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I sincerely believe that we, as consumers of weight loss surgery, because we are or were grossly obese; need to be our own best supporters, and we need to advocate for ourselves, because no one else is going to do it for us. That means for me: 1. Find out everything about each possible surgical procedure and find the one that you can LIVE with - not the one that a particular surgeon likes to perform, or the one that your neighbor had, or the one that has a girl on Tic Toc. Or the one that a TV surgeon does. 2. Weigh the risks and benefits of each surgery and add in your PERSONAL medical and mental health history, support systems, possible issues 10 months out and 10 years out. 3. Work on the mental health part of it BEFORE surgery. Surgery only fixes tummies and intestines; not mindsets, and we should NOT expect it to have any effect on depression, anxiety, or anything else. And those of us who obsessed about being overweight will continue to obsess about it, or how imperfect we still may be. 4. Most people, who have a particular surgery expect to be "cured". Unfortunately this is not always the case. Just like treatment for any physical illness, not every medication works for every person , and not every surgical procedure for weight loss surgery will fix every patient who has it. That does not mean giving up. It means being stubborn and going back to your doctor or finding a different one and figuring out the next step. Be PRO-ACTIVE in your own care. Pre -Op, Post Op, and 10 years or 20 years down the line. Just MY thoughts today

Even on the purée phase if you stick to the portions on your plan you will only be consuming VERY low amount of calories. Your body can’t help but to lose weight. You may coincidentally have the three week stall but it will pass and you will continue to lose. Trust the process.

It will be ok! 😀 My 3-week stall lasted 10 days. Stick to the plan and you will see the weight decrease! Good luck and enjoy the next phase.

It can be frustrating. I did not lose any weight after several days in the hospital. But I lost 12 pounds after 9 days post-op. So about the same. Now down 29 pounds at 7 weeks. So keep following the plan and you will see the weight decrease! Hang in there! 😀

How long does weight stall last. Or should I go back to the puree stage. I on l y need 10 more pounds for my goal weight. Surgery was 3 21 2021. 250lbs today and for last week and a half. Its 180 and 184. I go to gym 2 to 3 days a week. Cardio and light workout. Is this a stall or did I reach my limit.. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I didn’t do it gradually, but about 4 months preop I did a low carb/low calorie diet. It was born out of fear that I would have gained during a pre-op period that could have disqualified me from the program. It was intended to be short term but I stuck with it for 4 months and lost 57 lbs with it. I really feel like it helped some of the changes during surgery be less jarring. The liquid diet was no problem at all, because I was already eating small portions and low carb. I don’t deal well with huge changes and I think I could have had some real problems giving up sugar/carbs/huge portions at the same time as I was recovering from surgery. Also I have a huge amount of weight to lose (started at 339, goal of 165) so I was also trying to get a head start. So far so good, I’ve lost 137 of the total 174 lbs I need to lose at almost 7 months post op.

I am two years post op (Gastric Bypass > Route En Y) and I do not regret my decision. I have lost almost 100 pounds and went from a size 16 to a size 4/6. It definitely has been a journey overall, but having the surgery for me put me back in control over my life. It forced me to identify the root/cause of why I was overweight and as I result I sought help mentally/and physically which has changed me forever. Granted, I still have moments where I do ask myself the same question just because I haven’t reached my target/goal weight and I have struggled with remaining consistent with exercise, getting enough fluids in (water) and having excess sagging skin. The ideal image after weight loss surgery that you may see on social media is not applicable for everyone’s situation because each person is different. I have found that theses images that are portrayed are sometimes helpful, but also can be hurtful because the content shared may not be 100% truthful. I am not sure if this is something that you have found to be challenging but for me it has been, because sometimes people on social media portray that sagging skin was completely tightened by exercise when it reality they had skin surgery to remove excess skin; for example. I have also found that after making such a great change, the people who said they supported me, have now began to ostracize me because they are envious, spiteful and refuse to acknowledge that change is necessary to be able to live a fulfilling life. Had I had known, that having weight loss surgery would reveal true intent of others as well, I would have had the weight loss surgery sooner! Regardless, I had the surgery for me, so that I can live freely! Being 2 years post op, I know only take vitamins and 1 maintenance drug to assist with some mental issues that I am still struggling with but besides that all of the health issues/conditions that I faced before have subsided. I also have identified specific food intolerances which I try to stay away from and I’m constantly reminding myself to slow down when eating to prevent indigestion and reflux. I do not eat or use dairy products because I have an dairy allergy/intolerance which existed before the surgery. I also do not have a galbladder, so I there are some foods my body doesn’t digest well. I primarily foods that are dairy free, gluten free, Non-GMO and have either low sugar content/low sodium content. I had a stomach ulcer last year; as a result of having the surgery and as a result I was hospitalized for a week. From my understanding it is common for weight loss surgery patients to have this issue post op. I also had kidney stones last year as well, which was a extremely painful ordeal, but I made it through. Even with all of the challenges that I have faced, I am still grateful that I had the surgery! Sharing my story with others has been liberating, freeing, and inspiring experience and has influenced multiple people to make decisions towards their own weight loss and one person even had weight loss surgery, as well. Overall, I hope that you don’t regret your weight loss surgery decision, because it’s your life and you live it the way you want to live it! I hope that reflecting on how far you have came will increase your inspiration and motivation, because having weight loss surgery is only half the battle. I start over almost everyday, but I refuse to go back to where I came from. I wish you nothing but the best in life and congratulations on your successful journey!

I feel you and have thought about the same things. My surgery was May 19th and since then, 18 days later, I only lost 13 lbs. Now I guess that's not too bad but like you, during the pre op diet of liquid only and very few non starchy veggies, I lost only about 6 lbs in that 11 days time. All I could think is, if I am very limited now in my diet and only taking in roughly 300 calories and I still can't lose, what would the doc or dietician tell me in order to lose weight? Eat less? I mean, that's not really possible. Anyway, I am now in the puree stage and eating about 600-700 calories a day depending on what it is I eat based on the recommended 4 oz per meal, and no new loss. I worry about this and also about moving into soft foods next week. I fear nothing but stalls and it makes me worry that I too did all of this for nothing. I don't know. It's early still so I'm trying not to panic or be too negative. I guess we'll see.

I'm really discouraged [emoji20]. My SW was 255, after 2 week liquid diet I only lost 5 pounds to 250lbs. Right then I told myself that the surgery isn't going to work if 2 weeks of only liquids takes off 5 pounds. I decided that I tried everything else and might as well go through with it. Released from hospital at 247. Weighed myself at home next day and was 243lbs. My home scale has always been a bit lower than hospital scale by 3 or so pounds as I weigh nude. Today a week later weigh 241. Lose and gain like this is common for me with doing Keto. I can lose 14lbs in two weeks doing Keto, just couldn't commit and keep it off. All of this to say, I fear I've done this for nothing. I'm having 2 Boost shakes (240 cal each), 1 Priemere Protien clear waters (90 cal), 3 x16.9 Oz bottles of water, and 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth. I am walking 20 minutes a day. Has anyone else experienced minimal loss and a gain within the first week? I'm starting to think I've made an irreversible mistake. Thanks for taking the time to read this [emoji4] Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Sounds like all is going well for you. Well done on our weight loss so far.

I hate to be the bearer of what you may consider to be bad news, but a large percentage of those who have weight loss surgery experience a stall or stalls. The first stall can typically happen within the first few weeks, google 'three week stall weight loss surgery' and you will find a lot of info about it. A couple of things to remember you won't be alone in experiencing a stall, most of us have been through it and it not an out of the ordinary event even when eating low calories. If you adhere to your post op guidelines you will get through the stall, it may be a week or two (or even longer) but eventually scale weight will catch up with your body changes. Remember you want to lose fat not just weight. Scale weight doesn't always reflect fat loss. Get out the tape measure, start capturing body measurements. Also look to non scale goals and measures to capture your success in fat loss, health and fitness improvements. How far you can walk or swim, improvements in blood tests for cholesterol, fatty liver etc. Improvements in blood pressure etc etc, clothing sizes reducing and so forth.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Lithium is particularly dangerous because it has such a narrow therapeutic window. Most psych meds don't need to be adjusted so acutely due to weight (there are a few). But I'm sure if you lose like half your body weight some will need to be adjusted. People should keep in touch with their psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist to get levels checked where appropriate and to keep abreast of symptoms.

You should definitely check in with your surgery center to make sure they know your concerns and see if you're on track. You may not lose a ton of weight right away, you didn't put on the weight overnight and it won't come off overnight. You need to be honest with your surgery center about what you're eating to make sure it's on your plan. Also, it sounds like you would benefit from some therapy, as you said, this surgery doesn't fix everything. And many people are still hungry after surgery - sometimes it's head hunger, sometimes it's "true" hunger, sometimes it's thirst, sometimes it's GERD. It's important to talk to your surgery team.

Hi there liz!While I know everyone is different, for me at 35 I was not comfortable with a permanent surgical option. Perhaps if I still need help in 10-20 years time I would opt for surgery, but for where I am in my life currently, the balloon is most suitable. Alongside that, the cost for surgery was well and truly out of my budget (Just doing quick conversions, around 20-22k US for surgery here in New Zealand, not including initial appointment costs or extra and hidden costs, compared to about 7500 US for the 2 balloons back to back that I have). To do something now it has to be this otherwise it would probably take me a decade to save up for surgery, and as I don't even own my own home... well. Money definitely was a huge consideration for me. While I do hope to lose more in the long term, getting below 100kg is my goal for the year while I am using the orbera balloon and it is a milestone that I feel I will be comfortable with if I am unable to lose any further weight. I say a year because I opted for the orbera b2b - back to back. One balloon for 6-8 months, then a second balloon immediately after which can have more liquid in it if you have reached a plateau with your weightloss at that point. I was a very active person when I was younger so I feel that for me the balloon is a way to kick start my health journey and regain control of my health and my life - I am excited to feel physically able to get moving again, perhaps return to martial arts which I loved as a teenager. I've lost almost 20 pounds now in just over two weeks (about 9kg. Constipation has been a recent problem and my usual bloating during my period, but I am glad to still have lost weight despite those things!). This means if I lose 1 pound per week over the next year I will be on track to reach my goal! Getting below 100kg is, I feel, a realistic goal for me, and it's also one that will allow me to shop in regular clothing store sizes again. If I am able to continue my journey beyond that, I will certainly try to, but I will reevaluate after the balloon phase of my journey is complete Thanks for your questions! Sent from my SM-G965F using BariatricPal mobile app

What surgery did you have? I had my sleeve on April 26 and I feel like I did everything for no reason! I don’t feel like I’ve lost any weight, I am still constantly hungry😩 I know the surgery wasn’t going to fix all my issues but I was thinking at least I wouldn’t be hungry afterwards. I am so depressed I don’t know what to do I feel like such a failure! I feel like I let my 6 children down! I made the choice to have surgery so that I could be healthy enough to live a longer life with them! I didn’t even go to my month check up because I know I haven’t lost anything of significance maybe five pounds 😩😩😩😩 please everyone who believes in god pray for me

To answer the original question: yes. I’m 7 months out, and although I’ve hand a good outcome from an objective standpoint, I regret this decision deeply. These are my reasons: 1) There’s not a day when I don’t think about how terrible my body looks. I’m currently very close to where I thought I wanted to be long term, but I can’t stand seeing myself. I’d rather look at my old self in the mirror. 2) My menstrual cycle is totally screwed up and has been ever since surgery. I was having constant periods for a while, and now I haven’t had one in 8 weeks. Totally unpredictable, and all my surgeon has to say is, “That shouldn’t Ben happening.” 3) I’m tired of being praised for how great I’m doing, how great I look, and what I eat. I don’t eat anything different than I’ve ever eaten: the amounts are just smaller. Not all fat people are fat because of pizza and fast food. Some people gain lots of weight during a period of chronic illness, and that reality is totally lost on my medical team. I’ve stopped following up with my surgeon because I’ve tried discussing how anxious our appointments make me due to all this praise she’s giving me for nothing, but she never stopped doing that even after I requested. The thought of seeing her gets me really upset, so I’ve just stopped going. I’m a healthcare provider myself, so I’m aware of that being a risky decision. 4) I’m tired of the random comments about my body from people I know as acquaintances. Losing this much weight isn’t heroic, and I don’t like it when other people refer to me in that way and with similar adjectives. 5) I hate that people treat me differently now. It’s like my worst fear has been realized: there are a lot of people who like me now only because of my smaller body size. Suddenly, I get to sit in on conversations where thin women make fun of fat women: conversations where I would’ve been the one being gossiped about a few months ago. Granted, there have been good things about it. I like being able to do more things with my body. I like having more clothing options. But that’s it. If I could, I’d take this entire decision back and be as I was before.

You’re doing so well. Congratulations. But I do understand that lethargy that comes when you’ve been so vigilant. Our will power & focus starts to waver & it all just seems to be too hard. I think most of us experience it at some time. As @GummyBearQueen suggested reflecting on your non scale victories can help regain your focus. Are you moving about more easily? Has your health started to improve? Have you dropped clothing sizes? Is it easier to bathe or do your hair? I loved looking at the graph of my weight loss. Watching that line going in a downwards direction was often more motivating than looking at a number on the scales every day. Also reminding yourself why you made your decision to have the surgery helps. Set yourself some staged goals (every time you lose another 20lbs, walk 3 kms, ...) & reward yourself with a new haircut or colour, a spa day, a new accessory or jewellery, etc. when you achieve them. How we feel when we’re full or hungry is different after surgery. One of my learnings was the difference between feeling full & having eaten enough. You don’t necessarily need to be full to have had bough to eat. I still ask myself do I need this bite or just want it. It was a bit of a come to Jesus moment for me. Seems like you’re meeting your water goals, increasing your activity & if you’re meeting your protein goals, you’re already ahead of the game. To begin you are really focussed on your food intake. You’re learning to eat in new ways & it does take a lot of effort to ensure you’re doing the right thing for your plan & for you. I’d like to say in time you won’t be consumed by what you eat (bad pun) but it does get easier. I know what foods I can eat & what ones my tummy doesn’t like all that much (like oily fish or char grilled meats). I’ve worked out what foods I don’t want to eat anymore (processed carbs) & what foods/drinks I’m happy to have less frequently (alcohol) or those I’ll have only on very rare occasions (desserts, cakes, etc.) I used to worry about how much I thought about food but then I realised I used to think a lot about food before surgery. Before surgery I was always thinking about what I could eat & when I could eat again. Now I think about good food choices, the nutritional benefits of a food & if I really need to eat. But it is so worth it.

I’m sorry you’re having a difficult time. The surgery, dietary changes, etc. seem to stir up a lot of emotions & sometimes we need support to work our way through them. It is likely anxiety that is driving your desire for food, your poor sleep patterns, emotions, etc. Finding a therapist or counsellor to talk to will be very beneficial. The surgery can help you lose weight but you have to be in the right emotional place to understand how & why you eat & to make the changes to take full advantage of the surgery. We do lose at our own rate. Some more slowly, some more quickly. Both are right because every pound you lose is a win. Your 13lbs loss is great. I lost about 7kgs (about 15lbs) in my first 4 weeks so pretty similar.

I haven't had surgery yet, so can't speak to that exactly. That being said, I have experienced spotting (usually dried blood which is thick and brown) when I've lost a lot of weight quickly in the past. I'm on Mirena so I don't get periods at all, which means the spotting came as a surprise. I was advised it's very normal when losing larger amounts of weight. If you're worried definitely phone your doctor though!

Be patient... don’t rush the process.. follow everything to a tee... I am 5 yrs post op and I lost my weight wayyyyyyyy to fast and wish I lost it slower ...

I was 36.3 before 2 day liquid diet, 35.7 after 1 day liquid diet. 5 days post op, 34.5. I have been staying well hydrated, in fact my water % on the Renpho scale has went from 36.3% to 38.2%..so it's not just water weight 😂

I’m a 6 2” woman. my highest was 330. my surgery weight was 297 my current weight is 255 (I had surgery on march24th so I am only a few months out). ive been stalled for a bit now…… just sticking to my plan and keeping with my protein goals. so from surgery to two months out thats 42 pounds (mostly in the first month).

I tried Saxenda, and it made me very nauseous (it felt like being newly pregnant), so while I did lose a little weight, it was b/c I felt too nauseated to eat. Wonder if this drug will be the same? I've also done Phentermine, Xenical, and Vyvanse ,plus a bunch of OTC stuff. I was always willing to try anything! LOL!! So glad that WLS was the tool that finally worked for me!

You are doing great loss wise- but water is CRITICAL! You really need to be getting in a MINIMUM of 64 oz, and realistically more. It does take focus, especially as you are getting used to it, but I find when I drink enough water my weight loss picks up. I also find I just feel better - my joints and energy. Best of luck!

It did control my diabetes very well and I think it is an excellent drug for diabetics. The cost will likely be prohibitive for weight loss. Even with insurance it cost me a lot of money.