blizair09

Right now, your body is desperately trying to heal. The first month or so is much more about healing than it is about weight loss. My advice is to stay off of the scale for at least the first month, stick to your plan, and make meeting your Protein and Water goals your full-time job. The weight will come off if you do what you are supposed to do.

Stalls are a frequent part of the post-op journey. I have had numerous ones over the past 9 months.

Aside from that, how many calories are you taking in per day? Carbs? Protein? How much Water do you drink each day? Do you track everything that you eat and drink? What do you do for exercise?

Also, how far post-op are you?

@kourtbourt, good for you! I lost 99 pounds during my six month insurance-required diet program (from 397 to 298 on surgery day). It was the best thing that I did for myself. You'll never regret all of this hard work you have put in before the surgery itself. All of the stalls that you'll face post-op (and you will, everyone does) are SO MUCH EASIER to take when you've taken off a good bit of weight pre-op. Also, it is easier to heal and deal with the food stages when you have already re-defined your relationship with food and conquered your food demons.

Congratulations and best wishes as you move forward!

25 minutes ago, Kat410 said:

I took 1 week off. If was more than enough. I work about 70 hours a week, commute on NYC subway and the only thing I did was reduce my hours down to 60. I was not in any pain after first day. Just discomfort. I had a nutribullet set up at work for Protein Shakes and have a small fridge in my office.

I did tell two of my staff in advance and prepared them in case I needed more support than what I had planned. I don't have the same stamina I did before surgery, I suspect it's a combination of lower calories, physical recovery, hormonal changes, etc. That said, I can still work long hours just need a little more sleep.

Each person is different -- what matters is that it works for you and you have time to heal and adjust to your new way of life. Best wishes!

@Kat410, I am amazed that you could return to a job working that many hours per week and including a subway commute after one week. Wow. You are tougher than me.

@nevsmama, to give a different perspective, I work from home and travel about 50% of the time (airplanes, overnights, etc.). I took a six week medical leave from work, and I needed every moment of it. Physically, I was better after about 3 weeks, but my fatigue was a serious issue for a solid eight weeks after surgery (I took a "get under the covers" nap every single afternoon during those six weeks), and there is no way I could have dealt with my work (corporate publishing) and its associated drama and have been successful in both my recovery and progression through the food stages at the same time. I took the time to devote myself 100% to my weight loss journey, and I will always be thankful for that time. My advice is to take as much time as your personal, professional, and financial positions will allow.

In terms of telling people -- that is everyone's personal decision to make. I told anyone and everyone about my journey (including the surgery) from the beginning of my six month pre-op diet program. I needed the transparency as it helped (and continues to help) keep me accountable. And, frankly, I had a significant amount of weight to lose (and have lost 205 pounds to date), so it wasn't like people wouldn't have known anyway.

Good luck!

At 3 months post-op, I was getting 100-120 grams of Protein per day (at around 1000 calories per day).

Google "three week stall" and stay off of the scale for the first month. Your body is desperately trying to heal, and weight loss comes second to that. Make meeting your Protein and Water goals your full-time job, and the weight will begin to slowly come off.

Everything about this journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

You are likely feeling the way you are feeling because you aren't taking in enough Protein. You have to get it in, whether your body "likes" the Protein Shakes or food or not. You won't heal, otherwise, let alone progress with ay weight loss.

When you say that you can't drink protein shakes, what do you mean? If you drink the shake, does it come back up? Or do you just not like it. Trust me, I know that they aren't decadent or anything, but you have to get the nutrition you need.

When people say that WLS is not the easy way out, this is a lot of what they are talking about. The journey is HARD and GRUELING -- especially in the first weeks post-op.

Good luck!

The early weeks post-op are the hardest part of the journey, in my opinion. That's why every time there is one of the "when should I go back to work" posts, I advise people to take as much time off as their personal, financial, and work situations will allow. When you are relying on liquids and mush for any nutrition, it is hard physically and emotionally.

It does get better, and in my case, it got better fast. I took 6 weeks off of work, and that allowed me to progress through the food stages with a little more ease. I can say right now, that had I had to deal with all the corporate drama that my work brings, I would have been depressed. It would have been next to impossible to work and be successful with everything (work and diet).

The other thing that people have to accept is that what is "normal" will change -- even months and years post-op. That old life and way of eating is gone, and, frankly, it should be gone. That's what led to obesity in the first place. That's why changing the relationship with food is the real key to this journey -- not the surgery itself.

I'm 9 months post-op. I've lost 205 pounds. I am 8 pounds from a "normal" BMI and 12 pounds from goal. I feel and look better than I ever have in my adult life. Life is wonderful, and having this surgery was the absolute right decision.

My approach is to eat specified amounts of food, not what I "can" eat and not eating until I am "full." With that said, I eat 4 oz of cottage cheese at one meal, 3 oz of chicken or salmon with 1 oz of green Beans at a meal, 2 oz of hamburger steak with 1 oz of green beans at a meal, etc. I eat 8 times per day, about 2 hours apart. As I have moved along (I'm 9 months post-op now), I have added calories by adding meals, not adding food to existing meals.

Everything for me is about oz of food, fl oz of Water, and target macros.

One of my colleagues had to tie my shoes after we went through security at the Norfolk, VA airport. Since I have Pre-Check, I never had to take off my shoes, but their metal detector was extra sensitive (and I had never flown through that airport), so I had to take them off. And with the winter clothes on, I could reach the laces. Even though Jenn was so kind and sensitive, I was mortified. I got the ball rolling soon after.

And seeing 397 on the scale at the doctor's office was also telling...

I would say that only you can determine when your weight loss stops. If you are making good decisions about food and drink, and have weight to lose, it will come off. After a certain point, when there isn't much weight left to lose, it will be slow to come off, but it will come off.

Based on what I've read on here, people stop losing weight because they start eating like crap again, not because of some biological factor.

I'll just echo what everyone else said. You aren't making good decisions, and if you want to get back on your path of loss, you need to be more disciplined.

I suggest that you cut out all of those carbs you are eating, get your macros at levels that support weight loss, track everything you eat and drink, and get some exercise several times a week.

The recipe is the same, so get back on the wagon. And as @OutsideMatchInside said, you probably aren't going to lose the balance of your weight in 6 weeks. I'm 9 months post-op and need to lose 13 more pounds to reach my goal. The loss is slow at this point because there just isn't much more to lose (and I weighed 400 pounds 15 months ago).

Good luck!

10 minutes ago, Joann454 said:

Is Powerade zero salty like Gatorade?

I don't find it to be. I have one 16 oz glass straight every day. The other two times I have it, I mix it half and half with Water.

7 minutes ago, Navigating the Wilderness said:

My suggestion would be to eat before hand and politely decline any food there. This is critical in the first few months so you don't reintroduce food that may trigger bad eating behaviors. Enjoy the people instead of the food!

I agree. I'm over 9 months post-op and I still do this a lot.

I am over 9 months post-op and I might have a 20ish oz glass of unsweetened iced tea once a week, if even. I mostly drink Water and Powerade Zero. I was the hugest Diet Coke and caffeine addict pre-op, and I went with no caffeine for 3 months post-op (and I have yet to have anything carbonated). At this point, I like it just like it is. Having that monkey off of my back is very nice!

There is NO way that I could have done anything like that the day after surgery. By Day 3 post-op, I was feeling better enough to take a walk outside, but the day after was pure hell and I did good to walk up and down the hallway of my building a few times a day.

Most insurance companies that have such requirements require a ton of paperwork that documents every step of that six month journey. Either check with your insurance yourself, or get the process started with a surgeon in your network. His staff will explore the exact requirements and communicate those to you on the first of the six monthly visits.

I lost 99 pounds during my six month program. It was one of the best parts of this journey for me.

Good luck!

16 minutes ago, PrinnAnna said:

22 minutes ago, PrinnAnna said:

I have already talked to the nutritionist and she went over my food diary and said I was doing very good. My calories are set at 1500/ day
Carbs are 173g/day
Protein is set at 96g/day.
I drink well over 8 cups a day of Water. I have already talked to my surgical team about not losing weight but all they tell me is I need to lose something to show the insurance company I'm capable of losing.


Typical day is...
Breakfast: Protein Drink or Protein bar
Lunch: steamed whole grain rice with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots (steamed) with 4 oz of chicken or steak.
Dinner- 4-6oz of meat, veg, 1/2 of a baked potato
Snack....if hungry...some sort of fruit.

Disclaimer -- I am a huge advocate of the Keto way of eating. I've lost over 200 pounds and it has worked well for me.

My recommendation is to lower your carbs and see if that will help you. The protein gives you more bang for your buck calorie-wise, and will keep you full longer. A lot of nutritionists are very pro-carb. Low carb and high protein and fat have been the keys to success for me.

Good luck!

35 minutes ago, PrinnAnna said:

Good day everyone! I am currently going on my 6th month pre-op "diet" and have yet to lose any weight. I have completely changed my eating habits and exercise 4-5 days a week(30min-1hr) and still don't lose anything! Anybody out there not lose weight pre-op? I'm at a loss(mentally) right now. I don't know what else I could do. I am no where close to getting my surgery date, as I have to wait for open enrollment time for insurance to switch or upgrade my current plan. Any advice or recommendations would be awesome!!

Thank you!

How many calories do you take in per day? Carbs? Protein? How much Water are you drinking each day? Are you tracking everything that you eat or drink every day?

It's hard to give advice from your post since there is a lot of missing information. That's why I am asking these questions. It might be the case that if you make some tweaks to what you are doing, you can get the scale moving.

Good luck!

I haven't had any bread in almost 16 months, and I don't plan on bringing it back anytime soon. Carbs are my enemy.

Just now, Joann454 said:

How low you go is really up to you. I never let myself dream of being 137 either. But I'm starting to. Why not? I'll decide as I lose more though. I want to be a normal BMI.

You can definitely do it. I weighed 400 pounds when I started, and I am 9 pounds away from a normal BMI! The sky is the limit.

I had the sleeve surgery on September 28, 2016. My insurance required me to do a six month pre-op diet program. I began that in March 2016. I lost 99 pounds (from 397 to 298) during the six months leading up to surgery day following a Keto way of eating. I have continued that keto diet post-op (even during the food stages), and I have lost an additional 105 pounds, for a 204 pound loss total. I weigh 193 right now, and I am 13 pounds from my goal of 180 at approximately 9 months post-op.

I'll echo what some of the others have said -- the surgery (regardless of which one you choose) is only a tool and will only do so much for you. You have to have the grit, drive, and perseverance inside of you to win the mental game which is the really tough part post-op. There are ways to eat around any of the surgeries, and you have to get your mind in the right place to do what you need to do at all times. That is what brings success long-term. These forums are full of people who were mentally unprepared, never changed their relationship with food, and either never reached their goal or gained most of their weight back. Also, the journey is slow and arduous, full of stalls and plateaus, and requires patience and keeping the big picture in mind at all times.

Good luck as you make your decision! Any of the surgeries can be life changing if you put in the hard work necessary.

I'd recommend getting your calories to about 1200, your carbs below 20, drink at least 64 oz of Water, and to track everything that you eat or drink. Your going to have to do many of these things post-op if you want to be successful, so it is good to get started now (and it will help you to lose the pre-op weight you need to lose, too).

Honestly, you need to do what is best for you, not your family, friends, or anyone else. That being said, this journey is much easier with support at home. I am so thankful that I have had that support from my partner, my family, and my friends. But, if your people won't get on board, you can find the external support you need in the form of support groups, on-line communities, and the like.

In time, they will get over their issues when they see you being healthy and successful. The key is to be successful and not give them ammunition to spread hate later...

Good luck!

1 hour ago, princessK23 said:

I was sleeved in late April and it's Late June and I'm only down about 15 lbs. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I am feeling really disappointed. Im working out at the gym I have a trainer but not weight loss or it's really slow... Help am I doing something wrong...

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How many calories are you taking in per day? Carbs? Protein? How much Water do you drink per day?