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Dang it! Back up to 200 today. I could see the digital scale contemplating telling me 199.8, but it decided nope. I've had days with tons of exercise. Days with no exercise. Days with over 1000 calories. Days with barely 500 calories because what I ate made me sick. None of it does anything to move the weight. I get on the scale daily because I like to see the graph as a visual. But I'd like it better if the number went down. On the bright side, my blood work all looks pretty good. A bit low in Vitamin A, zinc, and prealbumin, but so far no one has said I should change anything. @LisaCaryl I love the NSV with the jeans! What a nice surprise, even if you did get stuck wearing them to your group. I have one more week of school runs and after school activities before my kids are out for the summer. At that point, I am going to make a weekly meal plan and try out some new recipes from the bariatric cookbooks that are gathering dust because I've been too busy. I've also found a workout video to try with my pilates bar resistance band set, so that's going to happen this week, at least once.

HI all! How do you navigate eating out? Life is busy I do well during the day but at night if I do not cook for the fam then its take out. I try and make good decisions. The other day we had Mexican food. I got a grilled chicken taco, added black beans, light sour cream and some guac. Put some pico de gallo on it and only ate the insides and only half, saved the other half for lunch. If we get burgers, I will only eat the meat with mustard and the lettuce and tomato. ect... I was watching a video someone posted and it was saying that the #1 failure of WLS is chasing restriction, I do not eat till I am stuffed, but I do eat till I am satisified. If I get a craving I just grab a otter pop or 2. I am not sure if I am supposed to steer clear of all this? I am losing weight and its literally melting off, so I figured this is ok.

I am shy of 2 months post op and down some weight, and with that we are now moving into the realm of needing new undies.. Just upfront, I am women (she\her pronouns) so this may not hit the same way for the fellas, but I am sure others are struggling.. that said... What has been your strategy? I don't want to spend a huge amount on good compression undies, or fancy because I am hoping to continue this weight loss trend. Any recommendations of brand you used along the way? Is there a brand you swear by? Bralettes are also something I am looking for... I am busty and of course hate underwires.. If you're at your goal or maintaining, what has been your favorite brand of compression garments if you wear any? Right now I am pretty sure I could stand outside in my undies and set sail as soon as gust of wind came by..

I had my operation VSG, one month and one day ago. I didn't have to do a pre op diet as my surgeon didn't reccomend it for me ..; I lost 7 pounds in the two weeks pre-op and then lost 18 pounds in the first 2 and half weeks post op ... I haven't lost anything since and am starting to get seriously seriously down about it and am thinking that this is it ... this is the weight I'm going to be stuck at forever. I'm so sad and upset. It just feels so useless. I'm walking and being as active as I can and drinking as much fluids as I can manage but the scales aren't budging. I'm so sad.

Girl! I could've written this myself!!!! My life is insane, I work full time, am in school full time, and have 3 children. I am 266lbs and 5'9 now. When I started my journey I was 297 and my highest weight was 325 at one point in my life. I have always been told the same, that I look good, I don't need to lose the weight or I can do it myself. I do not have any health issues but you know who does? My mom, brother who is only 27, my grandma. All high blood pressure, diabetes, unable to have the surgeries they need because they need to lose weight. I refuse to allow myself get to that point. I have been doing Weight Watchers on and off since I was 12yrs old, I have gotten down to 210 and I looked and felt amazing. All of your fears are the ones I fear as well, but the outcome? being a HEALTHIER me for myself, children and husband. We deserve the best version of me! I have thought about how I will most likely get treated differently being thinner, I even confessed to my psych that I know being smaller will help me find a job easier once I graduate. He actually agreed. Its so unfortunate in our society but life is just easier for those who are thinner. I hate saying that out loud but its true. So choose your hard- WLS and losing the weight once and for all? OR stay on the path of yo yo dieting, and just hope you don't get those health issues? I chose my hard- WLS and lose my weight so I can be healthier and active for me and my family! I am having surgery on Jan 24th! Day after my birthday!

if you've been following your plan and haven't increased your eating lately, then yes, you may be in a stall. Mine tended to last longer the closer I got to my goal. I'd give it a couple more weeks. If your weight hasn't started dropping by then, then you may be in maintenance (at 11.1 st, you're almost at a normal BMI). You can always lose more by dropping your calories or increasing your exercise (or both). But I'd give it a little more time.

Short update: I had my gastric sleeve procedure done in November 2019. I lost around 85 lbs and then stalled eventually regaining around 50 lbs back and a horrible case of GERD. I had never had symptoms of GERD before my surgery and about 3 months later, I had to begin taking omeprezole daily to deal with it. If I forget a dose I can tell by the afternoon. During the first year post surgery, I lost my husband (not unexpectedly but it DID happen 10 days post-op for me), moved across country from Florida to New Mexico, bought a new house and started a new job. My daughter is 1 year post-op and lost approx. 150 ibs on the DS. l just started the process to obtain a revisional surgery. Will be discussing the benefits of either the DS or ByPass. I had the upper GI completed which showed a small hiatal hernia with evidence of GERD. It also showed mild cricopharyngeal hypertrophy. Any suggestions regarding which of the 2 procedures would help with the GERD and to help lose the 130 lbs. that I still need to drop to get to my goal weight?

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.

I'm curious if you've had any discussions with your surgeon about converting your sleeve to a duodenal switch if your weight loss continues to be disappointing from the sleeve. I've heard there are some patients who just don't see the results they need from the VSG alone, and that might be an option for you.

@Allen, I had no choice once the weight loss started. I lost slowly but steadily and had an initial goal of getting down to 185 lbs. I was concerned about the traditional Hess DS being too extreme so I opted for the SADi due to the much longer common channel (mine is about 300 cm). When I hit 135 lbs my Dr and I were concerned but not panicked. Over the next 2 years I gaind back 27 pounds to reach 162 where I have been very steady. I feel like my body knew the right weight and I needed to let it get there over time. I'm very happy with the Sadi and would not change a thing.

How long has it been since you had the sleeve surgery? How much weight have you lost and how rapidly? How much food/calories are you able to consume daily, and also how much water? Are you improving slowly or getting worse?I think these details might help people with offering some advice, especially if anyone else on here has been through a similar situation.

I think it is probably a lot of trauma related to my weight specifically! People, especially family, should know better as you say. A thicker skin is needed at times, I agree. It is just a shame that we have to develop that, rather than people just being kinder. I need to adopt that haha, I am glad you confronted them! I currently have therapy and it is definitely something I need to talk about! Thank you for your reply

Yes, pre existing gerd is a hard no for sleeve in almost all cases. Sleeve won’t fix it & will likely make it worse necessitating a 2nd surgery to convert to bypass. I had reflux/gerd before my sleeve. The only reason my surgeon decided to proceed with a sleeve was because my reflux was mild & I managed it for years with dietary choices. I only took meds a couple or so times a year. If it was more severe, & I needed regular medication, he wouldn’t have done it. My reflux is worse & I take meds every day which manages it but the symptoms are different. We have similar stats in regards height & I had a similar starting weight (200lbs). Having reflux didn’t hinder my weight loss. Plus I’m menopausal (perimenopause & menopause was when I put on the bulk of my weight & pushed me to obesity). I lost all my weight plus more & have kept it off. And I wasn’t active at all Lol! Avoid comparing your rate of weight loss with anyone else. We all lose at our own rate & what is best for us & our body. Comparing usually leads to frustration & worry. Have you met with your dietician recently & gone through your meal tracking? There may be something you’re missing or need or don’t need. A stall of more than a month isn’t common. Try to increase your fluid consumption. You should aim for 64oz or likely more as you say you are very active. And yes, while muscle weighs more than fat it’s not that much more. Say a container of fat weighs 1kg. The same container of muscle weighs 1.2kg so we only talking ounces of difference. Have you been taking body measurements to better understand where you might be in regards to muscle growth?

I was only eating around 300/400 calories at the soft food stage so these wouldn’t have even have been a consideration. My meals were often just protein because I couldn’t eat thing else. I was advised 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from purée slowly increasing to a cup at 6 months. Protein first, then any vegetables & then only if I was able any carbs. I was never able. 🙂 I’d think these noodles could still be considered a carb. I still struggle with bread, pasta & rice at almost 5 years out. They sit like a weight in my tummy & that includes vegetable pastas/noodles. So I don’t eat them. (Did try a hot cross bun at Easter to see if there’d been any change but no, that lump sat in my tummy for hours.) But plans & experiences differ so check with your dietician to be sure.

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.

Mushrooms offer some fiber and are relatively low calorie, so I wouldn't worry about a few of those and are approved by my bariatrc team. The cheese is too much, in fact it looks like the largest quantity on your plate. You should get at most something like one full skim string cheese stick a day. Add next non starch veggies at most 1/4 cup per meal and 3oz cup of lean protein and one tablespoon of starchy veggies - that's it! I'd also eliminate the imitation crab/fish sticks, too much protein. So it should consist of: 3 oz lean protein / protein shake is calorie. 1/4 cup non starchy veggie 1 tablespoon starchy veggies and in between meals 64oz of water. Snacks can be the string cheese (skim) ..this type of thing... What you had on your plate isn't bad, but it is closer to a maintenance diet after you've lost the weight plate of food!

Oh I forgot to answer this part. My biggest “YAY” moment was when I realized I could buy any bra I wanted (not just tactical grade special order sizes from Plus size stores). When I traveled (mainly overseas), I always packed too many because of my irrational but not improbable fear of my bras breaking (they did every few months) and not being able to find my size (44H). Now wherever I travel I can just bring one bra/bralette or maybe just pasties. This is still my favorite thing about losing the extra weight.

So interesting to read these replies - we all come from such different places! I was also a binge eater. I went for the sleeve because it felt less disruptive to my anatomy - didn't mind at all losing a big chunk of stomach. I also actively did NOT want a high risk of dumping (although I know some sleevers do). My one worry was my reflux getting worse. I gambled on it not getting worse because any other time I had lost a significant amount of weight it had actually improved. I won my gamble. The sleeve is suiting me very well so far.

You’ve just had pretty major surgery, your body is in recovery mode, stressed & you’re not eating much, so yes your labs will be a little screwy for a while. You want to be in Ketosis to burn fat so this is a good thing. High B12 could be you don’t need as many supplements. Like do you take additional B12 as well as your multis? Increased bilirubin levels are also common with weight loss. Ketosis & weight loss is hard on your liver (all the fat it’s trying to process out of your body). It will settle eventually. Probably better to discuss these results with your surgeon & their team though as they are more knowledgeable about what to expect after surgery while you are losing. In saying that, my GP used to run labs between my surgeon’s requirements (so I was getting them done every month or two). She was tracking & monitoring only so if anything unusual popped up we could be proactive. And they were sent to my surgeon & his colleague as well so they saw the results too. Bonus was my GP was a medical school friend of my surgeon’s colleague.

Oh yes, I've heard of Dr. Puebla. Great reputation and the prices in Mexico are incredible. My starting height and weight and end goal are really similar to yours, actually. I swear, I just can't picture how I'll look at the end at all. But I guess if there's a chance I'll want skin reduction surgery, I should get going on Duolingo! I wonder how much Spanish I could learn in two years...

I'm only a week post-op so I don't have much experience with this particular conversation -- but I've struggled with weight all my life and have had a few periods of great weight loss. And those conversations were never great, either. Honestly, I feel like the majority of people just want you to reveal "the magic solution" to them -- whether because they want an easy solution themselves, or just want to write you off as having "cheated" for your success. They don't want to hear about the tough, ongoing, lifetime of work you're putting in. Some people -- those who deeply care and connect with you -- that won't be the case. But those people that care, won't get too pushy if you set a boundary. And that's really what I wanted to talk about: setting healthy boundaries. It's nobody's business how you achieved this. Decide how much you're comfortable sharing, and allow yourself to set a clear boundary. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving a bland "oh, you know, lifestyle changes" as an answer, and if they push further let them know "Honestly, I'm not comfortable talking about it. I'm healthy and happy though." Anyone who tries to push past your boundaries? Deserves the stink eye, and maybe a LOUDER repetition of exactly what you told them. At most. (But most people feel too awkward to push, I think. If they don’t, well, they don't really deserve you to be polite back. Get sassy. Ask them what part of your statement needs clarification. Ask them something extremely probing and personal back. Tell them to look up the definition of 'boundaries,' 'respect,' or 'pushiness.' Ask if they're a Taurus. Hiss at them 'Alien Abduction' and walk away. Most importantly, take care of your own emotional and mental health first -- because nobody else will prioritize it for you. 🤍

I recently got diagnosed with stage 1 type 3 Lipedema 1.5 years after my VSG. The reason that pushed me to explore because I had lost weight all overall but my legs didn’t change much compared to the drastic changes I had in the rest of my body. The pain, heaviness and bruising I had before surgery continued. I had originally thought it was related to my weight. My surgeries are booked with a Specialist Lipedema Surgeon, they will take place later this year (hopefully all goes according to plan). I was wondering if anyone else is going through this too? I would love to hear anything you would like to share.

Would I be right in thinking your nutritionalist is recommending a keto like diet? They are big on no root vegetables & no corn, peas because of their naturally high sugar content. (Potatoes are often a no because they are considered a starch.) I regularly ate carrot & sugar snap peas. I threw frozen corn & peas into soups, mince dishes, some slow cooked dishes, omelettes, etc, I usually just microwave my vegetables with a splash of water & a dab of butter but also will stir fry & occasionally roast (especially cauliflower with a little hummus & zataar to serve). I love vegetables & enjoy them best simply with salt & pepper but don’t be afraid to try herbs & spices. The only vegetables I don’t eat is potato, sweet potato & pumpkin (they tend to sit heavily) except a very small piece (bite or two) with a roast dinner. My thoughts were & are vegetables are vegetables (except potato). They are highly nutritious (all those vitamins, minerals & fibre) so a valuable addition to our food choices. And the little we eat, especially in the first months will have minimal impact on your calorie intake & weight loss. I mean 1/4 cup peas is 30 calories if you can eat that much. Plus the ‘sweet’ vegetables are naturally sweet so they don’t count towards your sugar intake. Certainly didn’t affect my weight loss or maintenance. I say eat your vegetables, just watch portion size & what you serve or add to them. Like no honey glazed carrots, sour cream or cheese sauces at least for a while.

You’ll stop losing weight at some point. Don’t freak out, but eventually the surgery stops working. Also, your body knows when to stop. Then you have to learn how to maintain without the help.

I’m still losing, haven’t hit goal weight yet but I’ve started having sugars again since the holidays. Need to reset hard! My appetite has increased as well. But not a whole lot.