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Hi everyone, I had gastric bypass on February 27 of this year and I am down 53 pounds. My goal is to lose 100-120 pounds. While I am happy with the weight loss, I am losing muscle just as fast. I started going to the gym and hitting the weights this week. Of course I’m not as strong as I was before (I used to lift weights 10 years ago). I’m concerned that I won’t be able to get the nutrition/protein I need daily to start growing muscle again. Anybody on here bodybuilding months or years after surgery? Any tips or suggestions? Thanks

A few thoughts from my Sadi experience after nearly 10 years: - Nutritionists are like driving instructors who read a book about driving but never drove themselves. The same can be said for many doctors since only weight loss specialists understand the procedures. - Eat the basics everyday (protein, fruit, fiber), then mostly anything else. - Hydration is vital, I get mine from fruits, tea and water. I eat between 20 to 30 lbs of fruit per week (not kidding). It doesn't add weight. - Get exercise everyday, even just steps are fine. I'm a 6'1 male, 63 yrs old, weigh about 166lbs today. I lost about 152 lbs in year 1, gained back 25lbs after 3 years. Recently gained about 5lbs but working out a lot. I prioritize eating the basics daily, taking the vitamins (less than a DS'er), then eat whatever I want. I get exercise everyday by walking my dog, hikes, biking and going to the gym. It took me about 4 years to get in decent shape after surgery. Now workouts are just a thing I do everyday like any other activity.

Anyone having issues with irregular heartbeats since having gastric bypass? I have been having problems with AFIB when I went through dumping the first few months and now 1 year out since February I have been in constant PVC (Premature ventricular contraction). My cardiologist is baffled. Been through all kinds of tests and my heart is healthy and have no blockages BUT even with meds it’s not going away. I am constantly having PVC’s AND when I eat my heart gets worse! I flutters like CRAZY!!!! Feels like I horrible panic attack, sometimes feel like I am going to have a heart attack or something. I have been in hospital, being monitored and back in hospital for testing and been on heart monitors. In 1 week wearing a monitor they recorded over 38,000 PVC’S 😱 I am at a loss here and never had these issues until I was revised to gastric bypass. I went back to Bariatric surgeon and he put me on reactive hypoglycemia diet he said that cannot cause PVCs, but it can cause heart, palpitations, and being on that diet has not made any changes. I go back to the cardiologist again for the 11th time on Tuesday after wearing my third monitor and I don’t know what is going to be done at this point. It’s really freaky that after I eat whether it’s healthy or not so healthy my heart does a freaking jiggly jig dance!!!! I thought I’d come on here to see if this is a problem that anybody else has heard of or experienced ?

How do you keep your carbs so low? I am kind of in awe of you right now 😄 The bean stew I made for meals is 30g carbs per serving alone (but only 180 calories and 12g protein). I am hitting between 900 and 1,100 calories, 30g fat and +/-70g protein a day. My guidance was to have +/- 60g protein a day and make good choices for food and eat small portions - no set calories etc. From reading others posts and feedback on the forum I have already decided to give my regular banana as it is too high in carbs (just two more left to eat!) and I have stopped taking a morning drink of honey, lemon, pepper and cinnamon as the honey made the carbs too high also. I am a bit freaked out now as my weight loss has slowed down the last three months and I have only lost a couple of pounds.

Thank you @ShoppGirl @Bypass2Freedom and @JennyBeez for you lovely, thoughtful words. I really do appreciate your comments. The clothes came - the shift dress that I thought would be OK is massive and the jumpsuit that I thought would be too tight fits perfectly so go figure 🤷‍♀️ Annoying though when you buy the same size from the same brand and there are massive discrepancies. So, dress is going back and I’ve ordered a couple of things from the sale at Roman for less than half the price of the dress I’m sending back 🙂 @ShoppGirl I have to say that my hubby is being fully supportive. There are obviously times when I want to smother him with a pillow but not over this. He is onboard with what I am trying to do so no complaints from me over that. He just wants me to feel good about myself and get some confidence back I think. I did take your advice and ordered some new, dressy shoes (backless so if my feet do shrink again, it won’t matter!) I hope that the metabolic changes from the op really do kick in and work in tandem with the other changes we make. I know the op is a positive thing that we’re doing both for our physical and emotional wellbeing. @Bypass2Freedom Definitely seek food to ‘soothe’ when in meltdown mode. It is difficult to lose weight and keep if off. I hate, with a passion, those that patronisingly say “oh, you just have to eat less and move more”…OH REALLY?? 🤬🤬🤬 Well tell my metabolism that you arsehole. Continually dieting just screws your metabolism up, I’m sure of it. I’m hoping that the op acts as an internal reset button so my body stops acting against me and works with me for a while. I do know I need to stop being so harsh on myself…old habits and all that 🙃 @JennyBeez Yes, to camouflage, yes to self-sabotage. I know what started my weight issues and disordered eating. Food was used as a punishment when I was growing up (amongst other things) I won’t go in to detail as I don’t want to trigger anyone but I have undergone counselling etc. I did lose approx 100lbs around 12 years ago and then immediately started with Rheumatoid Arthritis which threw a massive spanner in to my works! My focus went from weight and gym visits to meds, hospital visits, X-rays pain and tests. Weight went back on, Osteoarthritis decided to join the party and then recently Fibromyalgia because why not?? Did I choose any of that? NO! Looking at it all dispassionately, I can see that I was angry with my body - I’d done the major weight loss, I was at the gym 5 days a week because I loved it, I was happy with myself and then I felt that I was kicked in the teeth without rhyme or reason. I know that WLS won’t make everything go away but hopefully it will make things easier to handle and get me moving once again. I miss the gym like you wouldn’t believe and I’m just hoping that I can get going to it once again for my physical and mental health. Working on my mindset is definitely a work in progress.

If you had it to do all over again what would you say was missing in your weight loss surgery experience thus far? Length experience doesn’t matter.

@BlueParis beautiful pics. I don’t read the forum everyday so I’m late to the party but I’m so glad you discovered that your anemic (that was going to be my guess) and hope your Iron treatment mitigates your symptoms some. Like @Noelle74 and @RonHall908, I personally am a hotbox; however, IF I get cold, for me, I warm up super fast if I put my Uggs on and get my feet warm. That probably wouldn’t work great for you with business attire but 🤷🏼‍♀️. Congrats on ev1’s weight-loss, I think we’re all doing great! @NickelChip What percentage do you use of your original weight to get your goal out of curiosity? I can’t remember what my MD uses and like several of y’all my goal on my ticker is just something I stuck in there. Sorry for the longer post again but I just wanted to vent/complain/cry to y’all. I won’t go into great detail cause then I’d have to write a novel, but as of right now my insurance is denying my surgery claim and it’s giving me the worst anxiety! Our health ins. Changed less than 1 month before my surgery and now it’s causing issues apparently. I’m just hoping it gets worked out soon, so I can stop worrying about it. I am definitely a stress eater and I’m a lifelong smoker (I quit smoking in January due to having this surgery, but it’s one of my unhealthy stress relievers that I no longer have), so needless to say at this point I’d love to eat a container of ice cream and buy some cigarettes! Oh and this is also making me have to cancel my nutrition appts cause they aren’t wanting to pay for those either ( although I’ve at least pretty much have that aspect under control for now, it’s just a bummer!) 😩

You will be wearing a hospital gown and given non-slip socks, so all you really need is to wear something to the hospital that is comfy with a stretchy or loose waist you can wear home, and bring clean undies and socks. Also bring a toothbrush, travel toothpaste, hair brush, deodorant, chapstick, and lotion. Don't bring meds or fluids as they will need to administer those to you and record them in your chart. But check on this because if you are taking something unusual, they may want you to bring it. In my case, they just gave me my daily thyroid medication from the hospital pharmacy. Bring your phone and charger and a book, maybe headphones if you'd rather listen to music. Hospitals are kinda gross, so the less you bring, the better. I had an incident where my IV came unattached and I ended up with watered down blood everywhere, which would have ruined any pillows or blankets from home. Oh, I brought a small pillow for the car ride home that is made for abdominal surgery (search Amazon for hysterectomy pillows) and can velcro to your seatbelt for extra comfort for your incisions. It was nice but not 100% necessary. For home, I had a weighted heating pad that I loved for sleeping. You will also want a bottle of liquid adult strength Tylenol at home for pain.

Congratulations on your loss and thank you for sharing your story thus far. I was 258 at my dr when I started my LSD 12 days ago and I was 244 on my home scale this morning with 4 days to go till surgery day although I think my scale is a few pounds below the dr so probably 11 pounds lost. Losing 30 pounds in 7 weeks post surgery is absolutely amazing!! I am so happy for you. I am a revision so I probably won’t be losing anywhere near that quickly after my revision but that’s okay. I didn’t gain it overnight either. As long as it does eventually comes off.. I will be thrilled. Okay, probably impatient at first, but eventually thrilled. I almost forgot about cold food. I am 3.5 years post sleeve so I am able to eat at a fairly normal speed again and I absolutely hated that too. Whenever I was home I would microwave it over and over and over…. And one of my biggest fears are the bathroom ones. My surgeon’s NP says that so far diarrhea bas been the biggest complaint with his SADI patients with one having it so bad that it interferes with work. For all of them they say it resolved at about three months. I am usually near a bathroom and can make sure of it for 3 months but I am really concerned about the smell. I already bought poo pouri 🤣 Getting past just using a public restroom to go number two is going to be a challenge for me. I can count the number of times I have had to do that on one hand I think. Having it be noisy and smelly is going to make it even more mortifying. Hopefully it will be a small price to pay, though. 🤞 I literally just got up and put my measuring tape in the pile I have started for the hospital so I will remember to take measurements the night before surgery. I seen it posted so many times before and never did it. Always wished I had remembered that and to do photos more often. Just like now I’m wishing I had started before the LSD. Thanks for the reminder. There is so much to remember with all of this. Even the second time around it’s an adjustment if you are like me and let old habits slip back. (Please don’t be like me, anyone, so you don’t gain it back) My sleeve portion is already done so they are not doing anything to my stomach. I can already eat a fairly normal sized portion so my issue shouldn’t be with getting food or liquids in a tiny pouch like most of you. It will more likely be that I will want more than my healing anastomosis will be able to handle so I will have to be very disciplined and eat the portions my dr sets for me. I am just hoping that I have some changes in my appetite still because this is gonna be like a really long pre op liquid diet for me that continues on throughout the purée and soft food stages if not. Aka not fun. You are so smart to only weigh once a week. I wasn’t that self disciplined to put the scale away. I did only record it once a week with my sleeve though so I could see the downward trend more easily and looking at that helped quite a bit when I felt like that scale wasn’t budging. Which reminds me I need to start logging my weight again. And such a good reminder not to compare myself to others. That is going to be especially hard as a revision. He did say it should be faster than a bypass revision though. So maybe on a tad slower than the rest of you here. I hope. Thank you again for sharing your experience. I hope to see updates of your continued progress and that the rest of us have as good of a handle on all of this as you seem to at 7 weeks post. Sounds like you are rocking this. Keep it up.

Hi all, thought I’d check in with my July 2022 peeps. How are you all doing? I started thinking las year and I enjoy the heck out of it. I lost 103 lbs in the first year and have been pretty stable since. I still have 5lbs to go to not be considered overweight but I’m afraid I’ll never make it there. I’ve decided I’m ok with that. I’m happy & healthy and living life. The only issues I still have are easy bruise/bleeding and thin hair. Other than that, pre-diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure have cleared up. What have your experiences been?

Thanks!!! I’m super curious to hear the answer to that one. I assume altering the sleeve with increase the risks and complications as well as recovery time but I think that there may be some value to it. I recall him saying your sleeve worked last time though so I may really need to stress this one. It worked because I used the advantages of less hunger hormone and acted like I was on a diet. Not because I ever felt full. I may need to be sure he understands that. Also it Seems like the percentages of weight loss I found in my research are for virgin surgeries so just doing the other part without touching the sleeve I’m guessing my weight loss will be considerably less. I’m curious what that looks like.

first congrats on the weight loss! second: for someone going into their 60's your skin is phenomenal!! do you like bathe in tubs filled with moisturizer?? never go out in the sun??? amazing 😳 third: unfortunately you cant target weight loss to a specific part of ur body without losing in other areas as well. generally the first place you notice weight gain is the last place place it will come off. unless you have an underlying condition (which you can be found out by visiting ur doc), bigger midsections are usually the result of 3 main things: (1) genetics...do ur parents have higher-proportion midsection circumstances? (2) bloating...from ones diet that causes fluid retention and gas...cut the carbs! (3) inactivity... visceral fat lives on inactivity, and guess where visceral fat likes to hang out? around ur internal organs which are located in your midsection.

If you follow your plan, you won’t put on weight. You are consuming so few calories & even when you progress to purées, soft food & then solid food, you’ll still be eating so few calories & such tiny portions, that again you won’t put on weight. Not consuming calories, not meeting your protein goals (or at least being close to it) will actually be doing you more harm. Affecting your recovery & healing, putting your body into starvation mode, being nutrient deficit, etc. These will impede your long term health & weight loss. May be get in touch with your team & ask if you could see a therapist to work through this fear of eating. You don’t want to swap one set of poor eating habits with another & create new health issues. Trust the program. It works.

I absolutely LOVE to pull out my historical spreadsheets! thanks for giving me an excuse to do so!!! 1. Pre op weight, BMI or measurements 2. Surgery type VSG (Sleeve) October 24, 2018 3. Lowest post op weight, BMI or measurements and when it occurred 4. Maintenance weight, BMI or measurements and when it occurred Stabilized at about 115 lbs (BMI 21) around June 2020 and stayed that way for about a year or so. Unfortunately i don't have measurements for that time but i think they were similar to my lowest post op weight above. 5. Bounces (up or down) in weight, BMI or measurements and when they occurred around year 3 i averaged closer to 120 lbs (but rarely ever above 120), and have stayed that way until today (almost 6 yrs post op). This morning I weighed in at 119.4 lbs. 6. Methods used to maintain and what has/has not worked i track my food intake almost daily i weigh myself daily when i have access to scale (i also take my measurements once a month) i engage in regular exercise. i try to NOT eat to fullness (don't always succeed) if i want to eat something, i do, but i generally limit it to tastes/bites, vs full on meals. i generally ONLY eat things i really want to, and skip the stuff i deem "not worth it", as i consider it a waste of valuable stomach real estate. 7. How your life has changed (losing vs maintaining perspective) i eat carbs now lol (i avoided them like the plague during weight loss phase, and a year or so afterwards). its been a while for me know and i do notice that i am not as worried as i used to be about regaining weight. i think i've learned to trust myself in that i can make good decisions about my health and weight maintenance, and that i know i am flexible/resourceful/confident enough to make changes and adjustments WHEN things change. i guess that is it really, i am exponentially more confident than i was before: in terms of decision making, self-image, relationships, dealing with stress, all of it. I am so much more CHILL. Life is really good (plus im super HAWT, lol) 8. Words of wisdom/cautionary tales/stories of beating the odds Don't give into the angst. Don't try to do stuff that is beyond your abilities or desire. Don't compare yourself to others. Exercise. Drink water, Wear sunscreen.

I haven’t had any blood work since surgery to say they’re working but all my bloodwork was off a couple months beforehand and I started them about a month and a half before surgery. My pre surgery bloodwork didn’t show any deficiencies in any vitamins or minerals then. I figured if the surgeon had them on her list of approved multivitamins then they must work but occasionally I do wonder how lol. My appt is next week on the 25th so I will let you know. Im one of those people that struggles with my levels on a good day so during this post op diet I’m sure I’ve been challenged. Amazing job on the weight loss and walking despite the knee pain. I often stay down because of pain or exhaustion and I need to get up and moving. I hope your knee surgery is in the near future!

A good way to remember the difference is to ask yourself "Is this processed? If so, how much?" For instance, white flour is a simple carb, it has had the fiber and such stripped from it, which causes the carbohydrate in it to hit the system faster and spike blood sugar rapidly. Stone ground whole wheat flour is more of a complex carb, because it has the fiber intact along with all the nutrients that come with it and spikes the blood sugar less rapidly because of that fiber slowing the release. Eating it with protein and fat will slow the spike of blood sugar even further. Potato chips? Simple carb--they are white, starchy, and fried. A baked sweet potato? Technically a complex carb, though it does have a lot of sugar in it. Still, much better choice nutritionally than potato chips! Most fruits and vegetables are complex carbs, as their fiber and nutrients are intact. But some can be higher in sugar than others, so it is good to be mindful of their glycemic load as well. Whole grains like quinoa or brown rice and beans are complex carbs, though due to their high carb content they are best eaten in moderation. Most white, starchy, processed things you buy in boxes or bags are simple carbs. Cakes, cookies, white rice, sugar, semolina pasta, ice cream, all simple carbs. Most SADI and DS patients have issues with simple carbs causing gas, or large amounts of complex carbs. So, a big slice of cake may cause gas. A large fruit salad could also cause gas. Their sugar sources are different, but the digestive system sees sugar as sugar and reacts in kind. Apples in chicken salad? Probably fine once you are far enough out to digest fruit. A wedge of watermelon with a bunless hamburger? Also fine once you are far enough out to digest fruit. A few bites of cake or fruit salad? That may also be fine if you are able to practice restraint! Personally, at 6 months out, I have never had any issues with onions like I used to. But I cannot eat beans in any form, not even pureed on the soft food diet, they immediately went through me and caused gas! I can eat small amounts of a cooked fruit, like blueberry muffins, or frozen blueberries microwaved and stirred into yogurt. But I cannot yet eat fresh/frozen fruit. The nutritionist suspects it is because berries are really fiber dense. This is likely to change in the next year. But that first 18 months is prime weight loss time and prime weight loss is boosted by being in ketosis, which means I have to keep my fruit portions small anyways for now. Once I'm at maintenance I'll worry about adding fruit and complex carbs in. Right now I focus on protein, then low starch veggies, then a bit of starch if I have room, like a bite or two of potatoes (I'm Irish, I can't cut them out forever), or a few bites of quinoa.

A good phlebotomist once said it's not about what you see, but what you feel. I don't have any medical issues that relate to vein issues, but many many times it was a hunt for a vein to have my blood drawn. I've been poked up to 3 times and have had to have blood taken from the top of my hands on several occasions and once from my wrist (do not recommend that one hurt like a /@%$*). On the day of surgery, the anesthesiologist also poked me 3 times before finally placing the IV and that was with the use of a sonogram thingy(?). I won't lie, that hurt like heck - one because i'm already not a fan of needles and two that one is larger than a standard blood draw needle. Thankfully that was honestly the worst part of my entire in hospital experience start to finish. I was also told that drinking plenty of water helps a lot to plump the veins and I have found that has worked. Obviously that won't always be fail proof when you are restricted from both eating and drinking several hours beforehand. Oh and nothing really changed for me from before or after major weight loss as far as visually finding veins. I've just been lucky the last few blood draws to have someone who knows how to feel around for a good one and only poke me one time.

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.

Hi all, the sun is finally out and I've made my 10k step goal today for the first time since Monday at least! Thanks again for everyones support - it does help! @gracesmommy2 I have thought about SAD, but normally I'm okay in all weather, I even prefer summer holidays in the north with raincoats and wool socks and fires! I reckon I'm probably a bit anemic and low on vitamin D... and that plus the exhaustion, the being cold and the being away from home is just a bit much. I hate lugging luggage around and so tend to travel light and where as when I'm home and it's cold I just wrap out and bundle myself under covers with a hot water bottle... but when I'm travelling it's hard esp as I've mucked up on my packing for the last few trips and not packed enough warm clothes. I do have a sort of lightbox thing at home that I usually use to deal with jetlag but I've been lucky enough since my operation to only be doing short hall... I do go to Canada and the US next month though so will get my lightbox out of whatever cupboard it's hiding in when I next make it home. I'm also aware that I'm loosing fast, which I think is pretty normal as I wasn't overweight for that long ( my BMI got above 25 for the first time in my life only in 2020)... I'm on Thursday I'll be 3 months since surgery and as of today I've lost 19.75kg (43.4lbs or 3st1lbs) since my surgery so over 21% or my body weight in under 3 months ... I know that this must be doing a number on my mental state too. I was 91.1kg on the day of surgery and am now 71.35kg - however I also lost 5kg in the 2 weeks before surgery, my surgeon didn't need me to do a preop diet but just to be safe I still pretty much did a broth fast for the two weeks prior. So all in all in 15 weeks I've lost over 25kg ... and I know thats why I'm so exhausted! However I'm also happy because my team wanted me to have lost 20% total body weight at 3 months and I've exceeded that with a week to go ... I know things will get better... but I would love some proper warmth and light for more than a couple of days! @LisaCaryl I've always shed a lot of hair but haven't noticed things getting worse yet ... but I guess I'll just ride it though when it does happen! On the bright side I have to loose only another 2.2lbs to have a BMI under 25 again ... I know BMI is a crap tool ( and honestly find it a tad unfair because I reckon I have at least a couple of extra lbs of boob!) but I'm still very much looking forward to no longer being officially overweight! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and that all those far enough north got to see the boreal lights.

You have done really well with your weight loss and I understand your worry of messing up. I do too, which is why I calorie and protein count every little morsel that passes my lips. I still struggle to eat enough protein Your meal looks fine portion wise but it looks to me like you have lots of oily dressing on the salad, but I am a million miles away and wear very thick varifocals. If you are in maintenance , this seems fine to me.

Chicken, Turkey & Bison ground meat is the easiest for me to eat and get enough in where I can get the protein I need. However, chicken breast is another matter. for some reason I can only eat about 2-2.5 oz of chicken breast. But I can have almost two cups of ground meat. Deli meats, I can get in about one to one and a half slices before I fill up. Greek yogurt with Pbfit2 chocolate and protein powder mixed is my go to. I can eat two cups and not feel stuffed. Weird thing is when it comes to eggs, I can eat two fried eggs easily, but two scrambled eggs and I can't finish it. Only thing I'm concerned with, is how very slow my weight loss is. I'll lose a pound or two, then go two to three weeks without losing. In fact, I weighed last week and gained a pound. I'm not sure how that's possible, but I managed it. The dietician and Doctor has assured me that's normal.

Ive taken B12 shots in the past and noticed no weight loss, but I wear a daily B12 patch from patchaid and do notice a difference in my energy levels.

Not gonna lie, it's been a rough month so far. I was doing okay heading into May. On May 1, I reached 203lbs, which officially was the lowest I have been since my 20s. The next day it bounced up, but then I lost steadily, down to 201.6. And then yesterday morning, when I was heading to my 3-month check in with the dietician, I was back up to 203lbs overnight! What the heck?!? Nine days into the month and all progress erased! And then my dietician said everything I'm doing nutritionally is good, but I've only lost 19 lbs since surgery according to their office scale. I go back on the 21st to see the nurse practitioner and am going to ask what can be done if it hasn't improved by then. My loss of momentum tracks almost exactly to when I started taking my doctor's advice to get regular exercise. It was supposed to speed up my progress, according to the surgeon. Instead, in the past 3 weeks I have lost a total of 1.4 lbs. Color me unimpressed. Finally, my dietician said I should try to reduce my reliance on protein powder, which I have in my morning smoothie and at night before bed. She wants me eating more "real" food (though, in my defense, I do not rely on soft foods and have chicken and vegetables and such every day). So I had scrambled eggs and fruit this morning and it all made me really sick. What a start to the day. Smoothies made me feel good and I'm seeing little reason to give them up. I had smoothies all the time pre-op. I'm hoping they'll run some blood tests at the next appointment to see what's up. Like @RonHall908, I have also been exhausted lately and can't concentrate.

So today I hit a milestone I didn't expect so soon---I've officially lost 50% towards my goal weight!!! 😭 I've lost 76 lbs since my highest weight (320) and 63 lbs since surgery (307). I'm stunned honestly. I've had some stalls and my weight loss has been slower than some others but my doctors kept telling me to stay the course, that my weight loss was right on track. Well, now it seems I've caught up and am ahead of the game! It feels so unreal... Here's a pic of me pre-op and two from today!

I am new here and I’ve been devouring the forums. I am one week post ESG. I am down 16 lbs. I notice a lot of you have cute pictures on your signature showing your weight loss journey. Where do you get those?