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Yeah I like everything - I'm a foodie (hence the weight gain!) - I'll get some cod.

with the lack of hunger thing - take FULL advantage of that ! Your hunger will eventually come back (mine came back at five months out), and things got A LOT harder after that. It's so much easier to stick to the plan and lose weight quickly when you're never hungry and don't give a flip about food! So I personally would not cave and start eating fast food. Just eat according to your plan. it sounds like you're craving the fast food for emotional reasons - so I agree with others - find yourself a therapist who deals with bariatric patients or other eating disorders. If your clinic doesn't have one on staff, ask for a referral. the depression thing is common for the first few weeks after surgery because your hormones go haywire. Just hang in there...they'll settle back down again...

Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas has an all inclusive self pay program. They include your hotel, all pre-op testing, and surgery in their own surgery center. You can check out their website for more info. My surgery with them went very well. I didn’t lose much weight, but that was totally due to me. Others who had surgery at the same time did great and lost lots of weight.

Hi Lisa! One tip is give you is that: fat isn't "weight" and that you're definitely going to have weight stalls but that definitely doesn't mean you aren't losing fat - so make your peace with that from the get go to avoid disappointment later on.

Hi Lisa! I am about the same time out until my surgery. I will be getting a revision surgery from the lap band to the RNY bypass. Sounds like you are off to a good start and already losing weight! I am trying to do WW right now, but the weight is barely moving. I would be happy to be your weight loss friend during this journey. I just bought a helpful book on Amazon called “The Big Book on Gastric Bypass” By Alex Brecher. Have you started your classes yet?

Thank you for the calculator @elidh. I got my surgery 2/7/22 so When told I wouldn’t lose weight I felt heartbroken. My BMI is 29.2

Glad to hear you're starting some real food I'm almost 4 days post op from my gastric bypass. I just dropped all the liquid weight from my hospital stay. I am tending to have issues meeting both hydration and protein at the same time. Like I might get 60 grams of protein in but only 40 oz of water or today I got 60 oz of water and only 45 grams of protein. I started getting acid reflux too after I had a sugar free popsicle I bought some shelf stable roasted red pepper soup I want to have sooooo badly but I'm terrified of dumping so I'm trying to take it step by step and really listen. My body is definitely telling me that all that water and protein is soo much and it's a challenge. My chest pain is still there and I have major pain in my sotmach/organ left side area. I managed to get in 10000 steps today so I'm proud of that but I am so low energy and lethargic. I walk so slowly and get out of breath just going up the stairs when pre op I was jogging and walking 4 miles a day. My doc said it's all normal and to give it some time but I can't help but feel sorry for myself. It all feels weird and lonely since I'm going through this alone. Food isn't here anymore to derail me but I'm too lethargic to get big chores or work done. I just want to wake up and feel energetic. P.S. any post oppers start drinking coffee or protein coffees yet? It's so tempting with how little energy I have. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

For me I was a little worried about breaking up with my favorite foods and I needed to test the waters to see if I was going to be able to tolerate them. I tried tiny bits of pizza, pasta, chocolate, etc., once it was medically safe, but early out. Some may say this is counter productive during the weight loss phase but for me I just needed to know that I would be able to have them again someday and I ate such small amounts that the calorie difference wasn’t really that bad. Anyways, I had been able to stay away from those things until 11 month out. But then I had a death in the family during which I turned to food again. I have been looking for a bariatric therapist in my area with no luck but if you have one in your area you may consider seeing them to uncover why you are craving McDonald’s right now. If it is like many of us and you have a form of disordered eating, unpacking that in therapy sooner than later will be your best bet to set yourself up to be successful.

On the weight loss slowing, everyone here has already said that's totally normal. But since I'm a total nerd and tracked my weight loss, I can tell you exactly how mine slowed down. I've lost a total of 70 lbs over 23 months. Month 1: 3.5 lbs a week, reached -22 lbs Months 2-4: ~1.5-2 lbs a week, reached -41 lbs Months 5-12: 0.5-1 lbs a week, reached -63 lbs and passed my original goal weight at 11 months out Months 13-20: 0.2 lbs a week, currently at -70 lbs, 12 under my original goal Does this mean that you pretty much never dieted before you got surgery? Or are you comparing now to the first 6 months after surgery, where you didn't care about food much simply because you weren't hungry? After reading these boards for a few years, it seems that the people who have long term success do have to pay some attention to their diet to maintain their weight loss. But that takes a lot of different forms according to the specific issues and goals of different people. You won't necessarily have to pay as much attention to it in the long term as you do right now. Right now you're learning what works for you; later it will become habit. Especially if what you said above means that you never dieted much before - in this case you would be learning about what works for you for the first time. But for everyone, after bariatric surgery, you have to learn what your "new normal" is. Personally, my long term goal has been to maintain without having to calorie count. Before surgery, I was pre-diabetic and low carb was the only thing that ever helped me lose weight. After surgery, carbs are still an issue for me, though much, much less of an issue than before. Rather than limiting/counting carbs every day, I've found that having a 4-5 day period of low-carb every 3-4 weeks keeps my carb cravings in check. I still start my day with a protein powder latte and make sure that I have protein with every meal. Veggies help keep me full. If I feel hungry, I eat a snack, but I usually start with a piece of cheese or a few frozen meatballs (I love these things) before I have anything more junky. I eat sweets some days, but not all. I use things like sugar free ice cream or low sugar yogurt for a bit of a treat on other days.

(2018) I was around 211 when I got pregnant and delivered at 240. I still had elevated blood pressure throughout my pregnancy. I also did have gestional diabetes so I was induced at 37 weeks & 3days. With my second(2020) I was 220 when I got pregnant and delivered at 240 again. He is now 14 months and I'm 139lbs. So it did take me a lot longer to loose the weight, but I was only 22 when I got the surgery. I don't regret taking longer to loose the weight.

What what it like the first time of you don’t mind me asking? Did you loose weight after?

I had my check in with my surgeon Yesterday. I shared my concern and unfortunately he said I may not lose much weight with the RNY surgery because of my low starting weight but not gaining more weight should be my biggest goal. I’m feeling extremely disappointed and discouraged

Such an interesting thread. I’m pre op and obviously my husband knows, I have one daughter aged 26 who struggles with her weight and she is totally encouraging, and one daughter who has never struggled with her weight who is less than enthusiastic! I have lost both my parents in the last couple of years and, to be really honest, not having to tolerate their judgement is really freeing. Whilst I’m all about being honest, my weight and my health is my business so I’ think I’ll just let folk ‘go figure’ when the weight starts dropping off! I guess dealing with others is all part of the great journey of life

There is no doubt that as you get older, it becomes more and more difficult to keep yourself in perfect shape. Somewhere the weight has gone up, the muscles have become flabby. But still, I'm not ready to give up. I go to the gym, walk and ride a bike every day. I use smart Vont scales ordered through amazon to monitor my body fat balance. Of course, these aren't lab results, but they help me determine the direction I need to go in. Add more exercise or stay at my chosen level. I like that I can keep my BMI close to 22%.

So, I'm a little worried about the whole saggy skin thing. I had the lap band done and lost about 70 lbs in 5 months. I didn't really have any saggy skin, just a little "pouch" in my stomach area. But my arms and legs were fine. Fast forward to now, I had to have it removed for medical reasons and I'm nervous for the weight loss after my bypass. I'm older now and have alot more health problems that have prevented me from being active. I was looking at getting those arms sleeve wraps to see if they might help during weight loss. And maybe one of those things that look like Spanx. Has anyone tried any of these? What has worked for you on helping with saggy skin?

Don’t worry most people don’t feel their restriction until they get to solid food. I am one that seems to have a larger pouch. I have always been able to eat more than expected at every given stage if I chose to and even still I have been able to lose weight. I just measure out my food. It’s not likely that you will experience this as it is very uncommon but Even if you did you can still lose by measuring out your portions.

You guys, I am getting so close to my 2 week diet and I am so excited about it. 2 weeks ago I cut out coffee, this week I cut out sugar and so far I have been feeling pretty good. I'm confident that starting my two week diet on the 22nd will be a fairly easy transition on the home stretch to this goal. I need to lose weight ( I gained 120lbs. since November 2019). I was active duty Air Force for 15 years before and this weight has been accompanied with a lot of stress. We lost our baby at 25 weeks in August 2020 - my ultimate reason for this procedure is fertility. I really hope to be pregnant as a result of all this .. and be a super cute mom who can't teach her kids the same bad habits that I picked up by default.

I've had two pregnancies since the sleeve. With my first I was only 11 months post op and not at my goal weight.

Hello Everyone, I am new here and am pre-op. I have been working with my bariatric team for about a yr or so no give or take and looking forward to getting the hopeful green light for surgery. It has been a wild and crazy journey to say the least but I am so excited to be on it. My whole thing is trying to figure out what is the best to staying motivated working out. So, a little back story on this. I have had a few injuries over the yrs. I had and ACL injury in my 20s and a neck injury in my early teens. I have been able to go to the gym for a max time of an hr lately (which is about 1x a week or 2x a week). Sadly I feel like I have lost motivation because despite feeling goo while at the gym and so proud of myself I ended up getting the worst migraine and neck pain of my life since I had worked on my shoulders and back muscles that day. Needless to say this has made me a little unsure about going back due to the pain and a reward for the hydro beds at the end. But if I don't my team is worried I cant maintain it when surgery is over. I feel so stuck. I also feel stuck because PT therapy walking was ok as long as it was 30 minute min. a day but my psychologist wanted more like 150 minutes a week and weights then recanted. (ugh sorry I am rambling and all over. Please be patient with me it is 1:30 am here) I guess long story short here I am wondering: 1) What were you recommended from your teams? 2) What work outs work for you? 3) What keeps you motivated? 4) and if you have an injury, disability or pain what do you do to overcome fears at the gym with it? Thank you. Have a good one, Destiny

My surgery is scheduled for 4/6. I'm in the same boat you are, excited and nervous. Gastric sleeve surgery for me. I have stocked up on some protein shakes trying various ones out but my friend, who had sleeve surgery said what worked for her pre surgery didn't end up working after so not to stock up too much. I am 57 years old, tomorrow 2/17 and my top weight was 438. I am at 373 now. Bad knees and hip bursitis are final straw to commit to losing weight and gaining a healthy lifestyle. Sent from my Lenovo YT-X705F using BariatricPal mobile app

I visited the sleep center today and was given results by the NP. I have had three previous studies. The first one I only slept 16 minutes out of eight hours. The second study was better but I could not tolerate C -PAP so they stopped that study and had me come back in for Bi-PAP. I sure do hope this does not set my surgery date back. Has anyone had any experience with this? Thank you and be blessed.

Yeah, sadly, those heady days of a high rate of weight loss don’t last. You can always depend on your weight loss slowing the closer you are to goal. You’re eating more (which is a normal progression) & getting closer to the number of calories your body needs to maintain your weight. As @catwoman7 said how much food you eat depends on the food you’re eating. A good place to begin is to look at the recommended portion sizes of different foods - start with google & quiz your dietician on what is a serve of beef, of chicken of vegetables, etc. You’re probably getting to close to a recommended serving size now. The problems only start to arise if you’re eating more than that & the only thing that will stop you eating larger portions sizes is you. Plus check the calories of what you’re eating & the nutritional content if you’re not still doing this. 1500 calories is 1500 calories regardless of whether it’s from nutritionally dense food or from cake, sodas, chips, pizza, etc. I eat more often & eat more food in a day now than I did when I was obese. It’s just more nutritionally dense food & my my metabolism is working better. As to what’s bad: carbs, fats or sugar? I think this is a personal thing. You know your medical status which would influence whether you should keep your fat intake low or not. You know your weaknesses - sugar, carbs. I think we should work out a lot of our eating plans based on these things about ourselves. There are recommended daily allowances for fats, sugar & carbs too. Generally, I’m a bit of a balanced diet person. Though I don’t eat a lot of carbs & only multi or whole grains - I used to eat a lot of bread, pasta & rice. I also avoid a lot of sugar, artificial sweeteners & sugar substitutes because I think sugar is the real devil. I get my sweet from fruit. I don’t have dessert as such but have eaten chia pudding (flavoured with vanilla extract). I’ll have a protein bar after dinner if my protein is a little low for the day or will have fruit. How I feel real hunger is very different. I feel restless & I don’t crave a specific food or type (salt, sweet, carb) of food. If my ‘hunger’ is craving something specific it’s head hunger & not real. If there’s an emotional component to the ‘hunger’ (like hangry) it’s not real hunger. Part of the ‘fun’ of maintenance is working out your calorie & nutritional needs. It took me a while to work out what mine was & to be physically able to eat that much food. But you have to find a balance too. If you have to have such a restricted diet to maintain that it compromises you enjoying your life, it’s doomed to fail. It’s about sustainability. If that means you end of weighing a little more than you thought you wanted to be, that’s ok. If you enjoy your latte every day enjoy it. If it worries you try a smaller serve or reduce it to one a day or three cups every two days. There’s always work arounds or substitutes you can make like zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti but still enjoy what you’re eating & not feel like you’re missing out. The truth about exercising is that it will only contribute to 10-20% of any weight you want to lose. Want to lose 10lbs? Exercising will only contribute to you losing 1 or 2 lbs. Plus if you increase your exercising, your hunger will increase. Unfortunately the work doesn’t the end. All the best.

The first GP I talked to was against surgery, she said that it didn’t address the psychological issues of overeating and if I eat emotionally it would be extremely hard for me to cope with my emotions afterwards. She recommended a ‘health coach’ and keto. Roll forward a year, couldn’t find a qualified health coach, lost weight with keto and realised that it’s not sustainable. I have at this point nearly put back all the weight I lost last year. Spoke to another GP who I know is diabetic himself, he said absolutely , surgery is the only way to lose weight permanently, he gave me a referral. As a postscript I saw GP. Number one in the car park, she is a lovely human, but you couldn’t fail to notice that her own bmi had shot up over the last year, maybe she shouldn’t heed her own best advice.

Oh ! Makes me realise how darn slow everything happens in NZ! I spoke to my GP last August, it took him 2 weeks to even write the referral letter (I had to get referred even though I am self funding). I waited until December to see the surgeon, then i had to have two psych appointments and a dietician appointment, then they all got together yesterday and agreed I can have the surgery 😁 I have another final appointment with the surgeon beginning of March where he will schedule the actual date…..am elated and terrified at the same time! So it will be near 9 months. Though I did actually talk to another GP in the practice about surgery over a year ago, she was negative and told me that keto might work…it did but I have since put nearly all the weight back on again.

the closer you get to a normal BMI, the slower it goes. Those last 20 lbs were a BEAR for me to get off. Took forever. We're talking like 2 lbs a month the last three or four months. But I hung in there and finally made it. The reason being, your calorie requirements at that weight are MUCH lower than they were when you started. It takes about 1600 calories for me to maintain my current weight. I would have lost weight like CRAZY if I ate 1600 calories when I weighed over 300 lbs. For me to lose 2 lbs a week (which I could have done NO PROBLEM when I weighed 300 + lbs), I would have to eat 7000 fewer calories that week (well, I would have when I weighed 300+ lbs, too). That's 1000 fewer calories a day. When I was scarfing up 3500 kcal/day, that means I would have had to cut back to 2500 kcal/day. Now I would have to cut back to 600 per day. Ah...no. I could do that the first couple months out of surgery, but 600 calories a day at seven years out? No way. Plus it wouldn't have even been healthy. So I basically lose a couple lbs a month when I'm trying to lose weight. 8-10 oz portions - would depend on what it is. Greek yogurt, yes. Steak - no. Stretching your stomach - probably not. You'd have to really overeat, day after day, every day, to do that. you are hungry because physical hunger does come back for the vast majority of us sometime during the first year. And that's when things get a lot harder. I've never counted fats. And I wasn't on an ultra-low carb plan (mine was balanced), but the first few months, I rarely ate over 80 carbs a day since I had to get in so much protein. There wasn't room for more than about 80 carbs. Now i probably get double that - but I limit the "bad" ones. Mine mostly come from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. exercise isn't that effective in helping you lose a bunch of weight unless you're talking swimming mega laps or running marathons. But it's great for your overall health, and you should do it regularly if you can. It CAN help you maintain once you get to goal, though.