6 Months post surgery, minimal to no weight loss

[invisiblyhappy 18]

So I am six months past surgery. My initial operation was August 21, 2023. I was 328 on the day of, and 376 at my highest before surgery. I lost 20 pounds by 2 weeks after the surgery, and have not lost weight since. I had weighed 305 since then. I noticed my weight creeping up on the scale now, and I'm at 309 again. I will say, however, I have gone from wearing a 4x to wearing a 1x in shirt sizes, though have only gone down two sizes in pants 28 to 24.

I am struggling with drinking Water. I feel starving. I've noticed myself wanting to eat every few hours. Then when I eat I vomit, or feel nauseous and spend a good amount of time nearly throwing up. Whenever I drink water I get that pre-vomit spit thing that happens and my mouth just makes spit for like 30 minutes and I feel awful.

I think lack of physical activity has kept me held back in terms of the stagnant weight, I spend most of my days in bed or sitting in a chair at a desk. Is there anything that has helped anyone, any slight tricks to fix me?

I don't want to hide and say I'm doing all the things right I'm doing great anymore, I know I'm not doing the best and I am looking to find support in getting there.

[summerseeker 2,149]

You will only get help and kindness here but we are not surgeons or dieticians. We can only help so much. We always recommend a visit with your team if possible.

If you are not eating well and not getting enough liquids in then your body is holding every little calorie it can because you are in starvation mode. You will not loose weight, your body is in charge of this.

If you can not get Water down and you could a while back then you have a narrowing/ swelling in your new tummy and it needs a little easy tweak to stretch it back out. Its called a stricture.

If this is something you have had from the beginning then you are forcing too much food and or drink in at once. Small sips of drinks, they can be hot, cold or frozen see which might work . Once you have mastered drinking, then pare down the foods to really soft, Protein based ones again. Chew well and add sauces, it helps. Soft eggs, protein yogurt, soft cheese etc. Only eat a small amount, say 1 - 2 ounces and see if you can keep the foamies at bay. Foamies happen when your stomach rejects the food or drink it does not want that day. It may have been ok the day before but.... today, oh no you are not putting any more of that in me ...

I haven't exercised as such, I was too decrepit too start with and I lack motivation now so I walk a few miles a week. Exercise doesn't really count for much weight loss unless its marathon running or such.

[invisiblyhappy 18]

6 hours ago, summerseeker said:

You will only get help and kindness here but we are not surgeons or dieticians. We can only help so much. We always recommend a visit with your team if possible.

If you are not eating well and not getting enough liquids in then your body is holding every little calorie it can because you are in starvation mode. You will not loose weight, your body is in charge of this.

If you can not get Water down and you could a while back then you have a narrowing/ swelling in your new tummy and it needs a little easy tweak to stretch it back out. Its called a stricture.

If this is something you have had from the beginning then you are forcing too much food and or drink in at once. Small sips of drinks, they can be hot, cold or frozen see which might work . Once you have mastered drinking, then pare down the foods to really soft, Protein based ones again. Chew well and add sauces, it helps. Soft eggs, Protein yogurt, soft cheese etc. Only eat a small amount, say 1 - 2 ounces and see if you can keep the foamies at bay. Foamies happen when your stomach rejects the food or drink it does not want that day. It may have been ok the day before but.... today, oh no you are not putting any more of that in me ...

I haven't exercised as such, I was too decrepit too start with and I lack motivation now so I walk a few miles a week. Exercise doesn't really count for much weight loss unless its marathon running or such.

Thank you for the response summer,

The Water has always been a problem since the very beginning. It ALWAYS causes the spit thing to happen and its awful. Even if it's just sips. I wish I could just live connected to an IV. At my last meeting with my nutritionist 3 months ago they seemed disappointed that I had only lost 20 pounds since the surgery and hadn't lost any more since then. It was disheartening and has led me to live in fear of my next appointment with them, I feel like they're just going to be disappointed and shame me again and make me feel not good enough. It sucks.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,611]

Have you tried the sugar free Water flavorings? I absolutely cannot stand plain water, but if it's flavored than I can definitely drink more than what I'm required. As for exercising, start small. Try water exercises, chair, or floor exercises. Can you maybe go back to basics and do Protein Shakes and broth, then mushy foods, then soft foods? Supplement with the shakes until you can tolerate more food. Also, definitely talk to your nutritionist and surgeon about this, as you should be able to eat food and get fluids in at 6 months out with little to no problems. For me, I ate 3 meals and 2 Snacks for MONTHS. Now I am down to 1 snack on non work out days and 2 snacks on work out days.

[ChunkCat 728]

I'm so sorry you are experiencing this!! This isn't a you problem!! If you aren't losing sufficient weight you are either being given poor advice from your nutrition team, poor medical support from your surgeon, or it is possible your body is under significant stress for whatever reason and isn't losing weight. There are rare cases when someone with a sleeve doesn't respond but often those are people who have low starting weights. If they had a high starting weight and don't respond to the sleeve surgery, these people generally end up revised to bypass or a DS/SADI, and then lose weight, but again, that should be a convo being initiated by your surgeon as a future possibility if food modification and medications don't work.

Some people take GLP-1 meds to help jumpstart their weight loss if the surgery hasn't triggered it, but again, at the 6 month mark this should be something the surgeon initiates conversation about. You shouldn't be living in fear of your appointments with them. If you aren't feeling supported you might consider getting a second opinion from another bariatric surgeon in the area not affiliated with this practice. I strongly believe in second opinions when talking things like surgery... It may sound like I'm being harsh on your team, but lets be clear. They made a nice chunk of money off of your surgery. You deserve good aftercare!!

Some surgeons, like my own, believe that the best way to lose weight in the first 6 months to a year after surgery is through being in ketosis. This involves a good Protein intake (60-80 grams with the sleeve) and carbs below 50 total carbs or 30 grams net carbs. You can get pee strips to test if you are in ketosis. Once in ketosis you should go through regular periods when you lose some weight, followed by periods where you lose none as your body stabilizes from the previous loss and recalibrates. If this doesn't happen, I'd definitely be communicating with the surgeon about it! What dietary advice did your team give you?

Hydration is important for weight loss. If you aren't able to eat enough calories or drink enough Water your body will go into starvation mode like @summerseeker mentioned. This is a huge stressor to the body!! And huge stress will cause weight loss to stop. sleep is also crucial to weight loss, often more important than exercise. If you aren't getting regular sleep for enough hours per night, this can stall your weight loss. Physical activity of some kind is important, but it accounts for less weight loss than proper nutrition and sleep. And if you are under calories and under hydrated exercise will just further stress out your body.

[invisiblyhappy 18]

4 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

I'm so sorry you are experiencing this!! This isn't a you problem!! If you aren't losing sufficient weight you are either being given poor advice from your nutrition team, poor medical support from your surgeon, or it is possible your body is under significant stress for whatever reason and isn't losing weight. There are rare cases when someone with a sleeve doesn't respond but often those are people who have low starting weights. If they had a high starting weight and don't respond to the sleeve surgery, these people generally end up revised to bypass or a DS/SADI, and then lose weight, but again, that should be a convo being initiated by your surgeon as a future possibility if food modification and medications don't work.

Some people take GLP-1 meds to help jumpstart their weight loss if the surgery hasn't triggered it, but again, at the 6 month mark this should be something the surgeon initiates conversation about. You shouldn't be living in fear of your appointments with them. If you aren't feeling supported you might consider getting a second opinion from another bariatric surgeon in the area not affiliated with this practice. I strongly believe in second opinions when talking things like surgery... It may sound like I'm being harsh on your team, but lets be clear. They made a nice chunk of money off of your surgery. You deserve good aftercare!!

Some surgeons, like my own, believe that the best way to lose weight in the first 6 months to a year after surgery is through being in ketosis. This involves a good Protein intake (60-80 grams with the sleeve) and carbs below 50 total carbs or 30 grams net carbs. You can get pee strips to test if you are in ketosis. Once in ketosis you should go through regular periods when you lose some weight, followed by periods where you lose none as your body stabilizes from the previous loss and recalibrates. If this doesn't happen, I'd definitely be communicating with the surgeon about it! What dietary advice did your team give you?

Hydration is important for weight loss. If you aren't able to eat enough calories or drink enough Water your body will go into starvation mode like @summerseeker mentioned. This is a huge stressor to the body!! And huge stress will cause weight loss to stop. sleep is also crucial to weight loss, often more important than exercise. If you aren't getting regular sleep for enough hours per night, this can stall your weight loss. Physical activity of some kind is important, but it accounts for less weight loss than proper nutrition and sleep. And if you are under calories and under hydrated exercise will just further stress out your body.

Basically for dietary advice the nutritionist just recommended I get 100g protein/day and chew bites the size of a dime until they are mush or the texture of applesauce and to incorporate new foods and keep trying them if my body rejects them. For the most part, things that it's not content eating and make me sick are anything pork and most type of noodles. They're just too heavy and dense.

[ChunkCat 728]

Yeah, you should have been given either macro goals, or a calorie goal, or ideally, both with the sleeve surgery. It isn't odd to not be able to digest heavy carbs like noodles, Pasta, breads, and rice. And they really aren't the best things to be eating in the weight loss phase anyway. Pork can be quite dense, my stomach doesn't like it too much and it hates chicken breast. LOL

When you eat things that your stomach is fine with, do you keep it down easily or does it cause vomiting and nausea? If you drink fluids other than Water (like milk or a Protein shake), does it cause the spitting, or is it just with plain water?

[invisiblyhappy 18]

18 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

Yeah, you should have been given either macro goals, or a calorie goal, or ideally, both with the sleeve surgery. It isn't odd to not be able to digest heavy carbs like noodles, Pasta, breads, and rice. And they really aren't the best things to be eating in the weight loss phase anyway. Pork can be quite dense, my stomach doesn't like it too much and it hates chicken breast. LOL

When you eat things that your stomach is fine with, do you keep it down easily or does it cause vomiting and nausea? If you drink fluids other than Water (like milk or a Protein shake), does it cause the spitting, or is it just with plain Water?

I find that even with adding the sugar free drink mixes it still is difficult. Using a straw helps a little. I do a fair amount of the roaring water capri suns these days. Milk and Protein Shakes do work out just fine. They still cause burning in my stomach but it's no different than the feeling of taking a shot so I'm not too worried about that part. I keep most things down easily that I've discovered sit well with me.

[invisiblyhappy 18]

1 hour ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

Have you tried the sugar free Water flavorings? I absolutely cannot stand plain Water, but if it's flavored than I can definitely drink more than what I'm required. As for exercising, start small. Try water exercises, chair, or floor exercises. Can you maybe go back to basics and do Protein Shakes and broth, then mushy foods, then soft foods? Supplement with the shakes until you can tolerate more food. Also, definitely talk to your nutritionist and surgeon about this, as you should be able to eat food and get fluids in at 6 months out with little to no problems. For me, I ate 3 meals and 2 Snacks for MONTHS. Now I am down to 1 snack on non work out days and 2 Snacks on work out days.

Do you think just going back to that pre-surgery diet for a week would work well as a jump start? The 1 - 2 cups of broth, 4 oz of Protein, 1 cup veg, 2.5 Protein Shakes? The surgar free water packet flavorings and even the gatorade / Powerade zero still give me the prevomit saliva problem T_T

[ChunkCat 728]

I wonder if you are gulping air when you swallow and that's causing the spitting? My dietician said this is pretty common in the first year and Water bottles can cause it, so it is best to drink out of an actual glass. Straws can cause it too, but for some straws are actually better than anything else, so it depends. If you can drink Capri Sun but not flavored water then it isn't a consistency thing because they are the same texture. If you can drink milk and Protein Drinks without spitting it must be a water thing... The burning you are feeling sounds like what I call "pressure" and it is caused by taking too big of a sip or swallow. Whatever sip you consider small, half that. If burning still happens, half it again. If you can't drink anything without burning sensations in your stomach, I'd definitely talk to the surgeon about it pronto...

It is a good sign you can keep food down that sits well with you. Stomachs can be very finicky for 1-2 years after surgery, but you shouldn't have burning and vomiting if you are taking tiny bites, chewing well, and tiny sips.

[Arabesque 7,247]

I’d be making an appointment with your surgeon too. Best to rule out a medical reason for what you’re experiencing.

Water can feel heavy & be difficult to drink. Try other fluids (green or herbal teas, sparkling water, home made yoghurt drink, etc.) but I’d avoid the capri suns even the no added sugar ones. Even without added sugar, juice still contain natural sugars. It also doesn’t contain all the nutrients a piece of fruit does. Consider how many oranges you need to produce a 250ml glass of orange juice. Would you eat that same number of whole oranges in one sitting? A piece of fruit is always better than a glass of juice.

Generally simple carbs like rice, breads & pastas (includes all noodles) are off the menu while you are trying to lose. They are filling, can sit heavily in your tummy & stop you from being able to eat your vital Protein. They also are more heavily processed & contain very few nutrients. In time you’ll e able to add complex carbs - multi & whole grains. Some plans allow a small portion of these while losing. I was allowed rolled oats. Focus on eating your protein first then your vegetables & only after those any complex carbs you may be allowed if you can. Almost 5 years out I still can’t eat bread, Pasta, rice because how heavy they are in my tummy. I used to eat a lot of them before my surgery but I really don’t miss them.

Yes, some people struggle with certain Proteins. chicken, steak & eggs seem most common but others can just be a no for your tummy too. Most find in time they can eat those proteins again. Do you keep your meats moist so more medium rare than medium or well done? Do you include a sauce or jus or gravy with your meats? Often foods that are too dry or coarse can cause the foamies as well as if you eat too much or too quickly.

Out of curiosity do you track your food? Maybe find a dietician vs a nutritionalist & go through your tracked food diary with them to see if you’re missing something. I wondered if you’re not eating enough too or not eating enough nutrient dense foods.

But certainly see your surgeon to see what may be going on or consider other options such as surgery, medication, etc.

All the best.

PS - While exercise has many benefits, it’s only contributes to about 10% of any weight loss you are to lose. I didn’t exercise while losing & still really don’t now. I upped my everyday activity (stairs not lifts let escalators, park further away from where I was going, etc.). About a year ago I started using resistance bands (for a little toning) & doing some stretches (flexibility & for my back) & that’s all I do. Wouldn’t burn 30 calories LOL! There are lots of online videos to guide you through using bands & other activities you can do if you struggle with your mobility.

[invisiblyhappy 18]

2 hours ago, Arabesque said:

I’d be making an appointment with your surgeon too. Best to rule out a medical reason for what you’re experiencing.

Water can feel heavy & be difficult to drink. Try other fluids (green or herbal teas, sparkling Water, home made yoghurt drink, etc.) but I’d avoid the capri suns even the no added sugar ones. Even without added sugar, juice still contain natural sugars. It also doesn’t contain all the nutrients a piece of fruit does. Consider how many oranges you need to produce a 250ml glass of orange juice. Would you eat that same number of whole oranges in one sitting? A piece of fruit is always better than a glass of juice.

Generally simple carbs like rice, breads & pastas (includes all noodles) are off the menu while you are trying to lose. They are filling, can sit heavily in your tummy & stop you from being able to eat your vital Protein. They also are more heavily processed & contain very few nutrients. In time you’ll e able to add complex carbs - multi & whole grains. Some plans allow a small portion of these while losing. I was allowed rolled oats. Focus on eating your Protein first then your vegetables & only after those any complex carbs you may be allowed if you can. Almost 5 years out I still can’t eat bread, Pasta, rice because how heavy they are in my tummy. I used to eat a lot of them before my surgery but I really don’t miss them.

Yes, some people struggle with certain Proteins. chicken, steak & eggs seem most common but others can just be a no for your tummy too. Most find in time they can eat those Proteins again. Do you keep your meats moist so more medium rare than medium or well done? Do you include a sauce or jus or gravy with your meats? Often foods that are too dry or coarse can cause the foamies as well as if you eat too much or too quickly.

Out of curiosity do you track your food? Maybe find a dietician vs a nutritionalist & go through your tracked food diary with them to see if you’re missing something. I wondered if you’re not eating enough too or not eating enough nutrient dense foods.

But certainly see your surgeon to see what may be going on or consider other options such as surgery, medication, etc.

All the best.

PS - While exercise has many benefits, it’s only contributes to about 10% of any weight loss you are to lose. I didn’t exercise while losing & still really don’t now. I upped my everyday activity (stairs not lifts let escalators, park further away from where I was going, etc.). About a year ago I started using resistance bands (for a little toning) & doing some stretches (flexibility & for my back) & that’s all I do. Wouldn’t burn 30 calories LOL! There are lots of online videos to guide you through using bands & other activities you can do if you struggle with your mobility.

I know I've been tryin not to have too many but at least it helps with getting a little water intake when i do try to get down at least 2 a day though because otherwise water intake is next to none aside from the sip in the morning to swallow pills. Here's the label i think its about the same as if i were to use the sugar free flavor packets anyhow

[T O P 9]

I am so sorry your dealing with this. Mine is 8 months out and I am only down to 315 after being 358 day of surgery. My weight is still up an down even with new diet and taking magnesium citrate.

[Spinoza 1,380]

Sounds awful. We go through so much to have our surgery that we just expect that we'll get the results we want. I'm so sorry it hasn't gone as you expected so far.

When you say you're having to eat the foods you have learned your stomach WILL tolerate, what kinds of foods are they? Can you share an average day's menu with us?

I also wouldn't get too hung up on exercise - it doesn't contribute that much, honestly. Although it's good for us generally. Hopefully once you've lost more you will feel more able for that.

[invisiblyhappy 18]

2 hours ago, Spinoza said:

Sounds awful. We go through so much to have our surgery that we just expect that we'll get the results we want. I'm so sorry it hasn't gone as you expected so far.

When you say you're having to eat the foods you have learned your stomach WILL tolerate, what kinds of foods are they? Can you share an average day's menu with us?

I also wouldn't get too hung up on exercise - it doesn't contribute that much, honestly. Although it's good for us generally. Hopefully once you've lost more you will feel more able for that.

Sure, I was really distressed about the amount of food I ate two days ago I think it will be a decent example.

1 icelandic skyr coldbrew yogurt
1 cup coffee + sugar free cream
1 capri sun
4 oz of steak cooked in 1tbsp olive oil & minced garlic
1 chocolate Premier Protein shake
1 strawberry Atkins Protein Shake (it's half the Protein of the premier ones)
1 scoop vanilla Isopure protein blended with 1/4 banana, 1 strawberry, 4 blueberries, 8 oz darigold fit protein milk
3 oz chicken, 1/4 cup macaroni

this kind of is similar to a daily menu. the steak happens maybe once every 3 days, chicken is an every day staple. coffee is a one or two time a week option. yogurt is typically every day, but sometimes is subsituted with oats overnight bottles that are mixed with the protein milk.

-edit-

I'm stuck in this cycle of feeling hungry, then feeling guilty after I eat because I realize i ate food and I haven't been losing enough weight, then i don't want to eat again for a long time because I want to lose the weight, then i feel starving, then i eat, then i feel guilty, etc etc. It's a really shitty loop I'm stuck in.

Edited March 1 by invisiblyhappy