Danpaul

Since my surgery in 2017 I've lost my weight loss powers. I'm a mere mortal when it comes to weight loss. That being said I do the following:
1- Weekly weigh in and log it in 2- Stop eating at 7PM and start again at 7AM (I usually go to 9AM) 3- Eat the same thing every day. For me, Breakfast greek yogurt and hard boiled egg, cup of coffee lunch, tuna fish, sardines or salmon from a can (no additives such as mayo) dinner broiled or baked seafood with a salad. I will also eat a costco Protein Bar if I need it. 4-Excercise, for me 3x at gym nothing too strenous just 30-45 on treadmill 5 degree incline with a brisk 3.5 mile speed walk
Very Very difficult to stay within 5-10 pounds of goal weight then try to get back down. Vigilance and sorry to say obsession are my keys. It's a struggle every day.

Kristen it's not uncommon for people who are post op a few days to have so much angst. Follow your doctor and nutritionist protocols. Everyone loses weight at a different pace. The main thing is to stick to the program and despite what is preached about super fast weigh loss, it does happen but it's not the norm. The majority of people lose a a decent amount of weight, experience a stall, after time the body adjusts and then you experience Constipation, and the body adjusts and you lose more weight. . Your best result is patience and sticking to the plan. I have family members who can eat a lot more than they thought they should. It comes down to what you eventually eat. Eating a ton of salad is much better than eating a ton processed food. Still eating a ton but with much different results. Stay the course and dont be discouraged, your body is going through a process and needs to sort things out.

Kristen it's not uncommon for people who are post op a few days to have so much angst. Follow your doctor and nutritionist protocols. Everyone loses weight at a different pace. The main thing is to stick to the program and despite what is preached about super fast weigh loss, it does happen but it's not the norm. The majority of people lose a a decent amount of weight, experience a stall, after time the body adjusts and then you experience Constipation, and the body adjusts and you lose more weight. . Your best result is patience and sticking to the plan. I have family members who can eat a lot more than they thought they should. It comes down to what you eventually eat. Eating a ton of salad is much better than eating a ton processed food. Still eating a ton but with much different results. Stay the course and dont be discouraged, your body is going through a process and needs to sort things out.

I've never heard of such a draconian measure. I drink coffee and it hasn't affected my weight. Of course its an 8oz cup with Monk Fruit sweetener and some cream not a high calorie specialty drink from a coffee shop. Also don't try to eat around your restriction. Since my 2017 surgery I still have a very good restriction. ( I thank the gastric sleeve god every day) Prior to surgery I lived to eat. After surgery I needed to learn to eat to live. It was very very difficult but I realized I'm not getting a second chance. Insurance will not pay for a redo and to be honest, what would I accomplish with a redo if I didn't learn to eat to live. food was my drug of choice as it is with many others on this site. We need to realize we don't have to love food but just like it a little bit to stay healthy.

Since my surgery in 2017 I've lost my weight loss powers. I'm a mere mortal when it comes to weight loss. That being said I do the following:
1- Weekly weigh in and log it in 2- Stop eating at 7PM and start again at 7AM (I usually go to 9AM) 3- Eat the same thing every day. For me, Breakfast greek yogurt and hard boiled egg, cup of coffee lunch, tuna fish, sardines or salmon from a can (no additives such as mayo) dinner broiled or baked seafood with a salad. I will also eat a costco Protein Bar if I need it. 4-Excercise, for me 3x at gym nothing too strenous just 30-45 on treadmill 5 degree incline with a brisk 3.5 mile speed walk
Very Very difficult to stay within 5-10 pounds of goal weight then try to get back down. Vigilance and sorry to say obsession are my keys. It's a struggle every day.

Since my surgery in 2017 I've lost my weight loss powers. I'm a mere mortal when it comes to weight loss. That being said I do the following:
1- Weekly weigh in and log it in 2- Stop eating at 7PM and start again at 7AM (I usually go to 9AM) 3- Eat the same thing every day. For me, Breakfast greek yogurt and hard boiled egg, cup of coffee lunch, tuna fish, sardines or salmon from a can (no additives such as mayo) dinner broiled or baked seafood with a salad. I will also eat a costco Protein Bar if I need it. 4-Excercise, for me 3x at gym nothing too strenous just 30-45 on treadmill 5 degree incline with a brisk 3.5 mile speed walk
Very Very difficult to stay within 5-10 pounds of goal weight then try to get back down. Vigilance and sorry to say obsession are my keys. It's a struggle every day.

yep - I think a lot of us how are a few years out can relate to this. I, too, thought I'd conquered all this. It's a lifelong battle.

Had the sleeve at 60. HAD type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, gerd, sleep apnea and mostly everything else associated with obesity. Since my WLS they have all been a thing of the past. It takes work to maintain the good health that the surgery gives you.

yes - supplements for life. But they become old hat after a while. I honestly don't really think about it at all anymore. I take a small handful when I get up in the morning, and another small handful in the late afternoon. Then Iron & Vitamin C before I go to bed.
no surgery required to fix strictures. They do it via upper endoscopy. They give you "twilight" anesthesia - which is different from general anesthesia. You're awake but unaware and you don't remember anything once you snap out of it. Easy peasy.
yes plastic surgery is a pain and it's costly (two (of the three) of my plastic surgeries were much more difficult than my RNY), but I think only a small percentage of people actually have plastic surgery. No one could tell I had excess skin except, obviously, me, my husband, and my doctor, but I eventually had it taken off regardless. But when it was there, it was very easy to hide in clothes.
I think microbiome changes and faecal transplanting aren't commonly done at this point - but maybe in the future. They do seem promising.

here's a photo of me BEFORE I had my excessive skin removed. See any of it? I can assure you after a 235 lb loss, I had a ton of it...but as you can see, my clothes hide it.

This might be your new set point too @Danpaul as @catwoman7 mentioned. That is the weight your body is happiest at. The surgery resets that happy place weight from what it was before surgery. It’s always harder to lose & maintain below that weight & if you do lose some of it your body will more easily/quickly return to the weight it prefers. It can also be easy to reset it to a higher level again through food choices & overeating.
I think, for us, vigilance will always be needed to varying degrees. As you said we know the consequences of not working at maintaining our weight. I watch what I eat every day & make choices about what I will or won’t eat. It’s a lot easier to do & not as restrictive as I expected & as it was when watching what I ate while trying to lose or maintain before surgery. That is a huge bonus.

I had surgery in 2017 . In the summer of 2022 I gained 10 pounds which I have not been able to lose despite going to the gym and watching what I eat. It concerns me to no end. In 1996 I lost a great amount of weight only to have it creep up on me. By 2000 I gained everything back and then some. I tell everyone to not make excuses for weight creep. Fight it because it will over take you very very fast. It happened to me once and I'm fighting it each and every day. I know the consequences of not fighting it.

I'm a reverse clothes horse. Prior to surgery I bought a lot of clothes because my weight fluctuated so much ( not downward either) After surgery I realized how many clothes I had and when I finally went from a XL to med I only bough a few items for the different seasons. I have been wearing the same clothes since 2018, since they still fit me well.

At work I said me and four other ppl in my building put $1000 into a pool and the person who lost the most weight won the 5K. I of course said I came in a distant second. At home I told ppl that we had the "contest" at work. The only ppl who know about my surgery are close family members. To this day ppl ask about that "contest"

At work I said me and four other ppl in my building put $1000 into a pool and the person who lost the most weight won the 5K. I of course said I came in a distant second. At home I told ppl that we had the "contest" at work. The only ppl who know about my surgery are close family members. To this day ppl ask about that "contest"

I'm out four years and in the past few months have been battling a slight gain. It has brought me back mortality as far as weight loss goes. I no longer have the super power to lose it as I once did post WLS. After talking with others who have had WLS we all came to the conclusion that 1- The gain must be addressed ASAP. 2- We cannot eat as we did, we need to "trim the fat" from our diets. It's like spending too much money and going into debt. Do you continue to spend at the same rate and expect to make up the debt? Same with food, we need to take in less to lose the most. 3- Do it in attainable increments. A loss of 2lbs a week will get you better results overall than trying to lose 10lbs in a week. 2lbs is doable and you can build on your success while not achieving the 10lbs psychologicaly will start you on the eating for comfort spiral 4- Some form of exercise is better than no exercise. We found that taking the stairs on a regular basis really helps as does simple walking. Of course if you feel comfortable going to a gym that's great as well. 5- Weigh once a week and the same time on the same scale. We find this gives us enough time to see trends and to address them. Daily weigh ins are not accurate and longer than a week is too much time to correct any minor gains.
At this stage of our lives weight loss takes effort and time. Long gone are the days of rapid weight loss. I'm lucky to have so many family and friends to talk to and to get different views on things WLS related. It really helps. I for one could not do it on my own.

Six months post WLS and you've been put in a position to fail. Not by your doing but by an inconsiderate person. You have only ONE CHANCE to do it right. Only one. You need to give it your best shot and not have an inconsiderate person sabotage your path to better health. I once again bring up the comparison to being an alcoholic . Would you allow anyone to hinder your recovery from alcohol by letting them bring it into your home? NO, so why allow him to sabotage your recovery from poor health and obesity by allowing him to bring in junk food? The choice here is very simple, for you to succeed with weight loss and getting back to good health he cannot be a part of your every day lifestyle. Get rid of the food or pack it up and drop it off to the place he is going to but you need to get it out of your home.
Remember you are only six months out and you've already gained weight. I'm out four years and I will tell you it gets harder NOT easier to lose and maintain the weight loss. Your in the best position of your life to lose the weight. Don't let Mr. inconsiderate ruin it for you. Despite what you might hear, insurance companies will not pay for a do over. Make the best of this golden opportunity.

I'm four years into my surgery this month and here are the things that I've learned.
At the beginning most will feel mixed emotions. Euphoric due to rapid weight loss, concern due to stalls and minor setbacks and trepidation due to looking at how others are doing and you feeling you're not doing enough. The one feeling we all have will be a renewed confidence in ourselves due to the fastest weight reduction you might have ever experienced.
We attain our goal weight. We then transition into making wise food and lifestyle choices. No longer are we to eat the things that made us obese and unhealthy such as the three C's, Cookies, Cake and candy. We will get more exercise. Maybe we park further from the building, maybe we join a gym, maybe we walk, run or work out. We are feeling great and we love our new selves.
Next we work on maintaining the weight loss and our healthy lifestyle. One thing happens, we decide since we lost so much weight it couldn't hurt to visit our friends the three C's. If only for a short while and only in small amounts. Hey, why park so far? It's really cold/hot, I'll park closer. You're still feeling confident even if you gained only 10lbs of the 100 you lost. Hey, you're still down 90lbs. No problem, I can lose the 10lbs. I've lost far more than that after surgery.
Then we realize, we are no longer weight loss super beings. We are just mere mortals who now have to work hard to lose the weight. Our bodies after time (usually after the one year mark) will not give us that rapid weight loss we once depended on. Here is when your determination and or lack of it will affect you for the rest of your life. We will all get back on a diet or healthier eating plan to lose the weight we gained. The majority will not succeed because it is not as easy it was when we first had surgery. Some will become complacent and throw up their hands and surrender. The weight will come back and the thoughts of a revision will come to our heads. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not allow for a do over. For a few they will overcome and work on shedding those pounds. They will succeed due to a variety of reasons such as a good support group, using the honeymoon period wisely and really making better lifestyle choices or simply losing one pound at a time instead of trying to lose all of it at one time.
Since my surgery four years ago I had five friends and family members undergo the surgery. We ALL gained back some of the weight. Some were able to lose it and regain their healthy lifestyle. Some never were able to lose the weight and went back into the habit of eating for gratification.
This is what I did. I originally got down on myself. How did I after three years let myself gain 10 lbs. I vowed to get it off. My 1st week I lost 1/2 a pound. I was devastated, how could this be? The next week I gained a pound. Why? I needed help!! My regular group meetings were cancelled due to covid so I lost valuable support there. I decided to call my family and friends who had the surgery. I spent hours talking to everyone, I told them about my struggles and they told me about theirs. We all came away with a few good ideas of what to do. First don't look to lose the WHOLE amount in one shot. It won't happen and it will derail you from succeeding. Set a goal of 1-2lbs per week. Don't worry that some friends or family might be losing more. We aren't in competition with them. Look at the little things. One friend said she stopped putting Crystal light or Mio in her Water. She only drank plain ice water. It seemed to help her jump start her weight loss. Another friend said he started taking the stairs instead of the elevator. He climbs seven flights at least once a day. Another told me her husband who did not have the surgery brought Snacks home and that she would eat them. She purged her home of the unhealthy snacks as she did right after her surgery. I started to implement these and other ideas and I have lost 5lbs in five weeks. I'm at the half way point to getting back to my goal weight.
We are not super humans we need help and we need encouragement in order to succeed. There are a few on here who have done a tremendous job on their own and they are to be commended and emulated. For me, I need and I will take all the help I can get. Everyday is a struggle to be healthy. I told my surgeon that all this is happening after only four years, how do people succeed at maintaining the weight loss? He said sadly, the majority won't.

Two out of the five family/friends that have has WLS have constant hunger. The only saving grace is they have a food restriction due to the surgery. Their surgeons tell them that in some people, like them it is normal. The one piece advice that I can give you and that they practice is, do not eat around your restriction. Meaning, once you feel full (even after a few bites) STOP eating. The restriction despite your feeling of hunger will do it's job and let you know when it's time to stop eating. Do not eat around it. Both are two years post op and both have learned that the surgery did not stop them from feeling hungry. They did learn that the restriction is their most potent tool to lose weight and to try to keep it off.

Planning, Planning and more Planning. First off, thank you for your service. When you make your trip you will need to keep the mind set that you will have enough to eat. Do not worry about eating you have a restriction from surgery. You will not want to eat too much. Get it out of your head that you will be starving. Many here have said that you should bring along Protein Shakes, great idea. At the time of your travels you should be (unless your Dr has a different plan) on soft foods. Baby foods are a good travel option for you as well. Make sure that you have plenty of Water. That will be the key, it will hydrate you and also give you a feeling of fullness. Herbal tea, if you can get it on the road is another great option.
As for truck stop food or fast food, STAY AWAY!!! After weight Loss Surgery (WLS) you should stay away from processed foods. Processed foods will only accelerate you gaining weight over time. You will not feel much hunger but in your mind you will THINK that you you will need to eat. It's our conditioning over the years to make us think that way. WLS has given you a powerful new tool a restriction. Don't eat around it, don't over feed it and most of all don't ignore it. It is your best friend. It will let you nourish yourself but not allow you to take in unnecessary amounts of food.
You will be surprised as to how easy it will be to take care of your hunger as it will dissipate quite fast with little nourishment. I hate to use this phrase but I'll make an exception here, You've Got It. Just Plan, Plan Plan.

The fasting coach will probably not be a good stand alone tool. I've gained some weight and struggle to take it off. I'm fours years out. One of my tools is to fast. I fast 12 hours a day. I'm trying for the 36hrs 2x a week but that's a tall order. The point is, you will need to combine tools and not just depend on one. The surgery option is a good one combined (later on ) with the fasting option. As you've stated before you have achieved great success only to digress back to your starting weight.
Weight Loss Surgery(WLS) is a great tool to "jump start" your weight loss but it is no means a stand alone tool. After 8-12 months we begin to revert back to , as I say being mere mortals again. No longer are we able to lose weight while sleeping or just by being alive. Our weight loss superpowers are gone. It now, takes a mindful and consistent maintenance program. This is where fasting, exercise, being conscience of what we eat and how we really changed our lifestyle during the first 8- 12 months.
WLS is a great tool but it is not the golden bullet to lifelong weight lose and health stability. I'd say, go with the WLS, get that big jump start, start a mindful maintenance program consisting of many tools. Good luck to you and I wish you the best of health.

The fasting coach will probably not be a good stand alone tool. I've gained some weight and struggle to take it off. I'm fours years out. One of my tools is to fast. I fast 12 hours a day. I'm trying for the 36hrs 2x a week but that's a tall order. The point is, you will need to combine tools and not just depend on one. The surgery option is a good one combined (later on ) with the fasting option. As you've stated before you have achieved great success only to digress back to your starting weight.
Weight Loss Surgery(WLS) is a great tool to "jump start" your weight loss but it is no means a stand alone tool. After 8-12 months we begin to revert back to , as I say being mere mortals again. No longer are we able to lose weight while sleeping or just by being alive. Our weight loss superpowers are gone. It now, takes a mindful and consistent maintenance program. This is where fasting, exercise, being conscience of what we eat and how we really changed our lifestyle during the first 8- 12 months.
WLS is a great tool but it is not the golden bullet to lifelong weight lose and health stability. I'd say, go with the WLS, get that big jump start, start a mindful maintenance program consisting of many tools. Good luck to you and I wish you the best of health.

Oof, I hear you on the difficulties losing weight the closer to normal BMI you get. I’m just 15 lbs from goal. I’ve already lost 160, it seems crazy that these last few could be such a struggle but here we are. My weight loss has slowed dramatically a few times and each time I have to look and see what’s going on. Am I snacking again? Am I eating calorically dense food like nuts? Is sugar creeping back in? I know I will slowly push the boundaries and let bad habits sneak back in. I just have to keep course correcting, and I’ll probably be doing that for the rest of my life.

I am 3 years postop and did amazingly well, 100+ lbs. However, the magic is long gone and it is a daily struggle. I have gained 30 lbs back sitting on my backside due to Covid, health and family issues. However, every day I get up and try to do something different. I appreciate all of the responses and stories that I have read from each of you and feel that I can continue to fight the good fight. I never want to be back where I was prior to the surgery with all of the things each and every one of us goes through on our postop journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I wish every one of you the best on your journey.

I'm four years into my surgery this month and here are the things that I've learned.
At the beginning most will feel mixed emotions. Euphoric due to rapid weight loss, concern due to stalls and minor setbacks and trepidation due to looking at how others are doing and you feeling you're not doing enough. The one feeling we all have will be a renewed confidence in ourselves due to the fastest weight reduction you might have ever experienced.
We attain our goal weight. We then transition into making wise food and lifestyle choices. No longer are we to eat the things that made us obese and unhealthy such as the three C's, Cookies, Cake and candy. We will get more exercise. Maybe we park further from the building, maybe we join a gym, maybe we walk, run or work out. We are feeling great and we love our new selves.
Next we work on maintaining the weight loss and our healthy lifestyle. One thing happens, we decide since we lost so much weight it couldn't hurt to visit our friends the three C's. If only for a short while and only in small amounts. Hey, why park so far? It's really cold/hot, I'll park closer. You're still feeling confident even if you gained only 10lbs of the 100 you lost. Hey, you're still down 90lbs. No problem, I can lose the 10lbs. I've lost far more than that after surgery.
Then we realize, we are no longer weight loss super beings. We are just mere mortals who now have to work hard to lose the weight. Our bodies after time (usually after the one year mark) will not give us that rapid weight loss we once depended on. Here is when your determination and or lack of it will affect you for the rest of your life. We will all get back on a diet or healthier eating plan to lose the weight we gained. The majority will not succeed because it is not as easy it was when we first had surgery. Some will become complacent and throw up their hands and surrender. The weight will come back and the thoughts of a revision will come to our heads. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not allow for a do over. For a few they will overcome and work on shedding those pounds. They will succeed due to a variety of reasons such as a good support group, using the honeymoon period wisely and really making better lifestyle choices or simply losing one pound at a time instead of trying to lose all of it at one time.
Since my surgery four years ago I had five friends and family members undergo the surgery. We ALL gained back some of the weight. Some were able to lose it and regain their healthy lifestyle. Some never were able to lose the weight and went back into the habit of eating for gratification.
This is what I did. I originally got down on myself. How did I after three years let myself gain 10 lbs. I vowed to get it off. My 1st week I lost 1/2 a pound. I was devastated, how could this be? The next week I gained a pound. Why? I needed help!! My regular group meetings were cancelled due to covid so I lost valuable support there. I decided to call my family and friends who had the surgery. I spent hours talking to everyone, I told them about my struggles and they told me about theirs. We all came away with a few good ideas of what to do. First don't look to lose the WHOLE amount in one shot. It won't happen and it will derail you from succeeding. Set a goal of 1-2lbs per week. Don't worry that some friends or family might be losing more. We aren't in competition with them. Look at the little things. One friend said she stopped putting Crystal light or Mio in her Water. She only drank plain ice water. It seemed to help her jump start her weight loss. Another friend said he started taking the stairs instead of the elevator. He climbs seven flights at least once a day. Another told me her husband who did not have the surgery brought Snacks home and that she would eat them. She purged her home of the unhealthy snacks as she did right after her surgery. I started to implement these and other ideas and I have lost 5lbs in five weeks. I'm at the half way point to getting back to my goal weight.
We are not super humans we need help and we need encouragement in order to succeed. There are a few on here who have done a tremendous job on their own and they are to be commended and emulated. For me, I need and I will take all the help I can get. Everyday is a struggle to be healthy. I told my surgeon that all this is happening after only four years, how do people succeed at maintaining the weight loss? He said sadly, the majority won't.

Stall and Loridee, out of necessity I had to form my own support group. Are there others that you know who have had the surgery that you can talk with? I found that just by talking and bouncing ideas around we all benefited. I told my surgeon that he should try to set up a way for his patients to exchange emails so we could network. Prior to covid he had two group meetings a month. He tried zoom meetings but they were not effective. So far he hasn't done it. I subscribe to Dr. Becky Gillespie on you tube. She doesn't give bariatric specific weight loss advice. Hers is geared more for us mere mortals and it's usually backed up with the science behind it. I find that fasting for 12 hrs a day helps me control my weight. I don't eat between 7PM - 7 AM. I'm also considering a longer fast but don't want to try until I'm absolutely sure that I can commit. One thing I've found out from not only my experience but with others, if you do not commit to a plan it will never work.