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I was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months (almost a cup of food for a meal depending on what it was & one snack) & at my goal weight. But my stats are different from yours. I’m likely older, definitely shorter & I wasn’t & still aren’t overly active. (I eat about 1600 now to maintain my weight.) You have every right to ask for greater guidance around calories, portion sizes, macros, etc. from your nutritionalist if it makes you feel more confident about your choices & comfortable about what you’re doing. If they refuse you may have to find another one who is willing to support you. Yes, I know calorie counting is considered out, but for us it is an important consideration especially until we feel more secure in what we’re doing & helps us to lose/maintain & maintain our health. We need that guidance now as most of us didn’t know what the hell we were doing in regard to appropriate foods to eat, nutrients our bodies needed, appropriate portion sizes, etc. We’re new borns about a lot of this in the beginning. If we knew it all & could do it we wouldn’t have needed the surgery. Honestly, I wasn’t given calories goals or specific macro except protein 60g for me. Just portion size, and low carb, low fat, low sugar. I was okay with that though I would still randomly check for my own interest. I did a lot of my own reading, and was very careful with what I chose to eat & checked with my dietician at every fortnightly appointment. As I said, you have to feel comfortable & confident about what you’re doing. After those first heady weeks of large weekly weight drops &, regardless of our starting weight, our rate of loss slows. One to two pounds a weeks is okay especially as you are on the homeward path now. Remember that 1-2lbs a week is generally considered a healthy rate of lose for anyone losing weight. Wait until you’re almost there & you’re losing ounces not pounds a week. Believe me, the last few pounds to lose are a b*tch to lose.

Some things I’ve learnt. I am cynical so be warned. Save your money on any supplements or creams to save your hair or tone your skin or reduce skin laxity. Of course any general body care & self care is always a good thing. My cynical self says just don’t put your faith & heart into believing all the miracle cure alls. The hair you lose is hair that you would have shed anyway - your natural shedding cycle is just accelerated for a couple of months. It’s dead hair & you can’t save that no matter how many supplements you take. Those that say it helped don’t know how much hair they would have lost & they still lose for the same 3 or so months as those who didn’t take anything or use special shampoo. Remember too your new growth hair is still growing just at it’s a usual rate. You & your stylist are probably the only ones who’ll notice your loss & in a year or so it will be as it was. How much loose skin you end up with depends on many factors - age, how long you were at your highest weight, how long you carried weight, how much weight you lose, genetics. The loose skin is skin that has been stretched too far & can’t retract any more like elastic in old knickers or an old well used hair band. Only way to get rid of it is through surgery. I’ll be honest. I weakened & bowed to social media & bought that Maey’s B cream range: see results in a month. Well 6 months later & no change. My skin was softer but any cream would have done that. Still had sagging skin & cellulite. Should have saved the $200+. Also did collagen powder & silica for months too. Any change? Nope. Best thing I did for my facial laxity was micro needling/RF. Not a miracle cure but I can see improvement. Did 4 monthly sessions a year ago & two maintenance sessions for this year. (Lipstick bleeding almost gone, acne scarring more shallow, jowls tighter, more defined jawline in general, don’t have to distort my face to see my cheekbones, skin velvet soft, …) See there are things I believe in - LOL!!! As for general vitamins before surgery, have a blood test first & find out what nutrients you may be lacking in & supplement those so you are in a healthier place before surgery. No point taking vitamins you don’t need yet. Many of them you simply pee out what your body doesn’t need. The better, more nutrient dense, balanced diet, being generally healthier, probably did me the most good. My skin isn’t dry anymore (even my feet), don’t have those little bumps on my arms, my nails aren’t as ridged, sleep better, etc. All the best - exciting times ahead for you,

Hi Penguin733, thanks for the reply. What surgery did you have and what’s your goal weight? I’m day 6 in my post op and down to 254 lbs already. My goal weight range is 190-200 lbs but concerned my weight will drop below this mark.

I'm 6'1 and my weight pre-op was at 265 at my heaviest. I am 6-month post-op and sitting at 175lbs.

I am a little over 6 months post op, how many calories are you eating now? I am getting about 900-1000 calories, 80g of protein, 50g of carbs. Anyone else have a starting weight at 360ish at 5'9", how much did you lose at 6 months? My surgeon doesn't offer an aftercare support team and the nutritionist (had to get a referral from my primary) that I am seeing doesn't like giving numbers. I also don't feel I can ask him as he will just refer to the paperwork he gave me at the start, which just says under 1200 calories and 60-80g of protein. I am very happy with the weight that I have lost so far, 100lbs since surgery, but it has been very slow the last 2 months or so. I still feel that I should be losing at a faster rate than I am which is only about 1-2lbs a week. Is this just an average weight loss when I weigh 263lbs at 5' 9", haven't been down to this weight in over 15 years.

Bra sizing has been an irritating area for me. This is one of the main reasons PS (breast reduction) has been on my radar for a long time. Prior to becoming obese finding a bra in local stores was impossible because my ribcage size to cup size is not what makers/stores think is average. Stores rarely ever sold 30/32F. I had to settle for a larger band then alter the bra. Add in the weight gain and loss (empty breast are definitely real) I'm waiting to see where I end up. Definitely need a lift.

I bought a few new pieces for work once I hit onderland, but for the most part I am still shopping from my closet. I am lucky my job allows us to wear jeans these days as I had many in various sizes that I couldn't bring myself to get rid of when I was obese. High school kids can be brutal so I don't wear anything that's too ill-fitting. If I lose any more weight I'll need to buy new clothes sooner rather than later. I'm looking forward to it.

Really enjoyed reading your update. This is quite the learning curve isn’t it. All this AND snowy adventures 😅. It has started snowing here in Scotland too, hopefully no power cuts for me. Distinguishing when I am actually hungry has become a bit of a thing for me too. Unfamiliar territory for sure. I am now 6 days post op and it’s been remarkably smooth for me, initially felt cheated as I fully expected to suffer and was adrift when I did not suffer beyond a few reminders now and then I had actually had surgery. No particular desire to suffer but at least I know how to cope with that… (endometriosis has dominated my life for years). Last night I spent several hours ruminating over putting back on weight I have yet to loose. 🙈. The mantra for today is one day at a time 😂. No cravings per se, I am instead having soups, protein shakes, I had a soft scrambled egg which was delicious, soft cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais. Today has been busy and I did not eat until 6pm, (1x 500ml protein shake and 800ml of water though) when I had a vague feeling of my stomach being empty. Tomorrow I was nourish myself better issues I have encountered, a favourite yoghurt is no longer a favourite, eating jelly is not for me, eating slowly is better. Best wishes to everyone. Lily2024 hope your power is back on soon xx

It is very common and normal to feel regret in the early post-op days. This is probably the most difficult part of the WLS process because your diet is very limited, you're still adjusting physically and emotionally to your post-op life, but you're not seeing the benefits of the weight loss yet. In other words, this is the time when you have the most drawbacks and the fewest benefits, but as time goes by, it will become the opposite -- you'll be able to eat more normally and you'll experience many scale and non-scale victories. It's hard to see that now when you're in it, but when you look back on this time a year from now, it will seem like an insignificant blip on your journey.

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 noticed my face slimmer after just 10-15 lost lbs. but this makes/made sense to me because, historically, if i gained 10-ish pounds, i saw the change in in my lower cheeks. ive updated all my picture id to look what i look like now except my passport. i had just got one of those 10-yr validity passports a couple months before surgery and today i still have another 5 yrs left on it. it does often cause a delay when i cross borders as the agents always do double takes, ugh. sometimes they comment or ask about the weight loss, and once an agent actually called over another agent to show them my passport and they both looked me over incredulously. that was awkward. but i've never been denied entry.

Choosing a surgeon and Days 1-3 It's Sunday night and my surgery was Friday morning (1/12/24). My gastric sleeve was 3/24/23. I lost almost half the weight before my Gastric Sleeve surgery. I chose to have my surgery in Tijuana, Mexico because of the cost and I have a friend who lives about 45 minutes away in Mexico and my father lives about 2 hours away. I started my research reading about medical tourism in general to get advice on what to look for and what questions to ask. I started my search with Realself.com and chose surgeons with 4+ stars,10 or more years experience, and who said they were part of the American Board of Plastic Surgeons or the American or International Societies of Aestetic Plastic Surgeons. I read all the reviews I could find, noting all the bad things said, and verified they were actually listed on the board or society sites. One of them wasn't. I made virtual appointments with 3 and chose Dr. Rodolfo Casillo Calderon, who is listed on both the American and International Societies. He originally told me I had to wait until a year after my surgery, but I reached my goal and my weight stabilized in early October so I was able to move the date up. I uploaded a bunch of pictures to myTouchMD and when we did our call he explained in detail what he would do, complete with drawings on my pictures. He explained possible problems and what could be included in my package and that I would have a patient coordinator to walk me through it and answer questions. I had told him I wanted a 360, breast lift with gummy implants, and a BBL (i've always had dents in my butt and got called board butt in high school). He told me he didn't think I had enough fat in the area he was working for a BBL, especially since some of the transferred fat would die, but he would see what he could do. I asked for the best medicine package and told them I didn't need transportation to/from the airport since my dad and friend would provide that). I also told him in the future, I wanted my inner thighs, maybe my arms if I could get a good price at the same time and a face-lift. He told me that was too much to do in one surgery, that the face-lift would be one and the thighs and arms another, and they had to be at least 6 months apart. He sent me a quote for the 360, breast lift with implants and lipo and said it included the mons reduction and lift but not the BBL. The quote included the surgery, labs, cardiology evaluation, compression garments, meds, hospital stay of 1 night, and 6 nights in a recovery home that has 24/7 nursing staff and food. $12,699. I paid a 20% deposit and paid the balance during my pre-op lab appointment. I also filled out paperwork and met my coordinator. When I talked to Dr. Castillo in person, he took the pre-op pictures and told me again that he didn't think I had enough fat for a BBL, but he would see what he could do. I was disappointed, but trusted his judgment. I woke up after surgery in recovery, and they took me to a room and bolstered me well with pillows. I had a catheter, so I didn't have to move. My right toes felt numb and I couldn't feel my left toes, The nurse said it was from the anesthesia and would wear off and it did. I could feel and move my toes again. I had good service ar CER Hospial and spent the evening eating, drinking and watching TV. I asked for a snack and they got me some crackers (the cafeteria was closed and I didn't want jello). The next morning (Saturday) Dr. Castillo came in and talked about my surgery. He put 320cc in my right breast and 240 in my left and explained it would take a while for them to drop. He also told me he did a little fat transfer to my butt and gave me instructions to reduce death of the fat and stressed that there wasn't enough fat for a ful BBL, but he did what he could and it mostly came from my hips. Then his nurse came in and gave me my meds and instructions for aftercare. My patient coordinator from his office also came in and told me I'd get picked up by Casa by Linda's driver at about noon and asked if I have any questions. Shortly before noon they took my catheter and IV out and the nurse helped me sit up and helped put the compression garments on me, then I got dressed. The drive was a bit scary. The driver said it was like driving in New York with people pulling out and changing lanes without enough room. He told me interesting stuff about Tijuana and prohibition, how the margarita came to be made, and about Rita Hayword's history, getting discovered, and changing her name. I was helped out of the car and to my room, which has a queen hospital bed. The head was inclined and my space was pre-padded. I got in bed and they explained the remote and how to call them and asked if I had questions, needed anything, and if I was hungry. They brought me lunch and my friend came with my backpack and snacks. I was able to get out of bed and put my stuff away. My laptop, tablet, and snacks are all in reach. Sitting up is the most painful. Lying down in my nest of pillows is not as painful, but hurts pretty bad. To get up, I put the foot of the bed down, the head up, and roll to the side, then use my arm to push myself up. To get back in bed, I get on the bed on my knees and position my knee at the far side of my nest, then lower myself sideways and roll into the in the nest. My breasts aren't hurting at all. The compression garments has an open crotch, so you don't have to mess with it to go to the bathroom. The staff here respond quickly to requests and bring me my antibiotics and pain meds, and so far the pain is tolerable and I've been able to walk. You walk hunched over and slow. Linda has come in several times to check on me and see if I need anything. She is originally from Canada and is a US citizen, married to a local. This morning, after breakfast, I took a shower. One of the staff helped me with my compression garments (it hooks down both sides) and got the water ready. There is a seat in the shower with the shower head within reach. I hosed myself down and she handed me a washcloth and put soap on it. I didn't have to ask her for help as I was able to bring my legs up to wash them (it wasn'teasy). After I rinced myself off, she put antiseptic on gause and applied it to my incisions. I dried myself and got into bed to wait for the return of my compression garments (they washed the blood out). When she returned with my compression garments, she put gause in my new belly button and over the incisions in the back that had bled, then she helped me hook the garments up, putting a square of gause over my nipples. Nothing else to report. Unlike Friday and Saturday, I slept most of the day.

Hey! Thank you for your comment! You are right in that it is a disease - I don't think many people actually understand and appreciate that. Like, if it were as easy as just having the willpower to lose 10 stone all by myself, I'd do it and I wouldn't need surgery! Rudeness seems far too commonplace! I also have PCOS! I was diagnosed at 21 (I am 27 now), and I always wondered why I wasn't losing weight with ease, despite exercising constantly and eating healthily! It is so refreshing to hear how you have changed your mentality and how you love yourself regardless, as you should. It is insane to me that I can barely look at myself in the mirror, but when I see someone who is 'bigger'/has the same body type as me, I think they are beautiful! Body dysmorphia is a real thing I guess haha! The hair loss is something that I am dreading! I am sure you know that with PCOS the hair loss is already a thing, so I am trying to take all the steps I can to avoid it as much as possible! I am also really happy to hear you have had such a positive response Thank you for sharing your story, I'll be honest it definitely made me giggle a bit haha. I think I will have to use that phrase myself...

I’m three weeks out of surgery. I’m feeling kind of the same way technically. For my tracker I weigh twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays. I noticed this week from Wednesday to Sunday I didn’t have the weight loss that I was kind of expecting. I’ve also started the purée stage where I’m actually eating stuff now. One of the Support groups that I’m in there is a woman there and she said that this is normal and I talked to my doctor and he said it was normal so I guess it’s normal. I know I’ve heard of the stalls that happen within the first few months. you’ll have stalls as your body adjusts to the new eating habits. Just make sure that you’re eating your protein, getting your water, taking your vitamins, and eating foods that you should be eating, such as puréed vegetables, or soft foods, or whatever that are healthy. Your body will adjust as time goes on and will all feel these kind of oh my God moments. But we got this we’ll get through this. I’m not gonna start worrying about the stalls until I’m six months out and not losing any weight by then, your body should be on the role of losing. I hope that helps.

Fluctuations are part of life. We all experience it regardless of whether we’re losing or maintaining. But you’re eating such small portions there’s no way you could be really gaining. It’s more likely fluid retention, poop, hormonal fluctuations, less or more water consumption, your body reacting to stress, emotions, or just life. I’ve learnt a lot about my body’s quirks & how responds to things through this & why I might weigh a little more today than yesterday. I have my usual fluctuation (up to about a kilogram/2lbs) which I don’t worry about. Any more than that I question what’s changed & make adjustments. Keeps me honest. Remember, your weight loss will never be a consistently straight downward line on a graph. It goes up & down, plateaus, drops quickly then slowly.

Once you get to your final weight you’ve already started to decide how you’re going to eat long term. How much sugar is up to you, your lifestyle & what allows you to maintain. It may be very minimal added sugar in your diet. It may be an occasional or weekly sweet treat. Whatever. I’m a minimal added sugar which is my choice & my daily intake is very low (less than 5g & minimal artificial too). My exception is Christmas when I have dessert & a few little treats for a couple of days but the portions are always small. There may be the odd other special event time I may choose to have something like I had 2 bites of cake at a wedding last year. It’s funny as I was a sweet something every night person & loved dessert at restaurants now I don’t really miss it at all.

I agree with all the above you’re doing well - congratulations. Remember there is also no date by which you have to have lost your weight. Any time frames you may have seen are just averages & meant to give you an idea of what might happen not will happen. We lose at our own rate which is the best rate for us. There is also no time line for when your weight loss will stop. Many of us lose for 18 or more - just very slowly for those last months. I always said to myself if my surgeon & dietician were happy with my progress I should be happy too. Have they said you aren’t doing well? Don't give up & no more I’ve only lost X pounds. Celebrate every pound you lose because it’s an achievement.

You are doing great! Also keep in mind that in the "second half" of the excess weight loss, the scale becomes less important. If you are exercising, you can expect the muscle gain to offset the number on the scale significantly, as it weights more than fat. You'll need to focus more on the "non scale victories" like smaller clothing sizes, increased strength, stamina, and other health improvements, not just the weight on the scale alone. Keep up the good work!

The first year is where you will have the most success setting a new baseline weight, so avoiding excess sugar is important. I will say from personal experience, and recovering from Type 2 diabetes, if I have sugar like I did over the holidays (cookies, egg nog, cake), I would start to crave it constantly. It would take about 2-3 days of avoiding it to stop being "hangry". If I didn't make myself focus on high protein and savory foods, I would crave sugar, bread, and starch constantly. For special occasions you can have some after your restrictions are lifted, but just be aware it will temporarily make you crave more, and can get out of hand if you let it.

Hi Sleeve to Bypass. good to know I never got the bypass. I was so worried cause of you saying the weight loss and all. I ended up in Emergency NYE as I couldn’t intake anything. I was in so much pain and extremely dehydrated. They went in and found I had to perforations. One just above the fundoplication on my oesophagus and the other in the stomach. A week in hospital on intravenous meds and now 1 week home and I am feeling so much better.

a few months late, but better than never! Starting weight (Oct 2018): 235 lbs, 5'2" female, 46 yrs old Surgery Day weight (Oct 2018): 223 lbs Goal Day weight (May 2019): 127 lbs Today's weight (Jan 2024): 117 lbs, 5'1.5" female, 51 yrs old

Hi all. Glad to hear so many doing well even with little bumps along the way. I overindulged a little in sweets around Christmas but have otherwise been doing good in keeping to the plan. I’ve been tracking weight each week and have had a few stalls but things are in a good direction. I’m down about 70 pounds from the start of the pre-op diet and 40 from surgery. I’m about 100 pounds down from my heaviest ever weight before diabetes meds, etc. It’s been about 8-10 inches in waist size on my pants. I’ve been trying to exercise more but we’ve had so many sicknesses in my house and I can’t really exercise much while coughing. My biggest goal is to get more consistent with my weekly exercise. I got a Bowflex to try to get more toning in at home.

I never did do a 5-yr anniversary post (which was like 3 months ago, oopsies). Here is a reply I made to someone's thread about being newly sleeved. I had alot of fun composing it - despite it going off an a total tangent - and thought it had a five-year-sleeve-anniversary type of feel to it so I'm putting it here! Am also adding my requisite swim suit shot, but this one is from vacay last month, and its NOT a full body shot, AND I'm half in the water, lol. Its too cold around here for me to change into one now and take a pic. Plus I'm lazy. So i give you: "5+ YEARS IN 1000 WORDS OR LESS": #### Begin #### Day 0: YES!! I'm alive! Weeks 1-2: Ouch, this kinda hurts. I detest all food and water! I'm sooo effing tired, im just gonna lay down here and be found in 3 weeks, half-eaten by wild dogs. Weeks 3-4: Oh wow, I LOVE water! Eating is such a chore. I don't want to do it. I lost HOW MUCH weight?? Whoa, this thing is gonna actually work! LET'S DO THIS! Those dogs will be very disappointed in eating me. Months 2-4: Am I ever going to eat like a normal person?? It taking me for-EVAH to eat my tiny cup of food. I am sick of people commenting on how I eat. Exercise is so much funner/easier when I'm not so big! Let me sign up for EVERYTHING! I LOVE new clothes! I am losing my hair! Who knew salad is my favourite thing on earth? Months 5-7: If one more person tells me to stop losing weight or asks if i have a disease I'm going to sic my wild dogs on them. I guess this is life now: eating tiny bits of food all day long...I guess I can do that, small price to pay for looking HAWT and feeling A-MAY-ZING. I wonder if anyone knows how full of myself I really am.... Months 8-10: OMG.I CAN'T POSSIBLY UP MY CALORIES TO MAINTENANCE LEVEL! HOW AM I GOING TO STOP LOSING WEIGHT! I AM GOING TO WITHER AWAY AND DIE! Month 11: Oh. So THAT's my maintenance calorie level. That's not so hard. I'm not going to die after all. Ok, Ok, I'll just take this ONE cigarette from you, handsome Italian guy in Italy...even though I quit cold turkey 10 years ago...it can't hurt, right? Month 14: Plastic. Surgery. Month 15: *cries* Month 16: Whoa, I'm looking even HAWT-er than before. How is this even possible? I wonder if anyone has ever exploded from being so full of themselves.... Month 17: Why hello carbs, I've missed you. bread, Pasta, Rice, we shall never be parted again! Oh, nice to meet you for the first time COVID! How long are you staying? Month 18-21: All skinny and plastic-ed up and no where to go. Eff you COVID. I guess I'll just do a little online shopping for stuff to wear when I am finally allowed out of the house. Sure, I'll have that martini for Breakfast. Hey, my hair is back to normal...and its even nicer than before. Go figure. Years 3-5: Huh. I stayed below goal weight this entire time and I am the picture of satisfactory health...does that make me awesome? I dunno...my closet is bursting with clothes...most of which I've worn maybe once or not at all. How am I still smoking??? It was only supposed to be one cigarette!!! I think I may have developed high-functioning alcoholism? Food intolerances? Who me? Nah, I can eat anything and everything, EXCEPT large amounts of sugar at one time cuz, you know, I may pass out on the couch. I may not eat as much as everyone around me, but I don't want to anyway, so there! But let me cook for you, bake for you, make copious amounts of food for you! And no, i AM NOT finished reading this menu in it's entirety...I'm about to order enough food for 5 people...you better be hungry! Today I take no medications other than for my acid reflux (which unfortunately came on due to my sleeve surgery). I eat carbs and (small amounts) of Desserts, I drink alcohol. My last physical/labs 6 months ago produced no concerns - other than an abnormal thickening of my uterine lining, but that has since resolved. I have ridiculous amounts of energy, I rarely fight with my husband, I handle stress and annoyance like a grown up. I'm digging life. Oh, and I still look HAWT. *mic drop* P.S. i also finally quit smoking 5 months and 14 days ago. yay me! hopefully I don't meet another handsome Italian with an extra cigarette in the future. Edited to add: P.P.S. sorry..i meant to just reply about the first few weeks after my sleeve surgery and food progression, but my fingers got a life of their own as I typed out my reply. plus it was kinda fun writing this. I may cut and paste this into a more appropriate thread if I find one Good Luck! ❤️ #### END ####

You are doing so well and have many more months of weight loss in front of you. As a smaller person you will lose slower I lost weight for almost 2 years and then got to a size I was happy with. I increased my calories from 1200 to 1500 a day to find my maintenance calories. I don't do very much exercise but if I did then I would be able to eat more.

14.7 stone equals 205 lbs. You're what we in the community call a "lightweight", so yea - you're not going to see the huge drops in weight that people who start off weighing twice your weight typically see. You are doing fine. Just keep at it and the weight will come off.