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First, there is no one right way to eat to lose or maintain your weight. There’s just the right way for you. I agree to the suggestion to get in contact with your old dietician or find a new one. I’d also teach for a couple of weeks just to check your calorie & nutrient intake. I’d also get in contact with your surgeon as well to see what other options you have - revision surgery or maybe GLP - 1 meds. You’ve likely reset your body’s set point. The surgery lowered it but returning to larger portions, poor food choices & bad old habits have raised your set point again. So you’re actually fighting your body now. You’re trying to lose weight & your body is doing all it can to hold on to it. Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Loss metabolic reset diet (not that I’m an advocate for any ‘diets’.) It may give you some ideas you could try to see if works for you. He’s a great source of information around all things weight loss, bariatric surgery, etc. (He has a website & a you tube channel.) If you like being active, I’d add in some weights. Building muscle will help burn more calories & help counteract any muscle loss you experience while losing. Walking will help with general fitness. Remember though, activity only contributes to about 10% of any weight loss. Oh & don’t listen to your family & friends when they offer advice about your eating, nutrition or weight loss. They mean well but unless they’re qualified nutritionalist, dieticians, bariatric surgeons or medical doctors or had bariatric surgery they really don’t know what they’re talking about. And they’re not you. You know yourself best. You know your psychologically, physiologically & emotionally self best & know how you want to live your life. All the best.

I agree with @SleeveToBypass2023, a weekly loss of around 1-2lbs is considered a healthy rate of loss & it is where many of us settle at losing after the initial couple of months of higher rates. Then we all seem to slow to a snail’s pace. I’m talking 1-2lbs a month. This process is so individual. So many factors affect your rate of loss, how much you eventually lose & how long out it takes you. Most totally out of your control. I wasn’t given macros either. Just the 60g protein & 2 litres of fluid. I didn’t have to track my food either. I did do random checks but that was for my own interest. And I didn’t exercise. I know. The shock! The horror! Lost all my weight & more at a fairly average rate for my height & starting weight to goal. Six months to lose 31kg to goal & almost another year to lose another 11kgs so the 18 months with a sleeve as your PA told you. Your potential for weight loss is not near over yet. Celebrate & enjoy every pound you lose. Look at those amazing wins you’ve had already. Fantastic!

I bought a treadmill because the nearest gym is 40 miles round trip from me. It just took me awhile to regain any kind of energy to get on it. I had someone today compliment me on the amount of weight I’ve lost since she last saw me in January or Feb. it was great to hear because I don’t think I see it on myself the way others see it. I’m sure once I get down some more I will. WTG on your weight loss too!! Eating is definitely a work in progress and can be a chore now.

1-2 pounds per week is actually a healthy rate of weight loss. That's where doctors and nutritionists want to see a person at. But if you want to change things up, try changing your workouts, giving yourself variety in what you eat, weigh and track your food so you know where empty calories and carbs are coming from, Typically, the first 6 months after surgery is the time when we lose the most. After that, weight loss slows way down (you can still lose, but not at the rate that you were). We can definitely still lose weight, but it slows SIGNIFICANTLY and we end up "fighting" to lose more weight. I'm still losing, but it's slooooow going. Slow and stead wins this race.

WTG on your weight loss and the activity! Exercise is definitely something I need to work on. I hate it lol. Maybe try chicken salad instead of just chicken breast. Chicken breast can be dry, or maybe add a sauce of some type to it to help. 😉 good luck on your appt!

I thought I was gaining ground and hadn’t thrown anything up in several days, but then I attempted to eat chicken breast for dinner last night and after only a couple bites I was sick because it felt stuck. I just can’t seem to chew it rough or eat slow enough. I only keep attempting it because it seems to be higher in protein than a lot of other meats. The scale is moving for me again so woohoo!!! I’m down to 176lbs. I was 207lbs when I started. I got a new ring that monitors activity so I’m up and moving now. Only 6000 steps a day but it’s a start! Thank you to everyone in my little group here for all your posts. My surgery was February 22nd. I have my post op appt next week on the 25th. I’m hoping my weight loss is on track.

@BlueParis I’m sure you’re really happy to be home and WTG on the weight loss! @NickelChip I’m usually able to get between 60-70 gms of protein a day in with no shakes most days…..I eat a lot of tuna, Greek yogurt, buffalo chicken dip, and my new favorite is chicken pizza crust pizza. I also occasionally eat canned turkey chili with no beans in it for lunch mainly cause it’s soft and high in protein but a little different than what I’m usually eating. I’m definitely getting bored with my food choices but anytime I try and add in stuff I end up coming up short on protein and have to drink a shake. 🤢I use liquacel also. They gave it to me in the hospital and I prefer it to shakes. It’s 16 gms of collagen protein ( it is a complete protein and my nutritionist is ok with it) it’s super sweet but I just mix it with a little water and I’m good. @RonHall908 and I’m with you guys on the slow weight loss train also so it must be pretty normal although irritating. Lol @LisaCaryl I’m glad your nausea is getting better. Maybe you’d like the liquacel to help with your protein since you don’t eat meat. You can buy them in one dose packets so you could try them before you bought a bottle of it. I like the peach mango one the best but it is super sweet so not sure if it’s for ev1 but maybe an option for some of y’all needing a protein boost with no shakes 🤷🏼‍♀️ https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/liquacel-liquid-protein-1oz-packets-flavors?variant=5067375607845 heres the single serve packets but I ended up buying the multiple dose bottles directly from the manufacturer cause it was cheaper. https://globalhp.com/shop/liquacel-liquid-protein/

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

@Tazrok you will get lots of different advice here due to the plain fact the we ALL were given different advice as well. there is no one right way to eat really. but since you came in here asking if you are possibly missing something, ill dip in first a couple questions: 1) how long have you been eating this way? days? years? months? based on your descriptions and pictures, im guessing you are probably taking in about 1100-1200 cals a day (so long as there is nothing else u are eating or drinking?)...this leads me to my next question... 2) how tall are you? 3) are u insulin resistant? suffer from hypothyroidism? have PCOS? depending on your answers the responses to your post may change. as an aside, for most of my loss phase, i barely had any veggies myself. i had very little stomach real estate and chose to eat protein forward, up to about 5-6 months post op. (though this changed near the end of weight loss phase when i became a salad junkie ha). while the make up of your intake doesn't matter as much as the amount, the make up (i.e., nutritional value) is important for overall health and well being. same goes for exercise. p.s. i am also a lifetime grazer. it became necessary after surgery because i just could NOT eat alot at once and it has just become the way i eat now (i am 5+ years post op...and yep i have managed to stay below goal weight this entire time).

Hi. I'm having some huge issues with my weight and could really do with some help and advice please. In December 2018 I had a gastric bypass and on the day of the surgery I was 24 stone (336 lb). Over the next year I got down to 15 stone ( 210lb). All my friends and family was concerned I wasn't eating enough and said I looked ill due to the rapid weight loss so I started eating a it more. Fro. 2019 to 2023 my portion sized grow and I was no longer eating the correct foods resulting in me being 21 stone (294lb). I'm currently on the path to getting my health back on track but I don't seem to be losing weight. Im one of them people that will eat the same meals every days and this is my current meals all eaten on a bariactric plate. Breakfast = 2 hard boiled eggs. Lunch = hath a steamed chicken breast, 2 steamed mushrooms, 4 seafood sticks, 2 slices of onion cooked in the air fryer, hath a Peper cooked in the air fryer and 40grams of mozzarella. Dinner= hath a steamed chicken breast, 2 steamed mushrooms, 4 seafood sticks, 2 slices of onion cooked in the air fryer, hath a Peper cooked in the air fryer and 40grams of mozzarella. I'm also walking on average 6 miles (9.6km). In the past 6 months of eating like this my weight has hardly changed, 1 week might be 1lb loss then next week will be 1.5lb gain then 2lb loss ect. Over 6 moths my weight has only gone down 7lb and I don't know what's going on and I'm starting to get very depressed and I seem to be eating well and being active but the weight scales don't reflect that. Am I missing something that's preventing me from losing weight? Thank you

Congrats on the surgery and taking a huge step forward in improving your health! Also, welcome to the post-op malaise phase of the process, haha! I was there a few months ago, and I think its a rite of passage to be like "What have I done?!!" somewhere in the first 6 weeks. It does get better gradually, but the first month is the roughest. You will be able to eat "normal" foods again soon. I think I was able to eat most things again around the 3 month mark (mostly excluding carbonated drinks and alcohol). Just take your time and listen to your body. Some things will fight back, and if they do, just wait 3-5 days before trying again. I had a lot of trouble with green veggies initially, but was able to handle them around week 6. Also remember the weight loss pattern will resemble stairs and not a straight line. You'll have periods of weight loss, followed by a couple/few weeks of stalling and slight regain. This is just your body recalibrating itself after a large loss to ensure its safe to continue letting go of fat reserves, because it mistakenly thinks you're in a survival event and doesn't want you to starve to death. Just remember this is part of the process, and its not a failure. This really got me down initially and compounded that regret feeling, but after a long stall I'm making progress again. Also, Cipro is very likely the culprit in making you feel sick. it's a very strong antibiotic, and good at its job, but the side effects can be harsh. I've developed some partial hearing loss because of it after years of taking it for recurring Diverticulitis. Ask your doctor if there is another antibiotic that can do the job, but with fewer side effects. Good luck, and I wish you luck on your journey!

hi Christine. I find the reverse is just as true too. Where the most commonly experienced effects of surgery just aren’t shared with patients by their team. How many post do we see from people upset, depressed & frustrated about stalls, hair loss, foamies, etc. Though I know there could be things missed simply because there is so, so much information we’re given & have to absorb. I do advocate sticking to the plan given to you by your team but we know there is no one size fits all (in life, clothing or plans). If something isn’t working for you, ask for alternatives, other options or suggestions as to what you can do or eat or drink, etc. Take suggestions & experiences people offer here & ask your team if you could try them. They’re supposed to know you & are best placed to advise what will support you without compromising your recovery or progress. Hope your upcoming surgery is successful & everything is put back to where it’s supposed to be. PS - Fellow teacher here too - well was one of my careers. What year levels or subjects did you teach? Congrats on your retirement.

wowza! the visual difference of your lost 4lbs is pretty significant! i don't think a 4lbs loss would have registered such a visual difference on me. nice!!

I had my surgery @23 years ago and there is SOOOO much I wasn't told. Here are just a few of them: * my hair would thin A LOT * I needed to take a multivitamin that included specific things like iron, copper etc. * I should eat a certain amount of each of these protein, carbs, calories etc. not just each less and healthier * the calcium needs to be citrate and spaced out to 3 times a day because your body can't absorb more than 500 mg at a time. * any pills need to be crushed I am in the process of trying to lose weight again to fix hernias from my gastric bypass (Roux en y) full cut. I have to keep telling my doctors "I was never told that"... it's very frustrating. BUT on a positive note I am learning so much and there is so much more available product wise to help me with my goals.

Everyone loses at their own rate. There are many factors that can influence your rate of loss (constipation, diarrhoea, fluid retention, your body’s reaction to the surgery, starting weight, medications, etc.). Though it can be difficult, try not to compare yourself with others. It will only lead to frustration & feeling you’re failing. You’re not failing. You’ve lost 4lbs in 11 days - yay! Remember too that many nerves were cut during your surgery so messages about feeling full or eaten enough either aren’t getting through or the messages are distorted. It takes around 8 weeks to be fully healed & when your messages start to come back they may be different to what you remember. It’s why it’s important to stick to the portion recommendations you were advised & to eat slowly (takes a good 20+ minutes for a full message to get through when you’re healed). Portion sizes do differ but 4-6oz at 11days seems a lot. My plan was 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from purée slowly increasing to a cup at 6 months & 3 meals a day. Fluids were just sip, sip, sip, regardless of what I was drinking. So it took me a couple of hours to drink a shake or a cup of soup too. But that was my plan & plans differ. Check your plan for portions & also the foods you are allowed at each stage. I could have cottage cheese at weeks 3 & 4 purées & chili at the soft food stage at weeks 5 & 6. Congrats on your surgery.

@RonHall908 Isn't the slow weight loss the worst? I had my second mini stall this past week. At least it was 4 days instead of 7 like I had at the three-week mark. I truly did think, based on how quickly I lost weight in the pre-op diet phase, that it would be super quick after surgery. I lost 15.4 lbs in 2 weeks compared to 16.8 pounds in 8 weeks post-op. What the heck?! It's demoralizing at times. I still have 3 weeks until my next appointment with the dietician and 5 weeks until I see the doctor again. I'm really hoping I'm on track. They say the first 3 months is the fastest weight loss, and if that's true for me...it really sucks. The one thing I can handle large quantities of is water, or even something very liquid like a smoothie. 16oz in under 30 minutes is no problem. And I can eat a full 1 cup serving of bean and veg soup. Any kind of meat fills me up fast, though, although tuna salad is probably the one I can eat the most of.

I'm not taking any weight loss pills after giving it some thought .I have gained about a stone , but I'm not unhappy with that .I'm almost done with my dietitian and almost at the 2 year mark .I plan to exercise more and watch what I eat .It's still been worth it for 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.

Kristen it's not uncommon for people who are post op a few days to have so much angst. Follow your doctor and nutritionist protocols. Everyone loses weight at a different pace. The main thing is to stick to the program and despite what is preached about super fast weigh loss, it does happen but it's not the norm. The majority of people lose a a decent amount of weight, experience a stall, after time the body adjusts and then you experience constipation, and the body adjusts and you lose more weight. . Your best result is patience and sticking to the plan. I have family members who can eat a lot more than they thought they should. It comes down to what you eventually eat. Eating a ton of salad is much better than eating a ton processed food. Still eating a ton but with much different results. Stay the course and dont be discouraged, your body is going through a process and needs to sort things out.

I had this long stall as well. Just keep doing the plan and just broke through with a 2lb loss.

I went through something similar after my surgery too. It can be really alarming to see your hair falling out like that, even when you've been warned beforehand. In my case, the hair loss phase lasted for a few months, but eventually, it started growing back to its pre-op thickness. One thing that really helped me during that time was exploring different options beyond just Biotin. I stumbled upon this amazing natural supplement called BatanaBio. A friend recommended it to me, and I decided to give it a try. I noticed a significant improvement in the strength and thickness of my hair after incorporating it into my routine.

Are you male? I was on a pre surgery diet of 1000-1200 calories max (female) and that's fairly common...Men 1300 - 1500 max.. The amount of exercise I did didn't matter (I was very active). I started May and my surgery was in August.. I was under the impression those calorie limits were fairly normal, am I missing something here? On average not trying to lose weight is 1800 - 2200 (maintenance) based on age, height etc..Sooo dropping to 1200 would still be healthy but allow for healthy weight loss. Lastly, I understand you're training, but after surgery you will be on even less calories (I'm almost 9 months PO and I get 800 calorie and your swimming event is 2025 - post surgery..so you'd be on calorie restrictions then..what's the difference between now and then?. Training is about building endurance and calories shouldn't matter as long as you're getting what is recommended and the right macros. Yes, everyone is different but your dietician knows your current weight, goals and objectives. I personally would do as your plan dictates if you want to go ahead with the surgery. Once you go and do your own thing (which I'm assuming is why you need the WLS in the first place) its very difficult to stay on the program. I also realize that your swimming event is important to you, but you need to decide what is most important - the swim event or becoming healthy. Something to think on...

@summerseeker, that's a bit discouraging to hear that your Fibromyalgia did not change with the weight loss. One of my doctors said he has a couple of patients, and their Fibro was reversed, which is what I'm hoping for (but not banking on!). I hope I'm able to take my medicine. I've run out before, and Fibro pain without meds was not fun!

This situation is a catch 22 because no one knows exactly what the insurance requirements are and no one will tell us. The dieticians job is to help you lose weight, period. Whether that’s in your best interest or not is where it gets tricky. On one hand If you are in a supervised weight loss program (the six month requirement by a lot of insurances) they are trying to see if you can lose the weight on your own before they approve it. So in theory if you lose too much they could deem you not a good candidate for surgery. On the other hand, every pound you lose the heathy way should make you that much more fit for the operation (not if you malnourished though). Plus, if you really can lose it without surgery obviously not putting your body through surgery would be ideal. if the dieticians way is something you have never tried before and when you try it you feel like you can do it, losing weight without surgery is obviously preferred. BUT, just because the insurance company sees progress and decides that you should be able to lose it based on the trend doesn’t mean they are right (they are not doctors and should not be making these decisions IMO). I know myself I have probably lost 1000 pounds in my life but that’s because I have always lost a few and gained them back but never got near a healthy weight. Whether you have tried everything, including the dieticians way, only you know. I had sleeve three years ago and my high weight was 235 and I’m taller than you. So I was lower BMI as well. On surgery day I was 220ish and I was fine but I did not start losing until my pre op diet began. During my 6 month supervised diet I did follow the diet they set out for me to the best of my ability BUT the cheat days basically offset my progress so I didn’t really lose anything. Now I am considering revision and there is not any weight requirements as far as I know but I started at like 245 this time anyways so I’m not as afraid to lose a little. I asked him what I should do and he said to keep my Carbs below 40 for now (I am most likely having the SADI so carbs are gonna be most important post surgery). Well I am losing but less than a pound a week so no one is raising any eyebrows at my loss. Anyways If I was in your position I would reduce my calories by like 100 at a time and see how I felt after a week adjusting to that. (Mayne you can get to 1200 with the dieticians help and maybe you decide that you want to try it once the dieticians way before you decide). On days like you four hour swim I would ask the doctor their opinion because 1200 calories does not seem enough for that level of activity. I think if it was me, I would stick to eating healthy choices for now. Try out new, healthy recipes and get used to the food you will need to eat post surgery. I would try to get to the 1200 because they are the dietician but portion wise I would cut my calories slowly to get there and see how my body reacted at each stage. (Just be honest with yourself about whether you really need or just want the calories) if I was really losing more than ever before and it seemed like something I could sustain, I would then re-evaluate whether I should be jumping into major surgery just yet. But if I decided that i couldn’t do it on my own and for sure wanted surgery i would talk to my doctor about how much they would like to see me lose to be fit for surgery.

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.