Lorelli65

I want to participate, but I'm not sure how. LOL? Break it down please.

Thanks for all the replies, I'm seriously soaking in each bit of good advice. I realize I'm lower BMI (and senior age) and so my loss may be slower. I'm coming to think I may be eating too much. It's been easy for me to ingest 4-5 oz because I've had NO issues with drinking or eating. Never felt nauseous, or gotten a belly ache, cramp, nothing. Feel little to no restriction. And so I've basically been acting like I'm on a strict diet by restricting my input and calories seeming without aide from my 'tool'.
Should I be measuring ounces/weight or volume as in 1/2 cup? How much volume would you suggest for near 2 months out? I do Protein first, been mostly only eating protein. I've been on my treadmill at 'brisk walk' speed for a few minutes multiple times a day (being a senior with heart disease I feel that's my limit). I also just try to dance around and get sweaty housecleaning and generally be more active than usual.
My concern is that I'm not losing during this 'honeymoon' stage and I don't want to be stalled at the same weight for another minute (it's going on three weeks!). I've been averaging 600-800 calories a day, is that too much this early? Also I get in 60+ gram protein & low carb.
Thanks again for all the thoughtful replies. I plan to measure lower amounts today, I'm thinking 1/2 cup of chicken or salmon per meal? I've always been a big Water drinker but will try to get even more in today. Gonna buy some sugar free ice pops for a late night snack (which is when I often have a bit more chicken).

They warned us up front that the most weight loss would happen in the first 2 months post surgery, but not to expect wildly huge numbers of monthly loss. That we would average anywhere between 2-4lbs per week. There is an extremely small subset who genetically are not really impacted by WLS. But it's very rare.
Make sure you are following your surgeon's plan to a T, and get walking. My doc wanted 10K steps out of me at your point every day in addition to eating only between 500-700 cals at that point. But I had lots of stalls too!!! Hang in there and stay focused. You haven't failed WLS!!!

I felt the same way for a while. The weight hasn't just melted off and I've been in stalls despite doing everything I'm supposed to be doing. I lost more weight in the same amount of time in the past doing the Atkins Diet or Weight Watchers. But I realize this is long-term that I need to be focusing on and I realize that with those past diets I put the weight back on. So, this is more long-term and permanent now.

Lots of things can cause slow weight loss. Some of which are not within your power to change
But
If you want help troubleshooting your diet , activity levels etc. just ask for assistance on how to get the scale moving again. Plenty of people on here may have advice and hacks to help.
Join us here for motivation and accountability
Good Luck 💜

I’m heartbroken that you are so sad, but please stop beating yourself up! Your body is still healing after a major surgery. The best news is you made a decision to be healthier for the rest of your life! I, too, am often shocked by how much people say they lost on a lot of these threads. I just learned to Stop comparing myself to them. Just be you and focus on your goals. It’s hard for me too..when it gets too overwhelming and I have a stall I just focus on one meal at a time or one day at a time.

My HW was 216 (I'm 5'3") and that's how much I weighted when I began my 1 week liquid pre-op. Date of surgery my SW was 209. Here I am 7 weeks post-op (surgery June 21) and I've been stalled at around 193. I'm logging on my fitness pal, same place I logged when I lost 30 lbs in 4 months a few years ago. I went back to look at that weight loss which had NO stalls and averaged 2 lbs a week. And last year I went to Weight Watchers for 10 weeks and lost average of 1.5 lbs a week (until I quit LOL). Again NO stall at WW, either. Both times I recently lost consistantly week after week, and not I had 70+% of my stomach removed & I'm losing ZERO. I just feel so disappointed. After 6 months of excitedly jumping thru all the pre-op hoops to satisfy my insurance. After the super-duper excitement of finally getting my sleeve, this let down is shocking and causing me to wake to toss & turn 1/2 the night. I knew I'd have to put in effort and this wouldn't be easy, but also heard/read many success stories that said the weight basically melted off. I'm thinking to myself I just should have dieted myself on my own and lost. I sad and embarrassed, too. Embarrassed that those who knew I was having this surgery are probably looking at me expecting to see a change :(. I'd appreciate any input!

I use Baritastic and like it very much. I used to use fit bit before surgery but haven't in a while. I noticed for myfitnesspal they asked to upgrade to premium for some of the features so I decided not to use it.

I love love love Baritastic. Geared for wls.

Good job.
This will help you through the rest of them. Sleeves stall pretty often - but we usually lose inches, drop a dress size. Your body redistributes/ shifts around during stalls. I like to keep my morale up by trying on clothes - even if I don't buy them. Also take frequent pictures - sometimes in similar outfits. You will be surprised at your progress that you cannot see until it's in a picture.

I'm nearly two months out from my surgery and a few weeks ago I hit my first stall which lasted at least three weeks. I'm finally over it now - 11 lbs below where I'd stalled - and I have to say it would have been much harder to deal with that initial plateau if I hadn't already read all the great advice on these forums.
When I stalled my panic set in almost instantly, telling me that I needed to eat less (even though I was already eating a miniscule amount of calories compared to my pre-surgery habits) or work out more (even though I was getting plenty of exercise multiple days a week). The disordered eating habits and punishing mindset I'd developed pre-surgery snuck back up on me quickly, and my instinct was to worry that I'd done something wrong that needed corrected in order to start losing again. But then I remembered how often I'd seen people here say "just work your plan" and "continue as normal, your body will take care of itself." I calmed down, continued on the diet and exercise that had worked so far, and sure enough I'm losing again just fine.
So I guess this is just a long-winded way of saying I'm glad this website and this community are here, because it really did help to think back on this forum when I was ready to lose my mind over that first stall.

OMG! That is horrible care to send someone home two hours after surgery. How would they know if you can even hydrate, or get to the toilet!!!
Plus my doctor does the barium swallow leak test just to be safe and see how it flows.
Make sure you hydrate, sip all day. Do you at least have guidelines to follow? Do you know the food stages to progress through - when was your surgery?
I saw where you drank regular Gatorade? No! Too much sugar, you should be on Protein Shakes - getting 60-80 grams of Protein daily and no less than 64oz of water/broth. Then when you can tolerate it, pureed food - ricotta chesse, Greek yogurt, sugar free pudding, sugar free applesauce. It will take about 9 weeks to get to the texture of steak.

In my second month after surgery I did not lose 1 pound for 20 days. I'm not going to lie, I was panic stricken. I've lost 19 pounds more since then. It will happen!

Guys this was SUCH a hard thing to realize. There are only a few who lose 20lbs the first month, but it feels like literally everybody and their brother were losing that fast except me. Try your hardest not to compare. You're doing great. Stay the course! Try to seek peace and patience...easier said than done.

Im in the same boat as you. sleeved 5 weeks ago, lost 20 the first 2 weeks, then nothing for over 3 weeks. I 100% understand what your feeling and I get it, its so frustrating! The only thing keeping me hopeful is measuring. I measure everything every 2 weeks and even tho the scale doesn't move, im still losing inches. Maybe try that to see?

Thanks guys! the only thing I'm not fully getting in is the exercise due to my setback and then i had a severe constpation issue, I started the C25K but I will have to restart that next week after my (TMI) butt soreness has gone away and i can walk better. I haven't been able to consume alot as i get full really fast, I'm now beginning to hit my Water goals. i have been getting in the Protein thanks to the shakes but my doc told me to increase my food intake which seems like a difficult task but I'm trying. It's just so depressing that i feel im doing everything in my power to do this right and i don't feel it's working. I've stepped back from te scale everyday and now I'm on it maybe every 2 days. I'll try to stay away from it.
btw, the only thing I've ever drank was water, i don't drink alcohol nor sodas and here lately, I've been drinking diet snapple which is on my list from the doc.

I’m sorry you are having such a hard time. First make sure you are measuring everything. By eyeballing serving sizes you can eat several hundred extra calories each day. I would say follow your doctors guidelines, mine are much lower than yours but I always say follow your doctors guidelines because if you don’t they will just attribute any problem to not following their advice. Lastly I say forget the scales and take your measurements once a month. The scale will move if you are doing what is recommended. Stop weighing. Just know you are doing everything you can

Good Morning all, In 3 days I'll be 2 months post OP and the scale won't move, I'm sad and want to cry. I posted here several times and I've also had a NSV of being able to fit clothes I haven't worn in maybe a year or more. My thing is I want to see the numbers go down. I thought I was doing things right and someone here told me to cut my calories down to 300 to 500 which I did. I then went to the doctor and she told me I needed to eat MORE than what I was and bring my calorie intake up to at least 1000 to 1200. Im feeling overwhelmed and feeling like it's only me that can't lose weight. I see people here and whom i know from other forums and stated the journey when I did are way down in weight but I'm losing slowly, too slowly for my liking. I have gained 4lbs, prior to going to the doctor and I've lost them, I'm not stressing that cuz I ended up at the hospital at one point and getting fluids was the reason. now im stuck at that same number for more than a month.. surgery day weight was 249 today im 232, what is wrong with me!! please help with any suggestions you have I really don't want to go back to unhealthy living, I'm one of those people who gets discouraged easily. thanks for listening to me rant.

I wanted to check in and post my experience. I was miserable during the pre-op phase diet, I cheated with last meals almost once a day until the 3 day Water fast which I adhered to. The last 3 days were honestly not that bad, just uncomfortable because of being hungry. My angelic wife was supportive and did the pre-op diet with me :). The surgical procedure was fast, I struggled with some moderate pain, gas pain from the CO2 belly inflate. I am anti narcotic and needed it for a long drive home (9 hrs), I don’t recommend that!
That said I used the oxy suspension to sleep for the first 2 days and it will be in the trash this week. I am type 2 diabetic, I lost 2 meds post surgery and now I am only on metformin, Prilosec, Vitamins and Prozac.
The after surgical effects are what you would expect: needed some time to pee normally, it took some days to pass gas but now it’s flowing better (taking a stool softener), hurts to sit up and lay flat, driving is a chore, mild stomach cramping, and skin pain at the 4 surgical sites (mainly the 15cm one).
I have met the water goals post surgery and pushed it once and almost puked. I don’t recommend that, I am tolerating broth, clear Protein Drinks, sugar free Jello we’ll just struggling with my behavioral issues to want to eat crap food. I do not feel hungry most of the time, unless food commercials are on TV or I walk in a store.
I have lost a tremendous amount of weight so far (around 12 lbs so far), and suspect I will be in the 230’s tomorrow. I exercised prior to the surgery by doing P90X to build as mush muscle as I could. I think that helped a lot. I have been walking a lot also and try to get up each hour to walk around the house.
My recovery has been very fast, each day it seems like it’s 50% better, I can sleep on my side now with a bit of left shoulder pain that’s is getting better. I watched my wife eat last night, and I was surprised that it did not bother me.
Here are some neat things I think about: I will be a normal weight again (185), it will be nice to fly in a small seat, maybe I can get off all my meds, I will not be pre-judged in job situations for being morbidly obese, I might live as long as my wife to enjoy our life together, no 3 xl clothes, hopefully my chronic back pain will lessen.

Good luck to everyone. I was sleeved March 11 and it's been a pretty awful experience. I wish you all speedy healing!

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Hello,

I just now found this place. Better late than never I guess. on July 9th 2018 I weighed 508lbs. I am a 38 year old male who is 6'1. At the end of my rope I didn't know where to turn next. It was during one frustrated exchange with the CEO at my work during lunch that he asked why I didn't consider a weight loss surgery. I quickly replied I had, but the companies insurance didn't cover it. He made a promise to me that if I gave it my best shot he would make sure it was covered. I began working with my primary on the referral while he began working with our health insurance. Our plan year rolled on January 1 and the Sleeve and Bypass were included. I started with the local weight and wellness center in November and in May I completed the 6 months of required program required by the insurance. I am scheduled for the Sleeve on Monday June 10th 2019. As of today I am 428 lbs. I have been doing the two weeks of 3 Protein Shakes with a small 300 calorie meal as ordered by my nutritionist and have stuck to it rigidly.

So Monday's the big day. I have been given 4 weeks off paid from my work for recovery and now my nerves are kicking up. In seek of actual stories about what the days after surgery were like I asked my trusted friend google which lead me here. I have been reading everything for the past two days and I kind of wish my program had pointed me in this direction sooner.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat - a pound is still a pound. Muscle is more dense, so you may show fewer inches for the same weight if you are more muscular, but weight can still be the same.
Few can actually gain muscle mass while losing total weight, but we can seek to lose as little as possible while losing the fat. Typically we will lose some muscle mass, particularly in the legs and core, as we don't need as much muscle to support and move our reduced weight around, and few can dedicate the time and effort required to build up a comparable amount elsewhere (and then keep up the extra work to maintain it so that it doesn't turn to fat over time.)
For the OP, yes get a body composition scan to see where you are - Dexa is considered the best, but Water or air displacement or even the scales give useful information if used properly. As a woman, mid 20's body fat percent is typical healthy range, but individually, you might be better as 22-23%, or 27%, so don't obsess over it.. I aimed for mid teens, which is mid to lean normal for men, and called it a day. Even Dexa isn't accurate enough to obsess over a point or two one way or the other.
To get back on track, as you have acknowledged falling back into old habits, try just going back to basic lean meat and green vegetables for a while. What is typically needed is a few days of "detox" from the (typically sugary) junk that has crept back in to alleviate your cravings for them.
These liquid "reset" diets don't do anything better and just reinforce whatever tendency you may have toward yo-yo dieting. They are premised on the observation that when we first had our WLS we were typically on a liquid diet for a while and we lost like gangbusters, so therefore if we go back to a liquid diet, we will lose like gangbusters again. Unfortunately, it was not the liquid diet that caused us to lose rapidly, as even those of us who never did a liquid diet lost like crazy those first couple of weeks. It was all about the heavy caloric deficit that we were in courtesy of our surgery, and the resulting water weight loss as our body adjusted to the new reality.
In short, cut out the junk that has crept back in and replace it with high nutrition, low calorie real food that will satisfy you nutritionally and cut your cravings for sugar, and is something that you can stick to in the long term, rather than a quick fix yo yo diet.
Good luck,,,

Stalls happen. It sounds like you're not in a stall though, you're eating/drinking sugary things that are high in calories. Go back to counting your calories and tracking everything you eat. Focus on Protein.

I'm at 2 months out and only down 25 lbs. Surgery day-207. Today 182. I had a stall that began my second week for 12 days. Rather disappointed overall.