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Congrats on the progress! One thing: When you say "I hoped that I would be at goal by now, but I'm ok that I'm not.", given that you're not at the one year point, I don't know that this was necessarily a realistic goal. It's not a finite 1-year horizon from surgery. My surgeon told me that by one year out I will have lost the vast majority of the weight I'm likely to lose, but there was no framing it as a time limit or deadline. People lose at different rates, so some will reach their goal months before or months after that 1-year point, and some may never reach it at all. I've seen some wildly optimistic goals mentioned on this forum. I've not been concerned with "goal date", but rather the long-term trend. Am I still losing? Yes. Is it at the same rate it was? Heck no, nor should that be expected. Some people drive straight to the office and some take the scenic route.

Hi, Everyone! I had surgery on Monday of this week. It went well, according to the doctor. I was worried because my weight is higher than most on this site and I was not sure even if I had a smaller liver he would be able to do everything he needed to do with out cutting me open. Besides the worry of my size, I also had a previous hernia prepared and 3 c-sections with a lot of scar tissue. But, clearly he knows what he is doing - thank God! The hospital was rough. I slept most of the time and I could not really identify what pain I was feeling and where. I just felt uncomfortable and nauseous. I still feel both now, but it is just a small fraction of what I felt day one and day two. For the first two days I was thankful that I did not have gas pains, although I did have a big pain on my right side (opposite of my stomach) that was killing me. Well, it turned out that pain was gas! Here I was diagnosing myself with liver infection and wondering if he poked my gall bladder or something - nope, just plain old gas 🙂 Walking has helped with that. I am on clear liquid for a week and full liquid next week. I am having a hard time reaching 64 ounces, but I am doing what I can tolerate. I mixed my protein water with tap water and also sip on just plain water too. I probably should have practiced sipping more. Every time I take a sip, I have to belch and this is without a straw. Good Luck to everyone! I feel really blessed that we are able to tap into this great opportunity!

UPDATE: Ok, so today I'm 36 days out from surgery and down 21.8 lbs since surgery. A little bummed the progress hasn't been better. I expected it would have been more, faster but it's a loss. I'll take it. But since starting my weight loss journey/better eating and preparation for surgery back in March I am down a total of 49.6 lbs, and 8 down for my BMI and 8.8% fat loss total!!! All good things!! Today I also start my "Regular Diet". I imagine it's not gonna be much different from what I've been doing the last two weeks on my SOFT FOODS diet. I worry about not getting in a lot of the servings they claim I should be getting each day. For the SOFT FOOD stage I was supposed to be getting 5 servings of protein/dairy, 2 servings fruits/veggies, 1 serving of starch and 1 serving of healthy fat. I'd say 99% of the time that didn't happen. For example, the suggested/sample menu would say things like: 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast along with 1/4 cup of applesauce. But I was lucky if I got down ONE entire egg. I would cook two scrambled eggs each morning and end up only eating half and saving the other half for lunch. Most times I just tossed the second half cause I wasn't hungry at lunch or didn't have room for it yet in my stomach. Anyway, now on the regular stage I'm supposed to be getting in even MORE: (7 protein servings, 1 dairy, 3 starch, 2 fruit, 2 veggie, 2 fat). Not sure how this is gonna happen. AND I need to stay under 1000 calories a day while still in the losing phase (which that should be easy enough). I have to laugh.......on their sample menu for dinner they suggest 2 oz of chicken, 1/2 cup green beans, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes, 1 tsp margarine. LOL On the soft food stage I was LUCKY if I could get down 4 oz of mashed potatoes in one sitting BY ITSELF. Let alone all that extra food to go along with it. LOL This is definitely gonna be interesting trying to get this done. I also feel like that is a bad example and would prefer to have MORE of the protein and less of the starch. Guess I can when it comes down to it. On a side/good note: I am finally allowed to swim and try doing so as much as possible. Also been doing a lot of yard work. And yesterday I walked several miles OUTSIDE without getting winded or sweating profusely like I normally would. So, I definitely feel changes in that way and am thankful for every one of them. I'm still waiting for official word that frees me to do weights and other exercises. I guess that will come in two weeks when I see the surgeon again. I also have a phone call meeting with the dietician next week. In about two weeks I will take my measurements again (I do it just once a month). I don't feel like there will be much difference but last month I lost 13 inches total overall. Time will tell. Also wanted to add, for Father's Day I went out to a restaurant for the first time since surgery. Husband got some fried pickles as an app and I got steamed shrimp for dinner. I had 4 of his pickle chips as I waited for my dinner and when it got there, I could only eat 4 shrimp out of the pound they brought me (LOTS of leftovers). LOL WAY different dining experience than I'm used to. It sucked in the way that I was full and done so soon in the dining experience. I had to just sit there and do nothing as I waited for him to finish. Next time out I'll not nibble anything before my actual meal and just try going even slower. LOL

Just wanting to share my story and current status at 1 year in. I started the journey in June of 2020 after considering it for years. Having surgery was something that was in the back of my mind for years. I have a co-worker/friend who had gastric bypass about 3 years before me and quite honestly, she is the reason I ended up taking the plunge - Gastric Sleeve was the best choice for ME. Watching her journey and seeing her success motivated me. I appreciated the fact that she was willing to share her experiences both positive and negative. Prior to my meeting with the surgeon, she gave me a ton of insight on what to expect with both positives and negatives. Physically, I knew I was ready for a change. I needed to make sure I was also mentally ready for the change. I WAS! I started with a BMI > 40. I'm currently 80% complete towards my goal. I hoped that I would be at goal by now, but I'm ok that I'm not. Much of that is based on decisions that I've made with regards to how/what I eat and drink. I WILL get these last 20 off and hopefully another 10. I don't know how long it will take, and at this point, I'm not overly concerned if it takes another year. What's my life like now? I can move better,I can buy clothes anywhere, I'm confortable in my own skin (loose that it is!), and I have a newfound confidence in most everything that I do. I eat pretty much anything I want - Just in much smaller quantities. I've been lucky - So far, there's nothing that really upsets my stomach or makes me sick unless I eat too much (has only happened a couple of times). I drink alcohol when I want it - Some weeks I may have a drink or two a day, and then other times, I'll go weeks without a drink. Again, I'm ok with that - it works for me. Some weeks I gain, some weeks I lose. I've been horrible about tracking - However, if I see a gain, I start back just so that I become aware of exactly what is causing it. Again, OK with that. I DO get on the scale often. It works for me. Keeps me accountable. Every once in awhile I get frustrated with the restrictions (OMG, I ordered veal piccata the other day and it was AMAZING - I wished I could eat the whole darned thing at one sitting!!) - However, I choose to look at the upside now on this one - I ate it for 3 days!. Good food choice: NOPE - Worth it: YEP! For those just starting the journey, it isn't always easy - it isn't always fun. For ME, it's the best decision I've ever made for myself. It's definitely not a quick fix and I would encourage anyone who is using food as a coping mechanism to really look deep before you take the plunge. This surgery certainly doesn't "fix" anything like that. it's a tool (and a great one, but remember, the change is only to your stomach, not your brain) - I happen to be one of those people who just loves food, cooking, and the social aspect of it. Having the surgery has allowed me to continue that and still keep me in check with smaller portions. Hope this gives folks some insight into what CAN happen. We're all different and will have different experiences.

I was initially put on Metformin like 10 years ago for PCOS and Insulin Resistance. The endocrinologist told me it would help me lose weight. Well initially it did. And when I say initially I mean it helped me lose about 35 lbs the first year. THAT WAS IT!! It has NOT helped me in any other way since. NOT with appetite, not with anything. In fact, I'm guessing it didn't even help with the insulin (or eventually stopped working as well for it) because I eventually did become Type 2 Diabetic. Or I at least reached that status ONCE during my pre testing for surgery back in like April. First and only time I ever hit numbers OVER the borderline with my A1C. Anyway, neither my surgeon or my family doc officially called me diabetic. I guess instead they were just waiting to see what surgery did/does for me plus it was only once that my number went over the borderline. I will have a full panel of blood work done again at the end of Aug/beginning of Sept at which time my doc will see about reducing or taking me off of Metformin. He also will tell me if he's gonna knock my BP meds down again or cut them out all together. For years I have had issues with having to run to the bathroom often after eating and I'm wondering if the Metformin hasn't been responsible for that? It seems to have happened more often when eating things heavier in carbs. Who knows. My surgeon said my gallbladder looked good and healthy during surgery so I'm guessing it's not that.

it's a stall. Most of us experience several of them along our way. The bump up in weight is almost certainly due to water retention or intestinal content rather than true weight since you're in calorie deficit. Give it a couple of days and that weight increase will probably be gone. as for the stall, they typically last 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you're not going off-plan, the stall will eventually break and you'll be on your way again.

Yesterday was the first day since surgery where I had a 'good' food day. Everything I ate was tolerated well. I got in my liquids. I had a nice diverse meal day...egg and greek yogurt with strawberries in the AM, chicken salad at lunch, homemade crab cake for dinner. Get on the scale this morning and up .8 of a pound. Really? Sooo frustrating because I had so many bad food days in the last 2 weeks during pureed and early soft food stages....learning about so many new intolerances (lactose being the biggest of them) and then I have a great food day and...weight gain.

Welcome! Congrats on your weight loss so far. I can't answer if surgery is too painful because I haven't had surgery yet, but I know some people have more pain than other people. I've been preparing for surgery for five months and I'm ready for it to be "over" too! But it's never really over, it's a lifelong journey. I know what you mean; I'm ready for the surgery to be over - I'm so nervous about that part!

I'm sorry you're going through this. Stalls do happen and they can be very frustrating and disheartening. It's possible you're not getting enough liquids or enough protein. But you may be losing inches. Are you taking your measurements? You may be doing everything right and just be in a stall (gaining a pound could just be fluid retention or lack of a BM that day - not a true weight gain). If it keeps up for a while, reach out to your nutritionist and discuss. I would also keep a food log or track your calories and liquids on an app so you can discuss with your nutritionist. Good luck!

Your weight is basically meaningless for the first few weeks. You just went through a major surgery and your body is catching up with the changes! It is virtually impossible to gain actual body weight right after surgery (weight fluctuations of a few pounds are very normal and usually just related to water retention), so right now, you need to focus on healing and getting enough water and protein. You might even want to stay off the scale for a while so you don't stress out about it needlessly. A lot of people just weigh in once per week so they don't see those fluctuations. You're doing great -- just stick with your program and you'll keep losing.

I had my first Dr. visit last week, and I am in the beginning phase of the process. I came across your forum and it has some great info and advise. I am having my bypass surgery to help with my Barratts esophagus and GERD and repairing my hiatal hernia. I was told that this is the best route after talking with two doctors. Losing weight and possibly getting rid of my sleep apnea is a wonderful benefit also. looking at the end of August, first week in Sept for my surgery. I have no true worries, I just have to follow directions and learn what my limits may be. Keep the good and bad info coming. I know each one of us is different, and have different struggles before, during and after the procedure.

I had RNY in 2002. Old school style. And I fought for my life in 2015.. I'm pretty stable right now but hate what I've done to myself and hate being sick all the time. I'm still fighting to get about 20lbs off of regain while fighting malnutrition arms deficiencies. I get sick all the time after eating or if I don't or can't eat. I'd love to make internet friends with someone who understands too. Sorry I have never posted on a blog before and hit something that made this post before i was done..I had gastric bypass rouxny in 2001. I was 260 at a height of 5'4". I had 3 young children and was ashamed to go most places they wanted to go..camping, amusement parks, flying etc due to my being obese and having the comorbidities that go with it such as ankle, knee, joint pain from the weight my legs were carrying and shoulder/neck pain from the set of boobs I was carrying. I went in to see the surgeon in November 2000. I weighed 240 and didnt have the BMI i should have to qualify for bypass surgery to be covered by my insurance. The doc said "you came at a great time! It's the holidays go home eat whatever you want and come back to see me after the first of the year" So I did and I gained the 10 pounds i needed plus another 10 pounds. I was qualified for surgery. I had to pass a basic psychological exam which I told the truth at(i was doing it to enjoy having fun with my kids and get healthy not for vanity)Do you know back then they didnt tell you that you needed to drink protein shakes or take supplements the rest of your life. I know you are not believing me right now but its true. Thats why I would like to talk to anyone who had the same surgery same year I did. I adjusted to my new life of eating 2 oz of baby food, had the diararrhea all the time when i ate something i wasnt suppose to. All the normal things they still can not change. Gastric bypass is not a "cheaters program" it is a lifestyle adjustment not only for you but for your family also. I had just lost my way I expressed my emotions all my life at 33. I felt like I lost my best friend. I didnt know how to replace it so i ended up with alchohol addiction for 5 straight years of my kids most precious lives that I had this surgery to enjoy with. Totally f****d up I know. Then I became addicted to pain killers..then some street drugs..you see where all this is going right? I was the perfect goal weight of 140 why wasnt I happy and enjoying my family? Fast forward from 2002(it took me a year to lose the weight and have abdominal plasty) to 2016. My kids are grown now and my husband took a job over 12 hours away from my family and the only "real live" friends I knew. Something broke in me that I started exhibiting physically. From April -August just 5 months I was down to 93 pounds hadnt eaten by mouth in 5 months because I was now consitpated instead of diararrhea and when i couldnt put anything more down I stopped eating. For 2 years i was labeled as "failure to thrive". Any specialist be gastroenterologist to neurologists to psychiatrists could not figure out what was wrong with me. I literally had every test done possible in those 2 years. Finally I was sent to a gastric bypass surgeon who said "this is why they dont do those surgeries anymore" Well hello did someone notify me a patient who had been through it that progress had been made and things were totally different now? ABSOLUTELY NOT. to be continued...

I am 3 months post op and I am just now starting to workout. Dr didn’t clear me for a while due to some abdominal pain I’d been having. Im eating a protein shake in the am, deli roll ups with cheese and veggies for lunch, chicken for dinner with veggies. I consume almost NO CARBS. I do about 30-45 minutes on the elliptical and I also walk a 2.25 mile bridge by my house. (3 times a week minimum) Sometimes i do the weight machines but I’m easing into that. And Im NOT LOSING A POUND. Been at a stall for 3-4 weeks now. I’ve actually gained a pound which blows my mind because im definitely in a calorie deficit. Anyone else experience this when they started working out? Words of encouragement? Advice? Tips? Please please please help!

Howdy y'all! I'm so sorry I haven't been keeping up on here, things have been a whirlwind! Here I am 6 months post op and some days I can't believe the number on the scale. Guys, I found a journal I kept in high school, maybe junior-ish year and I had noted my weight in the nurse's office from beginning of school weigh in at 256lbs...as I sit and write this, this past week I weighed in at 255.7lbs. I haven't been this light since high school...we are talking uhm....maybe 16 years old, maybe 17? That boggles my mind. My surgeon's goal for me is 193, mine is probably closer to 140-150 if I can get my lazy ass off the couch. It is now summer in Texas and guys, I HATE Texas in the summer, it's like living in hellfires. My dog hates it, I hate it, it's a bad time all around. So now that I've enjoyed being lazy for 6 months(not counting some hiking we did this past spring) it's time to nut up and get my **** together. I am paying money for my Fitbit premium and I have a Wii fit game I really enjoy just lately we have been so slammed at work and so, SO shortstaffed I feel like I live at work and just come home to sleep...My days off are usually spent overwhelmed with how far behind I am with housework, schoolwork(started vet tech school back in February when I had hope), house is filthy, schoolwork hasn't been touched for almost 2 months(I'm doing an online only program) and I am always so tired. But that changes now. Boundaries for how late I stay at work will be set(the clinic closes at 6pm, most techs and doctors leave between 6:30-7pm, for the past I don't know how many weeks the receptionists have had to stay till close to 9pm to finish tasks that we just don't have the time/staff to get to while we are open. So if any of you have been nasty to your vet(and I'm sure some of you have been because people lately have sucked hard ass) you should probably by your vet clinic people food or alcohol...but that's a rant for another day. ANYWAY, back to the matter at hand, my crappy eating and lack of movement. I'm on the band wagon of the "I can have whatever I want in moderation" group but I'm sick of stalling so frequently and my crap food choices so first order of business is to trash the sugar. I know, it's BAD, I know, I quit it prior to surgery and it inched its' way back into my life...time to kill it for good...it isn't even the same "high" I got before surgery it is basically just a habit, my brain tricks me into thinking this time it will be tastier, like it was before that it will make my exhaustion ease some and guess what? It doesn't. It lies. I eat it and I'm still miserable. Step 1: kick sugar to the curb...again. Step 2: Develop some sort of exercise routine that I can enjoy enough to make into a habit, key word is ENJOY. I ENJOY hiking-but preferably in drizzly 40-50 degrees and certainly not in 95 degrees...also, I am inherently lazy even though I KNOW exercise makes me feel good if it is something I enjoy doing. It's gonna be trial and error, but I need to get into shape, going on vacation in the North Carolina mountains in September and I remember what the elevation is like and I am NOT where I need to be to fully enjoy the trails I wanna go on. I digress from most of this, I'm sure some of you are here to see what the last 6 months have been like and if I have regrets etc. The first 2 weeks after surgery physically wasn't the worst thing ever, did it suck? Absolutely, especially when I found out the hard way that while I LOVE my adjustable bed it was to high off the ground for me to get in and out without having to stretch my body...imagine me trying desperately to get my feet to get the floor and sliding while laying on my back but that doesn't work because that stretches my abdomen---and it HURT, well it burned/stung/something and it made me cry a little. Lesson learned, my happy ass slept on my MUCH lower couch for the 2 weeks and I learned to pull myself up to sitting positions from laying down or standing from sitting with nothing but my arms. Each day was gradually better, went to work 2 weeks post op, sitting up straight(not reclining or on an angle but like sitting with decent posture) put tension on my abdomen and work for the 2 days I worked before I had off for Christimas(previously asked off) were exhausting as was my commute to and from work which is an hour each way. However, after coming back from Christmas break(a 5 day reprieve) it was much better and I didn't have much if any problems after that. I don't know if my surgeon is extremely skilled at getting the gas out after they were done with the surgery but I had zero gas pain, just the incisions pulling and burning. No nausea except a little when waking up from surgery and maybe a couple of days post op. Biggest struggles so far: eating the best choices with my work schedule, with my hair loss that was inevitable I did incorporate protein shakes to help make sure I am getting the minimum amount--I shoot for 2 shakes a day, sometimes I make that sometimes not. Water intake. This has been the single hardest thing for me, as someone that routinely drank 100+oz a day and enjoyed flavored waters to struggle to get in around 44oz has been a huge bummer. Exacerbated by that is my stomach is not a morning stomach and has been known to be extra nauseous when I give it water in the morning and it hasn't woken up enough-granted that is me in a nutshell since I am not a fan of mornings but still, really annoying...especially when it tolerates my Java Monster just fine(yes, I drink one a few times a week, just no bubbles). Most flavors of water taste like fake fruit chemicals and I can't really tolerate them for the most part but I did find a couple of products to help minimize dehydration: Hoist which is a premade flavored beverage that touts itself as "IV level hydration" and was apparently made for soliders on the battlefield. I also found Banana Bag powder, basically it is what you would find in a banana bag for iv fluids. The WHO has recognized it as being used for dehydration, decently priced, I stumbled on it on Amazon and loved I could try it by only buying 5 packets or 15 or 30. It is not the tastiest thing, I would say expect it to taste like a VERY salty lemon lime gatorade--MILD hints of the lemon lime. Luckily it is made to be mixed in only 8-10oz of water so it isn't a huge chore to drink it. I look forward to trying it to keep my dehydration migraines at bay when I do hike later this year because those are quite possibly the worst things ever...I KNOW to get rid of it I have to drink but a lot of times at that point I hurt so bad I'm not even thirsty...yuck. Anyway, I have rambled enough, i plan on getting on the forums more to hopefully kickstart my restart on food and exercise and hopefully help others with their journeys. Until next time-could be a couple of days, could be a solid 6 months, Amanda

The more weight you lose before surgery, the better. I think most people do a food funeral or two...a big goodbye to something they love....but it's actually pretty silly. I've eaten pretty much everything I've ever eaten, just much smaller amounts and a lot of it I don't like as much anymore. Have a food funeral or two...but don't go crazy. Stick to your diet as much as possible. I never did bed rest. LOL. Not even the day of surgery. Day I had my surgery, I walked over a mile in the halls of the bariatric wing. I pretty much got back to life. Lay in a supply of your favorite protien drinks, sugar free jello, bone broth, tea, Mio...stuff you can have right after surgery.

Gosh this really pulled at my heart. Not the same, but a while back I managed to lose around 30 lbs and had saved enough money for lipo... but the surgeon I was recommended to wouldn't even do it. He said I needed to lose another 20 or so pounds. I was around 200 lbs then. After the months I put into it, it seemed he dismissed me in minutes. It was probably the most depressed I have ever been about my weight. I just cried and cried. The work I already did just felt so little. Needless to say I spiraled and gained all my weight back plus another 50 lbs. Now I am working so hard just to get back to 200lbs. My only words for you is not to give up. Try hard not to live in self pity and shame for too long. It took me 3 years to crawl out of that space and try again. The difference is WLS is soo much more work than lipo. You already committed to this much, you can try again! Maybe with a different surgeon...

You’re not gaining. You’re likely in a stall. This will happen. Search this site for stalls or Google them. I have been losing and gaining the same two pounds for a week. The stall will break and you’ll be on your way. Patience is key.

Hi all new here. Had gastric sleeve surgery on June 7th. Dropped 27 lbs. Started puree on June 19th. I've gained 3lbs back. I don't get it. I'm eating 600-700 calorie a day and walking 3/4 of a mile a day. Anyone else experience this . Thanks

I took metformin for PCOS and I didn’t have an appetite either! It definitely helped me to lose weight bc if no appetite.

I gained some. I was afraid I was going to be one of the people who had a hard time eating certain things afterwards but that is definitely not the case. In fact my husband and I went to roadhouse to celebrate my father (who has passed away) on Father’s Day and we split a cheeseburger. I am three and a half months out and I ate half of my half (a quarter) and was stuffed to the brim but I didn’t have any issues with the hamburger or the bread even. Any yes I know that bread is not a good choice in the losing phase but this was a one time thing (we never eat out) and I skipped a snack to make up for the calories.

One month post op June 17th and down 30 pound. Was ashamed to say I was 300 pounds starting weight and now I'm 270 I don't feel like I look different but people say I look like I've lost weight.

Does anybody ever gain a little weight before surgery ? Mine is going up and down .

I'm still 2-4 months away from meet gastric bypass dr im ready for this to be over so I can have my surgery I'm down 20 pounds on my own but I still need to loss a lot more weight any tips for after surgery is it really painful Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Other July Surgery People!😊👋 My VSG surgery is booked for July 26th. I have met with the nutritionist, done my bloodwork & next I have to get clearance from my cardiologist (murmur & hypertension). My pre op class is on the 6th, it will be nice to hopefully meet some other people getting surgery there. Then on the 19th I see my endocrinologist (PCOS, hashimoto/hypothyroidism, pre-diabetes). In the next few weeks I will continue to research & plan for the surgery and the food plans. I like watching YouTube videos of other people who have gone through the surgery, and looking at recipes or shopping lists. I started journaling, habit tracking, and logging my food (which I still need to get more consistent with). I might start replacing one meal a day with a protein shake. Definitely need to work on getting more water in! I have not really told many people of my surgery plans, yet. I am totally fine with being open about it, but my weight is my least favorite subject, so I just haven't felt like sharing with everyone just yet. Wishing everyone the best on this amazing journey we will be on! 🤗 It will be great to hear everyone's updates as they go through the different stages of this process. It is nice to have other people to be in this together with. 😁