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I also didn't get any calorie guidelines -- even fat/etc. I got protein goals, and was just told to keep my sugars and carbs as low as I could for the first month. When I started on soft foods, they gave me a bit more advice for carb/sugar limits and fibre goals but it was a pretty broad range. My team basically said it was because every 'body' is different and will react/thrive/etc with different levels, but that while still technically in 'recovery' it's more important to focus on protein and nutrients that you need as opposed to the fats/carbs to limit. I mostly did my own research, put a limit in my food tracking app, and am making my own notes on what amounts I can have over a day and still be on track. Like for me personally, my targets are 80g+ protein, and under 45g carbs & 25g fats per day. I can go over one or the other by 5-10 grams without it seeming to affect my weight loss, as long as it's not both on the same day. (Most days it's not even an issue but I'm still only 2 months in myself. Early days!)

That's an amazing amount of weight loss in such a short time (even if it may feel like longer, lol). You look incredible. I'm so happy for you! (re: lbs vs inches, I've always cared more about the size measurements rather than the weight. I only care what the scale says because it's easier to track how I'm doing on a given week -- but I'm much happier when my clothes start to feel too loose compared to anything I see when I look at the numbers between my toes)

I'm curious if anyone else decided to hold off on dating until after their weight loss surgery. I've decided to wait six months post-op before I start dating again. I feel like I need to focus on my weight loss journey and ensure I'm in a good place physically and mentally before diving back into the dating scene.

Congratulations. You’re doing so well. Your weight loss is certainly noticeable. Sometimes the scales don’t move but the numbers on the tape measure gets smaller or our clothes get bigger. I think our body makes small adjustments to the location of our fat as we lose. It certainly goes through a noticeable resettling after maintenance begins & our weight loss stops - we look less gaunt, our body shape changes, etc. It’s why those of us who’ve been here a little while often suggest taking body measurements instead of weighing yourself during a stall. Looking forward to seeing what their next months bring you.

i had my plastics done just shy of 14 mnths post op. i would have done it earlier (at 7 mnths post op when i reached goal) but my surgeon of choice was booked up. i had tummy tuck, arm lift and boob lift in one shot. second best decision ever (after wls, ha). if its worth anything, i understand that further weight LOSS affects the results more than further weight GAIN. but i mean, if you have the means and inclination, you can always have revision plastics if need be.

Hi. I am using the Baritastic app which seems to set realistic goals for me to meet and they seem to be like 10-20 pound increments. I have spent the better part of 20 years above 280 pounds. My heighest weight was 412 in January of 2017. I was able to lose 100 pounds on my own over a 2 year span but I would yo-yo that 100 pounds for the past 5ish years. So my recent high weight was 393 in august of 2023, and first surgeon visit was 373, november 28th, and my surgery date of may 9th I was 334. So I do see the light but I think you are right on setting realistic goals. I think I need to make me a reward system for sticking to the plan, new clothes, new hair, new tattoo, etc. As I progress further on this journey.

I had set my final health goal to achieve a normal BMI. While I’m a bit skeptical about the BMI as the ‘end-all-be-all’ of health indicators, it sure is an effective way to keep my doctors from turning every appointment into a weight-loss seminar lol. But in all seriousness, it’s not just about the numbers on a scale or a chart. It’s about feeling comfortable in your own skin and not having your health sidelined by weight-related comorbidities. That’s the real victory for me. No more worrying about the extra risks that come with excess weight.

I agree with @swimbikerun. Don't go off of us exceptions. It's actually not common to lose a lot with a revision. Go into it expecting about 50% less weight loss than what you had with your initial surgery. Then if you lose more, it's a pleasant surprise. But if you don't, you're already prepared for that.

@Noelle74 What an amazing transformation! You look terrific! @RonHall908 That's good info about the protein after workout. Not that I exercise hard enough to need to worry about it, but if I ever decide to... @BlueParis Amazing cliff hike! I'm jealous of the beach time, although it's finally warming up this week so I guess summer really is around the corner @gracesmommy2 I have a feeling the hair loss will be coming for me, too. Mine is so thin, and I remember it being shocking a few months after having my kids that it would come out in handfuls. I actually bought a bunch of headbands recently to help hide it if it thins. I'm heading to my annual physical today and my 3-month appointment tomorrow. Looking forward to what the doctor has to say about progress and any changes I should make. I weighed in at 200.6 lbs today. Will I ever get below 200?!?!? I swear this is the hardest milestone. I hit 201 lbs 13 days ago and was so certain I would be under 200 by now.

@Noelle74 @Briss72 @RonHall908 @BlueParis Yay on the scale moving front! And Noelle74 I agree with ev1, you look great! And so do your legs BlueParis. And awesome pics! Glad your loan stuff got worked out Briss72! I literally started shedding hair pretty heavily right after I told @LisaCaryl I was good ( figures 😂) but not a lot I can do at this point except hope it stops soon. We’re doing great I think guys! 😉

@Briss72 So happy you got your insurance/loan sorted. And wow that’s an amazing loss, you must be feeling so much better allready! Also it’s such a nice number 22.2! Go you! Congratulations.

@Noelle74 Wow! I’m 34 so not that much older than your son but look older than you! You really do look terrific and so polished! Such great hair and good makeup. ( and honestly even on the before picture you look like a cool granny) For me it’s a victory if I’ve seen a hairbrush recently ( I have a short frizzy bob and my hairstyle consists of using my glasses to push my hair off my face when I’ve had enough) and I only wear makeup for parties and end of year festivities and have a tendency to get it wrong à la 12 year old having let loose on her mums makeup bag!

Thanks @RonHall908 I’ll try and keep that in mind if I start working out! I’ve done a few 5k runs and have been walking as much as I can since operation (27km (16.7 miles)Saturday on a hilly Greek Island ) but a part from my physio appointements in Paris I haven’t worked out. Following the fantastic advice I got here I opted out of hotels for my travels after Cairo and have been opting for airbnbs since - this means kitchen but no gyms! But hey strangers things have happened, one day I might work out …. Who knows! I did climb up and down this sort of cliff thing to a beach yesterday. I had a bit of a panic, ripped my dress ( not a special dress so not sad about that) and got some extra bruises… but it was worth it and I was proud of myself because 3 months ago I never would even had considered it! Climb back up was a bit scary too … but I made it! My hair had dried on the beach after my swim but by the time I was back up at the top of the cliff my hair was drenched from “stress sweat” again #notsexy! The beach, the cliff to get there and my savouring my “victory

I’ve managed to move the scale about 3lbs this week. Not much but since it wasn’t moving at all I’ll take it. I am down several Jean sizes though and the other day I put a shirt on that looked ridiculous it was so big. My hair has started shedding pretty bad so I’m really watching my protein intake and not missing any vitamins. Hoping it slows down soon before it becomes noticeable. It’s usually pretty thick so I have a little to spare. I think maybe I’ve managed to get rid of a chin or two also lol. Here’s a current picture I don’t have many from right before surgery but the one where I look like I might pop is at my granddaughters birthday present last July courtesy of my daughter 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Ok so I saw my GP on Friday and mentioned to him that I'm getting weight loss surgery and he is ecstatic. He mentioned that the sleeve would be the best operation for me and I said that was the one my bariatric team was considering for me. After a while I started voicing my concerns about how the sleeve can't be reversed and he said that that was ok that I wouldn't want it reversed. He said at first I have so much fat that I actually don't need to eat very much (I weigh 425 pounds) and that over the years my stomach will get bigger and will be able to eventually hold a normal amount of food. Is this true? Maybe somebody who has has a gastric sleeve before can tell me if their stomach grew over thr course of time? I'm wondering if my doctor is full of it and is only telling me the things I want to hear or if he is correct. I'd like to know before I make the decision to permanently alter my body.

New here! I wish i found this community sooner, but I'm glad to be here now. My Sleeve surgery was March 19th. Currently 2 months PO. I am still struggling with my liquid intake, averaging about 32-40oz daily (on a good day). I saw someone mentioned protein waters - ordered! (Thanks for that). I've been drinking Liquid IV which has been helping with my Dehydration, but I've been scared of going into ketosis 😫. Hair loss - no thanks! Finally can handle Fairlife shakes, but that's also been rough at times, watering them down has helped. Eating is better, not as painful. 38lbs down✨️🥰

When people choose a goal weight, many of us choose a weight we’d attained in the past & were ‘happy’ at. Others choose a weight they think might be okay for them. Others use BMI or readjust their goal as they progress. Most surgeons tend to recommend a weight that sits within the statistical weight loss range. You can choose any number as your goal weight but it doesn’t truely mean anything. You really don’t get to choose your final weight. It depends upon factors like your new set point (which is the main one), your lifestyle & lifestyle choices, when your calorie intake & activity levels align, age, health & medications. You end up where you end up. You can start maintenance early but you can’t easily force your body not to be in maintenance to lose more weight if it doesn’t want to (your set point). As you can see in my profile, my final weight is 11kgs less than my goal (which was the low weight I usually attained over the years of losing & regaining, it met the stats & my surgeon endorsed it). Before surgery, I would never expected to be this weight. I mean I was 12 when I last weighed that & was almost 54 when I had surgery. I would have thought too thin, skeletal, etc. I’m not. I certainly didn’t intentionally work at getting here, it was where my body wanted me to be & where my calories, my body’s needs & activity level aligned. This means it’s easier to maintain. I still work at it but never feel like I’m ‘dieting ‘ or missing out on anything. Let your body tell you when. You’ll likely find you naturally slip into maintenance. PS - Congratulations on your weight loss. Fabulous!

I think this is the time when you stop worrying about what you weigh and you start focusing on how you are living and how your body feels. Are you still hungry even though you just ate a meal that would've been fine for you a month ago? Maybe you need to add more veggies to fill yourself up. Do you feel weak? This could be a sign your body needs more fuel. Are you getting the exercise you need? Are you eating the foods you know provide balanced nutrition? Fix these types of things if they need fixing and let your body do what it will. You still have many months to go before your weight loss journey comes to a stop, so to speak. Ride it out and don't try to steer things too much. It may feel weird to be the weight you are now because you've never been this weight before, but let your body figure it out. You'll get used to it. And if you don't like where you land in the future, you can start eating more to gain.

@gracesmommy2 I'm so sorry about the insurance issues. What a nightmare! Praying it is resolved soon. As for the goal weight, I used the weight loss calculator on the Pound of Cure website and took the lowest weight in the range, which also happened to get me to a "normal" BMI. So, it's pretty arbitrary but it sounded good. I based it on the weight I had reached before starting my pre-op diet, which was after dropping about 12 lbs from my highest point. My own doctor didn't discuss goals or percentages with me, although I don't know if that's standard practice for him or not. My experience has been odd. First, I was with a different weight management center for years, first managing through diet and meds and then switching to the surgical route, but it closed very suddenly. I had my December surgery canceled 3 weeks prior to my date and had to rebook for February with a surgeon at a sister hospital. So I came in very last minute and only met the surgeon and nutritionist at the new place twice so they could sign off on me as quickly as possible. And right after I had my surgery, my surgeon had a nasty ski injury and was out for several weeks, so I did one follow up with his colleague and one with him via video. I'm glad I was able to get the surgery in a timely fashion and they did a good job, but I sometimes wonder how my experience differs from if I had started off in their program. A nice NSV today. I had a dress I wore on my birthday back in March that fit me but with no room to spare. This was a victory in March because I had purchased it for a trip out of town the year before for my birthday but the dress didn't come close to fitting me back then. Well, today I needed something nice to wear to my daughter's dance competition only it was cold and rainy so my summery stuff wasn't going to work. I remembered the birthday dress, which is long sleeved and has a sweater. I put it on and it was so roomy! I'm actually glad I got a second wearing out of it because I'm hopeful it will be much too big when the fall rolls around and I need cool weather clothing again. In fact, my summery dresses that were skin tight two summers ago are already very loose, too. It's the little things that keep you going when the scale decides to stall, right?

Ideally, maintenance is achieved when you are living the lifestyle (in terms of intake and movement) that you can foreseeably do for the "rest if your life"...even more ideally, is if you can adjust your lifestyle as your circumstances change... when u get to goal weight, you can start upping ur calories until weight loss stops. you may find you go under ur goal weight by a bit, but more likely than not, you will regain a few lbs until you stabilize (at, below, or over goal weight...u won't know until u know, unfortunately). lots of us on here worried about losing too much weight...unless u have medical conditions, this worry doesn't last long lol. i got to about 20 lbs below goal weight at my lowest. regained about 10 of those extra lbs within a year. and while i thought i was too small when i was at actual goal, i don't think that anymore, even weighing 10 lbs less. long story short, if u can leave the worry at the door, do it. Unless u are sick or your med team is worried, just enjoy the ride! you look awesome, you look like u must awesome. bask in your awesomeness!

Please don't ever be sorry for a post's length. I don't think there is a person here who minds posts of any length! That's crazy about your insurance. I, too, hope it is resolved quickly for you. I can't imagine the new insurance company won't honor something you already had approved and were moving forward with. If they do, can you go back to the old company and appeal to them about the situation? I didn't even know that some insurance companies won't cover weight loss surgery. That's absurd! Please keep us posted, and PLEASE don't let this get to you so much that you overeat or smoke. This too shall pass, and you will be fine on the other end.

@BlueParis beautiful pics. I don’t read the forum everyday so I’m late to the party but I’m so glad you discovered that your anemic (that was going to be my guess) and hope your Iron treatment mitigates your symptoms some. Like @Noelle74 and @RonHall908, I personally am a hotbox; however, IF I get cold, for me, I warm up super fast if I put my Uggs on and get my feet warm. That probably wouldn’t work great for you with business attire but 🤷🏼‍♀️. Congrats on ev1’s weight-loss, I think we’re all doing great! @NickelChip What percentage do you use of your original weight to get your goal out of curiosity? I can’t remember what my MD uses and like several of y’all my goal on my ticker is just something I stuck in there. Sorry for the longer post again but I just wanted to vent/complain/cry to y’all. I won’t go into great detail cause then I’d have to write a novel, but as of right now my insurance is denying my surgery claim and it’s giving me the worst anxiety! Our health ins. Changed less than 1 month before my surgery and now it’s causing issues apparently. I’m just hoping it gets worked out soon, so I can stop worrying about it. I am definitely a stress eater and I’m a lifelong smoker (I quit smoking in January due to having this surgery, but it’s one of my unhealthy stress relievers that I no longer have), so needless to say at this point I’d love to eat a container of ice cream and buy some cigarettes! Oh and this is also making me have to cancel my nutrition appts cause they aren’t wanting to pay for those either ( although I’ve at least pretty much have that aspect under control for now, it’s just a bummer!) 😩

unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month, and then it's about 10 lbs +/- for a few months, then it'll drop down to 5 lbs +/- for a few more months, then about a pound or two a month until the loss finally stops. So yep - you are perfectly normal. and yep - stalls are also perfectly normal. The best way to handle them is to make doubly sure you are following your plan to a "T", and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you're compliant, the stall will eventually break. EDITED to add: I see you're now under 200 lbs. Yep - things really slow down at that point. The last 20 or 30 lbs were a BEAR for me to lose - but I kept at it, and they eventually came off.

Really interesting to read about the “starting weight”. I booked my surgery on January 30th and was 96kg (my highest ever weight - stepping on the scales and seeing I was closer to 100 that to 90 was a real shock - I dug out some insurance papers from February 2020 - I was 58kg then and allready heavier than I like to be). My surgery was 3 weeks later because I had to stop smoking first. The day of surgery I was 91.1kg so I lost 5.9kg in the three weeks prior ( I basically did a broth fast and didn’t eat anything solid, only clear broth and tea and coffee). Im now 70kg so since January 30th I’ve lost 26kg (57lbs) in 16 weeks (average of 1.6kg or 3.6lbs a week) so I’m very very happy with the weight loss even if I’m over the weather! I do have a goal weight which is my pre pandemic weight of 52-55kg (114-122 lbs) because I know that that is the weight at which I function best and that feels the best for my legs ( I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have very minor cerebral palsy - I have the impression that the extra pain I have for every gram I weigh over 55kg just isn’t worth it and really impacts my standard of living and my mobility. Because of the CP I have very minimal flexibility so being even slightly over weight just makes moving so so much harder for me as I can barely bend my knees as it is and have no upwards ankle flexibility what so ever. I’m easily out of balance and I fall over often ( the best way to picture it is to imagine the mobility of someone who has had about 3 beers too many), I’m used to it and my physiotherapist always says I’m a very good « faller », a part from bruises and a bruised ego I’ve only ever seriously broken things ( shoulder, wrist and double arm fracture all in one go!) once since being an adult. But being heavier has meant having more issues getting back up after falling over and more and bigger bruises. So my goal isn’t an esthetic one ( even though it will be nice to not be the fattest person in the room anymore - and because I live in Paris where the average female BMI is 21.3 the bar is low!) but a functional one. So I have 15kg (33lbs) left to loose, I know the rate of loss will slow, but I’m hoping to be at least nearly there in September when I take a new position, I really want to do my transition speech feeling ( and looking) like my old self ( just with some extra wrinkles and grey hair). My handover is September 16th - that leaves 17 weeks so I’m not sure I’ll be at 55kg by then because it would mean continuing to loose an average of 0.9kg ( 1.95lbs) a week which is a lot given my current weight. However if I manage to loose an average of 0.5kg (1.1lbs) per week ( which seems a more attainable bar) I should be 61/62kg by then, and I can live with that! ( I’m an unapologetic numbers girl - I don’t track what I eat because that’s not sustainable for me long term - I try to eat protein but other than that - YOLO - but I do track my weight every day if I have a scale and my steps and my activity) A very long post once again. Thanks all for being here. And here is a picture of a Greek island morning! That’s the 9.30AM light!

I am currently almost 6 months post op for my original procedure and am writing this from my hospital bed. I am unable to tolerate oral intake of food or fluids of any kind and am being fed via a nasojejunal tube (NJT) and TPN via a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) My surgeon along with many others that have consulted on my case are at a complete loss for what is going on and why I can't tolerate anything. I'm reaching out to fellow people who have undergone bariatric surgery in the hopes of finding someone else with a similar experience to maybe get some opinions/answers. In order to do this I will start from the beginning and tell you all my entire story. I know it's long but I am desperate so please bear with me and read to the end. I will try to explain everything but also be as brief as possible to keep it as short as possible. I had surgery at the end of November 2023. It was a One Anastamosis Gastric Bypass or "mini" bypass. The surgery was routine and there were no issues whatsoever. I couldn't tolerate fluids and my intake was too poor to be released from hospital and progressed to vomiting every time I drank anything. Was diagnosed with a stricture and it was dilated and I finally started progressing. I was discharged from hospital finally almost 2 weeks post op (booked in for further dilatations at regular intervals to slowly stretch the stricture) and was home for less than 24hrs before it began again and my surgeon readmitted me and I underwent another dilatation. Upon getting back to my room I started violently vomiting and no amount of antiemetics would settle it. Emergency CT scan confirmed the stricture was perforated and my stomach contents were leaking into my abdominal cavity. I developed sepsis and had a nasogastric tube inserted for drainage. I underwent IV antibiotics and was later rushed to surgery to repair it, however due to the damage from the infection, it required a conversion to a Roux EN Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and I needed my abdomen washed out and other infected tissue removed. It took about 5 hrs. I spent a further month in hospital recovering, initially on TPN to supplement my oral intake but was wraned off as my tolerance improved and was finally discharged. At this point in time I had progressed to a pureed diet. I was by no means meeting my requirements but the benefits of being home vs hospital given everything outweighed the negatives and my surgeon planned on seeing me weekly as well as my dietician. Now here is where is starts to get weird and my real troubles began. Just over a week later I woke up one morning and had a sip of water (with a few drops of cordial to break the surface tension) however as soon as it went down I experienced a wave of nausea. It was different from before, I can't really explain the difference but I just ignored it believing it would go away (Denial as I just wanted to get on with my life and get back to work and due to the conversion surgery, my surgeon had created an extra large opening to account for my body closing the join so that it would end up a normal size.) I started experimenting with foods and fluids, different textures, consistencies, temperatures, etc. I tried absolutely everything I could think of. About a week or so later and my intake was getting progressively worse and I was once again admitted and went straight for an endoscopy (My 3rd since 1st surgery) to dilate the suspected stricture but there wasn't one. I then underwent a barrage of tests and every general and GI surgeon/specialist in my town came and consulted on my case, as well as my surgeon consulting doctors from all over. A NGT was eventually inserted and enteral nutrition (EN) started but was not tolerated and the tube was advanced into my intestines to be a NJT, which was then tolerated but the focus was on trying to get my oral intake to be adequate. I spent weeks in hospital trying different medications, getting tests and ruling out different conditions. I was discharged on EN with the NJT on 16 hour feeds at a rate of 50ml/hr which was not enough to meet my nutrition requirements but was the Max rate I could tolerate and the belief at this stage was that the nausea would go away and I'd be able to eat again. On the 8th of May I was admitted for a gastronomy tube insertion into my remnant stomach via laparoscopy as it was finally decided that this problem was not going away and by this stage I had lost 38kg (84lbs) and was severely malnourished, despite increasing my feed rate to 60ml/hr (still not enough to meet nutritional requirements) The purpose of the gastronomy tube was not only to have a more discreet way of feeding and for comfort and whatnot but because the tube is in my remnant stomach, I should be able to tolerate a much higher rate to actually meet my nutritional requirements and spend less time attached to the feeding pump. Feeds were commenced at 20ml/hr the next day but I developed severe pain and discovered feed had soaked the dressing around the tube. I was yet again rushed into surgery as the tube was leaking. Another NJT was inserted along with a PICC line and both EN and TPN were started to maximise my nutritional status while we wait for my body to heal around the tube in order for that leak to stop happening again. I've been on IV antibiotics and whatnot since as well. I developed a fluid collection in my abdomen and needed a percutaneous drainage which failed as the fluid was too thick to aspirate and a minor infection at the insertion site and it was believed that there was a fistula however luckily that was not the case. However yesterday I had a fluroscopy in which contrasted was put into the tube to see what happens and whether it's now working correctly and that caused me to violently retch as my body tried to expel the fluid from my stomach but as its not connected to my oesophagus anymore, it was unable to do so. This has now lead me to start worrying about whether whatever issue is preventing me from tolerating anything going into my pouch is affecting my remnant stomach too. I'm now facing the prospect of permanent EN and TPN for the rest of my life and I'm not even 30. So if you or anyone you know has any ideas or similar experiences or literally anything, please let me know. Even if it's just a chat because I feel so incredibly alone in this. To anyone that made it this far, I appreciate you taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for any responses. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have as well.