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One thing that helped motivate me to get started with at least 15 minutes a day was the physicians assistant said at one of my support group meetings before my surgery that just exercising 90 minutes a week which you can spread out over six days at 15 minutes each (which is 25 when you include your warm-up and cool down if it’s more than walking) But just that decreases your risk of “all-cause mortality” by 15%. The PA and surgeon agreed that no surgery, no pill, nothing else they can prescribe you is going to have such a phenomenal impact So exercise is pretty darn beneficial. I mean, I know for myself I was scared of a 2% risk of complications from the surgery that may or may not even actually kill me, but they’re giving me a 15% decrease of chances of mortality, that’s pretty huge just to dedicate less than a half hour of your day to walking around a little bit. And a brisk walk is all it takes for me to achieve the heart rate they’re speaking about because it doesn’t have to be full on high intensity, just raising it a bit. I’m not sure if it will be as profound for you but I heard that before my surgery and six weeks later it’s still ringing around in my mind as I’m exercising. I’m thinking wow you know weight loss aside, this is really a good thing that I’m doing for my health. After I got started, though I wanted to do more and more, but my goal is to do my 15 minutes, no matter what and that is my only expectation for myself at this point.

I get low blood sugar too when I drink enough water it’s frustrating it’s not something) I’ve had to deal with too much and it feels like I’ve just flopped from one end of the problems to the other without getting to reap the weight loss reward. Hopefully your stall breaks and that’s all it is, a stall. I recommend getting a tape measure and doing measurements of yourself at least bc I’ve been losing inches even if the scale is refusing to budge.

oh my gosh...I was on the edge of my sofa reading your story! Your reply as to whether it was the plane trip or your surgeon just cracked me up! I had to quote it! One thing I wasn't clear on and this is where I'm also afraid of getting surgery done 'out of the US/out of country) is if there is some sort of issue/medical emergency like you had, will my insurance refuse for me to be treated so I will be forced to make an unplanned trip out of the country to figure things out? Or did your insurance pay for your wound care/full extraction? Did you have to pay to get the 're-implant'/'new implant' done here in the U.S.? I'm still marveling at what an incredible job you did losing weight and what a tough cookie you are! You look tiny but FIERCE! Amazing!!!

I’m not counting macros calories or even protein - I just know I’m eating not a lot - even if I’m having to eat out for every meal I’m trying to make good choices and eat protein first - I think I’m way way off 100g of protein a day though! My doctors did say not to stress the protein too too much though and aim for about 80g most days. I’ll be back in Paris to weigh myself for my 2 month surgerversary but haven’t been able to weigh myself since last Wednesday which was 6.5 weeks post surgery - I’d lost 12.5kg which is 27.5lbs - I’m happy enough with that as I had a lower starting weight. I have another 20 pounds to loose to hit a healthy BMI but I know things will slow down weigh loss wise fast for me and I’d like to loose another 44lbs total to be back at my pre Covid happy/non near constant leg pain weight. it’s hard not having access to scales here and not being able to walk as much as I’d like because Cairo at night isn’t the safest place for solo female walks at night and I’m basically screwed to a chair in a conference center from 9-5 and night falls here at 6.15pm !

As I am approaching my 4 week post op. I am so EFFING proud of how I am sticking to the program! Just wanna do a happy dance 💃 HW: 325Lb SW: 297 PreOp Weight: 266 CW: 238

If you plan to get skin removal surgery and want it to be covered by insurance, make sure you document with your doctor ALL problems with skin rashes, sores etc. It isn't usually covered since it is considered cosmetic but if you can show a history of problems, there's a better chance of it being covered. I have lost over 100 pounds and have some loose skin, but I am getting cryo therapy twice a week. It helps to produce collagen and tightens my skin as the weight comes off. If I had waited till I hit goal weight, I don't think it would have been as effective. I also sit in an infrared sauna which has its own list of benefits. Rebounding helps too. There are some alternatives to surgery. Being proactive is important but it also depends on the amount of weight you have to lose and DNA. When I had rashes before losing the weight, I used a baby powder/cornstarch blend to keep the area dry. Moisture can make things painful and possibly infected. Good luck!!

There's typically a couple stalls that lasts for 2-4 weeks that happens after surgery. I've heard them typically referred to to the 3rd week and 3rd month stalls when they typically start, but can happen any time. Our bodies have to recalibrate things after substantial loss, and it will hold on to fat and/or fluids until it knows its safe for it to lose more. As long as you stick to you calories, macros, and fluid requirements laid out by your doctor, the weight loss will resume. Restart your diet and track everything closely. Also go back to weighing yourself weekly instead of daily to reduce stress. Additionally, if you are working out more than you were pre surgery, keep in mind you may also be gaining some muscle weight, which offsets the number on the scale. If your clothing sizes are getting smaller, you're still on track! It is very frustrating as I just came out of one, but I did slack off on tracking my eating closely over the holidays. Even though I didn't feel like I was eating that much more, I had crept back up around 1600 calories a day by having a treat I thought I had earned. I didn't realize it was so calorically dense and was a big mistake for me. I was using it to feel better after having covid over Christmas and New Years, but it did throw me off track and made my stall worse. I'm back on the strict diet this week and its starting to drop again.

If you don't already have it, the Baritastic app is pretty handy. So far, I'm only tracking food (well, liquids) and my weight, but there's more fun stuff, too. The bariatric nurse at the hospital recommended it during my pre-op appointment.

Thank you It's frustrating because for nearly 26 years, all I wanted in the world was to be thin an healthy again. And now that I am, I'm complaining because I'm too thin. But I'm getting a lot of comments about looking sickly and boney and too skinny. And I agree. I can see and feel my bones sticking out. My husband and kids hug me and they feel my bones and tell me I feel like I'm gonna break if they squeeze me because I feel fragile now. I look like I'm losing muscle, and frankly, I feel really weak compared to how I use to feel. I have permanent circles under my eyes. My hands and feet are boney and veiny and my skin literally hangs off my body, including my face. I'm always tired, even though I get plenty of sleep. And my clothes and rings literally hang off me. Nothing fits at all. I'm always hungry, no matter how much I eat, no matter how often I eat, and no matter WHAT I eat. I'm just praying that things start to even out soon. This is a really slippery slope, and I could find myself in disordered eating territory really easily since I only seem to hold on to weight when I restrict my eating. I don't want to get into doing that and have that become my new norm.

it really depends on what ur goals are... rapid weight loss? sustained weight loss? maintenance? muscle building? fat loss? carb reduction? fats loading? anyway...i used the following calculator to determine my optimal macros based on a modified keto diet (kinda like Atkins II, sorta). it worked for me until it didn't...the macros i was aiming to maintain was really not sustainable (for me) in the long run. im 5+years post op now and don't look at macros anymore (haven't done so since year 2)...now i just keep an eye on total calories (no matter how they are comprised). i've been able to maintain below goal weight this entire time just on maintaining a caloric limit alone....but thats just me...ymmv. but anyway, here is the calculator: https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/ good luck! ❤️

As @ms.sss said it’s a matter of time. In the meantime the body dysmorphia is real. Being unable to recognize yourself. Being unable to visualize your actual physical size. Seeing yourself as you were & not as you are. Being unable to equate your weight loss with the reduction of your physical size. And simply not believing you are smaller. Told these stories before but I remember seeing a reflection in a shop window of a woman wearing the same outfit as me. Wish I looked as good as her I thought then realised it was me. Was trying on some shoes & looking in those small, low mirrors they have in shoe shops. Oh, that lady has great legs & turned round to compliment her but there wasn’t another woman. It was me. And yes there are still the odd times I catch a side view in a mirror & there’s that little jolt when I realise it’s me. Oh that’s right, this is how I look now.

Its just like doing a keto diet for life, you each week up your carbs until you fall out of ketosis than back off by 5-10 grams then maintain that carb load for life. You do the same for calories, increase by 100 for two weeks, still losing..tack on another 100 each few weeks until weight loss stops, now you've found your maintenance calorie load.

both. when my hair was long when it first started coming out, the weight of the hair still on my head pulled it down and actually made the whiteness of my scalp more prominent...make me look more bald! the pixie cut made it easier to fluff up the roots to camouflage my scalp a little more, looking less bald lol. and yeah, the shorter cut meant less shedded hair to clean up around the house which is always a good thing. p.s. you may be surprised oh how well you could rock a shorter cut with your slimmer face though....but i get it, there can be some low key trauma to see all that hair on the cutting room floor. but i've had a pixie 2 other times in my life so i had pre-trauma to get over it lol.

Hate to tell you this, but unless some miracle has happened in the past year, there is no test a doctor can do in office for endometriosis. The only conclusive way to diagnose endometriosis is by laprascopic exploratory surgery or in some rare circumstances, an MRI, though they don't usually do those to diagnose it. Surgery is considered the only definitive way to know and usually they remove it in the same surgery, as much as they can. There are a number of tests that can be done to detect PCOS however and I agree with the above poster, that should have been a go-to for your GYN. As should an intravaginal ultrasound to check the lining of your uterus. Odds are you may have had PCOS when you were a higher weight, which could have caused you to not ovulate and shed your lining month by month, leading up to a thickened lining which when your body ultimately tries to shed it can cause a lot of pain and heavy cycles. This lining can easily be seen by ultrasound. The proper way to deal with that IS a D&C, but I wouldn't have a D&C (and I've had 3 of them over the years) without first seeing it on ultrasound. Ultrasound can also show things like fibroids which could have been caused by the odd hormone surges as you've lost weight. Treatment for fibroids is often surgery and I'd want to be sure they were knocking me out for the RIGHT procedure. I too would recommend you find a new doctor and get a second opinion. You are your most important advocate. ❤️

My questions were: How long are we looking at for the actual surgery time and time in recovery before getting to the actual room? How long is the recovery and what can I expect during it? How long will I be in the hospital and how soon after the surgery will I be up and walking? Should I use a stomach binder the first 2 weeks to help with the pain after the surgery? What is the recommended time for each stage of eating post surgery, how many calories and carbs should I be getting in, and what are my fluid and protein goals at each stage? When will I be getting follow up blood work (I personally had it at 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year post op)? Is there a list of acceptable exercises to do at each stage of healing until I get my final complete clearance, and at what stage will I get that? What pain meds will I be given and how long will I be able/expected to take them? What, specifically, is dumping and what has been known to trigger it and how do we get through it if it happens? What hormonal changes are to be expected as the weight drops off, especially during the first 3 months? Please tell me EVERYTHING you can about stalls, in as much detail as possible. What medications are affected by the malabsorption that comes with bypass (typically it's extended release, but there could be others). That's all I can remember that I asked, but I hope this at least gives you a good start!!!

My friend are you speaking to a therapist with relevant expertise? I know you are currently choosing your revision surgery and that's a huge decision. Please in the midst of that don't lose sight of your relationship with food and how you lost and regained weight in the past. We've all been there MANY times. Feel free to ignore me if you have all of this under control. You have done so well before and I know you can do again xxx xxx

No there is no norm or standard plan for before or after surgery. Much like there is no standard for how you will recover, how much weight you’ll lose, what ‘fun’ side effects you’ll experience, etc. There’s just generalisations & averages. There will be similarities across plans & differences. Like in the pre surgery eating plan. Some don’t have any. Some do three shakes a day while others do two shakes & one meal. Me I had to do keto. Same with the post surgery stages. Differences can be around how long each stage is or even what foods you can or can’t have at each stage. For example potatoes are allowed on many plans but were a big no in my plan. I do know my surgeon adjusts his plan depending on the individual patient & their specific needs & situation. My friend who saw him was on the 2 shakes one meal plan. Her friend, also same surgeon was all shakes. Our ages, starting weight & general health were different. It’s why we say it’s always best to follow the plan you were given and if you are having difficulties to contact your team to see if & how you can tweak it to better suit you & your needs & experiences.

This is really good to hear. I'm genuinely baffled by the way my body is right now and very frustrated, especially since I have significant weight to lose to reach my goal. The chorus of "don't lose more weight" has started from all corners but I'll just ride through and have faith that my body will settle. (The chorus is especially annoying since I'm not even sure I can stop right now. I'm already not following virtually any of the weight-loss focused nutrition recommendations. Short of adopting an all-ice cream diet, I don't know that I could maintain.) Still don't love it though! Over the weekend, spent some time snuggling with a new crush and he started counting my ribs. 😣

I recently had the surgery on May 25th of this year. So far I have lost 30-40 pounds. However yesterday I weighed and have gained 5 pounds. I have only been eating baked chicken and fish and maybe some steamed or boiled shrimp. The surgeon/Dr. desk lady thinks it may be fluid based off she said it seems like I follow most of the diet plan. I make sure I consume no more than 400 calories a day and that whatever juice I drink is only 10-20 grams of carbs. But I don't think my surgery is successful.

Weight loss distribution is a funny thing. I have been tracking my measurements and it is odd to see where it is coming off, even this early on. I've lost an inch from my wrists at the 2 month mark. Why? How? I have no clue. Or I've lost nearly 9 inches from my waist just shy of the 3 month mark, but my protruding belly area, where I expected the weight to come off first, isn't budging. I've been told by a number of vets that it takes a year or two after you've dropped most of your weight for your body to get a clue and redistribute the fat you have left. So this means at times when you are dropping the weight you may look skeletal in some areas that you used to have padding in when you were that weight before. But try not to worry too much about it, usually within a year or two it rebalances as it redistributes. I'm sure that doesn't apply to everywhere, but it applies to most places... Also, most surgeries have a rebound once you reach your set point and stop losing. This is often in the 15-20 lb range. So conventional wisdom from the vets is to ride your weight loss down as low as it will go (unless you end up officially underweight by BMI), as you will rebound and then complain about that extra 20 lbs that came back. LOL

I was one of those "model patient" presenters at my clinic for the three years before COVID! I loved doing that! I had a partner - a VSG patient (I was RNY). I'd had a stricture at four weeks out - she never had any complications. I'm hoping we didn't sound too "vanilla" - but neither one of us had any issues (other than my stricture - which is a mild issue and very easily fixed). We were both super happy with our surgeries and both lost a ton of weight (she lost 100 lbs, I lost over 200). Although I think people found us entertaining (we were quite a pair!) and most groups asked us lots of questions. We always told the groups about the three-week stall (since it happens to almost everyone, and very few clinics mention it to their patients, so people freak out when it happens to them). Also told them about how we ate a month out, a few months out, a year out (our clinic's plan wasn't low-carb, like many of them are - it was balanced - although even given that, the typical eating YOUR presenter does sounds carb-heavy even to me). We mentioned how we typically eat when we're at a restaurant. Talked about the extra skin (my partner even lifted her shirt to show them her extra skin). Also talked about our experience with hair loss (since extra skin and hair loss are huge concerns among pre-ops). Also talked about constipation (we both have chronic constipation) and how we deal with it. And how we dress to "hide" all the extra skin (although I've since had mine removed). We always mentioned how most people lose their interest in food and hunger for several months after surgery, and how they should milk that for everything it's worth since it's way easier to lose weight when you don't give a flip about food. Basically stuff they likely would not have picked up during the classes they had with dietitian and the health psychologist. when I went through the classes in 2015, the presenter was kind of underwhelming, like yours. I'm sure he would have answered some of the questions we addressed when we were presenters, but he didn't, and the "students" wouldn't necessarily know enough at that point to even know what to ask. Shelli and I decide early on to talk about the issues they SHOULD ask about, but wouldn't know to. P.S. now I'm sitting her wishing I was still doing that - it was great fun! But COVID hit, so everything went online, and they didn't have the "model patient" class. Since everything is in person again, they may have some people doing it, but the two of us are pretty far out now (nine years), so they may have gotten people who had their surgeries just a year or two ago.

You will get loads of sympathy here OP - for a woman (usually more than a man I think?) our hair is often tied into our identity more generally, for better or worse. Massive weight loss causes our non-essential body functions like hair growth to stall completely. Body thinks - no calories - what can I ditch? I know - hair! Once we get through the biggest rate of loss and our body is regrouping then the stalled follicles get pushed out by new growth. I lost masses of hair in I think 3 distinct phases, about 3 months apart. It's truly properly shocking, that first hair fall. (And for me the second and third - I hope you don't get those too!) Please please be reassured that most of it grows back for most of us. It just takes a while and it's so worth it.

This is true on body types, but snacks are what encourage grazing and not eating properly at meals. My 'snack' if you want to call it that are cucumber, broccoli, or at most a measured portion of 2 ounces or less of chicken/turkey/low fat, low carb fish. That's it. Bananas are high carb. I had suggested the weight/measure of food and drinks earlier. That's a hidden way of getting in calories. Total agreement on greens. Fiber ditto that also. Fruit we are warned on, we can have an ounce now (7 months out) but that's it. 2x a day, 2 ounces and only low calorie like berry type of things. The program is pretty tight but very very successful.

Certainly don't think less of you. This is major surgery. You are normal to be scared. Then again think of what life would be like long term if you didnt do this. Maybe that is more scary? I know at that time before I had my RNY I didnt want to go on living entombed in my own body. I had this surgery in May 2022 and the surgeon also repaired a hernia at the time. (A few years prior I had another hernia fixed and that was very painful on it's own). I woke up in lots of pain (so maybe some of the pain was from getting the hernia fixed) but I was given lots of pain medication. The staff dont want you to be in pain either. So yes it was very rough but pain meds and heat packs eased the intensity. High end pain killers were needed for the first few days and then less and less over the next few weeks. And for the record I would rather be a little sleepy if it eases the pain. I needed to remind myself that it would get better and it did. Short term pain for very long term gain. Truly your journey will be yours and your alone. You may be in pain or you may not. You may have complications or you may not. I would also hope that the medical profession have learned more in the time since your mom had this operation. You wont know how it will be for you until you do it. PS - I would go through this again in a heartbeat. There is freedom again,

Hi everyone! I'm scheduled for August 13, RNY. I started at 361 lbs. and joined a weight-loss clinic 18 months ago, where they put me on something similar to the LSD. I lost about 80 lbs. and then my body decided my set point was around 270, so surgery is next. I've been trolling this site for quite a while, even when I was wondering if I should get the surgery in the first place. To prepare, I've been experimenting with the recipes that people post, and trying various products/shakes/vitamins that have been recommended by this group and my local support group, to see what options I like. I've also been collecting items for post-surgery, like a magic bullet and small silverware, things from the list my surgical team gave me. I tend to over-prepare to cope with stress, and this is a biggie. I'm also trying to figure out what hobbies I can distract myself with post-op - any suggestions?