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Thank you so much for mentioning this podcast. I had to go to town to have blood drawn this morning, and I started listening to them. I started with the finale, and oh my gosh, they made me cry. When one talks about the best part of the journey so far and describes the thoughts she had as an obese person. I just lost it. I'll be 69 years old next week, and when I think about the hours of my life lost in "obese thoughts," it really hurts. Things like "Am I the largest woman in the room?" "What will the poor person next to me on the airplane think?" "Will I be able to sit at all comfortably in that chair?" "Will I break that plastic chair?" "Do I have to find sturdier beach chairs?" "What are they thinking of me?" etc... the thoughts have been never-ending and all-consuming at times. I'm going to go back and listen to more of their podcasts. Thanks again! @NickelChip Yay on the weight coming off again! So exciting, I'm really happy for you. I can understand the not being interested in food. There are times I even dread it. I try to shop for things that I like and they sound good in the store, but when it comes time to eat, I'm usually apathetic about it. Good luck with your vacation. I found some protein bars I like, but they will melt sadly. In case you haven't tried them, they are https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4V2ML1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Well done @Bypass2Freedom @JennyBeez and @NickelChipon your successes so far. I am watching all your journeys with interest 🙃 I’m SO looking forward to getting back to the gym. I find it a massive boost to my mental wellbeing as well as my fitness. Great tip re checking blood pressure, I never even thought of that. I hope your hormones settle down for you Jenny, they can be impossible to deal with at time! Embrace all your wins - weight loss, different foods, exercises, swimsuits 🏆

Happy Monday! I'm approaching my 4-month post-op mark at the end of this week and happy to say the long stall I had in month 3 is behind me and I'm back to losing at a good clip. I had been worried that it would be a permanent slow-down, but it wasn't. This morning, I hit 60lbs lost since my highest weight, which was almost exactly a year ago when I went back to my weight management team after a long absence and seriously discussed entering the surgical program. I'm going through a patch right now where food is just not at all appealing. Maybe it's the start of the hot summer weather, or just the fact that cooking and eating such small quantities is tedious. I don't know. But nothing sounds appealing and I get a few bites into a meal and really don't care if I finish eating it or not. No real hunger, and the head hunger from the beginning has quieted down, too. At least hydration is going well. I ordered a swimsuit online for an upcoming trip to the waterpark with my kids and tried it on yesterday, size 16 US. It fit! It even looks reasonably good! I'm finally down to a weight I legitimately haven't seen in half a lifetime, and I can finally see the difference more. In the early days, I think I still had a memory of being the weight I was before, like I never fully recognized getting bigger, so losing that weight was just bringing me in line with what I believed I had looked like all along, if that makes sense. But now, at 15 pounds less than the very lowest I had ever managed to get with nutrition and exercise alone, I find myself surprised to realize my silhouette has changed and that I'm looking smaller, or that I can easily sit in a seat at a theater or a booth at a restaurant. 6 more pounds and I will be "overweight" instead of "obese" for the first time in about 25 years! The big challenge coming up is family vacation. We're doing water parks and amusement parks, and the food choices are sure to be dismal. I have no desire to eat the junk food, so my bigger concern is really that I won't get in enough healthy foods over the week. Especially fruits and veg. It's so hard to get healthy food when you travel, and I still get enough issues with my stomach that I've bought some discreet vomit bags to keep with me in case something doesn't agree with my tummy on the road.

Thank you @SleeveToBypass2023 @Bypass2Freedom and @JennyBeez for your kind, supportive comments. All are very much appreciated 😄 @SleeveToBypass2023 I know my carbs are a little high but they are around half of what they were a couple of weeks ago! I’m trying to reduce the amount slowly but surely. I have to be careful as I did high protein/low carb around 12 years ago and lost 8.5 stones. Unfortunately this wasn’t sustainable for me which resulted in gaining back the loss and a couple of extra stones, just because I could 🙄 I need to try and find a balance between carbs and protein so it’s a constant work in progress at the moment. @Bypass2Freedom 💜 @JennyBeez oh, it’s definitely a learning experience! I’m happy that I didn’t end up sabotaging myself by listening to that little voice saying ‘it’s not working, have a pizza/chocolate bar/bag of crisps to make you feel better’. These small wins will all add up to something more substantial, I know they will. Salt is a sneaky little thing but it will remind me to be more aware. I will be glad to have my dietitian appointment in August, just to discuss everything. I’m weighing and recording everything that goes in my mouth on the Nutracheck app. I’ve changed how my nutrient choices are recorded so it shows my salt intake now, as well as carb, protein and calories so I can make adjustments as and when I need to. I would love to be someone who doesn’t have to think about food!

Thank you all for making me feel justified! I have an appt with my surgeon today and plan on speaking to him in regards to her comments. Also talking to him about goal weights and such. I felt like I self sabotaged this weekend. I didn't eat terrible but I didn't eat great either. We were so busy, I grazed. still tracked it but didn't sit and eat a meal which of course made me graze. But today is a new day!

(I love your username!) I feel like the majority of us turned to WLS as a last resort after many other WL-options didn't work out for us. I've done WW, Dr Bernstein, raw diets, different drugs, intermittent fasting, all sorts of fad diets / cleanses, etc. I feel you. This is different. This is a diet not as a noun, but as a verb -- a healthy way of eating for life. This resets our hormonal responses to food. It gives us a blank slate to re-learn those healthy habits of portion control, of prioritizing nutrients, etc. It gives us the opportunity to look at our old habits and realize we don't need them anymore. It gives us a jumpstart into weight loss so we start off with great momentum / kicking ass. Good luck to you -- but you don't need it. Good mindset is all you need.

It can be a big adjustment mentally when your clothing size changes. I've gone through something similar after losing weight; it's almost like your mind hasn't caught up with your body yet. It's great that your husband is supportive and helps guide you to the right section. It does get easier over time as you get more comfortable with your new size. By the way, I came across a neat blog at Mato & Hash about custom New Era hats that you might find interesting. It's cool to see how you can personalize accessories to match your style evolution.

A loss is a loss!! Especially if you've been struggling with pain (and pain killers). Honestly, even if it were a gain, the fact that you're learning from it and identifying where your problems were this week would still make it a plus, in my book. This is a life-long journey you've (we've) started, and we're going to keep re-negotiating things with our bodies and our digestive systems -- so anything that teaches us is at least a small win, right? Sodium has been a toughie for me post-op. So many food items take out sugars/carbs or fats but really seem to up the sodium to make up for it. I was always a little sensitive to sodium, but post-op? JEEBUS, the sodium headaches if I'm not careful. (Looking at you, sugar free drink crystals)

@JennyBeez That is definitely the right way to go with it! I am so used to doing weights when I am at the gym, so it will be really weird going in and focusing on cardio (which I bloody hate), and body weight! What kinds of light exercises do you do? Definitely take it easy lovely! I am sorry to hear that your weekend wasn't great - sometimes everything comes all at once doesn't it? We are our own worst critics, and definitely see things 10000x worse on ourselves, as others may perceive them. Just make sure to get some self-care time in and remind yourself of how far you have already come ❤️ You got this x I haven't even had an appointment with my Dr yet - I don't think I am due to until 3 months post-op! But I did use my mum's blood pressure machine yesterday and it was ever so slightly high which is strange! I will be extra careful when standing for sure - and even more so when exercising, I don't want to pass out 😅

Oof, I'm still on cardio and working in light resistance training with bands (no weights yet). I keep re-straining my abdomen just doing simple things like twisting slightly when bending to get something out of a drawer at my desk, so my team has cautioned me not to start any actual weights until that pain leaves and stays gone for at least a week. :S My Monday is doing pretty good, but my weekend was awful (hormones, heightened body dysmorphia, heightened reaction to thinning patches of hair). This morning though, I found one of my matte eyeshadows is just the right colour to hide the most noticeable thin patch at my temple; I lost more weight this week than last even while fighting menstrual hormones and emotions; and several regular customers have complimented me this morning about both my hair and weightloss so even if I can't look at myself in the mirror without anguish, at least I'm getting some external confirmation that a lot of it is in my head. (@Bypass2Freedom I hope you're keeping an eye on your blood pressure too! After losing as much weight as you have already, it's not abnormal for blood pressure to lower even if it wasn't an active problem for you pre-op. Just make sure you stand up / raise your torso & head slowly after you've been exercising for a while)

Happy Monday everyone! I just wanted to start a post to just check-in and see how everyone is doing, regardless of what stage we are at, pre or post surgery I feel that after complaining that I wasn't feeling full, now that I am on proper food, I am feeling it, and boy is it a struggle 😂 On the plus side, I feel a lot better in myself already, and I am going to go back to the gym! Just body weight stuff and light cardio to begin with, and maybe 2-3 times a week. I notice that I am getting dizzy spells lately, probably due to struggling with eating much, so I will be mindful of that! I've had some people comment on my weight loss already - which admittedly was quite nice - they were friends and I don't mind hearing it from them, but they were just proud of me regardless, which made me feel quite good. I hope everyone is doing well ❤️

Ok, so a couple of things. First, let's look at things a little differently when it comes to that pound you lost. You LOST A POUND!!! Which means you DIDN'T GAIN A POUND!!!! WooHoo!!!! Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that ANY loss is still a success. Some weeks will be better than others. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Next, you know where you went wrong with the foods you ate, you know you retain water when you have too much salt, so now you know what to avoid. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by trial and error. There's nothing wrong with experimenting with new foods. Just read the labels carefully and make adjustments accordingly to how much of that food you eat and what you eat the rest of the day to compensate for it. Finally, if I were to make a suggestion, I might say to lower your carbs a bit. That seems like a pretty high amount, and unless you're carb loading for intense workouts, I don't think you need to be over 100 carbs per day. PERSONALLY for me, I never go over 50, and that's on weight training days. But again, that's me. It just works out the best for my body. But I, too, had to experiment until I found the sweet spot for my body in regards to calories, carbs, healthy fats, protein. All in all, give yourself some grace, take note of what your body did and didn't do this week, and make changes as needed. You're still doing great, and you'll get to where you want to be. Don't worry about that.

@BlueParis depending how much milk you're using in tea and coffee, that's a decent source of protein. I don't know if you have ultra-filtered milk available in France (in US, the brand is Fairlife, like the protein shakes, but it's just milk that has been filtered to lower carbs and amp up the protein, not supplemented like the shakes). I started buying Fairlife milk and make a 1L thermal container of hot tea every morning, with between 125 and 250ml of milk in it, so my morning tea alone gives me between 7 and 13g protein. I would try adding a slice of smoked salmon to the bagel, but that's just because I love that combo. The omelet seems very healthy and the pannacotta sounds delicious. You might consider adding more beans/legumes to your rotation. I am getting so tired of meat. I've just ordered a vegan cookbook to help me discover new recipes that are based on plant proteins (not the fake meat, processed plant products but real foods). Maybe bean soups and stews, lentil curries? Your stall will break eventually, but in your case, because you're already at a "normal" BMI, it may be a lot harder and slower from here on out. Don't lose hope! After barely losing weight the entire month of May, I'm losing at the quickest pace since surgery, 9 lbs in 16 days! That's been a real surprise. I am eyeing my next milestone, which is 5.6 lbs away, the point where I will cross from an "obesity" BMI into just the "overweight" category. I have never looked so forward to being called "overweight" in my life! I'm also noticing I'm just not very interested in food. Even though I can technically eat a bit more now than in the beginning, I don't really want to. I'm not hungry and chewing is a chore. I'm sick of meat. I'm tired of thinking about protein. And while I do still enjoy going out for a meal, I am exhausted by looking at the plate and seeing 4 days' worth of food in front of me. I'll be going on a family summer vacation next week and have no idea what I'll manage to eat. We're going to amusement parks and water parks, so the typical fare will be pizza and hot dogs, which sound terrible. I'm stocking up on protein bars, which I find a bit better than shakes, though not something I want in my diet normally. But better than a hot dog! So if anyone has a favorite protein bar, especially one that won't melt in my bag on a hot day at an amusement park, please share!

It’s been a really frustrating week. It took me right back to the feelings I had when trying yet another weight loss regime and getting nowhere 😡 I have been trying new things this week plus sticking to my eating plan. However my weight has been all over the place, even though my calories have averaged 1400 per day, my protein intake around 100g and my carbs between 100 - 140g. I’d forgotten a couple of basic things - my body doesn’t do well losing weight when I’m throwing down a handful of pain killers 3 times a day and I didn’t check my salt intake. I retain water like mad when I have high salt foods which a couple of the new things I’d tried this week had (looking at you low fat sausages 👀) But, lesson learned with that, especially as I had bookmarked these sausages when I had to complete the liver reduction diet (allowed on my NHS trusts plan) Better to know now and not later when I know it would have sent my in to a proper flap! Overall, a whole 1lb down this week. Not a roaring success by any means but I did stick to plan and I didn’t fall headfirst into things I shouldn’t! Plus I am at a lower weight now than my initial reported weight to the clinic by the GP so that’s a positive 😊 Onwards and Downwards!

Looking pretty fine there @Lilia_90. Actually @GreenTealael started a thread the other day where a few of us have started sharing our maintenance stories which you may find interesting. Link below. 😁 What you have gleaned already is certainly true: there are many different ways of successfully managing your maintenance. As I say, & say very often, the only right way is the way that’s right for you. In the beginning you may find you are a little more controlled about what you are doing but over time you become more flexible in your food choices, eating style & how often & how much you eat of certain things. As you progress you continue to learn more things about what you can & can do. Well that’s how I was & am now. Certainly more flexible about some things. Bring in maintenance didn’t stop me going out & socialising with friends & family. I just was & still am very conscious about what I chose to eat, how much I ate & ensured I still ate slowly. Sometimes you have to make the best decisions you can in the situation. They may not be perfect but you can’t beat yourself about it. It’s not like you’re doing it everyday. I don’t track, but do random checks especially when I introduce new foods or new recipes. It may be checking calories or looking at ingredients & swapping some out, weighing serves t check portion sizes (weighed my cooked vegetables last night as I’ve added some extra ones & wondered if I needed t adjust the portion) or changing the cooking methods. I usually weigh a few times a week. I do this as previously if I thought I was gaining I wouldn’t get on the scales - it’s not true if there’s no proof. So weighing myself every second or so day keeps me honest. PS: It takes time to get past the body dysmorphia & being able to see how you really truely look now with your weight loss. Even with the evidence of body measurements clothing sizes, photos, number on the scales it can be hard to see the reality. Those fears of looking ‘sickly thin’ are very real with the dysmorphia. Doesn’t help when people around you may still be playing catch up too: Oh, you’re so thin. Don’t lose anymore weight. You look too thin now. Try to ignore those comments & in some cases you may need to tell others to butt out & mind their own business. In time & with regularly looking at the evidence you’ll come to accept & see how you look now. Though I still am surprised sometimes by how I can comfortably fit in small seats & squeeze through tight spaces. Understanding the space I physically take up in relation to the physical space around me.

I'm literally where you are right now. I hit my first goal, moved it, hit the 2nd goal, moved it, hit the final goal, and now that I'm ready to maintain, I'm still losing lol I made a post about it and the general consensus was to not try to stop losing just yet and let my body decide its new happy place/set point. I'm also afraid of looking sickly thin (I have some curves and I'm big bones, so I carry my weight well and always look like I weigh less than I do) so I'm trying to figure out when to finally bring my body to a halt on the losing (if I even can) if I feel it's getting to be a bit too much. I was always thin in high school, but when I had my son at age 20, my PCOS kicked in and I gained all kinds of weight and couldn't lose it. Then I had several miscarriages, then had my daughter which caused even more weight gain. Once I saw I couldn't lose the weight no matter what, I stopped caring and I ate myself all the way to 421 pounds. Never, in a million years, did I think I'd be here now. But I'm kind of concerned about looking too thin, just like you are. So I feel you 100% there. I'm one of the ones that cut out a lot of foods and found yummy alternatives instead. I didn't want to feel deprived, but I also knew I couldn't really do cheat meals because it would be a slippery slope for me, and the guilt and "what ifs" just aren't worth it. So I went about finding really tasty, healthy, compliant meals instead. I've lost 235 pounds from my highest weight and 202 pounds since my initial surgery date. There's just no way I'm willing to lose any of that progress over a meal or drink or a get-together. So for me, I still have to learn the balance lol I'm definitely not there yet. Not sure when I will be. But I'd like to get there sooner rather than later. OH, and you look AWESOME!!! Fantastic job!!!!!!!

Hi everyone. Soooo, here I am 6 months post VSG. Started at a BMI 33, reached goal at 3.5 months so kept changing goals and here I am at the 6th month mark having lost much more than anticipated and ready for maintenance (at a BMI 20 as of today, 126.7 lbs/57.6 KGs). I don’t want to bore you with too many details, other than that I bounce between a fear of becoming sickly thin (currently feeling that) and an all encompassing fear of gaining weight and going back to what I have become, it is kind of mind boggling. I read many many stories of how WLS patients gained all the weight back and then some, about them seeking revision surgeries or GLP treatments and it really freaks me out and my mind starts telling me to keep losing weight just so I don’t end up back where I started. I want to change that and start focusing on success stories. I have come across people with successful outcomes many years out but there isn’t many of them to be honest, and what I have noticed with successful WLS patients is this: - They made 360 degree changes in their lifestyles (cut all the junk, took up exercise and became very “clean” if you will). OR: - Still have fun but track their calories and weight DAILY. Very few have just lost interest in food and don’t do any of the above and remained successful. Given my history being at a low BMI and athletic my entire adulthood and only becoming overweight the past few years I can be very disciplined and committed. However I am human and I love going out to eat and trying new foods and restaurants, so for you the successful lot please enlighten me on the following: 1. What are your golden rules to successful maintenance? 2. How did you manage the mental shift (navigating fear and uncertainty) while transitioning to maintenance? I can’t seem to quiet my thoughts and anxiety around WHAT IFs? 3. How much indulgence do you actually allow yourself? I really need to strike that balance right now. Every single tip would be helpful. And to celebrate my 6 month anniversary, here’s a little before and after for y’all:

I agree with the others, it’s too early to make calls about what your final stabilised weight may be. Don’t make decisions based on the number on the scales. It’s not uncommon for your weight to bounce about a little before it stabilises. Bounce back regain is real for many whether that be your body resettling or you making adjustments to complement your lifestyle. And don’t forget your remaining weight resettles itself, even though the scales don’t move, so how you look now may not be how you look in a couple of months. I initially lost my curves and was sad about losing my hour glass shape. A few months on & there it was again - smaller ratios but there. Body dysmorphia comes into play too: how we. See ourselves & how others see us. I thought I’d be too thin & gaunt if I got lower than my goal but here I am 11+kgs less and I’m far from gaunt or skeletal. And like @ms.sss, people who said I was too thin many kilograms more than I am now, think I look fine now and don’t say anything. Remember your goal is not necessarily your body’s goal (new set point). Working out your maintenance isn’t always easy. It wasn’t for me. I was still adjusting to how much food I needed to eat & what I could actually physically eat & I was subconsciously ignoring where my body wanted to be. Enjoy the ride and only worry if your surgeon and doctors aren’t happy.

Thank you!!! I guess I'll just ride it out and see where it takes me. I honestly didn't think about the regain later on, so maybe it's not a bad thing if I go 10 or even 12 pounds below my goal weight. Thanks for the advice and suggestions!!! Much appreciated

With almost everyone I've encountered who lost a lot of weight rapidly and may have looked "too thin" for a while, it's a temporary thing, just until the body has the chance to shift fat around to different places and even everything out, which it doesn't necessarily do during the weight loss phase. Plus, it's an initial shock when you're used to seeing someone (including yourself in the mirror) look one way and now they are very different and it's jarring. I know within a year at the most after my brother had VSG and went from 300+ lbs to around 150 lbs (which was very skinny because he's 6ft tall), his appearance went from shockingly skinny to totally normal and healthy, even though his weight didn't go up during that time. Within another year after that, he'd gained several pounds and was at a weight he maintained for several years after that. It was all just part of the process.

I'd personally let it continue. Most of us have a rebound gain after we hit bottom - 10-20 lbs is pretty common, usually during year 3. Some people even gain more. I purposely went below my goal to account for it, and I'm really glad I did, because yep - I put on 20 lbs during year 3 (have put on about 10 more since then, which I am NOT happy about...) and yep - I looked way too skinny at my lowest weight (esp in my face), but my fat shifted around after awhile and I looked much better. Then the gain started...I sure as heck don't look too skinny now!

I thought about that. I just worry I'll start looking too skinny an sickly. That happens if my weight goes too low. Maybe I'll go 2 weeks and then weigh and see what it looks like.

Left field suggestion - now that you're where you want to be, would it be possible for you to completely stop weighing yourself for a few months and just go by how your clothes feel, etc.? I am a huge believer in our body choosing its own new set weight. Mine was well below my target. Others' are well above. You could just go with the flow - just keep eating what you like and what is good for you and see where you end up?

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.

I have been overweight my whole life. My highest weight was 284 back in October of 2022. I have tried many weightloss directions including keto, fasting, tracking calories, appetite suppressing drugs, and even weight watchers. I start off good and end up just spiraling downward and stop. I really think this tool is going to be my key to success.