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Hi, welcome! I read the posts here a lot before my first post too and felt like I knew everyone even though they didn't know me! LOL It is a funny feeling... My first thought is you aren't eating enough to be physically active. The body is pretty particular about how much energy it gets and after bariatric surgery our metabolism gets a nice reset (it is part of what helps us lose the weight) but to maintain that nice, new metabolism we need to EAT. And what is enough when you are mildly active isn't near enough when you are doing things that strain your heart, muscles, and burn a good bit of fuel. So I agree with the above, I'd eat more on days you work out. 65 grams of protein isn't enough for working out, I'd add in at least a protein shake, a little healthy fat, and some complex carbs. Second, it is normal to stall for a few weeks at any point, but it is especially normal if you start working out, or if you increase your workouts. This is because it changes the fluid balance in our bodies and the body takes a bit to even out. Some people even see increases on their scale when they start adding in more workouts! So if that happens, don't panic. We can also stall when our food intake changes. This is commonly seen when you go from fluids to solid food, but it can also happen if you jump in calories at any point, even if it is a needed point. My stalls seem to last for 6 weeks at a time. It is super irritating. At 4 months out you are not likely to be done losing weight yet. You may lose a little bit more. But weight loss slows WAY down the closer to goal we get and you are on the small end at this point so I wouldn't be surprised if it slows now. The most rapid weight loss is the first 3 months, then it tapers off slowly depending on how much you need to lose. Since you are used to being at the lower end of your BMI it is reasonable to expect you may drop a bit more to have the space you want if you rebound some. Just be careful not to starve yourself to get those extra lbs off, if it isn't sustainable for your body you'll really have to fight for it and it could damage that nice new metabolism in the process! Oh, and weight redistributes after weight loss. So you may look a little thin now and it may balance out a bit in the next year. This happens especially around the face for some people.

Dandelion can help with excess fluid. If I'm taking it in capsules, I usually take it in conjunction with milk thistle. Milk thistle is great for the liver and can help with excess fluid too. GAIA is a great brand that has a Milk Thistle blend I've taken before and liked, though I didn't take it for fluid issues. It may be worth talking with an herbalist to see what they'd advise. Sometimes herbs can be just as effective as prescription meds when given in the right ratios to the right person. I also know compression socks can help with fluid too, I wear them every time I travel and for weeks after any surgery... They can be annoying to find in the right size but wow do they help my legs not swell up! These are my favorite brand for compression. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0897RWF54/ Way more comfortable than the socks and since they are open foot I can wear them with dresses and sandals all year round!

Nah, I haven't had any issues with this post-op once I was past the nausea phase 3 months out. And OMG sex is so much better with less weight on your body! My boobs don't try to suffocate me quite as much... 😂 Maybe your tummy is just having an emo week? Go to bland foods for a few days to see if it settles down. I always revert back to plain foods when mine gets cranky pants, it seems to do the trick.

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. ❤️

You can do this!! You are a beast woman!! If you need any support after the hysterectomy feel free to message, I've lived that recovery. Honestly with all the other surgeries you've had, I hope this one will be par for the course and you'll be back on your feet in no time, feeling better than ever. I highly recommend you get the disposable mesh postpartum underwear from Amazon, they are the only thing I could tolerate on my abdomen for weeks. Also, yoga blocks or something to prop your feet up a bit on when you go to the bathroom will make those bowel movements easier post op when you aren't supposed to bear down at all. I lived on prunes for 12 weeks because for me they work gentler than laxatives! But you are probably an old hand at the post surgery bowel game by now... For me the hardest thing was to stay down and REST!! You wear out much faster than you'd expect for the first few months, and honestly it was pretty close to a year before I felt back to a normal normal. All the changes in the body are weird. Feeling my bowel drop into the space when I rolled over one night was VERY strange! LOL But I'm sure you know all this. I'll be sending you tons of good juju! You will be amazed and delighted at how light your pelvis feels once those fibroids are out of there! I am still amazed at how light my lower abdomen feels. I didn't realize how accustomed I had become to feeling that boggy heaviness in that area all the time...

I am between 800-1100 a day. Last week I avg 959 per day.

It's always good to ask stuff like this, because I guarantee there is someone else out there with the same question who is too shy to ask! 😂 Personally, I haven't had any issues post-op. It's entirely possible that it's something in your partner's diet that's making things taste off/funky to you, or just an "off" stomach week for you. Hopefully it resolves, otherwise SleeveToBypass2023's suggestion works! Good luck!

I can relate to being afraid of gaining weight after working so hard to lose it. We all deal with that here. But it's a fine line between being mindful about it and developing disordered eating habits. I can speak to this because it happened to me. I was dropping weight like a champ, then I hit stall after stall, and each one lasted longer than the previous one. And I would panic. And I would restrict the amount I ate, I would kick up the intensity and frequency of my work outs. I would have anger and confusion and fear anytime I either didn't lose or I gained a little (turns out, I'm one of the ones that gains 3-5 pounds during a stall and then just sits there for weeks and weeks. Then when the stall breaks, I drop like 6-7 pounds all at once). I had to actually go to a therapist that specializes in bariatric disordered eating (not easy to find, btw) to get my head on straight. And it's still a struggle sometimes. Especially since these last 11 pounds absolutely fight me tooth and nail and just don't want to come off. I said all that to say just be very careful. I never started out intending to have these issues. I thought I'd have the surgery, lose the weight, get healthy, and bada-boom bada-bing, life would be great. But it's never that cut and dry, is it? We can become obsessed with losing the weight, seeing how low we can get the scale, getting into that lower size, looking thinner, never gaining weight again, getting that bmi just a little lower.....and before you know it, you have a whole new eating disorder that's even harder to get out of and we're doing even more damage to our bodies without even meaning to. And we can justify what we're doing because HEY, we got off our meds, we're getting healthier, we're losing the weight, we're EXTENDING OUR LIVES damn it!!! And that's harder to overcome and harder to recognize and going too far than being obese is. We knew we needed help. We knew we were doing wrong. That's why we had the surgery. But now? Now it gets harder to see what we're doing because HEALTH!! WEIGHT LOSS IS GOOD!!! NO MORE MEDS IS THE GOAL!!! JUST A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT OFF CAN'T POSSIBLY BE BAD!!! So please please just be really careful with where you're at now and where you're wanting to get to. Lastly, on the days you're working out (especially the really hard weight days) increase your protein and calories. Your body thinks it's starving, so you need to reassure it that you're not. The heavier the work out, the more your body needs. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food. So give it what it needs, in the amounts it needs, and it'll do what you want it to. Make sure you also have a larger amount of fluids than you normally would on those days, too. Dehydration can really do a number on the body, as well.

I had a nice trip to Nantucket for the Daffodil festival this weekend. Lots of meals out. I had chicken teriyaki, poached eggs and kielbasa, smoked bluefish pate, mozzarella and beet salad, and scallops with bacon among other things. Got in lots of walking. Weight was unchanged this morning, but I'm curious if that is a mix of not enough water and too much salt from so many restaurant meals. So we'll see what a couple days of regular routine does for me. I'm grateful I have had no issues with foods for almost 2 weeks now. Hoping that means my stomach is finally healing properly.

Thanks, I'm weighing every three days ... trying to wait a week each time but not reached that stage yet. I haven't really noticed any difference for a week... I know it will pass but it's hard. I still feel so enormous.

Hi darling, Thank you for your elaborate reply, I appreciate it. So to answer some of your questions: I had the sleeve, it was the best option for my size and BMI. I do not have any comorbidities, on the contrary, I was healthy and worked out consistently for over 15 years. My problem is kind of unusual, I maintained a BMI of 22-23 my entire adulthood through working out, eating well, all sorts of cardio and resistance training, I actually am a certified trainer and nutritionist. Had my first child and snapped back, had my second and snapped back quickly too, then 2 months later my body blew up and I gained over 20 lbs in one month and struggled to lose weight after that. Back in 2022 I had a very bad foot injury practicing Taekwondo and was in a cast for 4 weeks, I couldn't move without pain and my mobility was greatly affected and I gained another 40 lbs and since then no matter what I did, how little I ate and how intensely I worked out I couldn't lose a single gram, my weight kept going up and my foot started killing me that I needed to bring my weight down, I even tried injectables (Liraglutide) and not a single gram dropped. So after struggling for 5 years and my foot injury worsening I decided to get the surgery. I know how it sounds being upset when I have reached my goal, it is just terrifying to me to gain weight again or go back to what my reality was pre-op. I really really don't want to be overweight again, hence wanting to lose a few more KGs to ensure that I have some wriggle room I try to get in 1-1.5 liters of fluid a day, keep my carbs under 55, try to hit my 65 grams of protein. I take my vitamins daily and I try to workout 3 days a week, doesn't always happen but I get in at least 2 sessions a week. Hope this answers your questions. Thank you again

I hate that you are feeling down. Stalls are going to happen, and it can feel frustrating. My dietician told me that while the scale might not move, we will notice a difference in how our clothing fits. How often are you weighing yourself? I used to weigh once daily, but I'm trying hard to do it only once a week. I guess that can be good or bad. So far, I'm good with it. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you! Hugs.

A few thoughts from my Sadi experience after nearly 10 years: - Nutritionists are like driving instructors who read a book about driving but never drove themselves. The same can be said for many doctors since only weight loss specialists understand the procedures. - Eat the basics everyday (protein, fruit, fiber), then mostly anything else. - Hydration is vital, I get mine from fruits, tea and water. I eat between 20 to 30 lbs of fruit per week (not kidding). It doesn't add weight. - Get exercise everyday, even just steps are fine. I'm a 6'1 male, 63 yrs old, weigh about 166lbs today. I lost about 152 lbs in year 1, gained back 25lbs after 3 years. Recently gained about 5lbs but working out a lot. I prioritize eating the basics daily, taking the vitamins (less than a DS'er), then eat whatever I want. I get exercise everyday by walking my dog, hikes, biking and going to the gym. It took me about 4 years to get in decent shape after surgery. Now workouts are just a thing I do everyday like any other activity.

I start my pre op diet this week. I have everything. This is my second time with the diet. Last month surgery was cancelled the day prior due to lab work. So im back on track and scheduled 5/10. Nice to read all of your posts. I watched a couple of surgery videos today too.

How are you feeling now? It's been a while since you posted and I'm hoping you're doing better. You should be...what...about 5 weeks post op now. Have things improved?

Actually, I found I can tolerate it better lol I never liked the taste of it, but I dealt with it. Now it doesn't bother me at all. Not gonna say it's yummy, but there's no aversion to it. And as for my stomach, no issues with it here. Maybe you just have a bad tummy week? Idk. I hope it gets better....otherwise just have a spit rag with you when you do the dirty 😂

Hey yall! Anyone else in my shoes??? So it’s been about 15 months since my vsg! Maybe 6-8 months ago I started having irregular cycles, very painful cramps and odor. I have never ever had these issues prior to my vsg. I clean my private very well so when I started noticing an odor it instantly had me scratching my head. I haven’t changed partners, std free, same soaps and laundry detergent as well. My cycle would be between 2-3 times a month which is stressful and alot to deal with. The cramps have been painful to the point I'm bent over in pain or balled up in bed- neverrrr ever had this all my years of menstruation. So of course I mentioned it to my surgeon who said oh give it some time your body just went through a major surgery blah blah- cool. Well time turned into more time and decided to see gyn. Who ran std test which came back negative for everything, she did the endometriosis test which came back normal as well. So now I have to get a D&C done tomorrow for more “diagnostic” testing. They have yet to do an ultrasound hmmmm. I have a friend who had the same surgery vsg as me and she is also experiencing the sameeee exact symptoms as me. She has found out that she have cyst on her ovaries and need to have them removed. Have you or anyone else you know that have had weight lost surgery have any of these complications? What was the findings? Any success stories and or updates? Freaking out and stressing over this bc of course they are making it seem like it’s no big deal when it is to me!

Having my total hysterectomy on May 7th. They can't go in laparoscopically, so it'll be an abdominal hysterectomy. Taking out everything: uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix. I have 3 VERY large uterine fibroids that have made my uterus (and stomach now) the size of someone who is 5 or 5 1/2 months pregnant. I may, in the next couple of years, get skin surgery but I'm still thinking about it. Let's see if I have any cardiac issues with this surgery (like I did with the hernia repair surgery) before I make anymore decisions about elective surgeries. I can't wait for this to be done and over with and I can finally just live my dang life!!! From my initial sleeve surgery in May 2022 to the hysterotomy in May 2024, I will have had 10 surgeries in 2 years (thanks to all the complications from the sleeve surgery). The uterine fibroids were actually discovered while doing tests for the other issues caused by the sleeve, so it still counts as the reason for the surgery being caused by the sleeve lol Anyway, so happy to finally be at the last chapter of this book!!!

Literally me lol I thought it was just big because I was so fat. Turns out, I have 3 EXTREMELY large uterine fibroids that I knew nothing about (found accidentally on a CT when testing for something completely different) and they are making me stomach the size of someone who is 5 months pregnant. I'm having a total hysterectomy on May 7th to take care of it. The part of your stomach hanging down is likely from being so overweight, and as you lose more weight, it'll get worse due to loose and stretched out skin. Honestly, there's not much you can do for that outside of surgery. I tuck it into my underwear and it's good to go lol

So...I'm struggling with how to answer this because I want to give you helpful information, but I still have questions. I guess I'll jump right in and see how it goes. 1) You started off at a lower weight to begin with, so your body is likely at the point now where it's at it's healthiest. As of right now, you're 5'5" and 136 pounds with a bmi of 22. You're exactly where you should be. If you lose 15 more pounds, you'll weight 121 pounds and have a bmi of 20. On paper, that's still healthy. But my concern is you're becoming addicted to losing the weight and even though you're exactly where you should be (and could even gain 10 pounds and still be where you should to be) you'll panic and possibly go about things in an unhealthy way to drop those pounds. 2) Were there other reasons besides your weight that led you to getting the surgery? Did you have any comorbidities such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, etc? You didn't mention that. My fear is, if you only wanted to drop weight and your bmi was 33 to begin with, and now you're wanting to continue to drop even though you're being told you look "stick thin" (and you're in the healthy range now but still want to go lower), that this might have more to do with the number on the scale than getting healthy. 3) Stalls are normal, and happen all the time. The fact that you haven't had one until 4 months out is actually kind of surprising. They do break on their own, but honestly, you may lose little weight going forward (and what you DO lose will likely come off slowly) since you're already well within the healthy and normal range and your body feels it's happy at its new set point. 4) Your body likely thinks it's in starvation mode, based on how you're working out and lifting and what you're eating. The harder the workouts, the more calories you need. Prioritize protein first above all else, then veggies, then carbs and healthy fats. But you definitely need to increase your calorie intake. This isn't necessarily advice for dropping more weight (although that tends to happen when things like this go on) but for healthy purposes. If your body thinks it's starving, it'll hold on to every single calorie and bit of fat. And it'll eat away at muscle before fat just to make sure you survive. So my suggestion is to increase your calories. I don't do heavy lifting, but I DO do weight training, and on those days, I go up to 1400 calories. Core and strength training, I go up to 1300 calories. Cardio I go up to 1200 calories. Non work out days I eat around 1000 calories. 5) You didn't mention what surgery you had, but I'm assuming it's the sleeve. If I may ask, what made you choose having surgery versus doing anything else for weight loss? Have you tried changing your eating habits before, did you try medication, or did you go right to surgery? How have you changed the way you eat, and what you eat, since the surgery? How much fluid are you taking in every day? How much protein and carbs are you taking in each day? Are you taking your vitamins every day? How many days per week are you working out (should give yourself 2 days off ideally, but for sure at least 1).

Hi Sandra, Two weeks of shakes are the hardest but once you get past the surgery you will kill for that. I would not plan on staying in bed often after the surgery during the hospital stay. It is best to start walking at least once an hour. I was the only one of the 12 people who got the surgery who was up all night just walking. Hospital beds are the worst to sleep in. Best of luck in your journey.

Girl, you can totally laugh! I just really needed to know lol I’ve been having a bad stomach week and I was like nothing I have been doing has changed…except 😂 But thank you for being honest and a woman in solidarity! Haha

I think I'm stalling again. It's making me angsty. I know it's expected but it just makes me feel so insecure and down. having trouble coping with the stall. I'm quite down. That and the non stop rain and grey skies.

Hi there! Newbie here. Been reading a lot of the threads and already feel like a lot of you are my friends when I haven't actually spoken to any of you 🤣 I had my surgery on the 17th of December 2023 and my stats were: Height: 166 Cm (around 5'5/5'6?) Weight: 90 KG (198 lbs) I didn't do the liquid diet because my surgeon doesn't believe in it. Also, my surgeon specifically said "I will be very happy if you lose 20 KG (44 lb) but it's quite unlikely".I wan't heavily overweight and I was very athletic with a lot of muscle mass. Fast forward 18 weeks post surgery I have lost around 28.4 kgs (62.48 lbs) and my surgeon's mind is kind of blown lol, he wants me to stop losing but I do not think I am done yet. I get these comments that I look "stick thin" but mostly get many compliments as there is no sagging or loose skin (due to muscle mass pre-surgery). My problem is that I have hit my first stall ever this past week where I didn't lose anything (I was losing quite rapidly) and I am low-key freaking out. I still want to lose another 7 Kgs (15.5 lbs) just to have a wriggle room if my body decides to gain a little rebound weight later. I have started some heavy lifting the past week and man I am SO SORE so I think it's due to the inflammation? I am quite sad and disappointed to have not lost any weight the past week and I need some emotional support. I eat around 800 kcals a day with 65 grams of protein - give or take- (starting the past 2 weeks as I was still on a 300/400 kcal a day prior to that). Could that be another reason? Was anyone done losing at 4 months post op? While I know my weight is currently good/slightly under what is good for my height, I really want that wriggle room and I really don't want to be done so soon. Any advise?