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Hello, I want to preface saying I have not had my surgery yet but I have been losing weight in the pre-op stages as per my dietitian and doctors request and this includes me going to the gym and getting my protein/calorie goals in for the day. The important thing to know is plateauing is inevitable as your body gets used to the things you do on a daily basis. So since you know that already you going to the gym is a beneficial first step in the right direction of losing more weight. That being said weight training is an amazing cardio/full body workout and for women you actually don’t have to worry about getting “bulky” my doctor said it’s just not what our bodies do to get stacked like that (he didn’t say it in those words of course but I’m paraphrasing). Which it’s true generally unless you’re a bodybuilder you won’t get bulked up like crazy (even then it’s usually the addition of hormones that add to bulking) so go ahead and lift girl! Cardio exercises like running, swimming etc. are also great to get into your routine which I see you have and it’s important to also not forget about aerobic exercises like yoga/pilates this will also minimize your chance of getting “bulky”. Overall, I would say if you have set days of the week you work out like MWF do that for 2 weeks then switch up the days, intensity of workouts and type of exercises you do on each day to give your body that “restart” it needs in order to start losing weight. It is also so incredibly important to eat enough calories! Yes sounds weird but you actually might not be eating enough for you to lose weight and this is what my doctor told me. If you don’t eat enough your body goes into “survival” mode because it’s not being given enough food in order to carry out your bodily functions to its fullest potential. Yes you can be taking supplements and be healthy on paper but if you’re trying to lose weight and exercising and eating well and still unable to lose the weight then it’s time to evaluate if you’re eating enough during the day. I would highly recommend reaching out to your doctor and/or dietitian about adequate dietary input your should have because there are all kinds of info and pamphlets on lines telling us to be between so and so calories at this point in time or to not exceed x amount but in reality everyone is different and all bodies are different. I hope this helps sorry for the book/lecture.

It can definitely feel intimidating. As someone who would categorize myself as a "gym girly" now I will tell you that not one person in that gym started where they are now. They all were beginners at one point, they all fumbled to figure out the equipment, they all made mistakes. Heck I still drop weights, forget how to move stuff, etc. Also, most of us are so focused on what we are doing that we aren't paying attention to those around us. I will also say that most gym people love helping people. We love talking about fitness and sharing knowledge and I am sure many people at your gym would be happy to help you out. A lot of gyms also now have the QR codes on the machines that show you how to use them and some gyms like crunch and planet fitness have preset workouts on the app that you can walk through. My next BIG thing though is going to be about safety. Your diet pre-op sounds VERY calories restrictive and chances are you're not going to have a lot of excess energy for activity at that low of a calorie intake. So many sure you feel up to it. If you feel tried, lethargic, dizzy, have a headache, etc. I wouldn't do a workout. Your body is trying to just function at that stage and might not be up to the excess activity just yet. I am really into post bariatric fitness and just got my certificate in nutrition health and wellness. Reach out anytime on IG @ anastacia_bari_life

Shhhhhhh but someone mentioned on another post about the quitting smokng weight gain..do what you have to do even if it means cough cough putting extra weight in your pockets, bra where ever it won't show for your weigh in to offset your quitting weight gain...This way, you only show a loss. Not that I'm saying cheat the system, but they want you to quit knowing it might put weight on and can eliminate your surgery chances. This way no stressing and you can concentrate on eating healthy and getting healthy! Either the above or exercise a lot , eat very low cal and drink Lots of water and hope it works! Good luck.

I had a total abdominal hysterectomy on May 7th. I was in the hospital for 3 days and 2 nights. The initial surgery took 3 hours because not only did they remove my uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, but they also had to call in general surgery to detach my intestines from my uterus (was attached with lesions in 3 places). My heart actually did really well and there were no complications.....with that. But it wouldn't be me if there wasn't something wrong somewhere. Ok, so I get back to recovery and seem to be doing well. Blood pressure is a little low, but all in all, not too bad. About an hour into my recovery, the nurse notices a lot of blood. She checks me and apparently I was hemorrhaging blood and clots. I went through 3 big pads in 25 minutes. Just as I came to, I was told I would have to go back into surgery on an emergency basis. My surgeon was with me and actually held my hand the whole way back to the OR and while I was being prepped. The 2nd surgery took almost 2 hours but they got the 2 places that popped internal stitches on the vaginal cuff re-stitched. I was in recovery again for another 2 hours and then was FINALLY allowed to go to my room. My husband was extremely panicked and white as a ghost. He made all the necessary calls and told me he was scared. I felt awful for him. I had to get 2 units of blood because I lost so much. I'm normally on the low side of normal because I'm chronically anemic. My blood pressure was also extremely low for over a day. They gave me a 1/2 liter saline bolus while I was getting the blood transfusion because my blood pressure was staying around 82/39 and thereabouts. It was around 4pm on day 3 that my blood pressure stabilized enough to go home (it stayed around about 93/55 for 4-5 hours). Since I've been home, I sleep a lot, I walk 3-5 times per day, I just finally got off my pain meds and can get by with tylenol. I'm not cleared to drive or exercise, but I walk the apartment complex a couple times a day and that seems to do well. Still have some pain at the incision (it's about 6-7 inches long at the bikini line) and the muscles and nerves under the incision ache sometimes. I can only sit at the computer for about 15 minutes at a time, so this is the first chance I've had to type this out. I had to go to my doctor yesterday because 2 stitches on the right side of my incision popped and I had to be re-stitched. That really sucked, but it is what it is. I'm on leave from work for 6 weeks (well, 5 now). I normally heal well, but this one is really slow going. I'm already on estrogen patches (Climera) but I was told it takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to 2 months for the estrogen to fully kick in and get my hormones regulated. Lemme tell ya, I've been riding the crazy train, complete with night sweats, hot flashes and flushes, and insane mood swings. Can't wait to feel normal. Initially, I gained 13 pounds of water weight in the hospital, but it's slowly working it's way off. Once all the water is gone, I can't wait to see how much weight has actually dropped since my lady parts were removed (everything together, including the huge fibroids, weighed 3 pounds) so I'll start weighing myself again in about a week. That's about it!! So glad to finally be done with everything. Once I'm fully healed and on the other side of this, WATCH OUT!!! lol

I am also 2 weeks but gast bypass. I tolerate almost a cup 2-3x a day. But when i try adding in something new (i pureed som ground beef added to my cottage cheese) overnight i get an awful pit in my stomach and toss and turn all night. Then i have a few morning BMs and feel better. So the following day i do cottage cheese shakes pudding and i seem to do ok. Down 20lbs since surgery but have not lost any weight in 3 days.

Hi everyone, It has been awhile since I have posted. We have been very busy around my house. I will be 6 weeks post-op on Tuesday. I can officially transition over to regular texture foods as of then. My dietician did tell me to not attempt over 1/2cup per meal. She said that is my max goal for a couple more months. Daily goals: 60-80g protein, 48+ ounces of fluids, 500-700 calories, eat 3-6 times per day. Obviously do not eat 1/2 cup 6 times per day though. Lol I am excited about being able to go to the gym and start an exercise regimen. I also do not need protein shakes anymore as long as I am meeting my protein goals. So happy about that. I have found a new product, Nurri, it is an ultra-filtered milk (shelf stable) with 30g protein and only 150 calories. It is honestly better than Fairlife and comes in a can. I have been drinking that for my breakfast and while I take all my meds. I slowly take my meds over the 30 minutes or so I drink it. @draikaina8503 hope you are feeling better. @Justarwaxx the foamies are the worst. I’m glad it has only happened to me once. @ShoppGirl the target heart rate formula is interesting. I can walk across the room and my heart rate would be higher than that. Those goals don’t really work for me but if it’s great if they help you. @Voca my date was also 8/6. Hope you are doing well. I can’t remember who asked about weight going up and down. That has not happened to me since my surgery, but in previous dieting for sure it happened. I have had a couple of days where my weight did not change. I am more of a slow loser so I weigh every day to keep myself honest and to see if something I did the day before might contribute to loss or even a stall. It works for me but might not be good for everyone. I have tried chili from Wendy’s and McAllister’s Deli and they were okay. I do not really count those as “eating out” since they were chili and I could have had almost the same from a can. Last night I went to dinner with some friends for the first time since surgery. I had not told any of them about my surgery and then they were all worried about what I could eat. I had already looked at the menu before going so I knew what my options were. Really not super WLS friendly. It’s a wood fired pizza restaurant. I ordered the best protein option pizza and had only the toppings from 2 pieces. They were small pieces and the entire pizza fit on a single plate. My choices worked because today I am down 1.3 pounds. It made me happy that I knew I made the right choice. I was also not bothered by them eating other foods and seeing them finish their entire meals. They were all super supportive and asked if we needed to go somewhere else. I recently went through my closet and started pulling clothes that are too big and adding in fall clothes. I had previously done a big purge of clothes that did not fit and I did not want to keep so my clothing options are a bit limited right now. My cousin had the gastric sleeve about 18 months ago and she gave me all of her clothes so that has been a huge help. It was like getting new clothes for free. Haha My NSV is putting something on that did not fit a month ago and now is loose. That is a great feeling. Looking at the scale and saying I have lost 25 pounds since 8/6 and that does not seem like a lot to me but knowing how a certain shirt or pants fit before and now they are loose or even too big to wear. That helps keep it real for me and helps to keep me motivated. Hope everyone has a great week and keep focused on those small goals and successes.

Of course. I am by no means an expert. I never spoke with a dietician except about the post surgery diet so I could be wrong but I’m thinking 1400 may be a little high for weight loss if your not very active. The dietician should be able to give you an exact goal.

I was looking at my weight scale app and so far for this year, 2024 I've lost 23.2 lbs total or 5.8 lbs a month from January 1st to May 1st; 5 months - 23 pounds! That's my total weight loss for months 4 - 9 post op. I understand everyone loses at different rates, but isn't this too slow for only being 4-9 months post op? I'm almost at only a pound a week! I was under the impression that about 2 lbs a week is normal at 9 months - 12 months. Then after 12 months po1 pound a week is normal... I could also understand if I were eating more calories, I'm sticking to 800 max a day - what I've been told to stick to by my dietician, 80grams protein, under 50 net carbs, under 20 sugar grams... Anyone have any ideas, comments etc!? I don't mean to complain, but heck I was hoping to lose more than a pound a week following surgery at this point in time, Most can accomplish that without surgery! Again, anyone have the same problem at this point in their timeline? But if so, did they continue to lose or am I getting to that point my body says I'm done? Anybody?

Hello! My name is Christine. I am 23 years post-op and due to how long ago I had my surgery and all they have learned since.... there is so much I need to learn. I have to keep telling my doctors "I wasn't told that..." I am now in the process of losing weight to repair hernias from my initial full cut surgery. I had a Gastric Bypass/Roux en y, back in 2000 (before so much was known and so many products were available). I thought I was ready with the proper mindset to have the surgery and be successful. I lost 95 lbs., but hit a plateau and became very discouraged. Over the years I put the weight back on plus some. I am now retired and realizing I need to get this weight off, not only to fix the hernias but to improve my quality of life in my "Golden Years".

The last time I was talking about having a stall after nearly 3 weeks. My weight all the sudden dropped. But, I can also tell that I'm losing inches. Even when the weight doesn't move. My energy is all over the place the past week or so, I feel like I could do a triathlon, sometimes I feel like I just did a triathlon without doing anything. I assure you it's normal. I'm seeing this first hand, also this is what I get told by the doctor, dietician, nurse and exercise specialist. Two of them have had gastric bypass. The other two have been in the bariatric field for several years. The Dietician told me my stomach is like a new baby, since I'm only 3 months post op. There's several more months ( or longer) for our body to get it figured out. Right now it's brand new. I know how tough it is to see the scale not move, but I also know this is still early in the process. I'm trying to look at it like I have a brand new 3 months old stomach and there's going to be growing pains. Try not to be hard on yourself, it's a process and it takes time. That's what I keep trying to tell myself. I know it's cheesy and a line from a movie. But, like Rocky Balboa, if you get knocked down the only thing you can do is get up and keep moving forward.

that's totally up to you. Some people count their highest weight, others count the day they start their liquid diet, and still others count the day they had surgery. It makes no difference.

I had the Sleeve 3.5 years ago and I’m pending revision to SADI or bypass (Bypass if he gets in there a can’t do SADI for some reason). From what I have seen on these boards the post op pain level for the sleeve and bypass is pretty similar year still different from person to person. I think the main difference between someone with an easy vs tough recovery depends on whether any air gets trapped in there and causes gas pain. I was really fortunate with the sleeve that I didn’t have any gas pain at all and my recovery was quite easy. I was up a couple hours after being back to my room Bugging then nurses with questions about my urine output 🤣 At one point I even questioned whether they had somehow forgotten to do the surgery. I did feel like I had done about 1000 crunches. And I had to use the bed rails to assist in sitting up for the first day but if I was just lying or standing I felt normal. I even said I didn’t need pain meds right away. They said they suggested they wean me down because I was already on some and may not know it if I’m in pain. I went home the next day on just Tylenol but with a pain script just in case. I did feel fatigued for a while so I took naps daily and I waited the full two weeks before I did much as instructed but I FELT like I could do most things if I had tried. It is an adjustment to remember all the vitamins and figure out what to drink or “eat” and when but I set alarms on my phone and that helped quite a bit. I actually just created alarms for every half hour and then toggled them on as needed to plan my day. You are a step ahead of the game that you are already here and established where you can get support and ask questions if you have any I didn’t find this site until a couple of days before so I was still figuring out how the thing even worked while working through the rest of it. The people here are incredibly helpful to answer questions, cheer you on or just let you vent if you have a bad day. The main thing to keep in mind is your goals and your reasons why you are doing the surgery and that will get you through it. If you ask everyone if they have any regrets about Weight loss Surgery the most common response it that they only wish they had done it sooner. After a few months you should be in your new groove, just losing weight and noticing that you can already do things you haven’t been able to do. If you haven’t already, Check out the “weirdest non scale victories” thread on this site. It sorta turned to just normal non scale victories but it’s pretty inspiring

Thank you for replying -pawsalmighty . Hugs to you. I certainly do want to stop the rot before it takes me back to where I was. I cannot afford to go back. Life is so much harder to live when you feel trapped inside your own body. Even the basics like taking a shower or walking around to do the grocery shop was confronting every single day. Even now, here it is winter. I have never experienced such cold. I need to wear gloves over my hands but I would rather this than sweating on a mild day plas all the other garbage that comes with it. I have stopped focusing of protein and switched to chocolate but I need to do better. I like the fact that I have more strength where before I could only walk part three houses and I was done. My weight has been a life long issue. Richard Simmons passed away recently. I remember working out to his album in the 80's. I played the songs and my body remembered the exercises. I am not new to this game but the struggle continues. I suppose that is a little aside. What do you mean about genetic testing? How does this help to find the right anti depressant? Sounds so much better that the p'doc trying the hit and miss method with medications. Have many people found it to be helpful? I really do need to find a new way to set small goals. Not sure what they are yet. But I am going to see my doctor tomorrow. Hmmmm, Wish me luck.

I've been impatient because I lost 79 lbs. leading up to my surgery day. About 39 lbs. From surgery to today. In nearly the same time frame. I was expecting more weight loss after surgery. It's moving in a positive direction, as long as it keeps doing that surely good things to come. 😃

I just had my 1 year blood work done for the bariatric surgeon, and everything came back normal except the fact that I'm anemic (that's nothing new, thanks to my systemic lupus). Here's what I had done: VITAMIN D, 25-HYDROXY VITAMIN B12 VITAMIN A TSH VITAMIN B1 (THIAMINE), WHOLE BLOOD LIPID PANEL PREALBUMIN IRON PROFILE HEMOGLOBIN A1C FOLATE FERRITIN COMPREHENSIVE METABOLIC PANEL CBC WITH DIFFERENTIAL My PCP also got the results and said she was happy with them and set me up with another iron infusion (I have to get them twice per year). My surgeon was happy with the results and said sometimes our bodies just do what they're going to do and we're along for the ride. He said if I get tot he point that I physically can't function because of the weight loss, then he'll look into ordering additional testing, but as of right now, while it's unusual to still be losing at this stage, it's not unheard of so he's not particularly concerned. It's nice that HE'S not, but nobody seems to take into account that I AM. I keep explaining how I feel, how I look, how I don't have energy or strength, how I'm losing muscle, how I'm always so so tired, how I can't shake the circles under my eyes or make my skin look healthy no matter how much collagen or serum or cream I use and nobody seems to care. He literally commented on the fact that he could see and feel my bones, ribs, etc... I said "yes, I know. That's my point. Look at my hands and feet. They are bones and veins. No fat at all." And he said it would even out in time. But all that's been happening is I've been getting smaller and smaller the more time goes by.

I’m sure this is pretty basic anatomy but I don’t understand much of it so don’t laugh but I think I may be confused. I had the SADI so I know that my post op body malabsorbs a pretty good deal of fat. I also know that we do need a certain amount of fat for our bodies to function properly. Meaning I probably will need to consume like twice as much as my body needs to actually get enough to fuel my body, right? (Maybe not twice as much but for sake of this let’s say twice). Okay so I also had gallbladder removal along with my SADI which wasn’t at all expected but apparently I had gall stones and the organ was already looking bad so with anticipated weight loss destroying it further it would need to come out eventually anyways so he went ahead and did it. Well with gallbladder removal you aren’t supposed to have a lot of fat because your body can’t process it as well. My fear is that if I eat twice as much fat so my body gets the half if that it needs to function that my liver and stuff still have to process all of it and that will be bad for my liver and whatever else. Is that the case? When we eat and the food goes through our intestines and only part of the fat absorbs, do our organs still process ALL of the fat or does it only process the HALF that has been absorbed. I was thinking it has to process it all and really worried about how this is going to work but if it only processes the portion I “absorb” then I’m pretty much like anyone else who has their gallbladder removed I guess. I just have to live on what my body can handle without a gallbladder. What makes sense when I really think about it is whatever is not absorbed doesn’t go through the organs but I am just making sure that I understand.

Oh…I had hubby taking my ‘before journey’ pictures last week and I hated them so much. I don’t know about anyone else but I never really look at myself from the neck down in any mirrors at home. I know I’m fat, I just don’t need the constant reminders! I don’t try things on in a shop, just order online and hope for the best (does it fit? Yep, that will do) This time I actually looked at the photos and oh boy, it was awful. BUT I just have to keep reminding myself that I will NEVER get that big again. Hubby will take more photos if my weight decreases before the surgery, just so I have something to look back on and compare. We have to keep finding the positives!

Like the others said before me, I think it is highly unlikely that you have stretched your stomach. Weight will fluctuate (annoying I know) as your body copes with the changes. Please try not to stress yourself out unnecessarily. I think try to find a resource of a dietician, maybe even one online if that is quicker than a local one. Did your care team, at the time, give you any reading material for post-op foods etc? I didn't get much advice for long-term from my team so I spent a lot of time online and found some good online reading material at 'Bariatric Meal Prep', 'My Bariatric Dietitian' and a few other sites/blogs.

I wasn’t really given a post op diet specific to the gallbladder removal either but when I googled it a couple of sites had a post op diet specific to the removal and mentioned the high fat and as well as no caffeine, alcohol or carbonation And slowly introducing fiber. I assumed they didn’t mention itr since most surgeons do not allow any of these Early out anyways but mine does allow a Little caffeine. The latte shake has caffeine. I am truly hoping ir doesn’t cause many issues. Especially with absorption and cholesterol like yours. Mild but slowly increasing cholesterol and knee pain are my two comorbidities and what I hoped to resolve with the weight loss (the cholesterol runs in the family even for thin people though).. Also, if my bipolar meds do not absorb I have no clue what I will do. I don’t even want to think of what a disaster that could be. It’s day 8 now and so far I feel okay. Usually if I miss it two days pills in a row I feel different. My prescribing dr says that they are mostly absorbed by the stomach membrane so I shouldn’t notice much change with my revision since they aren’t touching my sleeve. I just didn’t know to ask about the gallbladder thing. I was in such bad pain when they told me they removed it I I honestly didn’t even want to worry about that part until I was feeling better. It sounds like I really shouldn’t even begin to jump to any conclusions though since you’re and your family’s experience were so different. Maybe more of a wait and see what happems sort of thing and why they really didn’t mention much about it.

@BlueParis As I mentioned before my bariatric docotor and dietician both said exhaustion is a thing up to 4 or 5 months before your body starts getting back to normal. Low Iron and other problems could contribute. From my blood test results that's not the case. Exhaustion is part of the process. The dietician wanted me to stay close to 100 grams of protein a day. My average is around 135 grams. I log everything through the baritastic app that she can access. Seems weird to me that I should stay close to 100, but they've done this many times before. So I'll follow the guidelines to see what happens. @NickelChip i weighed myself the night before my DR. Appointment. I was 241 lbs. The next day on the doctors scale i was 245 lbs. I think my scale is 1 or 2 lbs off. Either way, I gained overnight and that is frustrating. But, the part I took away is all the inches i had lost. The Doctor and nurse both have had bariatric surgery. They kept reassuring that the process is working, but it can be slow.

well brb i go cry. i really had hopes that once i reach my first weight goal which is going into 60's i would see my belly actually shrink alot but now i guess it will always be a thing to live with

I eat fairly normal-sized meals and have for a long time. And by "normal" I don't mean the gargantuan amounts I ate before surgery - I mean the size of your average woman who eats more on the light side. No one could tell by what I eat that I've had RNY (like they could have my first few months post-op). If they even notice at all, they'd assume I'm just a light eater. I really don't eat any differently than most of my never-been-obese women friends who are watching their weight. example - if I go out for pizza, I can only handle 1-2 pieces (as opposed to the half a large pizza that I used to eat). At restaurants I'll often order something like soup and salad or an appetizer, but if I get an entree, I'll eat half of it and have them box the rest up. Pretty much the same as a lot of my women friends.

Don’t fret yet @Lilia_90. I too thought I’d lost my hourglass shape but it came back although the hip waist breast ratio was smaller. Once my weight stabilised, my remaining fat resettled & my waist & hips came back. My boobs were there too but needed hoisting up in a well fitting bra-LOL!