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First, congrats on your weight loss. Yay! Stalls happen & can happen many times at any time while you’re losing so it could just be another stall which will break when your body is ready to move on again. Though being this close to your goal it could be that you’re at your new set point - the weight your body is happiest at. It’s very hard to fight that. This new set point may not be your goal but it is your body’s goal. Your body will do all it can to maintain its set point. Or it could be just the natural slow down that occurs as you near your stabilised weight. The last few pounds can be a b*tch to lose. I remember towards the end I was losing ounces not pounds each week which don’t always show on the scales. Increasing your calories is part of the weight loss journey as your weight loss slows & your weight stabilises for maintenance. If your weight is stabilising at 1300 calories & you want to decrease your calories to lose more, is that sustainable? You’d have to continue to eat less than 1300 calories to maintain the lower weight you want. Remember too, that muscle is more dense than fat. A litre of fat weighs about 2lbs while a litre of muscle weighs about 2.3lbs. You may have lost fat but gained muscle which may explain the stall like situation. Muscle takes up less space in your body than fat. Have you been taking body measurements to see if there have been any changes to measurements since you began strength training. I’d probably, stick to your adjusted plan & see what happens.

Thanks! We definitely have this! My doc put me on a 12 WEEK milk diet (milk with skimmed milk powder, a cup of broth for lunch and lots of water) It's been really tough and it's been ten weeks of taking it all in my stride, but as it gets closer, I'm starting to get nervous! The only surgery I've ever had has been an impacted wisdom tooth removal and this is major surgery! I'm at the point where I just want it all over with now to start the major weight loss, but I also want to delay it because of fear and one last Pizza Hut pig out. But the end is in sight and I'm excited!

So today I am finally at 3 months post op. Here is what that means for me: I can stop taking lansoprazole...YESSSSSSS! I absolutely hate the taste of that thing and if I never have to take it again, it'll be too soon. I can start taking tablets again, meaning I can try my Forceval prescription vitamins. I have heard that these can make people feel quite nauseous, so I will wait an hour after eating in the evening to take it, rather than in the morning as I usually do. I am due for bloods to be taken via my GP, though I imagine I'll struggle to get an appointment! I just wanted to reflect on my journey so far, and where I am at now. It is weird how quickly this becomes your new normal. In the beginning with the gas pain, the extreme fatigue etc, I did wonder how I'd adjust, but here I am! I was shocked at how fast the weight dropped initially, and I know I will keep losing (hopefully) for a little while longer. I think we all go through this weird mindset of being overweight for such a while, and our bodies not responding as we had hoped to fad diets, or us punishing ourselves for 'not trying hard enough', that I truly wondered if the surgery would even work. And it has worked, and it will continue to do so! I am in the dreaded - but very expected - 3 month stall. My weight isn't really moving much, but I know that I just need to keep on with my normal eating and routine and it'll break eventually (thanks to reading all of the posts regarding this phenomenon 🤣) I can still get dizzy when I am exercising, and my strength at the gym has really decreased which I am a bit miffed about, but I'll get there! TMI incoming: but pooping is still an annoyance...the severe constipation I had in the early post-op weeks still results in some little tears when I pass a bowel movement, so I am dealing with my new normal 😂 Positives: I passed my driving test and I am picking up my car on Saturday! I really do attribute passing to losing weight, and how it has made me feel more confident and capable. I can walk around for hours and not have pain in my hips and lower back. Pre-surgery this was absolutely excruciating, even the 5-6 minute walk home from work I had to stop 2-3 times due to the pain and being out of breath. No such worries now! I can see the weight loss in my face, which makes me happy. I can fit into a pair of denim shorts that previously couldn't even make their way up my lower thigh! My current weight is amazing to me, even though I am not at my goal YET, I haven't been this weight since 2017. In general, I just feel happier in myself, and I can't wait for the future! If you have read all of this, thank you! ❤️

Happy puree stage! It's so much nicer hahaha. I also over bought stuff but they are still surviving in my fridge. I wish I could advice u on the qty but I also read that 1/2 cup is right for now. If u guys read arabic, I would've shown what mine said and we would have a pretty good laugh as it basically says nothing informative teehee but I am surviving and losing the weight!! I wanna fast forward to 6 months

The whole shebang huh lol. Im a bit leery of it all myself. I have lost enough weight now between gastric sleeve and zepbound that I have the sagging skin issue in several places. My biggest area that I suppose bothers me (in looks) is my arms. I hate how much is sagging and actually quite heavy skin. If I do anything it will be those upper arms for sure first!!! It wasnt really until recently I noticed it wasnt just the upper arms, it has now gone downward into forearm area. Skin there is really starting to get loose. I just dont know whether to do both upper arms at the same time or one at a time. I have not spoken to a plastic surgeon yet as I am only just now seeing other areas of my body with loose sagging skin. Ive lost a considerable amount in the breast area, my thighs are now saggy and loose as well as my butt lol. I just noticed a noticeable fold of loose skin thats irritating ha!! I just dont know if I want to go through so many surgeries to get rid of all this, it seems a bit much but I guess time will tell which areas will irritate me enough to do something about it.

Delighted to hear you had a lovely dinner and felt (and looked) fabulous. As you say December is not that far away at all now so fingers crossed. I was back at pilates at the weekend after a summer break (theirs, not mine) and boy could I feel it yesterday in my abs/core area but it is a good pain. On Friday I went to an intro session at the gym near me and am due back in two weeks to go through their body scan process and have them design a workout plan for me. Thankfully on the scales today I was back down to just below my goal weight so the flights and plane food have worn off, woohoo.

I do, I alternate upper body and lower body everyday for 6days. Plus cardio. I change up my weight lifting too. I am kinda thinking that I may need to cut down to 4days weight lifting and do two cardio days or 1 cardio day and 1 rest day....I did read somewhere too that we can over work out bodies and then it just stops changing...Might have to do something like that. Thank you!

My Florida Blue (BCBS of Florida) policy excludes bariatric surgery; however, I am eligible for coverage with an approved application for “medical necessity”. Florida Blue defines medical necessity as: Adults Severely obese with a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2, OR Severely obese with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2, with at least one comorbidity refractory to medical management (e.g., type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, GERD, osteoarthritis, pseudotumor cerebri), AND Does not have a medically treatable cause for obesity (e.g., thyroid or other endocrine disorder), AND Has made multiple attempts at non-surgical weight loss (e.g., diet, exercise, medications), AND Has received psychological or psychiatric evaluation with counseling as needed, prior to surgical intervention. I have a BMI of 49 and a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea for which I utilize a CPAP every night. I also meet all the other requirements listed above, AND my Primary Care Physician is writing a letter recommending bariatric surgery as a medical necessity. Regardless, I am still nervous that my insurance will deny me. Has anyone else gone through the application/appeal process for bariatric surgery under a medical necessity? Any advice on navigating that process would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Only you know the answer as you have to be ready, mentally, physically and emotionally, for the surgery and the changes you will have to make to be successful with the surgery in the long term. I was healthy, no comorbidities at all yet I knew at my weight and age (almost 54) the chance of them developing was very high. I also knew I could lose weight myself as I had many, many times before (though it’s much harder as a menopausal woman) but I also knew I could put it all back on again which I always did. The decision was easy. Woke up one morning and said enough. Made an appointment with my GP and 6 weeks later I had my surgery (no or very few hoops to jump through in Australia if you meet the criteria). Yes, the first couple of months aren’t easy: restricted diet, temporarily changed tastebuds and interesting discussions with yourself around food, eating, hunger, etc. (the head work we talk about begins). Pain was gone after 4 days though if you have surgical gas pain it can linger a week or so. You’ll discover and decide how & what you want to eat in the long term to maintain and that may be different from others. It’s all about what works for you & your lifestyle. Many people still eat ‘unhealthy’ food but it’s all about the portion they eat and how often they eat it. Everyone travels & then it often comes down to making the best choices you can and not beating yourself up if you do indulge while away. I just came back from a short girls trip and ate an obscene amount of cheese & drank more than I usually do. I’m okay about it and got back on my usual path when I got home. Like @NickelChip there are things I avoid. Bread, rice, pasta sits heavily in my tummy too. Foods can be super sweet so I generally avoid sweet things (I do indulge at odd times like at Christmas). I don’t find it hard to avoid or reduce my intake of those foods I struggle to eat or choose not to eat rarely. I don’t want to waste the opportunity I’ve been given. And yes, I’d do it again in a heart beat. All the best whatever you choose to do.

Yes that’s awsome I start my diet tomorrow to get the weight off that my Dr says I have to loose before surgery. This week has been an emotional roller coaster my uncle suddenly and I had to fly to Florida with my mom and sister and we have done nothing but eat out.

I can relate to being afraid of gaining weight after working so hard to lose it. We all deal with that here. But it's a fine line between being mindful about it and developing disordered eating habits. I can speak to this because it happened to me. I was dropping weight like a champ, then I hit stall after stall, and each one lasted longer than the previous one. And I would panic. And I would restrict the amount I ate, I would kick up the intensity and frequency of my work outs. I would have anger and confusion and fear anytime I either didn't lose or I gained a little (turns out, I'm one of the ones that gains 3-5 pounds during a stall and then just sits there for weeks and weeks. Then when the stall breaks, I drop like 6-7 pounds all at once). I had to actually go to a therapist that specializes in bariatric disordered eating (not easy to find, btw) to get my head on straight. And it's still a struggle sometimes. Especially since these last 11 pounds absolutely fight me tooth and nail and just don't want to come off. I said all that to say just be very careful. I never started out intending to have these issues. I thought I'd have the surgery, lose the weight, get healthy, and bada-boom bada-bing, life would be great. But it's never that cut and dry, is it? We can become obsessed with losing the weight, seeing how low we can get the scale, getting into that lower size, looking thinner, never gaining weight again, getting that bmi just a little lower.....and before you know it, you have a whole new eating disorder that's even harder to get out of and we're doing even more damage to our bodies without even meaning to. And we can justify what we're doing because HEY, we got off our meds, we're getting healthier, we're losing the weight, we're EXTENDING OUR LIVES damn it!!! And that's harder to overcome and harder to recognize and going too far than being obese is. We knew we needed help. We knew we were doing wrong. That's why we had the surgery. But now? Now it gets harder to see what we're doing because HEALTH!! WEIGHT LOSS IS GOOD!!! NO MORE MEDS IS THE GOAL!!! JUST A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT OFF CAN'T POSSIBLY BE BAD!!! So please please just be really careful with where you're at now and where you're wanting to get to. Lastly, on the days you're working out (especially the really hard weight days) increase your protein and calories. Your body thinks it's starving, so you need to reassure it that you're not. The heavier the work out, the more your body needs. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food. So give it what it needs, in the amounts it needs, and it'll do what you want it to. Make sure you also have a larger amount of fluids than you normally would on those days, too. Dehydration can really do a number on the body, as well.

5 months into GB (surgery date 5/9/24). Ive lost 44lbs in 5 months and have a goal to loose 50 more. Weight loss has reaaallly slowed down to next to nothing. Thise 3 lbs came back and i lost 1! I have started walking more. I do notice I’m craving sweets. I also notice i don’t seem to have dumping syndrome that many of you talk about so i really don’t fear eating things i shouldn’t. That scares me because i think thats part of the equation with this surgery. Today gonna start concentrating on how do i feel. Am I really hungry or just craving something.

Oh that little hanging pooch I know well. It makes me smile when I look down & see it when doing my stretches. I mean I don’t like it but rather it than the big belly I used to have. 😁 As much as we’d wish it the exercising/weight training won’t get rid of the excess skin. It was stretched by excess fat not extra muscle. The muscle building does make your thighs or arms look better & can distract the eye from the sags & bags. I often get compliments on my arms and my wings are old retired hen size. Your baby chicken winglets are so tiny & probably very much like those someone who’s never had a weight issue has.

It won't cure the arthritic knees and pain but it will help as you will have much less weight to be walking around with so less pressure on them. I have no cartilage in either knee and have been getting steroid injections and also hyaluronic to cushion the joints and they only last a while. Doctors told me I needed both knees replaced at a later date but I had to loose weight first and my knees need to thin down more (as I have bad lymphedema). I can already feel the difference now with the weight loss, I can walk further and faster without much pain. Whereas before I would not be able to sleep at night due to knee pain. I will get another round of injections in September before my holidays just to be on the safe side and will see what the ortho says about my knees (I don't think they have slimmed down enough yet) and I think my knees have a few more years in them.

Oh, yes. It really is so disheartening, and knowing it's normal/expected doesn't make it feel any better! To give you an idea of how my weight loss has fluctuated, here are my monthly totals so far: February: -16.4 lbs (2 week pre-op diet plus surgery on 2/21) March: -11.6 lbs April: -7.6 lbs May: -2.8 lbs June: -11.2 lbs July: -1.6 lbs August: -8.4 lbs And so far in September I'm at a whopping -0.4 lbs for the month. Let me tell you, May and July both sucked, and I honestly don't think I did anything differently in June or August to explain the variation. It just is what it is. I'd say stay off the scale, but personally, I enjoy having the daily number because I'm obsessed with having a record to look back on, so I get having to do it every morning. I'm sure you're far from done losing, even if you're at a slow point right now. Just for fun, I'm attaching a side by side comparison that I made of myself yesterday. It's a photo of me from last summer at my highest weight alongside a pic of me from my walk yesterday. When the scale stalls, making something like this cheers me up and helps me see beyond the numbers on the scale.

I ditto what everyone else says, but I dropped in to say WOW YOUR DOING AMAZING!!! I am with @SleeveToBypass2023 I am someone who is responding to the surgery very well and the weight is melting off. Sounds like you are too! Try not to weight yourself everyday its gets to be daunting. I know it works for some but I know for me it becomes an obsession and its not healthy. Maybe try to squeeze in an extra walk or start with light weight lifting. Something to get your body moving really is a good distraction

I'm pre-op. Scheduled for a sleeve on sept. 12th. I have 2 daughters (11 and 13) who saw me struggle with my weight and try diverse diets all their lifes. I have never openly complained about my weight in front of them, always talking about ""health"" instead, but they are not dumb..... They are both slim/ healthy weight, but one of them barely eats and tends to eat to much sugar..... I just dont know HOW to explain what I'm about to do to my body in order to lose weight. I don't want to screw them up (more?) about weight and dieting......... My dad died of a heart attack at 46 (I'm 42) so I'm thinking of, one again, leading the explanation with the health mindset. How did you do it?

@RonHall908 You look amazing!!! NickelChip, I had a similar experience about 5 years ago. I got down to 202 pounds and couldn't get under 200. Then, I started to gain weight and, over the next few years, reached my highest weight. I am hoping to push under 200 without a big stall, but if it does happen, I'm going to fight hard to not let it mess with my mind! I find it interesting that so many of us are stalling at the same time. It makes me think this is a normal pattern after surgery. So far, I've been steadily losing weight —even if it's a pound a week. I'm guessing I'm going to be stalling sometime soon, too. This is when we have to look at the NSV's (Non-scale victories)... Ron's pictures for example!! Hang in there everyone!

it's an individual thing, but most of us are supposed to shoot for 60-80 grams of protein a day. Calories are all across the board, depending on your body composition and activity level. There are people on here (well, women - men can usually eat more) who maintain on 2000 a day, and others who can only have 1200 a day. It takes some trial and error to figure out your maintenance level. Log your food for a couple of weeks (if you're not already) and note your average calorie intake. If you're gaining weight, slowly reduce your calories. If you're losing weight (and don't want to), then gradually increase them until you reach a point where you want to be - and are maintaining that.

I second the suggestion to track everything you eat or drink. I know it can be annoying to weigh/measure and record everything but it is the best way to ensure your portions are too large or you’re missing hidden calories or underestimating them. For example ate your potatoes mashed with butter, milk & are you counting them? Try to focus more on home made foods too so you can control the ingredients and cooking methods. I’d also suggest eating more regularly aiming for three small meals of real food not two meals of shakes. I was someone who lost their hunger and interest in eating for about a year. I ate to a routine to ensure I was getting in the nutrients I needed. I still eat this way. Even if I’m not all that hungry, I’ll still eat something. At 800 calories, most of your meal would be protein with some vegetables. Take your record of your tracked eating & drinking to your dietician and ask them to review it and make actual suggestions of what you could eat (add or remove). Demand better advice than an eye roll or general you must be eating something that’s sabotaging your weight loss.

I for sure try to take the comments differently depending on intention. vs. But.... mannnnn, that first type. Honestly, the second can be rough too, but at least well meant. I've stayed pretty well away from the outside commentary, but the very first person to comment on my weight lost positively was the first to comment about it negatively.

You look absolutely amazing!! Congratulations on the weight loss. I don’t know how you do it with all the traveling. I think it takes some time for us to adjust to actually seeing ourselves thinner even after we have lost the weight. Even losing 45 lbs now I don’t always see myself thinner. Then I look at my English bulldog who also weighs 45 lbs and remind myself that I lost that much weight lol 😂 When I look at it that way it makes me see it differently. I am 18lbs away from my weight the surgeon wants me at but it is very slow going now. Some days I fluctuate between the same couple pounds instead of going down and making any real progress. Orientation at work already has given me a cough and stuffy nose. Too much time hibernating at home. I am anxious though to see if all the moving 8 hrs a day will get the weight dropping faster. I hope everyone continues to beat the scale and stay positive!! It looks like everyone is doing great!

It sounds like you've made a big effort to manage your weight, but it's frustrating when progress stalls. Consider seeing a dietitian to make sure your portion sizes and food choices match your weight loss goals after surgery. Sometimes, metabolic changes or hidden calories can affect weight loss. Also, try changing your exercise routine to avoid plateaus. Stay positive and keep monitoring your progress; with adjustments, you can find what works best for your body.

Good for you, that LBT workout sounds like it’s would KICK MY BUM!! I’m quickly learning in the fitness world that is considered a good thing, lol. I have a flier for a group fitness class that I was warned as a beginner would kick my butt too but the instructor said I’m welcome to come and do what I can. I still have that darn blister so I’ve stuck to my walking and yoga for this week because I know that sneakers will just aggravate it. I love that your instructor was able to give you modifications. That’s awesome. i feel the same way with the yoga. I told my husband that right now I’m not very good at all but I can already tell that it is going to help me tremendously and I can’t wait until I am able to do a bit more of the poses and be a little less clumsy going from one to the next. We will get there. The important thing for now is that whether we are in step with the rest of them or how, we are moving our bodies. Just moving is good for weight loss and cardio. If I had to guess I would say that the period thing is related to your surgery. It makes a lot of changes and hormones are not left out but if it’s possible you’re pregnant, I would do a test just in case. The surgery and the weight loss do also cause you to be more likely to get pregnant. There are a handful of women on here who got pregnant pretty early out. Well, I really hope you do get to try your water aerobics class today, that sounds like alot of fun.