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It sounds like a lot of people have that 10-15-20 lb rebound after they stop losing, so that sounds kind of natural. Don't sneer at your 70lb loss though -- that's the average / median weight of a 10 year old girl. You have lost the equivalent of an entire child's body weight. I definitely second the therapist / group counselling route. I personally think therapy is good for everyone, anywhere, anytime -- but for things like ED it can be a game changer. Also? This forum. Come here often. Make it a point to log in at least two times a week, even if it's just to say hi, or grumble about your new protein powder tasting like saccharine-dipped-shite, etc. Honestly, reading other people's trials & tribulations reaching out and interacting on the regular with other people who are on similar journeys can be such a great support.

Maybe, willpower / motivation isn't what your problem has ever been. Maybe this is that point for you when you begin to realize that whatever shame you've internalized over the years, your weight is not your fault. There are always, always, always so many different things at play: hormones, body chemistry, mobility / physical limitations, mental health, self-sabotage, camouflage, etc etc. I mean, at what point in your life did you choose to be fat? Did you sit yourself down one day when you were feeling in perfect health and say," you know what, I'm going to eat and eat and eat until I weigh 304lbs. I want to hate myself or feel shitty about myself." Cause I bet there are very very few people who can say they made obesity or being overweight a conscious decision. Are there times in all of our lives that we've made **** decision, knowing how unhealthy they are for us? Oh gods yes. Plenty, I'm sure. But did we make those decisions coming from a place of balance and peace, or did we do it to punish ourselves, or sooth ourselves, or because this is the way we were taught to deal with any negative emotion? Did / do we all exacerbate the issue with our choices? Most definitely. I'm not saying we're all innocent lambs. But if it were just a matter of willpower, of not wanting to be unhealthy or overweight, etc, we would all already be at our ideal weights -- we never would have left that weight to begin with. It's definitely important along the WLS journey to hone our willpower, to make healthier choices for our own benefit, etc. It's still going to be hard. For some of us, it might always be hard. But it's not that it "takes WLS to motivate" ourselves -- it takes WLS to give us that needed jumpstart into our weightloss journey. It takes WLS to change our hormones and gut biome. It takes WLS to give us physical restrictions --or to give us a clean slate when learning how our body physically responds to certain foods / nutrients etc, and re-teaching our body what 'enough' feels like. It takes WLS for many of us to, I dunno, learn how to prioritze ourselves? How to give ourselves the right kind of self-love -- like NOT eating the cake if you don't want to just in order to be polite. Like setting the boundaries we need -- and/or desire -- in order to stay in a healthy mindset.

Hi me again! So I will say that my journey has been fairly easy. Tracking, eating right and working and the weight has been falling off. I am a weigh everyday-er (I know I know but I am lol) I am only 6months out and pretty close to my goal weight that I set for myself. The scale keeps going up! I am not eating more than 1100 I workout a lot. I weight in at 172ish Wednesday this morning 176ish. LIKE WTF! Is this normal? I cannot physically workout more or eat any less. So idk what is going on, but I absolutely hate it and its really messing with my mindset.

I feel you on the scales front! One minute I am losing and the next it is a gain! Hard to keep up with it, and after years and years of being absolutely devestated by that number on the scale, it is hard not to slip back into old thoughts. Motivation is THE hardest thing, and I think you have picked up on a really key point here, and one that I feel we may all have struggled with - why is it that the things that "should" motivate us to lose weight, do the opposite? I always found that this related directly to my emotional eating. I also never try clothes on in-store, and on the rare occasion that I did, and it didn't fit, I'd be in meltdown mode, and I'd seek food as a comfort. I don't think it is ridiculous lovely, I think it is a lot harder than just: "I know I should do something about this, so just do it". It runs deeper than that, and it is why so many of us struggle with losing weight without surgical intervention. Please give yourself some grace, and know that you are doing all you can for yourself, no matter the pace you are at. You have got this ❤️

It’s funny that you posted this now. I have my psyc eval this morning and I know the drill from last time but I always kinda wondered why they don't just require ongoing therapy with weight loss surgery until the dr feels we are done instead of making us walk on eggshells afraid we won’t pass some one time evaluation proving we don't have any eating disorders when the reality is most of us could still benefit from some expert help when it comes to our eating habits and the mental aspect of it all. Maybe not for diagnosable eating disorders but for disordered eating behaviors which every human who says I’ve had a bad day and I want chocolate to feel better has to some degree. It just seems like it makes more sense to throw all the tools into the mix. They probably would have less revisions to pay for that way.

The scales have bounced around all over the place this week 😬 These things happen so I won’t stress out about it… I’ve been trying to sort out what clothes I’m taking on our 3 day trip to London. It’s a 5* hotel with restaurants to match, plus we’re going to the Royal Opera House too so want to look as though we’ve made an effort. I don’t actually have any ‘nice’ clothes. I seem to have a wardrobe of ‘it fits, it will do’ plus a load of holiday/summer clothes that are too small at present. I bitched at hubby (not his fault, he was just there in the firing line) and then freaked out. Hubby wanted me to have a look for some new clothes. I’m totally no good at spending money on clothing for myself, I just don’t see the point. I won’t try anything on in a store, so that was out. So, it’s online shopping. I found a couple of sites but I was getting myself in a state and I just balked at the whole thing. I was snapping at hubby and, to be fair, he took it quite calmly. Anyway, I finally got myself calmed down. I found something I liked, he found something he liked, both were in the sale at Phase Eight so I’ve ordered and they are due to be delivered this afternoon. Hubby knows not to be around me when I’m trying something on. Hopefully things will fit (gone up a size from what I think I am, just in case) but if they’re too big, they will go back and if they’re too small hubby wants me to keep them to wear when I do lose some more weight. I’ve also ordered a nice combo from good old M&S too, ready to pick up tomorrow. Clothing really does stress me out. Being fat is one thing but I don’t want to look like a clown as well. I feel shamed and embarrassed when clothes that should fit no longer do. It’s just that, for whatever reason, the shame and embarrassment doesn’t transfer into positive action in reducing my weight. Ridiculous I know. I’m a grown woman who can tell you all the ins and outs of a low carb/high protein diet plus a fair few others so why can I put that knowledge in to long term action?? Why is it taking WLS to motivate myself?? Maybe it’s because I will be answerable to someone else ie the hospital? Something to discuss anyway when I have my dietitian appointment in August. Anyway, Endoscopy tomorrow and knee X-rays on Wednesday. Off to visit the grandchildren on Saturday so that’s definitely something to look forward to 🙂 Hope everyone has a positive start to their week. Onwards and Downwards!

Definitely try and get some sleep! 😂 This is definitely the case! I know myself that I need to focus a little bit more on my water intake - then hopefully I shall feel a bit more energy! I have been back to the gym in the last week and started walking more, and I will be having a personal trainer come the 1st August so I know I am going to be putting my weight loss & health first! Which is surprisingly exciting haha.

I definitely should be sleeping lol I have to get up at 5:30 for work and it's now 3:40am. Ugh... WHY do I do this to myself??? So many think that the prep before the surgery, and the recovery from the surgery, and the first 6 weeks post-surgery is the hard part. Then they can just go back to eating what they want, just in smaller portions. They don't really make any changes, unless their taste buds change or they develop any food allergies. And they don't incorporate much in the way of exercise because they just think the surgery and eating way smaller amounts will be enough. And a few years down the road, AFTER the work has been done and you're maintaining your goal weight for a few years, that might very well be the case for SOME (not all) people. I've even seen it on here. But that is most DEFINITELY not the case the first year, or sometimes (in my case, for example) not even the first 2 years (although I choose not to even try, personally. I like how I eat, live, look, and feel and it's not worth it to incorporate any of the bad foods I use to eat back into my diet "just because I can"). The first year or 2 is really for doing the work, and many don't realize how much goes into that. Like you said, reading it and living it are 2 very different things. The work still has to be done, but giving yourself grace in understanding why there's such a struggle with it can go a long way in helping deal with it and move on from it.

Sometimes we have the best ideas at 3am 🤣 Very much the case - I know I am guilty of not realising just how much work goes into this post-surgery, even with being well informed. There is a difference between reading about it, and living it! It is so strange to me now to look back on how I was, even though I am not too far out yet - I was binge eating on a massive scale, and my weight was just rising so quickly. I think back to that little 12 year old girl I used to be, who struggled with her weight back then, and I genuinely feel grief for her. This surgery has given me the ability to not be controlled by food - yes, it is still important, but I don't think about it 24/7, I don't have to crave sugar and I feel so much better already. And you guys on this site have all contributed to me just biting the bullet and going for it with the surgery!

Of course If this post helps even a couple of people, I'm glad I wrote it at 3am lol There's so much to learn on here, and the OGs have a lot of wisdom, and hard truths, to impart of the newbies lol I always want to help. Yes, I get frustrated when advice is ignored and then someone comes on and complains that they gained weight, or the weight isn't coming off. But I try to remember that it's a learning curve, and we all stumble and fall on this journey. You just have to be willing to take accountability for your actions, get up, and start again. I'm proud of every single person here who made the decision to save their lives by getting this surgery. It's life changing, and life saving. And I know first hand that many of us have a food addiction that got us into this, and it's up to us, in combination with the surgery, to get ourselves out of it. If I, and the others here that have done it, can help anyone else along the way, we're very happy to

I made this post in another thread as a response to someone else, and then I realized it's something that might help others after they've had their surgery and find themselves struggling. Maybe you're seeing an increase in hormones all of a sudden...maybe you're discovering there's a lot more work involved in getting and keeping the results you need after having the surgery. Maybe you're struggling to change your relationship with food. Whatever the case is, maybe this will help "I never really had the emotional ups and downs, mostly because at the time I had PCOS, and the influx of estrogen from both my surgeries actually normalized my hormones for a few months each time lol What I DID have, however, is the emotional issues that came with changing my relationship with food. I had NO IDEA that would be a thing lol Changing what you eat, how you eat, when and why you eat, how often you eat is like breaking up with a toxic partner. You've been together for a REALLY long time, and even though you KNOW it's a terrible, unhealthy relationship, it's really all you know and you're so dependent on it you don't think you can function without it. And now you have to figure out how to. You have to completely retrain your brain, learn the difference between true hunger and head hunger (there is an actual, real difference), and you have to learn to read the nutrition labels, track your calories and Protein and carbs, work out, don't cheat (and don't make excuse after excuse and justification after justification for why you went back to the toxic relationship even after you knew it was bad for you, yet still gave in), measure food, track fluids, take HONEST accountability for your actions (which isn't something most of us had been particularly good at) and make adjustments as needed to stay as compliant as possible for the long haul. Contrary to what so many think, there's actually a LOT of work that has to happen after the surgery. The surgery itself is just a tool. It's not a miracle cure. It won't fix all the issues if you don't put in the actual work. Just eating smaller amounts without making any of the necessary changes isn't enough, and that's a hard lesson many learn later on. All of this is such a mind eff, and takes a toll on a person. It's a lot of changes, and a lot of work, thrown at a person all at once. And no matter how ready you think you are, it can still cause so much emotional turmoil, and understandably so. What I, and so many, don't realize is that we all have ED (eating disorders) in order to get to being obese and morbidly obese (or in some cases, super morbidly obese). It's not just anorexia or bulimia. I genuinely didn't know that. We have to retrain our brains to get out of that, and sometimes that requires help, and we have to be ok with getting that help. And because we have to do that, we then get incredibly frustrated and defeated feeling when the weight comes off slower than we thought it would, or we hit stalls (or in my case, stall after stall after stall - which is COMPLETELY normal, by the way, and should be expected). I said all of this to say there's SO many different reasons we can have emotions all over the place. Influx of hormones all at once, changes in relationship with food, changes in routines and increase in the things we don't particularly like doing (or not doing anymore), learning we have to do a lot of work to get and maintain the results we want after the surgery, learning PATIENCE with the rate of weight loss and trusting the process (easier said than done, believe me, I know), realizing that body dysmorphia is REAL and we can and do struggle with seeing ourselves as anything other than our formerly obese selves (I'm 182 pounds and I still see 421 pounds sometimes when I look in the mirror), and of course, hair loss (also COMPLETELY normal, and will eventually stop). You won't go bald, there's nothing to prevent it or stop it, you need to increase your protein, biotin doesn't slow it down, and it's a COMPLETELY normal part of the process that many of us don't know about until it happens and then we freak out. So give yourself some grace and just know this is normal. You're doing great, and we're all here for you, just like everyone was here for me "

I never really had the emotional ups and downs, mostly because at the time I had PCOS, and the influx of estrogen from both my surgeries actually normalized my hormones for a few months each time lol What I DID have, however, is the emotional issues that came with changing my relationship with food. I had NO IDEA that would be a thing lol Changing what you eat, how you eat, when and why you eat, how often you eat is like breaking up with a toxic partner. You've been together for a REALLY long time, and even though you KNOW it's a terrible, unhealthy relationship, it's really all you know and you're so dependent on it you don't think you can function without it. And now you have to figure out how to. You have to completely retrain your brain, learn the difference between true hunger and head hunger (there is an actual, real difference), and you have to learn to read the nutrition labels, track your calories and Protein and carbs, work out, don't cheat (and don't make excuse after excuse and justification after justification for why you went back to the toxic relationship even after you knew it was bad for you, yet still gave in), measure food, track fluids, take HONEST accountability for your actions (which isn't something most of us had been particularly good at) and make adjustments as needed to stay as compliant as possible for the long haul. Contrary to what so many think, there's actually a LOT of work that has to happen after the surgery. The surgery itself is just a tool. It's not a miracle cure. It won't fix all the issues if you don't put in the actual work. Just eating smaller amounts without making any of the necessary changes isn't enough, and that's a hard lesson many learn later on. All of this is such a mind eff, and takes a toll on a person. It's a lot of changes, and a lot of work, thrown at a person all at once. And no matter how ready you think you are, it can still cause so much emotional turmoil, and understandably so. What I, and so many, don't realize is that we all have ED (eating disorders) in order to get to being obese and morbidly obese (or in some cases, super morbidly obese). It's not just anorexia or bulimia. I genuinely didn't know that. We have to retrain our brains to get out of that, and sometimes that requires help, and we have to be ok with getting that help. And because we have to do that, we then get incredibly frustrated and defeated feeling when the weight comes off slower than we thought it would, or we hit stalls (or in my case, stall after stall after stall - which is COMPLETELY normal, by the way, and should be expected). I said all of this to say there's SO many different reasons we can have emotions all over the place. Influx of hormones all at once, changes in relationship with food, changes in routines and increase in the things we don't particularly like doing (or not doing anymore), learning we have to do a lot of work to get and maintain the results we want after the surgery, learning PATIENCE with the rate of weight loss and trusting the process (easier said than done, believe me, I know), realizing that body dysmorphia is REAL and we can and do struggle with seeing ourselves as anything other than our formerly obese selves (I'm 182 pounds and I still see 421 pounds sometimes when I look in the mirror), and of course, hair loss (also COMPLETELY normal, and will eventually stop). You won't go bald, there's nothing to prevent it or stop it, you need to increase your Protein, Biotin doesn't slow it down, and it's a COMPLETELY normal part of the process that many of us don't know about until it happens and then we freak out. So give yourself some grace and just know this is normal. You're doing great, and we're all here for you, just like everyone was here for me

Estrogen is stored in your fat. As you lose weight it is released into your blood stream. This additional estrogen or estrogen flush causes your emotions to go haywire (like major PMT) & changes to your menstrual cycle (heavier/lighter, more or less frequent periods). Plus in general, this is a pretty emotional & stressful time. The surgery, the reduced eating, the structured eating, etc. all can mess with your emotions too. It does settle eventually though when differs person to person.

A 3 month stall??? Holy smokes, you are definitely stronger than me. The worst I ever had was 2 months and I was climbing the walls. I was trying soooo hard to pay attention to the NSVs but 2 months of nothing moving on the scale nearly drove me to insanity. I have no idea how you handled 3 months, but I give you all the respect, props, and credit in the world for getting through it. CONGRATULATIONS on hitting the 100 pound mark. That's absolutely AWESOME!!!!! I'm really happy for you. It feels amazing, doesn't it? Not only are you solidly in ONEderland, but you're so close to your goal!! I know you'll get there. Just be ready, because the lower your bmi, the sloooower the weight comes off. It took me a full 2 years to lose my weight, so don't get discouraged if it takes a while. But you can definitely get there. You got this!!!

I'm the same way, one little off step for me is a slippery mountain. Knowing this I am very regimented, I have a schedule/routine for taking my vitamins etc., it becomes muscle memory for me that way. One "just this time" and I start sliding full clip. Unfortunately, it IS a full time job, but as the saying goes the best for your future is to be your own boss - you never get rich working for others. Work towards your health and future. This is how I put myself on a routine: 1. Purchased a "Hidrate Spark" (water bottle that lights up to remind me to drink with an app to track and also remind me) annoying but it helps. 2. Purchased a 4 times a day 7 days a week vitamin container that I have set up with reminders on my phone I put right next to my coffeemaker. I used Velcro to attach it to my phone case. Its always with me. 3. A picture of myself on my frig/cabinets at my heaviest to remind me why. 4. Remove ALL temptations from the house. My husband wants junk food he goes out. Lastly, I hate hate working out so I purchased a weight vest and weight gloves which I wear all the time as I'm cleaning, walking etc. I also, IF I want a "treat" (Yasso Greek yogurt ice cream bar) or a no sugar fudgcicle I do some squats, leg lifts before I treat myself etc.. Just remember its baby steps, if I deny myself all at once I become resentful and angry. So, start with one improvement and do it consistently until you no longer have to remind yourself or you do it regularly then add the next health improvement to your routine. If I can do it, YOU can do it. I come from an entire family of smackers and grazers who are all thin - I recognize its a battle, unfortunately now its a lifetime battle and I finally decided being thin is soooooooo much better than being fat so I strap on my warrior armor and do what I have to do. Ask yourself what YOU want out of life and win the battle - period!

Hi! I had RNY in 2005, gained every pound back on, plus 30. I transferred my food addiction to substances. Alcohol especially. Carby slider foods and wine were a disaster. I have been healed from various medical issues and lost 120 lbs regain, so far. This was done with the Carnivore way of eating. I call it my "healthstyle". I am also now free from addiction. Feel free to message me, if you get this message from such an old post. I hope you're doing well. I hope to hear from you. Yes, the pic on the left was many years after surgery.

Congratulations on your loss. It’s not nothing, every bit you lose makes you that much healthier so try not to think of it as ONLY 70 pounds. Take it from someone who thought like you did and stopped trying. I ended up gaining it all back because I was ashamed and felt like a failure. Obesity is complex. You are not a failure. You just need more help. If you haven’t already, make an appointment with your surgeon. They should have some tools to help get you back on track. If they have a live support group you may find that helpful as well as posting here.

I will be 2yrs post op in Sept this year, I only lost 70 lbs and I have gained 15/20 of that back. I’m so uncomfortable and frustrated with my body. I’m hungry constantly, absolutely NO energy, tired all the time. Was dx with Narcolepsy on top of sleep apnea this year. I see myself falling back into my old habits and I’m absolutely terrified I’m going back to my weight gain. I need some hard truth given to me. I feel so lost and in a horrible slump that I can’t get out of.

I didn’t loose any weight with the liquid diet because I had already been following the bariatric plan for a whole year before the surgery so my body was used to being calorie restricted. The salt levels sound kind of high… like others have said. Don’t be surprised if you gain weight while in hospital because the IV fluids are full of salt too. Just keep drinking water and it will come off. Best of luck with your recovery!

@BlueParis The music festival looks like a wonderful time! And I'm so glad to hear you're in a good place with how you feel about yourself. It makes such a difference, doesn't it? For me, it was a year ago today that I went to my appointment with my weight management doctor and was advised to consider having surgery. I had just finished a 2-week roadtrip, driving around 7,000km from Boston to Denver and back for a writing conference, with some great stops along the way. And by "just finished" I mean I had pulled into my driveway at about 10am that morning, having been delayed at the Canadian border (because the maps app on the iPhone didn't know the little border crossing it was sending me to closed at 4pm and I had to drive a couple more hours to find an open crossing!) and having to stay an extra night in Vermont because it was getting too late to make it home safely. After two weeks of restaurant meals and junk food snacks, I weighed in at my highest ever. A year later, I've lost 65 lb and am just 1.4 lbs away from no longer being classified as obese. I still have a ways to go, but it feels good to have gotten this far. Recently, I've had more trouble with vomiting, so I'm sticking with liquids for 24 hours to see if I can let my stomach rest. It seems I never know what will set me off. I have an appointment with my nutritionist coming up soon and will talk to her about it. I'm also struggling post-vacation with some sugar and carb cravings, along with having zero desire to do any cooking now that summer weather has arrived.

pro tip: for those JUST entering maintenance, you *may* want to hold off off on resizing your "important" rings...as you will most likely go through an "upswing" in the weight/size department. you also may not, but who knows??? my engagement/wedding rings where a size 6 and 7 respectively. when i hit my lowest weight, i was below the lowest of the ring measurement paraphernalia i had....so i actually dont know what size i was. at around 3-4 years post op, i was a 4....today, (almost 6 yr pi) i am aaaaaalmost a 5. i still haven't had my engagement/wedding rings resized, but mostly out of laziness...but i figure someday i will. anyway....long story short: maybe wait a year at most to do the deed and resize the important rings. unless u dont care about having to likely resize them again later, go for it! i myself am going to look into those resize bead things.... 😊

Don’t think the small amounts you eat in the beginning is how much you’ll eat forever. After surgery your stomach muscle is very tight so it can’t tolerate much. But as it heals, and you start to introduce more foods, it slowly starts to soften (not stretch) & is able to tolerate more. I was told, though I began with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from the puree stage, by about 6 months I’d be up to about a cup. Which was pretty accurate for me. I’m 5 years out & from about 2 years, I was pretty much eating a recommended portion size. Check the nutrition panel of processed pre prepared foods and google recommended portions of other foods or ingredients to give you an idea. Generally about 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables, 2 eggs, a small apple, etc. Some days I can’t/not interested in eating that much, other days it’s the perfect portion. The liver shrink diet is not to actually shrink the liver but the fat around the liver. This is to allow your surgeon to have better vision of & access to your tummy during the surgery. This diet does differ surgeon to surgeon, patient to patient. Generally it’s two weeks of a shake three times a day. However, some are four shakes, others two shakes & one lean protein & steamed vegetables meal. Others are only for a week or a couple of days. Mine was keto for two weeks (I started a couple of days earlier). Some people lose seemingly a lot of weight, others only a few pounds. It’s one of those things linked to how much weight you carry. It can be tough as you may experience withdrawal like symptoms (from stopping/reducing sugar, carbs, caffeine) for about 5 days. Apparently my surgeon’s patients who did the two week all shakes called the first week hell week. While tough, remember it is only for two weeks and the big picture benefits & wins makes it so worth it. All the best with your surgery.

July 11th here. This is a revision. I had sleeve done in 2014 and immediately knew it wouldn’t be a long term solve. I eat very little anyway and needed something that was more malabsorptive. We are doing Duodenal Switch. 🎊🥳 Current weight is 241. I start full liquid on 7/9 but currently on high protein, low fat regimen. Excited to actually start this journey with a procedure I felt like I should’ve had done the first time. 🫶🏻

I am about 6m out and I feel the same! I know I am not hungry but I want to eat. Its the act of eating that we are used to so being mindful is important. Drink water, a decaf iced coffee with a little Fat Free Fairlife milk, Jordan's skinny syrup, ice and decaf cold brew (I did this the other day) and it really helped with my sweet tooth without all the added calories or bad stuff. I have lots of tips and tricks LOL!! I am super close to my goal weight and for some reason my mindset this last week has been trash where I'm letting myself "snack" or graze. So I am working on it too.

I think you are doing amazing!! You don’t have your weight and surgery stuff filled in on your ticker so I can’t see the pounds or anything but I can see a significant difference In your pic and that’s what really matters anyways. it’s hard to patiently wait for the pounds to creep down but once the year or so is over it will actually feel like it went by pretty fast. Just keep doing what you are doing. You will get there!!