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I was sleeved on June 22nd. Lost 10 lbs 1 st post op week then 0 since.

Thanks. That is alot to deal with. Sounds like you have a good handle on it now. I'll will try and shoot for the 3 months time frame. Hopefully will find out this week!

that actually sounds so good right now. Congratulations on your weight loss. Don't be surprised if you hit your 3 week stall now. It's very normal, Just stick with the plan and you will see it falling again.

I'm doing well. Almost 3 weeks post op. Had my 2 week appointment on Thursday and my doc was impressed how much I'd lost since my final preop appointment (I was 402. I'm now 357). I'm finally eating soft and flaky foods. Today I had about 1 oz of boneless skinless airfried chicken thigh and .5 oz of refried beans. It was delicious. Sent from my SM-G781U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yay. Glad the stall broke. And great idea to stay off the scale. It really does just mess with your head.

Just wanted to update here, I broke my stall. Stepped on the scale today since writing the first post here. Am at 243 now. I feel okay about it. I am going to stay off the scale until next month because mentally, I am having a hard time facing the numbers and feeling okay with my progress and the way my body looks. There's a lot of self-hatred I need to undo and the scale is not helping me with that. Thanks for all your kind wishes and praise. I know we're all on different stages of this journey and it's never easy. I truly get so much from posting on this form and it's definitely changed my surgery journey for the better. Hope everyone is well xx

Hey! Glad to hear from everyone. I had my surgery Feb 14 and have lost about 66 lbs post OP and total weight loss 97 lbs in both pre and post op phases. I am feeling very mehh mentally. I was stalled out for a long time in the 250s but I recently broke the stall which is great but physically I really don't like how I look. I'm having a very hard time embracing the weight loss because my body still looks the same as it did at 340 lbs, just a smaller version now with loose and droopy skin. I cannot stop thinking about getting my arms done because I have huge loose upper arms with saggy droopy skin. It's 100+ degrees here and I refuse to wear short sleeve shirts never mind tank tops because I am so self-conscious about my arms. I am wearing long sleeve shirts and button-ups for now. I tried a girdle to suck me in but it just makes the loose skin on my armpit/back stick out and looks HORRIBLE. I am honestly having a really hard time accepting myself. I look in the mirror and still see a huge person and the fact that I'm not at my weight loss goal really adds to it. I'm also losing my hair and my front hair line is so thinned out, if my hair gets oily there's a bald spot on the left front side that is almost impossible to cover up. I just feel so ugly. I am trying to wash my hair less (because the majority of it falls out in the shower), brush it incredibly gently, and sleep on a silk pillowcase but I'm not sure there's much else to do about hair loss, just let the thing run its course and it is supposed to come back within a year. Dying my hair dark, dark brown helps it look fuller. Physically I feel better but still deal with crunching knee pain, I think that's just from having no cartilage in the knee and needs a medical intervention beyond weight loss. The knee pain overall has improved but there's no cartilage in my right knee and it still gets very painful. On the bright side I can run and run up stairs without getting out of breath. I don't sweat unless I'm doing something very strenuous too to the intense heat and long sleeves doesn't bother me too much because I don't really get that hot. I am only allowing weigh-ins once a month from here on out because I was obsessive about it and the number makes me incredibly depressed. I am not concerned about my diet or my movement - I follow what I'm supposed to be doing well so there's no sense in stepping on the scale every day. And the last two times I've checked the number went down from my previous stall. All the loose skin, lumps, nothing is flat or smooth and I'm still in my 20's, haven't had kids and am just so upset I did this to myself. I am obviously very happy about the weight loss but it's like now that a lot of weight has come off, I am now mentally dealing with the shame and regret I feel in letting myself get as heavy as I was. In the moment, I didn't think about it because I was so disconnected from my body - I always thought it's not that bad but now that I see how much my body has changed, I feel ashamed of myself. I am really working on "owning" my body at this point. I want to have a plastics consultation to see when and how they'd be willing to operate on me but until then, I just need to realize what's changed for the better. I just wish the body dysmorphia and self-hatred would go away but as everyone says, it doesn't. You still have to put the work in and that's my main priority right now. Anyway, sorry I am kind of venting here. Thanks if you made it this far. I'm incredibly interested to hear how everyone is doing too, physically, mentally, etc.

All good advice above. Don't compare yourself to others when it comes to weight loss speed - even if they are in a similar weight range. Just focus on your program and stay the course. We are all different and will lose at different rates even when stats are similar. Even if you are a "slow loser" that does NOT mean you will not get to your goals. It just may take a little longer. Be prepared that weight loss is not linear, even with WLS. Others mentioned the stalls, but it can't be overmentioned that your body will lose how it wants to, and it may not match your expectations or emotional needs. It is very frustrating but do not get discouraged. Being cold all the time is a real thing. Also, if your tail bone starts to hurt when sitting, it is very common. I recommend getting one of those cushions. Take pictures and measurements! Seriously, this really helps when weight loss (the scale number) is not cooperating. I've made it through so many stalls by pulling out the photos and seeing the major differences. And, also looking at my measurements, which have still changed during stalls (highly encouraging). I also started making note of all my non-scale victories because it is about so much more than the scale, even though that is nice too. That's what I can think of this early in the morning. Best of luck!

So after 3 long weeks of being on 2 meal replacements and 1 lunch the surgeon has now put me on 3 meal replacements and 0 food. Also, had to quit smoking well in my case vaping. How miserable!!! Has anyone else had to do anything similar? Also, I messed up a few times and smoked. Is that going to matter? Literally the hardest thing I have ever done.

You will experience stalls. You will lose some hair. You will experience constipation. Your taste buds & sense of smell can become temporarily extra sensitive making some foods taste or smell awful. You will experience loss of energy, feel weak & tired. You may experience some blood pressure drops. You may still feel hungry (real or head). You may not feel hungry at all nor be interested in eating. Your tummy will be sensitive & can be fussy about certain foods one day & fine with them the next. You may vomit or be nauseous. Multivitamins can make you nauseous. You may experience the foamies - spit up thick saliva & maybe regurgitate the last bite or two of what you ate (generally happens if you eat too much, too quickly or food that is too dry or coarse)? They may only happen to you a couple of times or not at all. But you can trust they do get better & pass. Stalls break. Hair regrows. Food taste yummy again. Some things pass pretty quickly. Some take a little longer & others we learn how to manage (like constipation & the foamies). These experiences are all part of the process. Not because you’ve done something wrong or are failing as some think & beat themselves up about. We’re experiencing a lot of psychological & physiological stress: the surgery, healing, recovery, our changed & reduced diet, the head battles, reassessing the how & why we eat, etc. They ‘re just how our body reacts to cope with the stress. And you can rely on: We all lose weight at our own rate. The more you have to lose the faster you’ll lose to begin. The closer to goal the slower your rate of loss will become. Hope I haven’t scared you. Rather you be prepared than go through the anguish of doubting yourself because you didn’t know. I’d rather go through those things for a few months then be obese. It’s all very much worth it. All the best.

Yeah, the shakes can be disgusting. Bone broths, cream soups, milk enriched with powdered milk, blend a high protein yoghurt with milk to make a smoothie (add more milk to get it to a consistency you can tolerate), protein water, are all great sources of protein as others have suggested. Even the strained broths from wonton soup & pho are good additions. You can try making up your own shakes using unflavoured protein powders too. I struggled through one shake a day (very diluted to dull the taste) for the two weeks of liquids & then never touched another one. (Had soups for my other meal.) The only protein pills I’ve heard about contain very little protein - 2g. Not worth it to my thinking & I’m not sure if the protein is complex enough for our needs.

You’d know if you had dumping - cold sweats, heart palpitations, vomiting &/or diarrhoea (lots), wiped out for hours, etc. I think what you experienced was just your tantrum throwing petulant tummy - think two year old child. Eating something without issue one day & then the next day it’s no way is pretty common the first couple of months. Your tummy is still healing & is extra sensitive. Usually if you just avoid that food for a couple of days or a week you’ll be able to eat it again without a problem. Some people do struggle with eggs & the tomato in the shakshuka may have been too rich & acidic this morning. Shakshuka always gave me grief when I ate it even before surgery - stirred up my reflux & excess stomach acid production which can be an issue for a little while after surgery.

That the stall at or around the 3 week mark, the stall you will inevitably hit is the worst mind screw there is lol And to be ready that the incision they pull the stomach out of, and the abdominal muscles around there, hurt the worst. And that getting my fluids in would be easier if I drank warm fluids and not cold ones.

You may not be ready yet. Some need a little longer on a stage before moving forward. It all depends on how you heal. Did you have the purée stage before soft? Though plans can be different, many of us go through two week cycles of liquids, purée then soft. Also your soft food may not be soft & moist enough. Think slow cooked stews, braises, etc. & foods with lots of sauces & gravies. What you’re experiencing are the early stages of the foamies. They usually occur if you eat too fast, too much or eat something that is too dry or coarse.

I, too, am an educator. Fortunately, my surgery is Aug. 4th and I'll have 3 weeks to recover before heading back to the classroom. I'm nervous for surgery and heading back, but I have faith we'll both be fine. Take it easy and don't overdo it.

2.5 weeks post-op. 3rd day on soft foods. So many people say they have no interest in eating anymore. I am not that person. Still look forward to every meal.

Yay! So glad you’re feeling good. I look forward to this. I took short term disability and have 6 weeks off so at least I’m off work struggling through this

So far I have slowly made changes to 1.)only eating fast food maybe once a week. I would have it 5+ meals a week last year. 2.) reducing most processed foods (nothing is off limits, but if it’s not healthy, be mindful of the portion) 3.) not eating when not hungry 4.) I used to drink a glass of sweet tea a day, dropped that to occasional - drinking water or unsweet tea almost exclusively except for my weekly Margarita:) I am on a diabetic medicine which has helped with the process because it has changed the way my stomach processes food and helped me to make the lifestyle changes now. Thanks to that I have lost 50 already and hoping to loose more by the time for surgery. my next step is to try to do a test run on the pre op diet so I can not have my eating issues complicate matters when time comes (which hopefully will let me loose more) it’s a journey I want to be success at so bad!!

They have not suggested this yet but him and I have talked about it and we feel like if they don’t find anything during this next EGD that it may possibly be the next step. I have been doing lots of research on my own and since his surgeon suggested there may be Nerve Damage that’s been a topic that I’ve been really trying to investigate. I have read that there’s a nerve called the Vagus nerve that comes from the base of the brain/brain stem that branches out like a tree and runs to all your major organs. The heart, lungs, stomach, large and small intestines kidneys and liver. I’ve read that depending on where that nerve is damaged would determine what part of the body and organs it would affect. He hurt his back in 2015 and our stupid ER Doctors sent him home saying he had a pulled muscle. We found out after his gastric bypass surgery (last year 2021) by his Surgeon that his back had actually been broken. So I am really wondering if this could have caused damage to the left Vagus Nerve and is what is causing his problems. Even his lung problems because after he injured his back is when all his health problems started. He started having migraines 2015), lung/breathing problems (2017), and the GI problems (2019). His surgeon has stated that he was at a loss with him and wants to send him to a Neurologist; however, Covid had things messed up for a while and now the surgeon has had a change in hours, locations, and staff. He even has a different Nurse so when we’ve called to find out if he’s sent a referral and what’s going on no one seems to know what we are talking about. We’ve yet to see a neurologist. He has spoke to his family doctor and instead of sending to a neurologist he has sent him back to his GI doctor who wants to do another EGD. So now we are in the process of having to get clearances again from his pulmonologist and his heart doctor (he doesn’t even have heart problemS but when he got sick with his lungs he had to start seeing one and has had 4 heart caths since 2017 and all 4 have been clear), now they want to do another stress test, another blood gas, and more blood work to clear him for the EGD. We live an hour and a half away from the pulmonologist and heart doctor. His GI ordered a stomach emptying test which makes the 3rd one and he couldn’t even finish it because he couldn’t hold down the radioactive eggs, since he threw them up the test was incomplete and they sent us home. Waste of time and gas. It makes no sense to me to send someone who can’t hold down a bite a food at all to have a stomach dumping/emptying test done that requires you to eat a small portion of a food. This is a 4-6 hour test and 20 mins in he’s thrown the tablespoon of radioactive eggs back up. Makes no sense at all. He has 12 appointments by the end of the month just to get cleared and have everything done before the EGD. I realize they have to be safe and the clearances are important but my husband is literally starving to death, malnourished, losing hair, teeth are in very poor condition, money is low, gas prices are high and these appointments are an hour and a half away and he needs answers now not 3 weeks from now. I don’t understand why they just keep redoing all the same tests over and over and over again. Instead of getting him in with a neurologist and atleast ruling that out. I feel like I am the only person who’s actually trying to figure this out and the doctors just want more money, more money, more money. My husband is a wonderful man. He’s been my best friend for 30 years but we’ve only been together as a couple for 3 years and only been married 2 years. He’s always been the strongest person I’ve known so to hear him say he doesn’t know how much more he has left in him or how much longer he can survive with no nutrition is unimaginably devastating. I hate even eating in front of him. I hate seeing him eat 4-6 bites of something in an hour time frame and then throwing it with in 5 minutes but most of the time it’s 1 or 2 bites and he’s pushing the food away holding his stomach and running to the bathroom just to throw it up. This is scary and hard and I just want to help him. I want to fix it for him and I can’t. I refuse to give up till I find the answer but I’m no doctor. That’s why I am here trying to find someone else who may have been through the same thing or something similar. I honestly think they probably should have already placed him on a feeding tube but for whatever reason they haven’t. Thank you so much for your reply. I apologize for writing a book in response to you. I guess I needed to vent and cry to someone. I just wish they would have done a more thorough assessment and job and found out what was wrong before they made his stomach the size of a walnut. I also wonder if the part of the stomach that they cut off and left in there is what is causing all this? It still has blood supply and nerves running to it so could that be the whole problem? Thank you for your time, reply, and for listening.

Thanks for your comments. Yes, I've stayed on the straight and narrow for almost a week now. Thanks for the info.

Congratulations! 20 weeks post surgery and am on the tail end of experiencing the worst hairfall episode of my life. I feel like im balding. I dont think I have enough hair to last this part of the journey. I’ve only lost 70lbs. I’ve been quite good with the food, not so much with the daily movement. I’m losing about 2lbs per week on average now. Will be meeting with my surgeon at the end of October. Hopefully I can meet their target and lose another 25lbs by then. what is everyone doing about the loose skin and hair loss? I’ve started scalp treatments, drinking collagen, using firming oils. Not sure if they will work though. Im afraid that it’s a case of too little too late.

@doobie31 Same here but I know I am doing all the right things so I am not going to stress about it. I’ll probably just stay off the scale for a few days and let it ride. I guess my body just needs to catch up with all of the changes in the last few weeks. The image @acopas shared is one I have seen other successful WLS people post. We got this!

I see this image shared often on other support sites about the 2-3 week weight loss.