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Meowdy, friends! 😸 I had VSG on 11/22/23 (the day before Thanksgiving here in the USA 😂, almost 5 months ago), and I have not been a very fast loser. While some people may have dropped 20 lbs in each of the first two months post-op, I'm just at almost 40 lbs down since surgery. My Physician's Assistant (we don't meet with the surgeon at all post-op in our program) said I'm definitely a "slow loser" and am about 12 lbs higher than they'd expect me to be right now. Anyone else out there only losing about 1-2 lbs per week? Anyone who was in this situation and managed to kick things up a notch? And also, anyone who was a slow loser who eventually met their weight loss goal? I've always been awesome at getting in my water, protein, and vitamins each day. My program pretty much refuses to give us macro goals other than protein, but I know I'm generally under 100g of carbs daily (sometimes much less). Protein, I'm usually at 80g+. Calories, I float around 1000 per day. Water, I get a MINIMUM of 64oz. I took a week off of exercising (elliptical and weights) when I was sick with a cold, and I actually lost the most in that week, so I laid off the exercise for a bit, worried it was slowing me down. I'm going to start back up on it, just because it's a good habit to get back into. When I do the elliptical, it's usually pretty vigorous for 30 minutes, sweating profusely and burning ~400-500 calories. I put on some very loud heavy metal and take out all my frustrations on the machine 😅 I'm worried I'm going to be stuck at this weight and that I'm "wasting" this tool and opportunity, or that maybe I chose the wrong surgery. Granted, my current weight is way better than where I was before starting the pre-op diet, and my mobility and endurance are IMMENSELY better, and my IBS-D has basically disappeared (THANK THE LORDT), but it's still not where I'd like to end up. The PA told me that sleeve patients can lose for at least 18 months post-op, so hopefully it's just a slow-but-steady race for me. I guess I could just use some encouragement or advice or anecdotes from others who were slow but successful, or if someone sees something glaringly "wrong" with what I'm doing.

OK so I have no experience with this because I have no interest at all in skin removal. WLS was, for me, all about the health benefits and way less about the aesthetic benefits but I totally get people who want both (and OMG see the photos on the before and after threads for detail and inspiration)! From what I have gleaned in my 2.5 years here people's weight loss is in the single pounds category after skin removal surgery. Unless you started off in the 60s or 70s of BMI? The point isn't the added pounds of loss but more the making their bodies feel more comfortable to them. I am also a huge believer in the concept of a new 'set weight' after surgery. Our bodies just seem to decide where to settle. Pushing beyond that is tricky. I would have been happy 15 or 20lbs above where I am at the minute. I didn't particularly push myself to get beyond that. But it feels like my set weight was decided by my body. I know that sounds strange. You talk about feeling happy at your current weight plus or minus the weight you might be after removal of skin and whether losing a few pounds more might cause sag that you would have to address at a later point. Honestly I don't really understand that but I guess others will be along soon who might. It might be worth discussing in detail with your surgeon what your desired end point is. Congratulations on your loss, it's amazing.

I'm in the same waist size jeans that I was in 2004. My belly will be the last to go since that's primarily where a lot of my weight was. Side pucker was about 3 weeks ago. The stalls just seem to be there as a test.

I don't think it sounds like dumping...even at almost a year out I will get a little light headed (sometimes even almost passing out) at times when I stand up. My dr said it is due to losing weight, and your heart isn't working as hard anymore to get the blood out. I went from high blood pressure to 110/68 and my resting heart rate is now in the low 50s. Informed me that my body will regulate eventually, veins will shrink, etc. It may also be due to your low iron.

Hello @BigDane looks like we Will be pretty much be going through the stages together. How is the preop diet going? I was told by the nurse that since he didn’t mention a preop diet I just needed to do a two day liquid diet but last time he had me do a week long liver shrink diet first. I’m just going to do that to be safe. The smaller the liver is the safer the surgery is with the added bonus it’s less weight to lose after.

(I just figured out how to respond to something directly!) I can't do food funerals. I would binge like a mad man! The thought is fun, but my reality would be awful. In one of my weight loss classes they gave the advice, "Go to the wedding, get the biggest piece of cake, look at it, smell it, take the smallest bite, then throw it away. And remind yourself that you're better than that." My immediate thought was, What world do they live in? Because I knew I couldn't do that.

I'm sorry about the stalls. No matter how much we know they will happen, it doesn't make it any easier. I know in the past, the closer I got to my goal weight, the slower it would come off. @BlueParis this could be the case with you? How are things feeling... your body? Your clothes? My dietician told me that these things will continue to change even during stalls.

im 6 years out next month. for the past 3-4 years i can (and do!) eat anything/everything in small amounts. (this includes all the things most say they don't eat or drink). i average 2000-2300 cals a day. and i've stayed below goal weight this entire time. and have not needed to buy bigger clothes lol. but i also exercise quite a bit. the exercise is all things i really enjoy doing so its not "work" for me. balance is important, but also getting rid of the idea and thought processes that something is bad or not allowed or forbidden or whatever. because this usually leads to angst and shame and guilt that does nobody any good.

I had the Sadi DS in Nov 2014 with a 40 bmi, just under 300lbs as a 6'1 male, age 54 at the time. I had your concerns so I'll summarize: I had too much weight loss initially and did look like a cancer patient for about a year. I gained back 27 lbs and have stabilized at 162lbs, still thin. I can eat anything now and get gas and bloating. A VSG would have worked initially for me but I would have gained most of the weight back long ago. I still often eat like **** but get nutrition and exercise every day. At 63 I can do things that I couldn't do decades ago, look good for my age, and pay the price for poor eating decisions with gas and bloating until the next am. All in all most people would take this deal in a second. Below is a relative size and fitness before and after:

I agree we fluctuate all the time! I know for myself I need to, when I was heavier I wouldn't because the number wasn't true if I did not know it. Now I check to see the good, bad and ugly. Right now I am up 3lbs but I didn't poop all weekend! LOL So I am guessing tomorrow will be a bit less. I am trying to get in that mindset that a fluctuation of 5lbs is not terrible since I have surpassed goal weight. Its REALLYYYYYY hard to wrap my mind around it, but something my mom told me, if your eating healthy 90% of the time and staying active then that is really good and that is the life long goal. Shes right...I am so terrified to undo all of this!

"Heck, his excess weight was probably a huge motivator in doing oral sex in the first place. He may have felt he was not satisfying you with intercourse so performed oral to ensure you were happy. Now that he is happy with intercourse and feeling like you are both being satisfied oral is less necessary." This is my guess. We're always quick to assume the worst and worry. I agree with others, the only way to get answers is to ask! I'm sure he'd love to hear you miss his amazing skills and the enjoyment you received from them!

it's actually very common to have a rebound gain of 10-20 lbs during year 3. There was a dietitian once on Unjury's online support group who said in her clinic, they don't even consider anything less that 15% of the person's lowest weight to be a regain (so in your case, they wouldn't consider anything under a 21.6 lb gain as "regain" - it's just more-or-less expected). Granted, you're up more than that, but only by about 10 lbs. You can always lose weight again by getting back on track. If it's really tough to do that (and it can be..), maybe just make one or two small changes at a time until they become a habit. Start with something not super challenging - like logging your food intake - or taking a walk 3x a week. Or whatever...just anything that seems achievable. It all adds up in the end... A lot of people have dealt with this, so you're definitely not alone.

Tested positive for COVID on Saturday morning. I suppose it explains why I’ve been feeling like I was coming down with something all week plus why my joints felt so painful. I just put that down to being back at the gym 🤷‍♀️ It will also account for why my liver function test was off too. It always amazes me how the LFT can show something amiss before I’m even aware of it. So, the weekend was a complete bust - no anniversary dinner, feeling like I’ve been run over and just general yak. Dealing with an out of hours NHS service has tried my patience to the nth degree this weekend. Due to having a suppressed immune system, I’m supposed to be given antiviral medication if I contract COVID. Huh, it’s Monday and I still don’t have it. Many phone calls all asking the same set of questions (and giving the self same answers) being discharged from the OOH Dr via text, twice, for no apparent reason, waiting for calls that never happened, receiving other phone calls at almost midnight on Saturday, blah blah blah. Thankfully I was able to get through to my GP surgery at 8am this morning (a complete fluke) and explain the situation. They will find out what needs to be done and get back to me. Honestly, sometimes the NHS is brilliant and other times it’s just dire. Health eating? LOL…do you know when you read about the effects of an illness and it says ‘loss of appetite’? Ha, Ha, Ha, I’m the complete opposite, every single time 🙄 I’m not fretting about it right now as I’m more concerned over getting the COVID stuff sorted out. Hey, at least I didn’t have any alcohol on Sunday so that won’t interfere with my levels for when I do manage to get my bloods done again. Obviously I can’t have them done until I test negative. I’ll test again on Wednesday and see how things are. My anniversary dress did actually fit, so that’s a positive! I wouldn’t have been able to wear it on Sunday though as it’s so cold and rainy here now. Hubby has rebooked dinner for 2 weeks time. I don’t think it will be warm enough to wear the dress though but It’s not the end of the world On the plus side, I will have it altered professionally once the weight comes off post-WLS as I really do like the dress and would like to keep it. Missing my gym time, obviously , but it was nice to go back. Muscle memory definitely kicked in which helped enormously. It also gave my mental health a boost so it was win/win for me. I don’t know if my case was discussed in the MDT meeting last Friday or not. They will let me know at some point I’m sure. I will focus on getting any gains off once I start to feel a bit better. My hairdresser put some layers in my hair in order to give it a bit of body and movement. It’s just a shame that i haven’t actually bothered stying it as yet! I’ve just been washing it and leaving it to dry naturally. It looks OK anyway 🤷‍♀️ That’s me for now. Have a great week everyone 😍 Onwards and Downwards!

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've always eaten well even at my highest weight. I eat the exact same just much smaller portions and I know now that the type food I was eating was never the problem but how I much of it I ate - because I always complained that I wasn't able to lose weight although I always worked out and ate well 🤷‍♂️ - . My meals are balanced and I always prioritize protein and have veggies with my meals, but I do have a couple of bites of not so good things (cake, cookies, ice cream) and I limit myself to a couple of bites, I am trying to enforce the taste everything but eat less rather than find alternatives to everything. With that being said, I do try to substitute things that don't affect the way I savor my meals (protein toast for normal toast, low carb tortillas for regular tortillas and so on, it's because I can't taste the difference). I also love eating out, albeit hidden calories and all. I do indulge in sugar free chocolate almonds though and chocolate protein balls because I like the way they taste. I make paleo cookies and higher protein desserts like chia seed pudding protein banana bread but I still limit myself on how much of that I eat.

A protein shake is really a meal replacement so you are having more than a meal or two. And no, don’t load up on junky snacks or empty calories. Look too foods that will add additional nutrients: fruit, complex carbs i.e. whole/multi grains, good fats like avocado & nuts, boiled egg, cheese stick, etc. Keep the deli/luncheon/charcuterie meats intake low too - highly processed, high salt & high fat, lower protein. Better to buy a bbq/rotisserie chicken& package it up in single serves & eat that. Give your body time to settle. It takes time for your body to work out what it needs to function effectively & for you to physically be able to eat appropriate sized portions & meals. My hunger didn’t really come back until about a year so after I reached goal at 6 months & it played a part in my continued weight loss. And it took a while to work out the calories I needed. When my weight first stabilised at around 18 months I was eating 1300 odd calories - it took me all that time to eat that much. At 4 years I was eating 1500/1600 & still maintaining much the same weight so it took that long for my body to work out what it really needed. Your lowest weight may not be your final weight either. There’s the quite common 5-10lb bounce back regain around the 2 or 3 year mark. Or lifestyle choices may mean you settle a little higher. And finally, your goal weight might not be your body’s goal weight (your new set point). My new set point was 11kg/24lbs less than my goal.

I’m literally coming out of it. I was so lost. It hit me heavy. I was informed that losing weight so fast releases certain hormones and/or fluctuates them to the point where we FEEL it even psychologically. Ive never really been a depressed person but since my surgery in june, some days i feel it. Like i said last week was hard for me. But im feeling better this week so im celebrating a small win! You’ll have a good week too! Be encouraged. Youre not alone

Hello - I am having doubts.. I am scheduled for surgery on Monday 6/24. I have struggled my whole life with the constant fluctuation of weight. Had high blood pressure, then didn’t. Had sleep apnea, then didn't. Anyways.. at my initial appt I was 245 (BMI 44). As of this morning I am down to 208… (BMI39) Worried I am jumping the gun by having surgery…. AHHH

I do both. I take long walks up hills and around a lake and even up rocky paths to the waterfall. You can't beat a beautiful breeze, nature, water, it's fantastic. Indoors is more for my actual working out. Weights, core and strength training, etc... 2 totally different beasts that do different things.

Yes! I experienced this at exactly 3 weeks. The first 2weeks, I dropped weight consistently and then at week 3… nothing. I googled it. As a nurse, I should know better than to do that but also being human, I couldn’t help myself. It was very encouraging. I read a lot about the 3week stall. It has a lot to do with your body adjusting to its new normal after the pre-op liver shrink diet and building back up glycogen stores. the old me on a regular diet would have gotten frustrated and jumped of the wagon head first. The new me, is focused on knowing that health weight is a marathon and not a sprint. I kept doing what I was told to do by my doctor and my dietitians and trust the process. I am now 37 days post VGS. I stalled at 230 at 3 weeks and now I’m down to 222. give yourself some grace. Anyone that says that surgery is the easy way out is so wrong. It’s a lot of work and learning to really listen to you body. hang in there. Don’t give up.

So, I went to my primary doctor today and I will be going on to the next step Monday and get my bloodwork done. She will also be in contact with my other doctor, and I have to say I so love my primary as she told me that minus my weight that I am actually pretty healthy as in my blood pressure is not high or low; my lungs and heart sound great so unless my blood work comes back with something that we can't see she will be clearing me from her end for surgery. So one more step closer or at least a half a step.

yes - a majority of people do have a 10-20 lb rebound gain, usually in year 3. It's not inevitable, but it does seem to happen to most of us. maintenance wasn't too hard for a year or so - but since then, it's been a challenge. I hate that I constantly have to watch everything I eat and log every morsel, but for me anyway, if I quit doing that for too long, my weight starts heading north. Everyone is going to have a range of normal (as opposed to one specific number), since weight can fluctuate up or down by a couple of lbs any given day. So give yourself an acceptable range - maybe a 5 lb range. Once you hit the top of that range (or go over It - eek!), it's all hands on deck until you get back down comfortably within range again. so a struggle, yes, but then, a lot of my never-been-obese women friends have to do the same thing. I know it's easy to think that some people can eat anything and not gain weight, but I think that's an extreme minority. I think another thing that's an adjustment is the idea of weight maintenance itself. I've spent a huge chunk of my life either gaining weight or trying to lose weight. Maintaining within a certain range was a foreign concept for me...

You’ll get a range of answers about this simply because our needs are so different. Have a chat with your dietician & /or team to see what they recommend is best for you at your current stage, current weight, activity levels, height, age, etc. As a start see what a BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculator suggests you should be eating to maintain your current weight & activity & aim for fewer calories. Try this one https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/health/bmr-calculator.php Or this one https://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ They’re not 100% accurate of course (it’s just statistical data) & you’ll notice differences in what they recommend based on what formula they use but it is an idea of what you may need.

@ShoppGirl my biggest incision is kind of dented in also. My surgeon said it will flatten out. It is also where they removed my stomach. Steristrips: I did not have them, or staples. My incisions all have stitches and a strange purple glue covering them. It is slowly wearing off. Food: We had a vegetarian potluck at work today and I did have a small teaspoon of ranch dip, one bite of a very spicy hummus, and a bite of a veggie meatball. I knew I could tolerate the food and did not want to punish myself by not having anything. Today I am 3 weeks and 2 days post-op and wore jeans for the first time. Not the brightest idea but I survived the day. LoL going to change as soon as I get home. I have lost 16 pounds since my surgery day. I am a slower loser and have had a couple of 3 day stalls. I like to weigh daily to see if a certain food or activity affects my weight loss. It also keeps me accountable. I know this may not be good for all people. I can’t wait for my 6 week checkup so I can be cleared to go to the gym. We have a large department move at work coming up in a couple of weeks and know that may pose some problems with my weight restrictions. Hope everyone is doing well and it seems like we are progressing along from all the posts. Keep up the good work. We’ve got this!

This one took a little more math since they give you pounds lost instead of what weight you will be, but I liked that I could see it month my month. The funny thing is the risk calculator one is more aggressive/optimistic in terms of my weight loss. The Mexico one says I'll be 195 at 3 months but the Risk one says 5lbs lower. Oh well, as everyone says, this is just an average, no matter which calculator you look at. But I do find it helpful to have an idea of what to expect. It keeps me realistic.