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I use Baritastic app. It has large food database and barcode scanner. I sync my Baritastic with Renpho scale and Fitbit, so i can track my weight and daily steps. I also track my exercises and bowel movements with it. It has food recipes, timer and reminders for taking Vitamins and Water. Section for tracking BMs has an area for journaling. Baritastic app. is multifunctional and everything in one place. I like its graphics too.

Just checking in. On Wednesday it will be four weeks post surgery. For the last week to ten days I have been in the “stall”. I have just plugged along through the two weeks of puréed food and look forward to shifting to soft food on Wednesday. I can tell my stamina is returning and am comfortable with the loss of weight so far. The scale dropped a pound yesterday so I am hopeful that the stall may be shifting to loss again! 29 pounds gone is still great even with the pause! So far I have not had any foods disagree with me. I also have not had any nausea or feelings of food being stuck in my throat. For all of this I am thankful!

Thank you so much for sharing. I had my surgery over 3 years ago but I love reading stories about others journey. You have done great! Congrats for being in Onederland! I would love to hear about all of the things you can do now! Stick to the basics & you will loose the weight. Don’t even think that one bite won’t hurt because before you know it it will be one bite here & there & then you will be back where you started from. You know how to eat properly now so stick with it!

That's amazing! Congrats. You've lost so much and gained even more! It's terrible that insurance wouldn't cover the procedure since now that you're healthier you will cost them less in the long run, but you have made an investment in yourself, so money well spent!

Just curious about everyone’s experience. I’ve heard there’s a week 3 stall that nearly everyone experiences. I’m just finishing our week 3 and my loss has stalled. Even gained a pound. I assume it’s because of soft foods being introduced.

Thanks. I have lost a bit of weight while I am waiting, but losing weight hasn't ever been the problem, it's keeping it off. I started off really excited and gung ho, but now I just feel deflated and frustrated.

I am 11 months post op gastric sleeve. My highest weight ever was reached in June of 2019 and I was horrified to weigh in at 502 lbs! I didn't believe it and requested the doctor to re-weigh me. That was my first wake-up call. I was suffering from very high blood pressure, debilitating back pain/spasms, knee pain and damage, sciatica, and sleep apnea. I started doing keto and got down to 415lbs. During COVID quarantine, I gained back up to about 459lbs. In July of 2020, I finally decided to take back my life and financed a vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery (out of pocket, since insurance would not cover it). As of yesterday, I'm down to 275 lbs. I have gone from a 6xl shirt to a 2xl. From size 62 pants, to a size 44. I still struggle to see myself as anything but fat from time to time, but it's the Non-Scale Victories (NSVs) that keep me going! My only regret is not doing this sooner. Sometimes I wish I could go back and re-do certain life experiences without the extreme morbid obesity. Here's my running list: - I’m off of all medications (including 2 BP meds). - No more seat belt extension on airplanes - Seats with arm rests are no problem. - Restaurant booths are now no problem - I can fit in an MRI machine (if needed). - I can now walk ANYWHERE without debilitating back pain. - The car steering wheel no longer rubs my stomach. - I can shop in most “regular” stores for clothes. - I no longer worry about a seat being able to hold me (those plastic white ones at weddings are even ok now). - I can use my own step ladder to do things around the house like change a light bulb. - I can sit with my legs crossed. - I can now get down on the floor. - My “love life” has drastically changed/Improved. - too many to list! Notice there is a lot of use of the word “CAN” here? All in less than a year. The little black battery operated box on the floor cannot control me any longer! Yea, it’s still important. But weight is no longer the defining characteristic of my life. Sleeved 7/23/20. HW 502, SW 459, CW 275, GW healthy

So close to hitting 20lbs down. At 3 weeks post-op I’m down 19.6 from my weight prior to the 2 days clear fluids before surgery. (I don’t know my weight on day of surgery as they did not weigh me) I’m not a higher BMI (36.3 pre-surgery) so a little shocking to me that I have lost so much in the first month. I have 100% met (exceeded) my protein & fluid goals. Protein Avg is 88g. So, the question now is when will the infamous stall hit…

Eat more. Get a new scale. I know "eat more" sounds like crazy advice when you're stuck in a stall, but our bodies have an amazing set of defenses...thousands of years of evolution to survive bad harvests and hunting seasons. When we drastically cut calories and move a lot more than we used to....our biology interperates this as OMG, we're starving to death and must be moving more because we're desperately searching for hard to find food!...then your endocrine system goes....Must hit this body with every hormone and defense mechanism possible to STOP weight loss! (there are also a whole bunch of little hormonal changes that can bite you in the ass after a long period of severely restricted calories to "make up" for weight lost and encourage gain...which is why most people have some regain issues eventually) If it were me.....I'd add calories. Something with fiber. Black beans, potato, a smoothie with some spinach and low fat greek yogurt. All of these have protien, but they also boost your gut microbiota and stop the keto that your body might be interpereting as starvation. Crazy internet lady advice....take what you like and leave the rest. All of our bodies work a little different. Find what's best for you.

Just thought I'd post about how this process has gone for me over the past "almost" year as today I crossed a big milestone (at least big to me). 198.8 - which when I think about it - I haven't been this weight since 2007 when I was doing weight watchers and had lost 40lbs. I think back over this past year it's still a little surreal. At this time last year, I was finishing up my insurance pre-reqs of meeting with a nutritionist and therapist for 6 months. I had already started to transition my diet to two protein shakes for breakfast and lunch to prep for my pre-surgical diet. I was nervous, scared and not 100% sure that I wanted to go through with bypass but also beginning to realize that I couldn't lose the weight on my own or I would have already. My surgery was at the end of August and the two weeks of fluids before hand was really hard, but honestly - I was really proud of myself for doing it and grinding through what I couldn't imagine doing before. Those two weeks, to me, helped to set me up for what I could expect after surgery. The day of surgery I almost told my husband to drive me back home. It was my first time anywhere since COVID hit and that alone was kind of terrifying to me. I remember being wheeled back to surgery and the anesthesiologist talking to me and asking me if I was excited. My response, "No. I'm terrified." But he gave my hand a squeeze and kept reassuring me that it was going to be ok and the team was great. Once I got in the surgical room it seemed to have the same kind of vibe - the team was more excited for me than I was. I just don't think I could get my head wrapped around this procedure working. That I would lose weight and that my life would change. I think it all still felt very unreal - even as they put me to sleep. Recovery - overall wasn't the most awful thing but it wasn't great. I ended up in the ER a couple days later due to dehydration. What helped me the most was an abdominal binder that they gave me when I left the hospital. I left this on for about three weeks until things stopped feeling like they were shifting or pulling. While the pain wasn't too unbearable, the reality that drinking, eating and for a short time peeing was a chore. Trying to get enough fluids was hard. Drinking the amount of protein I needed to afterwards was impossible for me. I had to measure out 3oz and a time and set timers throughout the day to help me remember no to drink water for a half hour before and a half hour after. Once I started solid foods it was also difficult for me. Trying to figure out what I was ok to eat (that didn't completely turn my stomach) and learning that crab, tuna, salmon would be my go to food for awhile. Adding in cheeses, eventually chicken and turkey on top of the protein shakes I was still doing. After three months things started to get a little easier for me, my check up with the Nutritionist went well although she wanted me to get my calories way up. So I started to incorporate things with more fat into my diet. Nuts, peanut butter, avocado were just a few things that I started to try. I think it was around this point where I realized, ok... this is starting to work. I was seeing weight come off and while food was a struggle I was walking around the block and having an easier time of it. My breathing was easier, sitting on the couch was easier, my back was hurting less, my clothes were starting to fit better. As time went on I continued to add things to my diet, fruit, veggies, and eventually some carbs. Were there things that did not agree with me, absolutely, but I learned from trying them and adjusted my diet. I waited to buy clothes until about two months ago. I had to go into the store to try on pants because I had no idea what size I was. I fit into a 16 and 14... which blew my mind. At my highest I was a size 24 and even that was tight. I've since ordered a bunch of new things which also helps me to see the difference in weight. Things I still struggle with - drinking enough water. Losing hair - I still have a good amount but had a 2 month stint where I lost a lot. I still am freaking out when I see more than 10 hairs coming out on the brush but I have a ton of new baby hair growing back in. Making sure I'm focusing on eating enough protein and not drinking with meals. Going to the bathroom - it's either all or nothing for me. 😂 I usually weigh in after I go though - seems like a solid strategy in my mind. The things that worked for me: ProCare Health Bariatric multivitamins with Iron (1/day). Their sea salt caramel calcium chews (2.5/day). Biotin gummies - no idea if they helped but considering that I didn't lose soooo much hair I'm just going to keep taking them. And if you're still with me - A big thanks to everyone who posted on here before my surgery. I was definitely a lurker but your stories helped to prepare me and give me confidence as I went through this myself. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now on to celebrate being in ONDERLAND again and I'd still like to lose another 30-40lbs - which I know the surgery won't get me there for the full amount (at least from my doctor's perspective) but I'm going to keep working at it and chipping away to see where I end up.

Looks like you're doing great! It's a stall -- happens to almost everyone, often more than once along the way. It's just your body catching up with the changes. If you stick with your program, you will keep losing weight. There's a lot of superstition around stalls and how to break them (different people will tell you to increase calories or carbs or protein or exercise, and others will tell you to decrease calories or carbs or protein or exercise, or do a pouch reset diet, etc., etc.) but the truth is that all you can do is stick with your program and wait it out. That's why everybody has a different trick to break the stall -- it would have happened no matter what they did, so if they changed something, they think that was what broke the stall. Just be patient and keep up the good work.

Hey everyone. Doing so much better these days. Actually had to go onto the pill to help my hormones level out. Only temp though.. really until I lose the majority of my weight. 43lbs down now and feeling good. Hope you all are doing ok too. Hang in there!

I second going to see a therapist who is knowledgeable about bariatric therapy together. Hopefully that can help you guys communicate and get at the root cause of what his issues with surgery may be, as well as tips for addressing or working through them. It isn't really fair to you if he's getting on you about weight, but then also gets upset when you try and get healthier, especially to the point of giving what sounds like a veiled ultimatum to you. Improving your health is important and hopefully you guys can find some common ground so that taking steps to improve your health doesn't result in the relationship falling apart. Best of luck!

What app is everyone using to track their daily food & weight?

It is normal to have a stall at 3-5 weeks post surgery. I am currently in the middle of said stall. I amd 28 days post surgery. The first few weeks was water weight, these next couple of weeks your body is adjusting to the shock of the surgery and the change in eating habits and amounts. After about week 6 the weight should start coming off again. Here are some additional tips: 1. Check your weight no more than 2x per week. If you need to, put your scale away on "non-weighing days" to ensure that you won't use it. 2. Focus on your HABITS and enjoy the journey. This is not a yo-yo diet. It is not a quick fix. This is your new life. Treat your body with kindness and you'll see what amazing things it will do for you. 3. Remember that weight loss (when graphed) often looks like a staircase rather than a steep slope. Some days you'll lose, others you won't. Don't judge yourself based on those numbers. 4. If you do weigh yourself, make sure that you are also taking note of your measurements. Fat takes up a lot more space than muscle. If you're losing inches and slowly losing pounds, this is often an indication that you are losing fat rather than muscle. If you do notice the dreaded "3 week stall", think of it as a badge of honor, a milestone, and "just a phase". Rather than thinking of your journey being "off course", remind yourself that it is just beginning. Time to enjoy the ride!

Gummybearqueen thanks so much for the info! I am so happy to get it done and start loosing weight! I gained so much weight in the last 6 years that I am ready to look nice and healthy again!!

Probably should have made myself more clear. The program I’m on does full liquids for two weeks after surgery and then you can start with soft foods - whatever can be tolerated. I have started each day with one protein shake (can’t stand them but get it over with early in the day) and then add soft foods the rest of the day. I’ve been doing this for 12 days now. I was really tired, no energy - it suddenly yesterday I woke up feeling great! Not sure if it’s vitamins (started them at two weeks) or being able to actually eat. I had very little pain after surgery so I feel very lucky. I love drinking water and really pushed myself to be able to tolerate as much as possible after surgery so I feel like my intake is pretty good. I’m sort of at the lowish end of BMI for surgery so I know my weight loss will be slower than many but feeling good about where I am right now.

I'm sorry this is happening. Can you discuss what his concerns are? Is he afraid you won't be able to enjoy going out to eat with him anymore? Or that you will leave him once you are thin? Or that you will have a lot of health problems afterwards? Or something else? It might be something to discuss with a therapist who is well-educated about bariatric surgery. If he is unhappy with your weight and unhappy with your efforts to do something about it, it really puts you in a difficult spot.

My partner and I have been having some issues with my weight and how much I've gained in 8years we have been together. He knows I'm due to have a sleeve but is really against me having it and had even said he can't get his head round me having it and could effect our relationship. I really don't know what to do, I really want this to help me live a better life. Sent from my MAR-LX1A using BariatricPal mobile app

Another idea is to do something non-food related. Do you know how many lbs your friend has lost? Could get crafty with it! Maybe a beaded necklace with 1 bead for every lb lost, and then extra beads in a box for your friend to add to their necklace as they continue to lose weight? I'm sure there are lots of cool things you could make to represent their journey!

Hi hi hi. April 2015... still holding at 135 and think I lost muscle and gained fat as my clothes are a bit tigh. Hmm it is a thing. Always a thought and salways work in progress

You look amazing! Glowing and happy. Your before pic, you look beautiful and happy too. Yes I too worry I'm losing weight to fast. I did this surgery because I had sever back pain and a herniated disc. I never want to be stick thin, and I want to be healthy, so I get your fear. The tightness is the restriction, and don't worry it will get better. Two bites also made me full but now at 8 months in, I can manage eating half a sandwich (it takes time though). So it will get better, just hang in there. Some ppl even miss this period, I am not one of those people.

Hi! I had the same concerns preop so I wanted to share my story with you. I have had type II diabetes for 11 years, insulin dependent for 4 years with approximately 6-8 injections per day, and high blood pressure. My surgeon told me that I would be discharged off all insulin/meds and that was a big factor in deciding to get the surgery or not. My PCP however warned me that I may still need insulin and that I may never be off of it completely. It really messed with my head and I almost canceled the surgery. I am 4 weeks post Loop DS surgery and I feel great! The doc discharged me from the hospital on steroids so I continued to take insulin for about 3 weeks post op, but he stopped all oral meds immediately. About a week ago I had my follow up and was told that as long as my blood sugar stays under 160 I can come off the insulin. Amazingly I have not had an insulin dose for 5 days now. As I add foods back into my diet that may or may not change, but I am confident now that I can reach my goal weight and stop feeling trapped by the insulin kit I carried with me everywhere. I have also had to stop my blood pressure meds as they were too strong and I am in normal range. I will say with absolute confidence this is the best thing I have ever done for myself. The biggest struggle I have faced is boredom with the protein shakes, and serious constipation but honestly, small price to pay. I would encourage you to talk to your surgeon and endocrinologist about your concerns because it may not be an immediate fix, and I actually fully expect to possibly need some insulin as I add foods back into my diet. Going forward I am concentrating on low carb high protein meals. I want to encourage you to do as much research as possible, but also let you know that for me, it was the best option to regain control of my health. I wish you luck and if you have any other questions just ask!

My husband is very active, and I was previously very active too, but over the years as I gained weight, I could no longer keep up with him. He and a friend went on a week-long mountain biking trip and while he was away I started plotting my plan to be able to do the trip WITH him the following year. I called a surgeon, and was able to get in for my first class within a day or 2 of my call. When I picked my husband up from his trip, I told him all about my appointment and that I was going to have WLS. He was (and still is!) so supportive and so excited for me! OH yeah...the next year, we went on that mountain biking trip TOGETHER!!! It was during Covid, so we had to modify the route (campgrounds closed), but we did it!!! I looked super cute in my biking outfits too! LOL!!!

I just had surgery on 6/15, I will follow up with my GP with a letter from my surgeon. There are labs to be performed. My BP is already lower from losing pre-op weight and having surgery so I need to see my GP asap. I called the office before I went to vegas for VSG so they know what I am doing.