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I had surgery during the Keto/intermittent fasting boom and I relied heavily on that excuse. Was I really fooling anyone? In retrospect, I doubt it. Now with the rise of highly effective weight loss medication and it’s media coverage, people will think whatever they want anyway, despite your well thought out excuse. You can always remain vague and say your health is improving and then immediately switch the conversation to focus on something else. I absolutely love the “enough about me, what about you?” pivot.

I had surgery during the Keto/intermittent fasting boom and I relied heavily on that excuse. Was I really fooling anyone? In retrospect, I doubt it. Now with the rise of highly effective weight loss medication and it’s media coverage, people will think whatever they want anyway, despite your well thought out excuse. You can always remain vague and say your health is improving and then immediately switch the conversation to focus on something else. I absolutely love the “enough about me, what about you?” pivot.

I would imagine running around after two small tots you really don't need any more exercise. You have done remarkably well considering. You may never get to your goal weight, not everyone does. I will say if you want to run at it then it may be slow going. The nearer you get then the harder and slower the weight loss will get. Your restriction should still be there, could you still have a chat with your team for guidance ? I have picked up a few tips that I have stored on the back burner just in case I need them in the future. Go back to basics, Eat good clean food. Protein first, vegetables and fruit second and then add in the carbs. Track your foods on a app, everyone has their fav. Weigh your food because your luck will be out just eyeballing it now. I am maintaining on 1500 cals and loose on anything lower than that. I walk but its cold and wintery here yet so I am not inspired to get out at the moment. If I did I could perhaps eat a little more. Good luck

First was at week 5. I had returned to work in a new area where an old work friend was based. I’d lost a good 10kgs (22 odd lbs) so noticeable. She’d known me from thin to obese & up & down so knew of my battles. She hugged me in welcome on my first day & then whispered I was looking good. I told her a few days later. She offered no judgement just good wishes. Everyone in that section knew I’d recently had a surgery but not what. Most presumed it was a ‘female surgery’ (it was a largely male section) & I didn’t correct them. I remember her reaction so well because on the last day of my contract (about 8 weeks later), they organised a farewell/thank you morning tea for me. Lots of sticky buns, cakes, etc. She whisperered she’d made sure there was some cheese & crudités so I could have a little bite of something & not feel uncomfortable. Such a considerate thing to do & all without fuss. Can’t recall who was last to notice I was losing weight. Sometimes people don’t say anything because they’re unsure how you’ll react or don’t want you to think they watching how successful you are or will be. Or if the don’t know worry you are unwell & again don’t want to broach the subject with you. So they say nothing. Your boyfriend is likely trying to be super supportive & nothing more. Depending on how much you were when you started, it can take a little while to really notice a change. For me, that 10kgs was almost a dress size, but because I wore a lot of loose, or elastic waisted clothing, my loss was sort of hidden. Gave you been taking photos or taking body measurements (weekly or monthly)? Sometimes the changes can be seen more easily that way than just in a mirror (body dysmorphia can blind us to the truth sometimes) or when pulling on your pants (until they fall down of course 😉). Congratulations on your loss so far.

Yes! In fact, my entire weight loss since surgery has been slooooow. I don't recommend kicking the scale - it hurts 😋 I even talked to my bariatric "team" who just didn't seem concerned. It only added to my anger..to go through all this to lose 4" lbs a month 3 months in and still at 6 months! Where did my honeymoon period go?? Only 80 lbs since starting the pre surgery weight loss portion... 80 lbs in 9 months, that's less than 10 each month! 😠 So yeah, I understand your frustration. I at this point wouldn't be to worried, you retain lots of fluids for several weeks following surgery, plus the standard response you'll read on here is the "your body is going through a lot and could be doing a self check reset reevaluating" at this point. I'd give it at least a month and as long as you're hitting nutritional goals and nothing feels off you'll be fine - (sigh) slow or not..its a downward trend. 😀

I started having back pain after losing 50+ pounds and it lasted a couple months. In my case I started going to a chiropractor for adjustments. I was told as I lost weight, everything shifts and needs to be realigned. My body was used to carrying around over 300 pounds so it stands to reason that my back, hips etc would be out of whack. I also had shooting pains down both legs when I did my daily 2-3 mile walks. It scared me. My chiro worked on those as well. Pinched nerves from being overweight and sedentary sitting. I was waking them up with exercise. I pushed through it all and after about 3 months of adjustments and additional weight loss, my pain is gone. All of it. You mentioned having physical therapy. Not sure if that included any chiropractic help but it might be worth a try. It sure helped me and hoping the same for you.

Stalls are the worst but you will get used to them and congratulations on your great weight loss. This is what I learned to do on holidays. Breakfasts at hotels are an easy choice for us. Plenty of good choices to be had. Look at every restaurant menu, study it and decide what is good for you before you are seated. I imagine there will be a fridge in your hotel room, stock it with protein yogurt, protein bars and protein drinks. Deli meats, cheese and nuts and seeds are good snack options if you can tolerate them. If at any time you get hungry and there is nothing on the menu - a glass of milk or a skinny latte are really good options If the trip involves a long car journey, plan ahead and pack your meals, drinks and snacks in a cool box. Here is where others will chip in and help you for sure. Enjoy your holiday

ok, gonna throw my story on the table...take from it as you will, as a lesson to live by, a cautionary tale, or a personal justification...you choose. pre surgery i was also a weekend warrior, actually, more like a yearly quarterly warrior, lol. i had like a couple drinks every 2-3 months. probably got stupid drunk once a year or less. during weight loss phase (which lasted 7 months) i had maybe 5 partial drinks. i don't think i finished any of those drinks. my first "drink" was 3 weeks post op. I had maybe 2-3 sips of a glass of red wine. it was really weird, i swear i could feel the burning of the alcohol pass down my esophagus, through my stomach and along my intestines. my second drink was about 1 month later (christmas) and it was a very sugary soju-sake drink. again i had maybe 2-3 sips but this one resulted in my second worst dumping experience ever. *shudder*. the next 3 or so drinks were vodka or gin sodas (learned my lesson! less sugar!) ok. now its 2019, im in maintenance and i'm looking hawt and feeling awesome and me and mr. go on a couple vacations and i drink way more than i normally do. but its vacation, right? so its ok. i also took up smoking again after being smoke free for 10 years (but thats another story). now its 2020 and its effing covid, and i, like many others i know started drinking at home (i never did this before, i was always a go-out drinker) ...and now its 2024 and i drink every day. i don't get stupid drunk every day or anything (not that i'm trying to justify anything - i fondly call myself a high-functioning alcoholic), but i do drink every day. its at a point where others (i.e., my doctors and my hubs) are chastising me with the amount i drink. i know i drink too much and its probably doing a number on my health despite nothing showing up on any of my labs or whatever. i quit drinking for a month last year because my son said i couldn't stop drinking for a week. so i know i can stop (or at least slow down) if i really wanted to. trouble is i don't seem to really want to. last year, my OBGYN said i really should stop smoking AND drastically cut down the amount i drink. i told her i'm not sure i could do both, so i made her a deal and said i would stop smoking. i'm proud to say i have been smoke free for 9 months (after smoking for 4 years after quitting for 10, after smoking for 20...say that ten times fast, lol). its been surprisingly easy, but i think its because i can still drink. ANYWAY. i'm hoping to get into a mindset soon to address my drinking problem. i don't doubt my ability to reduce, but i'm not sure i will actually WANT to anytime soon. le sigh. so there you have it. i am the poster child of transfer addiction. despite all this, my weight has more or less remained unchanged (go figure). i continue to stay below goal weight this entire time. ....and i am literally typing this post out with an espresso martini in hand. dont judge me! lol. i am relatively chill about all this so even if you do judge me, i wont take it personally. p.s. oh, i should also mention that i get "affected" real quick and on very small amounts. and i also sober up real quick. this phenomenon is a purely post surgery thing. i needed lots more to get drunk before surgery....although my smaller size now may also be a factor....

1. [Gender] Female     [Age @ Surgery]  29 yo     [Height] 5’5” 2. [Starting] 272 lbs | 7 lb loss  3. [Surgery Day] 265 lbs  4. [1 Month] 245 lbs  5. [3 Months] 226 lbs  6. [6 Months] 210 lbs  7. [11 Months]  166 lbs  8. [Surgery Type] Bypass

Thank you for sharing @n3turner3 your experiences & perspectives on the weight loss & maintenance adventure - excellent advice. How wonderful too you have such a supportive spouse & family who have been by your side through out - it can make such a difference Congratulations on your weight loss & achievements. All the best with the ‘unlimited possibilities’ in your future.

My doctor recommended 60 grams per day of protein, which seems low for my height. I probably need about 75 based on what I have read. It is all I can do to make it to 60. I feel like I am on a low fat keto diet, lol. Thank goodness for the vitamins! I still have not had any labs ordered so who knows. I received a packet from the dietitian recommending 5 small meals (1/4-1/2 cup each) each day. I have noticed that the recommendations differ vastly between different providers. I am supposed to be having regular appointments with my dietician but the appointments are always full so I have had no dietician contact post operatively. She doesn’t even respond to my emails (okay, she did once, two months after I asked a question). In some ways I am relieved that no one has noticed the weight loss, but at the same time I want it to be noticeable, too. I guess 229 looks as huge to the average observer as 289. I look forward to passing from an obese BMI into just an overweight BMI. For my height that will be at 205. Maybe it will be noticeable at that point. But you’re right, you tend to overlook changes on someone you see on a daily basis.

You are right! I shouldn’t stop this negativity I’m giving myself. I’ve been trying so hard to eat what’s my nutrition handbook for the past 5 months. I guess that’s why I’m craving so much other food. I also suspect because I’m in a stall, my body is sending out signal to creat my head hunger. This is my 2nd stall post op and it’s getting harder to break. Changing habit is not easy and my previous life style is not healthy. I loooove food and I believe I am a good cook… I was scared that I will go back to how I eat previously. The root problem is that I need to change my habit and my food choice, and it’s hard. I failed at my first sleeve surgery, and got the bypass now, which it still make me feel horrible. The thoughts of failing again got the best of me. I should be happy I loss 43lbs, and 2 size down on my dress size!

Hi all, I am down mentally. I am done with being away from home. And the body is not get a lot of nutrition. I don’t feel like I’m loosing anything. But haven’t been near scales to weigh. I’ve joined the flat boob club. and have noticed my hair is so much more curlier and bouncy brandy you are doing good.

Love, love, love this advice!! I can personally tell you that you are 100% correct. I was not drinking enough water (i was relying on Coke Zero) which i know actually dehydrates you. I also got into the bad habit of staying up way too late on my phone while watching Netflix so I was not getting enough sleep. My weigh loss stalled. I have now been drinking a lot more water and making sure i get between 7.5- 8 hours of sleep a night. By doing this i have broken the very long stall/very slow weight loss!! I know this is common knowledge about getting enough water/sleep, I just got into very bad habits for a while. I had my surgery 4/12/23 and have lost 82 lbs so i am doing good, but i knew i could do better!

I'm so sorry you are experiencing this!! This isn't a you problem!! If you aren't losing sufficient weight you are either being given poor advice from your nutrition team, poor medical support from your surgeon, or it is possible your body is under significant stress for whatever reason and isn't losing weight. There are rare cases when someone with a sleeve doesn't respond but often those are people who have low starting weights. If they had a high starting weight and don't respond to the sleeve surgery, these people generally end up revised to bypass or a DS/SADI, and then lose weight, but again, that should be a convo being initiated by your surgeon as a future possibility if food modification and medications don't work. Some people take GLP-1 meds to help jumpstart their weight loss if the surgery hasn't triggered it, but again, at the 6 month mark this should be something the surgeon initiates conversation about. You shouldn't be living in fear of your appointments with them. If you aren't feeling supported you might consider getting a second opinion from another bariatric surgeon in the area not affiliated with this practice. I strongly believe in second opinions when talking things like surgery... It may sound like I'm being harsh on your team, but lets be clear. They made a nice chunk of money off of your surgery. You deserve good aftercare!! Some surgeons, like my own, believe that the best way to lose weight in the first 6 months to a year after surgery is through being in ketosis. This involves a good protein intake (60-80 grams with the sleeve) and carbs below 50 total carbs or 30 grams net carbs. You can get pee strips to test if you are in ketosis. Once in ketosis you should go through regular periods when you lose some weight, followed by periods where you lose none as your body stabilizes from the previous loss and recalibrates. If this doesn't happen, I'd definitely be communicating with the surgeon about it! What dietary advice did your team give you? Hydration is important for weight loss. If you aren't able to eat enough calories or drink enough water your body will go into starvation mode like @summerseeker mentioned. This is a huge stressor to the body!! And huge stress will cause weight loss to stop. Sleep is also crucial to weight loss, often more important than exercise. If you aren't getting regular sleep for enough hours per night, this can stall your weight loss. Physical activity of some kind is important, but it accounts for less weight loss than proper nutrition and sleep. And if you are under calories and under hydrated exercise will just further stress out your body.

A little about me. 45-year-old, male. Fought my weight my entire adult life. Chronic IBS. GERD. Heart attack in 2016. Heart disease. Diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in 2022. Fatty liver disease. Metabolic syndrome. Diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos - Hypermobility Type in 1997. Currently have chronic pain in both shoulders and both hips, especially when sleeping. This is due to the EDS. I have SLAP tears in both shoulders as well as partial rotator cuff tears, and frozen shoulder on the right side. Married. Twin 13-year-olds. Quality of life really hit bottom. I decided to take control of my life. I had my first appointment with the Dr back in November. Just had VSG on May 18th. Severe gas pains for about the first 5 hours after surgery. Like really bad. Gave me dilaudid to help with the pain, and it did knock the edge off. I was able to get up and walk, drink a little, and pee. Let me go home about 6.5 hours in recovery. The first nights sleep was brutal. THE HICCUPS! Why did no one tell me about the hiccups?! I was able to wear my apnea mask just fine, but every time I got up to pee (about 5 times total), the hiccups would start almost immediately and last for 30 minutes or more. I was shaking the bed and keeping the wife awake, they were so bad. Also had some mild reflux with a little bit of the foamies (I got those before the surgery when the reflux would flare). 1st day after surgery, much better. Very few hiccups. No nausea. Got all of my fluids and protein in. Even walked about 8000 steps (I would've done anything to make sure the gas pain didn't return). Now I'm on the third full day after surgery, and each day has been better than the last. Still tired. Off pain meds for the entire day today. I can't stomach the clear protein, so I'm drinking full (creamy) protein diluted 50/50 with water. No issues so far. I think I have overdone it with walking too much too soon, because I feel really tired and weak. I'm going to cut the walking down to 5000 steps and see if that helps. My ABS are pretty sore, especially immediately after sitting/laying. They tighten up pretty quick. Still a long road ahead, with 1-2 shoulder surgeries later this year. And I know there's still a long road ahead with my weight loss journey. I appreciate everyone's candidness describing their issues (poop, slime/foamies, etc). I like to know what to expect. No regrets.

I’d ask simply him why. Why he’s removing it & why he wants to do two separate surgeries. Lap bands have dramatically decreased in popularity over the last years & not many surgeons do them any more. Failure, side effects, effectiveness, etc. seem to be the reasons. Some studies say the life span of a lap band is only 7-10 years so you’re at your band’s end of life now. Not all surgeons do the removal & revision in one surgery. Maybe your surgeon is basing his decision on your current health status. Maybe he wants to give you a recovery period between the two surgeries to ensure you’re fully healed. May be he wants to give you time without a weight loss tool to see how you respond in regards to self monitoring your food intake, etc. Just throwing some ideas out there.

totally normal. Also, your weight loss so far is totally normal. I think a lot of people have unrealistic expectations because of shows like "My 600 lb Life" - but you need to remember that those people start out MUCH heavier than the average WLS patient. Most of us seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month. Of course, you'll always find people who lose more or less than that, but most of us seem to fall somewhere in that range. So you're fine. And also, yes, most of us also experience our first stall sometime during the first month or so of surgery. So again, normal.

I totally sympathise. But honestly this sounds completely within normal limits. There's no way you're going to have this surgery, stick to your programme, and not lose a heap of weight. It's just that the loss isn't linear. There are times when you lose half a pound a day (early!) and times when you lose a quarter of a pound a week. And all manner of gains and plateaus and whatever in the middle of that. And you'll be eating much the same and exercising much the same so there's no rhyme or reason to it! I hope you don't get hung up on this - you've already proven that you are losing inches. I truly hope you get to where you want to be asap.

Great advice above. Dr Matthew Weiner is a great resource (you tube videos, books, podcast, website). He does encourage a plant based eating style but you can use it as a guide & for ideas especially around increasing vegetable consumption, ingredient alternatives, etc. I didn’t exercise while losing & still don’t as people define exercise. I do 4 x 5 minute sessions of stretching & resistance bands through out the day. Easier to find 5 minute blocks of time throughout the day versus say an hour + at the gym. It’s called exercise snacking. Though as other have said you probably do a lot of running about with your little ones as it is. And yes, stop using the word diet. It’s so filled with negative connotations like restriction & failure. I started saying I’m not on a diet, I just changed the way I eat from when people started noticing my weight loss. (The usual reaction: Oh, you’ve lost weight. What diet are you on?) It’s does contribute to changing your thinking about food & eating. Go back to the basics when you were losing. Meet your protein & fluid goals. Watch your portions. Protein first, then vegetables & then carbs if you’re able. You can start slow & incorporate one or two changes every couple of weeks. Much easier to adopt than jumping in with both feet. Don’t be afraid to touch base with your dietician, surgeon or therapist if only for support & remind you of anything you may have forgotten or missed. All the best.

I went with the bypass because it had the better chance of resolving my issues with hypertension, cholesterol, and blood sugar, and much better chance of not developing GERD. I also know the 10-year weight loss/regain numbers are a bit better for bypass. And, just a minor consideration, but I felt better not having part of my body removed. I know, I had my intestines rerouted and all that, but my stomach is still in there and somehow that made me have more peace of mind. 2 weeks out today and my recovery has been fantastic. My doctor moved me along to basically a regular solid food diet at my appointment, with just some restrictions regarding excluding beef/pork/lamb and raw veg for a few more weeks. I've had no issues, only minor pain the first few days, and I feel fantastic. I can walk for an hour or more at a time with no problem. My recovery has been much easier than my brother's when he had the sleeve several years back, though not sure if that has anything to do with the surgery type.

Does anybody else not own a scale lol. If you don't own one how did you keep track of weight loss? By clothes?

Hi there!! Thanks for sharing your experience! I will let you know that mounjaro does make my reflux worse!! because it slows down my digestion. It also causes constipation in some people. But if you don’t have these issues it’s good! I have not had it yet but I’m going to get vsg. However I do wish I could get the SADI but my insurance won’t cover that one. I have heard people do so well with the weight loss and reversing diabetes. It’s just expensive without insurance. But would if I had the financial freedom! Bypass is also very successful too! Check out some podcasts like “the skinny truth” or check out Dr. Roller’s instagram. I listen to “Core Bariatrics” and “The Bariatric Grind”! They’re good listens in the car and super informative. Of course following your trusted surgeon’s recs are #1!

I had the menopause in my very early 40's and this surgery at 62. The only things that I have noticed a difference are - My hair had already thinned so I got really worried at one stage and had to cut it really short, I can notice my scalp with wet hair but hide it after styling. - My skin is a mess. I lost elasticity after menopause. I have decided to not have the surgery. It looks too brutal and having to pay myself it would be out of my reach for all the work I would need. I have lost a huge amount of weight and mostly without exercise or having a busy work life. I had a lot of long stalls but I tried not to compare myself with others who were storming along. You will get there in the end, Have a chat with your team. I found it useful.

I just found this website while surfing the internet to see if I was on target for where I should be. I had my surgery on 12/18. As of yesterday, I have lost 60 pounds, which is also halfway to my goal weight. I have no idea how much I should lose by this time. The strange thing is that nobody seems to notice! I have yet to receive a comment about my weight loss and I am literally around about 100 or so of the same people every day. I found recovery from the surgery very easy. I used none of the pain medications or digestion medicines I was prescribed. I have had no reflux or nausea. My biggest issue is struggling to get in enough fluids and nutrients each day. I am usually full by the time I finish my protein, leaving no room for the veggies. Before this I ate few meat products. Now I feel like a carnivore! When will this change? Despite this I am barely meeting the protein goals. An odd thing I did not anticipate is that the health problems that should be getting better have all become considerably worse (sleep apnea, joint pain, allergies). I know this will change at some point, but it is frustrating in the meantime. The other odd thing I have noticed is that the fat is coming off in a completely different pattern than how it came on. At what point will the stubborn belly fat go away? Overall, I am super happy that I did this. I hope to get to my goal.