e the diarrhea issue as well as lessen the malnutrition issue (still higher risk compared to Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, etc, but better statistics than original DS). However, the downside is you have slightly less calorie and fat malabsorption, statistically slightly less weight loss, and there isn't enough long term data to tell how patients are doing 10-20 years post-op, but that data is available for the original DS. However, statistically SIPS still has a higher weight loss percentage then Gastric Bypass even if it doesn't beat out the original DS. In the end it comes down to 1. if your surgeon even performs the SIPS version of the surgery (which is actually easier for them to perform then the original) 2. if your insurance even covers the SIPS surgery because some insurances consider it 'experimental' due to the lack of long term data and 3. which surgery you actually want. I chose the SIPS/SADI-S/Loop Duodenal Switch for myself because I didn't fancy having to deal with diarrhea all the time. Didn't expect that I'd have to deal with constipation issues at times and my system trying to empty itself at others (at least twice a week my stomach is like "ohhh you're going to be in the bathroom for a WHILE" and I literally empty everything out. Diarrhea still happens on those days. TMI, sorry, but I thought you'd want to know all the nitty gritty stuff to help make your choice). Also, there is something like a 3% you will develop either Celiac Disease or a Wheat allergy. That's for any malabsorbative surgery (DS, SIPS, or Gastric Bypass) and they don't TELL you that. I developed a wheat allergy. I was tested for it after I had classic symptoms of dumping syndrome after I was TOLD that wasn't possible. I tested positive for a wheat allergy. Anyway, it's unlikely it'll happen to you, but I tell people because a 3% chance means 3 out of every 100 people so it's worth mentioning and I'm irritated that they DIDN'T mention it! I still would have had the surgery, but I would have like to KNOW! Also, they didn't tell me that it's possible to vomit old blood after the surgery. Again, doesn't happen to everyone, but it happened to me and scared the SH*T out of me! I was still in the hospital and panicked and the nurse came in took one look at the blood in the bag and was like "It's old blood. You're fine." and then walked out. Like WTF?! Anyway, I'm almost 16 months post-op with the SIPS so if you do decide to go that route feel free to ask me any questions about my own experience and I'll do my best to answer. Hope things go well for you at your appointment!

Hi Everyone, I’m officially 6 weeks post gastric bypass and I’m feeling great! Starting weight pre-liquid diet was 305lbs. After 3 week liquid diet on day of surgery I weighed in at 277lbs. Today, I’m sitting at 243lbs! I was on the post op liquid diet for 2 weeks then semi-solid for 1 week. 4th week out I started on full solids and have kept everything down. I’ve had pizza, subs, burgers, hotdogs, steak, pork, ribs, wings etc and have never felt nauseous or thrown anything back up. Of course I can only have bites/ounces at a time but it’s great to be back on regular food! With the doctors blessing I golfed 4.5 weeks out and got in 13 holes before it hurt to much to finish, but finished a full round of 18 the next week. Even rode my bike 6km yesterday with the kids....which is who I did this journey in the first place! I’ve had type 2 diabetes for 5 years and have stopped taking meds about 3 weeks ago (doctors suggested) as my resting sugars have not gone over 6.5 in weeks. I’ve read lots of posts on here steering inquiring people the wrong way with horror stories of months/years of not eating regular food and/or not being able to do physical activities months/years post op. My answer is listen to your doctor and your body and do what’s best for you. Everyone is different and the post op experiences are going to be vastly different. Thanks and looking forward to more weight loss and more physical activities with my kids! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Soooooooo it’s May 18 surgery day. I’m so nervous and can’t sleep. Pre op weight loss 28lb

I had to see my PCP and be referred to the options program, where I attended 3 months of healthy living classes covering multiple topics regarding weight loss surgery. I finished those in early February. Then I waited about a month to be assigned a caseworker that provided me with a list of the next steps, such as lab work, EKG, and x-rays. I have not been referred to complete a psych evaluation yet, so I'm not sure if I must complete one. I wrote my caseworker on 5/13/2021 to see what my next steps were after completing my labs, and the reply was that my file has been routed to the doctor for clearance and to receive a surgery referral. She said I would be contacted when the surgery referral process was completed, so for now, I'm in limbo:(

I am BRAND NEW so please bear with me! I am 61 years old and 65 lbs overweight -- I have a BMI of 37 (not diabetic but have GERD, high BP and cholesterol, both controlled by meds). I have been overweight ALL of my adult life minus 3 years when I successfully lost 55 lbs on WW -- I kept most of it off for about 2 years. Since then I have gained that plus 10 lbs. I like WW -- I like recording what I eat and enjoy the meetings, but have not been successful since that one time in spite of re-joining eleventy-million times.... (I never got to "lifetime" when I lost the 55 lbs -- I just stopped going after the majority of the weight was gone. So in fairness to WW, I never followed through on their entire program.) I have a hiatal hernia that now must be fixed by surgery -- I had an internal bleed that made me severely anemic and in the hospital for 5 days. While there I met with a Thoracic surgeon who confirmed I would need surgery -- and she asked me if I would consider Bariatric Surgery at the same time. What? YES! Of course! Let's DO it! And then... I found out about dumping. I have a SEVERE fear of vomiting -- I literally have thrown up less than 10 times in my 61 years (many times I should have but I fight it -- which just makes me more miserable). I would almost rather die than barf. I have read everything I can about "dumping" and I find myself asking: why would I do ANYTHING that might increase the risk that I will vomit? Granted, WW is slow and tedious, but I can do so without fear of dumping. Also, the thing that keeps coming through when I read about bariatric surgery is that it is not the SURGERY that makes you lose weight, it is the nutritional program and long term lifestyle changes that make you lose weight. Anyway, I'm just super scared about dumping and also question having two pretty intense stomach surgeries at the same time. (Heck, I will lose weight from the hernia surgery alone -- maybe use that as a jumping board to really get back into WW?) Any advice would be greatly appreciated -- and sorry to go on so about WW -- I know this is not a forum about other weight loss programs. Cheers and thanks, Peanut120

I had originally gone to my surgeon to repair a symptomatic ventral hernia. I had not even considered surgery for weight loss before I spoke to him. I just did not realize it was an option for me. Over the last year I had a number of things go wrong, aside from losing my job due to covid, my husband died of alcoholism. He was a cruel drunk and I spent the last two years with him wearing a headset to block out his raging and hiding in video games from his cruelty. I gained a lot of weight quickly. My labs were growing increasingly bad, my liver enzymes elevated, and then I was diagnosed with parathyroid disorder and prediabetic. Finally it dawned on me after I was given the option for weight loss surgery, it was time to reclaim my life and move forward and find my happiness. I was told the surgery would likely correct the things that had been popping up as long as I follow the program and lose the weight. That is what I am doing and my life is slowly being reshaped as I take each step towards a healthier lifestyle.

Hi there, I listen to a podcast called Half Size Me, which has changed the way I think about weight loss. One of the things I’d recommend is using the free Happy Scale app, which gives you an average weight, so you can track even small decreases over time. Then focus on losing a pound a month - it will take you 2 years, but 2 years will pass and you’ll either be where you are now cycling the same 5 lbs, or 22 lbs less. It’s just about small, but consistent changes - so not giving up when it seems like the scale isn’t budging, since it might just be inching down. Good luck!

So most people are giving you the basics. But the one thing that saved my bacon was a nice pair of slippers. I'm talking about the ones you just slide your feet into. Cuz you're going to be walking walking walking. And you want your feet to be comfy and you want to be able to get in and out of your slippers easily. The next thing that is critical and I mean super critical is bring a pair of jammy pants or some kind of comfy easy to get in and out of pants. Because you don't need your butt hanging out while you're doing all that walking. I had the nurse help me into my jammy pants and I am so incredibly grateful I brought them and my slippers. Of course your general toiletries like toothpaste face wash face moisturizer and bring a hair scrunchie.

I'm about 14 weeks post-op. I've been very slow on the weight loss front, so I'm trying some more rigorous exercise and joined a martial arts class for beginners. What I've noticed with the class as well as after I've gone for a long bike ride or done other strenuous exercise is that I'm way more hungry the next day or so. Is that normal for everyone or is it just another way that my body is trying to get me to increase calories against my better judgement? Am I prematurely adding too much of the wrong kind of exercise? I just get bored with walking and find that taekwondo gives me a physical and mental challenge and really gives me a good solid workout a couple days a week..

I had 5 weeks of plateau, then I lost 4 lbs, now I seem to be stuck again. I did have to increase my calories to start to lose weight. It seems like 1000 calories it the magic bullet for me and weight loss. I'm definitely less grumpy and tired at 1000 calories, but it took me weeks to realize that 800 wasn't working for my body.

I actually haven’t talked with my PCP about it. I had so many appointments where I wanted to talk about my weight problems and was just told to eat right and exercise. I’ve been trying for years to lose weight and tried so many programs. I finally called the weight loss center myself to see what options I had. I think I’m actually going to ask my surgeon if she can refer me to a PCP who is a little more supportive.

Hello and welcome!!!!!!! Have been actively trying to lose weight for the last decade with the help of my primary doc and endocrinoligist (who my primary doc sent me to after he and I tried just about everything for me to lose weight and nothing was working). Anyway, my endocrinolgist finally figured out I had Insulin Resistance (put me on metformin for that) plus PCOS and of the two make it extremely hard to lose. You constantly, actively always need to be trying to lose otherwise it seems you just steadily gain. Over the years both docs had me log food, log the gym attendance, try medication, various diets, etc. Nothing worked. I think the most I ever lost was 30-40 lbs and that was on Keto but then I slacked and eventually and fell back into bad habits and like a year later, gained almost all of it back again. The 40lb loss wasn't enough anyway, as I'm over 300lbs and have been for over a decade. I also have high BP, crap cholesterol, and was teetering on the border of becoming a type 2 diabetic. Sadly, during the pre testing phase for weight loss surgery we found that I am now indeed type 2. Something I wanted to avoid and was hoping to not get before surgery. So here we are, surgery is 2 days away and I'm hoping like hell it helps me lower my BP and ditch the type 2 and improve my cholesterol.