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Thanks, KM. This is the kind of perspective I was looking for. What do you mean by the "weight loss phase"? The liquid phase? So if you spent the last 4 months on 10 pounds, that means that it took you 6 months for the other 50. I'm not sure how this translates to someone heavier, but that's a solid rate. I'm hoping for 250 -> 180, which would be 30%. I don't mind protein shakes on their own, but my issue is that I am used to living a very carnivorous life and am missing the flavors of meat and associated stuff. The faux-sugar flavor is great for feeling like I've had a snack, but I miss chicken thighs and steak. I'm wondering what can fill that desire. Have you done any research into your metabolic rate? Obviously at some points beforehand you were eating above maintenance, but did your BMR go down dramatically?

I am a slow loser too! Jan -22.3 (2 weeks liquid) Feb -11.6 Mar -7.4 Also since I took measurements on 2/4/21 I have lost 18”. I am hypothyroid and that may be why. I have only had one week where I stalled but a loss every other week. I’m 5’3” and I carry my weight all over not just in one place. HW 271 Day of RNY surgery 1/21/21 - 233 CW 208.8 GW 140

Crap, I don't drink...so maybe I'll just take a hit of pot each time someone on My 600 pound life says: 1. Miserable. (ie: my life is miserable) 2. Switches out "my size" for "my weight" 3. This is my last chance. 4. "Dr. Now doesn't understand....." 5. "Weightloss Journey" 6. "Progress" And TWO everytime Dr. Now says: 1. "What happened?" 2. "you are killing yourself." 3. "Eating habit!" 4. "How you all doing?" 5. "If you need anything, let me know." 6. "I'm proud of you!" Take off one article of clothing each time the patient fails to meet a weight loss goal. If it's the Penny Sager episode....just smoke the whole bowl, take ALL your clothes off, and watch in stunned silence with your mouth hanging open.

Thank you for writing this. I had Sleeve surgery October 2019 and I used a beloved parents inheritance to finance it and I STILL fail myself. I wrongly assumed that because I had a tiny stomach that still restricts me to a. Very small volume of solids, my early success and fast weight loss would be maintained with no effort. I was wrong, no matter how much guilt I feel, I still eat food like Mac n cheese and drink G&Ts I have the incentive of my daughter’s wedding in 4 months but I bought a piece of Turkish delight covered in chocolate last night-I’m ashamed of myself.....maybe hypnotism?

Do you mean after PS? Then yes. My surgeon said I had to wear them for 6 weeks. I actually wore them for almost 6 MONTHS. I developed a bit of a love for them cuz I felt "safe" and cozy in them, if that makes sense. I eventually stopped wearing them because summer came and they didn't go well with my summer wardrobe, LOL. If you mean after weight loss from WLS, no, not really. I did wear spanx a couple times when I would wear a very fitted dress or jumpsuit, cuz they do do wonders in smoothing out lumps, but otherwise for every day dressing, no.

I had the ESG procedure in June 2020 in Cary, NC. First, I too felt like sh*t more than 1 to 3 days. I struggled with dehydration for the first 3-4 days since every clear liquid I tried was like drinking battery acid. Not that I have drank battery acid before. My doc gave the ok to drink milk and boy was it a game changer. I did lose about 7 pounds the first week due to dehydration and actually gained 2 pounds during week 2. I personally like protein shakes (Fairlife and Premier Protein). I still drink them at 10 months out. Once I got the ok to have liquids (not just clear) I blended a lot of different things. I was told as long as it didn't contain any chunks or "fibrous" fruit or vegetables, it was ok. If it was too thick I just thinned it with milk. Yes it is possible to lose more than the predicted 17-20% of total body weight. In 10 months, I have lost 30% (194sw, 60 lost, 135 cw/goal). The diet is very restrictive during the weight loss phase. I started transitioning to "maintenance" when I was within 10 pounds of my goal. I won't lie, it took 4 months to lose the last 10 pounds but they did come off be it very slowly. I don't have a forbidden food list. I eat anything I want but one has to be careful not to let old habits rule your life again. Have there been "bad" days, yes but tomorrow is a new day and I move on. I feel my "maintenance" is something I can do long term and when it comes time to lose a few pounds (and it will) I can go back to a more restrictive way of eating. I have come to accept that I will lose/gain the same 5 pounds over and over again but losing 5 pounds is a lot easier than 50.

This is really interesting, thanks for posting it. It was super accurate for me at Year 1, I did weigh very close to the prediction. Year 2 is where I started to diverge, in reality I kept losing but the prediction was essentially that I would stay the same. I switched it to Lap RnY to see how it would affect the prediction - my projected weight loss went up by 15 pounds and my probability of complications went up 10% (to 20% total). With open RnY, the projected weight loss didn't change but the probability of any complications was 30%. I would love to see the model this is based on, it's pretty fascinating.

I can't answer from my own personal experience because I started with a BMI over 60 and had gastric bypass. But I can offer you a link to a calculator that will tell you the average weight loss at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years: https://mbsc.arbormetrix.com/Registry/public/calculator/uiCalculator/7?menuId=1013 Enter your data and click the disk icon on the top right of the page to see your expected weight loss. Note that the numbers they give are averages, so your personal results could be significantly higher or lower, but I still think it's useful information to get a ballpark estimate.

Hi all, My sleeve surgery was on March 10. I lost 10 lbs pre surgery and 10 lbs forst week post surgery on liquid diet. Since I switched to soft food I started feeling hunger and the weight loss went down to 3 lbs. However I am glad that now I am better able to figure out my body's signals. For example, I don't feel full but if I eat a whole egg for example or if I eat it faster than I should, I feel pain under my sternum and I am not a happy camper! Luckily I didn't throw up and I am able to walk a bit every other day (I have had multiple back surgeries). No surgery pain or puncture site pain otherwise. Hope all are doing well.

I've been lurking here for a few weeks and figured it's time to introduce myself and say hi. I'm ONE DAY into my 6-months-of-weight-loss-program-before-surgery-gets approved plan. We're currently thinking sleeve unless the endoscopy next month says we shouldn't. I'm really grateful for all of the great info here!

One of my best friends is getting WLS (sleeve)! She has some health issues that would be reduced a bit with weight loss and hearing me go through it, (we're in different states), she was inspired to do it! I'm so happy for her and she's making a great choice for her health! She'll be getting it in about 5 weeks. We're pretty close in BMI, so we've decided to be plastic surgery buddies and go to the Dominican Republic together in about 1.5 years. Knowing that she's doing this too is really helping me get back on track now that my stomach has healed and I don't get sick (much) anymore. (I was kinda in a slump for a bit there.) Plus, I just got this new squat machine that really kicks my ass (and my thighs and core haha!) ALSO- yesterday, for the first time in YEARS I was able to walk 8 blocks- And stand at a counter in between for about 5-10 minutes- WITHOUT HAVING TO SIT!!! Seems trivial, but I have major back injuries/ chronic pain issues (which is how I got fat- doctors refuse to prescribe medicine needed for pain management = being nearly bedridden). Months ago I could only be on my feet for about 5 minutes before I had to sit because of the pain in my back. Things are looking up!

I have my sleeve procedure next month in about 3 weeks. Getting nervous! I want to hear from others like me so I know what to expect, part of me is nervous I won’t lose any weight and the other part of me is scared of getting so skinny my husband or I won’t recognize myself. I have a BMI of 35.5 and qualified through insurance due to pre-existing conditions. I’m 5 foot 2 inches and weigh 199 and would consider myself as having a larger natural frame. When I diet hard, I can drop about 20-25 pounds in 3 months or so, but it always just shoots back up. I have read that I could get down into the 140s or 130s even and I can’t remember the last time I weighed that. Even in high school I was in the low 150s when I played field hockey. I am VERY ready to get healthy after my mom had a major health scare recently. If I continue on this path I get afraid I may not live to see my own kids get married or even see my own grandkids someday. Still, while I know everyone’s body is different, I would like to know what I can expect, because it seems like what I read on forums vs the official medical representation is different. How fast did everyone lose weight in my category? What weight did you end up at the 6 month mark and the 12 month mark? According to my doctor, I have 70-75 pounds of excess weight. I don’t plan to start working out other than walks or bike riding until I am fully healed. Thanks everyone! Hopefully this will help my nerves!

Some reasons I was given/read: it may irritate the lining of your stomach its a diuretic and may lead to dehydration caffeine may cause issues with your liver, which is already taxed during rapid weight loss (although there have been some studies that indicate caffeine actually helps in improving liver function...?) ...and may lead to a host of other ailments: anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate...etc. BUT...its delicious. 😂

Quite possibly more than calories, is what those calories are (what is your average calorie count these days?) Since you are already taking B12, that's not likely it (B12 is more of an RNY thing than a VSG thing, but some can be intrinsically low it irrespective, or just diet is low in it for now, though most multivitamins have enough to do the job.) Overly low carbohydrates are frequently a cause of low energy in the absence of other anemia indicators, as that is where our quick energy comes from. It is what helps us chase down that antelope for dinner, or quickly climb a tree to avoid being a lion's dinner (hoping it's not a leopard chasing us!) We typically burn off our glycogen reserves (basically stored carb, held mostly in the muscle tissues) and the water that keeps it in solution first,, usually in the first couple of weeks or so, and then pause while we start to access our fat reserves to rebuild the glycogen back to a functional level - hence the typical rapid weight loss followed by the "three week stall". You may well still be trying to rebuild your glycogen stores to get you that everyday energy that you are expecting. I have seen some programs that specifically want their patients to do a bit of lightweight "carb loading" after surgery to counter this problem - things like oatmeal, cream of wheat, sloppy mashed potatoes, unsweetened apple sauce, watered down fruit juice, etc. I never had consistent energy problems as you describe, though I did run out of gas more quickly for a while - afternoon naps in the first 2-3 weeks were common and my bedtime shifted an hour or so earlier (my circadian rhythm has stayed shifted by an hour or so ever since - about an hour earlier to bed and hour earlier to get up,) but even within the first week I was outpacing my wife on our walks (granted, not a real high bar, but still....) I was back at the gym within the first 2-3 weeks, mostly to keep my wife in the habit, I basically just walked on the treadmill or did some gentle bike or elliptical work to explore range of motion, but moderate energy was there. I was up into the 900-1000 calorie range within the first couple of weeks, and the doc was adding more veg to the diet as my protein was satisfactory at 90+. I wasn't specifically carb loading, but neither was I avoiding them - just eating as healthy as possible within the limitations. Later, however, after about four months I was running into an energy wall after about an hour in the pool, and after consulting with the RD on it and added some complex carb ahead of my gym time, I found that a simple piece of toast made all the difference in breaking through that wall. So simple things can make a difference.

Hiya! Thanks so much for reply I have a consultation booked for this Thursday with Fredrik. I'm so excited for it. Your journey is incredible, I'm similar to your start weight if I achieved your loss I'd be over the moon! I now feel really confident I have made the right decision I'm just looking forward to my journey starting and getting over to Berlin now for it! Thank you so much for sharing as it really helps me hearing all your stories Xx

WOW thats pretty awesome congrats on losing it all!!! I am doing the same! gained 20 plus during covid.. and now I have been getting back on track the past 6 weeks.. called a meeting with my surgeon... cut out those darn carbs that brought me to this place... lost 7 pounds so far... i really want to lose 20-30 more period... I need to. The carbs really screwed me up with my weight loss... just like you I thought I could eat anything and the DS would keep working, and boy was I wrong.

it’s surgery & all surgeries have some risk for possible complications but generally they are pretty low for sleeve surgery. The best person to ask about these is your surgeon. You’re having surgery & are changing how you partially digest food so there are going to be some changes for you & your body to get used to. Generally, my surgery went well. No real issues or problems at all. Little or no pain & I happily looked after myself after surgery. And there ‘s been no significant issues since. My energy levels were low for some time after surgery. It was complicated by low blood pressure & some hypoglycaemia. I always had a tendency towards these so nothing new. They just happen more frequently now. Also it was discovered after my surgery that I have Gilbert’s which explained why I always picked up bugs more easily than others & why I take longer to recover. Low blood pressure (postural hypotension) can be an issue for some but it generally passes. I vomited a few times in the months after surgery. But it wasn’t a retching vomit. More gentle. All but once was from my multi vitamins. They made me very nauseous but vitamins usually did in the past. Was just worse but I don’t take vitamins anymore. I think I had diarrhoea once. Constipation was the bigger problem but I managed that with powdered fibre, added fruit & vegetables as soon as I could & took a stool softener if I reached about 3 days without a bowel movement. It improved a lot in maintenance. I had stress related gerd which was also aggravated by certain foods before I had surgery but I had already cut those foods out of my diet anyway (no fatty or overly rich creamy foods, rarely had carbonated drinks, no spicy food). I took Nexium only as needed. Now the gerd is still there but different. As long as I don’t have a solid protein before I go to bed (liquid is fine ) & take a Nexium every morning I’m fine. A liver function scan at about 6 months did reveal a very small gallstone but they think it may have been there for ages. Didn’t & still doesn’t cause any issues. Food intolerances are pretty individual. I’m not good with potato or pasta - sit like a lump in my tummy. But no loss. I choose to remove these from my diet anyway & only tried them out of curiosity a few months back. Some struggle with sweet things others with fatty. As for pasta & your family. There’s a lot of high protein vegetable pastas out there which many don’t have an issue with in maintenance. It was what I unsuccessful tried. If I want ‘pasta’ I use fresh zucchini noodles. While losing, just avoid the pasta & eat the sauces or just the inside of filled pastas. Portion size may be more challenging. Only 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup for a while slowly increasing. I have about a cup now but it ‘s really about what is a recommended serving size. My friends & I always enjoy having a ‘few’ drinks. Now I have a glass of something & that’s it. I sip on the one drink for an hour or so. Hasn’t changed our relationship or how we socialise at all. They say more for them to drink. 😁 We’re all individuals & how we respond to the surgery & how how body reacts to the change to our digestive system is very personal. Much is tied to your pre existing conditions or tendencies like mine. Sure some will be similar but really it is your journey & experience. My surgeon & his team & my GP are wonderful. I can’t complain about their follow-up & ongoing care & support in the almost 2 years post surgery. Between my surgeon’s blood tests, my GP would ask for one. If I had unusual for me symptoms they’d order scans & additional tests. It’s how they picked up my Gilbert’s. Nothing was ever found to be wrong it was just how I was reacting to the changes & the additional hormones & such being excreted as a lost fat. For example my previously fine cholesterol level sky rocketed while I was losing then went back to normal. Plus they shared all information about my health with me & each other. Having a supportive medical team behind you can not be undervalued. I haven’t regretted my surgery a single day. Sorry for the long post. Good luck.

It’s really difficult to avoid all the artificial sweeteners. They seem to be in everything these days. I wanted to reduce or kill any craving for sweet/sugar after surgery. My way of overcoming them was to prepare & cook most of my food myself. It was the only way I could control the ingredients. I don’t use sugar alternatives either. I know there’s sweeteners in the yoghurt & protein bars I buy but that’s really it. I generally avoid sweet things except for naturally occurring sugars like in fruit & I do put a little bit of honey in my rolled oats to help offset the odd hypoglycaemic episodes I can have in the morning (I used to have them occasionally when I was slim in the past too). As soon as I passed the fluid only stage post surgery I never had another protein shake. I made a lot of soup as I went through the post surgery stages. Now if I want something dessert-like I make chia pudding (lactose free milk, chia seeds, vanilla extract). Cooking your own food my be a way for you to not consume the sweeteners you want to avoid. I like to cook so it wasn’t an issue for me. These 6 months will allow you to do lots of research into suitable alternatives. In Australia we don’t have the 6 month pre requisite. I had three weeks between the first appointment with my surgeon & my surgery. This is bit of a thing for me so I apologise if I sound preachy. There’s a lot of interesting research about now about the side effects of sweeteners & the disadvantages. Sure there’s lots of research showing replacing sweeteners with sugar will cause weight loss but of course it will. Going from consuming 100s/1000s of calories in non diet soft drink to 0 calories by drinking diet sodas will result in some weight loss. Dig deep & you will find some research that’s now showing sweeteners can cause weight gain. Good luck.

VSG is a major abdominal surgery, so recovery will be a process. They start getting you up the next day after surgery (or same day, if you're awake enough), so you're not going to be spending a long time bed-ridden. I was able to get into and out of bed, sit and stand from a chair, walk to the refrigerator or bathroom, etc. from day 2 onward. I got stronger and more mobile every day and was back to normal about 3 weeks out. I had no major complications, no follow up procedures, etc. Eating was very uncomfortable for the first 3 weeks but that's not a universal experience. A lot of people report minimal discomfort. Wow, that's a crazy long time for the liquid diet! I struggled with my 10 days, LOL. I haven't had chronic nausea, vomiting or diarrhea (actually constipation has been more of an issue for me). My surgeon routinely prescribes medication to prevent gall-stones. I had no unusual scarring or stricture of any kind. This one is very much YMMV. Once they get through the eating stages, some people can eat just about anything. Some of us find that there are foods we used to eat that we don't tolerate now or that don't taste good anymore. Ground beef is one of those things for me - it just doesn't sit well in my tummy. Have you talked these concerns out with your surgeon? People love to share horror stories when they know you are going to have WLS and of course people are more likely to share when something goes wrong. I mean, you don't see people posting on here: "Hey, I just wanted to let everyone know, it's been two years and I'm fine", LOL. People who post generally have a need or an issue of some kind (unless they're just here for the support and friendship). It makes the site a great resource but can give a false impression that almost everyone has complications. I had surgery two years ago, lost all my excess weight, am learning how to maintain that loss and have no complaints. There are lots of others like me, they're just too busy enjoying life to share updates, LOL. Talk to your surgeon, ask him/her what the risks are, which ones particularly apply to you and how they will be managed. And tell everyone who brings you a horror story to get lost, LOL. <--just kidding about that, but honestly, I got sick of it when I was pre-op.

I’m good thanks for asking. I’m excellent on liquid intake (today I got 64 ounces in easy peasy and also 60 grams of protein). the only thing I struggle with is the fatigue. It hits me FAST. If I have to run downstairs for a water refill.... I have to make sure I rest when I get back upstairs because if I try to take a shower after doing that much activity? It’s not good. I just don’t have the energy to run downstairs and then jump in the shower/shave/wash hair etc. it’s too much. short bursts of energy are my friend these days. Lol i can also sneeze without it hurting and I can take a deep breath now without any residual pain (the pain I think was from the gas) . ive lost a fair amount considering I had the surgery less than a week ago. Going into surgery I was at 293 ish... then I started my pre op liquids... and then surgery.... I am now at 276. I haven’t been this low since high school. I got called the day after surgery but nothing since then. The dr will call me on April 6th. But anything else they made sure I had their number and to just call if I have issues (which I don’t). I never took pain medication and I only took Tylenol for the first day or two. The belly binder torture device I only used the first two days as well. Lol how are you doing? You are onto puréed food now right?

Lots of solid advice here. I am very grateful that I waited for breast work until I was at a stable weight. When I was at what I thought was my goal weight I was a solid C. I dropped 15 lbs below goal, and went from a C to an A in a month. So my breasts were drastically affected by relatively minor weight loss. On the other hand I am 10-15 lbs above my lowest weight, and my lower body lift has help up perfectly. So my experience also says weight loss is more detrimental that (small to moderate) weight gain.

What was your surgery weight? Have you lost 21 lbs in 14 days or was that also pre surgery weight loss?

This is really encouraging for me, since I'm wanting to jump the gun a bit on breasts and arms only/specifically! I kind of hoped that those two areas don't change as fast as other parts with loss and gain and so wouldn't be as affected if I go a little before my body is totally settled. I can wait however long I need to for tummy and thighs, that's what spanx are for... but boobs and arms I am so so so anxious to have the way I want them asap 😭

he's actually the only surgeon I've ever read about on these forums who's said that. Anyone else who's mentioned that their surgeon said anything about the gain/loss thing after plastic surgery has said they were warned a 10-15 lb gain either way will affect results. I don't know that there's been any research on this to know for absolute sure, but since there's evidently some difference in opinion, I'd sure want to be at a fairly stable weight before taking the plunge (and ms.sss, I know you and I have had this discussion before, so I'm just reiterating it for the sake of the OP) Good point...I should clarify that this info was given to ME by MY surgeon based on MY body size/frame at the time. I was/am pretty small. I *think* the bigger you are the less the same amount of lbs loss would show vs someone smaller. I was 125 lbs at time of PS consult (about 2 weeks into maintenance). My surgeon specifically told ME if I gained 15-25 lbs (for me that would be 135-150 lbs), there would likely be very little effect my results...anything more than that, he warned that my scars may widen undesiredly. He also told ME if I lost 10-15 lbs (this would have put me at (110-115 lbs), I should be ok, but anything more than that, I may see sagging/dimpling skin on either side of a taut incision/scar line. So basically, according to him, I theoretically could gain more lbs than lose before I possibly see some adverse effects, in either direction. I think that if one is a little bigger or smaller than me, the ranges that affect YOU would change accordingly. As it turned out, I was 115 lbs on PS surgery day. BTW: some anecdotal observations...I am currently 109-ish lbs (6lbs below my PS surgery date weight), been here for about a month, and I do notice a bit of loose skin on top and below my tummy tuck incision line (my other scars seem unaffected). this is especially true in the incision line were it is darker/firmer. My abdomen as a whole is not nearly as tight looking as it used to be a few months ago...but this is also likely due to the fact I haven't done any core work since January. In any case. It is probably unreasonable to expect to stay the same weight forever, or stay within 10-15 lbs of your goal weight until you die. Even those who never had WLS gain or lose that amount regularly. You can always get more PS years down the line if you so choose (it is addictive, after all!)

O he's actually the only surgeon I've ever read about on these forums who's said that. Anyone else who's mentioned that their surgeon said anything about the gain/loss thing after plastic surgery has said they were warned a 10-15 lb gain either way will affect results. I don't know that there's been any research on this to know for absolute sure, but since there's evidently some difference in opinion, I'd sure want to be at a fairly stable weight before taking the plunge (and ms.sss, I know you and I have had this discussion before, so I'm just reiterating it for the sake of the OP)