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Really interesting to read about the “starting weight”. I booked my surgery on January 30th and was 96kg (my highest ever weight - stepping on the scales and seeing I was closer to 100 that to 90 was a real shock - I dug out some insurance papers from February 2020 - I was 58kg then and allready heavier than I like to be). My surgery was 3 weeks later because I had to stop smoking first. The day of surgery I was 91.1kg so I lost 5.9kg in the three weeks prior ( I basically did a broth fast and didn’t eat anything solid, only clear broth and tea and coffee). Im now 70kg so since January 30th I’ve lost 26kg (57lbs) in 16 weeks (average of 1.6kg or 3.6lbs a week) so I’m very very happy with the weight loss even if I’m over the weather! I do have a goal weight which is my pre pandemic weight of 52-55kg (114-122 lbs) because I know that that is the weight at which I function best and that feels the best for my legs ( I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have very minor cerebral palsy - I have the impression that the extra pain I have for every gram I weigh over 55kg just isn’t worth it and really impacts my standard of living and my mobility. Because of the CP I have very minimal flexibility so being even slightly over weight just makes moving so so much harder for me as I can barely bend my knees as it is and have no upwards ankle flexibility what so ever. I’m easily out of balance and I fall over often ( the best way to picture it is to imagine the mobility of someone who has had about 3 beers too many), I’m used to it and my physiotherapist always says I’m a very good « faller », a part from bruises and a bruised ego I’ve only ever seriously broken things ( shoulder, wrist and double arm fracture all in one go!) once since being an adult. But being heavier has meant having more issues getting back up after falling over and more and bigger bruises. So my goal isn’t an esthetic one ( even though it will be nice to not be the fattest person in the room anymore - and because I live in Paris where the average female BMI is 21.3 the bar is low!) but a functional one. So I have 15kg (33lbs) left to loose, I know the rate of loss will slow, but I’m hoping to be at least nearly there in September when I take a new position, I really want to do my transition speech feeling ( and looking) like my old self ( just with some extra wrinkles and grey hair). My handover is September 16th - that leaves 17 weeks so I’m not sure I’ll be at 55kg by then because it would mean continuing to loose an average of 0.9kg ( 1.95lbs) a week which is a lot given my current weight. However if I manage to loose an average of 0.5kg (1.1lbs) per week ( which seems a more attainable bar) I should be 61/62kg by then, and I can live with that! ( I’m an unapologetic numbers girl - I don’t track what I eat because that’s not sustainable for me long term - I try to eat protein but other than that - YOLO - but I do track my weight every day if I have a scale and my steps and my activity) A very long post once again. Thanks all for being here. And here is a picture of a Greek island morning! That’s the 9.30AM light!

I was never a breakfast eater and I've always done Intermittent Fasting and never ate my first meal before 12 PM (mind you I wake up at 5:30 AM). But since my VSG I get really hungry in the mornings, I have an oat milk coffee and wait to eat at 10/10.30 AM. My last meal of the day is at 6 PM so it explains the hunger especially with the tiny portions.

Hummm. I was thinking that maybe if they do change it then it would be smaller for me because I swear my sleeve was left too big from day one. The surgeon thinks I just have fast gastric emptying and that’s why I feel like I can eat more but I hope we will know for sure when he does the scope in a couple of weeks. It will be nice if I do finally get an answer as to why I was always able to eat more than everyone else. I was just thinking that even though statistics say I will lose more with SADI revision that I may be differnt if one involves changing the stomach and the other does not.

If that medication is the one I am thinking of that includes Wellbutrin and one other drug it may be your culprit. I don’t have experience with the weight loss drug but I do know Wellbutrin by itself can be a very bad one to go off of too fast. I realize you weren’t prescribed it for depression but you say you have always been depressed so if it was actually treating your depression and your no longer taking it or your body is not absorbing it now it’s possible that your depression has worsened due to the dose of an antidepressant decreasing too quickly. I am not a doctor and not certain that’s how it works with the other drug involved but i do know I have been cautioned about needing to wean off of Wellbutrin slowly and not to ever stop it cold Turkey. Like others have mentioned it could also be post surgery blues plus you are going through a lot of changes between having to cope with things without food and the situations you are dealing with in life but if you don’t feel better I would reach out to the doctor who prescribed you the weight loss drug and/or your surgeon and see if that makes sense to them. Keep posting here and try journaling to get your feelings out. Perhaps consider talking to a therapist as well if you continue to feel this way. They will instantly expand your support network and they can help you work on some new coping strategies that don’t involve food.

5 years! That was fast, Congratulations! How did you celebrate?

I had surgery 4/9/24. Been sick ever since the second week, I can barely keep water down. Everyone keeps saying it’ll get better but this is by far my biggest regret!! I feel like I’m dying!! Anyone else experience this? I don’t know if I’m losing too fast or what but I can’t live like this!

@ChunkCatDANG GIRL! You look great! I'm so sorry you're struggling with POTS. That stinks, but it sounds like you've got a plan in place to help you manage until - 2025 (so ridiculous). I can't believe it's been almost 6 months already! I sometimes forget that I had it done (until I try to eat fast - LOL!). I'm down 77 pounds since my highest - 69 since the surgery. I still struggle with not being able to see the change (because I see my self every day), but occasionally I'll see a picture of me or see a reflection at a certain angle that makes me go... wait... a... minute! :) I'm down 2 jeans sizes (probably actually down 3 sizes because let's be honest, those 24s were STRETCHED to capacity! LOL!). I could get my 20s on a few weeks ago but I couldn't breathe, so there's that. I did go on a cruise week before last. That was interesting. I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted and I found that I'm now starting to naturally lean toward healthier/smarter choices. I only gained 2.2 pounds that week and it came off very quickly. The big news is that I've scheduled my knee surgeries!!! Getting one done in June, the other in October! I'm nervous because of the unknowns (pain after the surgery, rehab, not being able to drive, etc), but I'm more excited because I'm ready to have my life back! New body, new knees... I'm going to be unstoppable! Can't wait to hear how everyone else is doing!

I took Latuda for bipolar when I had my sleeve three years ago and my prescribing doctor was concerned about me not getting enough calories in the beginning for it to absorb properly as well. (For those who don’t know about this particular medication it’s not about it not absorbing due to the surgery itself like many controlled release meds. This med needs the 350 calories in order to absorb fully for anyone, not just people who had surgery). Anyways, My doctor switched me to vraylar for a couple of months prior to surgery just to make sure I was stable on it and then a short time after until I was back to being able to consume 350 calories at one time. The vraylar is quite expensive but luckily they were able to get enough samples for me. The plan was to switch me back once I was eating enough. What was weird and unexpected was post surgery when he tried to switch me back to the Latuda all of a sudden it caused me a great deal of anxiety and I couldn’t tolerate it anymore (even though I was on it for three years before surgery) so he kept me on the vraylar a little longer until things got back more normal for me and then made another change. I am now on a completely different medication. Neither the surgeon or prescribing dr could explain that anxiety except that when you alter the anatomy things just happen sometimes but I just worked with my prescribing dr and he sorted it out. The most important thing is that your prescribing dr and your loved ones are very aware that you may encounter some issues and that everyone is on top of it. If you feel the slightest bit off, you may need to be the one to contact your Dr. You mentioned “the switch” as an option. Not sure if you are speaking if the SADI switch or the Duodenal switch but both of those are restrictive and malabsorbing surgeries. The reason they suggested the sleeve for me was because they were concerned about my other meds not absorbing fully just because of the malabsorbing component of the other surgery. Fast forward three years and I gained my weight back and we are now considering conversion to the SADI or bypass because I gained my weight back. I gained it back because I ate the wrong things though so don’t let that scare you. I only mention it because I’m guessing you can see my current weight and may wonder why I didn’t lose. I did lose quite a bit and maintained it for a while but I was discouraged I didn’t lose it all and I let that get to me. Which is something you should be aware of, you may not lose as much as someone who is not on all these meds. Just don’t get too caught up in comparing your journey to others. I am 5’8” and I got down to 168. I would be so much happier and healthy now if I had just accepted that win instead of getting it in my head that I failed by not making it to where others did.

If you’re on a GLP-1 drug wondering why you’re also considering surgery? Yes, some do combine the two but why not wait & see how effective the medication is & how you feel & then decide about the surgery. Don’t feel undeserving of the surgery if you decide to go down that path. For your health you are deserving & that is hugely more important than a number on the scales. Do you feel undeserving being on the medication? It’s helping you lose weight too. I’m 5 years out, tomorrow actually, with my sleeve. I enjoyed food before and I still do. I eat with family & friends at their homes, restaurants, events, etc. I just look at food differently & make more careful & better choices. You said since being on the GLP-1 med you don’t really want fast food any more. For a lot of us, the surgery does that too. And it gives us the time to examine our relationship with food - this is the most important benefit. There’s food I don’t even think about eating now. Just the thought of eating some foods makes me feel ill. Some foods simply don’t appeal. And yes, there are some foods I choose not to eat. Would never have believed it was possible before surgery but here I am. I don’t even crave any foods now. Mind blown! Keep us updated on your progress & what you decide to do in regards to surgery. Will say, if you are having doubts about the surgery, don’t do it. You have to be mentally & emotionally ready before embarking on it. It may be that you’re just not ready now & that’s okay. All the best. PS - I didn’t exercise at all when I was losing & do very little now (some at home stretching & resistance band things). Wouldn’t burn 30 calories LOL! Lost all my weight & more & have maintained that weight.

I just realized that I sounded like I was rambling and not making sense but I can’t figure out how to edit it. Your reply actually calmed me down some!! I am on GLP-1 pills and have been on getting on a healthy self journey for a few months now. I am surprisingly not wanting any fast food at all besides the pepperoni on cheese sauce pretzel crust pizza from little Cesars 😂 i started a “you don’t need that or only eat very little” thing with my almost immediately after starting that journey. Mind over matter. So far it has helped me because mannnnn lol Not doing that has made dieting fail. A part of me knows that this surgery will help me be thinner which would make me healthier. Losing the weight will solve some issues but I feel undeserving since others have a higher SW. and being 160 felt okay (that’s only 30 lbs down from CW) even if I was still overweight/obese

Hi everyone!! okay so I’ve always been “heavier” haven’t met the BMI standards since jr high maybe a year in high school. My hips & thighs were always me in size 9 jeans. Well I had health issues that required surgeries. Which left me disabled. And my weight was stuck at 180 due to it, my weight jumped some to 210. I am currently on Rybelsus 7mg and my current weight is 189. So im almost to the weight that I’ve been stuck at for years. Yesterday I had a consultation, intake to the Bariatric program. I was told that I would be receiving a Gastric Sleeve with robotics, which would give me one night hospital stay and a weight loss of 60-80 pounds. I’ll be having the testing done soon as well as meet with the psychiatrist and dietitian. I see him again 9-11-24 So I can home a nervous wreck! I am afraid of having general anesthesia again. I have had it a few times without and with complications. Honestly being a mom IS the only real reason so my anxiety. The what if I pass. I researched ALOT and seen the procedure is a safe one. That calmed me nerves and I was in a good space, until an hour ago. I started thinking about how I absolutely LOVE food and how only being able to eat maybe half a happy meal. I read gum, soda etc are not allowed after surgery as well. According to my P.C.P. I am healthy just obese. Years ago I struggled with hypertension, diabetes and gallstones. Those issues were resolved but I have a consult about my fatty liver in Nov. anyways. I was wondering has anyone else gone through this? I don’t care if I get down to my healthy bmi weight or not. I am fine if I can get to 160. What I am saying is am I having the “regret” even though I haven’t even had surgery yet. A little FYI.. I am Intermittent Fasting & My disability makes me unable to jump, run or go one long walks. I can’t do some exercises so modifications help but are not as effective I believe. So I AM excepting, eating healthier already.

Hi all, the sun is finally out and I've made my 10k step goal today for the first time since Monday at least! Thanks again for everyones support - it does help! @gracesmommy2 I have thought about SAD, but normally I'm okay in all weather, I even prefer summer holidays in the north with raincoats and wool socks and fires! I reckon I'm probably a bit anemic and low on vitamin D... and that plus the exhaustion, the being cold and the being away from home is just a bit much. I hate lugging luggage around and so tend to travel light and where as when I'm home and it's cold I just wrap out and bundle myself under covers with a hot water bottle... but when I'm travelling it's hard esp as I've mucked up on my packing for the last few trips and not packed enough warm clothes. I do have a sort of lightbox thing at home that I usually use to deal with jetlag but I've been lucky enough since my operation to only be doing short hall... I do go to Canada and the US next month though so will get my lightbox out of whatever cupboard it's hiding in when I next make it home. I'm also aware that I'm loosing fast, which I think is pretty normal as I wasn't overweight for that long ( my BMI got above 25 for the first time in my life only in 2020)... I'm on Thursday I'll be 3 months since surgery and as of today I've lost 19.75kg (43.4lbs or 3st1lbs) since my surgery so over 21% or my body weight in under 3 months ... I know that this must be doing a number on my mental state too. I was 91.1kg on the day of surgery and am now 71.35kg - however I also lost 5kg in the 2 weeks before surgery, my surgeon didn't need me to do a preop diet but just to be safe I still pretty much did a broth fast for the two weeks prior. So all in all in 15 weeks I've lost over 25kg ... and I know thats why I'm so exhausted! However I'm also happy because my team wanted me to have lost 20% total body weight at 3 months and I've exceeded that with a week to go ... I know things will get better... but I would love some proper warmth and light for more than a couple of days! @LisaCaryl I've always shed a lot of hair but haven't noticed things getting worse yet ... but I guess I'll just ride it though when it does happen! On the bright side I have to loose only another 2.2lbs to have a BMI under 25 again ... I know BMI is a crap tool ( and honestly find it a tad unfair because I reckon I have at least a couple of extra lbs of boob!) but I'm still very much looking forward to no longer being officially overweight! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and that all those far enough north got to see the boreal lights.

Surgery went well, and I am home today, sipping protein water and broth. My one night in the hospital I barely slept, I could not find a comfortable position to save my life. So I walked around a lot, sat on the edge of the bed, read my book. Had one terrible bout of naseau last night, the nurse said I was probably drinking too fast. The dry heaves hit this morning, but I was told that was nothing to worry about unless it persisted. So now I'm home and confused. I had a list of what to drink, but there is absolutely no way I will be getting 60 ounces of fluid into me. I assume it gets easier?

I am 4.5 months out, still early but lost the weight very fast and kept changing my goal weight, here is what I noticed: - I feel cold ALL THE TIME - My butt hurts when sitting down, because all the fat is gone - My whole life being athletic, I had an hourglass figure even when overweight the past few years, now I'm linear 🤣 - I am much much weaker to the point of struggling to lift my skinny 5 year old (weighing 16 Kgs) off the ground, I can't open water bottles, jars or even the protein chips bag (which is pretty tough to crack if I say so myself) - I have this weird type of digging pain under the right side of my rib cage, feels like something used to be there and now it's hollow and it's uncomfortable, it's weird I can't even explain it - My period pains have decreased significantly and my cycles went from 35 days to 28 days, go figure Ha! - My boobs remain perky thank goodness, but can't say the same about my rear as mentioned - My hair is falling like crazy, which freaks me out because it's not something I ever experienced, even postpartum - My body hair growth has slowed down drastically - My voice is softer (it's weird but I swear it's true) If any other weird phenomenon's come to mind, I will be sure to come back

I've had cellulitis infections twice in both legs since 2016. The last one I had in 2019 got bad enough that It went into sepsis. I had to get a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC Line) put into my arm and gave myself antibiotics for 15 days. That was after spending 4 days in the hospital getting a couple bags of Antibiotics. I hope you're able to get healed fast.

So I'm home! I'm 72.5kg (159lbs) this morning so I've made it halfway to my goal like a true @NickelChip twin. I'm home until Thursday when I fly off again but It's going to be a hectic few days ( and I don't even want to think of all the laundry I have to do!). Thats means that in the last ten days since I was home I lost 1.7kg or 3.74lbs which is less bad than I thought. @NickelChip The travelling is hard, I'm usually in hotels with client meetings and lunch and dinners most evenings - I tend to tell them I'm intermittent fasting so manage to skip one meal. I'm not against eating in my room in the evening but do prefer to be out because I just hate the amount of time I spend shut in hotel rooms and prefer to profit from the ambiance of wherever I'm staying. It's just such a massive change for me because I've always been a social butterfly out and about where ever I go ... I went to an international school ( well multiple international schools - I was an "Expat Brat / Third culture Kid") growing up so tend to have acquaintance to visit most places too, or have a random packet to give someones cousin/friend/old neighbor and food and alcohol have always played in a big part in that for me. Eating alone inside isn't really my thing. I've actually got an airbnb for Athens because it's a longer stay so should be able to cook in the kitchen there, and I reckon there will be better salads, but it's a good idea to keep a tub of hummus and crudités in the fridge, I'm not a great fan of yogurt berry combos, but might try... I have perfected my smile and head tilt for when people I meet say "oh my god thats so lucky you get to travel so much" 🙂 @gracesmommy2 I'm not a fan of chips but could go for edamame! I come from a family of tall thin women with massive boobs - I'm the shortest ( and fattest) by quite a bit, I'm 5 ft 6 and my sisters, aunts etc are between 5ft8 and 6ft and probably have BMI's round 20.... So even when I was skinny I've always had massive boobs, I was a already a double F at 14 when I was 110lbs. When I was up at 200lbs and over they got to ridiculous proportions and I'd have deep dents on my shoulders from my bra straps digging in the whole time. I'm happy they're getting a bit smaller but hope I don't loose too much and that they don't head too far south .. but if they do ..that's what good bras are for. That said I am lucky because they've never caused back pain! Do take pictures if you feel up to it - they are good to look back at to see progress, you too @LisaCaryl ... I'm sure one day you'll like to look back at them! @Briss72 @Noelle74 @Eighmmie How are you getting on?

Thank you for documenting! My surgery is fast approaching and this helps calm my nerves.

The concern I would have (though I am not a dietician) is that slim fast bars and protein shakes are more "food-like substances" than actual food. Processed foods, even "diet" ones, can cause metabolism issues, and this feels almost punishing. Maybe you could try to find more satisfying, healthier options? You might try scrambling 2 eggs blended with some cottage cheese and a big handful of frozen chopped spinach for breakfast with a small serving of fruit, and a big salad of mixed veg topped with rotisserie chicken, black beans, and fresh salsa for lunch. Make sure the meat or chicken is being served with plenty of non-starchy veg, too. And don't ignore a good night's sleep and plenty of hydration. If you take prescription meds, check if any of them have weight gain as a side effect. I do agree that surgery is most likely going to be needed as soon as you can get it sorted because losing and maintaining that amount of weight is almost impossible without the metabolic changes that come with surgery.

Its frustrating as i dont eat that much during day, i have a slim fast bar for breakfast & a coffee, protein shake for lunch & usually some grapes or strawberries, dinner is usually a calorie controlled ready meal or meat or chicken. Followed by a fat free yogurt x

Cross your fingers that they don't have to fix a hiatal hernia during the operation. They'll do it if it needs doing but watch out, it will give you intermittent pain in your midsection. Woke me up twice last night until they gave me the good stuff. Docs say it shouldn't be a problem in a few days.

It may seem counterintuitive, but you may actually need more calories. At least, I've read that many times in other threads. Make sure you are feeling satisfied when you eat and not cutting back on calories just to keep them low if you still feel you need more. I know that as time goes on, we're supposed to be in the 1000-1200 range, and that sometimes our bodies can slow the weight loss if we feel we are facing starvation. Check with your dietician about that if you can. Having said that, I think expectations for how fast we will lose are sometimes skewed by results from outliers, either those who lose very fast or those who start at very high weights. I've lost 48 lbs since I started this journey, but only 22 lbs of it is post-surgery. Basically, yeah, I think just keep doing what you're doing and trust the process.

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?

Even though I was cleared of any eating disorders by the psychiatrist prior to my sleeve surgery I am fairly confident that I meet the criteria for NES. According to my research the treatments are antidepressants which I am already on and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I asked my therapist who uses a different therapy approach what that means and she said CBT is about changing behaviors and she suggested that when I wake up wanting to eat that I crochet instead (replacing an undesired behavior with a healthier one). Well the other day I had to fast for blood work and I usually put a towel or something through the handles on the fridge to remind me not to eat or drink anything other than water and I thought to myself if this works for fasting why couldn’t I just do it every night. So I made sure to eat a high protein yogurt before bed so I know it’s not actual hunger then combined the visual reminder with the alternate behavior and I made it through the last two nights without eating any snacks but it wasn’t easy. I woke up and walked to the fridge several times and had a number of arguments with myself and even tried to rationalize that it was okay to just have one snack because it’s still less than normal. My husband said the good voice triumphed over evil for now. 😂 Anyways, I am curious to know if it’s that “simple” of a fix for lack of better word. Has anyone else had experience with NES? I am curious to know if this substitute behavior thing really works and if so how long it will take until the alternate behavior becomes my new habit. (How many more late night arguments am I going to have with myself)?

She said that whatever you drink the week prior to surgery during the fast, many people seem not to like it afterwards. She said everyone is different and sometimes your taste preferences change.