catwoman7

that's pretty common in the US, so I'm not sure if going out of state will help or not. But it'd be worth checking. Maybe Mexico?

this seems to be very common, actually. Most people have a 10-20 lb gain after hitting their lowest weight, and I was prepared for that - but even after that, you have to really start monitoring yourself or you're very likely to gain even more. I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I'll have to diet for the rest of my life or I'm going to put on a bunch of weight. Luckily I figured that out before much damage was done, since it's hard as heck to lose weight now ?

this is the most important time to follow your clinic's guidelines, since like the above poster said, you likely won't feel much (if any) restriction until you start on solid foods, and also, you likely had some nerves cut during the surgery, and it takes awhile for them to regenerate. So don't chase the full feeling - you're not going to get it for awhile. Just measure out however much you're supposed to eat or drink and just eat/drink that. I know it's weird, but...

I used mine all the time - although there are some here who would tell you to just get weighed at appts. I think I'd go crazy waiting that long because I'd want to know - but that's an individual thing.

you should be able to eat salads again at some point. I think it was six or seven months out for me...

yea I get it. My mother told me I looked like my father did during the weeks before he died. BUT....fat sort of redistributes a bit after awhile which should help with that. My face didn't look nearly as hollowed out a few months later.

true - some artificial sweeteners do a number on people's G/I tracts...it'd be horrible having diarrhea when you're out hiking!

my current favorites are Robert Irwin's Fit Crunch bars and Quest Hero bars (regular Quest bars are OK - but their Quest Hero line is great!)

yes. Happens to almost all of us. It's called the three week stall, even though it's not always the third week. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. During week 4, I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. if you want to see how common it is, do a search on the "three week stall" on this site. There are 15,701 posts on it, the last time I checked (and no, I am NOT kidding). just stick with your plan and stay off the scale for a few days if you have to. And know that it WILL end and you'll be on your way again edited to add that I thought I'd do the search for you. Here you go: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall

^^^ she's right. For some reason I didn't catch that you were only four months out and started at 192 lbs. Most of us on here started at WAY more than that and would therefore have A LOT more loose skin - skin that will never bounce back because it's so stretched out. I lost over 200 lbs - so I was in a very different place skin-wise...

I ate in the 600-800 range then - and did for several months. After about the first year, I was pretty consistently in the 1000-1200 range.

I had a DEXAscan (not a medical one - those just tell you your bone density - this was one that also gives you your body composition. You can get them at commercial places like DEXAFit, or some universities have them in sports labs for their athletes - and sometimes the public can get them there for a decent price). I weighed 146 lbs at the time and thought I had a good 15 or so lbs to go. The technician said after the scan, "no - you're done losing". She said my body fat was 22%, which is considered lean for a female. I about flipped. All that "fat" was actually loose skin. So yea - I get it!

mine didn't bounce back, but after I'd been at goal for awhile, things kind of re-distributed a bit so it didn't look quite as bad (I eventually had mine removed anyway, though...)

that going to vary according to surgeon. I was allowed to start up on purees as soon as I got home from the hospital, but some people (sounds like most) have to wait two - or three - or even four weeks.

I would think probably not - but then maybe there are some circumstances where you might? Do you know what caused the shrinkage? I've lost heighth - but I'm 60 years old. It's not coming back for me, unfortunately ?

I know a lot of vets (2+ years out) who've used WW to deal with regain. Most of them seem to really like it!

if you're willing to travel to New Jersey, Dr. Capella is a nationally known plastic surgeon who specializes in plastic surgery for massive weight loss patients. From what I understand, his prices are pretty reasonable (at least in comparison to similar surgeons). I don't know if he does nose jobs, though, since he specializes in the massive weight loss crowd...

I started counting calories when I was about a year out. It takes a little trial and error, but figure out what your maintenance range is. Mine is 1500-1700 - but of course that's very individual. If I stay within my range, I can maintain my weight. If I'm exercising regularly, I can consistently stay at the high end of that and sometimes go over occasionally. If I want to lose weight, I need to consistently stay at the low end (plus exercise) or go slightly under. Usually I'm somewhere in the middle, having maybe 1550 some days and 1670 others. Anyway, my point is, figure out the range at which you can maintain your weight (might take a couple weeks or more of experimentation), and then either go below that or add in regular exercise (or both...)

I had an easy recovery with almost no pain. I was still working at the time (I'm now retired) at a desk job. I took three weeks off but could have gone back after two. If I'd have been working from home, I could have gone back even earlier. It's really just the first few days that can be kind of rough (for many of us, anyway - I know there are exceptions). So I'd say maybe a week tops? (unless you have issues??) (although you'll probably be able to do things online even earlier than that. Not sure I would have been up for a Zoom meeting really early out, but responding to emails? Yea - I was doing that as soon as I got home from the hospital)

I could have written all that myself! Thanks for sharing!

not really. As long as they're really low cal (and most are 15 or 20 calories). There's one brand I like better than others (I think it's North Star?), but it might be a regional brand (I live in Wisconsin)

it may be because of the type of protein in the protein water. Some types of protein are a lot more absorbable than others. We were told to stick with whey protein isolate the first few weeks or months after surgery until we could get most of our protein from food, since that type of protein is easily absorbed. I drink different kinds of protein now (blends, concentrates, etc) and have for awhile, but I did stick to that the first few weeks. (I actually don't know what kind of protein is in protein water since I don't think i've every had it...)

you will starve, but you just have to white knuckle it. It gets better by about day 4, because your body goes into ketosis. I remember eating sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello with abandon. Like - tons of it - I'd make it in the morning and eat the whole thing that evening. Also, I was allowed something like a cup of broth and a cup of V8/tomato juice per day, and I took advantage of that. Those both have sodium in them, and I retain water, so those made me feel kind of full and bloated, which helped, too. at any rate, it's an ordeal that many of us have to go through - and somehow, we do survive.. I remember being relieved the morning of my surgery because it was finally over!

I couldn't really go out the first month or so post-op because it was really hard to find anything on menus that "worked" for me. After that, I'd get things like a shrimp cocktail and eat three or four shrimp. I don't think people really noticed. I did go to an Indian place once and got this pureed spinach dish that was marvelous, but I could only eat like 1/4 C of it. The staff was freaked out, thinking I didn't like the meal. I kept reassuring them that I was fine - and it was delicious - I think I told them I had an ulcer or something so I couldn't eat very much, but I'd love to take it home - but they kept going on and on, saying they'd bring me something else - and I think they also sent me home with a dessert. That was....awkward. So be prepared for something like that - although it may not happen, depending on where you go. I'd also order things like soup or chili.

same here with all of this. I started taking a megadose of B12 every couple of weeks instead of every day. I've been doing this for probably three years. I also take a big dose of vitamin D every three days (enough for three days, anyway) instead of every day. It's helped cut down on the number of pills I take. Although the OP should probably clear this with their nutritionist before they do this. Some supplements you can't do this with though (like calcium, for example). You have to do those every day.