catwoman7

a lot of people seem to eat between 600-800 kcal/day the first few months (well, other than the first month - which is usually lower), and then gradually increase it. I was eating around 1000 by about a year out. However, there are some surgeons who recommend higher amounts of calories sooner. I would say if you're meeting your protein requirements, are feeling comfortable, and your weight is trending down, you're fine.

I do 45-60 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week, plus 2-3 days of strength training. for cardio, I walk, do water aerobics, Zumba, cardio dance/walking youtube videos, or (when the weather cooperates), bike. There's also a seated elliptical at my gym that I'll "ride" occasionally.

I had those as well during week 3. The PA at my surgeon's office thought it might be the ursodiol (as that can be a side effect, although it's a not common one), so he had me get off those completely and then after about two weeks, gradually get back on. So I did - hives never came back after I got back on....so it likely wasn't the ursodiol. I also learned after having plastic surgery c. three years later that I was allergic to the adhesive they used or the surgical tape. I guess that could have been the case with my gastric bypass, too.

I agree with Grady Cat. The whole point of the surgery is that your stomach is smaller so you won't eat as much. Also, as far as not enjoying food - unfortunately, that comes back for almost all of us. I say "unfortunately" because it will never in your life be as easy as it is right now to lose weight when you don't want to eat and don't give a flip about food. Take FULL advantage of that! Your hunger and appetite will eventually come back sometime during the first year (or at least it does for the vast majority of us - mine came back at five months out), and once it does, things will become a lot more challenging. So I know this sounds weird to say, but enjoy it while it lasts! I wish my hunger had never come back! P.S. I should add that you do need to meet your nutritional requirements, so at least eat what you need to eat for that. But food will just be fuel for you for awhile...

pretty much all insurance companies have those same requirements, and most of us were approved as long as we met the BMI requirements (which are typically BMI over 35 with two comorbidities, or BMI over 40 with no comorbidities. they're looking for whether or not you've tried things in the past that haven't worked. And with the six-month professionally-supervised diet that many companies require before your final approval, they're looking to see if you're able to stick to a program long-term. I lost 57 lbs before I had surgery (between the six-month professionally-supervised diet that my insurance required - and the two week pre-op liquid diet that my surgeon required). I was approved. I was worried they'd say since I lost weight on my own, I didn't need surgery - but that wasn't it. They wanted to see how committed I was to a program.

"buyer's remorse" is pretty common the first couple of weeks. I had it, too. But then suddenly, things changed and I was really glad I had the surgery. also - most people don't have a bowel movement until they're about a week out. Not much in there. That first one can be a doosie, though, so be prepared... (And just so you know, constipation can be a long-term issue for some of us (not all - but some). I've taken a capful of Miralax every day for several years to keep on top of it. But even for those who don't deal with it long term, it's very common to take a week when you're right out of surgery)

mine lasted two weeks. But they last for three weeks for some people.

most people hit several stalls along their journey - it's just part of weight loss. When you hit one, make sure you're sticking to your eating plan, and stay off your scale for a few days. They'll eventually break, and you'll be on your way again.

almost a 90 lb drop in nine months is pretty good - so your overall loss is fine. But no loss in 2.5 months makes me think you've put yourself into maintenance. You should still be able to lose - I kept losing weight for 20 months - although it does slow down the further out you go. You may have to cut calories - or increase your exercise - or both - to get things going again. Are you still weighing/measuring food and logging everything you eat? If not, go back to that. I still do that at almost seven years out.

it's almost certainly the three week stall. Happens to almost all of us. If you do a search on it on this site, you will find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). It usually lasts 1-3 weeks, so you should be at or near the end of it. I dropped about 6-8 lbs in just a couple of days after mine ended.

I'm 6.5 years out. The only things I pay attention to anymore are protein grams, fluids, and overall calories. Unless I have a REALLY intense exercise day, I'll be fine if I stay at or under 1700 calories (but of course, this is going to be different for everyone). I need to average about 100 grams of protein a day or my prealbumin level tanks, so...I also strive to do that. Fluids, of course, need to be at least 64 oz a day. But...that's it.

I haven't heard of this. It may or may not be related to your surgery. I'd contact your PCP. Looks like it could be due to any number of things: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gas-and-gas-pains/symptoms-causes/syc-20372709

17 lbs the first month is fine. I lost 16 lbs the first month. It seems like most people lose in the 15-25 lb range that first month. Of course, you'll always find a few folks who lose more or less than that, but they're outliers. I'm very surprised your surgeon didn't know that. I know a lot of patients worry about that - but I think that's because they watch shows like "My 600 lb Life" and expect to lose 30 or 40 lbs that first month -- but those people start out WAY heavier than the average WLS patient. But your surgeon should not have been disappointed by a 17 lb loss. That is totally normal.

just wanted to say that a lot of SSRI's are known for that - and I think Paxil is one of the worst. It's too bad your doctor won't switch to you another SSRI - some aren't as notorious for weight gain as others.

yes - not all surgeons require the two-week liquid diet. Consider yourself lucky...

unfortunately, 1300-1400 calories a day IS maintenance level for some women. We're all over the board - some women can eat 2000 to maintain, others can only have 1200. It's dependent on so many factors (age, how much of your body weight is muscle, metabolic level, how active you are, etc). My TDEE says about the same (I'm 5'6" and fairly active (strength training or cardio every day)), but I would gain weight on 2300 calories. My maintenance range is 1500-1700. You'll have to kind of experiment with different ranges to see where you maintain, and at what point you start losing again. And of course, decide if you're willing to struggle long term to maintain a weight that's lower than what your body seems to prefer. Unfortunately, my new set point seems to be about 160 - which I don't like - but I know if I want to get or stay below that, I'm going to need to fight my biology. and yes - the body weight your body likes might be higher than what your mind likes - AND - given you lift weights, you may already be leaner than you think. I had a DEXA scan when I weighed 146 lbs, because I wanted to see how much more weight I needed to lose. Turns out I only had 22% body fat, which is pretty lean for a woman - so both the scan technician - and my PCP - said I was already at an ideal weight and did not need to lose anymore (if you want to do a DEXA scan, those that you do at a medical facility will not give you the info you want. Those will only give you your bone density. You need to go to one of those commercial places, like DEXAfit, or something like a sports lab at a university for one that gives you info on body composition (percentage of fat/muscle/bone you have). They cost somewhere in the $100-150 range)

those kinds of thoughts are pretty normal the first few weeks - and, it gets better. I felt that way the first month, too, but having WLS turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made - I'd do it again in a heartbeat! And yes, the first few weeks are tough - but you will live a normal life again. Other than my stomach not being able to hold as much food as before, my life is completely normal, and has been for a long time (I'm almost seven years out). and others are right, this is NOT easy! This is just a tool - you really have to work at it to get the weight off - and then you have to keep working at it to keep it off. It's a lifelong struggle - albeit made do-able thanks to the surgery. There's no way on earth I could have lost over 200 lbs and kept it off without surgery.

everyone is different because people start at different BMIs, are different heights, some people have a higher percentage of muscle, some people have higher metabolism rates, some people are more active, etc etc etc. It took me almost two years to lose all my weight because I had over 200 lbs to lose, but I CAN tell you that those last 20 lbs or so are a b***ch to get off. It takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R! basically, the closer you are to a normal BMI, the slower it goes...my last few months I lost like 2 lbs a month.

I've heard conflicting opinions, so who knows. My dietitian urges us to eat within an hour after getting up - but I know some of her patients just have a protein shake since they can't stomach solid food that early (although she's OK with that - it's SOMETHING). I do eat breakfast, but I'm rarely hungry - so it's usually just a thing of Greek yogurt (well, and coffee beforehand). I could never stomach one of those huge breakfasts some people eat - like bacon & eggs or stack of pancakes. Ugh. Not that it tastes bad, I just don't want that much food in the morning.

when I'm having an uncontrollable craving for dessert, I'll sometimes take a thing of vanilla Greek yogurt (usually one of the lower calorie ones - like Light & Fit, Carbmaster, or the 100-calorie one they have at Aldi's), stir in a couple teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, and top with a dollop of light Cool Whip and a few raspberries. sugar free Jello with a dollop of light Cool Whip can hit the spot as well. although not caving in any way and just getting out of the house sometimes helps as well - although that's harder to do in the winter (depending on where you live). My worst time for cravings is late afternoon, so in the summer I'd often get out and ride my bike for an hour. I try to keep my hands busy, too (like doing jigsaw puzzles) - that'll sometimes work, too. it's a constant battle, isn't it? UGH.

it does become old hat after awhile, and honestly, other than the vitamin regimen, these are all just healthy habits that everyone should strive to follow, not just WLS patients. But yes - it does take time to get into the swing of things! Like others have mentioned, some of these things you can double up on to hit two goals at once - like making sure your meals are high in protein. And counting protein shakes (if you're still on them) as part of your fluids goal.

yep - it's hard to make a choice. Some people have medical issues that make one choice more appropriate than others, but if you have no such issues, then it can be tough. generally the more powerful the surgery, the greater the potential for complications, although none of the surgeries done today really have a huge percentage of complications. Most complications are minor, and a lot of people really don't have any at all. The most common issue with malabsortion surgeries like the Loop DS is nutrient deficiency, but then you said you'd be really good at keeping on top of the the vitamin regimen, so that's not likely to be a problem for you. Most of the people (not all, but most) who have issues with that aren't diligent about keeping on top of their vitamins. Note I'm using words like "most" and "unlikely". Of course, there's always a chance of serious issues with any surgery (even having your tonsils out!), but if you follow the rules, the chances aren't likely. my choices were VSG or RNY, because those are the only two my insurance covers, and my surgeon doesn't do any form of DS. I chose RNY mostly because I had GERD (and RNY is recommended for GERD sufferers), but also, I was over 200 lbs overweight, so I wanted to have the more powerful surgery. I was willing to take the slight risk to get that benefit. I know none of this helps you with your decision, but these are some of things *I* considered when I was going through this. Good luck making your decision - and keep reading as it might make it easier to decide...

it took me 20 months to lose all my weight, and the last three or four months were slow as molasses. I was eating more than 680 calories, though. I was eating more like 1200. the closer you are to a normal BMI, the harder and slower it is to lose weight. Three to five lbs a month is actually pretty good. There were some months near the end when I only lost about 2 lbs the whole month. ever go to Weight Watchers meetings and listen to these barely overweight people scream and moan about how hard it is to lose 10 lbs? I used to (mentally) roll my eyes when I overheard such conversations. Now I totally get it. just stick to your plan. It'll be slow, but you'll get there.

a lot of women post about screwed up cycles the first few months after surgery - estrogen is stored in fat cells, and the theory is that it's released due to the rapid weight loss. It does stabilize after a few months. Maybe that's what's going on??

I'd check with my PCP or surgeon. Hair loss that far out from surgery usually isn't telogen effluvium, the loss that is common after bariatric surgery (and can be a side effect of any major surgery, actually). It may be related to a nutrient deficiency or something. At any rate, I'd certainly mention it to my doctor.