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Technically not mid-week at this point, but I decided checking in here is a good place to start after a hiatus from the site for a while. I had my sleeve surgery last summer and the weight loss has slowed down significantly, but I am now within 5lbs of my first 100lb goal! Went from a size 24/26 to a 16/18. I was recently diagnosed with premature ovarian failure (peri / menopause before the age of 40, typically genetic) after YEARS of trying to get a diagnosis from clueless OBGYNs and I think the drop in hormones is contributing to the slow crawl. I’m battling through it while doing all I can naturally to stop the negative effects that come with perimenopause and menopause (I haven’t decided on HRT yet). Once summer break is over, I have an appointment with a terrific functional medicine doc who did extensive blood work to see where my problems are at the moment. I’ll also be joining a gym and shifting my focus from aerobics to strength training. Hopefully it’ll help me lose some more stubborn weight while also maintaining bone density and sculpting my new shape a bit.

Operation is on May 1. I'm one week into the liquid diet. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. My doctor's nutritionists made a schedule (I always do better with a plan) and required me to buy Unjury products. I have the chicken soup and cookies and cream shakes. The shakes are actually pretty good. My sense of smell is through the roof. I wasn't expecting that. I can smell people cooking meat a mile away I swear! I get odd tightness and heat where the back of my head meets my neck. Is this the headaches I was warned about? I'm feeling good about the surgery. I'm already down a pants size after one week and am looking forward to sustaining gains through the next 12 months.

I’ve tried various things through the 5 years since my surgery. Regular gyms, kickboxing gyms, walking, running, yoga. What I’ve found works for me is just doing activities I enjoy. I discovered (once my butt was small enough to fit in one) that I love kayaking. And in the last year or so I’ve been getting in to cycling. I don’t walk a ton for exercise anymore, but have found I love to walk around cities I visit when traveling, and walk my dog several times a day. Once the weight came off all of these things became easier and more enjoyable.

Thanks for checking on me!! About the same in terms of weight, unfortunately 😩, although I'm bouncing around the high 240s instead of the low 250s now, so there's been a slight change. I'm going to reach out to my team soon if things don't get moving again.

My main concern is, with you being active and on liquids only for 3 months, at some point your body may think it's starving and hold on to everything. If you're active, you actually need more calories to lose weight. Make sure you're having things like protein shakes, bone broth, etc so at least your body is getting some of what it needs. Protein is REALLY important, so prioritize that. I absolutely wish you well!!

Hey! That sounds like a really frustrating problem @SleeveToBypass2023 I actually have dealt with a similar issue in the past. I have to track my calories to prevent losing too much weight. One suggestion I have if it doesn't end up being a calories issue is to plug everything you're eating into cronometerto have a look on if any nutrients are lacking as insufficiency or deficiency can affect metabolism in cases. Cronometer isn't 100% accurate here but you can independently validate any nutrients of concern. Good luck and I'm rooting for you!

It sort of makes sense? A nutritionist I saw years back (not program related) told me that she often starts people on higher calorie counts and then as the weight loss slows down, that's when she restricts them further to keep the momentum going. These days, I take it all with a grain (or seven) of salt because everyone reacts differently to foods / calories / etc. Different strokes.

Hi guys. Start weight before surgery - 21.9 stone lowest weight after surgery - 17 stone current weight - 19 stone I was sleeved on 02/02/22, restriction was doing it’s thing, I caught covid back end of March. Completely lost my appetite for a week, then after that it felt asif I was never sleeved. I worked from home which did not involve a lot of steps a day, come the beginning of may my weight loss had stalled and stuck at 17 stone all the way up until around March 2023. since March 2023 I gained 1 stone 13 pounds through no fault of my own eating what I wanted no calorie counting etc. I started calorie counting the beginning of this week. I am on 1800 calories by working this out as my deficit through the TDEE website. I know this website does not take into consideration my smaller stomach due to surgery however I have no restriction at all and can eat 1800 calories a day no problem and still hungry most days. 5 days on a deficit and I’ve actually gained a pound, I was 18.13 on Monday now 19 stone. Has anyone else who has been sleeved going through the same thing? Didn’t really lose much weight after surgery and tried calorie counting a couple years post op and the scale just did not move, or even go up? Looking to shift 4 stone but feel deflated as doing everything I should be and scales are going up? I calorie counted years before my sleeve surgery and lost 5 stone in 5 months. Shouldn’t it be even easier now I’ve been sleeved? It seems so much harder! Yes I am tracking everything correctly and I weigh out everything that passes my lips.

Bra sizing has been an irritating area for me. This is one of the main reasons PS (breast reduction) has been on my radar for a long time. Prior to becoming obese finding a bra in local stores was impossible because my ribcage size to cup size is not what makers/stores think is average. Stores rarely ever sold 30/32F. I had to settle for a larger band then alter the bra. Add in the weight gain and loss (empty breast are definitely real) I'm waiting to see where I end up. Definitely need a lift.

Hi everyone, I had gastric bypass on February 27 of this year and I am down 53 pounds. My goal is to lose 100-120 pounds. While I am happy with the weight loss, I am losing muscle just as fast. I started going to the gym and hitting the weights this week. Of course I’m not as strong as I was before (I used to lift weights 10 years ago). I’m concerned that I won’t be able to get the nutrition/protein I need daily to start growing muscle again. Anybody on here bodybuilding months or years after surgery? Any tips or suggestions? Thanks

Hello and welcome! Also -- congratulations!! How exciting it must be to be at that stage of seeing the weight peel off, and past the point of initial recovery, and past the point of choosing which surgery to get. I noticed that you chose to go with the sleeve as opposed to the Roux-y surgery. I think that's where I'm likely to begin, myself. I have bounced around, investigating what they call a SADI-s / Loop / SIPS surgery which has an extra component with the intestine beneath the sleeve, often done as a revision of the sleeve for those who regain weight or aren't satisfied with their results. It SEEMS to have fewer side effects than the Roux-y (full gastric) but I just don't know. I've also been given a fair amount of advice suggesting I try to find an expert to do the duodenal switch (DS) due to my BMI being in the high 50s/low 60s. I'm certainly willing to try to go that route but as someone else said -- there is usually a LOT of back and forth before committing to surgery and I'm almost 7 months into the program I'm at with my current surgeon. How long would it take me, realistically, to get this far again? WLS is such a difficult and scary commitment, and then getting on here BEFORE having a surgery has filled my brain with so many more complicated options. Its kind of hard for me to commit to big decisions and sometimes I wonder if learning more and more is making matters harder for me. I love to feel in control of what's happening with my body and try to inspect EVERY detail such as to avoid any regrets -- but sometimes staring at the water for too long makes one less likely to jump in, doesn't it? But you've DONE it! I think the sleeve is a great option and respect your choice, and am so happy that it has gone smoothly thus far. It could just be my perception, but most of the men I've seen post about their surgeries seem to indeed have a bit more gentle recovery, with fewer complications. I've seen a lot of folks caution me (this forum and others) about whether I'd be satisfied with the degree of weight loss if I were to go with a base sleeve, Roux-y, or SADI-s. This makes me really appreciate where you talked about that dark spiral and maxing out at 407. I say this as someone who feels like I understand pretty dang well what you're talking about because my max weight was 435! Being 'down' to 366 feels a heck of a lot better by comparison, and I got this far by myself, so maybe I don't need to be as concerned about satisfaction with the numbers as I do making sure I'm comfortable with the process of surgery to help me continue my weight loss journey. Please keep us in the loop as you continue on to your goal! Also - congratulations to the rest of you posting here who are inches from your goal weight or have already made it there!! No matter what surgery (or surgeries) helped you get there, you DID IT! Definitely an inspirational group of people here!

1). there are a lot more people who don't reach goal than there are who lose too much weight. Plus if you feel like you're losing too much weight, you can always increase your calories to put the brakes on it - or to start gaining. So I wouldn't worry about this one AT ALL. 2). fewer than 5% of people are able to lose weight and keep it off. You may be one of the lucky ones who can do that - and if so, and you're afraid of the surgery, it's not too late to pull out and try it on your own. I wasn't one of the lucky ones. I spent my first 55 years as overweight or obese. I gained and lost weight a million times and could never keep it off until I had weight loss surgery. 3). hair loss, if you experience it (and not everyone does), is temporary. I lost hair during months 5-8 post-surgery (so...for three months). It wasn't much, though. I could tell because there were more hairs in my combs and brushes, but I really didn't notice it at all when looking in the mirror, so I'm sure no one else noticed it. Plus hair loss after surgery is more like shedding - not huge clumps of loss like one might have after chemo. For a lot of people, they're the only ones who notice it. It's usually more loss of volume than noticeable "bald spots" - and it does grow back. to me, the risk of losing some hair temporarily vs. being morbidly obese for the rest of my life was a no-brainer. But you may think and decide differently for yourself - and there's nothing wrong with that. If you're not mentally ready for this yet, or want to try on your own to lose weight, then there's nothing wrong with canceling or postponing your surgery. You wouldn't be the first..or last.

Well I signed a contact twenty years ago and I wasn't informed all that much about what I signed up for... Maybe because it was so long ago.. I do now know and understand the deal but the problem is simple.. So I had a car hit me when I was crossing the street and spent six months in a hospital followed by six months of a resting home to recover followed by a heart failure and another five months in the hospital followed by multiple hospital trips and lost all my original muscle.. I was always average strength but it's another thing to be told you might have a heart attack if you don't gain muscle. So I did everything I was told to bring me to this point. I have gained ten pounds of muscle in the last two years and I gain average of a pound a month. Only in the sorta person I need advise and someone to tell me what to do so that I don't make mistake. This might be a result of brain damage from my accident or maybe I'm just a big dumb guy I dunno.. But I did my own math if I eat 4200 calories I absorb 2200. So it does make sense I can't bulk however I'm taking enzymes and my doctor said the enzymes turn your ds off so that you can absorb everything you eat with them.. Now I'm fine tuning everything. Maybe my ds is to powerful and I'll learn that I really can't bulk and yes I look more defined in the mirror I think. But because my skin is stretchy it's hard to tell. I have gone from 175 to 178 so hopefully that's going to keep going up. My only real goal of taking the enzymes is to increase my protein which is 6.1. Before I worked out I was capable of maintaining my weight but my doctor told me I lost so much muscle that to not regain it would be dangerous to my health So regardless of anything I have no choice but to gain weight. If that means eventually eating 6000 calories so be it. But I really think the enzymes alone will solve my problems. I plan to take the enzymes for 3 months then get off then for two months then back on them in a bulk cutting kinda formula however I'll admit I don't know that this will work. I've gained weight in the past getting up to 240 in the resting home but that was eating six full meals a day with no working out and tons of high fat snacks and sense then I've gotten hypoglycemia which makes gaining weight difficult because I can't just devour sugar like I used to be able to. Man I used to love pudding cups... Anyways no I didn't know what I was getting into I was 19 and all I wanted was to lose weight but to still be able to eat as much as I wanted. Which is what I got. I never understood the risks. Never. That's why I got all these problems and it's hard to dig your self out of a ditch.. I would work out more if I thought it would help but I just lift weights 3x a week and I have a trainer and a bunch of great doctors who help.. The thing is the DS shouldn't kill me.. I should be able to figure out a way to make this work and my real issue is I'm 6"3 and a man so I require 3200 calories a day is what my trainer said. I only absorb 2200 thus I'm taking enzymes I'm focusing on absorbing protein and enough calories to feed my muscle building and I'm getting blood tests and scanning my body for progress it's a really scary time for me because I know I can lose muscle fast if I forget anything.. finding this website has helped me relearn just got crazy this surgery can be... For real you all helped me so much... But I can not except life as a weakling I'm 39 and a man and people need me so I can't just except things the way they are. If a normal person can build muscle I can to. It may take more work and more intelligence on my part but that fine I'm willing to do anything to be average if that makes sense.. in fact I was debating going to the gym today because my back hurts but you just motivated me to go . 😁 Thank you. Have a nice day. Please information is key here any advise on maybe how many calories you eat or your macros would be helpful to me because I do have a little problems working stuff out in my head and so the more information I can't the better I can deal.

Medications after weight loss surgery can feel like a rollercoaster, right? You just conquered a huge hurdle, and now there's this whole new world of prescriptions to navigate. While I'm not a medical professional, I do believe in tackling health holistically. So, along with meds, focusing on mental well-being during this journey is super important. It's like giving your body and mind a high five for their teamwork! For me, staying positive and focused helped a ton. There were tough days, for sure, but resources like mentalhealthhotline.org can be a lifesaver. They offer confidential support, which can be a huge weight off your shoulders.

UPDATE: So I had a scope and everything looked good. My stomach size was still fairly small which surprised me. Insurance was approved and I got a surgery date. I moved the surgery 2xs due to personal conflicts and giving myself a bit more time to get mentally prepared. I confided in a friend who urged me to try the GLP medications. I dismissed it. Then I saw an online friend who also had the sleeve and I knew had regained a ton and didn't get to her goal weight in the first place. In all her recent pics she looked AMAZING. I reached out to her convinced she must have gotten the revision. Nope. She's on the GLPs. And she has surpassed her lowest weight on the sleeve and said it's like the sleeve was reset. Needless to say, I'm putting the surgery on indefinite hole and trying the injections. Thanks to all of you for your support. Thank you for this. I will update my progress and decision. I have an appointment tomorrow to discuss my options. At a minimum, I am going to get an EGD to see what's going on. I've also been trying to go back to the rules. Not drinking during meals, protein first, etc. It does help. I just need to get my focus back to thinking that way.

the first few months can be a challenge (although fortunately, most of us lose our sense of hunger for the first few months, which makes it easier), but after that, not really. At least not food-wise. By six months out I was cleared to eat anything my stomach could tolerate, which for me is pretty much everything. I eat a lot less than I used to (obviously), but no one would guess I had bariatric surgery at this point. They'd probably assume I'm just a light eater, like lots of my women friends who've never been obese. When I go out, I'll sometimes order just an appetizer or a salad, or if I get an entree, I'll eat half of it and take the rest home to have for lunch the following day. A lot of my friends do the same. I worried about this too since I'm a food lover as well, but other than cutting my portion size and just enjoying things like desserts occasionally, I really don't notice a huge difference. I do try to prioritize protein and vegetables since I need the nutrients (we all do) and my stomach is small, but I don't deny myself anything. Although there are some things like rice and pasta that tend to sit in my stomach like a brick. I still eat those occasionally, but not a lot of them at one sitting. P.S. your comment about being afraid you won't enjoy food. I enjoy it a lot - too much! (I've been in maintenance for years and it can be a struggle to keep from gaining weight). For the first few months after surgery, though, most of us lose our sense of hunger for up to a year (my hunger came back at five months out). Many of us also do lose some interest in food, too (and that comes back too!). But even though it's weird at first, enjoy it while it lasts and take full advantage of it. To be honest, I found it very liberating. It was so easy to lose weight when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food for the first time in my life! once I got over the weirdness of it, I LOVED it and wished I was one of the very lucky few whose hunger never came back (but again, it does come back for the vast majority of us)

I believe the original poster has already had their surgery, but for anyone else who is reading this as someone else who has had a sleeve and needed a revision, if you do not have a strong medical reason for choosing one surgery over the other, and you’re choosing between the sleeve and the bypass I would’ve gone with the bypass to avoid meeting to take a PPI. my only reason for going with the sleeve and giving it a try, knowing that I may have to revise was because I’m on mental health meds, and we were concerned about the absorption. The sleeve was obviously a better option for that. However, I believe it’s like 26%, I read somewhere, of sleeves that need to be revised for Gerd or inadequate weight loss/ regain. The risks with the bypass are slightly higher, but in my opinion, not enough to have to end up revising because the revision surgery in itself is riskier than either procedure plus it’s a second surgery so twice the chances to experience the risks. If your doctor offers the SADI as a virgin surgery that complicates things a bit because the risk are lower for Gerd than the sleeve and the weight loss is higher and more durable than both research has found so far but it’s a little newer, and comes with its own set of sure and long-term risks that may not have been figured out quite yet. It does have a higher no absorption, so the risk of malnutrition is slightly higher than the sleeve and bypass but lower than the DS. Long story short, there really isn’t a perfect option, only a perfect option for you.. The biggest thing to keep in mind with all the surgeries is that any risk of complication is drastically lower than the risks of staying obese.

I actually think maybe it’s because that test is more commonly done to diagnose delayed gastric emptying the more I read about it. So im sure mine was fast compared to people with that issue. I just wanted to think the tech was on to something and it was a possible answer to my struggle with weight and it would hopefully be an easier fix.

I tried to update my side panel (weight lost, current weight) but searched and searched and couldn't figure out how to do it. So for those who wondered, my current weight is 160 at 5.5 months post-op. I've lost a total of 60 pounds from highest weight, and 40 since surgery. If someone could give me instructions how to update my side panel, I'd be grateful. Maybe it's not possible on a laptop computer. I realize most people these days use a cell phone app to get to this forum.

I find the calculator on the Mexico site to be rather inaccurate for me, but everyone varies. Age and surgery type, as well as co-morbidities all impact weight loss rate. It thinks I should be at 212lbs at 6 months but I'm at 240 with 6 days to go. Not gonna happen. It also thinks I should be at 170 by 12 months, but that's not very likely either. I've always used the following one as it takes into account the different surgeries and looks just like the one my surgeon uses. They calculate from the highest weight, it is important to include that because if you have a lot of weight loss before surgery your percentages may track differently and your post op weight loss may be slower. I've seen this happen to several people with surgeons calculating it improperly, or applying the bypass trajectory to a DS patient, which is a disaster and very stressful for the patient! This one takes into account much more like your age, ethnicity, and pre-existing conditions: https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/?_ga=2.112690692.1282950073.1698781773-393992475.1698781773 According to this one I should be at 78 lbs down for my DS surgery at 6 months. I'm at 80 lbs down. My weight loss has tracked along with this thing pretty steadily, give or take 15 lbs, since surgery, except for my 6 week stall. It puts me at 202 by 12 months out, but DS patients lose for 18-24 months post op, so I should be at 170 sometime in that 12-24 month period! In the end these are all just estimation tools. Our bodies do what they will and we make the most of it. Still, it is nice to have a loose guideline to follow.

I’m 5 years out & maintained since my weight first stabilised. I’m also one who finds some carbs sit more heavily in my tummy & are too filling. Specifically simple carbs like the rice, pasta & bread were advised to avoid while we’re losing. It’s not a big loss even though I used to love eating them before surgery. But I don’t consider myself to be low carb. Lots of carbs in fruit & vegetables. I eat a good two serves of whole or multi grains a day sometimes a little more if I say throw barley or lentils in what I may be cooking too. I usually say I’m lowish carbs, lowish fats. I also think the quality of these food types are an important consideration too like the whole/multi grain, less processed complex carbs vs white, more processed, simple carbs. Same with fats like good fats vs bad fats. One of the big learnings I had was that you have to work out a way of eating that works for you. That is it allows you to maintain your weight, complements your lifestyle so you don’t feel like you’re missing out or making sacrifices and is sustainable. It may be high fat or low fat, high carb or low carb, paleo, keto, vegan, vegetarian, carnivore or a mix of eating styles. Just what works.

So today I hit a milestone I didn't expect so soon---I've officially lost 50% towards my goal weight!!! 😭 I've lost 76 lbs since my highest weight (320) and 63 lbs since surgery (307). I'm stunned honestly. I've had some stalls and my weight loss has been slower than some others but my doctors kept telling me to stay the course, that my weight loss was right on track. Well, now it seems I've caught up and am ahead of the game! It feels so unreal... Here's a pic of me pre-op and two from today!

Thank you for your explanation on the muscles/bones and weight! It was very helpful. Next time I see my GP (next month, I just saw her today) I'll ask about the DEXA scan. Follow up to suggestions of my aches and pains being nonpositive RA - blood tests were all normal. My doctor even checked my thyroid and cortisol - all within normal range. Lastly, my bilirubin was normal as well. I thank you for all the possible suggestions from everyone. Hopefully the pain will go away soon! Great bunch of ppl on here, you're much appreciated!

Today marks my one year anniversary of my VSG. This was the best gift I could have given myself. As promised, I am back to give my 12 month update. I hope all will follow up with status updates so the results can be tabulated. 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE (at time of surgery) , HEIGHT - F, 62, 5'5" 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) - 6.5 LBS 3.Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. - 202.5 LBS 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery - 187.4 LBS 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery - 170.8 LBS 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery - 149.2 LBS 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery - 134.2 LBS

I am SO bummed. Tomorrow I will be 1 week post-op and I've lost 0 pounds. I finally made it back to my pre-surgery weight today.