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I picked my goal based on the lowest weight I’d ever reached before too - my bounce weight range. 60kgs & BMI of about 23. Reached that at 6 months & then lost another 11/12kgs over about another 11 months. The weight loss just continued to get slower. No stalls in that time, but the trend was still the same pretty smooth & even trend I experienced in my first 6 month weight loss. Just more up & down when I was starting to stabilise at around 50kgs I struggled to find that caloric balance to stop losing. Just trying to eat larger portions & then eat more frequently was hard but over that year I eventually got to about a recommended portion size for most foods. I was eating 4 or 5 snacks a day on top of three meals by the end. Now I eat about 3 snacks & 3 meals & I’ve been maintaining for almost a year at about 49kg (generally fluctuate between 48.5-49.5) & a BMI of just under 19. I know a lot of people have issues about BMI but I always look at it as a guide. Higher end of healthy range for large frames, lower end for smaller frames. Taking in the needs of our bodies is also important as is how muscular we are. Some people just sit happily at a BMI above the healthy range - their body seem to function better. We also carry our weight in different ways too. You can look at two people with similar height, build & weight but one can look slim & the other bony. I was always told I had a larger frame. Once the weight was gone it was obvious I don’t. When I was nearing 50kgs, my surgeon & doctor wanted me to get back to about 54kgs but they’re fine now & happy I’m healthy & maintaining. As one said: you’re actually really quite tiny aren’t you. It’s still can be a freaky I’m the size I was at about 12.

Do you feel like you have enough energy to go back to work? My sleeve is 10/11 and I’m just planning on taking a week off and then half days the 2nd week - also work from home. I’m worried that I won’t have enough energy. Good luck with going back next week. Let me know

I gained weight during my pre op thanks to the inept nutritionist. I lost 18lbs the first month on my own diet and he insisted what I was doing (low carb) was wrong and not sustainable long term. I followed his plan to a T and just kept gaining and gaining. My surgeon told me I could stay the same weight but not gain, so I ended up going 1-2 days a week with zero food just to be sure I’d keep my weight the same for weight ins for pre op. It was a horrible experience and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I was accused of lying about my food intake, had my phone ripped out of my hand while the nutritionist went through my fitness pal trying to find something to throw in my face on what I was doing wrong. He concluded my weight gain was due to the protein bar I was eating for breakfast because he didn’t know the macros (it was on my tracking app and I showed him the physical bar in my purse). Instead, he said I must eat quest bars that were higher cal and less protein. Talk about an eye roll. My last visit with him ended in him telling me I was lying about having a surgery date and me almost leaving in tears.

I’m sorry you’re feeling this way @SleeverSk. Your surgeon, doctor & medical team really should have discussed your lifestyle & how the surgery might impact it with you so you would have been better informed - it is your body & your life. I’m sorry you weren’t better prepared by your team. The first couple of months can be challenging - a restrictive diet, changed eating habits, fussy tummy, hormonal changes causing emotional upsets, etc. & your body just not letting you do what you want to & used to do. But a lot of the things you’ve mentioned like chewing & sipping do get better. You won’t need to chew, chew chew forever. (I never did at all.) Will you need to still eat slowly & take smaller bites? Yes. But how large a bite & how much time you will take to eat is individual. (I still eat slowly & take small bites but some of that is my choice.) Like some people can go back to gulping fluids & taking multiple sips at a time. Some not so much. (I’m a 2 mouthful person.) My tummy gurgles but not all the time. I find it happens more after I eat dairy or if I put pressure on my chest (like my iPad resting on my chest when I read in bed). It’s not uncommon for people to experience changes in their taste &/or smell after surgery But this is a short term affect. Cutting some foods out of your diet for a period of time may make you more sensitive to them like sweet things may become too sweet. Some develop food sensitivities or intolerances like to lactose. Oh & yes you will becoming more regular with your BMs as you start to eat more & a broader range of food types. Add some soluble (non swelling) fibre to your diet to help in the meantime. Will you go back to eating exactly the same way you did before? No. But do you want to? I mean look where that got you before. Part of this process is examining your food choices & making better, more nutritious choices so you can enjoy a healthier life. Does that mean you’ll never eat pizza, burgers, ice cream or whatever you enjoyed? No. Many do eat foods that would be considerate less nutritious, high fat, high sugar, etc. It’s just not every day or every week & yes, portion control is important. Working out how you manage your eating (when & what) does take time. There are many people in this forum who work long hours, night shifts, etc. in a range of occupations & they have devised eating routines that complement their job demands & limitations & lifestyles & still meet all their nutrient needs. It just takes time. I frequently freeze single serve portions of meals I make & leftovers. Makes it easy to grab a meal out of the freezer & reheat at work or on those occasions you don’t feel like cooking. The surgery isn’t a magical fix. Changing a lifetime of habits isn’t easy. And life often throws a truck load of crap at you at times. It’s why some regain part or most of their weight back. I doubt anyone on this forum would say it is a totally easy journey though some find aspects smoother than others but we’re different people. Most are positive because when they reflect on all their experiences they see how it’s made their life better & decide it was worth the hard work & any challenges or struggles. I certainly do. I hope you can find peace with your surgery & feel more confident about managing the changes soon.

I had surgery last Tuesday the 14th and took the remainder of that week and all of this week off. I return Monday.

Hello all! Long-time listener, first-time caller. I had my sleeve surgery on Wednesday, so I’m on day 4 post-op. Gas pains subsided after the 2nd day. Of course I still have surgery pain, but it’s pretty mild. BUT, the gurgling is so annoying! My entire insides gurgle, and I’m having a hard time getting all of my liquids down. Also, how long did y’all take off work? I took 3 days off, and since I work from home, I said I would work half-days this coming week.

I went through a 2 .5 week Stall where it seemed the scale froze at my 3 week phase, it finally broke with a 5 lb loss over night

Amen to that. As I've written previously, most people would recoil in horror at what and how I've eaten following surgery, as it violates all of the normal "rules" for successful weight loss surgery... but I'm 14 months out from surgery and hit an alltime adult low weight this morning. I've reset my target goal twice now. It appears OP, that you and I have very similar frame sizes, starting weights and goals weights. My high adult weight was approximately 410. My original weight goal as discussed with my surgeon was 250. I'm not sure what your age is, but I'm 55 (taking early retirement next week in fact). I've been exceeding the daily caloric goal written in the surgery manual since about day one (but not excessively so), and well exceeded the target fluid intake goal. Fluids were never a problem for me. I would say it's far too soon to try to assess success or failure. See if your weight loss continues as you progress through the food re-entry phases. You'll be able to better gauge your progress. IMO it's the long-term trends that matter as opposed to week-to-week loss.

I feel your frustration and worry. I just came off a 3 week stall. I think I was emotionally surprised I still have to work so hard at loosing weight. My mind knew the surgery was one tool, my emotions thought the first six months would have the weight slip off like water. I woke up and realized I still need to truly work it! The difference with WLS, when I try hard 2-4 lbs comes off versus 1/4 lb. I applaud your move to reconnect with the weight loss community. Maybe your dietitian can help? Does your weight loss center have a group to meet with? That helps me stay on track too.

This is for those who have lost more than the weight required to hit the top of the “normal” BMI (I know - BMI is awful - but it’s a measurement that everyone is aware of). I hit the top of my normal BMI by 6 months post-op and have lost more since then (which I wanted to). I did not have any stalls until I got down a few lbs below the top normal BMI. I had selected 145 as my original goal because that was the lowest weight I ever achieved as an adult (through weight watchers) but have since adjusted to 135 (and quite frankly, feel like with my belly I could even adjust lower, although I think plastic surgery will be needed to really get things where I want). However, it’s been discouraging as I’ve definitely been dealing with 2-3 week stalls now - then lose for a week or two then repeat. I had a stall since the beginning of the month and then yesterday when I did my weigh-in I was down almost 4 lbs! Now, 3.75 lbs seems like a LOT to lose in a week at this point - not time wise as I am only 8.5 months out but given where my weight is - haven’t lost that much in a week in a while (and while I normally only weigh weekly I did check it again this morning to ensure that it was a real loss and it was). For those who have gotten below the top normal BMI, how was the weight loss once you got past that top normal BMI? Was kind of expecting only to lose a couple of lbs a month from here on out but seems like that may be a low guess? Just trying to get an idea mostly from a mental perspective - as I said, the stalls have been discouraging, although I know I was fortunate not to have a single one until I got below the normal BMI. I had a couple of weeks in the 3-5 month range where I only lost .5-.75 lbs but none where the scale didn’t budge like it has a few times lately.

I have three weeks of post-op liquid diet and am almost two weeks through it. I'm allowed to have unflavored Greek yogurt, skyr, and sugar-free fat-free puddings on my "liquid" diet and I find those help a lot. Also, warm savory things help—phở broth, miso soup, chicken broth. And the Fairlife nutrition shakes that taste exactly like chocolate milk seem to assuage my hunger. It is better now than it was immediately post-op, for what it's worth.

Stop weighing yourself every day. So many things can alter your weight between 2-5 lbs. Maybe you're less dehydrated. Maybe you've got hormonal changes ("that time of the month"). Maybe you ate more salty stuff than usual. Weigh every week and make sure you're measuring yourself, too.

I work from home taking phone calls. My Dr gave me 3 weeks off and I took one week off pto. I had extreme dizziness, and it finally cleared up this week. I'm 4 weeks po and just started back to work 2 days ago. I don't have pain but I have no energy. Sent from my SM-G991U using BariatricPal mobile app

From what I read on the boards, it seems like a lot of people have a stall at around 3 weeks so I think that's normal (?)....but I'm sure it's frustrating!!! Just continue to keep up with your proteins and water, etc,

Definitely speak with your nutritionist. Are you tracking EVERY bite, even tastes while cooking add up. That was a big one for me. It may just be a dreaded stall. During stalls, your body is catching up. While you may not lose pounds, you may lose inches as things redistribute. Stick with it, it'll work out if you follow the instructions of your nut and keep exercising. Sounds like you're doing a great job!

Congrats on your surgery. I'm 12 days out and yes, the first week was miserable! I'm now feeling so much better. Drinking is easier, moving is almost back to normal, and I'm still really tired, but I'm generally feeling human again.

Physically I could have gone back to work after a week (desk job), but I found that the first week(s) it’s quite hard to get your water in AND figure out some kind of eating schedule, so I was very happy with the 3 weeks I took.

I work construction and hard labor I waited until the mrs. Annoyed me and c ouldnt take it now more. 3 weeks. And didn't do n o climbing of scaffold for 3 weeks after returning. Desk job I would have went back after a week get a routine down first health before work Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

How are you getting on? Also had surgery on 15th a little tired, hard to drink all the liquids - mainly thin soups, yoghurt and broth with some protein shakes. 1 more week for me before soft foods.. looking forward to the next stage!

Hey all, Coming up on 5 weeks po and just started back exercising at F45. I definitely need a good protein shake post work out but I find EVERYTHING is disgustingly sweet now. Does anyone have any recommendations for less sweet flavoured or unsweetened high protein shakes? I have tried the atkins one 🤢, bodiez protein water 🤮, musashi 🤮🤮, Coles perform whey and pea 😑🤢 and unflavoured wpc from Coles 🤢, as well as the boomers wpi (once I got used to it, was kind of the best but still fairly gross). I just don't want to buy a huge packet and not be able to stomach it!

So, I'm 11 days post-op and I'm stuck on the liquid diet for another week. I am constantly hungry. I was told this would fade - does it ever?

I am 10 weeks out and really struggle to eat. Nothing is appealing. I know I am loosing weight to fast and I can't even eat just to eat it's crazy. Unlike the rest of you my mind is consumed with thoughts of food constantly. I keep thinking you have to eat etc. It's a struggle.

I am 10 weeks post op and regret it deeply. If you are loosing weight on your own stick with it. Once the surgery has been done there is no going back. I firmly believe unless people have serious life threatening illness this should not be done. I want my stomach back !! I am struggling physically and most of all mentally. I would happily take back the weight I have lost to be normal again and loose the weight the conventional way

My bypass was September 2, I lost 12 lbs in the first two weeks, nothing more since. Kind of worried I’m not doing something right.

There is no one right way to recover. There is no only one right plan or only one right calorie goal, protein goal, etc. There’s no specific minimum time frame to eat a meal or drink a cup of liquid. There are, however, generalisations, averages, some can, some can’t, etc. things. We’re all different & have different needs & are able or unable to manage different things at different stages. If your body can manage it without causing you discomfort or pain you’re ok. Your body will tell you pretty quickly what is too much, too fast, what it likes, what it doesn’t, etc. You’re following the plan your surgeon gave you so all is good. My surgeon considers each patient’s starting weight, health status, weight loss history, etc. when assigning plans. My post surgical plan & recommendations had similarities but also differences to what a friend who was also a patient of his had. Our pre surgery diets were different too - mine keto & hers shakes only. We’re not the same people so it makes sense our plans weren’t exactly the same & neither were our experiences but we both reached our goal weights. There will be times you may stall or lose more one day or over one week & less the next. As long as the general trend month to month is downwards you’re golden.